Leaping Hearts

by Shirl

COMPLETED-This is an ERQuantum Leap crossover. Sam leaps into John Carter on Valentine's Day, year 2000.

TITLE: Leaping Hearts
FIC TYPE: ER/Quantum Leap crossover
AUTHOR: Shirley
DISCLAIMER: Characters from ER are the property of Warner Brothers and Constant C. Characters from Quantum Leap belong to Belisarius Productions and Universal Studios.
RATING: PG13 for some violence and mild language, though nothing too explicit.
KEYWORDS: Lucy Knight, Sam Beckett, Al Calavicci, John Carter (sort of), drama
TIMELINE: Set during Season 6, around the time of "Be Still My Heart".
SUMMARY: Sam leaps into John Carter on Valentine's Day, year 2000
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a long time - since Quantum Leap went off the air years ago - that I've seen this show. It's very likely that there are errors from the Quantum Leap perspective and I apologize in advance. I've had many requests for more Carter/Lucy stories and this probably isn't what any of you had in mind (okay, I *know* it isn't) and really, this story focuses more on Lucy herself. But I got this idea one day that just wouldn't rest until it was written...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

FEBRUARY 14, 2000 11:09 A.M.
COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Muffled voices drifted on the peripheral of his consciousness while swirling multicoloured lights danced across his vision. The effect was dizzying and always left him hovering on the edge of nausea. He often wondered how long the transition between worlds lasted in real-time. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity but in reality, he guessed it could be no more than a nanosecond.

With a jarring and abrupt halt that felt like the equivalent of slamming into a brick wall, his journey came to an end. Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes and cautiously took in his surroundings. He never knew what would await him at these moments and he'd learned that it was best to stay very still.

He was in a hospital. That much was evident from the nurses and equipment in the room. The air was humming with tension and everyone's attention seemed focused on something in front of him. Glancing downward, he finally noticed the patient on the gurney. Half of his arm was missing.

With a strangled gulp of air, he stumbled back a step. "Oh boy," he muttered under his breath.

"Should I hang another unit of O neg?" asked a brisk, female voice. When she didn't receive an answer, she looked directly at him. "Carter, another unit?"

"Uh...I, uh..." He took another backward step. "Sorry, I don't feel well," he murmured. Finally raising his eyes to hers, he noted the look on her face; a mixture of surprise and disapproval.

"Get Dr. Kovac, then," she ordered. "We need someone in here now!"

"Right. I'll go get him."

Whirling around, he burst through the swinging doors into the hallway. Problem was, he had no idea what Dr. Kovac looked like. He did the only reasonable thing that came to mind.

"Dr. Kovac!" Sam Beckett yelled at the top of his lungs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

JUNE 21, 2002
STALLION'S GATE, NEW MEXICO

Al Calavicci had been about to go home when he received the news. Terrible timing, as usual. Now he'd have to cancel the date he'd been looking forward to all day.

With a weary sigh, he headed for the Control Center. Duty called and he could never be accused of turning his back on duty.

"Has he leaped yet?" Al asked, striding into the room with quick steps.

"Yes, only 3.2 seconds ago," Gooshie confirmed, bent over the console with brows knit in concentration. The programmer glanced up at the Admiral briefly. "You'll have to do this on your own. Verbeena wasn't feeling well."

"What? She never gets sick."

"I know. It's very rare but you just missed her. She went home."

Verbeena Beeks was the resident psychiatrist and Al usually depended on her to make the first approach towards their Guest. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he walked towards the Waiting Room. He'd have to handle this one himself.

"What have you got for me, Ziggy?" he called out into the air.

The smooth, female tones of the computer answered him promptly, a hint of smugness colouring the voice. "It is premature to disclose any information at this point, Admiral."

"Fine, fine, I'll get it myself," he muttered. He stopped to peer inside the two way mirror outside the Waiting Room. The man inside was just starting to sit up. After a beat of hesitation, Al entered the room.

The young man with brown hair and dark eyes regarded him warily. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"No need to worry," Al reassured him. "You're okay. My name is Al. What's yours?"

Frowning, the man ran one hand through his hair, the short strands standing on end. "I...I can't remember. Was I in an accident?"

"Just take your time," Al soothed. Man, he wished Verbeena was here. She was much better at this. "It'll come back to you."

"It's Carter." Slumping slightly, he showed visible signs of relief as his memory returned in bits and pieces. "John Carter."

"There you go. Remember anything else?"

"I was...a patient came in...half of one arm torn off. I was working on him..."

"So you're a doctor?" Al cut in helpfully.

"Yeah...I think so." John's voice grew stronger as he became more confident in his memories. "Yeah, I am. I work at County in Chicago. Now you know who I am. Who the hell are you?"

Al barely managed to withhold another sigh. Verbeena had better be on the verge of death to go home, and not getting ready for a hot date.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

FEBRUARY 14, 2000 11:32 A.M.
COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Trying to ignore the grumbling in his stomach, Sam stirred sugar into his coffee. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Al suddenly appeared before him, a colourful vision in his billowing purple pants and lime green shirt.

"It's about time!" Sam said irritably. Taking a sip out of the mug, he grimaced. "Ugh, how can they drink this stuff? I need real food."

"So why don't you have some lunch?" Al suggested calmly.

"Because I'm pretending to be sick so I don't have to see patients."

"But you're a doctor, Sam."

This gave him pause. "I am?"

Al tried to display a measure of patience, a virtue he tended to underuse. "It's that Swiss cheesed brain of yours, again. Yes, you're a medical doctor. Trust me, you should have no problems treating patients."

"If you say so." Sam couldn't help sounding doubtful. He honestly had no memory of any doctoring skills. He could only hope it would come back to him when he needed it.

They both fell silent as another figure entered the lounge.

"Hey, Carter," the petite and attractive female greeted Sam.

"Hey...Lucy," Sam replied haltingly, after reading the I.D. pinned to her lab coat.

"I see you drank the last of the coffee, as usual." She flashed him a smile, her tone gently teasing.

"Sorry, I can make another pot."

"That's okay. I really shouldn't have it, anyway. I hear you're not feeling well. You okay?"

"Yeah, it might be a touch of the flu, but I'll be fine."

"Well, take it easy today. I'll see you later." She turned to go but then stopped, swinging around to face him again. "I might ask your opinion later about one of my patients. He seems to be an interesting case."

Sam smiled wanly. "Yeah, sure."

"Great! See you later, Carter."

As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Sam got back to business. He wanted to get as much information from Al as he could before someone else walked in. "Okay, Al, so tell me why I'm here."

"Ziggy's working on it. So far, we know that you've leaped into a Dr. John Carter, a resident at County General in Chicago. It's the year 2000. And it's Valentine's Day, in case you haven't noticed."

Sam regarded the paper cupids and strings of large red hearts strewn around the room. "Yeah, I noticed that," he stated dryly. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, Ziggy says there's an eighty two percent chance that you're here to save the life of one of the staff. Someone named..." Al's voice trailed off as he slapped the handlink with one palm. "The name starts with an L...no, a K...wait, it's LK."

"LK?" Sam repeated, a question in his tone.

"The initials are LK." Al slapped the handlink again in frustration. "Damned thing! I'm pretty sure that's right, anyway. He or she is going to be killed. Today."

Sam waited for more information, but his friend had become quiet. "That's all you can tell me?"

"That's all I've got right now. I'll keep you posted."

That snippet of information wasn't much to go on but he supposed it was better than nothing.

Al punched some buttons on his handlink and after the glowing Door slid open, he stepped inside. "Gotta go, Sam. I'll see you in a bit."

Sam watched him disappear into thin air, his mind already settling onto the task at hand. LK... The name on the I.D. badge of the young woman he'd just spoken with had been Lucy Knight. As well, the doctor he'd found to take over the trauma earlier was named Luka Kovac. Perhaps one of them was destined to a tragic demise. Unless he found a way to stop it.

***************

12:05 P.M.

Bending down to peer at the bottom shelf, Lucy scanned over the rows and rows of boxes. The supply closet was a mess again. All she wanted was a fresh box of gloves and it seemed she was out of luck.

Giving up, she turned to leave, only to find her exit blocked by a man in uniform. She knew who it was, even before she tilted her head back to look up at him. And just as she knew it would be, the amused grin was pasted on his face.

"Need some help?" he asked, speaking slowly and with the tinge of a drawl.

"No thanks," she replied quickly, almost rudely. "Do you mind stepping aside?"

"What's the rush? You're always in a hurry. You need to learn to slow down."

There was no way to get around him without squeezing past, and Lucy wasn't about to get that close to him. "I really need to get back to my patient. Now, get out of my way or..."

"Or what?"

He took a step forward, closing the small distance between them. His hooded eyes seemed to bore into hers and though she instantly regretted it, she took an involuntary step backwards. She hated to feel intimidated but frankly, that's exactly how she felt. Her gaze darted around him to the left and then to the right, before she spotted a blessedly familiar figure.

"Carter!" she called out loudly.

As she expected, the security guard immediately backed off, allowing her enough space to rush past him.

Sam looked up to see Lucy practically running towards him. Her cheeks were flushed and though he couldn't be certain, he thought he detected a hint of fright in her wide blue eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about that patient I told you about." Placing a light hand on his arm, she began to steer him down the hall.

Sam allowed himself to be led away but first, he glanced back in time to see a security guard move swiftly away in the opposite direction.

"Was he bothering you?" he asked, looking back down at Lucy.

"Who?"

"That guard."

"No, of course not," she lied. She bit the inside of her lip, an almost unconscious way of preventing herself from spilling out the truth. In reality, the man was bothering her. Not that he'd done anything physically, but he seemed to delight in trying to intimidate her. She'd only begun to notice his presence about a month ago. She would catch him staring at her whenever he was near. Though it unnerved her, she hadn't mentioned it to anyone. She'd hoped that he'd eventually become disinterested since she'd never acknowledged his presence.

In the past week and a half he'd become bolder, seeking her out when no one else was around and actually attempting to converse with her. She couldn't figure out if he was trying to indicate that he liked her - albeit in a creepy way - or if he simply enjoyed making her nervous.

"You sure?" Sam pressed, not entirely convinced.

"Yes!" she snapped, eager to change the subject. She could handle this herself. While she had no choice but to seek his guidance on patient treatment, she didn't need to involve him in her personal problems. Carter had long ago made it crystal clear that their relationship was strictly professional. As they continued forward, she began to explain her patient's condition. Just as she started to tell him what tests she wanted to order, another voice overlapped with hers.

Abby Lockheart had stepped in front of their path and her tone was apologetic. "Sorry to interrupt. When you have a minute, Carter, I need your opinion on antibiotics for Mrs. Connelly."

"Uh, sure," Sam said, inwardly praying that his suppressed medical training would come to life on its own. "Lucy, I'll be right back, okay?"

Lucy didn't bother to reply, simply watching as they walked away from her.

"No problem," she whispered to herself. Squaring her shoulders, she returned to the exam room to talk with Paul Sobriki once more.

***************

12:23 P.M.

With a worried frown, Lucy looked up at Malik. "I'm going to get Carter. This isn't good."

"What isn't good?" Sam asked, as he entered the exam room. The sight of a vomiting, babbling patient stopped him in his tracks. Before he could comment, he was distracted by the glowing Door that suddenly announced Al's presence.

"Whoa!" Al exclaimed. He sidestepped the small pool of brownish-yellow liquid that stained the floor, even though he couldn't physically come into contact with it.

"Not a good time, Al," Sam hissed under his breath.

"No kidding. I'll just wait over here." With exaggerated steps, Al went to stand in a far corner.

Lucy and Malik were so focused on Paul, neither of them heard Sam's low mutter. Sam came to the patient's side and asked him a couple of questions. Paul continued to babble something about his wife and dog, ignoring everyone around him.

Sam's mind kicked into high gear, mulling over the symptoms and possible diagnoses. Al was right. Since checking on Abby's patient, he was thinking like a doctor again. "He's definitely altered," he mused, picking up the medical chart. "Maybe encephalitis."

"Or meningitis?" Lucy offered, dabbing at Paul's chin with a paper towel.

"Possibly." As Sam was talking, he kept one eye on Al. With a jerk of his head, the older man indicated that he needed to talk to him. "Um, I'm going to get some lidocaine and an LP kit. I won't be long."

Stepping back into the hallway, Sam peeked into the next exam room and found it empty. When he opened the door, Al was already inside waiting for him.

"Ziggy got some more info," Al stated quickly, knowing their meeting had to be short. "She says there's a seventy percent chance that Lucy Knight will be killed."

"Lucy..." Sam repeated, with a slight shake of his head. He couldn't let that happen. "Seventy. That's on the low side, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I thought so too," Al agreed. "No word on who or how, though."

"I'll keep an eye on her. If that's all, I'd better get going."

Al waved a hand at him. "Go, go." Just as Sam was almost through the door, he called out a last question. "What's an LP kit?"

"It stands for lumbar puncture. Basically a big needle gets stuck in the spine to draw out spinal fluid." Sam couldn't help smiling a little at Al's pained expression. "You want one?"

"I think I'll pass," Al replied, with a barely concealed shudder.

***************

3:30 P.M.

Since she was alone in the lounge, Lucy didn't bother to try swallowing her yawn. She stretched her arms out at the same time and glanced wearily at the clock. Three more hours to go.

Wondering if the snow had started yet, as the forecasts were predicting, she went to stand by the window. Gazing into the sky, she was glad to see the absence of any white flakes. She'd be happy if the good weather held out until her shift was over and she was warm in her own room.

Her thoughts returned to Paul. The spinal tap had been negative and the CT scan hadn't shown any abnormalities either. Yet something was clearly wrong with the guy. She was beginning to think it was psychological and that she should ask for a Psych consult.

The only good thing to come out of this was her first successful spinal tap. The fluid had been satisfyingly clear. She'd been worried that Paul would squirm around during the procedure, but Carter had ensured that he received sufficient lidocaine, dulling the pain to a manageable level.

She'd heard rumours that a successful LP on the first try was rewarded by a bottle of champagne. It was highly doubtful, but she hoped Carter might surprise her with one.

Deciding it was time to get back to work, she exited the room in search of Carter. No one noticed a silent figure ducking into the lounge just moments after.

***************

3:43 P.M.

"Just one will not hurt you," Luka Kovac said wisely, holding the box with a patient air.

"I'm not so sure. But I'll have one anyway." Lucy chose what she hoped was the strawberry filled one. Popping the chocolate into her mouth, she tried to say thanks but her tongue was immobilized by stickiness.

Luka laughed at her. "You're welcome."

"Hey, Lucy, where did Paul go?" Sam asked, walking quickly towards her.

Lucy turned around, her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "He isn't in his room?" she asked, after swallowing her mouthful in one gulp.

"No, I was just there. I thought you might have taken him up for the CT."

"No, we've already done that. It was negative," she informed him.

They started walking back to the room when Eric, a friend of Paul's, approached her. He'd shown up about an hour ago, showing concern for his friend's condition. Lucy had thus learned that Paul had been acting strangely for some time now. This information, along with behaviour that she'd witnessed for herself, made her believe Paul's problem might be psych-related.

"I was hoping I could talk to Paul now," Eric said hesitantly.

"Um, maybe you should come back later," Lucy suggested.

"Why, is something wrong?"

"You! You followed me here!" yelled a male voice, making everyone within earshot jump.

Paul came barreling out of his room, making a beeline for Eric. The startled young man shrank backwards from Paul's advance.

Sam put himself between the two men and tried to speak in soothing tones. "Calm down, Paul. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter! He's following me, that's what's the matter. He's a snake in the grass. He's trying to take over my life and my wife too!"

Paul was furiously trying to get around Sam, but he was held back by Sam's firm grip on his arms.

Eric was equally agitated now and shouted, "You're crazy! I'm here 'cause I was worried about you."

"Liar! Get out of here!" Paul ranted, struggling to free himself from Sam's hold.

Luka came to Sam's side and spoke quietly. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, let's try to get him back to his room," Sam replied, trying to nudge Paul backwards. The man's behaviour was worrisome and disturbing. And possibly dangerous too, if Lucy was going to be killed. Paul was a loose canon, and he didn't want to take any risks with Lucy's life.

Lucy placed a hand on Eric's arm, trying to get his attention. "Maybe you should go," she murmured.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm going," he agreed, backing off. Before turning away, he glanced down at her. "Take care of him."

She nodded. "We will. Try coming back tomorrow."

"Good! Go!" Paul called after Eric's retreating figure. After he'd disappeared from sight, Paul seemed to become calmer, his breathing gradually slowing.

"That's it," Sam encouraged. "You're okay now. Can we go back to your room?"

All the energy seemed to have drained from Paul and he became still. Since Luka was right by their side, Sam finally let go of Paul's arms. With a gentle hand on his shoulder, Sam led the way into the room, with Lucy following behind them.

While Paul climbed onto the gurney of his own accord, Sam spoke softly to Luka. "Help me get him into restraints."

Luka didn't conceal his surprise. "Do you think that is really necessary?" he questioned.

"Yes, I do," Sam replied evenly.

Luka stared at him for a moment, carefully considering the matter. "All right," he said finally.

As Sam came to the head of the gurney on one side and Luka went around to the other, Paul eyed them with suspicion. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Paul. We just want to help you," Sam stated, his gaze sliding to Luka's. The other man dipped his head in a slight movement that was almost imperceptible; a signal that he was ready. When Sam lunged for the restraint, Luka pinned down Paul's shoulders.

"Hey! Let go!" Paul protested, bucking wildly beneath Luka's hands.

Sam fumbled with the strap on the restraint, his fingers slipping clumsily. "Damnit!" he cursed.

Luka's attention was distracted for a second, as he wondered what was taking Carter so long. That was all the window of opportunity that Paul needed. Drawing his arm back, he elbowed Luka painfully in the ribs and then punched him in the jaw. With a groan, Luka stumbled backwards.

Paul then ripped his other wrist from Sam's feeble grasp, reaching for something beneath his pillow. In a fluid motion, he withdrew a long and wicked looking knife from underneath.

"Get away from me!" he shouted hoarsely. Sam barely jumped back in time to escape the downward arc of the blade. It missed his nose by mere inches.

Luka wasn't so lucky. Still slightly dazed by the blow to his jaw, he was easily knocked to the floor when Paul leapt on top of him. Aiming for the other man's throat, Paul sliced through the air with the knife. The tip just stopped short of Luka's vulnerable neck, as he managed to hold Paul's arm back with both hands. Luka wasn't a weak man but he'd been caught off guard and Paul was high on adrenaline and unfocused rage.

Although she'd been momentarily frozen by shock, Lucy cried out involuntarily when she saw that knife plunging down at Luka. "Paul, stop it!" Without even thinking, she found herself rushing to his side, yanking frantically at his arm.

Meanwhile, Sam felt as if he'd been watching this scene unfold in slow motion. In truth, everything had happened so quickly it was a blur. Paul had pinned Luka down and Lucy had ran to them before he'd even started to move. The damned gurney was in his way and he had to waste precious seconds going around it. With Al's warning still fresh in his mind and seeing Lucy so close to that knife, Sam felt his gut constrict with dread.

"Lucy, stay back!" he warned.

She ignored him, maintaining her tenacious hold on Paul's arm. Her eyes were focused on the tip of the knife and despite the combined effort of herself and Luka, she helplessly watched as the sharp blade broke the skin. Seeing the thin thread of bright red that welled up, she redoubled her efforts, her forehead breaking out into a sheen of cold sweat.

Just as Sam reached her side, Paul turned on Lucy with an almost vicious sounding growl. Belatedly seeing the knife swinging towards her, she tried to dodge out of the way. Sam caught Paul's wrist with an iron grip, twisting the appendage sharply until Paul cried out. The knife clattered to the tile floor and Lucy kicked it out of reach.

Running to the door, she looked down the hall to find several people hurrying towards her, attracted by the commotion coming from their exam room. "Someone get security!" she told them urgently.

Turning back inside, she saw that Carter had led Paul to a chair in a corner of the room. Paul sat there, rocking back and forth in a continuous motion, muttering incoherently.

Sam had a light hold on the younger man's shoulders, in case he decided to bolt. Seeing Lucy come back in, he nodded towards Luka, who was now sitting up, one hand pressed against his neck. "Could you help him?"

As Luka struggled to stand up, she rushed over to him. "Take your time, Dr. Kovac. Why don't you sit down?"

"I'm fine," Luka muttered, withdrawing his hand to regard his palm. There was only a trace of blood smeared on it. "It's nothing."

The other staff members hovered nearby, asking what had happened. Everyone started speaking at once, only adding to the confusion. Three security guards finally made their appearance, two of them heading towards Sam as he waved them over.

One of them approached Lucy, as she was still fussing over Luka. "Your arm's bleeding," he stated.

"What?" She looked up at him and quickly averted her gaze. It was him. Suddenly noticing the painful throb in her upper arm, she glanced down at it. Her lab coat was torn, slit horizontally, and wet with blood. "So it is," she commented inanely, her voice hitched with surprise.

"Lucy, I think you should sit down," Luka said seriously. His own cut was superficial and shallow. It had already stopped bleeding. He suspected that Lucy's wound was deeper and that her layers of clothing had absorbed a lot of blood. "Come with me and we'll take a look at it."

Without protest, she allowed herself to be guided out of the room. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. Her entire arm was now radiating with pain. Before leaving, she stopped at the door and glanced behind her. All three guards were now talking with Carter and Paul continued to rock in his seat, oblivious to them all.

***************

6:20 P.M.

Mindful of her bandaged arm, Lucy slipped gingerly into her coat. She was exhausted. All she could think about was climbing into her cozy bed and drifting off to sleep.

Passing by the admit desk on her way out, she was stopped by a smiling Yosh. "Happy Valentine's Day!" He handed her a paper heart.

"Thank you. And Happy Valentine's Day to you." Slipping the heart into her coat pocket, she returned his smile.

"How's the arm?"

"It's fine. Just a few stitches and I'm good as new." Eager to leave, she began to move away. "Goodnight, Yosh. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you, Lucy."

Glancing at her watch, she quickened her pace. If she hurried, she should be able to catch the next train.

***************

COUNTY GENERAL CAFETERIA 6:26 P.M.

Where could he be? With one foot drumming on the floor, Sam practically willed Al to magically appear. By all accounts, he should have leaped by now. Lucy was safe so he'd accomplished what he'd been sent here to do. Of course, leaps didn't always tend to be cut and dried. It was possible he needed to do one more little thing before he'd be permitted to leave. It could be anything. Wishing a lonely patient a Happy Valentine's Day, perhaps. Anything at all.

He was sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, nursing a coffee. A sudden whoosh of electrical disturbance in the air, palpable only to him, made the tiny hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end.

"I've been waiting." Though Sam spoke in a low tone, his impatience was clearly evident.

"Sorry, Sam. I was giving a tour of the complex to a new employee. Her name is Linda and she has the longest legs I've ever..."

"Al! Can we get to the point?"

"Right. You want to know why you haven't leaped yet." Al's nimble fingers flew over the handlink's console. "Uh oh."

"What? Uh oh, what?" Sam hated it when Al made noises like that.

Al's voice rose sharply, his eyes glued to the display in his hand. "We're in trouble. Or rather, Lucy is. Where is she?"

"I...I think she went home. Why? What happens to her?"

"Never mind. I know where she is." Finally meeting Sam's eyes, Al spoke gravely. "She's at the El station. And there's a ninety eight percent chance that she's going to be killed by the next train. She gets pushed in front of it, Sam."

***************

EL STATION PLATFORM 6:26 P.M.

Pacing back and forth in a feeble effort to stay warm, Lucy craned her neck, peering into the distance. No sign of the train yet. With the way her day was going, it would be late.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a couple smooching on a nearby bench. Reminded again of what day this was and that she had no one to celebrate it with, she exhaled noisily. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the paper valentine. Yosh, what a character. No one else in the ER would think to give these out.

A strong gust of wind tore the slip of paper from her hand, sending it sliding along the platform. She chased after it, hoping it wouldn't slip over the edge where it would be forever out of reach.

"Got it!" she said out loud, snatching the red heart from the ground. It had traveled almost to the end of the platform.

"Is that for me?"

Startled by the sudden voice, she whirled around, eyes wide. It was him.

***************

CHICAGO STREET 6:28 P.M.

As Sam's feet pounded on the pavement, Al kept pace with him, floating alongside. Ziggy had retrieved a lot more information now and Al relayed it in a tumble of words. "His name is Fred Pierce. He has a history of stalking young women, particularly medical students. He's worked at different hospitals in the city as a..."

"A security guard," Sam cut in, finishing Al's sentence. "I read his name on his I.D. badge. He's been giving Lucy a hard time."

"No one sees him push Lucy in front of the train so everyone thinks it was an accident. Until the same thing happens to three other women later on. All med students. What a sicko..."

"How...much...time...?" Sam panted.

Al punched more buttons on the handlink. "Two minutes! Sam, you're not gonna make it!"

Reaching into reserves he hadn't known existed, Sam increased his speed by a notch. Fighting for breath, he managed to wheeze, "Go, Al. Stay with her."

With a nod of understanding, Al's image vanished. Sam concentrated on pumping his legs and controlling his breathing. Al had already given him directions on how to get to the El station. By his best estimation, he could get there in three minutes. And by that time, Lucy would already be dead.

***************

EL STATION PLATFORM 6:28 P.M.

Fred Pierce advanced on her, crowding her into the back wall. There was nowhere left to go. "Not happy to see me?" he asked sarcastically.

Though her heart thudded rapidly in her chest, Lucy tried not to show her fear. "What do you want?"

"All I want is to be close to you. Why do you keep ignoring me?"

"I...I'm sorry," she stammered. Her mind frantically pondered what she should do. Should she scream? Try to run around him? Try to talk to him? What? She couldn't seem to decide.

With Gooshie's help, Al descended upon the scene that was unfolding, unbeknownst to anyone else at the station. Lucy and Fred were down at the far end, alone.

"Come on, Sam, come on," he muttered. Though he knew it wouldn't make a difference, he couldn't help himself. "Touch her and you'll regret it," he warned through clenched teeth.

Looking over at the crowd of people towards the middle of the platform, he got an idea. Spotting a young girl around the age of five, he approached her with a friendly smile. "Hey, kid. Can you see me?"

With eyes rounded in wonder at the colourful and ghostly image, the girl only nodded, stepping a little closer to her mother.

Just his luck. She had to be shy. "Don't be scared." Al crouched down to her level and pointed behind him. "See those two people back there?" Again, the girl nodded. "That lady is in trouble. She needs some help. Can you tell your mom?"

"Mommy?" The girl spoke softly, pulling at her mother's sleeve.

"Yes, honey?" Chatting to another commuter, the mother only paid attention to her daughter with half an ear.

"That lady needs help."

With more attentiveness now, the mother looked down at her. "What lady?" Following along the length of her daughter's outstretched arm, she frowned at the sight of the woman who was barely visible from behind her boyfriend's broad back. "It's none of our business," she said briskly, turning away.

"Great! Thanks a lot!" Al huffed, peeved beyond belief. Remembering the young girl, he gave her a quick smile. "Thanks for trying, sweetheart."

Giving up on that idea, he swiftly turned around, checking Ziggy's numbers again. They were down to less than a minute. Sam would never make it in time. He had to think of something.

He swung around again to the girl, glad that he still held her attention. "Can you do one more thing for me?"

Enchanted by this figure, she looked excited. "Okay."

"Yell 'Fred' as loud as you can. Ready? One, two, three...'Fred'!"

"FRED!" the girl screamed, giggling with delight.

Shocked, the mother stared down at her daughter. "What is wrong with you today?"

Hearing his name yelled out, Fred whipped his head around, confused. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lucy tried to dart past him, but he quickly recovered, grabbing both of her arms with bruising force. "Where do you think you're going?"

Crying out with pain as his fingers dug into the still-tender wound in her arm, she struggled to free herself. "Let go of me! Somebody help me, please!"

Her frantic cries carried on the wind and finally, people began to take notice. Some looked concerned but others studiously ignored the situation, not wanting to get involved. The rumble of the train could be heard now and the majority of them just wanted to get off their tired feet and head home.

"What is wrong with you people!" Al said angrily, frustrated to his very core. If someone stepped forward now, Lucy's life might still be saved. Otherwise, she'd be crushed to death by the wheels of the train, if the impact alone didn't kill her.

"I thought you might be different, but you're like all the others," Fred sneered. They were both dangerously close to the edge of the platform now and he shifted around so her back was against the open space above the tracks. "Now you have to die."

"No..." Lucy moaned, growing weaker from her struggle against him. Rather than trying to get away from him, she was now almost clinging to him, terrified that he'd send her flying out onto the tracks.

Hopeful that the improvised distraction had bought them the sliver of time they needed, Al kept glancing at the head of the stairs that led down to the street. He wasn't disappointed. Sam suddenly appeared, an odd figure in his white lab coat while others were bundled in their dark winter gear.

"Sam, over here!" Al waved him on. "Hurry!"

Spurred on by the sight of Fred towering over Lucy as he held her life in his brutal hands, Sam ran forward, taking no heed of the burning in his lungs.

Glancing up to see someone bearing down on him, Fred's grip on his victim loosened unconsciously. Sam wrapped his arms around the trembling girl and swung her away from the precarious edge.

Enraged, Fred tackled Sam and the two men rolled around the ground, a tangle of arms and legs. Fred was yelling something but his words were lost in the roar of the El train as it swept past them. After absorbing numerous blows, Sam was finally able to gain the upper hand as he landed several clean punches to his adversary's face, knocking him out cold.

His breathing slowly returning to a semblance of normalcy, Sam got to his feet, wavering slightly.

"Good one, Sam!" Al crowed, punching one fist in the air. "You really nailed the bastard!"

Sam rolled his eyes. Al had always loved a good fight. Seeing Lucy still huddled on the ground where she'd fallen, he knelt beside her. "You okay?"

Though she was clearly trying to remain brave, her face crumbled and she buried it in Sam's shirt. Her quiet sobs touched his heart and he stroked her back. He looked up at Al with a question in his eyes. "Well?"

Knowing what he wanted, Al read Ziggy's report. "You did it. She graduates from med school and completes her residency at County in Psychology. Eventually, she opens a private practice that specializes in treating children."

"Way to go, Lucy," Sam whispered. And then he Leaped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

FEBRUARY 14, 2000 6:35 P.M.
EL STATION PLATFORM
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Her weeping finally subsiding, Lucy lifted her head, swiping at her eyes. "Sorry, Carter. I got your shirt all wet. Carter?"

Although his arm was still around her, John Carter was looking at his surroundings with a dazed expression. Before she could question him, they were approached by onlookers that had finally dared to come forward. The police soon arrived and they were asked to answer some questions.

John spoke haltingly, as if he wasn't quite sure what had transpired. Lucy grew increasingly worried about him, afraid that he'd suffered a blow to the head that was affecting his memory.

But eventually, he began to sound more sure of himself as he related the events of the day. After the police finished their report, they were told they could leave. Lucy had tried to ignore the pain in her arm for a little while, but she was afraid the wound had opened again. John examined her arm and chastised her for not mentioning it sooner.

One of the officers offered them a ride back to the hospital and John restitched her cut in the suture room.

"Want anything for the pain?" he offered.

Lucy was already reaching for her coat. "No, I'm okay. I just want to get home."

"You sure you don't want to go out for a drink?"

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, we'll make it a different night. I owe you a bottle of champagne." He grinned at her and she laughed, pleased that he'd remembered.

"I'll take a raincheck."

Helping her with her coat, he decided to bring up something that had been nagging at him for the last little while. "Lucy, why didn't you tell me about him? About Fred Pierce."

"There wasn't anything to tell," she said quickly, not meeting his eyes.

"Bull. He'd been bothering you but you didn't tell me. Or anyone. Maybe we could have done something earlier..."

"Are you trying to make this my fault?" Lucy interrupted, her tone incredulous.

"No, no! I'm not saying that." John was aghast that she could think that. Why was it that even his best intentions set them up for an argument? "I just wish...I wish we could communicate a little better, I guess. I know I get impatient with you sometimes but it's only because I see such potential in you. I want you always striving to do your best."

"Don't I do that?" Lucy asked, her voice small and unsure.

"Most of the time, yeah," he agreed. "Just...I don't want you to be afraid to come to me when you're having problems. About anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

With a final look of understanding in each of their eyes, she turned to go.

"Hey, Luce..."

"Yeah?"

"Happy Valentine's Day."

She smiled. "Same to you, Carter. And thank you. For saving my life."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow."

And then Lucy went home.

THE END

~*~*
Shirl :)

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