Tanith Panic, I've only seen about two years' worth of Casualty episodes, but I've seen a surprisingly large number of rings! I think Noel secretly wants to be Action Man, but I'm sure he'll listen eventually. Thank you for your review.
ETWentHome, I think you're right about poor Ethan's heart! I also agree that Noel certainly has the right ideas regarding Honey, even if he doesn't act on them in the best possible way. Thank you for your review.
Bonnie Sveen Fan, thank you for your review. I'm glad you like Noel's protectiveness of Honey - he might be new to being a dad, but he's doing his best.
When they arrived at the ED, Lily gave Ethan some clean tissues and helped him out of the taxi. As they walked, Ethan kept his head down, letting Lily guide him. He didn't realise there was anyone outside the ED until he heard his name being called.
"Ethan! Lily, what happened?" Ethan heard pounding feet and a few seconds later, Cal was beside him.
"Noel punched him," said Lily.
"Oh God," said Cal as he took Ethan by the arms. "Are you okay?"
Ethan nodded weakly and unconvincingly into his tissues.
"He fell over and I think he might have hit the back of his head," said Lily. "He appears very confused and disorientated."
"Why did he punch him?" Cal put his arm firmly around Ethan as they went into the ED.
There was a short silence before Lily replied. "I… I was trying to persuade Ethan to go to bed when Noel phoned and I told him what I was doing. I might have worded it in a… a misleading way."
Cal burst out laughing.
Ethan turned to stare at him, too hurt to be angry, and Cal quickly stopped laughing.
"Sorry, Ethan. It's not funny. It's not funny at all. Come on: let's get you inside and have a look at you."
"You can't treat him!" said Lily severely.
Cal glared at her. "You don't seriously think I'm going to let you treat him. I think you've done enough! You had no business taking him home anyway. That's my job!"
"Then you should have done it before," said Lily.
Ethan sighed and spoke in a small voice that made both his fellow registrars look anxious. "Please can you stop arguing? My fiancée has just ended our engagement and I don't think I can cope with arguments just now. Please just patch me up and let me go home?"
Noel kissed Honey's head and stood up. "I'll make you some tea, love. I won't be long."
He went into the kitchen. Honey was still crying, but silently now. She wiped her eyes and sniffed, then she reached out her hand for another tissue.
Light caught the ring on her finger. Honey looked at it sparkling and remembered the moment when Ethan had given it to her. She'd loved it and felt so proud to be wearing a ring that had once been worn by his mother, but all of a sudden, she hated it. It symbolised a false love and it symbolised her own stupidity in believing it.
With another burst of tears, she tore the ring from her finger and flung it onto the floor, but it wasn't enough. It lay there, twinkling up at her. Gloating.
Honey got up and tried to stamp on it, but she wasn't wearing shoes and it hurt her foot. Even angrier now, she took it up again and looked around desperately for a place to hide it, but there was nowhere. The waste paper basket was no good because she would know it was there. She didn't want it in the flat.
She ran to the door and opened it, bringing her arm back behind her and then hurling the ring as hard as she could in the direction of the road. She listened for the sound of it hitting the path, but she heard nothing. She looked around for it and couldn't find it, finally spotting the drain in the road. Perhaps it had gone down there. Honey hoped so.
She shut the door and went back inside, feeling pleased with what she'd done, but the feeling didn't last.
Ethan loved that ring.
Guilt rose up inside her and she began to cry again, burying her face in her hands.
What Ethan had done to her had been terrible. He'd thrown away something Honey had regarded as precious.
But Honey realised she'd done exactly the same thing.
Ethan felt no relief on discovering his nose wasn't broken and that there was no damage to the back of his head. He was just glad to be able to go home again. He didn't know whether he wanted to sleep or cry, but both activities would be best done on his own, in bed.
When Ethan was finally discharged, Cal put a sympathetic arm around his shoulders and said he'd drive him. "You're too tired even to think about it and you've had a shock too."
For once, Ethan did as Cal said without argument (though this was partly because, for once, Cal was talking sense). On the way home, Cal tried to reassure Ethan that Honey still loved him and it would all work out, but Ethan was convinced it was over. No matter how many times he and Lily might say there was nothing between them, it wasn't really something for which they could provide evidence.
Well, that wasn't quite true. There were medical ways of proving that he and Lily had not slept together recently, but that wouldn't prove that they hadn't done it at any other time. Not unless Lily was a virgin and Ethan had a feeling Cal had ensured that wasn't the case.
So much in a relationship had to be taken on trust and while Ethan believed in Honey's fidelity absolutely, he could understand, as much as it hurt him, why she couldn't feel the same trust in him.
"We're here, Nibbles," said Cal.
Ethan got wearily out of the car and the two brothers went up to their flat. Ethan went straight into his bedroom and lay down, trying not to think about what had happened the last time he'd been here.
"Will you be okay if I leave you?" said Cal worriedly.
"Caleb, my fiancée has just left me," snapped Ethan. "How am I supposed to be okay ever again?"
He hadn't meant to say that. He also hadn't meant for his eyes to fill with tears.
Cal sat on the bed beside him. "I'm sure it'll work out, Ethan. Honey loves you. She does have a habit of jumping to conclusions, but she does usually listen when someone explains how it really is."
"But what if she doesn't?" said Ethan. "What if she has to go through the hyperthyroidism alone?"
Cal looked almost emotional. "Ethan, are you seriously telling me you've just had your heart broken and you're worrying about her health?"
"Yes!" said Ethan.
Honey nibbled the chocolate bar Noel had got for her, but her mind was on the ring. She hadn't told Noel she'd thrown it away and being a man, he wasn't observant enough to notice it was no longer on her finger. Unless he had seen and had decided not to mention it.
She kept telling herself she had no reason to be guilty. After all, Ethan had shown himself unworthy of her.
But he loved that ring and like it or not, Honey loved Ethan.
A tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away, but not before Noel had seen.
He reached for her hand. "It'll get easier, love."
"I just want him back!" cried Honey.
Noel put his arms around her. "I know you do, Honey. It's natural to feel like that for a little while. But after everything he's done, you know you can't take him back, don't you?"
The way Honey was feeling now, she was almost considering it.
"If a man has got it in him to cheat, it's very unlikely he'll just do it once," said Noel. "If you take him back, it's going to happen all over again."
Honey sniffled. "Do you think so?"
"I know so," said Noel sadly. "I know men. I'm sorry, Honey. I wish I could tell you Ethan loves you and he'll be faithful to you forever. But I just can't."
Honey knew he was right. She had another go at eating her chocolate bar, then dropped it back onto her lap with a sigh. She wasn't hungry and her stomach was starting to feel tight from all the stress. Chocolate wasn't good for her butterfly anyway. It only made the nausea and abdominal pains worse.
There was a knock at the door. Noel looked irritated, but he went to answer it, leaving Honey playing with her chocolate bar. As soon as he'd gone, Honey picked up the chocolate and put it into the bin. She knew it was stupid and Noel would worry that she'd eaten it too quickly, but she'd remind him about her fast metabolism and leave it at that.
"Well, you've got a nerve coming back here!" she heard Noel say.
Honey's heart squeezed and she found herself wishing it might be Ethan. Her right hand felt instinctively for her engagement ring, but it wasn't there.
She didn't want it to be Ethan. She couldn't see Ethan.
"Well, you can't see her!" said Noel. "She's very upset because of… hey, what are you doing?"
Honey jumped to her feet and looked around in a panic, wondering where she could hide, but it was too late.
Lily had entered the room.