Bonnie Sveen Fan, thank you for your review - I'm pleased you enjoyed the chapter. I'm not sure Cal and Ethan did!
tracys dream, thank you for your review - I'm glad you thought Cal and Ethan were lovely. I love them both!
Becs2202, I was desperate to see them being nice to each other after Saturday's episode! Thank you for your review.
X-Sammii-X, thank you for your review - I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter and I'm glad I was able to provide some of what we missed in the episode. It was so sad! They have always sorted it out so far, but I'm still worried!
Tanith Panic, I get a lot of inspiration from the episodes - anything that involves the brothers suffering usually gets me thinking! I'm glad Ethan's phobia came across convincingly and sympathetically. The knight in shining armour would never abandon a damsel in distress - not even for a brother in distress. Thank you for your reviews.
LittleBritishPerson, I'm happy to play my part in keeping the brotherly love alive! And in this case, keeping Ethan alive! Ethan dying would be even sadder than Ethan disowning Cal! Thank you for your review.
Thank you to Gingersnaps2507, xEmmaPevensiePendragonx, Future light, mmelon3 and Curious Rebel for the follows and favourites.
The pain in Cal's ankle had increased, but he doubted he was suffering as much as Ethan and Megan. He used the chair to climb over the railings again, and held on to it as he inched his way slowly along the ledge.
He was surprised by how frightened he was. He didn't think he was likely to fall, though the fact he was trembling and limping wouldn't help matters, but it still terrified him that Ethan had been up here.
Cal often felt angry with Ethan when he deliberately put himself in danger, but he realised in some surprise that it wasn't the case today. He admired Ethan for being brave enough to try to help someone when it meant facing his biggest fear. Cal admitted to himself, in a rare burst of honesty, that the reason he hadn't insisted on doing it himself was because he was afraid too. Heights didn't usually bother him because they didn't make him dizzy and he knew his balance was good, but limping put you off balance and there was always a chance that Cal's ankle might give way.
So he'd held back and let Ethan do it.
Ethan had courage. Cal didn't. That was how it always had been. Cal did things that would terrify most people, but if they didn't scare him, it didn't really count as bravery.
Cal couldn't even claim courage now. He was limping along a ledge five storeys up because he was terrified about how it might affect Ethan if Megan was dead by the time the paramedics arrived. It wouldn't be Ethan's fault as no-one in their right mind would expect anyone to shuffle along a tiny ledge five storeys up, but Ethan would blame himself all the same.
Cal was moving slightly faster than Ethan had, but his ankle was hurting more with every step and he could feel himself slowing down already. Cal looked along the ledge and promised himself he would stop for a breather once he reached halfway, but as he stepped on his bad foot again, he felt the injured ligament twisting and stretching inside his ankle as a fiery hot pain shot through it. His breathing quickened and he felt perspiration trickling down his back. He was only wearing a thin t-shirt, but he felt unbearably hot and longed to stop and take it off – but that would be stupid.
Finally, he reached halfway and stood for a moment, leaning on his good foot, both hands clinging to what there was of a railing. Cal tried to slow his breathing without success. There was sweat dribbling down his brow towards his eyes now, but he didn't dare wipe it away in case it caused him to lose his balance. He was still trembling and went through a couple of relaxation exercises he'd done with Ethan when they were little and occasionally used to help a nervous patient. They didn't help. All they did was delay him and he couldn't afford a delay. There were two people relying on him: Megan and Ethan.
With this realisation, Cal stepped onto his bad foot again. This time, the pain seemed to invade his whole body and for a moment, he didn't even know if he was still upright. His leg shook violently and Cal fought to stop it from collapsing beneath him. His head seemed to be surrounded by a dark, swirling mist and he thought for a horrible moment that he might faint, but the feeling passed and he could see again.
He breathed in slowly and carefully. "Megan, it's Cal from next door. I'm on my way over to you. Please try to hang on for me: okay?"
There was no answer. Even if she was conscious, she might not have heard. Cal pushed his bad foot along the ledge and then put its weight on it for one brief but endless moment as he moved his other foot. He felt sick now, but he kept going. As he'd realised when Ethan was in his position, being sick from up here could only end in disaster. He took in more deep, careful breaths of fresh air and moved along the ledge, reminding himself that he was nearly there and it wouldn't be much longer now.
Cal kept going, almost sobbing with pain. At last, he reached out his hand and was able to touch the railing of Megan's balcony with his arm outstretched, but it would take several more steps at his snail's pace. He kept going and at last he was able to curl his fingers around the rail. A few more shuffled, agonising footsteps and he was there, looking over the balcony, frightened of what he might see.
Megan was lying on the balcony, apparently unconscious. There was blood pooled around her head and her leg was bent at an unnatural angle. Cal swung his good leg over the balcony, pushing down hard on the railings as he did so his arms, rather than his bad foot, could take the weight. He lifted his bad foot and felt himself teetering on top of the railing. He gripped the railing more tightly and managed to regain his balance. On the second attempt, his leg went over the railing easily and he dropped down onto the balcony. He cried out in pain as he landed, but he otherwise ignored his ankle and sat beside Megan, sliding the first aid kit off his wrist.
Her breathing was noisy, which was worrying as it could indicate the onset of shock, but it was also a relief as it showed she was still breathing. "Hey, Megan. It's Cal. I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here, but I'm here now and there's an ambulance on the way. Can you open your eyes for me?"
Megan's eyes stayed closed, but they did flutter slightly. Cal guessed she was conscious, but too much in the grip of pain to do anything much. He tapped her shoulder and her eyelids seemed to flutter again.
He lifted her hand in his, feeling for her pulse. If she was going into shock, her circulatory system would have stopped carrying blood to non-essential parts of the body and the pulse in her wrist would be very weak. For a moment, Cal couldn't find it, but then he hit on the right spot and felt light, feathery movement beneath her pale, cold skin.
He opened the first aid kit and removed some gauze, holding it against her head. "It's okay, Megan. This is just some gauze. I'm using it to put pressure on the wound to help stop the bleeding."
With his other hand, he took the scissors from the first aid kit. The original scissors that had come with the kit had been pretty much useless, as were the tweezers, but Ethan had found some excellent replacements. Ethan was very good at shopping as long as he wasn't buying clothes.
"Megan, I'm just going to cut your trouser leg to see if there's any more bleeding there," said Cal. "Your jeans are so dark, I can't tell. Don't worry: I will replace them. It's one of the hazards of being a doctor: I've often faced the fury of a patient who's had their new clothes cut to pieces."
He held the scissors, then realised his stupidity.
"Wait, just let me swap hands… Ethan would be better at this because he's left-handed." He swapped hands so his left hand was putting pressure on the head wound, then he crossed his arms awkwardly so he could cut Megan's jeans, only to discover he couldn't reach. He dropped the scissors, reaching in his pocket for his phone. He couldn't do this on his own: there was too much that needed to be done and Cal knew he couldn't afford to risk waiting for the paramedics. He had no way of knowing how long they would take. He needed Ethan's help – and he couldn't help thinking Ethan needed this too. He needed to prove to himself that he could save a life or he'd get it into his head that he was useless. Cal knew what a downward spiral those feelings could be.
Ethan didn't pick up, so Cal sent a text instead.
I need u cant do this alone cum 2 megans flat bring medical bag pls ill let u in u can do it but I cant do it without u
Ethan wouldn't like the textspeak, but he'd just have to lump it. There was a life at risk here.
Cal searched through the first aid kit for a roller bandage, but there was nothing that was long or wide enough. In frustration, he picked up the scissors again and started to cut Megan's jeans. Maybe by the time he'd dealt with this wound, Ethan would be here with more bandages.
The denim was tough, but Cal managed to cut it up to the knee, revealing a large gash with a piece of bone sticking out. He applied pressure on the skin next to the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Come on, Ethan, thought Cal. Please read the text and do what it says. I know you're upset, but please come. I need you and Megan needs you – and you need to do it for yourself as well. Prove to yourself that you're still the brilliant doctor you always have been. Please, Ethan.