Pairings: KW/JC
Violence: Reference to spousal/child abuse.
Language: Nothing to bad
Sex: Nope sorry
Disclaimer: You already know this song and dance.
Past Ghosts, by Aeris Jade Orion
Part One...
Kerry Weaver, the former Mrs. Abasi Murdock,
collapsed on the sofa tiredly, having finally finished
unpacking the last of her things. The divorce was
probably one of the hardest things she'd ever gone
through, second only to her marriage.
"You need help with anything else?"
Kerry glanced over at her middle-aged friend smiling
at her. "No, I have it. Thanks for all the help,
though."
Jasmine plopped on the couch next to her. "It's no
problem. Besides this makes us even for all the times
you helped me out."
Kerry slapped her hand on the phone as it began
ringing. The last thing she needed was for it to wake
up her week-old daughter. "Hello...?"
Kerry closed her eyes listening to the other end,
missing the darkened look on her best friends face.
"Are you sure?...Well, can't you get someon..." Kerry
sighed heavily. "Look, I'm still on my maternity...
Fine."
Kerry slammed the phone down as Jasmine asked quietly,
"What's wrong?"
Kerry slumped back, making no move to leave. "They've
called me in. Can you believe them?"
Jasmine smiled reassuringly. "Tell you what, I'll
watch Alex for you."
Kerry took her hand, tugging on it. "You sure?"
Jasmine nodded, giving her a quick hug. "Of course I
am, this is just the opportunity I've been looking
for."
Kerry stood up. "All right, if you're sure?"
Jasmine laughed, pushing her out the door. "We'll be
fine." Thrusting Kerry's purse into her arms, she
shut and locked the door. Watching from the window
until the jeep drove away from the farm.
Picking up the phone, she dialed quickly. "Abasi,
it's Jasmine... She's gone..."
Kerry entered the African clinic, barely able to
suppress the anger she felt for being called in. The
minute she saw Mlungisi she would give him a
tongue-lashing that would make a lion run off
whimpering.
"Kerry, what are you doing here?"
"You should know, calling me in while I have a new
born at home to take care of."
Mlungisi frowned at her. "Kerry, I didn't call you
in."
Kerry froze, staring at him. "But if you didn't...
Alex..."
Kerry raced into the darkened house, tearing from room
to room in despair.
Slowly walking into the massive living room, she
watched as Mlungisi laid the phone into the cradle.
"The police are sending some officers over..."
Kerry's eyes stopped on the Tigger doll thrown
carelessly under the half-decorated Christmas tree,
and slid to her knees. She remembered the night she'd
found out she was pregnant, less than a week after her
divorce was finalized.
'Do you think you can stop me from seeing my child?
Even if the courts do grant you full custody I will
find a way to take her from you.'
Kerry curled up into herself unable to stop the flow
of tears. He had found a way after all...
Four years later...
She hated the Christmas parties, the way that everyone
looked at her like she didn't belong there, and in her
mind she knew that she didn't, not really. She may
work at County, she may even be one of their team, but
she wasn't one of them.
She never took part in the betting pools, or the
gossip. She rarely ever let them get away with
slacking off, and that made her the outsider. The
Hitler of County. She was very much aware of the
names, and the cracks at her expense despite their
attempt to keep them quiet.
"Ready?"
Kerry sighed unhappily, not wanting to look at the
cheerful man. Curling up on the couch, she made no
move to leave. "Actually, I'm not feeling very
well..."
John grinned at her, she sounded like a child trying
to get out of going to school. "Kerry, it's only for
a few hours..."
Kerry glared up at him, making him trail off quickly.
John wasn't stupid enough to keep at her. "John, why
is it so important that I go to a party where I'm not
even wanted, and will just end up sitting in the
corner by myself drinking beer?"
John went solemn. He couldn't deny that she wasn't
well liked, because they both knew she wasn't. At the
same time, John didn't want to leave Kerry here alone
Christmas week. "That's not true, they like you..."
Kerry smiled sadly at him; they both knew he was
lying. "John, just go on without me. Tell them I had
a headache..."
The phone ringing cut off their conversation. They
both dived for the phone, but Kerry came up with it,
glaring at John. "Hello..."
John stood back, not about to let her get away with
not going.
"I'll be right there..." Kerry hung up quickly, not
looking at John.
"Kerry, you are not getting out of this..."
Kerry stood up numbly, grabbing her coat. "John, I
don't have time for this..."
John asked quietly, "Why?"
Kerry turned tortured eyes to his face not sure how to
explain something like this.
John entered Carol's house quickly dropping the box of
refreshments, and gifts on the kitchen table.
"I'll take your coat."
John shook her off. "I'm not staying."
Doug glanced up knowingly. "You and Roxanne make up?"
John ignored him, not really wanting to deal with
their jokes right now.
"Where's Kerry?" Carol asked, throwing a glare at her
lover.
John walked briskly back into the living room. "In
the car..."
Carter started for the door as Carol cut in. "John,
what's going on?"
He sighed, knowing that they should know something,
but from what Kerry had told him, he doubted she
wanted her past spread through the ER. "She's had a
family emergency and I have to drive her to
Naperville."
Doug rolled his eyes. "Can't she drive herself?"
John glared at him, for the first time in his life
considering decking the guy. "She isn't in any shape
to be making that kind of drive." Turning, he opened
the door pausing on the porch as Carol grabbed his
arm.
"John, if she needs anything..."
He relaxed and nodded quickly. Running down to his
jeep he climbed in, glancing over at a pale Kerry.
"You okay?"
"Would you be?"
John started the car, and pulled into the street,
unsure how to respond. Truthfully, if he was in her
shoes he'd probably be a total wreck, and he
definitely wouldn't be handling this situation as well
as Kerry was.
He just hoped that she would be in as good of shape
when they got there.
Violence: Reference to spousal/child abuse.
Language: Nothing to bad
Sex: Nope sorry
Disclaimer: You already know this song and dance.
Past Ghosts, by Aeris Jade Orion
Part One...
Kerry Weaver, the former Mrs. Abasi Murdock,
collapsed on the sofa tiredly, having finally finished
unpacking the last of her things. The divorce was
probably one of the hardest things she'd ever gone
through, second only to her marriage.
"You need help with anything else?"
Kerry glanced over at her middle-aged friend smiling
at her. "No, I have it. Thanks for all the help,
though."
Jasmine plopped on the couch next to her. "It's no
problem. Besides this makes us even for all the times
you helped me out."
Kerry slapped her hand on the phone as it began
ringing. The last thing she needed was for it to wake
up her week-old daughter. "Hello...?"
Kerry closed her eyes listening to the other end,
missing the darkened look on her best friends face.
"Are you sure?...Well, can't you get someon..." Kerry
sighed heavily. "Look, I'm still on my maternity...
Fine."
Kerry slammed the phone down as Jasmine asked quietly,
"What's wrong?"
Kerry slumped back, making no move to leave. "They've
called me in. Can you believe them?"
Jasmine smiled reassuringly. "Tell you what, I'll
watch Alex for you."
Kerry took her hand, tugging on it. "You sure?"
Jasmine nodded, giving her a quick hug. "Of course I
am, this is just the opportunity I've been looking
for."
Kerry stood up. "All right, if you're sure?"
Jasmine laughed, pushing her out the door. "We'll be
fine." Thrusting Kerry's purse into her arms, she
shut and locked the door. Watching from the window
until the jeep drove away from the farm.
Picking up the phone, she dialed quickly. "Abasi,
it's Jasmine... She's gone..."
Kerry entered the African clinic, barely able to
suppress the anger she felt for being called in. The
minute she saw Mlungisi she would give him a
tongue-lashing that would make a lion run off
whimpering.
"Kerry, what are you doing here?"
"You should know, calling me in while I have a new
born at home to take care of."
Mlungisi frowned at her. "Kerry, I didn't call you
in."
Kerry froze, staring at him. "But if you didn't...
Alex..."
Kerry raced into the darkened house, tearing from room
to room in despair.
Slowly walking into the massive living room, she
watched as Mlungisi laid the phone into the cradle.
"The police are sending some officers over..."
Kerry's eyes stopped on the Tigger doll thrown
carelessly under the half-decorated Christmas tree,
and slid to her knees. She remembered the night she'd
found out she was pregnant, less than a week after her
divorce was finalized.
'Do you think you can stop me from seeing my child?
Even if the courts do grant you full custody I will
find a way to take her from you.'
Kerry curled up into herself unable to stop the flow
of tears. He had found a way after all...
Four years later...
She hated the Christmas parties, the way that everyone
looked at her like she didn't belong there, and in her
mind she knew that she didn't, not really. She may
work at County, she may even be one of their team, but
she wasn't one of them.
She never took part in the betting pools, or the
gossip. She rarely ever let them get away with
slacking off, and that made her the outsider. The
Hitler of County. She was very much aware of the
names, and the cracks at her expense despite their
attempt to keep them quiet.
"Ready?"
Kerry sighed unhappily, not wanting to look at the
cheerful man. Curling up on the couch, she made no
move to leave. "Actually, I'm not feeling very
well..."
John grinned at her, she sounded like a child trying
to get out of going to school. "Kerry, it's only for
a few hours..."
Kerry glared up at him, making him trail off quickly.
John wasn't stupid enough to keep at her. "John, why
is it so important that I go to a party where I'm not
even wanted, and will just end up sitting in the
corner by myself drinking beer?"
John went solemn. He couldn't deny that she wasn't
well liked, because they both knew she wasn't. At the
same time, John didn't want to leave Kerry here alone
Christmas week. "That's not true, they like you..."
Kerry smiled sadly at him; they both knew he was
lying. "John, just go on without me. Tell them I had
a headache..."
The phone ringing cut off their conversation. They
both dived for the phone, but Kerry came up with it,
glaring at John. "Hello..."
John stood back, not about to let her get away with
not going.
"I'll be right there..." Kerry hung up quickly, not
looking at John.
"Kerry, you are not getting out of this..."
Kerry stood up numbly, grabbing her coat. "John, I
don't have time for this..."
John asked quietly, "Why?"
Kerry turned tortured eyes to his face not sure how to
explain something like this.
John entered Carol's house quickly dropping the box of
refreshments, and gifts on the kitchen table.
"I'll take your coat."
John shook her off. "I'm not staying."
Doug glanced up knowingly. "You and Roxanne make up?"
John ignored him, not really wanting to deal with
their jokes right now.
"Where's Kerry?" Carol asked, throwing a glare at her
lover.
John walked briskly back into the living room. "In
the car..."
Carter started for the door as Carol cut in. "John,
what's going on?"
He sighed, knowing that they should know something,
but from what Kerry had told him, he doubted she
wanted her past spread through the ER. "She's had a
family emergency and I have to drive her to
Naperville."
Doug rolled his eyes. "Can't she drive herself?"
John glared at him, for the first time in his life
considering decking the guy. "She isn't in any shape
to be making that kind of drive." Turning, he opened
the door pausing on the porch as Carol grabbed his
arm.
"John, if she needs anything..."
He relaxed and nodded quickly. Running down to his
jeep he climbed in, glancing over at a pale Kerry.
"You okay?"
"Would you be?"
John started the car, and pulled into the street,
unsure how to respond. Truthfully, if he was in her
shoes he'd probably be a total wreck, and he
definitely wouldn't be handling this situation as well
as Kerry was.
He just hoped that she would be in as good of shape
when they got there.
