Chapter Four:

'TB alright,' Serena examined Ethan's wrist. He was fast asleep, looking pale and clammy. Connie wasn't in a hurry to wake him up. He had had a very bad night, and been sick again, as well as continuing to have fever and sweating symptoms. He'd only been sleeping soundly for half an hour. 'I've dealt with Pott's before. I can't see signs of kyphosis causing any permanent damage yet, but he'll need bracing or immobilisation. Orthopaedics will know more than I do. I'm not sure about walking. Dr Keogh is unlikely to have done any permanent harm.'

'I'll let them know,' Connie swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat. 'We know what's wrong. His prognosis is good. We've caught this.'

'I don't think we're at paraplegia stage. It's not neurological yet.' Serena said. She looked at the face of the young doctor, and tried to think positively. 'They'll stick him on a cocktail of drugs, but they work fast.'

Connie nodded. 'I'll- I'll have to tell Cal. At least we know.' She repeated herself, twisting her fingers. 'I'll page orthopaedics. Right. Right. God. Thank you for your help, Serena.'

Serena patted her colleague's shoulder. 'Look after him, Connie. And look after yourself, too. You and Cal with both need testing, in case.'

Ethan woke up as he was being moved. He'd tried to roll to sleep on his stomach and take the pressure off his spine, until someone had gently but firmly rolled him back. He'd let out a sleepy whine in protest, but it hadn't had much effect. Grumpily, he cracked an eye open. Was he having another scan?

'Moving to orthopaedics, Ethan.' That was Connie's voice. He opened both eyes, and looked at her.

'Why?'

She took a deep breath, and he felt a flutter of nerves in his stomach. 'The test is positive. It's Pott's.'

He was silent, blinking. He looked almost calm. 'OK.'

It was a lot to take in.

'It's first thing on Tuesday. You've not had the best night's sleep,' Connie said, gently. 'We're going to orthopaedics. I'm off today, so I'm going to stay with you and get any information.'

'You don't have to do that,' his voice was quiet, but told her everything she needed to know. He was desperately grateful to her.

'What's going to happen?'

'Serena isn't entirely sure. There's several different treatments. They do use chemotherapy in some cases, but I don't think Serena thinks you'll be having it,' Connie said. She was acutely aware of how ill he looked, and how much was in store. She felt protective over him, one of her department. Her responsibility. She'd been horrible before he'd collapsed.

He went quiet, thinking. 'How long?'

'I can't tell you, I'm afraid. We'll know more soon.' Connie said. Cal had been the most pragmatic person involved in the situation, to everybody's surprise. He'd been calm as well as comforting for his brother, and when she'd broken the news to him, he'd been stronger than she'd expected. 'I'm going to give Cal a ring when you're settled in. He'll be able to visit most days, I think.'

'He's going to Australia,' Ethan said, firmly. 'If I'm stuck here, then I'm not making it worse by ruining Cal's trip.'

'We'll see,' Connie said, not wanting to argue. 'Almost here. How's the pain relief?'

'Bearable,' Ethan replied, trying to look up and see where they were. Connie sighed, and he stopped. It was so hard to stay still. He was feeling sleepy again, and found himself beginning to drift off as they waited in the department for the orthopaedic consultant. He woke up again, as he was being rolled onto his side so that his back could be examined again. He yawned, and pulled his shoulders up.

'Stay still, please, Ethan,' a voice said, and he jumped. 'It's alright. I'm Mr Albion, your consultant. I just need to examine you quickly. If it's too painful, let me know.'

'Yes,' he realised he was shaking a little, and was relieved when he was rolled onto his back again. 'What are you going to do?'

'They say doctors make the worst patients,' Mr Albion said, smiling. 'I'm not going to use chemotherapy, I don't think that'll benefit you as well as specific TB drugs and bed rest. After that, it'll be a lot of physio to get you walking again and try and get as much mobility into the spine as possible. It's not in your spinal cord as far as I can tell, but that's not completely certain, and it could develop. That's why we need to get you treated now.'

'How long?' He felt rude being unable to speak full sentences, but his head was still sleepy and full of pain medication, as well as questions and answers.

'We're going to do some more tests,' Mr Albion said. 'But I think you'll need complete rest for two to three months as an inpatient. I'm also going to have to look at whether you'd benefit from surgery There's a lot of different drugs, and I need to decide what will work best for you.'

'I'll have to stay here for two to three months?' Connie averted her eyes. Seeing him distressed was incredibly hard. 'I can't.'

'Pott's Disease isn't a simple condition,' Mr Albion said. Connie was surprised by how sharp his voice was. 'I'm feeling optimistic about your treatment and prognosis, but I need you to cooperate with us.'

Seeing how miserable Ethan looked, Connie stepped in. 'I think Dr Hardy's had a bit of a shock today. Shall I help to get him settled, and then give him a few minutes for it all to sink in?'

Mr Albion nodded, and simply walked away. Connie made a mental note that she disliked him, before turning her attention back to Ethan. 'Some positives there. He's optimistic. You know how cautiously we like to use that word in the medical profession.'

Ethan nodded, and lay back quietly. The room was small, and seemed to lack sunlight. There was a small en-suite bathroom in the corner, and grey blinds hanging over the window. There was a wheeled table to go over the bed on one side of it, and a lockable cabinet on the other side. The only other furniture was a hard-looking plastic chair near the window. And a chipped, metal bin, to complete it.

He hadn't brought much luggage. He watched Connie as she unpacked for him- pyjamas, books, toiletries and his laptop. Cal had helpfully included a packet of biscuits and a notebook and pen. 'Where do you want these?' she asked. He just shrugged. She sat down in the chair, and tried to think of something to say.

There was a knock on the door, and Cal came in, smiling. 'How's he doing, Ms B? Kicking and screeching?'

Connie was grateful for the change in tone; she didn't argue with her nickname. 'Just settling in. At least we know they aren't eating through the hospital budget with the décor.'

Cal looked around and nodded sagely. 'You can say that again. Is the bed comfy, Eth?'

Ethan rolled his eyes. 'You should be packing.'

'For what?'

'Australia.'

'Don't be silly, Ethan. I'm not jetting off to Sydney while you're like this.'

'I'm going to be stuck here for at least two months.'

'I was supposed to go for three. Don't worry about it. I'd rather enjoy it properly and go another time.'

'Go!' Ethan almost shouted. Connie rose to her feet. 'Cal. I'm on bed rest for months. If I do get out before you come back, I can look after myself.'

'You can stay with me,' Connie said, to her own surprise. 'I've got a spare bedroom. I agree, Dr Knight. Opportunities to practice a specialism overseas don't pop up every day. Ethan's stable, he's in safe hands. If anything happens, I will personally ensure I'm the first to let you know.'

Cal bit his lip. He had argued with Connie on multiple occasions, and his record for winning them was about the same as Ethan's current chances of dancing the tango. 'I'll be on the other side of the world.'

'I'm not going anywhere.' Ethan said. 'Cal, please. Don't let me hold you back. I'm stable.'

'I'll leave my tablet with you. We can FaceTime. And Connie, you've got to let me know what's going on. Seriously.'

Ethan nodded. 'We'll both be in the best place, Cal.'