This has been a very important issue to talk about. The saddest story is that using a mobile phone whilst driving had been banned since 2003, yet people still use their phones behind the wheel, with a majority being young adults. This is also my first fanfiction centred around Connie as she deals with the consequences of her decisions during this story. I had the idea to explore this issue within the Sisters saga, however due to other commitments, it may be a while before I've finally get round to highlighting it. In this story, Grace doesn't have epilepsy and a few characters have remained (Sam is still alive in this story).

WARNING: Two major deaths will happen in this story!


Chapter One

Grace lifted her head carefully, trying to comprehend what had just happened a few seconds ago. She watched on in horror as the car she drove into rolled off the road five times, carefully landing on its four wheels. Feeling her heart raced, she clutched onto her phone, terrified of what she just did.

It, it was only meant to be a quick text. She was, texting her mother to tell, tell her when she, she'll be back home. The car was in her possession only two weeks since she passed her driving test first time. Two weeks, and she wrecked it by slamming into another car. Which she then realised had the right of way. After all, she could only go left or right at the end of the road.

Grace carefully go out of the car. She needed to inspect the damage. How was she going to explain this to her mother? She completely damaged the front of the car!

But she froze when she saw the wreckage of the car, she hit in front of her.

Especially when she saw white clouds coming out of it.


Ethan opened his eyes, coughing whatever it was that he breathed in. It was unclear whether he was breathing in smoke or dust from the airbags that was suddenly opened.

He looked up to find that the car they had been travelling back from had been totalled over and nearly crushed on impact.

It was a miracle that he was still conscious enough to remember what had happened a few minutes ago.

Looking around, he took in his surroundings. The back window remained unscathed although he did see the rubber from the roof peeled off. The side windows at the back had a few cracked within them, creating a distorted image of the field they all landed in.

The front of the car, however, was a different story.

The front window was completely broken, with glass shards inside the vehicle. He noticed that his friends were both completely covered in the broken shards, just by looking at the passenger. The driver's side window was already open before the crash, to Ethan's horror as he saw his friend's dampened hair. The passenger's side window was fully closed, but Ethan could easily tell that it was cracked from the inside. He didn't even need to ask what broke it.

Ethan realised that he hadn't said anything to assure his friends that he was alright. He noticed that the two air bags had inflated, clouding his vision with dust. Whoever hit them must have done it at a high speed.

His anxiety worsened. He needed to find his voice.

"Iain?" he coughed out.

Nothing.

"Lily?" He turned to her.

Nothing.

No response.

From either of them.

Ethan carefully took off his seatbelt, leaning over to the two. He placed his hand on Lily's shoulder, gently squeezing it to try and see if she'll respond.

Still, he had nothing from her.

Ethan then turned to the driver's side, trying to see if he could get a response from Iain that he wasn't able to get from Lily.

He saw his hand twitch, but that was all he got from him.

Ethan was worried now. Carefully, he noticed that his phone remained intact. He checked to see he was able to open the back door of the car. The moment it did, he found that his left arm was in agony. He didn't get out of the accident unscathed himself as he noticed that his arm was swollen. Slipping his phone with his right hand in his pocket, he clutched onto his left arm, keeping it still as he pushed himself out of the damaged vehicle.


Grace kept turning around, trying to wonder what will happen now? How could she be so stupid? She knew better than to text behind the wheel and she still went and done that anyway. How is she going to explain all of this?

Grace turned around the moment she heard a door open. She took a closer look and saw one of her mother's employees walking out of the back. He was sporting a few cuts to his face and he appeared to be holding onto his left arm.

This is even worse. She not only caused an accident, but her mother knew the person in the other car. Or at least one of them.

Grace felt scared, panicked, terrified. This is getting worse by the second. Turning around, she noticed that he was too busy checking on his friends to be noticing what she herself was doing.

Turning to the wheel, she knew she couldn't face him. Not after what she just did! How was she going to explain this to anyone? She couldn't comprehend how she was going to live her life now?

Terrified, she walked back into her car, secretly relieved that it was still working. Turning her engine on, she quickly drove away from the scene.

Grace wasn't ready to face questions just yet.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to face them at all.


"A textbook doesn't tell you everything!" Sam explains to Ruby in the ambulance bay, "It doesn't tell you what to do in an unexpected environment!"

Sam was getting rather impatient with Ruby's desire to read that textbook that Jan had lying around the department. She really isn't fond of working with her at all, especially given that Ruby likes to play by the rules. Even during her breaks, instead of socialising with Sam, Ruby had chosen to read more of the textbook to gain a reflection on what they managed to do that day.

Unfortunately, Jan had assigned the two together for the weekend whilst Iain was out of Holby for that dorky comic convention. A part of her wished she had gone with him and Lily instead of being at work, but she'll admit, there are times where Iain had been getting on her nerves.

Especially when Iain told her he was planning on proposing to Lily once they got back.

And he wouldn't shut up about it!

Sam and Ruby suddenly looked up when Jan burst through the doors.

"Girls," she called, "We've had news of a traffic collision at Harrington Road!"

"Isn't that the old country road that is normally quiet?" Sam asked her confused.

"It doesn't matter," Jan explained, "This is a difficult situation, and Mrs Beauchamp had also sent Dr Keogh and Dr Gardner along with a few nurses to help out. A car had been totalled over, and two of the occupants are in a bad way. The third occupant was the one who made the call."

"Okay," Sam nodded, "Let's go!"

Sam froze the moment Jan suddenly looked at the floor. Ruby looked past her, wondering if there was more to the story than what Jan was letting on.

"Jan?" Ruby asked, "What is it?"

Jan had learnt from the dispatcher the identity of the person who made the call and she was given clear details as to who else was injured in the accident. A part of her didn't want Sam of all people to go to the scene. She didn't know how to tell her about what had happened.

"The caller gave his name on the phone," Jan explained, trying to fight back the tears, "It was Dr Hardy who made the call."

Sam stood still, unable to grasp what she's just heard. If she remembered vaguely, she remembered that Ethan was going to the comic convention out of town for the weekend with Iain and Lily. And if Ethan was the one who made the call…then Iain and Lily must be in a critical condition.

"Sam," Jan stopped her, "You don't have to do this."

"No," Sam walked to the door in the ambulance, "They need all the help they can get."


Charlie was horrified when he heard the call from Ethan, knowing that a few of the staff had geared up ready to step in and help. He and Connie were terrified about what they were going to deal with, especially when Ethan explained that Iain and Lily were both unconscious.

Charlie walked into the staffroom, placing a freshly bought hot chocolate for Gem.

"They'll all be brought in here," Charlie reassured her, "But Iain and Lily are both in a critical condition. We've sent out two doctors and two nurses to help get them here safely."

"I'm remaining hopeful," Gem whispered, trying to wipe her tears, "Ethan managed to pull through. I'm hoping Iain and Lily will as well."

Sam stepped out of the ambulance, watching carefully as Ethan held his arm tightly. She took in his appearance, noticing that he's got a few cuts to his face, but apart from that, he appeared to look okay.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Sam ran over to him, "How's your arm? It looks swollen."

"My arm is the least of my worries," Ethan explained, turning to face the crushed car, "I wasn't able to get Iain or Lily out of the car. They're still unconscious. I haven't even seen Lily move at all."

"Okay," Sam walked over to the site.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before opening them again. She had to brace herself before taking in the sight. There she saw them. Iain's head dropped down, being held by his seatbelt. His head was bleeding, she knew he needed to get out of the car and be treated immediately.

"Ruby?" Sam called, "Check on Lily! She's still unconscious!"

Sam quickly opened the door to check for her friend's pulse. It was still there, and she noticed a few twitches from Iain's other hand. That was confirmation for Sam that he's still alive. There's a chance he'll still pull through.

Looking up at Ruby, she frowned as she saw Ruby starting to worry. This was alarming, she saw the door on Lily's side, alarmed to see that it looked badly cracked from the inside. No one needed to tell her what caused it to crack. She frankly didn't want to say it to anyone.

"They need to be taken straight away," Jan concluded watching the damage as Dylan and Elle arrived at the scene.


"You know why I can't let you go Dr Munroe," Connie scolded, "I know how much Ethan means to you. I can't let you get too closely involved."

"Yet Jan allowed Sam to go," Alicia looked at her.

"Sam's being sent to drive Ethan straight to the ED," Connie explained, "We couldn't let her get too closely involved, especially since Iain and Lily are both in a critical way."

Alicia closed her eyes at the thought of this. Ethan wasn't planning on going to that fan convention, but Alicia had told him that she'll be alright for the weekend and that he needed to have a little bit of fun. Why did she tell him to go? If she had listened to him then he wouldn't have gone after his insistence.

Connie saw Alicia's distress, instantly regretting her words. She was relieved to have learned that Ethan was able to regain conscious straight away and that all the damage known to them was a busted arm. She watched Gem in the staffroom, waiting to see when Iain will be brought through.

She didn't understand what caused their car to total over the field like that.

Why did it happen?

Who was responsible?

How did this happen?

Connie noticed Louise running up to them. She must have some information.

"Iain and Lily are being transferred here," she explained, "Sam's just arrived with Ethan."

"Can I go see him?" Alicia asked, hopeful.

"Not yet," Connie frowned at her, before turning to Louise, "How is he?"

"He's shook up," Louise explained, "His arm appeared to be broken and there's a few cuts to his face."

"We'll arrange an X-Ray," Connie declared, "Do you know when Iain and Lily will arrive?"

"They're being supported out of the car when Sam left with Ethan," Louise explained, "But they're still unconscious. Lily hasn't made any movement at all when Elle called."


The car suddenly broke down at the local park. Grace inhaled then exhaled again, terrified about the state of the car and the condition that Dr Hardy was in when he got out of the car. She wasn't sure if there was anyone else in that car, but she prayed that it was only him.

Grace was too afraid to step out of the car at all. That car being totalled over was her fault. She remembered all those stories about people texting behind the wheel, yet she still went and done it. The one time she turned to her phone and she caused an accident. One that would be costly to everyone.

Grabbing her phone, she was about to unlock the screen…then she felt the bump again. Only she could still see that car rolling this time. She wasn't sure which side of the car she slammed into, or who was in that car. The only thing she saw when she held her phone was that car rolling down the hill before slamming itself onto that field.

Grace was relieved when she saw Dr Hardy walk out of that car, he was still alive. She was certain she managed to drive off before he got a good look at her. If he knew she was the one driving, then it would destroy everything and everyone. Her mother would easily have found out and all that trust would have been wiped out.

Guilt washed over Grace, she set her phone down the seat.

She would never forgive herself for this.

She couldn't see how this got any worse.


"Okay Ruby," Connie greeted professionally, taking her notes from her.

"Iain Dean, aged 33," Ruby handed over, "Was found unconscious in a driver's seat in a local field. We can confirm that the extent of his injuries was a result of a car accident. He's bleeding from his head and we've noticed some serious cuts on his stomach, according to a witness, it appeared to have been caused by a collision with another vehicle. Oxygen is at 87, heart rate is 98."

"Resus Bay Four please," Connie pointed to the corridor, "Put him on oxygen and we'll assess him further please."

Connie watched as the team carefully lifted Iain from the ambulance trolley to the ED trolley, horrified to see who she knew to be a chirpy paramedic, lying in a helpless position. She was so sure that he and Lily would be able to pull through from all of this. Especially after seeing all Ethan got from the accident was as far as she was aware, a broken arm.

"Ruby," Connie collared her, "Do you know the state Lily was in?"

"She was unconscious as well," Ruby explained, "Iain was able to show some movement, but Lily, she wasn't moving at all."


Ethan rested carefully in the cubicles. All he kept on seeing was Iain and Lily sitting at the front seat of that car, unconscious. They were chatting one minute, the next, they were all slung through the fence and onto that field. He didn't even want to leave the scene of the accident, he wanted to see them wake up.

"Ethan?" he turned to face Charlie, wanting to know what happened, "You're alright?"

"I don't know," Ethan sighed, "I'm still trying to figure out what had happened."

"What happened?" Charlie asked him, "How did this happen?"

"All I can remember was a car driving into us," Ethan whispered, "It hit us on the passenger side, where Lily was sitting. Iain hit the brakes as soon as he saw the car speeding along but it was a sixty road, and the other car was driving so fast, but it missed the back where I was sitting."

Charlie sighed, trying to fight back the tears. The second car must have been driving at a fast speed to have caused so much damage to Iain's car. But no one mentioned anything about a second car being nearby, no one had even seen another car. Not until Ethan explained it.

"What was the second car?" Charlie asked him, shocked, "We need to give the police information about this."

"It was a darkest red, a KA, I think," Ethan described, "I managed to get out of the car," he explained trying to remember slightly, looking at his bandaged arm, "I couldn't see a way of getting Iain or Lily out of the car. But I saw someone familiar standing by the car. I couldn't see her face, but I thought I've recognised her."

Charlie was alarmed, if there was a second car then that passenger must have also been injured. But if there wasn't sights of a second car, then the passenger must have driven off in a damaged vehicle.

"Could you give us a description?" Charlie asked, "We may need to contact the police."

"Yeah," Ethan coughed, "It was a girl. She had long brunette hair. She didn't look old enough to be driving, but then again, most people look younger. I don't know why but she appeared to be holding onto her phone super tight. I only saw the back of her head before she went back in the car and drove off. I didn't understand how that car was still working, when Iain's was completely crushed."

Charlie frowned at Ethan's statement. It was a teenager who was responsible for the accident. Not only did they cause an accident, but they also left the scene as well, leaving a badly injured man to try to get help on his own.

"Are there any news on Lily and Iain?" Ethan asked, hopeful.

"I think Iain's been brought in," Charlie assured him.


"Resus Bay Two please," Connie asked the paramedics who carefully guided Lily in.

Connie tried to remain as calm as possible, but how could she stay calm when she had one doctor in cubicles with a broken arm and two people she knew well fighting for their lives in the Resus?

She watched as Gem stood patiently at the window, wanting to see if her family were okay. Connie knew this would be difficult, but Gem isn't doing herself any favours. Right now, she needs to be making sure that her own well-being is in check. But then Connie thought about it, this was her brother being treated. He hasn't responded to any stimuli and the only thing he could do was to twitch his hand.

Carefully putting her faith in Elle and Dylan, she walked out to speak to Gem.

"Gem," Connie approached her, "I know this is difficult, but Iain and Lily are in the best of hands."

"He's my brother," Gem turned to face Connie, "He and Lily are the only family I have left. I can't lose them."

"They're in good hands," Connie took Gem to the seats, "I have faith in every one of my team, including you. I can't make any promises, but I know we can trust everyone."

Gem nodded, still terrified of the prospect of being on her own. Again.

"Why don't you go and get some fresh air?" Connie suggested, "Have a word with Sam, I bet she could use some support."

Gem nodded, silently thanking Connie before she stood up and walked out of the ED and towards the ambulance bay.

Connie waited at the seats, trying to understand exactly how they're going to manage now with two doctors being off work. It will be a while before things go back to normal.

Pulling out her phone, she looked at her messages. She needed something to relax her before she went back in to see how everyone was getting on. Not just Ethan, Lily and Iain, but everyone else. This was something that they'd never quite expected, but she is hopeful that soon everyone will be back to normal, ready for a new day.

Looking at her phone, she carefully read the text that she had received from Grace.

I should be back home by 17:30 Xx

Connie knew Grace would be back from her trip downtown, knowing it would have be her first solo drive since she passed her driving test. Proud couldn't quite cut how Connie felt about this milestone. There was a time, Connie never thought that Grace would have lived to learn to drive, never mind passing her test first time.

She's also happy that Grace had remembered that she'd worry about her if she doesn't text her back.

Then she hears stories like this. She knew that Grace would need to be told this story. Connie just easily picture the wreckage of that car. Only it was Grace's face she saw, not Iain's. It wasn't Grace's driving she was concerned about; she's been in the car with Grace, she knew she could trust her daughter. It was everyone else that she couldn't trust.

And the accident with Ethan, Iain and Lily just proved that theory.

Within her thoughts, she suddenly lost track of the time before she heard an alarm. Standing up from her chair, Connie suddenly watched through the ED window as Dylan's team had started performing CPR on Lily.

Running into the Resus, she heard the alarm ringing through her ears, keeping her eyes on Elle's team as they try to arouse Iain. Turning to Dylan's team, she watched as a frantic Louise perform chest compressions onto Lily, at the same time, everyone pumping oxygen through her airways.

Connie looked at the screen.

No improvements there.

Franticly, the team stepped back as Dylan applied another shock into Lily's body. Connie watched as Dylan rested two fingers, to check on Lily's pulse.

Connie placed her hands together when he shook his head. There was still no pulse.

"Dr Keogh," Jacob whispered, "It's been fifteen minutes. There's no improvement."

Connie suddenly realised how long she was out there for. Tears started to build up from her eyes, silently wishing for a miracle. A miracle that could set Lily's heart rate in rhythm, have her eyes snap open, do anything! Anything!

But Lily still showed no signs of improvement. Connie knew there and then that all effort to save Lily would be in vain. Turning to Elle's team, she silently thought of Iain.

He's going to wake up to the news that Lily is gone.

"Okay," Dylan sighed, "Do we all agree?"

Connie watched as all five members of Dylan's team nod, before Dylan held his clock out.

"Patient's deceased. Time of death," he whispered, placing his hand on top of Lily's, "19:03."