Authors Note: This is dedicated to my Alex, Marie, Andy, Tyler, Jo(ey), and Keegan, who don't know how useful their names can actually be. Ashley, Alexis, Andy, Tyler, Amy, Keegan, you guys are the best and you have my deepest and heartiest thanks.
The songs used in this story are "I Love the Way you Love Me" by Boyzone and "When You say Nothing At All" by Allison Krauss.
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It's almost two weeks later and Doug and Carol's wedding is in two days. Both Sarah and Helen have arrived to help with last minute planning and are staying with the couple. All of their friends from Chicago would be flying in that morning and they would meet them at the airport. At 9:45, Carol's sisters Alexis, who went by Alex, and Marie, would arrive on the same train as Susan, and Doug would pick them up and take them to the house where everyone else would already be.
They had come up with the Wedding Party and Final Guest List, which looked like this:
Groom: Douglas Ross
Bride: Carol Hathaway
Best Man: Mark Greene
Maid of Honor: Elizabeth Corday
Men in Waiting: Peter Benton, John Carter
Bridesmaids: Susan Lewis, Anna Del Amico, Jeanie Boulet
Ring Bearer: Reese Benton
Flower Girl: Rachel Greene
The other guests were: Helen, who would give Carol away, Sarah, Luka, Lydia, Haleh, Lily, Malik, Chuney, Cleo, Abby, Dave, Kerry, Maggie, Deb, Lynette, Randi, Wendy, Connie, Yosh, Alex, her husband Riley, their sons Tyler and Andy, Marie, her husband Troy, their daughter Joey, and son Keegan.
Though they were still going to be married at home, when they were finished, they would get into a limo and go on to the reception, which would be held at a French restraunt in downtown Seattle.
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At 7:33 Doug and Carol watched as the plane with all their Chicago friends landed. Rushing to the gate, they waited for someone to come down the terminal. Finally, what seemed like hours later, they saw Peter, carrying Reese, coming towards them. Behind him were Mark and Rachel, who were followed by the rest of the gang. Now the only ones missing were Susan and Carol's sisters, and their families. Doug would pick them up at the train station at 9:45, which gave them just enough time to show the others to their hotel, check-in, and go out to the house.
An hour later, everyone was just pulling up to the house. Only stopping long enough to drop Carol off, Doug turned around and made his way to the train station. Luckily for him, all 8 of them were arriving on the same train, and he quickly made his way to where their train would pull in. About a minute after he arrived the train pulled in. Watching the people mill around him, he searched for a familiar face. Just then he heard his name being called.
"Doug!" Susan yelled. Running over to him she wrapped her arms around him and said," I was shocked when I received the wedding invitation. Doug Ross to marry Carol Hathaway. I was shocked you were even getting married, much less to Carol."
"Well, things change."
"Not that much. You two belong together. It's about damn time that you two got married."
Chuckling, Doug was about to say something when he saw two women with dark curly hair looking bewilderedly around, as if looking for someone. Going over to them he asked, "Are you two Alex and Marie?"
Turning quickly the two of looked at him, but soon relaxed. "You must be Doug. Yeah, I'm Alex and this is Marie." The taller one said, gesturing to the woman beside her. "Our husbands and kids will be along in a moment, they're just getting our bags."
"Well, as soon as they get here, I'll take you guys and her, " he said pointing at Susan, "to your hotel, where you can drop off your stuff, and then we can go out to the house." Doug said, just as Riley and Troy came over, carrying suitcases, followed by two boys, obviously twins, who looked about seven. Coming up behind them was a girl about thirteen. She was carrying a baby that was wrapped in a blue blanket.
Smiling at Riley, Alex introduced her family to Doug. "Doug, this is my husband Riley, and these two ratlings are our sons, Andy and Tyler. Boys, this is the guy who Aunt Carol is going to marry."
Shaking hands with Riley, Doug said to the boys, "So, how old are you two?"
"We're seven." Andy said proudly, speaking for the both of them. "Are you Tess and Kate's daddy?" Tyler asked bluntly.
"Tyler!" Alex said, surprised.
Doug just laughed though. "Yes I am. Have you met them?"
Andy shook his head. "No, but Aunt Carol sent us pictures."
Doug laughed at the boys' enthusiasm and turned to Marie. Marie smiled, obviously used to her nephews' antics, and said, "Doug, this is my husband, Troy, and that's our daughter Joey and our son Keegan."
"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Troy's hand. Turning to Joey he said, at an obvious loss for words, "So, how 'bout them Cubbies?"
Joey laughed. " Man, the Cubs suck." She said bluntly, a statement of facts. "If you want a team that actually wins, root for the Yankees."
Doug laughed. He knew he was going to like this one. She had an obvious knowledge of sports, and obviously, a bit of a mouth. His kind of person.
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An hour later, they were just pulling up to the house. As soon as she saw the car pull in to the drive, Carol was out the door and running down to meet them. Before the Jeep had come to a complete stop, the twins had already jumped out and were running to Carol, yelling, "Aunt Carol! Aunt Carol!"
Laughing she gathered them up in her arms and hugged them close to her. "Hey guys! What's up?"
But they had caught a glimpse of the lake and were running around to the back. Marie saw this and yelled after them, "Boys, be careful! Don't get to close to the water."
With this, the four women started chatting endlessly, and made their way up to the house. The men were left standing there, and Troy muttered under his breath, "Huh, women." Doug and Riley both started to chuckle. Making their way down to the dock, watching the boys play, the three guys made conversation, knowing that if they went in to the house, they would surrounded by women. Mark, Peter, Carter, and Dave soon joined them. Their topics ranged from sports, to Chicago happenings, to Kerry Weaver. Doug hit it off with Dave immediately, finding they had a lot in common. For one, both hated Kerry Weaver, and Doug laughed at Dave's nickname of 'Festus.'
The next day was filled with plans for the wedding and getting to know their friends, old and new. Anna had arrived the next morning and her and Carter had fallen back into their old camaraderie. This may have had to do with the news that Anna would be returning to County in a month as Pedes Attending, after Doug had called her after he left and strongly urged her to go and take his place, knowing she would keep his dream of a successful Pedes ER alive. It also might have had something to do with the news that Anna had finally come to her senses and dumped Max.
But, before they knew it, the wedding had arrived. It was going to start at 10:00 am and both the bride and groom were up early. Since Doug had spent the night at a hotel so he wouldn't see Carol before the wedding, he drove out with the rest at 9:00, so they would all get there on time. Both were anxious to finally do this, and before he knew it Doug was standing at the altar. When the music started, he looked to see the wedding party start up the aisle. His breath caught when he saw Carol. She looked beautiful. When she reached him, they joined hands and turned to the priest. Knowing she was nervous, Doug gave her hands a reassuring squeeze.
"Friends, family, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway in holy matrimony. Now they have decided to write their own vows, so Doug, you'll go first." the priest said.
Doug smiled nervously, taking a moment to compose himself, or he was afraid that he would burst into tears at any moment. "Carol, god I love you so much. For three years I've been waiting for this. All my life, I've been waiting for this moment. I knew from the moment that I first saw you that I loved you. But we haven't had it easy. You'll never know the pain I felt when I saw you wheeled into the ER, barely clinging to life. Or how crushed I was when you were going to marry Tag. Or the sadness when you kissed Powell. But I hope you know the joy I felt when you didn't marry Tag, when you said you'd marry me, when you told me you were pregnant, when you showed up here, ready to finally do this. It still seems so unreal. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I watch you sleep, and I have to reach out and touch you just to make sure you're really there. And sometimes I wonder if you really know how much I love you. Do you notice my breath catch in my throat, every time your hand brushes against mine? Do you notice the way I look at you every morning you wake up beside me? Do you see my eyes well up every time I watch you cradling one of our daughters? No, you probably don't. You don't know how terrified I am of losing you again. How it scares me to know that you may not wake you next to me tomorrow. But a wise person once told me that we just have to live life to the fullest. And I know that you still have your doubts, but let me reassure you now—I'm still holding on I've screwed up in the past, but for some reason, you've taken me back, again and again. You deserve so much better, but you settled for me. So I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Cause, this is the first day of the rest of my life, and I'm not letting go of you again. For some reason, which scares me half to death, I can't stop loving you."
By the time he reached the end Carol and almost all the female guests were in tears. Now it was Carol's turn. "Doug," she paused and then said, laughing through her tears, "God, I have to go have to after that?" She then continued, "Doug, you had me at hello. Since the day I met you I've been in love with you. And no matter what we go through in life, let me see you through. Cause, I've seen the dark side too. Nothing you say or confess could ever make me love you any less. I'm gonna stand by you. I'm always gonna love you. I'll never desert you. I'm done running. We've finally reached the point in our lives where there is nothing left to say. You don't have to. I can see whatever you're thinking, feeling, by the way you look at me. And I know you're afraid of screwing up again, so am I. And we've both messed up big time in the past. But I think the mistake we could make is not doing this. But we've made it. We overcame everything, and came out on top. We're done being lonely, our lives have finally begun."
Turning to the priest, they were ready to continue. Even the priest was a little emotional and had to pause to collect himself. "Alright. Dou you Douglas Ross, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
Doug paused, then said softly, "I do."
"And do you, Carol Hathaway, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"The rings," the priest said, and Mark handed Doug the ring, which he slid onto Carol's finger. Elizabeth did the same, and Carol slid onto Doug's finger. "Then by the power invested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." Taking Carol in his arms, Doug covered her lips with his own and kissed her soundly and sweetly.
"May I be the first to present to you Dr. and Mrs. Doug Ross!" Mark called as the two entered the reception hall. Cheering could be heard from around the room. Continuing into the room with arms around each other, the couple received their friends and families congratulations.
Soon, everyone was eating and chatting happily, when Mark, who was sitting next to Doug, who still had his arm around his new bride, stood up and tapped his glass with his fork. "Can I have everyone's attention. As best man, it's tradition that I make a speech, so here goes. I have to admit there was a part of me who personally never thought this day would actually arrive. But, the rest of me knew this day would come, because the two of you never seem to last long anywhere but together. From the day you met, the two of you have had a passion between you. An air of doomed love. But you two have overcome the odds and surpassed anything any of us ever expected from you. Few people ever find this kind of love in life. Few find their soulmate; the one person put on Earth just for them. And I can't think of two better friends who deserve it more than you do. So now, all we can do is wish you luck with words of wisdom. Doug, you've always been like a brother to me, and have been my best friend for going on 15 years. Over this time, I've seen you so low, even I didn't think you could pick yourself back up, but you were always one for suprises. When I first met you, you were like a little kid. A whirlwind, never staying in one place for long. And you were unhappy. But I can see the change in you. You're finally happy. You've joined us grownups. Congratulations Buddy, you've earned this. Carol you were always a wonderful friend. Someone to depend on, a shoulder to cry on, a person who was never too busy to just stop and listen. If there is one thing you are it's completely selfless, and we will all miss you. But it's time you started thinking of yourself and did what made you happy. We will all miss you both very much, but we'll visit, as will you, and you've left a little of yourselves behind, that we'll hold close to us and keep you in our hearts. So we say to you, take care of each other. I know whatever you do in life, as long as you're together, you'll succeed. So I wish you the best of luck. I can't wait to see what you do for an encore. And in closing, I just have to say, it's about damn time!" With this Mark sat down, and the crowd applauded, laughed, and cheered in agreement.
A while later the DJ announced, "The bride and groom will now have their first dance."
As Doug led Carol out onto the floor, the music started to play. Taking her in his arms, the started to sway slowly to the song.
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
Doug smiled as he recognized the song. Pulling Carol closer, he whispered, "I love you."
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
Carol also smiled, realizing that they were playing their song. It seemed somehow, appropriate. Whispering back she said, "I love you too. I love you forever."
All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine
Doug smiled and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment before pulling away.
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
Carol just leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
When the song finished, a new one started and other couples came out to the floor. Marie danced with Troy. Alex with Riley. Anna and Carter danced. Peter and Cleo. Mark and Elizabeth. Joey danced with Andy, her cousin often stepping on her feet. Helen danced with Tyler, smiling at how bad her grandson was. Dave danced with Deb, holding her oddly close. Suprisingly Kerry and Luka danced. Sarah danced with Howard. All three babies were asleep in the corner, with Haleh only a little ways away. Susan, Chuney, and Abby were all dancing with members of the band.
I like the feel
of your name on my lips
And I like the sound
of your sweet gentle kiss
The way that your fingers
run through my hair
And how your scent lingers even
when you're not there
And I like the way your eyes
dance when you laugh
And how you enjoy
your two hour bath
And how you convinced me
to dance in the rain
With everyone watching
like we were insane
As Carol looked around, she realized, for the first time in her life, she was completely happy. She was Doug's wife, she was in his arms, their daughter's were sound asleep in the corner, and loved ones surrounded them.
Chorus:
But I love the way
you love me
Strong and wild
Slow and easy
Heart and soul
So completely
I Love the way you love me
I like to imitate ol' Jerry Lee
And the cue of your eyes
When I'm slightly off key
And I like the innocent way
that you cry
At sappy old movies
you've seen hundreds of times
Doug was thinking similar thoughts. Carol was his wife. She would come home to him every night. She was in his arms. His best friends, who were practically his family, were surrounding him, and his daughters were only a few yards away. He had never been happier.
Chorus:
And I could list a million things
I love to like about you
But they all come to one reason
I could never live without you
I love the way
you love me
Strong and wild
Slow and easy
Heart and soul
So completely
I love the way you love me
Oh Baby,
I love the way you love me
Looking in each other's happy eyes, they both though the same thing. As extraordinary as this was, as extraordinary as the day was, it was only the beginning of an extraordinary life.
Around the them, the band played on.
Okay, that's it! I'm finally done. Sorry to how long it took and how screwed up it is. Please, please send feedback. While I could end the series here, I'm having too much fun playing god of the ER world to stop, so I hope to have the next story done by the time school starts (8/18/00). Again, please send feedback!
Tess Kate