Chapter 5: John Carter "Back at County"

I entered the busy, bustling, wave of Cook County General Hospital. Nurses who I knew that still worked here five years after I left were tending to sick and injured patients. Emergency doctors reviewing their patients, keeping tabs on them. EMTs rushing in the front doors with a badly injured patient, asking for help from a doctor. Normally I would be the first one up there to help them, but that was not my job anymore. I haven't been a doctor for County in five years and it has been five years since I last stepped foot in these halls. I have been living in Africa as a volunteer medic, finally opening my own practice in Darfur. It is a dangerous place but I love helping the people there, they deserve the help they are receiving.

The reason why I am back is not to catch up with old friends or to get back into emergency medicine. The reason why I am there is because of my cousin Lily Carter. My entire life I have been taking care of my cousin, she would always stop by my parents house drunk or high. I would always take her to the bathroom and hold her hair behind her head as she threw up. I would answer her call whenever Scott came back, because she always had issues. I always supported her because she didn't get any support from her parents. They were the main reason why she acted this way, they were extremely abusive parents without a care in the world for her. Lily was more like my sister than my cousin and my parents tried adopting her but they needed permission from her parents, which obviously wasn't going to happen.

I looked around to see if Sam Taggart was anywhere nearby, but it was so busy that it was hard to get anyone's attention. I saw Jerry listening to punk rock at the front desk handing a history questionnaire to the drop in. Next to him were three bright-eyed third year students talking about something other than medicine. I noticed one of them so I walked over to him, it was Harry the EMT turned medical student. Once upon a time my cousin had a crush on him, I walked up not saying a word hoping he would notice.

"Holy shit! Dr. Carter! What the hell are you doing here?" One of the medical students looked stunned at me as Harry said my name.

"I'm here to see my cousin, do you know where she is?" He had no idea.

"No sorry, I haven't talked to her in a while. But Eric might know where she is." He pointed to the medical student who looked in awe. "Hello, buddy you there?"

"Right sorry, Dr. Carter it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I know exactly where Lily is."

"First name basis with a first year resident?"

"I've been overseeing her. We've actually become quiet close with each other, she is showing me the ropes around here." Just as he said that Sam came running into me. She looked surprised to see me, we haven't seen or spoken to each other in five years.

"John! Oh my god, wow it's been ages!"

"I know. Eric here was about to show me where my cousin is."

"Oh well I can show you. Eric there is a woman in exam room one who needs a new IV, do you think you can take care of that while I show Dr. Carter where his cousin is?" He hesitantly nodded. I could tell he was a little bit disappointed, I think he really wanted to see my cousin. She has that effect on people. "So Carter how are you?"

"I'm good, but what I really want to know is how my cousin is."

"She's doing better than most, the worst day was definitely when Tony told her that Scott had died. But each day she is gradually getting better, you should see her room though it's like a greenhouse. Everyday doctors and nurses here send her flowers or drop in to talk. Even though I keep telling her she hates when people bring her flowers when someone close to her dies."

"Yeah she always hated that. She never really understood why people do that, she always said that flowers don't really help her in her time of grieve. They only remind her of the life that used to be." We were finally to the observation room, Sam was right there were a lot of flowers. Many of them Lilies because for some odd reason everybody thought those were her favorite flowers. But if you knew Lily you would know that her favorite flower was a white daisy and there were a few of those soaking in the sunlight. You couldn't even see Lily right away because of all the various types of flowers that over grew. But as we turned around the bed I saw my beautiful cousin looking sicker than I have ever seen her before. She was talking to Archie Morris, apparently they had been getting along lately.

"Holy shit, John Carter! What the hell are you doing here?" Lily looked a little bit embarrassed when she saw me. It has been a while since I last talked to her as well, but being in Africa there isn't really a great form of communication. The only way I could contact people is via letter mail, but sometimes I get so busy I don't have time to sit down and write a letter.

"Well you are talking to her." She was the only reason why I was here. I looked at her and I haven't seen her this sick in a while. She was pale white with dark circles under her eyes and even though she had a stomach from the baby growing inside her, she was extremely skinny. Her mouth was dry and cracked, her eyes crusty. She wasn't sick from an illness, she was depressed from losing the love of her life. When she got depressed she wouldn't eat or drink anything, and her insomnia would kick in because she would be thinking too much about what was making her depressed.

"Well Archie I think we should leave these two alone."

"Yes of course. But we should definitely catch up sometime!" I hugged Archie and Sam, it was good to see such close friends. I thought they would be mad at me for never replying to their emails.

"So how are you doing Lily?" I asked as the door closed.

"What are you doing here?" A lot of people have been asking that lately, but I wouldn't expect it from her.

"I think it's pretty obvious why I am here Lily." I looked down at her round belly, where a child was growing inside of her.

"I never told you that I was pregnant. Who told you?"

"Luka."

"I never told Luka."

"But you did tell Abby and Abby tells Luka everything." She knew I was right as much as I hated it. I wasn't upset that she was pregnant, I always knew that one of these days it was going to happen. She was in love with Scott and did irresponsible things when he was around. The truth was I couldn't be upset at her, only because Scott was dead and she needed someone to talk to. Someone who knew her best, and I was that person. She talked to me about how being pregnant should usually be the most happiest time in a woman's life, but for her it was the complete opposite. She told me that she missed Scott so much and couldn't believe he was dead, when it was just the night before his death when they slept together. All I could do was be there for her and make sure that she wouldn't go off the deep end.