Tato Potato, thank you for your review. Yes, Cal is looking for Ethan. Ethan doesn't know that yet, but he will want to find out if Cal is all right. Perhaps in this very chapter...
CBloom2, thank you so much! It means a lot that you're enjoying it. Yes, there's a good chance at least one of the brothers will end up not feeling very happy... but what else did you expect? Thank you for your review.
beckyboogle, thank you for your review. I'm really glad you're finding it intense - that's what I was hoping for! There's more Ethan in this chapter and an update on Charlie tomorrow.
ETWentHome, they haven't been in the ED for quite as long as it seems as everything is happening at once, but they still need to get out of there! Dylan I can forgive because of his problems, but Zoe and Max need to control their hormones! Thank you for your review.
Tanith Panic, Zoe isn't very good at controlling her desires and Max is just glad to be kissing her again! But if they want their marriage to work, staying alive would be a good plan. Thank you for your review - I'm really pleased you're enjoying it.
Robyn knew there were people who needed her. There were patients who need treatment and monitoring; there were patients who needed reassurance. All of which Robyn could usually give, and enjoyed giving.
But now, she couldn't. She kept seeing Max running into the building. A heavy weight had settled on her heart as she realised she might never see him again. Lofty was in there too: her best friend might never come out of there alive. Rita, who was such a good friend as well as a great boss. Cal, with whom she had shared so many drunken evenings. Ethan, who wasn't quite one of the crowd but was a great doctor and such a kind man. Connie, who regularly frightened the life out of Robyn, but was always so poised; so elegant; always knowing exactly what to do.
Even Dylan and Zoe, whom she'd thought she'd never forgive for their treatment of Lofty and Max… Robyn would have given anything to see them standing out in the car park with them, one calling her best friend incompetent while the other treated her brother like dirt. Robyn might not like them very much at the moment, but she'd never wanted them to be anything other than alive.
"Robyn!" Louise's voice was sharp. "Can you just stop crying? I know Max is your brother and Lofty is your mate, but this is ridiculous. You're a nurse!"
"But I'm also a human being," sobbed Robyn. She didn't care what she said now, not when the pain and unhappiness inside her were so strong. "Maybe you should try it sometime."
"Well, it makes perfect sense to me," said Lofty.
Dylan looked at him, his eyes narrowing as he examined Lofty's face for signs he was lying. He'd always thought that lying was something Lofty didn't do particularly well, but he was doing an exceptionally good job of it on this occasion.
"When something bad happens, it's natural to worry about it happening again," said Lofty. "Especially when it means patients suffering. And when bad things keep happening, then you want to stop it from happening so you try to find ways of stopping it. Like making a list to make sure you don't forget anything. And as well as doing that, you look for a common… what's the word? Like in maths. The little number under the line in fractions."
"The common denominator," said Dylan.
Lofty flashed him a grateful smile. "Yeah, that's it. You look for the common denominator. You can't always find one and sometimes there isn't one, but if there is something that's there all the time, then you're always going to wonder if that's got something to do with it. Even if it's just a number."
Dylan was amazed to hear such clear and logical reasoning from Lofty. "But how do I stop it? How do I stop being scared? How can I do my job again?"
Lofty sighed and gave Dylan a rueful smile. "I think you're asking the wrong Ben. But I'll think about it, Dylan. See if I can come up with something. If one of my mates isn't happy, I always want to help."
Ethan left a message on Cal's phone, asking him to call as soon as he got the message, and turned his attention to Honey, who'd succeeded in getting hold of Noel. He'd known as soon as he'd seen the expression of relief cross her face.
"But you're all right?" said Honey. "You're really all right?" Again, that look of relief. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried."
Ethan heard her voice tremble and he took her free hand in his.
Then Honey went still. "What? What is it? Dad, you're scaring me."
Ethan let go of her hand and put his arm around her instead. He hoped she couldn't tell that he was shaking. He knew; he just knew that what Noel had to say was in some way related to Cal.
"No, he isn't!" exclaimed Honey, so loudly that the man on the desk looked up. "He's right here with me."
And then it hit Ethan.
It hit him so hard, he could barely breathe.
He'd left his shift without telling anyone and there had been a major incident. The hospital had been evacuated. Anyone who wasn't in the car park would be considered to be still inside the building.
Ethan closed his eyes as the room spun. What had he done? All those times he'd berated Cal for leaving the hospital in the middle of a shift to see a girl…
At least Cal had always told him he was going. Ethan had told no-one.
"Cal did what?" Honey's voice was little more than a whisper.
Before he knew what he was going to do, Ethan snatched the phone from his girlfriend. "Noel, what happened? Where's Cal?"
"He's gone into the ED to look for you, Ethan."
Rita could barely see, the room was spinning so badly, but she didn't let go of the banister. She told herself the feeling would pass in a minute. Obviously, she'd hurt her head more seriously than she'd thought, but that meant she needed treatment and her best chance of receiving it was to get out of the ED.
"Rita! Sit down!" said Connie sharply.
Rita ignored her and felt for the step below her, but she lost her balance and collapsed. A feeling of shock went through her body as she sank down onto the stairs and her headache increased in intensity.
"Rita!" Connie's hand landed on her shoulder. "Rita, can you hear me?"
"Of course I can hear you! I'm injured, not deaf," snapped Rita.
"Oh, so you are finally admitting you've hurt yourself?" said Connie. "We must be grateful for small mercies at least." She took Rita's chin in her hands, forcing her head around, and peered into Rita's eyes.
"Don't touch me, please," said Rita as calmly as she could. She knew it wouldn't help if she lost her temper.
Connie glared at her. "Believe me, I would rather touch a rabid rattlesnake, but I need to look at your eyes. Your pupils aren't the same size. Do you feel sick at all, Rita?"
"No," said Rita untruthfully. "And I don't feel dizzy; my memory of events is far too perfect and there's nothing wrong with my level of response."
"On the contrary, your response leaves much to be desired," said Connie. She moved Rita's head again and peered into her nostrils.
Rita removed Connie's hand and then quickly let go of it. "I asked you not to touch me, Connie."
"And I'm asking you to be sensible, but we don't always get what we want," said Connie. She turned Rita's head and peered into one ear, then the other.
This caused the room to spin alarmingly and Rita reached out blindly, grabbing at something which turned out to be one of Connie's breasts.
"I could get you fired for sexual assault," said Connie grimly, "but fortunately for you, I've never experienced anything less sexual in my life."
Rita squinted her and then turned her head away. "Oh God, as if one of you isn't more than enough."
"What are you drivelling about now?" said Connie, but almost immediately, she gripped Rita's arm. "Do you have double vision?"
"I didn't say that," said Rita.
"I think you'll find you did," said Connie. "I'm going to fetch help."
"How are you going to do that?" said Rita. "By walking on your hands? That really would create a sensation if you walked out on your hands with your skirt over your head, but you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Connie glared at her and jumped to her feet. She cried out in pain as her weight went onto her injured ankle and she half-fell into a sitting position, clutching her ankle and almost crying.
Rita edged closer to her. She didn't know which of the Connies she could see was real, but one of them needed her help. She'd helped objectionable patients before and there was no reason not to do the same now.
If only her head would stop spinning.