X-Sammii-X, thank you for your review. Alicia's s probably not thinking clearly and she might not have the energy to be tactful, but poor Ethan! Iain does need to accept Rita's help, but she'll need to convince him she's real first! Yes, Zoe and Max only have one thing on their minds. And your suspicions about the baby could be right...
LittleBritishPerson, it probably did hurt Ethan to tell Alicia to be strong for Cal instead of for him, but he does put others first and he's always really kind to his patients. If Alicia had told him she loved Taylor, Ethan would probably have told her to be strong for Taylor and worried about the rest later! Thank you for your review.
westlife4ever80, thank you for all your reviews. I'm glad you think Ethan is amazing! I think Zoe and Max will get back together if Zoe comes back - they're so popular. But they will have to persuade Zoe to come back. Unfortunately, listening isn't one of Cal's top skills! I think quite a lot of people would be unhappy if I killed Cal, but he's not in a good way... I'm looking forward to finding out if your suspicions are correct.
Tanith Panic, Zoe and Max are certainly making the most of what could be their last moments! Yes, someone finally knows Lofty is there! But Lofty has been quite quiet lately, so maybe Dylan is too late... I'm happy you see Ethan as a hero. He's scared and upset, but I think that makes him more heroic. Thank you for your review.
20BlueRoses, thank you for your review. Alicia might have saved Ethan some heartache - it would have been worse if she'd promised to go out with him and got his hopes up. If she gets through this, perhaps she'll realise how amazing Ethan is. Though Cal is lovely too. Even if Lofty is okay, Dylan will probably wish he'd got him out sooner.
Rita watched in helpless fear as Iain slapped his hands against his head. She knew it was a gesture of despair than violence, but it was enough to reopen the wound, causing blood to drip down his face.
He was muttering to himself about 'men'. Rita could only assume he meant the men from the helicopter who'd died, but that didn't quite make sense somehow.
"It's okay, Iain. It's okay," Rita kept saying, even though it hadn't done any good before.
"I let them down," said Iain, an expression of anguish on his face.
Rita was about to try to soothe him again, but instead she asked: "Who have you let down, Iain?"
"The men," said Iain.
Rita felt like crying with relief. She'd made contact. She'd got an answer. It didn't matter that she wasn't sure what he was talking about. She'd managed to break through to him. He'd heard her and responded.
She realised her attempts to reassure and comfort him had probably been meaningless to Iain. In his mind, that something was very wrong and it probably hadn't made any sense at all to have a voice that kept telling him everything was going to be okay. How could he believe that when all his senses were telling him the opposite?
Maybe this was the way to get him back to reality – not, Rita had to admit, that reality was the nicest place to be either, but that was where Iain needed to be. So she would go into his world first and lead him out.
And then, maybe then, he would let her help him.
David had never seen Dylan like this before. He was usually unsettled whenever his father visited the department, but this was different. Dylan was white and shaky, his eyes full of panic. He looked at David but without recognition.
David was upset to see Dylan this way, but not shocked. They were all going through a terrible ordeal. Not as bad as that being suffered by Connie and Grace – or Jacob, who loved them both – but it was going to be horribly difficult for those treating them too.
David placed his hand on Dylan's arm and felt the consultant jump in response. "Dylan."
"I have to get to Ben!" burst out Dylan.
"He's probably gone home," said David. He'd thought only ED workers, past or present, had been invited to Charlie's party. He wouldn't have expected Ben Harding to attend – but he could quite understand why Dylan wanted to see him. David would have liked to talk to him too. A few calming words. A reminder of his coping methods. "Could you call him?"
"He's not answering and he's not gone home!" said Dylan impatiently. "He was in a taxi. He was nearly here. That was ages ago! If he isn't here, he must have been caught up in an accident. If he is here… " Dylan's voice became soft. "…he must have been caught up in this accident…"
There was a lot David did understand, but he could see Dylan was frightened and unhappy. He also knew that Dylan wouldn't accept a hug. He might secretly want one, but the stress it would cause him would outweigh the benefits. "Could he be in the pub with the others?" he asked gently.
"Then why isn't he answering his phone?" Dylan's voice was shaking now.
David wished Dylan was ready to accept a hug. If only Zoe was here… "Call Charlie. He'll tell you."
Dylan looked as though it was taking him a little bit of time to process David's words. David gave him the time. It wouldn't help if he kept on making the same point in different ways. Dylan needed to take things slowly. He'd had a shock.
At last, Dylan nodded and drew his phone out of his pocket. His hand moved slowly, clumsily, as he found Charlie's number. He waited a moment, then spoke. "Charlie. Is Ben in the pub?" He paused, listening. "No. Ben Chiltern."
It took David a moment, but he got there. Robyn had a friend called Lofty Chiltern who'd left the ED. He knew Robyn had invited Lofty and had been disappointed when he'd said he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it.
"He's not there?" said Dylan, looking even more worried. "No. No, it's okay. I'll find him." He ended the call and looked at David. "But I don't know how..."
Zoe couldn't hear the ceiling cracking. She couldn't hear anything falling. All she heard were her own gasps and Max's voice as he said her name over and over again. She closed her eyes and cried out again, feeling not only desire, excitement, happiness and relief.
She'd thought this would never happen again. Not with Max. She'd been gone for so long and she'd been so sure there would be other women. Younger women. Better-behaved woman. All Zoe would ever do was hurt him.
But he wasn't hurting now. His face almost seemed to glow as he looked down at her. His face was contorted with lust, but still the most handsome, loving face she had ever known. At a time when she should have felt her life was in danger, she felt utterly safe.
Max was here. Nothing could go wrong if she had Max.
It was all Zoe could do to hold back; to prolong her release for as long as she could. She wanted to keep going forever, but Max was far too good at this. He knew how to drive her wild. He knew the pressures and rhythms that got to her the most and he was doing it now.
At last, with a scream, Zoe reached completion. Max was right there with her and they clung to one another as the feelings of ecstasy filled them and then faded, leaving them content in each other's arms.
"Again?" whispered Zoe.
Max smiled. "Again," he agreed.
He'd always had so much energy and that suited Zoe because so did she, but Max took it slowly this time. Languorously. No hot, quick passion this time. Slow and sensual. Zoe's skin seemed to flutter in response to his touch. She felt him enter again and his movement was slow. It was beautiful.
Zoe didn't care when she heard the crack. It wasn't important. It was part of a different world.
Max turned his head, looking up at the ceiling. "Zoe, um, you don't think maybe it's time to get out of here? Or at least try to?"
"Don't you even think about getting out!" said Zoe.
Robyn raced in the ED, her eyes roaming this way and that as she searched for someone who could help her. She saw the agency nurse, Amira, with a young boy – she had no idea what he was doing in here, but he looked like he needed the services of a nurse. Robyn kept going, hoping she hadn't made a mistake by coming in here. Perhaps Lily had already left.
But then Robyn saw her. She was sitting on the floor with Louise, bending over something very small. As Robyn moved closer, she realised it was Lily, Louise and a baby. The baby was babbling softly, but Lily and Louise looked emotionally and physically exhausted.
"Hey," said Robyn as she came up to them. "I'm really sorry, but we need your help outside."
Lily's head came up sharply. "Have you not cleared the area?"
"Yes, we have, though Charlie has seen no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in anyone else," said Robyn.
"Then what has happened?" said Lily, an impatient edge to her voice.
Robyn closed her eyes for a moment. It was all so difficult. Everywhere she turned, there was more bad news. Another person she could end up losing.
"Robyn, just breathe, yeah?" said Louise. "Take a minute and then tell us."
"No. There's no time," said Robyn. She knew the longer she left it, the worse Cal's prognosis would be, but it was all so hard. All she wanted was to sink to the floor and cry for the unfairness of life – but she couldn't. "It's Cal."
"Has he collapsed?" said Lily instantly.
Robyn nodded.
"That is hardly surprising," said Lily. "He has looked on the point of it ever since the helicopter crashed."
"I tried to make him go for treatment," said Robyn, "but…" She pressed her hands to the side of her head. She was wasting time. "Someone saw him walking towards the ED, then he collapsed. We need a trolley, and if you could come too, Lily?"
She saw panic pass over Louise's face, but she said nothing.
"Yes. Of course," said Lily at once. "Louise, please take the baby to a cubicle and monitor her condition. If she deteriorates, please take her to Resus, but we won't disturb Mrs Beauchamp and Grace unless we have to." Her voice softened as, to Robyn's amazement, she reached out and took Louise's hand. "You can do this, Louise. I know you can."
Louise glanced at the baby, then back at Lily. "But…"
"We can't be sure of anything," said Lily quietly. "But you know I'll do my best."
She'd stopped speaking. Her eyes were closing. Ethan had done everything he could to rouse her, but he knew she was losing consciousness – and that meant he was losing her.
"Alicia, please keep your eyes open for me," he sobbed.
He felt so useless. He was a doctor, yet he could do nothing - and he couldn't help feeling it was his fault. If he hadn't gone out there to speak to her, she might have come back inside before the helicopter had crashed. Then she'd be safe.
"Keep them open for Cal?" begged Ethan, but without hope. "I'm sure he's noticed how beautiful you are. How could he not? I'm sure he'd have made a move ages ago if he hadn't seen that I liked you and decided to be kind to me. He'll be so gutted that he missed his chance with you; missed his chance to be happy. I want him to be happy too and I know he'd be happy with you. Try to hang on for him if you can't for me. Please, Alicia. Don't leave him."