Thank you for your reviews! I am currently writing the next chapter. Apologies for any errors- I've re-read the whole story and am so annoyed with the mistakes I'd included.

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Chapter 23

Four days later

'Sit down, Dylan.' Connie repeated, more firmly this time.

'You're wasted as a doctor. Should have become a primary school teacher,' Dylan said, reluctantly doing as he'd been told. He still wasn't feeling quite himself.

Cal was pacing, like some sort of zoo animal. Connie watched him hopelessly, feeling her reusable cup's rubbery sleeve beneath her fingers. Tracing the silicone grooves with her fingertips was helping, if nothing else, to keep her calm.

James Albion walked out of the door leading through to the surgery unit, his hands combing through his damp hair. 'All good,' he said, helping himself to a drink from the water cooler next to the seats. 'He'll be coming round shortly. 3 days in the brace, about a week or so of intense physio, a review, then he's discharged from us as an inpatient. I'll do a review a month later, then three months, then nine months.'

Nodding furiously, Cal did his best to look as if he was listening. Instead, all he really wanted to do was see his brother.

'This is the third op on his spine?' Dylan asked. He shot a glance at Cal, trying to gather information on his behalf.

'Fourth.'

'Yes- well, ideally we'd have had one. With the infection soon after the primary operation, and then disruption after the fall and neurological issues, this was more of a precaution. 72 hours immobilised and then we'll see. I've got a meeting with Guy Self about another patient who crosses our departments later, so it may be possible to try and work with therapies that benefit for both areas.'

'When can we go in?' Cal asked as quickly as he could. Connie was making notes on the back of a receipt.

'Just a minute. Dr Beauchamp, you've said he's typically unsettled post-anaesthetic?'

'Yes. The anaesthetist- forgive me, was it Dr Kung?- said he was planning to use Sevoflurane as opposed to Propofol in the hope that it'd improve it. He had midazolam to calm him prior to the procedure. Core temperature has a tendency to drop as well.' Connie said. She got up, scrambling for her scribbled notes and stuffing them into her handbag. 'Any complications with neurology or resps come up?'

'Nothing we noticed. We were working for about an hour and ten, everything was stable during the procedure.' Mr Albion crushed his plastic cup, aiming it neatly into the bin. 'You're good to go. Dr Beauchamp, you're responsible for recovery room and transition back to neuro?'

'Ms Beauchamp. Yes, that's correct.' Connie gelled her hands in a series of practiced movements. 'Let's go.'

The recovery room was dimmed. Cal bumped into a nurse as he rushed to his brother's side. 'Sorry, sorry,' he garbled. 'E? How are you feeling?'

Ethan let out a groan, and automatically tried to roll over, but was unable to. 'No.' He whined, trying to kick instead. He reached up to his face and pulled the mask off.

Cal held his brother's hand. Ethan's teeth were chattering. 'What?'

'What, Ethan?'

'What?' he repeated. He stammered, the noise from his teeth making his speech more difficult to understand than usual. 'What?'

'What do you want, Ethan?' Cal asked, a little desperately. He gripped Ethan's hand.

'What?' repeated Ethan. Tears started pouring down his cheeks.

'I'm going to do a quick neuro check. Can you page Mr Self and let him know Ethan's awake.' Dylan said. Connie glanced at the monitors.

'O2 is 96. Given the fire this week, keep oxygen going at 6L per minute.' She said. She dropped down to see Ethan's face more clearly. 'Ethan? Dr Hardy? Are you in any pain?'

Ethan tried to throw his head back, but couldn't. He cried out, trying to swat Cal's hands away and get the mask off.

'Do you want a sedative?' asked Dr Kung. He calmly helped Cal hold Ethan still. 'Alright, Ethan.'

'No, I think the more drug in his system, the worse he'll be.' Connie replied. A nurse tucked a foil blanket around Ethan.

'Ethan? Do you know where you are?'

'H-h-hos.'

'That's right. You're in the hospital.'

Ethan retched miserably, but nothing came up. He groaned, a high-pitched, painful sound. He reached out for Cal's wrist, pulling at his brother with surprising strength. The younger brother squeezed his eyes shut as Cal gently stroked Ethan's forehead. 'You're doing so well, Eth.'

'No. M…M…' he grabbed at the air with the other hand, trying to find the word. 'My. Gray.'

'Migraine,' Dylan said, quickly.

'He had one after the first spinal op,' Connie said, quickly. She laid his hand down onto his chest, giving it a very careful squeeze of support.

'Can you draw up 3mg of sumatriptan, please, Elliot? We'll give more if needed, but we don't want a seizure instead.'

Dr Kung nodded, catching Ethan's hand very gently to access the canula. Although he was still struggling with the shivering, Connie snapped a coolpack and laid it across his forehead. Ethan was clearly grateful, trying to push his head forward into the cold and relief.

Connie's other hand found its way to Cal's shoulder. He was trying his very best not to show how upset he was. His voice broke. 'Why does he always struggle so much post-op?' he asked Connie, cracking.

'I don't know, Cal. Some people just respond badly. He didn't respond well even before the brain injury. Some patients are just very sensitive to anaesthetics, it doesn't matter which drug.' This was all information that Cal knew, and she was aware of that. In the back of her head, she constantly knew that Caleb was having to take care of Ethan and feeling responsible. Someone had to watch out for the watcher, too. She had Grace, she could rely on Dylan, Zoe, others- her mum was at the other end of the phone if needed. She'd even had a coffee in the café downstairs with Jac Naylor the other week, and had a five minute vent with her. Ethan and Cal had no family beyond one another. Although Cal had friends, he was too proud. At his age, they were starting to get married, perhaps thinking about kids, still enjoying everything life offered to young men.

As she looked at the young man struggling to keep it together for his brother, and at the other one fighting a brain bleed and spinal complications, her heart sank.