CBloom2, yes, Ethan will be going to save Cal now! No shortage of brotherly love in my stories. Cal probably won't be very happy with his little brother, but I'm sure he'll get over it. As long as he survives... thank you for your review.
Becs2202, he does know where Cal is and he's probably not going to be very happy about it! Thank you for your review.
Tato Potato, so if you want Cal, Connie, Rita, Lofty, Dylan and Max to get out safely, does that mean Zoe should stay in there? She has been behaving very badly... thank you for your review.
ETWentHome, Cal and Ethan very rarely have it easy in my stories! I'm really happy you like the rivalry between Connie and Rita - that was difficult to write. Thank you for your review.
Tanith Panic, thank you for your review. I'm really glad you're still enjoying it. Even though it's a serious story, I can't resist putting in a bit of comedy sometimes. I love Dylan and Lofty together even when they're just friends!
Jacob watched Lily admiringly as she gave crisp instructions to Dixie and Iain. His affections currently belonged to Connie 'Sweet Cheeks' Beauchamp, but she seemed determined to appear uninterested and perhaps had rules about becoming involved with her colleagues. Lily might prove a more than acceptable alternative. She hadn't shown any interest in Jacob so far, but he wasn't about to be put off by small details like that.
Jacob helped Dixie and Iain to get Charlie into the back of the ambulance. "Maybe I should go with them," he said as Dixie closed the ambulance doors and made her way to the front of the ambulance.
Lily gave him a frosty look. "Did I ask you to go with them?"
"No," said Jacob. "But I don't always wait for suggestions."
"When I'm in charge, you wait," said Lily as the ambulance's engine started up. "And if I do tell you to do something, it is not a suggestion."
The engine failed. Jacob faintly heard Iain shouting something to Dixie, who tried to start the engine again, without success.
"I'll go and look at the engine," said Jacob, but Lily stopped him with a shapely and on his arm.
"No, Jacob. You are needed here."
Jacob grinned. "Well, if you need me, Dr Chao, how can I say no?"
He wasn't in the least fazed by the look Lily gave him.
Dixie got out of the ambulance and went to open the bonnet. The back doors of the ambulance opened and Iain started to get out, but a noise from Charlie's monitor stopped him. "His heart's stopped. I'll start compressions."
"Bring the trolley out here if you can do it without disconnecting him from the machines," directed Lily.
"We can do it in the ambulance," said Iain.
Lily's eyes narrowed. "Please do as I say."
"I can't see what's wrong with it," they heard Dixie say as she made her way towards the back of the ambulance. Immediately, she sensed trouble. "What's happened?"
"His heart's stopped. I've asked Iain to bring him out here," said Lily crisply.
Dixie looked slightly confused. "We can treat him in the ambulance, lovely. It's probably better not to move him."
"My name is Dr Chao, not 'lovely'!" snapped Lily.
Jacob shook his head reprovingly. He liked his fiery Dr Chao, but she had a lot still to learn.
"Sorry," said Dixie briefly, and went to help Iain.
Jacob touched Lily's arm again. "I know the ambulance seems quite small and cramped, but Dixie and Iain are used to working in those conditions. I'm sure it'll be fine to leave him in there."
"But you are not in charge, Jacob, are you?" said Lily. She watched as Jacob went to help Dixie and Iain pull the trolley out of the ambulance again. Lily bent over Charlie and checked his pulse. "Jacob, begin compressions, please."
He wasn't there. Cal had looked everywhere in the ED, but there was no sign of Ethan. Cal stood for a minute, wondering where he could be, but the answer was obvious.
Ethan must have gone into another part of the hospital. Perhaps he'd heard someone shouting for help or some sort of a struggle and he'd gone to help. That would be so like Ethan. He wouldn't have known how much danger he was in. He must have known there was something wrong because of the alarm, but he wouldn't have known there was a bomb.
Though even if he had, it might not have stopped him. Cal was the brother who was usually associated with daring rescues and the one who defied authority in order to do it, but Ethan would never abandon someone who needed help.
Cal pushed open the door leading to another part of the hospital and stepped into a deserted corridor.
The building was large, but he wasn't going to give up. He was going to search every inch of the hospital until he'd found Ethan.
Louise watched with something between despair and annoyance as Robyn continued to sob. Louise had asked her to stop crying so many times. She'd yelled at her; she'd almost begged her. Nothing had worked.
Nurses were supposed to be good at comforting people, but Robyn would not be comforted.
Louise wanted to believe it was Robyn's fault. Robyn was being stubborn and immature, refusing to listen to good advice; refusing to do the job she was paid to do.
But Louise knew that wasn't the problem. The problem was Louise. She could big someone up if she had to, even a doctor like Lily who didn't usually seem to be lacking in self-confidence. But she didn't know what to say to a nurse who was convinced she'd lost her brother and was falling apart.
"I wish they'd just do something!" wailed Robyn.
"Who?" said Louise.
"The police. The emergency people," wept Robyn. "Why are they just sitting outside?"
Louise felt impatient. How did Robyn expect her to have knowledge of the emergency protocol of the police force?
"I just want them to do something!" cried Robyn. "Max is in there; Lofty's in there; lots of people are in there and the only person who's done anything is Cal."
"They probably can't just go bursting in," said Louise. "If they frighten the guy with the bomb, he might set it off and kill everyone."
Robyn started to howl even louder.
Louise decided that mentioning the fact Max and Lofty could be killed probably hadn't been the best move.
She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Why was she so useless? Why couldn't she just be a nurse? Robyn would know what to say if their positions were reversed. Rita would certainly know. Charlie would know best of all. Even that idiot Lofty (that was another thing she definitely shouldn't say to Robyn) would know. He understood people. It was like an instinct with him. He could just look at someone and see what they were feeling. Louise couldn't.
"I wish Lofty was here," sobbed Robyn. "I wish Max was here too. I wish everyone was. But if Lofty was here, he'd give me the biggest hug ever and make me feel like everything would be okay."
The biggest hug ever….
Well, that was one thing Louise hadn't tried and she was getting desperate now.
Louise tentatively reached forward. She put one hand on Robyn's shoulder and the other on her arm. Gently but firmly, she pulled Robyn into her arms.
She felt a jolt of surprise travel through Robyn's body. For a moment, she stood completely still in Louise's embrace and Louise was afraid, so genuinely terrified that Robyn would push her away. But then Robyn's arms came up and she hugged her tightly. Almost painfully, but Louise didn't mind.
She couldn't remember the last time someone had held her like that. As though she were somebody important. A lifeline, even.
As though she were needed or even… liked.
In a rush of gratitude, Louise pulled Robyn closer. She wasn't sure why she was so grateful that Robyn hadn't spurned her; cast her aside; rejected her clumsy attempt at comfort. But it didn't matter. She focused her attention on the girl in her arms. "We're not giving up on them, Robyn: okay? I might not know Max and Lofty as well as you, but I'm sure they're not giving up. And neither are we. So what we're going to do, Robyn, is we're going to stay here for a bit and have a hug because I bet even Mrs Beauchamp needs a hug sometimes, and then we're going to go back out there and help as many people as we can. And when Max and Lofty get out of there, which they will, we'll have seen to all our patients, which means we'll have time and energy to spare for Max and Lofty. Because once they get out of there, I think they're going to need a few hugs too. Okay, Robyn?"
Robyn lifted a surprised face from Louise's shoulder. "Okay, Louise."
Louise patted her on the shoulder. It felt a bit awkward, but she was sure Robyn would understand her intentions. "You can do this," she said softly. "I know you can."