Hello! This is the sequel to 'Seatbelt', and this won't make much sense unless you've read that. I have to say, I've given up pre-writing it! And anyway, I didnt want to keep you waiting any longer! (I know, the title of this story is awful!) So, here it is! Would you mind reviewing? It would help a lot! I shall let you read on!

Coping: Prologue

Nothing was the same.

A mere week previously, the Clinical Lead died. That hit everyone hard. Connie Beauchamp was never going to come back and it pulled at everyone's hearts, made them ache with the emptiness. She suffered a severe head injury- resulting in a bleed in her brain. She had to have life-saving surgery performed by the CEO and a very good neurosurgeon- Guy Self. Everyone thought she was saved. Everyone thought she would live to see another day; that she would love to rule over her kingdom- also known as Holby City ED. Everyone was wrong. Connie Beauchamp didn't survive. Her last moment was with Charlie before she ultimately lost consciousness and that started the chain reaction- resulting in her death.

Zoe remembered what Guy said as if it was yesterday. 'I'm afraid…well…' She remembered him stumbling over his words. His face displaying one of sheer and utter worry- very unusual for the CEO. She remembered seeing him take a deep breath, as if psyching himself up to say the actual sentence. She was holding her breath in apprehension, but she had a feeling she knew what was coming. 'We lost Connie ten minutes ago.' That sealed it. That made it all real. It was apparently 'complications'. She later learned that the bleed returned, but they hadn't been able to save her. Her heart broke, but that was only the first bit of bad news.

Not only did Connie die, but a young doctor, Ethan Hardy, was lying in a coma, currently being kept alive in ITU. His condition was worrying when he first arrived in the ED, but it was stable. Until the deterioration that led to his current state. He lost consciousness, he flat lined, he almost died. He did die for a short period of time. That was too long. His vital organs, his brain were starved of oxygen, making them shut down. He was revived, but he wasn't alive, not properly.

Cal was worried sick for his little brother. He was still counting on Ethan waking up. He insisted on working, saying he didn't need time off. He needed to distract himself from what happened with Ethan. It was partly his fault. He should have been quicker when trying to work out what the problem was. He was as doctor for God's sake! But, that was all in the past. Cal couldn't change it. He just waited and waited for Ethan to wake up.

Cal remembered what happened clearly. He was too late, and Ethan had a tear in his aorta- one of his main arteries. He nearly bled to death! Cal even had to incubate his own brother. That was terrifying. He too remembered the conversation which made his whole world fall apart. The surgeon informed him that they managed to repair the aorta. His tone never wavered- not once. Cal could have slapped him for being so professional. It sounded like he didn't even care about his little brother. It sounded like Ethan was just another patient.

Then the surgeon said the one word Cal didn't want to hear. He said 'but' which always meant something terrible happened. Cal started thinking up all different things. Cal persisted for the unwilling surgeon to tell him what happened. They recusitated him. They did. He wasn't dead. But he was in a coma. Who knows what damage would have been done to Ethan- what brain cells would have died from lack of oxygen. Cal's heart broke from it. And he wasn't sure it would ever mend.

Lily had a couple of days off of work, as did Tess and Ash. None of them were too badly injured, the worst of their injuries being Ash's dislocated shoulder which was rectified almost immediately. But the ED wasn't the same.

No one spoke of the crash. No one dared. The closest it came were people asking how Ethan was or questioning about the other members of the staff. The crash, that dreadful crash that caused all of this mess pulled at everyone's hearts, and nothing would be the same for a long time.