Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ethan had set out his books, ready for his study session with Sam tomorrow. It felt nice to have someone else sharing his interests with him, but he never would expect Sam (Been in the army) Nicholls to be interested in looking up the biggest mystery. But it still showed him how little he knew about everyone in the ED.
Ethan suddenly noticed Cal slipping on his black jacket. Oh, how tempting it was to wind his brother up.
"Who are you taking on the date then?" Ethan asked him, "Are you taking Sam? Or the floor?"
"How many remarks have I made to you?" Cal groaned, "I swear you're now doing it to wind me up."
"I'm nowhere near finished," Ethan smirked at him, "And don't keep her out too late."
"I know," Cal muttered, "I know you two have plans. Oh, and when should we tell Iain and Lily, they've both been replaced as best friends?"
Ethan shrugged his shoulders jokingly. He knew that even though he's got Sam as one of his best friends, she'll never replace Lily. Just like Ethan will never replace Iain. It showed both Ethan and Sam that sometimes, it's okay to let others in, even though they don't have that much in common.
"Those two are irreplaceable," Ethan smirked at him, "We haven't replaced them at all."
Iain walked out of the kitchen, two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. Setting them down, he watched cautiously as Lily kept her eyes on her phone.
Neither of them was able to sleep after Alicia's visit last night. Iain couldn't sleep when he noticed that Lily was quiet and tearful. When Alicia left last night, Lily kept her eyes on her phone, knowing that Sam was probably on shift to call her back. Desperately pleading with Sam to stop what she was doing and pick up the phone. It was her fault Sam was feeling down, she should have noticed something didn't seem right. Whatever happened to women's intuition?
Iain settled himself down beside Lily, knowing fully well how tired he was feeling. Trouble was, he was unsure whether it was down to a mixture of the cancer treatment, or the worry about Sam, or concern as Lily couldn't sleep. Looking at Lily, Iain could see the colour clearly draining away from Lily's face. She hadn't drunk much since last night. As far as he was aware, the anti-sickness drugs that they've both been prescribed does lower the blood pressure, so he knew she needed to drink.
"Aren't you worried about Sam?" Lily turned to him, feeling concerned.
"I knew Sam for over ten years," Iain explained to her, "She never showed emotions. But you need to focus on yourself now. You haven't drank much today. Hence the hot chocolate."
"Iain," Lily sighed, "I'm fine. Seriously, please stop worrying about me. It's not doing yourself any good."
"See? You've just repeated what I said," Iain gently scolded her, "Sam will be fine. Give her a call if you don't believe me. She normally answers her phone."
"I will do," Lily announced, turning around to her phone.
Louise was horrified with what Alicia was planning to do yesterday. To tell a friend about what happened at the alley. That was none of Alicia's business to be snooping around telling others about Sam's struggles. But Louise felt guilty, it was none of her business to get involved with Alicia's relationship troubles.
Alicia looked a lot happier now. When Louise learned that she was planning on talking to Sam's friend about how she was coping, Louise prayed it was either Dylan, or Jacob, or Ruby. They all knew Sam quite well. Still, it at least calmed Alicia's nerves about Ethan and Sam for the time being.
"Hey," Louise turned to face Dylan, "You seemed troubled. Something's on your mind?"
"You could say that" Louise whispered, "Am I okay to ask you a question? If you're not comfortable, then you don't have to answer."
"Sure," Dylan answered.
"I know you and Sam were married," Louise looked at him, "But I have to ask, why did you split up?"
Dylan sighed gently. There were so many reasons why it didn't work between him and Sam. If it wasn't down to his battle with alcoholism, it was down to Sam needing that thirst for adventure. Maybe that was why she cheated on him with Iain in the army. He was adventurous himself, whilst Dylan was deemed a safer bet.
But safe wasn't always the best.
"We were too different from each other," Dylan mentioned, sitting down opposite her, "Our personalities clashed together. I was reliant on my personal problems, and it was too much for Sam. But at the same time, Sam was away a lot, I kept relying on her. And she was really loving, but we knew that I was being too much of a burden. When she left for the army, she had the freedom she'd craved for so long. Needless to say, she enjoyed it so much. To be honest, Sam's more of a risk taker."
"So, nothing would happen between her and Ethan?" Louise asked him.
"To be honest," Dylan mentioned, "Ethan's safe, just like me. Sam would be bored within five minutes. She's a much better match for Cal."
"Could you tell Alicia that please?" Louise asked him, "She's convinced that Ethan would go with Sam."
"Ethan would never cheat," Dylan mentioned confused, "I think this fear has more to do with Alicia than with Ethan."
Louise looked at Dylan sadly, knowing fully well that he may have a point about Alicia's anxiety about her relationship.
If Alicia does something else, then Louise feared it'll be the end for her and Ethan.
"She isn't picking up," Lily put the phone down sadly, as she settled beside Iain, "Now, can I worry?"
"She'll probably be busy at work," Iain pulled her close to him, kissing the side of her head, "What if we put a film on? I'm going to regret this, but I'll let you choose?"
"I don't know," Lily whispered, "It doesn't feel right."
Iain sighed to himself. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he later took her hand with his free hand, drawing love hearts on the palm of her hand with his thumb. Iain gently smiled as Lily tucked her head under his chin, resting her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, she listened to the steady heartbeat, only for his heart to feel different, more rapid.
Was he just as stressed about Sam? Or was it her worrying about Sam that was worrying him?
"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, sadly.
"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Iain reassured her, hugging her tight, "I'm just as worried. But I'm more worried about you. You need to take it easy on yourself. There are times where it's okay to be selfish. This is one of those times."
"Maybe," Lily yawned, tiredly, "I just feel a bit dizzy."
Iain carefully checked Lily's temperature, only she didn't seem too hot or too cold.
"Do you feel anything else?" Iain asked her, "I may need to call someone to have you checked out."
"No," Lily whispered, "Maybe I'm just feeling a bit tired."
Iain looked at Lily, unconvinced that she was being hundred percent honest with him. But the trouble is, he didn't want to press anything onto her, knowing it could likely cause her to be defensive against him. The last thing that they need right now is the fear of her pushing him away. Deep down, he didn't want to start a fight when it was the last thing that they needed.
"I think I'm going to go to bed," Lily yawned, pressing herself up off the sofa.
Just as she did that however, she found that the room was starting to spin. The light switch at the side of the kitchen door slowly started to look as if it was shaking. Her knees started to shake together, as she moved her left leg back to maintain her balance, realising that whilst she did that, Iain carefully took her right hand with his own and placed his left hand on her back to steady her.
"Okay," Iain sighed, "We'll get you lying down. But please let me contact Connie for you. I'm worried that this could be serious."
Sam waited patiently in the pub, watching the door for Cal. She never felt as nervous about going out with anyone else before, maybe it was down to her fears that Cal would ditch her for someone else.
When she watched the door however, she smiled as she saw Cal walk through the doors, turning away so he didn't see her blushing. Deep down, she was relieved to learn that he was just as nervous as she was tonight. But at the same time, she felt ready to try things out with him. He seemed so, adventurous.
Sam doesn't know why she found that attractive in Cal. But what surprised her was that she didn't care either. She still remembered that fateful day she asked Iain and Dylan about Cal, when she was instantly put off by Dylan mentioning that Cal had a reputation. Something that Iain struggled to find the right words about.
What was it about Cal Knight that Sam found appealing now?
"Busy day?" Sam asked him, deciding to poke a bit of fun with him, "Or did you just have your date with the floor?"
"Very funny," Cal groaned at her, "I had to let the floor down gently."
"Poor thing," Sam smirked at him.
Cal found himself speechless for the first time. One of the first rules he had set in place was that he would never let a woman leave him speechless. If someone makes him speechless then he would find himself smitten and terrified that he would make an idiot of himself. Which would make it clear to the woman that he was falling for her.
"You're alright?" Sam smiled at him, turning to the bar to order a drink, "I don't mind getting the first round."
"Nonsense," Cal explained, "It's on me."
Iain couldn't believe how easy it was to convince Lily to take things easy and relax. But he was already concerned after he noticed how quickly she started to sway on her feet when she stood up. A part of him felt guilty, Sam's his friend and he hated himself for not caring too much but, how could he? Top priority to him right now was Lily, and it would always be Lily.
Which left him feeling guilty.
He knew he was Lily's top priority.
Which meant that she was more focused on him, than she was on her own battle.
Iain always knew that Lily couldn't care less about her own health. It was never like her to take her health seriously, maybe that was why she's ignored the signs of the bugs in her skins, thinking it was nothing. The guilt of not noticing how much she was struggling with her symptoms had often overtaken him, making him determined to ensure that she took her health a lot more seriously.
To Iain, he had times where he felt itchy all day which often irritated him, so that was overlooked. And in terms of Lily feeling warm, he was feeling warm as well, it was in his mind that both Gem and Sam were being overdramatic.
The only reason they thought about having her checked over what down to the lump.
Iain knew that he would never let Lily miss the bigger picture ever again. But he did wish that she would prioritise her own health instead of worrying about others.
It wasn't going to do her any good.
"How are you feeling?" he whispered, settling himself down beside her, "You almost had me worried?"
"I'm okay," Lily sighed, "You've spoken to Connie?"
"Just to tell you to take things easily," Iain smiled at her, "Which is what I'm going to make sure you do."
"But Sam," Lily mentioned, "She hasn't picked up her phone."
"Why don't I give her a call?" Iain offered, "Then it'll allow you to relax slightly. You just focus on getting some rest."
Lily nodded, steadily allowing her eyes to drop slightly. Smiling at her, Iain grabbed his mobile phone from the side. As much as he should be annoyed, a part of him couldn't help but worry about Sam either. Especially given that Sam hadn't responded to any of Lily's calls, or any of her messages.
Walking out of the bedroom, he dialled Sam's phone. If she might not answer to Lily, she'll might answer to him.
Connie stared at her phone. When she first heard Iain's voice, she felt happy and reassured. At least she got the chance to find out how he and Lily are doing with their treatment. Deep down, it was nice to hear the voice again, but normally when she hears the voices, it could only have meant one thing.
Something is wrong.
And when she learnt that Lily wasn't feeling hundred percent as she's been worried about something, Connie knew there was only one piece of advice she could give them.
Just take it easy and rest.
Trouble is, Connie knew Lily Chao deep down. She would never take it easy when something is concerning her.
But how did Lily get word about something that deeply concerned her in the first place?
Looking up, Connie noticed Louise staring at a patient's notes.
"Something wrong Louise?" Connie mentioned, walking up to her, "You seem nervous about something."
"I don't know," Louise mentioned, "I think I did something stupid. But I was only trying to reassure Alicia that she had nothing to worry about. Regarding Ethan and Sam. I think she might have told someone who probably should not have known."
Connie's eyes widened at that statement. Iain never told her the reason why Lily had been stressed. But following what Louise said, it sounds like Lily is stressed out. Over what? Connie doesn't know.
"I saw Sam crying in the alley outside," Louise explained, "She cheered up thanks to Ethan. But when I realised why Sam and Ethan had been relying on each other, I tried to tell this to Alicia. Only I think she may have told someone that Sam was upset. I'm praying it's not Iain or Lily as that's the last thing they need."
Connie was horrified to learn this. First Alicia made Lily and Iain feel invalid by treating the two as glass bottles, now she's making them feel guilty about not being there for a friend. Only it sounded to Connie that Alicia's intentions aren't well thought out.
But it would explain why Lily had been stressed out.
She must have been feeling guilty about Sam.
Iain carefully wrapped the warm duvet around Lily. Looking at her, he smiled as she seemed to be a bit more relaxed. But he still felt scared. When Lily got up from the sofa earlier, it almost as if she was going to fall. He may have been warned it's down to stress, but Iain was still unconvinced that was the case.
Wanting to rule out worry for Lily, Iain grabbed his phone to dial Sam's number. Hopefully, she could explain what's been going off and help reassure her.
Hearing the beeps, Iain frowned as there seemed to be no answer from Sam.
"Hi. You've just reached Sam. Please leave a message."
Iain was shocked. He knew Sam had the night off work, so why wasn't she answering her calls? Now he was getting concerned as well.
"Hi Sam. It's Iain. Look, when you get this message, please give me a call. I just wanted to make sure you're okay, so does Lily."
Ending the voicemail, Iain turned to face the bed. That's when he noticed Lily had lost a bit of colour in her cheeks.
A part of him wants to get her seem to straight away, even with Connie's reassurance, he didn't want to take any chances. But it may still have been from the stress when she was worrying about Sam.
With Connie's advice, Iain decided to check on Lily in the morning.
If there's no sign of improvement, he will call for an ambulance.
He'll apologise to Lily for it, but it should give them both a sound state of mind.
Sam never thought she'd admit it, but Cal Knight was the funniest man she'd ever met. Funny jokes, funny stories and the banter that he has. She felt as if he's opened himself to her.
Truly opened himself up to her.
"This is really nice," Sam smirked, "It's as if I'm seeing a new side to Dr Knight. A knight in shining armour."
"I wouldn't call myself that," Cal smiled, "But I thought I'd try to impress the beautiful lady agreeing to meet me at the bar. Blonde, brave, beautiful."
"Now I know that's not the Cal Knight I've met ages ago," Sam laughed, walking over to the table, "What happened to cocky?"
"Maybe I haven't met the right person," Cal smiled, secretly blushing, "Oh my God. Sam Nicholls, what are you doing to me? I've never blushed so much."
Sam smiled, gazing into his eyes. Taking the plunge, she took his hand, pulling him closer to her. Cal looked confused, realising what she wanted him to do, he leaned closer. And closer. And closer. Until he was able to smell her peppermint breath.
Before meeting his lips with hers.
Cal's hand left hers as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, noticing that her free hand had started to stroke his bicep. Finding that her lips had parted, he found that he was able to explore her mouth with his tongue as his spare hand found himself pulling Sam closer to him. Hearing laughter from Sam, he smiled against the kiss, enjoying every moment.
Although he felt something vibrating against the seats.
Looking out the window, Iain watched enviously as the two birds happily chirped before flying off away from their branch. Observing them fly away, he had wondered if Lily had a point about being a bird. Their conversation about them had him thinking about reincarnation. Maybe being a bird might not have sounded like such nonsense after all.
If it meant that he would be with Lily when he dies.
"Morning Chuckles," Iain smiled as he noticed Lily standing beside the doorframe, before noticing how pale she looked, "You're okay?"
"I feel," Lily stuttered before taking a lunge forward.
Eyes widened, Iain quickly jumped off the seat, running over to Lily. He found her arms reaching out to him as he held her steady. Kneeling, he gently lowered Lily down to the floor. Skin as cold as ice, Iain knew that Lily was clearly unwell.
And this was beyond stress.
Grabbing the telephone beside them, Iain grabbed and dialled the number.
"Hello, emergency services. What's the emergency?"
