A/N: I'm very sorry it's taken so long. Unfortunately school's a lot more important and as many others, I can't do anything but accept it. But the chapter's finished now.
As you'll find out when you read this chapter, it's based on "May Day". I've used a great part of the last scenes because I need it for the next chapters. I can promise you that it is far away from finished yet. Think about the "May Day" part as a transcript.
Originally Carol had already left for Seattle in this episode but in my story she never went away. I kinda need her here. (I can't believe I'm writing this! I'm still 100 % Doug and Carol fan so I can't leave out a reunion) Please tell me what you think:)
The Rich Man's Sorrow, part 8, "A Day In May"
"Carter, got a minute?" Kerry asked.
"Not really. I'm going home".
"Not yet. I need to talk to you".
"Shoot!"
"Not here. Come on".
Carter followed Kerry in to curtain 3 (!) where he was met by Peter, Anspaugh, Mark and Jing-Mei. "Oh give me a break". He said laughing and tried to leave.
"John", Kerry said calmly.
"Carter, just listen". Mark hoped he would stay. He seriously needed help.
"No! I told you I'm on painkillers for my back, but I'm functioning".
Donald Anspaugh sighed. "Dr. Carter. It would be wise to be quiet and listen".
Carter got nervous as Anspaugh talked. He just wanted to disappear.
Mark began his 'speech'. "My van is parked outside. We have a ticket to Atlanta. There's a drug rehab…." Everyone looked sad at Carter, not wanting to realise it was Carter they were talking to about going to rehab in Atlanta. "There's a drug rehab centre there that specialises in treating doctors with addiction.
"Well, that's great. But I'm on prescribed painkillers and that doesn't make me an addict and I think you all know it", Carter said as he furious tried to leave but was stopped.
"I'm not finished", Mark said. "It's apparent to all of us that you have a drug problem. Therefore we cannot allow you to work here or anywhere else as a physician, so you have two choices. Get in the van, go to the airport, check yourself in and when you come back we will support you any way that we can".
"Or, I'm fired?"
"Yeah".
Carter couldn't believe that he was hearing this. They just wanted him out of their way, and now they had him.
"Everyone in this room cares about you", Donald added. "No one is judging you".
"Yes you are. You've already judged me. You have no idea of what I've been through these last few months, but I've been here. I haven't made excuses. I haven't complained".
Kerry sighed. "That's not the point…."
"No, that is the point! Can anybody tell me that uh, uh that I have endangered patients? I mean, can anybody here say that my performance has changed? Hm? That I'm some kind of malleability?
Jing-Mei found it very hard to do this to John, her friend, but she knew she had to. "John, you put a patient into anaphylactic shock by giving her bacterium when she told you that she was allergic to it".
"And you almost killed a somebody by leaving a guide wire in their chest. Is this about mistakes? Who here hasn't made a mistake?" Carter said and turned to Mark. "Hell I saved your ass this afternoon".
"John, you're demonstrating compulsive drug seeking behaviour".
Carter looked at Kerry. "Wait, just tell me what".
"You know what? I think bailing Fentanyl in the trauma room qualifies".
"Well, I told you I didn't do that. You want to call me a liar, fine call me a liar, but I didn't do that".
Kerry Weaver understood now that there wasn't anything else to do than:
"Okay, show us your wrists".
"What?"
"SHOW US YOUR WRISTS!"
Were they serious? They had to be joking, Carter thought. "Are we looking for track marks?"
Kerry nodded upset. "Yeah".
Carter knew he had to pretend it wasn't something to hide. "Well there. See? Here you want me to roll up my sleeves?"
But unfortunately showing his wrists like this wasn't enough. "Take off your watch".
Damn it! Think! Think! How are you gonna get out of this, you know they already have caught you? "Uh, you know? You know what? Forget it". He started to walk out of the room. "Forget it"
"This is your only chance Carter!" Mark said to him.
"I quit". Very angry he left leaving the others, who all were wondering why this was happening to Carter. It just couldn't be true.
"Well, is that it?" Anspaugh asked.
Peter grabbed his jacket and rose. "No".
As Peter walked in to the lounge was Carter, who was very upset, busy emptying his locker quickly.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't need this. I've never needed this. I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to help people but I don't need their damn job!"
"Carter, you don't want to do this".
"I'm not doing it, they are".
Peter sighed. "When are you going to realise you can't do whatever you want anymore? Hu? You're a father, Carter!"
"I know that, thank you".
"So start acting like one! Little Lucy's already lost her mother, do you want her to lose her father too?"
Carter stopped emptying his locker. "No", he said quite.
"Then get your ass to Atlanta! You need help".
Reluctantly Carter nodded slowly.
"Good", Peter said as he saw tears in Carter's eyes. "Come here". He friendly took his arms around him. "It's gonna be okay".
****************************************************************
When the daylight's gone, and you're on your own
And you need a friend, just to be around
I will comfort you, I will take your hand
And I'll pull you through, I will understand
And you know that...
I'll be at your side
There's no need to worry
Together, we'll survive
Through the haste and hurry
I'll be at your side, if you feel like you're alone
And you've nowhere to turn
I'll be at your side
- At your side by The Corrs
*************************************************************
When Carter realised he was crying in Benton's arms, he pulled away. Peter looked worried at him. "Are you okay, man?"
"Not before I'm clean", Carter said, and to Peter's relief Carter was actually smiling. "But how can I be a good father to Lucy when I'm in Atlanta?"
Peter smiled. "Don't worry about that. As Mark said earlier, we'll all help you in any way we can. That also includes Little Lucy".
"Thanks".
As you'll find out when you read this chapter, it's based on "May Day". I've used a great part of the last scenes because I need it for the next chapters. I can promise you that it is far away from finished yet. Think about the "May Day" part as a transcript.
Originally Carol had already left for Seattle in this episode but in my story she never went away. I kinda need her here. (I can't believe I'm writing this! I'm still 100 % Doug and Carol fan so I can't leave out a reunion) Please tell me what you think:)
The Rich Man's Sorrow, part 8, "A Day In May"
"Carter, got a minute?" Kerry asked.
"Not really. I'm going home".
"Not yet. I need to talk to you".
"Shoot!"
"Not here. Come on".
Carter followed Kerry in to curtain 3 (!) where he was met by Peter, Anspaugh, Mark and Jing-Mei. "Oh give me a break". He said laughing and tried to leave.
"John", Kerry said calmly.
"Carter, just listen". Mark hoped he would stay. He seriously needed help.
"No! I told you I'm on painkillers for my back, but I'm functioning".
Donald Anspaugh sighed. "Dr. Carter. It would be wise to be quiet and listen".
Carter got nervous as Anspaugh talked. He just wanted to disappear.
Mark began his 'speech'. "My van is parked outside. We have a ticket to Atlanta. There's a drug rehab…." Everyone looked sad at Carter, not wanting to realise it was Carter they were talking to about going to rehab in Atlanta. "There's a drug rehab centre there that specialises in treating doctors with addiction.
"Well, that's great. But I'm on prescribed painkillers and that doesn't make me an addict and I think you all know it", Carter said as he furious tried to leave but was stopped.
"I'm not finished", Mark said. "It's apparent to all of us that you have a drug problem. Therefore we cannot allow you to work here or anywhere else as a physician, so you have two choices. Get in the van, go to the airport, check yourself in and when you come back we will support you any way that we can".
"Or, I'm fired?"
"Yeah".
Carter couldn't believe that he was hearing this. They just wanted him out of their way, and now they had him.
"Everyone in this room cares about you", Donald added. "No one is judging you".
"Yes you are. You've already judged me. You have no idea of what I've been through these last few months, but I've been here. I haven't made excuses. I haven't complained".
Kerry sighed. "That's not the point…."
"No, that is the point! Can anybody tell me that uh, uh that I have endangered patients? I mean, can anybody here say that my performance has changed? Hm? That I'm some kind of malleability?
Jing-Mei found it very hard to do this to John, her friend, but she knew she had to. "John, you put a patient into anaphylactic shock by giving her bacterium when she told you that she was allergic to it".
"And you almost killed a somebody by leaving a guide wire in their chest. Is this about mistakes? Who here hasn't made a mistake?" Carter said and turned to Mark. "Hell I saved your ass this afternoon".
"John, you're demonstrating compulsive drug seeking behaviour".
Carter looked at Kerry. "Wait, just tell me what".
"You know what? I think bailing Fentanyl in the trauma room qualifies".
"Well, I told you I didn't do that. You want to call me a liar, fine call me a liar, but I didn't do that".
Kerry Weaver understood now that there wasn't anything else to do than:
"Okay, show us your wrists".
"What?"
"SHOW US YOUR WRISTS!"
Were they serious? They had to be joking, Carter thought. "Are we looking for track marks?"
Kerry nodded upset. "Yeah".
Carter knew he had to pretend it wasn't something to hide. "Well there. See? Here you want me to roll up my sleeves?"
But unfortunately showing his wrists like this wasn't enough. "Take off your watch".
Damn it! Think! Think! How are you gonna get out of this, you know they already have caught you? "Uh, you know? You know what? Forget it". He started to walk out of the room. "Forget it"
"This is your only chance Carter!" Mark said to him.
"I quit". Very angry he left leaving the others, who all were wondering why this was happening to Carter. It just couldn't be true.
"Well, is that it?" Anspaugh asked.
Peter grabbed his jacket and rose. "No".
As Peter walked in to the lounge was Carter, who was very upset, busy emptying his locker quickly.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't need this. I've never needed this. I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to help people but I don't need their damn job!"
"Carter, you don't want to do this".
"I'm not doing it, they are".
Peter sighed. "When are you going to realise you can't do whatever you want anymore? Hu? You're a father, Carter!"
"I know that, thank you".
"So start acting like one! Little Lucy's already lost her mother, do you want her to lose her father too?"
Carter stopped emptying his locker. "No", he said quite.
"Then get your ass to Atlanta! You need help".
Reluctantly Carter nodded slowly.
"Good", Peter said as he saw tears in Carter's eyes. "Come here". He friendly took his arms around him. "It's gonna be okay".
****************************************************************
When the daylight's gone, and you're on your own
And you need a friend, just to be around
I will comfort you, I will take your hand
And I'll pull you through, I will understand
And you know that...
I'll be at your side
There's no need to worry
Together, we'll survive
Through the haste and hurry
I'll be at your side, if you feel like you're alone
And you've nowhere to turn
I'll be at your side
- At your side by The Corrs
*************************************************************
When Carter realised he was crying in Benton's arms, he pulled away. Peter looked worried at him. "Are you okay, man?"
"Not before I'm clean", Carter said, and to Peter's relief Carter was actually smiling. "But how can I be a good father to Lucy when I'm in Atlanta?"
Peter smiled. "Don't worry about that. As Mark said earlier, we'll all help you in any way we can. That also includes Little Lucy".
"Thanks".