Bonnie Sveen Fan, Ethan's 'bug' is actually a hangover, so Angela is quite safe. Cal asked if she felt okay because he thought it would look uncaring and unprofessional not to after claiming Ethan had a bug, but I should have made that clearer. You know Cal and his lies! Thank you for your review.

Tanith Panic, thank you for your review. Everyone steals shopping trolleys when they're drunk (well, perhaps not everyone, but I'm sure I'm not responsible for all the shopping trolleys I see in peculiar places), so I thought Ethan would be no exception, though being Ethan, he's got some crazy, drunken idea that he's being helpful.

X-Sammii-X, I think if Ethan's being more Cal, Cal has no choice but to be more Ethan! I think he showed that in the show when he found Ethan's spare glasses, as well as rescuing him from the girl in the cupboard. I like Zoe and Dylan's friendship too - they're such opposites, but they like each other. Thank you for your review.

LoveFiction2016, thank you for your review - I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.

Thank you to rlogo1520 for the follow and favourite.


Dylan knew the feeling well, but he hadn't expected it now. He barely knew Angela. While disappointment would be an acceptable emotion under the circumstances, it was ridiculous for him to feel as though his heart had been torn in two.

In any case, he didn't feel like that. If his heart had been torn in two, he would certainly be dead.

Appealing as the idea was at this present time, Dylan was very much alive.

He stopped walking in the middle of the corridor and told himself firmly that he was not upset. He had no reason to be upset. Perhaps other people might be upset in his position – but not Dylan.

"Dylan?" Zoe had somehow managed to creep up behind him. He looked down at her feet, wondering if she was wearing sensible shoes for once, but of course she wasn't.

Somehow, Dylan had been too sunk in despair - no, in very slight disappointment - to hear her.

Zoe put her hand on his arm. "Dylan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Dylan, but the word was far from convincing and his voice didn't sound like his.

Zoe rubbed his arm gently. "Come and have a chat."

He went to the staff room without arguing, mainly because he didn't want to have this conversation in the corridor. "There's nothing wrong, Zoe. There's really nothing wrong." There was no way he was going to tell her about Angela.

Zoe looked at him sympathetically. "It's your OCD again, isn't it? It's understandable. Everyone has bad days. And I think that even though therapy can be really helpful, there are times when a session will stir everything up again. I'm afraid I can't see Connie letting you go home – we've got Ethan off sick already – but be kind to yourself, okay? Don't put too much pressure on yourself and take five minutes whenever you need it. We'll manage."

Dylan looked at his friend and reflected that even though Zoe could be a complete imbecile at times, she was also extremely caring and kind and maybe Max was also a complete imbecile too for letting her go.


Ethan wasn't very happy when the text arrived. Although he'd taken the maximum number of painkillers, any loud noise made his head throb madly for a few seconds afterwards.

As soon as he'd recovered, he groped around on his bedside table for his phone. He knew this could end in disaster as he'd known a hungover Cal to knock things off his bedside table on numerous occasions, but Ethan was lucky.

He smiled slightly when he realised the text was from Angela. She really was lovely and he'd enjoyed his date with her yesterday. Dylan was so lucky… if only he would realise it. He probably had no idea how much Angela liked him and Ethan knew there was a chance he wouldn't be interested even if he did. Dylan seemed quite happy on his own.

Ethan only wished he felt so comfortable with the idea of being alone. He'd always worried he would never find anyone special and he'd been thrilled to find out that Honey felt the same way about him, but that had ended in disaster and he'd never found the courage to phone Kate from the café because he couldn't offer her any kind of future.

He read Angela's text and smiled again. She really was so lovely. Ethan usually preferred girls who were involved in food in some way - baristas or girls who worked in cafés or delicatessens usually got Ethan's attention – and in any case, he'd already decided his diagnosis made relationships impossible, but Angela was so kind and thoughtful and perhaps it was natural for Ethan's daydreams to turn towards caregivers now.

Not that he would ever put any woman in that situation, but if he had been free, Ethan doubted he'd have been quite so eager to help Angela and Dylan into each other's arms.

Pushing away the sadness that always seemed to be there, Ethan read the text again.

Hi Ethan, Cal told me you weren't feeling well, I hope you feel better soon. I really enjoyed last night , hardly missed Dylan at all! I'm sure Cal is looking after you but let me know if there's anything I can do. Get well soon x

Ethan firmly squashed the hope that rose up inside him. He'd known from the beginning that it was Dylan who Angela really liked. He was just a friend who was doing all he could to keep Cal away and encourage Dylan. 'Hardly' missing Dylan wasn't the same as not missing him at all.

He closed his eyes for a moment and decided he did feel just about well enough to reply.

Hi Angela, thanks so much for your message. I really appreciate it. I am feeling better now – hopefully I'll be back to my usual self tomorrow. Always happy to have a drink with you any time Dylan is being an idiot (I'm so sorry if that offends you – I just mean anyone would be an idiot not to want to go out with you. I actually have enormous respect for Dylan). I'll see you soon – I hope you're having a good day and that you see Dylan. Thanks again and best wishes. Ethan x

Cal would say it was far too long, but Ethan didn't think Angela would mind. He sent the message and closed his eyes to have a nap.


Cal watched, trying not to cry as his patient took his final breath. Iain had suggested getting another doctor and Cal had hoped someone in Resus would have been available, but Lily and Dylan were both busy. Dylan had finally come to help at the end, but there was nothing that could be done.

Cal put his hand over his mouth and gave a strangled sob.

Dylan finished giving instructions to the nurses and turned awkwardly to Cal. "Your… mother had Huntington's, didn't she?"

Cal nodded. And my little brother too. My little brother, who is only ten years younger than this man.

Even though it was Dylan, Cal yearned to tell him. Connie and Charlie knew – Connie because she was clinical lead and Charlie because he was old and wise enough to figure it out – but Ethan had asked him not to tell anyone else.

"You couldn't have done anything else," said Dylan. "You can go now. It's nearly the end of your shift."

Even though the words were spoken matter-of-factly, Cal appreciated them because Dylan wouldn't normally have said them. "Thanks," he whispered as he tore his gloves from his hands and dropped them into clinical waste.

He hurried to the staff room and sat down for what was intended to be a few minutes, but he was still sitting there twenty minutes later when Dylan arrived. "I said you could go home."

"I know." Cal was overtaken by another wave of sobbing. "But I don't want to worry Ethan by coming home early." It wasn't as though he could tell Ethan what had happened.

Then he heard another voice. "Hi, Dylan. I was wondering… what's happened?"

To Cal's amazement, Dylan sat down beside him. "Cal. It's… normal… to have this reaction. Sometimes. Ethan will want to… support you. Or perhaps go and see… a friend."

Cal couldn't understand what was happening. Why was Dylan being supportive? He was obviously very uncomfortable with it and he quite wasn't making sense, but since when did Dylan even try to give emotional support?

Then Angela sat beside him. "Cal, I'm sorry. I should probably mind my own business, but if there's anything I can do…"

Something clicked in Cal's mind. Angela was the person who'd walked into the staff room. Dylan liked Angela. So he was trying to impress her by being all sensitive.

Anger chased away Cal's tears, perhaps quicker than anything else could have done. "That's my little brother's girlfriend you're hitting on, you know, Dylan."

Dylan looked absolutely stunned. He glanced uncertainly at Angela. "But I thought…"

Angela was looking understandably guilty. "Dylan… I need to tell you something."

"No! No, you don't need to tell me anything at all." Dylan was on his feet. "I'll leave you to…" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he turned and left.

Angela looked after him. She seemed upset, but then she turned back to Cal. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Has Ethan told you about… our mum?" said Cal.

Angela's face filled with sympathy. "He's told me about both your mums. And I know that Ethan has inherited Huntington's from your birth mother. I'm so sorry, Cal. It's terrible for Ethan, of course – but it must also be terrible for you."

"I just lost a patient with Huntington's in Resus. He was only ten years older than Ethan." Cal started to cry again.

Angela stroked his arm. "And that made you think of Ethan?"

Cal nodded. "I feel so guilty sometimes," he confessed. Then he wondered why he was telling that to someone who was almost a stranger.

"That's natural," said Angela. "Of course it's in no way your fault and I hope you can come to realise that – I'm sure that, as a doctor, you do know it really, but it's so different when your emotions come into it. But it's understandable that you feel that way. Have you thought of talking to someone about it? It's fine if you haven't and I'm in no way trying to talk you into having any kind of therapy. It's your decision and it doesn't work for everyone."

Cal sighed. "I don't see how I can talk to anyone really. Ethan's the one who's going through it."

"A lot of people feel like that," said Angela. "But the truth is that you're suffering from Huntington's too, in a way. Not physically but emotionally. A lot of people in your position wouldn't want any kind of support for the same reason as you, but you could look at it another way. Perhaps you're not getting support for yourself exactly but you'd be doing it for Ethan's benefit, so – indirectly – you'd be getting support for Ethan. I don't necessarily mean therapy – there are other kinds of support available." She smiled. "And now I'll stop talking and give you time to change the subject if that's what you want."

Cal smiled back despite his sadness. "I can't think about anything now. It's too much."

"Of course," said Angela.

"But I will think about it." Cal changed the subject. "Were you looking for me?"

"I was wondering if you'd give this to Ethan." Angela held out a book. "We were talking about it last night and he said he'd be interested in reading it. I was going to wait till I saw him again, but as he's not well, he might be in the mood for reading."

Cal took the book from he and smiled. "That's really sweet of you and I'll be happy to pass it along." He opened his mouth to suggest that she came with him, but then he thought better of it. Ethan was (he hoped) perfectly capable of inviting his own girlfriend over if he wanted to see her.