'Morning' Michael's deep voice echoed around her skull and she felt her stomach lurch as the roots of a truly monstrous hangover took hold 'just about' he added with a roll of his eyes as she attempted to sit up 'where did you get to last night?'

'Here' she mumbled, pressing her hand over her eyes to shield them from the light that was biting into her brain 'I left a message'

'I know. It was incomprehensible' he replied coldly 'you always think you make more sense than you do when you're entirely drunk'

'I wasn't that bad' she protested weakly 'just a couple of glasses of wine…'

'Couple of vats more like' he eyed her suspiciously 'of gin. It's the only thing that gives you a hangover like this'

'I'm not hungover' she lied but fooled no one 'I've just got a virus'

'You and I both know what is the matter with you' he said sternly 'and it's totally self inflicted'

'Piss off' she snapped, inflicting more physical pain on herself than the words inflicted on Michael 'just leave me alone'

'Is that any way to speak to your boss' a small smile played on his lips as he relished his power over her 'and while we're on the subject, really, coming to work with a hangover is utterly unacceptable' he laughed at his own joke, ignoring the look of venom she shot him

'If you don't shut up, I swear I will divorce you' she hissed, standing up and slowly moving to the small fridge in the corner of her office and taking a large bottle out before taking a long drink

'Now I think that is an idle threat' he gave a small laugh 'don't you sweetheart'

'I don't make idle threats' she spat, pushing him out of her way and storming out onto the ward, heading for the ladies, knowing it was the one place he wouldn't follow her and the one place she could find water to splash on her face in a vain attempt to wake herself up

'God I look a state' she murmured, taking in her pale, clammy complexion and red ringed eyes

'Yes' a voice asserted an agreement and she whipped round, her heart sinking at the sight of Chrissie 'but considering the state you were in last night…' she added with a small smile, pleased that her boss was in no position to answer back

'I've had the self-inflicted routine from Michael, I certainly don't need it from you too' she sighed tiredly, her usual bark stolen from her by the hangover and the sense of doom that had overtaken her since seeing him the night before

'Fair enough' Chrissie agreed 'any particular reason you were drinking your bodyweight?'

'None that you need to know about' Connie moaned gently 'keep the ward ticking over without me this morning and I promise your bonus this year won't be an insult'

'I could certainly do with the cash' Chrissie pondered for a moment, wondering whether the need for a deposit on a flat outweighed the desire to watch her boss struggling to cope with Donna and a hangover

'Just do as I ask' Connie sighed, splashing water on her face and trying to quell the nausea that rose within her

'Fine' Chrissie snapped back, louder than necessary with the intention of aggravating Connie's obvious hangover. For a couple of moments they stood in silence, Connie swallowing furiously, attempting to keep down the small amount of water in her stomach, Chrissie watching her with a mixture of satisfaction and interest 'do I still get my bonus?'

'We'll see Chrissie' Connie gave a small smile at Chrissie's nerve as she passed her on her way out of the toilet

It was midday by the time Connie felt up to venturing out of her office onto the ward. In the distance, she watched Chrissie's inimitable style of management as she delegated the most mundane tasks to Donna, any that involved an ounce of talent going to Tricia and any complex tasks to Mark, and she felt safe to leave the hospital completely and go and get some air in her lungs.

'Chrissie' she called, her usual authoritative tones returning 'I'm going to nip out, I'll be on my page. I can be back in two minutes if you need me'

'Fine' Chrissie didn't glance up from her paperwork as Connie strolled past the nurse's station and off towards the lift

As she stepped into the park, she felt her head clear and the lingering headache finally lift as the cool, fresh air flooded her body. She took the long way round the park, not especially wanting to return to the place where she had thrown up and relishing the thought of an extra half hour of freedom before she had to return to the hospital and do what she was paid for. Slowly, she strolled down the path and away from the hospital, sitting down on a bench left as a tribute to a woman who had died in the hospital and just thinking. Phil had been such an unhappy time in her past that she had spent years trying to forget. He was put away in an unlabelled box in her mind and she chose never to retrieve him. Except last night, he had climbed out of the box himself and started dancing a salsa through her thoughts. She was a complete mess of emotions – furious with him, furious with herself, thrilled to see him, devastated that he was as happy as he was while she was haunted every day and guilty that she knew that if he showed the slightest interest in her, she would gladly leave Michael for him. She felt a stray tear roll down her cheek and batted it away, refusing to waste any more tears on him. Standing up, she steeled herself for another six hours of work, taking deep cleansing breaths to try and rid her body of the last stray traces of alcohol and emotion before going back and facing the world. Making her way back, she barely noticed the man walking towards her until he was standing right in front of her.

'Watch where you're…' she trailed off, feeling her face pale at the sight of him

'Hello Connie' he said, the twinkle that normally lit up his eyes entirely absent 'how have you been?'