Elliebelle4444, luckily, they do have a bit of time to decide on a name - as long as one of them feels able to admit to the other that the names aren't exactly perfect! I don't know yet what they'll be called, but something sensible, I hope! Thank you for your review.

X-Sammii-X, I bet Ethan would love to be the father. He loves Ariel. But he also knows Cal is devoted to Ariel and the babies, so he wouldn't want to take that away from them. It would be a horrible shame for Cal to miss the birth. Thank you for your review.

westlife4ever80, Cal will be freaking out completely! In some ways, it might be better if he hadn't known, but once Max had spoken to them, they couldn't really withhold the information. So watch out for freaked-out Cal! Thank you for your review.

ETWentHome, thank you for your review. I could definitely imagine Cal running off like that - though at least he'd be running towards something rather than running away this time. Ethan does love Ariel so he's really struggling, but he's doing the right thing as always.

Tanith Panic, I think Cal will be very happy to change the names, but Ariel hasn't known Cal as long as we have! Fandom should be ageless, but I think a lot of people would disagree. Ethan's going to be a great uncle too! Thank you for your review.

Bonnie Sveen Fan, thank you for your review. The twins haven't arrived yet, but it probably is going to be a race against time! Poor Cal. He's been doing all the right things, but he always seems to mess up at the worst possible time.

Is-there-somewhere-x, thank you for your review. It would be very difficult growing up with those names. If I had twin boys, I'd be tempted to call them Caleb and Ethan, but I'm not sure I could! I'm so glad you're enjoying this.

If anyone has any ideas of names for the babies, feel free to make a suggestion! For me, it's not about choosing names I like but about choosing names I can imagine Cal and Ariel choosing (perhaps with a bit of guidance from Ethan).


Cal couldn't bear it.

The one time Ariel really needed him; the one time he really needed to be there; the most important day of his life so far, and where was he?

At the police station, waiting to be questioned in connection with a break-in.

He couldn't possibly have known that today would be the day, but that wasn't the point. He was so close to being a father and he had responsibilities. To his girlfriend as well as his unborn children. He'd let them down and now she was giving birth without him.

She wasn't alone and he was grateful for that, but it was yet another example of Cal not being good enough and Ethan stepping in to do what his big brother couldn't. Worse than that: Ethan loved Ariel. Cal couldn't even begin to imagine how much this must be breaking his heart.

There were tears in Cal's eyes now. Tears of shame and guilt, but also of sadness. He rested his arms on the table and buried his head in them. All he could do was wait and hope he would be out in time. Labour could last for nearly 24 hours and first babies, in particular, could be slow, but that was of limited comfort. He didn't want Ariel to suffer for that long.

The door opened. Cal jumped to his feet so quickly, his chair fell backwards and clattered on the hard floor. He ran towards the policeman who'd entered. "Can you interview me now? Please can you interview me? My girlfriend's in labour and I've got to get back to her."

The policeman nodded. "Yes, Dr Knight. We will take your statement now. If you can just give us a few minutes, we'll get everything ready and we'll arrange a car to get you to the hospital afterwards."

Cal looked at him, his desperation now replaced by deep gratitude. "Really? You'd really do that for me?"

The policeman smiled. "Of course. You've made a few mistakes and behaved unwisely, but this is one of the most important days of your life."


Ethan massaged Ariel's back and spoke as soothingly as he could through the lump in his throat. "It's okay. You're doing really well."

"But they're going to be born soon!" sobbed Ariel. "I'm eight centimetres dilated and Cal isn't here!"

Ethan wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "He's still got time, Ariel. On average, you wouldn't expect Baby 1 to make an appearance for couple of hours – it could be longer as it's your first pregnancy. Cal still has time."

"I don't mean to be ungrateful," wept Ariel. "I'm so glad you're here and you're wonderful. Really wonderful. But…"

"But I'm not Cal," said Ethan understandingly. He closed his eyes against a rush of tears.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I-"

"Shh. Don't apologise. It's fine."

"Ethan, I… oh my God, it hurts, it hurts…"

"I know, sweetheart, but I'll do what I can." Ethan blinked his tears away and moved round so he was facing her. He took Ariel's hands. "Are you ready to breathe in with me? That's good. That's very good." He reached for the Entonox. "Here: try some of this. That's right." He waited, continuing to breathe with her. "Does that help?"

"A bit," said Ariel.

"That's good. And don't forget there are other painkilling methods," said Ethan.

Ariel nodded. Ethan wasn't convinced she was listening, but then she turned to him, a light in her eyes that worried him. "Ethan, I want an epidural."

Ethan looked at her in slight confusion. Ariel had been clear from the first that she didn't want an epidural and every time Ethan had tentatively suggested it, she'd either ignored it or said no. "Why do you want an epidural?" he asked.

"For the pain," said Ariel steadily. She became slightly defensive. "It does hurt, you know, Ethan!"

"Yes, I know," said Ethan awkwardly. "But you didn't want an epidural before. You were concerned about the risks to your babies – small as the risks are. What's changed your mind?"

"The pain!" shouted Ariel.

It was natural for her to shout. Ethan was causing difficulties and she probably was in pain. But he was worried. She'd changed her mind so quickly.

"I want an epidural: what's wrong with that?" said Ariel. "I know there are risks, but 30% of women have an epidural and the anaesthetist will discuss it with me anyway."

"It is quite late on," said Ethan uncomfortably. "They are typically given when you're four or five centimetres dilated."

"Typically," said Ariel. "But you said it's not too late unless the baby's crowning."

Ethan shook his head slowly. Ariel was allowed to change her mind. A lot of women did. But there was something wrong here and he had a horrible feeling he knew what it was.

"Is that really why you want an epidural, Ariel?" he asked gently. "For the pain?"

"Why else would I want an epidural?" said Ariel.

Ethan could tell she was becoming agitated. Automatically, he glanced at the monitor.

"Oh my God, Ethan, it hurts!" said Ariel.

Ethan didn't doubt it. Even with the pain relief she was already receiving, labour hurt.

But the nagging feeling remained.

"Ariel, are you really asking for an epidural for the pain?" said Ethan. "Or are you hoping to slow down labour to give Cal a greater chance of getting here?"


It was taking too long. Cal must have been over what had happened a million times; answered all the same questions. But still they kept coming. The same questions in different guises: probably not really designed to trip him up if he was innocent, but he was panicking now and he was terrified he might say the wrong thing and incriminate himself.

"Could you talk us through what you were thinking when you arrived at the house?"

"I've already told you!" said Cal. "Please – I'm not trying to be difficult. I just want to be with my girlfriend and my babies."

"I appreciate that, Dr Knight. I wish we could do this another way, but we can't. I'm sure you've told us everything you're aware of noticing, but people often notice things without realising. It's only once you go back to that moment that you start to remember small things that seem like nothing, but can be very valuable to us."

Cal tried to control his breathing. "But I'm not likely to be able to think of something like that now. I'm sorry the house got burgled. It's a horrible thing to happen. They must feel terrified and violated and not safe in their own home and they have my genuine sympathy, but it's my family that concerns me now."

The policeman nodded patiently. "Of course, Dr Knight, and if something comes back to you later, we would like to hear it. But a momentous occasion like a birth can affect your memory. There might be small details you can remember now but which might go out of your mind completely – perhaps forever – once your children are born."

"Okay." Cal knew it was no good arguing. "I think I probably felt relief at first. I was so desperate to find a phone and there was just nothing along that road till I got to the house. Then I noticed the car was there – I took that to mean someone was at home, but of course that was stupid. Most households have more than one car, but they'll usually only take one when they're all going out together. Ethan and I have our own cars, but we're insured to drive each other's. If I give Ethan a lift to work for some reason, the plan will be for me to drive home, but if I'm more tired than him or if I'm upset or if I'm over the limit and he isn't then-"

Cal ground his teeth in frustration.

"Why am I even talking about that? What's wrong with me? I thought the car meant someone was at home. I went to the door. I didn't notice any other signs of anyone being at home. I think if I'd heard a noise from anywhere outside the house, I'd have been on it straight away. I was desperate to hear a sound. Even if it wasn't someone from the house, I'd have talked to them; begged them to let me use their phone and give me a lift back to Holby."

The policeman nodded encouragingly. "Go on, Dr Knight."

"I knocked on the door. I waited. I listened. I knocked again. I looked through the letter box. I remember noticing how tidy the hall was. I suppose that was weird. I'm not sure why I expected it not to be. Maybe it's because I'm so messy and my hall would be a mess if I didn't live with Ethan. But then I started thinking there might be something wrong."

"Was there anything particular that led you to this conclusion?"

Cal thought and shook his head. "I honestly think it was just desperation. There were no signs of life in the house, but I desperately wanted there to be someone there So I went to the side door, as I said. It was locked. Then I went around to the back and I saw the hole in the window."

"Up until that point, Dr Knight, would you say you made any noise?"

"Well, I rang the doorbell," said Cal. "But I wasn't trying to be quiet. I think I might have run up the drive. Then I think I said a few rude words when I cut my hand on the window. But if anyone was there, they'd have heard the doorbell. It's possible they went out the front door when I'd gone round to the back. If they were out the back, they might have been able to get round the house the other way. Or they could have jumped over the hedge at the back and hidden there."

The thought of coming face to face with the burglar had barely troubled him before, but now it made him shiver. He could have been hurt or even killed, leaving two precious babies without a daddy. Leaving Ariel without a boyfriend.

"Please can I go now? I really don't think there's anything more I can do for you, but there's so much I can do for my family."