TheBeautifulNerd: I apologise for my decision to kill off Lily, I know she was your favourite character. I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. You're right, mobile phone usage whilst driving is still a serious issue. From research, the scariest thing is that in 2017, it was responsible for 33 deaths, 90 serious injuries and 308 minor injuries. In the US, you're six times more likely to be in an accident due to mobile phone usage behind the wheel than you would be driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. And Grace had made a massive mistake, we all make mistakes, but now she'll have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life. She's still good at heart, so naturally, she would be ashamed of herself.

Bonnie Sveen Fan: Grace already feels terrible and she doesn't even know who she killed yet. And there will be more on Gem as well as she struggles to come to terms with her loss, although this chapter, she does show some maturity despite her shock.


Chapter Three

The decision was made. Connie knew it was only fitting for the two of them as she and Robyn wheeled Iain's bed next to Lily's. Whilst they were waiting for the undertakers to arrive to take the two to the morgue.

She felt as if she was intruding on the two, since they looked as if they were fast asleep.

Gem stood beside Lily, her eyes still red. She hadn't said a word since they walked out of resus to find her on the floor. A part of Connie wanted to send the poor girl home, but she knew Gem wanted to stay with her brother and his girlfriend, just so that she could say goodbye to them both.

"We thought," Connie sighed, "We thought we'd give you some time with them until the undertakers arrive. This will give you the opportunity to say goodbye to them."

Connie wasn't sure if Gem was listening to a word she said. She wouldn't blame her if she wasn't. She just stood there; eyes fixated on the two lifeless bodies lying on their made shift double bed. Connie wasn't sure what Gem was thinking at this moment. Sad? Angry? Scared?

"We'll give you three some time," Robyn whispered, sniffing as she and Connie turned around.

"Wait, Mrs Beauchamp."

Connie turned around; those were the first words Gem had said for a long time.

"I know about the opt out system," Gem explained facing her, before turning to Iain and Lily, "But Iain and Lily, they, they, both had a, a donor's card. I don't, don't know how, how it's works. But they would want you to know."

"Thank you for letting us know," Connie forced a smile, "I'll contact the organ donation nurse, they'll provide you with some more information."


Alicia quickly got changed out of her scrubs and into her clothes. It felt selfish of her, but she was so thankful Ethan got out of the wreckage alive. If anything were to happen, she'd have been heartbroken, she would have lost everything.

"Dr Munroe," she turned to face Charlie.

"Charlie," Alicia turned to face him, "I was wondering, when would Ethan be discharged?"

"We're going to keep him in for a few nights for a precaution," Charlie wiped his tear, "However, he's still in shock. We, we had to tell him about Iain. The police will be talking to him tomorrow."

"I still can't believe it," Alicia sighed, "I'm thankful that Ethan's managed to pull through. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."

"Yeah," Charlie sighed, "Listen, I know you're relieved about Ethan. But I also know that you live with Gemma. She's lost her family tonight, so you can imagine what's she's going through."

"I know," Alicia looked away, "I won't bring it up. I still can't believe Lily, and Iain are both gone. Seventeen is too young of an age for learning how to drive!"

Charlie looked out the window to see Dylan handing a drink over to Sam, who was sat in the nurse's station. Her eyes were swollen from the tears that she had shredded. Charlie watched and Sam just wrapped her arms around her ex-husband, sobbing into his chest. Dylan further stroked her hair, before the two broke apart and Sam apologised to Dylan. Their hands never separated.

"I don't know if Gem's going to want to go into the car," Alicia whispered, "I'm worried it'll bring everything back for her. She hasn't got any family left now. Not in her eyes anyway."

Charlie wrapped his arms around Alicia.

It's going to be a while before everything goes back to normal.

Only without Iain or Lily, things may never go back to normal.


"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Connie announced to the nurses' station, "I just wanted to say, thank you for your professionalism and your efforts in keeping the department run smoothly," Connie inhaled, then exhaled, trying to fight the tears forming in her eyes, "I know the past few hours haven't been easy for everyone. Dr Hardy has been taken to the Acute Admissions Unit, he's sustained a broken arm and will be off work for a while. I know we are all wishing him a speedy recovery."

Connie watched as the members of staff who have only just arrived for the night shift all looked confused. It had been filled in that Ethan was in cubicles for a broken arm. Connie suddenly realised that it can be hard to share good news, when it had been clouded by bad news as well.

"Sadly, we have lost Dr Lily Chao," Connie sighed, "As well as paramedic Iain Dean. The undertakers will be here shortly. I know this is a difficult time for everyone to take the news in, but I want to thank everyone for their professional conduct. Let's honour the memories of both Lily and Iain by doing our best."


"I don't think I want a drink," Sam sighed at the pub with Jan and Ruby, "Iain and I normally have a match with darts. I can't face being here, knowing he's."

Ruby gently stroke her back; she knew how close Iain and Sam were. She remembered her first week working with the two; Iain was so annoyed with her when she threw his kebab out the window. Iain was berating her, not noticing Lily witnessed this. It was Lily who reassured her, that soon Iain will come around with her. Later that day, Iain tells her to scrap the books and invited her to the pub, telling her that he can work with her, so long as she doesn't throw another kebab out again.

It's hard for Ruby to imagine Iain's no longer around.

"I can't believe that coward just ran off and left them," Jan muttered, "I was eighteen when I've passed my test, one month before I've started my training. My mother wouldn't let me learn at seventeen. She said a lot of youngsters were irresponsible on the roads."

"I've passed third time at seventeen," Ruby mentioned, "I was always careful. I've put my phone in the boot of my car so I didn't get tempted."

"I'm sorry but is talking about this really going to bring Iain or Lily back?" Louise asked, annoyed, "I'm sorry, I didn't start to learn until I finished university. I heard many deaths were caused by seventeen-year olds' reckless driving."

The doors to the pub were open, as everyone noticed Charlie, Rash and a silent Gem walked through the doors. Charlie motioned for Rash to take Gem into one of the booths, watching as Rash carefully guided Gem into the seat. All eyes were on the young girl. They never saw this side of her before. She normally kept side that for either Iain or Lily. Understandable that everyone is seeing that side of her now that her family are gone.

"Had she said anything?" Jan asked Charlie.

"She spent an hour in the room with them," Charlie sighed, "She didn't say anything to them. All she did was stare at the two. It was as if she's lost her voice. I thought Rash could try to get her to talk, cry even."


Connie walked it home instead. She was planning on driving it back, but the moment she touched her car, the visions of Lily and Iain going into cardiac arrests flashed back into her mind. The fear of another member of staff being involved in another accident struck Connie in the heart with thunder. She was never going to forget the day they lost two of the best medics in history again.

When she got back to her street however, she noticed that Grace's new car that she had two weeks ago wasn't at the drive. Alarmed, she took her phone out to call her daughter, only to see her from the window.

Connie was confused, Grace had been enjoying her new sense of freedom. She was looking forward to her trip downtown today as it'd have been the first time she's driven on her own.

Maybe she didn't fill it up with enough petrol so it's out somewhere, ready for her to come back with more petrol?

Maybe there was a fault in the car that she didn't realise was there? Maybe they need to talk to the mechanic?

Or maybe some idiot knocked it somewhere?

Connie shook her head. Grace is honest, so she would be able to tell her mother exactly what had happened with the car.

"Grace?" Connie called, "You okay?"

Grace was wearing her Lion King pyjamas that Connie bought her for Christmas. Her eyes were swollen up, her make up was smudged. Connie looked at the television, it was the latest Star Wars film, where General Leia just died.

"I'm fine," Grace whispered, "How's Dr Hardy? Is he okay?"

"Dr Hardy's fine," Connie smiled at her, "What's brought this on?"


Times like this Ethan wished he would be able to go to sleep with his eyes open.

Every time he closed them, the vision of seeing Iain and Lily sitting on their seats, injured and dying. Motionless, lifeless, stiffness. Seeing his friends in that state, it was never going to go away at all. He felt dizzy just thinking about what the view looked like through the window, his eyes were closed throughout the experience.

The memory remained clear to him. Just before the car tilted over, Ethan remembered hearing a scream.

"Iain!"

"Lily!"

Ethan realised that he was the only person to know the final things Iain and Lily did before they were knocked unconscious during that crash. He remembered Lily screaming out Iain's name as they were thrown as far as their seatbelts would have let them. He remembered Iain trying to stop the car the second he saw that the KA had no intentions of stopping. He remembered the last thing Iain and Lily did, just before he closed his eyes.

They grabbed for each other's hand.

When Ethan opened his eyes again, he saw Iain's hand twitching. The one that was holding Lily's.

It was almost as if he was trying to reach out to her.

Ethan wondered if Iain and Lily both knew the other hadn't survived. Would they have woken up this morning, not realising in twelve hours they'll be dead? Would they have woken up this morning, not realising that the other will die? Would they have woken up saddened that today was the day they died?

Ethan remembered this morning well, he was in a different hotel room with the two of them but when he came down to join them for breakfast, they seemed happy. He casually saw Lily playfully pinch bacon off Iain's plate, shoving it in her mouth. Normally Iain would have been annoyed but he laughed at her, kissing her on her cheek. Ethan felt a bit annoyed with the two, but then he remembered that the next day Iain was planning on taking Lily to the seaside to propose, and he smiled, knowing Lily wouldn't have expected that.

Ethan turned his head, unable to turn his body as it would have put strain on his broken arm.

Lily would never have known about Iain's proposal.

And Iain would never have known Lily's answer.

Ethan choked up again. This wasn't fair! How did he end up with just a broken arm, yet Lily and Iain ended up dead? How did that driver get away from the crash unscathed? Why did Lily and Iain end up…

Ethan couldn't even close his eyes to let his tears out. Every time he tries, he sees the wreckage. Every time he tries, he sees the KA with the dent. Every time he tries, he sees the two-unconscious people, sitting in the front of the car, dying.

He'll never be able to get that vision out again.


"Hey," Rash handed Gem a mug of hot chocolate, "I think you need this. It's on me, but everyone else are happy to buy another for you."

Gem said nothing. Her eyes never even gazed at the hot chocolate in front of her. Rash was saddened, since she settled into the booth, she never even took her eyes of that one speckle of wood on the pillar. A single word never left her mouth, it was as if she lost her voice. Her eyes were red, but she hadn't shredded another tear since she left Iain and Lily's room. She couldn't even remember the last time she was able to smell or taste something. Not even able to reach out to touch anything else.

"Gem," Rash sighed, "I know this is a huge shock for you."

Gem closed her eyes, fighting back more tears. How is anything that Rash or anyone else says going to make her feel better? How is anything that will occur in the future make her accept that her family are gone? How is anything going to bring Iain and Lily back?

"All," Gem whispered the first words she said in a while, "All I kept thinking about was how scared they must have been? Did they think the morning they've woke up; they weren't going to be here?"

"Gem," Rash whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"They must have been terrified," Gem silently sobbed, "They must have been."

Rash pulled Gem into his arms, silently stroking her hair.

"They had so much more to live for," Gem cried, "What did they do to deserve this?"


Dylan hadn't left work yet. He couldn't bring himself to do so.

How did that teenager pass their test in the first place if this was the result? Reckless driving? Leaving the group in the car?

He wasn't sure if he would be able to say Ethan pulling through was a miracle.

Not when Iain and Lily both lost their lives in the accident.

"Dylan?" he turned around to face Sam.

"I thought you were at the pub," he whispered, "I saw you walk in with Jan."

"They were all talking about how old they were when they passed their tests. I couldn't bear to listen, knowing that it was a teenager responsible," Sam sighed, walking to the stools, "Gem's in pieces, Ethan's still distraught and I've been trying to figure out how this had happened. How is this fair?"

Dylan pulled Sam into his arms; he knew she was struggling. This was a side to her that hardly anyone had ever seen before. Sam's always shown inner strength, showing that she's not a pushover. But throughout their years as a married couple, this was the most vulnerable that Sam Nicholls had ever been.

Dylan closed his eyes.

If this is how people are taking the news now, how are they going to react to what he discovered about Lily?


Connie and Grace sat silently as the film came to an end. Stroking her daughter's hair, Connie couldn't help but forget what Grace had said about Ethan.

Connie's eyes widened.

How did Grace know that Ethan was in the car when it crashed?

The police mentioned there were no signs of any witnesses. Ethan had told Charlie that the driver was a teenage girl driving a dark red KA, just like Grace's. The press also didn't release Ethan's name, or Lily's or Iain's for that matter.

"Grace," Connie asked her daughter, "Dr Hardy. How did you know he was taken to hospital?"

Connie watched as she saw her daughter close her eyes, taking in deep breaths. She watched as Grace struggled to find the words that she wanted to say.

But Grace was too sensible to be causing a car accident. A fatal one at that! She couldn't, she wouldn't.

But the evidence was there.

Grace was looking forward to having her own car. Being able to go wherever she wanted to go to. She took good care of the car, polishing it, hoovering it up. Connie remembered Grace wouldn't even let her eat a chocolate bar inside the car, scared she'll leave marks on it.

"I, I messed, messed up, Mum," Grace stuttered, looking at her with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I don't know how I could make it up to everyone."

"What do you mean?"

Grace couldn't have. She just couldn't have.

"I was the one driving the car. I was the one who put Dr Hardy in hospital. I was the one who killed those two people."