A few days later and Connie received a phone call from the hospital board, they requested that a team of medics, including her, their Clinical Nurse Manager, another Doctor and a paramedic attended a conference.
Where they would share techniques which they used in the ED to make it as efficient as possible.
Connie had tried to dissuade Rita from attending, telling her she would be of more use at the ED, but Rita brushed off her tone of concern, saying her and the baby might enjoy a day somewhere different for a change.
The following morning arrived and Connie, Rita, Dixie and Ethan were all ready to go.
Initially Connie was going to drive, but she quickly passed on this job to Ethan, insisting she needed to sit in the back with Rita.
Dixie called shot gun, even though she didn't really need to, as Connie and Rita had already agreed to sit in the back.
"Well this is going to be fun!" Dixie drawled sarcastically, Connie just rolling her eyes as she made sure Rita was buckled in safely.
"And away we…" Ethan stopped his little cry as the car stalled, and he had to restart the engine.
Dixie supressed her laughter and Connie rolled her eyes once again.
They were finally on the road, Dixie half directing Ethan, half discussing, with Rita, why Dixie would be a perfect middle name for her baby.
Rita was just laughing at Dixie's suggestion of calling her baby something beginning with an A, so Rita's, Connie's and the baby's initials would spell CAR, when suddenly a van smacked into the side of the car.
The car started to roll, Connie desperately trying to reach out to Rita who was screaming in her seat.
The car finally came to a standstill.
The car was on it's side, Rita and Ethan were on the floor, Connie and Dixie suspended in the air, only held up by their seatbelts.
"RITA!" Connie screamed as she saw the young Nurse sprawled on the floor, all Connie could think of was checking Rita and the baby were alive.
"RITA, PLEASE?!" Connie looked around, desperately thinking of a way to get down without hurting Rita any more.
"Connie…" Dixie reached her hand backwards, clutching onto the Clinical Lead's shoulder. "Just take a second, I can brace myself on the dashboard and climb down. I'm going to check Ethan, then I'll check Rita." Dixie said, Connie shaking her head, pushing Dixie's hand off her shoulder.
"Check Rita first." Connie stated.
"She's breathing, I can see she's breathing… I can't see Ethan breathing." Dixie explained, Connie finally nodding.
"Ok." She whispered, watching as Dixie braced her feet on the dashboard and unclipping herself. She then lowered herself down next to Ethan. "He's gone." Dixie whispered, Connie covering her face as she let out a strangled sob.
Dixie stood up, taking Connie's hand in hers.
"We're going to be ok. Just cuts and bruises me and you, ok?" Connie nodded, grateful for Dixie's calming hand in hers. "We are the strong ones, I'm going to check Rita. Here's my phone…" Dixie reached into her pocket and handed it to Connie. "Phone ambulance control, they'll get the closest available unit here ASAP."
Connie's trembling hands dialled 999, relaying their situation as Dixie knelt down next to the unconsciousness Nurse.
"Hey squirt." Dixie had clambered over to the back seats, looking up at Connie every now and then, as she was still suspended by the seat belt. "Her pulse is good Connie, but she's bleeding…" Dixie couldn't find a cut which could contribute for the amount of blood lost, so could only assume it was one thing.
"It's the baby." Connie dropped the phone, it landing next to Rita's body. "Get me out Dixie, I have to be next to her if she wakes up. Get me out!"
Connie was thrashing against the seat, Dixie knowing there was nothing they could do until the ambulance crew got here, so she decided to try and get herself and Connie out of the car, in an attempt to calm Connie down.
"The ambulance is on it's way, but what if it doesn't…" Connie was panicking big time, Dixie cutting her off before she caused herself any more damage.
"Ok, give me a second." Dixie climbed back into the front, opening the passenger door upwards and climbing out. "Take of your heels, carefully, and don't drop them." Dixie called as she slid open the back door.
She took Connie's shoes off her and threw them on the ground outside.
"I'm not leaving her Dixie. What if she wakes up?!" Connie was hysterical, Dixie was really worried she would break the seatbelt and fall on Rita.
Dixie made the brave choice of grabbing hold of Connie.
"Unbuckle yourself." Dixie shouted at her, hoping to scare her into unfastening herself. "Do you want to hurt Rita?!" She screamed, Connie sobbed whilst shaking her head, unclipping herself and allowing Dixie to pull her out of the car.
They were both now sat on top of the car, Dixie holding Connie tightly in her arms as she cried to be set free, but Dixie refused.
The ambulance sirens could finally be heard, Jeff and Iain stepping out of the ambulance.
Jeff shouted to Iain to hurry up as he saw Dixie sat on top of the vehicle.
"Dix?!" He shouted, shocked to see Connie in his arms. "Oh no, Rita…" He sighed, keeping his voice down as he approached.
He opened his arms, Dixie gently lowering Connie down, Jeff catching her as she almost plummeted to the ground, making hard contact with the tarmac.
"Jeff, it's Jeff." Jeff pushed Connie carefully against the back of the car, allowing her to get her balance and gain her bearings.
Connie started to cry again, placing her hand in front of her face.
He quickly assessed her, the arm in front of her face seemed badly damaged, she had a burn on her shoulder from where the seatbelt had been restraining her and she had a small amount of blood o n her face, from the small cuts which were presumably from some broken glass.
"It's alright, you ok?" Jeff asked, Connie nodding, refusing to move her worried hand from in front of her face.
"It's Rita…" She whispered breathlessly, Jeff taking hold of her hand from in front of her face, Connie half wincing, but trying to ignore it. "Please, it's Rita and the baby."
Connie was shaking, Jeff could see movement from inside the car, Dixie was moving around but it seemed like there was someone else now.
"Connie…" Connie turned to hear her name being called, the voice was familiar but it was in so much pain, and so raspy Connie could barely make it out. "Dixie please..?"
Connie immediately recognised it as Rita.
Jeff didn't let go of her Connie's hand, not letting her climb back onto the top of the car.
Connie was starting to hyperventilate, Jeff making her sit on the floor.
"Iain, get inside the car, assess and get her out quickly!" Jeff said, trying to get Connie to slow her breathing. "Dixie and Iain are inside there, she is in the best possible hands." Jeff reassured her, Connie shaking her head.
"Right we need to get her out of here now Jeffery!" Dixie called. "She's losing a lot of blood."
"Ok, I'll get a trolley." He shouted back. "Stay there, then we can get you and your misses into hospital ok? How's Ethan, Dix?" Jeff called, but Connie stopped him.
"He's dead." She told him, Jeff dropping his head before dashing off to get a trolley.
By the time Rita was out and on a trolley several more crews had arrived, starting to work on the couple that was in the van.
They were quickly identified to both be on drugs, seemingly the cause of the accident. Connie was immediately next to Rita, holding her hand in her good hand.
"I'm here, Rita I'm right here." Connie promised her, running alongside the gurney into the ambulance.
Dixie also jumped in the back, making sure Connie was strapped in before telling Jeff to floor it.
It took them less than 10 minutes, to make the usually 40 minutes journey, to get to the hospital.
Tess, Charlie and Dylan were all waiting at the door.
"We've booked her straight into theatre. It's pointless going to theatre." He said, taking the trolley off Jeff and taking it to the elevator.
Jeff stopped Dixie, who held onto Connie, openly breaking down in the middle of the ED. Everyone stared as Dixie helped the heartbroken woman into a cubicle.
"Just breathe." Dixie said, her eyes filling with tears as she thought of the possible consequences this could have on Rita and the baby.
Jeff was right behind Dixie, helping to stop Connie from dashing off. He quickly placed an oxygen mask over her face, aiding her breathing.
"Come on, princess." Jeff placed a hand on Connie's shoulder. "They will call down as soon as Rita is out of surgery, you will be the first to know everything." Jeff told her, Connie finally settling down and realising what a fool she had made of herself.
"I'm fine." She said after a while, taking off the oxygen mask and walking out of the cubicle.
But Jeff soon caught her up.
"You need an x-ray for that arm first, I'm taking you whether you like it or not princess." Jeff said, leading Connie to the radiology department. It was nothing but a bad sprain and Connie was fitted with a temporary splint.
