A/N: New avatar! :D It took me ages, 'cause I'm really hopeless with adobe... (: I like it though. You might not be able to see it yet, but yeah. Whatever.
Right. I've decided, it's enough with the filler-y waffle. (Although don't get me wrong, a lot of that waffle is important :D). I'm going to get on with the main plot line now.
Be warned.
And I was wondering, I wonder if the 'brutal consequences' taking place in the next episode of Casualty will actually be brutal? I suppose it IS a soap, so you know, probably.
But then again, brutality has many different forms...
Anyway, enough of my gabble. Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to hit that review button at the bottom of the screen and tell me what you think! :D Song is 'Does anybody hear her?' by Casting Crowns. I'd really recommend it, it's a really good song (:
Oh, and the first part of this is mostly dialogue, and I kind of ran out of actions for them to do in the between times, so it may seem a bit stiff... Sorry about that. Bear with me though.

She is running,

A hundred miles an hour, in the wrong direction.

She is trying,

But the canyon's ever widening,

In the depths of her cold heart.

So she sets out on another misadventure just to find

She's another two years older

And she's three more steps behind.

Adam
"Adam, can I have a quick word?" I turned to face Tess as she hurried down the corridor to catch up with me. I finished writing a patient's notes up and handed the file over to Noel.
"Yeah, sure Tess." she smiled, and I followed her through to her office.
"Coffee?" she asked as we entered the room. I shook my head, wondering what she wanted.
"No, thanks. My shift's nearly over anyway."
"Ah, right. I'll try not to keep you too long then." She turned away, as if she was avoiding eye contact with me. "Okay, the reason I wanted to talk to you is because me and a couple of other staff members are concerned." I nodded, pretending that I didn't know what she was talking about- although deep down I had a pretty good idea of it.
"Concerned about what?"
"About Kirsty." I folded my arms to my chest. I had a feeling I knew where the conversation was going.
"Ah."
"Yes, I thought maybe I should talk to you because you seem to know her fairly well, and she won't open up to me. We've noticed that things seem to be a bit... Problematic with her at the moment, and I thought maybe you could tell me if there's something I should know."
"What makes you think there's a problem?" she sighed, and leaned against her desk.
"Okay, I'll put it bluntly. The fact that she didn't tell anyone about the pregnancy, the way she won't talk about her home life, and... The bruises, Adam." I looked up, and bit my cheek out of worry. "I've noticed bruises on her arms before, but I've never said anything about it because I thought there might be a simple explanation. But when she was brought in the other week, she was absolutely covered in them. There's obviously something going on Adam, and if you know about it you really need to let me know. We all care about her, that's all." I sighed, and smiled grimly at Tess.
"All right, well, I'm not saying there is or isn't a problem. But I think if there was one, it should come from Kirsty, not me."
"I understand why you'd think that, but if something's going on-" I interrupted her, already knowing what she would say.
"I know, I know. Look, Kirsty's staying at mine at the moment," I raised my hand to prevent her from cutting me off. "And I promise I'll talk to her when I get home. I'm sorry I haven't been much help Tess, but I don't think it's my place to say anything." She smiled, and went to open the office door for me.
"No, you've been a great help. I'll let you get back to work now. Thanks, Adam." I returned her smile and left the room, guilt starting to well up in my stomach.
I'd promised Kirsty I wouldn't tell anyone, and technically I hadn't broken that promise... But I'd managed to set in stone what Tess and some of the other staff were already pretty much certain of anyway.
And what kind of a person does that make me?

She is yearning,

For shelter and affection,

That she never found at home.

She is searching,

For a hero to ride in,

To ride in and save the day.

And in walks her prince charming

And he knows just what to say.

Momentary lapse of reason and,

She gives herself away.

Kirsty
"Listen Nita sweetheart, I know things are hard at the moment, but I'll come and see you soon, I promise." Nita was furious with me. I could tell from her cutting tone and raised voice.
"Do you have any idea how upset this is making dad? He really misses you mum, he just wants you to come home! Where are you anyway?" I sighed, wishing that she could understand what was going on between me and her father. But at least I could be thankful for the fact that Warren would never, ever lay a finger on his daughter. He loved her too much.
"I know, sweetheart. Tell him I'll come back soon, he just has to be patient. I'll explain it all at some point darlin', but not right now. Okay?" I heard her snort, her tone incredulous.
"Yeah, whatever. Bye mum." Without even waiting for a reply, she disconnected the call, leaving me with only the empty dial tone to talk to.

If judgement looms under every steeple,

If lofty glances from lofty people,

Can't see past her scarlet letter,

And we've never even met her...

"Hey Adam!" I called as I heard the front door slam shut. "Good day?" There was a slight pause in which I presumed Adam was hanging up his coat, before he popped his head around the door. I was sitting cross legged on the carpet, leafing through a magazine.
"Uh, yeah, thanks. Not bad." I could tell from the moment I saw his ashen face that something was up.
"What's wrong?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I started to worry. What had happened?
"Tess came and spoke to me today... And I promised her I'd have a word with you." I bit my lip. Uh oh.
"Okay..." he sat on the sofa behind me, and I leaned back to rest against his legs. He rubbed my shoulders as I looked up at him with a questioning expression on my face.
"She asked me what's going on, Kirst. She's noticed the bruises on you, and she's really worried about you." I shifted uncomfortably, not liking the way the conversation was going. He reached under my arms and pulled me up beside him. I laid my head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around me, holding me close.
"Did you tell her?"
"No, I told her that it wasn't my place to talk to her about your personal problems."
"Right." We were both quiet for a while, before I sighed and decided to break the silence. "What do you think I should do then?"
"Honestly?" I nodded. "I think you should tell her, Kirst. She only wants to help." I said nothing,but allowed Adam to lift me onto his lap. I buried my face into his chest, trying to make sense of it all. I had never even considered telling Tess; we had hardly seen eye to eye with each other since we met. "You don't have to decide right now," he continued. "You can decide whether you want to or not before you go back to work... All I'm saying is that it might be in your best interest to let someone else know." I nodded, biting the nail on my index finger.
"Okay," I murmured. "Okay, I'll think about it."

If judgement looms under every steeple,

If lofty glances from lofty people,

Can't see past her scarlet letter,

And we've never even met her...

Never even met her.

Adam
To be totally honest, I hadn't expected it would be that easy to convince her, but she seemed so... Tired. Tired of having only me to rely on, tired of feeling she couldn't trust anyone to be there when she needed it most.
After a while, she fell asleep in my arms, and for a long time I just watched her breathe, so thankful for her existence. I stroked a fading bruise on her arm and thought of every lovely little thing about her that I could think of, from the curve in her neck to the little wrinkle she gets on her forehead when she's confused.
"I love you, Kirsty. And I will show you how different life can be." I whispered into her ear. She opened a sleepy eye, smiled, and turned to look at me.
"I love you too Adam. I really do."

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?

Or does anybody even know she's going down today?

Under the shadow of our steeple,

With all the lost and lonely people,

Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

He is running, a hundred miles an hour...

In the wrong direction.

A/N: Um... Yeah. Not as long as I planned, but I didn't really plan this chapter anyway, so... Yeah.
I'm going to write a plan of the remaining chapters... Not that I have any idea how long it'll be., but I really want the next chapter to be at least 2000 words. So, good luck to me! XD
Anyway, I will see you guys whenever.
Wish me luck for my Biology mock tomorrow!