X-Sammii-X, I'm glad you mentioned that you liked Emilie sharing memories of Cal and Ethan - I've put some more in this chapter. I'm so happy you liked the chapter. I hope it didn't make you too sad! Thank you for your review.

CBloom2, I didn't think it would be good enough to make people cry! This might be the least emotional chapter, but Cal and Ethan both cry, so maybe I'm wrong! Thank you for your review. I'm really happy you liked it.

20BlueRoses, thank you for your review. I love Cal and Ethan and you always write them brilliantly. It means a lot to know you like the way I write them. I'm glad you liked the teasing - I was worried about that as they're both upset, but I wanted Emilie to see that side of their relationship.

LittleBritishPerson, there won't be anything about the gene in this story, but I'm curious too. I think it's going to be devastating! Thank you for your review - I'm really glad you're enjoying this and I'm sorry I haven't reviewed your latest story yet. I'm still catching up.

tracys dream, I love emotion too, so I'm enjoying piling on the emotion in this story! I'm really glad you like it too. Thank you for your review.

Emilie continued, her voice slow but mesmerising. "I want to know both my sons as well as I can. I know that if you tell me about yourselves, Cal will exaggerate and Ethan will be modest."

"Cal? Exaggerate?" said Ethan.

"He wants my approval and love and he's afraid he won't get it if he tells the truth," said Emilie.

Ethan looked at Cal in surprise and wondered if that had always been what he wanted. Estranged from his parents and his brother, perhaps he had needed approval and love more than anything.

How could Emilie know him so well already when Ethan did not?

"But he's wrong," said Emilie. She was looking at Cal now. "He always had my love. He always will."

Ethan hated himself for the jealousy that filled him. He'd always feared Cal was Matilda's favourite and now Cal was Emilie's favourite too.

Yet why wouldn't he be? He'd done so much for her. Ethan had done nothing but hurt and reject her.

But he wouldn't reject her now. He would tell her about a recent time when Cal was brave.

Ethan skipped over the part about Katya being a prostitute, stating only that she was being badly-treated by the man who had brought her to England. He didn't tell Emilie that Cal had slept with Katya, only that he'd seen she was in trouble and tried to help. He couldn't say how the car crash had happened as he knew it was at least partly due to Cal's recklessness, but he told Emilie of the injuries Cal had treated; of the three people he'd saved and later lost.

"He struggled, but he didn't let it break him," said Ethan, trying to ignore the guilt he felt about not supporting his brother more. "He was suffering from the loss of little Matilda and the shock of being adopted. He was very unhappy, but I think it helped him to know he could be brave."

Emilie listened, her eyes moving between Ethan and Cal. "I know there are parts Ethan didn't tell me. I can guess some of it, but it doesn't matter. You are my boy and I love you. You gave someone happiness and the belief that escape was possible. I am proud of you."

"I'm sure everyone would have done it," said Cal, with unusual modesty.

"I don't think so," said Emilie. "Thank you, Ethan. Cal was a brave child too and he always wanted to help people. Once I dropped my shopping. I didn't know, but it was a sign of my illness. One bag fell in the road. Cal got it for me. He picked up my bags and helped me carry them. I called him my knight in shining armour. I think he remembered that. Subconsciously."

Cal smiled. "Well, who am I to argue with my mum?"

Emilie made the sound Ethan could now recognise as a laugh. "Cal, please tell me something about Ethan now. I want to know him better."

Ethan heard the yearning in her voice. He should have been grateful for her love, but instead he felt even worse. She loved him and he'd pushed her away.

Cal nodded. "I told you that Ethan is afraid of heights, didn't I?"

"You told me he rescued someone from a Ferris wheel," said Emilie. "But then I choked on my food and you never told me what happened."

Although it was both in the past and a common complication of Huntington's, Ethan still felt fear and distress at the thought of his mother choking. He felt Emilie's hand move awkwardly and realised she was trying to squeeze his hand.

"It's all right, Ethan," said Emilie. "I'm all right now. Soon I will be completely all right. No more suffering."

Cal's eyes filled with tears, but he managed to fight them back. He told Emilie about the Ferris wheel, speaking with what sounded like pride and admiration as he described what Ethan had done. Ethan shuddered slightly at the memory, but as he listened, he realised how minutely and correctly Cal was describing an incident he'd never seen. Ethan guessed Iain must have told Cal about the Ferris wheel, just as he'd told Ethan about the car crash. Ethan felt warmth and gratitude firstly towards Iain, who'd clearly tried to bring the brothers back together; and secondly towards Cal, who had listened carefully to Iain's account and remembered it.

"To be honest, I'm glad I wasn't there," said Cal. "Climbing the wheel wouldn't have frightened me, but watching Ethan would have done. I usually do the big hero stuff, but this time I couldn't have done it because the girl didn't know me."

Emilie looked at Ethan with pride in her eyes. "I would have been scared too. Very scared. I am proud of you, my son."

Ethan felt a tear run down his cheek. She was proud of him. Despite everything.

"Don't cry, Ethan," said Emilie softly. "If it happens again, I believe you will conquer your fear again. You used to be afraid of the big dog next door. Cal used to stand in front of you to protect you. But you were brave. One day, you saw the dog was hurt. Cal wanted to come and find me, but you wouldn't go with him. You were so young, but you knew the dog was hurt. You knew it wouldn't like to be alone. So you stayed. When we came out of the house, you were stroking the dog. You told him everything would be okay. You were afraid of other dogs after this, but not this dog." Her hand moved convulsively in his. "You are grown now. You are a man. A doctor. But you are still my brave boy. And I am still proud of you."

Ethan gave a small sob and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Emilie. "I am here."

"So am I," said Cal.

Ethan quickly composed himself. It was far worse for Emilie and Cal than for him. "Has Cal told you about the day he saved my life?"

"No," said Emilie. She smiled. "You see, he doesn't always boast."

Ethan gave a shaky smile. "Or perhaps he thinks saving me is nothing to boast about?"

Cal glanced at him quickly and saw his brother was joking. "Saving my brother is the best thing I've ever done. I think saving my brother saved me too."

"There you go, thinking about saving your own skin again!" said Ethan, but he was smiling with affection as he said it. He knew it was so much more than that.

Ethan had been unconscious for much of the procedure and could remember nothing, but he'd performed it himself and knew what was required. Without going into unnecessary detail, he tried to keep his language simple, as his mother had little medical knowledge other than of her own condition, but not patronising because he could see Emilie was an intelligent woman.

Cal looked uncomfortable when Ethan mentioned being Cal's safety net, but Emilie's eyes shone. "Now you are safety nets for each other. When I leave you, Cal and Ethan, I know you will be all right. You will catch each other when you fall."

"I'm not very good at catching anyone," said Cal sadly.

"No, that isn't true," said Emilie. "You saved Ethan's life as a child. You saved Ethan's life asan adult. You are both different. You need catching in different ways. But you will always catch Ethan and Ethan will always catch you."

"I will catch you, Cal," promised Ethan, through tears.

Cal didn't let go of Emilie's hand and his other arm was useless, but he leaned to the side, resting his head against Ethan's. "I'll catch you too, Ethan. I promise. I'll always catch you."

They stayed like that for a while, just thinking, tears in all three pairs of eyes, then Ethan dried his eyes and did the same for his mother, who couldn't control her hands well enough, and Cal, who still refused to let go of Emilie's hand.

"Cal, now you think of something to tell Mum about me," said Ethan. "Nothing too embarrassing, please."

Cal's bloodshot eyes showed the briefest glint of mischief, but then it was gone. "Ethan did go through a difficult time recently. I'm afraid I didn't help him with it. I was caught up with my own problems and didn't realise how bad it was. I really regret that I wasn't there for him."

"Perhaps if I'd been there for you like I promised, you would have been there for me," said Ethan.

Emilie shook her head jerkily and there was something firm in her voice despite its waveriness. "No. Let's not have blame, boys. Bad things happen. We can't always control our reactions."

Cal nodded and told Emilie about Ethan's terrible couple of weeks where he'd failed his patients, or so he'd believed. He'd tried to help a suicidal man who had later thrown himself under a bus. Ethan listened as Cal spoke with compassion and understanding. Cal hadn't been able to support him as he hadn't told Cal how serious the problem was, but he knew Ethan well enough to guess at the dark feelings inside him.

"He could have given up," said Cal. "For a while, he even turned into me and thought running away would solve the problem, which shows how desperate he was! He struggled to deal with the time-wasters as he was terrified every minute spent with them was a minute where he could fail someone who did need him. He had some bad moments, but lots of good ones too. No matter how disillusioned he was feeling, he always gave everything for the patients who needed him."

Emilie nodded. "Ethan always was kind. I remember once you were poorly and Ethan got into bed with you. I was worried, but Ethan knew what to do. He didn't talk. He didn't ask for your attention. He lay beside you and held your hand. You started to cry because you felt so ill. Ethan gave you a cuddle." She smiled. "Like now." Then she looked worried. "Ethan, are you all right now?"

Ethan nodded. "I'm fine now, Mum. Lily helped me. She's one of our colleagues."

"But most of it came from Ethan," said Cal quickly. "His strength. His courage."

"Lily?" said Emilie. "You have a girlfriend, Ethan?"

Ethan felt himself blushing. "No, she's just a friend."

"I would like to meet Lily," said Emilie. "I have met Charlie and Robyn and Max. I have met Charlie before. He is a good man. Handsome too."

"I'll bring him back tomorrow if you like," said Cal. "Charlie's great. He helped me to find you and he's supported me all the way through." He smiled. "He lost patience with me a few times, but who hasn't? He's been more of a dad to me than my own dad ever was and he was great with Matilda too – little Matilda."

Emilie's eyes shone with curiosity as she turned to Ethan. "Ethan, will you tell me about little Matilda? I want to hear about my son as a dad."