Phone of Memories
Author: dougandcarol22
Disclaimer: Last Christmas I wrote a letter to Santa. I asked him for the rights to the ER characters. On Christmas morning I woke up and went downstairs. Mixed in with wrapped presents for my family I found a plain white envelope marked with my name. Exited I opened the letter. It was from Santa himself. It said that he couldn't give me the rights, because they weren't his to give, but maybe I could ask the people who owned them. So people who are fortunate enough to own ER, can I have the rights ??? I guess until they say yes, nobody in this story belongs to me!
Spoilers: Everything up through the end of Season 7 in relation to Doug/Carol and Mark/Elizabeth.
Rating: PG just to be safe.
Archive: Email me first, although I'll probably say yes, ask before you take.
Background: This story takes place in the spring of 2004. Doug and Carol live in Seattle and are married. Kate and Tess are 4 years old and have a two-year-old little brother named Charley. Mark and Elizabeth are married as well and have their daughter, Ella who is 3. Everything else will be explained in the story.
Authors Note: This story was written to clear up some of the things we never saw on the show that I know I would have liked to. While it was based on what happened on ER, most of it is my creative liberty the way I would have liked to see things happen.
Memories and Flashbacks are marked with *~~~~*
Enjoy…
____________________
Doug Ross crawled into his spacious king-size bed after a long night at work, and pulled the dark blue floral, feather down quilt around his tired body. The dark mahogany wood of the headboard gleamed as the sun from the open window filtered through and grazed the polished surface of intricate carved patterns. As he rolled over onto his back, a bright ray of sunshine hit him in the eye, a stark reminder that it was 2:00 in the afternoon and he hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours. An exaggerated groan later, he got out of the bed and pulled the matching curtain closed. His bare feet padded along the toffee colored carpet as he made his way back to comforting warmth of the bed he shared with his wife.
As soon as Doug relocated to Seattle, almost 6 years ago, he had joined a private practice. And while at the time he knew he would miss the adrenaline rush of working in the ER, the practice provided him with a lifestyle that was more suitable for family life. Largely, he had better hours and more money. When he'd first made the change, he'd hated it, but in the 5 years he had been working there he'd learned to love it. The extra money was used to pay for the lavish home they lived in, extravagances such as the beautiful furniture that furnished their home, and anything else the children ever desired. The regularity of his schedule allowed him to create a routine lifestyle, and its flexibility made sure he spent plenty of time with his family and never missed a teacher conference or a performance. It also gave him the extra time to coach the soccer team both his daughters played on. Part of the appeal of the practice was that twice a week, Carol came in and worked as a nurse there.
Last night had been one of the busiest nights he could remember in a long time, and he was exhausted. Perhaps it was the first time that he hadn't slept through the night since the baby, who was now two, had begun to sleep through the night, months ago. Doug figured that this lifestyle had spoiled him, and he was no longer able to function on so little sleep.
When he had first entered the practice 5 years ago, he had harbored the worry that he would miss the fast paced action of the ER. Therefore, they had worked out his contract to say that he would have privileges at the nearby Seattle General Hospital.
If he wanted to do so, he could take a shift here and there and cure the desire for action. However, it also meant that if the hospital was in dire need, he was a member of the staff and could be called in to help with a mass casualty. Last night had been the first time that ever happened, as a school bus with over 40 children on it slipped on a patch of black ice and rolled down a bank. The injuries of the children were severe, and he had been called in to help. When he finally left, 19 kids had died, 3 were still in surgery, 18 in recovery, another 11 had been admitted to various units, and 5 had been sent home with minor injuries. Before Carol and the twins had joined him in Seattle, he had picked up a few shifts but more recently, he'd only used the privilages to visit sick patients of his.
And so, he lay in bed at 2:00 in the afternoon as his wife, Carol, puttered around in the kitchen downstairs, making a snack for their 4 ½ -year old twin daughters, Tess and Kate, and their 2-year-old son Charley. As he lay in bed, trying to sleep, Doug caught a glimpse of the beige colored portable phone sitting on the nightstand. Carol had been pestering him to get a new phone that matched the room better for some time. Up until now, he'd been putting it off, for reasons even he couldn't understand. Suddenly, it hit him. The phone had so much significance in his life. How many times had he received important news on it?
Doug remembered moving out to Seattle and moving into his large house on the water. It was big and beautiful, and he hoped that someday it would be filled with the patter of small feet and the exited shrieks of his daughters. But, until that fateful day arrived it was filled with a silence that only added to the empty feeling inside his heart. That first day, he'd gone out to store to pick up a phone so he could call Carol, or at least think about calling Carol. Thinking of her helped him to momentarily forget the silence, but only increased the loneliness of the house. He'd ended up at a local Radio Shack, where a salesman had helped him pick this one out.
*~~~~*
Doug walked into the store and began to look around to see where they kept their phones. Colored signs around the store alerted him to different sales, and great buys on certain items as he walked along the dull, gray carpet. He must have appeared to be lost because soon a tall, tanned man walked up to him and spoke with a clearly Indian accent. "Can I help you, Sir?"
"Uhh.. .yeah. I'm looking for a portable phone for my bedroom."
The man nodded. "Right this way, sir."
"You see here we have the R-6900. It is the latest model which comes equipped with Call-ID, phone book with up to 30 numbers, auto-redial, flash, hold, conference ready, 2 line ready, speakerphone, and call-waiting ready. The phone is portable and has a jack for a speaker phone, it has a range of 1 mile. It comes in black, white and beige."
Slightly taken aback, Doug nodded. "I'll take it."
The man smiled to himself, obviously pleased either at the fact that he'd astounded the customer so, or that he'd made a sale. "What color will you be taking that in sir?"
"Uhhh… I guess beige would be fine."
The two men proceeded to the checkout and Doug handed him his credit card. As he rang it up and slid the credit card, he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the counter in impatience. Doug observed him with mild disdain and unlike the man, waited patiently for the card to clear. The computer printed a receipt and Doug signed it. The salesman proceeded to bag the phone and handed it back to him, putting the receipt in the bag. Doug nodded a quick thanks and left the store.
He returned to the house and unloaded the phone in his bedroom. Then he plugged it in and began to program the speed-dial phonebook. Carol's number was the first to go in. To test it out he tried calling her, and got the machine.
Instead of hanging up as he had planned, Doug spoke, longing to hear her voice on the other end. "Hey Carol, its me, Doug. I just wanted to let you know I'm here and I'm okay. It would be really nice if we could talk and sort some things out. So… uh… give me a call here at 827-555-9824. I love you. goodbye. "
She'd called the next day and they had decided not to speak for a couple of months.
*~~~~*
That had not been a happy time in his life, living hundreds of miles away from the only woman besides his mother he had ever really loved. Numerous phone calls had been received on that phone regarding work, but the ones from Chicago were always the ones he remembered most.
*~~~~*
After a long day at work taking care of plenty of healthy children especially baby girls, Doug had been too depressed to come home, and fearing what he would do to himself he decided to take an unexpected shift in the ER at Seattle General. When he finally returned home at around 3:30 in the morning, he was exhausted and ready to fall into bed. Before doing so, he checked his messages and found one from Carol telling him they had to talk about something she'd faxed.
Instantly awakened, Doug was thrilled by her message, just hearing her voice after the two weeks they'd not talked was like a gift from the heavens. He practically ran to the makeshift office he'd made in a room near the kitchen and looked for a fax. There was one, he quickly read it over.
His eyes scanned over a word, pregnant. She was pregnant, with his baby, and he had left her. His eyes filled with tears, the love of his life, his soul mate was hundreds of miles away alone and pregnant with his baby. For a moment he contemplated calling the airport right away and catching the first plane to Chicago, but instead he called decided to call her.
Nobody was home at her house. He dialed the familiar number of County General Hospital, his home away from home for the better part of 8 years. Randi answered the phone.
"Hello, this is County General ER, Randi speaking, What can I do for you?" He could hear her snapping her gum and the hustle of the ER in the background.
"Randi, this is Doug."
"Ross?"
"Yeah."
"Oh hi Dr. Ross!" she cried excitedly. "I'll go get Carol. Holon." He heard her put the phone down and ask Haleh where Carol was. He heard as Randi told Haleh to send Carol into the lounge where she could have some privacy. Then she came back on the line, presumably while Carol was on her way to the lounge. "Dr. Ross?"
"I'm still here."
"Good, we're getting Carol, sending her to the lounge. You two can have some privacy."
"Thanks Randi."
Carol picked up the phone. "Doug?"
"Hey."
Randi spoke," I'm getting off, bye."
"You got the fax I assume?" Carol asked softly.
"Yeah. I… Carol I'm coming back. It was stupid of me to leave. I'm gonna be there for you and our child. I'll find work." He expected her to agree and tell him how sorry she was they'd fought. He figured they'd make up and pick up where they left off.
"No." She whispered, he heard her begin to cry.
"What? Honey, Carol, I miss you so much, I want to be there for you."
"No." She spoke more firmly this time, although he could tell she was barely containing the tears that threatened to fall. "I can't let you come back into my life at this point. I would never be able to live with myself knowing you came back just for the baby. What if there was no baby, Doug? What then?"
"I'm coming for you. Not just the baby."
"And how would I know that?"
He began to get frustrated, "Because I told you that, and because you know that I love you more than anyone in this world."
"Don't come."
Defeated he finally agreed, beginning to feel teary eyed himself. "If that's what you want, Carol. I want you to know that I love you and I love our baby. I want to come, but I won't because that's what you want and all I want if for you to be happy." He could hear her openly sobbing on the other end of the line. "Is that what you want?"
"Yes," she sobbed.
"Then it's decided, I love you Carol." Silence. Then a click and he heard a dial tone. And Doug began to cry, something he had been doing more than ever in his life.
*~~~~*
They'd had more conversations just like this. Him begging her to let him come, and her stubbornly refusing each time. He'd kept his hopes up that she might change her mind before their baby was born and therefore made many calls to local baby stores. Before she had entered the fourth month of pregnancy, the baby had a complete nursery in his Seattle home. He could remember another phone call that would modify his life once again.
*~~~~*
Ringing bells as the gate to the heavens opened. His eyes snapped open. Doug lay in bed, it had been a dream, but the ringing hadn't. He lunged for the phone and picked up. Then in a groggy, sleep deprived tone, "Hello?"
"Hey Doug, it's me." He instantly woke up, was something wrong? Had she changed her mind? While thoughts jumbled around madly in his head, he spoke clearly and confidently.
"Carol, hey."
She heard the fatigue in his voice and instantly regretted calling at this hour. "Did I wake you?"
" Naw. I gotta be at work in an hour anyway, I'm sure the alarm was gonna go off any second." As he spoke the alarm clicked to life and began to play some punk rock music. He leaned over and shut it chuckling. "I'd rather you wake me any day."
Miles away on the other side of the country, Carol blushed. "Listen, I have something I need to tell you."
Thoughts flitted through his mind like an angry swarm of bees. He hoped with all his heart that she would be agreeing to let him see her. He also hoped nothing was wrong with her, or the baby. "Are you okay? The baby?"
"Yeah, that's the thing. Doug," An awkward pause. In his mind, Doug could hear her telling him the baby wasn't his, or worse yet, there was no baby. After what felt like an eternity, but had only been seconds he heard her giggle. "I guess I'll just come right out and say it. Doug, I … we're having twins."
Carol heard him gasp. He spoke excitedly, "Twins, two babies?"
She laughed out loud at his thrilled demeanor, wishing with all her heart she that could see the expression on his face. "Yeah, that's what it means, Doug."
"How did you find out?"
"A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with my O.B. She was going to do the first ultrasound to look at the baby. Unexpectedly, she canceled and later that day I went into an empty exam room to do it myself. Well, I thought I had locked the door, but apparently not because the next thing I knew, Mark Greene and Elizabeth Corday barged in, all over each other. They helped me finish the ultrasound and determined that there were two fetuses."
"Wow."
"Yeah, so I just thought I would let you know."
"Carol, I want to be a part of these baby's lives. They need a father, and whether or not we do it together I want to be it to them. I'm not going to let what happened to my son happen again." He finished, expecting an argument.
"Ok." He was thrilled.
"Then you'll let me see them? Be a part of their lives?"
She sighed. "Doug, I grew up without a father. I'm not going to do that to my kids. But, if you become part of their lives, you have to stay part of them. I don't want you to break their hearts like you did so many times to me. " Her last sentence stabbed him right in the heart, and while he was thrilled at the prospect of knowing his kids, he was overcome with grief at what he had done to the woman he loved.
He spoke solemnly and truthfully, praying she would believe him. "I will, Carol. I promise you, I will."
"Good."
Trying to change the subject to something less touchy, he spoke again, "So how are you doing? Been feeling okay?"
"Pretty good. The morning sickness has pretty much passed. I saw my O.B. yesterday and she did an ultrasound to confirm Mark's diagnosis, which was correct. She said that for twins they look a good size and that I'm having a healthy pregnancy."
"Did she print you any pictures?"
"Yeah, a couple."
"Could I have one, you know for my office?"
Even though he couldn't see her, Doug could tell she was smiling. "Yeah, I'll send them out."
"Thanks for calling, Carol. I love you. Maybe you'll let me come visit soon."
"Maybe. Bye, Doug."
"Bye."
*~~~~*
Doug could remember how happy he was after that call. He'd gone right out to the store and ordered another crib for the nursery. As he lay in bed, still unable to sleep, he remembered the phone call that had changed his life forever.
*~~~~*
Doug sat on the couch in his living room, his socked feet up on the coffee table and a beer in his hand. The Thanksgiving football game played on the television in front of him but he wasn't really listening. Instead, he basked in his sorrow remembering better times when he'd spent Thanksgiving with Carol and her family. With a sigh, he figured he ought to give her a call and wish her a happy holiday. They hadn't spoken in a little over a week and he wanted to check up on her and the babies. Suddenly the phone rang, bringing him out of his reverie. He lunged for it hoping it was Carol.
"Hello?"
"Doug? It's me." What luck, he thought to himself grinning just at hearing her voice.
"Hey, how are you? How was your holiday?"
Sharing his happy feeling she laughed out loud. "You'll never believe the day I had. "
He laughed too, amazed that he was still able. " Why don't you tell me about it."
"I will, but first I thought I should tell you about your daughters. Katherine Marie and Tess Elizabeth Ross."
He was shocked to say the least. "You had the twins?"
"Yeah, both girls, both healthy. Kate is six pounds 4 ounces and Tess is six pounds 3 ounces."
He chucked and her heart melted. " Girls, huh?"
"Yeah. You always loved the name Tess. I never thought I'd name my child that, but Kerry handed her to me and I said, this baby looks like a Tess."
"Wait, Kerry delivered them?"
"No, only Tess. Boy, are you gonna love this story." He heard a baby gurgle and her shift it in her arms.
"Who's that? Making noises."
"Tess. Trouble maker already, just like her daddy." Doug smiled to himself running the names of the babies through his head. Katherine Marie and Tess Elizabeth Ross. Ross?
"You used my name?"
"Yeah. They're your kids, Doug. Its only fitting they have your name." She paused. "They look like you. Have your nose, your chin, those mischievous eyes."
"I wanna come see them, Carol."
"Yeah. That would be nice."
Doug couldn't have been happier. "I'll get a plane out there immediately. So, tell me about your day. "
Carol took a deep breath before continuing. "I woke up this morning with a terrible pain in my back, but I didn't think much of it, because it was not much worse than I'd had for the past month. So I got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. I was supposed to go in this morning to show Lydia how to do the census report. I took the El in, but when I got there she had already gone home. So, I went back to the El to make my way home. However on the El, my water broke." Carol paused as she heard him take in a sharp breath. She smiled briefly, before continuing. " I got off the train, hoping to catch another train back to County, which was only one stop back. But, I missed the train, because while it came I was in the middle of a very painful contraction. Luckily, one of the new doctors from work, Luka Kovac, found me and helped me back on the train to County. The contractions were really close together by the time we got there and I thought he was gonna have to deliver them right there on the El platform." Carol took another dramatic pause.
Doug spoke anxiously, "Did you?"
She laughed at his anxiety. "No. God no. We made our way down the stairs but I passed out. They think it was a vagal reaction to the contractions. Luka carried me to the ER, where Kerry met us. By the time I was on a gurney, I was awake and alert. I pleaded with her to let me go up to O.B. but she insisted on checking me out, and putting me on a fetal monitor first. When we got to the trauma room, Kerry determined that I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. She made a deal, that if I let her deliver the first baby down in the ER, I could have the second one upstairs. I agreed and began to push. Believe me, it was the most painful thing I have ever had to do! Finally, Kerry said to stop pushing and set the first baby, a perfect little girl in my arms. I knew as soon as I saw her that I would call her Tess."
Doug released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and chuckled. "Exciting birth, huh? I take it baby two was a little more simple?"
Carol laughed again. "It seemed that way at first. I got upstairs and got settled. They told me it would be a while because my second water hadn't broken yet and I was only six centimeters dilated. I got an epidural to ease the pain a little, and thought everything was normal until the baby's heart rate began to fall. She had a prolapsed cord. They prepped me for an emergency C-Section. Oh god, Doug, I was so scared, I wanted you to be there so badly. "
"I'm so sorry I wasn't, Carol. I'm so sorry."
"It's my fault." She sighed. "Mark was with me. I was so scared I was going to lose the baby, I begged him to save her. When they delivered her, she wasn't breathing. She was blue. I began to feel groggy as they gave her some oxygen and she began to pink up. I could hear muffled voices saying my uterus was boggy and I was loosing a lot of blood. Coburn called for a hysterectomy tray but I didn't want that. I told Mark and he stood up for me. Everything went white and I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying in a bed and Mark was walking around the room holding a baby. He told me I still had my uterus and that the baby was perfect. Then he reminded me that she still needed a name. Since he'd been such a great help, I offered for him to name her. He said that his mother's name was Ruth. I must have made some kind of awful face, because he laughed and said that her middle name was Katherine, which I liked a lot. I decided to call her Kate."
"Wow. That's some story. How are you doing?"
"I'm okay. I'm happy the girls are both here and healthy. I'm glad my uterus is still part of me, thanks to Mark."
"Are you in any pain?"
"Not really. Painkillers." They both laughed.
"Well Carol, sweetie, I'll let you get some rest. Give my girls a kiss and tell them I love them. I'll call you with my flight information as soon as I get it. Thanks for calling."
He heard a baby wail loudly in the background. " Yeah, okay. Bye Doug." She hesitated slightly before adding quietly, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Carol. Bye." They both disconnected.
*~~~~*
Such important memories this phone held. They'd used it to communicate long distance for the year they were apart. Doug had learned about his daughters and heard about their eventful births and early lives on it. It had also been the phone they'd used to plan most of their wedding. Doug remembered another important conversation he'd had on it regarding the health of his best friend.
*~~~~*
On New Years Eve 2001, Doug and Carol sat on the couch in the living room, watching the ball in New York City Drop. Doug sat with his feet resting on the coffee table and Carol's head resting in his lap, a navy blue fleece blanket covering her body. Their twin daughters, who had recently turned 1 year old, were safely tucked into their cribs upstairs and had been sleeping for hours. As the countdown began and the ball began to lower, Doug couldn't help but think about his best friend, Mark Greene, who had undergone brain surgery earlier that day.
Doug was still in shock. It had only been two weeks ago that Mark had called and told him about the tumor and the surgery. When Doug first moved to Seattle, he stopped talking to Mark as regularly as they once had. He figured they both needed some time to cool off after the events that had transpired leading up to Doug's resignation. He had almost stopped talking to him altogether, aside from checking up on Carol and the twins. When Carol joined him in Seattle, she tried to mend the bonds that had been broken. It helped that she talked to Elizabeth so often, because it gave Doug the chance to talk to Mark without having to call himself. Relations improved greatly after Doug and Carol's wedding for which Mark and Elizabeth, acting as Maid of Honor and Best Man, had come down to stay with them for a week. Since then, the two couples talked every couple of days and Mark and Elizabeth had been down to visit twice more.
Doug could remember happy conversations he'd had with Mark about his proposal and engagement to Elizabeth, the new house they bought together, and the baby they were expecting. When things had finally looked so good for Mark, this had come to once again damper his happiness. He willed the phone to ring, bringing with it good news about the surgery. Doug feared that the longer it took to call, the more chance it was that the news would be bad.
As he stared into space in deep contemplation, Carol leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Happy New Year, Doug," she whispered in his ear.
He smiled at her, unaware that the clock had hit midnight. His suspicions were confirmed, however. She had meant the ball dropped in New York, but as they were in a different time zone it was not as meaningful. "Happy New Year, Carol."
The ringing of the phone next to his head broke their kiss. He grabbed for it.
"Hello?"
Hearing the crisp British accent of his friend, Doug prepared himself for good or bad. "Hey, Doug, its Elizabeth. I just wanted to let you and Carol know Mark came out of the surgery well. The doctor said the tumor was successfully removed and right now he's awake and alert."
"Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so glad. Here I'll put Carol on the phone." He handed her the phone and she began to speak, though he could only hear her side of the conversation.
"Elizabeth? How's Mark?" She was silent as he assumed Elizabeth told Carol about his condition. She let out a deep breath before speaking again. "That's great. Tell him we send our love and to get better quickly." Carol laughed. "I'd love to." A pause, then, "Hey Mark." She laughed again. "I'll put Doug on the phone. Take care of yourself, okay? We love you." Giggling she handed the phone to Doug.
"Mark?"
"Hey Doug. What's up?"
"How're ya doing, Buddy?"
"I think I'm doing pretty good, I'm glad to be alive. Let me tell you I was pretty scared for a little while in there. But, I came out okay, so…"
"You are going to make it, Mark."
" I hope so."
"Listen, I'll let you go, you need your rest. Take care of yourself, Mark, promise me."
"I promise, Doug."
"Alright, bye buddy. Give my love to Elizabeth and the baby."
"I will Doug, bye."
Doug heard the dial tone. He looked at Carol and smiled, "I guess you were right."
She grinned reassuringly, "He's gonna make it, Doug."
For the first time since Doug had learned about the tumor, he smiled back at her and replied, "I know."
*~~~~*
Doug could still remember the feeling of relief that flowed through his body hearing Mark's voice after the surgery. In the few months following the surgery, Doug called Mark daily just to talk. It scared him that he had almost lost his best friend, and he hoped to spend every day thankful that Mark did fully recover. And while the tumor never returned, Mark eventually decided to cut back on work and stay home with Ella and Rachel.
Doug smiled at the image of the Greene's 3-year-old daughter, Ella. Her curly auburn hair that framed her face, the dimples and rosy cheeks, and the smile that always lit up her face. While Tess and Kate were a year older than she, they three children got along famously, which was a good thing because the families visited each other often. Doug had been so sure that Elizabeth was going to have a boy, he remembered the shock he felt when Ella entered the world.
*~~~~*
At 10:00 a.m. the entire Ross family slept, including both of the girls, who'd been up in the middle of the night with ear infections. Exhausted by spending the entire night up with them, both parents slept soundly their bodies entwined together under the crème colored cotton sheet that adorned the bed. At around 10:05 the phone rang. Doug was the first to hear it, and he reached for it hoping that it wouldn't wake Carol or either of the sleeping babies.
He spoke groggily, his voice barely above a whisper. " Hello?"
"Doug? This is Mark… did I wake you?"
"Oh hey Buddy, no we're just sleeping in. What's up?"
As Mark spoke, Doug could hear the excitement in his voice. "Elizabeth had the baby."
"Oh, Buddy, that's great. Tell me about him."
Mark laughed at Doug's presumptuous behavior. "Her."
Now it was Doug's turn to laugh. " No kidding."
"Nope. She's beautiful, Doug, absolutely perfect."
"I'm sure she is, Mark. What's her name?"
"Ella Patricia Greene; 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Born this morning at 2:08 a.m. She has Elizabeth's blue eyes, and the most beautiful porcelain skin."
"Congratulations, Buddy. Tell Elizabeth I'm happy for the both of you. Carol and I will come out and visit soon."
"Thanks, I will. And you be sure to come out and see her."
"We will. Is Elizabeth sleeping?"
"Yeah, she's pretty worn out."
"Alright, well so is Carol, the twins were up late last night, so I'll call you back later okay? Go be with your wife and new baby, Mark."
"Yeah, okay. Bye Doug."
"Bye."
Doug hung up and Carol rolled over as an anguished cry came over the baby monitor from the nursery. "Ugh… Doug, who was that?"
"Mark. Elizabeth had the baby."
Carol perked up slightly. "And?"
"Healthy little girl. Ella Patricia Greene."
Carol nodded, "You wanna go get them?" Able to recognize the different cries of her daughters, she looked up at Doug and said, "Kate is up now, but I know Tess will be momentarily."
"Yeah. I'll go get 'um, you go back to sleep." He gave her a kiss and got up to retrieve the twins.
*~~~~*
One of the things Doug had never forgiven himself for was missing the ceremony of Mark and Elizabeth's wedding. The airport in Chicago had closed due to rain and Doug and Carol hadn't been able to make it in Chicago in time for the ceremony. They had been able to catch a later plane and therefore were present for most of the reception, but they always felt bad that the ceremony had gone without the Maid of Honor and Best Man…
*~~~~*
A voice came over the loud speaker and Doug and Carol stopped to listen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, due to inclement weather in Chicago, the airport there has been closed. Delta Flight #83487 to O'Hare Airport in Chicago is therefore canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience." Groans went through the area where angry passengers waited for this flight to take off. Doug shifted Kate in his arms and looked at Carol.
"What do you want to do? We're never gonna make the ceremony now."
"I guess we should call so they don't wonder where we are."
"I'll go. Give me Tess and we'll go call from the pay phone. Maybe you can go see if there is another later flight we can take."
Carol nodded and handed Tess over to Doug. He buckled both girls into their stroller and walked off to find the nearest phone.
Finding one nearby, he stopped and parked the stroller where Kate had fallen asleep and Tess looked like she was about to. He reached into his pocket for the number and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Mark, hey, its Doug. Listen, our flight just got canceled. I don't think we're gonna make it to the ceremony. Carol's trying to see if there is another plane we could take to hopefully make it in for the reception. I'm really sorry."
"Hey. That's okay, it's not your fault."
"I know, but we feel terrible."
"Alright, well I hope to see you at the reception, then."
"We'll try our best, Mark. You know we want to be there."
"I know."
"Good luck, we'll see you soon."
"Okay, Doug, bye, thanks for calling."
Doug hung up the phone and walked off to try and find Carol.
*~~~~*
With a grin, Doug realized that the particular conversation he was thinking of hadn't taken place the phone in his bedroom. It had still been a memorable conversation, that he would remember as it had pertained to an important event in both his and his best friend's lives. Doug yawned tiredly, still unable to fall asleep. The phone held a special place in his heart. Before finally closing his eyes and succumbing to the tiredness that plagued his bones, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Perhaps he'd let Carol buy a new phone for the bedroom, but they'd always keep this special one in their house. Maybe she would think it matched the setup in the family room?
~~||~~
The End
What do you think, should I continue? You tell me, send feedback, comments/suggestions, flames, encouragement, flowers, tombstone messages, etc… to gigglgrl26@hotmail.com
Author: dougandcarol22
Disclaimer: Last Christmas I wrote a letter to Santa. I asked him for the rights to the ER characters. On Christmas morning I woke up and went downstairs. Mixed in with wrapped presents for my family I found a plain white envelope marked with my name. Exited I opened the letter. It was from Santa himself. It said that he couldn't give me the rights, because they weren't his to give, but maybe I could ask the people who owned them. So people who are fortunate enough to own ER, can I have the rights ??? I guess until they say yes, nobody in this story belongs to me!
Spoilers: Everything up through the end of Season 7 in relation to Doug/Carol and Mark/Elizabeth.
Rating: PG just to be safe.
Archive: Email me first, although I'll probably say yes, ask before you take.
Background: This story takes place in the spring of 2004. Doug and Carol live in Seattle and are married. Kate and Tess are 4 years old and have a two-year-old little brother named Charley. Mark and Elizabeth are married as well and have their daughter, Ella who is 3. Everything else will be explained in the story.
Authors Note: This story was written to clear up some of the things we never saw on the show that I know I would have liked to. While it was based on what happened on ER, most of it is my creative liberty the way I would have liked to see things happen.
Memories and Flashbacks are marked with *~~~~*
Enjoy…
____________________
Doug Ross crawled into his spacious king-size bed after a long night at work, and pulled the dark blue floral, feather down quilt around his tired body. The dark mahogany wood of the headboard gleamed as the sun from the open window filtered through and grazed the polished surface of intricate carved patterns. As he rolled over onto his back, a bright ray of sunshine hit him in the eye, a stark reminder that it was 2:00 in the afternoon and he hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours. An exaggerated groan later, he got out of the bed and pulled the matching curtain closed. His bare feet padded along the toffee colored carpet as he made his way back to comforting warmth of the bed he shared with his wife.
As soon as Doug relocated to Seattle, almost 6 years ago, he had joined a private practice. And while at the time he knew he would miss the adrenaline rush of working in the ER, the practice provided him with a lifestyle that was more suitable for family life. Largely, he had better hours and more money. When he'd first made the change, he'd hated it, but in the 5 years he had been working there he'd learned to love it. The extra money was used to pay for the lavish home they lived in, extravagances such as the beautiful furniture that furnished their home, and anything else the children ever desired. The regularity of his schedule allowed him to create a routine lifestyle, and its flexibility made sure he spent plenty of time with his family and never missed a teacher conference or a performance. It also gave him the extra time to coach the soccer team both his daughters played on. Part of the appeal of the practice was that twice a week, Carol came in and worked as a nurse there.
Last night had been one of the busiest nights he could remember in a long time, and he was exhausted. Perhaps it was the first time that he hadn't slept through the night since the baby, who was now two, had begun to sleep through the night, months ago. Doug figured that this lifestyle had spoiled him, and he was no longer able to function on so little sleep.
When he had first entered the practice 5 years ago, he had harbored the worry that he would miss the fast paced action of the ER. Therefore, they had worked out his contract to say that he would have privileges at the nearby Seattle General Hospital.
If he wanted to do so, he could take a shift here and there and cure the desire for action. However, it also meant that if the hospital was in dire need, he was a member of the staff and could be called in to help with a mass casualty. Last night had been the first time that ever happened, as a school bus with over 40 children on it slipped on a patch of black ice and rolled down a bank. The injuries of the children were severe, and he had been called in to help. When he finally left, 19 kids had died, 3 were still in surgery, 18 in recovery, another 11 had been admitted to various units, and 5 had been sent home with minor injuries. Before Carol and the twins had joined him in Seattle, he had picked up a few shifts but more recently, he'd only used the privilages to visit sick patients of his.
And so, he lay in bed at 2:00 in the afternoon as his wife, Carol, puttered around in the kitchen downstairs, making a snack for their 4 ½ -year old twin daughters, Tess and Kate, and their 2-year-old son Charley. As he lay in bed, trying to sleep, Doug caught a glimpse of the beige colored portable phone sitting on the nightstand. Carol had been pestering him to get a new phone that matched the room better for some time. Up until now, he'd been putting it off, for reasons even he couldn't understand. Suddenly, it hit him. The phone had so much significance in his life. How many times had he received important news on it?
Doug remembered moving out to Seattle and moving into his large house on the water. It was big and beautiful, and he hoped that someday it would be filled with the patter of small feet and the exited shrieks of his daughters. But, until that fateful day arrived it was filled with a silence that only added to the empty feeling inside his heart. That first day, he'd gone out to store to pick up a phone so he could call Carol, or at least think about calling Carol. Thinking of her helped him to momentarily forget the silence, but only increased the loneliness of the house. He'd ended up at a local Radio Shack, where a salesman had helped him pick this one out.
*~~~~*
Doug walked into the store and began to look around to see where they kept their phones. Colored signs around the store alerted him to different sales, and great buys on certain items as he walked along the dull, gray carpet. He must have appeared to be lost because soon a tall, tanned man walked up to him and spoke with a clearly Indian accent. "Can I help you, Sir?"
"Uhh.. .yeah. I'm looking for a portable phone for my bedroom."
The man nodded. "Right this way, sir."
"You see here we have the R-6900. It is the latest model which comes equipped with Call-ID, phone book with up to 30 numbers, auto-redial, flash, hold, conference ready, 2 line ready, speakerphone, and call-waiting ready. The phone is portable and has a jack for a speaker phone, it has a range of 1 mile. It comes in black, white and beige."
Slightly taken aback, Doug nodded. "I'll take it."
The man smiled to himself, obviously pleased either at the fact that he'd astounded the customer so, or that he'd made a sale. "What color will you be taking that in sir?"
"Uhhh… I guess beige would be fine."
The two men proceeded to the checkout and Doug handed him his credit card. As he rang it up and slid the credit card, he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the counter in impatience. Doug observed him with mild disdain and unlike the man, waited patiently for the card to clear. The computer printed a receipt and Doug signed it. The salesman proceeded to bag the phone and handed it back to him, putting the receipt in the bag. Doug nodded a quick thanks and left the store.
He returned to the house and unloaded the phone in his bedroom. Then he plugged it in and began to program the speed-dial phonebook. Carol's number was the first to go in. To test it out he tried calling her, and got the machine.
Instead of hanging up as he had planned, Doug spoke, longing to hear her voice on the other end. "Hey Carol, its me, Doug. I just wanted to let you know I'm here and I'm okay. It would be really nice if we could talk and sort some things out. So… uh… give me a call here at 827-555-9824. I love you. goodbye. "
She'd called the next day and they had decided not to speak for a couple of months.
*~~~~*
That had not been a happy time in his life, living hundreds of miles away from the only woman besides his mother he had ever really loved. Numerous phone calls had been received on that phone regarding work, but the ones from Chicago were always the ones he remembered most.
*~~~~*
After a long day at work taking care of plenty of healthy children especially baby girls, Doug had been too depressed to come home, and fearing what he would do to himself he decided to take an unexpected shift in the ER at Seattle General. When he finally returned home at around 3:30 in the morning, he was exhausted and ready to fall into bed. Before doing so, he checked his messages and found one from Carol telling him they had to talk about something she'd faxed.
Instantly awakened, Doug was thrilled by her message, just hearing her voice after the two weeks they'd not talked was like a gift from the heavens. He practically ran to the makeshift office he'd made in a room near the kitchen and looked for a fax. There was one, he quickly read it over.
His eyes scanned over a word, pregnant. She was pregnant, with his baby, and he had left her. His eyes filled with tears, the love of his life, his soul mate was hundreds of miles away alone and pregnant with his baby. For a moment he contemplated calling the airport right away and catching the first plane to Chicago, but instead he called decided to call her.
Nobody was home at her house. He dialed the familiar number of County General Hospital, his home away from home for the better part of 8 years. Randi answered the phone.
"Hello, this is County General ER, Randi speaking, What can I do for you?" He could hear her snapping her gum and the hustle of the ER in the background.
"Randi, this is Doug."
"Ross?"
"Yeah."
"Oh hi Dr. Ross!" she cried excitedly. "I'll go get Carol. Holon." He heard her put the phone down and ask Haleh where Carol was. He heard as Randi told Haleh to send Carol into the lounge where she could have some privacy. Then she came back on the line, presumably while Carol was on her way to the lounge. "Dr. Ross?"
"I'm still here."
"Good, we're getting Carol, sending her to the lounge. You two can have some privacy."
"Thanks Randi."
Carol picked up the phone. "Doug?"
"Hey."
Randi spoke," I'm getting off, bye."
"You got the fax I assume?" Carol asked softly.
"Yeah. I… Carol I'm coming back. It was stupid of me to leave. I'm gonna be there for you and our child. I'll find work." He expected her to agree and tell him how sorry she was they'd fought. He figured they'd make up and pick up where they left off.
"No." She whispered, he heard her begin to cry.
"What? Honey, Carol, I miss you so much, I want to be there for you."
"No." She spoke more firmly this time, although he could tell she was barely containing the tears that threatened to fall. "I can't let you come back into my life at this point. I would never be able to live with myself knowing you came back just for the baby. What if there was no baby, Doug? What then?"
"I'm coming for you. Not just the baby."
"And how would I know that?"
He began to get frustrated, "Because I told you that, and because you know that I love you more than anyone in this world."
"Don't come."
Defeated he finally agreed, beginning to feel teary eyed himself. "If that's what you want, Carol. I want you to know that I love you and I love our baby. I want to come, but I won't because that's what you want and all I want if for you to be happy." He could hear her openly sobbing on the other end of the line. "Is that what you want?"
"Yes," she sobbed.
"Then it's decided, I love you Carol." Silence. Then a click and he heard a dial tone. And Doug began to cry, something he had been doing more than ever in his life.
*~~~~*
They'd had more conversations just like this. Him begging her to let him come, and her stubbornly refusing each time. He'd kept his hopes up that she might change her mind before their baby was born and therefore made many calls to local baby stores. Before she had entered the fourth month of pregnancy, the baby had a complete nursery in his Seattle home. He could remember another phone call that would modify his life once again.
*~~~~*
Ringing bells as the gate to the heavens opened. His eyes snapped open. Doug lay in bed, it had been a dream, but the ringing hadn't. He lunged for the phone and picked up. Then in a groggy, sleep deprived tone, "Hello?"
"Hey Doug, it's me." He instantly woke up, was something wrong? Had she changed her mind? While thoughts jumbled around madly in his head, he spoke clearly and confidently.
"Carol, hey."
She heard the fatigue in his voice and instantly regretted calling at this hour. "Did I wake you?"
" Naw. I gotta be at work in an hour anyway, I'm sure the alarm was gonna go off any second." As he spoke the alarm clicked to life and began to play some punk rock music. He leaned over and shut it chuckling. "I'd rather you wake me any day."
Miles away on the other side of the country, Carol blushed. "Listen, I have something I need to tell you."
Thoughts flitted through his mind like an angry swarm of bees. He hoped with all his heart that she would be agreeing to let him see her. He also hoped nothing was wrong with her, or the baby. "Are you okay? The baby?"
"Yeah, that's the thing. Doug," An awkward pause. In his mind, Doug could hear her telling him the baby wasn't his, or worse yet, there was no baby. After what felt like an eternity, but had only been seconds he heard her giggle. "I guess I'll just come right out and say it. Doug, I … we're having twins."
Carol heard him gasp. He spoke excitedly, "Twins, two babies?"
She laughed out loud at his thrilled demeanor, wishing with all her heart she that could see the expression on his face. "Yeah, that's what it means, Doug."
"How did you find out?"
"A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with my O.B. She was going to do the first ultrasound to look at the baby. Unexpectedly, she canceled and later that day I went into an empty exam room to do it myself. Well, I thought I had locked the door, but apparently not because the next thing I knew, Mark Greene and Elizabeth Corday barged in, all over each other. They helped me finish the ultrasound and determined that there were two fetuses."
"Wow."
"Yeah, so I just thought I would let you know."
"Carol, I want to be a part of these baby's lives. They need a father, and whether or not we do it together I want to be it to them. I'm not going to let what happened to my son happen again." He finished, expecting an argument.
"Ok." He was thrilled.
"Then you'll let me see them? Be a part of their lives?"
She sighed. "Doug, I grew up without a father. I'm not going to do that to my kids. But, if you become part of their lives, you have to stay part of them. I don't want you to break their hearts like you did so many times to me. " Her last sentence stabbed him right in the heart, and while he was thrilled at the prospect of knowing his kids, he was overcome with grief at what he had done to the woman he loved.
He spoke solemnly and truthfully, praying she would believe him. "I will, Carol. I promise you, I will."
"Good."
Trying to change the subject to something less touchy, he spoke again, "So how are you doing? Been feeling okay?"
"Pretty good. The morning sickness has pretty much passed. I saw my O.B. yesterday and she did an ultrasound to confirm Mark's diagnosis, which was correct. She said that for twins they look a good size and that I'm having a healthy pregnancy."
"Did she print you any pictures?"
"Yeah, a couple."
"Could I have one, you know for my office?"
Even though he couldn't see her, Doug could tell she was smiling. "Yeah, I'll send them out."
"Thanks for calling, Carol. I love you. Maybe you'll let me come visit soon."
"Maybe. Bye, Doug."
"Bye."
*~~~~*
Doug could remember how happy he was after that call. He'd gone right out to the store and ordered another crib for the nursery. As he lay in bed, still unable to sleep, he remembered the phone call that had changed his life forever.
*~~~~*
Doug sat on the couch in his living room, his socked feet up on the coffee table and a beer in his hand. The Thanksgiving football game played on the television in front of him but he wasn't really listening. Instead, he basked in his sorrow remembering better times when he'd spent Thanksgiving with Carol and her family. With a sigh, he figured he ought to give her a call and wish her a happy holiday. They hadn't spoken in a little over a week and he wanted to check up on her and the babies. Suddenly the phone rang, bringing him out of his reverie. He lunged for it hoping it was Carol.
"Hello?"
"Doug? It's me." What luck, he thought to himself grinning just at hearing her voice.
"Hey, how are you? How was your holiday?"
Sharing his happy feeling she laughed out loud. "You'll never believe the day I had. "
He laughed too, amazed that he was still able. " Why don't you tell me about it."
"I will, but first I thought I should tell you about your daughters. Katherine Marie and Tess Elizabeth Ross."
He was shocked to say the least. "You had the twins?"
"Yeah, both girls, both healthy. Kate is six pounds 4 ounces and Tess is six pounds 3 ounces."
He chucked and her heart melted. " Girls, huh?"
"Yeah. You always loved the name Tess. I never thought I'd name my child that, but Kerry handed her to me and I said, this baby looks like a Tess."
"Wait, Kerry delivered them?"
"No, only Tess. Boy, are you gonna love this story." He heard a baby gurgle and her shift it in her arms.
"Who's that? Making noises."
"Tess. Trouble maker already, just like her daddy." Doug smiled to himself running the names of the babies through his head. Katherine Marie and Tess Elizabeth Ross. Ross?
"You used my name?"
"Yeah. They're your kids, Doug. Its only fitting they have your name." She paused. "They look like you. Have your nose, your chin, those mischievous eyes."
"I wanna come see them, Carol."
"Yeah. That would be nice."
Doug couldn't have been happier. "I'll get a plane out there immediately. So, tell me about your day. "
Carol took a deep breath before continuing. "I woke up this morning with a terrible pain in my back, but I didn't think much of it, because it was not much worse than I'd had for the past month. So I got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. I was supposed to go in this morning to show Lydia how to do the census report. I took the El in, but when I got there she had already gone home. So, I went back to the El to make my way home. However on the El, my water broke." Carol paused as she heard him take in a sharp breath. She smiled briefly, before continuing. " I got off the train, hoping to catch another train back to County, which was only one stop back. But, I missed the train, because while it came I was in the middle of a very painful contraction. Luckily, one of the new doctors from work, Luka Kovac, found me and helped me back on the train to County. The contractions were really close together by the time we got there and I thought he was gonna have to deliver them right there on the El platform." Carol took another dramatic pause.
Doug spoke anxiously, "Did you?"
She laughed at his anxiety. "No. God no. We made our way down the stairs but I passed out. They think it was a vagal reaction to the contractions. Luka carried me to the ER, where Kerry met us. By the time I was on a gurney, I was awake and alert. I pleaded with her to let me go up to O.B. but she insisted on checking me out, and putting me on a fetal monitor first. When we got to the trauma room, Kerry determined that I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. She made a deal, that if I let her deliver the first baby down in the ER, I could have the second one upstairs. I agreed and began to push. Believe me, it was the most painful thing I have ever had to do! Finally, Kerry said to stop pushing and set the first baby, a perfect little girl in my arms. I knew as soon as I saw her that I would call her Tess."
Doug released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and chuckled. "Exciting birth, huh? I take it baby two was a little more simple?"
Carol laughed again. "It seemed that way at first. I got upstairs and got settled. They told me it would be a while because my second water hadn't broken yet and I was only six centimeters dilated. I got an epidural to ease the pain a little, and thought everything was normal until the baby's heart rate began to fall. She had a prolapsed cord. They prepped me for an emergency C-Section. Oh god, Doug, I was so scared, I wanted you to be there so badly. "
"I'm so sorry I wasn't, Carol. I'm so sorry."
"It's my fault." She sighed. "Mark was with me. I was so scared I was going to lose the baby, I begged him to save her. When they delivered her, she wasn't breathing. She was blue. I began to feel groggy as they gave her some oxygen and she began to pink up. I could hear muffled voices saying my uterus was boggy and I was loosing a lot of blood. Coburn called for a hysterectomy tray but I didn't want that. I told Mark and he stood up for me. Everything went white and I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying in a bed and Mark was walking around the room holding a baby. He told me I still had my uterus and that the baby was perfect. Then he reminded me that she still needed a name. Since he'd been such a great help, I offered for him to name her. He said that his mother's name was Ruth. I must have made some kind of awful face, because he laughed and said that her middle name was Katherine, which I liked a lot. I decided to call her Kate."
"Wow. That's some story. How are you doing?"
"I'm okay. I'm happy the girls are both here and healthy. I'm glad my uterus is still part of me, thanks to Mark."
"Are you in any pain?"
"Not really. Painkillers." They both laughed.
"Well Carol, sweetie, I'll let you get some rest. Give my girls a kiss and tell them I love them. I'll call you with my flight information as soon as I get it. Thanks for calling."
He heard a baby wail loudly in the background. " Yeah, okay. Bye Doug." She hesitated slightly before adding quietly, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Carol. Bye." They both disconnected.
*~~~~*
Such important memories this phone held. They'd used it to communicate long distance for the year they were apart. Doug had learned about his daughters and heard about their eventful births and early lives on it. It had also been the phone they'd used to plan most of their wedding. Doug remembered another important conversation he'd had on it regarding the health of his best friend.
*~~~~*
On New Years Eve 2001, Doug and Carol sat on the couch in the living room, watching the ball in New York City Drop. Doug sat with his feet resting on the coffee table and Carol's head resting in his lap, a navy blue fleece blanket covering her body. Their twin daughters, who had recently turned 1 year old, were safely tucked into their cribs upstairs and had been sleeping for hours. As the countdown began and the ball began to lower, Doug couldn't help but think about his best friend, Mark Greene, who had undergone brain surgery earlier that day.
Doug was still in shock. It had only been two weeks ago that Mark had called and told him about the tumor and the surgery. When Doug first moved to Seattle, he stopped talking to Mark as regularly as they once had. He figured they both needed some time to cool off after the events that had transpired leading up to Doug's resignation. He had almost stopped talking to him altogether, aside from checking up on Carol and the twins. When Carol joined him in Seattle, she tried to mend the bonds that had been broken. It helped that she talked to Elizabeth so often, because it gave Doug the chance to talk to Mark without having to call himself. Relations improved greatly after Doug and Carol's wedding for which Mark and Elizabeth, acting as Maid of Honor and Best Man, had come down to stay with them for a week. Since then, the two couples talked every couple of days and Mark and Elizabeth had been down to visit twice more.
Doug could remember happy conversations he'd had with Mark about his proposal and engagement to Elizabeth, the new house they bought together, and the baby they were expecting. When things had finally looked so good for Mark, this had come to once again damper his happiness. He willed the phone to ring, bringing with it good news about the surgery. Doug feared that the longer it took to call, the more chance it was that the news would be bad.
As he stared into space in deep contemplation, Carol leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Happy New Year, Doug," she whispered in his ear.
He smiled at her, unaware that the clock had hit midnight. His suspicions were confirmed, however. She had meant the ball dropped in New York, but as they were in a different time zone it was not as meaningful. "Happy New Year, Carol."
The ringing of the phone next to his head broke their kiss. He grabbed for it.
"Hello?"
Hearing the crisp British accent of his friend, Doug prepared himself for good or bad. "Hey, Doug, its Elizabeth. I just wanted to let you and Carol know Mark came out of the surgery well. The doctor said the tumor was successfully removed and right now he's awake and alert."
"Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so glad. Here I'll put Carol on the phone." He handed her the phone and she began to speak, though he could only hear her side of the conversation.
"Elizabeth? How's Mark?" She was silent as he assumed Elizabeth told Carol about his condition. She let out a deep breath before speaking again. "That's great. Tell him we send our love and to get better quickly." Carol laughed. "I'd love to." A pause, then, "Hey Mark." She laughed again. "I'll put Doug on the phone. Take care of yourself, okay? We love you." Giggling she handed the phone to Doug.
"Mark?"
"Hey Doug. What's up?"
"How're ya doing, Buddy?"
"I think I'm doing pretty good, I'm glad to be alive. Let me tell you I was pretty scared for a little while in there. But, I came out okay, so…"
"You are going to make it, Mark."
" I hope so."
"Listen, I'll let you go, you need your rest. Take care of yourself, Mark, promise me."
"I promise, Doug."
"Alright, bye buddy. Give my love to Elizabeth and the baby."
"I will Doug, bye."
Doug heard the dial tone. He looked at Carol and smiled, "I guess you were right."
She grinned reassuringly, "He's gonna make it, Doug."
For the first time since Doug had learned about the tumor, he smiled back at her and replied, "I know."
*~~~~*
Doug could still remember the feeling of relief that flowed through his body hearing Mark's voice after the surgery. In the few months following the surgery, Doug called Mark daily just to talk. It scared him that he had almost lost his best friend, and he hoped to spend every day thankful that Mark did fully recover. And while the tumor never returned, Mark eventually decided to cut back on work and stay home with Ella and Rachel.
Doug smiled at the image of the Greene's 3-year-old daughter, Ella. Her curly auburn hair that framed her face, the dimples and rosy cheeks, and the smile that always lit up her face. While Tess and Kate were a year older than she, they three children got along famously, which was a good thing because the families visited each other often. Doug had been so sure that Elizabeth was going to have a boy, he remembered the shock he felt when Ella entered the world.
*~~~~*
At 10:00 a.m. the entire Ross family slept, including both of the girls, who'd been up in the middle of the night with ear infections. Exhausted by spending the entire night up with them, both parents slept soundly their bodies entwined together under the crème colored cotton sheet that adorned the bed. At around 10:05 the phone rang. Doug was the first to hear it, and he reached for it hoping that it wouldn't wake Carol or either of the sleeping babies.
He spoke groggily, his voice barely above a whisper. " Hello?"
"Doug? This is Mark… did I wake you?"
"Oh hey Buddy, no we're just sleeping in. What's up?"
As Mark spoke, Doug could hear the excitement in his voice. "Elizabeth had the baby."
"Oh, Buddy, that's great. Tell me about him."
Mark laughed at Doug's presumptuous behavior. "Her."
Now it was Doug's turn to laugh. " No kidding."
"Nope. She's beautiful, Doug, absolutely perfect."
"I'm sure she is, Mark. What's her name?"
"Ella Patricia Greene; 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Born this morning at 2:08 a.m. She has Elizabeth's blue eyes, and the most beautiful porcelain skin."
"Congratulations, Buddy. Tell Elizabeth I'm happy for the both of you. Carol and I will come out and visit soon."
"Thanks, I will. And you be sure to come out and see her."
"We will. Is Elizabeth sleeping?"
"Yeah, she's pretty worn out."
"Alright, well so is Carol, the twins were up late last night, so I'll call you back later okay? Go be with your wife and new baby, Mark."
"Yeah, okay. Bye Doug."
"Bye."
Doug hung up and Carol rolled over as an anguished cry came over the baby monitor from the nursery. "Ugh… Doug, who was that?"
"Mark. Elizabeth had the baby."
Carol perked up slightly. "And?"
"Healthy little girl. Ella Patricia Greene."
Carol nodded, "You wanna go get them?" Able to recognize the different cries of her daughters, she looked up at Doug and said, "Kate is up now, but I know Tess will be momentarily."
"Yeah. I'll go get 'um, you go back to sleep." He gave her a kiss and got up to retrieve the twins.
*~~~~*
One of the things Doug had never forgiven himself for was missing the ceremony of Mark and Elizabeth's wedding. The airport in Chicago had closed due to rain and Doug and Carol hadn't been able to make it in Chicago in time for the ceremony. They had been able to catch a later plane and therefore were present for most of the reception, but they always felt bad that the ceremony had gone without the Maid of Honor and Best Man…
*~~~~*
A voice came over the loud speaker and Doug and Carol stopped to listen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, due to inclement weather in Chicago, the airport there has been closed. Delta Flight #83487 to O'Hare Airport in Chicago is therefore canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience." Groans went through the area where angry passengers waited for this flight to take off. Doug shifted Kate in his arms and looked at Carol.
"What do you want to do? We're never gonna make the ceremony now."
"I guess we should call so they don't wonder where we are."
"I'll go. Give me Tess and we'll go call from the pay phone. Maybe you can go see if there is another later flight we can take."
Carol nodded and handed Tess over to Doug. He buckled both girls into their stroller and walked off to find the nearest phone.
Finding one nearby, he stopped and parked the stroller where Kate had fallen asleep and Tess looked like she was about to. He reached into his pocket for the number and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Mark, hey, its Doug. Listen, our flight just got canceled. I don't think we're gonna make it to the ceremony. Carol's trying to see if there is another plane we could take to hopefully make it in for the reception. I'm really sorry."
"Hey. That's okay, it's not your fault."
"I know, but we feel terrible."
"Alright, well I hope to see you at the reception, then."
"We'll try our best, Mark. You know we want to be there."
"I know."
"Good luck, we'll see you soon."
"Okay, Doug, bye, thanks for calling."
Doug hung up the phone and walked off to try and find Carol.
*~~~~*
With a grin, Doug realized that the particular conversation he was thinking of hadn't taken place the phone in his bedroom. It had still been a memorable conversation, that he would remember as it had pertained to an important event in both his and his best friend's lives. Doug yawned tiredly, still unable to fall asleep. The phone held a special place in his heart. Before finally closing his eyes and succumbing to the tiredness that plagued his bones, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Perhaps he'd let Carol buy a new phone for the bedroom, but they'd always keep this special one in their house. Maybe she would think it matched the setup in the family room?
~~||~~
The End
What do you think, should I continue? You tell me, send feedback, comments/suggestions, flames, encouragement, flowers, tombstone messages, etc… to gigglgrl26@hotmail.com