"Really?!" he replied, shocked.
"Yes, really," replied Kerry. "Now, go home. The ceremony's tonight. Thought we'd surprise you and from the look on your face, surprise you we did."
"Whatever you say."
Carter took Lucy's hand and led her through the automatic sliding doors out to their car. The car alarm chirped again and they opened the doors and sat down. They buckled their seat belts and drove off toward their house. When they arrived at their house, they opened the door and were practically mobbed by their children.
"Mommy!" they cried. "Daddy! I missed you so much. Can Auntie Abby go home now?"
"Abby, I guess you can go," said Lucy, laughing.
"Yeah. Well, bye."
Abby got her belongings and closed the door behind her. Lucy and Carter chuckled as they picked up their daughters and played with them. Lucy went upstairs a few minutes later and took a long two hour shower. Carter was asleep on the couch.
"Wake up!" she cried.
His eyes opened before shutting again. She hit him lightly and they opened. Lucy was standing there in a bathrobe, her wet hair draping over her shoulders.
"What?" he asked, sleepily. "Any hot water left?"
"Yeah. What should I wear tonight?" she asked.
"You woke me up to ask me what you should wear?!" he stated, unbelievably. "Well, wear the blue dress I got you."
"Okay. Thanks. Don't be so shocked either. It's a Doctor Convention or something. We're supposed to wear something formal. Now go upstairs, shower, and get changed. We should be there in an hour."
He yawned and went upstairs, showered, and changed into a stunning suit. He walked downstairs and checked his daughters. They were asleep, the little angels. It was 8:30. He called Abby and she arrived before they left. After a muttered congratulations, they left. When they arrived, they had just made it. The emcee was preparing to give his opening speech. They sat down at a table and watched the emcee for a boring two hours before announcing the winner of the Doctor of the Year in Chicago.
"The Doctor of the Year Award goes to", he started, pausing for dramatic emphasis and to open the envelope. "Dr. John Carter III!"
Carter grinned happily at his colleagues who were seated at the next table. Carol, Peter, Elizabeth, Mark, almost everybody. He got up and walked up to the stage, the raucous applause surrounding him. He got onto the stage and gracefully accepted the award.
"I didn't prepare a speech because I honestly didn't think I'd win. Can you imagine that a lowly ER doctor from a crappy hospital would get up here? Oh boy, Kerry's going to kill me for that. Anyway, I don't think I'm that good of a doctor. I was just a good med student who had a good teacher who got lots of experience. I had a bad med student of my own, whose now a doctor and my wife and my two daughters, Annabelle and Ralina, and I'd like to say thanks to all the people over at the hospital where I work, whose name eludes me right now. Anyway, thanks again."
He descended the stage back to his colleagues, who were all laughing uproariously. Lucy was laughing too. Annabelle and Ralina were quiet because they didn't get the joke. Lucy, tried to stop laughing for a minute and smacked Carter playfully.
"Carter, you stay here and mingle. I'll go get the car," Lucy stated, giving Ralina, who she was cradling in her arms, to Carter.
She walked out to the street where they had parked the car when she heard footsteps behind her. Shrugging it off as hallucinating, she kept walking. When she felt lips nibbling at her neck, she thought it was Carter. Turning around, it wasn't. The strange man held her down on the sidewalk as she tried to kick and claw him off of her. Her attempts were futile and soon, the man had undressed her and himself. After doing what he had came to do, he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and stabbed her. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Lucy lay there on the sidewalk bleeding with no one knowing of what had happened.
Carter, now being showered with shouts of Congratulations, sipped at his wine and held Ralina until his arms hurt. He set her down and he thought where Lucy was. She took the car keys so they were with her. She had been gone for 10 minutes though and they didn't park that far away. What had happened to her?
Meanwhile, Lucy was losing a lot of blood and her heart was beginning to slow. Her organs prepared to shut down and her death would be soon unless someone found her.
"Yes, really," replied Kerry. "Now, go home. The ceremony's tonight. Thought we'd surprise you and from the look on your face, surprise you we did."
"Whatever you say."
Carter took Lucy's hand and led her through the automatic sliding doors out to their car. The car alarm chirped again and they opened the doors and sat down. They buckled their seat belts and drove off toward their house. When they arrived at their house, they opened the door and were practically mobbed by their children.
"Mommy!" they cried. "Daddy! I missed you so much. Can Auntie Abby go home now?"
"Abby, I guess you can go," said Lucy, laughing.
"Yeah. Well, bye."
Abby got her belongings and closed the door behind her. Lucy and Carter chuckled as they picked up their daughters and played with them. Lucy went upstairs a few minutes later and took a long two hour shower. Carter was asleep on the couch.
"Wake up!" she cried.
His eyes opened before shutting again. She hit him lightly and they opened. Lucy was standing there in a bathrobe, her wet hair draping over her shoulders.
"What?" he asked, sleepily. "Any hot water left?"
"Yeah. What should I wear tonight?" she asked.
"You woke me up to ask me what you should wear?!" he stated, unbelievably. "Well, wear the blue dress I got you."
"Okay. Thanks. Don't be so shocked either. It's a Doctor Convention or something. We're supposed to wear something formal. Now go upstairs, shower, and get changed. We should be there in an hour."
He yawned and went upstairs, showered, and changed into a stunning suit. He walked downstairs and checked his daughters. They were asleep, the little angels. It was 8:30. He called Abby and she arrived before they left. After a muttered congratulations, they left. When they arrived, they had just made it. The emcee was preparing to give his opening speech. They sat down at a table and watched the emcee for a boring two hours before announcing the winner of the Doctor of the Year in Chicago.
"The Doctor of the Year Award goes to", he started, pausing for dramatic emphasis and to open the envelope. "Dr. John Carter III!"
Carter grinned happily at his colleagues who were seated at the next table. Carol, Peter, Elizabeth, Mark, almost everybody. He got up and walked up to the stage, the raucous applause surrounding him. He got onto the stage and gracefully accepted the award.
"I didn't prepare a speech because I honestly didn't think I'd win. Can you imagine that a lowly ER doctor from a crappy hospital would get up here? Oh boy, Kerry's going to kill me for that. Anyway, I don't think I'm that good of a doctor. I was just a good med student who had a good teacher who got lots of experience. I had a bad med student of my own, whose now a doctor and my wife and my two daughters, Annabelle and Ralina, and I'd like to say thanks to all the people over at the hospital where I work, whose name eludes me right now. Anyway, thanks again."
He descended the stage back to his colleagues, who were all laughing uproariously. Lucy was laughing too. Annabelle and Ralina were quiet because they didn't get the joke. Lucy, tried to stop laughing for a minute and smacked Carter playfully.
"Carter, you stay here and mingle. I'll go get the car," Lucy stated, giving Ralina, who she was cradling in her arms, to Carter.
She walked out to the street where they had parked the car when she heard footsteps behind her. Shrugging it off as hallucinating, she kept walking. When she felt lips nibbling at her neck, she thought it was Carter. Turning around, it wasn't. The strange man held her down on the sidewalk as she tried to kick and claw him off of her. Her attempts were futile and soon, the man had undressed her and himself. After doing what he had came to do, he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and stabbed her. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Lucy lay there on the sidewalk bleeding with no one knowing of what had happened.
Carter, now being showered with shouts of Congratulations, sipped at his wine and held Ralina until his arms hurt. He set her down and he thought where Lucy was. She took the car keys so they were with her. She had been gone for 10 minutes though and they didn't park that far away. What had happened to her?
Meanwhile, Lucy was losing a lot of blood and her heart was beginning to slow. Her organs prepared to shut down and her death would be soon unless someone found her.
