So, I seem to have hit a wall with both my ongoing fics so I've decided to write some oneshots that will probably be Freechamp based.
If you have any prompts you'd like me to write then let me know and I'll see what I can do.
I have been so rubbish at updating this, but my laptop broke and I've had some stuff going that I won't bore you all with that made me not want to write but I'm trying to get back into it now. This was going to be a sadish oneshot based on the Jess Glynne song 'Take Me Home' but once I started writing it kinda took on a life of it's own so I hope it's okay.
Becks, I've have something similar to what you suggested half written since the ep where Jacob got shot but it never seems to read right so I always end up deleting bits and giving up lol. I'll try my best to get it finished for you though.
Take Me Home
"Lofty, have you seen Rita?" Connie asked, frustrated that she'd been looking for the nurse for almost half an hour with no luck.
"No sorry, have you tried her office?" he suggested helpfully.
Connie nodded, it had been the first place she'd looked when a cursory glance around the ward had failed to reveal the woman she wanted to see, "when she reappears, tell her I'm looking for her."
Lofty nodded, "yes Mrs Beauchamp." He waited until Connie was safely back in her office before picking up the phone and dialing Rita's number, it rang for a while before being diverted to voicemail, "Hi, Rita, it's me, Lofty. I'm not sure where you are but Mrs Beauchamp's on the warpath, I just thought I'd warn you so erm, yeah, you might want to come back before she hunts you down."
Nobody failed to notice Connie's foul mood as the day progressed, she'd meant to be meeting with Rita before lunch but the nurse had seemingly gone AWOL, nobody had seen her for hours and her mobile went unanswered, she'd never tell anyone but, along with several other members of staff, Connie was beginning to worry about Rita, her disappearance so out of character for the nurse so passionate about her job that she rarely left the department on time at the end of her shifts.
Connie spent a while stabilising a patient in resus and decided to try calling Rita again for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon as she made her way back to her office. However this time something was different, as she walked past the nurse's office Connie swore she heard a phone ringing inside. Curiosity, and concern for her colleague, got the better of her and she pushed open the door without bothering to knock. She was right, Rita's phone was on her desk, "Rita?" Connie called into the seemingly empty room, her worry increasing when, as Connie expected, there was no reply.
She was about to leave the room, and possibly call the police, when she heard it, the quiet hiccup of a sob that couldn't quite be held back. Connie froze in the doorway before closing the door and walking back into the room, searching for the source of the noise. It took a moment but Connie finally found the woman she'd spent most of the day looking for, but instead of putting her mind at ease she only became more concerned about the other woman.
The usually strong nurse was curled into a ball, her back against a filing cabinet hiding her from the door, her knees were curled to her chest and her cheeks wet with tears that were still falling from her eyes, her shoulders shook as she began to sob again, no longer feeling like she needed to hold back, she wanted to be on her own but it was too late now so she didn't feel like she needed to hide any more, "I'm sorry" she mumbled, frantically wiping at her eyes, she knew she was being stupid, that she should pull herself together and get back to work but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Connie said nothing but took a box of tissues from the desk before sitting down on the floor beside Rita and holding them out. Rita nodded in thanks and took the tissues, wiping her eyes and nose even though it was useless, the tears refused to stop falling. "Did you walk in this morning?" Connie asked and Rita nodded, "I'll call you a taxi, you can't work in this state."
"I'm sorry" Rita hiccuped, "I, I…"
"You don't need to explain" Connie said as she stood up and brushed imaginary creases from her trousers, "just try and get yourself together before your shift tomorrow."
Rita managed to pull herself together long enough to change from her uniform and make her way out to the taxi Connie had called her, and she shed only a few tears on the short drive home. It didn't last long though, she'd barely stepped into her house when she saw it mocking her, a picture on the mantlepiece reminding her of all she'd lost. She broke down, knocking the picture to the floor, not flinching as the glass shattered against the corner of the hearth, she didn't care any more, she didn't care about anything, her tears once again rolled down her face as she knocked everything from the mantlepiece before moving onto the rest of the room. She slid down against the wall once she'd used up all her energy, the room was trashed but Rita didn't care, she wanted a drink, she wanted to drink herself into oblivion and hopefully never wake up.
She spent almost an hour sobbing in her living room before making her way into the kitchen, she knew exactly what she wanted, the bottle of vodka in the back of the cupboard under the sink. She briefly thought about how long she'd been sober, about how long the bottle had been gathering dust but she couldn't do it any more, it was the only thing she could think of, and as much as she hated herself for doing so, she unscrewed the bottle and took a large gulp of the clear liquid. She didn't feel the burn of the liquid as it ran down her throat, she only felt relief, she knew from experience that soon she'd be numb, soon a comforting haze would fill her head and she wouldn't have to think about anything, she wouldn't have to feel anything, it wouldn't take long for the darkness to take over and then, if she was lucky, she'd wake up to find today had all been a horrible dream.
As much as Connie hated to admit it, by the time the end of her shift rolled around, she was still worried about Rita, she'd never seen another person as broken as the nurse had been earlier, so, before she had chance to change her mind she looked up Rita's address on her computer, intending to check on the nurse on her way home.
"Connie" she was halfway across the car park when she heard Charlie call her name and she stopped, allowing him to catch up with her. "Have you spoken to Rita since this afternoon?" he asked quietly so he wasn't overheard, Connie had been honest with him, she'd told him how Rita had been when she found her and that as Rita wasn't in any state to return to work so Connie had sent her home.
"No" Connie shook her head, "I haven't."
"Do you think I should go over to see her? I can say you told me she'd gone home because she wasn't feeling well?" he suggested.
"I erm, I was going to go and check she was okay" Connie admitted.
Charlie smiled, "I'll leave you to it then, you do know how to do tea and sympathy right?" he teased playfully.
Connie rolled her eyes, "I'm sure I'll manage."
"I'm sure you will too" Charlie agreed, "I'll let you get off then, you've got my number if you need anything."
"Thanks Charlie" Connie smiled, saying goodnight to him before walking over to her car and putting Rita's address into her sat nav.
A long period of sobriety had lowered Rita's tolerance for alcohol and it wasn't long before the edges of her vision began to blur slightly and her brain began to feel like cotton wool. There was a tiny voice in her head telling her she should stop, she could stop now, force herself up the stairs to bed and sleep it off but the other voice was louder so she raised the bottle to her lips again and again until it slipped from her hands as she leant back against the kitchen cabinets.
Connie frowned and double checked the piece of paper that she'd scribbled Rita's address on, daylight was rapidly fading and the house in front of her was the only house in the street that was still engulfed in darkness. Her heart sank, she hoped that Rita simply wasn't in, that she was with a friend or a relative and she was safe but the doctor in her knew something wasn't right. She knocked firmly on the door but got no response, although Rita had heard the noise she'd made no effort to move, Connie knocked again and got no response so decided she'd try the door handle, if it was locked she'd leave Rita a note asking the nurse to call her but as Connie pushed down on the handle the door creaked open.
Connie wasn't sure what to do next, she'd expected the door to be locked, at least then she'd have been able to convince herself Rita was out somewhere and she was fine but now, now she didn't know what to do, Rita was obviously in the house, "Rita?" Connie called, now beginning to worry that there was something seriously wrong with the nurse, something that had stopped her coming to the door. She stepped into the hallway and made her way into the living room, her heart beginning to race when she saw that the room had been completely trashed. She slipped off her shoes and pulled her phone from her pocket, ready to call 999 as she made her way quietly into the empty dining room before sighing in relief as she found Rita propped up against the kitchen cupboard mumbling quietly to herself, the vodka bottle once again safely clutched to her chest.
"Rita?" Connie knelt beside her, "can I take this?" she asked, easily removing the bottle from her loose grasp and placing it on the sideboard out of Rita's eyeline.
"Connie" Rita frowned, trying to make her eyes focus on the woman in front of her, "you're in my house."
"I know I am, I came to see how you were after earlier."
Rita didn't hear Connie, instead she clumsily reached out to touch her cheek, Connie reaching up to wrap her hand gently around Rita's wrist, "you're so beautiful" Rita slurred, "and your hair's so soft, it feels like clouds" she mumbled as she moved her hand from Connie's cheek to stroke at her hair, "I bet it smells nice, I bet you smell nice, can I smell you?" She didn't wait for a reply before touching Connie's cheek, "you're so soft, so, so soft, you're soft and beautiful and your hair is like clouds."
Connie smiled softly, "I'm going to get you some water" she said softly, finding a clean glass on the draining board and filling it up with cold water before passing it to Rita, "drink it slowly" she said, covering Rita's hands with her own to help her lift the glass to her lips. Rita's gaze didn't leave Connie's face, she felt the glass brush at her lips and, as Connie told her to, took several small sips, "have you got it?" Connie asked, waiting for Rita to nod before letting go of the glass and simply sitting beside Rita, the nurse's eyes still fixed on her face.
"Oh" Rita frowned as she went to take another drink but missed her mouth and accidentally poured the water down her front.
"It's okay" Connie took the glass from Rita and placed it on the floor before standing to get the tea towel she'd seen on the side, "we can just…" Connie frowned as she turned to find Rita tangled in her tshirt as she tried to pull it over her head, "what are you doing?"
"It's wet" Rita frowned, "I need to take it off."
"We can dry it…"
"No" Rita interrupted, "I need to take it off."
"Okay" Connie helped Rita take off the t shirt, not wanting to argue with the drunken nurse, "is that better?"
Rita nodded as she looked down at herself, "this is a crap bra" she told Connie, "I've got nicer ones."
"I'm sure you have."
"You've still got your top on" Rita frowned, "that's not fair."
Connie laughed, "I didn't spill water down myself and insist on getting undressed."
"I…" Rita frowned and looked down at her chest.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm wearing a crap bra" she mumbled as she tried to stand up.
"Where are you going?" Connie asked her.
"I've got better bras" Rita repeated, "I, if you're going to see me in my underwear it needs to be nice underwear" she pulled the waistband of her jeans away from her skin and glanced downwards, "I don't even match."
"It doesn't matter" Connie said simply, wanting Rita to sober up a bit more before she moved anywhere."
"I bet you've got nice underwear" Rita nodded, "better than mine."
Connie laughed, "come on, sit down, drink your water" she said softly as she held out the glass that was still half full, "try not to spill it this time" she joked as Rita sat back against the cupboards, she drank a bit of water before suddenly sitting bolt upright, "what's wrong?"
"We need to ring the police" Rita said seriously.
Connie frowned, "why?"
"I had, erm…" Rita screwed her face up as she tried to remember what she'd lost, "I had some vodka" she finally announced, "I had it but now it's gone, someone's stolen it, we need to ring the police."
"No one's stolen your vodka"
"It's gone"
"You drank it all" Connie lied.
"Oh" Rita slumped back against the cupboard, "that's sad."
Connie simply smiled, usually she detested drunken people, but with Rita it was different, maybe it was because the nurse wasn't angry or violent and wasn't clogging up a hospital bed or causing a scene in the hospital, she was calm and almost childlike and she seemed quite content just sitting on the kitchen floor occasionally mumbling something to herself, she was no risk to herself or anyone else, and Connie was surprised to find herself happy to just sit with her.
"Why do you flirt with Jacob?" Rita broke Connie from her thoughts, "you can do so much better for him?"
"Really?"
"Mhm, you're really pretty, prettier than a princess, and you're really nice, you could have anyone."
"Like who?"
"Like me" Rita giggled before shaking her head, "not me, no, no, anyone someone better than me, just not Jacob, he's, he's ewwy"
"Ewwy?" Connie raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he's ewwy." Rita nodded before beginning to play with the t shirt she held on her lap, "I don't want him to hurt you" she mumbled.
Connie reached for Rita's hand and squeezed it gently, "I'm touched by your concern but don't you think I'm big enough to look after myself?" Rita shrugged, "can I ask what happened in your living room?" Connie asked softly.
Rita frowned, "I think I broke it."
"Broke what?"
Rita shrugged and gestured into the living room, "it made me mad?"
"The living room made you mad?" Connie frowned, not sure what Rita meant.
"The picture made me mad" Rita whispered, tears filling her eyes as she remembered everything.
"Which picture?"
"At the beach, Iain, he…" Rita hid her face in her t shirt as her tears rolled freely down her cheeks, "he's been seeing someone else, she's pregnant."
"Oh Rita" Connie sighed, squeezing her hand again, "I'm sorry to hear that.
"What's wrong with me" Rita sobbed.
"There's nothing wrong with you Rita, nothing at all."
"There is, there must be, Mark…" Rita felt sick even mentioning his name, "you hate me, I wasn't good enough for Iain..."
"I don't hate you." Connie interrupted, "I don't hate you at all" she said as she shuffled closer to Rita and wrapped her arm around the nurse's bare shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Connie was surprised when Rita instantly curled into her, clutching at her top, her tears wet against Connie's neck, "you're okay" Connie said quietly as she held Rita, "you're okay."
"I like you" Rita mumbled against Connie's neck, "I really really like you a lot."
"I'm glad to hear that" Connie chuckled slightly
"Sometimes when you're talking to me I can't concentrate because all I want to do is kiss you" Rita confessed, her head still buried in the crook of Connie's neck, "I bet you taste like unicorns and rainbows and summer and strawberries and all the nice things" Rita mused.
Connie laughed, "it's probably more likely to be coffee and toothpaste."
Rita lifted her head from Connie's shoulder, "I could kiss you and find out?" she offered.
"I don't think that's a good idea" Connie said softly as she tucked a strand of Rita's hair behind her ear.
"Why not?" Rita pouted.
"Because you've been drinking and, as I don't think you'd be telling me these things of you were sober I don't want you to do anything that you'll regret in the morning."
"Would you kiss me if I was sober?"
Connie felt her cheeks flush red and looked down at her lap, "I erm, I think maybe we should talk once you've sobered up" she caught sight of her watch and was surprised to see how much time had passed since she'd arrived at Rita's, "it's getting late" she told the nurse, "we should get you up to bed so you can sleep off that vodka."
"Will you come with me?" Rita asked.
Connie nodded, "I'll come upstairs and make sure you're settled" she said as she stood to her feet and held her hands out, "steady" she smiled as she felt Rita stumble slightly before getting her balance, "we'll take it nice and slowly yeah."
Connie kept her arm around Rita's waist as she helped her up the stairs and into Rita's bedroom, "where are your pyjamas?" Connie asked as she sat Rita on the edge of the bed.
"Top drawer" Rita pointed to the chest of drawers by the window before frowning, "I need to pee."
Connie laughed, "I'm afraid you're on your own with that one, I can help you to the bathroom but after that…"
Rita shook her head, "I'll manage" she nodded as she hauled herself to her feet, "come on Rita" she encouraged herself, "you can do this." Connie watched as Rita slowly made her way out of the room, frowning again as she stumbled slightly into the doorframe, "watch where you're going idiot" she told the wood before stumbling off along the landing.
"Better?" Connie asked as Rita walked back into the room a while later.
Rita nodded, "I cleaned my teeth and washed my face too" she smiled proudly.
"Well done" Connie passed Rita the pyjamas she'd found in the drawer, "I'll wait outside while you change." She waited on the landing until Rita called her back in and smiled slightly as she saw Rita had managed to get herself into bed and was holding the duvet up to her chin, her jeans now thrown carelessly into the corner of the room, "do you need anything before I go?"
"Will you stay?" Rita asked shyly, "just until I fall asleep."
Connie nodded, "Only until you fall asleep though" she said as she sat on the empty side of the bed. "What?" she asked softly a few minutes later when she saw Rita staring at her.
"Are you here?" Rita asked softly, reaching out from under the covers to gently touch Connie's cheek, "I've dreamt about this so many times."
"I'm here" Connie nodded, holding Rita's hand in her own, "you're not dreaming, and if you still want to talk when you're sober we can do that, but if you want to forget everything you've said tonight then that's okay too. I'm not going to say anything to anyone."
Rita nodded and yawned slightly, "thank you."
"Close your eyes" Connie said softly, "get some rest, you'll feel better when you wake up."
Rita nodded again, "night" she mumbled as she closed her eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.
Connie sat with Rita until she was certain the nurse was asleep before making her way downstairs and tidying up the mess Rita had made in the living room, she swore slightly as she cut her finger on a shard of broken glass and sighed sadly when she came across the picture Rita said had made her mad, she looked so happy, so carefree and Connie was surprised to find anger bubbling inside her, who the hell did Iain think he was to take that away from Rita?
Once she'd tiedied up the room she went into the kitchen, finding her shoes, coat and bag exactly where she'd left them earlier in the night. She refilled the glass with water before taking a packet of paracetamol and a notepad and pen from her bag.
Daylight was streaming through a tiny gap in the curtains when Rita woke the next morning, "what the…? she mumbled, her head pounding and her mouth feeling like sandpaper. She briefly closed her eyes before forcing them open again, "shit" the sunlight could only mean one thing, she'd overslept and was late for work. She reached for her phone before frowning when she saw the water and paracetamol that sat beside her phone along with a folded sheet of paper. She gratefully swallowed the pills with half the glass of water before picking up the paper, her shift forgotten as she tried to focus on Connie's neat scrawl.
'Rita, firstly I've turned off your alarm, take today off, sober up and try and get your head together, I know it's hard when a relationship ends, but it's Iain's loss, you deserve better than him. I've tiedied up your living room and you've probably already found the paracetamol and the water, make sure you drink plenty of fluids, get something to eat and rest when you need to. I'll lock the door on my way out and push the key through your letterbox. Enjoy your day off and call me if you need anything.'
Connie had signed her name at the bottom and added her phone number and Rita couldn't help but smile as she gently ran her thumb over the blue ink, she'd seen a different side to Connie the previous night, she'd seen Connie as opposed to Mrs Beauchamp and it only made the feelings she had towards the clinical lead grow stronger. She clumsily reached for her phone and typed out a message to Connie.
'Thank you for last night, I'm sorry you had to spend your evening sitting on my kitchen floor. If I haven't made things awkward, would you like to come over again tonight? I'll cook dinner to say thank you. Rita x'
Rita picked up the water and took another sip, smiling as her phone lit up straight away with a reply from Connie, 'You haven't made things awkward at all, I'd love to have dinner with you tonight, I'm due to finish at 6 but I'll let you know if I'm delayed. How are you feeling this morning? x'
'I feel a bit rough if I'm honest but the paracetamol and water you left have helped thanks. Do you have any allergies or anything, I'd rather not kill you with my cooking x."
Connie laughed as she read the message, 'No, I'm not allergic to anything. And I'm glad to hear you don't feel too bad, is there anything you want me to bring tonight?'
'Just yourself. I'll see you later. x'
'You certainly will x'
Rita collapsed back into her soft pillows smiling happily, she might have a pounding headache but she couldn't wipe the smile from her face, Connie had willingly agreed to spend time with her out of work. Rita had admitted how she felt about the clinical lead and she hadn't laughed or been scared off, Connie knew Rita liked her and she still wanted to come over. As Rita's eyelids began to grow heavy again, she couldn't help but wonder if Connie liked her too.
It was slightly after 6 when Connie managed to leave the hospital and she sent Rita a text to let her know she was on her way before getting in her car, surprised to find herself looking forward to spending another evening in the blonde's company.
"Connie, hi" Rita beamed as she opened the door a while later.
"Hi" Connie smiled, failing to stop her eyes moving over Rita's body, she'd never seen the nurse looking so casual, she wore skinny jeans and a plain white t-shirt but her face was free of her usual make up and her hair hung loose around her face, still damp from the shower she'd taken earlier revealing a natural wave that only seemed to enhance the face Connie couldn't stop staring at.
"Do you want to come in?" Rita blushed slightly as she noticed Connie looking at her.
"Yeah, sorry" Connie held out a bottle towards Rita, "I bought this, it's non alcoholic, I didn't want to turn up empty handed but I thought after last night…"
"Yeah" Rita laughed, "thanks, but you really didn't have to bring anything. Do you want to come through? I've made carbonara the sauce is ready but I thought I'd cook the pasta when you got here so it wasn't overcooked if you were a bit late leaving work."
Connie nodded and slipped off her shoes, placing them neatly beside Rita's at the bottom of the stairs, "that sounds lovely thank you."
"Here, let me" Rita took Connie's coat after she'd slipped it off, carefully hanging it on the coat rack she'd only bothered to hang a week or so ago.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Connie asked as she followed Rita through to the kitchen.
Rita shook her head and took two wine glasses from the cupboard as she gestured to the table already set for two, "you just sit down and relax" she smiled.
Connie took a seat at the table and thanked Rita as she was handed a glass of the non alcoholic wine she'd brought with her. As Rita turned back to the pans on the hob, Connie couldn't help but smile, there was something about the situation that just seemed so 'right'. She'd be lying if she said she'd never been attracted to women in the past and there was just something about the nurse that she couldn't help but like. She'd been surprised at Rita's drunken revelations, she'd never expected Rita to feel the same way, she'd never expected the other women to voice her own feelings so well, there were times Rita was infuriatingly stubborn but Connie still wanted to grab her in the corridor and kiss her until they both ran out of breath. She smirked slightly to herself as she imagined stopping one of Rita's rants by simply kissing her without warning.
"Here you are" Rita placed a bowl of garlic bread in the middle of the table along with two large plates of steaming pasta.
"This looks and smells amazing" Connie smiled.
"I hope it tastes good too" Rita laughed as she sat opposite Connie.
"I'm sure it will, thank you."
Rita gestured for Connie to start eating, "it's the least I can do after last night."
Connie shrugged, "it's okay" she said softly, "I'm just glad I found you before you did anything stupid."
"Yeah, me too, and erm, I'm sorry about what I said."
Connie swallowed the mouthful of pasta she'd been chewing, "you don't need to apologise." They ate in silence for a while before Connie spoke again, "were you...did you mean what you said or was it just the alcohol?"
Rita kept her gaze focused on her plate as she wiped up the remains of her sauce with a slice of garlic bread, "I erm…" her cheeks flushed red, "I do find you attractive, but it's okay, I don't expect you to feel the same way and I won't let it come between us at work."
"Rita" Connie said softly, "look at me…" Rita shyly lifted her gaze to meet Connie's, "Jacob asked me out tonight, he wanted to take me to a michelin starred restaurant, I turned him down to come and see you."
"You…"
"I chose you over him" Connie said simply, "I thought I'd enjoy my evening more if I spent it with you than with Jacob."
Rita felt the flush in her cheeks spread to the point where she was certain her entire face was bright red, "I, erm…" she was completely lost for words.
"Do you want to find out if my kisses taste like unicorns and rainbows?" Connie asked slowly, not sure if she was pushing things too quickly. Rita bit her lip and nodded shyly so Connie stood up, and stepped around the table, holding her hands out to Rita.
Rita let Connie take her hands and help her to her feet, almost before she had time to think about it Rita felt Connie's lips brush gently against her own and she gasped softly, the action allowing Connie's tongue to enter her mouth, the consultant's hands moving to rest on her hips, gently pulling her closer. Rita swore she felt her heart stop, she'd dreamt so many times of this moment, she almost felt she was dreaming, Connie Beauchamp was in her kitchen, Connie Beauchamp was kissing her. It didn't take long for Rita to come to her senses, dream or not, she was going to make the most of this moment so she wrapped her arms around Connie's waist and continued to kiss her.
"So…?" Connie asked slightly breathlessly, waiting for Rita's answer once their lips finally parted.
Rita shrugged, her lips just millimetres away from Connie's, "I think I might need to kiss you again to be sure."
Connie chuckled slightly and took Rita's hand again, leading her through the living room and over to the sofa, "we'd better get comfortable then hadn't we."
Rita nodded and sat down, pulling Connie to sit beside her, "I suppose we had" she whispered before her lips met Connie's again.