tracys dream, thank you for your review - I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I like writing dialogue. I find it much easier than description, though I really need to do both!

Gillian Kearney Fan, thank you for your review. I think you're right that it will take time for Ethan to forgive Cal properly, but I'm hoping for some sort of resolution by the end of the story.

Tanith Panic, they are a great pair - as they actually proved in the last episode when they were searching for and rescuing Jill. I'm glad you liked Connie's and Charlie's contributions. Thank you for your review.

Tato Potato, even though running away is very much in character for Cal, I think it will only delay the conversation rather than make things easier for either of them. Luckily, Connie and Charlie were there! Thank you for your review.

X-Sammii-X, I love Connie, but she's really difficult to write as she has so many layers, so I'm really pleased you're happy with how I wrote her. Last week's episode was really sad - my story won't end like that! Thank you for your review.

20BlueRoses, thank you for your review - I'm glad you like Cal's mixed emotions and vulnerability. I love that side to his character. They are both very stubborn and they're both hurting so much already so you're right that Ethan could push Cal away.

ETWentHome, thank you for your review and your kind words. I didn't think there was much chance of Cal seeing Ethan if Connie and Charlie weren't there to make sure he went into the room! I'm glad you liked the way the scene turned out.

Thank you to xEmmaPevensiePendragonx for the follow.

Cal looked red-eyed and nervous as he entered the room. "Hey, Nibbles. I mean Ethan."

Ethan tried to fight down his panic, but he couldn't. "Get out!" he shouted.

Then he saw the hurt look on Cal's face and burst into tears.

He knew Cal was hurting already. He didn't need Ethan making it worse. But Cal had messed with his life and his emotions and Ethan was so angry.

Rita put a hand on his good shoulder. "Come on, Ethan. There's no need for this. I know you have mixed feelings about seeing your brother, but why not have a chat to him and see how it goes? You don't have to talk to him for long. If it makes you feel worse, I'm sure he'll leave. Won't you, Cal?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Cal, a little too quickly for Ethan's liking.

Ethan glared at him through his tears. "I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? You'll get to run away just like you always do. Well, I'm not going to give you the satisfaction! You're going to stay here and we're going to talk!"

He regretted his words almost immediately. He wasn't sure he was ready to talk. But the words were out there in the open and there was no way Ethan could retract them.

"Okay," said Cal, a bit uncertainly.

Rita patted Ethan's hand. "I'll give you some privacy. If you need anything, you'll be able to press the button for help. I'll come back and check on you soon."

"Thanks, Rita," said Ethan, and watched her go. He didn't want to be alone with Cal, but this conversation was between the two of them. He didn't want anyone else to know what had happened.

Even now, he was protecting his brother, but Ethan hoped he was doing it for his own sake too.

Cal came closer. His eyes were brimming with tears. "Ethan, I'm so sorry. About everything. It's all my fault. I should have told you before."

"Yes, you should have done," said Ethan sharply. "I had the right to know, Caleb. And don't give me any about that twaddle about wanting to protecting me."

Cal smiled, though he still looked like he might cry. "Twaddle. Only you could say twaddle."

"Caleb, this is not the time to quibble about my vocabulary."

"No, I like it," said Cal. "It's… it's you. Twaddle. Quibble. Nibbles." He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Ethan's hand.

Ethan wanted to tear it away, but he couldn't. Despite everything, it was comforting to have his hand held.

"Not that this is a delaying tactic, but how are you feeling?" said Cal.

Ethan looked at the blurry figure of his brother. The concern in his voice seemed genuine. "Physically, I feel like I've been hit by a truck, but that might actually be true." He tried to smile, but panic gripped him and he clung to his brother's hand. "I don't remember any of it, Cal. I don't know what I was doing there. I don't know if it was my fault…"

"Hey. It's okay." Cal wiped a tear from Ethan's face and held his hand tightly. "Of course it's not your fault. You would never deliberately cause an accident. No matter how upset you were with me, you'd never want anyone else to suffer. I know you, Ethan. I know you'd never do that."

"Really?" Ethan looked up at him and tried to remember the last time he'd wanted reassurance from Cal.

"Really." Cal stroked the back of Ethan's hand with his thumb. "I can understand why you're worried. It's natural to worry. It must be terrifying knowing that something that big happened to you and not being able to remember it. But I know you, so I know weren't responsible for what happened. I know you were driving carefully and I'm sure that soon, someone will confirm that. It's going to be all right, Ethan."

Ethan felt the threat of tears again. "Except that one of us probably has Huntington's…"

"I know, Ethan." Cal sounded tearful too. "I should have told you before now. I should have told you about the blood group right from the start. I was just so scared, Ethan. I knew you ought to know, but I didn't want to tell you I was adopted when I couldn't tell you if you were adopted too." He sighed. "That was a mistake, but I thought if i told you something for definite, that would be easier for you than uncertainty. You know, Ethan… driving down there to see her… all I wanted was for her to tell me you were her son too. That you were my brother."

Ethan caught his breath. He knew he shouldn't believe Cal. Cal would say anything. He couldn't even see Cal's face properly. He was about to ask Cal to give him his glasses, but something stopped him. Perhaps it might even be easier this way.

"That was all I wanted," Cal went on shakily. "To be your brother. But then I saw Emilie… and straight away I knew she had Huntington's. I was devastated, of course. Terrified of what my future might be. But the thing that terrified me most was that you might have it. And at that moment, I didn't want you to be my brother. You probably won't believe me, but it's the only time I've ever wished that. I longed for you not to be my brother because then you'd be safe."

Ethan heard the emotion in his voice. He knew it might mean nothing. Cal's concerns might have been all for himself.

"But I am your brother?" said Ethan, and saw Cal's blurry head nod. "How did you find out?"

He saw Cal lift his hand and brush it under his eyes. "I found out she had two sons and that they'd gone to the same family. Together. So you were my brother and you might have Huntington's… but I couldn't tell you, Ethan. I hadn't even told you you might be adopted. But to spring this on you as well… I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to start. I waited; I hoped that things might become clearer. Then I realised I was going to have to tell you – and I tried. There were a few times when I told you we needed to talk."

Ethan looked at him, confused. "Did you?"

"Yeah, but you were going through your own crisis by then, Ethan. I'm not making excuses. Just think about it. If you were getting ready to tell me something like that and then I went through something like you did with that suicidal patient, would you have told me? Or would you have waited?"

"You texted me…" remembered Ethan. "You said you wanted to talk. You never did tell me what it was."

Cal nodded. "There were a few times when I tried to tell you. But you were always upset. And that gave me the excuse to put off upsetting you even more. I promise you, Ethan. I'm not saying I didn't have selfish reasons too, but I didn't want you to go through what I was feeling. I wanted to make it easier for you. But I didn't. I made it worse."

Ethan sighed. He looked down at their joined hands.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I haven't been the brother you deserve. I've just been a waste of space, as always." Cal's voice increased in intensity. "But it's going to be different now. I stepped up for Matilda. I can step up for you."

"Waste of space…" said Ethan softly.

He heard Cal draw in a painful-sounding breath. "I used to be, Ethan. Not anymore."

"Oh, Cal," said Ethan, his eyes so full of tears now that he couldn't see Cal at all. "I'm so sorry."

He felt Cal lifting his chin and the tears began to escape, running down Ethan's cheeks in a stream. "No, Ethan. You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing."

Ethan gave a sob. "I accuse you of hiding things from me, but who can blame you after the way I treated you when you tried to confide in me?"

"Ethan?" Cal sounded genuinely surprised. "What are you talking about?" His fingers lightly brushed some of the tears from Ethan's face. "You've been the best brother in the world. No-one else could have put up with me like you did. I even stole your money… and I'm sorry, Ethan. I know I never said it before, but I'm so, so sorry. It was an unforgiveable thing to do, but you forgave me. Because that's the kind of person you are."

"No." Ethan swallowed another sob. "I-I accept your apology and I am grateful that you apologised properly at last, but it was a long time ago. So much has happened since then. To you. You thought you were a waste of space, Cal. You were depressed. I'm not sure you really came out of it till Matilda came into our lives."

"Perhaps not," agreed Cal in a soft voice. "But that wasn't your fault, Ethan. You didn't realise how bad it was."

"But I should have realised," said Ethan. "You tried talking to me. You tried explaining how you felt. But I just brushed you aside. When you failed your exam, I didn't support you. I just made up some stupid story to make you feel better. And it worked, till you found out I was lying. I have no excuses, or no good ones. I was just so happy to have Honey back, I put her first. I'm the one who should be apologising, Cal. For not being there for you. For making you feel like you couldn't confide in me." Ethan gripped Cal's arm. "I'm sorry, Cal. I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. And I'm so sorry for blaming everything on you. I've made some big mistakes too and it's time I realised it."