This is a different fic than what is usually posted here. It takes place in the seventh season, after Carter's rehab. I don't own these characters... but dangit, I wish I did...
Title: Only in Boston (part 1)
Author: Lindy
"See ya, John." Kerry waved as Dr. John Carter walked towards the exit.
"Bye Dr. Weaver!" Carter smiled for the first time in months. His vacation time had finally arrived, and he had earned it. Two weeks of trauma-free vacation time. Carter beamed at the thought of it.
"Hey, Carter." The Croatian accent cut him off from the exit. Carter turned around.
"Luka..." Carter turned around and nodded at Luka. "Something I can help you with?"
"I heard you were off for the next few days." Luka said to him.
Carter smiled and nodded. "A couple weeks is more like it." He grinned.
Luka started to walk out with him. "Going anywhere?" His thick Croatian accent made Carter smile, then made him wonder exactly why Luka wanted to know.
"No, not really." Carter turned to Luka. "But I don't care how many traumas come through this ER in the next few weeks." He jokingly eyed the Croatian. "Don't even think about calling me."
Luka smiled and laughed to himself. "No, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about." He paused as a team of paramedics passed by with a trauma. "There's a place off a harbor, in Boston, a pier. A patient of mine had a boat there, and I decided to rend it off of him."
"So why are you telling me this?"
"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come and spend a few days with me on the boat. Off the coast." Luka looked to see Carter's reaction.
"I don't know... I'm not really a boat person..." Carter started doubtfully.
"Carter..." The Croatian rolled his eyes. "I've heard all the yachting stories. If you don't want to go-"
"No, no, that's not it." Carter thought about it as he walked to the end of the hall. "A boat, eh?..."
"A big boat," Luka said. Carter laughed, finding Luka's accent mixed with the sentence humorous.
"Well..." He looked at Luka. "Why not. When should I meet you?.. Where should I meet you?"
"A week from today, it's at the Fisherman's Pier. It's across the bay from Quincy Market." Carter took out a notepad and a pen. "Here's the number of the boat, call me when your plane lands." He handed the slip of paper to Carter.
Carter looked at it and stuck it in his pocket. "Sounds like fun." He smiled. "I'll see you then, Luka."
"Yes, good-bye Carter." Luka watched John go, and then walked back into the ER.
Carter hesitated, then turned around and watched Luka walk the other way. He had wanted some time alone, just time to himself. But then again... besides the rehab, he hadn't really spent a lot of social time with his friends. Especially not since the incident with Lucy...
But that was behind him now. He was going to start over again. "And there's no better place to start over than in Boston..." Carter smiled to himself and carried on homeward.
A week later, Boston International Airport.
People were swarming everywhere, Carter wondered exactly how anyone could figure out where their gate was located. He breathed in the air, noticing it was a lot cleaner than Chicago's.
He looked around for an empty seat in the waiting area, but couldn't find one. Deciding to stand instead, Carter picked up his cell phone, and, after rummaging through both coat pockets, found the slip of paper with the boat number on it. He dialed and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello?" The thick Croatian accent eased Carter's plane anxiety and stress from the ride to Boston.
"Luka? It's John. I'm in Boston!"
"Yes, you are. Do you want me to come get you?"
"Wait a second, you said Quincy Market?"
"Yes, across the street. Fisherman's Pier. I'll meet you at the entrance, okay?"
"Right, Fisherman's Pier. I'll call a cab, I'll meet you there in a little bit." Carter shut the receiver and placed the phone back in his coat pocket. Taking a deep breath, he beat his way through the crowd and out to the street, calling himself a cab.
"Wow, this city's big..." Carter said, getting out of the cab. He shook Luka's hand, not making eye contact yet, for the reason of still staring at the beautiful city.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Luka asked.
"Well, I guess it's sort of a funny thing to awe over," Carter said, grinning at the Croatian. "I mean, we are from Chicago..."
"I think this is beautiful. Especially at night." Luka watched John's gaze, smiling softly. "Come on, I'll show you the boat." John nodded, and, picking up his suitcase, followed Luka to down the strip.
"Ah..." Carter flopped down on the bottom bunk. "Settled in at last..."
"Sure, give the Croatian the top," Luka grumbled jokingly. Carter laughed as he watched Luka climb up the ladder to the top bunk.
There was silence for a moment. Carter let his heart beat slower as he finally relaxed. "Luka?" He said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, Carter?"
"Why'd you come to Boston?"
Silence. Carter patiently waited a response. "I suppose..." Luka trailed off. "I'm not sure. I needed... let me think." Carter waited while Luka sorta for the words in English. "I heard Dr. Benton say it once. He said, 'I need time with the guys.' That's what I needed..."
Carter smiled to himself. He'd never heard Luka say something like that before, he didn't really talk about his friends. Or his family, for that matter, but that was beside the point. Here they were: two grown men spending a week on a boat, like it was one big guy sleepover. Just like when he was a kid...
"You miss Carol?..." Carter half asked, half stated.
"Yeah." Came the reply. "That's it mainly." Carter heard a laugh from above. "I guess you never expected for me to ask you to come here, eh, Carter?"
Carter laughed. "Well, it was a little unexpected."
"Better than two weeks by yourself. And don't tell me you weren't going to, because I know you would've slipped back into Carter hooddom."
"Hoo... Hooddom, Luka?" Carter wondered what the heck Luka meant, but got the point.
"Some guy said it on the street. 'The feller's in the hood.' I just assumed..." Carter heard more laughs from the Croatian. "I'll just stop with things I hear people say in the streets."
They both laughed. Carter turned his head over and looked out at the night, the moon casting a dim light upon the city, and the stars illustrating its glory above. A few lights were left on in some of the buildings, but most had gone out.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Luka said again.
"Yeah..." Carter repeated, starting to drift off. "She's beautiful..."
Title: Only in Boston (part 1)
Author: Lindy
"See ya, John." Kerry waved as Dr. John Carter walked towards the exit.
"Bye Dr. Weaver!" Carter smiled for the first time in months. His vacation time had finally arrived, and he had earned it. Two weeks of trauma-free vacation time. Carter beamed at the thought of it.
"Hey, Carter." The Croatian accent cut him off from the exit. Carter turned around.
"Luka..." Carter turned around and nodded at Luka. "Something I can help you with?"
"I heard you were off for the next few days." Luka said to him.
Carter smiled and nodded. "A couple weeks is more like it." He grinned.
Luka started to walk out with him. "Going anywhere?" His thick Croatian accent made Carter smile, then made him wonder exactly why Luka wanted to know.
"No, not really." Carter turned to Luka. "But I don't care how many traumas come through this ER in the next few weeks." He jokingly eyed the Croatian. "Don't even think about calling me."
Luka smiled and laughed to himself. "No, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about." He paused as a team of paramedics passed by with a trauma. "There's a place off a harbor, in Boston, a pier. A patient of mine had a boat there, and I decided to rend it off of him."
"So why are you telling me this?"
"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come and spend a few days with me on the boat. Off the coast." Luka looked to see Carter's reaction.
"I don't know... I'm not really a boat person..." Carter started doubtfully.
"Carter..." The Croatian rolled his eyes. "I've heard all the yachting stories. If you don't want to go-"
"No, no, that's not it." Carter thought about it as he walked to the end of the hall. "A boat, eh?..."
"A big boat," Luka said. Carter laughed, finding Luka's accent mixed with the sentence humorous.
"Well..." He looked at Luka. "Why not. When should I meet you?.. Where should I meet you?"
"A week from today, it's at the Fisherman's Pier. It's across the bay from Quincy Market." Carter took out a notepad and a pen. "Here's the number of the boat, call me when your plane lands." He handed the slip of paper to Carter.
Carter looked at it and stuck it in his pocket. "Sounds like fun." He smiled. "I'll see you then, Luka."
"Yes, good-bye Carter." Luka watched John go, and then walked back into the ER.
Carter hesitated, then turned around and watched Luka walk the other way. He had wanted some time alone, just time to himself. But then again... besides the rehab, he hadn't really spent a lot of social time with his friends. Especially not since the incident with Lucy...
But that was behind him now. He was going to start over again. "And there's no better place to start over than in Boston..." Carter smiled to himself and carried on homeward.
A week later, Boston International Airport.
People were swarming everywhere, Carter wondered exactly how anyone could figure out where their gate was located. He breathed in the air, noticing it was a lot cleaner than Chicago's.
He looked around for an empty seat in the waiting area, but couldn't find one. Deciding to stand instead, Carter picked up his cell phone, and, after rummaging through both coat pockets, found the slip of paper with the boat number on it. He dialed and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello?" The thick Croatian accent eased Carter's plane anxiety and stress from the ride to Boston.
"Luka? It's John. I'm in Boston!"
"Yes, you are. Do you want me to come get you?"
"Wait a second, you said Quincy Market?"
"Yes, across the street. Fisherman's Pier. I'll meet you at the entrance, okay?"
"Right, Fisherman's Pier. I'll call a cab, I'll meet you there in a little bit." Carter shut the receiver and placed the phone back in his coat pocket. Taking a deep breath, he beat his way through the crowd and out to the street, calling himself a cab.
"Wow, this city's big..." Carter said, getting out of the cab. He shook Luka's hand, not making eye contact yet, for the reason of still staring at the beautiful city.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Luka asked.
"Well, I guess it's sort of a funny thing to awe over," Carter said, grinning at the Croatian. "I mean, we are from Chicago..."
"I think this is beautiful. Especially at night." Luka watched John's gaze, smiling softly. "Come on, I'll show you the boat." John nodded, and, picking up his suitcase, followed Luka to down the strip.
"Ah..." Carter flopped down on the bottom bunk. "Settled in at last..."
"Sure, give the Croatian the top," Luka grumbled jokingly. Carter laughed as he watched Luka climb up the ladder to the top bunk.
There was silence for a moment. Carter let his heart beat slower as he finally relaxed. "Luka?" He said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, Carter?"
"Why'd you come to Boston?"
Silence. Carter patiently waited a response. "I suppose..." Luka trailed off. "I'm not sure. I needed... let me think." Carter waited while Luka sorta for the words in English. "I heard Dr. Benton say it once. He said, 'I need time with the guys.' That's what I needed..."
Carter smiled to himself. He'd never heard Luka say something like that before, he didn't really talk about his friends. Or his family, for that matter, but that was beside the point. Here they were: two grown men spending a week on a boat, like it was one big guy sleepover. Just like when he was a kid...
"You miss Carol?..." Carter half asked, half stated.
"Yeah." Came the reply. "That's it mainly." Carter heard a laugh from above. "I guess you never expected for me to ask you to come here, eh, Carter?"
Carter laughed. "Well, it was a little unexpected."
"Better than two weeks by yourself. And don't tell me you weren't going to, because I know you would've slipped back into Carter hooddom."
"Hoo... Hooddom, Luka?" Carter wondered what the heck Luka meant, but got the point.
"Some guy said it on the street. 'The feller's in the hood.' I just assumed..." Carter heard more laughs from the Croatian. "I'll just stop with things I hear people say in the streets."
They both laughed. Carter turned his head over and looked out at the night, the moon casting a dim light upon the city, and the stars illustrating its glory above. A few lights were left on in some of the buildings, but most had gone out.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Luka said again.
"Yeah..." Carter repeated, starting to drift off. "She's beautiful..."