A/N: this is a little bit sappier than chapter one. But I think it's still nice.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em except for Kyle and Rebecca Heraldson.
Chapter 2: In your Dreams
"Oh my God! John!" Abby sprinted to the still body in the middle of the street. The driver of the red Pontiac glanced at Carter, and Abby got a good look at his face. His windshield was smashed. He looked at Abby fast and his eyes widened and he drove away.
"The little-"
"Oh my, what happened here?" a woman stepped out of a blue Toyota van. Abby could see her two boys peering out of the tinted windows at the scene. Abby bent over Carter, examining him.
"Nothing, ma'am, he'll be fine, but we have to get him to the ER,"
"Please, I want to help. I saw what that man did, and that's just cruel," Abby looked up at the woman, probably in her early thirties. She had strawberry blond hair and a sad look on her face. She paused for a minute as Abby examined her.
"My... A car hit my husband once. My name is Rebecca Heraldson. Please, let me help," Abby smiled and turned her attention back to Carter.
"Abby, what happened?!" Corday ran over to Abby's side and they took Carter into the hospital followed closely by Rebecca Heraldson.
"Hold on, Carter, just hold on," Peter Benton whispered, somewhat calm. Carter opened his eyes then closed them again and slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Hello, Carter," he heard a female voice call. He looked around. He was in the ER. Corday and Romano were operating on someone fiercely; someone they seemed to have a special bond with. Someone Carter knew.
"Come on, Lucy, we spent too much time training you to lose you now!" Lucy. It was Lucy.
"No, Lucy!"
"That's it we've done all we can..." and they waited. But nothing happened. Carter had never seen this happen when he was awake, but he knew it was the same thing that happened when Lucy died. The scene changed and Carter felt a knife in his back. He screamed in pain and rolled onto the floor. That's when he saw the picture that had been haunting his mind: Lucy, cold and scared in a puddle of blood, eyes wide in terror and worry.
"Lucy..." Carter whispered, "Not again!" the scene changed again and the pain in his back faded. He was now standing in pure darkness. It seemed to go on for an eternity, showing no walls or ceiling. Carter couldn't even see the floor that should have been beneath his feet. It was a starless universe extending in all directions. He had seen the other scenes in his dreams before, but never had he been in pitch-blackness. It was oddly tranquil here and strangely silent. It was calm and collective, allowing Carter to have some peace of mind, something he hadn't had in a while. And yet, the scene seemed to be waiting for something, a person, an event... a decision, maybe, on Carter's part. It stayed the same, dark and quiet, waiting for something to happen. It wasn't as dark as it seemed, though. There was a light, a bright light. Carter was waiting, too.
"I'm not dead am I?" he asked himself.
"Not yet," he jumped at the same voice that had first greeted him when he entered his dreams. He turned and saw again, the glowing Lucy he wished he had gotten to know better.
"Lucy, am I going crazy? I see you everywhere! Are you real or are you just a hallucination?"
"That's really for you to decide, John," her voice echoed in the dark.
"That light..." Carter said, turning his head to it, "It's not..."
"Yes. If you take that road, you will be on your way to heaven. But, if you take that road,"-she gestured in the opposite direction of the white light, the only light, "You will awake. I suggest you take that road. I made the wrong choice,"
"What do you mean?" Carter asked. He looked at the road to consciousness. It looked cold and dark and not very welcoming. Carter felt the uneasy feeling of foreboding. He would have much rather stayed in the new universe and it's diamondless sky.
"They give you a choice; they let you choose whether or not you want to live, or die. But they don't tell you. You have to decide on your own. That road will lead you to the home you don't remember, Carter, while the other will take you to your family and friends," she said, "No one was here to tell me that and so I took what seemed to be the easier road. I thought I was coming back to you. They make it look more appealing, Carter, to test your courage. Technically, I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't stand by and watch you make the wrong choice," Carter looked at the bright light. It was much more welcoming then the other, dark path.
"You've been her before, Carter," Lucy said, "But you took the right road. You don't remember it, but you did,"
"Why? I don't want to take it now,"
"Because I led you to it," Lucy said, "You didn't see me, but I was there. And I am leading you there again. When... or if you wake, you are not supposed to remember this, but you will."
"Wait. If I take the white road, I'll be with you!" Carter seemed excited. Lucy smiled, wanly.
"I'd love that. But are you really ready to leave them? Lizzy, Peter, Mark, Dave, Luka, Abby... they'll all miss you. I wasn't ready to leave you. Go back, Carter. Tonight, I will speak to you and we will have our last encounter for a while."
"No! Last? Lucy, I don't want to lose you again!" tears formed in Carter's eyes.
"You'll never really lose me, Carter. I'll always be with you. I am never gone. Now, the longer you stay here, the more you will be drawn to the wrong road because the more physical pain you will have when you awake. The more the doctors help you, the more you will be drawn to the right road because they are trying to heal your physical wounds and bring you back to them. You have to go. I'll see you tonight," and Lucy faded into the darkness. Carter took a deep breath and stepped onto the road to consciousness.
"Carter! You gave us quite a scare," Lizzy said, "You were doing fine and then... Oh, Carter! Don't you dare do that again!"
"Lucy..." everyone was silent.
"Carter, it's time to let go. She's gone," Abby said.
"No... No, she's still here. She said she'd always be here," he tried to sit up, but his head hurt too much from when it came in contact with the hard asphalt.
"Carter, you don't know what your saying..."
"No, you don't know what your saying, Peter!" Carter burst out without meaning it, "I wasn't suppose to remember, but I do and she told me she'll always be here! I know exactly what I am saying and I know you all think I'm crazy and, well, maybe I am! But I know what I heard!"
"Carter it was just a dream..."
"I know the difference between dream and reality!" no one said anything after that. Abby looked at them and requested to speak with Carter alone. So they left.
"You know, they think you're over-worked. They think you need a vacation,"
"*you* think I'm crazy!" Carter said, harshly.
"No, actually, I don't. I think you're actually pretty smart. And lucky,"
"Smart? Lucky? You don't think I'm crazy?"
"No, and neither do the others. You've been fine and we expected this today. You are crazy, Carter, but crazy from grief. You think you're seeing Lucy!"
"I am seeing Lucy! Wait... How did you know?"
"Because Lizzy's seeing her too. She doesn't show it as much as you, but she was there when Lucy died. She blames herself for Lucy's death, just as you blame yourself. One moment, Lucy was fine and the next... This is hard for all of us. We do understand, Carter!"
"But I *do* see Lucy!" Carter protested, "I thought they were hallucinations, at first, but now I know they aren't! I don't know how, but some how I know that Lucy is still here, with us, every day, just like she always has been. And even though we don't see her, even though we don't know, whenever there is some miracle recovery, or when some sort of good accident happens, it's her," Carter and Abby looked long and hard into each other's eyes and Abby understood. But Abby, as she said, had understood before. The difference this time was, that Abby believed it.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em except for Kyle and Rebecca Heraldson.
Chapter 2: In your Dreams
"Oh my God! John!" Abby sprinted to the still body in the middle of the street. The driver of the red Pontiac glanced at Carter, and Abby got a good look at his face. His windshield was smashed. He looked at Abby fast and his eyes widened and he drove away.
"The little-"
"Oh my, what happened here?" a woman stepped out of a blue Toyota van. Abby could see her two boys peering out of the tinted windows at the scene. Abby bent over Carter, examining him.
"Nothing, ma'am, he'll be fine, but we have to get him to the ER,"
"Please, I want to help. I saw what that man did, and that's just cruel," Abby looked up at the woman, probably in her early thirties. She had strawberry blond hair and a sad look on her face. She paused for a minute as Abby examined her.
"My... A car hit my husband once. My name is Rebecca Heraldson. Please, let me help," Abby smiled and turned her attention back to Carter.
"Abby, what happened?!" Corday ran over to Abby's side and they took Carter into the hospital followed closely by Rebecca Heraldson.
"Hold on, Carter, just hold on," Peter Benton whispered, somewhat calm. Carter opened his eyes then closed them again and slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Hello, Carter," he heard a female voice call. He looked around. He was in the ER. Corday and Romano were operating on someone fiercely; someone they seemed to have a special bond with. Someone Carter knew.
"Come on, Lucy, we spent too much time training you to lose you now!" Lucy. It was Lucy.
"No, Lucy!"
"That's it we've done all we can..." and they waited. But nothing happened. Carter had never seen this happen when he was awake, but he knew it was the same thing that happened when Lucy died. The scene changed and Carter felt a knife in his back. He screamed in pain and rolled onto the floor. That's when he saw the picture that had been haunting his mind: Lucy, cold and scared in a puddle of blood, eyes wide in terror and worry.
"Lucy..." Carter whispered, "Not again!" the scene changed again and the pain in his back faded. He was now standing in pure darkness. It seemed to go on for an eternity, showing no walls or ceiling. Carter couldn't even see the floor that should have been beneath his feet. It was a starless universe extending in all directions. He had seen the other scenes in his dreams before, but never had he been in pitch-blackness. It was oddly tranquil here and strangely silent. It was calm and collective, allowing Carter to have some peace of mind, something he hadn't had in a while. And yet, the scene seemed to be waiting for something, a person, an event... a decision, maybe, on Carter's part. It stayed the same, dark and quiet, waiting for something to happen. It wasn't as dark as it seemed, though. There was a light, a bright light. Carter was waiting, too.
"I'm not dead am I?" he asked himself.
"Not yet," he jumped at the same voice that had first greeted him when he entered his dreams. He turned and saw again, the glowing Lucy he wished he had gotten to know better.
"Lucy, am I going crazy? I see you everywhere! Are you real or are you just a hallucination?"
"That's really for you to decide, John," her voice echoed in the dark.
"That light..." Carter said, turning his head to it, "It's not..."
"Yes. If you take that road, you will be on your way to heaven. But, if you take that road,"-she gestured in the opposite direction of the white light, the only light, "You will awake. I suggest you take that road. I made the wrong choice,"
"What do you mean?" Carter asked. He looked at the road to consciousness. It looked cold and dark and not very welcoming. Carter felt the uneasy feeling of foreboding. He would have much rather stayed in the new universe and it's diamondless sky.
"They give you a choice; they let you choose whether or not you want to live, or die. But they don't tell you. You have to decide on your own. That road will lead you to the home you don't remember, Carter, while the other will take you to your family and friends," she said, "No one was here to tell me that and so I took what seemed to be the easier road. I thought I was coming back to you. They make it look more appealing, Carter, to test your courage. Technically, I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't stand by and watch you make the wrong choice," Carter looked at the bright light. It was much more welcoming then the other, dark path.
"You've been her before, Carter," Lucy said, "But you took the right road. You don't remember it, but you did,"
"Why? I don't want to take it now,"
"Because I led you to it," Lucy said, "You didn't see me, but I was there. And I am leading you there again. When... or if you wake, you are not supposed to remember this, but you will."
"Wait. If I take the white road, I'll be with you!" Carter seemed excited. Lucy smiled, wanly.
"I'd love that. But are you really ready to leave them? Lizzy, Peter, Mark, Dave, Luka, Abby... they'll all miss you. I wasn't ready to leave you. Go back, Carter. Tonight, I will speak to you and we will have our last encounter for a while."
"No! Last? Lucy, I don't want to lose you again!" tears formed in Carter's eyes.
"You'll never really lose me, Carter. I'll always be with you. I am never gone. Now, the longer you stay here, the more you will be drawn to the wrong road because the more physical pain you will have when you awake. The more the doctors help you, the more you will be drawn to the right road because they are trying to heal your physical wounds and bring you back to them. You have to go. I'll see you tonight," and Lucy faded into the darkness. Carter took a deep breath and stepped onto the road to consciousness.
"Carter! You gave us quite a scare," Lizzy said, "You were doing fine and then... Oh, Carter! Don't you dare do that again!"
"Lucy..." everyone was silent.
"Carter, it's time to let go. She's gone," Abby said.
"No... No, she's still here. She said she'd always be here," he tried to sit up, but his head hurt too much from when it came in contact with the hard asphalt.
"Carter, you don't know what your saying..."
"No, you don't know what your saying, Peter!" Carter burst out without meaning it, "I wasn't suppose to remember, but I do and she told me she'll always be here! I know exactly what I am saying and I know you all think I'm crazy and, well, maybe I am! But I know what I heard!"
"Carter it was just a dream..."
"I know the difference between dream and reality!" no one said anything after that. Abby looked at them and requested to speak with Carter alone. So they left.
"You know, they think you're over-worked. They think you need a vacation,"
"*you* think I'm crazy!" Carter said, harshly.
"No, actually, I don't. I think you're actually pretty smart. And lucky,"
"Smart? Lucky? You don't think I'm crazy?"
"No, and neither do the others. You've been fine and we expected this today. You are crazy, Carter, but crazy from grief. You think you're seeing Lucy!"
"I am seeing Lucy! Wait... How did you know?"
"Because Lizzy's seeing her too. She doesn't show it as much as you, but she was there when Lucy died. She blames herself for Lucy's death, just as you blame yourself. One moment, Lucy was fine and the next... This is hard for all of us. We do understand, Carter!"
"But I *do* see Lucy!" Carter protested, "I thought they were hallucinations, at first, but now I know they aren't! I don't know how, but some how I know that Lucy is still here, with us, every day, just like she always has been. And even though we don't see her, even though we don't know, whenever there is some miracle recovery, or when some sort of good accident happens, it's her," Carter and Abby looked long and hard into each other's eyes and Abby understood. But Abby, as she said, had understood before. The difference this time was, that Abby believed it.