Lullabies and Nightmares
Part One
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carter leaned his suddenly heavy head against his locker door and closed his eyes. It had been the day from hell. A school bus full of children had been hit by a drunk driver on his way to buy drugs. The children had been on their way to the museum for a fun day of dinosaur bones and cave men.
Three of them had died.
Telling their parents had been one of the hardest things Carter ever had to do. The looks on their faces when he'd said the words "I'm sorry" had crushed his soul. And as for the driver of the pick up truck that had killed them, he had a few scratches on his arms and head. He'd be fine by morning.
So it goes.
Sighing, he opened his locker door and removed the stethoscope from around his neck. Before putting it in its proper place, he studied it. He had not understood the utter responsibility he would carry when he took Mark's place as the most experienced doctor on staff. It was huge. He had to be the calm collected doctor. He had to be the shoulder for the others to cry on when tragedies like this touched their lives.
He had to be the one to cover the bodies of the dead children.
Lately he felt like he was drowning, with no life raft in sight. Kerry had been helpful. She offered her help all the time, and always asked him if he needed to take a break or if he wanted her to take over for awhile. Sometimes he took her up on her offer, but rarely. Mark had left him in charge. It was his duty. Who was he to step down from command when they needed him the most?
He put the stethoscope away and pulled on his coat. Shutting his locker, he headed out. His shift was over for the day. They'd have to find somebody else to look to for help now. At least for a few selected hours. Now he was going home.
When he got to his apartment and turned on the light, he was somewhat dissappointed. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but this wasn't it. It was a mess, and it was lonely. It was what he went home to every night. Yet every night he thought it would be different.
Just goes to show where hope gets you.
He dropped his back next to the couch and headed for the shower. After a quick five minutes he was out and eating stale macaroni and cheese at the kitchen table. It was the same kitchen table he'd bought months before, when he thought he wouldn't be alone forever. He'd imagined himself and his wife sitting at it together. They'd have children crowding the chairs around them, talking about their days at school or just fighting like he and Bobby used to do. And his wife, a beautiful dark haired woman with brown eyes and a slim face, would smile at him and tell the kids to finish their dinner.
But that dark haired woman was not his. He'd scared her off with a simple kiss. Now they barely spoke. And he was alone again. At his kitchen table, meant for a happy family.
After he finished his macaroni he headed for the living room. He watched a couple hours of game shows and old sitcom reruns before falling asleep in the chair, remote in hand. He wouldn't wake up till a few hours later, when it was time to save the world again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel bounded across the street to her usual spot. She checked her watch, an expensive gold one that her father had given her, and noticed that she was late again. She'd woken up with a splitting headache in need of something to help her through the night. AJ was her only contact anymore. He was her savior.
She quickly scanned the area and noticed a figure in a long black coat heading away from her.
Damn.
She hurried after him, shouting the name frantically. He didn't stop walking until she reached him and grabbed his arm.
"AJ wait, please!" She pleaded desperately. He turned and gave her an icy stare.
"Ah, late again. Surprise surprise. What did I tell you last time?" He demanded. He grabbed her arm and tightened his grip until she winced. "What did I tell you bitch!"
"I'm sorry I tried to be on time." She cried. "I'm sorry." She reached to her free wrist and unhooked the watch. She held it in the air near him. "Please AJ, can I have it?" She asked with tears shining in her eyes.
He looked her up and down for a moment before responding. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small baggie.
"Here." He placed it in her palm. "You owe me. Next time, I expect cash with interest." With that he walked off.
She watched him until he turned the corner and then raced home. She headed straight for the dusty coffee table and poured the powder onto it. Taking out her usual straw, she placed it up her nose and took a much needed hit.
It was instantainious. She felt the rush of cool relaxation travel throughout her body. She took another hit, and another. More and more until she couldn't feel anything anymore. Then the world went dark, and her head stopped swimming. Her breathing began to shallow, and her mind began to cry out in agony. The word help came to mind.
"Help..." She was able to whisper before blacking out completely.
Sounds of frantic voices and machines beeping stormed through her head. She felt something being pushed down her throat and pins pricking at her arms. One voice stood out in all of them though. One voice she recognized from the time she was a child. It was a male voice, a friend of her dad's.
"Rachel this is Carter, can you hear me Rachel?"
TBC
Part One
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carter leaned his suddenly heavy head against his locker door and closed his eyes. It had been the day from hell. A school bus full of children had been hit by a drunk driver on his way to buy drugs. The children had been on their way to the museum for a fun day of dinosaur bones and cave men.
Three of them had died.
Telling their parents had been one of the hardest things Carter ever had to do. The looks on their faces when he'd said the words "I'm sorry" had crushed his soul. And as for the driver of the pick up truck that had killed them, he had a few scratches on his arms and head. He'd be fine by morning.
So it goes.
Sighing, he opened his locker door and removed the stethoscope from around his neck. Before putting it in its proper place, he studied it. He had not understood the utter responsibility he would carry when he took Mark's place as the most experienced doctor on staff. It was huge. He had to be the calm collected doctor. He had to be the shoulder for the others to cry on when tragedies like this touched their lives.
He had to be the one to cover the bodies of the dead children.
Lately he felt like he was drowning, with no life raft in sight. Kerry had been helpful. She offered her help all the time, and always asked him if he needed to take a break or if he wanted her to take over for awhile. Sometimes he took her up on her offer, but rarely. Mark had left him in charge. It was his duty. Who was he to step down from command when they needed him the most?
He put the stethoscope away and pulled on his coat. Shutting his locker, he headed out. His shift was over for the day. They'd have to find somebody else to look to for help now. At least for a few selected hours. Now he was going home.
When he got to his apartment and turned on the light, he was somewhat dissappointed. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but this wasn't it. It was a mess, and it was lonely. It was what he went home to every night. Yet every night he thought it would be different.
Just goes to show where hope gets you.
He dropped his back next to the couch and headed for the shower. After a quick five minutes he was out and eating stale macaroni and cheese at the kitchen table. It was the same kitchen table he'd bought months before, when he thought he wouldn't be alone forever. He'd imagined himself and his wife sitting at it together. They'd have children crowding the chairs around them, talking about their days at school or just fighting like he and Bobby used to do. And his wife, a beautiful dark haired woman with brown eyes and a slim face, would smile at him and tell the kids to finish their dinner.
But that dark haired woman was not his. He'd scared her off with a simple kiss. Now they barely spoke. And he was alone again. At his kitchen table, meant for a happy family.
After he finished his macaroni he headed for the living room. He watched a couple hours of game shows and old sitcom reruns before falling asleep in the chair, remote in hand. He wouldn't wake up till a few hours later, when it was time to save the world again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel bounded across the street to her usual spot. She checked her watch, an expensive gold one that her father had given her, and noticed that she was late again. She'd woken up with a splitting headache in need of something to help her through the night. AJ was her only contact anymore. He was her savior.
She quickly scanned the area and noticed a figure in a long black coat heading away from her.
Damn.
She hurried after him, shouting the name frantically. He didn't stop walking until she reached him and grabbed his arm.
"AJ wait, please!" She pleaded desperately. He turned and gave her an icy stare.
"Ah, late again. Surprise surprise. What did I tell you last time?" He demanded. He grabbed her arm and tightened his grip until she winced. "What did I tell you bitch!"
"I'm sorry I tried to be on time." She cried. "I'm sorry." She reached to her free wrist and unhooked the watch. She held it in the air near him. "Please AJ, can I have it?" She asked with tears shining in her eyes.
He looked her up and down for a moment before responding. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small baggie.
"Here." He placed it in her palm. "You owe me. Next time, I expect cash with interest." With that he walked off.
She watched him until he turned the corner and then raced home. She headed straight for the dusty coffee table and poured the powder onto it. Taking out her usual straw, she placed it up her nose and took a much needed hit.
It was instantainious. She felt the rush of cool relaxation travel throughout her body. She took another hit, and another. More and more until she couldn't feel anything anymore. Then the world went dark, and her head stopped swimming. Her breathing began to shallow, and her mind began to cry out in agony. The word help came to mind.
"Help..." She was able to whisper before blacking out completely.
Sounds of frantic voices and machines beeping stormed through her head. She felt something being pushed down her throat and pins pricking at her arms. One voice stood out in all of them though. One voice she recognized from the time she was a child. It was a male voice, a friend of her dad's.
"Rachel this is Carter, can you hear me Rachel?"
TBC