A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates, work for sixth form has been relentless! I hope you're all enjoying the story, thank you for all the reviews and follows! As always, feel free to give me a review or message if you have any ideas or suggestions :)
The six medics were met by a smart black minivan outside the train station, with a man holding up a sign with "Holby City Hospital" standing in front of it, to signal for them to come over.
"Morning guys, Welcome to London. If you're the doctors I think I'm taking you to the hotel – is that right?" The taxi driver asked, with a cheerful accent. His happiness was catching, and as they all got into the taxi and the radio started to play both Serena and Morven were fighting not to sing along. The song came to an end, and then the next song began, faintly at first but then getting louder. Grinning, Bernie placed an arm around Serena, who was laughing as she remembered the last time she had heard this song, performed in Albies by a very drunk Morven and Jasmine, who were sat on the row in front of them, cringing at the memory.
The morning London traffic was heavy, and it wasn't long before the taxi came to a complete stop in the middle lane, surrounded by streams of non-moving or barely moving cars on each side. Sighing, Zosia leaned her head down on the window.
"What's up?" Jac asked her softly, smiling at the brunette doctor.
"Nothing, just hungry and a bit tired. Erm. Stomach ache. By the looks of things, we're going to be here for a little while, and I didn't get much sleep last night." Zosia sighed, looking away from the red-headed consultant and out of the window into the long lines of slow moving traffic.
"Ah, I see." Jac said, rifling through her handbag, which was resting on her knee. Pulling out a bottle of water, she passed it to Zosia, along with a kitkat and white packet, which looked like a cuppa soup. Zosia looked at it interestedly, before Jac took it off her, opened it and revealed a heat pad. She gave it to Zosia, and as Zosia pulled up her top and stuck it to her abdomen, Jac found some painkillers and passed them over. They were sat quietly at the back of the people carrier, and to Zosia's relief nobody turned round or noticed.
The taxi was warm, a comfortable temperature, so Jac pulled her hoodie out from where she had stashed it in the top of her suitcase, passing it to Zosia to put on.
"Jac, you don't have to do this." Zosia protested, smiling slightly at the thoughtfulness of her consultant.
"I know, but I want to. And I've been there, and it's crap." Jac replied, bluntly, but with a caring look on her face.
Zosia smiled gratefully, moving slightly in her seat to get comfortable.
"We'll be here a while Zosh. You may as well have a sleep, or at least try to get some rest." Jac suggested quietly, her soft voice and caring manner much appreciated by the pained junior.
Nodding, Zosia rested her head against the window, not closing her eyes but staring out, looking into the distance. Jac pulled out her phone, scrolling through the news and checking her emails as the taxi slowly began to move again.
Almost an hour later, the taxi pulled up outside a large, modern hotel. Lifting their bags out, the taxi driver wished them a good stay in London, before accepting Serena's tip and pulling back out into the traffic. The group of six medics, including Zosia who was feeling a little better for the rest and the things she had been given by Jac, went into the hotel, waiting in the lobby as the lady on reception checked them in.
"Ok, that's three double rooms, 306, 307 and 308. 306 and 308 are next door to each other, 308 is just across the hallway. I hope you enjoy your stay here, and the itinerary for the medical conference will be published in the lobby shortly." She explained with a smile, passing three keys over to Bernie, who was looking distractedly at the doors leading off the lobby to the corridors, working out which one the medics needed to follow.
"Thank you, Becky." Bernie thanked the young woman, she must have only been 16 or 17 but she was managing the busy check in desk well, and Bernie was impressed.
The room keys were shared between the group, with Bernie and Serena taking the key for 306, Morven and Jas taking the key for 308 and Jac and Zosia taking the key for 307. Walking up to the corridor, they summoned the lift to take them to their level, before dispersing into their rooms to unpack.
Jasmine unlocked the door to the room her and Morven were sharing. It was large, with a view over the city and a large double bed in the centre of the room. There was a desk and a dressing table, as well as two soft chairs and a small sofa, positioned looking at the large TV which was mounted to the wall. Just off it there was an en suite, and it was stocked with little mini toiletries which Jasmine smelled excitedly – they were posh, posher than she was used to, and she was very excited to be staying somewhere so luxurious. The desk with the kettle had a fridge underneath, stocked with drinks and bars of chocolate, and Morven and Jas helped themselves to bottles of fresh fruit smoothie before lying down on the luxurious bed.
Across the corridor, Jac and Zosia were investigating their room. It was a different layout to Jasmine and Morven's, with two large sofas and a coffee table in one side of the room, and a large king size bed on the other, with a television on the opposite wall. There was a large wardrobe and desk, in shiny polished wood, and Zosia sighed with content as she opened the en suite door and marvelled at the luxury of it. There was a large double shower along one end of the wall, next to a deep, sparkling clean bath, with a vanity and toilet up the other end. Like the main room it was tastefully decorated, and Jac smiled when she peered around to see where Zosia had got to.
"Wow, that's actually really nice. I was expecting a much nastier hotel than this!" Jac admitted, hanging her clothes in the tall wardrobe before motioning for Zosia to do the same.
"Yeah I know, I was expecting somewhere pretty cheap… This is beautiful, I'm not sure I've ever stayed somewhere this nice." Zosia marvelled, surprised at the quality and comfort of the accommodation the hospital had provided.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Jac opened it to reveal Serena, standing in leggings and a jumper in front of them.
"We thought we might go for breakfast in a minute – Bernie's found a little café around the corner which looks quite nice, and then we can have the rest of the day to do whatever we want." Serena explained, looking between the pair of cardiothoracic surgeons.
"Ok, that sounds like a good idea. Give us ten minutes, we'll meet you down in the lobby." Jac agreed, closing the door as Serena nodded and walked away, to go and inform the others.
Jac and Zosia both got ready, freshening up so they were comfortable for the breakfast. Jac changed into a comfortable pair of skinny jeans and a shirt, with a casual blazer, and Zosia opted for a grey long sleeved dress and leggings. Picking up their bags, the pair left the room, locking up before heading to the lifts along the corridor to get to the lobby. When they arrived in the lobby, Bernie and Serena were stood looking at a piece of paper in Bernie's hands – the itinary. Walking over, Bernie passed it to Jac, who studied it carefully. Their talk was scheduled for 11am tomorrow morning, and Bernie and Serena's was scheduled for 3pm the afternoon after. There were of course other talks they wanted to go to – Jac found three on cardiothoracic methods, one about research methods and several more on heart/lung transplants, but aside from those 7 talks she knew she would have a lot of free time in London – she would of course go to Serena's talk, and probably a few others about experimental medicine, but she was pleased to see she did not have to sit through loads of boring talks with stuffy surgeons who clearly thought they were better than everyone else.
A few minutes later, Jasmine and Morven joined them, changed and refreshed ready for breakfast. The group left the hotel, walking for a couple of minutes until they reached the café where they planned to have breakfast. Sitting down, the group ordered their food and drinks, relaxing together as it was prepared.
"Are you prepared for your talk?" Bernie asked Jac and Zosia, who were sat opposite them on the long table.
"Yes, I think so. Obviously we'll still have another practise, but yes, I think we're all as ready as we're going to be – it's just a matter of doing it now." Jac replied casually, removing her blazer and taking a sip of her fresh coffee which had just been placed on the table in front of her.
"Yeah, I mean we've been prepared for presentations for ages, and although we've not done one in front of such a big crowd about this yet it'll be an experience." Zosia agreed, running her hand along the smooth wood of the table distractedly, looking towards the group.
"Are you prepared?" Morven asked Bernie and Serena, laughing slightly as Bernie mimed shaking her head without Serena seeing.
"Yes. If somebody paid more attention to what I was saying she would be a whole lot more prepared!" Serena laughed, looking at Bernie. It was true, they were prepared and Serena was confident it would go well and hopefully wow the investors and other surgeons, however Bernie was not so convinced.
The group of doctors made small talk between themselves until the food arrived, and ate together, Jasmine and Morven laughing as the more experienced doctors told stories about some of the worst conferences they'd attended, and anecdotes from the times they'd had to present before. It wasn't until they'd all finished that they decided what they were going to do that afternoon, it was nearly 12pm and they decided to make the most of the tube stop right next to the café and go further into London to go shopping. Minutes later, they were stood on the platform waiting for a tube, and although she was trying not to show it it was perfectly clear that neither Jas nor Jac much liked being stuck underground.
The tube train pulled up alongside the platform, and the six doctors got on, holding on to metal bars suspended from the celling to stop themselves from falling. It was busy, although not as busy as it would have been during rush hour, and Jac was grateful that there were not too many people surrounding her, she was very claustrophobic and between the small space of the tube, the fact they were underground and the fact that she would have been surrounded by people, she didn't think she'd have managed the tube in peak times.
She looked towards Jasmine, who was clearly also struggling, and gave a small smile. Although she wasn't always keen to admit it, Jac knew that in some ways they were very similar, and it was impossible to ignore the fact she was her sister. Jac was lost deep in thought as the tube came to a stop and the doors opened, until Zosia tapped her shoulder, gesturing for her to get off.
The group made their way through the crowds to the stairs, walking up and existing the tube station. Jasmine was very relieved to be back up on solid ground, much the same as Jac, and she allowed herself a small smile at just how similar they were.
Each pair wanted to go shopping in different places, and after some consideration ti was decided that they should split up and meet back at the station at an agreed time, and with that the group dispersed and began to make their way to Oxford Street, to find the shops.