Sorry, for the wait I've had lack of motivation (for once) even know Rita is my favourite character on - screen. Those of you who know me, know that I loved Jessica, and in some ways Rita reminds me of her.

This prompt was prompted by: JadeSutton987, it's an Ash/ Rita one and the prompt was: Rita collapses at home, and suffers a minor fall, and when Ash hears he tries to convince Rita to give up the booze, but will she?

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and has this story in their favorites. It really means a lot, I know I say this a lot, but it does.

Rita: 36.

Ash: 50.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes.

I guess this will be set when Mark, Rita's husband, is admitted to the ED. Big, big thank you to JadeSutton987 who helped me to write Ash and Rita for this prompt. She's been a big help, thank you! :)

I'm going to try to get the Zoe prompt up before the character returns on Saturday (Really excited to have her back) but there's a possibility that the chapter will contain spoilers, not about 'the secret' because I don't know what that is, I either think she's pregnant, or is bringing a former member of staff back with her. I think it'll either be up on Saturday or just before Casualty airs. If I do write about someone returning with her in the chapter and it does turn out to be that person then I'd ask you to avoid the chapter if you wanted before or after the episode.

Can't sleep, a potential storyline on my mind, for another story on this account.


The Secret Life of Casualty

Chapter 57.

Rita Freeman woke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring in her ears. She sighed as she got up off the couch. It was fast becoming her favourite place to sleep, too drunk to make it up the stairs to her bedroom. She looked at her watch: 9: 15. She was late, she started work at 8: 00.

She needed a shower. She stood up, reaching for the paracetamol and took two from the packet and stumbled up the stairs, hoping a shower would make her more alert as a look in her hallway mirror told her she had mascara staining her cheeks, her pixie style haircut was sticking up. She made her way to her bedroom and sighed, as she opened the other door that housed her en - suite which had a sink, a holder which had a cup in which had her toothbrush in a a tube of toothpaste. She picked up her toothbrush and put it under the water. She grabbed a wipe after putting back her toothbrush and wiped it over her face, removing traces of the make up she'd slept in last night.

Stepping in to the shower Rita switched on the water and shampooed her hair. Stepping out she felt a cold breeze hit her and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her. She pushed open the door entering her room as she got dressed in a pair of legging, trainers, and a jumper.

On the radio, on top of her chest of draws, played 'Trouble' by Taylor Swift.

Once upon time
A few mistakes ago
I was in your sights
You got me alone
You found me
You found me
You found me

I guess you didn't care
And I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard
You took a step back
Without me, without me, without me

And he's long gone
When he's next to me
And I realize the blame is on me

Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

No apologies
He'll never see you cry
Pretend he doesn't know
That he's the reason why
You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning

Now I heard you moved on
From whispers on the street
A new notch in your belt
Is all I'll ever be
And now I see, now I see, now I see
He was long gone
When he met me
And I realize the joke is on me

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

When your saddest fear comes creeping in
That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything
Yeah

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (you were right there, you were right there)
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble!

She picked up her hairbrush and started to sing.

The song finishing, she put down her hairbrush and straightened her clothes as she checked her watch. She crossed the landing and walked quickly down the stairs, grabbing her bag and hurrying out of the front door. She was lucky enough to get a cab.


Rita walked in to the ED, a bottle of red hidden in her handbag. She walked to the staff - room where various colleagues were: Connie, Robyn, Ethan and Cal. She put her combination in her locker and opened the metal door and put her handbag and work jacket.

"Rita, a word please?" Tess requested as she stood in the staff room.

Rita nodded and followed Tess up to her office. "Your late" Tess told her. Rita nodded, showing Tess that she understood. Tess sighed, since all the business with her ex husband Mark, she used to be a model nurse. Now she was late, getting involved where she shouldn't be. As a nurse, an important part of your job was that you were kind, sympathetic. And, that's what Rita considered herself to be.

"Don't let it happen again" Tess warned her as she opened the office door allowing the nurse to head back to the staff room to get ready for the day ahead. She pilled her scrub top over her head and looked round, making sure that the staff room was empty, before she, once more, headed to her locker and put the combination in, pulling out the bottle.

"Rita" Ash said, tilting his head, looking at her in concern.

"I don't care" Rita told Ash, her response was defiant, she didn't want, didn't need anyone's help. But it seemed Ash was the only one who was prepared to sacrifice his own career to help her.

"Rita, I care " Ash informed her, holding her hand. Rita quickly pulled her hand away as Tess called Ash over, he was needed in RESUS, a woman had binged on alcohol and was at risk of renal failure.

He walked in to RESUS, Rita watching him.

Ash knew that the next time a case come in and it was to do with alcohol, it could very possibly be Rita and he didn't want that, he had to find a way to stop her drinking. He could stay with her, offer to do her food shopping so she didn't spend all her wages on booze.


The next morning Tess had grave news for Ash.

"Can I have a word, doctor Ashford?" Senior ward manger Tess asked, she didn't look impressed Ash thought, judging by the way her arms were crossed and her forehead was frowning.

"Yeah" Ash replied, closing his locker.

"It's Rita" Tess said, a sympathetic look on her face.

Ash had to see her, she was lying on a trolley, covered in her own vomit. Ash walked towards her and was careful of the IV drip in her arm, giving her fluids. Ash sat by her, waiting for her to wake up. From looking in her notes, he saw that she had, had a drink last night, had walked up the stairs, tripping a few times, before finally landing on her head and she'd drifted in to unconsciousness, her left wrist was fractured, it had been reduced and was now in a cast, to help it's bones heal.

"You need to stop drinking, I've just had a patient who has just died from drinking. The worst part is that she looked exactly like you. Do you know how that made me feel? ill. Don't do this, come on, put the drink away" Ash told her.

Rita groaned, starting to come round as she replied. "It's my life"

Ash knew this, but it wasn't much of a life if all she was doing was drinking alcohol. She could be dead if she carried one and Ash would blame himself as he knew he had tried to help the stubborn blonde nurse. Who knew the help was there, but was refusing the offer. He spotted a bottle of red on the cabinet next to her bed and it was with horror that she reached for the bottle and took a gulp.

"Don't do this" Ash implored the younger, troubled nurse.

But Rita ignored him, tilting the bottle to her lips and smirked at Ash as he shook his head at her.

A few weeks later, Rita had been discharged under Ash's orders that she rest and allow him to look after her. The nurse agreed to go to a support alcohol meeting and Ash had agreed to go to offer her moral support, as a friend as he was sure if their roles, were reversed and he was the one with the drinking problem he had no doubt that she would be there for him.

"I care " He repeated as he escorted her to his car and opened the door for her.

The clinic was set in a modern building with a field, decorated with flowers and a chestnut brown horse.

She walked in to the large building and come to a door with a piece of paper saying

'Alcohol meeting'

Rita took a deep breath and pushed down the door handle as she walked in, seeing chairs set out in a circle. It reminded her of school. She took another breath and sat down on an uncomfortable chair.

The woman, in charge of the meeting, went around, getting everyone too introduce themselves and Ash heard names such as: Olenka, Frida, Sarah, Lara, Jaya and then:

"I'm Rita and I'm an alcoholic " She confessed quietly but strongly, almost admitting to herself, for the first time, looking around her at the other people who were in the same boat as her.

"Welcome Rita " The woman, who was running the group, welcomed her, having previously been an alcoholic herself.

Ash smiled at her as she sat down and was made to write five things down about why or what had convinced them to turn to alcohol.

Rita's list went a little like this:

Why I turned to alcohol...

1) My husband slept with an underage girl and is on a sex registrar.

2) My husband cheated on me with a girl 10 years younger than me.

3) I lied about him being dead.

4) Because I lied I lost my friends.

5)Apart from one guy at work, alcohol is the only thing I have that I trust.

When the meeting ended Ash drove her back to his stylish apartment and Rita was impressed. He had a TV secured to the wall, wooden flooring throughout the whole apartment, the kitchen was all steel glass and granite work tops. Ash followed her as he flicked on the kettle


Back at Ash's apartment, he and Rita were lying on the couch, Ash running his fingers through her short hair.

Rita felt relaxed, she'd never felt relaxed like this.

Ash propped himself up on one elbow, his purple shirt was unbuttoned, showing off some of his chest hair. "Are you OK?" He asked.

Rita nodded and smiled, replying " She truly felt that she could move on from her ex - husband Mark. Thank God she didn't have any children with him. But she knew the man that she wanted to have children with, an she kissed him, him taking her to places where Mark had never taken her. Then, suddenly, she kissed him

"Rita?" Ash said, surprised as Rita looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "What are you doing?"

He could still remember when Lily kissed him, at the works Christmas party, she had been slightly drunk and dancing with him when she kissed him. Ash had pushed her away, and neither of them had mentioned it again.

He pulled Rita away from him and stood up, walking to the window which overlooked the dark streets of holby.

"Ash?" Rita was suddenly fearful of losing the only friend she had left, fearful he wouldn't care anymore.

"Your a strong woman, you can do this" He said, referring to the bottle on swallowed, lifting it up and carrying it out in to the kitchen, her feet cold against the cool air of the tiles.

With a thump the bottle went in to the bin, Rita was finally turning her back on her demons; the drink had, had her in it's grasp for so long, but not anymore, it was time for Rita to take back control. She headed back to Ash and sat on the couch with him, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her as Rita confessed something quietly:

"I love you" Ash had his eyes closed, but had heard her declaration of love as he opened his eyes, kissed the top of her head and moved her closer to him. Silently telling her that he loved her too.


Really, really, really enjoyed writing this.

Next prompt: Zoe returns from her break, returning with a friend who she met up with while she was away and shocking ex - lover Max. Will she go back to her old ways of sleeping with Max, or is she reformed from sleeping with men in the ED? Prompted by: bethyboo97.

I've already started the chapter so I know it'll be on Saturday, along with other updates.

I know you can't post song lyrics in a chapter or a story, but I had to get Rita's first scene in there, somewhere. I absolutely loved it.