Aimee, Cal and Lily won't be getting together in this story, but I am writing a sequel so you never know! Thank you for your review.

Tato Potato, thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked the sweetness - I didn't want to go over the top, but Ethan is sweet no matter what he does!

TheAtomicCheesepuff, it was difficult knowing what to do with Cal - I didn't want a sad ending, but I wanted him to look good at the end - so I had to break his heart again! Thank you for your review and I'm happy you liked Ethan's cuteness.

Tanith Panic, it was nice to make Robyn and Lofty happy, even if I couldn't make Cal happy! I enjoyed giving Lily a social life too. I think she's getting quite a taste for it, which I never expected when I first started writing! Thank you for your review.

TimeLadyOdair, thank you so much - I really am thrilled you've enjoyed the story so much. Yes, this is the last chapter, but I am already writing a sequel so I hope you'll read and enjoy that too. It's nice - if slightly odd - to hear Cal being described as a gentleman!

Cal ordered another beer. He didn't think the alcohol was helping him very much, but he didn't think he could sit in the pub and not drink and he didn't want to go home in case Ethan and Sophie were there.

He'd told Lily he was going home. He didn't want her to worry. But he'd always known that going home wasn't an option.

When the curvaceous blonde sat beside him, Cal barely glanced at her. She wasn't Sophie so what was the point?

"Hey, Cal."

Even then, Cal didn't look at her. He'd obviously slept with her at some point if she knew him, but he could say that about a lot of women. It used to be a fact that cheered him up when he felt low, but it wasn't working today.

"What's up?" said the girl.

Cal told himself it was none of her business. He told himself that the truth was something he should be very embarrassed about. But he'd drunk quite a lot now and he found keeping quiet even more difficult when he was drunk. "My girlfriend just left me for my brother."

The girl gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am," said Cal. Her reaction comforted him a bit. He obviously didn't look like the kind of guy who got left by his girlfriends very often.

"Soppy Sophie left you for Ethan?"

Cal frowned. "Don't call her that. Hang on: how do you know their names?"

The girl looked at him pityingly. "You have no idea who I am, Cal, have you?"

"Yeah… course I do."

She laughed. "You're not a very good liar, Caleb. And you're also not very observant. We've only been working in the same department of the same hospital for a week."

Cal looked at her again. She did look vaguely familiar. But it was her nickname for Sophie that caused something to click in his heartbroken and drunk-befuddled brain. "Hey, Amber. Sorry. I'm not quite myself at the moment."

"Clearly," said Amber drily. "But seriously, Cal. Think about it. Sophie's far more Ethan's type than yours. Have you heard them blathering on about blood and bones and muscles with their stupid little puns?"

"Yes, I have," said Cal. Out of loyalty to Sophie, he added: "It is quite funny. When Sophie does it, I mean."

Amber caught the barman's eye and asked for a half of cider. Then she jerked her head towards Cal. "He's paying."

Cal really didn't feel like arguing so he paid. "So, what was it like working with Dylan?"

"Quite amusing," said Amber. "He wanted me to call him Dr Keogh. I wouldn't. I won that round. He insulted me at every opportunity. I just smiled sweetly and waggled my bum at him. I would say I won that round too. I flirted almost every time I spoke to him. He didn't flirt back, but he couldn't stop me from flirting. So I'd have to say I won that round as well."

"I wouldn't have ignored you," said Cal.

"No?" said Amber. She shifted slightly on her barstool and her skirt slid further up her thighs. "It certainly looked to me as though you were ignoring me."

Cal had to admit he wasn't ignoring her now.

But that didn't mean he was interested.

"Cal, I know you liked her," said Amber. "And if you want to spend all night crying into your beer, you shouldn't let me stop you. But it doesn't sound like very much fun. I suppose tomorrow, you might wake up in some gutter and discover the pain in your head is so bad, you can't feel the ache in your heart anymore. But is there really any advantage in masking one pain with another? What do you gain by that, really?"

Cal shrugged.

"I think it's far more sensible to mask pain with pleasure," said Amber. "Pleasure can help you to forget just as well as pain and then tomorrow, you might actually have some good memories along with the bad ones."

Cal couldn't quite imagine ever having good memories again.

"So if you'd like to give it a go, I'm perfectly happy to give you some pleasure," said Amber. "But just so you know, this is a one-night-only offer. I'm leaving tomorrow and the chances are you'll never see me again. So don't go falling in love with me or anything silly like that."

Cal smiled faintly. "I don't want to offend you, Amber, but there really is no danger of that."

"Good," said Amber. "So what do you say?"

Cal had to admit it was a perfectly sound argument. Far more so than the sort of conversation he usually got from blonde women in pubs.

He looked at her again. She wasn't Sophie, but that was good. He needed a distraction and if Amber was willing to distract him, why not?

"Okay," he said. "But we can't go to my flat. Sophie and Ethan might be there."

Amber shrugged. "I have a hotel room. And don't worry. I'm not staying in the same hotel as Sophie. I went for something a little more up-market."

"Great," said Cal. He didn't feel very excited. He still felt more sad than anything. But he was fairly sure that would change.

Once they'd finished their drinks. Amber slid gracefully off her stool and held out her hand to Cal. Cal stood up and put his hand in hers.

As they left the pub, a text arrived from Lily. Cal, I'm just reminding you I'm still here if you want to talk. It doesn't matter how late it is.

Cal smiled. Lily had been a good friend to him tonight. A really good friend. And strange as it seemed, he did want to talk to her. About Sophie. About Ethan. About how he was going to get through the rest of his life.

But that could wait until tomorrow.

Cal sent a reply from the taxi. Thanks Lily. I appreciate it. Maybe we could talk tomorrow? I'm going to bed now. Good night x

He smiled again when he got Lily's reply. Short but sweet. Good night, Cal x

Ethan and Sophie lay entwined on the bed, too breathless for speech. They gasped for air and held onto each other tightly and thought about how happy they were.

At least, Ethan did. He wasn't completely sure what Sophie was thinking, but she definitely seemed happy.

Sophie's head was nestled on his collarbone and it just felt so right. Ethan kissed her hair.

"You are incredible, Sophie Matthews," he said as soon as he could talk. "And I've never had so much fun in my life."

"Neither have I," said Sophie. "And we haven't even taken our clothes off yet."

Ethan blushed, but not in an embarrassed sort of way. "No, but… well… I imagine we will. Eventually. When you're ready."

"I most certainly hope so." Sophie kissed his carotid muscle and giggled. "Even your neck goes red when you blush, Ethan."

"Does it?" said Ethan. "Perhaps I could make you blush one day."

"Oh, you already have. Loads of times," said Sophie. "I'm always in the pink when I'm with you." She lifted her head so she could kiss him.

Ethan kissed her back, but then she pulled away and dropped her head back onto his shoulder with a little sigh. Ethan looked at her, concerned. "What's wrong, darling?"

"I was just thinking about tomorrow."

Ethan stroked her hair. "Don't think about tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes."

"It will this time," said Sophie. She looked up at him. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Ethan."

"I know. I was trying not to think about it." Ethan hugged her closer to him. "I wish you weren't going."

Sophie stroked his face. "I could stay one more night and go back on Sunday, but only if the hotel has a spare room."

"Even if it doesn't, there must be one hotel in Holby with a spare room," said Ethan.

"Perhaps," said Sophie sadly. "But it only gives us one more day. And then I have to go back and who knows when or if I'll ever see you again?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," said Ethan. "You'll only get me started and I don't think I've got any condoms. But we will see each other again. Of course we will."

"Soon?" said Sophie.

Ethan nodded and kissed her. "I know it's too long, but I've got the day off on Thursday. I'll drive up on Wednesday night after my shift finishes and take you out for dinner. So we'll only not see each other on Monday and Tuesday."

Sophie blinked her tears away and nodded eagerly. "I have classes on Thursday, but only in the morning. So in the afternoon, we could get the train into the countryside and climb a mountain or something. Have a picnic. Walk lots. Sit down and cuddle lots. Then in the evening, I could cook for you."

"It sounds perfect," said Ethan, but he still felt like crying. He kissed her again. Partly because he wanted to; partly to stop his lips from quivering. "And then there's the weekend. I'm working on Saturday, but maybe we could work something out… "

"Lily did say I could go and stay with her if I wanted to come back to Holby," said Sophie. "I won't tomorrow night because it's too short notice, but maybe I could stay with her next weekend."

Ethan smiled and hugged her more tightly. "And I know it's a little way in the future, sweetheart, but I've got some holiday booked in August. I was going to go to the Peak District. For a walking holiday. So if you're not fed up with me by then, maybe we could… you know…"

"Go together?" Sophie's face lit up. "Oh, Ethan, I'd love to!"

"So would I," said Ethan softly.

"It sounds perfect," said Sophie ecstatically.

Ethan could only agree. "We could take two tents," he said, just in case she was worried.

"Two?" said Sophie. She sounded a lot less ecstatic now. "I hope you mean in case we leave one of them on the train."

Ethan felt embarrassed but excited. "Or in case the one we we're sleeping in gets stolen." He smiled. "Though perhaps you're the thief I should be worrying about. You've already stolen my heart. What will it be next?"

"I think in a case of cardiac theft, arrest is the next logical step."

Ethan smiled. "You've got these jokes down to a fine heart form, haven't you?"

"Now, that joke is verging on tachy," said Sophie.

"I never miss a beat," said Ethan.

"You're so im-pulse-ive, Ethan."

Ethan smiled. "We could be joking all night at this rate."

"Unless we bypass the jokes," said Sophie.

"And do what?" said Ethan, his face close to hers.

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something…"

"Actually, I did have something I wanted to show you," said Ethan.

Sophie smiled. "Get it out, then."

Ethan sat up. As Sophie was leaning against him, she sat up too. "Some pictures." He leaned over Sophie to find his phone. "Some pictures… of full frontal…"

"Ethan Hardy!"

"…lobes," finished Ethan. "A series of brain scans of the frontal lobe, that is." He looked at Sophie. "You would like to see them, wouldn't you? You don't have to pretend on my account."

Sophie's lips met his. "I know this is probably really weird, Ethan. But yes, actually, I'd love to see them!"

So, Ethan gets the girl, Cal gets laid and Lily gets a personality transplant.

Thank you so much for all the reviews and support and ideas you've given me during the writing of this story. It always makes me so happy to know my stories are enjoyed.

I will be writing a sequel, which I hope to start posting soon, so I really hope you'll read that too.