I'm afraid this chapter is quite a sad one, but I've tried to put in some funny bits too. (I know Ethan is a bit out of character, but it would mess the story up if I had to wait the usual six months for him to ask Emma out.)
Tato Potato, I'm sorry for the confusion! Ethan saw Cal kissing Sarah, but he thought she was Emma. So when Emma came up to him and started acting as through nothing was happened, he was very angry and upset. I hope this makes it clearer! Thank you for your review.
beckyboogle, I'm sure they'll get back together once Ethan realises the truth, but it just hasn't occurred to Ethan that the girl who looks exactly like his girlfriend might be someone else! I don't think I'll be splitting Cal and Sarah up, but you never know! Thank you for your review.
X-Sammii-X, thank you so much - that's so kind of you to say that! I'm really glad you enjoyed the twin confusion and I really hope this chapter is up to standard.
ETWentHome, yes, Ethan has got it very wrong! It might be a bit unrealistic, but in my experience, when I mention having a sister, no-one ever asks for her name or age. Cal and Ethan also have different surnames, which doesn't help! Thank you for your review.
CBloom2, put Ethan out of his misery? I hope you don't mean I should kill him! Though considering the way he's feeling now, he'd probably like that. I'm afraid he's still miserable in this chapter, though he should be feeling better in the next chapter or two. Thank you for your review - I'm so happy you like it!
Tanith Panic, I imagine that most of the time, the girls will mention they have a twin sister and the brothers will mention they have brothers named Cal and Ethan, and the whole misunderstanding would have been avoided! But that would have spoiled my fun completely. Thank you for your review - I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Ethan stumbled into the flat. The tears he'd tried so hard to hold back when he was driving were flowing down his cheeks in an unending stream. He'd met one of his neighbours on the way and had been forced to make up a story about watching two patients getting married on their deathbeds. He did such a good job of it, the neighbour was crying too by the time he'd finished, but he'd declined her offer to go into her flat for a cup of coffee and some chocolate cake. He'd been caught that way once before and had ended up locking himself in the loo and sending an urgent text for Cal to come and rescue him before she tried taking any more of his clothes off.
To his credit, Cal had and rescued him very quickly, but he'd also told the whole ED that he found Ethan with an incorrectly-buttoned shirt and only one shoe on.
Ethan shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, then he walked slowly into his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
He'd liked Emma so much. She was sweet and beautiful and seemed perfectly suited to him once they'd got the clubbing misunderstanding out of the way. He would have said she was incapable of cheating on anyone, but he'd seen it with his own eyes.
How could Emma have done it? How could either of them have done it?
As Ethan sobbed into his pillow, he spared a thought for Cal's girlfriend, Sarah. Ethan didn't like to think of anyone hurting the way he was now.
Emma just wanted Sarah to come home. She knew that if she phoned Sarah now and told her what had happened, Sarah would drop everything and rush to her side, just as Emma would if their positions were reversed. But Emma didn't want to ruin Sarah's date.
If it was a boyfriend Sarah had mixed feelings about, it might have been different, but Sarah really liked Cal. Emma could tell from the way her face lit up when she insulted him.
If Emma had any idea of what she'd done to upset Ethan, it might have been easier to bear, but Ethan just seemed to have turned against her for no reason. It was so unlike Ethan. Even if someone at the hospital had upset him, Emma couldn't imagine him taking it out on someone else.
On the other hand, she also couldn't imagine Ethan telling her to go away and never come near him again. Yet he had. And Emma's heart had shattered.
Cal was disappointed when the evening came to an end. He'd hoped Sarah would go clubbing with him, but she said she wasn't really in the mood.
"I'm really sorry," said Sarah, and she did look like she meant it. "My wrist's starting to ache a bit and I didn't bring my painkillers. If I go out with you, I'll only end up regretting it."
"Thanks a lot!" said Cal, but he was smiling.
Sarah shook her head, laughing. "You know I didn't mean it like that."
Cal pressed closer to her and spoke suggestively. "I could always go home with you."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Sarah. "If you come home with me, you'll only end up disappointed."
"Baby, you'll never disappoint me."
Sarah smiled. "Then I'm sure you're not disappointed that I'm going to go home. Alone."
Cal didn't think either 'yes' or 'no' would be a good answer to that question, so he kissed her instead. "How about tomorrow, you come over to my place and I'll cook you dinner? I'm a pretty good cook when I know what I'm doing. Then after dinner, maybe we could have some dessert?"
"Maybe," said Sarah. Her smile was teasing. "You'll just have to wait and see if I'm still hungry."
"Emma, what's wrong?" Sarah sat beside Emma on the sofa and put her arms around her. "Is it Ethan?"
Emma tried to speak. "He… he said… he told me…"
"It's okay," said Sarah. "You don't have to tell me till you're ready. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." Except possibly to Ethan's house to murder him.
Emma sniffed and tried again. "It's over, Sarah. He doesn't want to see me anymore."
"Oh, Emma…" Sarah held her more tightly. "I'm so sorry."
Emma's voice was muffled by Sarah's shoulder. "He was going to come here, but I was feeling a bit better so I decided to go to the hospital to surprise him. He was sitting on a bench in front of the hospital. He was crying. I asked him what was wrong and he told me to go away and never come near him again!"
Sarah was confused. That didn't sound like the Ethan she'd met, or the Ethan Emma had described to her at least fifty times.
"I really thought he liked me," wept Emma.
"I know you did, Emma," said Sarah, as she stroked her sister's hair. "I thought he liked you too." Her voice hardened. "But he's not going to like me by the time I've finished with him!"
Emma lifted her head from Sarah's shoulder. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing tonight because there's no way I'm leaving you," said Sarah. "But tomorrow, I am going to the hospital and I'm going to have words with Mr Ethan Hardy."
"Dr Ethan Hardy," said Emma.
"Complete and total swine Ethan Hardy!" said Sarah.
Cal arrived home to find Ethan sitting on the sofa. "What are you doing home?"
"It's my flat," said Ethan. "I can come home whenever I like."
Cal went closer and saw that Ethan's eyes were red and puffy. "Have you been crying?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong, Nibbles?"
Ethan's eyes filled with tears. "How can you even ask that after what you've done?" he asked, his voice choked.
Cal sighed. "You didn't find another mouldy coffee cup in my room, did you?"
"And now you're joking about it!" Ethan shook his head in pained disbelief and the tears spilled down his cheeks.
"I'm not joking!," said Cal. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be joking about!" He sat beside Ethan and tried to put his arm around him. "Come on, Nibbles. Come here. It's okay."
"Get off me!" said Ethan.
Cal removed his arm, frustrated but still worried. "Ethan, what's wrong with you? Did you see Emma kissing another guy or something?"
"Don't you even MENTION that name to me!" said Ethan angrily. His fist shot out and connected with Cal's nose.
Emma sat and cried as Sarah looked through the texts she'd sent Ethan today. The twins been talking for what seemed like hours about what she could have done wrong, but Ethan's behaviour still made no sense.
"No, you didn't say anything wrong at all," said Sarah. She put the phone down on the sofa and hugged Emma. "I'm sure it was nothing you've done."
"Then why would he say that?" asked Emma. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd asked that question, but Sarah had tried to come up with an answer every time.
"He was probably just upset because of something that happened at work," said Sarah. "It must be really emotional, working in a hospital. Maybe sometimes it messes with his head and makes him say crazy things he doesn't really mean."
Emma sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Or maybe I'm just not the person he thought I was."
"Go away!" sobbed Ethan when Cal pushed open his bedroom door.
Cal was holding a bloodstained tissue over his nose. He spoke nasally. "Ethan, if you'd just tell me what's wrong…"
"You're wrong!" said Ethan. "Everything about you is just wrong! You're a bad brother; a bad boyfriend; a bad doctor!"
"A bad doctor?" Cal sounded hurt. "How did you figure that one out? And I'm not a bad boyfriend. I admit I have been in the past, but I've reformed now. I really care about Sarah. I just wish I could be completely sure she cared about me."
Ethan glared at him through his tears. "If she's got any sense, she doesn't! You haven't changed a bit, Caleb. You're still the same lying, cheating, selfish scumbag, and I want you out of this flat by tomorrow!"
"I've heard that one before," said Cal.
"I know a way to make sure you never hear it again," said Ethan.
"What's that?"
"Leave right now!" shouted Ethan, and threw a pillow at Cal. "Now give that back! I need it."
