Bonnie Sveen Fan, I'm sure Cal must miss Matilda even if he never mentions her - he kept the picture and her toy. I really wish Iain and Rita had had a proper goodbye scene. I think one of the last things he said to her was: "Do the decent thing and resign!", which I thought was so sad. Thank you for your review.

Guest, thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked the Zax bits and Zoe's comments about her shoes - I was imagining Zoe picking her way through the rubble and I thought: only Zoe (and possibly me) would do that in heels! Even Connie has worn trainers on occasion, but not Zoe! I do love her. Though Max loves her more!

Tanith Panic, yes, debilitating injury as another possibility for Lofty, though I don't really like to joke about that. It would be sad if Cal rejected Matilda for a second time, but I do write sad stories sometimes. Lily's painful honesty can be a shock, but she's nearly always making a good point. Thank you for your review and the Kleenex bill!

X-Sammii-X, thank you for your review. One thing I really wanted to happen in this story was for Lily to form bonds with other characters and to be appreciated as more than a competent doctor. I'm so happy you liked her scene with Rita. Tilly belongs with Cal and Iain belongs with Rita! Everyone knows that - but I can't promise anything.

20BlueRoses, thank you for your review. I'm really happy you liked the Lily and Rita scene. They're also both very sensitive underneath a strong exterior, so they could be a good support for each other, as well as complementing each other as a team. Cal has been a wonderful support for Ethan - but Cal might need Ethan too!

Lily approached Robyn with her head held high and her face impassive. Robyn would once have found her expression cold and unsympathetic and struggled to understand it, but this time, she looked at Lily in admiration. She couldn't get over how brave Lily was being. She didn't say anything about it because she'd found out about Lily's phobia from Louise rather than Lily herself – and for once, Louise had been expressing admiration rather than derision - but Robyn thought it was incredible to be able to work in a place where you might have to deal with your fear at any moment.

If only she had half Lily's courage, maybe she would be better able to bear what was coming her way and Glen's.

"Are you okay?" asked Robyn, looking at Lily through her one good eye.

"In comparison with everyone else, I have nothing to complain about," said Lily.

Robyn looked sympathetic. "That doesn't mean it's easy for you though. Or for any of us. I know you're really good at staying detached, but if you need support, I'm here, okay?"

"I… thank you," said Lily, looking surprised but not annoyed. "I would like to re-check your intraocular pressure, please."

Robyn nodded and sat still while Lily leaned close to her eye. Somehow, Lily kept her hand steady.

"The pressure has reduced slightly. That is a good sign," she told Robyn "How are you feeling now?"

"A bit weird but okay," said Robyn, and smiled at her.

"Please tell me if you experience any changes," said Lily.

"Of course I will." Robyn touched her arm. "Thanks, Lily."

Cal looked at Ethan's scan, checking it over even more carefully than he would have done with anyone else's scan. This was his little brother and he didn't want to miss a thing - but eventually, he nodded and handed the tablet to Ethan. "It all looks clear, Ethan. You're fine to go and see Alicia."

Ethan looked at him sadly without even glancing at the tablet. "I wish you were coming with me."

"You'll be fine on your own," said Cal.

"But Alicia would prefer it if you were there. You're the one she wants to see." Ethan got to his feet. He was almost at the door when he turned back and looked at Cal. "I can tell her, can't I? That you're going to take her on a date?"

Cal wanted to say no. He didn't want to take Alicia on a date. She wasn't really his type and for once, the idea of stealing a girl from right under Ethan's nose was not appealing.

He could have lost Ethan today. If he hadn't been able to get free and set off the ambulance siren, Ethan could still be in there now. And he'd been lucky: he could so easily have been much more seriously hurt than a dislocated knee.

It could be Ethan, rather than Alicia, lying upstairs in ICU.

Cal didn't want to say no to anything Ethan asked for. If Ethan told him to ask Charlie out, he would probably do it. After he'd rechecked Ethan's CT scan, that was.

But it was different when what Ethan was asking would break Ethan's heart.

Ethan's face fell. "You haven't changed your mind about Alicia, have you?"

"Of course I haven't," said Cal at once. "Of course I'll take Alicia on a date if that's what you want."

After all, one date didn't mean she was lost to Ethan forever.

Iain was trembling, his arms wrapped around himself. His forehead shone with perspiration.

His breathing had settled since his arrival in Resus, but Rita was still concerned.

"Grace…" he said hoarsely, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Grace is being treated," said Rita. "You got her here safely. You did really well, Iain. You did everything you needed to do."

"But if she dies?" moaned Iain.

"There's no reason to assume she will, but if she does, it won't be your fault," said Rita. She'd said it before, but she knew she'd say it a million times if that was what it took. "Your job was to ensure that Grace was still alive when she entered the hospital. Thanks to you, she was. But then Jacob took over and Grace was his responsibility. Then he got her into Resus and it was... probably Elle's responsibility. We all have a part to play, Iain, and you played yours brilliantly."

"I can feel it," said Iain. "I can see it sometimes. But it keeps getting mixed up in my head and then I'm somewhere else."

Rita tentatively stroked his arm. "You've been through a very upsetting experience, Iain, and you have a head injury. It's okay to be upset and it's not surprising you're getting a bit mixed up. But I'm here and the doctors are here and we're going to help you."

"I always let people down when they need me most," said Iain. "That's why I left the army." His voice became almost inaudible. "That's why I'm going to stop being a paramedic too."

Alicia knew she was in the hospital.

She was alone, lost and afraid. She was sure someone was looking for her and she wanted to call out, but she didn't know who it was.

"Help me?" she whispered, but no-one replied

The hospital corridors stretched ahead of her. There were more behind her. Bright and white and endless, twisting and turning like a maze. All Alicia wanted was to get back to safety, but she wasn't sure of the way.

She turned his way and that, but all the corridors looked identical. Soon, she'd lost her bearings and had no idea which way she'd come from. She knew she must have come from one of them or how else would she have got here?

But I don't remember getting here, she realised, as her panic increased. I don't know where I came from. I don't even know which hospital this is!

But someone was looking for her. She was sure of that.

If she waited for long enough, he would find her.

Louise looked up at the sound of footsteps. Relief filled her as she recognised the doctor from paediatrics. She was holding Matilda in her arms and smiling down at her – Louise didn't think anyone could fail to love Matilda.

She and Lily, after all, weren't known for their maternal instincts, but they'd both fallen for the little girl.

Louise smiled and reached across the counter, taking the baby in her arms. "Hey, beautiful! How are you? Did you have a good time?"

Matilda babbled and looked up at her, her eyes fixed on Louise.

"Oh, that's good, Matilda!" said Louise. She kissed Matilda's forehead and turned to the doctor. "Hi, just let me call Dr Chao. She'll want to hear this too." She shouted across reception. "Lily?"

Lily was talking to Iain. She got up and walked slowly towards reception. She looked exhausted – though they probably all did, thought Louise.

"Matilda's back," said Louise.

Lily managed a tired smile as she reached out to squeeze Matilda's hand. "Hello, Matilda." She looked at the doctor. "How is she?"

"We don't have a full staff at this time of night, but we were able to perform an echocardiogram, ECG, chest x-ray and pulse oximetry. We would also like to perform cardiac catheterisation, but this can't take place until the morning. But our results so far do suggest you're right, Nurse Tyler. We think Matilda has aortic stenosis."

Zoe watched as Dylan applied an arterial tourniquet. His hands were steady, but Zoe had a feeling that was a miracle. She'd seen the look in his eyes. She knew it had been a risk, allowing Dylan to remain here. Elle would have been ideal, as she didn't know Lofty, or perhaps Lily, who wasn't that close to him.

But she'd also seen that arguing with Dylan would be a waste of time – and they couldn't be sure how much time Lofty had.

She glanced at Max, who was still supporting Lofty's head. She knew Max was terrified. She could see it, even behind the steady hands and the calm, kind eyes. Max wasn't stupid. He had enough understanding of what they were doing to know Lofty's condition could be very serious.

But he remained so calm. He even smiled at her: a smile full of reassurance and love.

It could have made Zoe feel worse. If Max was expecting what might amount to a miracle, that would only make the situation more stressful.

But the look in his eyes said: It's okay, Zoe. I know you're doing your best. I know you'll carry on doing your best. I'm not asking any more.

Slightly comforted, Zoe got out her phone and called Resus. "David, it's Dr Hanna. We're getting ready to extricate Lofty. As soon as we get him in to Resus, he'll need a central venous line to help maintain fluid balance and a catheter so we can monitor urine output. We'll also need to get some bloods sent off as soon as possible and run an ECG. Entonox on standby, please, in case he wakes up, and calcium chloride in case of hyperkalaemia. Can you organise that?"

"Yes, Dr Hanna," said David. He was calm and reassuring, just like Max - but there the similarities ended.

"If Ethan's feeling calmer, we'll be glad of his help, but if not, it's best to keep him away," said Zoe.

"Ethan's gone up to see Alicia," said David, "but Cal's still here."

"Better send him to cubicles if there have been no further worrying signs," said Zoe. "It sounds like Lily's doing a very efficient job there. She'll monitor him for us. Thanks, David."