So, a brand new FanFiction...yes, about Cal and Ethan. Did you expect anything else?! Anyway, just a quick little note, I will probably ask you every single chapter to review, just to satisfy my anxious needs and wondering whether you are enjoying it or not! Also, I am planning to do weekly updates every Monday with this story! So, on with the first chapter!
By Your Bedside: Chapter 1
Cal sat silently by his brother's bedside in ITU. He sat watching his brother's chest rise and fall mechanically, aided by the ventilator. His hand had ghosted over his little brother's many times, but he still couldn't bring himself to hold it. It was too hard, too painful. All the wires, all the tubes connected to his little brother made Cal's heart ache. It wasn't natural for his brother to be kept alive by machinery. Cal wanted to free his brother from this state of limbo, to sweep him up and hide him away somewhere safe. That meant doing the one thing Cal would never, ever do. Throughout this, he would never, ever agree to pulling the plug, to ending his little brother's life once and for all. No, he watched and waited. Every day, every night, he would sit, sleep and eat by his brother's bedside, determined not to leave him, for if his little brother wakes up, Cal will be there.
But in the days, maybe longer, he would have to wait, Cal remembered everything. Everything that caused his little brother, to cause Ethan to be on the brink of death, to lie, half dead, in a coma. And Cal didn't know if he would wake up.
To say the morning was dreary would be an understatement. Rain clouds, rain, not even a slither of the sun had shone through since dawn broke- well, the sun didn't even make an appearance for that. Ethan and Cal had noticed this too well- as did the rest of the Holby. It didn't come as much of a surprise to them as it would to many other people. Living in the British Isles seemed to implant into your mind that if the sun was out for more than three hours then the apocalypse was coming.
Despite the weather that seemed to reflect the mood of the Saturday morning ED department, Cal and Ethan were a little happier than to be expected- which was down to two reasons. The first of which being that Cal had managed to pay Ethan back after the long wait- in turn, making both of them quite pleased. If Ethan was honest, he was more than a little surprised too. Cal was not one to be a very reliable character- so the fact that he had paid Ethan back came as a shock. If Ethan wasn't sitting down when Cal gave him the good news, Ethan would have toppled back.
The second reason Cal and Ethan seemed to be the only ones smiling was that Honey had returned. Now, one would not usually expect Cal to be happy having been graced with the news that the girl Ethan had fallen for was back- but he was just pleased for his brother, and that he wouldn't be tricked the same way he was. But, being pleased for his brother was an emotion which neither of them would have expected little more than a year previously.
It had taken a little time for Ethan to adjust to this strangely alien feeling that had returned to him when Honey decided to make a surprise appearance back in Holby, but things had gone well after he managed to pluck up the courage to ask her out for dinner.
So, Ethan and Honey had been having a steady relationship- a concept which Ethan was growing to like- on one condition. They pulled a 'Zoe and Max', i.e. they kept it a secret. Noel, of course, knew all about Ethan and Honey- and, if he was honest, kind of suspected it. He didn't mind- in fact- he was glad that Ethan and Honey had mutual feelings towards one another, and, as Honey's father, he was more than happy for the very gentlemanly Ethan to be with his daughter. Saying that, he respected their wishes and kept it secret. A job which proved harder than he first thought when he lived with Big Mac and worked at reception with Louise. That was the worst part. If Louise found out- which she was very close to doing considering she spent 90% of her time watching the coffee shop- the whole hospital, ED and all would find out in less than an hour.
That being said, Ethan's brother didn't want them to keep it a secret at first. It would be too much strain, and he wanted Ethan to be openly joyous. So, after much persuasion (and the odd couple of beers), Cal agreed to keeping it secret. It was the least he could do for Ethan.
There was a soft knock on the door to his brother's room before the person entered. It was Honey. She had been one of many who had decided to see how Ethan was- and although none of them told Cal this, they all liked checking up on him a lot, too.
Ever since Ethan had been in a coma, Cal seemed more reserved, more quiet. He was given compassionate leave by Connie after an unfortunate incident with a cleaning trolley and tripping over his own feet. It was like a part of Cal had gone- and everyone knew why.
Honey's gentle voice broke Cal out of his dazed thoughts as she handed him a coffee- the only thing keeping him awake during the day. "Why don't you go and sleep in the on-call room for a bit?" She suggested. "It'll be comfier than these chairs." She continued. Cal looked down at his feet- enjoying the warmth that radiated off of the cup he was grasping in his hands.
"I don't like leaving him." Cal's whispered and tear-filled words were an understatement. Honey gazed towards him sympathetically. She'd never seen him so desperate, so broken, before. No one had. She walked nearer and placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking.
"I'll be here." She reminded him. "He'd want you to sleep." Honey added comfortingly. Ethan would. He would probably push Cal into the on-call room himself. Cal, however, shook his head- keeping his eyes on his younger brother. Honey smiled sweetly and tried to persuade Cal further.
"I'll be with him, Cal. You're no good to him…" Honey was about to say 'half-dead', then decided they properly weren't the best choice of words to use in this situation. Come 6 months previously, she probably would have said that, but being around Ethan had rubbed off on her a bit. "I'll get you if the slightest thing happens, Cal." Nothing was likely to happen. Honey knew this too well- even though she had no inkling of the medical side of things. Ethan's condition hadn't improved, and it was unlikely it would any time soon. Then again, miracles happen- and Honey was one to believe in miracle. Even Cal- she noted- had been hoping for a miracle. She saw Cal give a minute nod of his head- one someone could have missed if they had not been looking intently for it.
"Thank you." He whispered to the barista, before standing up slowly, looking at Ethan one final time before leaving the room. He doubted he's get much sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he thought of…no! He wouldn't go there. It pained him too much to think of when everything had gone wrong, when he lost a part of himself. He just hoped Ethan would pull through. Cal could never live without him.