This is the last chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favourites - I really appreciate all the support and encouragement. I hope you all enjoy the last chapter. Thank you again.
Bonnie Sveen Fan, 'twaddle' is quite an old-fashioned word, so I thought it would suit Ethan! Yes, a reconciliation is definitely what we all want! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I am getting quite worried... Thank you for your review.
ETWentHome, I think Cal came very close to walking out when Ethan asked me to - I'm really happy that part worked. Yes, maybe it's a good thing Ethan is too badly injured to fight! We know what he's like... Thank you for your review.
X-Sammii-X, sorry for making you cry. I really want Ethan to forgive Cal too - his methods aren't always correct, as you say, but he is almost always motivated by love and I wanted Ethan to realise that in this story. Thank you for your review.
Becs2202, thank you for your review. Ethan definitely doesn't need to feel guilty so maybe Cal can talk him out of it. But you're right: the important thing is that they're talking! I hope the real writers have something good planned too, but I'm worried!
CBloom2, that's a very sweet thing to say... thank you! The Casualty writers are so cruel to us (and to the boys) at the moment - I'm still devastated! - so all we can do is try to make up for it. Thank you for your review.
tracys dream, thank you for your review - I'm so pleased you liked the chapter.
Tanith Panic, thank you for your review - I'm so happy you liked it. I definitely agree that reconciliation scenes are better than fight scenes!
20BlueRoses, thank you for your review. I'm happy you liked Cal's accidental reverse psychology - that might have saved their relationship! I like your idea of Cal taking care of Ethan as he recovers - but they might have a little bit more to talk about first...
Cal shook his head and took Ethan's hand in both of his. "Don't you even think about that, Ethan. Maybe you didn't support me much, but you did enough to get me through it, and like you said, it was a long time ago. You thought I was being selfish like I always am and I probably was! But please don't worry about that anymore. I'm okay now and it's not important. We've got other things to think of now."
To his relief, Ethan nodded. "Yes. Yes, we do. But I am sorry, Cal. Please accept my apology for not being there."
"I don't think you've got anything to apologise for," said Cal, but then he saw the pleading look in Ethan's eyes. "Okay, Ethan. I accept your apology. I forgive you – and now I've forgotten all about it."
Ethan sniffed and gave a small smile. Cal squeezed his hand gently.
"I understand if you're still mad at me," said Cal. "Whatever you might or might not have done to support me, that doesn't make it okay for me to keep secrets from you."
Ethan sniffed again and more tears fell. "No. It wasn't okay. It upset me, Cal. It devastated me. It made me so angry. I'm not going to lie."
"I'm sorry," said Cal sadly.
"I know you are," said Ethan. "But do you know what made me angriest of all?"
There was a small, scared silence before Cal replied, his voice not much more than a whisper. "What?"
"The knowledge that, in your place, I might have done exactly the same thing," said Ethan. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Because I did, Cal. That's exactly what I did."
Cal frowned. "What? When?"
Ethan started sobbing. He couldn't speak.
Cal felt himself trembling, but he knew he had to support Ethan. He stroked his arm, probably a bit more roughly than he'd intended because his hand was shaking. "Take your time, Ethan. Take as long as you need. I'm not going anywhere."
Ethan controlled his sobs with an effort. "When I found out Mum's cancer was terminal, I was supposed to tell you straight away. I didn't."
"That's because you couldn't," said Cal. "You had so many things to organise. Care for Mum. Handing in your notice at your old job. Finding out exactly where I was. Booking a flight so you could tell me face to face. That wasn't something you could organise overnight."
"I know, but I-I put it off!" said Ethan miserably. "I tracked you down, but I didn't book the flight. I put it off for a whole week because I didn't think I could tell you without breaking down. I didn't want to cry in front of you."
Cal felt a stab of hurt, but he ignored it. Considering the relations between him and Ethan at that time, he couldn't blame his brother. The important thing was how he dealt with Ethan crying in front of him now.
Gently and carefully, he eased Ethan into an upright position and held his head against his shoulder. "It's okay, Ethan. It's okay. Taking a week: that's reasonable. I knew about the blood results for nearly three months. I met Emilie on Christmas Eve. A week is nothing in comparison with that."
Ethan sniffled. "After a week, Mum took a turn for the worse. She was asking for you. I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I didn't want to leave her, but I knew she was only going to get sicker. So I found you and told you. But if that hadn't happened…"
Cal stroked Ethan's hair. "It's okay, Ethan. You told me. I was able to see her again – not as many times as I should have done, but that wasn't your fault. A week isn't really that long and I'm sure you would have told me soon after that anyway because that's the kind of guy you are."
"I can't be sure of that," whispered Ethan.
Cal held him more tightly, though he was very careful not to put pressure on Ethan's injured shoulder. "I'm sure of it. Completely sure. I know you're not going to stop worrying about it just because I told you it's fine, and you can talk about it as much as you need to. But I'm sure, Ethan." He carefully lowered Ethan back onto the bed. "You might make mistakes sometimes. You're human and you've been through some terrible experiences which you've mostly coped with alone. But in the end, you always try to do what's best for me."
"What: like when I ran out on you just when you've finally told me what you've been dealing with these past few months?" said Ethan.
"Hey, it's not like I've never done that," said Cal, and smiled affectionately at his little brother.
Ethan sniffed again and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry for running off like that. I'm sorry for all the worry I put you through. And I promise I won't do it again. And I'm not just saying that because I've got a broken leg and I won't be running or driving for a while."
Cal nodded seriously. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. You won't be able to work, but it's not going to be easy for you being alone in the flat all day. How about I take some time off too so I can take care of you?"
Ethan looked startled. "I'm sure I'll be okay."
"Yeah, I'm sure you will be," said Cal. "You're the real superhero, you know, Ethan. You're the one who can cope with anything the world throws at you. I'm sure a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder wouldn't stop you from looking after yourself. But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. Why not let me look after you for a change?" Cal smiled a bit nervously. "I mean, it must be my turn to be the big brother. Why not give me a test run at least?"
Ethan looked at him for a moment, uncertainty in his eyes, but then his lips curved into a small smile. "Okay. I suppose we've got a lot of things to talk about anyway. We can talk while you're looking after me."
"That sounds really good," said Cal. He took Ethan's hand. "I know we haven't sorted everything yet. I know you're probably still mad at me. That's not going to disappear just because we've talked. But I hope that... eventually..."
"I don't know how I feel about everything at the moment," said Ethan. "But I'm glad we talked. I'm glad you didn't go away when I told you to."
Cal squeezed his hand. "Me too, Nibbles."
They stayed like that for a moment, holding hands, both grateful for each other's company; both offering silent support.
Then Ethan looked at his brother, his eyes wide and helpless. "So what now?"
"The first thing is getting you well enough to come home," said Cal. "Then I'll take you home and we'll see how things go. When you're ready, we should probably get tested. I know it's scary. I know there's a good chance we'll get bad news. But we do need to know."
"I agree," said Ethan, his voice slightly shaky, but the fear in his eyes was mingled with determination. "We'll have the tests done. Whatever the outcome, we'll support each other. And… and there's something else I need to do too."
"Name it and I'll sort it for you."
"I… I want to meet Emilie," said Ethan.
Cal was startled. "What? Are you… are you sure?"
Ethan nodded determinedly. "I'm sure. I'm not saying that because I'm not scared. I am and I bet you were too."
"I was terrified."
"Yes, exactly," said Ethan. "And I'm not saying it's going to be easy because it's not. She still gave us up and she didn't tell us she was ill." His eyes filled again. "And mum lied to us too."
Cal put his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "There's no hurry, you know. You should do this at your own pace."
Ethan shook his head. "I can't, Cal. I need to talk to her before she's too ill to talk to me. If it goes well, I need to spend as much time with her as possible because she's… she's one of my mums. We haven't got much time and I don't want to waste it."
Cal was still surprised, but he was smiling. "Then I'll take you to see her. As soon as you like." His smile became teasing. "As long as you don't mean today. I don't think Mrs Beauchamp will do let you do anything that involves moving from that bed." He paused. "Unless you'd like me to bring her here."
Ethan's eyes widened slightly at this thought, but he shook his head. "No. I'm not ready to do it yet and I'm probably not looking my best. I wouldn't want to scare her with all my cuts and bandages." He paused. "Maybe tomorrow?"
Cal started to laugh. "Tomorrow. Well, isn't that just typical of my little brother? Okay: if you feel up to it tomorrow, we'll check with Mrs Beauchamp, then if she agrees, I'll give Emilie a ring and check it's all right with her, then if it is, we'll go."
"That's a lot of ifs," commented Ethan.
"I know," said Cal. "I promise I'm not using delaying tactics. I want you to meet her too. But we've got to consider your health and hers. She's pretty sick, Ethan. But she's lovely. She's not Mum and she never will be – and there are a lot of things we need to talk about. But – if things go well - that doesn't mean she can't be family."
"I'm scared," admitted Ethan, with an embarrassed smile.
"Of course you are," said Cal. "But you're not going to be alone, Ethan. I'll be right here."