A/N:I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in a while! It's fully written, but I have so much going on that i keep forgetting to post! Would you prefer me to post it all in one go, or do you prefer shorter updates?

By the time Kate got to the Ed, late after being stuck in traffic, the ED was no less full. As she approached the staff room, a nurse came scurrying out looking panicked, and when Kate walked in she found connie sat on the couch with her head in her hands. "Mrs be...ah, Mrs masters, is everything okay?" When connie glanced up and she saw the cut on her cheek, kate winced.

"I can't go home like this. Jacob was already on edge about me staying, not to mention Grace." Connie muttered wearily.

"Come with me and I'll patch you up and then call you a taxi. I can sort some extra staff." Kate offered, opening her arm for connie to follow her. When she didn't, kate raised her eyebrows. "Please? The better the fix up job the less hell you're going to get at home."

After another sigh, connie stood and reluctantly followed her colleague. Inside the cubicle, though, what was left of her energy deserted her and connie was surprised to find tears falling. She offered an apology as she wiped her cheeks. "Sorry. I'm exhausted."

"I'm not surprised." Kate dabbed at the wound to clean it. "You've got a stressful job, 2 children and you've just come back from a long holiday. I don't envy you the amount of paperwork you must have."

Connie nodded, but found her tears began to fall even harder the more she tried to stop them. As she opened her mouth to tell kate about how grace was behaving, she suddenly heard her name being called. Jacob was in the ED looking for her.

"I'm not here."

"Connie..." Kate quickly glanced at the woman in front of her as she used her name, but it didn't seem to matter. "I can't just pretend..."

"You can, and you will."

Connie fixed the nurse with a stern glare despite the tears that stung in her eyes, and in her cut that Kate was only midway through cleaning.

"Connie, people surely saw what happened... Ethan, Cal... He's only going to find out from them in probably about two minutes time anyway."

Connie looked up at Kate, defeated. What could she do? The woman had a point, and she was too tired to insist any longer.

"Go." She whispered, and Kate stood for a moment, confused. "Please just, just go."

Connie watched as Kate put down the cotton and quickly left the cubicle. She hung her head, gripping the bed tightly as she waited for the inevitable, her eyes shut tightly. She hoped that the girls were in her office, or in the car. He wouldn't have left them at home, and she hoped that he had had the sense to not bring them through reception and cubicles when it was like this.

She didn't bring her head up as she heard the curtain being drawn back. She felt his warm hands on her small, cold ones as he crouched before her, touching a finger lightly to the skin to the side of her cut.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Please don't say anything." She talked softly, her head still down and her eyes not meeting his.

Jacob's finger brushed her chin and then tilted her head up a little. His lips brushed hers and then a cool cotton pad began finishing the job kate had started. Neither of them spoke as Connie's tears fell, he just brushed them away and occasionally leant forward to kiss them. After placing the last steristrip, jacob finally spoke gently. "All fixed."

Connie mumbled her thanks as she wiped away the tears that were beginning to drip from her jaw. When her hand reached out to pick up her stethoscope, Jacob's hand rested on top.

"No."

"But-"

"I've organised more staff to start. You need to come home."

Connie shook her head, attempting to speak through her tears, but her words were soon muffled as Jacob pulled her into his chest.

"Shh. Come on, home time."

"I need to fix my make up before i see the girls." Connie managed.

"They've gone for a sleepover at my mums. Grace's idea. So no one at home to keep up appearances for, sweetcheeks. Come on." Jacob rubbed her back in gentle circles.

Connie's tears continued for what felt like hours, so jacob just stayed where he was, holding her tightly. Finally, as she stopped shaking and just began to sniffle, he asked softly, "what happened?"

"Not, not important." She struggled as she tried to regain herself, pulling back to sit on the bed whilst Jacob's hands cupped around her cheeks, holding her gaze to his.

"Please, Con." He spoke softly, his fingers brushing the two tears that slipped from her eyes as she closed them and opened them again.

"Some woman thrashing around in resus and I was too close, her ring caught me. That's all." It wasn't the truth, but she was a practiced liar. Others would only ask Jacob if she was okay, and she expected most of the staff would want to erase tonight from their memories as soon as they came off shift anyway, probably with the help of alcohol. They wouldn't tell him what had actually happened.

"Come on." He pressed a kiss to her lips before standing, tidying away the cotton and steristrips on the tray before walking her to her office to get her things. They then slipped from the ED unnoticed, under the cover of the crowds of people who stood and milled around both inside and outside of the department.

"I'm driving. No buts."

She didn't even try to argue. They drove home in silence, he would glance at her every time they stopped at a traffic light, seeing how her head rested against the window, and how her eyes would drift shut every so often. When they arrived at home, she stirred and turned her head to face him.

"I'm really hungry."

"I can reheat some pasta..." He grinned as he saw her expression, illuminated by the glow of the streetlights outside the house.

"I am living the domestic dream."

"Well I suppose... Considering it's just us, and we've had reheated pasta quite a lot recently because it's the only thing I can cook, how about you have takeaway?"

"You've already-"

"For you, sweet cheeks. I'll just steal the chips."

…

An hour later Connie had eaten and was curled up to her husband in bed trying to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. With a sigh, she rolled away and buried her face in her pillow. It was 4am and she was exhausted, but her thoughts would just not stop. As she struggled against her thoughts of work and of Grace, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her and lips pressed to her shoulder.

"What about a bath?"

"Hm?"

"It helps you sleep." Jacob replied, dropping another kiss to her shoulder before he slipped from the bed to run her a bath.

Rolling onto her back, connie stared at the ceiling. Maybe she should give up her job, or get a less stressful position. Maybe it was her stress that was upsetting Grace. But she had been fine before the wedding. Maybe it was her being married that upset her daughter. Or maybe-

"Come on, sweetcheeks." Jacob suddenly hovered over her holding out a hand. When she took it, he walked her to the bathroom, and then in silence helped her undress. When she made no move to get in, jacob slipped off his boxers and climbed in himself, pulling her in to rest her back against his chest. As he had known it would, the warmth of the water made Connie drowsy and her blinks began to go slower. "Don't fight it. I've got you." Jacob whispered in her ear. Connie's last thought was how much she loved him.