A/N: Hello, my nerds! So, this story was wonderfully written by the lovely ERFanpageTribute. She graciously allowed me to edit her work a bit and post it here for you all to enjoy. So: leave her ALL the love and enjoy this journey.
Carter finishes reading the note Elizabeth faxed over, his voice breaking as he reads that Mark has died. He hands the note over and tells Frank to post it on the floor, sending everyone, including himself, back to work. John tried to focus on work, tries not to think about the horrible new he had just received. But after thirty minutes of stitching up the same cut over and over again, he goes off to the Doctors Lounge. After seeing Carter leave, Susan gives a few minutes alone before following him, finding her friend on the phone.
"Dr Benton please." He looks over at her and touches her hand. She just sits there in a daze thinking it wasn't real that any minute Mark would walk in. "Peter, hey! I you are busy,but I wanted to be the one tell you that Mark died this morning." John tries desperately to keep his voice level, but hearing his mentor's voice nearly makes him lose it. "He was in Hawaii with his family," he listens to Peter on the other end, "Yes. I know:I don't know what to think. Umm, she hasn't said when. I think the funeral is next week. he outside the window. Yeah. Alright we will keep in touch. " He hangs up and looks over at Susan.
"We have to call Doug... he would wanna know," Susan says, staring without looking at the row of lockers next to her.
Carter nods his head slightly, "Who should be the one to do it?"
Susan looks at him. "I..." starts to cry. "I thought he had more time. He seemed ok, didn't he, when he was leaving?"
Carter shakes his head. "I am not really sure. He never really went into it all exactly."
Susan sniffles, wiping at her eyes and nose before grabbing the phone. "I'll call them after I call Elizabeth." Just then, Abby walks in.
"Hey we have s trauma coming in."
Carter gets up. "I got this. Take the time you need."
Susan nods her head as Carter and Abby are walking out. She dials Elizabeth number, sighing as it goes directly to voicemail. As she leaves a message, she sees everyone outside working, doing their best to keep going; to do what Mark would have wanted them to do. "Hey, Elizabeth. I just heard. I am really sorry. If there's ever anything you need me to do please let me know. I am here for you and for Ella and Rachel. Take care. See you when you get back." She has to take a minute to settle her breathing and wipe away the constant stream of tears falling down her face before dialing Carol's number.
Though the two friends hadn't stayed in constant contact in the years since Susan first moved to Phoenix, there were letters and phone calls; enough to keep their friendship going.
"Carol? Hey, how's it going." She listens as Carol catches Susan up about the girls and her job in Seattle; about how she's really enjoying it there and misses everyone. She then asks how Mark is doing. Susan pauses for a minute trying not to cry. "That's actually why I was calling. I wanted to tell you." Susan knew Carol knew of Mark's cancer battle, but even with that, it was unbelievably hard to say what she had to. She took a deep breath. "Mark took Rachel to Hawaii to spend time with her. Memory lane, I guess. He started getting sicker and Elizabeth went out to be with them." Susan sobs as she tries to continue. "And he died this morning."
Carol didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I don't know how I am gonna tell him." Carol mumbles.
"I know; it just doesn't feel it's real. I keep thinking it just some bad joke or that they are gonna pop in any second," Susan agrees
Carol was crying. "He was there for me when I needed someone when Doug wasn't there. I... I owed him so much. He done so much for the both of us." She was scrambling to talk more. Carol was home getting ready for work., her daughters watching cartoons feet away from where she stood talking to her friend. "No... no I'll tell him. We are actually getting ready to leave." She steels herself for what she has to do.
Susan then said. " Ok, I'll let you go. Do you think you'll be able to get here?"
Carol shook her head "I am not sure"
Susan and Carol exchanged love, planning to talk again soon, and hung up. Carol wipes the tears away and takes a deep breath, looking at Tess and Kate for strength, before walking up the stairs to her and Doug's room.
Doug is walking out of their bathroom, running a towel through his hair. He glances over and sees Carol sitting on their bed, knowing instantly that something wasn't right. "What's going on?" He asks, going to her and taking her hand. Carol looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes
"Doug... Mark is gone. He died this morning."
Doug just stood there in shock. It couldn't be. He hadn't talked to Mark in awhile but he knew that Mark was ok. Doug then sat down looking straight ahead. "Where at? Was he in Chicago?"
Carol shook her head. "No... he was in Hawaii with Rachel. He'd gotten sicker and Elizabeth went out there to be with them." She said as she was looking over at him. "I am so sorry."
Doug just got up "I mean- he was- I should've called- should've sooner." He stamers looking over at Carol. "We should go to the funeral."
Carol nodded her head in total agreement. "I'll find someone to watch the girls."
Doug walked out and went outside, ignoring the calls for attention from his daughters. He sat down on the porch looking around. He knew they had their differences; hadn't seen each other in years. Doug wished he had been there for his friend, done something to help. "Damn it!" he said as he gets back up and goes for a walk while Carol asks one of her friends she worked with to watch the girls for a few days. Doug goes and grabs some beer as he calls work, saying he was taking the day off. He returns to the dock by their home and sits down looking out into the water.
Carol follows him outside and slowly walks toward him. She sits down next to him and wraps her arms around him. "It isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. There was no way anyone could tell this was gonna happen as quickly as it did." Doug didn't even talk. "You know," Carol says, leaning into him. "I remember when the girls were born how he came even though he had his daughter and dad over." Doug looks over at her. "I just never forget how much it really meant to me that he was there. " Doug then sighed and said. "I don't wanna see anyone. I can't"
Carol looked over at him. "Ok."
A few days later came for the funeral. Doug and Carol sit off to one corner, hoping no one noticed them. They saw some familiar and some new faces. Doug listened and started crying. "Buddy," he said in low voice as Carol squeezed his hand. As the ceremony was wrapping up, they quickly snuck off and saw everyone else leaving. They didn't want to say anything or have everyone ask if they are coming back. "Carol," Carol looked over at Doug, "Thank you for having me do this." He gave her a kiss as they walked off and went back to the airport to go home.