Cal: 10.

Ethan: 27.

Forgive me, I know the ages don't match up. Ethan doesn't have the gene.

Chapter is rated T due to the nature of the storyline, as it includes autism, which I know very little about, I've been relying on the internet to help me out.

This chapter was prompted by bronny9 with the prompt: Ethan is left in charge of his younger brother Cal while their mum, Matilda, has to leave Holby for a while, but will it go according to plan?

bronny9: Thank you for the review, glad you thought it was a great chapter. Here is your request, I hope you like it.

Juilua: Thank you for the review, glad you loved the chapter. I am still excepting requests, will do that for you, it might just take me a while as I do have other requests.

last update of 2017, hope the people who read this, have a safe and happy new year.


The Secret Life Of Casualty.

Chapter 309.

Matilda Hardy walked in to the living room, dressed in her smart suit. She was out of town for a few days, leaving Ethan in charge of his little brother Caleb "Cal" who was 10 years old. Caleb wasn't biologically Matilda's son, she'd fostered, later adopting him, after hearing about him, through a friend who'd had a baby boy, Matilda's friend hadn't noticed there was anything wrong with her son at first, it was only when at a year old, she'd taken him to a mother and baby class, where he was struggling to maintain eye contact with other children who were happily playing with the toys and wouldn't respond when his parents said his name, his mum couldn't cope so when Matilda had visited and broken down on her, and Matilda felt a tug of love for this little boy she hardly knew and so suggesting to her friend that she take her son off her for a little bit, the friend agreed and went to pack a bag for him. She come down with it a few minutes later and after kissing her son goodbye, Matilda left with this little boy, who didn't even have a name.

A few weeks later after bringing the baby boy home, Matilda received a message, the boys biological mother had took her own life. The little boy had no one. Well, the first thing, he needed was a name. Matilda wanted something similar to Ethan's name and so she'd dug out the book where she had got Ethan's name from and flipped to a page at random, which turned out to be the letter "C" Names jumped out at her such as:

Cal

Callum

Caleb

The baby looked at her as it approved of the name.

"Caleb?" She repaeted, picking the baby, it felt good to have a name for him, instead of calling it "baby " baby seemed as if she was uninterested in him and as he grew up she wanted him to feel safe and secure in her home.

Matilda shook her head. "Baby Cal" was now 10 years old and drove her mad, by leaving his toys on the stairs and not putting them away in his bedroom, but she didn't mind.

"Ethan, I have to go" Matilda told her eldest, checking her watch, she didn't want to be late to the train station.

"Fine" Her son replied as she kissed his cheek before picking her lugguage up and leaving the house, locking the door up behind her.

"Where's mum going?" Cal asked, coming down the stairs shortly after Matilda had gone.

Ethan crouched down to his brothers level. He knew how anxious Cal got when Matilda left him, even if she was just going to the shops. "Mum had to leave for a while" Ethan explained, as Cal's face crumbled and he looked like he was going to burst in to tears, Ethan put his arms around him and led him in to the living room. "how about you choose a dvd and I'll order us a pizza?" Ethan suggested, he was off work today and he was looking forward to spending time with his little brother, he didn't get much of a chance because he worked such long hours and usually when he got in from a shift, Cal was asleep in bed.

Cal nodded, excitedly while Ethan went to grab the takeaway menus from the kitchen draw and took them in to the living room, leaving Cal to choose which one he wanted, Ethan reached for his phone, ready to make the call, when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was Connie, why was she calling him? He had half a mind to reject the call, but decided to answer it.

"Ethan, Hardy, speaking" He answered.

"Ethan, it's Connie, " The voice replied.

"What can I do for you, Miss Beachaump?" Ethan asked.

Connie was blunt in her reply. "I need you to work, Ethan"

"Miss Beachaump, I -"

"No, excuses, Ethan" Connie said, her tone, sharp.

"OK, I'll be there, " He said as he realised Connie had ended the call.

Cal looked at him. Ethan hated the fact he was going to have to let his little brother down.

"Cal, mate, I have to go to work. " Ethan said.

The 10 year old made a face that Ethan found hard to resist.

"I tell you, what, " Ethan suggested, "You come to work with me and I promise next time, I'm off, we'll have a movie night?"

"OK Ethan" Cal said quietly.

"Good boy. " Ethan replied, ruffling his brothers hair. Ethan went to grab their coats from the banister in the hallway, after helping Cal zip his up and making sure his shoelaces were tied, Ethan saw one of them had come undone and bent down to tie them for him. Ethan grabbed his keys, phone and ID badge before calling to Cal, who was upstairs, packing a small bag of things for him to do. Cal walked down the stairs.

Standing outside the entrance, Cal holding on to his hand, Ethan felt nervous. How were his colleagues going to react to Cal? He'd never spoken to his friends about Cal, because he was worried that they would think it was ridiculous, he still lived at home, but Ethan knew that without his help his mum would struggle.

"Ethan" Someone called.

Ethan, realising, he had been in his own little world, looked down at Cal and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Doctor Hardy, your needed in RESUS" Connie told him.

"Coming " Ethan smiled, unsure of what to do with Cal. He couldn't stick him in the staff room, because someone was bound to notice and he was too old for the crèche. "Right, Cal, "Added Ethan. "I have to go to work to help poorly people, but you can, I don't know. "

"I could show him the ambulance, if you want mate, " Suggested Iain.

"Would you like that?" Asked Ethan, bending down to his brothers level.

"Yes" Cal nodded.

"Just be careful, he's usually shy with strangers, " Ethan told Iain.

Iain smiled reassuringly at Cal, holding his hand out to him.

"This is Cal, Ethan's younger brother" Iain explained to the two women.

"I didn't know Ethan had a brother, " Robyn commented to Louise, who sniggered, and then spoke

"Probably because he's asamed of him" Louise who wasn't known for her tact and sensitivity, laughed, while Robyn and Iain exchanged horrified glances, it was clear Louise hadn't spent time with any young children.

"Louise!" Robyn and Iain both scolded her, while Iain's eyes were briefly taken off him, Cal had reached for a bag of saline and burst it open, resulting in the water going all over Iain, who scowled as Cal laughed nervously. Iain headed back in to the ED with Cal, and spotted Max, at the Nurses Station.

"Max, " Iain called, making his friend, look up.

"What?" Max replied.

"Want to take this lad off my hands?"

"Who is that?" Max asked.

"Ethan's younger brother" Iain shouted, causing Cal to put his hands over his ears, he didn't like loud noise.

What was Max supposed to do with a young boy?

Playing ball with Max, Cal kicked the ball a little too hard and fell over, grazing his hands and knee.

Ethan rushed over to his brother who was holding his arms out to him, Ethan picked him up and quickly looked him over, but apart from a few bruises and cuts he was fine. Ethan kissed his brothers head, before carrying him in to the ED. Connie saw them, Ethan swallowed, asking Connie for a word.

"What is it?"

"I need to go home. " Ethan explained.

"Why is that?" Connie asked.

"Cal needs me" Ethan said, Connie was the only person who knew about Cal's condition and usually she would allow him, but now she was shaking her head at him.

"I can't Ethan, " She started talking. "As much as Cal needs you, the patients need you as well. "

"But Mrs Beachaump. "

"Ethan, I can't. "

Admitting defeat, Ethan left Connie and went to find Cal.

After the disaster of playing football, Cal was now in the staff room with Max, sitting at the small coffee table with a few pieces of paper and some coloured pens, he was drawing an ambulance and a man standing beside it, the man was supposed to be Iain, and the smaller person was supposed to be him, he stuck his toungue out as he concentrated, using the different pens. At the end of his shift, Ethan who had now changed out of his scrubs, smiled at Cal and told him it was time to go, he asked him to thank Max for looking after him and held his brothers hand as they walked out, hand in hand, Robyn commenting on how cute Cal was.

Arriving home, after the short distance from the hospital to the 3 bedroomed house Matilda owned, Ethan unlocked the front door, helping his brother off with his coat and shoes, while allowing Cal to watch some of his favourite TV shows.

Ethan prepared Cal a meal and then sat down himself.

"Where's my picture?" Cal asked.

"In my bag, safe" Ethan replied, eating his own meal.

Once both boys had finished eating, Ethan cleaned up, just as they heard a key in the door.

"Hello boys" Matilda greeted.

"Hi mum. " Smiled Ethan, kissing his mum on the cheek.

"Mum" Cal said excitedly, wrapping his arms round her. Matilda hugged her youngest back. "Can I show you my drawing?"

Matilda nodded.

Ethan handed his brother his drawing out of his bag and he handed it to Matilda, who smiled and kissed his cheek, before pinning it to the fridge and going in to her suitcase where she got out two small bags and handed one to Ethan and the other to Cal, who looked in the bag and pulled out a bouncy ball. Ethan had a notepad and a new pen. Ethan hugged his mother.

Cal started moaning and Ethan lifted him up and carried him up to his room, getting a new pair of pjs out and helping Cal out of his clothes and in to his pj's and pulled back the covers, stroking his hair, and kissing his forehead.

"I love you, Ethan " Cal whispered, tiredly.

"I love you, too Cal" His brother replied, as Cal yawned and Ethan pulled the covers over him (the covers were blue) He turned out the light and looked back at his brother, so small looking in his bed.


Thank you for reading and thank you to bronny9 for the prompt, I hope she enjoyed it.

Next chapter: After saving two boys from a car crash, Cal reflects on his own accident which he and Ethan were involved in as children and how it left him with a life changing decision for him to come to terms with? Prompted by