Disclaimer: Ah yet once again I don't own the characters of ER. If I did
things would be a lot different and there would be a lot more angst between
Carter and Abby. I just occasionally borrow them for a little entertainment
and personal enjoyment.
Summary: A strange twist of events brings a stranger back to the ER. Can Carter help her to get her life back together after a simple accident and twist of events reunites two old friends.
A/N: This story takes place is Season 10, but Carter didn't remain in Africa that second time. He came home Luka after getting him back. There is no Kem and definitely no Kem baby. Carter and Abby are back together.
The dream
A dream was only dream wasn't it? It was a question that John Carter had asked himself many times over the past 6 months. Yet, the dream that he had, was one that had come many times. Not just once or twice like the occasional night time haunt but several times. Always starting and ending the same way. He hoped that he hadn't awoken Abby who was sleeping next to him when he had bolted from his sleep from the dream rather than from the annoying noise of an alarm clock.
He shook himself trying to get rid of the thoughts that were in his head. There's nothing that I can do about it. I can't stop it or prevent it or change anything that's happened or that is going to happen. Besides the woman that was in this dream was one that he hadn't seen in, what was it five or six years? They parted as friends, said that they would stay in touch with each other but that didn't happen. Not that he had expected it too, you always say that you are going to, but the letters never come and you never do manage to make that phone call, the longer time passes the harder it is to bring yourself to make that call. He wouldn't be making that phone call now. No matter how many times he had the same dream, he couldn't bring himself to make that phone call. "It's only a dream, just because you dream it doesn't mean that it is going to happen."
John pulled his arms tighter around Abby who was sleeping next to him. She was the woman who had stolen his heart so long ago, but that he had just finally managed to make amends with and bring her back into his life. They were happy, at least on the outside they appeared to be happy. Carter knew that he was happy with her; things were slowly getting back to that somewhat normal stage. Eric was with Maggie on his meds and doing better. That had relieved a lot of the stress that was between them. He had sat down with her and explained why he had done what he had, and for the most part she seemed to be willing to accept it.
"Did you have that dream again?" A groggy not all the way awake Abby asked.
"Yeah I did." Carter said. One of their promises to each other was not to keep things secrete anymore, if something was bothering them, that they would be honest with each other and tell the other one. They needed to learn that they could lean on each other and not be afraid to burden the other with their troubles.
"Are you still afraid that it is some kind of ominous omen?" Abby asked now as she snuggled closer to Carter. She had no idea who this woman was, but she knew that this dream was bothering him a great deal.
"Not really, it is just really sad that I keep having the same one over and over again. I'm sure that it was probably just something that I ate before I went to bed." He said running his hand thru her hair, "probably your cooking." He tried to joke.
"Ha, ha, Carter that's really funny." Abby said. "You cooked last night not me. I was working until 10 last night. I want to go back to sleep, I have the night shift tonight."
"Well then that is what probably definitely did it." Carter said kissing the top of her head now softly. "You know I don't want to get out of this bed right now."
"Well you don't want to be late either." Abby said rolling away from him as she wrapped her arms around her pillow. She yawned as she buried her head now into that pillow. "And I'm definitely not ready to get up yet."
John smiled, "get some more sleep I will see you later when you come on shift. We'll be ships passing in the night again." He slowly got up off the bed, really not wanting to leave her side, but knowing that if he didn't he was going to be late for work. After everything that had happened he didn't want Weaver to think that he wasn't serious about his job. He enjoyed being an attending at County. He walked into the bathroom and took a hot shower letting the water clear any cobwebs that remained in his sleepy head. He made short work of getting dressed and before he left the room gave Abby yet one more kiss on the top of her now sleeping head.
Things were going so well for her and he was definitely proud of her. She was about to finish her fourth year of med school and in a few short months would be a doctor. He was looking forward to going to her graduation and being the first person to say, congratulations Dr. Lockhart. She was going to be a damn fine doctor. He had always had faith in her, from the first minute she walked into that ER doing her first ER rotation.
He walked outside, the sun was just starting to come up and the sky was filled with those brilliant predawn colors. The oranges, pinks, and purples coloring the low clouds that were hanging in the sky. He sighed softly, it was one of those romantic skies, the kind that you wanted to share with the person that you loved with your arms wrapped around them as you took the beauty in. He climbed in his jeep and started it before taking one last look at the sky and navigating the streets towards the hospital. The trip didn't take long, it never did. He pulled into a parking spot in the garage, gathered up his things, locked the jeep and started to walk inside.
"Good Morning Jerry." Carter said in his best cherry morning voice. "Has it been busy?"
"Good Morning Dr. Carter. No it's been pretty quiet for about the last 2 hours now. Dr. Kovac is sleeping in exam 3 and I believe that Dr. Pratt is sleeping in exam 4, although I'm not sure on that one." Jerry replied as he reached for a ringing phone.
Carter headed into the lounge, put his bag and coat inside his locker, exchanging them for a lab coat and stethoscope. Same locker for the past several years, same morning ritual, well it wasn't just a morning ritual he had done it at night too. Seniority had its privileges though. It meant not having to take as many night shifts anymore. He didn't mind working nights, but it was nice to have non-vampire hours now. He had been in this hospital for 10 years now and had watched a lot of people come and go. He shut his locker as he hung his stethoscope in its familiar place around his neck. Before starting that walk out to the admit desk to start what was probably going to be a very long and busy day. His shift went by with out many complications and nothing major had come in. What Carter had seen during the day had been mostly sprain, bumps, and a few cases of stomach bugs. Nothing that out of the ordinary had come into County, nothing complicated any traumas that were gun shots or stabbings. There had been one MVA during the day and for Chicago that was unusual.
He glanced up at the clock. Two hours to go now that it was a quarter past five. He was getting ready to go into an exam room when Jerry got his attention. "Dr. Carter, MVA five minute ETA. There are three victims, one major and two minor."
"I'm on it Jerry. Get Dr. Chen to give me a hand." Carter said as he grabbed a trauma gown and headed outside to wait for the coming ambulance. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes before Chen was standing outside with him. They made small talk as they waited for them to get there.
Carter was up and at the back doors of the ambulance pulling them open when it came to a stop, "What do you have for us today Doris?" Carter asked as he saw the familiar paramedics face inside the doors.
"We have an approximate 38 year old male, restrained passenger, t- bone accident driver's side; vitals are stable, open tib-fib fracture other than that he appears to be okay." Doris said as they slid the first patient out.
"Deb take him to Trauma one." Carter said as he waited for Doris to tell him about the second patient. "Greg Johnson, driver of the second car, he's a 50 yr old male complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath, alert and oriented."
"Okay let's head to exam 2 with this one." Carter said as they headed into the hospital. "I thought you had three?"
"They were still working on extricating the driver of the car that this guy hit." She said. "She should be coming in shortly; they almost had her out when we left with these two."
Carter started to treat the driver of the second car. From the looks of things had had suffered an MI which is what caused him to have the accident and hit the other car. They got him stabilized and on his way up to the Cath lab for angioplasty.
"Dr. Carter ambulance pulling up the third victim from the MVA," Jerry said to Carter.
Carter was at the ambulance bay door as they came rolling in. "35 year old restrained driver t-bone collision. LOC at the scene, prolonged extrication, and bp is 80/50, gave her 2 liters on the scene, and couldn't get her intubated." The medic rattled off to Carter as they headed into trauma 2.
They hurried to get the patient hooked up to monitors as they started to work on her. "Dr. Carter sats are down to 75." He heard Sam say to him.
"Okay give me a 7 ET tube and push suxs and atomidate." Carter said as he moved to the head of the bed. Carter looked down as he got ready to tube the patient. "Oh god it's Anna." He gasped as he moved to put the tube in. Reality hit him full on in the face as he realized that this was the dream starting to come true.
Summary: A strange twist of events brings a stranger back to the ER. Can Carter help her to get her life back together after a simple accident and twist of events reunites two old friends.
A/N: This story takes place is Season 10, but Carter didn't remain in Africa that second time. He came home Luka after getting him back. There is no Kem and definitely no Kem baby. Carter and Abby are back together.
The dream
A dream was only dream wasn't it? It was a question that John Carter had asked himself many times over the past 6 months. Yet, the dream that he had, was one that had come many times. Not just once or twice like the occasional night time haunt but several times. Always starting and ending the same way. He hoped that he hadn't awoken Abby who was sleeping next to him when he had bolted from his sleep from the dream rather than from the annoying noise of an alarm clock.
He shook himself trying to get rid of the thoughts that were in his head. There's nothing that I can do about it. I can't stop it or prevent it or change anything that's happened or that is going to happen. Besides the woman that was in this dream was one that he hadn't seen in, what was it five or six years? They parted as friends, said that they would stay in touch with each other but that didn't happen. Not that he had expected it too, you always say that you are going to, but the letters never come and you never do manage to make that phone call, the longer time passes the harder it is to bring yourself to make that call. He wouldn't be making that phone call now. No matter how many times he had the same dream, he couldn't bring himself to make that phone call. "It's only a dream, just because you dream it doesn't mean that it is going to happen."
John pulled his arms tighter around Abby who was sleeping next to him. She was the woman who had stolen his heart so long ago, but that he had just finally managed to make amends with and bring her back into his life. They were happy, at least on the outside they appeared to be happy. Carter knew that he was happy with her; things were slowly getting back to that somewhat normal stage. Eric was with Maggie on his meds and doing better. That had relieved a lot of the stress that was between them. He had sat down with her and explained why he had done what he had, and for the most part she seemed to be willing to accept it.
"Did you have that dream again?" A groggy not all the way awake Abby asked.
"Yeah I did." Carter said. One of their promises to each other was not to keep things secrete anymore, if something was bothering them, that they would be honest with each other and tell the other one. They needed to learn that they could lean on each other and not be afraid to burden the other with their troubles.
"Are you still afraid that it is some kind of ominous omen?" Abby asked now as she snuggled closer to Carter. She had no idea who this woman was, but she knew that this dream was bothering him a great deal.
"Not really, it is just really sad that I keep having the same one over and over again. I'm sure that it was probably just something that I ate before I went to bed." He said running his hand thru her hair, "probably your cooking." He tried to joke.
"Ha, ha, Carter that's really funny." Abby said. "You cooked last night not me. I was working until 10 last night. I want to go back to sleep, I have the night shift tonight."
"Well then that is what probably definitely did it." Carter said kissing the top of her head now softly. "You know I don't want to get out of this bed right now."
"Well you don't want to be late either." Abby said rolling away from him as she wrapped her arms around her pillow. She yawned as she buried her head now into that pillow. "And I'm definitely not ready to get up yet."
John smiled, "get some more sleep I will see you later when you come on shift. We'll be ships passing in the night again." He slowly got up off the bed, really not wanting to leave her side, but knowing that if he didn't he was going to be late for work. After everything that had happened he didn't want Weaver to think that he wasn't serious about his job. He enjoyed being an attending at County. He walked into the bathroom and took a hot shower letting the water clear any cobwebs that remained in his sleepy head. He made short work of getting dressed and before he left the room gave Abby yet one more kiss on the top of her now sleeping head.
Things were going so well for her and he was definitely proud of her. She was about to finish her fourth year of med school and in a few short months would be a doctor. He was looking forward to going to her graduation and being the first person to say, congratulations Dr. Lockhart. She was going to be a damn fine doctor. He had always had faith in her, from the first minute she walked into that ER doing her first ER rotation.
He walked outside, the sun was just starting to come up and the sky was filled with those brilliant predawn colors. The oranges, pinks, and purples coloring the low clouds that were hanging in the sky. He sighed softly, it was one of those romantic skies, the kind that you wanted to share with the person that you loved with your arms wrapped around them as you took the beauty in. He climbed in his jeep and started it before taking one last look at the sky and navigating the streets towards the hospital. The trip didn't take long, it never did. He pulled into a parking spot in the garage, gathered up his things, locked the jeep and started to walk inside.
"Good Morning Jerry." Carter said in his best cherry morning voice. "Has it been busy?"
"Good Morning Dr. Carter. No it's been pretty quiet for about the last 2 hours now. Dr. Kovac is sleeping in exam 3 and I believe that Dr. Pratt is sleeping in exam 4, although I'm not sure on that one." Jerry replied as he reached for a ringing phone.
Carter headed into the lounge, put his bag and coat inside his locker, exchanging them for a lab coat and stethoscope. Same locker for the past several years, same morning ritual, well it wasn't just a morning ritual he had done it at night too. Seniority had its privileges though. It meant not having to take as many night shifts anymore. He didn't mind working nights, but it was nice to have non-vampire hours now. He had been in this hospital for 10 years now and had watched a lot of people come and go. He shut his locker as he hung his stethoscope in its familiar place around his neck. Before starting that walk out to the admit desk to start what was probably going to be a very long and busy day. His shift went by with out many complications and nothing major had come in. What Carter had seen during the day had been mostly sprain, bumps, and a few cases of stomach bugs. Nothing that out of the ordinary had come into County, nothing complicated any traumas that were gun shots or stabbings. There had been one MVA during the day and for Chicago that was unusual.
He glanced up at the clock. Two hours to go now that it was a quarter past five. He was getting ready to go into an exam room when Jerry got his attention. "Dr. Carter, MVA five minute ETA. There are three victims, one major and two minor."
"I'm on it Jerry. Get Dr. Chen to give me a hand." Carter said as he grabbed a trauma gown and headed outside to wait for the coming ambulance. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes before Chen was standing outside with him. They made small talk as they waited for them to get there.
Carter was up and at the back doors of the ambulance pulling them open when it came to a stop, "What do you have for us today Doris?" Carter asked as he saw the familiar paramedics face inside the doors.
"We have an approximate 38 year old male, restrained passenger, t- bone accident driver's side; vitals are stable, open tib-fib fracture other than that he appears to be okay." Doris said as they slid the first patient out.
"Deb take him to Trauma one." Carter said as he waited for Doris to tell him about the second patient. "Greg Johnson, driver of the second car, he's a 50 yr old male complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath, alert and oriented."
"Okay let's head to exam 2 with this one." Carter said as they headed into the hospital. "I thought you had three?"
"They were still working on extricating the driver of the car that this guy hit." She said. "She should be coming in shortly; they almost had her out when we left with these two."
Carter started to treat the driver of the second car. From the looks of things had had suffered an MI which is what caused him to have the accident and hit the other car. They got him stabilized and on his way up to the Cath lab for angioplasty.
"Dr. Carter ambulance pulling up the third victim from the MVA," Jerry said to Carter.
Carter was at the ambulance bay door as they came rolling in. "35 year old restrained driver t-bone collision. LOC at the scene, prolonged extrication, and bp is 80/50, gave her 2 liters on the scene, and couldn't get her intubated." The medic rattled off to Carter as they headed into trauma 2.
They hurried to get the patient hooked up to monitors as they started to work on her. "Dr. Carter sats are down to 75." He heard Sam say to him.
"Okay give me a 7 ET tube and push suxs and atomidate." Carter said as he moved to the head of the bed. Carter looked down as he got ready to tube the patient. "Oh god it's Anna." He gasped as he moved to put the tube in. Reality hit him full on in the face as he realized that this was the dream starting to come true.