Chapter 3

As Connie wandered back through to her bedroom she looked into the mirror wondering why she was bothering to go to this at all. There was a fundraising event for the hospital which Hansen had arranged in order to help provide equipment for the ED.

She looked down at the long navy dress which hugged her figure before floating to the floor. Stepping up into the black heels she pushed her hair back out of her face. Checking the time she left her hair falling down her back in curls realising she was expected in less than 20 minutes.

Zoe was also attending the event but she wasn't exactly a friend of the clinical leads. The women had locked horns from the moment Connie arrived. And to be honest, Connie wasn't particularly interested in becoming friends with her fellow consultant.

The short drive just made Connie's mind wander over all the awful ways this night could go. Just the thought of spending time with Henrik was enough to ruin the evening without being there. She pulled up and got out of the car before sighing and wandering towards the entrance of the large venue.

Almost as soon as she was inside the pompous conversations began. "Ah there she is, our very own queen of cardiothoracic's turned Emergency department extraordinaire." Connie forced a smile towards Hansen. "No need for exaggerations, I'm sure they'd know who I was through a normal introduction." The smirk remained on Connie's face for a while before she replaced it with a neutral expression while beginning to talk to various investors and executives.

The night was full of ridiculous talks and pretentious greetings. Connie had had enough by 10 o'clock and couldn't wait for a way out. She wandered away from Hansen finding herself at the bar.

She got herself a drink as Zoe moved to stand beside her. "Looks like you've had a fun evening…" Connie nodded picking up her wine glass. "Well, if you can call talking to a giant Swede and his pathetic following fun then that's exactly what it's been… Personally I couldn't think of anything worse than spending the evening with a conceited foreign monster who feels the need to explain things as though he's taking to a below average 3 year old." Zoe had to swallow her drink quickly to stop herself from chocking as she held back the laughter.

Connie finished her drink in silence before glancing back to Hansen and his posse. As they began walking towards her once again the clinical leads phone began to ring. "Thank god… Hello Connie Beauchamp." She walked towards the door and stepped out into the cold so she could hear the other person.

"Connie, I know you're busy tonight but there's been a major accident and we're several doctors down. I figured you were probably the safest bet tonight as Dr Hanna has no doubt had a drink." Connie finished up speaking to Charlie "I'll be there as soon as I can." before stepping back inside and walking to Hansen.

"Going somewhere-" "I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me for the rest of the evening." Hansen stood straight, somehow getting taller if that was even possible. "I doubt it's an emergency-" "Well it is the emergency department, so yes it is. Seeing as I'm in charge of it I need to be getting back. I'm sure you can continue you're evening without me." She kept eye contact with Hansen until he began speaking to the benefactors surrounding him as Connie disappeared.

It wasn't until she arrived at the hospital that she realised she was still dressed in her evening dress. Getting out of the car and walking towards the ED she received various looks from staff members before she got inside to be greeted by Charlie.

"Connie-" "What's the problem?" Charlie filled Connie in on all the details as they walked towards resus. She went straight in without hesitation to be met by the eyes of several colleagues. "I understand that there's been some complications?" "Uh, yes… Patient's been unresponsive for the past 20 minutes, theatre are all tied up and can't take them for at least another hour-" "Get them on the phone now I want to speak to them."

A nurse wandered off in the direction of the phone to do as she had asked while Rita assisted Connie. Jacob was standing opposite the two women continuing with compressions. "Not exactly ED attire is it sweet cheeks?" Connie raised her eyes momentarily to catch his "Some of us do have things outside of this place which require something a little more sophisticated than scrubs." Jacob shrugged and nodded his head to one side stepping down from the bed. "Don't doubt that you do, so what was so important for you to dress like this?"

Connie breathed a sigh before moving around the other side of the patient to be beside Jacob. She leant over the bed before answering him. "If you must know, it was an event for the ED to help with financial circumstances." Jacob nodded moving his hands to push down into his pockets while moving his eyes along her body until he remembered to answer. "Sounds like a fun night." Connie glanced sideways to roll her eyes at him with a small smile playing at her lips.

"Has anyone got theatre on the phone yet!?" Connie snapped looking towards several nurses standing around idly. She moved to take the phone from someone before resting between her shoulder and ear. Pulling the gloves off she threw them into a bin and held the phone to her ear. "Yes this is Mrs Beauchamp, now you tell the surgeons that this patient is coming up now as they are in a critical condition and need surgery before they bleed to death on our table. I don't care what you think is so important, if they don't go now they will die. Well it was never really a question." Connie put the phone down and ordered the porters to begin moving them upstairs.

Connie walked past the bay where the patient had been and picked up the small bag she had had with her. Leaving resus and heading for her office Jacob fell into step with her. "So, is that you done and off?" Connie sighed smiling "Unless you hadn't realised staff nurse Masters, we're 3 consultants down and have a reception full of patients. I suppose you don't pay enough attention to that part of the hospital." He laughed before stopping outside the clinical leads office leaning on the doorframe as she stood in the doorway.

"Well if I get to spend an extra few hours with you, you won't hear me complaining." Connie rolled her eyes as he stood towering over her still. For a moment she dropped her eyes to look down his body, to where the tight white uniform fit the muscles around his arms. She almost forgot who it was and where they were standing when he spoke again. "So then, you going to spend the evening working in that?"

"Because I want you staring at me all night-" "Doesn't matter what you wear sweet cheeks, everything's just as good as nothing." He winked finally moving his arms from the doorway and walked away. Connie watched as he walked away thinking about his nerve and how he could just come out with all of that. There was so much about him that she couldn't believe but it meant that there was always something about him on her mind.

Closing the door she shook herself, forgetting about Jacob and getting changed to focus on running this department into some kind of order again.