Tanith Panic, the Ethan bits are quite sad - I wanted a bit of a contrast between Ethan being at home ill and Cal being at home ill. But he's a bit happier in this chapter, don't worry! I'm happy you liked Cal and Robyn's misunderstandings. Thank you for your review.

Tato Potato, I actually thought everyone was (at least secretly) scared of Connie, but I get things wrong all the time!Thank you for your review and I'm really happy you enjoyed the chapter.

CBloom2, I don't think Ethan will be as grumpy as Cal, but maybe Cal deserves to have a grumpy brother after all the stress - not to mention the germs - he inflicted on Ethan! Thank you for your review.

Is-there-somewhere-x, thank you for your review. I'm really happy you liked the scenes between Cal, Robyn and Connie - they were a lot of fun to write, especially as they're such different characters. If you don't want to see the end of this, maybe you shouldn't read on... though I really hope you will!

So, this is the end, probably. It was originally three chapters long but might have stopped after the first one following a negative review. Now here we are with Chapter 21. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourite, followed and provided support to encourage me to continue writing.

Ethan heard the sound of a key in the door and reluctantly decided he'd better take his head off the table. He'd stopped crying, but he didn't doubt the signs of it were still on his face. He sat up, deciding it must be lunchtime if Cal was home.

He looked at Cal's face and saw with surprise that he looked tearstained too. Ethan got to his feet and ignored the resulting dizziness.

"Are you okay? Have you been crying?" they both said at the same time.

Then they looked at one another and both answered. "I couldn't do my work and I felt really ill."

Ethan was relieved he wasn't the only person struggling to work, but he was sorry Cal had felt as miserable as he did. Without really thinking about it, he reached up and gave Cal a hug.

"You really shouldn't be working, Nibbles," said Cal, as the two of them more or less held each other upright.

"Neither should you!" said Ethan with a weak laugh that turned into a cough. "Is it lunchtime?"

"No, I was sent home," said Cal. "I sneezed all over my shoulder in Resus."

Ethan smiled sympathetically. "Better over your shoulder than over the patient."

"Connie told Robyn to wipe my nose for me!" said Cal.

"It wasn't your fault your hands were already occupied," said Ethan. "Two hands aren't really enough when you have a cold."

"Oh yeah – about that," said Cal. "We don't have a cold. We have the flu."

Ethan wasn't surprised. "I did wonder if it was flu, but I don't know where you could have caught it from. We haven't had any flu cases in the hospital."

Cal looked slightly embarrassed. "I caught it from an Australian backpacker. We spent a couple of hours… in close confines. She told me she had allergies. Then she took herself off to the ED."

Ethan considered making a joke about catching nasty illnesses from girls, but he decided Cal had probably suffered enough.

"I also hurt my back in Resus and nearly dropped the patient," said Cal, who was competitive about everything, including illness. "And Robyn had to examine my back for me and she nearly killed me because it hurt so much."

"But now you're home," said Ethan reassuringly. "So you can rest and get better. Speaking of resting, shall we sit down?"

Cal nodded and they started to walk towards the sofa, still holding on to each other.

"So how awful was your day?" asked Cal.

"I was trying to study and write notes," said Ethan. "I needed a tissue so I put my notes on the floor. My textbook fell off my lap and knocked my water all over my notes. I had to do it all again. Then I forgot how to read so I, um, threw my book on the floor and cried."

Cal looked slightly embarrassed. "I cried in the car because Mrs Beauchamp was mean to me."

"Only because you're not very well and you were having a terrible day," said Ethan. He gave Cal several cushions to support his back and sat beside him. "Did you tell Mrs Beauchamp about your back?"

Cal nodded. "She sent me for a scan. I've strained a muscle so I have to stay at home and take it easy."

Ethan nodded. "It looks like we'll both be doing that for the next few days. We do both seem a bit useless." He blew his nose. "And disgusting."

"You're not disgusting. You're ill." Cal looked at Ethan, frowning. "Though you do look pretty awful. You should go to bed, Nibbles. You're shivering."

"I'm fine," said Ethan. He curled up on the sofa, but there wasn't much room and his head was almost in Cal's lap.

Cal started stroking his hair. Ethan guessed he was high on pain and flu meds, but he decided he liked having his hair stroked.

"Do you remember when we were little and we were both ill at the same time, Mum used to put us both in her bed?" said Ethan.

Cal nodded. "You always lay there quietly like a good boy and I complained a lot and made a big fuss."

"And consequently got more attention than me!" said Ethan.

They were silent for a while, just thinking.

Then Ethan spoke again. "I miss her, Cal."

Cal leaned over a bit so he could hug Ethan. If it hurt his back, he gave no sign of it. "Me too, Nibbles."

Ethan blinked hard. "I always miss her. I'm not saying I miss her more because I'm ill."

"But sometimes it's harder to deal with, isn't it?" said Cal.

"Yes," whispered Ethan. "It is."

Cal rubbed his shoulder. "I suppose we could keep the tradition going. If you wanted."

"It would be easier for us to help each other if we're in the same room," said Ethan, a bit unsteadily.

Cal nodded. "Much easier. Why don't you go to bed and I'll make us both some lunch?"

In the end, they made lunch together. Ethan got everything out of the fridge so Cal wouldn't have to bend down, then he sat down and had a rest while Cal made sandwiches. Once that was done, Ethan carried the tray into their bedroom and Cal carried a bag of frozen peas Ethan had said he could use for his back as it was bigger than any of their ice packs.

Once they were in the bedroom, Ethan arranged the pillows so Cal's back was supported. "Did Mrs Beauchamp give you anything for your back?"

"Ibuprofen, muscle relaxants and a support to wear, but I'll need to take it off to use the ice," said Cal. "And some flu meds for you. Apparently it's too late to do anything for me, but you're not beyond help."

Ethan's smile was weak, but Cal was just glad to see him smiling.

They didn't say much over lunch. Cal was tired and he knew it was the same for Ethan. Cal gave Ethan some water and patted his back when he had a nasty coughing fit and Ethan gave Cal a careful hug when he sneezed and caused his back to twinge.

By the time they'd finished their lunch and drunk some tea (which Cal had made and Ethan had carried), Ethan became very sleepy. His head drooped onto Cal's shoulder. "I'm not hurting your back, am I?" he said anxiously.

"No, not at all." Cal smiled despite his fatigue. He was touched by Ethan's concern and he was glad he hadn't told Ethan the real cause of his back injury. "But I wouldn't go to sleep there, Nibbles. You might get a bad back too."

"I don't want to move," said Ethan, but he knew Cal was right. He snuggled down under the covers.

"Night, Nibbles," said Cal, and tucked him in properly.

"Night, Caleb." Ethan closed his eyes.

Cal blew his nose very quietly.

"Caleb?" Ethan opened one eye. "Can you keep the noise down, please? I'm trying to sleep."

Cal threw a pillow at his head.

"Oh, thank you." Ethan grabbed the pillow and put his head on it.

Cal held his back and winced in pain. "Why did I throw that pillow? Why?"

Ethan sat up, ignoring the feeling of dizziness, and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. "Are you all right? You can have the pillow back if you need it."

Cal swallowed another ibuprofen. "It's okay. I think I'm going to have a nap too." He lay down beside Ethan and patted his arm when he started coughing. "It's all right, Nibbles. You'll feel better soon. Just go to sleep. I'm right here."

"Wake me up if you need me to help you to the bathroom," murmured Ethan.

"Wake me up if the flat's burning down again," murmured Cal.

They shared a weak but affectionate smile and fell asleep.

I think this really is the end now as I'm not sure what could happen after this and I think Cal and Ethan will be less inclined to push themselves if they know it's flu and not just a cold, but if you do have any ideas, you can always let me know.