I decided to torture you all just a little bit more with this chapter, just to get an insight into how the others are feeling, and leave you in suspense!

Just to warn you, we're nearing the end of the story :'(

Chapter 11) Close to Tears

The red phone began to ring, the sound vibrating through the air. Every doctor and nurse shared the same expression; horror. Whenever the red phone rang, it was sure to mean extremely bad news. Charlie walked over as nobody seemed to react, picking up the device and speaking into it. His face showed a look of distress.

"Alright, yes...thanks Iain," Charlie placed the phone back down, unable to control the noticeable tremor in his hands. He took a moment to regain composure before calling everyone around to gather him by Admin. Anxiety was painted on their faces, as they could sense the atmosphere was rather frosty and nervous.

"Right, I've just got a call from one of our paramedics...it seems that one of our doctors has gone missing. He's yet to be found, but the good news is that the flat fire they were at has gone down and there were no casualties," Charlie filled them in briefly. Lily stepped forward.

"Sorry, Charlie, who's gone missing?" She asked. Charlie looked down at the floor, taking a second. Then he spoke.

"I'm afraid it's Dr. Hardy. Ethan's missing."

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The next few hours were complete chaos. Everyone was so preoccupied with worry that they were struggling to do their jobs, especially Lily, Charlie and even Alicia. The enthusiasm had been wiped from everyone as now they were struggling to do even the simplest task. Luckily, there had been no casualties and resus had been unoccupied, so there were no times when a patient was at risk. In fact, most of the cases they'd had today had been pretty straightforward.

However, when Lily accidentally spilled her fifth coffee everywhere and burned herself, she was allowed a break. The doctor rushed into the staff room, collapsing onto the sofa. Alicia followed, switching on the kettle. Tea always helped, she decided. Still, it couldn't fix everything. She had butterflies inside her stomach from the anxiety she felt, and it showed.

"I just can't process it. Where would he go? He said he'd be fine!" Alicia rambled nervously, adding too much sugar and tea bags into the mugs. Lily shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears, agitated.

"I don't know…" Lily trailed off. Alicia's face showed concern for her colleague. She sat beside her, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. She kept a small smile on her face despite the gloomy and scared feelings she had inside.

"Ethan'll be okay. He wouldn't do anything stupid," Alicia reassured. Lily nodded a little too vigorously, attempting to smile.

"He's a good friend," Lily commented. Alicia smirked a little.

"Just a good friend?" The blonde responded. Lily gave her a watery smile.

"Definitely just as good friend. It's you he likes," Lily said nonchalantly. Alicia's face showed complete shock, but also a glow of happiness.

"What? Really? That's great! Oh, Lily..." She said, grinning. Lily nodded, smiling. The two women began giggling, despite everything going on. It felt good to laugh. They kept laughing, even though nothing was really funny. It turned into hysterical chuckles, too over the top to be real.

When Charlie entered, they stopped abruptly. He entered slowly, hesitant to come in at first.

"Any news?" Lily blurted. They waited in suspense while Charlie struggled to spit out the words.

"H...He's been found…" Charlie said, his eyes wide and watery. Alicia beamed.

"Oh, that's fantastic! Isn't it, Lily?" Alicia said cheerily. Lily didn't smile back. She stood up and put her hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"That's not all, is it?" Lily said knowingly, unable to control the shake in her voice. Charlie shook his head gently. Alicia's smile faded.

"It looks like...he's tried to take his own life," Charlie choked out. The women shared horrified looks, and it seemed as though everything turned black and white.