Gillian Kearney Fan, thank you for your review - I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Ethan will get another text in this one!
Tato Potato, I agree - Ethan is very sweet when he's in love! If only he could find a girl who was sensible enough to love him back. Thank you for your review.
beckyboogle, thank you for your review - I'm so happy you found the chapter amusing. I hope you enjoy this one too!
ETWentHome, he really is completely smitten. Just like his brother - and probably many other men. Thank you for your review!
Tanith Panic, thank you for both your reviews. Ethan is unlikely to get out of this with his heart and his bank balance intact... unless she has reformed, as you say. I don't know about forever, but I'm writing Chapter 29 now and it's going to be a while before the end!
casualtyisbae, thank you for your review - it's so lovely to know this story is your favourite! It's my favourite of the stories I'm writing. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
At twenty to twelve, Cal entered the staff room. It was empty apart from his brother, who was sitting in a chair with his back to the door, looking at something on his phone.
It hadn't escaped Cal's attention that Ethan had got quite a lot of text messages today. There had been the one he'd got in the meeting and he'd noticed Ethan with his phone a couple of times during the morning.
Cal tiptoed up behind Ethan and looked over his shoulder.
I don't think I should tell you what I'm doing with my hand, but I'm pretending it's you xxx
He was about to speak when Ethan clicked reply. Cal decided to wait and see what his brother would write. Ethan writing a sexy text couldn't fail to be hilarious.
I hope you're having a good day at work x
Cal groaned. "Ethan, you can't write that!"
Ethan jumped violently and dropped his phone. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough," said Cal. "Mate, the girl is sexting you. You can't send a reply like that. It's a rejection."
"What should I say then?" said Ethan, as he picked up the phone from the floor.
Cal grabbed the phone from him.
"Give it back, Caleb!"
Cal held the phone above his head. "I'm trying to help you, Ethan. I'm trying to save your relationship. You should write something like 'I'm all alone in the staff room so I'll leave you to guess what I'm doing with MY hand'."
Ethan looked horrified. "I can't write that! And I'm not alone in the staff room and I definitely wasn't doing anything with my hand!"
"You shouldn't let the truth get in the way of a good flirt," said Cal. "What you need to do is make Taylor feel beautiful and desirable."
"How's… how's what you suggested going to do that?" said Ethan.
"Because she'll read between the lines and know you're doing what you're doing because you're thinking of her," said Cal.
Ethan shook his head. "Then can't I just tell her I'm thinking about her? I'm sure Taylor wouldn't want me to write a text like that."
"All girls like texts like that!" said Cal confidently.
"Even, um, the kind of girl who isn't into one-night-stands?" said Ethan uncertainly.
"Every single girl in the world!" said Cal.
Ethan looked a bit unhappy. "And you think she'd mind if I didn't do it?"
Cal nodded seriously. "Mate, she'd be devastated. She'll think you're going off her. Oh, Nibbles, you really have got a lot to learn about women."
"Right," said Ethan. "Can I have my phone back, please?"
Cal hesitated. "You don't think it's better if I do it for you? Considering you're a phone sex virgin."
"No, Caleb, I am not going to let you have phone sex with my girlfriend!" shouted Ethan.
A voice spoke from the doorway. "So this is where you are. Dr Hardy, your patients are breaching. Dr Knight, one of yours has vomited on the floor, one has absconded with a cannula still attached and another has had to be moved into Resus due to hypoxia. Perhaps you should save your… conversation until after work. After you've both reported to my office, that is."
"I'm sorry, Mrs Beauchamp," said Ethan miserably.
"Save it, Dr Hardy." Connie held the door open for them and the two brothers hurriedly left the staff room.
Ethan left the ED feeling tired after a difficult day and stressed after an even more difficult lecture from Connie about appropriate behaviour in the workplace. He was upset he'd let his personal life affect his work and resolved not to let it happen again, but that didn't change the fact it had happened.
He felt a little bit better when Taylor opened the door to her flat and kissed him. "Hey, gorgeous. Good day at work?"
"Absolutely terrible," said Ethan with feeling. He smiled. "But much better now I'm with you."
Taylor looked concerned. "Oh no. What happened, babe?"
"It's not important," said Ethan. "It wasn't anything in particular. It was just very difficult. A lot to get through in one day." He smiled. "It's really nothing to complain about when I think about you working for twenty-six hours or more in the Philippines."
Taylor pulled him closer. "I did work a thirty-eight-hour day once, if there is such a thing. But it didn't bother me at the time. I kept going on sheer adrenaline; I'm sure it's the same for you. But when it's all over, the exhaustion and the emotion does kind of hit you. This is a bit embarrassing, but after the thirty-eight-hour day, I cried for about two hours and then slept for twelve."
"I'm sure it was what you needed," said Ethan. He hugged her more tightly. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You'd just done something incredible that so few people could achieve. I'm proud of you, Taylor. And I love you." He kissed her.
"If you're tired," Taylor whispered against his lips, "we could always go to bed."
Ethan smiled through his blushes. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea." He'd made sure he was prepared, just in case. "But I don't think I'm tired enough to go to sleep."
"That's okay, babe," said Taylor happily as she began to unbutton his shirt. "I'm sure we can think of something to do…"
Ethan was woken at about 1.30am by his phone ringing. He rolled over and grabbed it quickly, keeping his other arm around Taylor. "Hi, Caleb, I-"
"Where the hell are you?" demanded Cal.
"At Taylor's," said Ethan. "Where did you think I was?"
"You could have phoned me!" said Cal.
Ethan wondered if he was dreaming. "I didn't realise I had to. You don't usually phone me."
"Yeah, but when I stay out all night, it's normal," said Cal. "If you stay out all night, I start thinking something's happened to you."
Taylor stirred. "Ethan, you woke me up."
"Sorry, darling," said Ethan distractedly.
"Since when do you call me 'darling'?" said Cal.
Ethan sighed. "I was speaking to Taylor. Caleb, can we have this conversation tomorrow, please? I've just woken Taylor up."
Cal sounded annoyed. "Ethan, I was really worried about you and all you can think about is sex?"
"I wasn't thinking about sex," said Ethan, surprised.
Then he felt Taylor's hand between his legs and found he was thinking about it after all.
"I'm sorry, Caleb, but we just want to go to bed," said Ethan unsteadily.
"I bet you do!" said Cal. He sighed. "What's happened, Ethan? I used to be the one with all the girlfriends."
"I only have one," said Ethan, and gasped as Taylor's hand started moving. "Taylor, darling, could you possibly leave that till I've finished speaking to… Cal, I'm sorry, but I really do have to go now. Taylor wants to… sleep."
"With you! Yeah, I got that!" said Cal. He disconnected without saying goodbye.