Lullabies and Nightmares
Part 6
Authors Note: So sorry for the delay! =/ I started classes on Monday so I haven't had much time. You can also blame my boyfriend if you'd like, he never lets me stay home and write anymore. =P Anyway, here is the next part. The slashes indicate the beginning and end of a dream sequence. I hope you like it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When my fist clenches,
crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The time was one thirty when Carter finally got to Mercy Hospital. The cop had followed him the whole way, giving him dirty looks and motioning for him to pull over every time they stopped at a red light. Of course he had ignored him, pretending to play with the radio or just staring straight ahead. Truthfully, he'd spent most of the ride deep in thought and fearful of what he would find when he walked into Rachel's hospital room.
Now was the moment he'd been dreading, yet running towards, the whole ride. He was standing outside of Rachel's hospital room and bracing himself for what he would find. Minutes before he had run into the hospital and demanded that they show him where his "daughter" was. Yes, it was a slight fib on his part but it was a better chance that he would be able to see Rachel and assess her for himself. It also kept the officer away for the time being. He couldn't explain this sudden protective nature that had come over him. Perhaps it was because he felt he owed Mark Greene. The man had been his mentor and his friend. But what had Carter ever done for him? There was just nothing that could compare.
All he knew was that he had to watch out for Rachel. She was all alone in the world now, just like he was. Mark would want him to help her. He just knew it.
"Excuse me sir?" Carter turned to come face to face with a tall handsome doctor. The man extended his hand and Carter accepted politely. "I'm Dr. Hardgrove. Are you the father?" He gestured towards the girl in the bed.
Carter chewed his lip and nodded. "Yep, uh, yes I am, John Carter. I'm also a doctor."
"Really?" The man looked surprised. "That makes my job somewhat easier." He smiled and Carter just nodded.
"What are the extent of her injuries?" Carter asked. He stood straight and tall.
"Your daughter has been beaten very badly. Her left arm is fractured in two places, and two of her ribs are broken. We did a tox screen and found large amounts of cocaine in her blood stream."
Carter took a deep breathe and let it out. "Anything else?"
The man stepped back and forth. "Well she has bruises and scrapes over virtually every part of her body..."
"Anything besides bruises and scrapes?" Carter persisted. He had to ask the question. He had to know. He spoke in a lower pained tone while staring at the far wall. "Was she raped?"
The doctor took a moment to answer. "It appears that she may have been. We used a rape kit but the results aren't back yet. They should be in within the hour."
Carter's world froze. The worst possible thing he could imagine had come true. Bruises and broken bones were easily fixed. All he had to do was slap a cast on or apply some ice. Those injuries healed. But rape was another story. The pain that being raped caused never went away. He knew this all too well.
He swallowed thickly and blinked his eyes to push back the memories. "Right. Well thanks. I'm going to go see her."
He opened the door and walked into the room.
Inside he found a young girl in a lot of pain. She was asleep at the moment, thanks to the sedation it had taken to calm her down, and the IV's were dripping saline and antibiotics into her blood stream. Her face was completely black and blue. He could barely recognize her small features. Her eyes, Marks eyes, were completely swollen and bruised. Her arm was resting in a splint at the moment until the staff could get around to putting a cast on it.
He cautiously approached the bed and reached his hand towards her. He stopped a few inches short, afraid of hurting the poor girl. It was then, when he was close up, that he noticed the blood on the sheet. They were very small stains, but still fresh. It was coming from her groin area.
He turned away and faced the window. He couldn't bare to look. He hadn't felt this much hatred since the day he'd found out that Lucy had died. He hadn't hated a person so much since he'd last seen Paul Sobricki. It wasn't Rachel he hated, it was the people that did this to her. He swore on his med-students grave that he would not let them get away with this.
Memories of his own childhood trauma raced through his head. They were still so vivid and clear after all these years. It was not something he'd ever forget. As he looked back at the face of his co-workers pride and joy, he knew that she would never forget this day for as long as she lived. It saddened him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//She was walking on clouds and flying with the birds. She had conversations with her deceased grandparents and watched as her father continued to help people, even after his death. She was in heaven, and she was free. This time it wasn't the drugs that made her feel this way. This time it was just real. She could smile and not worry about what new development would turn it into a frown. She was happy, for the first time in a very long time.
Next she found herself in the County General ER. She was young, four or five at the most. She wandered the hallways, searching for her father in the large crowd of people. There were so many of them, all of them sick. But her daddy could make anybody well again. He was a superhero who saved lives and barely even took any credit. His white coat was like his costume and the stethoscope his special power. To her there were no other doctors, only Dr. Greene. her daddy.
She felt herself teleport into a different room. It was a green room. Daddy was yelling out orders left and right. Tubes and other tools were being passed from hand to hand over the table. Carol was there. She loved Carol's hair. It was so pretty. She wanted hair like that when she grew big. She watched Doug bound into the room and talk to daddy. She wished she could marry Doug. He was daddy's best friend. He always told the funniest jokes.
Then there was Dr. Carter. He was nice and funny. She liked him. He treated her like a big girl. Not like a baby like most everybody else there. She loved when he would explain everything to her; like what the different tools did and why a person was sick. Not even daddy did that.
Suddenly, she was somewhere else. It was dark and dirty. There were sick people everywhere, but it wasn't the hospital. This place was frightening. It was a cold dark building. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown. Pulling it closed behind her, she searched desperately for a way out. She jumped as something sharp poked into her bare foot. She picked up her foot and gasped in horror as a needle was hanging from her skin. She quickly pulled it out and threw it to the ground. But it wasn't the only one around. There were large piles of them everywhere. They weren't just on the floor. All of the sick people were holding them, inserting them into their arms.
'Daddy?' She called into the darkness. She felt tears come to her eyes and she fought to hold them back.
Suddenly she felt somebody grab her arm and pull her around. She lost her balance and fell into a pile of needles. She cried out in pain.
"Give it up little girl! Your daddy's not here." The large ugly monster moved closer and grabbed her again by the arm. "But I am, and you owe me..."//
She woke up screaming, and found herself in the arms of somebody. It was a man, and he was holding her close and trying to calm her down. He wasn't trying to hurt her. It had only been a dream.
She opened her heavy eyes and looked straight into a pair of deep brown ones. There were tears in them, just like she was sure there were tears in her own. No words needed to be said. She fell back into the embrace and cried.
TBC
Part 6
Authors Note: So sorry for the delay! =/ I started classes on Monday so I haven't had much time. You can also blame my boyfriend if you'd like, he never lets me stay home and write anymore. =P Anyway, here is the next part. The slashes indicate the beginning and end of a dream sequence. I hope you like it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When my fist clenches,
crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The time was one thirty when Carter finally got to Mercy Hospital. The cop had followed him the whole way, giving him dirty looks and motioning for him to pull over every time they stopped at a red light. Of course he had ignored him, pretending to play with the radio or just staring straight ahead. Truthfully, he'd spent most of the ride deep in thought and fearful of what he would find when he walked into Rachel's hospital room.
Now was the moment he'd been dreading, yet running towards, the whole ride. He was standing outside of Rachel's hospital room and bracing himself for what he would find. Minutes before he had run into the hospital and demanded that they show him where his "daughter" was. Yes, it was a slight fib on his part but it was a better chance that he would be able to see Rachel and assess her for himself. It also kept the officer away for the time being. He couldn't explain this sudden protective nature that had come over him. Perhaps it was because he felt he owed Mark Greene. The man had been his mentor and his friend. But what had Carter ever done for him? There was just nothing that could compare.
All he knew was that he had to watch out for Rachel. She was all alone in the world now, just like he was. Mark would want him to help her. He just knew it.
"Excuse me sir?" Carter turned to come face to face with a tall handsome doctor. The man extended his hand and Carter accepted politely. "I'm Dr. Hardgrove. Are you the father?" He gestured towards the girl in the bed.
Carter chewed his lip and nodded. "Yep, uh, yes I am, John Carter. I'm also a doctor."
"Really?" The man looked surprised. "That makes my job somewhat easier." He smiled and Carter just nodded.
"What are the extent of her injuries?" Carter asked. He stood straight and tall.
"Your daughter has been beaten very badly. Her left arm is fractured in two places, and two of her ribs are broken. We did a tox screen and found large amounts of cocaine in her blood stream."
Carter took a deep breathe and let it out. "Anything else?"
The man stepped back and forth. "Well she has bruises and scrapes over virtually every part of her body..."
"Anything besides bruises and scrapes?" Carter persisted. He had to ask the question. He had to know. He spoke in a lower pained tone while staring at the far wall. "Was she raped?"
The doctor took a moment to answer. "It appears that she may have been. We used a rape kit but the results aren't back yet. They should be in within the hour."
Carter's world froze. The worst possible thing he could imagine had come true. Bruises and broken bones were easily fixed. All he had to do was slap a cast on or apply some ice. Those injuries healed. But rape was another story. The pain that being raped caused never went away. He knew this all too well.
He swallowed thickly and blinked his eyes to push back the memories. "Right. Well thanks. I'm going to go see her."
He opened the door and walked into the room.
Inside he found a young girl in a lot of pain. She was asleep at the moment, thanks to the sedation it had taken to calm her down, and the IV's were dripping saline and antibiotics into her blood stream. Her face was completely black and blue. He could barely recognize her small features. Her eyes, Marks eyes, were completely swollen and bruised. Her arm was resting in a splint at the moment until the staff could get around to putting a cast on it.
He cautiously approached the bed and reached his hand towards her. He stopped a few inches short, afraid of hurting the poor girl. It was then, when he was close up, that he noticed the blood on the sheet. They were very small stains, but still fresh. It was coming from her groin area.
He turned away and faced the window. He couldn't bare to look. He hadn't felt this much hatred since the day he'd found out that Lucy had died. He hadn't hated a person so much since he'd last seen Paul Sobricki. It wasn't Rachel he hated, it was the people that did this to her. He swore on his med-students grave that he would not let them get away with this.
Memories of his own childhood trauma raced through his head. They were still so vivid and clear after all these years. It was not something he'd ever forget. As he looked back at the face of his co-workers pride and joy, he knew that she would never forget this day for as long as she lived. It saddened him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//She was walking on clouds and flying with the birds. She had conversations with her deceased grandparents and watched as her father continued to help people, even after his death. She was in heaven, and she was free. This time it wasn't the drugs that made her feel this way. This time it was just real. She could smile and not worry about what new development would turn it into a frown. She was happy, for the first time in a very long time.
Next she found herself in the County General ER. She was young, four or five at the most. She wandered the hallways, searching for her father in the large crowd of people. There were so many of them, all of them sick. But her daddy could make anybody well again. He was a superhero who saved lives and barely even took any credit. His white coat was like his costume and the stethoscope his special power. To her there were no other doctors, only Dr. Greene. her daddy.
She felt herself teleport into a different room. It was a green room. Daddy was yelling out orders left and right. Tubes and other tools were being passed from hand to hand over the table. Carol was there. She loved Carol's hair. It was so pretty. She wanted hair like that when she grew big. She watched Doug bound into the room and talk to daddy. She wished she could marry Doug. He was daddy's best friend. He always told the funniest jokes.
Then there was Dr. Carter. He was nice and funny. She liked him. He treated her like a big girl. Not like a baby like most everybody else there. She loved when he would explain everything to her; like what the different tools did and why a person was sick. Not even daddy did that.
Suddenly, she was somewhere else. It was dark and dirty. There were sick people everywhere, but it wasn't the hospital. This place was frightening. It was a cold dark building. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown. Pulling it closed behind her, she searched desperately for a way out. She jumped as something sharp poked into her bare foot. She picked up her foot and gasped in horror as a needle was hanging from her skin. She quickly pulled it out and threw it to the ground. But it wasn't the only one around. There were large piles of them everywhere. They weren't just on the floor. All of the sick people were holding them, inserting them into their arms.
'Daddy?' She called into the darkness. She felt tears come to her eyes and she fought to hold them back.
Suddenly she felt somebody grab her arm and pull her around. She lost her balance and fell into a pile of needles. She cried out in pain.
"Give it up little girl! Your daddy's not here." The large ugly monster moved closer and grabbed her again by the arm. "But I am, and you owe me..."//
She woke up screaming, and found herself in the arms of somebody. It was a man, and he was holding her close and trying to calm her down. He wasn't trying to hurt her. It had only been a dream.
She opened her heavy eyes and looked straight into a pair of deep brown ones. There were tears in them, just like she was sure there were tears in her own. No words needed to be said. She fell back into the embrace and cried.
TBC