Hey! This chapter introduces Alex properly into the story. I really liked his character, he said some lovely and powerful things in his scene with Connie. Please read and review if you can. It means lots! 3 Beth xxxx

"Hello." He stood in the dimly lit hallway, awkwardly holding a bunch of flowers in one hand and fiddling with something in his pocket with the other.

Connie glanced at the flowers that sat in the grip of Alex's tightly clenched fist and then her eyes slowly met the gaze of his, "Hi." She flashed him a brief smile before reaching down for her heels.

"Oh... These are for you, if you want to put them in a er..." Alex paused, searching for the right word.

"Vase." They both said finishing of his sentence simultaneously. A smile graced Connie's face as she gently took the flowers from him, "Thank you. Very thoughtful." She whispered gently.

"I wasn't sure if you would like flowers." Alex replied, looking down at the gorgeous bouquet too, "You see that purple one there? That's called a Marjoram. It means joy and happiness." His eyes lingered on the beautiful woman's face, "That is what I wish for you, Connie."

She looked down at her feet, her teeth sinking into her lip as a familiar feeling rushed through her. The same feeling she had felt when her and Alex had dinner together all those months ago and they'd sat and talked for hours on end far into the cold Winter's night. She couldn't explain it then or even now. She didn't know him, she knew hardly anything about him and yet she felt so comfortable around this stranger. What was it? Connie just felt safe with him, safe to let anything and everything out to him.

"Are you a florist too?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is delicious. Do you eat here often?" Alex asked, polishing off the rest of his plate hungrily as Connie sipped her glass of water.

"No." She replied, shaking her as she stared into space, completely bored after an hour of small talk. Alex peered at her and placed his cutlery down onto the table gently, trying desperately to see what was going on in this intelligent woman's head.

"What?" Connie asked, suddenly aware of her dinner date's eyes fixed upon her face. A long silence permeated around them as the doctor remained in deep thought.

"After you left Bucharest, I never expected to see you again. A little part of me thought that you'd stay, and then I could have gotten to know you. I would have liked that. But you ran back home and so I forgot about you and stopped dwindling on the what if's." He leaned back in his chair, "Five months later, you rang me and told me that you're carrying my child? How can that be possible? I don't know you, all I know is what you have given me. I know you're a passionate person. And I know you were a lonely woman five months ago and still now, I see your loneliness."

The brunette's eyes glazed over, was she lonely?

"Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine, Connie."

Connie placed her hands together, gently running her thumb over her index finger, "As you said, you don't know me. You cannot make judgement on how I feel, I am incredibly content with my life. I have a beautiful healthy and happy daughter, a fulfilling career and a perfect house. I couldn't be more ecstatic if I tried."

He looked at Connie over his pint of beer as he picked it up, "Happiness makes a home. Family makes a home. No matter how 'perfect' the house may be."

The clinical lead's mouth formed the shape of an 'O', her eyebrows coming together as she frowned at him, "You don't know anything." She hissed angrily. How could he even feel like he had the right to comment on her life?

"I know you are a woman with all good intentions with whatever you set your mind to. I know you are intelligent and extremely beautiful."

She smiled sarcastically, "Oh spare me."

"And modest too." He added placing his beer down on the table.

"You don't know as much as you think."

Alex reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Connie's, "Then let me. Let me get to know every single thing about you. I want to know who you are. Your ambitions, your fears and all of your flaws. You're 20 weeks pregnant with our child and I don't even know your middle name, your birthday or your favourite colour."

Connie glanced down at his hand resting on top of her own, "I don't have a middle name." She replied after a brief silence.

A smile lightened Alex's face and he gently squeezed Connie's hand, "I promise you that I will look after our child until the day I die. I won't let you down. I just want us to know each other."

"Morning Mrs Beauchamp." Robyn smiled cheerily as the clinical lead bounced passed the staff nurse.

Connie turned her head and smiled, "Good morning Robyn. Good morning Lofty." as she walked into the emergency department.

Lofty turned to Robyn his face full of disbelief and confusion, "Did the ice queen actually just acknowledge us with a smile?" Robyn playfully smacked her friends arm and giggled.

Connie walked over to her dearest friend and beamed at him, "Morning Mr Fairhead."

"Are you alright?" Charlie laughed, "You obviously woke up on the right side of the bed this morning. How did last night go?"

"Same as any other night." She shrugged, picking some files up from reception and she placed them carefully under her left arm as the nurse grinned at her from ear to ear.

"What?" She frowned, noticing the Cheshire Cat that had taken over Charlie's face.

"It's nice to see you smiling again." He patted her arm gently, winking at her before wandering off into the cubicles.

Connie's lips twitched to stop another smile gracing her petite face. She'd had a great night with Alex, they'd stayed up talking way into the early hours of the morning, he seemed too good to be true. Too good for her. She liked him and even though she wasn't sure of whether this was a romantic interest or just pure friendship, she was sure she liked him and it didn't matter to her which one of those it was because he'd made her feel something, she hadn't felt so naturally in a long time:

Happiness.

And that's when she realised that happiness often sneaks through a door you didn't realise you'd left open.