What Should Have Been

Part 86

Sam sat at home, waiting as the time went by slowly still with no response from Connie. He knew she sometimes went out and wouldn't answer but it had been almost the entire day and they were due to pick Grace up from school.

Taking out his phone he sent a text to Connie saying he would go and get Grace alone, assuming she had got caught up with something else. He picked up his keys about to leave the house when his phone rang, but it wasn't Connie.

Frowning at the ID he picked up confused. "Sam-" "Charlie if you're looking for Connie I have no idea where she is, I haven't heard from her for hours." It was silent for a moment before Charlie sighed. "She was on her way into the ED, but something happened." Sam's face drained of all colour as he tried to swallow but his throat had quickly become dry. "Sam you need to get here as soon as you can-" "But Grace?" "I'll send someone to get her."

He ended the call leaving the house without much thought for what he was doing. Nothing made sense, and everything he did just seemed to blur into one action. He drove along the roads back towards the hospital, past Grace's school but nothing ran through his mind at all.

At the ED Charlie walked up to Elle glancing to the nurses' station. "Who are you putting on this?" "Those two, want to brief everyone while I wait out the front for her?" Charlie nodded as Elle strode off towards the entrance leaving Charlie to tell everyone the news he'd just been told.

"Alright everyone, there's been an accident involving one of our own so we need to make sure we're keeping on top of everything. Cal and Alicia, you're on resus with Dr Gardner. Robyn, David can you both take charge of cubicles please." They nodded as people slowly began to disperse, however a few people stayed around. "Charlie what's going on?"

He sighed looking out at reception before turning back to the smaller crowd that was around him. "It's Mrs Beauchamp, she was involved in a car accident about half an hour ago. It's not clear her injuries yet, but they're worried about the impact it's had on the baby." Ethan, Lily and Dylan looked to one another as Robyn shook her head. "But they'll both be okay won't they?" "I don't know Robyn..."

Elle stood in the cold waiting for the ambulance to arrive, part of her hoping it never would. It was always difficult in this job, but when it was someone you knew, someone you saw everyday it became a whole different ball game. You couldn't fail them, you had to do everything in your power to keep them alive but you can't let that affect the job you're doing.

Charlie walked forwards with Cal and Alicia before stopping and looking to them as they got outside. "Are you two alright? This isn't going to be easy, if you don't think you can-" "No. We've got this." Alicia looked to Cal who nodded in eventual agreement leaving Charlie to wait, hoping things weren't as bad as they were all picturing.

As soon as the ambulance arrived Charlie was at the doors greeting Iain. "Right this is Constance Beauchamp involved in an RTC about 45 minutes ago. 37 weeks pregnant with little movement in the last 30 minutes. KO'd at the scene for approximately 10 minutes, laceration to the right side of the head and queried fractured left shoulder."

Charlie seemed to hold his breath catching a glimpse of Connie. "Stable but in and out of consciousness." He nodded standing beside the bed as she squinted her eyes. "Connie it's Charlie, I've called Sam and he's on his way." She nodded firmly taking hold of his hand as they moved through the department, all eyes on them as they went.

The drive through the streets of Holby was full of distraction as he wandered what he was going to arrive to. Charlie hadn't said anything about what had happened, just to get there quickly. Sam approached the hospital, parking where Connie normally would before running towards the entrance.

"Charlie please, forget about me just make sure my baby is okay." "We will when we know you're safe-" "Charlie." She looked to him but all he did was lift his head to look towards Elle. She glanced up seeing his eyes on her and shook her head looking down. "Conn-" "Please, you're a mother yourself. I just want to know she's okay."

Elle gritted her teeth before looking to the nurse at the end of the bed. "Find an ultrasound machine now and call someone from maternity immediately." Looking back down to Connie she nodded whispering her thanks before resting her head back. "In the meantime let me look at your shoulder."

"Noel, where's Connie?" His palms face down on the counter as he leant forwards. "Resus, but-" Before he had the opportunity to finish he was running off. "I don't think you'll want to go in there yet." Sam rushed through the department noticing the looks of sympathy and pity that fell on him from the rest of the department.

Connie's arm had been placed into a sling until she was able to be treated properly for the injury. "How you feeling now?" "Better Charlie, I'm scared that they're not okay." He took hold of her hand as she looked to him, everything evident in her eyes. "Hey... You hang on in there okay? We're going to make sure you're all okay."

Sam pushed the doors open to resus catching everyone's attention as his face washed white once again. "Connie..." He froze to the spot for a moment taking in the sight before him as Charlie approached him. "She was involved in an accident, physically she seems okay but it's not her we're worried about at the moment." Sam clenched his jaw once again finding his throat dry as he nodded.

Moving to her bedside quickly he took hold of her hand squeezing it tightly before pressing his lips to it. "You know how to scare me Beauchamp." "I'm so-" "Not now. You just focus on keeping yourself strong, both of you."

Everything passed slowly as Connie kept waiting to feel her baby moving. The tension built as they waited for some sort of sign that their baby was okay as Elle stared intently at the screen. "Okay there's a faint heartbeat but the baby's in some distress, we need to get her delivered soon-" "What? But, we're not, I'm not-" "Connie this baby needs to come now or she might not make it."

Connie's world froze around her as she looked to the other doctor. They never had seen eye to eye, but all she had done today was what she could to meet her demands. With a weak nod and a quiet voice she agreed to whatever Elle had to do to save her baby.