Summary: Carter talks to Kerry about leaving and goes for an interview at Mercy


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Chapter 2 - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

Carter stepped through the door to Kerry's office to find her sitting at her desk looking up at him with a blank expression.

"Is this important Carter?"

He hesitated for a moment before beginning, "Well yes Dr. Weaver its very important. As you know my residency is due to end in a few months. After thinking about it long and hard I've decided to move on."

Kerry's face was still blank, "move on?"

Carter frowned slightly, "what I mean is I've decided to leave County," he looked up briefly, her expression had changed, but he still could not read it. "I think its best if I get a fresh start as an attending at a new hospital."

Kerry shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. After a long pause she finally spoke, "have you thought this through?"

"Well it's been in my head for a while, and I've made a few enquiries at some hospitals, taken a look around a few... So yeah, I think it's pretty safe to say I've thought long and hard about it."

"Well, I have to say we'll all be sad to see you go... but if that's what you want to do then I'm not going to stand in your way."

"Thanks a lot Dr. Weaver," he stopped for a while before adding, "I'd just like to thank you for all your support over the last few years. You've helped me a lot in my career Kerry."

"Thankyou John, you've been a pleasure to work with," Kerry said as she got up, indicating that their conversation was over.

"Oh Dr. Weaver?"

"Yes Carter?"

"Could you not tell anyone about this. I want to keep my leaving very low key. I don't see why anyone should make a fuss about it."

"OK sure. Sure that's no problem."

Carter walked out of Kerry's office feeling overly satisfied. The hardest part was over. Now he could pick a hospital out of the ones he liked the look of and then get the hell out of there.

He couldn't wait to get home now. After making a quick run through the patients he had seen earlier in the day he walked quickly towards the doctors lounge to get his things, so he could get home and start making phone calls. Pushing through the door, he stopped for some reason to take in his surroundings. It took him a while to notice Abby sprawled out on the sofa. She didn't notice him, and he tried to be as silent as he could while getting his bag and coat. She looked exhausted...

"Hey John," she said without looking up. Deb used to be the only one who called him by his first name. He always expected that it was a little dig because he called her by her old name but he didn't complain about it. To everyone else he was 'Carter' and to hear his first name used occasionally was a refreshing change. Abby had recently started to call him John and it just stuck really well. He couldn't explain why, it just did. They had been such good friends it seemed like a natural transition.

"Hey," he said, again not looking at her from beyond his locker. He slowly peeked around the side to see her looking at him, she was searching for a connection.

"Tough break about the little girl huh?"

"Tell me about it. Poor thing," they both nodded.

"What did you talk to Weaver about?"

"So you're talking to me today?" he hadn't meant to say it but it just slipped out. Some days she would seek him out, other days she wouldn't dare speak to him. It didn't matter that he said it, she ignored it anyway. "I was just trying to sort out what happens when my residency finishes."

"So you're staying here then?"

"I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Are you off now?" She said somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you want to go get some coffee at doc's?"

Carter looked up at her and she was plain faced. He really did want to go but he couldn't, he had to get his future sorted out. He knew Abby would see it as him discontinuing their friendship but there wasn't much he could do about it. "Hey I'd really love to..."

"But..."

"I have a lot of things to take care of about my attending position so I really have to get home." He saw her look down at her hands.

"Oh... ok that's fine."

"Night Abby."

"Night John."

By the next morning he had narrowed it down to a handful of hospitals and made a few appointments over the next couple of days. As much as he hated to say it, Mercy looked like his best bet. He hadn't planned on staying in Chicago but if Mercy was the best place for him to go to then that's where he would go. He was meeting with their chief of staff later on that day. It would be the ultimate insult to County if he went to the hospital that was closest to them, maybe that's why a small part of him had already decided that this was first choice outright.

He walked through the doors of Mercy's ER and was almost taken aback by how similar it was to County. If you put in Randi at the front desk, Haleh and Lydia walking around the curtain areas stirring up gossip, and Dave hiding in some little corner it would be County revisited...

"Excuse me Sir can I help you?" A pretty young girl at the front desk got his attention.

"Oh erm sure... yes Dr. Carter here to see..." he stopped to look at a piece of paper he had scrawled a name on last night, "Dr... West."

"Dr. West is busy at the moment Dr. Carter, if you'll just take a seat in chairs he'll get to you as soon as he can."

"OK, thanks very much," Carter said as he turned towards the waiting area.

"No problem," the girl smiled widely and he could've sworn he saw her wink at him but he must have imagined it.

After what seemed like an eternity a short, skinny man approached him and held out his hand. "Dr. Carter I presume?" Carter nodded, "Hi I'm Dr. West."

"It's nice to meet you Sir."

"Shall we make our way to my office?" Carter followed him to a moderately sized room, most of the space taken up by various pieces of paperwork. He looked around... this was a lot less organised than Kerry's office... "Take a seat please Dr. Carter. Sorry about the mess."

The interview went as well as it could've done. The usual questions were asked and Carter made the effort to think of an original answer rather than the usual clichés. He made Dr. West laugh, and he was nodding an awful lot. So it seemed like a good interview. Dr. West was also scrawling furiously at a notepad, which he had rested on his leg.

"Well, everything seems to be in order here Dr. Carter," Dr. West stood up and Carter did likewise. I'm very impressed with your résumé. He held out his hand and Carter shook it again, "we'll let you know in a few days ok Dr. Carter?"

Carter simply nodded and said, "OK that's fine. Thankyou Sir," he turned and walked out. He made his way out of the building, not before taking one last look at the admin desk to see if the clerk was looking at him. Walking out into the sunlight he had a good feeling that this was where he would be working in the near future.