Chapter 6
Sorry for the lack of update recently, my motivation is dwindling but I can feel it coming back so fingers crossed. This chapter is pretty much just from Elles POV and what led up to her finding Alicia. It's not a very dramatic chapter so don't get your hopes up, I'm really sorry about the lack of quality the past couple of chapters, I am hoping once things get a bit less hectic and my motivation comes back the chapters will be at least a little better. Anyway, I hope this at least offers some kind of context as to why it was Elle that decided to visit Alicia, I didn't know it was going to be her it kind of just happened so I had to come up with a reason for it being her and not someone else (such as Connie). There will be more Connie coming up in this story as I just love Connie and can't resist including her in this story, thats all I know so far.
Guest - 'Wow! This chapter is incredible. Literally I could feel my own heartbeat all the way through. I could almost feel what Alicia was feeling' - Thanks so much, I was worried about writing such an intense scene but I'm glad it went down well.
Guest - 'Wow pretty intense chapter, amazing as usual though. I'm glad it's Elle I feel like she's close enough to Alicia that she may be able to talk to her, and it's not like she'll let it go after finding Alicia like that. Please update soon!' - Thank you thats really nice to hear. Thats what I thought as I was writing it, I remembered their friendship from a few episodes back and just went with that. Sorry for not updating in a while, I'll try and work on that.
Guest - 'I was hoping it was Elle! Love your portrayal of this storyline.' - Thanks! I'm glad you liked Elle being introduced into the story, I was sceptical about it but I think it was the right choice.
casfics - 'Twist with it being Elle! Please update it's brill x' - Haha yeah bit of a twist, I hope thats okay, I feel confident about it so far. Than you, feeling very warm and fuzzy with all these positive reviews, sorry for the late update.
Guest - 'I love this story so much! Really glad you involved Elle, I seem to remember the two of them being close earlier this year, so she might be able to help Alicia. Keep going!' - Thank you very much I'm glad you like it! Yeah thats exactly what I thought, she seemed like the logical choice.
Citylightsonthew - 'I'm too lazy to log in, haha. But I really wanted to review and say how much I love this chapter. I hope you update soon!' - Haha, well hey I can't judge, I get so lazy with updating stories sometimes so I feel you. Thank you so much, I really appreciate all the positive feedback. I will try to update faster in the future, really do need to kick myself into gear.
Guest - 'Will we get a update to go with the episode tonight? Hope so!' - You will! Sorry, not an amazing update but I am working on it, pacing story development has always been a bit of a struggle for me (I know, coming from someone writing a story thats ridiculous) but we're moving along slowly but surely. Thanks for your review.
On with the chapter … (Italics are flashbacks from Elles POV to the morning)
Elle POV
*1 hour earlier*
Elle stood at reception, letting her gaze drift absently over the computer screen in front of her. She was supposed to be looking over a patients notes, a patient that she was currently treating which made it all the more urgent, however she just couldn't coax her mind to focus on her work. As she continued to stare at the screen, her eyes unfocused and the glaring screen blurring, her mind wandered back to certain events of this morning, events that had been playing in her mind all day.
Elle was stood at the reception desk, relatively far away from any of the commotion of the waiting area but close enough for the crowds of injured and unwell people to be visible. She had a lot of work to do, as well as patients being pushed at her from every direction, so the somewhat secluded spot she had managed to bag at the reception desk to read over some patient notes was a blessing. She loved her job, she did, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of and emergency department, especially when there was paperwork to be done, was draining.
As she let herself become immersed in the file of a patient she planned on treating next, her attention was pulled from the file by movement in the corner of her vision. Movement, whether it be fast and urgent or slow and sluggish as in the case of a particularly unwell patient, was not abnormal in the emergency department, but for some reason something prompted her to look up at the person behind the movement.
As a doctor, she had some strange kind of sixth sense that told her when her services were needed, when there might be a person in need of her medical expertise. She liked to think that it was her 'doctors senses' tingling, but of course she would never admit that out loud. Declaring in front of her colleagues that her 'doctor senses' often tingled might just land her upstairs in the psych ward. So naturally it was her first thought when raising her gaze to the movement that a patient required immediate medical assistance. If a patient was in need, paperwork was hardly her first priority. However, upon looking towards what she thought was a needy patient, her 'doctor senses' fizzled to nothing and were replaced with confusion.
It was just Alicia, looking worse for wear and panting as if she had just run a marathon. Then again, the more likely reason was probably that she was running later after a wild night. This prompted a small grin from Elle, it was so like the young doctor, so like the Alicia Munroe she knew. Her smile faltered as Alicia made a swift beeline towards the staffroom, not stopping to chat or share a joke with Noel as she typically would. This caused concern to creep its way in to Elles generally calm and collected mind. Yes, she was late, quite possibly returning from one of her late nights of drinking and just generally being the Alicia they all knew and loved, but she always took the time to at least smile at her colleagues no matter how late she was running.
As Elle watched the young doctor disappear into the staffroom, she could swear she saw a look of relief flash across her face. Why on earth would the staff room bring such relief? Of course, any of the doctors and nurses working in the ED would tell you if you asked that the staff room was a wondrous and beautiful sight after a long shift, but Alicia had just arrived. It was odd, very odd indeed, but Elle wasn't going to ponder it too much. Alicia was known for partying late into the night, she knew that in the rare event she had a hang over, a room containing a coffee machine would be a sight for very sore eyes.
Letting any semblance of concern for the young doctor vanish, Elle chuckled and returned her attention to her patient notes. It wasn't long before her attention was once again averted from her reading as a loud noise could be heard from the staff room. Startled, she set down her notes and began making her way towards the staff room, fully intending on investigating the source of the noise. She only made it a few steps before she heard the distinct clicking of heels on the hard floors of the E.D.
Seeing Connie making her way towards the staffroom, a stern and quite clearly irritated expression plastered onto her face, Elle decided against satiating her curiosity as to what the noise was and halted immediately. If Connie was already on the case, there really wasn't any chance of Elle getting anywhere with the situation. She would leave if to Connie, so reluctantly she retreated, observing the situation from afar.
She had fully expected Connie to enter the staff room, resolve the issue within a matter of seconds and then march back to her office, that strong demeanour she always seemed to carry with her warning all those nearby to remain at a distance. It was only when the staff room door burst open and a frantic Alicia ran straight into her unsuspecting boss that Elle realised it wasn't going to go so smoothly as she might have thought. She watched, baffled, as the bizarre situation played out before her eyes. Alicia seemed to hesitate, her eyes still holding a frantic and almost terrified glint as she seemed to look around without actually taking in any of her surroundings, before taking off through the halls of the now quite busy E.D towards the doors. Glancing back at Connie, she could see that the woman was just as confused as she was. What on earth had gotten into Alicia to make her act in such an uncharacteristic way? She needed to find out, or this was going to nag at her all day. Her motherly instincts that she possessed as a result of rearing her own sons kicked in, in this moment not seeing Alicia as a colleague, but as a young girl who needed comfort and guidance.
Before Elle could even consider running after Alicia, Charlie approached her at a pace that defied his age, gesturing frantically towards RESUS, informing her that she was needed. Clearly he had not seen the troubling scene that had just played out. As much as she wanted to run after the young doctor, the woman who had over the past few months become quite a close friend, she could not ignore her duties as a doctor. She was on shift after all.
With a longing and concerned glance towards the last point she had seen the troubled young doctor, she made her way reluctantly towards RESUS. This was going to be a long day.
'Elle!'
Startled by the tone in which her name was called, Elle blinked sharply and whipped her head around to place the person who had called her name.
'Connie, sorry about that I was in a world of my own' she admitted, deciding that trying to fool Connie Beauchamp with a halfhearted lie would not play in her favour, quite the opposite actually. Connie raised one delicate and manicured eyebrow, giving her a pointed glare.
'I would appreciate it if my staff actually did their jobs as opposed to standing around daydreaming'. Her tone was cold and biting, indicating her foul mood.
Elle couldn't blame her, she had obviously had a rough morning and having to Molly coddle her staff was not part of her job description. She couldn't help but feel slightly irritated at her dressing down though, so with an exaggerated sigh, she left reception before Connie could scold her further. They were practically the same age for god sake, she didn't appreciate being spoken to like a parent would a child.
Her mind still on Alicia, she resolved that as soon as her shift ended she would go and check on her. She needed to see if she was okay, not only because she had become one of her close friends, maybe even like a daughter, in recent months, but also because she had a strong feeling that no-one else would. As far as she knew, she along with Connie were the only ones to have noticed her outburst. In the time it took for Alicia to stumble into the E.D to the point where she frantically fled the hospital, no-one had seemed to even glance her way. Everyone seemed oblivious, which struck Elle as odd, but she supposed it was a busy day and no blame could be placed on anyone for not paying attention to what seemed to be meaningless drama.
It was unlikely that Connie would go as far as dropping by Alicias house to check on her wellbeing, or even just stopping by to interrogate her about her behaviour in the work place. Elle was one of the few people who knew that the hard exterior that connie portrayed to the world was a facade, a safety blanket some might say, but even she knew that Connie did not actively seek to comfort an emotionally charged person. If one of her members of staff needed help, she would help, but only if they approached her first.
So, it was down to her. She did not mind, her curiosity and concern outweighed any semblance of irritation she might have felt at having to go out of her way to drive to the young doctors house.
It was exactly one later that Elle found herself walking up the short path to Alicias house. It was lovely, she had to admire Alicias taste. Eyes roaming the typical but oddly captivating English architecture, taking in the beautiful features of the house as she walked, her eyes landed on the front door. Immediately, she noticed the front door standing ajar. A frown crept onto her face as she stopped in her tracks briefly. Why would Alicia leave the door open? It wasn't a particularly warm day, in fact in the early hours of the everning a chill was beginning to creep into the air. Even regardless of the weather, it was not typical for anyone to leave a front door wide open for fear of a member of the community with questionable morals taking advantage of the opportunity to do a bit of free shopping.
Picking up the pace a little bit, a nagging urgency pulling at her chest, she continued her way up the steps to the front door of the house and knocked sharply on the door. Okay, the door might have been open, she could have just walked right in, but that didn't sit right with her even in these peculiar circumstances. She didn't intend on waiting around for an answer if it did not come immediately, but it was polite to knock anyway. Calling out Alicias name, she allowed two or three seconds to pass before entering the house. She was worried, concerned for her colleague, but mostly she was a bit scared. The way Alicia had been behaving that morning was enough to stir up unpleasant emotions in Elle, but the combination of Alicias uncharacteristic lack of care for her security and an eerily silent house was amplifying those feelings tenfold.
A doorway to her left led into a sitting room. Elle would have once again stopped to admire the decor of the room if the situation had not been so bizarre. Feeling her sense of urgency mounting at the strange atmosphere in the house, she only looked briefly around the room, scanning for anything or anyone that might indicate Alicias whereabouts. Nothing. She left the room, looking around the darkened hallway for another door. There were stairs, but it was only practical to search downstairs before going upstairs. Turning to her left, she noticed another doorway at the bottom of small set of stairs. Just as she was making her way towards the room, she heard a series of shuffles, footsteps and a short intake of breath. It was difficult to hear, but it was there. More nervous than before, Elle hurried towards the source of the noise, making it to the doorway before stopping in her tracks, eyes wide, taking in the scene in front of her.
There was Alicia, standing against a kitchen counter, a look of absolute terror on her face. She was looking at the doorway, at Elle, obviously having heard her coming.
'Alicia …'
As soon as Alicias eyes landed on Elle, she lost all composure. Her face crumpling, legs giving out, she slid down the counter and onto the floor, head falling into her hands. She looked so defeated, it was a truly awful sight to witness. Rushing over, wanting nothing more than to comfort the young woman, Elle fell to her knees and gathered her into her arms. The blood that was dripping from Alicias face smeared across the sleeve of her jacket as she wrapped her arms around the woman shaking shoulders, but that wasn't her biggest concern right now. She only had one question right now. Blinking back tears and raising her head to look at a dirty patch of ceiling in the corner of the kitchen, her arms remaining firmly around a still sobbing Alicia, Elle spoke, gently enough to not scare the clearly terrified young woman, but with a burning and powerful urgency behind her words.
'Who did this to you Alicia?'
