Once again, thank you all so much for your kind words on the last chapter. This one won't be as long as the last one, just tying up some loose ends in this one.

Still don't own Casualty or anyone that you recognise from there - if I did these two would be in it every week!

Chapter 3

It was to noise that alerted Ethan to the fact that he wasn't in the car any more. Hustle and bustle. If he didn't know any better he would've thought he was at work...

He opened his eyes, only to snap them shut again as bright lights assaulted his sensitive vision. He couldn't help the groan that left his lips, "Ahh nice to see you waking up," he heard a voice that suspiciously sounded like Robyn say. Once again he opened his eyes, slowly this time so he could adjust to the light, "Hurts," he gasped.

"Sorry about that, but you're in cubicles so there isn't an awful lot I can do about that," was the answer.

"Robyn?" Ethan queried.

"The one and only," she answered, moving to his side and into his field of vision.

"What? How?" He couldn't remember anything.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him gently.

"Erm like I've been hit with a baseball bat...I think." Ethan was racking his brain to try to work out what had happened and how he had got there.

"Do you remember what happend?" she watched him closely.

Ethan's brow furrowed in concentration, "We'd been to that hospital...oh my god, we crashed into a tree. Cal was driving...Cal! Where is he? Is he alright? Why isn't he here?" Ethan tried to sit up, which turned out not to be such a good idea as pain spiked in his head.

Robyn was by his side immediately, "Hey calm down. He's fine. He got that fed up of waiting for you to wake up, his words not mine, that he went to get a drink. Lay quietly and I'll go and fetch him."

"He is alright, isn't he? He was trapped," Ethan told her anxiously.

"Trust me - he's going to be fine. I'll get Zoe too, she treated you."

The young nurse watched Ethan closely until she was happy that he was settled, then she pulled the curtain round and went in search of Cal.

Her search didn't last long as she found the older brother in the staff room, uncomfortably perched on a tall stool watching Lofty as he tapped away on a computer. When she walked in, he stiffly turned round to face her, "He's awake..."

"What's wrong?" he asked as he could sense tension in her posture.

"Nothing, it's just that he remembered everything and got quite agitate that you weren't there, he tried to get up, which didn't go down very well with his head."

Cal immediately looked concerned. Awkwardly, he manouvred himself off the stool and strode as quickly as he could through the department towards the cubicle that housed his brother. He pulled the curtain and made his way towards his dozing brother. He sat gently on the edge of the bed, mainly due to the fact that his ribs were very sore at that moment and if he sat in a lower chair, he probably wouldn't be getting out of it for a long time. Ethan's eyes snapped open when he felt movement on the bed - his anxious face relaxing a little when he saw his brother there, "Are you alright?" he asked.

Cal smiled, "Yes I'm fine. Just a few sore ribs. What about you?"

"Banging head. I think my leg is sore but the head outweighs the leg at the moment."

"We'll take my car next time - it's got two airbags," Cal smiled.

"If there's a next time - I'm going on the train!"

Before the brothers could say anything else, the curtain opened once more to reveal and chirpy looking Zoe, "Well Dr Hardy, nice to see you back in the land of the living...thought you were never going to wake up."

"How long was I out for?" Ethan directed his question to Cal.

"Oh only about 36 hours," Cal told him, his expression changing to one of anxiety.

Ethan looked shocked, "Yes Ethan, it was quite a while, but there was no skull fracture or anything like that to worry about so we were happy to let you sleep. You have a badly sprained knee, which you will have to rest for a few weeks - luckily you'll have your brother to keep you company."

Ethan's gaze landed on Cal once more, "Cal has a few bruised ribs with some cuts and bruises - the airbag did it's job. Now you're awake, we'll keep you for another couple of hours just to make sure everything is alright, but I don't see any reason why you won't be in your own bed by tonight," Zoe smiled as she gently sat Ethan up. As she leaned over to make sure his pillows were in the right place, she whispered, "Just watch him...it's been tough."

Ethan looked at her nodding his understanding. His brother always tried to cover up when he was struggling. With that Zoe was gone, leaving the brothers alone once more.

Ethan looked at his brother closely. He looked exhausted, "Have you been here all the time I have?" he asked.

Cal nodded tiredly, "Are you in pain?" Ethan asked, noticing how stiff his brother was holding himself.

"It's uncomfortable rather than painful," he explained, "I feel like I'm walking around with a stick up my back and it hurts when I breath a bit but I'll be fine."

He started worrying a piece of loose cotton on the sheet of Ethan's bed, "What's on your mind Cal? You know this wasn't your fault don't you?"

Cal nodded once more, "You're going to think that I've lost the plot..." he began.

"You lost that years ago," Ethan tried to lighten the mood. It worked. Cal smirked, "Yeah. I need to ask you something..." he faltered once more. Ethan watched him carefully, "What do you need to ask?"

"The child I saw in the road - the one I swerved to miss - did you see it?" Cal held his breath, waiting for his brother to start ridiculing him for being so stupid. Instead, Ethan swallowed loudly, "Yes I did. It was a boy..."

"Oh thank god..." Cal breathed out, "I thought I was losing the plot."

"No I saw him too. Did anyone find him?"

Cal shook his head, "No. It's like he just disappeared - wierd. I honestly thought I was going mad though Eth..." he ran a shaky hand through his hair, his eyes filling. Ethan was surprised to see such an emotional reaction from his happy go lucky older brother, "Perhaps I can help with that," a voice from behind the curtain told them.

Lofty opened the curtain and joined them, "I've been doing some research on your mystery boy...did he look like this?" He showed Cal a picture on his laptop. Cal gasped when he saw the picture, closely followed by Ethan, "Yes that certainly looks like the boy we saw," the younger doctor told Lofty.

Lofty brought the laptop back in front of him, tapped a few keys, then turned it back round so the brothers could see it. They both read the display with interest, then disbelief, "No way! It can't be..." Cal blurted.

"There has to be a rational explanation for this," Ethan insisted.

Lofty shook his head, "According to this 10 year old Neil Smith was knocked down and killed in that exact same spot 5 years ago. Other drivers have reported seeing a child walking in the road during a storm and have had to swerve to avoid him - only to find out later that there was never a child. So it seems, my friends, that you saw a ghost!"

With that, he left them to digest the new information.

After a few minutes of silence, Ethan spoke, "Well that's different."

Cal shuffled on the edge of his brother's bed, causing him to gasp slightly as he had forgotten about his ribs for a second. He looked troubled. Ethan laid a hand on his arm, "What is it Cal?"

"I'm just thinking that I nearly killed us both by trying to avoid a ghost! I nearly killed you. I nearly lost you again and for what?"

"Hey, you weren't to know. Neither of us knew. I'd certainly never heard of that story before. Look we are here, alive, virtually unscathed..." Cal looked incrediously at his brother, "Well it could've been worse..." Ethan continued, "Stop blaming yourself for something that didn't happen," he finished as he grabbed hold of Cal's hand as if the reaffirm what he was saying.

Cal looked at their hands, smiling slightly, "Hey we're getting a little to fond of all this touchy feely stuff now aren't we?" he teased.

Ethan went to pull his hand away but Cal strengthened his hold on his brother's hand, "I like it - it makes me feel like we're stronger together."

Ethan chuckled then groaned. Cal immediately sat up straighter, "What's wrong? Do you need Zoe?"
Ethan shook his head, "No. I just had a flash of how it will be if we're both off work - endless re-runs of the Die Hard box set."

Cal smiled, "Oh no little brother. I have moved on..."

The younger man looked hopeful, "No I haven't bought the Hobbit - I've moved on to Fast and Furious! There are six of them plus if we are better in a couple of weeks, number seven should still be on at the cinemas!"

"Just great," Ethan grumbled, "Can't wait."

"Oh now come on little brother, don't knock it until you've tried it..."

I'm leaving it there. Suffice to say that they go home and live happily ever after...yeah right!

Til next time my lovlies xx