Hello there! I'm new to the fanfic writing portion of the Casualty fandom, but I've been around in this fandom growing up. It was the tale of two brothers that got me really into it though and this multi-chaptered piece will be my first offering. I do take prompts and requests for Casualty; so if you have something that you would like to see me write, drop me a PM and we can work out the finer details.

I hope you enjoy this!

Kat

x

Domino Effect

"So, are you going to be a doctor or a dancer?" Ethan's question seemed loud in the vast space of the rehearsal room I used as practise for ballet in the School of Arts. He was sitting against the wall on the far side of the room next to the sound system while I was beside the mirror, sitting on the floor and chatting while I finished wrapping the ribbons of my ballet shoes around my calves. I rotated my ankle and bit my lip in thought.

We'd just come from the library where myself and Ethan had looked into applying to prestigious medical schools and the grade requirements. We were both on track and with one of the country's top Neurosurgeons as a father, I knew I had the support to get the grades I needed. The reason for the boy's question, though, was the fact that I was also the daughter of one of the most well-known Ballet dancers in Europe.

Getting to my feet I gave a small shrug, raising one leg to rest on the bar and rested my forehead against my knee. "I don't see why I can't do both until I have to choose." I told him, watching him grin in the mirror. He was the quiet type, the thinker. I was always curious as to what was going on behind his little smiles.

"You never make decisions, Ally." He pointed out, eyes meeting mine in the mirror when I switched legs. "You always just do things on the spur of the moment and it works for you."

It was my turn to laugh then, he was right. I always had been lucky in the sense that I tended to land on my feet when it came to any kind of decision making. I truly believed in following my heart and right now medicine and dance were my two loves; both had come along right at the same time and I would play doctor as a child while wearing my tutu and ballet shoes, lab coat and stethoscope.

My parents never pushed my brother or I; we had to forge our own paths and make our own choices. I was grateful to them for that, but at sixteen, I needed some guidance. I needed someone to give me some sort of sign that I had to go either way; I was either going to become my father or my mother's protégée. I began to go through the warm up motions, thinking it over.

"I am lucky." I spoke finally; meeting the curious gaze of the boy across the room. I shook my legs and bit my lip again. "Sometimes I feel like I'm lost, though, drifting, you know?" I began to take measured steps towards him; breaking into a series of pirouettes and leaps before stopping just short of where I was sitting. "In both of those careers, everything is measured. There's a standard. There's a set of measurable expectations. I can do both; I just need something more than luck to show me where it is I belong."

"You'll know." He said confidently. "I was reading about a study carried out in Sweden…"

As Ethan spoke, I smiled and nodded. It was interesting; relevant and so incredibly Ethan that I couldn't help the grin that tugged at my lips. He'd been everything I'd needed when I got her from rural Donegal six months ago. My mother had hailed from there and had chosen there for us to be based with her family while my parents chased illustrious dreams and dizzying heights with their careers. I had fiery red hair and a thick Irish accent. Dad had made friends with Ethan's mother and when we were settling here, Ethan – although shy – had taken it upon himself to befriend and make welcome the new girl. We'd fast become friends and I really couldn't imagine a time when I didn't have him as my best friend.

He came as a package deal; the baby brother of the infamous Caleb; the polar opposite of his big brother's bad boy. Where he was soft and gentle, Cal was tough and streetwise, where Ethan was polite, Cal was alight with witty remarks and filthy humour. A little older than us; Caleb was already on his way to becoming a doctor; or would be if he and my brother would focus less on girls and booze and more on their careers. Cal was everything all the girls wanted; good looking, looking for a good time and a bad boy with enough of a vulnerable streak to make him irresistible. I found myself fighting both of their corners and watching them both fight each other's while the other wasn't around. If only they could both see it. I had a soft spot for both boys, a need to protect them and try to make them see that they weren't completely and utterly different to the extent that they couldn't be friends. They were brothers, they just couldn't see it.

"…in other words; you aren't actually pre-determined to do anything, but the domino effect is definitely in play. So if you have a rehearsal or an audition round about the same time as an exam; you'll soon find out which is more important." Ethan finished, smiling brightly and I nodded before leaning over to press play.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

I counted the steps as I made my way downstairs to the Emergency Department from Neurology. We'd gotten a call from Guy Self asking us if we could spare any staff as the ED was over run due to structural damage closing St. James and a multi-vehical RTA closing the main motorway going in and out of the city. The department was already elbow deep in chaos and were expecting at least as many patients again as they had in their department already. It was my background and expertise that had prompted me to volunteer and my seniors to allow me to go. Although I had been in the neurology department for almost a year, it had been Emergency Medicine that had captured my heart and where I had always thought that I had belonged.

It helped that I knew a few of the doctors and nurses on shift; I'd always made it a point to go and collect patients myself or consult in cases in person, but it was different being back in this situation after being out of it for almost a year. Seeing patients where you had time to chat and examine them, without rushing anyone out of the door was nice, but as the buzz of the ED grew louder, I felt the adrenalin begin to run through my veins and remind me how much I missed this.

"AJ."

My head snapped up at the sound of my name being called and I paused mid step at the absolute carnage that greeted me. There was barely enough room to manoeuvre through the crowd and patients were getting mixed up with anxious relatives. The relief on Zoe Hanna's face as she waved me over was everything I needed to know in that moment. I wouldn't be able to think on this shift, I'd be thrown back into the thick of things and wouldn't have a moment to even breathe. I began to try to tame the mass of flame coloured waves that were framing my face, pulling my hair back and burying the two clips that kept it at bay in among the thick strands.

"Where do you need me?" The question was barely out of my mouth when the other doctor had my arm in a vice grip, hurtling me towards resus. This was my forte; my organisation and ability to multitask is what had drawn me to Emergency Medicine, what had led me around the world and into danger, helping people and saving lives. It took me a second to take in the scene, before I heard myself organising people and patients, asking for aprons and gloves and moving towards the first patient that didn't have a doctor nearby.

"Hello there, can you hear me?" I asked, smiling when the man opened his eyes at my voice. The accent generally caused some sort of reaction and the fact the man recognised it was out of place was a good sign. "My name is Doctor Alicia-Jude Jones." I continued, "You can call me AJ though, everyone but my mother does. What's your name?" I was checking his pupils and other obs, before rattling off instructions to the nurses nearby.

"James." The man replied before his lips turned up in a small grin. "Dr. Jones?" he asked and I chuckled. " 'fraid so." There was nothing this man could say that I hadn't heard a million times, but his current level of coherence was rapidly bringing him from a red to an amber and that was alright with me, I'd listen to the same jokes repeatedly for the next 12 hours if it meant every patient in my care got out of this alive.

James was followed by Andrew, Jessica and Melissa, a ten year old boy called Ben, an 11 year old girl called Samantha and then Justin, a gorgeous four year old who we only managed to get into theatre because I could perform a small procedure which would take an elderly man from red to amber and free up a surgeon to save the little boy's life. I'd been there for three hours, patient after patient, slowly changing the organisation of the room into something that functioned better, something that was more efficient, something that allowed doctors the staff and equipment they needed without having to wait an age for it. I knew it wasn't something that would please the Clinical Lead and it wasn't really something that was incredibly professional and would probably have me getting a serious ticking off from Guy, but she wasn't in this room; she was nowhere to be found in the building at all and it was just this room I was micromanaging. The rest of the department was hers and hers alone.

Knowing full well there had been a trauma team sent to the crash site; getting Resus running was the first and most important thing; setting up cubicles and triage was something that fell into place and knowing Charlie and Tess, would have happened if Connie was here to not. Just as I had changed gloves and moved to the next patient, I heard her heels. The din was loud and almost consuming but I knew when she was around, the room temperature tended to drop into minus and everyone became a lot more productive. I was checking ABC's and mid-sentence with the paramedics when I felt her come to a stop directly behind me, taking over the conversation as I continued to listen and check on the patient. I bit my tongue when she started giving instructions and walking around the bed. She had no aprons, no gloves and was still involving herself in my patient.

The second she began to remove her stethoscope from around her neck my gaze snapped to hers. "Can I help you?" I asked, my brow furrowing as I glared at her.

"I'm clinical lead, I'm assessing—"

"—you've been clinical lead for a few months now. Pretty MIA this morning. I'm a clinical member of staff in this hospital, specialising in trauma care and Neurology, currently assessing a patient with a serious head injury. " I kept checking over the patient, turning to give the nurses a few instructions, feeling the icy glare of the consultant.

"I don't know who you are but this is my department and you can't waltz in here and run it. I have a specific plan of action, we have rules and procedures. This – " she gestured around the room, "—is not how this department works."

I stood up and looked around, as one of the nurses ran to phone for a CT. "it's working just fine. Connie," I pressed on despite her glare and warning that her name was Ms. Beauchamp, "I have years of experience working in war torn countries, working in trauma centres who do this kind of thing day in, day out. Yes, I've been upstairs for a year, but emergency medicine is my bread and butter. You weren't here, I made a few changes and everything is working perfectly. You can change everything back when this room empties, but I need you to trust me on this and the walking wounded need you through in cubicles." I took a deep breath and returned to my patient, and allowing myself a small grin in satisfaction as Connie turned on her heel, phone in hand and marched out of the room.

"You slayed the Dragon." Rita, the blonde nurse told me with a wry grin.

"Nah," I shook my head, a few unruly curls springing free. "I only cut off one of her heads, ten will grow back in its place and I'll be more than happy to hear about the repercussions all the way up in Neuro." I shot back, feeling around the woman's abdomen and shaking my head, "Hold the CT, we have a bleed here. We need to find and cauterise this before we go anywhere near the CT. Keep an eye on the blood pressure, I want an ultrasound in here and I'll need at least four units, cross match." I was lost once again in the flurry of activity, barely hearing Ethan's greeting and not entirely sure if I had returned it out loud or it was merely in my head. Before long I was covered in blood pulling the side of the bed up and nodding to two of the porters who appeared to take the patient to the CT scan. I rolled my neck and pulled at the apron, snapping the gloves off and binning them all as I made my way out of the room.

Five and a half hours was a long time to be in that room and I needed something to regain my focus. We'd gotten over the worst of it; three patients still had to come in but there was more than enough doctors and nurses around to stabilise them while I grabbed myself a coffee and some fruit. I began to make my way through the vastly thinned crowd and smiled at the barista, she was new and buzzing around the waiting room trying to make everyone feel more at ease. As soon as she looked up, I nodded towards the coffee shop and made my way there, grinning as she scurried over and slipped behind the counter.

"What can I get ya?" She asked brightly, "No, wait, don't tell me." She closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples, taking a few deep breaths and then opening her eyes. "A tea. Really milky, no sugar. Yes?"

I picked up an apple and an orange as I pulled my emergency £10 from my back pocket and shook my head with a smile. "Double espresso, shot of hazelnut. Or caramel." I gave a shrug, my head beginning to pound now that I had stopped for long enough to let my body settle a little.

"Sorry." She gave me a half smile and went about making my coffee.

"I should probably have tea, but I need to keep going." I waved the fruit and she laughed, "You're new around here, I'm AJ." I grinned and she nodded.

"I'm Honey. You must be new, too, we don't get a lot of foreign people like you here. I don't know why you'd want to leave to come and work here." She handed me the coffee and I handed her the money, nodding at her. This was the girl Dr. Hardy couldn't shut up about; she really was something else entirely.

"You're right," I nodded once, taking a sip of the coffee as I pocketed my change and picked up my fruit. "It's nice knowing we have someone down here who can make good coffee, I'll need to drop by more often." With a small wave and a laugh at her response, I turned and began to make my way to the staff lounge, I'd met Ethan here plenty times and knew my way but it felt strange getting there while there was still chaos and carnage around me. Logically I knew though, that if I didn't eat or drink soon I would only be adding to their problems. I used my elbow to open the door, pushing it with my shoulder as I stepped into the room, smirking a little when I saw I wasn't alone.

"Action is out there, batman." I said with a grin, making my way over to the sofa and sinking down beside him, nudging him with my shoulder as I set my things down on the table, and fished my phone out of the pocket in my blouse, I unpinned my hair and laughed when he reached over and began to unpeel the orange for me. His silence wasn't lost on me though, and I gave him a sidelong look as I took a sip of coffee, holding my hand out for a segment of orange. As he wordlessly placed the segment in my palm, I closed my hand and caught his fingers, forcing him to look at me. "Cal," I sighed, letting his hand go to cup the back of his head, "He's saving lives in there; he's okay. You're okay. Hold on to that, alright." I placed a kiss on his cheek before rolling my eyes when he put a few bits of orange in his mouth.

"Thanks, Aqua. I knew I could count on you for food."

I shoved his shoulder hard as we both laughed. I hated the nickname with a passion but I'd gotten off lightly. I could have ended up with something like Nibbles, but if Aqua was all I got then I was a happy girl. "You're an arsehole." I laughed, snatching the rest of the orange from him and nudging him again, keeping my knee against his.

The thing I'd learned very early on with these boys, was how vulnerable they both could be but would never ask for help. Would never let on how much they were hurting. Would never let people in to help unless you worked out a way to insert yourself in their lives to offer the help they needed.

"Yet you keep me around."

I didn't stop him when he reached for my coffee, mainly because I knew it would be a futile attempt but because this was how it always had been between us; easy. "I haven't quite worked out why that is yet. I was thinking of asking Ethan to do a research paper on it." I shot back, smirking when he winced and handed me the coffee. "You know how I take my coffee," I laughed when he reached for the water, gulping it down. "You're ridiculous." I told him finishing off the orange and draining the coffee while he tried to get my phone from my hand and then fought me for the apple.

We were mid-grapple, his larger body practically pushing me into the sofa, my legs bent awkwardly as my back was twisted, trying to get away from him when the door opened and we both looked, laughing as we righted ourselves, a very confused looking nurse standing in the doorway. Robyn, I think her name was, she'd helped me treat a patient before moving to help Ethan.

"Dr. Jones, you're needed in Resus, one of the walking wounded collapsed, possible head trauma. He's getting a head CT now, but Dr. Hanna asked me to get you." Her words came out in a rush as I got to my feet, putting my hair back into the clasps and righting my blouse. I gave Cal a playful kick.

"No problem," I nodded, "Worst influence ever, dinner tonight?" I asked over my shoulder, as I made my way to where Robyn was, putting my phone in my pocket and turning waiting for his answer.

"I, uh, have plans with Taylor tonight." He said, a small smile on his face in way of an apology. Something about the thought of Cal staying with the one girl for more than one night made me grin so I nodded at him, pausing at the door.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm impressed she's putting up with you this long." I gave him a smile and headed back out into the busy room that I had momentarily forgotten existed while I carried on with Caleb. I could feel Robyn watching me and gave her a grin. "We grew up together. And when I say we, I mean Ethan and I. I don't think Cal ever will." She merely nodded and continued to walk.

"Why did you leave this?" She asked gesturing around and I laughed and shrugged, sighing when resus came into view and the chaos that was inside of it. We both paused at the door as I turned to face her, my teal coloured eyes meeting her baby blues; "Domino Effect." I told her, pushing the door open and making my way into the room. "What have we got?"