Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for the last chapter, much appreciated as ever. I still apologise greatly for hurting Dylan, but sometimes these things need to be done!

I would just like to make the point that I am not a doctor and therefore please don't judge me too harshly for any inaccuracies in the medical information listed from here on in. I have based what is going to happen on a specific case so I know I'm correct in my thinking, but that doesn't mean I'll be able to explain it as well as a doctor could. Just saying :)

Anyway, here is chapter 3. Hope you enjoy.

For better, for worse

Chapter 3

Thursday 1st March 2012

Noel looked up at the beautiful young woman in front of him with genuine concern at the pale and worried condition she presented in. She did not initially look as if she herself was unwell, but her messy ponytail, noticeably hastily packed rucksack and large, frightened eyes indicated to him that she may well have left somewhere in quite a hurry to get to the E.D. to see someone she cared deeply about. Far from being just a receptionist as he knew some would see it, Noel found his time providing information and reassuring people like her the most valuable he spent on any task.

"Can I help you?" he enquired politely, trying to elicit a response from the girl who was earnestly studying the comings and goings around her.

"I received a call," she started, before hesitating. "I'm here to see Dylan Keogh."

"Are you Samantha?" Noel questioned, immediately realising upon hearing her speak that this was the same female he had communicated with via phone only a matter of an hour or so before. "Dr Keogh is through in a side room near our resus area and if you just give me a minute to deal with the gentleman behind you, I will take you through and introduce you to Mr Jordan, our Clinical Lead who will be able to answer your questions I'm sure."

"Thanks Noel," Sam replied, reading his name badge and nodding in acknowledgement before taking a step back away from the reception desk to allow him to process the bloodied individual who had arrived immediately after her. She looked around the busy department with interest at finally seeing the much anticipated Holby City E.D. and couldn't help but find herself considering whether Dylan had any particular connection with the various staff members moving quickly in and out of her view. In many senses it appeared just like any other emergency room that she had visited over the years and whilst she had seen several in recent times, she was well aware that this one was different, if only because it was the place where Dylan spent the majority of his life.

Upon turning around she saw the sign for resus pointing down the corridor and in seeing that the receptionist was still busy booking in the bleeding man from the queue, she decided to track down Dylan and the esteemed Mr Jordan herself. She found the room she was looking for easily and approached the door with much haste, unable to comprehend the devastation she may find on making her entrance. However as her palm pressed up against the glass and she went to swing the door open, something triggered her to look sideways and she was able to identify that the smaller private room she was now staring at was currently the residence of one Dr Keogh.

As she moved towards the door Sam was able to see that the only other occupant was a blonde nurse, who was facing away from her and seemed totally distracted by whatever task she was undertaking at that moment. With that in mind and no longer fancying making any sort of grand entrance, just wishing to see the state Dylan was in to settle her own nerves, she quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside, with an express determination not to attract the attention of anyone until she had reassured herself as to his condition.

She slowly advanced on the unconscious man's bedside and almost found herself throwing up as a wave of nausea overtook her at the sight of his injured body. She reached out and steadied herself on the cold metal bars along the side of the trolley, before continuing to move forward and studying Dylan's face intently for signs that whatever his physical state, the man she loved was still very much present inside the battered form. Her fingers reached out and gingerly stroked his cheek, almost flinching at the complete lack of response from him despite being aware of his lifeless state. She retracted her hand from his face and instead brought it down to his side, where she allowed her fingers to lace in with his in a gesture she hoped would bring him comfort if he was able to feel it at all wherever his mind currently lay.

"And who are you?" came a male voice from behind her, breaking her trail of thought and making both her and the blonde nurse jump at the sound. Sam felt herself begin to flush with embarrassment at having been caught out, but instead forced herself to stand tall by Dylan's side with a look of defiance plastered across her face.

"Sam Nicholls," she responded, almost without thinking and as the blonde nurse moved to join the man she could immediately identify from reputation alone as Nick Jordan, she could see that these words meant little to either of them.

The door opened sharply behind them and in walked Noel, looking slightly uncomfortable. "You found them already then?" he asked, and in response to the blank stares he received from all parties in the room, he continued. "This is Samantha Keogh, Dylan's next of kin."

"Ah, Samantha," Nick started, moving towards her and offering her his hand to shake. "I'm Nick Jordan, Clinical Lead, and this is Nurse Andrews, she is monitoring Dr Keogh's condition for us."

"Linda," the blonde nurse chimed in and Sam felt the need to reciprocate the hand-shaking gesture she had just received from Mr Jordan with her as well, a motion the two females carried off awkwardly, before Sam dumped the heavy bag from her shoulder to the floor next to Dylan's bedside.

"Thanks Noel," Nick said, before continuing dismissively, "I'm sure we can cope now, you must need to get back to reception."

The man himself beamed at Sam and she offered him the most genuine smile she could in response as he departed, feeling almost sorry for him at his being sent away given how helpful he had earlier been to her. However that thought soon subsided as her mind returned back to her unconscious companion and the as yet unexplained cause and nature of his injuries.

"I'd like an update on his condition," she stated as confidently as she could muster, determined not to appear weak in front of such a revered consultant, especially one that was Dylan's boss.

Nick took the young girl's appearance in as he watched her try to keep a lid on her emotions. He was definitely not so blind to the female charm that he could not see she was attractive, but she looked very young, much more so than he would ever have anticipated Dr Keogh's next of kin being for reasons he could not yet identify. Samantha was dressed simply in a grey hoody, tight jeans and boots, with her hair scraped back into a ponytail in such a manner he imagined that if anything it made her look younger than her years. As a medic with vast experience he had become expert at judging people's age and circumstances from just the briefest of clues, as in moments of emergency this information could be crucial. However all he had so far managed to ascertain from this young woman was that she could have been no more than mid-twenties at most and that her caring touch of Dylan's cheek some moments before belied an apparent love that defied definition for him at that moment.

"Okay, I'll try and give you the best update I can Samantha, but I don't want to overwhelm you and you need to be aware we are still waiting on some test results, so as yet I don't have all the answers," Nick explained and watched as she eyed him with suspicion on hearing his words. He had been truthful in that he did not want to overload her with news of Dr Keogh's state, especially given how vulnerable she looked, but he was also still wrestling with asking her who she actually was in relation to his colleague. He knew that she may be hurt if he asked her outright as it would demonstrate to her that Dylan had never spoken of her before, so he settled for knowing that the gossipy blonde nurse in the corner of the room would undoubtedly get that information out of her later on. Or undoubtedly he had to consider the option that his own former partner would pointedly ask the girl outright, given how apparent it was that she was so far unaware of her existence and he could only hope Zoe would not be too shocked by any potential deception on Dylan's behalf, especially as they had recently become so very close.

"His head CT was clear," Nick said aloud, "as was his chest, so there are no neurological or cardio-thoracic complications as far as I can see," he continued, trying to offer her a reassuring smile. "That is obviously a positive, as it means we think his head, heart and lungs have escaped relatively unscathed." He noted that he was receiving little more than a stunned, unseeing stare from the young woman but made the decision to carry on explaining as simply as he could manage to ensure she was in possession of the facts. "X-rays have shown that there are some definite breaks to his lower right leg, which is why it is that pressured cast to prevent any further damage," he said, indicating the blue air-filled support that was strapped to Dylan's limb. "We also have spotted he has broken the same ankle, and he is going to need surgery to set that all back in place. Additionally, his pelvis is quite unstable and an ultrasound has shown he has some fluid, which is most likely blood, in his lower abdomen and so we are a bit concerned he may have damaged his spleen, kidneys or possibly his bladder. The surgeons have had a look at him and they aren't unduly worried at this stage, but he is likely to need a further operation to ensure that it is dealt with properly. In the meantime we are just waiting for them to admit him to our General Surgery ward so they can keep him under observation." He paused, before querying, "Does that all make some kind of sense?"

She nodded silently, before looking back over at Dylan and then once again meeting Nick's gaze. "What about his back? You've still got him strapped to a board, which means you must be worried about his spine, right?" she asked, her voice tinged with sadness at the implication of her words.

"His lower back and abdomen are very badly bruised," Nick answered, as honestly as he was able to under the circumstances. "He seems to have taken a direct impact to that area by the car when it hit him unfortunately. However the scans show that whilst his spinal cord appears swollen, there is no evidence of an actual break. You have to understand that whilst he remains unconscious it is very difficult for us to be sure whether there is any lasting damage, so for now we just have to wait." He looked her straight in the eye, before adding, "I know that probably isn't much comfort right now, but we really are doing all we can Samantha, I promise you that."

She hesitated again, a look Nick registered as a mixture of fear and uncertainty flashing across her eyes before she spoke. "I know you are, it's just a lot to take in that's all." She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling even more of it from its messy tie before adding, "And it's Sam by the way, not Samantha."

Nick nodded to acknowledge her words, before they were interrupted by Linda, who whilst they had been talking had moved to Dylan's bedside to check his obs. "Sam is there anything we can do for you? Anyone else we can call for the two of you?" she asked, trying to be as helpful as possible but also trying to establish the connection between the injured doctor and the young woman at his side.

Sam shook her head in response, before conceding, "Actually I do need to make a call myself, do you mind if I just step outside?"

"Of course not," Nick replied kindly. "When you've finished feel free to come back and wait in here or you can ask Linda to take you through to the relative's room if you'd rather be a bit more comfortable. I'll update you as soon as we have any news."

Sam shot both the male and female present a brief smile, before glancing back at Dylan and then rapidly leaving the room, pulling her phone from the front pocket of her hooded sweatshirt as she did so. She made her way towards the exit of the department, not wanting her conversation to be overheard by anyone given the apparently highly limited information they appeared to have gleaned about her up until that point and as she walked she scrolled down the list of contacts on her mobile. Sam paused slightly at seeing "Grumpy" listed as one of her options, the irony of the fact that she had inputted his details in at least three phones now and despite that had yet to use them, weighing heavy on her mind given that she had never anticipated seeing the man again. However she continued searching past his name and found the person she was looking for, whose number was almost as instantly recognisable to her as Dylan's always had been.

Linda waited until Nick Jordan had returned to the main resus department before exiting the smaller room and watching Sam Keogh, Sam Nicholls or whatever she was calling herself walk out of the E.D. and into the car park, mobile attached to her ear and obviously deep in conversation. She caught sight of Lenny in the reception area, talking to Noel having just purchased a hot drink from the kiosk and scurried over towards him before he could depart back into cubicles, coffee cup in hand.

"Have you seen her?" she asked, before clarifying for the benefit of the seemingly clueless Dr Lyons, "Sam I mean. Dylan's next of kin?"

He shook his head and eyed her curiously, "No, why is she a monster? Is she the female Dr Keogh? Does she have two heads? What?"

"No, better than all of that," Linda whispered conspiratorially. "She is very young, pretty looking too. And she obviously really cares about him. Bless her; she looked so worried when Jordan was explaining his injuries."

"Okay, so who is she then?" Lenny countered. "This girl of Dylan's."

"She wouldn't say," Linda retorted, raising the suspicion level in her voice as she did so. "My best guess would be his kid sister perhaps," she said, pondering the various options available to her. "Although," she reflected, pausing for a moment to calculate the possibility, "she could actually be his daughter."

Lenny almost choked on a slurp of coffee he had just taken, barely able to comprehend such a ludicrous set of circumstances and yelped aloud, "Dr Keogh has a secret daughter?"

It was in that moment of total aberration on the part of the two gossiping medics that they failed to see Dr Zoe Hanna appear from the direction of cubicles and stare at them completely aghast at learning of the possible existence of her potential future step-daughter.

Thank you very much for reading and you already know how much I love reviews :)

The next part is likely to be up on Tuesday, Zoe is going to meet Sam for the very first time.