"What about mum?" Ethan inquires.
"Well, she wasn't." Cal responds hoping Ethan can work out what he's trying to tell him.
"She wasn't what?" Ethan asks getting confused with his brother's answers.
"Mum."
For a minute Ethan wonders if Cal's feeling alright. He wonders if his brother is joking. Then he sees the seriousness of Cal's expression and realises it it's no joke.
"What do you mean she wasn't mum?"
"What do you think I mean?"
"I don't know." He pauses. "A-a-are you trying to say we're..."
Ethan doesn't want to finish his sentence, but Cal does for him.
"Yes, Ethan. We're adopted."
Those two words hit Ethan with full force. He takes off his glasses and rubs his temple with his fingers. His breathing becomes a bit laboured.
"It's okay. Keep breathing slowly." Cal tells him as he places a hand on Ethan shoulder.
He can see Ethan's beginning to have a panic attack. He knows what he's just told him isn't helping so he tries to calm him down.
"No." Ethan manages to say. "It's not okay."
True. It wasn't okay, but at least Ethan knew.
"I thought you'd be pleased we're still brothers." Cal joked trying to make Ethan smile.
Ethan gives him a look. A look that says 'don't start'. They were soon interrupted by a knock at the door. They both turn around. Charlie enters and sees the two brothers together. He smiles at them. Cal nods his head and turns back to Ethan. When he faces him he can see Ethan looking between him and Charlie. He can sense he's putting two and two together. Something he didn't want and yet, knew was inevitable even though it would only make things worse. Charlie nods back and is about to head back out.
"Wait a sec." Ethan says.
Cal gives him a worried look while Charlie waits at the door. Ethan continues to look between them both.
"What's wrong?" Cal asks him realising Ethan knows.
"He knows doesn't he?"
"Who know's what?" Cal replies laughing nervously.
"Charlie. He knows."
"He knows what?"
"Please, Cal I wasn't born yesterday. Charlie knows about us being adopted, doesn't he."
"Yes, I do know." Charlie says as he closes the door behind him.
He comes and stands in front of them.
"And I know it comes as a shock to you, but you know that you will have all our support. And if it turns out that either one of you has got it..."
Cal looks at Charlie and starts shaking his head. Charlie sees him and doesn't continue. Cal hasn't told him about their mum's illness. Ethan notices Charlie stops mid sentence.
"There's something else, isn't there?" He says.