I really hope the literary stuff isn't too obscure. It's a famous work, but I haven't mentioned the most famous part.
Tato Potato, thank you for your review - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Ethan really needs to go to the hospital - let's hope he doesn't end up somewhere else instead!
Bonnie Sveen Fan, Ethan is doing his best to co-operate, but I'm not sure the police believe him! I thought Sophie needed to be treated by a kind doctor. Thank you for your review.
CBloom2, I love Ethan to bits, but he's so sweet and earnest, I think some people find him slightly odd and when a crime has been committed, his behaviour probably could seem suspicious! But he is just trying to help as you said. Thank you for your review.
EDSidekick, it's so lovely you can imagine Ethan's storyline happening in an episode - anyone who knows him would know it was ridiculous, but he is adorably eccentric! Even Connie fails very, very occasionally. Thank you for your review.
Tanith Panic, I love Ethan's lovely intensity, but I've always worried it could get him into trouble. I think you're right about Zoe - her mistakes make her perhaps not the ideal wife, but they do help her to be a brilliant doctor. Thank you for your review.
ETWentHome, of course I won't kill Lily off! I would never, ever, ever kill off a major character. Except that's not true because I have. I think you're right about Ethan - he wouldn't hurt anyone except his brother! Thank you for your review.
Lofty unlocked Cal and Ethan's flat. "Hello? Ethan? It's Lofty."
There was no reply, but Lofty hadn't expected one. He shut the door behind him and went into the living room. Ethan wasn't there, but his phone was. It was plugged into a socket, a light showing that it was fully-charged with a couple of missed calls showing on the screen. Lofty took it off charge and switched off the socket. He didn't always remember things like that at home, but he knew Ethan was very fussy about things like that. He'd heard him nagging Cal about it.
Though Ethan himself was guilty on this occasion...
Lofty left the living room and walked towards Ethan's room, only to stop as he heard voices.
He's got a visitor, thought Lofty.
He smiled. Ethan and his friend were discussing medical procedures. How typical. Something about slings. Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...
And something about arms, which certainly fitted with slings. Arms against a sea of troubles.
Lofty frowned. He thought Ethan's conversation was a bit weird sometimes, but it was nothing in comparison with this guy. And he was just going on and on...
A thousand natural shocks... was he talking about defibrillation now?
Perhaps that was why Ethan hadn't heard the phone. It was quite a distance from his room and this guy was almost shouting, like he was on stage or something.
Lofty knocked on the door and called Ethan's name, but there was no response. He pushed open the door - really quite nervous about coming face-to-face with Ethan's friend - only to discover the room was empty.
But there was a radio beside the bed.
Lofty felt like an idiot - but that was nothing new and he really felt more worried than anything. Something wasn't right. Ethan might forget his phone was on charge, but Lofty couldn't see him forgetting about the radio. Also, the bed was in disarray. Lofty had obviously never been to bed with Ethan, but he could imagine Ethan was the type who never went out without making his bed first.
Lofty switched off the radio but left the bedclothes alone.
He was convinced by now that the flat was empty, but he checked the other rooms, flinching slightly at the state of Cal's. Lofty's own room wasn't particularly tidy, but Cal's needed a good clean.
Perhaps it wasn't surprising that Ethan was the one with the girlfriend.
But the real mystery was where Ethan had gone now.
He must have left quite suddenly if he'd left the radio on, his bed in a mess and not even thinking to collect his phone. Even if it was still charging when he'd left, it had probably had enough charge to be useful.
So what could have made him leave so suddenly?
Lofty considered himself to be on the slow side, but he got there quite quickly this time. It was likely that Lily's accident had been reported on the radio. If the report had given Ethan reason to believe that Sophie was involved, he would want to get to the ED as quickly as he could. He would be in too much of a panic to think about phones and radios and bedclothes.
Perhaps Ethan was there right now.
Feeling slightly more cheerful, Lofty headed for the front door. But then he stopped.
If Ethan was at the ED, how come Cal hadn't phoned to let Lofty know?
"I left the money to help pay for the damage," said Ethan.
"Why did you feel the need to do that?" asked the policeman.
Ethan wondered if it would be all right to ask if he could have a throat lozenge. "I know that some of the houses round here are council houses. I started worrying that they might not have the money to repair the greenhouse and I wasn't sure if it would be possible to catch the boy and make him pay. So I left some money to pay for it. I don't know if it's enough or not, but I hope it will help."
The policeman sighed. "It's more than enough, Dr Hardy. If you'd added another £50, you could probably have bought a whole new greenhouse – though perhaps not a very good one."
"I wouldn't know," said Ethan. "I live in a flat so I don't have a greenhouse."
"Okay, so why didn't you phone the police about this young criminal?"
Ethan hung his head. "I left my phone at home. I was in a panic about Sophie and I'm not very well so I suppose I just didn't think of it. I knocked on a few doors, but most people didn't answer and when they did, they either thought I was selling something or they didn't believe me."
The policeman nodded. "It is certainly quite a far-fetched story, Dr Hardy."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Ethan admitted with a laugh. "In fact, I wouldn't blame you at all if you thought I'd thrown the brick."
The policeman didn't laugh. He looked steadily back at Ethan.
"Oh my goodness!" said Ethan. "You do think I did it, don't you? I'm so sorry. I didn't realise. Is there anything I can do to-" He stopped and began to cough.
"We should probably continue this conversation at the station," said the policeman.
Cal jerked the curtains roughly aside to reveal Sophie and Zoe.
"Cal, do you mind?" said Zoe. "I might have been conducting an intimate female examination."
"I can only wish," muttered Cal – though not quite quietly enough as he earned himself glares from both women. "Sophie, what did you mean when you said it was your fault Lily got hurt?"
Sophie was still crying. She didn't answer.
"Cal, I don't think this is the time or the place," said Zoe. "Go to the staff room and I'll let you know as soon as there's any news."
Cal sat on the bed beside Sophie and seized her uninjured hand. "Sophie, please. Tell me what happened."
Zoe touched his arm. "Cal, maybe it's best if you don't ask Sophie now. I need to treat her; get her sent off for an x-ray…"
"This is my girlfriend we're talking about," said Cal in dangerous voice.
Zoe looked confused. "I thought Sophie was Ethan's girlfriend. Don't tell me you've swapped again."
"Sophie is Ethan's girlfriend!" said Cal. "But Lily's my girlfriend and… and…" His voice broke. "I could be about to lose her. I love her and I haven't even told her and now I might never get the chance!"
Connie removed the second needle. She knew it wouldn't show on her face, but she was silently praying her second attempt would work. Sometimes you did need two tries. Sometimes more. But the longer it took…
And needle compression could in itself cause complications…
No. She wouldn't think of that. Lily was just another patient.
Lily was tachycardic, tachypnoeic and hypoxic. Her blood pressure was dropping. She could go into shock at any time and then…
The needle compressions were necessary. They could be the difference between life and death for Lily.
"Tension not relieved."
Connie had two choices. She could insert a third needle or give up.
In other words, there was only one option.
Unless...
She didn't think it had been done in the ED before, but there was certainly evidence to suggest it could work...
"Okay, I'm going to try the fourth or fifth intercostal space," said Connie. She quickly listed what she needed, including a a 3.25-inch fourteen gauge angiocatheter.
Her assistants reacted with surprise, but without delay. They didn't question her. They wouldn't dare, of course, but Connie knew they also trusted her completely.
If she messed this up...
No. She couldn't even think about messing it up.
Connie identified the fourth intercostal space at the anterior auxiliary line and prepped the area. She placed the needle just above the rib, perpendicular to the skin.
She'd never done it before, but she had confidence in her ability – and little confidence in Lily's failing strength.
It was a risk, but any surgical procedure was a risk. If Connie had a problem with taking a chance, she wouldn't be in this job.
The fact that she was taking a chance with a valued colleague was something she couldn't consider.
If she did, it could prove fatal. Both for her career and - much more importantly - for Lily.
Ethan breathed deeply as he tried to fight back nausea. "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling quite sick. I'm afraid I might have to get out of the car. I don't suppose there's any fluid coming from my ears? Either blood or clear fluid?"
The policeman gave Ethan a suspicious look, but obediently looked at both his ears. "Nothing wrong with them as far as I can see."
"That's a relief," said Ethan. "But I'm feeling a bit drowsy and dizzy as well. It might be my tonsillitis, but it might be a cause for concern, particularly as I was hurt deliberately."
"Ah yes: by the boy you saw running away."
"Yes," Ethan gasped out before pushing open the door and falling to his knees on the pavement. He breathed deeply a couple of times as his stomach seemed to turn somersaults. "I'm terribly sorry to be such a nuisance, but I really do think I need to go to hospital."
"Yes," said the policeman drily. "To see your injured girlfriend."
"No – well, actually, yes – but I'm afraid I have the symptoms of a head injury," said Ethan weakly. He tried to use his hands to hold his head up, but his arms seemed to have lost all their strength. "It's vitally important that I get it checked out." He closed his eyes. "You can come with me, of course. You can arrest me once I've been assessed, though it really would mean a lot to me if you could at least let me enquire whether Sophie... Oh my goodness. I really do feel terrible. I'm so sorry."