Ok, I've rewritten this chapter about three times and it's become rather clear to me that this chapter is quite odd. Sorry about that. It may not be entirely realistic either but this is fiction so I think an element of unrealism is allowed. In order for this to work, some elements of it do need to be unrealistic. Just warning you. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, hence why it's been re-written several times but I wanted to post something for you guys as I doubt I'll have time to even think about an update before Monday but I will try.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Casualty belongs to the BBC. No copyright infringement intended.

Twenty-Four Seven
Chapter 3

Nick Jordan stood frozen to the spot, his keys clutched firmly in his hand as his mind ran back through the happenings of the last few moments. Yvonne had just been there, standing there as clear as anything. She had been real, it wasn't his imagination. He was sure she had. He was almost a hundred percent certain that he hadn't been seeing things, the sound of her shoes hitting the ground as she'd disappeared had been very real indeed.

He was now thoroughly confused. Various thoughts were buzzing around his head, confusing him even further. He wasn't sure how to feel. There was a part of him that was just simply relieved that he hadn't been seeing things or hallucinating. Another part of him was over the moon to know that she was okay but there was a smaller part of him that was angry and full of negative emotions.

She obviously had been okay, her presence in front of him a few moments ago had proven that beyond all reasonable doubt to him but what he couldn't work out now was why on earth he'd been told...actually he didn't even want to think about that now. It hurt too much; it was too painful. Focusing on the present for now, rather than the past, sounded reasonable to him so for now, he wasn't going to think about anything other than finding her. He just wanted to have a quick scout around, see if he could find her. If he couldn't, then he was just going to go home and try and work out what on earth to do now.

She dropped on to the soft bed in the room that she had booked at the B&B she was currently staying in for however long – she hadn't actually planned that far ahead. Her lower lip was trembling, the tears she'd been trying to hold back for what seemed like an eternity were threatening to break loose and spill down her cheeks. Inwardly cursing herself for being so stupid, she scrubbed at her eyes angrily with the scratchy sleeve of her jumper before sitting up and letting her head fall delicately into her hands as she tried to fight the emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her.

His face, she couldn't get his face out of her mind. Her brain just kept rewinding and replaying that moment they'd seen each other again for the first time in a long time like a stuck video tape. His expression, she could see that clearly in front of her as she squeezed her eyes shut. He had been shocked but that much she had expected. His voice had been incredibly gentle, tender almost as he'd said her name and she hadn't expected the strong emotions that coursed through her upon seeing him, upon hearing his voice. She'd assumed – wrongfully, she now realised – that they would have become weaker with time. They hadn't and she wasn't sure how she felt now.

The whole situation was a mess. There wasn't anything she liked about it except that she was back in Holby and closer to him, mileage wise at least, than she had been in three years. Being close to Nick was the only bearable part about the whole thing, the only part that she would even want to like. She wasn't sure why she had run away from him earlier, she hadn't wanted to but it was like her mind had taken over. She'd felt an overwhelming urge to get out of there; to not hang around. She hadn't felt that feeling before, at least not recently, and although it was a horrible feeling to experience, she suspected that it had been down to fear. Or even uncertainty. It didn't make her feel any better though, if anything she felt worse.

She swallowed hard, pushing away the tears as they, once again, threatened overflow. She hated feeling like this, she really did. She hated feeling so emotionally weak, she hated being so sensitive. These days even just thinking about the life she'd had in Holby, just thinking about Nick was enough to make the tears build up or even fall and she hated it because it reminded her that things weren't the same any more. That she wasn't the same any more. Her experiences – not that she could remember much of it, admittedly – had shaken her badly and although she couldn't work out why her lack of memory regarding the riots had affected her so badly, she was very much aware that she wasn't as strong, emotionally, as she had been before the riots. Before this had even happened, before the whole situation had occurred, tears had been a rarity. She'd only really cried when something had been seriously wrong and that had only been short bursts of emotion but nowadays, tears seemed to be a common occurrence and that was something she hated with a passion.

Yvonne exhaled deeply, shaking herself out of her thoughts as she removed her head from her hands and let her body fall gently backwards on to the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, letting her arms fall limply by her sides as she contemplated the situation she was in now with Nick. She knew that she had to face him at some point and she was aware that if she left it for too much longer, it would be incredibly difficult for them both. Especially after their encounter earlier that evening. Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow, she would try and attempt to contact him. Phone the number she had for him or something. She just knew that she had to talk to him, had to make things right. She actually felt vaguely better, a little calmer, now that she had a plan of sorts formulated in her brain.

Nick entered his home, dropping his keys into the dark blue pot that sat on the small table irritably as he passed it. He stomped into the lounge, turning the lights on as he entered and threw himself down on to the sofa, his dark mood not being relieved at all by the silence that greeted him. He exhaled deeply, rubbing a hand exhaustedly over his face as his thoughts drifted back to Yvonne.

After she had run off, he had driven around for a while. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been driving for, hoping to catch a glimpse of her again but eventually he had recognised that he wasn't going to find her that night and he had returned home. It was honestly like she had just disappeared in to thin air, one minute she'd been there, the next she hadn't. He was sure that he had seen her – the more he kept going over it, the surer he felt about it – that she had been real and not a figment of his imagination. She had been stood there, that much he was certain of but why she had suddenly been there and where she'd gone, he had no idea.

He frowned, sitting up in his seat as he suddenly remembered something significant that he had spent a good while agonizing over at the time. Now he was wondering if her sudden re-appearance had anything to do with the odd behaviour that those two police officers had exhibited whilst they'd been in the emergency department a few days back. They had been acting terribly strangely, especially towards him, and now this had happened. Now she was back. It was just too much of a coincidence for his liking; there was definitely something going on here. All he wanted to know now was whether her colleagues knew anything or not. He had to know, for his own peace of mind and he suspected that at least one of them might know what was going on, possibly the superintendent – whatever her name was.

Maybe the best bet would be to go down to the police station in the morning and speak to the woman in charge – he still couldn't recall her name for the life of him but he suspected that, maybe, he hadn't been paying enough attention when she'd first introduced herself. All he wanted was some answers, he just wanted to know why. Surely that wasn't too much to ask, was it?

He was relieved that Yvonne was okay, of course he was and he just wanted to find a way of speaking to her, of reassuring her if that was what she needed. There were questions that needed to be answered probably on both their parts, he knew that but for now, he just wanted to find her. He thought back to the moment he had come face to face with her for the first time in three years and he remembered the expression that had been on her face, reflecting in her eyes. She had been uncertain, in fact he would go as far as to say that she had been frightened. Of what, he wasn't sure yet but she had definitely seemed troubled. Her eyes always had told him a lot about her mood and when they had been together, he had learnt that in order to read her properly – especially when she wasn't being particularly forthcoming about how she felt – he'd had to know how her moods had reflected in her eyes. It had taken a few weeks of practise but he'd got there in the end.

He sighed deeply, realising that he'd been sitting there for a while, just thinking about her. He knew that sitting there and thinking about the situation he now found himself in wouldn't make anything better, anything less confusing. If anything, constantly going over and over it in his brain could make things worse. He just had to get through the evening and then tomorrow, hopefully he would finally get some answers.

Nick Jordan walked into the police station the next morning, trying to keep his uncharacteristically bad temper in check. He was confused and he was tired – he hadn't slept well the night before, the uncertainty of the situation having kept him awake long into the early hours of the morning. He sighed deeply and moved over to the desk when told to do so. "I want to speak to the superintendent." He growled at the young officer who was manning the front desk.

"She's not available right now." The officer managed to squeak out, appearing to wilt under his unusually stony gaze. "I can get her to give you a ring when she's free Mr...?" she paused, hoping the man in front of her would take the hint and identify himself.

"Jordan. Make her available, I need to speak to her now." Nick shot back, not even stopping to think about how unreasonable he was being. His exhaustion, his desire to find out what they knew about Yvonne was fuelling him on and he was just desperate for some answers. The confusion, the vagueness of the situation was becoming too much for him to handle and he was desperate for some answers, for it all to come to an end.

The officer swallowed and nodded, picking up the phone as she saw through his attitude, his front, to see how emotional he really was. Nick watched as she pressed a number and then waited for the call to connect before she spoke into the phone. She exchanged a few words with the person on the other end of the phone before finishing the conversation rather swiftly and placing the phone down. "She'll see you as soon as she's free Mr Jordan." She informed him kindly, indicating for him to take a seat.

Nick nodded, flashing her a small but grateful smile, hoping she understood. He did as he was told and trudged over to a spare seat, letting his body fall heavily into it. He reminded the officer somewhat of a petulant child but she could tell just by looking at him, that there were reasons that would explain his behaviour.

"Mr Jordan, what can I do for you?" Half an hour later, the superintendent – he still couldn't remember her name even though he was now looking at her – walked into the front office. She looked stressed, he noticed and he felt a stab of guilt for adding to her workload.

"It's about Yvonne," he informed her brusquely, watching her reaction carefully. Her face stayed impassive, blank, as if his words hadn't meant much to her.

She raised her eyebrows at his tone. "You'd better come up then, hadn't you?" She asked rhetorically, walking back over to the door. She punched the security code into the silver box and when the door buzzed, she pulled it open, holding it open for him as she indicated for him to step through. He did as he was told, waiting for her to guide him through the rather confusing maze of the twisting corridors that made up Holby police station.

Yvonne stared at the simple mobile phone she held in her hand, suddenly realising that she had no idea if Nick even had the same mobile number as he had, had three years ago. She took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to phone the number she had for him and find out. There was only one way to find the information – or in her case, the number – that she needed. She sat there for a few more moments in silent contemplation before deciding to bite the bullet and get it over with. She shakily dialled the number and raised the phone to her ear, her nerves increasing with every ring. It rang once, twice, three times before cutting out abruptly and his answer machine took over, his familiar voice informing her that he couldn't take the call right now and to leave a message. He did have the same number and that was something she felt vaguely relieved about. She sighed and ended the call without leaving a message, throwing her phone back onto the bed. It was probably better to try again later, after all he could be working or something now.

Nick sat down in the comfortable chair that he was offered opposite the superintendent's desk. He glanced around the office, taking in every little detail, unable to stop himself wondering what it would be like if it was still Yvonne's office. Perhaps, in a way, it still was.

"So," Sara sat down in her chair, waiting until he had stopped looking around the room and was looking back at her before she continued to speak. "What can I do for you Mr Jordan?" She asked, her tone soft as she intentionally repeated her words from earlier.

"It's Yvonne," he started, swallowing hard to push back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him as he said her name. "I saw her."

"When?" Sara questioned, her tone completely professional. She knew that he was on to the simple fact that his girlfriend..ex girlfriend, whatever Yvonne was to him now, was actually still alive. She didn't know the complete details about the whole thing – it seemed it had been a closely guarded secret for reasons that she had yet to understand but what she was wondering was why on earth he had been told something that was so drastically different to the truth. She assumed it had been a mistake, a painful mistake that no-one had thought to correct.

"Last night." Nick answered. "She was outside the hospital." He paused for a moment, wondering whether or not to ask the question that was plaguing him. The question that had kept him up into the early hours until exhaustion had finally taken over and he'd fallen into a restless sleep. "Please tell me. I need to know. Is she still alive?" He asked bluntly, his words full of pain.

Sara exhaled deeply, blowing her cheeks out as she wondered how best to answer the direct question that had been put to her by him. "I can't tell you much, I don't know much myself." She started, thinking back to the rather confusing phone conversation she'd had with a superior colleague a few days ago. "But to answer your question then yes, it is my understanding that she is still alive."

Nick stared at her, seemingly rendered speechless by the revelation. He wasn't quite sure why he was so gob-smacked, after all he had expected it after he'd seen Yvonne for himself yesterday. Perhaps it was just simply the relief of knowing that she had been there last night, that she was okay. So many questions were now buzzing around his head but only one mattered to him. "Where is she?" He asked suddenly, feeling an overwhelming urge to find Yvonne and see her for himself again.

"I don't know." Sara answered honestly. That was true, she didn't know where on earth Yvonne was staying at the moment – she'd literally just been told, or rather, informed of the situation in case something should arise from Yvonne's sudden return. They weren't anticipating that anything would but you could never be too certain. "If you want my advice, the easiest thing for you both would be to let her approach you. She obviously wants to see you, she wouldn't have been outside the hospital if she didn't but it's probably best if you give her some time and space, let her make the first move."

He stayed silent, unsure whether she was right or not.

"Don't be too hard on her when she does approach you." Sara broke the silence that had descended over them a few moments later with another little pearl of wisdom. "Remember that this situation is unusual, it's going to be incredibly difficult for you both."

Nick nodded reluctantly. "Why wasn't I told this sooner?" He questioned. "Why was I told that she was-" he stopped abruptly, emotion catching in his throat.

She exhaled deeply. "I honestly don't know. Like I said earlier, I don't know much myself." She looked at him apologetically, wishing that she could tell him some more but she honestly had very little information when it came to the Yvonne situation. She did feel awfully sorry for them both, Nick's world had been turned upside down yet again with this revelation and Yvonne, well she couldn't imagine how confusing and frightening it must have been for her.

He nodded, glancing at his watch. "Thanks. I've got to get back." He stood up and picked up his bag, abruptly ending their conversation. He was still completely confused and he just wanted some time on his own now, to think about it all.

"I'll show you out." She stood and walked over to him, stopping him before he left the office. "If there's anything we can do, for either of you, please don't hesitate to get in contact with me." She offered, knowing that her offer of help was probably too little, too late but she felt compelled to offer something in the way of support.

Nick just simply nodded again in gratitude, hoping that he didn't seem too abrupt. "Thanks." He murmured as he followed her out of the office. He clicked the door closed behind him and followed her back down the stairs, feeling relieved that she was showing him out – the station felt like a maze with all those seemingly never ending corridors to him. As he left the building a few moments later, he reflected back on the superintendent's demeanour. Now that he'd had a chance to talk to her properly, she didn't actually seem as awful as his brain had made out. He felt guilty for thinking badly of her without getting to know her but he realised that it had probably been a form of self-preservation, he had just been protecting himself. She had given him a straight answer regarding Yvonne and that was something he was thankful for. It was so much easier when people gave you a straight answer. Now all he had to do was try and track Yvonne down. He knew that Sara – her name had suddenly occurred to him – had told him to let her get in contact but he was just desperate to see her again, just so it was confirmed in his mind that she really was here. Yvonne was here somewhere, that much he knew for sure, but Holby was a big place and if she wanted to stay out of his way for a little while longer then he had no doubt that she would manage it.

The next few hours actually passed fairly uneventfully, almost like a normal day. Except it wasn't, there wasn't much that was normal about this situation. He'd managed to stay in his office for most of that morning and no-one had disturbed him, obviously not wanting to intrude on him when he was in such a foul mood. He was in a terrible mood, he was aware of that much. He'd snapped at Scarlett already once that morning for no reasonable reason at all, practically reducing the poor girl to tears which neither Zoe or Tess had been particularly pleased about. After enduring a berating from Zoe about being unnecessarily nasty to the nursing staff, he had retired to his office to do paperwork, leaving strict instructions with his colleagues not to disrupt him unless it was urgent.

His phone rang on the table a few moments later and he picked it up, glancing at the screen. He frowned as the display informed him it was a number he didn't recognise and he was about to silence the call to let it go through to answer phone when something stopped him. Instead, he accepted the call and raised the phone to his ear. If it was someone trying to sell him something that he definitely did not need then he certainly wasn't interested and he was going to make that very clear to them. "Nick Jordan." He snapped into his phone, inwardly wincing at how harsh his tone sounded.

There was deafening silence for a few moments and he was about to hang up, thinking it was a crank call but then he heard the heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, as if they were trying to psych themselves up. It became clear exactly why a few seconds later when her voice drifted down the line, sounding as clear as a bell albeit extremely nervous. "N-Nick? It's me, Yvonne."

I had to leave it there, I may be being a bit mean – sorry about that! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it. I wasn't honestly expecting this fic to be popular but I am really glad that you guys are enjoying it. Hope you liked this part and if you have time, I would love to know what you thought. If you're confused, don't worry - it will make sense soon. I seem to like confusing people, or so it seems. The next part should be up some time next week.