This story is based loosely on the poem 'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley. This inspirational poem formed the foundations of the Inictus Games- an event started by HRH Prince Harry to aid the recovery of wounded service personnel with both physical and mental injuries. I have chosen to write this now because this week marks the second Invictus Games and I have been truly inspired by the stories of the competitors. Each chapter is titled with a line from the poem and all going well there wil be 16 chapters. I apologise if I don't update regularly but I will do my best. I hope you enjoy the story.

It had been nearly a year since that fateful day. The day in which his life changed forever. It was cliched but nonetheless true. Less than twelve months earlier, Ethan Hardy had been a typical young man, working hard at his job, enjoying life, until in one instance that was all snatched away.

Cal and Ethan had just finished their shift at the ED. They both decided since they had faced a long, tiring day that a drink was in order. As they wandered over to the pub, Ethan realised that he had left his phone behind in his locker. 'I'll be back in a second, I'm just going to fetch my phone' Ethan whispered in Cal's ear as Cal bought their drinks. Cal acknowledged what his brother said but was swept into a conversation.

Ethan dashed across the carpark before heading into the ED. He bumped into Mrs Beauchamp on his way to the staff room. 'Ah Dr Hardy, I've been meaning to get hold of you, your Huntington's specialist has just been on the phone' Connie informed him. Ethan felt his heart in his throat. Everything began to spin around him,his eyes filled with tears. His stomach felt heavy as he willed himself not to throw up on the clinical lead. 'Don't worry, its actually great news. He said that you aren't showing any signs of the disease, in fact he said that he wants to test you again for the gene incase there is any error with the previous results' Connie explained. Ethan felt all of his worries melt away.

'Thank you so much Mrs Beauchamp' Ethan responded, his voice catching with the emotions he was feeling.

'It's my pleasure, now I hope you and your brother will celebrate this news and I'll see you on Monday morning for your shift' Connie smiled.

'Have a nice weekend Mrs Beauchamp' Ethan smiled.

'You too Dr Hardy' Connie replied, returning the smile, before disappearing back into her office.

Ethan momentarily forgot what he was doing in the ED before rushing to the staffroom to grab his phone. He checked to see if there were any messages before strolling back outside towards the pub.

He heard someone scream. It sounded distant, like a faint whisper. He could barely make it out at first because of all of the noise. He felt hot, his skin was burning. He was engulfed but dizziness before he realised what was happening. He was being lifted into the air, high off of the ground before being slammed onto the tarmac by a strong force beside the now burning wreckage of a car. He realised the screaming was coming from him.

He was numb, he couldn't feel anything. At first he thought he was dead but he could see the flames flickering around him and he could feel the heat on his face. Then he thought he might be paralysed. That's when the pain made itself known. At first it was a throbbing sensation, this only lasted a minute before erupting into agony. Ethan could barely find the energy to scream before passing out.

Cal was stood by the bar, with a drink in each hand, waiting for his brother to return. He started up a conversation with Max about the latest football results and how they were both shocked at who won the premier league when he felt the ground shaking beneath him. Max leapt under a table, announcing it was an earthquake and many of their colleagues followed suit. Cal was about to take cover when he heard the explosion. He dropped onto the ground, covering the back of his head with his hands to protect it from the broken shards of glass flying at him from what were the windows.

A high pitch screeching sounds echoed in his ears, a result of the loud blast. He heard someone yelling his brother's name, it started as a deep groan before turning into a bellowing scream. He turned to see where the voice was coming from before realising it was him.

He ran outside, stumbling towards the wreckage. Everything was glowing white hot, the heat from the explosion, scorching his face as he approached. He heard a desperate wail followed by silence. The sound was enough for him to know who it was. He ran to the other side of the car to find a body, lying a couple of metres away. The young man was sprawled across the ground, glasses smashed on the tarmac beside him. Cal hurried over before kneeling beside him. 'Eth?' He cried.

A pained groan came from his brother. 'It's alright I'm here, just stay calm for me' Cal whispered, trying to assess his brother's condition. Cal noticed the condition of his brother's left leg, it was torn to pieces. He peeled his jacket off and draped it over his brother before taking off his over- shirt and tied it around his leg to try and stop the bleeding. A flurry of people rushed around them, staggering in different directions trying to seek out shelter. 'CAN I GET SOME HELP OVER HERE!' Cal bellowed.

Within seconds a wave of people descended upon them. The clinical lead had just stepped outside to investigate when Cal shouted. Connie grabbed a med bag before sprinting to his aid. 'Right what have we got?' Connie asked as she pulled on some gloves and knelt beside Ethan.

'Ethan appears to have been at the centre of the explosion, his leg is in a bad way and I think he has a serious Traumatic Brain Injury. Please Mrs Beauchamp, you have to help him' Cal begged.

'I'm going to do my best. Right Doctor Hardy, not quite the celebrations I had in mind eh?' Connie smiled. Ethan chuckled weakly before erupting into a coughing fit. 'Itms alright Ethan, I'm going to do my best to help you, can you tell me where it hurts please' Connie murmured.

'Head... Leg... Chest... Abdomen' Ethan groaned.

'Alright, we're going to get you inside and patched up' Connie told him as Max appeared with a trolley and spinal board. 'This might be a bit uncomfortable as we move you but once we're inside, I'll get you some stronger pain relief' Connie told him as she injected some morphine into his thigh.

As they went to lift him Ethan screamed out in agony. 'Stop, please, just give him a moment' Cal pleaded with them. Connie nodded whilst Cal leant close to his brother. 'Nibbles, its okay. You're going to be alright, just try and calm down for me. I know it hurts but we'll get you inside and we'll get you some stronger pain relief' Cal murmured. Ethan held his hand out shakily to his older brother. 'I'm here mate, I'm not going anywhere' he whispered taking his hand in his.

'Ethan, we have to move you now. I know it hurts but try and stay calm. Squeeze Cal's hand if you want, it might help' Connie explained. Ethan nodded his head weakly, gripping his brother's hand tighter. He clamped his eyes shut as they moved him once more. Despite the pain relief they had administered, Ethan was in absolute agony. He screamed out in pain, gripping his brother's hand in a death grip as he fought back his screams.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Ethan was laid on the trolley and being rushed inside.