Rita could honestly say that this was the worst birthday ever. Not only was she exhausted from the impossible shifts Mrs Beauchamp had implemented, there had been 3 major incidences, on top of that St James' had diverted their patients as well.

All Rita wanted was for someone to just acknowledge the fact it was her birthday and maybe even give her a card, was that too much to ask of her friends?

The nurse was treating a patient in resus, continuing compressions as Connie shocked the man that had arrested. Sweat was dripping down her face, her breathing was harsh as she used up all the energy she had left.

Finally the heart rate monitor gave an output. Rita took in a deep breath of relief, glad that she had been able to save him. The patient hunched forward, coughing, struggling to breathe. Rita took hold of his hand and back to reassure him and to ensure he didn't go into another cardiac arrest. The man took a deep breath then threw up blood all over Rita's scrubs. Robyn passed over a bowl whilst Connie took hold of the patient, giving him an oxygen mask and making sure his BP and pulse were still stable.

'Rita you need to leave' Connie instructed without even looking at her. Rita glared at her in disbelief before storming out of resus and straight to the staff room.

'Yes, this is literally the worst birthday I have ever had! Fuck this place!' Rita muttered angrily under her breath. She removed her scrubs and grabbed a clean set, quickly putting them on as she cursed.

Throwing the scrubs in the designated bin she hurried to the toilets with a glare that could rival the ice queen's. Staring at herself in the mirror she sighed 'you just need to get through 2 more hours then you can go home, curl up on the sofa, watch a movie and eat ice cream.'

The door opened, an unimpressed Tess walked in 'Rita, I'm completely swamped you need to treat your patients' then she left.

'What the hell was that? She must have seen me come in here. Does she not realise I'm having such a bad day? She's supposed to be my friend!'

Another 30 minutes passed, Rita had discharged 2 minor injuries patients and was focusing on her third reeling off their blood test results. 'Mr Warren, I will pass you over to Doctor Knight to discuss the next steps of your treatment.' Cal stepped forward and took the notes off Rita.

'Nurse Freeman have you completed the assessments?' Connie interrupted Cal. '...not yet I've been treating patients all day. If you hadn't noticed.' Rita replied defensively. 'Well I expect them to be finished before you leave today.' Connie stood there with her arms folded, Rita didn't move she continued to stare at Connie in disbelief. After a moment Connie continued 'What are you still doing here? Go and finish the assessments...Now would be good.'

Rita pushed past Connie and headed straight to her office, extremely tempted to slam the door behind her but managed to stop herself at the last moment. 'Fuck sake!' Rita screamed internally slouching into her chair.

'Right, just finish these stupid assessments. You only have 1 hour until the end of your shift. There is no way Connie is going to keep me here later than that on my birthday!' Rita picked up the documents and begun the tedious task of signing, organising and filling in the forms. Every 10 minutes she would check the clock hoping time would hurry up. Finally she looked up and it said 10 to 7. Only 10 more excruciating minutes left. She still had at least half an hour of work to do but there was no way in hell she was going to stay.

Rita had been so focussed on rushing through the paperwork she hadn't noticed Connie entering until the Clinical Lead spoke 'have you finished them yet?' Rita looked up not hiding that fact she was pissed off. 'No, I haven't but if you think I'm staying longer than my shift then you are sorely mistaken, Mrs Beauchamp.' Whilst she was speaking Rita noticed that Connie was wearing her coat, this made her even more angry 'she's going home but expects me to stay!'

Connie matched Rita's glare with her own. 'Nurse Freeman, my office!'

Rita watched Connie leave, stood up and followed her, definitely ready for a confrontation.

The very angry blonde walked into the office, shutting the door with more force than necessary. 'What is it Mrs Beauchamp? I've had enough! First the rota's are just impossible. You have no respect for me or any of the staff! When I do my job you lecture me...'

'Happy Birthday' Connie cut her off, she was just standing in front of her desk with a bemused expression. 'What?' Rita's voice faltered slightly, not sure if she had heard correctly. 'I said Happy Birthday' Connie repeated. Rita just stared at her, speechless. She thought no one had remembered, but now standing in front of her boss on the brink of a full blown argument she felt a bit better knowing that someone had.

Connie continued to stare at the speechless blonde, waiting for her to say something 'Well...'

'Well...what?' Rita responded, unsure whether to thank her or be even more annoyed by the fact that she had known yet still acted like a bitch.

'Well...aren't you going to open your present?' Connie asked her innocently, enjoying the confusion that crossed her face.

Rita glanced round the office 'what present?'

Connie took a step closer 'me.'

Rita's eyes widened 'you...'

'Yes, I am your birthday present' Connie whispered.

'...and you want me...to...open my present?' Rita asked very slowly, wanting to make sure she was reading the situation correctly.

Connie rolled her eyes, smiling at how incredibly adorable Rita was being, realising she needed more encouragement she very slowly leant in and placed a soft kiss on Rita's lips.

'Aren't you going to open your present?' Connie asked as she watched a smile appear on Rita's face.

Now that the nurse was 100% sure she wasn't imagining this, she reached out. Looking at the belt, that was tied in a neat bow, she took hold it, letting it loosen and fall to the Connie's sides. Rita slowly unbuttoned the first button of Connie's coat, glancing into Connie's eyes who was watching the blonde with anticipation. 'May I suggest you lock the door and shut the blinds?' Connie whispered. Rita turned, carefully locked the door and shut the blinds, closing her eyes feeling her heart racing.

The blonde faced the brunette and continued unwrapping her present. Her eyes widened as the coat fell to the floor revealing the stunning body of the Clinical Lead. Connie was standing in front of her wearing nothing more than a pair of black lace knickers, her killer Louboutins and a seductive smile.

'Where do you want me?' Connie asked, twirling a perfect curl round her index finger. Rita glanced around the room 'on the sofa'. The nurse watched in shock as her boss obeyed her instruction.

Connie sat down, elegantly crossed her legs, her arms resting along the back of the sofa inviting the blonde to join her. Rita continued to gaze at Connie as she sat down next to her, deliberately leaving space between them. She was unsure what game Connie was playing. She was terrified that if she kissed her, touched her...she would fall for her. At the same time her whole body wanted to be close to Connie, to feel the warmth of her skin, her breath against her neck.

Connie sensed Rita's hesitation 'what do you want to do?' she asked showing that Rita was in complete control. Rita's eyes traced every inch of Connie's flawless skin before meeting Connie's gaze, '...touch your skin...' Rita's voice was almost inaudible but Connie was listening intently, not just to her words but to her intonation, facial expressions and body language. The brunette knew that Rita wanted this more than anything but was going to let Rita decide her own pace. Connie took Rita's hand, very slowly, and brought it to her face.

Rita ran her finger along Connie's jaw then delicately traced her lips, noticing Connie parting them ever so slightly. Rita glided her finger downwards past Connie's neck, lingering over her collarbone before reaching her breasts. Rita could see the rise and fall of Connie's chest quickening, she could feel the steady beating of her heart. Rita moved her fingers, caressing her skin, memorizing every details as though Connie was a stunning work of art. She glanced into Connie's eyes, seeing the lust that she was trying so desperately to fight. In this moment Rita realised that Connie wanted the same thing, all of the uncertainty left her. She moved her hand to Connie's face and pulled her in.

Rita closed her eyes as the kiss changed from soft and slow to hard and fast. Connie's hands holding Rita's face as she pushed her tongue in. Rita's hands travelling all over Connie's body, gradually moving downwards. Connie bit Rita's lip when she felt a hand on top of her underwear.

Rita opened her eyes and pulled away, looking from her hand back to Connie. 'That's what you do to me every single day' Connie admitted.

Rita moved her hand underneath the lace, gently caressing the outside before slowly entering, gasping when she felt the full extent of Connie's reaction. Connie's hands moved to Rita's waist as they continued. Rita feeling Connie's body as it jerked, feeling her breath as their lips met in between gasps. Rita pulled away from Connie looking into her eyes. Again, Connie sensed Rita's hesitation 'what do you want to do?' Rita looked down '...take them off' Rita smiled shyly. Connie nodded, fighting her urges, enjoying Rita's undivided attention.

Rita rose from the sofa, holding Connie's hand then knelt down in front of her. Connie brought Rita's hand to the lace. The nervous blonde carefully wrapped her fingers around the material, then slowly removed them, easing them all the way down to Connie's ankles where she pulled them over the incredibly sexy Louboutins. Rita looked up at her boss as she ran her hands up her legs, loving how soft they felt, taking her time, unintentionally teasing the brunette. The closer she got the more she could feel. Connie's body tensing, her eyes burning with desire. Once Rita entered a second time Connie closed her eyes, surprised at Rita's technique. Rita was using her tongue and fingers carefully, working out the specific places that made Connie moan and her body move erratically. It didn't take long for Rita to memorize these, then put this very valuable information to use.

Connie gasped, trying desperately not to scream Rita's name. Connie felt the waves of energy pulse through her body, Rita's technique was perfect. Rita was enjoying the reaction she was getting from the clinical lead and didn't want to stop.

A strong spasm sent Connie over the edge causing her to gasp 'Rita' before her arms fell to the sofa. Rita stood up, licking her lips as she gazed at the satisfied woman in front of her. This had turned out to be the best birthday ever.

Rita sat next to Connie on the sofa, after waiting for her to regain her breath she asked 'What are you doing tonight?'

'I'm afraid you have plans, nurse Freeman...' Connie smiled.

'I really don't you are the only person who has remembered it's my birthday...and gave me a present' Rita wasn't really bothered about that anymore though for obvious reasons. 'That's where you're wrong...I shouldn't really tell you this but Robyn and Tess have planned a surprise birthday party, complete with a 3 course meal and a whole night of free drinks' Connie informed her. Rita was very confused but then realised it made sense, her friends would never forget her birthday, she was just being silly. 'Will you be there?' Rita asked, sincerely hoping she would be.

'I don't think that would be a good idea...'

Rita couldn't hide her disappointment but understood why Connie couldn't come. Was this the end? Before it had even started?

Connie held Rita's hand '...but I will be waiting for you at the Black Swan at midnight to take you back to mine for round 2' before leaning in for one last kiss.