ROLE CHANGE CHAPTER TWELVE

Cal's face was pale as he sat with Sophia in the waiting room of the A & E. Max, noticing who was there, was about to hurry over to Cal to chat, but the expression on Cal's face made him retreat again.

"It's my fault" Sophia said wearily.

"No; please don't start playing the blame game, it won't help. Ethan pushed us both to go, Sophie, he was happy enough for us to have that break. It was that little jobsworth in the gym-"

"-Who wouldn't have been there if I'd not gone on a break with you."

Cal shrugged, too fraught to try and make Sophia feel better.

They'd returned from France in such high spirits, and a bag full of gifts including some designer chocolates that Ethan would have been able to fit into his healthy regime as long as he rationed them out. The bag full of gifts lay ignored on the floor.

Suddenly, Dylan hurried towards them.

"Hey, they've only just come in and I've been waiting-" a man began to grumble.

"Take it up with your local MP. Colin, Evan's sustained a minor injury to his back, but the damage is more likely to be psychological than physical. He's had some rest and you can go through to see him now. Ward nine."

Dylan eyed the angry patients malevolently:

"Right, which one of you whingers is next in my queue?"

The question was not quite under his breath.

More relieved than they could say, Cal and Sophia hurried towards the ward indicated by Dylan. Ethan was lying facing the wall and didn't seem to be wired up to any equipment, for which Cal was thankful, but somebody had put a brace back on him.

"Hi, little bro, we're home. Got you some chocs to enjoy."

Ethan looked at them balefully.

"Your bloody girlfriend told me that Glenn was trustworthy."

Sophia, a little hurt at not being addressed directly, replied as evenly as she could:

"I know, Ethan, and I'm so sorry."

"I'm glad you're sorry, Sophia, because thanks to your error, I shan't be going anywhere near that bloody gym again. I'll stay at home and rot… at least I'll be safe there."

Cal stroked Sophia's hand, but it was a reflex action made almost absently as he looked anxiously at Ethan.

"Ethan, please, we're gutted about your back but don't give up…"

"I have given up. Why don't you two give up as well and bugger off home?

The nurse, one Cal didn't recognize, looked sympathetically at Sophia and himself as they just nodded at Ethan and left the hospital.

"I'm so sorry, Mark. I really did think Glen was trustworthy; he did a great interview."

"That's the trouble with people like Glen, Sophia. As desperate to please as a puppy at the interview, then when they get the job they turn into Godzilla. We won't be using his services again."

"And what about me?"

"What about you? You're at work, aren't you? Now get yourself into that gym, do your job and stop carrying the woes of the world on your shoulders, sweetie. A small error of judgement, that's all it was."

Sophia felt a little better after that, especially as Denise cheered in her usual strident matter:

"The nice one's back again!"

Now if only Ethan could forgive her as well.

Ben was missing Sara; once again he'd been packed off upon boring diplomatic missions by Karl and David. It wouldn't have been so bad if there'd been something worth visiting, like schools, where he could speak to the children, or theatrical performances, but everything had been to do with business. Today, however, there'd been a little respite. He'd had his second lesson with Nicky Lascelles, and Lascelles was encouraging.

"You have a good natural voice, Benjamin, and I don't need to ask about your acting; you're acting twenty-four/seven over in Corvaine, of course."

The first time he'd met Lascelles, the music tutor had confirmed that he knew this was not Prince Stefan quietly and casually. It was a small relief to know that somebody else was 'in on the deception.'

"I'm giving you this to read; it's the script of a new musical that starts next year in the West End; you will have a strong chance of doing well should you decide to audition."

Ben felt his heart wrench; next year was when he would have to say goodbye to not only his wife, but his as yet unborn child. Lascelles caught the look.

"Come on, you haven't earned that role yet. We have scales to practise."

"Ethan, I need to be ready in an hour for the gym."

Cal was looking anxiously at his brother, who was eating his breakfast slowly and deliberately. Ethan paused to say:

"Get Sue, then. She can sit in with me today."

"You're not coming along to watch? Dylan says you should be better in a couple of months, but you should keep in the loop…"

"And watch your brainless girlfriend giving duff advice to the others? No thank you."

"Ethan, that's grossly unfair-"

"-Yeah, it was grossly unfair that you two buggered off to Paris and now I'm scared to set foot in that bloody gym again, never mind on any of the equipment. Oh, just phone Sue and bugger off out, Cal!"

Cal sighed and went to the phone, but suddenly turned round."

"Okay, I'll phone Sue but if I hear that you've been giving her any crap…"

"I'm not likely to. It's you and Sophia that I bloody hate, not Sue."

"Where's Ethan?" Denise asked as she saw Cal entering the gym.

"Still not very well, Denise."

"Oh. Mark said he wasn't too badly hurt."

"He's scared to come again, Denise. His confidence got knocked for six."

"You know what you should do" Denise said, "You should sue this place. I've read you can get lots of compensation for stuff like that."

"I can hardly sue this gym, Denise. My girlfriend works here, remember?"

"Well can't you get her a better job and then sue?"

"I think in this day and age she'd prefer to find a job herself!" Cal was laughing but was becoming irritated by Denise's persistence.

Besides, he was already beginning on a battle for compensation from the NHS. He'd been advised by a pleasant young woman called Liza, from the legal team he'd been checking on, that Ethan could have a very strong case.

He wondered if it was worth arranging an interview between Ethan and Liza, or another representative, about the compensation. Channel Ethan's rage against the right people, not the wrong ones.

"So I possibly get lots of lovely compensation money if this company wins the case for me? Great, Cal, just tell me one thing. What the hell will a man who's too scared to go out of his own home spend it all on?"

"So that's a no, then?" Cal was cautious.

"Look, I tell you what. Get somebody from the company to come here and see me. If they will, I'll listen. If they insist I see them in their office, they can get stuffed."

"I'll try to get them to come to you, but if not… it's a day out for you, Ethan. I'll be careful with you like I was when you were first hurt."

Ethan stared at Cal for a long beat, and then growled:

"Well I want lunch afterwards. A good one. Somewhere people aren't going to stare at me."

"Okay."

It was a start.

By the next day Cal had arranged an appointment for himself and Ethan at Grover and Kellerman, with their representative Liza Seaton.