Hello everyone! I'm back, sorry I've been away for so long; I've been very busy and I still have a few busy weeks ahead however once they're gone I should be completely free for a good few months which I'm looking forward to spend writing.
I'm planning on using this time to get started on some sequels of some of my older stories I've promised you. Here is the beginning of the sequel to "I'd rather be a Knight", if you haven't read it yet I'd advise you to read that one first it's only 10 chapters so it shouldn't take you too long. s/11502343/1/I-d-rather-be-a-Knight
Some of you have told me you're looking forward to my sequels and so I hope they don't disappoint. The other story I'm going to be posting the sequel to soon is "Good and bad things" which I know a lot of you were excited for the sequel to, the reason I'm telling you here is so people who have not yet read it can get a head start before I post the first chapter of the sequel as that story was slightly longer at about 40-ish chapters so there's quite a lot to read. s/11344220/1/Good-and-bad-things
Don't know if those links will work but if they do it'll save you some searching...Anyways, sorry for blabbering on...here is the first chapter, "I'll always be a Knight" I really hope you enjoy, please let me know your thoughts on where you think it's going to lead I always enjoy reading your reviews, thanks, Kayxxx :)
I'll always be a Knight – Chapter one
It was just your average Saturday night in Holby City ED. Nothing in particularly different had happened, well, no two days are the same in any ED as any doctor or nurse will tell you however, today, nothing out of the ordinary had happened as of yet that was. Cal and Ethan were both on the same shift which had not started so long ago. Cal was working in RESUS whilst Ethan was busy working in cubicles.
Noel stood at his desk looking out at the patients in the waiting room trying to guess what they were in for; trying to make some fun out of his shift. His attention was then drawn to the doors as Iain and Jez burst through with a patient calling out in pain on a trolley. A man held the door open for them as they hurried through. Iain and Jez soon disappeared off but Noel's attention stayed on the man who held the door for them. He looked to be about in his mid-fifties years old, he was smartly dressed though he looked thin, and not just normal thin, ill thin, all the years Noel has worked on reception he had gotten to know the difference between the two. He was an attractive looking man despite this, his smart attire also added to his level of attractiveness. Noel watched as he examined the room admiringly, this was something he thought was strange, it's not often someone looks around any ED with so much love in their eyes. He then spotted Noel and made his way over.
"Hello, I'm looking for a Doctor Hardy?" He asked him. He was very well spoken which didn't surprise Noel at all.
"Oh, right okay I'm sure I can sort that out for you..." Noel replied slightly confused at why he'd asked for Ethan and not just signed himself in as a patient as most people do when they approach his desk, "may I ask what for?" He asked.
Just as the man opened his mouth to reply Ethan's voice cut him off.
"Dad?" He asked bewildered. He was stood at the corner of Noel's desk holding some notes on a patient, his mouth open wide in shock as he stared ahead at his father.
"Oh..." his father smiled as he looked him up and down, "you haven't changed a bit son" he smiled as he shook his head in amazement and took a few steps towards him.
Noel watched on in amazement.
"...and look at you, wearing your name badge so proudly, I always knew you'd carry on the name of Doctor Hardy" he grinned as he fiddled with Ethan's name badge.
"I-I, um..." Ethan was speechless.
"Still a stutterer though I see? Those therapy sessions were a waste" his father attempted to joke. Noel looked toward him awkwardly and Ethan pulled his father to one side embarrassed.
"No, I-I um..." He couldn't for the life of him get any words out, it was like he went straight back to being five years old.
"You can't surely be a doctor with a stutter like that..." His father spoke surprised.
"No!" Ethan spat out, "I'm- I'm just a bit shocked that's all" he managed to speak, "I mean, you're the last person I thought to see turn up at my work" he added.
"It was a bit of a gamble but I'm just happy you're living your dream, not like your brother, what's he doing these days? Still kicking a ball around? Or perhaps he's picking up bin bags somewhere?" He asked.
He didn't mean to but he couldn't help but scoff in his father's face "actually-" Ethan was cut off.
"Actually you know, I don't want to know...back to the reason why I'm here " his father proposed, "listen, how about we go and get a coffee? It's been a while, I'm sure we've got a lot to catch up on?" He suggested.
Ethan debated it momentarily before he shook his head, "I'm sorry, I'm busy today, it's Saturday and you know how hectic Saturday nights get" he told him.
"Right" his father nodded disappointment was evident in his voice.
"But I am due a break..." Ethan announce; he hated letting people down. He looked over his shoulder see if Noel was still doing his best to eavesdrop into their conversation; this was when he spotted his older brother making his way towards him. He grabbed his father by his shoulders and moved him so he had his back to Cal.
"What's gotten into you?" He asked confused.
"Umm..." Ethan hesitated as he desperately tried to think.
"Nibbles!" Cal announced as made his way over and stood in between his brother and unknowingly his father, "your patient in cubicle three..." He started, Ethan watched out the corner of his eye at his father's shocked expression, he swallowed hard as he waited, "where's she gone? Connie is having kittens" he continued, not giving any attention to the man whom Ethan stood talking to.
"I discharged her over an hour ago?" Ethan spat or confused as he looked down at his notes.
"She's breached and she's gone, but she hasn't been discharged on the system" Cal shrugged as he awaited Ethan's explanation.
It was then when Ethan pulled out the form he was meant to use to give in to deem his patient discharged.
"I'll sort it" Cal chuckled as he grabbed it from his brother's hands.
"A-hem" their father cleared his throat in attempt to make his presence known.
"Sorry for interrupting" Cal apologised politely to the man before realisation grew over him suddenly.
He was completely speechless.
"Well, Caleb..." His father began as he scanned his oldest son up and down, "never did I think I'd see you in scrubs, well, maybe I'd given prison scrubs a thought, but never hospital scrubs...is this what the porters are wearing these days?" He asked with a smirk.
Just as Ethan noticed his brother's fists clenching at his sides he butted in, "actually dad, Cal is a doctor, senior registrar, just like me" he smiled as they awaited their father's response.
"Still a registrar at your age? That's nothing to look smug about son, when I was your age I was a consultant" he told him, "Ethan will beat you to it at this rate"
"Actually I got more than Ethan on our latest FCEMs" Cal announced proudly in his defence.
"Still failed though I see?" His father asked with a scoff, "I'm kidding with you Caleb, calm down, I'm actually proud of you" his father smiled at him and did the same as he did to his youngest son straightened up the name tag on his scrubs, "you carried on the name of Doctor Hardy too I see-" he cut himself off when he noticed the name on his son's tag, his smile dropped instantly, "Knight?" He asked, "Knight?!" He shouted this time as he stepped back away from Cal.
"Caleb Knight" Cal told him.
"What? Why?!" His father demanded.
"To remind myself I did this for myself, it had nothing to do with you. You always told us to 'carry on the name of Doctor Hardy' it was like my last way of getting back at you, I was never a Hardy" Cal spoke through gritted teeth.
"Don't be so idiotic boy!" His father yelled.
"Cal..." Ethan mumbled stopping his brother's clenched fists once again, "can you discharge my patient and tell Mrs Beauchamp I'll be over to apologise shortly" he told him but Cal didn't take his eyes off his father.
"What do you want?" Cal asked him, "eh?! Why are you here?" He demanded.
"I was wondering if we could have a catch up" his father replied.
"A catch up?!" Cal roared.
"Shh Cal" Ethan warned noticing the three were getting some attention from the surrounding people.
"Okay well...since you drugged me for the majority of my childhood-" His father cut him off.
"Oh are you still rattling on about that Caleb?! It's in the past, grow up for God sake! It got you where you are today didn't it?!" he spat out.
"No. Nothing you did had any contribution to getting me to where I am today so don't you dear try and steal the credit, I had no help getting to where I am today; I did it all on my own" Cal announced, "That's why I'll always be a Knight" He added.
"Oh well your mother must be proud" He replied dropping his anger, it was almost as if he admitted defeat for a moment.
Realisation shattered over Ethan instantly, their father didn't know their mum had died, which, in reality was completely their fault or more so Ethan's. Ethan suddenly found the ground interesting.
"What?" Cal spat out confused, thinking his father was just taking another dig at him but then he soon too realised his father was unaware of their mother's death. Cal looked at him awkwardly, "...You- you know mum's dead, right?" he asked.
Ethan looked up at his father sympathetically.
"She, she's dead?" He asked in disbelief, "Matilda?"
"I'm so sorry dad, it's completely my fault I forgot to tell you" Ethan admitted.
"...When?" their father asked looking towards the ground.
"Just over two years ago now" Ethan replied softly.
"...How?" he asked.
"Cancer" Ethan told him.
Silence suddenly entered the conversation, Ethan watched his father sympathetically as he no doubt thought about his ex wife, Cal on the other hand looked at his father with nothing but hatred in his eyes.
"Oh stop acting like that's affected you in the slightest, you cheated on her remember? You made her life a living hell as you did mine too; thinking about it you did that a lot didn't you?" Cal was cut off by Ethan.
"Oh Caleb just shut up! He's just found out mum's died you could lay off him for a while yeah? Have some sympathy!" Ethan shouted angrily.
"What on earth is going on here?!" Connie demanded as she made her way over.
"I'm sorry Mrs Beauchamp I-" she cut Ethan's explanation off.
"It's always you two. How many times do I have to tell you to keep your private lives and sibling squabbling out of the ED?" Connie spoke sternly, not even noticing their father who had stepped back away from the two.
"I apologise Mrs Beauchamp, it won't happen again" Ethan spoke politely.
"Sorry Connie" Cal smirked at her. Connie rolled her eyes at him and she wondered off, Cal watched her walk away; Ethan nudged him snapping him from his staring.
"I shouldn't have come, I'll leave you two to get on with your job" Their father walked away.
"Dad!" Ethan called after him but he continued walking.
Ethan sighed and turned to Cal who had made his way over to reception.
"You look as if you've just seen a ghost" Cal scoffed.
"That's because I have, Caleb he looks awful" Ethan stated concerned as he looked over his shoulder at his father walking away.
"I haven't seen him since I was 18 that's what? 14 years, it age Ethan" Cal shrugged.
"No Cal, that's ill. Something must be up why else would he want to see us?" Ethan asked as he thought.
"You Ethan. He wanted to see you." Cal corrected him but Ethan was too deep in thought to even hear him, Cal looked at him knowingly, "don't" he warned. Ethan sighed and looked up at him sheepishly, "Ethan don't even think about it, are you forgetting what he did to me?" Cal asked in disbelief.
"Yeah did to you, not me." Ethan replied sternly. "Dad!" he called as he ran to out the ED door leaving Cal stood at reception livid.
He saw his father slowly making his way across the car park, "Dad!" he shouted once more he stopped and turned to face him, "look take my number, I'll meet up with you" Ethan wrote his phone number down on some paper he had hold of and tore it off to give to him.
"Thank you son" his father replied sincerely.
"I'm so sorry you found out about mum that way, I should've told you earlier" Ethan replied sadly.
"I'll be in touch soon Ethan" His father smiled at him gratefully and walked off.
Ethan walked back into the ED where Cal waited for him, "So...?" Cal asked.
"He's going to call me" Ethan told him with a sigh of relief.
"Unbelievable" Cal shook his head at him; he ducked down to Ethan's level intimidating him instantly, "Okay, so if you don't care what he did to me what about what he did to mum eh? Surely you care about her?" Cal spoke through gritted teeth.
"I do care about you Cal, and mum, and I'll let him know when we meet up that he is nowhere near forgiven, even by me" Ethan promised.