Adam

She didn't pull back as I pressed my lips gently against hers, lingering for a moment. Our lips were touching, hers were soft and warm and I never wanted them to leave mine. I tried to memorize the feeling before they parted savouring every precious second. Her hand had moved to my face cupping it lovingly. Mine had moved around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She was like a drug I couldn't get enough of her, every touch left me wanting more.

Kirsty was the one to deepen the kiss, our lips and tongues caressing one another giving each other exactly what the other wanted. We lost our self in each other. It was perfect.

Kirsty was also the one to pull away from the kiss first and for a second we just gazed into each others eyes, everything else in the world forgotten. That was before Jay walked though the door reminding us that our break was long over.

Kirsty

I'd been home two minuets before Warren appeared at the kitchen door. He didn't look happy but I carried on preparing dinner because Nita was home and they would both want feeding.

"Have a good day?" he asked leaning in the doorway.

"Busy, you?" I asked with my back to him getting the sauce out of the fridge to top the pasta.

"Are you too busy to even talk to me now?"

"Warren please Nita will want her tea soon."

"She's staying at her friends for tea. You really don't care do you? She told you this morning but you didn't even listen to her. You ignore our daughter like she's nothing to you. Your job is more important than her. You're an awful mother, no wonder she say what she does about you."

"No, of course it's not I love Nita of course I do she's my daughter." I try to defend my self but I knew he was right. I'm a bad mother it's not that I don't try I really do but it's just never enough. There aren't enough hours in the day to fit everything in and I admit she does fall by the wayside. But he's wrong I do care I love her more than anything that's why I stay. So she can have a family. A punch hitting my stomach broke me from my thoughts and I doubled over in pain.

Punch after punch crashed into me all of them blurring together. I could feel my battered body bruising further, several of them erupting on top of old ones. The pain becoming too much I felt myself slipping away. He stopped. Grabbing me by my hair he pulled me up off the floor towards him, his eyes dancing with anger. He let go of my hair, one of his arm wrapped around my waist holding me tightly up against him. With his free hand moved the cooking pasta of the hob. As he did so he spilt some water out of the pan and steam burst upwards as it hit the scolding hot metal circle.

"Please don't do this." I pleaded with him realising where he was going from here. He just sneered at me enjoying my fear. I managed to break free but only for a second. My arm was in his hand like a piece of wood trapped in a vice before I'd even taken a step. Pulling away was useless his fingers just dug in deeper. I knew it would bruise but that was the last thing on my mind. I stopped struggling. I stood as far from him as our two arm lengths would allow. He knew I couldn't get away and he loved it.

We stood looking into each others faces, his sneering he knew he had all the power and mine terrified knowing I had none. I knew what he was going to do and I couldn't stop him. I was almost crying, silent sobs echoing though my body he could feel me shaking under his grip giving him exactly what he wanted and it just made him cackle at me.

Making his move he pulled my arm towards him. I tried to plant my heels in but me efforts were unrewarded as my arm was thrust onto hob. At first the pain didn't hit me but as soon as it did it was unbearable. I was screaming and struggling with everything I had left but still he didn't release me.

I woke yet again on the kitchen floor. This was happening more regularly than not. The burning pain speeded up my arm driving me insane. I couldn't think the pain was too much. The smell of burning flesh hung thickly in the air. I grabbed the bin empty heaving into it. I hadn't eaten since the incident with Warren and the chocolate cake two days ago. It's not that I hadn't tried but every time I thought of food the images replayed in my mind and I couldn't face it. I wasn't a big eater anyway. I barely found time at work and when I got home there were chores, Warren and Nita to tend to.

I looked down at my arm I knew I had to get seen to. The burn was a semi circle covering the outside of my right fore arm. It looked deep most likely a second degree burn and the pain was immense, which made me dizzy and I knew I had to get it seen to so that it wouldn't get infected. I stood up my feet weak underneath me. I looked at the clock I had a couple of hours till I had to be at work. I crept up stairs not wanting to wake anyone and found my first aid kit in the bathroom cupboard. I pulled out a roll of bandaging and wound it around my arm breathing heavily though the pain.

After a quick change of clothes I was in the car heading towards the hospital. The traffic was awful great I was going to be late again and I wondered about turning around.

Adam

It was a quiet day in ED nothing much had happened. We'd had the usual in but nothing major. Kirsty was late as usual but it was ten minuets into her shift so I was expecting her to sneak though the doors anytime now.

Jorden burst though the doors

"Meeting in the staffroom for everybody, now," he said urgently.

We filed in speculating about what was going on. I glanced around the staffroom, still no Kirsty.

"We have major incoming; a bomb has gone off at St James and all emergency patients will be directed here. We will also be receiving most of their more urgent patients whilst those who are fit to travel are going to other hospital further away. We will also be taking on their staff to help with the increased number of patients so I hope you will make them feel welcome and help them find their bearings. It will be a tuff shift but I trust you will all conducted your selves in a professional manner. That is all."

It was the quiet before the storm. Beds had been cleared and we stood waiting out side for the ambulances to arrive.

It had been over three hours since the first of the bomb blast patients had come crashing though the doors. They were followed by wave after wave and there seemed to be no end. The fire service had finally reached the more injured patients which where trapped in the rubble of St James's and they were coming in slowly one by one. They were more injured than the others and most were directed straight into rhesus apparently there was only one more patient left to be brought over. They were the one who was nearest to the blast and who had survived but were thought to be in bad shape.

I'd heard vivid descriptions all morning about the wreckage. Exactly how much of the hospital had been destroyed and dozens of guesses of how many people had died. The blast had blown though a whole ward killing everyone in there. It then spread though neighbouring wards killing most of the patients and staff in those wards as well. After the explosion was over walls, floors and ceilings collapsed leaving a pile of rubble where the hospital once stood.

The ED doors flung open revealing a blood and dust covered nurse walking long side a gurney with two paramedic, who I'd never seen before.

"This is Kirsty Willow. Trapped in the wreckage for almost four hours she's a fighter, suspected wrist fractures and deep laceration to the lower right abdomen also treatment for a pneumothorax."

"Ok straight though to rhesus," I say leading the way.

I directed the gurney into a bay and was about to do OBs when the young nurse pulled me to one side.

"Kirsty's a domestic abuse case. She won't admit it but she's been in about a dozen times in the last six months with injures all connected to someone beating the crap out of her but today was different someone actually held her arm onto an electric hob. It's getting worse and I'm scared if we let her slip though the net again then she'll be going straight down stairs next time we see her."

I looked over at her still body, immediately feeling sorry for this woman.

"Hi Kirsty I'm doctor Trueman, can you… Kirsty." I stopped surely my eyes where playing a cruel trick on me this wasn't my Kirsty laying in front of me. It couldn't be. Abused no it's not her I would have known but I couldn't deny it, it was her.

"Do you know her?" I turned to the nurse my eyes welling with tears. I nodded then some how managed to find my voice.

"She's a nurse here; her names Kirsty Clements." She looked shocked. Jay came in ready to order tests and stopped in his tracks upon hearing this last sentence.

"No, it can't be you've got it wrong. It's not her. Why would she be a St James's? She's meant to be here on shift now."

I couldn't lose her so set about saving her life with Jay's help. News quickly spread though the ED and we were soon joined by Tess and Jordan. I'd asked the nurse if she would keep quiet about the suspected abuse but I knew it was true. I'd seen the bruises. I'd witnessed her fear but one thing that didn't add up was she didn't seem to be scared around Warren. Maybe it was all for show and she was that good at hiding it but something made me doubt it. I'd seen them together and I couldn't see that as a possibility. I would have known if it was him. I'm a doctor but I'm also her friend and I would just know.

"How's she doing?" Tess's voice came from behind me.

"It's not looking good." I turned not believing what Jordan had just said.

"She's going to be fine." I spoke rather aggressively but there was no other option she just had to be. I couldn't lose her.

Is Kirsty going to be ok? How far will Adam go to find out who Kirsty's abuser is? What will Warren do when faced with all the accusations? Thanks for reviewing it's great to hear that your liking it.