A Week With You

8

Monday

"Dr Chao, it's time to stop."

She carried on.

"Lily, STOP!" Cal demanded. Angrily, she pushed off the patient and stumbled back a step, panting.

She looked up and the time, and defeated, held her head in her hands. It'd been 45 minutes.

"I'm calling it." Cal said despondently. "Time of death, 16:37." He paused and looked around at the team of exhausted staff. "Well done, everyone, you all tried your best." He walked around the young girl, as David covered her face up. Lily still stood, hiding her face, yet now her body shook with sobs.

"Lily," Cal put his arms around her. "You did your best. There was nothing more we could have done." Tears wet his uniform and he could now hear sniffles coming from behind her hands. "Come on, let's get out of here." Still holding one arm around her shoulders, he led her out of Resus and into the staff room. He set her down on the sofa with a box of tissues and went to put the kettle on for them.

Losing a patient is always hard, yet he knew why this young girl hit Lily so close to home. He advised her not to be on this case, but she was adamant to. He made them some tea, then set them down on the table and sat next to Lily. Her crying had stopped now and he sat in silence, waiting to see if she would say something. 

"You all managed to save me. Yet, we couldn't save her." She whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Lily, that's not fair. Her injuries were much more complex than yours. Don't do this to yourself." He told her, strictly. It wasn't fair for her to beat herself up about this and revisit the trauma, which she had just recovered from.

"She got hit by a car, Cal. She should have lived. If I survived, then she should survive too." She sobbed again and her head fell down onto his shoulder. Cal swallowed. That little girl reminded him of when Lily was brought in too and how scared they all were. He couldn't imagine how this Lily would be feeling. A tear escaped from his eye, as they sat there in silence.

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Connie had allowed them to remain in the staff room until their shift ended at 5pm. Like zombies, they silently stood up from the sofa and fetched their things. They put on their coats and left the room. They got outside and the cold air hit them. Cal got his car keys out of his pocket and was just about to offer to drive Lily home, when he saw Iain walking over.

"Hiya, Chuckles, you alright?" He asked chirpily. Lily didn't respond and was blankly staring into the distance. Iain looked at her and his face immediately fell. She looked heartbroken.

"Lily, what's happened?" He stood in front of her and held her shoulders, bending down to be level with her face. She blinked and looked at him, as if she'd only realised he was there.

"Cal, what's up with her?" He asked Cal, when he received no response from Lily.

"I forgot my bag." Lily suddenly said, and turned around sharply and rushed back into the ED. They both watched her leave and Iain turned to Cal.

"What's happened?" He asked him. For a minute, he thought it was Cal who upset her, like he did when Lily refused to join the strike.

"We lost someone. A young girl, she got hit by a car. Her injuries were much more complex than Lily's but it's hit her hard, Iain. She's really upset." Cal ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

Sometimes, he really hated his job.

Iain immediately understood. He felt guilty. None of this would be happening if he'd kept Gem under control. Lily wouldn't be so broken, so scared.

"How's she getting home? I was gonna offer to take her, I don't want her driving like this." Cal broke Iain out of his reverie.

"Don't worry, mate. I'll get her home. Ethan asked me to tell you that he's waiting for you in the pub." Iain smiled at him, reassuringly, knowing Cal would be cut up about this too. After all, he was the one who saved Lily's life. "I'll look after her."

Cal smiled. "I know you will. See you tomorrow."

"See you." Cal turned and crossed the road, making his way towards the pub. A few minutes later, Lily resurfaced and stood staring at him. He smiled sadly, and took her bag from her. He enclosed Lily's hand in his and squeezed it.

"Let's get you home, Lily." He guided her through the car park towards his car. They got in and drove home in silence. They got inside the house and Lily went straight upstairs. Iain went to the kitchen and saw ingredients he'd left out earlier for their cooking session tonight. He sighed. It'd have to wait for another day. He pulled out a pizza menu from the shelf and ordered them some food. He didn't feel like cooking either today.