Hello everyone! You all know how much I love leaving you on a cliff-hanger, I hope you don't hate me too much ;) Here's the next chapter, will Cal be okay? Please let me know your thoughts as always, thanks, Kayxxx :)
I'll always be a Knight – Chapter fourteen
"Okay everyone as you all know by now that's Cal in there, he's had a really nasty blow to the head and he seems very disoriented and distressed, it's going to be hard treating him and so we need people who are going to stay focused" Rita announced to everyone at the nursing station.
"I'll help!" Max shouted out.
"Max, you're a porter" Rita rolled her eyes, "thanks though" she added.
Robyn looked through the doors at Cal hauntingly, "I'm sorry, I can't" she told her.
"Not a problem Robyn, you can help out in cubicles for now" Rita replied.
"I'm up for it" Lofty put himself forward.
"Great" Rita smiled and led him into RESUS.
"Get off me!" Cal shouted as he fought with Dylan and Zoe who were trying to calm him down.
"Why hasn't he got a neck brace on if he's had a blow to the head?" Lofty asked confused as he made his way over.
"He refused one in the ambulance" Zoe informed him.
Lofty watched as Cal moved about groaning in pain as the blood poured from his head, "someone should get Ethan" lofty announced as he backed away.
"Connie already has, Lofty we need you here" Zoe told him sternly, he nodded sheepishly and slowly made his way back over to them.
"Can you tell me your name?" Dylan asked as he flashed a torch in Cal's eyes, "no? Okay, do you know who I am?" He asked as Cal pulled his head away, "this is ridiculous!" Dylan spat out as he looked up at Zoe helplessly.
"Right Lofty we need him booked in for a CT ASAP" Zoe ordered as she tried to hold a dressing to Cal's head to stem the bleeding.
"He's awake so he'll be fine right? It could be worse he could be unresponsive" Lofty spoke to Zoe looking for some reassurance that his friend will be okay.
"He was unconscious for a long time before someone found him, he seems to have amnesia, he's distressed, bleeding heavily and to top it he's under the influence of alcohol so although it could be worse it seems hard to believe" Dylan replied bluntly.
"CT Lofty" Zoe spoke out reminding him of her orders. Lofty nodded and headed out.
"Where is he?!" Ethan called frantically as he rushed through the ED doors, Charlie followed closely behind. It took everyone a few seconds to register who Ethan was at first.
"He's in RESUS" Louise told him and he hurried through, "is it just me or does Ethan look kind of attractive when he's all rugged?" Louise asked surprised, "I honestly didn't think he owned a pair of jeans" she added with a giggle.
"He hasn't slept, eaten properly, shaved, probably showered, or even thought straight in over four days, if that's attractive to you that's quite concerning" Charlie spoke out in Ethan's defence, "He needs his friends now more than ever, I'll ask you all to show some support" He told everyone who stood at reception, they all nodded respectfully in reply.
Ethan burst through the doors to RESUS.
"Cal" Ethan called as he was instantly at his bedside. There was a slight glimmer of recognition in Cal's eyes as he looked up at Ethan but he then continued to move about in pain. Ethan looked down at him horrified; he looked rough and that was without him being covered in blood. "What the hell happened?" Ethan snapped.
"He was found in an alleyway in the city centre, they think he'd fallen over drunk, knocked his head and became unconscious but by the looks of things he's been left there all night before someone found him" Zoe explained.
Ethan shook his head, "Cal you're coming home do you understand me? I'm sorry for what I said, you're coming home with me" Ethan told him desperately as tears built in his eyes.
"He's also very confused, he doesn't know who he is, who we are or where he is" Zoe told Ethan.
"What?" He asked surprised, "Cal it's me" Ethan looked down at him, "it's me Cal, Ethan...Nibbles?" He spoke trying to jog Cal's memory.
"I want my Dad" Cal groaned.
"Your Dad?!" Ethan spat out amazed, Cal had never uttered those words in his life, "Yeah well he's definitely confused" he tried to make light of the situation but it was obvious he was petrified for his brother.
"His CT scan showed he has a subdural haematoma" Dylan announced as he made his way through the doors holding Cal's CT scan results. Ethan sighed deeply and looked down at Cal, he was starting to lose hope.
"Right call up to the neurosurgeons and tell them we're bringing Cal up now, I already told them they could be needed before the CT and so they're expecting him" Zoe told Lofty who grabbed the phone.
Zoe then turned to Cal who had his hands held up to his face, she sighed and pulled his hands away "Right, you're going to need surgery on your brain to-" she was cut off when Cal sat up and pulled his arms from her grasp.
"Get off me!" He slurred.
"Woah Cal calm down" Ethan told him as Cal crossed his legs and held his head into his hands once more and began to cry, "Look I know this must be scary and confusing for you but these people are here to look after you okay? They're doing their job and so you need to calm down and let them get on with it alright?" Ethan spoke calmly, it felt so wrong talking to Cal as if he were a patient, "My name's Doctor Hardy and I'm going to be here to look after you too okay? You can trust me" He smiled as he guided Cal back so he was laying down.
"Hardy?" Cal asked confused and Ethan nodded frantically, was Cal's memory coming back?
"Right let's go" Zoe announced as Max came in to take Cal up for surgery.
"You're going to be alright mate" Max told him as he wheeled Cal out of the room. Ethan stayed alongside the trolley the whole time. As they were stood waiting for the lift to open Cal took hold of Ethan's hand and held it tight.
Ethan looked down at him with tears building in his eyes, "It's okay Cal" He forced out a smile.
Ethan stayed with Cal up until the moment he left for his surgery. He had been sedated and was now calm, although all this was going on Ethan was just happy he'd found his brother...even though he could not make it out of surgery alive.
"He'll be okay Ethan" Charlie told him in reassurance.
"How can you even say that Charlie? He's got a blot clot in his head, how is that 'okay'?" He asked.
"He's in the best possible hands Ethan" Charlie replied.
"This is all my fault" Ethan mumbled.
"No it isn't" Charlie told him.
"That could be it, he might not ever get is memory back or worse he could die in surgery!" Ethan spat out.
Charlie shook his head, "You need to stop worrying" he stated.
"How can I?" Ethan shrugged.
"Get yourself to the on call room and get some sleep" Charlie suggested.
Ethan shook his head, "I need to pick the kids up from school" he mumbled.
"You can't be driving in this state Ethan, you haven't slept in days it'd be as bad as driving drunk" Charlie told him responsibly.
"Charlie. I'm fine" Ethan told him as convincingly as he could but Charlie was having none of it.
"You're not" Charlie replied bluntly.
"Those kids need me" Ethan spoke determinately.
"Yeah but they don't need you crashing them into a wall though Ethan" Charlie spoke sternly as he looked into Ethan's tired bloodshot eyes. Ethan held his had down "look you've got what? 50 minutes before you have to leave? Go up to the on call room and have a sleep, I'll come and wake you in 45 minutes" Charlie proposed.
"I won't be able to sleep anyway with everything that's going on Charlie" Ethan sighed.
"Go to the on call room now, that's an order" Charlie ordered with a wink.
Ethan gave in, he sighed deeply and made his way upstairs.
Charlie watched Ethan leave and then made his way over to Noel's desk, "right, Noel, I need you to find out the school Madison and Peter Hardy go to please" he ordered.
"On it Charlie" Noel smiled as he typed away on his computer.
45 minutes later, as promised, Charlie made his way upstairs to get Ethan. He knocked lightly on the door of the on call room but he got no reply, he opened it up and popped his head inside to find Ethan was fast asleep on the bed. Charlie smiled to himself; he was just glad Ethan was finally getting some rest. Ethan was convinced he wouldn't be able to sleep with all the bad things that were going on in his life recently but luckily his exhausted body thought otherwise; he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Charlie quietly closed the door and left to pick up Maddie and Peter from school, leaving Ethan to get some sleep.
A good few hours later Ethan was awoken by his phone ringing. He answered it still with his eyes closed; he was half asleep. He hadn't slept this good in weeks.
"Hello?" He mumbled.
"Hi Ethan it's Sally George's old neighbour, I was just calling to see how the kids are dealing with things?" A ladies voice replied.
"Yeah, yeah they're doing fine..." Ethan trailed off with a yawn.
"And the funeral is this Friday?" She asked but got no reply as Ethan drifted off, "hello?" She asked.
"Yes that's right, funeral Friday" Ethan replied, he never wanted to get out of this bed.
"It must be so hard for the kids to understand" she replied dreadfully, "have you kept them off school this week?" She asked.
"I took them in today, I had lots to do" Ethan replied with another yawn.
"Maybe that's for the best so they can take their mind off things for a while" she replied and Ethan nodded, which was pointless because she couldn't see him nodding through a phone, "are they nearby? I'd love to talk to them" she asked.
"They're still in school" Ethan replied.
"Ethan...you do know it's half six don't you? School finished hours ago" she told him concerned.
"What?!" Ethan's eyes shot open, he was horrified when he found himself still in the on call room.
"Maybe your brother picked them up" she suggested.
"That's impossible" Ethan replied as he jumped out of bed and ran downstairs frantically, "look I'll have to go" he put the phone down and placed it in the pocket of his jeans as he ran.
"Ethan..." Charlie smiled as he saw him head down the stairs into reception.
"Why didn't you wake me Charlie? You said you'd wake me!" Ethan snapped as he hurried past him.
"No Ethan wait..." Charlie called as he followed him to the ED doors.
Ethan spun around to face him, "I haven't got time to hear whatever excuse you've thought up Charlie I have to get the kids, if social services find out about this then that's it, they'll be taken-"
He was cut off by two small cheerful voices that shouted from inside the ED, "Ethan!" Peter and Maddie ran straight for him for a hug.
Ethan sighed with relief, "How did you...?" He asked confused as he held them.
"Charlie picked us up from school!" Maddie told him.
Ethan looked up at him awkwardly.
"I thought you could do with some sleep" Charlie explained.
"I'm sorry..." Ethan spoke ashamed, "thank you" he told him.
"Why are we back in hospital Ethan? Is it Dad?" Peter asked innocently.
"No Peter dad's dead you know this" Maddie rolled her eyes.
"No Peter we're not here for Dad..." Ethan kneeled down before them; "we're actually here for Cal" he told them carefully.
"Cal's here?!" Peter gasped excitedly.
"Why's he in hospital? Is he okay? Is he going to die too?" Maddie asked in worry.
"Can we see him?" Peter asked.
"Actually I don't even think I can see him just yet matey" Ethan replied as he looked up at Charlie who gave him a nod meaning Cal is out of surgery.
"He's out?" Ethan asked with a sigh of relief.
"Literally about five minutes ago, I was just about to wake you" Charlie explained.
"Ethan you look happy" Peter noted.
"That's because I am" Ethan replied. Just the fact Cal had made it out of surgery was enough to give him relief.
"I'll mind the kids while you go up to see him" Charlie told Ethan who smiled at him gratefully.
"Can't we see him too?" Peter asked disappointedly.
"You can see him when he wakes up properly, let Ethan see him for now, come on let's go to the staffroom" Charlie led the kids away and Ethan left to see Cal.