I'm not too sure on this chapter, and I've been tweaking it for a while until I decided to just post it. Please let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for the kind feedback!
The following day, Rita awoke with the mother of all hangovers. For the first twenty minutes of her shift she sat in her office, a pint of water clasped in one hand and a packet of paracetamol in the other. She couldn't even summon the energy to get up and close the blinds, leaving the other nurses free to gossip.
"From what I've seen, Mrs Beauchamp is in a similar way," Lofty commented quietly to a giggling Robyn.
"You think they were together?" She shifted her gaze to him, eyebrows raising.
"Well, it's too much of a coincidence, isn't it? And Paula said that she saw them in the Hope and Anchor."
"Who's Paula?"
"That porter. But-"
"How old is she?"
"In her twenties, I think. Does it matter?" Lofty suddenly sounded very uncomfortable.
"Yes, it does. When did you speak to her?"
"I overheard her talking to Max this morning on the way in."
There was a brief silence. "Oh," Robyn said, somewhat relieved.
"Well, anyway, Charlie reckons that they've settled their differences at last. And this is just a rumour, but apparently Mrs Beauchamp's working the night shift on the day of Rita's hysterectomy."
"So?"
"So, she'll be free when she goes into surgery, won't she?"
"Oh..." Robyn's eyes widened. "You don't think..."
"Well Rita's had loads of guys come on to her, and how many times has she turned them down?"
"Every single time. But her husband's a convicted sex offender - it's got to put you off blokes for a while at least, surely."
"Oh come on, Robyn. She's probably-"
"Are you two quite finished gossiping?" An icy voice spoke from behind them, and they both froze. Robyn turned slowly, swallowing. The Clinical Lead herself was stood right there, arms folded.
"Mrs Beauchamp! We were just..."
"I know what you were doing, and I think you should both get back to work before Sister Freeman decides to discipline you." Her gaze wandered to the Clinical Nurse Manager's office and she sighed. "Although given her current state of wellbeing, I find it highly doubtful that she has the ability to discipline anyone."
Robyn bit her lip to conceal an amused smile, and busied herself with sorting through a stack of files on the desk. She cast a subtle glance up at Lofty, who was making a hasty retreat towards the cubicles. There was a loud crash as he tripped over a bucket, and Robyn suppressed a giggle.
Beside her, the Clinical Lead tutted, snapping her folder shut in frustration and making her way over to the door of Rita's office.
The nurse in question was popping another paracetamol capsule from its packet as the door opened. She stiffened as she noticed Connie, and swept a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"Good morning, Sister Freeman."
"Connie, about last night..."
"Some of your nursing staff are getting a little ahead of themselves," the Clinical Lead interrupted briskly. "Sort them out. This is a hospital, not a farmyard."
Rita was taken aback, and she stared at Connie for a few moments in disbelief.
"That is all," she continued, turning to leave. Rita stood, head spinning at the sudden movement.
"Wait," she said, grimacing as her head throbbed painfully.
Connie turned her head to the side, gaze fixed on the floor. "What is it?"
"The kiss. It was... Well, it-"
"It was a drunken mistake," came the blunt reply. "And it won't happen again. Nothing's changed."
Rita pursed her lips, unsure of how she felt about that. "Right... Well..."
Connie's phone buzzed, and the Clinical Lead rolled her eyes, withdrawing it from her pocket. Her eyes scanned the screen briefly before she spoke again. "We've got a stabbing. ETA five minutes. Sober yourself up; I want you in Resus."
"Okay."
Nothing else was said as Connie left the room. Deep in thought, Rita swallowed the paracetamol capsule, taking a large sip of water with it. As much as she wanted to forget the kiss, she couldn't take her mind off it. It wasn't like she hadn't kissed a woman before - on the contrary, she had always been a little adventurous with her sexuality. It was oddly reminiscent of the kiss she'd shared with Dixie, but at the same time it was too different to even consider. Dixie was her friend, and Connie... Well, Connie was little more than an acquaintance. Perhaps that was why she felt so curiously about it.
Yes, Rita thought firmly to herself as she made her way to the door, head only spinning slightly. There was no more to it than that.
The morning of her operation finally arrived, and Rita was awoken by a knock at the door. She sat up, rubbing at the corner of her eyes blearily before making her way to the hall to answer it.
"Good morning."
Rita pulled a face, squinting against the light streaming in from the outside corridor. "Connie?"
"You look a mess," came the indifferent reply as the older woman stepped past her. Rita frowned, closing the door.
"I didn't sleep well, funnily enough. Why are you here?"
"I've come to take you to hospital."
Rita glanced down at her watch, eyebrows raising. "It's six o'clock in the morning. My operation isn't 'til half nine."
"Well, you'd better get dressed then, quickly."
The Clinical Nurse Manager could feel Connie's eyes move quickly down her body, and she felt slightly embarrassed about the blue and grey Winnie the Pooh pyjamas she was wearing. She searched Connie's expression, expecting to see veiled contempt there. Surprisingly, the Clinical Lead's mouth was twisted up in amusement.
"Nice slippers," was all she said, folding her arms. Rita glanced down, suppressing a groan as she realised she was wearing the particularly gaudy rabbit head pair that Dylan had bought her for Secret Santa.
"Don't let Dylan hear you say that or you'll end up with your own pair."
As she retreated back down the hall to her room, she heard Connie chuckle and smiled to herself. It was a rare sound, after all.
Rita emerged five minutes later, dressed simply in jeans and a jumper. She made her way through to the kitchen, where Connie was leaning against the counter. Rita cast her a curious glance before she reached for the cupboard to retrieve a mug.
"You're supposed to be Nil by Mouth."
"I know," came her blunt response. "I was getting you a drink, actually. Tea or coffee?"
Connie looked momentarily stunned at the gesture. "Er, tea... please. Milk, one sugar."
Rita nodded, turning her back on Connie as she flicked the switch on the kettle. "I didn't think you'd come."
"Well I said I would."
"Yes, but..."
"Look, what happened at the pub doesn't affect anything. You're my colleague, we work together, that is all."
The light on the kettle dimmed and the switch flicked upwards as it bubbled. Rita poured the boiled water into the mug whilst she thought of something else to say, fumbling in the drawer for a teabag.
"Besides, you need to focus on getting rid of this tumour. It's not going to be easy, but hopefully you should be sorted and ready to return to work by next year." Connie had continued to speak in light of her silence. "Until then, we can get Charlie and Tess to split your duties, and get a locum nurse in if necessary."
Rita held out the mug to the Clinical Lead, pressing her lips together. Connie must have noticed her expression, for she stopped speaking and furrowed her brow.
"What? What is it?"
"I don't want to leave work."
Her gaze softened. "Oh. Rita, you can't work in the ED whilst you're going through chemotherapy. You know very well that your immune system won't be able to deal with being around so many people."
"Yeah," Rita protested, "but my job is all I have left, Connie. I can't leave it!"
"Don't be so stubborn. Don't you have any family to look after you?"
"Just my dad," the blonde's gaze lowered, her voice impossibly gentle. "We lost touch after Mark... Well, let's just say he never really liked him that much."
Connie nodded, eyes never leaving the nurse. "I'll sort it, don't worry. Now, have you packed your stuff?"
"It's by the door."
Connie drained the last of her tea and placed the mug by the sink. "Right then. Time to go."
Rita didn't speak as she left the room, hands balled into fists by her side. Connie watched, eyes round. Her lips parted ever so slightly as if she were about to speak, but after a brief pause she shook her head and followed the younger woman out of the kitchen.
The first thing Rita noticed about the ward was its quietness. It was completely different to the clamour and life she was so used to in the ED. As soon as she arrived, she was given a gown to wear and then she signed the consent form. All the while, Connie kept her distance, flicking idly through the camera roll on her phone as Rita was prepped for theatre.
At last, they were left alone for a few minutes, and the Clinical Lead approached her bedside. She seemed to be apprehensive, and Rita couldn't help but notice how she twisted her fingers together in front of her - no doubt a subtle expression of her anxiousness.
"Are you nervous?" Connie asked at last.
"I've seen hundreds of people go for surgery. I know I'm in safe hands." Nevertheless, there was a slight tremor in Rita's voice. Connie chose to ignore it.
"I'll probably be here when you get back. Not that it will cheer you up in the slightest."
Rita laughed in a short puff of air, lowering her gaze to the catheter protruding from her hand. It was strange - they hadn't exchanged a single rude word that morning. Come to think of it, she couldn't think of the last time Connie had been anything less than civil towards her.
A comfortable silence fell between them, and neither spoke again until the porter arrived to take her to surgery. Rita suddenly felt quite sick, and took a few slow breaths to calm herself.
"I'll see you in a few hours," Connie said quietly, placing her hand on the blonde's arm. Her fingers lingered delicately there for a few seconds. Rita blinked, slightly confused as she met the older woman's gaze. A million questions raced through her mind, but she settled on just one.
"Why are you doing this, Connie?"
The Clinical Lead exhaled, glancing away before she replied.
"Someone has to care."
