Tato Potato, I'm afraid things are about to start going even more wrong! I think it's sad Connie and Rita don't like each other - I don't think I can make them into best friends, but respect is possible! Thank you for your review.
Tanith Panic, thank you for your review - and for making me start wondering what it would be like if Connie and Rita turned out to be long-lost sisters! I think the Freechamp fans would hate it. I'm glad you liked the ending of Chapter 9.
ETWentHome, I'm afraid it would take more than a bomb threat to make Connie and Rita start being nice to each other! But they're stuck with each other now so you never know what might happen. Thank you for your review.
LittleBritishPerson, thank you so much for pointing that out - I hadn't really thought of that, but it's a really good idea and I think I might use it. Thank you for your review.
CasualtyFanForever81, thank you for your review - I'm really happy you're enjoying it.
Lofty crouched in front of Dylan, his hands on his shoulders. "It's okay. Just take your time."
"I don't… I don't know…"
"Don't worry about that," said Lofty. He could do all the worrying for both of them and he was very worried that Dylan was refusing to leave Resus. Everything had seemed quite promising for a while: Dylan had let Lofty help him up, but then something had frightened him. Lofty still wasn't sure what, but the result was that Dylan was sitting down again, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head in his hands.
Lofty knew Dylan had mental health problems. The whole hospital knew it now. It didn't bother Lofty: Dylan was still Dylan and Lofty liked him, despite his attitude. Of course, Lofty liked most people, but he didn't think Dylan was as bad as some people – specifically Robyn – thought.
But the difficulty was that Lofty didn't know what to do, and considering they'd all been asked to evacuate the building, they were probably in danger, which meant Lofty might have only a limited amount of time in which to help Dylan.
He listened to Dylan's shallow breathing and tightened his hands on his shoulders. "Dylan, it's going to be okay. I know it's a bit scary, but I'm sure we can handle it. I just need you to try to breathe more slowly. Can you do that for me?"
"Why don't you think I'm a freak?" said Dylan. His voice was tight with fear, but there was genuine curiosity as well.
"Because you're not one," said Lofty. "You are unique, but that's a good thing. It would be boring if we were all the same. I wish I was unique. I think I'm quite boring, to be honest."
Dylan lifted his head. His eyes were wide and staring, but his voice, when he spoke, was almost angry. "You are not boring, Ben. I mean Lofty."
Lofty smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot. And I don't mind if you call me Ben. No-one else does and it is my name."
"Why are you called Lofty?" asked Dylan. Again, he sounded like he really wanted to know. "I thought it was nickname for a tall person. It would be a better nickname for Dr Knight."
"I'm called Lofty because I used to live in Robyn's loft," explained Lofty.
Dylan considered this for a moment. "No-one ever calls me Boaty."
"I don't think they'd dare!" said Lofty. "Everyone has a lot of respect for you, you know, Dylan. You're a really great doctor. I'm just a stupid, clumsy nurse."
"You're not stupid or clumsy," said Dylan. "You have more than reasonable intelligence and there are many people more clumsy than you. You broke my mug, but I don't think I've ever seen you break a patient."
"First time for everything," said Lofty jokingly. He looked for an answering smile on Dylan's face, but he just looked blank. "I am sorry about your mug. And about what I said. I really didn't mean it."
"I know," said Dylan. "I was just… disappointed. I know the others talk about me. I know I'm a freak."
"No, you're not!" said Lofty.
"But I really hoped you didn't talk about me," said Dylan, without looking at Lofty.
Lofty felt terrible, but his voice was firm. "I don't usually. Not like that. I'm really sorry, Dylan."
There was a pause. "I'm sorry for calling you incompetent and refusing to work with you," said Dylan.
Lofty looked at Dylan and smiled. "It's okay. You're not the first person to say that and you won't be the last. I'm just glad we're mates now." He looked hopefully at Dylan. "We… we are mates, aren't we?"
For a moment, he thought Dylan might say no. Or perhaps say nothing at all. But then he nodded, just slightly. "Yes. I'd like that, Ben."
The hospital was surrounded, but Cal wasn't going to let that stop him. His little brother needed him. If he was in any sort of trouble, Cal either wanted to get him out of it or face the trouble alongside him. That was what Ethan had always done for him and it was high time he did the same for Ethan.
He did feel a fleeting sadness as he thought of Taylor. He believed she really had been frightened, but he could see now what he'd been too much in love to see before. She didn't care about him. She just found him useful and would say anything to make him give her what she wanted.
It didn't matter that she was still beautiful. It didn't matter that his feelings had all come flooding back. She didn't love him; she probably didn't even like him – and for that reason, he had to let her go.
Cal wiped away a tear but blinked the rest back resolutely. Taylor was his past. Ethan was his future and Cal had to make sure he still had one.
Cal stopped near the staff room. He couldn't be completely sure from this distance, but it looked like the window was still open. He'd leaned out of that window to have a cigarette when Lofty had been comforting him earlier, and afterwards, he'd left the window slightly open. Not enough for anyone to be likely to notice, but hopefully enough to get ridof any lingering smell.
He walked confidently towards it, knowing he would be less likely to attract attention if he walked as though he knew what he was doing. As he pulled the window open to its fullest extent, he heard a shout, but he told himself not to panic and climbed quickly through the window, shutting it behind him.
The staff room was empty. He left it and checked every room along the way. Resus seemed like a possibility: Ethan might have remained with a patient, but the only people in there were Dylan and Lofty. They were sitting with their back to the door, their heads close together as they conversed in low voices. Cal couldn't help feeling he shouldn't interrupt, but he knew he had to take any opportunity he could to find a clue to Ethan's wherabouts. "Hey, guys: have you seen Ethan?"
"No: sorry," said Lofty. Dylan didn't answer, but Cal saw he was shaking his head.
He left Resus and went to check the cubicles. It was only when he was halfway through that it occurred to him to wonder why Lofty and Dylan were sitting on the floor in Resus.
Charlie had told Jacob and Robyn he was all right. He had told everyone who'd asked that he was all right, but he was struggling when it came to convincing himself.
Actually, if he was honest, he was just struggling.
He didn't want to worry any of them, but he knew this feeling too well. He knew what was coming and that meant he was going to worry them whether he warned them or not.
There was tightness in his chest and a pain that travelled down his left arm. His breathing was shallow, though he was doing his best to breathe quietly so nobody would know. He felt lightheaded, despite Jacob's insistence that he lie down, and when he touched the back of his hand to his forehead, he felt beads of sweat.
"Charlie? Hey, Charlie, are you okay?"
He should have known Jacob would notice. He was busy comforting Robyn, who was understandably upset because Max had gone back into the hospital (Charlie had an idea it was something to do with Zoe: Max wouldn't commit such a foolhardy but caring act for anyone else), but Jacob was a good nurse. He was able to keep an eye on three or four things at once.
Charlie tried to smile at him. The pain was getting worse now. He knew that he'd been lucky to survive before, and then he'd been in the safety of the ED. Now, out in the car park, at his age, with his history of heart problems, he knew he could be seeing Jacob for the last time. This saddened him slightly, but at the same time, he felt he was lucky to have got this far.
His biggest regret was not saying a proper goodbye to Louis.
"Oh my God!" said Robyn. "I'll get Mrs Beauchamp. No, I can't get Mrs Beauchamp. Jacob, what are we going to do? Should I get Lily?"
"No," said Charlie softly. He tried to reach out his hand towards her. "Don't be sad, Robyn. I've had a good life and you will too. There are other, younger people here. Help them."
The speech was, he felt, necessary; but it left him exhausted and in pain.
He closed his eyes. The ED would carry on without him.
But Louis… he wished he and Louis could have parted as friends.