The young junior doctor, who frankly would rather have been going home, had just arrived back down on the E.D. Her shift now only had a couple of hours to go, and she kept her head down and spoke only when necessary; this behaviour made her depleted mood startlingly obvious, however nobody really quested it. This was because the her disappearance with Guy had not gone unnoticed, and it seemed some of the more gossip-prone nurses had begun to make connection between the F1 and the suppressed drama surrounding the return of the director of nursing. The happenings of the prior few months had only been disclosed to a select few, mainly on the Keller ward, surrounding the family bond the three shared - yet now it seemed to have snaked its way down to the E.D. This was to be expected, but this didn't mean the looks, blatant stares, and playground like whispers that she saw and heard didn't put her off. In a way though it felt slightly bitter sweet, as although he father agreed to it becoming public she knew it still bothered him at times. She breathed a silent sigh of relief as her sight came to an end, and she made for the locker room quickly, so she could finally leave the resting place of what she'd now dubbed 'the worst day (so far)'.

Upon entry she was realized she had company, in the form of Max and Ethan. The young registrar was tapping away on his laptop and didn't immediately notice her presence; in contrast the porter became very alert as she entered and was shooting her a quizzical look. She knew almost right away why this was, and didn't need to wait for him to open his mouth.

"Yes Max, it's true – I'm his daughter!" She told him with an eye roll. He nodded, and then grinned,

"I see, it looks like a certain sister of mine now owes me a drink!" He quipped, referring to a juvenile bet he and Robyn had made upon hearing the rumour – which the nurse though was completely ridiculous -, and he exited the room with a slight grin still plastered on his face. Ethan looked up from his work,

"What was that about? And where on earth were you rushing off to at lunchtime? And what did Connie and Guy want with you?" he queried, a small and clearly puzzled smile making its way on to his face, confused as he didn't tend to get too involved in gossip. Star unlocked her lock before answering,

"You haven't heard? I'm the CEO's other daughter. It's a long story – perhaps I'll bore you with it another time – but in short after a confrontation between him and my mother, the director of nursing, I ended up being hit by a car," He explained, fumbling around in her bag, and Ethan started to speak before she could continue,

"I thought I recognised you! I treated you, yeah, I remember now… You'd broken a hip and fractured some ribs, then something went amiss with one of your lungs – I forget what," He reminisced. Star raised a brow, surprised that he remembered the event even though it was many months ago,

"You did? I wouldn't remember to be honest, as you clearly remember was a state!" She replied.

"Yeah – But you made a full recovery so that's all that matters!" He answered, surprisingly brightly. Star nodded again, finally finding what she was looking for in her bag.

"Yeah – I have some faded scars from the op to prove it," She quipped, closing the locker door over slightly. "As for my whereabouts at lunch time, it's very much a secret…" Star started, throwing the 'Baby & You – Antenatal care with the NHS' and 'Your next steps' leaflets she'd received at her appointment that morning. Ethan grabbed them, as the dropped at the floor near his feet, and scanned them briefly.

"Oh – Congratulations," He replied with a smile. Star shook her head though, and walked towards him,

"Hardly; it might be your niece or nephew," She stated sadly, sounding deflated, as she flopped down next to him. He tried to give her a small sympathetic smile,

"Only might be – It'll be okay you know," He reassured her, but she shook her head again,

"I doubt it; Guy was looking for me because he saw Arthur leaving maternity, whom by the way still thinks he's definitely the father, and he ended up flying off the hook with me a bit – and he also doesn't know about Cal either," She explained, tears suddenly coming to her eyes.

"You should be honest with them – I'm sure they'd understand…" He said, taking a soothing hold of her hand,

"I doubt it. That's exactly what my mother said to me yesterday though about honesty, I was being sick in the toilets, and she was the one who convinced me to get the test. In all honesty I'd been lying to myself about it for day," She confided, her voice getting gradually quieter as she went on, and tears started to slip from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," He spoke softly, rubbing the back of her had gently with his thumb and then interlocking his fingers with hers. Star her head face down on his shoulder for a few moments, to compose herself, before glancing first up to him and then to the floor,

"Sorry, sorry; It's been a tough day," She said quietly.

"Don't be," He replied, as they both pulled each other into a short hug. Needless to say, their friendship had come so far since Star had started working on Holby's E.D, especially due to the countless times Ethan had been there for Star during her panic attacks – which had been quite frequent – and as she had decided before, he was a safe place in all of this. As they pulled apart Star noticed the time on his laptop, and went to stand up,

"It's late, don't let me keep you!" She stated, slightly suddenly. Ethan gave a slight nod,

"See you tomorrow then," He said, pulling the computer back on to his lap. Star grabbed her bag from her locker, before locking shut and leaving to get changed.

As she left Ethan had watched her intently, as he began to think. He was now starting to struggle to deny the thoughts in the back of his mind about the chemistry forming between the two of them. Although he knew perfectly well she had a boyfriend he still held strong feelings of attraction towards her; he wasn't even quite sure what it was, but perhaps it was the strength she had, or the way she seemed to make this highly difficult job effortless. He sighed. She didn't need this, not now, she was in a difficult enough place as it was. No – He couldn't tell her now - that would just be wrong and almost insensitive. He'd just have to stay as he was, and be there for her over the next few months, as it was clear that they weren't going to be easy for anybody. He shook his thoughts off, and then realised she'd left the leaflets behind. He contemplated for a moment, and decided that he should try and find them and give them to her. Knowing that she'd be changed by now he pulled on his grey NHS hoodie and headed outside, hoping to catch her before she left, as although she may not care to admit it these leaflets may actually be helpful. He jogged through the ward and out the doors. He stopped momentarily and scanned the immediate area with his eyes, and saw her nearby walking past the benches staff usually smoked on. Ethan jogged over and called out her name as he got within a few metres of her. Star jumped slightly, and turned around,

"Ethan?" She replied, shocked to be seeing him. "What's up?" She asked, concerned, as she was confused as to why he'd come after her.

"You left these," He said simply, handing her the leaflets. A slight sigh escaped the petite doctor's lips,

"Oh those, thanks," She replied quietly, ever so slightly embarrassed. Ethan gave her a slight smiled, not at all surprised by her reaction,

"See you tomorrow," He repeated his words of only minutes ago, before walking off again. She shook her head ever so slightly, as she continued to walk out of the hospital grounds and to the shared flat she lived in. However the aforementioned, 'The worst day (so far)' was about to get even worse, as a familiar face was sitting nearby on one of the benches, and they would soon catch sight of the coloured leaflets she was still clutching in her pale hands…