This chapter was prompted by sweet - as - honey with the prompt: Ethan is considering keeping his tattoo as Cal has told him tattoo removal hurts, but an embarrassing incident at work could change his mind.

Guest: (Leah) Thank you for the reviews. Cal's daughter will be called Emma.

sweet - as - honey: Thank you for the review.

sweet - as - honey: Thank you for the review. I had to have Ethan comforting Cal when he was so scared. I don't like thunderstorms.

bronny9: Thank you for the review, glad you found it adorable.


The Secret Life Of Casualty.

Chapter 274.

"Tattoo removal is really painful Eth," Said Cal as they walked in to the ED. Last night, Ethan had told his brother that he wanted his tattoo removed as he had, had it done on impulse when he had found out he had the dreaded gene.

"I'll keep it then" Ethan said as they entered the staff room. The two brothers changed in to their scrubs and went outside, each grabbing a patient file.

Ethan had a patient called Mr. Smith, who had a hernia, that needed to be removed. Ethan was the doc in charge of his treatment, he was in a gown waiting to be wheeled down, but while most surgery patients were in bed, waiting for their surgery, Mr Smith was out of bed, talking on the phone loudly and disturbing Ethan's other patients.

Ethan walked in to the cubicle. "Mr Smith, could you be quiet, please?" Ethan asked, nicely.

But Mr Smith turned on his doctor. "Who are you to tell me to be quiet?"

"I'm your doctor" Ethan confirmed.

But what happened next shocked him. Mr Smith lunged at him, dragging him out of the cubicle and on to the floor.

"That's enough!" Ethan heard someone shout, but he knew it was Cal. "You don't treat doctors like animals, you treat them with respect!" He hauled Mr Smith, off his brother, as security had dragged him away, his surgery cancelled, but it was too late, the damage had been done as Ethan went red.

Ethan's trouser leg had rolled up, exposing his tattoo. It was only small but it was visible to his colleagues near the Nurses Station. It was a circle with Cal's name in, so when the gene eventually got him and he was laid to rest, he'd always have a part of his brother with him. As he lay on the floor, pain running through his leg, it looked like he had sprained it, as it was swelling up, he heard the laugh of Alicia as she spoke:

"It's unprofessional for doctors to have tattoos Ethan " Alicia said scathingly as she walked away, a smirk on her lips.

But his humiliation wasn't over yet as Jez had joined in with Iain in mocking their friend and colleague.

"Your a good boy, who doesn't get tattoos. And who wants their brothers name, on them anyway?" Jez said as Iain laughed:

"If only they knew why I did it, " Ethan thought as he felt tears sting his eyes. None of them knew he had a disease, that would, one day, take his life.

Cal helped Ethan off the floor and in to a cubicle to rest.

Cal had a look on his face. A look that Ethan recognised as anger.

"Treat Ethan with some respect!" He shouted at Alicia, Jez and Iain. "He's supposed to be your friend!"

"Cal..." Alicia stammered.

"Mate, chill we were just having a laugh. " Jez told Cal, but Cal was shaking his head, how dare they treat Ethan with disrespect?

"Ethan didn't find it find it funny" Cal snapped, hurrying back to his brothers cubicle. Putting an arm around him as he got off the bed, after signing out, they left the hospital, heading to the car and driving home, when they arrived at their block, Cal opened Ethan's for him and then helped him up the stairs, as it hurt him to put weight on it. Cal eased his brother on to the couch and got an ice pack for his leg, as it would help take the swelling down.

Ethan grabbed his laptop from his table and went back in and sat on the couch before resting the laptop on his knees.

"What are you doing?" Asked Cal as Ethan opened his laptop and began typing in to the search engine that he had opened up and began typing.

"I want it removed Cal" Ethan said determinedly.

"Tattoo Removal "

After his bath, Ethan shaved his legs, and then got out, wrapping a towel around him and going to his bedroom.

The next day, Ethan got ready for his appointment, making sure that he had the money he needed to pay the man, who had several tattoos himself. Cal drove them to the tattoo shop which was on the other side of Holby.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cal asked his brother, before they went in.

"Yes" Ethan nodded as Cal held the door open for him. They went up to the desk.

The man looked up at them.

"I'm Ethan. " He introduced himself. "I'm here for a tattoo removal. "

"It's a slow process" The man warned him. "Most tattoos aren't completely removed. "

Ethan nodded, he understood the risks. He sat down on a chair and the man got him another chair for his leg, so he could rest it on it. He then handed him a pair of goggles he had to wear. Cal held his glasses for him. The man, who was wearing gloves and goggles, picked up a hand held device.

It was like a hand held Doppler that was used on pregnant women. He held it to Ethan's leg, it vibrated against his leg as it felt like elastic bands were snapping at his skin, it reminded him of a game that Cal used to play when they were younger, called "flick Ethan with elastic bands " in which, Cal would aim elastic bands at his brother, who would be doing his homework, Ethan would tell Cal to stop it, and when he didn't, he'd tell Matilda.

"Mum, Cal's flicking elastic bands at me"

But Cal was pulled out of his childhood memories by a cry from his brother.

"It hurts" Ethan cried. "Cal"

Cal held his brothers hand tight. "It's alright, mate" He whispered as he wiped away his tears as he heard the vibration.

But Ethan only squeezed harder, that Cal thought that he was going to cut off his blood supply, he'd usually complain but he realised that Ethan needed him at this time, so he let him squeeze until it was over. "Shh, " Cal soothed.

The man applied some alora Vera cream and put a bandage around his leg. Ethan stood up and grabbed on to Cal.

"Are you ok?" Cal asked.

Cal got some paractemol and a glass of water as well as a blanket, he lay it over Ethan before making sure that he was comfortable, and had everything that he needed, before passing him the TV remote so he could watch whatever he wanted. He decided on watching one of the Harry Potter movies.

Ethan rolled up his pyjama bottoms and stared in the mirror at his leg.

"Ethan, are you ok?" Cal asked.

"Sure" Ethan replied, rolling his leg down.

He headed back to the living room where Cal glanced at him and smiled, before embracing Ethan in a hug and kissing his forehead.


Thank you for reading and thank you to Sweet - as - honey for the prompt. Really enjoyed writing this one.

I know a tat wouldn't disappear that quick, but for the purpose of this chapter, it did, haha.

Next update: Cal's distraught when he makes a heart-breaking discovery.