Sorry if there are any spelling and grammer mistakes in this chapter, I'm currently writing on my phone. If there are any, they are my fault.

As ever, I don't own the boys, they belong to the BBC.

Cal is younger than Ethan.

The dashes in Emile's speach are to show the difficulty she has conmunicating.


The Secret Life Of Casualty.

Chapter 412

Cal did what he always did on the anniversary of Matilda's death. He lit a canfle and placed it on the coffee table. He hated this day and he knew Ethan did as well.

But it was the words that Matilda muttered while on pain medication, that bothered him.

"I'm not your mum"

Cal wondered why she had said this, maybe she had wanted to leave this world without any secrets but that just left her youngest son with guilt and confusion weighing heavily on him and he knew he couldn't turn to Ethan, in case they weren't really brothers. Oh, God, why did he have to think about Ethan. Now, he had more reason to feel guilty.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Thinking it was Ethan forgetting his keys, he put the laptop on the table and headed in to the hallway. "Ethan, I keep telling-"

Wait, that wasn't Ethan. Standing in front of him, was a woman that he didn't recognise.

"Are you Caleb Knight?" She asked, reading off a piece of scrap paper, she held in her hands.

Cal nodded.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

Cal didn't know what this woman wanted, but he knew from the look on her face, whatever she was going to tell him, it would be serious. He showed her in to the living room. The woman took the couch, while Cal took the armchair.

"My name is Shelle" She said. "I'm your mum's career"

"Matilda" Cal frowned.

Shelle shook her head.

"Your mum's name is Emile Grommet. She's your biolgical mother" Shelle explained.

Cal stared at Shelle, his mouth open a bit, if this was true, why hadn't Matilda told the boys when they were younger? But it seemed the shocks didn't end there. Shelle opened her mouth to speak once again.

"Your mum isn't well"

"What's wrong with her?" Cal asked.

"She has Huntingtons Diease. It's where" Shelle

"I know what it is," Cal said.

It was the word: Huntingtons. That did it. Cal had heard of the diease, of course he had, but he had never met anyone with the diease. Never mind his own mum.

"Where is she?"

"In a care home"

Shelle left after that, telling Cal to call her if he had any questions. He only had one on his mind.

The next day, as he was off work. Shelle met him in a cafe, just down the road from the flat. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt. He hadn't told Ethan were he was going. He didn't like keeping his brother in the dark, but he knew it would be for the best.

It didn't take Cal and Shelle long to reach the care home, Emile lived in. It was a grey building and it give Cal the chills.

Cal had to sign in and was given a visitors pass, which reminded him of his ID badge.

Shelle knocked on the door first, Emlle was sat in her wheelchair, a blanket over her, an oxygen mask on her face.

"Emile, you have a visitor" Shelle spoke.

"Who is i-it?"

"It's your son, Steven" Shelle explained.

Cal cautiously stepped in to the room.

"St-even" Emile's face lit up as she recognised her eldest son even after all these years.

Cal knew that slurred speach was a sign of the condition, but even he was shocked at he appearance, she had wrinkles and her hands made jerky movements. Cal bent down so he could make sure she could see him.

"Hi mum" He whispered.

"St- even" she replied. "My boy,"

Cal didn't have the heart to tell her that he preffered being called Cal now.

"Wh-ere's M-Micheal?" Emile asked.

Cal shot a "whose that?" look at Shelle.

"Michael is your brother" Shelle said.

"Ethan"

"What?" Shelle asked.

"His name is Ethan"

"I re-gret g-giving y- you -boys u-pp" Emlle said.

Cal turned back to face his new found mum. He gently patted her hand. He swallowed before saying "I know, mum"

Cal stood up and kissed her on her forehead, before waving goodbye to Shelle. He walked outside and leant against the wall, he felt a lump in his throat, but quiclly swallowed it as the door opened, he didn't want anyone to see him upset. It was Shelle.

You and your brother will have to be tested,"

Cal knew what Shelle meant by "tested" He just didn't know how he was going to do the test without Ethan getting supicious. He needed to think of a plan. Could he do it while he was sleeping? It seemed wrong to go behind his back but it was the only way. Ethan left early as he was on the early shift, Cal followed him back to their flat.

That night, while Ethan slept, Cal tied a touriqent around his arm, tapped his arm to find a vein and when he did, he stuck the needle in there, knowing that Ethan would kill him if he discovered the truth. He took the touriquent away and took the blood sample, as well as his to Charlie who promised to have the results to Cal as soon he he could.

The next day, when he was writing up patient notes when the doors opened, Iain wheling in a stretcher with an eldely lady on it, with a woman walking next to her.

"I've got this" said Ethan. "Lets get her in to RESUS."

"Ethan, let me deal with this" said Cal.

"Cal, its fine" Replied Ethan, following the stretcher in to Resus. He watched Ethan, along with Iain lift the spinal board across the bed.

Cal was watching Ethan trying to secure a mask to their mums face, but she kept moving. Ethan called Charlie in to try to help relax Emile, but she kept fiditing. Cal couldn't stand it anymore. He walked in. Ethan turned to face Cal.

"What do you want, Cal?" Ethan asked.

"Ethan, you can't treat her" Cal told him.

"Why not?" Ethan said.

Sensing that the boys needed time alone, Charlie left RESUS, leaving just Cal, Ethan and Emile.

"What's this about?" Ethan asked.

"I'm just concerned about her"

"Cal" Ethan said "I don't think you've got the right to be concerned about her, she's just a patient"

Cal looked at Ethan, shocked by his words.

"She's our mum, Ethan" Cal replied.

Ethan was shaking his head. "Matilda was our mum. "

"she wasn't, Ethan, she was no one"

"Are you disrespecting her memory?" Ethan shouted.

"She battled cancer"

"Which was brought on by you" Ethan said "You always brought her stress"

"That's not fair" Cal said. He had loved Matilda, the same as Ethan had. But in the last few weeks, of her life, Cal had a cold and hadn't really visited her, he'd had a cold, she'd died that night just after whispering them fateful words.

"Cal,Ethan" Charlie called, Ethan turned to face him.

"It's Emile"

The boys both walked back in to resus. Emile was struggling with her breathing. Ethan put a mask on her and clipped a pulse oximeter to her finger.

Ethan looked at the monitor. Her sats were low.

It was then Shelle spoke. "She's been at conloth Bay"

"What?" Both boys stared at her. January was a cold month and she'd been at a beach?

"She took you boys there when you were llittle, before you were taken away"

The monitor then gave a low pitched beep.

"Start CPR" said Ethan.

"Ethah. " Charlie shook his head.

Cal walked out, maybe if he had known about her sooner, she wouldn't be dead now.

"Boys, your results are here, " Charlie said.

Ethan looked confused. "What results?"

Cal tok a deep breath. "Emile had Huntingon's diease. There's a chance one of us might have it. I took your blood whn you were asleep,"

"You did what, " Ethan yelled.

"It was the only way" Cal defended himself.

"I don't believe this," Ethan muttered, looking shocked.

"please, Ethan, I'm sorry" Said Cal.

Ethan walked out in to the peace garden, sitting on the bench, staring down at his lap. Why had Cal kept everything from him?

Charlie handed the envelopes to Cal and ge followed Ethan.

"Ethan, we need to look at these results"

Even though, he was angry at Cal, he knew Cal was right. Ethan opened his envelop. "I'm clear"

"Your turn" said Ethan, looking at the envelope that was in Cal's lap. Cal flicked the envelope between his fingers.

"Right" said Cal, he was nervous about opening the envelope, this envelope could change his life, he knew what result he wanted but would life give him a break?

"I'm clear" Said Ethan again.

"Good" Cal smiled. Now, it was his closed his eyes and opened his.

"I've got it," Cal said, dropping his head in his hands.

"Cal, its ok," said Ethan, rubbing his back.

"Ethan, you don't understand" said Cal. "Iv've got this, not you"

Cal continued to run, until he come to a river. Ethan ran after him, just in time to see Cal walk in to the water.

"Cal, it's cold" Ethan said in alarm.

"I don't care, Ethan" Cal threw his hands in the air. "I'm going to die, anyway,"

"Cal, please don't talk like that" Ethan whispered. He couldn't bare it if Cal took the easy way out and to Ethan that was the cowards way out and Cal wasn't a coward. "Cal. Come out," But instead of walking out, he went further in to the dark water. Ethan looked around to see if there was a lifeguard on duty. But there wasn't one. Typical. Whenever you needed one, there wasn't one there. And whenever you didn't want one, someone was on duty.

Cal turned to face Ethan, standing knee depth in the warer, before walking back out.

Ethan hugged Cal. "Don't scare me" said Ethan.

I won't" Replied Cal.

The brothers put their arms around each other as they headed off the beach and back to their flat. Ethan held the door open and while Cal picked up the post, fllicking through it. It was mainly bills.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Cal" Ethan said as he put two mugs down on the coffee table, Cal saw they had hot chocolate in and smiled, Matilda had always made the boys a hot chocolate whenever they were upset or scared.

Ethan put his arm around Cal as he kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Cal" Ethan said.

"I love you, too, mate" Cal replied as they watched a drama.


Thanks for reading, I liked writing this.