"And So This Is Christmas"
Okay, this is an ER story taking place after "How the Finch Stole Christmas" of Season 6. Read on... :-):-)
Lucy Knight smiled to herself as she got a cup of coffee. This Christmas Eve slash Christmas Day of 1999 was turning out to be a good one after all. She thought it would suck because she was working, but she had been wrong.
She had always heard stories about that one patient of your career who would touch your heart in a certain way, that made you feel great about yourself and about life, and that would restore your faith in man.
She exhaled a contented sigh as she stepped outside the front Emergency doors at County General Hospital. It was snowing tonight, making it a truly white Christmas, something Lucy loved to see.
She looked over just then and saw her resident advisor sitting outside under the snow. Slowly, she walked over to him, wanting to know that he was all right. She had heard about his night so far.
John Carter hadn't wanted to stay inside the hospital, where things had gone wrong for him tonight, Christmas night, 1999. He had tried his hardest to get guns away from young kids, and look where it got him. A dead eight-year-old boy.
These were the kinds of nights that he had always heard about in med. school. The kinds of nights that made you question why you got into this business of medicine in the first place. And if you could ever make it right again.
"Penny for your thoughts, Dr. Carter?" He looked up and said, "Save your money, Ms. Knight." She sat down beside him on the bench, taking a sip of her coffee. She offered it to him and he shook his head.
"Thanks, but not right now." She just nodded. Then she looked at him. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know what happened tonight..." John nodded, sighing. "It's okay. I can't save 'em all, I guess."
Lucy smiled and said, "Yeah, but you can try. And you do. And that's the most important part." That got him to smile a little, but she could tell that it was still bothering him, and she didn't blame him.
"I had to call an eight-year-old boy's life tonight, Lucy. I thought that by offering things for guns I could stop this. It just makes me feel all the more helpless about what goes on..." He sighed, shaking his head.
Lucy looked at him. "John, it's not about how many lives you don't save. It's about all the lives you do. And you save dozens every day of your life. That's a lotta work, even for someone like you, a perfectionist."
John looked at her. "Why are you in such an upbeat mood tonight?" Lucy smiled. "A Christmas miracle of sorts." John raised his eyebrows and Lucy began telling him the story of her favorite patient thus far.
"Wow Lucy, that's terrific." She smiled and said, "Thank you. I learned from the best." But John shook his head. "Nah, it's all you. And you're gonna make one hell of a doctor someday real soon."
Lucy smiled again. "Well thank you Dr. Carter. But it's not all me, ya' know. I have to give some credit to you. I've learned so many things being under your tutelage, I wouldn't know where to start."
John couldn't help it, he smiled. He had wanted to think that he was able to make Lucy a better doctor, but he didn't want to toot his own horn. But when Lucy said it, that was definitely okay with him.
"Thank you Lucy. I didn't think I'd ever feel better tonight. On Christmas." Lucy smiled. "It's okay. It's my job. Besides, no one's allowed to feel bad tonight, on this wonderful holiday." John laughed.
"Christmas fanatic, huh?" Lucy smiled and said, "Always." They both looked at the same time to the falling snow, breaths catching in their throat the beauty of it all, as it blanketed the world around them.
"So why'd you volunteer to stay tonight?", He asked. Lucy shrugged. "Well, this hospital is like my second home. I love you guys. And that means you're my family. So, for me, this is where I belong."
John smiled and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel too." They shared a smile and then Lucy looked up at the sky. "So are you gonna sit here all night?", She asked, looking back at him a moment later.
John shrugged. "I don't know. I might." Lucy smiled. "Okay, then I will too." Then she took hold of his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. John smiled at her and then they both turned back to watch the falling snow.