It was the day of the Christmas party. Staff seemed to hover and buzz with a flush of excitement, all awaiting the end of the shift whilst Connie made a point of snapping her fingers sharply at every daydreaming nurse and placing herself, hands firmly on hips, in the line of sight of any doctors who appeared to be thinking more about what they were going to wear that evening than which patient they were headed to.
Zoe flicked through a pile of patient notes, Rita at her side, a mug of water held in one hand as she peered over a page of notes that she was reading regarding a patient that she was treating.
Dr Knight sloped around the opposite side of the nurses station, strumming his fingers across the counter until he reached them, stopping in front of them and leaning his elbows on the counter top, resting his chin in his hands.
"What are you doing?"
He asked slowly, sliding his gaze from Zoe to Rita who looked up, the frown of concentration sill neatly traced across her forehead.
"It's called 'working', Dr Knight...maybe you could give it a go?"
Zoe murmured, re-ordering the notes that she was holding. Cal smirked, tilting his head to one side.
"Very funny. No, I meant what are you doing here? I thought you and Max were joined at the hip?"
He exhaled as he spoke and adjusted himself to stand up straight as Connie passed by in the distance, his gaze lingered on her, his eyes traversing her body.
"Only sometimes. Usually in bed. Can I ask how that's relevant?"
Zoe asked, glancing over her shoulder at Connie who disappeared behind the curtain of bay two.
"Cal?"
She knocked his chest with the notes she was holding, snapping him out of his Beauchamp daydream.
"Huh? Oh...I saw him sloping off somewhere. I assumed he was sneaking off to meet you for a quickie in the cupboard."
He said with a shrug. Zoe rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure he was just doing his job..."
She breathed.
"On the other side of the car park?"
Cal asked raising an eyebrow. Zoe refused to look at him, staring instead at the patient file on top of her list. But inside she felt the age old tug of wonder and worry...
"So. Dr Knight, have you donated to the children's fund yet?"
Rita asked, noting Zoe's silence and the satisfied look that played across Cal's pink lips. She the end of her Biro on the top of the wooden charity box and looked at him pointedly.
"I'm not going to their fucking party!"
He sighed as though he had been asked many times in the past few hours.
"That's not what I asked, but why not?"
Rita asked, continuing to tap the end of her pen against the wood.
"Because I'm going to a fucking party."
He said, tossing his own pen up in the air and making to catch it, but instead it clattered loudly across the desk and rolled onto the floor by Zoe's heel. She bent down to pick it up and placed it firmly on the desk top without a word.
"Still, a little donation wouldn't go a miss..."
Rita coaxed, catching the sight of the curtain of bay 2 opening again and Connie emerged.
"That box weighs a ton, I'm sure they've got more than enough..."
Cal murmured, following Rita's gaze, watching Connie move from the cubicle, her eyes lowered to a piece of paper that she held, folding it into quarters as she began to walk past.
"I'm sorry, Connie..."
Zoe held out a hand to catch Connie as she made to pass them by. She looked vaguely startled at being haled down so abruptly.
"Yes?"
She asked, running the piece of folded paper between her fingertips. Zoe glanced to Cal, his cheeks visibly flushed at the sight of Connie's fingers moving so slowly across the paper.
"Sorry, but...could you just stand there for a minute?"
Zoe asked, ignoring Connie's look of pure bewilderment and looking back to Cal.
"So, how much was it again that you were thinking of donating to the children's ward, Dr Knight?"
She asked with a tilt of her head so that her hair fell from behind her ear, hiding her smile from Connie.
Cal fumbled, seemingly unable to speak for a moment, his cheeks flushed an even darker pink and he licked his lips quickly before clearing his throat.
"Uh...fifty?"
He paused and looked to Connie who remained as confused as before, but still dutifully stood where she was.
"One hundred?"
He added.
"One hundred and fifty! Perfect...I'll write your name down on an I.O.U for you to sign..."
Rita exclaimed, flashing an impish smile to Zoe who winked in response.
Cal ran a hand through the front of his hair, barely noticing himself sign the little piece of paper that Rita scrawled on before she tossed it into the collection box.
Zoe turned back to Connie.
"Sorry about that."
She said, smiling. Connie frowned slightly., seemingly none the wiser.
"What was it that you wanted me for?"
She asked, side stepping a trolley that was pushed by.
"That was what I wanted you for."
Zoe said with another quick wink.
"Ah..."
Connie glanced away, distracted, moving away from them without saying another word, just a quick, confused backward glance before she left the ward.
"Bitch."
Hissed Cal, nudging Zoe as he propelled himself from the nurses station. Rita shuffled several pieces of paper between her fingers, her frown returning.
Zoe opened her mouth to say something but just as she did the red phone that hung opposite her began it's shrill ring. She rolled her eyes and made her way over to it.
"Something horrendous always seems to happen at Christmas."
She murmured.
Zoe flicked through a pile of patient notes, Rita at her side, a mug of water held in one hand as she peered over a page of notes that she was reading regarding a patient that she was treating.
Dr Knight sloped around the opposite side of the nurses station, strumming his fingers across the counter until he reached them, stopping in front of them and leaning his elbows on the counter top, resting his chin in his hands.
"What are you doing?"
He asked slowly, sliding his gaze from Zoe to Rita who looked up, the frown of concentration sill neatly traced across her forehead.
"It's called 'working', Dr Knight...maybe you could give it a go?"
Zoe murmured, re-ordering the notes that she was holding. Cal smirked, tilting his head to one side.
"Very funny. No, I meant what are you doing here? I thought you and Max were joined at the hip?"
He exhaled as he spoke and adjusted himself to stand up straight as Connie passed by in the distance, his gaze lingered on her, his eyes traversing her body.
"Only sometimes. Usually in bed. Can I ask how that's relevant?"
Zoe asked, glancing over her shoulder at Connie who disappeared behind the curtain of bay two.
"Cal?"
She knocked his chest with the notes she was holding, snapping him out of his Beauchamp daydream.
"Huh? Oh...I saw him sloping off somewhere. I assumed he was sneaking off to meet you for a quickie in the cupboard."
He said with a shrug. Zoe rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure he was just doing his job..."
She breathed.
"On the other side of the car park?"
Cal asked raising an eyebrow. Zoe refused to look at him, staring instead at the patient file on top of her list. But inside she felt the age old tug of wonder and worry...
"So. Dr Knight, have you donated to the children's fund yet?"
Rita asked, noting Zoe's silence and the satisfied look that played across Cal's pink lips. She the end of her Biro on the top of the wooden charity box and looked at him pointedly.
"I'm not going to their fucking party!"
He sighed as though he had been asked many times in the past few hours.
"That's not what I asked, but why not?"
Rita asked, continuing to tap the end of her pen against the wood.
"Because I'm going to a fucking party."
He said, tossing his own pen up in the air and making to catch it, but instead it clattered loudly across the desk and rolled onto the floor by Zoe's heel. She bent down to pick it up and placed it firmly on the desk top without a word.
"Still, a little donation wouldn't go a miss..."
Rita coaxed, catching the sight of the curtain of bay 2 opening again and Connie emerged.
"That box weighs a ton, I'm sure they've got more than enough..."
Cal murmured, following Rita's gaze, watching Connie move from the cubicle, her eyes lowered to a piece of paper that she held, folding it into quarters as she began to walk past.
"I'm sorry, Connie..."
Zoe held out a hand to catch Connie as she made to pass them by. She looked vaguely startled at being haled down so abruptly.
"Yes?"
She asked, running the piece of folded paper between her fingertips. Zoe glanced to Cal, his cheeks visibly flushed at the sight of Connie's fingers moving so slowly across the paper.
"Sorry, but...could you just stand there for a minute?"
Zoe asked, ignoring Connie's look of pure bewilderment and looking back to Cal.
"So, how much was it again that you were thinking of donating to the children's ward, Dr Knight?"
She asked with a tilt of her head so that her hair fell from behind her ear, hiding her smile from Connie.
Cal fumbled, seemingly unable to speak for a moment, his cheeks flushed an even darker pink and he licked his lips quickly before clearing his throat.
"Uh...fifty?"
He paused and looked to Connie who remained as confused as before, but still dutifully stood where she was.
"One hundred?"
He added.
"One hundred and fifty! Perfect...I'll write your name down on an I.O.U for you to sign..."
Rita exclaimed, flashing an impish smile to Zoe who winked in response.
Cal ran a hand through the front of his hair, barely noticing himself sign the little piece of paper that Rita scrawled on before she tossed it into the collection box.
Zoe turned back to Connie.
"Sorry about that."
She said, smiling. Connie frowned slightly., seemingly none the wiser.
"What was it that you wanted me for?"
She asked, side stepping a trolley that was pushed by.
"That was what I wanted you for."
Zoe said with another quick wink.
"Ah..."
Connie glanced away, distracted, moving away from them without saying another word, just a quick, confused backward glance before she left the ward.
"Bitch."
Hissed Cal, nudging Zoe as he propelled himself from the nurses station. Rita shuffled several pieces of paper between her fingers, her frown returning.
Zoe opened her mouth to say something but just as she did the red phone that hung opposite her began it's shrill ring. She rolled her eyes and made her way over to it.
"Something horrendous always seems to happen at Christmas."
She murmured.
More tomorrow, and I promise it will be more exciting...more interesting...it just seems to be taking me a while to get to where I want to be, and to tie up loose ends... xxx