So, I am excessively bored, and my sparkly antlers of festivity have now been replaced with a santa hat. I am desperately trying to feel much more festive and it's not working! So, here we go, my solution is to post, yet another chapter today. Knowing me, you might even get another today!
But anyways, Enjoy and, (if you guys don't know this is coming then I am ashamed of you all)... review!
Love you guys,
Hannah the Hobbit.

"What would you like, darling?" The bartender asked Lucie, who glanced up from the delicate chain she'd been fiddling. She let it drop back into her chest and met his eye.

"Seriously mate? The strongest you've got." She laughed weakly, wearily. The bartender gave her a crooked smile and pulled a bottle off the shelf. He poured it out into a small glass and pushed it towards her.

"On the house." He smiled, leaning across the counter. "Bad day?"

Lucie threw back her head, downing it in one go. She winced slightly, gently placing it back on the counter.

"You could say that." She answered. He automatically began to refill the glass, the corner of his mouth jerking upwards.

"I'm Tom by the way." He winked. Lucie laughed dryly.

"Lucie." She replied, pushing the golden ring dangling on the necklace into her shirt. Tom caught the movement and raised an eyebrow. Lucie leant forwards, meeting his gaze challenging.

Cal glanced up from his lone table where he had been wallowing in a despairing hole if self pity in time to see a dark wash of wild curls bounce out of the door, guided by a overly muscular arm. The top of the woman's head didn't even reach the man's shoulder, closer to his elbow than anything. She was uncomfortably trying to move away from him, wriggling in his vice-like grasp. Something deep inside Cal felt sick at the sight at he stood up,leaving the first note he pulled out of his wallet on the table under the glass. He watched the doors swing shut behind the pair and slowly made his way towards the door. He noticed her movements became more frantic, but less forceful, and he held her tightly, hissing in her ear. As Cal pushed the doors open she had managed to twist away, and he caught a glance of a face, not long enough to distinguish any features, but the fear on it imprinted on him.

"Stupid cow!" The guy snapped, losing control completely and swinging a wild punch. It connected with a sickening crack, sending her face rocketing to the left. She clutched it, staggering backwards. The guy looked up, finally noticing Cal, and snarled at him. Cal glowered at him. The woman whimpered helplessly as he yanked on her arm fiercely to pull her away. He shoved her in front of him, and she stumbled, the small heel snapping off her shoe. She slipped and he pushed her sneakily.

Hair flew in dark ribbons in the even darker night. She fell with a horrible crack on the first of the steps, her head colliding with the metal bar. Her face slid down it, rolling as she slithered helplessly to the bottom of the few steps outside the pub. Glass from a broken beer bottle crunched under her weight. Cal flew down the steps towards her, fitting nicely into 'doctor mode'. He swiftly dug his phone out of his pocket with his left hand. He lightly pressed two fingers into the soft, pale wrist and it was then that he noticed the golden band lying amongst the dark ink spill of hair.

"Lucie?" He gasped, terrified realisation hitting him harder than a freight train.

"3006, receiving, Over." Dixie spoke swiftly into the crackling walkie talkie. She strode over to the ambulance as the details of the injuries spilled out over the radio. By the time they had finished, Ian and Dixie had already pulled out of the base, heading off towards the casualty.

They arrived on the scene soon after, and slammed the doors shut. Dixie swiftly bent down to the unconscious woman, lying uncomfortable on the bottom of the steps.

"She's been KO for five minutes, queried broken spine, bruising to the face and a deep wound on her left temple and lower back. Caused by broken glass." Cal informed Dixie, dully. Dixie looked up, for the first time noticing him. He sat on the step above her, his hand still on hers, but had long since finished taking her pulse. Dixie nodded curtly and called to Ian to get a stretcher. He nodded, hurrying to collect one. He stopped briefly, in front of her face.

"Is that Lucie?" He asked.

"Ian!" Dixie snapped. Ian blinked in surprise and leapt down the remainder of the steps. He reappeared at Dixie's side with the stretcher. They aligned it so they could simply roll her to the side and Lucie would be on it without too much movement on her part.

"Ready to roll on three." Dixie commanded. Lucie let out a loud, subconscious moan when the strong hands turned her over. The sound pierced through Cal, in a way that not even Ethan's groans of agony had.

The trolley was pushed through the double doors. Cal hurried alongside it, murmuring to Lucie as he did. Ethan walked along the other side of her, Dixie filling him in on the extent of her injuries. He nodded once as they entered Resus, and Dixie held back. Ethan looked across at Cal pointedly, but he missed it, too busy focusing on Lucie. The familiar clunk of a bed locking into position sent his head flicking upright.

"Let me help." He pleaded with Ethan. Ethan shook his head sternly.

"No."

"But-"

"Every second you waste arguing, Cal, the more she's going to deteriorate." Rita reminded him, forcibly. Cal looked helplessly at Lucie, and glumly stepped back.

"I'm not leaving her alone." He insisted. Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh course not." He muttered under his breath.