His Story

Forward in time to a week later. County Hospital. ER Admit desk. Typical busy day. Frank is sifting thru the morning's mail, filing each piece in the appropriate mail box or file folder.

Dr. Carter wearily walked up to the admit desk after a busy night. It was his first shift back as a full time attending. He dropped off his charts and dispo orders and updated the board. "I'm outta here" he called as a general announcement and headed around the desk and toward the door.

Frank stopped him short of his goal: "Not so fast, here's a letter here for you".

"I'm back on tomorrow. I'll get it then, I'm outta here!" Carter retorted, nearly to the door.

"It's from China!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned slowly "From Deb?"

"You know anyone else in China?" Frank quipped sarcastically.

"Thanks" Carter said with an annoyed stare as he snatched the envelope out of Frank's hand. Looking down at it, it was indeed from her. It had been what, four years since they played telephone tag before losing touch? Putting it in his pocket, he thanked Frank once again and headed for the El. The train arrived with a whoosh and a squeal as it quickly slowed to a stop. The doors opened and he stepped inside. He chose his seat carefully, thankful he over extended his shift long enough to miss the morning rush hour. He didn't want to be bothered. He sat down in the far corner next to the window, reached in his pocket and pulled out the letter. He stared at it. How did she even know I'm at County again? Last time we talked, I was leaving for Africa. Kem and I were going to get married and live in the Congo.

When it became too obvious to deny that things were not working between him and Kem, he tried to find his friend. He wanted her counsel. He needed it. But email came back undeliverable. The cell phone number he had for her didn't work. Letters wouldn't forward anymore. He couldn't even find her on Facebook. It was like she had dropped off the face of the planet. Now she had managed to find him, at County no less. Probably the last place she expected him to be, or he expected to be, for that matter. Slowly, apprehensively, he ran his finger under the seal and opened the letter…

He read the letter and he read it again and then a third time, letting her words sink in. In his mind, he could hear her voice speaking to him, soft, low and heartfelt. He tried to identify his own emotions. They were many and they were conflicting. He was happy to have brought her such joy, grieved that the disjointed communication had left him unaware, envious that she had children of her own while he was still without a child of his own to hold in his arms, and yet hopeful that she may be open to the possibility of him playing some role in their lives.

He pulled the pictures out of the envelope. Pensively he studied them. He examined each one at a pace that let him take in the fact that part of himself was in the beautiful little girls he saw before him. They looked so much like their mother. Long, black, silky hair, dark almond eyes, porcelain complexion. The brightness of their smiles and the light that danced in their eyes announced their joyous spirits. Deb was obviously a wonderful and loving mother to these girls.

He trod up the front steps and unlocked the door. Walking into the kitchen, he threw the mail and his keys onto the counter with a quick flick of the wrist. He took the letter from his pocket before removing his suit coat and tossed it over the back of one of the chairs. He poured himself a large glass of orange juice, headed to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. Thumbing the back of the picture where Deb had put her Skype address, he reached for his laptop…