PART TWO

Von grabbed her morning coffee before entering the ED for the final time. She had spent most of her life walking through these doors, treating patients, smoking cigarettes and providing follow-up care for both patients and their families.

She walked through the doors and nearly bumped straight into Frank.

"You're late," he said grumpily.

"So are you."

"Sad?" he asked.

Von stared back with a slight twinkle in her eye. "This place should fall over the minute I step outside these doors."

"Over my dead body!" Frank bellowed.

"Have a nice day, Frank." she said and walked in her office.

Gabrielle tore into the ED. After arriving home early yesterday, she decided to buy herself a slightly looser top and a size bigger jeans. Ben was right - she was starting to have trouble fitting into her uniform. Just as she was heading into the tea room to dump her bags, she met Bart at reception.

"Hi Gabrielle. You feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, much better, thanks Bart. What have I missed over the week?"

"Jaeger! What the hell are you doing here?" Frank yelled.

"I'm here because you rang me two nights ago telling me a certain nurse was resigning," she replied in an undertone. "And, I do work here," she added like an afterthought.

"Well, then, work with Homer off the floor today. A patient has presented with an uncommon illness and needs a bit of research into it."

"Why, Frank? I need to assign nursing duties and work on rosters," Gabrielle argued.

"Well the nurse filling in for you is working today and you're one day early back. So if you've got a problem with not getting paid today either go help Bart, yell at Admin or go to bed and rest!"

"Fine! Bart, lead the way. What have we got?" Gabrielle was in no fit state of mind to argue with Admin, let alone Frank. She also felt slightly off colour but wanted to stay at work and catch Steve.

"Well, I've already sent him up to a ward while I wait for test results. His name is Morgan Brown. 24 year old male with a sustained head injury from a car accident. He's in a stable condition but the real problem is that he has a combination of two different blood types and we're not sure why."

They sat down at the table in the tea room where Bart had planted all his medical textbooks and was ploughing over notes and microscopes.

"Pathology taking their time?" Gabrielle asked, nodding towards the microscope and blood samples.

"Yeah, thought I should take matters into my own hands," Bart said smiling.

"Spoken like a true doctor. Let's make a start," Gabrielle said. "So what's been happening around here? I go home for a couple of days and come back to find the best nurse of this hospital resigning! What else has been going on?"

"Amy and I are engaged!"

"Oh my gosh, congratulations!" Gabrielle squealed and hugged Bart. "I can't believe you didn't tell me before."

"Yeah, it kind of just happened. I proposed a couple of nights back."

"Where is she now?" Gabrielle asked.

"Last time I saw her she was with Eliott in triage."

Gabrielle didn't wait for the rest. She bounded up to Amy and hugged her. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for both of you. Let's see the ring, it's gorgeous!"

Charlotte entered with Adam through the main entrance. They happened to arrive at work together and were talking about the surprise party tonight. Over the past day or so, as Frank had requested, Adam browsed through some of Von's photo albums and videos and picked out her earlier memories at All Saints. He later put them together into a powerpoint for the party.

"So do you know who's coming?" Charlotte asked Adam.

"Charlotte I know as much as you do, if not less. Apparently Bart thought he heard Frank talking to Zoe Gallagher, but he's not sure," Adam replied.

Since Zoe had started at All Saints, she and Charlotte had been rivals from day one. But after being promoted to director of medicine at St Angela's, Charlotte's hatred had lapsed and they both were able to move on from their persistent conflict.

Just as they reached the front desk, Frank yelled from the other end of the ED, "Beaumont and Rossi, stop bickering and find a patient!" They both grimaced at each other before being assigned to two patients.

Gabrielle stepped out of the lift and pushed open the door of the MRU. She found Mike and Jo lounging around on the sofa and drinking coffee.

"Hey Gabrielle," Jo said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better thanks, nearly back to normal." Gabrielle smiled.

She was wearing a leather jacket which made it harder for Jo to decipher whether Gabrielle was still pregnant.

"Is Steve around?" she asked casually.

"Last time I saw him he was with Claire outside," Mike replied oblivious to the happenings over the last couple of weeks.

Gabrielle maintained a blank expression and said, "Never mind, I'll catch him later." She stalked out into the lobby and back into a lift.

Had Steve gotten back together with Claire? In amidst her thoughts, Gabrielle received a memo from Frank: "Meeting in tea room now." She pummelled the lift button for the ground floor.

"Frank and his bloody meetings," she muttered under her breath. She looked down at her growing stomach and straightened her jacket. She wasn't so sure about the pregnancy anymore.

By the time she got back down to the tea room, everybody else was assembled in there and Frank had already started his lecture on discipline and ethics. Gabrielle decided to make a detour to the bathroom with a sudden urge of morning sickness building up. She took her time.

After flushing the toilet she stared in the mirror at her face. It was obvious she had been unwell: watery eyes, puffy cheeks and reddened nose. Her pager beeped again: "Gabrielle where are you?"

Finally she unlocked the bathroom door and headed towards the tea room. Gently she turned the handle and entered.

"Nice of you to join us, Jaeger," Frank barked. "Where've you been?"

Gabrielle didn't bother to retort and instead went to sit next to Elliot and Adam.

"Are you alright, Gabrielle?" Adam whispered.

She looked terrible. "Never felt better!" she replied sarcastically.

Furtively, she stole a glance at Steve who had been watching her. As soon as their eyes met, he turned away.

Meanwhile, Jo and Frank were both watching Gabrielle and Steve. They both raised their eyebrows and frowned at each other. Something was not right.

Frank began, "Now as we all know, it's Von's last day and I thought I would confirm the arrangements for tonight. You must all be at the restaurant by 6.30. I'll be arriving with Von at 7. Park all your cars on the side street, not in the car park! And try to car pool, there is limited parking and petrol's gone up today."

Gabrielle could feel vomit building up in her throat again. She wasn't feeling too good - she felt dizzy. She sunk lower into the sofa and took a few quiet, deep breaths.

"Rossi! Do you have the powerpoint ready?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, it's ready to rumble. The photos and video clips I've found are hillarious. The things Von has caught you all doing." Adam laughed.

"Wait, hang on! What do you mean?" Bart demanded.

"You'll see," he smiled.

"So who's going to be there, Frank?" Bree asked.

Frank grimaced and said, "Do I look like I'm going to tell you - a few surprises."

Charlotte turned to Gabrielle and asked, "Gabs, do you know?"

At this point, Gabrielle was ready to explode. She was gripping onto the arm of the sofa in an attempt to stop the nausea.

"Yeah, come on Gabrielle, open up! You haven't said a word since you got here," Bart urged.

She shook her head, feeling a pounding sensation resonating off the side of her head. With the whole room staring at her she managed, "I have no idea."

"Yeah right, Gabrielle. Come on, tell us!"

"Is it true Zoe's coming?"

Gabrielle stood up. She pushed past Mike and Bree who were half-blocking the door frame and raced out the door.

"What the hell was that?" Bree asked.

At the same moment, the phone in the tea room began to ring.

"Yep, sure, she's right here." Bart said into the receiver just as Gabrielle walked back in.

"Gabrielle, a Ryan Patton for you."

Both Gabrielle and Steve looked up at Bart. Ryan was an old mate of theirs from their home town.

"Shit," Gabrielle thought. She had completely forgotten about cancelling her termination she had organised with his clinic. Steve, on the other hand, was almost shaking with anger. Ryan was the only practicioner in the town that performed safe abortions.

Hesitantly, Gabrielle answered the phone. "Hey, Ryan!... yeah ... right. ... I'll send it by mail ... yes, I'm sure ... thanks. Bye."

By this point, everybody had returned to their patients except one. Gabrielle could see a shadow moving behind her as she placed the phone back. She turned slowly.

"Ryan Patton?" Steve half-growled.

"Steve..."

"Forget it." He turned and stalked back outside.

"Hey can you two do a huge favour for me?" Charlotte burst through the tea room doors. It was almost four o'clock and there were still a few hours to go before the farewell dinner for Von. Bart and Gabrielle were still testing blood samples and waiting for pathology to send through confirmation of their diagnosis.

"Sure, what's up?" Gabrielle asked.

"Well, Frank's asked me to do an extra half an hour – admin need our final budget for the year by tomorrow morning! Do you mind looking after Zac for a little while?"

"Course, we will," Bart said smiling at Zac. "We'll have fine, won't we?"

Zac nodded.

Almost forty-five minutes later, Bart lay on the sofa dead to the world while Zach had cuddled up on Gabrielle's lap while she read 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.

"At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.

'This porridge is too hot!' she exclaimed

So she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
'This porridge is too cold,' she said.

So she tasted the last bowl of porridge.

'Ahh, this is just right,' she said happily and ate it all up."

At that moment, Steve and Claire walked in for their afternoon break.

"What a nightmare!" Claire said. "Want a cup of tea, Steve?"

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks," he replied.

They both found a mess of building blocks scattered across the floor, toy cars and trucks and soft toys jumbled around Bart's body with a puppet still on one hand. Gabrielle had plonked herself on the floor cross-legged with Zach. As soon as they walked in, Steve immediately wanted to back out except Claire had already gone and put the kettle on and found two mugs. Fortunately, Gabrielle's back was toward the door and kettle.

While they waited for the kettle to boil, Claire leaned into Steve and caress his cheek and trace the lines along the palm of his hand.

"Isn't that so cute?" Claire whispered to Steve nodding toward Gabrielle and Zach.

Steve grimaced and turned back to the kettle.

Gabrielle kept reading, ignoring the fact Steve was in the room and was thankful she had her back to him and Claire.

"They decided to look around some more and when they got upstairs to the bedroom, Papa bear growled, 'Someone's been sleeping in my bed.'

'Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too,' said the Mama bear

'Someone's been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!' exclaimed Baby bear.

Just then, Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears. She screamed, 'Help!' And she jumped up and ran out of the room. Goldilocks ran down the stairs, opened the door, and ran away into the forest. And she never returned to the home of the three bears."

"The end!" Zach yelled.

At the same time, Charlotte walked in. Bart jumped up.

"Hey, I'm so sorry. I got caught in re-sus and then I had to file a whole stack of Frank's reports. You ready to go Zach?"

"Yes, Mummy."

"Okay, what do you say to Gabrielle and Bart for looking after you?" Charlotte asked.

"Thank you Gabby. Thank you Bart."

"Anytime, Zach," Bart replied. Gabrielle glared at him. Bart grinned back.

Gabrielle pulled Zach into a big hug. Lately, her maternal instincts had burgeoned. "See you later, ok?"

Zach, let's clean up first," Charlotte reminded him.

"Charlotte, Bart and I have got this, you go home."

"See you later tonight, Charlotte." Claire said.

Charlotte and Zach walked back out.

Once they had closed the door, Gabrielle stood up and grabbed her bottle of water before settling down at the table and resuming her research with Morgan Brown's mystery illness.

"Bart - clean up!"

"What? Gabrielle - "

"Serves you right, you took credit for looking after him. I honestly can't imagine you and Amy with five kids. One tires you out!" Gabrielle said.

"Parenting comes with practice." he replied. Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

As Bart cleaned up and Gabby read; Claire and Steve were talking quietly between themselves.

"Gabrielle... you know you'd make a great mum," Bart said after a few moments.

"What?" Gabrielle said looking up from her books.

"Today, you were so good with Zach... reading him books, singing songs, feeding him... "

"Yeah, Gabrielle. You and Zach were so cute together... reading to him," Claire added.

Gabrielle had no idea what to say. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn't sure about becoming a mum anymore. She saw what Charlotte had to go through when Spence left her and problems she had balancing being a mum and her career. Babies were supposed to be born into the world and into the arms of two parents who would love the baby and loved each other. Not a broken and complex relationship she had with Steve. If you called it a relationship.

Steve was looking down. Gabrielle should have never terminated the pregnancy. It was wrong - it was just a kid.

"Gabrielle?" Bart started. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"What? No, no... you didn't -"

The door slammed open and someone burst into the room and hid themselves behind the cupboard door.