Now it was time for his daughter to say something. She had written a letter for her uncle Ethan that she wanted to read to him.
'Uncle Ethan, I will always remember the way you would smile at me, a loving smile which would make me feel safe. Daddy always said that you made him feel safe too. I remember the time that you took us to the park, we laughed so hard at how silly daddy was when he played football and kept falling over. I don't want to cry when I think of you, I want to smile and laugh like you always did. I will miss you always and forever but I will always remember you.' She spoke.
She was incredibly confident when speaking until she looked up at her dad who was crying his eyes out. As soon as she finished speaking she walked over to the picture of Ethan and kissed it before running to Cal for a hug.
'Do you think Uncle Ethan liked it?' She asked timidly.
'I'm sure he heard it and loved it. He was always so proud of you sweet heart and would be so proud of you now' he whispered, his voice croaking as he struggled to get the words out. He passed his daughter to his wife Emily who was stood beside him.
Everyone had brought something that they thought would best represent Ethan. Cal had decided to construct a large bonfire where everyone would put an item on it to burn in his memory. They were asked to also write down their favourite memory of the young doctor that they could burn too. Cal had bought a copy of Ethan's all time favourite book, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee.
Everyone brought something different. Emily had brought a small photo of Ethan with their daughter. Tess had brought a mini chess set. Honey brought a small paper coffee cup. Lily brought a stuffed toy in the shape of a stethoscope. Charlie brought a mini pair of glasses. One by one they placed their item in the fire whilst recalling their favourite memory of the young senior registrar. They read from their pieces of paper then threw them into the fire too.
Emily recounted her favourite memory of Ethan. 'I remember when I was in labour, giving birth to Rosie and Cal was not around, Ethan sat with me, talking and joking awkwardly until Cal finally walked through the doors. His smile will forever be etched in my mind especially when I was screaming the place down and he just looked at me reassuringly. I felt all of my worries melt away. I knew with him around I would be safe. Cal came into the room and saw Ethan there too, I could see his panic instantly fade when he saw his brother looking after me. In the end, there was no time to get to the hospital so Ethan and Cal both helped to delivery Rosie. Cal held my hand whilst Ethan did the hard work of delivering our beautiful little girl. Cal and I will be eternally grateful to Dr Ethan Hardy for this. You gave me my little girl, you gave me your brother and I can never thank you enough. I'm going to miss you Ethan but don't worry I'll look after Caleb for you' she whispered.
Soon the vigil was over and people began to leave. Cal wanted to stay with his family for a but longer. He held his head in his hand as tears streamed down his face. 'Nibbles, I miss you so much. I don't know how we are going to cope without you. I promise to be better person from now on. I will never forget how much you have done for me. You will always be my safety net' he stated.
Emily wrapped her arms around his waist, 'he's not gone, he'll always been in our hearts and minds. We won't ever forget him. You have to think about the positives, he always loved you, everything he did was because he cared about you. When Rosie was born, he wanted to help you. He didn't want you to get stressed because I was on my own so he stayed with me despite the fact that he was meant to be at work. All he would want is for you to be happy. I know its hard now, but it will get better and he's watching us all of the time making sure that we are alright' she whispered before kissing her husband.
Rosie sat on Cal's lap. 'Uncle Ethan would be proud of you!' She murmured before hugging her dad. Cal's eyes misted over with tears as he spent this solemn time with his family mourning the untimely death of his brother. They left the cemetery a while later, walking hand in hand back to the car. Cal reminisced about what had happened in the past few months.
