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This chapter was promoted by Sweet - as- honey with the prompt: When Ethan trips over at work, and his hands start to shake, he thinks there's only one explanation. Meanwhile, Alicia has a confession to make.
This story is set when the boys were getting on.
The Secret Life Of Casualty.
Chapter 269.
Ethan walked past the Nurses Station, when he tripped over a handbag strap. The bag strap caught around his leg, dragging him down to the floor, sending the contents of the bag with him. "I tripped because of this horrible diease" He thought.
"Watch were you are going in future!" Alicia yelled, grabbing her bag and putting her phone, purse, and chewing gum back in. Ethan zoned out as she spoke."It's started," He thought fearfully as his hands started to shake.
"Are you ok?" Lily asked.
He was hyperventilating.
"Alicia, get Cal!" Lily ordered.
"Don't you dare bully me!" Alicia shouted back.
Louise rolled her eyes. "Alicia, Lily wasn't bullying you. She's asked you to get help for our friend who has collapsed and can't breath. "
"I'll get Cal," Robyn said, sending a sympathetic look to Ethan which he didn't notice. Robyn headed to cubicles where Cal was. "Doctor Knight, can I have a word?"
Cal nodded and excused himself from his patient, following Robyn out. "What is it, Robyn?" He asked.
"It's Ethan." She told him.
"What about him?" Cal asked.
"He's collapsed and can't breat-" but before she had a chance to finish speaking, Cal was running, running to his brother.
Cal burst through the double doors, just as Max, Lily and Louise were getting Ethan on to a trolley, Lilly was showing Ethan some breathing techniques and Louise was copying her to try to encourage Ethan to do the same. Even though, he was trying, he was finding it difficult. Alicia was sat with them.
"I'm sorry Ethan. "
"Can you please give the patient some space?" Lily asked, politely.
Alicia nodded and left, returning to her own duties.
Cal grabbed his brothers hand and held it tightly. "It's alright, mate, I'm here" He said as he looked at Lily. "What happened, Lily?" He asked as Ethan started to cry.
"I think it was just a panic attack, but I'm not taking any chances. " She told Cal as she started wheeling the stretcher in to RESUS. She, Cal, and an agency nurse helped pull him over to the bed and Lily started attaching him to monitors such as: a pulse oximeter, an ECG and an oxygen mask. Lily looked at the monitor, his pulse and breathing were slightly fast, but Lily knew that was meant to happen, his STATs were fine.
"I fell over nothing Cal and my hands started to shake"
Lily gave her head a small shake, she knew that people didn't just fall over. Cal caught the shake. "He tripped over something of Alicia's and had a panic attack"
Even though, Lily had already looked him over, Cal knew that he would feel reassured if he had looked his brother over. He took his stethoscope from around his neck and checked his brothers breathing.
Ethan started crying again. He knew that his symptoms would start one day and he'd be powerless to stop them. He'd be like an old man trapped in a young mans body, ageing him before his time.
Lilly looked at the two brothers. "Go and have a break"
"I'll take Ethan home" Cal replied.
Lilly started talking again. "Ethan is upset as he won't be allowed to work as many years as he had hoped. Taking more time off isn't going to make him feel better. "
"Ethan is too upset to work" Cal nodded towards his brother.
"Let him rest for an hour and then see how he feels," Lily replied, leaving RESUS.
When heading in to the staff room to make herself a drink, Lily found Alicia crying on the sofa.
"How is Ethan?" Alicia asked, wiping her tears with a tissue from her handbag.
"He had a panic attack. " Lily smiled, a small smile. "But he will be fine. It's not your fault, he panicked. Alicia threw her arms around Lily, Lilly tensed a little bit but hugged her back.
"I'm sorry I called you a bully earlier, " Alicia apologised.
"It was understandable" Lily replied, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "I never meant to bully you, Alicia, but I accept I did. I'm sorry and I'm trying to be a better person. "
"It wasn't just you that made me leave. " Alicia admitted. "It was the whole situation. But I couldn't let myself believe that otherwise I'd have never have gone back to medicine."
Lily nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "I'm glad you did whatever it took to be able to continue working in emergency medicine. "
"Maybe now it's time I faced everything and started trying to be a better person myself." Alicia commented.
"You won't have to face anything alone," Lily told her. Alicia nodded as Lily geared up to ask her next question.
"Who do you like best? Cal or Ethan?" Lily asked.
"I don't know" Alicia replied.
"How would you usually deal with the situation?" Lily asked.
"By sleeping with both and seeing which one bores me first" Alicia answered truthfully.
"Your trying to be a nicer person," Lily pointed out. "Your method could break both their hearts and potentially yours too. It could also destroy the brothers relationship and cause awkwardness in their working relationship. It would be better to get to know them both as friends, and work out from that which brother you like best. "
"What happens if I make my choice, and he's only a 6?" Alicia asked.
Lilly thought for a moment. "Then you should break up with him. Let a decent amount of time elapse and then consider any mother options. "
Alicia nodded, as she stood. "Thanks for the chat, Lily. "
Lily nodded.
Back in RESUS, Ethan was lying on the bed and him and Cal were talking.
"You can go back to work if you need to Cal," said Ethan. "I'll be fine"
Cal shook his head. "I'm under orders from Lily to stay with my favourite patient."
Ethan smiled, but when he spoke there was a tremor in his voice. "If your calling me your favourite patient, and dragging me off to the on -call room, then perhaps I should worry" he joked.
Cal grinned, pleased to see him joking as he swiped a playful punch at his arm.
Ethan smiled back, pleased that his brother was staying with him.
Cal got a wheelchair and put his arms around Ethan as he lowered him from the bed, and in to the chair, and grabbed the blanket off the bed, putting it around Ethan. He then took the handles and wheeled him out of RESUS.
"Where are we going?" Asked Ethan.
"The on - call room. RESUS is boring"
Ethan allowed himself to laugh a bit as they arrived at the lifts. Cal pressed the button and it soon arrived. Grabbing the handles of the chair, Cal pushed him in, and waited until the doors shut.
Parking the the chair by the side of the bed, Cal lowered Ethan carefully on to the bed. "Are you alright?"
"Sure"
The two boys glanced at each other as they heard knocking on the door. Cal got up and opened the door.
"Lily, Alicia" He smiled, surprised at them.
"Are you ready for visitors, Ethan?" Lily asked, standing in the doorway.
"Yes" Ethan whispered. Alicia and Lilly walked in and sat down, as the four of them spoke about their plans for the weekend.
Thank you for reading. I really enjoyed writing this one. Thank you to "Sweet -as - honey" for the prompt.
Next chapter: Cal gets upset as a death in the ED effects him. Will Ethan offer him the support he needs? Prompted by bronny9.
