Zoe walked into the surgery and smiled at David. He was sat down scribbling on some papers.
"Hey David." Zoe said light heartedly, her previous mood forgotten. Work had always been her escape, even more so now Sam was here. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy him being here, and she'd never change him being there, but sometimes as a woman and a mother, she needed that time to herself... work was the closest she got.
"Hey Zoe." David replied, Zoe frowned something must be up.
"Ahh come on, surely Rowan hasn't rejected you again?" Zoe laughed completely unaware of the situation.
"Zoe, I think you should go to head office." David sighed, "You've been called for."
Zoe frowned in confusion before bursting out into laughter. Why was David speaking in double Dutch to her?
"Head office? Called for?" Zoe laughed, "Have you had a bump to the head?"
"Just go Zoe." David told her, his tone had a hint of sadness in it.
It's then that Zoe got a bad feeling, and she felt a wave of de ja vu. Her mind flicked back to a dream she'd had two weeks ago. Hell, it had confused her at the time. She thought about it as she walked towards what she presumed was Rowan and Vanessa's office. The dream had been hazy, lacked detail, yet clear enough to show her in a bad atmosphere, torn. She knocked on the door before walking in.
"Most people knock and then wait to be called in." A man's voice came. Zoe frowned, that was not Rowan's voice. This guy had an American accent!
"Erm, who are you? And why are you in Rowan and Vanessa's office?" Zoe asked.
The man spun round in his chair, he smiled at her.
"Because this is now my office. Peter Barnes, I bought the Collins' out. You must be Zoe." He said standing up to greet her formally.
"Yes, that's me. Sorry, you must think I'm impossibly rude." Zoe smiled as she shook his hand. He looked down at his hand before inviting to sit in front of him. She took the seat and awaited for him to take his and continue.
"So you're the vet who works shifts, sort of speak?" Peter asked pushing his black rimmed glasses further up his nose.
"Well yes... I mean, I go on call and stuff. It was a favour from Rowan really." Zoe explained, feeling uncomfortable.
"Hmm. Well I like you, very feisty, very confident. Apparently a very good performer, an asset to Mara, but I'm a man who's paid a lot of money for this place and things must change Miss Point." Peter explained, he leant forward slightly. "Now, I don't want to lose a vet like you Zoe, you have a number of qualifications, and you're a perfect addition for my health spa, I mean physiotherapy training as well? But I can't have shifts being worked by vets."
"So what you saying?" Zoe asked, her eyes challenging him.
"I'm saying, I'm giving you a choice." Peter explained. He straightened his designer suit out. "Three months, in that time you decide. You either cut the shifts and work true veterinary hours, or you leave."
"What?" Zoe asked. "Is this my orders?" She stood up angrily.
"No, your choice." Peter replied leaning back in his chair.
"But I have a son, he's not old enough for me to work full time and Matt works full time..." Zoe exclaimed. "It's not as if I don't earn my pay!"
"My game park, my rules." Peter told her.
"What, so you just waltz in here and change everything?" Zoe growled.
"You make the change Zoe, three months, then I want a decision." He told her. "Close the door on your way out."
Zoe shook her head before stomping out. She slammed the door in anger and stalked her way down to the clinic. David looked up and saw her thunderous facial expression. She was breathing heavily, trying to get rid of her anger.
"You met Mr Beale then." David sighed, "He told me what his plans were for you."
"Oh great! Thanks for the warning David, thanks for the warning every fucking one!" She growled. "What the hell do I do eh David? I need to work to earn money... But I also need to be a mother to my son. What am I meant to do with him? Bring him to work with me?"
"Don't take this out on me!" David growled back, "It's not my fault your stupid brother sold up!"
"And it's not mine!" Zoe growled. She grabbed the list of call outs and her radio. "I'm off doing these."
"It' my turn too..." David argued.
"Do it tomorrow." Zoe muttered before running off.
Matt found Danny and Alice with Sam and Lyndon in the kitchen. They'd been dragged into cooking biscuits and both Sam and Lyndon were happily making shapes in the mixture.
"Look Daddy it's Clarence!" Lyndon beamed as he pressed the lion cutter into the dough.
"Well done son." Danny grinned patting his back gently. "Hey Sam, that's a great zebra."
Sam beamed at the praise and continued. He looked up and saw Matt and immediately shouted daddy. Matt walked over with a massive grin on his face.
"Hey monkeyman, wondered where you'd got to!" Matt laughed, "Had a feeling you'd be with Lyndon!"
"Making biskuits daddy!" Sam told him placing his hands on Matt's stubble. He left two small white hands prints on his face. Matt laughed as he saw Alice put the first set of biscuits in the oven.
"Thanks for looking after him." Matt told them with a smile. "You know how it is."
"You're welcome although I think you wouldn't have been if we hadn't made biscuits..." Alice laughed.
"Silly heads were on." Danny explained, "Anyway, when are you and Zoe going to get married?"
"I dunno... I don't even know if she wants to marry me. She went mad at me today for the tiniest little thing." Matt sighed leaning against the table watching his son.
"She's under a lot of pressure Matt." Alice told him as she lifted Lyndon to wash his hands, she then did the same to Sam.
"I know but I have to work." Matt shrugged. "I don't know what to do anymore."
"Be there for her, be her rock." Alice said, "See, when you come home, you're suddenly in charge, you take comfort from her? But what about Zoe? She needs you for comfort." Alice explained. Matt frowned slightly as if he wasn't sure. "Look Matt, some days, I come out of that surgery or off my call outs and I'm in a foul mood. But I have Danny here waiting for me, and I'm waiting for him. He's my rock, if I have a bad day, Danny's there to make it better, just as if he has a crap day, I'm there for him. It's about give and take Matt."
Danny nodded in agreement. "Alice is right."
"I'll try." Matt promised, he looked at Sam who was falling asleep. "Come on Super Sam, time for bed mister! I'll see you tomorrow." Matt smiled.
"See you later" Danny and Alice chorused together. Alice looked at Lyndon who was covered in flour.
"I think it's time you had a bath!" Alice chuckled as she picked him up and walked off to perform her own motherly duties. Danny smiled for a moment, before walking after her.