He hung up and he was frozen, looking into empty space. He was in two minds to get the next possible flight and go home but he knew Connie and he knew she'd hate him for blowing all chances of the job. His thoughts were interrupted minutes later by Elliot; he looked up at him with a sombre face, letting him know it was bad news before his mouth even opened.
"Ric, what happened?"
"Carbon Monoxide leak… they don't know where from but…" It was all he could do to not tell Elliot about him and Connie, they'd had the discussion on the night she left, she didn't want anyone knowing. "I rang Connie… She erm, she doesn't know what's going on because she's in hospital herself."
"What?"
Both men were trying to hold it together, Connie meant a lot to them both in very different ways. Ric was trying not to cry for the loss of his child and Elliot was holding it together for whatever it was that his best friend was in hospital with. "Ric… what's the matter with her?"
"The carbon monoxide she inhaled wasn't enough to be life threatening to an adult but it was fatal for her unborn baby…" he tried not to let his heartbreak show.
"She was pregnant… Is that why she turned her back on the job?" Elliot sat down beside him, trying to figure out why things like this happen to the people he cared about and when he wasn't there.
"She didn't know until she was at the airport the morning she left so she says… I'm going to ring Jayne, see what's happening"

Realistically he just needed something to deflect his attention from the loss of his child, but by not being able to tell Elliot the full situation it was a matter of just getting on with it. Then he decided, Connie was the most important thing in his life and whatever happened it would be her he wanted to tell… he had to get back to Holby.

"Jayne Grayson"
"Jayne, it's Ric…"
"Mr Griffin I'm kind of busy… Connie had to disappear and there's a carbon monoxide leak n the hospital… I can't control the staff…"
"I know all that… I've already spoken to Connie… Look I need to get back from Paris… I need to know that if I leave now that I'll still have the job almost guaranteed."
"What is it with you lot… first Connie leaves Paris then leaves here then you want to leave Paris on the same day there's a gas leak… Look, Ric, if you want to leave you better have a bloody good excuse"

He didn't know whether to make up an elaborate lie or tell the truth. By lying he'd only feel guilty, by telling the truth he'd break Connie's trust, but in his eyes at least by telling the truth he was guaranteed to get home.

"Mr Griffin… I can't be doing with timewasters… Not when one of my consultants had to run away because they couldn't handle it and I have three critically ill members of staff no thanks to her…"
"Jayne, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about Connie like that… now I don't know if you've ever miscarried but it's not a pleasant experience to go through on your own…"
"What do you mean alone; surely she's contacted the father and he's there with her…"
"Oh yes… actually he rang her… and until you let him go home he won't be there, so right now I'd 

appreciate to be let off for once and get home."
"Are you saying what I think you are…? "
"Just leave it Jayne…"

He hung up on her, looked at Elliot and dashed to collect his bags, leaving the rest to Elliot's imagination. This was his baby that had been lost; no job was worth not being there when the mother of his child was alone and quite possibly in pain. He loved her and whatever the situation he wanted to be there for her. He just couldn't help but think of the 3 other people that were suffering because of her.