The Secret Life Of Casualty.

Chapter 250.

Ethan's symptoms had progressed and he was unable to do anything for himself anymore. Cal had quit his job in order to look after his brother full time. At times, he found it tiring but he refused to put him in a care home. Ethan would never forgive him if he did that. Ethan was currently sat in the living room, in a wheelchair, a blanket around him to keep him warm, he had an oxygen machine beside him, he looked more like an old man, unlike the 29 - year - old, who loved running, helping people, that he should have been.

Cal stepped in to the living room. He decided, against his better judgement, to take Ethan to the beach, as he knew that Ethan was getting sick and tired of staring at the same four walls.

A day at the beach, seen Cal buy them chips, tell stories about when Emile brought him home from the hospital, this little bundle in her arms, who was quietly sucking on his dummy, as Cal kept asking "When is he going back. "

His mum had told him that Michael wasn't going back to the hospital and Steven had sulked.

"Cal?" Ethan whispered, breaking the older one from his thoughts.

Cal looked at his brother.

"I don't want to die. " Ethan whispered, starting to cough.

Cal put the oxygen mask over his face, but then he began shivering. Despite still having the blanket around him, Cal pulled off his own jacket and placed it around him, then put the blanket back around him. Cal called an ambulance.

Iain and Jez arrived and helped get Ethan in to the ambulance. He was taken in to the small RESUS and moved over on to the bed.

Charlie, Zoe, and Rita all helped to treat him, by setting up IV lines, one for fluids and another for antibiotics, but deep down, they all knew it was only a matter of time.

Charlie walked over to Cal, who was in the staff room, but he was pacing. As he seen, Charlie approach, he instantly stood.

"Well?" Cal demanded.

"Cal, I'm sorry, there's nothing more we can do for him, except keep him comfortable. "

"No. " Cal said, his strong façade, starting to fade.

Charlie put his hand on his shoulder. "He's asking for you. "

Cal took a deep breath as he tried to pull himself together, but he knew that this would be the last time he would see Ethan alive.

"Hey, " Ethan whispered, weakly from behind his oxygen mask, trying to remove it.

"No, mate, you need to keep that on, " Cal said, as he sat himself on the edge of Ethan's bed.

Ethan laughed, quietly, gripping on to Cal's hand, his grip wasn't tight, but Cal knew that his brother was still there for now.

But soon his grip started to loosen and he was struggling for breath, his lips were going blue, the monitor that he was attached to showed he was struggling.

"Ethan, please, I need you. " Cal said.

Ethan didn't reply, his breaths were getting weaker and weaker.

Charlie walked in. "He's gone, Cal. " He whispered.

It was then Cal turned and sobbed in the older man's arms.

After a while, Cal pulled out of Charlie's arms. The older man gave him a look and Cal drew strength to walk through the double doors.

Charlie spoke to the team. "Today we lost a good doctor. But he wasn't just a doctor, he was a friend, a brother. "

The team offered their condolences to a shell - shocked Cal, who accepted them with a small nod.

Cal, with a trembling hand, put the key in to the lock. It was going to be strange living here without Ethan.

The funeral had been arranged for the following weak. Charlie and Cal looked out coffins and head stones.

Ethan's funeral was a blur. Charlie picked him up in his car Cal, even though, he had written something for his brother, but he didn't feel strong enough to read it. Charlie read it for him.

"Ethan was my brother, I used to call him "Nibbles. " he didn't like it, but I thought it would be funny to wind him up. " Cal heard the small chuckles of his colleagues as Charlie continued. "I know I wasn't there, for him when Matilda died, but I am here, now, I'm sorry, Ethan "

As Charlie finished Cal's speech, he folded the paper and stepped down.

Charlie and Cal placed the coffin on their shoulders and left the church.

Cal and Charlie carried the coffin to the place where Ethan had requested to be buried. While clearing out his room, Cal had found the instructions written in his brothers neat writing. He'd obviously written them before his symptoms started and kept them locked away.

Ethan was buried next to Emile and Matilda, Cal knew that they would look after their boy and one day, but not for a long time, Cal would join them.

h. "Hey, Ethan. " Cal whispered, he felt silly for talking to a stone, but it brought him comfort.

He stepped back to look at the words on the stone and wiped his eyes as he read the words.

Ethan Hardy,

29 - years - old.

Brother to Caleb, son to Emile and adoptive son of Matilda.

"Goodnight, Nibbles " Cal said, as a lone tear slid down his cheek.

He walked back to the flat and picked up a picture, it was of the boys, when they were little, his arm was around Ethan's, both grinning silly at the camera that Emile was taking the picture with. A tear slid down his cheek and he slid to the floor as he realised that his brother, his Nibbles was gone.

Charlie had an inkling that something was wrong, using the key that Ethan have given him in case of emergencies and he knew that this was an emergency. He unlocked the door to see Cal sobbing.

"Oh, Cal " His heart broke for him as he rocked the younger man. He knew that this would take Cal a long time to get over loosing his Nibbles, but until the day they meet again, Cal would have the ED's full support.


Just a little something I wrote Wednesday night, I was going to save it for Saturday as Casualty wasn't on, but I decided to post it tonight.