This story takes place a year in the future. It contains moments from all 8 seasons of ER.
Disclaimer: All ER Characters belong to Warner Bros., Michael Critchon, and NBC
Members of the ER staff remember a lost friend 1 year later.
Chapter 2:Carter
Carter ran his hand through his short dark hair as he walked toward the lounge. He slumped down on the couch. He was having a rough day. He was working a double shift in the ER but that wasn't even the roughest part. A year ago today he lost another close friend. He sighed as he leaned back on the couch. It had been a year but it still played in his mind like it was yesterday. Mark had taken his daughter Rachel to Hawaii. Their trip was cut short when Mark got sick. Just two days later Elizabeth called to tell him Mark had passed away. He had been in the lounge when he got the news. He just stood there letting his cell phone fall to the ground. It was at that moment that Kerry walked into the lounge. She asked him what was wrong. "Mark...he's ...he's gone" he had whispered. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she reached out to him They held on to each other and cried together. He went out to the admit desk with Kerry as she broke the news to everyone. There was alot of hugging and crying that day and many days after that.
Carter sighed sadly. He had lost several friends in the past but he missed Mark most of all. He had been there for him since his first day at County General. He got sick during his first trauma. He was embarrassed and afraid of looking bad in the eyes of his new resident Peter Benton. He ran outside. Mark followed him. He told Mark he was too afraid to go back inside and face Peter. He still remembered Mark's words. There's two kinds of doctors, those who get rid of their feeling, and those who keep them" "If you're going to keep your feelings you're going to get sick from time to time" He even told him that he had gone to medical school with Peter and he got sick all the time.
He remembered one night during his last year of med. School. He and Mark were among the few stuck in the ER which was flooded with patients. One patient had been a little boy. His brother had fed him some button batteries. Mark took the metal detector from the security guard and handed it to him. It worked he was able to locate the batteries. Mark amazed Carter that night. He worked the graveyard shift two nights in a roll and drove to Milwaukee and back but there he was keeping the ER running smoothly.
Carter reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out his stethoscope. It had been Mark's. Elizabeth gave it to him after Mark's funeral telling him Mark wanted him to have it. He sighed sadly as he thought about his first day as a doctor it had been the 4th of July and while everyone else was at a softball game Carter was stuck covering the ER and the surgical floor. He had been exhausted. He ended up outside leaning on a garbage can. Mark came out with some sparkles left behind by a patient. He lit them and handed one to him. An ambulance pulled up as his pager started beeping. Mark got up and told him to get some more air that he would handle it. "How much longer you got" he had asked "2 hours" he had replied Mark smiled "You're gonna make it" he said as he headed back into the ER. Mark had been right he made it.
Carter thought of another friend he had lost Dennis Gant. He felt guilty over Dennis's death believing it was a suicide. A homeless man brought his friend in and while Carter was trying to help him the guy kept screaming "I wasn't a very good friend" it had hit Carter hard because that's how he felt that he hadn't been a good friend to Dennis and now he was dead. He ran from the room. Mark told Kerry to take over and he followed him out to the ambulance bay. "I couldn't help Dennis" Carter had said his eyes beginning to water. "You don't know that you could have" Mark had told him. He still felt guilty "I know I wasn't much of a friend" he had replied before going back inside. Carter never told Mark how much he had really helped that day and now he wished he had.
Carter glanced around the empty lounge in here was where several of his friends confronted him about his drug addiction. Mark had been one of them. "There's a rehab center in Atlanta that specializes in doctors with addictions, my van is parked outside ready to take you to the airport" Mark told him. He even said if he didn't go he was fired. He had been furious balling up his lab coat and tossing it at Mark. He bolted from the room. Peter had been the one to actually get him to go to Atlanta but Mark still had a part in saving his life.
It was due to a random blood draw that Carter found out about Mark's tumor. Mark was going over the results with him when he fell on the floor over come by a seizure. He dived to the floor to help his fallen friend. Once Mark came to he bolted from the room. He later found Mark shooting hoops. "Want to tell me what's going on" he asked Mark. "Not particularly" he responded. Carter reminded him "I was your doctor" Mark finally revealed he was suffering from a brain tumor. He had been stunned by the news. Weeks later Mark flew to New York for surgery.
The surgery was successful and everything seemed fine until Ella was rushed to the ER. Mark started to show signs of a reoccurrence. The tumor had indeed returned. He got upset with Susan when he found out she had spent the night with Mark but when he learned the reason why he felt like a jerk. "I just finished my first round of kemo Kerry" Mark had blurted out when he wanted to leave early. He and Gallant were standing next to Kerry looking almost as stunned as she was.
A month later Mark spent his last day in the ER. Carter had seen Mark slip and fall banging his head on the trauma room floor while he was working on a junkie. He wanted to help Mark but he knew he had to care for the patient first. He was sitting at the admit desk as Mark was leaving. He went over the board with him" "Is anybody sick" he had said Mark replied with "Just the doctor". He walked out with him. They shot a few hoops and then Mark started to walk way from the ER for the last time. "You set the tone Carter" he said as he walked away. He stood there until Mark was out of sight. He saw Mark a few times after that visiting him at his house. Each time Mark looked a little paler, a little thinner but he was still the same caring compassionate man he had always been.
Carter placed the stethoscope around his neck. He headed back toward the ER. He paused in front of the locker that had held Mark's belonging for 8 years. He smiled. Mark was his friend and in many ways his mentor too. He may no longer be here in body but he was definitely here in spirit. Carter left the lounge and headed back to work knowing Mark would always be there in his memories and his spirit would always be part of the ER.
Chapter 3:Rachel.............Coming Soon!!
Disclaimer: All ER Characters belong to Warner Bros., Michael Critchon, and NBC
Members of the ER staff remember a lost friend 1 year later.
Chapter 2:Carter
Carter ran his hand through his short dark hair as he walked toward the lounge. He slumped down on the couch. He was having a rough day. He was working a double shift in the ER but that wasn't even the roughest part. A year ago today he lost another close friend. He sighed as he leaned back on the couch. It had been a year but it still played in his mind like it was yesterday. Mark had taken his daughter Rachel to Hawaii. Their trip was cut short when Mark got sick. Just two days later Elizabeth called to tell him Mark had passed away. He had been in the lounge when he got the news. He just stood there letting his cell phone fall to the ground. It was at that moment that Kerry walked into the lounge. She asked him what was wrong. "Mark...he's ...he's gone" he had whispered. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she reached out to him They held on to each other and cried together. He went out to the admit desk with Kerry as she broke the news to everyone. There was alot of hugging and crying that day and many days after that.
Carter sighed sadly. He had lost several friends in the past but he missed Mark most of all. He had been there for him since his first day at County General. He got sick during his first trauma. He was embarrassed and afraid of looking bad in the eyes of his new resident Peter Benton. He ran outside. Mark followed him. He told Mark he was too afraid to go back inside and face Peter. He still remembered Mark's words. There's two kinds of doctors, those who get rid of their feeling, and those who keep them" "If you're going to keep your feelings you're going to get sick from time to time" He even told him that he had gone to medical school with Peter and he got sick all the time.
He remembered one night during his last year of med. School. He and Mark were among the few stuck in the ER which was flooded with patients. One patient had been a little boy. His brother had fed him some button batteries. Mark took the metal detector from the security guard and handed it to him. It worked he was able to locate the batteries. Mark amazed Carter that night. He worked the graveyard shift two nights in a roll and drove to Milwaukee and back but there he was keeping the ER running smoothly.
Carter reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out his stethoscope. It had been Mark's. Elizabeth gave it to him after Mark's funeral telling him Mark wanted him to have it. He sighed sadly as he thought about his first day as a doctor it had been the 4th of July and while everyone else was at a softball game Carter was stuck covering the ER and the surgical floor. He had been exhausted. He ended up outside leaning on a garbage can. Mark came out with some sparkles left behind by a patient. He lit them and handed one to him. An ambulance pulled up as his pager started beeping. Mark got up and told him to get some more air that he would handle it. "How much longer you got" he had asked "2 hours" he had replied Mark smiled "You're gonna make it" he said as he headed back into the ER. Mark had been right he made it.
Carter thought of another friend he had lost Dennis Gant. He felt guilty over Dennis's death believing it was a suicide. A homeless man brought his friend in and while Carter was trying to help him the guy kept screaming "I wasn't a very good friend" it had hit Carter hard because that's how he felt that he hadn't been a good friend to Dennis and now he was dead. He ran from the room. Mark told Kerry to take over and he followed him out to the ambulance bay. "I couldn't help Dennis" Carter had said his eyes beginning to water. "You don't know that you could have" Mark had told him. He still felt guilty "I know I wasn't much of a friend" he had replied before going back inside. Carter never told Mark how much he had really helped that day and now he wished he had.
Carter glanced around the empty lounge in here was where several of his friends confronted him about his drug addiction. Mark had been one of them. "There's a rehab center in Atlanta that specializes in doctors with addictions, my van is parked outside ready to take you to the airport" Mark told him. He even said if he didn't go he was fired. He had been furious balling up his lab coat and tossing it at Mark. He bolted from the room. Peter had been the one to actually get him to go to Atlanta but Mark still had a part in saving his life.
It was due to a random blood draw that Carter found out about Mark's tumor. Mark was going over the results with him when he fell on the floor over come by a seizure. He dived to the floor to help his fallen friend. Once Mark came to he bolted from the room. He later found Mark shooting hoops. "Want to tell me what's going on" he asked Mark. "Not particularly" he responded. Carter reminded him "I was your doctor" Mark finally revealed he was suffering from a brain tumor. He had been stunned by the news. Weeks later Mark flew to New York for surgery.
The surgery was successful and everything seemed fine until Ella was rushed to the ER. Mark started to show signs of a reoccurrence. The tumor had indeed returned. He got upset with Susan when he found out she had spent the night with Mark but when he learned the reason why he felt like a jerk. "I just finished my first round of kemo Kerry" Mark had blurted out when he wanted to leave early. He and Gallant were standing next to Kerry looking almost as stunned as she was.
A month later Mark spent his last day in the ER. Carter had seen Mark slip and fall banging his head on the trauma room floor while he was working on a junkie. He wanted to help Mark but he knew he had to care for the patient first. He was sitting at the admit desk as Mark was leaving. He went over the board with him" "Is anybody sick" he had said Mark replied with "Just the doctor". He walked out with him. They shot a few hoops and then Mark started to walk way from the ER for the last time. "You set the tone Carter" he said as he walked away. He stood there until Mark was out of sight. He saw Mark a few times after that visiting him at his house. Each time Mark looked a little paler, a little thinner but he was still the same caring compassionate man he had always been.
Carter placed the stethoscope around his neck. He headed back toward the ER. He paused in front of the locker that had held Mark's belonging for 8 years. He smiled. Mark was his friend and in many ways his mentor too. He may no longer be here in body but he was definitely here in spirit. Carter left the lounge and headed back to work knowing Mark would always be there in his memories and his spirit would always be part of the ER.
Chapter 3:Rachel.............Coming Soon!!