HolbyCityFanfics: Thank you for the review and the request. I can do a chapter where Ethan's symptoms have worsened, but he refuses help, for as long as he can, until he realises he no longer can and Cal steps in.
This chapter was prompted by "Sweet - as - honey" with the prompt: Ethan, ill, expects sympathy from his colleagues, but is shocked when he gets little.
The Secret Life Of Casualty.
Chapter 256.
Ethan and Cal were sitting on the couch in the living room of their flat, eating breakfast that Cal had made for them. Well, Ethan was staring at the toast that he was meant to be eating.
"Cal?" Ethan whispered.
"Yeah?" His brother replied.
"I really don't feel well," Ethan told him. He had a headache, his nose was runny, and he had a cough.
"It's just a cold, Nibbles," said Cal. "You'll be fine once you get there,"
"Thanks for the sympathy, Cal" Ethan thought as he stood up from the couch, but his legs felt wobbly.
The two left their flat and made their way down the building stairs. The drive in to work was quiet, expect for Ethan coughing. When they arrived Cal parked up, and the two got out, but he felt dizzy. He walked through the double doors and headed to the staff room, using his keys to unlock his locker, he put on his trousers and scrub top, before shutting the locker door and going out in to the corridor. He walked over to the Nurses Station to get his first patient file.
"Jenny Rose, please?" He read out.
A woman stood up and followed Ethan in to the cubicle and told her to sit down on the bed.
Ethan sneezed.
"Oh, excuse me, " He said, embarrassed.
"Are you sure your ok?" Jenny, the patient, asked. She was a blonde, more Cal's type than his.
Ethan nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you, "
Jenny as Ethan got back to examining her, she was pregnant, but hadn't felt her baby move.
"When' the last time you felt your baby move?" He asked.
"A few days ago, then she suddenly stopped moving, " Jenny answered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Ethan nodded, asking Jessica to arrange an ultrasound scan.
After seeing Jenny in to a wheelchair, with a polite request asking to be kept informed of the results of the scan, he went to his next patient in cubicles.
"Dude, step away, I don't want to catch your germs, " Said Matt, a 19 - year - old, who was the lead singer in a band, he had a gig tonight.
"Sorry, " Ethan apologised as he gave Matt instructions on how to rest his voice, before his gig. After Matt had been discharged, Ethan realised that Matt should have really gone to his GP. He usually didn't mind time wasters, but today, they just seemed to get on his nerves.
A nurse come up to him."Doctor Hardy, Jenny Rose miscarriaged her baby,"
As the nurse finished telling him, Jenny was being settled in to a cubicle as she was being kept in for observation.
Ethan felt bad. He headed to the cubicle. "Jenny, it's doctor Ethan Hardy," He whispered.
"come in,"
Ethan walked in.
"I'm so sorry for your loss,"
"It wasn't your fault. I hope you feel bette soon."
"Thank you" Ethan replied as he left the cubicle.
He had only seen two patients, but it was fair to say that the doctor was feeling exhausted. He closed his eyes and decided to rest his head on the Nurses Station.
Alicia walked over to him.
"What's up with you?" She asked, not sounding particularly friendly.
"I have a cold and I feel awful. " He told her.
"Stop making a fuss, it's winter Ethan, everyone gets colds, "She rolled her eyes at him as she continued. "I have a hangover, you don't see me complaining" She walked off. Ethan stood there, confused and hurt.
Lily then noticed him, wiping his nose. "Your not well Ethan. You need to go home, "
Ethan remembered Alicia's hurtful words as they ran through his brain. "Stop making a fuss, it's winter Ethan, everyone gets colds,"
"I'm fine, Lily, really, " Said Ethan, but he appreciated her concern for him.
"Take a break at least, " Lily suggested, but Ethan shook his head. The patients needed him.
Ethan dragged his wobbly legs to RESUS as Connie needed him, the male patient worked as a builder and an argument, with his colleague had seen him fall off some scaffolding and a piece of metal had got stuck in his hand. Connie was on the phone, trying to order an x - ray, but she kept getting distracted, she excused herself for a moment and walked over to Ethan, who was coughing in to his tissues.
"Finished?" Connie asked, an unimpressed look on her face.
"Yes" Ethan nodded.
"Go and wash your hands and then go to cubicles or home, your no used to me in RESUS, "
Walking through the double doors, Ethan headed to the men's toilet. He turned on the tap and put soap on his hands, rubbing them together, before putting them under the tap. He turned off the tap and looked in to the mirror. He looked pale, had bags under his eyes, and he wanted to go to bed. He left the bathroom and and headed back to cubicles where he was with Louise, their patient was a small girl, with a fracture after falling off her bike. An x- ray had been booked. But as Ethan felt the girl's wrist, he started coughing.
"Can you go outside and do that?" Louise asked, a look of disgust on her face.
Ethan nodded and left, but he found himself swaying and he hit the floor. Louise found him and with Iain's help, managed to get him to an empty cubicle. She put a pulse oximeter on his finger. And an oxygen mask on his face.
"Can you come and look at this patient Cal?" Asked Louise, laughing as his female patient rebuffed his attempts at going on a date with him, saying she was happily engaged.
"Sure nurse, Tyler, " Cal said as he excused himself from his patient.
Cal pulled the cubicle curtain open "I'm Doctor Knight, but you can call me- "
"Cal?" Jessica said, as he realised who was sitting on the bed.
"Ethan, "
"What's wrong?"
Louise rolled her eyes. "He fainted. "
"Yes, thank you, Louise. " Cal replied as she left.
Cal put his stethoscope on his brothers chest. "Breath in and out," Ethan did as he was asked.
Cal heard a crackly noise.
"It's most likely a chest infection " Cal said. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I need to get back to-" He started speaking when he suddenly fell forward.
Cal shook his head as he spoke. "No, I'm taking you home,"
Keeping an arm around his brother, Cal guided Ethan to their car. Cal knew that he would get in to trouble for abandoning his patients in the middle of shift, but he knew that Ethan was more important. He opened the door for his brother and guided him in to the passenger seat, helping him put his belt on. The drive back was quiet, Cal could tell he was tired. When they arrived at their block of flats, Cal parked in the driving space that was given to them when they brought the flat. He got out and gently shook Ethan's shoulder.
"Come on mate, " He said as he helped his brother out of the car and they walked in to the building, Cal locking the door.
Ethan sighed as he thought to himself. "Why did I have to buy a flat on the top floor?"
Ethan was grateful that Cal's arm was around him as they started to climb the "stairs that went on forever" or so it seemed to him, otherwise he might have fallen down them and broken his wrist or received a head injury.
"Nearly there, " Cal comforted as he reached the last step. He pulled the flat keys out of his NHS hoodie and put them in to the lock, turning them and pushing the door open. He escorted his brother straight to his room.
Cal took off his brothers shoes, jacket, and gently pushed Ethan down on to the bed and put the covers around him, before going to the kitchen and getting him a drink, a cold flannel, some paracteomol. He popped two tablets out of the packet and popped them in to his mouth, before helping his brother take a sip of water.
"Nurse Harrison, where's Doctor Knight?" asked Connie.
"I don't know, " Jessica replied, as she took blood from her patient."Well, when you see him, tell him I'd like a word?" Connie requested.
"Sure" Jessica nodded, taking the needle out of the patients arm.
At the flat, Cal was watching over Ethan. He was almost asleep, Cal stroked his hair, like they did when they were children and Ethan had, had a nightmare.
Cal went back to work, wondering if he was doing the right thing by leaving Ethan, but he knew that he had to get back otherwise he may not get paid and he couldn't afford that.
"Doctor Knight, a word?" Connie arched an eyebrow at him.
Cal nodded and followed Connie up to her office.
"You can't not jut disappear in the middle of a shift, Dr. Knight, " Connie rounded on him.
"Ethan is ill Mrs Beauchamp. You know what it's like when a family member is ill. " Cal said, but as he took in the look of shock on Connie's face, he realised he had took things a step too far.
"Get out, Dr. Knight, " Connie said coldly.
"Mrs B, I'm so-" Cal tried to apologise to his boss.
"Out. " She repeated.
Turning around, Cal headed for the door.
"Hey, mate, how are you feeling?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his brothers bed.
Ethan reached his arms out for his brother. Cal stroked his back comfortingly.
"Sick, " He murmured.
"Have some water, " He said, picking up the glass.
Ethan took some small sips and buried himself further in to the duvet.
Cal decided to go and make his brother something to eat for when he felt better. He found a pot in the kitchen, and found some tomato soup in the cupboard. He poured it in to a pan, and put it on the cooker when it was in the pan.
He dug out the tray and placed the bowl on it before carrying it in to Ethan's room. He put it on the side table.
Ethan stared up at him.
"Hey, " Cal smiled. "I made you some soup. "
"Cal, your a terrible cook, " Ethan whispered.
Cal laughed as he watched Ethan grab hold of the spoon. He took a sip.
"Hot, " Ethan said.
Cal laughed as he felt his brothers forehead. He was still a bit warm, but he had some colour in his cheeks.
"You look better, "
"I feel it, "
Cal grinned "Good. "
When Ethan had finished his soup, Cal took the bowl in to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, before taking a sip. He returned to Ethan, to find him sleeping, he joined him on the bed, putting his arm around him.
Thank you for reading and thank you to "Sweet - as - honey" for the prompt.
Next chapter: Alicia falls pregnant, while continuing to see Ethan, behind Cal's back. When Cal finds out his girlfriend is expecting, he's assumes it is his child, will Alicia break his heart and tell him it's Ethan's? Prompted by Tigsey.
