Sorry it took so long to finish, but it's finally done. There is an Authors note at the end.
The hospital staff was subdued. It had been a week since the fire and there had been no word on Carter. Kerry feared that he was the one fatality the reporters had been going on and on about, and she knew the others were thinking the same.
Everyone was dealing with the unknown in their own way. Kerry was burying herself in work. Abby was talking less and less these days and Benton was getting irritable, snapping at staff members and patients alike. Even Dave hadn't been his normal obnoxious self. Every time Kerry saw Chen, she seemed to be on the verge of tears.
Kerry was examining a little girl's broken arm when she heard a scream. She set down her chart and quickly limped toward admit, where the scream had come from. Turning the corner, she saw Chen standing there crying. Kerry's stomach dropped and she slowed. 'Carter's dead,' she thought.
Someone she couldn't see pulled Chen into a hug. When Kerry got to Chen she let out a gasp, the person consoling her was Carter. He was on crutches and his leg was in a cast, but he was alive, he was hugging Chen.
"Deb, I'm ok," Kerry heard him whisper in Chen's ear.
Chen pulled away taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes.
Carter saw Kerry smiling at him. "Hey, Dr. Weaver."
"Carter haven't you ever heard of a phone?"
"I was in the hospital in New York. Do you know how much it costs to call Chicago?" he smirked.
She gave him a hug being mindful of his crutches.
"Hey man! You're ok," came Dave's voice from behind them.
"Yeah, Dave," Carter said as Abby hugged him.
Romano walked by. "And what's all this hubbub?" Then he spotted Carter, "Oh, you're alive. Well I have to go, I have a date. Carry on." He walked away.
Peter stood, leaning against the admit desk. "You need to stop scaring us like that man."
Carter smiled then shifted his crutches. "Do you mind if I sit down? These things are uncomfortable."
"Of course," Kerry said, clearing the way to the lounge. When Carter was settled on the couch, Peter asked, "Carter, what did you do to your leg?"
Carter smiled sheepishly. "I broke it when the floor collapsed and I fell through."
"What!" Abby cried.
"Yeah, it's kind of a long story," Carter said, not really wanting to go into it.
"John, you had us worried," Chen said.
"They said there was one fatality, and we hadn't heard from you in over a week," Abby explained.
Carter's expression saddened.
"And on the news it said someone was on the roof when it exploded," Kerry added.
"Actually it was about 30 seconds before it exploded."
"What? It was you?" Kerry said in shock.
Carter nodded. "I almost didn't make it but Emma had them throw down a rope to tie around me. I was literally hanging from the chopper near a roof that was about to blow up."
"That must have been scary," Chen said.
"No it wasn't scary. It was terrifying."
"Wait a minute," Dave said. "Who's Emma?"
Carter smiled. "A doctor I met at the conference." He looked at his watch and frowned. "I'm going to be late," he said trying to stand. "I only came by to get some stuff from my locker."
"What are you going to be late for? Anything to do with Emma?" Dave said suggestively.
"Actually it's with Emily."
"Emily?" Dave said, shocked. "Who's Emily?"
Carter shook his head at the look on Dave's face. "Emily Keenan, Dave."
"Oh that's nice," Kerry said, remembering Emily. "Why are you going to see her?"
"She was, believe it or not, in the hotel."
"You're kidding!" Abby said.
"Yeah. She's coming to live with me for a while."
"How come?" Kerry asked.
Carter shook his head sadly. "The one fatality, it was her mother. Apparently she was stuck in an elevator."
"That's terrible."
"Her dad left a few years ago and no one has been able to track him down, so I said I would take her."
Kerry smiled. "That's really good of you Carter." She hugged him then everyone said their good-byes and he left.
Emily was due to arrive in ten minutes. She lived an hour away and her only relatives were her aunt and uncle who lived in France. She had asked him if he would take her in and he agreed without a second thought. Emily was already like a daughter to him anyway.
He watched as a blue Saturn pulled up to his house. Emily got out slowly and waved to the driver, who pulled away. Her things were coming separately, later on.
Carter gave her a hug. "How are you doing?" He asked softly.
"I miss her," she said as she began to cry.
"I know," Carter said, stroking her hair. "Everything will be ok."
"Does it ever stop hurting?" Emily asked, knowing Carter had experienced loss too.
"No, it never stops completely, but in time the pain will ease."
She released him from the hug and smiled a weak smile.
"Come on inside," he told her.
She followed him in to look at her new home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I hope you liked it. You all wanted Emily to live with Carter so there you go. I can't believe you made me kill her mother! ::cries:: By the way, I don't remember where Carter lives. It could be an apartment but I don't know so I made it a house.
The hospital staff was subdued. It had been a week since the fire and there had been no word on Carter. Kerry feared that he was the one fatality the reporters had been going on and on about, and she knew the others were thinking the same.
Everyone was dealing with the unknown in their own way. Kerry was burying herself in work. Abby was talking less and less these days and Benton was getting irritable, snapping at staff members and patients alike. Even Dave hadn't been his normal obnoxious self. Every time Kerry saw Chen, she seemed to be on the verge of tears.
Kerry was examining a little girl's broken arm when she heard a scream. She set down her chart and quickly limped toward admit, where the scream had come from. Turning the corner, she saw Chen standing there crying. Kerry's stomach dropped and she slowed. 'Carter's dead,' she thought.
Someone she couldn't see pulled Chen into a hug. When Kerry got to Chen she let out a gasp, the person consoling her was Carter. He was on crutches and his leg was in a cast, but he was alive, he was hugging Chen.
"Deb, I'm ok," Kerry heard him whisper in Chen's ear.
Chen pulled away taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes.
Carter saw Kerry smiling at him. "Hey, Dr. Weaver."
"Carter haven't you ever heard of a phone?"
"I was in the hospital in New York. Do you know how much it costs to call Chicago?" he smirked.
She gave him a hug being mindful of his crutches.
"Hey man! You're ok," came Dave's voice from behind them.
"Yeah, Dave," Carter said as Abby hugged him.
Romano walked by. "And what's all this hubbub?" Then he spotted Carter, "Oh, you're alive. Well I have to go, I have a date. Carry on." He walked away.
Peter stood, leaning against the admit desk. "You need to stop scaring us like that man."
Carter smiled then shifted his crutches. "Do you mind if I sit down? These things are uncomfortable."
"Of course," Kerry said, clearing the way to the lounge. When Carter was settled on the couch, Peter asked, "Carter, what did you do to your leg?"
Carter smiled sheepishly. "I broke it when the floor collapsed and I fell through."
"What!" Abby cried.
"Yeah, it's kind of a long story," Carter said, not really wanting to go into it.
"John, you had us worried," Chen said.
"They said there was one fatality, and we hadn't heard from you in over a week," Abby explained.
Carter's expression saddened.
"And on the news it said someone was on the roof when it exploded," Kerry added.
"Actually it was about 30 seconds before it exploded."
"What? It was you?" Kerry said in shock.
Carter nodded. "I almost didn't make it but Emma had them throw down a rope to tie around me. I was literally hanging from the chopper near a roof that was about to blow up."
"That must have been scary," Chen said.
"No it wasn't scary. It was terrifying."
"Wait a minute," Dave said. "Who's Emma?"
Carter smiled. "A doctor I met at the conference." He looked at his watch and frowned. "I'm going to be late," he said trying to stand. "I only came by to get some stuff from my locker."
"What are you going to be late for? Anything to do with Emma?" Dave said suggestively.
"Actually it's with Emily."
"Emily?" Dave said, shocked. "Who's Emily?"
Carter shook his head at the look on Dave's face. "Emily Keenan, Dave."
"Oh that's nice," Kerry said, remembering Emily. "Why are you going to see her?"
"She was, believe it or not, in the hotel."
"You're kidding!" Abby said.
"Yeah. She's coming to live with me for a while."
"How come?" Kerry asked.
Carter shook his head sadly. "The one fatality, it was her mother. Apparently she was stuck in an elevator."
"That's terrible."
"Her dad left a few years ago and no one has been able to track him down, so I said I would take her."
Kerry smiled. "That's really good of you Carter." She hugged him then everyone said their good-byes and he left.
Emily was due to arrive in ten minutes. She lived an hour away and her only relatives were her aunt and uncle who lived in France. She had asked him if he would take her in and he agreed without a second thought. Emily was already like a daughter to him anyway.
He watched as a blue Saturn pulled up to his house. Emily got out slowly and waved to the driver, who pulled away. Her things were coming separately, later on.
Carter gave her a hug. "How are you doing?" He asked softly.
"I miss her," she said as she began to cry.
"I know," Carter said, stroking her hair. "Everything will be ok."
"Does it ever stop hurting?" Emily asked, knowing Carter had experienced loss too.
"No, it never stops completely, but in time the pain will ease."
She released him from the hug and smiled a weak smile.
"Come on inside," he told her.
She followed him in to look at her new home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I hope you liked it. You all wanted Emily to live with Carter so there you go. I can't believe you made me kill her mother! ::cries:: By the way, I don't remember where Carter lives. It could be an apartment but I don't know so I made it a house.