Sorry to anyone who read the wrong Chapter Three that I put up earlier. I've since realised my mistake and put the proper one up, so if you haven't yet seen it, please read it as this is the proper order! Thank you to everyone who had read and reviewed so far, it's really, really appreciated.

Lily and Ethan's first day shift back at Holby City's Emergency Department was hectic, as they had expected. Fully rested, Lily was in her element and proving Connie right: she was moving patients through the ED smoothly, at the proper pace, taking the time to review every case properly and consulting her seniors when necessary. Most impressively for the clinical lead, Dr Chao was becoming increasingly empathetic, treading carefully and speaking sympathetically around sensitive patients. Connie attributed her improved medical performance to the hours of meticulous study Lily was putting in. More difficult to explain was her sudden improvement in bedside manner. She knew Lily well enough by now to know she obviously had some kind of motivation.

Dr Zoe Hanna strode across the ED towards Ethan, wearing expensive stilettos and the face of determination all the staff had grown to recognise.

"Dr Hardy, we've got an RTC on the way in, elderly female driver requiring intensive care, ETA four minutes. We'll need you in resus as soon as possible." She barely had time to wait for his nod of agreement before she was called into cubicles to give a second opinion. Ethan checked the notes left by the department's red phone (the one reserved for severe emergencies.) His eyes widened and he rushed from resus, almost knocking over Robyn as she crossed the department.

"Hey, look where you're going!" she called.

"Sorry, I need to find-" He paused a second. "I need to find something," he said, not wanting to admit he had less than four minutes to find a someone, not a something. Relieved, Ethan found Lily outside the locker room. He breathlessly tried to explain.

"There's an RTC coming in, ETA less than four minutes. Can you please cover for me? I'll pay you back, Dr Chao, I promise, I just really can't do this one right now." Ethan's panicked tone worried Lily somewhat, but the lack of time to get scrubbed up meant she couldn't do anything but agree. She squeezed Ethan's hand. Unusually, it was very cold.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes, I just need you to cover this one case for me. Thank you ever so, Lily." With that, he disappeared in the direction of the on-call room. Lily was more than a little puzzled but didn't have time to chase after him.

"Dr Chao?" Zoe said, confused. "I thought I asked Dr Hardy to assist with this case?"

"You did," Lily replied. "But he said he couldn't, I think he was called away," she invented, trying to cover for Ethan. Zoe looked like she didn't believe what Lily was saying, but at that moment Dixie and Jeff pushed a stretcher through the doors and their work began.

"This is Hilda James, 79, driving the car which was struck by a van travelling at approximately 40mph. She's suffered injuries to her chest, confirmed fractured right hip, question of head injuries. BP high, sats 97% and resps fluctuating," Dixie recited professionally before leaving the two female doctors to work. Zoe and Lily worked seamlessly around each other, as if they could predict what the other was thinking. Forty minutes later, Zoe called time and discharged their patient to the orthopaedics ward.

"Good work Dr Chao. Mrs Beauchamp was right, you're improving massively at the moment. We make a good team," Zoe said, appreciative of her junior's help.

"Thank you, Dr Hanna. If I'm not needed, here, I'm going to see what happened to Ethan. If I'm honest I've been worried about him lately. Is that okay with you?" Lily asked.

"Go, by all means Lily." As she turned to leave, Zoe called her back. "Lily? If there's anything I can help with, you'll let me know?"

"Of course Dr Hanna. If you'll excuse me." Lily left resus and headed straight for the on-call room.

Lily knocked at the door. There was no response. Wondering where on earth Ethan could have gone, Lily was going to alert Zoe that she couldn't find him, when it struck her that the vertical blinds hadn't quite been pulled closed inside the room. This was unusual – anyone sleeping in the room would pull them tightly shut to protect their privacy. Peering through the small gaps, Lily could make out a masculine form curled up on top of the bedcovers. The room was dimly lit, so Lily struggled at first to identify the shape as Ethan. She tapped on the window. He was a light sleeper, he'd said it himself so why hadn't he responded to her knocking at the door, and then on the glass? Remembering his secret to opening the door, she turned out her pockets. Unluckily they were empty of any change. She sighed, worrying about the hunched form on the bed. Rushing back to the ED, she stopped the first person she came across.

"Charlie? Do you have a fifty pence I could borrow for literally five minutes?" Charlie Fairhead raised his eyebrows but put his hands in his pockets regardless. A second later he pulled a new coin from the pocket of his dark blue scrubs.

"There you go Lily. What's it for?"

Pausing, Lily decided she could trust Charlie with the truth, he would keep it to himself at least. "Ethan's locked himself in the on-call room and won't let me in, or answer when I knock. I'm worried because he's told me he's a light sleeper so why wouldn't he answer?" Lily babbled. Charlie held up his hands to stop her.

"Okay, stop panicking. Just take the coin and go," he said calmly. Lily was relieved she didn't have to explain the coin, although she would have expected Charlie to know how to get into the on-call room; he'd been working at Holby longer than anyone.

Lily almost ran to the on-call room. Her hands shook as she put the coin in the catch and turned it hard, clockwise, twice. As she did so, she called through the door.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Ethan. Hopefully it's for your own good."