Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING
Lucy couldn't believe her luck when she got to work Monday morning. Normally Dr. Carter, was on her case about everything but today he was being really nice for some reason. It was absolutely amazing because the last time she had seen him was on Friday and she had gotten him in a lot of trouble. She had accidentally told Kerry about him letting her perform a procedure she wasn't qualified for yet. Lucy thought that Kerry would be proud of her for doing it so well but instead she was upset with Carter for letting her do it. Kerry had pulled him aside and yelled at him for almost half an hour about how stupid it was and how that little stunt had probably cost him a position as Chief Resident next year.
He in turn pulled Lucy aside and yelled at her. While Kerry's comments to him were directed towards him professionally, Carter's towards her were personal. She could feel her face burning in embarrassment as she remembered what he said to her. He told her how he couldn't trust her with anything and how trying to help her had cost him and how he was never going to do anything nice for her again. Tears started to sting her eyes as his last sentence to her was repeated in her head, "So help me God you idiot, I'm going to make you feel as humiliated as I did today. Even if it's the last thing I do."
Everyone that heard about what happened had gotten mad at Carter, they didn't think that him taking his anger out on her was appropriate. She didn't know that she was supposed to keep it a secret from Kerry. Coming in Monday morning Lucy was tense wondering how Carter would act towards her but he acted like it didn't even happen. Then she messed up an IV and he didn't yell at her. She had been chatting non-stop and he didn't tell her to shut up even once. It was already 6:30 and he hadn't scowled, smirked, or yelled at her even once. "It must be my lucky day," she said as she was getting ready to go home in the lounge.
"And why is that?"
She jumped a little bit and turned around. Upon seeing Carter there smiling at her she started to blush furiously. "Oh hi, Dr. Carter, I didn't hear you come in."
"So," he asked conversationally, "Have any big plans for tonight? Any hot dates?"
She shook her head and went back to taking her coat out of her locker. "Why was he being so nice to me?" she asked herself.
"Well," he said as he walked up and helped her into her coat, "I think that we need to remedy that."
Without meaning to she raised an eyebrow. Little warning signals went of in her head, he not acting like himself. He was acting like himself, acting like he acted around pretty girls that he liked, not how he acted around her. He never showed her any positive attention. She couldn't figure out what he was up to, but she could have sworn that he was flirting with her. Lucy didn't really have any romantic interest in the guy, he was entirely too much of an arrogant ass for her to even consider a relationship with him but she was intrigued nevertheless at the possibility of getting to know him better. She couldn't figure out anything about him but wanted to try and be his friend, at least for the sake of having a happier working environment.
"Lucy, I would love to take you out to dinner tonight. Are you busy?" he asked.
Wow. He had been flirting with you. She was flabbergasted, "Yes, uh no, uh what time?"
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "I'll pick you up from your dorm at 8:00. Bye." With that he walked out the door leaving a very stunned Lucy to try and figure out what had happened.
It was exactly 8:00 by the time that she finished putting on her make-up and getting dressed. She figured that Carter was the type to be unbearably punctual and she was right. The moment that the clocked clicked over to 8:00 she heard a knock on the door. It was him. He was wearing a dark blue suit and looked groomed to perfection. Suddenly she felt very self- conscious in her long black skirt and form-fitting sweater. He was dressed like a doctor and she like some kind of high school student.
He handed her flowers and walked in. "You look wonderful tonight Lucy," he told her. She started blushing again.
"Thank you. I don't feel like it though. I'm dressed like your kid sister. I think that I'm going to change."
He looked her up and down. "Don't. I like they way you look." He took her hand and kissed it puller her closer to him with his other arm around her waist. "I think that you look incredible and you know I would tell you if you looked otherwise."
They walked out to his jeep and he held the door for her. He got in and started driving before she actually got the nerve to ask him what was going on. She couldn't stand it anymore so she just came out and questioned his motives.
"What's going on tonight, Dr. Carter? Is this a date or am I miss reading this?" She looked at him with the most serious look in her eyes.
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I think that 'Dr. Carter is a little formal for tonight, call me John."
She squeezed his hand back still somewhat confused though, "Ok John. Where are we going tonight?"
"It's a surprise."
"A surprise?"
The surprise turned out to be L'Ethiks. Lucy couldn't believe it. How could Carter afford something like this? The Marti 'd took them and seated them in a quiet secluded corner. Lucy was trying to not be so wide-eyed and impressed. Carter wasn't acting in the least bit impressed; he just sat there watching her as she gawked at everything. The huge ceilings, crystal chandeliers, wonderful paintings, the other patrons. Everything was so elegant.
He leaned across the table and whispered to her, "Lucy, if you keep staring at the table across from us that gentleman is going to get the wrong idea about you."
She blushed and giggled. "Sorry, I think that guy is the mayor though. Doesn't it look like him?"
Carter turned around to look too. "Hey your right Lucy, it sure is." They mayor looked at him and waved and Carter waved back. Lucy's jaw dropped.
"You know the mayor?" she asked him incredulously.
"My grandparents contributed to his campaign fund. I met him at one of their dinner parties."
She had felt many things towards Carter in the past, anger, respect, compassion, hurt, but never had she felt intimidated by him and that feeling was worrying her. Trying to brush it off she decided to stop looking at her surroundings and instead study the menu. She had taken French in high school and was hoping that if the menu was in French she would remember enough to order something that she actually wanted. Everything was in French but without prices. A small little worry crease formed in her forehead.
John noticed it too. "What's the matter," he asked as he peered at her over the top of his own menu.
She blushed again and in a whisper explained her embarrassing situation, "There aren't any prices on the menu."
"So?"
The blush turned a shade deeper, "I only brought thirty dollars with me. I don't want to order something that I can't pay for."
His laugh rang in her ears and she almost started to cry. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't born to the fabulously wealthy was it? It wasn't her fault that she only had a certain amount of money to spend on food per month and couldn't blow it all on one dinner was it? He stopped laughing when her saw her face. She really was embarrassed.
"I don't see what's so funny."
Once again he picked up her hand but she pulled it away from him. If he wanted to make fun of her then she was going to pout. He picks it up again and doesn't let go when she tries to pull it away again. "I'll tell you what I think is so funny. The fact that you think that I'm the type of guy who would invite a beautiful woman on a dinner date and then expect her to pay for herself."
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. He said it was a date. Whoa. This was so wrong. The man across from her was her teacher and she was on a date with him. And she was excited that it was a date. She had tried her hardest to ignore the feelings of attraction that she had towards him for so long but it was getting harder to do with him sitting across the table from him. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that he had ordered wine for them until the steward was filling her glass. She was confused enough by her feelings and by his intentions that she didn't want to put herself into a situation where she couldn't make an intelligent decision, which happened every time she drank. Not being able to hold her liquor was quite a liability at times. "What the hell," she though as she lifted her glass to drink, "Tonight will be a night to throw caution to the wind. I'm on a date with my teacher, I might as well have a glass or two of wine. Besides he's driving not me."
To be continued…..
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING
Lucy couldn't believe her luck when she got to work Monday morning. Normally Dr. Carter, was on her case about everything but today he was being really nice for some reason. It was absolutely amazing because the last time she had seen him was on Friday and she had gotten him in a lot of trouble. She had accidentally told Kerry about him letting her perform a procedure she wasn't qualified for yet. Lucy thought that Kerry would be proud of her for doing it so well but instead she was upset with Carter for letting her do it. Kerry had pulled him aside and yelled at him for almost half an hour about how stupid it was and how that little stunt had probably cost him a position as Chief Resident next year.
He in turn pulled Lucy aside and yelled at her. While Kerry's comments to him were directed towards him professionally, Carter's towards her were personal. She could feel her face burning in embarrassment as she remembered what he said to her. He told her how he couldn't trust her with anything and how trying to help her had cost him and how he was never going to do anything nice for her again. Tears started to sting her eyes as his last sentence to her was repeated in her head, "So help me God you idiot, I'm going to make you feel as humiliated as I did today. Even if it's the last thing I do."
Everyone that heard about what happened had gotten mad at Carter, they didn't think that him taking his anger out on her was appropriate. She didn't know that she was supposed to keep it a secret from Kerry. Coming in Monday morning Lucy was tense wondering how Carter would act towards her but he acted like it didn't even happen. Then she messed up an IV and he didn't yell at her. She had been chatting non-stop and he didn't tell her to shut up even once. It was already 6:30 and he hadn't scowled, smirked, or yelled at her even once. "It must be my lucky day," she said as she was getting ready to go home in the lounge.
"And why is that?"
She jumped a little bit and turned around. Upon seeing Carter there smiling at her she started to blush furiously. "Oh hi, Dr. Carter, I didn't hear you come in."
"So," he asked conversationally, "Have any big plans for tonight? Any hot dates?"
She shook her head and went back to taking her coat out of her locker. "Why was he being so nice to me?" she asked herself.
"Well," he said as he walked up and helped her into her coat, "I think that we need to remedy that."
Without meaning to she raised an eyebrow. Little warning signals went of in her head, he not acting like himself. He was acting like himself, acting like he acted around pretty girls that he liked, not how he acted around her. He never showed her any positive attention. She couldn't figure out what he was up to, but she could have sworn that he was flirting with her. Lucy didn't really have any romantic interest in the guy, he was entirely too much of an arrogant ass for her to even consider a relationship with him but she was intrigued nevertheless at the possibility of getting to know him better. She couldn't figure out anything about him but wanted to try and be his friend, at least for the sake of having a happier working environment.
"Lucy, I would love to take you out to dinner tonight. Are you busy?" he asked.
Wow. He had been flirting with you. She was flabbergasted, "Yes, uh no, uh what time?"
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "I'll pick you up from your dorm at 8:00. Bye." With that he walked out the door leaving a very stunned Lucy to try and figure out what had happened.
It was exactly 8:00 by the time that she finished putting on her make-up and getting dressed. She figured that Carter was the type to be unbearably punctual and she was right. The moment that the clocked clicked over to 8:00 she heard a knock on the door. It was him. He was wearing a dark blue suit and looked groomed to perfection. Suddenly she felt very self- conscious in her long black skirt and form-fitting sweater. He was dressed like a doctor and she like some kind of high school student.
He handed her flowers and walked in. "You look wonderful tonight Lucy," he told her. She started blushing again.
"Thank you. I don't feel like it though. I'm dressed like your kid sister. I think that I'm going to change."
He looked her up and down. "Don't. I like they way you look." He took her hand and kissed it puller her closer to him with his other arm around her waist. "I think that you look incredible and you know I would tell you if you looked otherwise."
They walked out to his jeep and he held the door for her. He got in and started driving before she actually got the nerve to ask him what was going on. She couldn't stand it anymore so she just came out and questioned his motives.
"What's going on tonight, Dr. Carter? Is this a date or am I miss reading this?" She looked at him with the most serious look in her eyes.
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I think that 'Dr. Carter is a little formal for tonight, call me John."
She squeezed his hand back still somewhat confused though, "Ok John. Where are we going tonight?"
"It's a surprise."
"A surprise?"
The surprise turned out to be L'Ethiks. Lucy couldn't believe it. How could Carter afford something like this? The Marti 'd took them and seated them in a quiet secluded corner. Lucy was trying to not be so wide-eyed and impressed. Carter wasn't acting in the least bit impressed; he just sat there watching her as she gawked at everything. The huge ceilings, crystal chandeliers, wonderful paintings, the other patrons. Everything was so elegant.
He leaned across the table and whispered to her, "Lucy, if you keep staring at the table across from us that gentleman is going to get the wrong idea about you."
She blushed and giggled. "Sorry, I think that guy is the mayor though. Doesn't it look like him?"
Carter turned around to look too. "Hey your right Lucy, it sure is." They mayor looked at him and waved and Carter waved back. Lucy's jaw dropped.
"You know the mayor?" she asked him incredulously.
"My grandparents contributed to his campaign fund. I met him at one of their dinner parties."
She had felt many things towards Carter in the past, anger, respect, compassion, hurt, but never had she felt intimidated by him and that feeling was worrying her. Trying to brush it off she decided to stop looking at her surroundings and instead study the menu. She had taken French in high school and was hoping that if the menu was in French she would remember enough to order something that she actually wanted. Everything was in French but without prices. A small little worry crease formed in her forehead.
John noticed it too. "What's the matter," he asked as he peered at her over the top of his own menu.
She blushed again and in a whisper explained her embarrassing situation, "There aren't any prices on the menu."
"So?"
The blush turned a shade deeper, "I only brought thirty dollars with me. I don't want to order something that I can't pay for."
His laugh rang in her ears and she almost started to cry. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't born to the fabulously wealthy was it? It wasn't her fault that she only had a certain amount of money to spend on food per month and couldn't blow it all on one dinner was it? He stopped laughing when her saw her face. She really was embarrassed.
"I don't see what's so funny."
Once again he picked up her hand but she pulled it away from him. If he wanted to make fun of her then she was going to pout. He picks it up again and doesn't let go when she tries to pull it away again. "I'll tell you what I think is so funny. The fact that you think that I'm the type of guy who would invite a beautiful woman on a dinner date and then expect her to pay for herself."
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. He said it was a date. Whoa. This was so wrong. The man across from her was her teacher and she was on a date with him. And she was excited that it was a date. She had tried her hardest to ignore the feelings of attraction that she had towards him for so long but it was getting harder to do with him sitting across the table from him. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that he had ordered wine for them until the steward was filling her glass. She was confused enough by her feelings and by his intentions that she didn't want to put herself into a situation where she couldn't make an intelligent decision, which happened every time she drank. Not being able to hold her liquor was quite a liability at times. "What the hell," she though as she lifted her glass to drink, "Tonight will be a night to throw caution to the wind. I'm on a date with my teacher, I might as well have a glass or two of wine. Besides he's driving not me."
To be continued…..