Ethel woke to find herself wrapped in a woollen blanket, her head lolling against the large, leather arm of the couch. As she stretched and opened her other eye, she found she was still in Millais' office, and he was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, she knew there was a spare set of clothes in the drawer, one for a doctor, and one for a nurse in case of emergencies. Making sure to lock the door for fear Millais might catch her getting dressed, she quickly changed, fixed her hair, and cautiously opened the door before hurrying out.

xxx

Millais, meanwhile, was talking to Sister Luckes about his plans of leaving, and taking Ethel with him. By the look on her face, she was not pleased at losing her best doctor, and nurse at the same time.

'I see my words jolted you both into action. I have to admit, I never thought this would be the outcome,' she finally replied, looking him straight in the eye.

Millais smiled, unable to control his happiness no matter who may be trying to squash it.

'Though I can only speak for myself, Sister Luckes, I cannot stomach another moment in this backward hospital when there are so many able, female doctors just waiting to be trained,' he retaliated, knowing his comment would sting but suddenly wanting to hurt the woman who had so injured his love.

Sister Luckes sniffed before standing up. If Millais hadn't been so angry at her, perhaps he would have found her rather intimidating.

'I know exactly what you think on this matter, and I don't much care for your tone either, Dr. Culpin. However... I do understand why you have chosen Nurse Bennett to join you, and I can also see why, out of all the other nurses, she would be the most capable of being trained to become something more. But she is not even a Sister yet, and she would be laughed out of the profession if you even tried to get her in as a doctor. She needs to rise to the top of her own vocation, before moving on to her next.'

In some ways, Millais could almost see her point, but he was adamant that he could not leave Ethel here. Not when he was thousands of miles away in Shanghai.

'Ridiculous. She is able to achieve any and all of her dreams, without needing to go through every hoop first.'

'Perhaps not, but trying to bend the rules to fit in with your lives will not work either, as you well know. You cannot cut corners, Dr. Culpin, as it will endanger both of you, and you could find yourself without a job at all.'

The warning was clear, and yet Millais was still desperately trying to clutch that glimmering light at the end of the tunnel which promised a blissful future with his bride.

'Ethel is special. She doesn't need to become a sister, as she is already capable of becoming one now-'

'I agree.'

This halted any further points from him, and he looked up to find her face set in a deadly serious stare.

'Excuse me?'

'I am quite aware at what level my nurses are at, Dr. Culpin. And I agree with you that she is special. Nursing is a path which she chose, and I'm glad of it, because she has been an asset to The London since she arrived. I always intended for her to reach the very top, Dr. Culpin, even before you took any notice of her.'

There was a contented smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, and he couldn't help but feel unnerved by it. He felt as though he was about to fall into a very large trap, and yet he was blind to stop himself.

'What do you mean?'

'Medicine is a cruel and hard business, and one that is, as you say, rather backwards looking. However, they would look far more kindly on Ethel if she came to them as a Sister, than as a mere nurse. She will need all the help she can get to climb up the rungs of the medical ladder, and you are doing her no favours in whisking her off to a foreign country.'

He sighed, sitting down on the seat opposite and rubbing his tired eyes – he had barely had a wink of sleep all night, and not just because Ethel was lying next to him.

'What can I do? She wants to become a doctor... she is more stubborn than anyone I have ever met before. She loves me, and I love her, and I simply cannot find a solution which will benefit everyone.'

For the first time, Sister Luckes saw the more vulnerable side to the man she had always considered to be completely in control. He had struck her as being kind yet very sensible and practical, and she could see the turmoil he was in as he battled with his head and his heart.

'In my personal, and professional opinion, I would suggest that if you want to marry her, but also want to further her profession, then there really is only one way.'

xxx

Though Ethel was trying to concentrate on her work, that knot which had formed earlier in her stomach had now returned, and in Millais' absence, she found she did not have that comforting security which she so desired. Laura, also, had noticed in Ethel an unmistakable change, but as The London was busier than ever, she hadn't had the time to find out what was the matter.

As more patients flooded into the reception area, and with every staff member run off their feet, it seemed as though the day would never end, as the constant stream of the sick and wounded continued to pour in. It was only when the sky had turned a brooding shade of blue/black that finally it was time to stop.

Ethel was, yet again, scrubbing down the operating table and pouring basin after basin of tepid, bloody water down the drain. She felt dizzy with exhaustion, but satisfied that her life seemed to finally have a path and a purpose. Leaving London, and her friends, and this hospital as well would certainly be difficult, but she would cope, and as long as she had Millais there didn't seem a problem that could not be solved.

Millais, watching her from the glass pane in the doorway, felt a slow ache creep into his heart, knowing the sacrifice he was going to make. It was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier to think about, far less say. How will she take it? he thought to himself, watching a small smile playing on her lips. He smiled as well, but there was a sad glint in his eye, and he couldn't understand why he should have to be put into this position. Surely there was another way?

Ethel looked up, saw him standing behind the door, and was about to smile at him and beckon him to enter, when she saw the look on his face. And just like that, her heart fell a thousand feet, and suddenly her life was back on very shaky ground.

*One more part! Please keep reading, and please review because it really does mean a lot to know my time and effort is being appreciated by someone :) Thanks!*