I've been watching the episodes where Honey first comes to the ED and was disappointed when Honey and Noel's storyline seemed to jump from him refusing to believe he was Honey's father to giving her a Christmas present. Much as I loved what I did see, I couldn't help wishing Honey had confided in Ethan.


Ethan cleared his throat lightly, but Honey didn't seem to hear. She was standing with her back to Ethan, looking at something on the wall behind her. This surprised Ethan slightly as Honey was usually watching out for customers and there seemed nothing extraordinary on the wall to command such avid attention.

"Honey?" he said softly, but Honey didn't seem to hear that either.

Ethan looked at her more closely and his curiosity was almost at once replaced by anxiety. There was something about the droop of her shoulders that suggested all was not well. The feeling only intensified when he heard Honey sniff.

Ethan tentatively reached across the counter and touched her arm. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Ethan?" Honey swung round to face him. Her face was streaked with tears, but it was the expression in her eyes that tugged at Ethan's heard. She looked lost. Desolate, even.

Ethan could hardly bear it. He couldn't imagine what could have happened to upset the normally-cheerful barista so much. He was also surprised and very disturbed to discover he rather wanted to kill whoever was responsible.

Ethan picked up a paper napkin from the box on the counter and held it out to her. "Here."

Honey took it and started to dry her tears. "Thanks," she whispered.

"You're welcome," said Ethan. He wondered if he should go and give her a moment alone, but he didn't want to leave her when she was so upset.

She was still crying, he realised, as her big, brown eyes welled with fresh tears. Ethan stared at her, his concern almost a physical pain.

"Is there anything I can do?" said Ethan. "Would you like me to get someone for you? Louise wasn't at her desk when I passed just now, but Noel's there." He'd noticed Honey spent a lot of time hanging round the reception desk and assumed they were her closest friends.

It seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Honey's whole face seemed to quiver. Then she turned away and burst into loud sobs that tore at Ethan's heart even more.

All he wanted to do was hug her, but he didn't know how to get behind the counter. He thought of asking her, but Honey was crying harder and harder and Ethan couldn't think about anything else. In the end, he pulled himself up onto the counter, climbed over it in a clumsy and undignified manner, and finally dropped down beside Honey.

Now he was there, he wasn't quite sure what to do, but Honey took that decision out of his hands when she threw her arms around him.

Ethan froze for a moment, but even he could work out what needed to be done. He put his arms around Honey and stroked her hair. "It's okay, Honey. It's okay. Well, no. Obviously, it's not okay. But it will be. I'm sure it will be."

When Honey's sobs began to die down, Ethan decided he probably wasn't doing anything too badly wrong, but that didn't mean he had any idea of what to do next.

"Ethan, put her down and let her do her work," said a familiar voice. "I'd like my usual, please, Honey."

Ethan faced his brother over Honey's head. "Honey is on her break, Caleb. Please come back later."

"How much later?" said Cal. "My break won't last forever, you know." He gave an infuriating smile. "You should have told me you were after Honey. I'd have given you some tips."

Ethan glared at him. "I hardly think I need any." He meant that he didn't need tips because Honey wasn't his girlfriend and wasn't ever likely to be, but he realised it could be interpreted as a declaration that he didn't need any because he already had Honey in his arms.

He really hoped Honey didn't interpret it in that way.

Cal sighed. "If you're that inseparable, you could always make the coffee together."

Honey gave a tiny sob and whispered into Ethan's ear. "Please make him go away."

Cal frowned slightly. His eyes met Ethan's in an expression of belated concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"Everything's fine," said Ethan. "We just aren't making coffee at the moment. We have other priorities."

"Fine! I'll just die of thirst and fall asleep in Resus!" said Cal.

"I don't think you're likely to do it in that order," said Ethan.

Cal made a sound of frustration and walked off.

Honey stayed in Ethan's arms for a bit longer, then she lifted her head from his shoulder. "Thanks for getting rid of him."

"It was my pleasure," said Ethan. Shyly, he asked: "Would you like to tell me what's wrong?"

Honey sniffed. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to you," said Ethan. "So it matters to me too. We can always go somewhere else if you don't want to be bothered by customers. Shall we go to the staff room?"

Honey looked a bit panicky, but only for a moment. "Cal might be there. Making his own coffee."

"Yes. That's true," said Ethan. He considered the on-call room, but was worried that suggestion might sound untoward. "Shall we go outside?"

"Okay," said Honey after a moment or two. She scrubbed her face dry and found some sunglasses in her bag.

"Um, it's not actually sunny," said Ethan.

Honey put them on. "I don't want everyone to see I've been crying, do I?"

"No. Of course not," said Ethan.


They found a bench and sat together. Ethan felt nervous and unsure of himself, but this was nothing unusual.

Honey was staring down into her lap and picking at her nail varnish. As Ethan watched, a tear snaked out from behind her sunglasses and ran down her cheek.

Ethan gave her one of the napkins he'd brought with him. "Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me everything that happened in your own time."

He mentally cringed at the clichés. Judging from the way Honey burst into tears again, she hadn't thought much of them either.

"I told Noel he was my dad!" she wailed.

"Oh," said Ethan. "And what did he say?"

"He said it wasn't funny and walked off!"

Ethan patted her shoulder a couple of times. "Don't worry. Sometimes a joke just falls flat. It happens to me all the time. I'm sure everything will be fine when you see Noel again."

"It wasn't a joke!" sobbed Honey. She put her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I told Noel he was my dad and he just looked at me and walked away!"

He patted her back in a vague, stunned sort of way. "So you mean… Noel really is your dad?"

"How many times do I have to say it, Ethan?"

"But… how?" Ethan said blankly.

"How do you think?" said Honey. "He met my mum and they danced and then this stork flew out of the sky and dumped a baby in her arms and that was me."

Ethan decided this was a perfectly reasonable answer to a very stupid question. "I see. Right. So, Noel's your dad. Okay. Have you seen him today?"

"I hoped he might come and see me," sniffed Honey. "He usually comes to get a coffee in the morning. But he didn't and then Louise came and she told me he didn't want anything. I just felt… I don't know, Ethan. I've lost the honey and I don't think I'll ever find it again."

"Perhaps he just needs more time to come to terms with it," said Ethan. "It must have been a big shock to him, discovering he had a daughter. Perhaps if you give him a little more time…"

"But how much time?" said Honey. She lifted her head from Ethan's shoulder and removed her sunglasses so she could wipe her eyes. "How much time do I wait before I decide he isn't interested and it's all been for nothing?"

Ethan looked at her helplessly. He had to admit he'd no idea. "Could you go and talk to him?"

Honey shook her head emphatically. "I couldn't, Ethan. Not after last night and today. I'm usually not scared of facing new situations and difficult people. I came up here, didn't I, not knowing anyone? But if he does that to me again: if he walks away from me…"

Ethan rubbed her shoulder gently as more tears leaked out. "Perhaps there's someone else who could speak to him for you."

Honey's face filled with sudden hope. "Would you, Ethan? Would you really?"

"Oh, I didn't mean…" Ethan stopped. Her eyes were sparkling and not with tears this time "Well, of course I will if you really think you'd like me to, but I'm afraid I'm not the right sort of person for that at all. I always say the wrong thing. I wouldn't want to make things worse."

"You could never make things worse!" said Honey. "He'd listen to you, Ethan. I know he would. You're always so sweet and you understand things and no-one could take offence from anything you say."

Ethan wasn't at all sure about that, but he had to admit it was nice hearing it. "Oh… well, if you're sure I'm the right man for the job, Honey, I'll do my best. I just can't promise I'll be very successful."

Honey threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Ethan. My knight in shining armour!"

"I think you might be getting me confused with my brother," said Ethan.

"No," said Honey, her eyes fixed on his. "I'm not."