Hello again. Thank you to all my previous reviewers, especially my girlies Anny and Meggi :)

This chapter is a little short, but it sets up what happens next. I hope you like it.

For better, for worse

Chapter 1

Thursday 1st March 2012

"You know you could always ask Big Mac to walk her, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Zoe queried as she followed Dylan into the staffroom, only to be met with a glare from her colleague in response.

"I don't think Dervla would be particularly satisfied with that arrangement," came the terse response, which elicited a smile from Dr Hanna as she walked over to the kitchen area and put the kettle on to boil.

They had repeated the same conversation every day that week thus far, much to Dr Keogh's irritation and Zoe's bemusement. In the previous couple of months the two of them had spent a significant amount of time together and Zoe had learned the priority Dylan's dog had over her in his life, but it never failed to charm her at how seriously he took his responsibilities towards his canine companion.

Dervla had been less than her usual daft self over the past few weeks, to the point where even Zoe had picked up on her deteriorating state. However after a number of visits to the vets and a recent period of admittance for surgery, much to the consternation of both the dog and its owner, the mutt's condition appeared to be improving. The pair of colleagues had argued on a number of occasions over the best course of action upon Dervla's discharge back into her master's charge, but despite Dylan not being keen on bringing her into the department given the memory of the tragedy that had befallen Polly the previous year, he had insisted it had to be him who ensured the canine was cared for.

It had been fortuitous that the weather had warmed in the early spring sunshine in recent days, so following Dervla's collection from the much loathed veterinary centre Dylan had set up a makeshift kennels in the back of his car. As medical practitioners both Doctor Keogh and Doctor Hanna were well aware that it was irrational for him to consider that he could provide better treatment than a qualified vet, but to date he had managed to balance his working commitments whilst maintaining his own canine rehabilitation centre with just minimal support and cover from Zoe.

For her part, Zoe knew how grateful her counterpart was to her for ensuring he could take regular breaks to make the short trip to the car park and assess how well the patient was recuperating. The focus of their conversation on the journey home the previous night had been how long it was likely to be before Dervla regained enough physical fitness that they would all be able to get back to a semblance of normality.

The reality that the sense of routine they both had craved to return to now comprised of shared car drives to and from work, evenings spent in posh restaurants of Zoe's choosing and cosy nights spent curled up on Dylan's houseboat together had surprised them both, but their relationship had developed rapidly following their shared experiences inside the fire that had ripped through the E.D. back in December. The closure of the department for rebuilding efforts over a number of weeks had led to both doctors having time on their hands and given the brief kiss they had shared upon considering they were about to die, Zoe especially had been clear to explore the possibilities that had opened up to them following the unexpected turn of events. The intimate nature that the relationship had taken had felt alien to Dylan in comparison to his last close connection, but it had become apparent to him that the majority of women, his current partner included, were very different to the one from his past.

"So are we still going to Carlotta's tonight?" Zoe questioned, referencing the boutique Italian restaurant that had opened across Holby the week before. However upon seeing an uncomfortable look fall across Dylan's face, she was already aware of the answer.

"You still don't think she is well enough to leave on her own for a bit, do you?" she probed, before continuing, "It's fine Dylan, I know she's important to you. But when that dog is better I swear you owe me at least a week's worth of meals out somewhere very expensive." Her understanding at finding herself second best to a canine was not a situation that Zoe was familiar with, so her acceptance of the predicament was begrudging at best.

"I'll cook," Dylan responded shortly, knowing full well that his culinary expertise was incredibly limited in comparison to the five star lasagne that would have been on the menu at his dinner date's preferred dining location. "Or," he added, considering the options, "We could always get a take-away."

He grabbed his coat and car keys from the open locker and walked towards the staffroom door. "I'll see you in half an hour," he called back in his colleague's direction.

"Yeah, just make sure you take your phone in case we get anything major coming in," she replied and smiled as Dylan patted down his pockets until he confirmed the mobile was present as requested, before leaving the room completely focused on reaching his ever faithful canine from the backseat of his old car.

Upon reaching the vehicle and opening the back door he was pleased to see the dejected looking animal show a degree of interest in his arrival and he ruffled her coat in comfort.

"Right, now we are just going for a quick walk," Dylan spoke directly towards his dog, who at that moment was eying him with obvious misgivings. "I know it hurts and you want to stay here, but I am just doing what is best for you. The only way for you to recover if for you to undertake regular, gentle exercise."

Dylan reached in and carefully removed the reluctant creature from the rear of the vehicle, before placing her on the lead and slowly making off across the car park. He had never been sure why he felt the need to restrain the dog, given that she consistently remained attached to him like a shadow. However the hospital and surrounding streets were always filled with the sounds of sirens and Dylan had never been prepared to take the chance his confidante would be spooked and make a run for it. That was partly the reason he would never consider allowing someone else to take care of or even walk his dog, well that and the fact that he deemed most people incapable of functioning well enough to take care of themselves the majority of the time if the state they presented to the E.D. in was any indication to go by. The last person aside from himself who had been responsible for Dervla's care had long since departed their lives and it had become customary to them both that they solely relied on each other for companionship.

Dylan had curtly rebuffed Zoe's offer to be an additional dog walker earlier that week and so far he had managed to avoid any discussion over her caring for the canine whilst she spent the night aboard his boat. Dr Hanna did not appear to be a particularly animal friendly individual if his judgement was correct, but he was aware that at some point he would need to ensure that she had bonded with Dervla to prevent tensions from appearing between the three of them as his own relationship with his fellow doctor became more serious.

He exited the car park and began the short walk down the main road towards the park located around the corner from the hospital, with his loyal dog slowly jogging alongside him. He became vaguely aware of a loud screeching noise in the distance, but as the source of the sound neared him he was rudely interrupted from his thoughts by the squealing of car brakes. He looked up in alarm at the erratically driven people carrier which was spinning out of control rapidly in his direction.

In the seconds that followed Dylan found himself considering that the size of the car meant this would not be ending well for anyone and he realised that the shouting he could hear was his own, yelling at Dervla to get out of the way. However before he could do anything other than let go of his beloved dog's lead, there was a sickening thud and the graunching of bones breaking, before darkness descended and his world went dark.

It was in that moment Dylan wondered whether someone would phone her and if they did, whether she would even come. Dervla needed her, and so did he.

Thank you for reading, reviews would be very welcome. And I aim to have the next part of this (and To Look Out For You aswell) up on Saturday.

Callie x