Thankyou all for the lovely reviews on the last chapter, here's the next part. It's not that long, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. Also, I'm not sure whether to end it here or continue it? I'm not really sure how to continue it/what direction to take it in..
An MRI scan proved that little Gracie really had done a lot of damage to her brain, resulting in the need for emergency surgery to reduce the swelling. They ensured the best man for the job, Guy Self, carried out the procedure, reassuring Connie slightly as she knew he could work wonders and had been presented with similar cases an uncountable number of times. Yet still, with this knowledge, Connie was petrified - and who could blame her. Left in an empty resus with just the teacher that had accompanied the paramedics in the ambulance, the consultant couldn't stop the sudden burst of rage she felt inside her.
"Why did this happen?" She yelled, startling the young teacher, who like Connie was standing there not knowing what to do with herself.
"Well-well we did tell them not to play on the wall and -" Outraged at this, Connie interrupted her attempt at justifying the situation - "They're seven year olds! Of course they're going to be adventurous! It's your job to be looking out for them, making sure that things like this don't happen" She continued shouting, ranting to the teacher. Deep down she knew it wasn't their fault, it was an accident, but she also needed someone, anyone to blame for this nasty injury and it just so happened that the teacher was there.
At the sounds of the raised voice in the resus room, Rita and Lofty entered, catching Connie in mid rage. Rita headed straight for Connie, who was still using the teacher as a scapegoat.
"Okay Connie you need to stop, this isn't making the situation any better" Rita said strongly, holding onto her arms in an attempt to pull her away from the room. Connie tried to fight back, determined to continue this one-sided argument.
"No Rita I need answers!" She said, her voice cracking slightly.
"Okay, okay come on now let's go find somewhere quieter" Rita's voice softened, calming Connie down and causing her to comply with Rita's orders. They walked out of the resus doors, into the bustling ED department and headed once again toward Connie's office. On any normal day, Connie would be embarrassed at her moment of anger, but right now all she could focus on was Grace, and so instead of giving an icy glare to those glancing at her, she kept her head down and avoided any eye contact.
Upon reaching her office and sitting down on the sofa, all the anger she had previously felt evaporated. She let out all the pent up emotions she felt in the form of tears, silently sobbing into her hands. She no longer had to put on a brave face for her daughter, she just broke down, not caring that Rita was standing there in the room besides her. The nurse sat down and put her arm around the doctor, unsure of how else she could bring comfort. Surprisingly to them both, instead of pulling away, Connie collapsed into the embrace, appreciating the comfort it brought.
And so, Rita sat there until Connie had calmed herself down, making sure the consultant knew that she wasn't alone. They sat, talking and drinking tea until a knock sounded on the door and Charlie entered. "Just to let you know Grace is out of surgery now, they're bringing her back down here to a secluded room shortly, where they can monitor her" he said, before exiting again, leaving just Rita and Connie once again.
They both stood up, "um, thankyou.. for that and everything. I really appreciate it" Connie spoke, giving a small smile before following Charlie and heading to the private rooms to wait for her daughter.
After what seemed like an age, the doors opened and in wheeled her daughter alongside a doctor and some nurses who set about hooking up the machines and drips to an unconscious Grace. Connie instantly jumped to her feet.
"Now, the operation was an great success - it couldn't have gone any better. But, she's had a strong anaesthetic which will leave her unconscious for a while she should come round in a few hours. Due to the extent of her injuries, we'll be keeping her in for a while to monitor and run a few tests.." The doctor reeled off. Usually, Connie would interrupt and tell them that she was in fact a doctor herself and already knew the protocol. But, for once she liked the fact that she was first and foremost a mother rather than a doctor.
After the doctors and nurses left, she was once again lapsed in silence. This time however, it wasn't suffocating, it didn't leave her with a sense of increasing panic as the hours wore on. Instead she was left with a strange sense of calmness. Here, she had her daughter next to her, albeit not her vibrant energetic self, but she was there. She knew that as long as she had her daughter there, things would be okay.
