TITLE: Taking You Home
SUMMARY: It's a Doug/Carol, a romance, were you expecting something else?
AUTHOR'S NOTES: In this fic, Carol never told Doug of the twins...I know it's far-fetched, but hey! That's how my mind works.
~*~
"Mom?"
Coffee....
"Mom, time to wake up."
"Do you think she's dead?"
"No, she'd be all white if she was dead...Dave showed me a dead guy once."
"Was he white?"
"Yup. Is she still breathing?"
Carol felt little curls brushing against her face as someone felt for breath.
"Uh-huh, she's alive."
"Mo-om, wake up!!"
Fingers pried open her right eye and two identical faces peered at her.
"Tess, get your fingers off, please." Carol said monotonously.
"Mom, if you don't get up, you're going to be late." Kate said matter-of-factly.
"Late?" she murmured sleepily.
"Yeah, you overslept." Tess replied.
"Oh, god...." Carol leapt out of bed, nearly squishing her five-year-old daughters in the process.
"Mom, chill! We've got it under control!" Tess shouted.
"Your scrubs are on the chair, your shower's running and the coffee's being made." Kate announced.
"Do you two have your backpacks?" she asked.
"Uh-huh, we're catching the bus."
"You've got about twenty minutes before you have to go."
"We're going to eat our cereal." The two little girls walked out, leaving Carol to take her shower and get ready.
~*~
"Girls, did you eat your cereal?" Carol asked, coming down the stairs and getting her coat from the sofa, where she had dropped it last night in a tired haste to get to bed.
"Mom, tell Kate that Lucky Charms *don't* need extra sugar!"
"Mom, tell Tess that she shouldn't feed Ringo cream cheese!"
"He likes it!"
"Nu-uh, he spit it on the floor!" It was when Carol walked to the counter to sit down when Ringo, the old basset hound, chose to crawl across the floor, making her trip and shout a swear.
"Ooooooooooh...." They both said softly, smiling.
"You curse-ed, Mama." Kate grinned.
"I know, I'm sorry." She replied. "What's for breakfast, Chef Tess?" Carol asked, as it was Tess's duty that morning to get breakfast started.
"A bagel with cream cheese." Tess placed the plate in front of her.
"The chive kind?" Carol already knew the answer, as it was Tess's favourite kind, the only type she would use.
"Yup." She smiled and a loud horn interrupted their morning routine.
"That's the bus, go on, girls." Carol said around a mouthful of bagel.
"Bye, Mom." Tess said, kissing her goodbye, picking up her backpack and leaving.
"Mom, don't forget. Cori's dropping us at the hospital at four." Kate reminded her.
"I won't, I won't. Go to school." Carol sighed, steering her towards the door.
"Love you, Mom." Kate kissed her and ran to the bus. Carol waved her kindergarteners off.
They were so grown-up for five-year-olds. They'd be six in less than two months, in November, but they acted like teenagers. Carol supposed it was because they had learned to depend on each other so much that they shared the responsibilities of the household. They shared breakfast duty, dish duty, dog duty...everyone had a turn at each job, no matter the age of the person. Kate would even occasionally help her do the bills, getting Carol her pens and stacking papers and such.
The twins' father had left before Carol had found out she was pregnant, and she didn't have enough courage to tell him after a few failed attempts to. They hadn't had contact for six years, and she supposed they would never have any.
Ringo's bark shook her from her thoughts. Carol leaned down to tousle his fur then finished her bagel and drove to work.
~*~
"Didn't think he'd have the guts." Chuny said as Carol walked into the hospital.
"But I thought you said he went away with shame and ignominy?" Mari Ellis, a med student, said.
"We did." Replied Malik.
"Then how'd he get his job back?" she pressed.
"We have no clue." Answered Haleh.
"What are we talking about?" Carol asked, walking over to the group and setting down her coffee thermos.
"The new doc." Mari replied.
"Taking those empty places?" Carol watched as the others threw Mari harsh looks.
"I'm gonna go...fix someone." Mari said quickly and hurried off.
"What is it?" Carol questioned. "What's going on?" No one responded. "Come on, guys, tell me." Still no one made a sound. "Alright, fine. I'm going to get some more coffee from the lounge." Each person watching bit their tongues as Carol walked in on Kerry Weaver talking with the new doctor.
~*~
Ooooh, surprise surprise! Who could it be??? I WONDER! Stay tuned! But it doesn't matter if you don't, cos I'm still gonna update, if not for anyone but my sister.
~*~
SUMMARY: It's a Doug/Carol, a romance, were you expecting something else?
AUTHOR'S NOTES: In this fic, Carol never told Doug of the twins...I know it's far-fetched, but hey! That's how my mind works.
~*~
"Mom?"
Coffee....
"Mom, time to wake up."
"Do you think she's dead?"
"No, she'd be all white if she was dead...Dave showed me a dead guy once."
"Was he white?"
"Yup. Is she still breathing?"
Carol felt little curls brushing against her face as someone felt for breath.
"Uh-huh, she's alive."
"Mo-om, wake up!!"
Fingers pried open her right eye and two identical faces peered at her.
"Tess, get your fingers off, please." Carol said monotonously.
"Mom, if you don't get up, you're going to be late." Kate said matter-of-factly.
"Late?" she murmured sleepily.
"Yeah, you overslept." Tess replied.
"Oh, god...." Carol leapt out of bed, nearly squishing her five-year-old daughters in the process.
"Mom, chill! We've got it under control!" Tess shouted.
"Your scrubs are on the chair, your shower's running and the coffee's being made." Kate announced.
"Do you two have your backpacks?" she asked.
"Uh-huh, we're catching the bus."
"You've got about twenty minutes before you have to go."
"We're going to eat our cereal." The two little girls walked out, leaving Carol to take her shower and get ready.
~*~
"Girls, did you eat your cereal?" Carol asked, coming down the stairs and getting her coat from the sofa, where she had dropped it last night in a tired haste to get to bed.
"Mom, tell Kate that Lucky Charms *don't* need extra sugar!"
"Mom, tell Tess that she shouldn't feed Ringo cream cheese!"
"He likes it!"
"Nu-uh, he spit it on the floor!" It was when Carol walked to the counter to sit down when Ringo, the old basset hound, chose to crawl across the floor, making her trip and shout a swear.
"Ooooooooooh...." They both said softly, smiling.
"You curse-ed, Mama." Kate grinned.
"I know, I'm sorry." She replied. "What's for breakfast, Chef Tess?" Carol asked, as it was Tess's duty that morning to get breakfast started.
"A bagel with cream cheese." Tess placed the plate in front of her.
"The chive kind?" Carol already knew the answer, as it was Tess's favourite kind, the only type she would use.
"Yup." She smiled and a loud horn interrupted their morning routine.
"That's the bus, go on, girls." Carol said around a mouthful of bagel.
"Bye, Mom." Tess said, kissing her goodbye, picking up her backpack and leaving.
"Mom, don't forget. Cori's dropping us at the hospital at four." Kate reminded her.
"I won't, I won't. Go to school." Carol sighed, steering her towards the door.
"Love you, Mom." Kate kissed her and ran to the bus. Carol waved her kindergarteners off.
They were so grown-up for five-year-olds. They'd be six in less than two months, in November, but they acted like teenagers. Carol supposed it was because they had learned to depend on each other so much that they shared the responsibilities of the household. They shared breakfast duty, dish duty, dog duty...everyone had a turn at each job, no matter the age of the person. Kate would even occasionally help her do the bills, getting Carol her pens and stacking papers and such.
The twins' father had left before Carol had found out she was pregnant, and she didn't have enough courage to tell him after a few failed attempts to. They hadn't had contact for six years, and she supposed they would never have any.
Ringo's bark shook her from her thoughts. Carol leaned down to tousle his fur then finished her bagel and drove to work.
~*~
"Didn't think he'd have the guts." Chuny said as Carol walked into the hospital.
"But I thought you said he went away with shame and ignominy?" Mari Ellis, a med student, said.
"We did." Replied Malik.
"Then how'd he get his job back?" she pressed.
"We have no clue." Answered Haleh.
"What are we talking about?" Carol asked, walking over to the group and setting down her coffee thermos.
"The new doc." Mari replied.
"Taking those empty places?" Carol watched as the others threw Mari harsh looks.
"I'm gonna go...fix someone." Mari said quickly and hurried off.
"What is it?" Carol questioned. "What's going on?" No one responded. "Come on, guys, tell me." Still no one made a sound. "Alright, fine. I'm going to get some more coffee from the lounge." Each person watching bit their tongues as Carol walked in on Kerry Weaver talking with the new doctor.
~*~
Ooooh, surprise surprise! Who could it be??? I WONDER! Stay tuned! But it doesn't matter if you don't, cos I'm still gonna update, if not for anyone but my sister.
~*~