Tanith Panic, it is fun to be able to contrast the brothers' different reactions to their patients. Though I'd be happy for either of them to treat me! Thank you for your review and I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Tato Potato, I was hoping you and your sister would identify with a different girl, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to manage it. I'm glad I've managed to pair you up with the right brothers! Thank you for your review.
Guest, that must be you, beckyboogle! Thank you for your review. I really am happy you're enjoying the story and that Sarah and Emma are so close in character to you and your sister. I hope that will continue, but I can't promise!
CBloom2, thank you for your review. I'm glad you like the two girls. I suppose it goes without saying that you like the guys! I hope you continue to enjoy it.
I hope it's clear what happens in this chapter!
Emma stood beside the reception desk and wondered if that nice Dr Hardy had a point about the dizziness. She was feeling a bit dizzy now and would have sat down if she could, but there wasn't a spare seat.
"Hey," said a voice and she looked up to see another doctor. "I'm afraid all the nurses are tied up – not literally, unfortunately – so you'll have to put up with me doing your blood test."
Emma wanted to ask why Dr Hardy couldn't have done it, but she was too scared. The new doctor – Dr Knight, according to his badge – was very tall and very muscular and a whole world away from kind, gentle Dr Hardy. She followed Dr Knight into a cubicle and sat on the bed.
"Hey, don't look so scared!" said Dr Knight. "It's going to be okay. I've got a screen and I'm going to put it over your arm so you won't see the needle going in. I've got an extra small needle, which should help, and I can see you've been keeping your arm warm like I told you."
Emma didn't remember him telling her to keep her arm warm, but she thought he probably had. She was almost too scared to remember anything.
Dr Knight took hold of her bad arm and Emma couldn't restrain a little scream. "What's wrong? Did you hurt that wrist too?"
"No, this is my bad wrist," Emma gasped out through tears of pain.
"Are you sure?" said Dr Knight.
Emma mutely indicated the bandage.
"Okay. Sorry. My mistake." Dr Knight went to her other side. "If you hold your arm like this… that's good. I'll put the screen up here and… don't cry, beautiful. It's going to be okay." He squeezed her arm. "So, what are you up to this weekend?"
Emma stared at him and wondered if he was asking her for a date. She wished Dr Hardy would do something like that, but she had a horrible feeling she was never going to see him again. "I thought I might go and see a film." That had been her plan, but as usual, Sarah hadn't been enthusiastic about her choice of film, and Emma didn't think she'd be in the mood for a film either after what had happened today.
She closed her eyes for a moment and silently hoped Sarah was okay. She hadn't seen her since before she'd been called in to see Dr Hardy. She thought about asking Dr Knight if he knew anything, but then he might ask questions about Sarah and she didn't want him to know she'd been unable to prevent her sister from falling.
"What kind of films are you into?" asked Dr Knight.
Emma couldn't see what he was doing, but she was sure he was preparing the needle. She bit her lip and tried to blink her tears away. "I really like foreign films."
"I've seen a lot of foreign films," said Dr Knight. She felt him touch her arm. "What's your favourite?"
Emma started to tell him, but then she screamed as the needle entered her arm.
"Well, I've never had that reaction from a girl before," said Dr Knight. "It's okay. Not long to go now. You're doing really well."
Emma sobbed loudly. She knew she wasn't doing well at all.
"There: that's done," said Dr Knight. "Well done. It's all over now. I'm just putting a dressing on now… there."
"I'm sorry, Dr Knight," sobbed Emma. "I just get so scared."
"I know, baby. But I thought I told you to call me Cal." Dr Knight removed the screen and put his arm around her. "It's okay. It's over now. Just keep the dressing on for an hour and no heavy lifting." He rubbed her back. "It's okay, baby. It's okay." He gave her a tissue. "I'm here and I'm not leaving you. When you're ready, I'll take you back to the waiting room, but we're not going anywhere till you're ready."
Emma nodded. She cried for a bit longer, but then she dried her tears and smiled at Cal. "I'm sorry. I'm okay now."
"Good girl," said Cal.
Emma looked down at her make-up-stained tissue. "Oh dear. I probably look awful."
"You? Awful? No way!" said Cal. He smiled. "You look beautiful. You really do."
Sarah came out of the loos and looked around for Cal, but she couldn't see him. She hoped that meant he hadn't come to find her yet, rather than that he'd given up on her. Sarah didn't like the idea of Cal giving up on her.
But sitting in the waiting room, thinking about the needle and the fact she hadn't seen Emma for what seemed like hours, she'd started to feel so sick...
But she was fine now. She wasn't feeling calm, but she was determined to handle this. She wanted Cal to think she was strong: the type of girl who could handle anything. The type of girl she always told herself she was.
There was a doctor standing by the reception desk. He looked a little bit lost, but he smiled when he saw Sarah. "Miss Mealing."
Sarah was confused. She didn't know who this guy was or how he knew her, but she went towards him anyway.
"I'm sorry, but all the nurses are busy," he said. His name-badge said Ethan Hardy. "You could wait if you'd rather have the tests done by a nurse, but I can do it for you now if you like."
"You're a doctor," said Sarah, trying not to show her disappointment that he wasn't the doctor she wanted. With his big glasses, rather diffident manner and skinny physique, he probably had far too much experience of not being the doctor someone wanted. "I'm sure you know what you're doing."
"I hope so," said Ethan with a shy smile. He led her to the cubicle and showed her a screen he was going to put over her arm so she wouldn't see him taking the blood. "You probably will feel something – I'm very sorry about that. I do wish there was some way of avoiding it, but I'm going to use a smaller needle so it shouldn't hurt and you won't see anything at all."
Sarah decided he was rather sweet. Not her type, but sweet. She was still terrified out of her mind, but at least he was trying to help. "Thanks, Dr Hardy."
"You're welcome," said Ethan. As he set up the screen, Sarah told herself it was only a needle and it was nothing to worry about and Ethan probably knew exactly what he was doing, even if he did give a slight impression that he didn't.
"It's only a needle," she said out loud.
"You're being very brave," said Ethan. He looked like he meant it.
Sarah laughed. "I only wish I'd been a bit braver earlier. Then perhaps I wouldn't be in this mess." She thought guiltily of Emma and hoped she was okay. Emma would almost certainly need a blood test too and Emma couldn't bear the sight of blood. Sarah felt awful for getting her into this mess. That was why she hadn't mentioned her to Cal. Injuring herself was one thing. He probably wouldn't like her nearly as much if he knew what she'd done to her own twin sister.
Sarah tried to keep being brave, but she couldn't help whimpering when he gently took hold of her arm.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ethan. He glanced at her, surprised. "Was that your bad arm? I thought it was the other one."
"Believe me," said Sarah. "It's definitely that one."
"I'm sorry. That was stupid of me," said Ethan. "I was so sure it was your left wrist. But I really should have noticed the bandage. I'm so sorry."
Sarah brushed his apologies aside. "Everyone makes mistakes. And there are much worse mistakes you could have made."
"Very true," said Ethan. "But there won't be any more mistakes. I promise." He went to her other side and carefully put her uninjured arm into the correct position. He put the screen up around it. Sarah couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear sounds and she didn't like it.
"Oh God. I feel sick," she said.
"I'm sorry: I should have asked about that," said Ethan. He got her a bowl. "Here you are. Can you hold it in your bad hand or is that too painful?"
"I can manage," said Sarah. Her wrist pain really seemed quite low on the priority scale at the current moment in time.
Ethan took her hand again. Despite her fear, Sarah couldn't help thinking it felt very different when Cal touched her hand.
"It's all right, Miss Mealing," said Ethan. "You're doing ever so well. How about we talk about something else? It might distract you a bit. The last thing I want to do is give you a running commentary. Um… what shall we talk about? Do you have any plans for the weekend?"
"I think I'll go out clubbing," said Sarah. She hoped she'd be able to drag Emma along, but there probably wasn't much chance of that. "Nothing like a good dance to get everything out of my system."
"I'm a terrible dancer, myself," said Ethan. "But I can imagine it's very pleasant if you know what you're doing."
Sarah smiled to herself. It was a shame Ethan wasn't treating Emma. They'd be so perfect together. "The nice thing about clubbing is that it doesn't matter if you can dance or not. I'm quite comfortable with dancing, but my sister isn't so good. She gets really self-conscious at first, but then she gradually realises everyone is too drunk to… oh my God."
The needle had just gone in. She threw up into the bowl and heard Ethan murmuring words of comfort and stroking her arm with what was presumably a spare finger.
"Sorry," said Sarah.
"Please don't apologise," said Ethan. "I'm used to it and I'm sure it was much worse for you than it was for me. I'm just sorry to be the cause of it. There: you'll be pleased to know that's done." He took the bowl away and gave her a tissue to wipe her mouth and a cup of water. "Perhaps you won't agree with me, but I really do think you were incredibly brave."