To ETWentHome, Teeloganroryflan, CBloom2, Jinxy13112, Minnie4114 and anyone else who wanted a sequel to Face the Truth - I hope this lives up to expectations. (I would post a link to Face the Truth, but I don't know how - sorry.)


Ethan did his best to keep his voice steady as he asked: "I suppose they don't need to know absolutely everything?"

Robyn's eyes widened with shock, then softened. "I think they do, Ethan, really. A patient's died. We have to make a report and if we leave anything out…"

"But some details are irrelevant, aren't they?" said Ethan. "We don't need to report every single little thing that happened."

"Not the little things, no," said Robyn. "But the big things…"

Ethan knew she was right, but he couldn't help asking: "Do you think it was a big thing?" Perhaps Robyn wouldn't be quite sure. Perhaps she would agree it was a little thing. And then they could…

And then they could what? Cover up Ethan's mistake?

Was he really even contemplating that?

Robyn looked genuinely torn. She felt sorry for him, he knew that. She probably didn't blame him for anything. She had been there, after all. She'd seen the whole thing and she knew exactly what had happened, and how. But that didn't change anything.

Ethan turned away for a moment, thinking hard about the process that lay ahead of him, trying to use his intelligence and not his emotions, but he knew there was only one possible answer. "No, you're right. Of course you're right. We'll tell them everything. It's the only thing we can do. I don't know why I considered anything else."

He turned and didn't miss Robyn's relief, though she quickly masked it with a smile. "I'm sure it'll be okay, Ethan."

"Yes, of course it will," he said.


It would have to be today, Ethan thought as he parked the car. The one day when he'd finally succeeded in persuading Cal that he needed to take a couple of days off and stop pushing himself to save lives when his emotions were so battered and bruised, he could barely think. Cal hadn't wanted to take any time off because admitting he was too upset to do his job simply didn't fit with the image he had of himself. But this morning he'd reluctantly told Ethan he didn't feel great at all and he was going to take the day off. Two days at the absolute most.

Of course, if Cal had been at the hospital today, he would most likely have discovered what had happened and almost certainly made Ethan's life a misery until it was time for Ethan to leave. But at least when Ethan's shift had finally ended, he would have been able to go home and have the place to himself for a few hours.

He wasn't sure what he'd have done with his solitude. He might have sat alone and tortured himself or he might have tried his hardest to concentrate on something else, but at least he would have had the choice.

As it was, there was no choice at all. Cal would be there and the chances were he wouldn't be feeling any better. That morning when Ethan had said goodbye, Cal had asked with tears in his eyes if they could talk later. Ethan had come so close to offering to call in sick too, but his natural honesty hadn't allowed it. Instead he'd promised they'd talk when he got home.

If only hadn't gone to work today. If only he'd stayed with Cal. Then none of this would have happened.

Ethan let himself in and called out to Cal that he was home. There was no reply, which wasn't altogether surprising. Cal didn't usually bother to respond when Ethan announced his return from work or anywhere else. Often, of course, it was because he wasn't there to hear, but even when he was there, he often didn't speak to Ethan unless he wanted something.

Ethan usually left him alone, but things were a bit different now. He went and knocked on his bedroom door. "Cal, I'm home. Are you okay? Let me know if you still want to talk."

He waited a moment without hearing any kind of response and began to feel scared. Maybe Cal was in a mood with him for some reason; maybe he'd regretted his earlier request for a listening ear and was hiding from Ethan; maybe he'd gone out for a breath of fresh air, as Ethan had encouraged him to do.

But Cal was so hurt and sad at the moment. He was just about coping at work, though Ethan had helped him out a few times and taken the blame on another occasion; but he struggled to complete even the most basic of tasks at home. Ethan had asked him to make a cup of tea yesterday, thinking that this was one thing Cal could manage, but after waiting for twenty minutes, he'd discovered Cal staring out of the window, having not so much as boiled the kettle. He didn't eat unless Ethan cooked the food and sat with him to ensure he ate it. He had trouble getting to sleep without medical aids. And he never seemed to know what day it was, so even with his timetable in front of him, he didn't know when he was meant to go to work unless Ethan was there to help him.

Ethan suspected depression and was starting to wonder if Cal had been heading in that direction even before he'd met Taylor. That was part of the reason why she'd become so important to him and why he'd missed the signs Ethan was sure must have been there. He'd just needed someone so badly. It wasn't as though Ethan had been there for him.

Cal still hadn't answered and there was no sound from inside the bedroom. Ethan stood waiting, staring at the door and feeling his anxiety increase. He wouldn't have said Cal was the type to hurt himself, but Ethan knew there wasn't really a type when it came to depression.

Ethan knocked on the door again. "Cal, I'm sorry if I'm being irritating, but I'm worried about you. I'm going to count to five and if you don't answer me or open the door, I'm coming in. Okay?"