Hello everyone, here is today's chapter update; I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think. Thanks again for your reviews on previous chapters, Kayxxx :)

Chapter Seven

"What was I so worried about?" Ethan thought to himself as he walked down the hall side by side with Doctor Humphrey.
"How did you think it went?" The doctor asked.
"Great" Ethan smiled, "is there a chance I could be cured already? Because I feel great" he joked with his classic cheeky grin.
"Ah if only it was that easy" the doctor smiled sympathetically in reply as they stopped outside of a room.
"You would probably be out of a job though" Ethan smirked.
"True" the doctor laughed, "it's good that you feel great though" he nodded, "it's a change from fine" the doctor joked.
"Yes, it is" Ethan agreed.
"Okay, well I'll see you at your next session" the doctor smiled.
"Yes" he nodded and the doctor headed into the room.

As Ethan walked away he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, if every radiotherapy session was as simple as that then he is going to be fine, yeah the side effects might kick in soon but they're just like battle scars, he was actually quite looking forward to them, it's all part of the battle. It was when Ethan reached the end of the corridor did realised that he hadn't thanked his doctor for helping him, he always hated treating patients and not getting a simple "thank you" in return, manors cost nothing. He decided to make his way back to the room where he had left his doctor. As he reached it could hear Doctor Humphrey was in mid-conversation and so decided to wait outside until it was appropriate to walk in. He couldn't help but listen in.

"...so I'll only put him through a few weeks of radiotherapy, it might just work, but, I didn't like the look of his latest CT I think his condition is going to develop quite rapidly. I think it's best to be prepared to book him in for surgery and if that doesn't work then, I'm afraid we will be out of options for him. I really don't want to lose him though he's such a wonderful person." he heard Doctor Humphrey talk with a sigh.
"This poor patient" Ethan thought to himself, "I'd hate to be in his position".
"What's his name I'll pencil him in?" A lady replied.
"Ethan Hardy" the doctor replied. His heart plummeted.

Ethan raced out of the hospital and straight for his car where he sat in silence. Thousands of thoughts and emotions were overpowering him, his breathing got heavy, his eyes brimmed with tears, soon enough he completely broke down. He hit the steering wheel hard as a way of getting out his anger (which was one of the many emotions running through him). He grasped hold of the wheel with his hands and rested his head against it as his tears continued to pour from his eyes. He thought about his future and how suddenly impossible it all seemed. All the beautiful aspects that life offered were all quickly fading away from his grasp and he hated himself for it. He thought about falling in love and getting married, travelling the world, having children, growing old, he thought about his work, his friends, his family, everything and everyone he would leave behind, everything he would never get to experience, every opportunity he had ever turned down, every time he had spent wasting his life on minor things that didn't matter at all when he could have gone out and lived instead, though with all these overpowering thoughts there was one that kept coming back...Cal.

And as if on cue Ethan's phone rang, it was his brother.

"Hi, you told me to call you?" Cal spoke down the phone.
"Yes I um, I need to talk to you" Ethan spoke hesitantly.
"Yeah you said in the message, are you okay?" Cal asked hearing the unusual doleful tone to his younger brother's voice.
"Not really, no" Ethan admitted.
"What's up? Should I be worried?" Cal replied beginning to get concerned.
"No, yes, I'm not sure, I wasn't an hour ago but now I-" his rambling was cut off.
"Ethan spit it out what's happened?" Cal urged, his feeling of concern growing more and more by the seconds.
"...I don't even know where to start" Ethan whimpered.
"Do you want me to meet you and we can have a talk?" Cal suggested.
"No please, it's hard enough talking over the phone, seeing you face to face would make it even worse. I wrote you a letter explaining everything, I wasn't going to tell you at all, I was going to give you the letter after everything but- I can't do this alone Cal..." Ethan swallowed hard.
"Ethan what's up?" Cal demanded.
Ethan sighed deeply and he said it.

He told his brother everything from start to finish. He told him about all the tests that had been carried out on him, he told him about his diagnosis and how he wanted to go this entire thing alone. He told him about his first radiotherapy session, the lady who looked so ill, the unconscious man he saw and his crying family afterwards, he told him about the man with the four children, seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and how he hated being alone. He told him about how he thought of his father and how he missed him. He told him about although he felt the radiotherapy session went well he had overheard his doctor say that basically he was dying and he would soon be out of options and how the seriousness of his condition was finally hitting in. He told him about how he was sat in his car in the car park, unable to bring himself to start it. He told him he was dying and that honestly, he was scared, scared for himself but more so for the thought of leaving Cal, he apologised for having to put his brother through this again, as they had already experienced it with their father. Reality hurt... "I've never told a girl that I love her or gotten idiotically blind drunk and done something completely outrageous and out of character, I've never been to comic-con or owned a dog, I've always wanted a dog, one of those chocolate Labradors, they're so loyal! I know it sounds so pathetic Cal but I've barely lived and...I just want all this to be over, I don't want to die Caleb, not yet." he sobbed uncontrollably down the phone to his brother who told him to stay where he was, he would meet him in the car park soon.

Ethan had now calmed down and his body felt numb more than anything. It only felt like a few minutes since Ethan put the phone down that there was a knock on his window which snapped him out of his thoughts. He stepped out of the car and crumbled into his brother's arms grasping onto him so tightly, though he couldn't feel him or cry since he still felt numb and emotionless. Cal rested his chin against the top of his younger brother's head "you idiot, why didn't you tell me earlier?" He sighed deeply he ducked down, burying his head into his brother's shoulder, hiding the tears that were brimming in his eyes. "We're going to get through this, together okay?" Cal whispered in determination.