Max woke up to see a light coming from somewhere. Zoe, she was on her phone.
"Zo, what are you doing?! It's the middle of the night?" He asked.
"I'm making a list." Zoe answered. "For the wedding."
He looked at his phone. "It's 1.20am! It's not going to be ideal if you're too tired to get married is it?!"
"I'll be fine Max, we need to start planning asap." Zoe told him.
"You, woman, are crazy." Max took her phone off her.
"Hey! I need that!" Zoe jabbed him.
"No, you don't, you need to sleep, this can wait." Max said, since when was he the sensible one out of the two?
"Fine," Zoe sighed, "I was getting along nicely until you woke up!"
"Sleep, now!" Max ordered.
Zoe turned over, disgruntled, she knew he was right. She was going to ask Connie for a couple of days off to arrange the wedding, that way it would all be sorted instead of trying to organise it around 12 hour shifts.
"So I thought we could just announce the wedding at work? Save on invites?" Max told Zoe on their way to work.
"Max! I want to do this properly, this is going to be my only wedding, it'll be small but I still want it to be right." Zoe said.
"Ok, whatever you want! Well how about we tell them when it is and then send them an official invite? It's only four weeks, they may have plans." Max reasoned.
"Fine." Zoe said. "What about your parents? I haven't even met them?"
"Believe me, you're not missing out. I don't speak to my real dad and Robyns dad has been hopeless to us both, I don't think she'd want him there."
"Well what about your mum?" Zoe asked.
"We're not really on the best of terms, I guess I'll mention it though." Max said.
"You'll mention it?! The biggest day of your life and you'll mention it?!" Zoe cried.
"Zoe, please just leave it yeah?" Max asked quietly.
She said nothing, she couldn't help but feel for him, she'd had a great relationship with her parents, she couldn't imagine not having much to do with them.
They arrived at work and headed off their separate ways. Zoe went straight to Connie's office.
"Zoe, morning, what can I do for you?" Connie asked.
"I wondered if I could gather the staff together, I've just got a quick announcement about the wedding?" Zoe asked.
"Well as long as it is quick." Connie replied.
"Also, would it be possible to have a couple of days off next week? The wedding is in four weeks and I really need to get on with it?" Zoe said.
"Wow you don't want much do you?" Connie said.
"I know, I'm sorry, I need everything to be perfect though." Zoe told her.
"Is everything ok Zoe?" Connie asked, sensing the urgency in Zoe's voice.
"Yes, well no, well not really. My dad has being diagnosed with terminal cancer and I really need him to be at the wedding, this is for him too."
"Zoe, I'm sorry. Of course, take a couple of days at the beginning of next week. I know how important it is to have your father there." Connie thought about her own father, she missed him dreadfully.
"Thanks, you will be coming to the wedding won't you?" Zoe asked.
"I didn't think I'd be invited." Connie said.
"I think it's time to put the past behind us, weddings are happy occasions, I'd like you to be there." Zoe said.
"Thank you Zoe, now you'd better make your announcement now, patients are waiting to be seen!" Connie smiled, she didn't want Zoe to see how grateful she was for the invite.
Max had gathered their closest friends in the staff room, Zoe was last in the room and walked over to Max.
"Where have you been?" Max asked.
"Ssh!" Zoe said, "just talking to Connie."
"What's going on guys?" Robyn asked.
"Ah, Robyn, yes, the reason you are here," Max addressed, "well, lovely people of Holby, Zoe and I have booked the wedding and we wanted to let you all know."
"You will all get official invites but Max wanted to ensure your social/working calendars were free that day!" Zoe added.
"Correct," Max smiled to Zoe, "oh yeah, we should add the wedding is in four weeks!"
"Four weeks?! How am I going to find something to wear in four weeks?!" Robyn cried.
"We'd better get back to work." Zoe told the room, "we just wanted to give you the heads up!"
"That's great Zoe." Charlie to told her as the team dispersed. "Look forward to it"
Tess came over, "four weeks Zoe, you do know what you're letting yourself i for?" she asked.
"Oh I know Tess, am I being unrealistic? Can it really be done in four weeks?" Zoe asked.
"Of course, you can do anything you put your mind to. If you need anything just let me know." Tess offered.
"Thanks Tess." Zoe said as they both left the staff room. Zoe headed towards reception when she heard raised voices.
"I'm looking for Max Walker!" a woman in her mid fifties was shouting at Noel.
"If you could just calm down, I will find him for you." Noel was saying.
"I don't need to calm down, find my son now!" the woman said.
Zoe was shocked, this was Max's mum? Should she go over?
Max strolled through reception unaware of the woman trying to locate him.
"Hey Max!" Noel shouted. "There's a lady here wanting to see you."
"Tell her I'm taken!" Max laughed.
"Max!" A woman's voice said, he turned around.
"Oh not now!" He said under his breath.
"You send your own mother a text message to say you're getting married?!" The woman said.
"Mum, look.." Max started.
"I thought I'd better come down here and see who this tart is, rich is she? Someone else you can scrounge off?"
Max grabbed his mum by the arm and dragged her outside. Zoe followed behind hoping not to be seen.
"What are you playing at?" Max asked. "Why are you even here? You won't ruin my life again, do you hear me?"
"Come on Max who is she? It'd be just like you to fall on your feet, you're a loser Max, does she know that? Does she even know you're a trolley pusher or have you made up some elaborate job to make yourself look better?" His mother was pushing him.
"Oh, I know full well what he does." Max and his mum turned towards to voice, Zoe.
"Who the hell are you?" Max's mum asked.
"Me?" Zoe asked, "I'm the rich tart that your son is so called scrounging off."
"Her?" The woman asked Max, "you've really done well there soon, you're going up in my estimations as we speak."
"Now you listen to me." Zoe began.
"Zoe, don't." Max interrupted. Zoe waved him away.
"I don't know anything about you Mrs Miller, but what I do know is, you know nothing about Max and I and quite frankly, from the way you spoke to Max, you don't deserve to. Max is not perfect and I assure you there will be stuff about his past that I don't know about, but he is making something of his life, we are making a life together, you may not like it and I don't care, I will not have you talking to him or about me like that. You clearly know nothing about Max but you're determined to cling on to that bitterness there is between you. Do you not think he was trying to call a truce between you inviting you to the wedding? Now, we are on hospital grounds and we are in the middle of a shift, I suggest you leave, I don't know what's happened between you and it's none of my business but I couldn't not have him in my life and it beggars belief that you could." Zoe breathed after her rant.
"You know nothing love, give it time." Max's mum smirked as she walked away. "See you son."
Max was walking towards the ED. "Max!" Zoe shouted after him, "are you alright?"
"I told you to leave it Zoe! I don't need you fighting my battles!" Max replied as he stormed into the hospital.
Zoe ran her hands through her hair. What had she done? Why did she have to get involved? She'd only made things worse.