Carol is sitting on a plane. She looks out the window and sighs deeply. She shuts her eyes briefly as the captain of the aircraft comes on over the intercom, giving out safety instructions. Carol waits for a few minutes before she feels the plane start to move. She places her hands on her stomach nervously. She never had liked flying much. She tries not to think about it and her mind drifts back to the past month that Doug has been gone.
************FLASHBACK************
"You're pregnant." Dr. MacLucas said to Carol, who was laying on a table, being examined. Carol nods, knowing this.
"Thank you, Dr. MacLucas." Carol says.
"Just wondering, do you know who the father is?" Dr. MacLucas asked. Carol nods.
"Yes." She says slowly, her eyes filling with tears.
"Oh, Carol, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She says.
"Oh, no. It's okay...I'm just a little emotional." Carol says. Dr. MacLucas smiled.
"Get used to that for a while." She says. Carol grins sadly.
************END FLASHBACK************
Carol sighs and the passenger beside her looks at her. Carol smiles weakly and turns her head away from his curious face. She closes her eyes, thinking some more of the past month.
************FLASHBACK************
"I'm a week late." She had blurted out to Elizabeth. Elizabeth just turned to look at her.
"What?" She asked, not believing her ears. Carol looks down and smiles.
"At first I just thought it was stress." Carol said.
"But it's not?" Elizabeth asked back.
"I'm pregnant." She said, with a hint of irony in her voice.
"How are you with this?" Elizabeth had asked, after recovering from the shock.
"Well...As good as can be expected, I guess." Carol had answered. Elizabeth had nodded.
"Does Mark or Kerry know?" She had asked. Carol shook her head.
"Not yet." She said. Elizabeth pauses, before deciding to ask the obvious.
"Does Doug know?" Carol had shaken her head, and bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.
"No." She whispered. Elizabeth had walked over to her, taking Carol into her arms as Carol had cried softly into Elizabeth's shoulder.
************END FLASHBACK************
Carol opens her eyes and looks out the window. She couldn't tell what things were but her mind wanders to all of the people down there, whose lives were going on. Laughing, crying, being abused, kissing, making love. She smiles at this thought and her mind wanders to Doug. Wondering what he was doing, remembering the last time they made love. She remembers when she had finally decided she couldn't stay away from him any longer. It had been yesterday.
************FLASHBACK************
Carol was in a room with a 15 year old girl, Megan. She was sick and her boyfriend, Ryan, had brought her in, because he was worried about her. She thought she might be pregnant so Carol had taken a test. It was positive.
The girl had cried and the boy had held her, reassuring her that it would be okay. Carol was amazed. She could tell this boy loved that girl, even though he was only 16. Carol had talked to them.
"I want to keep my baby." Megan had said, holding onto Ryan's hand. He had nodded. Carol had smiled.
"I think that's a good choice." Carol had said.
"You do?" Megan asked in surprise. Carol nodded.
"I'm a month pregnant. Even though I've only had my baby for that long, I love it and I wouldn't ever imagine being able to give it up. Obviously, Ryan here, is willing to help you out. He isn't going to leave you and even though I think you are too young and should have waited, I think things will turn out okay for you." Carol said. The girl had smiled then.
"Thank you Nurse Hathaway." Megan had said.
"Now..you need to tell your parents." Carol said. Megan had begun to panic.
"They will kill me." She said.
"I don't think they will...they might be upset but they will get over it eventually and learn to love your baby." Carol said.
"Meg, it's alright." Ryan said. She nodded, wiping her tears away.
"Can you call my mom for me? Not my dad, just my mom." She had said.
"Sure." Carol said and walked out. She stood at the window, watching Ryan hold and comfort Megan in his arms. Carol wanted that. She knew Doug would give that to her, if only he would come back........Or, if she would go to him.
~~~~~
An hour later, Carol had lead Megan's mother into the room. She had walked out, to give them privacy but had stayed outside, looking in through the blinds.
Megan had said something to her mother and started to cry. Her mom had put her hand over her mouth and had started crying.
Carol could see Megan repeating she was sorry, over and over again. Her mother had finally hugged her and they cried together, with Ryan watching.
************END FLASHBACK************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol stepped off the plane. She walked around and got her suitcase off the conveyor belt. She walked slowly to the information place.
"Can I help you?" Some woman asks. Carol smiles.
"Yes. I need directions." Carol says.
"Okay. Destination?" The woman asks, bringing something up on her computer.
"I need to get to Lakeshore Drive. This address." Carol says, putting a piece of paper up on the desk, with Doug's address. He had given it to her, so she could write to him. The woman nodded and typed the address onto the computer.
"And I need to know how to get to Seattle Memorial Hospital." Carol said. The woman nodded. She printed Carol some directions.
"There you go Ma'am." She said, handing the directions to Carol.
"How much?" Carol asks.
"Those are free." The woman said. Carol smiles.
"I appreciate it." She says and picked up her suitcase. She walked to a Rent-A-Car place and got a car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol hopped into the black car and turned it on. She followed the computer-generated instructions, hoping they got her where she needed to be. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in a strange place. She saw that the woman had gave her directions on how to get to Doug's house, how to get to Seattle Memorial, and how to get to Seattle Memorial from Doug's house. Carol smiled and continued on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol pulls into the driveway of 1298 Lakeshore Drive. She slows the car to a stop and looks around in awe. She walks to the door, acting more confident then she felt. She knocks on the door and waits a minute. No one comes and she can hear no sound. She knocks again. No response. She sighs. She rings the doorbell. Still no response. She walks slowly back to her car and gets in. She sighs and runs her hand through her hair, before starting the car up again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol pulls into Seattle Memorial parking lot. She parks the car and gets out. She looks around until she finds the door for the ER. She walks in and walks up a desk, much like the admit desk at Cook County.
"May I help you?" A woman asks. She smiles at Carol. Carol returns the smile.
"I'm looking for Dr. Doug Ross?" Carol says.
"I'll tell him your here to see him, you can go take a seat in chairs." The woman says, smiling.
"If you could, could you tell him it's extremely important. I'm not a patient, I'm family." Carol says, after hesitating slightly. After all, they were engaged. The woman nodded slightly.
"Sure, I'll get that message to him as quickly as I can." The woman says.
"Thank you." Carol says, smiling. She turns and walks towards the waiting area. She sits down and watches all around, looking for him. A few minutes later she hears his voice.
"I'm heading home." He says, in his deep throaty voice. She looks up quickly, her eyes catching sight of him. He was on the inside of the desk, facing away from Carol.
"Some woman is in chairs. She's been there for about 10 minutes, says she's family and that it's extremely important. I knew you were with your last patient so I didn't disturb you. She didn't look panicked or anything so I didn't think it was an emergency." The desk clerk says. Doug nods, puzzled, wondering who would be there, claiming to be family.
"Thanks Maggie." He said to the woman. She nodded, turning back to her work. Carol stands up. Doug turns, still not looking towards her, to the side coming around the corner of the desk. He looks up. He sees her and slows down to a stop. His mouth drops open and she smiles brilliantly. She steps closer to him and he grins. They run towards each other and meet in the middle. He sweeps her up into his arms and she laughs happily into his shoulder. He squeezes her tightly yet gently.
"Carol!" He says, happily, putting her down onto the ground. She looks at him and smiles. He finally notices the stares they are receiving from Maggie and other doctors. He chuckles.
"Wait right here, I have to go get my jacket." He whispers. She nods and he reluctantly lets go of her and jogs off to get his coat. She stands there, awkwardly, as the people continue on with their work, sending her glances every now and then as if trying to figure out who she was. Doug comes back out, with his coat on and he takes her hand.
"Bye everybody!" He says loudly. A few 'byes' can be heard in reply. He lets go of her hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him as they walk out of the ER. Once outside and away from the door, he turns back to her and kisses her happily. She grins against his lips, kissing him back.
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"I couldn't stay away." Carol says.
"Come on, I know where we can go to talk." Doug says. She nods and he takes her hand into his. They walk a short distance to a park. It's small yet private. He leads her to a grassy dry spot and they sit down.
"So....tell me why your here again." He says. She giggles.
"I couldn't stay away." She says.
"Elaborate." He says, grinning at her, taking her hands into his.
"I missed you. In this past month, I realized how much I miss you. How much I need you. And especially how much I love you." She says. He smiles.
"I missed you too. And I need you more than I ever knew. I love you more than anything in this whole world, you do know that?" He asks. She nods.
"I know that now. I was just too upset to see it before." She answers. He nods.
"I'm sorry I left you the way I did. I should have settled things first. I left too quickly." He says, his voice filled with regret.
"Well I'm here now." She says.
"For how long?" He asks, sadly.
"As long as we live here." She says. A smile creeps up onto his face.
"Your staying here?" He asks, trying not to get his hopes up, in case he mis-interpreted. She smiles.
"If you'll let me." She says.
"Of course!" He says. He pulls her into his lap and kisses her deeply. She makes a happy noise with her throat. She pulls away and smiles sweetly at him. He chuckles and she buries her face into the crook between his neck and his shoulder. She breaths in deeply and then kisses him gently in that spot. He rubs his cheek against her forehead, lovingly.
"There's something you need to know." Carol says, pulling her head up off his shoulder after a few minutes of cuddling.
"Hmm?" He asks, looking deep into her eyes, completely not expecting what she is about to tell him.
"I uhh...well....after you left....I was sick..." She says, trying to find the courage to tell him this. She's not sure he still wants a baby or not.
"You okay?" He asks, taking her hesitation as bad news.
"Yes. Absolutely." She says. He smiles.
"Go on then." He says. She takes a deep breath.
"I went to the doctor and she confirmed what I already knew I have." She says. He gives her a strange look.
"I don't understand. Are you sick?" He asks.
"I have..." She says, then stops.
"Carol, tell me." He says, start to panic.
"I have your baby, growing inside of me." She says. Relief washes over his face as he realizes she's not sick but immediately it sinks in. He smiles.
"Your pregnant?" He asks.
"With your baby, Dr. Ross." She says. He smiles wider.
"Oh god...it's like a dream come true." He says. She smiles and he laughs. He wraps his arms around her waist, laying his hand on her stomach.
"I'm glad you think so." She says.
"What? You think I wouldn't think that?" He asks.
"I was a little scared for a while." She says.
"Never be scared about telling me about our children." Doug says, smiling. She smiles and giggles erupt from her throat. He chuckles. He slides out from underneath her and lays down on his stomach.
"Doug, what are you doing?" She asks. He spreads her legs and slides between them.
"Lay back." He says.
"What are you doing?" She asks. He gives her a look. She sighs and reaches behind her, placing her hands into the grass. She leans back. He smiles at her then kisses her stomach. She giggles.
"Hi baby." He says. She smiles at him with a look of love in her eyes.
"I'm your daddy." He says, glancing up at Carol. She smiles.
"Your mommy and me finally got our acts together, mostly your mommy, and she rescued me from my misery, only to surprise me with the best thing. You." He says, he kisses her stomach again. She smiles and watches him.
"I love your mommy and she better never forget that." Doug says, glancing shyly up at Carol. She smiles. She leans on her right hand as she brings her left hand up to play with his hair.
"And I love you baby. Don't ever forget that." He says. He kisses her stomach again, then, pushing her back, crawls up to her and kisses her cheek. She smiles.
"Thank you." She says.
"For what?" He asks.
"For giving me your baby. For loving me. For being who you are." She says. He smiles.
"No problem." He says.
"I love you." Carol whispers.
"I love you more." He says. He kisses her as they live their dreams come true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
************FLASHBACK************
"You're pregnant." Dr. MacLucas said to Carol, who was laying on a table, being examined. Carol nods, knowing this.
"Thank you, Dr. MacLucas." Carol says.
"Just wondering, do you know who the father is?" Dr. MacLucas asked. Carol nods.
"Yes." She says slowly, her eyes filling with tears.
"Oh, Carol, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She says.
"Oh, no. It's okay...I'm just a little emotional." Carol says. Dr. MacLucas smiled.
"Get used to that for a while." She says. Carol grins sadly.
************END FLASHBACK************
Carol sighs and the passenger beside her looks at her. Carol smiles weakly and turns her head away from his curious face. She closes her eyes, thinking some more of the past month.
************FLASHBACK************
"I'm a week late." She had blurted out to Elizabeth. Elizabeth just turned to look at her.
"What?" She asked, not believing her ears. Carol looks down and smiles.
"At first I just thought it was stress." Carol said.
"But it's not?" Elizabeth asked back.
"I'm pregnant." She said, with a hint of irony in her voice.
"How are you with this?" Elizabeth had asked, after recovering from the shock.
"Well...As good as can be expected, I guess." Carol had answered. Elizabeth had nodded.
"Does Mark or Kerry know?" She had asked. Carol shook her head.
"Not yet." She said. Elizabeth pauses, before deciding to ask the obvious.
"Does Doug know?" Carol had shaken her head, and bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.
"No." She whispered. Elizabeth had walked over to her, taking Carol into her arms as Carol had cried softly into Elizabeth's shoulder.
************END FLASHBACK************
Carol opens her eyes and looks out the window. She couldn't tell what things were but her mind wanders to all of the people down there, whose lives were going on. Laughing, crying, being abused, kissing, making love. She smiles at this thought and her mind wanders to Doug. Wondering what he was doing, remembering the last time they made love. She remembers when she had finally decided she couldn't stay away from him any longer. It had been yesterday.
************FLASHBACK************
Carol was in a room with a 15 year old girl, Megan. She was sick and her boyfriend, Ryan, had brought her in, because he was worried about her. She thought she might be pregnant so Carol had taken a test. It was positive.
The girl had cried and the boy had held her, reassuring her that it would be okay. Carol was amazed. She could tell this boy loved that girl, even though he was only 16. Carol had talked to them.
"I want to keep my baby." Megan had said, holding onto Ryan's hand. He had nodded. Carol had smiled.
"I think that's a good choice." Carol had said.
"You do?" Megan asked in surprise. Carol nodded.
"I'm a month pregnant. Even though I've only had my baby for that long, I love it and I wouldn't ever imagine being able to give it up. Obviously, Ryan here, is willing to help you out. He isn't going to leave you and even though I think you are too young and should have waited, I think things will turn out okay for you." Carol said. The girl had smiled then.
"Thank you Nurse Hathaway." Megan had said.
"Now..you need to tell your parents." Carol said. Megan had begun to panic.
"They will kill me." She said.
"I don't think they will...they might be upset but they will get over it eventually and learn to love your baby." Carol said.
"Meg, it's alright." Ryan said. She nodded, wiping her tears away.
"Can you call my mom for me? Not my dad, just my mom." She had said.
"Sure." Carol said and walked out. She stood at the window, watching Ryan hold and comfort Megan in his arms. Carol wanted that. She knew Doug would give that to her, if only he would come back........Or, if she would go to him.
~~~~~
An hour later, Carol had lead Megan's mother into the room. She had walked out, to give them privacy but had stayed outside, looking in through the blinds.
Megan had said something to her mother and started to cry. Her mom had put her hand over her mouth and had started crying.
Carol could see Megan repeating she was sorry, over and over again. Her mother had finally hugged her and they cried together, with Ryan watching.
************END FLASHBACK************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol stepped off the plane. She walked around and got her suitcase off the conveyor belt. She walked slowly to the information place.
"Can I help you?" Some woman asks. Carol smiles.
"Yes. I need directions." Carol says.
"Okay. Destination?" The woman asks, bringing something up on her computer.
"I need to get to Lakeshore Drive. This address." Carol says, putting a piece of paper up on the desk, with Doug's address. He had given it to her, so she could write to him. The woman nodded and typed the address onto the computer.
"And I need to know how to get to Seattle Memorial Hospital." Carol said. The woman nodded. She printed Carol some directions.
"There you go Ma'am." She said, handing the directions to Carol.
"How much?" Carol asks.
"Those are free." The woman said. Carol smiles.
"I appreciate it." She says and picked up her suitcase. She walked to a Rent-A-Car place and got a car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol hopped into the black car and turned it on. She followed the computer-generated instructions, hoping they got her where she needed to be. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in a strange place. She saw that the woman had gave her directions on how to get to Doug's house, how to get to Seattle Memorial, and how to get to Seattle Memorial from Doug's house. Carol smiled and continued on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol pulls into the driveway of 1298 Lakeshore Drive. She slows the car to a stop and looks around in awe. She walks to the door, acting more confident then she felt. She knocks on the door and waits a minute. No one comes and she can hear no sound. She knocks again. No response. She sighs. She rings the doorbell. Still no response. She walks slowly back to her car and gets in. She sighs and runs her hand through her hair, before starting the car up again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol pulls into Seattle Memorial parking lot. She parks the car and gets out. She looks around until she finds the door for the ER. She walks in and walks up a desk, much like the admit desk at Cook County.
"May I help you?" A woman asks. She smiles at Carol. Carol returns the smile.
"I'm looking for Dr. Doug Ross?" Carol says.
"I'll tell him your here to see him, you can go take a seat in chairs." The woman says, smiling.
"If you could, could you tell him it's extremely important. I'm not a patient, I'm family." Carol says, after hesitating slightly. After all, they were engaged. The woman nodded slightly.
"Sure, I'll get that message to him as quickly as I can." The woman says.
"Thank you." Carol says, smiling. She turns and walks towards the waiting area. She sits down and watches all around, looking for him. A few minutes later she hears his voice.
"I'm heading home." He says, in his deep throaty voice. She looks up quickly, her eyes catching sight of him. He was on the inside of the desk, facing away from Carol.
"Some woman is in chairs. She's been there for about 10 minutes, says she's family and that it's extremely important. I knew you were with your last patient so I didn't disturb you. She didn't look panicked or anything so I didn't think it was an emergency." The desk clerk says. Doug nods, puzzled, wondering who would be there, claiming to be family.
"Thanks Maggie." He said to the woman. She nodded, turning back to her work. Carol stands up. Doug turns, still not looking towards her, to the side coming around the corner of the desk. He looks up. He sees her and slows down to a stop. His mouth drops open and she smiles brilliantly. She steps closer to him and he grins. They run towards each other and meet in the middle. He sweeps her up into his arms and she laughs happily into his shoulder. He squeezes her tightly yet gently.
"Carol!" He says, happily, putting her down onto the ground. She looks at him and smiles. He finally notices the stares they are receiving from Maggie and other doctors. He chuckles.
"Wait right here, I have to go get my jacket." He whispers. She nods and he reluctantly lets go of her and jogs off to get his coat. She stands there, awkwardly, as the people continue on with their work, sending her glances every now and then as if trying to figure out who she was. Doug comes back out, with his coat on and he takes her hand.
"Bye everybody!" He says loudly. A few 'byes' can be heard in reply. He lets go of her hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him as they walk out of the ER. Once outside and away from the door, he turns back to her and kisses her happily. She grins against his lips, kissing him back.
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"I couldn't stay away." Carol says.
"Come on, I know where we can go to talk." Doug says. She nods and he takes her hand into his. They walk a short distance to a park. It's small yet private. He leads her to a grassy dry spot and they sit down.
"So....tell me why your here again." He says. She giggles.
"I couldn't stay away." She says.
"Elaborate." He says, grinning at her, taking her hands into his.
"I missed you. In this past month, I realized how much I miss you. How much I need you. And especially how much I love you." She says. He smiles.
"I missed you too. And I need you more than I ever knew. I love you more than anything in this whole world, you do know that?" He asks. She nods.
"I know that now. I was just too upset to see it before." She answers. He nods.
"I'm sorry I left you the way I did. I should have settled things first. I left too quickly." He says, his voice filled with regret.
"Well I'm here now." She says.
"For how long?" He asks, sadly.
"As long as we live here." She says. A smile creeps up onto his face.
"Your staying here?" He asks, trying not to get his hopes up, in case he mis-interpreted. She smiles.
"If you'll let me." She says.
"Of course!" He says. He pulls her into his lap and kisses her deeply. She makes a happy noise with her throat. She pulls away and smiles sweetly at him. He chuckles and she buries her face into the crook between his neck and his shoulder. She breaths in deeply and then kisses him gently in that spot. He rubs his cheek against her forehead, lovingly.
"There's something you need to know." Carol says, pulling her head up off his shoulder after a few minutes of cuddling.
"Hmm?" He asks, looking deep into her eyes, completely not expecting what she is about to tell him.
"I uhh...well....after you left....I was sick..." She says, trying to find the courage to tell him this. She's not sure he still wants a baby or not.
"You okay?" He asks, taking her hesitation as bad news.
"Yes. Absolutely." She says. He smiles.
"Go on then." He says. She takes a deep breath.
"I went to the doctor and she confirmed what I already knew I have." She says. He gives her a strange look.
"I don't understand. Are you sick?" He asks.
"I have..." She says, then stops.
"Carol, tell me." He says, start to panic.
"I have your baby, growing inside of me." She says. Relief washes over his face as he realizes she's not sick but immediately it sinks in. He smiles.
"Your pregnant?" He asks.
"With your baby, Dr. Ross." She says. He smiles wider.
"Oh god...it's like a dream come true." He says. She smiles and he laughs. He wraps his arms around her waist, laying his hand on her stomach.
"I'm glad you think so." She says.
"What? You think I wouldn't think that?" He asks.
"I was a little scared for a while." She says.
"Never be scared about telling me about our children." Doug says, smiling. She smiles and giggles erupt from her throat. He chuckles. He slides out from underneath her and lays down on his stomach.
"Doug, what are you doing?" She asks. He spreads her legs and slides between them.
"Lay back." He says.
"What are you doing?" She asks. He gives her a look. She sighs and reaches behind her, placing her hands into the grass. She leans back. He smiles at her then kisses her stomach. She giggles.
"Hi baby." He says. She smiles at him with a look of love in her eyes.
"I'm your daddy." He says, glancing up at Carol. She smiles.
"Your mommy and me finally got our acts together, mostly your mommy, and she rescued me from my misery, only to surprise me with the best thing. You." He says, he kisses her stomach again. She smiles and watches him.
"I love your mommy and she better never forget that." Doug says, glancing shyly up at Carol. She smiles. She leans on her right hand as she brings her left hand up to play with his hair.
"And I love you baby. Don't ever forget that." He says. He kisses her stomach again, then, pushing her back, crawls up to her and kisses her cheek. She smiles.
"Thank you." She says.
"For what?" He asks.
"For giving me your baby. For loving me. For being who you are." She says. He smiles.
"No problem." He says.
"I love you." Carol whispers.
"I love you more." He says. He kisses her as they live their dreams come true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~