Have No Emotion, Show No Weakness

Lost Hope

Connie slammed her office door shut and pushed everything off of her desk as she stood up with her hands on her hips. She moved a hand to her forehead as she looked about the room, tears threatening to fall.

Cal walked into the staffroom before punching his locker. He rest his head against it as he thought about Amy, how could he just let this happen? How could his sister let this happen!?

Dylan sat at the nurses' station with Jacob and Zoe, none of them speaking. "There must be something-" "We can't do anything Dylan... There wasn't enough to prove what had been going on."  They heard a loud crash come from Connie's office before hearing a bang from the staff room.

Jacob got up and rushed to Connie's office to find it a mess with her standing across the room.  He ran to her and pulled her into his arms fighting. "This was not your fault-" "I should have stopped them, I promised her she'd be okay."

Zoe and Ethan got to the staffroom to find Cal throwing his fist into the metal of his locker. "Woah, woah, woah Cal stop!"  Ethan pulled him back as Zoe stepped in front of him holding his hands down. "Cal this isn't helping anyone-" "And neither is Amy being with them! She's just going to end up hurt again and I'm supposed to be alright with that!?"

"No you're not, but acting like this won't help. Come on let me take a look at your hand."  Zoe walked with Cal towards a cubicle while Ethan stopped next to Charlie. "What can we do?" 

Everyone did what Connie said. Social services arrived the fastest Connie had ever known them to and began running through everything.

"What do you mean not enough evidence? The girls been injured several times and never taken to hospital for it-" "I'm sorry but I'm right in thinking that you've not had contact with the family for 5 years?  They could have been to a doctor or hospital wherever they've been."  Cal stood up and paced about the room. "Then where's the proof of it!?  You can't be serious about letting her go back with them?"

Jacob sat with Amy who was still laughing at his awful jokes, but she seemed happy. "Do I have to go home with Mummy? We'll just leave again, can't I stay with Uncle Cal and Uncle Ethan?"  Jacob didn't want to make any promises to her. "I don't know sweetheart, what I do know is your Uncles and Connie are doing everything they can."

Connie walked out with social services. "We will keep this on record but unfortunately we can't do anything-" "So I let a 9 year old girl leave with a parent who refuses to admit how much danger her child is in?"  "Like I say, I'm sorry but we can't do anything." 

Cal walked out of her office and into the relatives room. "You're a bastard you really are!"  He watched as Lucy stood up "Cal!"  He stopped looking down at her.

"And you're just as bad-" "Cal, this isn't helping... Think about this, please."  He looked at Ethan but didn't stop. "Why can't you see what's he's doing to your little girl? He's hurting her and you just let him!" She slapped him round the face causing him to go quiet.

"Dr Knight!"  He turned around to see Connie standing in the doorway with Zoe. "Are you Mrs Beauchamp? Care to explain why I haven't been able to  see my daughter yet?"  Connie walked into the room and spoke calmly, not that she felt that way.

"We've been running tests and putting a cast on her wrist. She broke it when falling over earlier. Everything else is absolutely fine, I apologise for Dr Knights attitude.  I'll take you to her now."  Cal glared at Connie who let them walk out first. "And I thought you were trying to help-" "I am! But this... It's not helping Cal."

"How could I let them just leave with her? She made me promise she'd be alright, she looked scared walking out with them. And I let her go like that..."  Jacob wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You couldn't do anything-" "I could have tried!"

She moved from Jacob out of the office and towards Zoe.  "Where's Dr Knight?"  "Cubicle 5..." Connie stormed off in that direction. "What do you want-" "For you to shut up and listen."

"You need to stay away from them, don't talk to them at all.  You let Ethan have contact and only Ethan.  I'll do what I can to find out about hospitals they may have been to before here... But you need to leave them alone Cal."  She saw how much it hurt him and she knew it wouldn't be easy.

"I know it's not easy to forget about her, to not talk to her believe me I know. But it's safest for her right now... I want to help, if we can get her back then we will okay."  Cal didn't say anything as she went to walk away. "Thank you."  She nodded walking out of the office before talking to Ethan.

By the time Connie got home she felt awful. She went straight to bed hating herself but knowing that she'd done all she could.

Connie walked into Amy after her Mum had gone to fill out the discharge forms. No one was in there except Amy and she looked so alone and fragile.

"You promised it would be okay-" "Hey, it will be okay?"  Connie sat on the bed next to Amy. "You know I have a little girl a little bit older than you. Whenever she's scared, I tell her to remember that I'm always here to help. All she has to do, is pick up the phone and call me."  She held Amy's hand who looked down at it taking the piece of paper from her.

The doors opened and Connie held Amy's files in her hands. "Right I think that's everything then. Everything seems to be back to normal-" "Thank you so much for everything Mrs Beauchamp. I'm sorry for all the hassle and lies today."  Connie nodded looking back at Amy.

"It's alright, isn't it?"  Amy nodded at Connie not moving her eyes from her. She got off the bed and began to walk out before dropping her Mum's hand and turning to Connie.

She wrapped her arms around her causing Connie to smile. "Thank you-" "I promise it'll be okay." She spoke quietly so nobody heard before letting go of her and watching her walk out of the hospital.