New Year's Day, the day of Ric's departure, proved to be Connie's foray back into the outside world. Ric had asked her if she would come with him and Jess to the airport, and after a few moments thought, Connie had agreed. If Zubin had intended to come with them, she certainly would have refused, but he had been forced to go into work at the last minute. "I may as well make the most of you," She said with a tentative smile, and he could see just how hard she was going to find saying goodbye to him.
When Jess arrived driving Zubin's car, with the baby asleep on the backseat, Ric frowned. "I'd forgotten he'd been teaching her to drive," He said almost disgustedly. "She took her test just before Christmas." "We've all got to learn sometime, you know," Connie told him affectionately, seeing the mark of a true father in his level of scepticism. When they went outside to the car, Jess got out to greet them, her smile slipping just for a moment when she saw Connie's face, the bruises still in evidence. "You can drive to the airport," She said, handing the keys to her father. "Why?" He asked, taking them from her. "Because if I drive, you'll spend the entire journey criticising." "I'm your father, I'm suppose to criticise your driving," Ric told her fondly. Jess sat in the back with the baby, and Connie took her place at Ric's side. Connie didn't say a word as they drove, feeling very much on the outer fringe of the situation. Seeming to sense her unease, Ric took her hand in his, holding it as he rested his own on the gear stick. Ric and Jess talked as he drove, both of them making an effort to stick to anything resembling light conversation, both of them highly aware of Connie's discomfort. When they arrived at the airport, Ric locked the car doors and handed Jess the keys. "You want to be careful driving with him in the car," He said, gesturing to the baby in her arms. "Yes, I know," She said as though she'd heard this a dozen times before. "Anyway, when I was little, you'd drive with god knows how many of us in the car at one time." "That's different," Ric said evasively, the policy of every father throughout the world being do as I say, not as I do. Putting his case onto a trolley, he tucked one of Connie's arms through his, and they began walking towards the check-in desk.
A good while later, the time was fast approaching when Ric would have to say goodbye to both of them. Connie felt extremely inhibited having Jess there, because there were things she wanted to say to Ric, but which she certainly didn't want to say in front of Ric's daughter. When they reached the barrier, the final point that they could accompany him to, Jess moved off to one side at a slight glance from Ric, to give them some space. When he put his arms round her, Connie clung to him, just for those last few moments showing her grief for his going. "Promise to write to me," She said, unable to keep the tears out of her voice. "Only if you do the same," He told her with a smile. "I want to know what happens with Michael. I know you think you know what you're doing where he is concerned, but please just be careful. I know it might be going against your better judgment, but you do have friends who will help you if you ask." "You told Tricia to keep an eye on me, didn't you," She said with a fond smile. "I had to make sure someone would," He replied all too seriously. "Ric, I'm sorry that you've had to put up with all this," She said, feeling immensely guilty that she had so successfully eaten into his time with his daughter. "All I care about," He told her with feeling. "Is that you are safe, and well, and happy. So, I want you to go home, and not even think of going back to work until you really are ready for it. You're not going to be able to do any operating for quite a while until those ribs heal, so make the most of it and stay away from prying eyes. Promise me to at least try to take good care of yourself." Pulling her flush against him, he kissed her lingeringly, not caring in the least that they were in the middle of a busy airport. Eventually breaking off from her, he gave his daughter a hug. "Look after Connie for me," He said, hating the fact that he had to leave like this. "You don't ask much, do you," Jess said with a smile. "And don't let this little one pick up any of my bad habits," He added, briefly touching the baby's face. "Dad, give me some credit, he's only six months old," Jess protested mildly. Giving Connie one last kiss, Ric turned away and walked through the barrier, looking back so as to catch sight of them for as long as possible, before the crowd eventually blocked his view.
When Ric had finally disappeared, Jess touched Connie's arm to get her attention. Connie looked lost, cut adrift, sincerely as though her one support mechanism had been brutally torn away. Tucking Connie's arm through hers and hitching the baby up slightly in his sling, Jess turned round and they began walking towards the exit, making a little detour into the nearest cafeteria. Connie hadn't seemed to notice where they were, until Jess gently pushed her down into a chair. "You look like you could do with a cup of tea," She said, removing the baby sling and putting it down on the seat next to Connie. "Please," Connie replied quietly, trying her damnedest to return to the land of the living. Whilst Jess stood at the counter paying for two cups of tea, the baby woke up, seeming to sense that his mother had briefly left him. As his screwed up little face began searching everywhere for some sign of human contact, Connie reached over and placed her finger into his tiny hand. Instantly, he clenched his fist around her finger, giggling in delight and making Connie smile. When Jess returned with the tea, and saw that her baby was awake, she said, "He's probably hungry. Do you mind if I feed him?" "No, not at all," Connie replied, pouring milk into her tea. Sitting down opposite her, Jess picked him up and discretely undid her blouse. "I couldn't help thinking," Connie added with a smile. "When he was looking for you, that he really does have his father's frown." Jess laughed. "Zubin always looks like that after a board meeting." Seeming to realise just who she was talking to, Jess went quiet, both women taking the time to savour their tea. "Dad loves you," Jess said suddenly, not entirely knowing where this had come from. Putting her cup back down on the tray, Connie regarded her thoughtfully. "Yes, I know he does," She said eventually. "Connie," Jess said carefully. "Don't do to him what Sam did. She was the last woman Dad seriously fell for, and she was quite like you in some ways. She was pretty, and Dad really thought she was the one, or at least the fifth one, but like you, she also had the ability to be extremely manipulative, and she could wind dad round her little finger. I'm not saying that's how he was hooked this time, because you only need to look at you to see that you've genuinely needed him, not something Holby's Medical Director probably admits lightly. All I'm saying is, don't use what he feels for you for your own ends, and don't take advantage of just how much he would think of giving up for you." There was a slightly stunned silence, and Jess briefly wondered if she'd burned all her boats of possibly returning to her old job in a few months time. Connie was speechless. She had expected to be warned off by Zubin, but not by Jess. For a start, she wouldn't have expected Jess to have the guts to do something like this. But then she wasn't exactly being warned off, just asked to treat Ric's feelings with care and respect, something she had every intention of doing anyway. "When did you start to grow up?" Connie asked eventually, feeling that this was as good a question as any. "When I realised that I'd lost my dad his oldest friend," Jess said regretfully. "Until Dad found out, I was living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. I thought that just because I thought there was nothing wrong with what we were doing, that Dad had to simply accept it. I didn't see until it was really too late, that I was taking away the one bit of support network he'd ever had. I can't ever give that back to him, and quite how he's managed to stay on the straight and narrow without it is beyond me. Dad's always been there for me, always giving me money even when he couldn't afford it, always forgiving me for making a complete mess of my life. But all I did was to throw it back in his face, and no matter how hard I try, I won't ever be able to make that right again."
As Jess drove Connie home, Connie couldn't help but wonder what Zubin would think of all the things Jess had said to her. He would probably tell her that she was being sucked in by Connie's spell, just as Ric had been. Seeing him again certainly was going to be an experience, never mind their brief conversation the other morning over her pain relief. She supposed that he would steadily avoid meeting her eyes, in fact he probably wouldn't even look at her, trying to live up the pretence that he didn't know of what had happened to her. Well, she supposed that would be easier than his actually confronting the issue. When they arrived back at Connie's house, Jess reached into the glove compartment and handed Connie a small package. "Zubin got you some more of his wonder drug," She said, handing it over. "Tell him it's been a life saver," Connie replied, gratefully taking it. "And tell him I said thank you, though that might just be too much of a shock for him."