Downfallen
Disclaimer: I don't own the character of ER; I am just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. No money will ever be made off this story it's for personal use only.
Carter took off his dark glasses the sunlight had been bothering his eyes the last few days. He had been working the graveyard all week long now, and the hours were getting easier on him. Actually he now, with the time that had lapsed he preferred to work at night. Things had started to slowly change and he couldn't put his finger on them, he didn't know what was happening to him. Over the past month, he had a hunger that couldn't be satisfied, at least not by anything that he was eating. He had a migraine that was right behind the middle of his forehead, it had been there in full force for almost three days now, and nothing seemed to help it.
He took some toradol for the headache as he left work, that didn't touch it. When he got home he laid down on the bed next to Abby. He pulled her into his arms. Being careful not to awaken her, as he pulled her closer to him, he could feel the blood pumping in her veins. He could hear every beat of her heart as it pushed the precious life flow thru her body.
As he lay there his hunger got worse, the pounding in his head intensified. He was loosing control over what was happening to him. He leaned over Abby's neck, he was drawn to her human flesh, the pounding of her heart forcing her blood thru he body. He put his hand over her mouth; he felt a need to silence her. This was to keep her from screaming her pain out to the world around them. His teeth sunk into her flesh, her neck felt so soft and smooth. He felt her try to scream out. He didn't look at her and kept her turned so that he had access to her neck and she couldn't see his face or his eyes, but he held her still as he began to suck the life from her body. He felt new life flow into his. This was the hunger that he needed pacified.
He looked down at her almost lifeless body. He couldn't understand why he had done what he had just done. This wasn't him like him at all. How could he explain this to people, if he could explain it at all? He couldn't understand it how could he expect anyone else to. They would lock him up in the psych ward and throw away the key. He couldn't let them do that. He was going to have to hide this somehow. He looked down at Abby. He couldn't just sit there and let her die.
He picked her nearly life like body up off the bed and headed toward his jeep. He would take her to county and see if they could help her. He was going to just drop her off. That way maybe none of this would be traced back to him. He wasn't sure if Abby had seen him or not. He could say that he had gotten home and found that someone had broken in and he had found her like this. No one would be any the wiser that he was the one who had nearly killed her.
He started the jeep and the short drive into the hospital. He carried her in thru the ambulance bay doors. He knew that Luka was on tonight, but other than that he wasn't sure who else was there or who would be there.
"Randi, what's open?" He called out as he walked in.
"Trauma Two." She called out to him.
Carter headed into the trauma room with Abby. At least here she would get some help. Carter laid Abby down on the gurney and pushed her hair back from her face, "don't worry you're going to be okay."
Luka came into the trauma room, "Carter what happened to her?"
Carter looked up at the Croatian doctor, "I don't know I came home from work and found her like this. It looked like someone had broken in. She was in the bedroom on the bed bleeding when I got there."
Carter was trying to make his story as believable as he could. The last thing that he wanted was to bring suspicion down upon him.
"Carter stay with her." Luka said as he backed out of the room. He was getting the chills being near Carter. Luka knew that there was something not right with the young doctor. He headed out towards the admit desk. He wanted to get another doctor in there with him.
"Randi, where's Kerry?" Luka asked.
"She was in the lounge the last time that I saw her about ten minutes ago." Randi said turning her attention back to the ringing telephone.
"Thanks," Luka muttered back to her as he headed off down the hall. He wanted to find Kerry fast; he wasn't thrilled with leaving Carter in there alone with Abby. Not after what he had seen. It had sent chills up his spine. Luka pushed open the door to the lounge. "Kerry I need to talk to you."
"What is it Luka," Kerry said looking up at him.
"Can you come in to trauma two for a couple of minutes? Carter brought Abby in, said that someone broke into their apartment but something's not right." He said.
Kerry looked at Luka for a minute. "What do you mean; I am off and headed home."
Luka looked at Kerry. She was standing there in a tight black tank top, which showed off her endowments, the tight leather pants; fit her like a glove, highlighting her assets. Tightly laced army boots had replaced the brown loafers that she wore in the ER while working. This was not the tight fisted, normally uptight ER doctor and chief of staff that Luka was used to seeing. The one who was always dressed so professional? What he didn't know was Kerry's secrete. During the day she was a healing physician but by night she was Chicago's savior against the evil's that ran the streets.
"Kerry could you just please come and take a look at Abby." He said. "I'm not comfortable leaving Carter in there alone with her."
"I don't know why you wouldn't be Luka." She said pulling her lab coat over her clothes, "Carter and Abby have been dating for awhile now, and Carter wouldn't hurt a flea."
Kerry headed down to trauma two where Luka had left Abby and Carter. Carter was slumped down over Abby. She noticed that he was a lot paler than he used to be. Carter looked up when he heard someone walk into the trauma room.
"Kerry," He said looking at her with eyes wide open. He didn't know what to make of Luka bringing her into the room.
"Carter." Kerry said acknowledging him. She walked over and looked at Abby. She was extremely pale from the amount of blood she had lost. Kerry looked Abby over, listening to her breathing and to her heart beating. She glanced over at Carter, "how did this happen?"
Carter started to retell the story that he had made up. "She was like this when I got home from work. I found her lying on the bed bleeding Kerry. It looked like someone had broken into the apartment."
"I see," She said looking over Abby. She noticed the two small puncture wounds on Abby's neck. , And the purple bruising around what looked to be bite marks. Something in Carter's story wasn't adding up. She was sure of that, but she wasn't sure if someone had broken in to Abby's apartment and Carter had found her or if Carter was the one who had done this to Abby and he was now covering his ass, feeling guilty for what he had done to the woman he supposedly loved.
The silence in the room was over whelming. You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. Kerry had her doubts about what he was telling her, and Carter could feel that doubt. They just stared at each other for a moment neither one wanting to say anything to the other. As if they were both trying to find the words to say.
Carter broke the silence first, "you think that I did this, don't you Kerry." He stroked Abby's head lovingly. As if that act would change Kerry's mind.
"I don't know what to think Carter." She said looking at him.
"I had nothing to do with this." He said getting agitated with her, "I would never hurt Abby."
Luka watched them both. He couldn't make heads or tails out of what was going on. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.
Kerry looked up at Luka, "you might want to get the police involved, especially if it was a break in."
"I've called them." Luka said looking at Carter and then Kerry. Carter seemed to get nervous when Luka mentioned the police.
"I'm sure they will find the person responsible for this." He said looking at both of them, trying to be convincing with his story. He knew that if he told it enough he would start to believe it himself.
Carter didn't let go of Abby's hand as the two of them looked at him. He was going to convince them both that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on and that they had been the victims of nothing more than a random attack.
"Just keep an eye on her Luka." Kerry said as she started out of the room, "I am off and I am going home."
"Alright Kerry. Have a goodnight." Luka said as he watched Kerry walk away.
Kerry headed out of the room; something was not sitting right with her. Carter was giving her a strange feeling. She headed back towards the lounge to get her stuff.
Carter slipped out of the trauma room behind Kerry. He knew that she knew that something was up and he was going to put an end to this before rumors started to fly. Carter silently followed Kerry into the lounge, and crept up behind her. "What do you think you know?"
"I don't know what you are talking about Carter." She said spinning around to face him.
"Don't pretend with me Kerry." He said hissing at her.
"I'm not pretending Carter," She said putting her guard up. "All I know is what you told me."
"No you are reading more into than that Kerry." He said taking a step closer to her, "you might not have said anything out loud but I could hear you thinking it."
"I think you have fallen off your rocker Carter." She said. She wasn't comfortable with how close he was getting to her.
"You know don't you." He said pressing her for information.
"I know that you're nuts." She said backing a step up trying to keep a barrier between her and Carter.
"Nuts Kerry come on." He said letting a laugh slip from his throat, "is that all you think. In all the time I have worked with you I have never known you to clam up and not speak your mind. Has the cat got your tongue now?"
"Carter just back off and let it go." Kerry said. He was starting to get on her nerves. "I'm off and I'm late. Now if you'll excuse me." She tried to push him out of her way.
"No Kerry." Carter said still blocking her way. "We are not finished her, not by a long shot."
"Carter drop this right now. You're being an ass." She said pushing him from her path.
He grabbed a hold on her arm, "I am not letting you leave here Kerry." Carter said. "You know too much."
"Let go Carter." Kerry said pushing him back. Carter crashed back against the lockers.
He was getting extremely agitated with Kerry now. "You've made a mistake doing that Kerry."
"Carter relax, you are just mumbling now. You are making no sense what so ever. Get some sleep or something you're just upset about Abby. Let the police deal with it." Kerry said heading for the door.
"No, Kerry stop right where you are." Carter said.
Before Kerry could blink Carter was between her and the door, she wasn't sure how he was able to move that fast. She was putting the pieces of what was going on together. "Stop Carter."
"She's mine Kerry." Carter said pushing Kerry backwards, "if you think that I am going to let you get into the middle of this you are sorely mistaken."
"Carter what in the bloody hell are you babbling about." Kerry said. She had no doubt in her mind that he was the one who had done this, but she was going to get him to admit to it before she killed him. She was going to have fun taking him out too. Carter had always been a thorn in her side. His little antics and drug use in her ER was the final straw. She was not going to put her career on hold only longer and let him keep her from moving up the ladder. She would take great pleasure in seeing that his miserable excuse for a life came to an end.
"You know what I am talking about Kerry." He hissed back at her. "You can't play stupid with me."
"Do you have some kind of death wish Carter?" Kerry said circling around Carter.
"No I don't and there's nothing that you can do to stop me." Carter said. He swung at Kerry.
Kerry blocked his punch and let a right hook fly catching Carter under the chin. He went flying back in the lockers, the sound of his body crashing into them echoed thru the room.
"Don't do this Carter." She said giving him a warning, "don't make me hurt you."
"Like you could Kerry." He said brushing off her punch. He wasn't going to let her know that he had wounded him.
"Carter you are being foolish," She said just as he came charging towards her again.
Kerry was prepared to defend herself. She was going to toy with him for a little while before she put him out of his misery. She stepped to the side as he went flying past her. She turned facing him again. "Carter you are out of your league now."
"I don't think so," He said attacking her.
Kerry kicked Carter in thee chest sending him crashing into the wall. She knocked the wind out of him as she watching him leaning against the wall trying to catch his breath.
"Are you going to give up?" She said looking at him.
"Never." Carter said.
"Have it your way Carter." Kerry said.
Carter charged at her again. Kerry ducked down as he came at her. She raised her crutch up catching Carter squarely in the chest. His body twitched twice as it went into him. He looked at her once more. Then his body disintegrated before her into nothing more than ashes. The young doctor was no more.
Kerry stood up. Knowing now for sure that the young man had been taken by something so evil that there were no words to describe it. He was the one who had bitten Abby and brought her to the hospital. Why he had done that no one would ever know. Hopefully the hospital would be able to forget that he ever existed. Kerry would have to make up a story so that Abby wouldn't wonder what had happened. But that could be dealt with tomorrow.
She was tired now and wanted nothing more than to go home and take a hot bath. Life at the ER had turned out to be more than she had bargained for today, but tomorrow would bring another day of saving lives and keeping things like Carter from ruining the peacefulness of Chicago.
THE END