The week had passed smoothly. Every day Connie felt as though she shed just a little bit more of the weight that she was carrying about with her, and by Friday morning she felt as though that weight had been lifted. Every night she had slept in Rita's arms and not woken once. Finally she was rested, and, despite her nerves, she felt ready to meet Grace at the air port that evening.

Connie glanced at the clock on her desk. She'd been working her way through patient notes at break neck speed, wanting to get it all done so that she wouldn't have to worry about Zoe falling behind whilst she spent time with Grace over the next few days.

It was coming up to 4:15. Grace's plane landed at 6:30. She thought of her now, up in the sky somewhere, on her own. She was braver than Connie had been at her age. Flying on her own with only the occasional checks of the air stewards and stewardesses, but when Connie had asked her over Skype whether or not she minded, she hadn't blinked an eyelid, in fact she had seemed quite excited about the prospect of doing something so grown up.

She rubbed her hand across her forehead, her pen held within her other hand, poised over the dotted line where she was to sign, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door, and Tess peered in.

"We need you in RESUS, we have an elderly woman found collapsed in the car park. She was Dr Knights patient, but he's gone walkabouts..."

Connie sucked in a breath through her teeth at the mention of Dr Knight. She seemed to be growing used to his unprofessional-ism.

With one quick flourish of her pen she signed her name at the bottom of the page, and pushed back her chair, making her way around the desk to follow Tess from the room.

The doors to RESUS were held open by Max who was busy trying to readjust the wheel of a wheelchair.

Rita was standing next to the patient, drawing blood from her arm whilst Charlie held her hand and spoke to her quietly. The suck and hiss of the doors opening made her glance up, and her eyes glittered as she saw who had entered.

Connie caught the quick flicker of Rita's eyes, looking her up and down and Connie bit her lip against a smile as she made her way over to the bed. It was the first time she had worn a skirt since the attack. Something about the freedom of it had made her nervous, but now, as she unravelled her stethoscope from her shoulders, she felt the rush of satisfaction that she used to feel when she caught somebody looking at her with unashamed lust within their eyes.

"Alright, Mrs...?"

"Albright."

Rita said, passing her the patients notes.

Connie cast an eye across the blood results and various other hand-scrawled notes before placing them on the table by the bed.

"Ok, can we get some more light, please?"

Connie asked, placing the ear pieces of her stethoscope into her ears. The storm still raged outside, the windows were black as night, and the lights in the room seemed dim despite their usual brightness.

Rita gave a brief nod of her head, glancing again to the flared black skirt that Connie wore.

"Can we get some more legs here, please?"

She asked, turning to a technician who was busy restocking a cabinet behind them. The technician made to move, then paused, looking back at Rita, his eyebrows drawn into a frown, and Max snorted a laugh through his nose from where he stood, by the double doors.

"I believe the patient already has a fully functioning pair of legs, Nurse Freeman."

Connie said gently, when Rita failed to realise her mistake, and almost immediately the blondes cheeks coloured a burning pink and she turned back to the technician.

"Light...I meant light."

She said quietly, and folded her arms across her chest, looking directly across to Connie, whose eyes were on the patient as she listened to her chest, but the tell tale twitch of the corners of her mouth gave away her amusement.

"Thank you, Nurse Freeman."

She murmured, as she listened to the beat of the patients heart.

-1-

Apologies for another really short one, but my head is beginning to hurt again, so I will get an early night and promise you all a lovely long update tomorrow! :) xxx