Hi everyone, I'm back once again! Saturday's episode inspired a new story which I'm sure it did a lot of people, it was such a great episode! What if Louis wasn't HIV-Negative?
I'm sure other people will write or already have written stories based on this as it is a great storyline, but here is the beginning of my take on it. I was going to make this a one-shot, but you all know me, I get far too carried away when writing "short-ish" stories (just look at my last story haha). This story should be about three chapters long, I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts, thanks, Kayxxx :)
Chapter One
He stood at the nursing station looking over at Louis sat in the cubicle surrounded by his father and Tess. He looked towards the drug addict whose infected blood he could have streaming through his right at this moment and thought.
"To think I pitied him. How can he be scared of a needle? He's a drug addict that's all he has in his arms! Why did I even try to help him? No one else would be stupid enough to. I should've listened to Lily this morning He's not helping himself why should I try? It's not like there's much help he can get, he's too far in now. I could have been helping a patient who actually deserved my help-why am I thinking like this? I've never thought like this before...Ethan you're a doctor, you're meant to help everyone without judgement, equitable treatment, that's one of the most important life quality factors of my job. I'm sure he's a good person, he's Charlie Fairhead's son he must be...oh but what if Charlie Fairhead's son's blood is riddled with HIV from all the needles he's supposedly "scared of" that he shares with God knows who and how many" He spotted Connie appear from her office with a piece of paper in her hands. She made her way to Louis' cubicle; Ethan followed her with his eyes. "They must be his results- my results..." he swallowed hard. Connie turned and closed the curtain, catching Ethan's eye as she done it, giving him a slight smile which he returned, "was that a reassuring smile or a smile of sympathy? A "sorry Ethan you've probably got HIV" smile, does such a smile even exist?" His thinking was cut off when a familiar face appeared before him, blocking his view of Louis' cubicle.
"How're you holding up?" Cal asked anxiously.
"Never better" Ethan smiled as he looked back down at his notes pretending he was busy working instead of worrying.
He heard the sound of Louis' curtain being opened and his eyes shot up instantly to find Connie walking towards him. He looked over her shoulder slightly and saw Louis hugging his father tightly, "it must be good news- surely" he swallowed hard as he looked back to Connie. He gave her a hopeful look but she shook her head slowly.
"I'm sorry Ethan..." She began her lecture but her voice soon trailed off into distant background noise.
"No? Surely not, did she just say "I'm sorry"? "I'm sorry" meaning I've got HIV? No way, no way on earth...This must be a dream, I'll wake up any minute now in bed...Come on Ethan, wake up from this nightmare!" He stirred ahead at Connie though he was extremely far from listening. He pinched his hand subtly. "Ouch, I felt that. Why did I feel that if I'm dreaming? Oh who am I kidding, of course I'm awake...Is there any point in this lecture Mrs Beauchamp? I have HIV. Fin. That's it. There's no way out, save your breath. Ha, Cal said it, "here's the dead man walking" how accurate..." He continued to get lost in his haunting thoughts; hearing sections of Connie's lecture, "you could still be clear, we'll have to run some more tests, Ethan are you okay? Ethan!" She called and he snapped back into the room, "don't be thinking the worst, the majority of people with HIV live long and normal lives, with the right treatment and care the majority of people can live as long as any HIV-negative people, the majority-" she was cut off.
"What if not in that 'majority' though Mrs Beauchamp?" He whispered; his mind still slightly elsewhere.
Connie didn't know how to answer she just stood there mouth-open.
"Come here Eth" Cal sighed as he leant in to pull him in for a hug.
"No, Cal...Just, don't." he shoved his brother away from him and disappeared out the door.
Once his younger brother was out of sight Cal's eyes shot instantly towards Louis' cubicle.
"Cal..." Connie warned as she stepped in between him and Louis' cubicle, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"I just want to talk to him" Cal spoke calmly holding up his hands defensively.
Connie sighed and nodded slightly; she allowed him to pass but stayed closely at his side, as a precaution.
He took a deep breath in attempt to calm his boiling blood and opened the curtain, but the second he laid eyes on the drug addict who had infected his brother his blood quickly boiled again and he found himself shouting- no, roaring at the twenty one year old.
"Do you understand what you've done? You've given my brother HIV, you've killed my brother, my little brother...you, you're nothing but a waste of space, no, a waste of life! You don't deserve to be taking up a hospital bed being offered help and ways forward, you deserve to be laying in a ditch somewhere alone and rotting" he roared.
"That's my son you're talking about!" Charlie snapped defensively.
"Ha! "Son", how can you still think to call him your son Charlie?" He snarled, "He's disgusting." he added as he looked toward Louis who held his head down in shame, tears trickling down his face.
"...I'm sorry" he mumbled.
"Oh you're sorry" Cal spat out. Louis looked up hopefully, had Cal forgiven him? "Did you hear that everyone? He's sorry!" He spoke looking around at his colleagues who looked down awkwardly, "SORRY DOESN'T MATTER!" He roared, "SORRY WON'T RID MY BROTHER OF THE DEATH SENTENCE YOU'VE JUST INFECTED HIM WITH LOUIS!"
He continued as tears of anger brimmed in his eyes and tears of fear streamed from Louis'.
"Alright Cal, that's enough" Connie spoke out as she gestured for him to leave.
"You better hope that Ethan's results come back negative or I swear to God, you won't even have enough time to worry about having AIDS because I'll get at you first" he threatened the sobbed drug addict and turned to leave Connie followed closely behind.
"I don't need escorting out Connie, I'm fine" he spoke as he span on his heels to face her.
"I'm not escorting you out. I'm here to say that if I see you anywhere near Louis again you'll instantly be jobless. He and Charlie have enough to worry about now without you being thrown in there too, stay away from him. Do you understand?" she spoke firmly.
"Connie he-" she cut him off.
"Do you understand?" She repeated herself firmly standing her ground.
Cal's eyes shot back to Louis' cubicle and then back to Connie, "...yes" he sighed deeply and turned to find Ethan.