Changes
by: Eyes-of-Pearl
Rating: K
Disclaimer: ER belongs to its respective owners.
Author's Note & Synopsis: I have been a long time ER fan. It is out of the blue that I decided to write a fic. This is a Carter-Deb friendship because I feel that their relationships aren't really explored in fandom. Considered AU with some elements from the series. Here, Carter finds out the meaning of Deb's name.
--This is a quick repost, slightly revised. Thanks to bk 81867, who reminded me that Deb calls him John and not Carter.--
Changes
For the longest time, he had called her 'Deb.' That was the name that she went by when they went to med school together. Back then, they were so competitive, always trying to outshine the other. It certainly gave the phrase "Everything you can do, I can do better" a whole new meaning. Yet, through it all, they had emerged closer, relying on the other for stability and comfort, solidifying their friendship.
Who knew that years later they would become colleagues working at County General Hospital? Even now, the name Deb would naturally roll off his tongue whenever he addressed the Asian doctor. She, in turn, would call him 'John.' His name always come out crisp, but not condescending. Somehow, hearing his name coming from her mouth, there wasn't the presumptuousness that always went along with the Carter-name. He had grew up with the lectures about keeping up the pretenses and maintaining a stellar reputation.
No - with her, it was always just John and Deb. That is, until she returned to County with a new name. Jing Mei. She had explained that it wasn't anything new, rather, it was just her Chinese name.
"People change, John." she had said but then offered no real explanations.
John ... at least that didn't change. So, while everybody else started calling Dr. Chen, Jing Mei, he steadfastly continued to call her Deb. He secretly thought that it was his sole right and prided himself to be privileged to call her thus. However, this didn't mean that his curiosity was abated.
One night, out on a whim, he had offered to take her out for coffee. Their day had started off badly with multiple triage patients. By midday, the ER was filled a couple of drunks with the unhealthy habit of voiding by the admissions counter, screaming children and their frantic parents, and a couple of adolescents who were victims of rival gang vendettas. They had rounded off two hours past their scheduled shift with Romano breathing down their necks about the 'incompetence' of ER personnels. Carter needed a break and seeing Deb on her way out, he urged, "C'mon Deb, it's coffee - milk with two sugars. I still remember."
She smiled, as she had long learned not to correct John in his form of address. It was quite endearing really, bringing back to the days when they were students together. Things were less complicated back then, but she knew that some changes were inevitable.
Looking up to see Carter's imploring gaze, she couldn't resist by saying, "Good memory, John. Since you are so nice to offer, then you should know that I'm starving for more than just a cup of caffeine."
So, here they were, sitting in a cozy booth at the local diner. Warm cups of coffee were left steaming beside them as they shared a bowl of chocolate banana split. It was true what they said about chocolate being comfort food. Carter amused himself by watching Deb devouring the last bit of chocolate from her spoon before dipping it into the bowl for a second bite. Likewise, she was smiling to herself at John's weird habit of rolling the ice-cream in his mouth as if savouring every bit of chocolate and banana.
Carter finally broke the comfortable silence by blurting out, "So, what does it mean?"
Her smoky brown eyes reflected confusion and bewilderment at his question. "What does what mean?"
"Your Chinese name," he clarified.
She slowly lowered her spoon onto her napkin and leaned back against her chair. Silence descended upon them as she turned to look out the window beside her. After awhile, Carter thought that she wasn't going to answer him, when she countered with another question, "Why do you ask? You never questioned it before."
"No, particular reason. Just curious."
She diverted her gaze to him again, "You do know what they say about curiosity."
"I'm no cat, Deb."
She laughed at his poor attempt at humour before looking up to meet his hazel eyes. For the second time that night, she was amazed by their intensity. She wondered briefly if Abby and Susan knew what they were staring into when they looked into the eyes of John Truman Carter.
She shook herself from her stupor. "Well, Jing Mei is really two Chinese characters but they have different meanings."
She paused to see his nod, waiting for her to further elaborate. "Jing means the essence or the purity and Mei is the word for beauty or beautiful."
"Jing Mei," he repeated as if testing the feel of her name in his tongue.
At that moment, Jing Mei Chen knew the real reason for her hesitation. She was scared. Despite what she said about change, she was afraid that she was going to lose his friendship. It was the only constant in her life, her anchor when things got rough. She would always be Deb in John's eyes.
"The essence of beauty," he murmured, "it's fitting."
Then he brightened with a trademark Carter smile and said, "You are beautiful, Deb. Promise me that you won't change too much, hmm."
Letting out a quick sigh of relief, she felt that a weight had been lifted from her as she replied, "Promise."
The End
AN: So like it, hate it? Let me know your thoughts in a review. By the way, in case you were wondering if that is the real meaning to Deb's name, I can say with some certainty that it is.