River was the first to flee the house, releasing the contents of his stomach into the gutter as Georgie hurried after him, followed by Lamb and Louisa. He'd never had the strongest of stomachs when they'd met as new recruits, and while so much seemed to have changed between them both, that was one of the few things to remain the same.

"For fuck's sake, Cartwright, not now," Lamb sighed as he stood beside Georgie, observing River as he remained hunched over the pavement edge, "Here, give me your phone."

"Eh?" River glanced up at Lamb in confusion.

"Phone." Lamb ordered again, turning to Louisa and Georgie with his hands out.

"For what?" Louisa frowned as River handed his over, not daring to question Lamb's authority.

"Just give me your phones," Lamb told them both.

"I need it," Georgie replied, "In case anything happens with Nellie."

"Who's Nellie?" Louisa frowned in confusion, handing Lamb her phone.

"Well there's not a lot you can do right now if anything does happen, is there?" Lamb scoffed, "Phone."

Georgie wavered, glancing at River who remained hunched over in discomfort before turning her gaze to Lamb who stood opposite her, an expectant look on his face. She wordlessly handed him the phone before burying her hands in her pockets, shifting to stand beside River.

"Where's Harper?" Lamb asked, looking between Georgie and Louisa as Min stumbled out of the house right on cue, "Phone."

"My phone?" Min remarked.

"Your phone!" Lamb impatiently exclaimed.

"Fuck off, I FaceTime my kids on this," Min deflected.

"I don't care if you ArseTime the Pope on it, give it to me," Lamb took the phone from his hand before crouching over a drain and dropping the phones through the bars one by one, "Service phones have tracking enabled, we need to disappear, now you three, go fetch Ho and Loy, and you better move it unless you want the Dogs to bite your cocks off."

"Hold on, we don't know where they live," River protested as he stood beside Georgie.

"423 Middlesex Court, Hackney, 16 Mervin Road, Brixton, you can figure out the fucking postcodes yourselves," Lamb told the group before disappearing around the corner.

"Then where?" River asked.

"You know where." Lamb called out before disappearing into the cover of darkness.

"Where?" Min remarked.

"Blake's grave," Louisa told him as the four colleagues returned to Min's car, Min not wasting any time in securing his spot in the front passenger seat, leaving Georgie to sit in the backseat with River.

"I've definitely seen him before, I recognised him," River told the group.

"Who?"

"The head," River answered.

"He's one of us, was one of us," Louisa sighed as they piled into the car.

Driving through London felt as though it took an eternity at the best of times, but sitting in the back of a car that was only capable of playing a singular Coldplay song on loop, well that would be enough to drive anyone insane.

"Min, is there no way to turn that off?" Louisa asked in frustration.

"No, the CD's jammed in and the stereo doesn't turn off," Min sighed.

"Well then can you at least change the song?" Louisa quipped as Georgie pinched the bridge of her nose, leaning against the car window.

"It's stuck, it's stuck, it doesn't turn off, that's the issue," Min remarked.

"We could probably shoot it into silence," Georgie uttered the first words she'd spoken since the group had found themselves in Min's car.

"Oh my God," Louisa exhaled.

"Fuck me, who cares?" River exclaimed, glancing at Georgie who had finally turned her attention from her window to him, "Look, what do we know about Alan Black?"

"I know that he left Slough House about a year ago, way before you both joined," Louisa explained, "Where do you know him from?"

"Maybe the Park?" River suggested.

"He was kicked out of the Park years ago," Min replied.

"Yeah, for sleeping with the wife of the Venezuelan ambassador," Louisa sighed.

"Sounds like my kind of man," Georgie muttered, earning frowns of concern from River and Min, "Sorry, not the time for jokes."

"How did Lamb know to go to that house?" Louisa asked a valid question.

"Taverner, it must be, he met her earlier," River explained.

"What is this? Lamb and Taverner?" Louisa huffed in disbelief.

"Fucking hell, Lamb's cut us loose," Min scoffed.

"That envelope he took off Moody, that was his flight fund," River told the group, "If he wanted to, he could just disappear."

"Fucking hell, we are fucked, fuck, we really are fucked," Min rambled frantically as Georgie returned to staring out the car window, knowing little about their whereabouts except that they were somewhere south of the river.

"Yeah, yeah, but I don't think he will," River assured them, which was for Georgie's benefit more than anyone else's as he caught sight of her short bitten fingernails, "He broke me out when I was being guarded by that Dog, he waited when I went back into the hospital to get Georgie even when he told me not to, he didn't have to do that."

"No, no, that's different," Louisa sighed.

"No, look, Lamb will have a play," River attempted to assure them, "He doesn't like to lose."

"Okay, so what do we do?" Louisa quipped, "Do we do what Lamb said or do we head to Regent's Park and turn ourselves in?"

"Turn ourselves in," Min nodded.

"Stick to Lamb's plan," River spoke simultaneously before turning to Georgie, placing his hand over hers tentatively, "George?"

"I'm not going back to the fucking Park," Georgie huffed as she remained staring out of the window, yet she didn't dare free her hand from River's, he wondered what she was thinking about, no doubt she was desparate to return home to Nellie and pretend that everything that had unfolded was nothing more than a nightmare her brain had conjured up as she slept.

"Right, fine, I say that we round up everybody, head to Blake's grave, and if Lamb doesn't show then we know he's fucked us," Louisa suggested.

"Yeah," River nodded, "Oh, shit, did any of you get Ho or Loy's addresses?"

"Huh?" Min replied, "Yeah, it was erm, a crescent."

"423 Middlesex Court, Hackney, E9," Georgie answered, returning her attention to the car's three other inhabitants, "16 Mervin Road, Brixton, SW2."

"And postcodes," River nodded with a proud slight smile.

"Bagsy, not get Ho," Min declared.

"Yeah, nor me," Louisa sighed.

"Fucking- thank you," River muttered, less than delighted by the prospect of having to collect Ho, he turned to Georgie, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he kept his gaze on her, "Do you want to stay with them or come with me?"

A week ago, Georgie would've easily chosen to stay in that car with Min and Louisa, avoiding River at any cost. But no one at Slough House knew her the way River did, not even Sid, and as much as it pained her to admit it, she felt far safer in River's company than Louisa and Min's, despite getting shot on their last shared excursion.

"I'm coming with you," Georgie told him, glancing down at River's hand that remained on top of hers, before he quickly pulled it back.

"Right, you two get Struan, we'll get Ho," River declared as Louisa pulled up on a side street, allowing Georgie and River to climb out of the car before speeding off.  

River led Georgie along the street, neither of them knew what to say it or how they might say it, but there remained a dozen unspoken truths that stemmed from the revelation of River's relation to Nellie that came just hours before. River had yet to process the idea that he was a father to a child he'd never met, he continued to carry the burden of the truth of why he abandoned Georgie on the day of their wedding.

But the truth of it was, they didn't have the time to stop and talk about the past six years, if anything the time that stood between them and rounding up their fellow slow horses was slipping through their fingers at great speed.

"This'll have to do," River sighed as he used his house key to pick the lock of a car left parked on the side of the road before turning to Georgie, noticing her hesitance as she stood with her arms folded, tapping her foot nervously against the gravel, "I know we've drawn the short straw here, Georgie, but we'll get Ho, we'll get to Blake's grave and we'll sort it all out."

"It's a fucking mess, River," Georgie muttered as Rover opened the passenger door for her.

"I mean, I know it's probably nothing like the cars that your dad gets driven around with, but it'll have to do," River remarked as he glanced between Georgie and the green Toyota.

"I'm not talking about the car," Georgie sighed, running her hand over her face, "I'm talking about all this."

"I know it's not ideal, but we've come back from worse," River attempted to assure her, although he wasn't entirely convinced by his words.

"Have we?" Georgie muttered, "Do you want me to remind you of what's happened today?"

"Not really, no," River exhaled, because there were few things he wanted less than to be reminded of the image of Georgie and Sid strewn across Hobden's doorstep, covered in blood.

"You found out you're a dad, I got shot, Sid is in intensive care, and now it looks like we're going to get fitted up for something we knew nothing about," Georgie replied sternly, her voice wavering as she blinked away the tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

"I know, George," River exhaled as he stood opposite her, "And we'll talk about it when you're- we're somewhere safe."

"I need to see my little girl, River," Georgie whispered, "I need to know she's alright."

"They'll have dogs watching your flat, Georgie," River reminded her, even though there was nothing more he wanted than to take Georgie back to her flat to collect Nellie before taking them both somewhere safe while the rest of the Slow Horses did what needed to be done. But that just wasn't the man River Cartwright was.

"Well then I need to get a message to Alex, tell him not to open the door to anyone," Georgie replied, reminded that her brother remained none the wiser about where she was or what had unfolded over the past few hours, "And I need to find out how Sid's doing."

"Okay," River attempted to rationalise Georgie's requests in his head, "How about we collect Roddy, then on our way to Blake's grave we'll check in on Sid and find you a phone box to call your brother."

"Okay," Georgie nodded as she turned towards the car and River made his way around towards the driver's seat, "River."

"Yeah?" He looked up at her with a hopeful gaze.

"Thank you."

The drive over to Roddy's flat was simple enough, neither Georgie nor River spoke many words, just the gentle hum of whichever late night radio show the car's stereo played filled the car. It wasn't that neither of them had anything to say, it was more so that neither of them knew how to say what it was that they were thinking, along with the silent acknowledgment that it wasn't the time or place for such conversations.

"So, you can wait here if you want, I'll go and get Ho," River assured Georgie as they parked up in one of the available spaces on Ho's estate.

"You'll need backup if the dogs have beaten us to it," Georgie sighed as they both climbed out of the car, "And I'm pretty sure I could take on Duffy, even with a freshly stitched up bullet wound."

"Now that I would pay to see," River smiled, leading the way up the stairs towards Roddy's flat, the smell of old cigarettes and urine lingered in the air.

The pair eventually reached the address provided by Lamb, the cheap plastic front door rattling thanks to Roddy's questionable bass heavy music.

"Well at least we know he's home," Georgie sighed, burying her hands in her pockets as River knocked against the door.

"Is it bad that I'd actually prefer it if the dogs had beaten us to it?" River remarked, impatiently knocking on the door again.

"That stays between us, Cartwright," Georgie smirked half heartedly.

"How's it feeling? How are you feeling?" River asked before thumping his fist against the door again.

"The painkillers are wearing off so yeah, not great," Georgie sighed, "I can think of a dozen places I'd rather be than Ho's doorstep."

"I'm getting us out of this Georgie," River assured her, "I don't know how exactly, but I'll find a way to keep you and Nellie safe, okay?"

"Yeah," Georgie nodded as the door opened, Ho glancing between the disheveled pair as they stood on his doorstep.

"Why the fuck are you here?" He exclaimed over the sound of his music.

"There's been a complaint about your music, it's shit," River told him bluntly.

"Come on, we've gotta go," Georgie gestured for the two men to follow her, not wanting to waste more valuable time than they already had.

"Come on!" River shouted, because he knew just how dire the consequences would be if the dogs caught up with them.

"Get your coat and let's get a fucking move on," Georgie attempted to hurry things along, "And bring your laptop."

"Where are we even going?" Ho stubbornly folded his arms across his chest.

"Anywhere that's not here," River sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Unless you want the dogs picking you up."

"We're meeting the others at Blake's grave, we'll explain the rest on the way," Georgie told him.

Georgie and River waited for a few minutes outside Roddy's flat as he gathered his laptop and goodness knows what else into a bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he rejoined his two colleagues who'd exchanged few words in his absence.

"Where are we going?" Roddy asked as River hurriedly led him and Georgie down the stairs, "Where are we going?"

"We'll tell you on the way," River assured him as they reached street level, walking straight past the car he and Georgie had driven there in, heading for a nearby parade of shops, "We need to move fast, the Dogs are on us."

"Why are they after me?" Roddy frowned as he rushed to keep up with River and Georgie, "I've not done anything...well, nothing they'd be able to trace."

"We've gotta keep switching vehicles," River told them both as he tried the door handle of the nearest car.

"You can't hotwire any of these, you need to hack the alarm system," Roddy told him in a hushed voice as River tried yet another car, "I can help with that for the right price."

"You can't seriously be bringing money into it at a time like this," Georgie scoffed as River caught sight of his opportunity to get her out of there.

"I'll go analogue," River exhaled before turning his attention to Georgie, "Keep an eye on him, yeah?"

"Sure," Georgie shrugged as River disappeared into a nearby kebab shop, leaving Georgie in the company of Roddy.

"So, what happened to you tonight?" Roddy asked as he stood alongside Georgie, "I mean you look like shit."

"I got shot," Georgie answered bluntly.

"How?"

"With a gun, how'd you think?" Georgie quipped.

"Well, obviously, I just mean good spies don't get themselves shot, do they?" Roddy remarked, and if it weren't for the whole trying to maintain a low profile thing, she would've decked him then and there.

"One, we're not good spies, we're slow fucking horses," Georgie sighed, "Two, how would you know when all you do is sit behind a desk all day wasting your own time as well as everyone else's?"

"Toosh."

"It's touché," Georgie muttered.

"Whatever," Roddy huffed as River swiftly exited the kebab shop.

"Sorted?" Georgie turned to face her former lover with folded arms as he tossed Roddy a can of coke and unlocked the car using the keys he'd managed to acquire in the kebab shop.

"Listen, if you're in any kind of personal trouble," Roddy rambled as River and Georgie climbed into the car's front seats, and Roddy shuffled into the back, "I just want you to know I couldn't give a fuck and I don't want to be dragged into it."

"Yeah, you're already in it," River huffed, turning the key in the ignition.

"Wha-"

With ease, River revved the engine and sped away from the curb, no doubt angering and surprising the car's owner as the three colleagues drove at great speed. River took the corners with little hesitation, driving like the baby faced recruit Georgie remembered him to be.

"Slow down! This isn't Mario Kart!" Roddy exclaimed from the back seat as River wove the car in between oncoming vehicles while Georgie gripped the handle above her head.

"Can you get Alan Black's service record on that?" River asked, glancing over his shoulder as Roddy tapped away on his laptop.

"Eyes on the road, Cartwright!" Georgie shouted.

"Can you stop wasting my time with rhetorical questions?" Roddy quipped.

"Can you just do it please?" River asked calmly as he swerved around yet another car, "Or whatever the magic word is."

"How did you find me?" Roddy huffed, glancing between Georgie and River, "Those are the magic words."

"Stop dicking around, Roddy, just do it," River sighed, pushing his foot down against the accelerator with great force.

"This is a major security breach and I need to review protocols so it doesn't happen again," Roddy rambled as he tapped away on his laptop.

"You overlooked a massive weak spot in your defences," Georgie told him.

"Impossible," Roddy huffed, "I hacked the personnel database at the Park, I changed my address, my phone, my internet, my bills, even my bank account, are all linked to false IDs that rotate every twenty four hours...I'm so far off the grid, I don't even know where the grid is."

"Lamb followed you home."

"When the fuck?" Roddy exclaimed in disbelief.

"I don't know, but he told everyone," River replied.

"It was like the fourth thing he told me when I started at Slough House," Georgie sighed.

"Black! Come on!" River exclaimed at a startled Roddy, "You worked with Black, didn't you?"

"Roddy!" Georgie added as he remained quiet. 

"Yeah!" Roddy quipped.

"What was Black doing in that house with Hassan Ahmed?" River asked, his eyes flicking between Georgie, Roddy and the road ahead, "Any clues in anything he said or did?"

"Yeah, on the last day he said, 'fuck you, I'm off to kidnap an Asian kid and behead him for the Union Jack,'" Roddy remarked.

"Fuck's sake, Roddy, right, fine, okay?" River muttered as River took another corner at speed.

"You drive like a maniac, you know," Roddy told him.

"You get used to it," Georgie winced as she turned to face Roddy as he displayed his laptop screen, "Yeah, that's him."

River glanced over his shoulder too, startling Roddy who shrieked, "Eyes on the road!"

"I've definitely seen him somewhere," River huffed in frustration, "We never crossed paths at Slough House, I think he left before I joined the Park."

"This has literally nothing to do with me," Roddy reminded the pair, although as a member of Slough House, it had a lot to do with him.

The group had spent the best part of twenty minutes driving across London, River and Roddy occasionally bickered back and forth while Georgie kept quiet, dozing off into a nap for about ten minutes until she was snapped out of it by the sound of Roddy's high pitched voice yet again.

"What are you doing?" Roddy remarked as Georgie rubbed her tired eyes, met with the blinding lights of the hospital where she'd been treated just hours earlier, "This isn't Blake's grave."

"We- Georgie just needs to know that she's okay, alright?" River told him.

"Why?" Roddy remarked as River and Georgie slipped out of the car, "She can't help you now! You'll be lucky if you get ten minutes before the Park get here!"

"Well be out in five, just leave the engine running!" River shouted as he led Georgie into the hospital.

"He's right, River, they'll be watching the cameras," Georgie told him as they paced down the corridors towards intensive care, "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"You wanted to see her, and I..." River's voice trailed off as he gazed down at Georgie, his eyes heavy.

"You what, River?" Georgie returned the sentiment.

"I need to know that I didn't...that's she's not...because of me," River replied as he came to a stop, his eyes lingering on Georgie, hoping that she might offer him some words of reassurance, but knowing that she still had every reason to want the worst for him.

"River," Georgie exhaled, she hesitated before she caved, wrapping her arms around him before she could berate herself for doing so, it felt like he needed it as his body rested against hers, his arms wrapped tentatively around her shoulder as hers were around his waist, just as they used to, in better circumstances.

"We should probably find Sid," River muttered, not daring to let himself get caught up in what wasn't more than a moment of platonic comfort.

"Okay," Georgie nodded as she pulled away, "Come on."

The pair made their way towards the reception desk, River choosing to take the lead as he approached the receptionist with Georgie at his side, "Hi, sorry, can you tell us which room Sidonie Baker's in?"

"It's immediate family only," The receptionist told him.

"Yeah, I'm her stepsister," Georgie answered, hoping the receptionist wouldn't recognise her from when she'd been admitted earlier, "He's with me."

"Can you both sign in on the screen?" The reception asked, gesturing to the tablet in front of them.

The pair shared a look of trepidation before returning their gaze to the woman who sat in front of them, "Yeah, course."

Georgie went first, quickly typing 'Daisy Baker' as her name before River took his turn and typed in a fake alias, hoping it wouldn't send an alert of any kind to the Park, both aware that they remained on borrowed time.

"Great, which room?" River asked.

"ICU room four," The receptionist told him, "End of the corridor on the right."

"Great, thank you," River smiled as the pair made their way down the corridor in search of Sid.

"You alright?" Georgie muttered as they walked alongside each other, not quite sure of what else to say.

"Yeah, I just, it's just been a while since I've been in a hospital," River told her, "Not since New Years at The Fox and Hound."

"You mean when I slipped over in the pub on New Years with a glass of prosecco in my hand that I smashed as I hit the floor?" Georgie asked with a slight smile, "And then we ended up in A&E until 3AM getting the glass pulled out of my hand?"

"We weren't even together at that point," River smiled down at his feet as they walked side by side.

"And yet you chose to see in the new year singing Auld Lang Syne with me on a hospital bed instead of staying at the pub with the rest of our friends," Georgie grinned fondly, appreciating the distraction from the mess that had been unfolding around them.

*

"It fucking hurts, River," Georgie winced as she stared down at her bloody hands, small shards of glass sticking out of her skin, "We've already been here an hour and we're still waiting to be seen by a nurse."

"I mean, I doubt you'll bleed to death, Georgie," Rover smiled as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed beside the girl he'd only known for a few months, the girl who he'd decided to accompany to hospital on New Year's Eve rather than putting her in the back of a taxi.

"Careful, Cartwright, those could be your famous last words," Georgie laughed as she rested her head on his shoulder, "God forbid you have to do my eulogy."

"It kind of feels poor taste to talk about death in a hospital," River smiled at her, "You're not going anywhere anytime soon, Georgie."

"We both know I could fix myself up," Georgie reminded him, "Get me some tweezers and plasters and we'll be back at the pub before either of us turn into a pumpkin."

"That's not going to happen, Georgie," River sighed in defeat.

"You don't think I can clean this up myself?" She waved her hand in front of him.

"No," He showed her his watch as the second hand ticked towards midnight, their friends were just seconds away from ringing in the new year in a crowded pub and they were sat in a busy hospital, waiting to be patched up and sent home, "I think you can do anything, Georgie Knightly."

It was a slip of the tongue, but it was the truth, in River Cartwright's eyes, Georgie was nothing short of remarkable. In their first few weeks as new recruits he'd often found himself frustrated by her ability to learn new skills or land top of the class in written tasks. But with time came understanding, respect, and eventually a friendship that they had both grown to cherish.

"I'm really glad I found you, River," Georgie smiled as the countdown echoed through the hospital, despite the sombre mood that lingered amongst the patients.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

"Georgie, I just wanted to-" River's voice trailed off nervously.

"Seven, six, five..."

"What?" Georgie grinned at him.

"Four, three, two..."

"I like you a lot, Georgie."

"One!"

The cheers of jubilation were muffled, it was as though time had stopped and yet in many ways it had only just begun. Georgie pressed her lips to River's in a tender kiss, her unbloodied hand resting on his cheek as she kissed him, unable to ignore the smile that grew on his face.

"I probably won't remember any of this in the morning," Georgie whispered with a slight smile as she glanced up at him, still feeling the influence of the alcohol she'd consumed just hours before.

"I definitely will," River smirked before he kissed her again.

*

"Georgie?" River's voice startled her as she looked up to see Sid on the other side of the window in a private room, lying unconscious, multiple machines connected to her body, no doubt keeping her alive.

"Hmm?" Georgie turned her gaze to River.

"Are you alright?" He asked, "If this is too much we can-"

"I need to see her," Georgie whispered, because of course the friends had drifted in the years that followed Nellie's birth, but they'd found each other again, Sid mattered more to Georgie than most, in many ways they were sisters, and she needed to know that she was okay.

River guided Georgie into the room where Sid lay, his hand hovering over the small of her back as she tentatively approached Sid's bedside. Georgie barely recognised her, the colour had drained from her skin, her eyes were closed but bruised while Georgie's were open and brimming with tears.

Her hand trembled as she rested it on the safety railing along the edge of Sid's bed, a carousel of their best and worst memories together whizzing through her consciousness. Singing Chiquitita together on karaoke at Georgie's hen party, finding out about Nellie moments before disaster, introducing Sid to Nellie for the first time, the last conversation they'd shared before-

"Shit," River muttered under his breath as Georgie turned to face him, her eyes bloodshot and her skin pale.

"What?" Georgie wiped her damp cheeks with her palms.

"I remember where I saw Alan Black, we need to go now," River told her with an unwavering voice.

"Okay," Georgie nodded before turning her attention to Sid, "I'll save you a drink, Baker."

"Thanks, Sid," River smiled tentatively before the pair left Sid's hospital room.

"Georgina!" The shrill yet familiar voice ran through Georgie's body as she looked up to see both her parents approaching her and River.

"I think I would've rather the Dogs," River muttered, knowing just how low Georgie's parents' opinion of him was.

"They told us you got shot, what are you doing out here?" Her mother asked with a look of concern lingering on her face, "You should be resting!"

"You certainly shouldn't be with him," Her father's gaze remained fixed on River.

"It's good to see you, Mark," River smiled with ingenuity, "We'd love to stay and chat, but we've gotta get back for a briefing."

"Georgina, how about you come back home with us?" Mark suggested, "Your brother has been worried sick since we told him what happened, and I dread to think how Penelope will feel when she wakes up to find you gone."

"Don't do that," River clenched his jaw, as Georgie's gaze flicked from her father to River.

"River?" Georgie's eyes darted between the two men, sensing something that remained unsaid between the two of them.

"God, Georgie," River pinched the bridge of his nose, "I really didn't want to tell you like this."

"Remember the consequences, River," Mark warned him.

"Quite frankly, Mark, I don't give a shit," River quipped tiredly as Georgie and Jennifer kept their eyes on the two men, gawping at River's response in shock, "We're about to be fitted up for something we didn't do and I've got Georgie and my daughter to think of so-"

"River, don't," Mark warned.

"It was your dad, Georgie," River turned to her as his hands trembled at his sides, "He's the reason I didn't marry you."

"What are you talking about?" Georgie whispered.

"He said to me on the morning of our wedding that if you and I got married he'd destroy my career, and when I didn't rise to that, he told me he'd end yours instead," River told her as she stared back at him in shock, "You love this job, Georgie."

"I..." Georgie's voice wavered as her eyes welled up once again, she turned to her father who's gaze remained solemn, "Is it true?"

"You've always been too good for him, darling."

"Is it true?!" Georgie asked again, with a sterner voice, gaining the attention of passing patients, visitors and hospital staff.

Mark's gaze flicked between Georgie and River, the thing he willed not to happen had happened, his actions had pushed his daughter closer to the man he had convinced himself wasn't good enough to marry her.

"Georgina, let me explain-"

"No," Georgie snapped, clenching her jaw, "You knew how happy he made me and you thought you'd just destroy my life like that?"

"It was going to end in tears regardless, Georgina," Her father replied, as though he had some grasp on the future, "You were both so young, and clearly naive-"

"You are the reason Nellie wakes me up in the night asking where her daddy is and when he's coming home," Georgie pointed her finger in his face, "Not River, and you let me think it was all his fault, you did that."

"Georgie," River's voice wavered, his gaze focused past Mark's shoulder, "Georgie, we've got to run."

Georgie looked past her parents to see Hobbs, one the Park's Dogs as he laid eyes on her and River. She looked up at River with little consideration for her parents as the pair spun on their heels and proceeded to run back down the nearest corridor.

"Georgie, wait!" Jennifer called out, fearing how her husband's actions might destroy what relationship they had left with their daughter.

"Are you gonna be alright?" River asked as he and Georgie ran side by side, slower than they once would've been, "I'll distract him while you get somewhere safe."

"I reckon I've got a better chance of getting out of this with you beside me, Cartwright," Georgie assured him as they shoved through a set of double doors, heading down an empty staircase, Hobbs remaining close on their tails.

"Likewise," River nodded as they reached the next floor, River opening the nearest door that led them back into the hospital.

"Do you have a plan?" Georgie asked with heavy breaths as they sprinted down the corridor, turning a corner and hurrying down another corridor past patients and doctors who seemed concerned and confused.

"Haven't thought that far ahead," River exhaled, glancing over his shoulder to see Hobbs at the other end of the corridor as they made their way through another set of doors, reaching a row of three lifts, one with its doors closing, "Wait! Wait! Wait!"

River hurried towards the lift with Georgie a step behind him, stopping the door from closing, allowing Georgie to slip in before he did the same. He erratically pressed the closing doors button as the patient and her porter stared back at the pair in confusion.

"Come on, come on, come on," River muttered, willing the door to close.

The door closed slowly as the pair heard Hobbs shout 'Fuck!' As the lift began to move. Georgie rested her head against River's shoulder in relief as she caught her breath.

"Routine or emergency?" River asked the porter.

"She's just switching wards," The porter answered cluelessly.

"Thank you," River hummed, pressing the emergency stop button before prying open the lift door, revealing that they were halfway between two floors. He pulled himself up out of the lift, holding out his hands for Georgie and pulling her up with him.

"Look after yourself," Georgie smiled at the woman before River tugged on her hand, guiding her along the corridor, "You got a plan, Cartwright?"

"Get downstairs before Hobbs," River told her as he kept ahold of her hand, knowing that Hobbs would be waiting for them on the ground floor. They made their way to the stairs, and while they were gaining speed, River remained cautious that Georgie had been shot in the arm just a few hours prior, knowing she'd tell him she was doing better than she truly was.

Once the pair had reached the ground floor they spotted Hobbs waiting for them by the lifts, assuming that they'd be on their way down to him. River was quick to grab a nearby fire extinguisher, gesturing for Georgie to wait for him.

Before the lift reached the ground floor, Rover muttered "Oi," catching Hobbs' attention as he turned to face the pair, River knocking him unconscious with the fire extinguisher.

"I'm glad to see you're still doing a great job of not drawing attention to yourself," Georgie muttered as the pair made their way out of the hospital, heading for the car park where Roddy would be waiting for them.

They reached the sparse carpark, noticing a blue Toyota, Hobbs' service vehicle and no sign of Roddy or the car that River had hot wired.

"Shit." River hissed, running his hand through his hair.

"This can't be happening," Georgie exhaled, resting her hand against her forehead.

"Georgie, we need to go, we're sitting ducks here," River reminded her, knowing that there were probably minutes until the Dogs closed in on them.

"I just want to go home, River," Georgie sighed in defeat, "I need to see my little girl."

"I'm going to get you home, George," River assured her, "I promise."