A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far; I had no idea how people would react to this story, especially as I have never written Connie before, or a lot of Zax so I hope its alright! Hopefully this chapter will be more positive! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx

6 days later…

Max looked at Zoe, his hand once again tightly holding onto hers and tracing circles on her palm "I'm so proud of you, you proved everyone wrong" he smiled "though, you had me worried for a while back there, crashing on us like that!" at around 2am, her stats had dropped dramatically, and a team of doctors and nurses had rushed into the room; about an hour later they managed to stabilise her condition and thankfully she had managed to maintain that state. She was no longer classed as being in a coma, and was no longer attached to the ventilator as her lung had recovered enough for her to breathe independently but she had a nasal oxygen tube to help her out.

Every now and then she would wince or make a quiet sound; she hadn't opened her eyes yet but Max guessed that she was having flashbacks to the attack and each time he would comfort her by kissing her forehead and stroking her hair whilst whispering soothing words to her and hope that she could hear him.

He had been sat with her for around half an hour when he realised that he really needed the toilet, he didn't want to leave her on her own but Connie was sat in the ICU staffroom, having refused to leave the ward until her colleague was stabilised. Come to think of it, he was starving as well and he knew that everyone in the ED would be waiting for some news and updates of her condition "Zo, I'm gonna have to leave you a while, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you"

…

Connie looked up when she heard a small whimper come from the bed and it startled her for a moment until she put two and two together and realised that Zoe must be having a flashback "Its okay Zoe, you're safe. You're in hospital, and you're being looked after" she paused for a moment, waiting to see if there was any response. Watching her closely, she smiled when she saw her colleague's eyes slowly open, but frowned when she noted that they were glazed over with fear, the same look that she had had in her eyes when she had first found her in the alleyway "Zoe? Zoe, its Connie, you're safe, I promise you that you're safe"

"N-no" Zoe's voice was quiet, barely louder than a whisper yet Connie heard it as clearly as if she had screamed it "Zoe" she repeated again, her tone firmer now.

Zoe blinked, looking around at her surroundings. A small tear dribbled down her cheek as fragments of her memory came to her, at first one by one then several all at once. It scared her; Zoe Hanna was fearless, she didn't get scared. At least she didn't think she did, until now. She was discovering a whole new aspect of herself and she wasn't sure that she liked it.

Spotting Connie sat on a plastic chair next to her bed confused her at first before she remembered that it had been her who had found her. The alleyway had been pitch black so she hadn't been able to see her, but her tone was unmistakable. Strong and confident, she reminded her of herself before all this. She tried to turn her head to look at her, but nausea quickly overcame her and she retched, gaining the attention of the lead consultant who instantly grabbed a kidney dish and held it in front of her while she was sick into it. Rational thinking was quickly taken over by frustration as her mind took her back to the night in the alleyway. Why hadn't she stopped him? Wait, no, there had been two people, or had it been three? Why had she allowed herself to be beaten and assaulted? Humiliated by men that were half her age?

Connie put the used dish in the bin, then turned her attention back to Zoe "It's good to see you awake. You had us worried there for a while" she said, her voice edged with a mixture of concern and relief for her colleague "you've been out of it for almost a week" she added, as if reading her mind "Max has been out of his mind with worry, we all have" she stopped when she noticed her trying to move but not managing it; her body still wasn't strong enough "Hey, don't rush yourself, Zoe. You might be awake but your body is still recovering…"

Tears of frustration, pain and fear rolled freely down Zoe's face. She felt completely helpless, at the mercy of mostly people that she had never met before, just like when she had been attacked "Do you want me to go, let you gather your thoughts? Or I could get Max?" Connie spoke quietly, unsure of how to react.

"Stay" Zoe's voice was shaky and barely audible, but Connie nodded and started to speak again "Look, Zoe, I can't imagine what you went through that night…" her voice tailed off as she looked back towards her colleague, this wasn't the Zoe that she knew, that she had worked with.

Zoe didn't know how to feel. It felt as if every emotion she had ever experienced, as well as several others that she hadn't, were all occurring at once, swirling around her head at top speed. She shut her eyes, hoping that by doing so she might be able to escape everything. What she hadn't anticipated was the effect that the sudden lack of light would have, and the triggers and memories that she now appeared to associate with the dark.

*Flashback*

A hand pressed tightly to Zoe's throat, pushing her up against the freezing cold stone wall while another pair of hands held her own securely, not giving her a chance to escape "Let go" she said, although her voice was barely audible, only just above a whisper, hating the fact that she sounded so weak.

"What was that?" one of them sneered "You don't like it? What, we not good enough for you, that it? You look the sort…"

Suddenly the grip on her hands was released and she felt herself being pushed harshly first against the wall and then to the floor…

*End Flashback*

Zoe's eyes shot open and her pace of breathing quickened rapidly "Zoe? Its alright, you're in hospital and you're safe" Connie's voice was firm as she switched quickly back into doctor mode "I need you to slow down your breathing for me" she looked over to her, making eye contact with her she saw the fear in her eyes. Softening her tone a little she began to speak again "That's it, Zoe, that's good. Just keep breathing like that, in and out, in and out" Zoe coughed a few times before starting to retch and knowing that she was going to be sick, Connie grabbed a kidney dish and held it in front of her whilst she vomited into it, then disposed of it just as Max walked back into the room.

"Zoe! Zo, it's so good to see you awake!" Max exclaimed, giving Connie a questioning look as he noticed the tear marks down her cheeks. She mouthed 'panic attack' and he nodded, walking quickly around to the other side of her bed, taking her hand in his. He kissed it gently and watched as she attempted to turn her head slightly to the side to see him better but instead winced and screwed up her eyes as a wave of dizziness came over her "Zoe, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Connie looked over to the young porter, she could see how worried he was and decided to try and reassure him "She'll be okay. After a series of repeated injuries to the head and also after being unconscious for a long period of time, the brain tries to prevent you from moving by making you feel dizzy or sick in order to try and protect itself. It should pass after a day or so. Until then, just try not to move unless you have to, Zoe" she smiled at the pair of them "Right, I'll leave you to it for a while. I'd better get on with some paperwork I suppose" as she went to stand up, she felt a light squeeze on her hand "Okay? I'll come and see you later, get some rest"

Once she had left, Max leaned over so that he was closer to her, pulling the blankets further over her to keep her warm, smiling as he noticed her eyes shutting "Get some sleep, babe. I'll still be here when you wake up" he said quietly, moving a strand of hair from her eyes and stroking her hair as she fell asleep. Even though she had been unconscious for almost a week, Zoe looked exhausted. He knew that as well as recovering physically, she would have to start to deal with the emotional side of things, and he would be with her every step of the way.