Sorry for the wait, and that cliffhanger! I'm glad you liked Elliot coming in, honestly I couldn't imagine anyone else coming to break news to Connie, plus I love their friendship and wanted to fit it in somewhere. I'm beginning to wrap up this story I think, so please keep reviewing :)

"If I could have your attention please," Connie said, as everyone filtered into the staffroom looking worried. They gradually fell silent and she cleared her throat. "Professor Hope just left the department and I imagine many of you will have wondered what he was doing down here. Elliot is a very great friend of mine, and he thought it necessary to give me the news in person, rather than to allow the surgeons to simply telephone the department as normal." She paused, wondering precisely how she was going to break the news. She started a sentence, not knowing where she was going to go with it.

"Dr Chao was indeed suffering from a ruptured appendix: well done Dr Keogh, well spotted." Dylan stared at the floor as Charlie patted his shoulder. "She also had extensive injuries to her legs. Unfortunately her appendicitis was so advanced it had caused the onset of septicaemia. Coupled with her leg injuries, it meant the surgical team were unable to save her left leg. They were forced to amputate below the knee." Connie's voice broke and Ethan feared the worst. Rita had been holding his hand, but at the clinical lead's words he buried his head in her shoulder. Zoe rubbed his back while looking at Connie with pleading eyes. As she opened her mouth to speak, Zoe closed her eyes, hoping with everything that she had for good news.

"I'm sorry," Connie said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm not used to addressing you under these circumstances. Although there were complications in theatre, and Lily will have to be on IV antibiotics for a few days yet, we believe she is through the worst now, and she should be coming round in the next few hours." The crowd of staff audibly relaxed and there were a few cheers. Ethan stopped crying at once, sweet relief seeping through him. He wiped tears from his cheeks, smiling broadly and not caring to hide his emotions.

Lily opened her eyes slowly. She felt exhausted and groggy but smiled regardless. She had made it. She pushed herself up to a sitting position – which was difficult as the sedatives hadn't quite worn off yet. She winced, reminded of the scar on her stomach. It was all still under a dressing so she couldn't see the stitches. Now she was awake, she hoped the sedation would start wearing off more so she could start moving around. Lily looked out of the windows of her side room. She wasn't far from the ED, not if she recognised that painting correctly.

Her copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was propped open on the bedside table. There was a blue postit note stuck to the cover, 'I told you so' written on it, in Ethan's immaculate and immediately recognisable handwriting. She picked it up and began to read where she had left off, wishing she hadn't begged Ethan for the ending already.

There was a knock at the door, drawing her out of the book. She looked up and smiled.

"Come in," she said. Ethan opened the door, carrying a small bunch of flowers in one hand.

"Hi there," he said softly, passing her the flowers. She breathed in the scent, her eyes closed blissfully.

"Where on earth did you manage to buy me sweet peas?"

"Well, it wasn't easy! Connie told us you were going to come round shortly so I pretty much ran to the florist's on the high street. I figured even if you weren't awake you'd be able to smell them." He sat on the bed next to her. "Come here." He wrapped his arms around her and planted kisses in her hair. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating steadily. She felt safe.

"You had us all worried," he said as they pulled apart. They lay back against Lily's pillows, Ethan keeping one arm around her shoulders.

"Us?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Mm-hm. Dylan's been ripping himself to shreds for the last couple of hours."

"Dylan?" Lily said incredulously.

"I keep forgetting you were completely out of it. As is my hand right now, hold on!" he laughed, extracting his arm from behind Lily's back, where it had gone completely numb. He groaned. "Pins and needles. Wonderful." He shook his arm around in the air.

"When you're quite finished! You were about to tell me why Dylan had suddenly become a caring soul!"

"Sorry. I was useless out there, I'm telling you. He was the one who figured out what was wrong, and he stopped your legs bleeding -" Ethan stopped abruptly, knowing Lily hadn't been told yet. Conveniently, his pager buzzed. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, but I have to go. They said they'd only page if they really had to."

"Go on," she conceded. "I'll see you later. Love you."

Ethan guiltily returned to the ED. He assisted Zoe with the victim of an RTC and felt almost normal again, but there was a dead weight in his stomach. Once their patient had been transferred upstairs, Zoe looked at the anxious registrar, confused.

"You must be glad she's going to be okay," she said, pulling off her latex gloves with a satisfying snap.

"I am, don't get me wrong, I love her more than anything. I just -" He couldn't say it, he couldn't tell Zoe what he'd done, or more accurately, what he hadn't.

"Ethan, what's the matter?" she said, concerned at to why he suddenly seemed so deflated. "Let's go to my office, where it's a bit quieter, yeah?"

She poured a cup of coffee for herself and remembered that Ethan always preferred tea.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to start digging?" she asked as she offered him a chocolate digestive from the packet stashed in her desk drawer.

"I can't do it Zoe, I just can't."

"Ethan, what's going on? An hour ago you were buzzing to go and see Lily, then you came back her with a face like a wet Wednesday." She paused. "Has – has something happened between you two?" she asked gently. Ethan shook his head, wringing his hands in his lap.

"She asked what happened, and I couldn't bring myself to tell her about her leg. She was so pleased to see me, and I brought flowers and her book..."

"The surgeons should have come to speak to her. It wasn't your responsibility to do that. I'll go now, give them a piece of my mind on the way, then you can follow me up there in about half an hour, okay? You can stay in here, if you want," she added, appreciating Ethan's introversion in a way most people didn't.