Have I told you lately that I love you all?

Once more, a huge thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again, it really does mean a lot to know that you, my fellow Casualty fans, enjoy what I write.

So here's the last chapter - full of brotherly fluff and I'm not ashamed!

An Explosive Cocktail - Chapter 4

Ethan felt like he was clawing through fog. What the hell had happened to him? He recognised the smell and noise that assaulted his senses. Why was he in the hospital? Realisation dawned on him as his eyes shot open, immediately regretting it as the light hurt his eyes causing him to groan, "Ethan," he heard from his right. He turned his head as quickly as he dared and managed a small smile when he saw Honey watching him closely, "Honey," he croaked, "Are you alright?"

He felt breathless just from asking that simple question. Honey took hold of his hand, smiling brightly, "Oh I'm fine...well apart from the obvious," she told him, showing the sling, "But I'm totally ok. Dad and Lofty too. You got us all out - you were so brave Ethan..." she cooed.

"Some may say stupid," a sterner voice took over - one that he recognised immediately and filled him with dread.

"I had to go in," he gasped, "Cal..."

Suddenly his eyes went wide again, "Cal! Where is he? Is he alright?" He pulled himself upright in the bed, his frantic gaze locked onto Connie's face. She moved forward and placed a hand on his arm to try to calm him, "Take some time to calm yourself Ethan and when you have do - turn to your left," she smiled as she watched the young doctors face relax a little. Ethan took some deep breaths, as deep as he dared before it made him cough again - then directed his gaze to the left.

He almost cried with relief when he saw his brother fast asleep in the bed next to him.

"We had to put some pins in his leg - it was broken badly. It will take a while to fully heal, he may even have a limp for a while..."

"But he's alive," Ethan finished for her.

Connie smiled sincerely, "Yes he is, thanks to you," she reminded him. She then glanced to Honey, "Don't keep him awake to long, he needs some rest."

Honey nodded as she began to collect her things together, "Yes you do," she told Ethan, who's eyes were already starting to close again, "Can I come again tomorrow?"

Ethan managed to open his eyes once more, "Yes please - I would like that."

She leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his forhead, "Thank you for saving us."

As she stood up, she looked carefully at the young doctor who made her heart flutter, smiling as she watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

"Let's leave him to rest," Connie advised softly, holding the door for the younger woman to exit.

Cal woke to see Robyn fussing around him, checking his obs, "Hey," he whispered.

Although his voice had made her jump she soon broke into a happy smile, "Oh it's good to see you awake," she told him.

"How did I get here?" he asked.

"Can you remember anything?" she watched him closely.

Cal frowned as he tried to remember, "I remember being in the pub - I was going to the loo, then..." his eyes grew wide, "There was a loud bang, and that's it..." his eyes began to fill with tears.

"There was an explosion in the pub - apparantly you were thrown into a wall by the force of the blast, Ethan..."

Cal snapped his gaze towards her, "Ethan? Please don't tell me he was there. I thought he was working! I thought..."

Robyn could see that the young doctor was beginning to panic, "Ethan was working. Don't worry. But..."

"But what Robyn? What happened to him?"

"You need to calm down Cal, please," she pleaded with the irrate man.

Cal took some deep breaths to try to calm himself, but he needed to know what she wasn't telling him about his brother.

"Ethan was on scene to help triage patients - he knew you were in there. He was in a right state, but he never let it affect his professionalism. Max got out and said that you were trapped in there somewhere and that was it - Ethan was straight in there trying to find you..."

Cal was still trying to breathe deeply as he tried to take in what the nurse was telling him, "Cal, he's here, he's next to you, he's fine..." she reassured him as she moved out of his line of vision. Cal visibly relaxed when he saw his little brother asleep on the bed although the oxygen mask caused him some concern, "He got Noel, Lofty and Honey out, but then there was another explosion...he didn't hesitate Cal, not for a moment. He disappered once more into the building and about five minutes later, he came out carrying you. He never gave up."

Cal nodded as he listened, "So why is he hooked up to a mask, unconsious?"

"He inhaled a lot of smoke and dust, which has irritated his lungs. He can't go more than a few seconds without coughing at the moment, which is causing him a lot of discomfort. Now onto you, you have a badly broken leg, which has got pins in. It will take a while to heal, but with some physiotherapy you will make a full recovery."

"Can I sit up a bit?"

"Yes, let me lift the back, but let me know if you feel dizzy."

Robyn lifted the back of his bed a little until Cal was happy that he could see his brother easier, "Thanks Robyn," he sighed deeply, "I can't believe he did it."

"Did what?" Now Robyn looked confused.

"Ran into a burning building. Risked his life like that! Of all the stupid, idiotic...he's supposed to be the clever one..." He had to look away as tears stung his eyes once more.

Robyn patted his shoulder gently. She knew that he wasn't really angry at his brother, he was suddenly very afraid of what might have happened, "Get some rest," she advised him as she left the room.

Not to long after Robyn had left, Ethan began to stir. He waited for the familiar irritation in his throat to begin, but it didn't. He realised that they were in a room with a bathroom, so he decided to try to make it there on his own. He swung his legs out of the bed and tested his strength as he waited for a bout of dizziness to subside. Thankfully, he made it there and back without any further incident. As he sat back down on his bed, he glanced across at his brother, noticing that he was more upright than before. As he watched him sleep, he felt a shudder run through him as he recalled the moment he found his brother trapped under rubble with his leg bent at a very strange angle.

"If you take a picture, it'll last longer," he heard his brother say.

Ethan smiled. He carefully made his way to the side of Cal's bed.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Teriffic. Leg feels like a wall fell on it, but Robyn has been giving me plenty of the good stuff so..."

"Good to see your sense of humour intact."

"Take more than a pub explosion to knock that out of me...hey, you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't think," he finished when he saw the stricken expression on his brother's face.

"No, it's fine. I just remember hearing the explosion, which was bad enough, but then hearing you were trapped in there somewhere well, I'm sure my heart stopped...drama queen, I know...I just, well I can't remember being that scared before..."

Anything else he was going to say was swallowed up by a sudden coughing fit as bad as any of the others that he'd had. He winced as pain flared through his already weakend lungs.

"Ethan..." Cal tried to get out of bed but the cast on his legs and the wires stopped him.

Ethan waved him away and staggered back to his own bed and placed the mask over his face once more, trying to calm his breathing so that the irritation would cease.

Cal's eyes never left his brother - concern for his brother's health increasing.

When the coughing subsided, Ethan caught sight of the older man's anxious face, "I'm ok," he gasped.

"I'd be more inclined to agree if you weren't laid there sucking on the oxygen," Cal insisted, "You know, being a doctor, should be a relativly safe occupation. In the past six months you've nearly died in a car crash, then we've both been in trouble today - I think I might join the army or something instead - must be safer!"

Ethan smirked as he watched his brother, noting how serious he looked, "I would do it again Cal. Nothing would stop me from coming after you if you were in trouble."

"Nothing has little brother. You're always there to pull me back from brink," Cal felt emotion building in his chest.

"We've lost mum and dad, we lost Jeff, you lost Taylor, but I couldn't lose you too Cal," Ethan felt a tear track down his face. It was true - after everything, he couldn't imagine his life without his over bearing, irritating big brother.

He laid his head back on the pillow, the last coughing fit having taken a lot out of him, "Hey little brother - are you ok?" Ethan smiled at his brother's question...he loved him so very much, yet he never told him, "Yes I'm just tired, that's all."

"Then perhaps it's time you both got some rest," Robyn popped her head through the door, smiling when the brothers both looked at her as if they had been caught with their hand in the biscuit tin.

They both settled quite quickly, "Cal," he heard from his brother, "I love you you know."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"God, you always have to make things so hard don't you? I love you, you idiot...I know I very rarely say it..."

"I love you too and I am proud of what you did today. You were a hero you know."

"I don't know about that, but thanks. Right, let's get to sleep before it gets to awkward," he smiled when he heard Cal chuckle.

When Robyn came to do the last obs of the night, she was met by a sight that she would never have thought she would ever see, especially from Cal and Ethan. They were both fast asleep, with an arm outstretced, their fingertips touching ever so slightly.

Total fluffy overload! Told you.

Hope you liked it. Just waiting for more inspiration now. Til next time.