#isla queen

Endless List of Possible OCs - Isla Queen (Casualty)

Latch

You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down, you enchant me even when you’re not around

Isla Queen had needed a change of scenery and Holby was her city of choice.

Leaving behind rolling countryside, a boring job and an ex she would rather forget she had arrived at her new place with high hopes…that was when she met Ethan Hardy.

A doctor in the hospital just across from the bar she had landed a job in he had rescued her (somewhat reluctantly) from some pushy customers on her second day and from then she decided they were friends.

With a demanding job and a brother who had the personality to capture most people’s attentions Ethan seemed like a little project for Isla. He looked like he needed a little fun in his life, like he needed to learn how to take charge and gain a bit more confidence in himself.

And she was more than willing to take up the job.

Not discounting the cute smile and the way he lit up the butterflies in her stomach whenever she was around him of course…

Excerpt Below

“Ah, here he is!”

Ethan’s eyes became wide as an arm linked through his. All he had wanted was to go into the pub across from the hospital after a long shift to have a couple of drinks and try to avoid his brother but, as he noticed the short brunette hopefully smiling across to him, it appeared that his plans had been shoved aside “I…um…”

“My boyfriend,” she was saying to the three lads she had been speaking with while he had been making his way over “He’s a doctor,” she continued and Ethan frowned in confusion for a couple of seconds before he realised he and his colleagues were regulars in the pub. You’d only have to have visited a couple of times to recognise them coming in once their shifts were done “Introduce yourself babe…he hates when I talk for him.”

“Eth-Ethan,” he said with his frown still on his face as he reached out to offer the lad stood in front his hand to shake “Ethan Hardy,” he continued quietly as he retracted his unshaken hand and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans.

“Well we best get inside,” she said with a grin as she patted him gently on the back, guiding him inside and shutting the door behind them “You are a lifesaver!”

He looked taken aback as she took a step away from him and pushed her hair from her face “I, uhm, you’re welcome?” he replied though he was unsure what had even just happened.

“Come sit at the bar Dr Ethan Hardy,” she said as she bounded over to stand behind the pumps, tapping on the bartop in front of a stool ready and waiting for him “You are a doctor, right? I’m new around here, spotted you coming out of the hospital and just took a stab in the dark.”

“Yes,” he confirmed for her as he pushed his glasses further up onto his nose and hopped up onto the stool, smiling gratefully as she placed a pint in front of him “I – you are supposed to be behind there aren’t you?”

“What they don’t know can’t hurt them,” she said with a shrug as she placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the left slightly she couldn’t help but chuckle at the panicked look on his face “I’m kidding,” she said in a whisper “Isla Queen, second day on the job,” she continued as she offered her hand for him to shake “I noticed out there you’re a hand shaker, got an eye for these things you see.”

He smiled and nodded once, not overly interested in the bubbly girl’s life story after the day he’d had in the ED, as he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

“Oh no,” she said waving him away and shaking her head “This one’s on me.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed as he looked between her and the ten pound note he was holding out for her “No I – I can’t possibly-”

“Those three lads wouldn’t leave me alone until they knew I had a boyfriend,” she said with a sigh “Price you pay when you’re a woman working behind a bar nowadays apparently,” she added with a roll of her eyes “You showed up at the right time Ethan Hardy. Your drink is on me.”

“I…well thank you,” he said placing his money back and slipping his wallet into the pocket of his jeans once again “And I apologise greatly for the male species.”

“Not your fault,” she said as she shrugged and her attention was grasped by someone else entering the pub “Hey, I’ll catch you later?”

“Of course,” he replied with a smile, tipping his drink in her direction before she turned her back on him.

He sat there for a while as he watched her buzz around the bar. Her smile was infectious and her laugh filled the room. She walked favouring her left leg which the doctor in him of course couldn’t help but notice and he wondered if she’d had an injury in the past – maybe she was a skier or a horse rider. She looked like an outdoors-ey, adventurous type.

Even though she had told him it was only her second day it was almost like she had worked there for years as she greeted some of the more regular customers by their names, plonking their usual drinks down in front of them before they even had the chance to order.

Everyone seemed to like her. Everyone seemed to want to have a conversation with her as soon as they walked in through the door.

Ethan had never experienced anything like it before. He’d never been, or ever wanted to be, the centre of attention like Isla was. His brother, Caleb, hadn’t even been the centre of people’s attention like Isla was. She didn’t ask for it, didn’t look like she needed it, she was just comfortable and people seemed to migrate toward her because of it.

She would have been a good doctor; he couldn’t help but think to himself. Her bedside manner would beat his own ten times over, the patients would love her, the families would love her…

“Are you off?”

He jumped at the sound of her voice, turning as he tugged his jacket back on and sending her a smile “Up early in the morning,” he informed her with a shrug, wondering if the look of disappointment on her face was something she developed within her customer service or if it was genuine.

“Well have a good night,” she said with a nod “And thanks again, for saving me before.”

“Anytime,” he answered with a nod of his own as he bent his head to search his pockets for his house keys “Although next time you-” he paused as he glanced up to see she had gone, already mingling with a crowd who had just wandered in “-might not even need me,” he added quietly to himself as he shook his head and turned to slip out of the door.

Glancing back, he smiled as he heard her laugh fill the room once again, getting one last look before he went home.

After all; he’d probably never ever see her again.

~*~

“I literally had this guys life in my hands!”

Isla pulled a face as she placed Cal’s drink down in front of him “Didn’t that happen on last week’s Chicago Med?”

“No-”

“It so did!” she exclaimed pointing a finger across the bar to him “And Will-”

“Did nothing because it literally just happened, on my shift.”

Looking offended Isla shook her head “Will Halstead wouldn’t just do nothing Caleb,” she tutted and rolled her eyes “Have you been keeping up with it?”

“No?”

“Excu- but I - I searched for all those links for you!”

“I didn’t ask you to?”

“But you’d enjoy it!”

“Don’t you think I have enough medical drama to deal with in my real life?”

“Your real life is bor-”

“Are we sure it’s not these two who are siblings?” Bex’s voice cut through the snipey argument between the two friends as both she and Ethan appeared on either side of Cal “I mean, you two don’t have the same last name?” she said gesturing between the two brothers “Are you sure there wasn’t a mix up?”

Isla let out a disgusted noise as her best friend leaned over to greet her boyfriend with a kiss “Not only do you come into my pub with your gross PDA but you accuse me of being related to this oaf?”

Cal rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, lacing his fingers with Bex’s, and turned “We’ll see you at the table,” he said with a sigh.

“Left to pick up the tab again?” she asked with a sympathetic smile as Ethan shuffled into her eyeline, messing with his wallet as he ordered a white wine for Bex and a pint for himself.

“At least I know Bex will get me one back,” he said with a chuckle and a roll of his eyes “Y-you’re coming over to join us, once your shift is over, aren’t you?” he asked looking between Isla and where Bex was laughing at something Cal had said.

“I’ll be over in-” she paused as she checked the clock on the opposite wall “T minus eight minutes?”

“Great!” he grinned before he caught what he’d said “I mean, uhm, good…yeah good, you deserve some time, y’know, to relax.”

Her eyes glanced up to the clock for the fifth time in the same amount of minutes. Her fingers tapped on the beer pump she had been wiping down. Yet another sigh left her lips as Rob, her boss sat on one of the stools before her, glanced up from the paperwork he was filling out.

“It’s a bit dead in here Issie,” he said sending her a smile and taking note of the fact that she hadn’t immediately scowled at his use of her most disliked nickname “Why don’t you head off early?”

A wide smile came to her face as she clapped her hands together “Really?” she squeaked out before she realised she possibly sounded a little too eager “I mean, uhm,” she said shrugging her shoulders and clearing her throat “As long as you don’t mind, as long as you can spare me?”

He chuckled as he tapped the end of his pen on the order form he’d been casting a glance over “Well I dunno, we’re pretty rushed off our feet,” he said gesturing to the empty seats at the empty tables around them “And your shift is over in a whole half hour you think it’s a little early?”

Isla’s eyes rolled as she hopped up onto her tiptoes and glanced over whatever he was scribbling down “How about I tell you that we need fifty - five-oh - more of the peanuts not five hundred - five-oh-oh - like you’ve put in exchange for my freedom?”

Rob narrowed his eyes as he glanced back up to her “Just leave.”

“Thanks boss!” she called as she disappeared in the back, appearing once again she sent him a sparkling grin as she was pulling her jacket on and slinging her back onto her shoulder “You’re the best,” she said blowing him a kiss before she headed out of the door.

There was a spring to Isla’s step as she crossed the road over to the hospital she found herself staring out of the pub window too on a regular basis.

Pausing at the door she pursed her lips together for a few seconds before she found herself digging through her bag for her lipstick and her mirror. Glancing around to make sure Cal wasn’t around to jump out and rip her for what she was about to do she ruffled at her flat looking hair a few times before she gave up and settled for just reapplying her lipstick.

“Ah Isla.”

“Hi Noel,” she grinned as she leaned over the reception “Busy day?”

“Not so far,” he answered with a shrug before he raised a suspicious eyebrow in her direction “What’s he forgot today then?”

She frowned in confusion as he slapped her hand away from where she had been playing with the cord of the phone lying on his desk “What?”

“Ethan,” Noel confirmed “Yesterday it was his drink, the day before his lunch, last week his earphones…though I’m not sure why he so desperately needed them during his shift in the ED.”

“He likes to listen to music to and from work I couldn’t have him travelling home in silence,” Isla said, though as she heard the words emerging from her mouth she realised her defence was pretty weak “Shut up Noel.”

He laughed as he raised his hands innocently “I’m just saying it because I think it’s cute!” he said taking a step away from her as her eyes narrowed “Queenie your shift in the shop doesn’t start for a whole two hours!”

Isla scowled as she pushed away from where she was leaning “Why can’t just one person call me by my actual name??” 

“Isla?”

Her arms, that she had been flailing out in some kind of overdramatic shrug, fell to her sides at the sound of his voice “Hey!” she said bounding over to where Ethan had been wandering down the stairs into the reception area.

“I…you…you’re here again,” he stuttered out as he pushed his glasses further up his nose “Way before your shift.”

“I am,” she smiled back hoping the warmth she could feel on her cheekbones wasn’t showing in a blush “That’s okay right? I’m not bothering-”

“No, no,” he rushed with a shake of his head “No I…I’ve…nevermind.”

A smirk came to Isla’s lips as she glanced up to him from beneath her eyelashes “Are you trying to tell me you’ve missed me Dr Hardy?” she asked as her head tilted to the right and her heart skipped when she spotted the rosey pink colour come to his skin “Noel thinks we’re cute.”

“I, wh-he does?” Ethan asked as he reached for her right hand with his left, his fingers gently bumping against hers a couple of times before he laced them together “Do you, maybe, want to head to the break room? I’m due one, a break I mean, and I’ll…I can make you a cup of tea?”

“Oh my god.”

Ethan glanced to her in confusion as she stopped before he could lead her to the break room “It’s just tea?”

“It’s not that,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she caught Robyn, Cal, Iain and Max looking at them with knowing grins from around the corner “You know what’s happening here right?”

His brow furrowed as his hand squeezed hers almost nervously “You’re…spending your free time before your next shift with me because you’re now my girlfriend?” he asked in a nervy manner as he looked to her in the hope that he was right.

“Well of course,” she said with a shrug, smiling to herself when she spotted the small sigh of relief moving his shoulders “But, as well as that, we’ve done it…We’ve become the clingy couple that you used to complain about.” 

“I didn’t-!”

Isla arched her eyebrows as she took a step back, swinging their hands between them.

“Okay maybe I did,” Ethan said with a sigh, a shrug and a smile “But I don’t care,” he continued as he stepped toward her and tentatively reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Even if Caleb takes the mickey out of us?”

“Caleb doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” Ethan said with a smile as he bent slightly to bump his nose gently against hers “Him and Bex were the clingy couple I used to moan about,” he whispered with a smirk before he placed a quick peck on her lips “Now, how about that tea?”