Sorry it's been so long, but life has this funny way of being a pain in the butt. Anyway, this still isn't the end, plus it's another cliffhanger (Mwahahahahaha). Once again I repeat, I have never been in a fire and I know nothing about boiler rooms. Here's a new one. I don't know anything about helicopters either. Hehehe, I bet you really want to read it now.
"Makes me glad our hospital isn't in New York," Chuny said to Abby.
Abby nodded. "Can you imagine the chaos?"
Kerry, overhearing the conversation, perked up at the word New York. "What's going on in New York?" she asked.
"A big fire broke out in one of the hotels," Abby told her. "What was the name Chuny?"
"The James Hotel."
Kerry dropped the chart she was holding.
Abby watched as the color drained from her face. "Dr. Weaver, are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she lied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The fire alarm had stopped beeping long ago, and there was little noise except for nervous whispers. The ringing of a phone shattered the silence, causing everyone to jump.
"Where is that coming from?" Carter asked.
"My room," a woman answered. She looked at him, apparently waiting to be told what to do.
He raised his eyebrows. "Uh, answer it." He watched her hurry into her room, surprised at the leadership role he had taken on.
The hallway became silent as they listened to her conversation. "Hello?...Oh! Are you going to help us?...Wait, wait, let me put that guy on." She stuck her head out the door and looked at Carter. "It's the fire department."
He looked at Emma, who shrugged. She helped him up and he limped to the phone. He sat down on the bed. "Hello?"
"Who is this?" said the voice on the other end.
"John Carter."
"Ok John, here's what we need you to do. We are going to evacuate you all from the roof by helicopter. Can you get everyone up there and have them ready?"
"Yes, of course. Uh, just one thing. Are you aware the boiler room is on the top floor?"
There was a long pause. "You're kidding me."
"No."
He heard the voice sigh. "Ok, well... we'll just have to work a little faster that's all. Get those people on the roof."
They said goodbye and hung up. Emma stared at him. "They're going to evacuate by helicopter. We need to get on the roof. Now."
After a brief explanation Carter and Emma began to move people to the roof. Once sure that no one was left, Emma began to help Carter up the steps with Emily right ahead of them.
"John, what's with you and Emily?" Emma asked quietly. "How do you know her?"
"It's a long story," Carter said, avoiding the subject. He hadn't talked about the night on the bus with anyone but Emily.
Emily turned and looked at him as he limped up the stairs. "Carter, why do you keep hurting your leg?"
"You know Em, I was asking myself the same question earlier."
She laughed and continued up the stairs.
Carter saw Emma shoot him a quizzical glance but ignored it. They reached the roof and gasped at the sudden cold. People were congregated in little groups trying to keep warm. There weren't more than twenty people, including Carter, Emma, and Emily.
Carter sat down to take the pressure off his throbbing leg. Emily came and sat next to him while Emma went to check on the other people.
"So Em, I wanted to get together but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind," he said.
She shook her head smiling. "So how have you been Carter? Being good?" she asked, referring to his drug problem. That was her code. She never asked him flat out.
He had told her three years ago about the stabbing and his drug addiction and she had been very supportive. "Yes, I've been good. What about you, how's high school been treating you?"
"Not bad, I'm pulling A's."
"Good, because you need the grades if you want to be a doctor."
"I know," she said smiling.
"Look Em, The helicopters are going to have to make a few trips. I want you to go on the first one."
"Only if you do."
He shook his head, sometimes she was as stubborn as he is. "With this leg I'll take up too much space. We need to get as many people as we can off this roof as fast as possible."
"Well, then I'll wait for you."
Carter took her shoulders and held her at arms length. "Emily, go on the first chopper. Please. It will make me feel better to know you're safe."
Her brown eyes searched his face and she sighed. "Ok."
Out of no where a helicopter appeared and landed on the roof. About one third of the people, mostly women and children began to get on.
Emily hugged him. "Be careful Carter. I'll see you soon."
He watched as she boarded the helicopter then it rose into the sky.
Five minutes later it returned, loading more people on. The pilot managed to get everyone except for Carter on, due to his leg.
"Just go!" he hollered to the pilot over the spinning blades.
Carter watched as Emma got out. "I'll wait with you," she yelled.
"No, go now!"
"I'm not Emily, you can't make me leave." She waved the pilot away and they watched it as it once again rose into the air. There was a long silence, until suddenly some of the windows on the 34th floor exploded.
Carter looked at Emma in alarm. "I think that's the boiler room."
They waited and prayed and the helicopter returned and began circling the building. A man with a megaphone said, "We can't land, it's to much of a risk. We'll drop the ladder."
Emma looked at Carter, her eyes wide. "You can't climb a ladder with that leg."
Carter took her head in his hands and kissed her forehead. "Go," he said.
"I can't just leave-"
"There is no sense in both of us staying," he cut her off. Another window exploded with a bang.
The helicopter dropped it's ladder and Emma began to cry. She hugged Carter and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Go!" he said again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kerry watched the TV with bated breath as someone climbed the ladder of the rescue chopper. She gasped as the roof suddenly exploded and the chopper flew away.
Kerry hadn't told anyone that Carter was involved with the fire. She didn't want everyone congregating around the TV when they should be working. Of course, she had been sneaking into the lounge all night checking on the situation.
"Kerry, what are you doing?" came Mark's voice from behind her, making her jump.
"I was just...watching the news."
"Oh, is that, that fire in New York?"
"Yes."
"God, I hope nothing like that ever happens here."
She gave him a weak smile.
"Is something wrong, Kerry?" he asked, noticing her worried expression.
She looked back at the TV. "That's where Carter was staying for the conference."
Mark raised his eyebrows. "In *that* building?"
"Yes, on the 33rd floor. And now the roof has just blown up."
Mark and Kerry stared at the TV leaving the room in silence, except for the reporter's voice.
"Makes me glad our hospital isn't in New York," Chuny said to Abby.
Abby nodded. "Can you imagine the chaos?"
Kerry, overhearing the conversation, perked up at the word New York. "What's going on in New York?" she asked.
"A big fire broke out in one of the hotels," Abby told her. "What was the name Chuny?"
"The James Hotel."
Kerry dropped the chart she was holding.
Abby watched as the color drained from her face. "Dr. Weaver, are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she lied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The fire alarm had stopped beeping long ago, and there was little noise except for nervous whispers. The ringing of a phone shattered the silence, causing everyone to jump.
"Where is that coming from?" Carter asked.
"My room," a woman answered. She looked at him, apparently waiting to be told what to do.
He raised his eyebrows. "Uh, answer it." He watched her hurry into her room, surprised at the leadership role he had taken on.
The hallway became silent as they listened to her conversation. "Hello?...Oh! Are you going to help us?...Wait, wait, let me put that guy on." She stuck her head out the door and looked at Carter. "It's the fire department."
He looked at Emma, who shrugged. She helped him up and he limped to the phone. He sat down on the bed. "Hello?"
"Who is this?" said the voice on the other end.
"John Carter."
"Ok John, here's what we need you to do. We are going to evacuate you all from the roof by helicopter. Can you get everyone up there and have them ready?"
"Yes, of course. Uh, just one thing. Are you aware the boiler room is on the top floor?"
There was a long pause. "You're kidding me."
"No."
He heard the voice sigh. "Ok, well... we'll just have to work a little faster that's all. Get those people on the roof."
They said goodbye and hung up. Emma stared at him. "They're going to evacuate by helicopter. We need to get on the roof. Now."
After a brief explanation Carter and Emma began to move people to the roof. Once sure that no one was left, Emma began to help Carter up the steps with Emily right ahead of them.
"John, what's with you and Emily?" Emma asked quietly. "How do you know her?"
"It's a long story," Carter said, avoiding the subject. He hadn't talked about the night on the bus with anyone but Emily.
Emily turned and looked at him as he limped up the stairs. "Carter, why do you keep hurting your leg?"
"You know Em, I was asking myself the same question earlier."
She laughed and continued up the stairs.
Carter saw Emma shoot him a quizzical glance but ignored it. They reached the roof and gasped at the sudden cold. People were congregated in little groups trying to keep warm. There weren't more than twenty people, including Carter, Emma, and Emily.
Carter sat down to take the pressure off his throbbing leg. Emily came and sat next to him while Emma went to check on the other people.
"So Em, I wanted to get together but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind," he said.
She shook her head smiling. "So how have you been Carter? Being good?" she asked, referring to his drug problem. That was her code. She never asked him flat out.
He had told her three years ago about the stabbing and his drug addiction and she had been very supportive. "Yes, I've been good. What about you, how's high school been treating you?"
"Not bad, I'm pulling A's."
"Good, because you need the grades if you want to be a doctor."
"I know," she said smiling.
"Look Em, The helicopters are going to have to make a few trips. I want you to go on the first one."
"Only if you do."
He shook his head, sometimes she was as stubborn as he is. "With this leg I'll take up too much space. We need to get as many people as we can off this roof as fast as possible."
"Well, then I'll wait for you."
Carter took her shoulders and held her at arms length. "Emily, go on the first chopper. Please. It will make me feel better to know you're safe."
Her brown eyes searched his face and she sighed. "Ok."
Out of no where a helicopter appeared and landed on the roof. About one third of the people, mostly women and children began to get on.
Emily hugged him. "Be careful Carter. I'll see you soon."
He watched as she boarded the helicopter then it rose into the sky.
Five minutes later it returned, loading more people on. The pilot managed to get everyone except for Carter on, due to his leg.
"Just go!" he hollered to the pilot over the spinning blades.
Carter watched as Emma got out. "I'll wait with you," she yelled.
"No, go now!"
"I'm not Emily, you can't make me leave." She waved the pilot away and they watched it as it once again rose into the air. There was a long silence, until suddenly some of the windows on the 34th floor exploded.
Carter looked at Emma in alarm. "I think that's the boiler room."
They waited and prayed and the helicopter returned and began circling the building. A man with a megaphone said, "We can't land, it's to much of a risk. We'll drop the ladder."
Emma looked at Carter, her eyes wide. "You can't climb a ladder with that leg."
Carter took her head in his hands and kissed her forehead. "Go," he said.
"I can't just leave-"
"There is no sense in both of us staying," he cut her off. Another window exploded with a bang.
The helicopter dropped it's ladder and Emma began to cry. She hugged Carter and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Go!" he said again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kerry watched the TV with bated breath as someone climbed the ladder of the rescue chopper. She gasped as the roof suddenly exploded and the chopper flew away.
Kerry hadn't told anyone that Carter was involved with the fire. She didn't want everyone congregating around the TV when they should be working. Of course, she had been sneaking into the lounge all night checking on the situation.
"Kerry, what are you doing?" came Mark's voice from behind her, making her jump.
"I was just...watching the news."
"Oh, is that, that fire in New York?"
"Yes."
"God, I hope nothing like that ever happens here."
She gave him a weak smile.
"Is something wrong, Kerry?" he asked, noticing her worried expression.
She looked back at the TV. "That's where Carter was staying for the conference."
Mark raised his eyebrows. "In *that* building?"
"Yes, on the 33rd floor. And now the roof has just blown up."
Mark and Kerry stared at the TV leaving the room in silence, except for the reporter's voice.