Bonnie Sveen Fan, I always like seeing Zoe and Max have a civil conversation - they have such a great connection and anything else is really sad! I think I know what will happen to Grace in this story, but it won't necessarily follow what happens in the episodes. Thank you for your review.

Guest, listening to other people really isn't one of Cal's talents! Especially not now when he thinks Ethan is in danger. It will be difficult for Rita to cope with Iain alone - we'll just have to hope she realises and accepts that, rather than trying to do everything for the man she loves! Thank you for your review.

Guest, thank you for your review - I'm glad you're enjoying it! I don't want to give too much away, but think there will be a lot of people wanting to kill me if Max and Zoe don't sort out their differences, so there's probably quite a good chance that will happen.

X-Sammii-X, it's difficult with a character like Louise - in some ways, I really want her to show her kinder side all the time, but I would miss her attitude. It is horrible for Cal and it's a shame he was hardly in the episode. But if it had included everything I wanted to see, it would have been six hours long! I really hope they will explore Iain's PTSD in the show - it would be very interesting, if very emotional to watch. Thank you for your review.

michelle fanfic, thank you for your review. I'm really glad you're still enjoying this. It must be awful for a doctor when they know exactly what's wrong with someone and how to treat it, but for some reason they can't, like Ethan. But not knowing anything at all like Cal must be just as terrifying!

CBloom2, you might have a point about Cal... no-one's been able to examine it properly and I don't usually resist the opportunity to make things a bit worse for Cal. I'm glad you like the way I'm weaving everyone's stories together - hopefully I won't end up with someone in two places at once! Thank you for your review.

20BlueRoses, thank you for your review. I'm really happy you like the way I write Zoe and Max - I don't find them easy to write and I haven't seen them together for so long! Yes, that would be just like Cal - to find Ethan and then collapse right in front of him, scaring his poor, injured little brother to death!

Ethan stroked Alicia's hair as he tried to control his sobs. He hated to see her trapped like that, but there was nothing he could do. Given the size of the thing and the fact it had probably fallen quite a way, there was a real risk of crush injury. If he'd got to her within fifteen minutes of the accident occurring, he could have removed the object safely (assuming he was strong enough), but after that, her injuries were likely to have become even more severe, to the extent where the objects that were crushing her were effectively saving her life by preventing shock from developing.

Ethan had no idea how long ago the accident had occurred. He'd been unconscious for a while and he didn't know how long it had taken him to drag himself across the floor. It had been a risk freeing himself, but he knew he couldn't take the same risk with Alicia.

He looked helplessly around what he now recognised as the ambulance station and wondered what he could do. He couldn't get out. Even if he did try to squeeze his way through, there was a risk of dislodging some of the scaffolding and other objects and causing further damage to Alicia.

So what can I do?

Comfort her. That is all I can do.

I'm a registrar in an Emergency Department, yet I'm as helpless as a child.

Sniffling, Ethan took his glasses off and wiped his eyes "It's going to be okay, Alicia. Someone will notice we're missing and they'll come looking for us. And then they'll take you into the hospital and look after you."

"E… than?"

Ethan blinked away more tears. Alicia's eyes were still closed. "Alicia, was that you?" He didn't know think anyone else was with them, but it was impossible to be sure. Ethan didn't even want to think about the number of people that could be buried under the wreckage.

Alicia's eyelids fluttered. "E… than."

"I'm here, Alicia," said Ethan. "I'm going to look after you. I promise. Um… can you tell me your name?"

"Dr… Alicia… Munroe," she whispered.

"That's right," said Ethan, his eyes filling with tears again. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Saturday," said Alicia, her voice slurred. "Everything… happens on a Saturday."

Ethan's phone was still switched off. So was Alicia's. Cal knew this might meant they were busy enjoying themselves and didn't want to be interrupted, but Cal thought it unlikely.

Even in his most-Cal moments, Ethan wouldn't drag Alicia off to bed when Connie and Grace were so badly injured.

That was assuming he was even capable of dragging her anywhere.

"Cal?" Robyn's voice sounded loud and Cal had the impression it wasn't the first time she'd tried to get his attention.

"Yes?" said Cal, trying to fight back the absurd hope that she might have seen Ethan running towards them in perfect health.

Robyn touched his shoulder gently. "Will you come with me to the pub? I'd really like a doctor or at least a more senior nurse to have a look at you."

Louise felt herself beginning to tremble. She looked around in a panic and saw two figures emerging from the hospital. "I'll get Robyn and Cal to help me clear the area. You take the baby inside."

"No. I need you with me," said Lily. She moved towards the ED doors where Cal and Robyn were standing. "Please clear the area. Possible carbon monoxide leak."

Cal and Robyn stared at her. "Are you sure?" said Cal.

"Just do it," said Lily, and Cal and Robyn set off to do her bidding. "We'll go to Resus."

"Mrs Beauchamp and Grace are probably there," said Louise.

"We won't interfere: we will simply do our…" Lily stopped and looked down at the baby. "Louise, pulse check."

Louise froze. She couldn't lose another baby!

"Louise!" said Lily urgently. "You can do this. I know you can."

Louise held two fingers to the baby's neck. "I can't feel anything."

"I'll put her on the floor," said Lily. Louise sat down too, still trembling, but she knew she mustn't let her fears take control.

Louise bent over the baby and put her mouth tightly around her nose and mouth. She gave one rescue breath, then another. Then she placed a finger on the baby's sternum to begin CPR.

"I wonder how old she is," said Lily. If she was more than a year old, they could use a defibrillator, ideally with paediatric pads, though standard would be acceptable. But not if she was under a year old.

"I don't know anything about babies," puffed Louise.

"I'm wondering if it would be safe to defibrillate," said Lily.

"She's very small," panted Louise.

Lily nodded. "You're right. We can't take the risk. We'll continue with CPR."

"So how is the ED?" said Zoe.

Max sighed. How could he put it into words how different it was without Zoe? She was a great doctor, but she was so much more than that. "It's really not the same without you."

Zoe's eyes seemed to light up slightly when she said that.

"Everyone seems to be leaving. Mac got addicted to painkillers and left. Rita had a run-in with her ex that really pushed her over the edge and left. Elle accused Charlie of stealing medication and let's say that didn't go down very well with the rest of us – and Ethan still thinks he's Cal." He sighed. "The place is falling apart, Zoe."

Zoe looked up at the crack in the ceiling. "I… noticed."

Max loved the way Zoe could joke about something so serious and yet express the deepest sympathy at the same time. "Connie, Elle and Dylan… they're all great doctors. So are Cal, Ethan and Lily. But they're not you. They haven't got your warmth; your sense of humour; your bum… the thing is, Zoe, I've missed you. I've tried to move on, but I can't. There was an agency nurse here earlier and I, um, tried my luck with her. I don't think 'crashed and burned' quite captured how spectacularly I failed. But the only reason I asked her out was because she reminded me of you. She's beautiful and feisty. But she's not you. No-one could ever be you but you."

Zoe had started to frown slightly when he'd talked about Amira, but she was smiling again when she finished. "And there was that other girl too. The one you met online. I never knew I had so many doppelgangers."

"They do both look a bit like you," said Max. "And maybe, for five minutes, I can pretend they are you. Not that I actually got to spend as much as five minutes with them. But in a way, I was glad when Amira walked off like that. Because she's not you and she could never measure up to you. No-one can."

The air seemed thinner. It probably didn't help that there was something pressing on Lofty's chest, but he was starting to feel lightheaded.

He felt himself beginning to panic, but he tried to calm himself down.

There probably wasn't any change in the air at all. He was probably lightheaded from shock or from pain – though the pain barely registered.

He mostly felt worried.

Something had happened and his friends were out there. Dylan, Max, Robyn, Cal, Ethan, Charlie… they were out there and anything might have happened.

Lofty wondered how many of them he wouldn't see again.

Rita could tell Iain was about to run. She launched herself at his knees and he collapsed to the floor. She threw her arms around his waist and held him tightly, feeling tears rise to her eyes. Iain was always so strong. So confident. He knew exactly what he wanted. He was happy.

This frightened, vulnerable man was so different, but he was still Iain. Rita wondered if he'd always felt like this; if the fear had always been there under the easy confidence and jokey banter. If so, he'd hidden it well.

"Iain, can't you hear me at all?" she said softly. She moved her hands over his back, but there was no response. Rita leaned forwards and pressed her lips to her cheek – she couldn't consider anything else when he was so vulnerable – but he didn't seem to notice that either.

I can't help him, realised Rita. He can't see me. He can't hear me. He doesn't know I'm there.

Keeping one arm around Iain, Rita worked her phone from her pocket and started to scroll through, searching for the names of the ED doctors. Alicia and Ash, as far as she was aware, were long gone and it occurred to Rita that she had no idea who was still at the ED. A lot of people had left this year and Rita's departure wasn't necessarily the most recent.

But Cal was still there, she remembered with relief. She'd seen him herself. She clicked on his name and heard his phone ringing.

"Have you seen Ethan?" Cal said without saying hello.

"No, but I need your help," said Rita.

"I'm sorry: I'm really busy here. Can you ask someone else?" With that, Cal ended the call.

Rita slapped her hand against the ground in frustration, but she didn't really blame Cal. When you loved someone and you didn't know they were safe, nothing else mattered. Rita loved Iain. She knew how Cal felt.

Dylan's phone was switched off. So was Elle's, but some of them were probably working. Rita tried Ethan next, just in case Cal hadn't thought of doing something as simple as phoning his brother, but that was switched off too.

Lily, however, answered. "Yes?" she said, her voice clipped, but Rita was grateful to hear a voice at all.

"Lily, I'm worried about Iain. I think he was in the helicopter and he doesn't seem to know where he is. I don't suppose you could come and assess him?"

"I can't," said Lily shortly. "I'm busy. Charlie has triage set up in the pub. Please be careful when approaching the ED as we suspect carbon monoxide poisoning." There was a click.

Rita stayed where she was for several seconds, the phone still pressed to her ear.

Her first thought was that Lily hadn't even registered that Rita was no longer a member of the ED.

Her second was that she had to help Iain alone.