A week had passed and the trio were all back at work. Caleb was hobbling around at lightning speed on his crutches with no signs of slowing down. Lexi and Ethan planned their schedules so that they both had different breaks so they could force Cal to have a regular sit down when either of them did. Cal didn't enjoy the hassle of the crutches let alone the regular breaks his siblings were forcing him to take. He frankly couldn't wait for his life to get back to normality. He had three weeks left until he had his pins removed. He was almost counting down the days until then. Although he didn't show it, Cal was afraid of the he operation, he hated being out under anaesthetic. What if he didn't wake up? What if something went wrong? What if there was a side effect from the anaesthesia? What if? "God, you look as bad as I feel" Max Walker broke through his thoughts. "Late night?" Cal queried. "You don't know the half of it. Ryan went out last night and Robyn demanded that we stay up until he got home." Cal understood. "I know, Ethan was like "let's set out your uniform the night before" and "don't forget to pack your bag now so you don't forget in the morning" it was like 'yes mum!' Lexi wasn't much better she kept asking if I was ready to go back to work, and I mean I know they mean well but I am a grown man, I'm older than them, I should be looking after them!" The porter stood opposite him dashed off as Connie's office door opened. She observed the busy department before disappearing back into the shadows. Cal got back to work. When his break started, he spotted Lexi over at the coffee kiosk with Max's big brother. "Hiya little sis." He said glaring slightly at Ryan. "You ready to grab some lunch, I think Ethan's lunch break is soon, so we should go and get him." He put his hand on his sisters shouldered steady himself. "You ok?" She asked making eye contact with him. "Yeah, just a little tired. You coming?" He said as Ethan came into view. He walked over to the staffroom and grabbed his sandwich. The three siblings wandered over to Jeff's bench where they ate. They made conversation with each other about what had happened that day and what was upcoming. They tactfully avoided talking about Cal's upcoming operation. Cal didn't realise he has zoned out until Lexi called his name. "Um, yeah I'm fine, I just got thinking, you know" he responded. "Ouch, don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself" Ethan teased. "What's the matter, you seem distracted." Ethan added. "Um...I'm just thinking about the operation. I don't know. I'm just a bit nervous, I mean don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to life getting back to normal, it's just...god, I'm scared!" Cal admitted. "I'm scared it might go wrong, or I might not wake up." Lexi put her hand on his. "Cal, it's ok to be scared once in a while. Hell, I was scared when I had Daniel. You held my hand and told me I could do anything. You were there for me and we are here for you." Ethan chimed in "Caleb, when I had the crash, you saved my life, not just physically, but you helped me face a fear and I was scared too, I was scared that everyone blamed me for Jeff's death. Not to mention when Louis stabbed me with that needle. I was scared that I had HIV but you were right next to me and offered me a hug and a shoulder to cry on. Caleb, we are here for you, the same way you have always been here for us." The trio embraced each other.
Three weeks had passed since Caleb admitted his fears. The morning of the operation was a busy one. Cal was allowed nil by mouth. Ethan and Lexi made sure he stuck to it. He pottered around the apartment all morning. He demanded that Daniel stay home that day to keep his mind off of things. He was restless and his stomach was a pit of butterflies. He sat on the sofa and flicked through the channels, not stopping on one. He then got up and had a shower. Then cleaned the flat. This last action showed Lexi and Ethan how nervous he was. In their minds, the trio knew that Cal was almost allergic to housework. He would always avoid it and Ethan was often left with the job. He read a book to Daniel. When he finished the book he noticed Ethan stood leaning in the doorway. "It's time to go." Ethan sighed. "Oh...ok." Cal said wearily. "Come on Caleb, you'll be fine. We will sit with you as you fall asleep and we will be right next to you when you wake up" Ethan soothed. He walked further into the room to pick up his nephew. "In a few weeks you'll be doing this, you have,to make up for the time you lost whilst on crutches." Ethan teased making light of the situation, for which Cal was grateful. Lexi walked back into the room sliding her phone back into her pocket. "Lex, who were you talking to? You've been ages." Cal said. "Oh, Ryan was asking if I was free this evening to go out for a drink. I told him no, but next week would be cool." Cal frowned slightly. "Lexi, just be careful, yeah?" He said carefully. "Besides, you are free tonight. You have the day off." He exclaimed. "Yeah, I have the day off to look after you. What else am I going to do? You are my priority." Lexi explained enveloping him in a hug. She could see his hand shaking in his lap. She knew he was nervous, anyone would be, but only Cal would try and conceal it. "Come on, we best be off" Ethan said grabbing their bags. They had packed overnight clothes, Ethan planned to stay at the hospital overnight with Cal, whilst Lexi would come home and settle Daniel. She would meet them back at the hospital in the morning and the next night she would be staying with Cal whilst Ethan babysat. They would continue this rotation until Caleb was discharged, each day they would bring a fresh set of clothes for themselves.