This takes place shortly after he is recovered from his injuries, not after the end of the sixth season. Thanks.
The Last Laugh: Carter's Notepad
G-PG
By Lindy
Carter held up the small notepad in his hands. "Fireman... laser technician..." He half smiled and let a small laugh pass his lips.
Mark came into the lounge, acknowledged Carter, then walked to get coffee. He looked back at Carter's expression, still pouring the coffee, and asked, "Something funny, Carter?"
Carter looked up suddenly, realizing that Dr. Greene had entered the room. "I cleaned out my locker today and found this." He held up the notepad.
"What is it?" Mark walked over to a chair and sat down across from Carter. "A notepad?"
"Yeah..." Carter's eyes darted across the small lines of the very tattered and torn little pad. "When I was a kid... I used to write down what I wanted to be, and then write down who I would work in that certain occupation with." He laughed a little again.
"And you kept it this long?" Mark raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his coffee.
Carter shook his head. "I didn't know what was in the front of it. I'd just been using the other pages to take notes when I was a med. student. Clinics and stuff..."
"Yeah I'll bet..." Mark let out a chuckle. "Judging by the size of that notepad I'm guessing they weren't real extensive notes..."
"Hey, listen to this!" Carter swung his legs off the sofa and to the floor, then repositioned his body and leaned forward, reading the excerpt. "Saxophone player in a band with Davy Jones, Ringo Starr, and Bon Scott."
Mark made a face. "How is it possible for you to be in a band with Bon Scott, he's dead..."
"I don't know, I was seven or something." Carter flipped a few pages ahead. "Oh, here's a good one! Detective with Tom Selleck and Shaft... and, advertisement with Darren."
"Darren who?" Mark looked at Carter with a weird questioning tone.
"That guy from Bewitched..." Carter looked up at Dr. Greene and shrugged.
"You're making me feel old." Mark glared jokingly and sipped more of his coffee.
"Well, I mean they were reruns and stuff-"
"Yeah, yeah, save it." The two exchanged a smile, and then there was a period of silence, except for the sound of Carter flipping the pages in his notepad.
"You know..." Carter said after the moment had passed, "It's been a really long time.. since I've laughed."
Mark immediately stepped up to shoot down Carter's negative observation. "What are you talking about? We were just laughing a few seconds ago."
"No, no... I mean a really good laugh. Like when you see something funny on TV... or something unexpected happens in a conversation." Carter stared at the notepad, the gleam now disappearing from his eyes, as he gradually went on. "You know what I mean?" He looked up at Mark, but the doctor just glanced down at his cup of decaf, then back to Carter.
"Carter, if you're talking about Lucy, it's only-"
"No, that's not it," Carter shot out, now looking at the floor. "I mean, just in general. The things that used to be funny..." he looked up at Mark before continuing, "They're just... not funny anymore. Like Luka brutally mutilating part of the English language with his accent... or annoying Romano by putting the tamagochi in his coat pocket..."
"He still hasn't figured out where the beeping noise is coming from..." Mark smiled and tried to get one out of Carter, but he was unsuccessful in the attempt.
"That's supposed to make me fall on the ground in a complete guffaw, Dr. Greene. I mean, Romano, walked around the OR, trying to find this little beeping purple egg. That's absolutely hysterical..." Carter's gaze went back to his notepad. "But I'm not laughing. Not anymore."
Carter sat there, staring at the notepad until, after minutes passed by, his pager went off.
"That's a trauma..." He put the notepad back in his coat pocket and stood up. He turned and walked to the door.
"Carter?" Carter stopped as he was called, and slowly turned around. "If it makes you feel better... things haven't been very funny since you went away." Mark wasn't sure if Carter knew what he meant.
"You mean... since I've changed?" Carter asked. Mark nodded hesitantly. "Epiphanies must be a learning experience, Dr. Greene..." Carter's eyes shot across the floor, and he quickly opened the door and left.
The Last Laugh: Carter's Notepad
G-PG
By Lindy
Carter held up the small notepad in his hands. "Fireman... laser technician..." He half smiled and let a small laugh pass his lips.
Mark came into the lounge, acknowledged Carter, then walked to get coffee. He looked back at Carter's expression, still pouring the coffee, and asked, "Something funny, Carter?"
Carter looked up suddenly, realizing that Dr. Greene had entered the room. "I cleaned out my locker today and found this." He held up the notepad.
"What is it?" Mark walked over to a chair and sat down across from Carter. "A notepad?"
"Yeah..." Carter's eyes darted across the small lines of the very tattered and torn little pad. "When I was a kid... I used to write down what I wanted to be, and then write down who I would work in that certain occupation with." He laughed a little again.
"And you kept it this long?" Mark raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his coffee.
Carter shook his head. "I didn't know what was in the front of it. I'd just been using the other pages to take notes when I was a med. student. Clinics and stuff..."
"Yeah I'll bet..." Mark let out a chuckle. "Judging by the size of that notepad I'm guessing they weren't real extensive notes..."
"Hey, listen to this!" Carter swung his legs off the sofa and to the floor, then repositioned his body and leaned forward, reading the excerpt. "Saxophone player in a band with Davy Jones, Ringo Starr, and Bon Scott."
Mark made a face. "How is it possible for you to be in a band with Bon Scott, he's dead..."
"I don't know, I was seven or something." Carter flipped a few pages ahead. "Oh, here's a good one! Detective with Tom Selleck and Shaft... and, advertisement with Darren."
"Darren who?" Mark looked at Carter with a weird questioning tone.
"That guy from Bewitched..." Carter looked up at Dr. Greene and shrugged.
"You're making me feel old." Mark glared jokingly and sipped more of his coffee.
"Well, I mean they were reruns and stuff-"
"Yeah, yeah, save it." The two exchanged a smile, and then there was a period of silence, except for the sound of Carter flipping the pages in his notepad.
"You know..." Carter said after the moment had passed, "It's been a really long time.. since I've laughed."
Mark immediately stepped up to shoot down Carter's negative observation. "What are you talking about? We were just laughing a few seconds ago."
"No, no... I mean a really good laugh. Like when you see something funny on TV... or something unexpected happens in a conversation." Carter stared at the notepad, the gleam now disappearing from his eyes, as he gradually went on. "You know what I mean?" He looked up at Mark, but the doctor just glanced down at his cup of decaf, then back to Carter.
"Carter, if you're talking about Lucy, it's only-"
"No, that's not it," Carter shot out, now looking at the floor. "I mean, just in general. The things that used to be funny..." he looked up at Mark before continuing, "They're just... not funny anymore. Like Luka brutally mutilating part of the English language with his accent... or annoying Romano by putting the tamagochi in his coat pocket..."
"He still hasn't figured out where the beeping noise is coming from..." Mark smiled and tried to get one out of Carter, but he was unsuccessful in the attempt.
"That's supposed to make me fall on the ground in a complete guffaw, Dr. Greene. I mean, Romano, walked around the OR, trying to find this little beeping purple egg. That's absolutely hysterical..." Carter's gaze went back to his notepad. "But I'm not laughing. Not anymore."
Carter sat there, staring at the notepad until, after minutes passed by, his pager went off.
"That's a trauma..." He put the notepad back in his coat pocket and stood up. He turned and walked to the door.
"Carter?" Carter stopped as he was called, and slowly turned around. "If it makes you feel better... things haven't been very funny since you went away." Mark wasn't sure if Carter knew what he meant.
"You mean... since I've changed?" Carter asked. Mark nodded hesitantly. "Epiphanies must be a learning experience, Dr. Greene..." Carter's eyes shot across the floor, and he quickly opened the door and left.