Chapter 3
Neither of the brothers acknowledged Ethan's need to have Cal with him to drive confidently, but over the next few days Cal was careful to arrange things so their shifts coincided. Soon Ethan didn't need his brother there at all and steadily things returned to normal.
Less than three weeks later Cal was just starting night-shift, still hungover from the night before and longing for home.
"Hey Cal, do you know where Ethan is?" Lofty asked when they passed in a corridor. "Only you might want to tell him Mrs Beauchamp's on the warpath because he's late..."
"Really?" Cal felt a twinge of unease and had the sudden urge to go grab his mobile from where he'd shoved it in his locker (Charlie had noticed he'd spent more time texting potential girlfriends than attending patients and threatened to tell Connie if he didn't make a change). "I'll drop him a text..."
"Cal," Robyn came speeding down the corridor. "There's been an RTC just called in, ETA four minutes, three casualties."
"I'm on it." Cal pushed away thoughts of Ethan and hurried to RESUS. "Thanks Robyn!"
"Unidentified male, probably about 30, KO'd at the scene having been crushed against the steering wheel," Dixie said, wheeling the gurney down the corridor. "Sideswiped by a lorry, sounds like. He's having difficulty breathing and his heart rate's-"
Cal stopped listening. 30 year old male crushed against the steering wheel in a car that was sideswiped... that rang far too close to home. He glanced quickly to the casualty's face, caught a glimpse of blonde hair and his heart plummeted. Then he took in the other features and let himself breathe. Not Ethan.
"Cal?" Rita's voice intruded on his thoughts. Dixie must have gone already. "What do you want to do?"
"Oh... er, right." Cal took a deep breath and within a moment he was back in doctor mode, delivering orders and asking for scans.
"Dr Knight." Connie Beauchamp's icy tones were enough to freeze the spine of any man, and Cal was no exception. "I don't suppose you'd know where your brother is, by any chance?"
"Err..." Cal glanced to the clock on the wall. An hour into shift already - where the hell was he? "I'm sure he's been called away on some um- urgent business."
Connie raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Very urgent, I should hope."
Cal cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll go um, call him-"
"No, you'll get back to your patients," Connie ordered sharply. "Or else you'll be in my bad books too."
"Right. Got it."
Cal watched her walk away and waited a few seconds to make sure she was definitely gone. Then he ran to his locker.
"Good God Ethan," he muttered, scrolling through his many, many missed calls - all from his brother. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"
The dialling tone had barely started when Ethan picked up.
"Cal?" His ragged breathing was clearly audible over the line. "Is that you?"
"Who else would it be?" Though he'd never admit it, it was worry that made Cal's tone so irritated. "Look, Ethan, where are you? You're an hour late, Connie's utterly furious-"
"Cal I need your help."
Cal squeezed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I- I've had an accident," Ethan stammered.
"You crashed? Give me your address I'll call an ambul-"
"No! No I'm fine." The tremor to Ethan's voice said otherwise. "I just need some help to- to get to work."
Cal chewed at his lip, glanced around the locker room. No one was here to see him leave.
"Cal?" Ethan's voice had a hysterical edge to it. "I really don't want anyone else to know about this. Will you come?"
"Yes. Yeah I'm on my way." He pulled his coat from his locker and checked his car keys were in the pocket. "Where are you, exactly?"
"Well I er... don't know. Exactly."
Cal sighed. "Wonderful."