Title: Different, but the Same
Rating: PG (For now)
Spoilers: "Thy will be Done" and maybe others later
Archive: Ask-I'll let you know
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters they belong to NBC and Warner Brothers and Michael Chriton
This is an alternate ending to "Thy Will Be Done." What if John asked someone else first. This is a story of what could have happened had one thing changed and the effects that it could have had on the lives of those on the ER.
****
"Carter will you help Abby with this one?"
"Why can't you do it?" John asked. He was sitting behind the Admit desk.
"I-I just can't," Dave stuttered.
"What's the matter, Dave? You afraid of clowns?" Abby rolled her eyes as she began to check vitals on the clown.
"Maybe he had a bad circus experience."
John and Abby, along with two paramedics wheeled the clown down the hall toward a trauma room. Heleh stopped John, and asked him to speak with a woman who was looking for a clean needle. After arguing with her for several minutes, John was relived when Randi called him from down the hall. He walked away from the redheaded woman toward the desk clerk.
"Some girl called you; said she would not be able to make it-flu," Randi said with her distinct Jersey accent.
"Some girl. So you did not get a name?"
"You got more than one date tonight?"
"Oh great."
"Big Date?" Chuny asked.
"It had potential." John was obviously trying to think of a quick fill in date.
"So ask someone else." The Latina nurse suggested.
"No, it's this charity event. It's going to be boring. Nobody's going to want to go."
"Why? Ask someone from the ER."
"Like who? -Chuny, you want to go?
"Not me. I've got plans." With that the nurse walked away, with a grin on her face.
Carter thought about it for a second, and turned to face Randi.
"Randi?"
"What, you want me to go to a charity event? Come on Carter-I would not know what to do at a charity event. Not exactly my rung on the ladder of society."
"Oh, please. Half the people that will be there don't belong there. I would not be going if I did not have to, but it's my grandparent's thing. They expect me to bring someone. Please." He looked at her with his dark brown eyes, and she found it hard to say no.
"Fine, Ok whatever. What should I wear?"
"Great. Thank you so much. You really saved me!"
Suddenly Abby yelled from the trauma room. "Carter- your clown is crashing!"
"Ah, crap!" He ran down the hall, and yelled over his shoulder "It's formal!"
****
Randi was sitting at the Admit desk, when Carter and Abby walked up.
"Hey Randi, be sure to be nice to him tonight. He just killed a clown." Abby said sarcastically.
"I did not," Carter protested.
"Didn't save him."
Abby walked back down the hall, giving Carter no time to respond. Instead, he walked over to Randi.
"So what time should I pick you up? Is 8:00 alright?"
"Sure, Dr. Carter, sounds great. Look, are you sure you want to take me? I figured you would want to take Abby."
"She and Luka are, um, together, so she's not interested."
"You asked her?"
"No. We'll have fun. That's a promise. And if we don't, then we can leave, and go somewhere else. Okay?"
"Fine. Here is my address," she said as she smiled a rare smile and scribbled something on a scrap of paper.
He smiled back, and turned to go talk to a patient.
****
Five hours later, Randi looked herself over in the full-length mirror in the bathroom of her tiny apartment. It had not taken her very long to decide on the dress to wear. She only had a few formals, but realized that she would be meeting two of the most respectable, not to mention rich people in Chicago. She was their grandson's date, so she had to look decent. She knew that her simple, strapless black gown, which she had worn to wedding ages ago, was the only thing she had that fit into the category of "decent." After tying her long tresses into a neat French twist, she quickly applied some makeup, and found her shoes. She finished minutes before her doorbell rang.
"Hey, Dr. Carter," she said as she opened the door.
"Hey. You look amazing."
"Yeah, I, uh, I clean up pretty well."
"No kidding. Hey tonight call me John. Please."
"Ok-John-let me get my coat and my purse, and I think I will be ready."
"Great."
She returned a minute later, and John held the door open for her, and they departed for the museum.
****
They exited her building, and she giggled at the sight of the limo.
"Is that for us?"
"Your chariot awaits," Carter replied suavely. Randi giggled again, prompting John to ask her what was so funny.
"I was just thinking about the last time I was in a limo. My senior prom. I went with Vinny Dubranaski. No one really knew how his father made his money. Some kind of Mob thing was the rumor, but I don't know. Anyway, it was a very memorable night, for Vinny anyway."
John laughed as she stepped into the limo, and he followed.
****
"So, how many people will be at this thing?" Randi asked fifteen minutes later.
"Um, lets just say that my grandparents like spectacle. Oh, and don't worry about the cameras and stuff, just hang on to me, and keep walking."
"What do you mean, cameras? Like paparazzi and stuff?"
John nodded.
"I guess this will be quite the scandal. I can see the headline now. 'Jonathan Truman Carter the III, seen living it up with lowly desk clerk.'"
The limo pulled to a stop in front of the museum.
"Oh, come on. Give yourself some credit. I get the impression that you don't do that nearly as often as you should. You're a great person. Spunky, organized, attractive."
As he said this, he smiled at her, a valet opened the door, and John began to exit. He held out his hand for Randi as she tried to regain her train of thought.
*Did he just say that to me?* she thought.
He was right about the cameras. There were so many. It was almost overwhelming, but he grabbed her hand and began to lead her through the ocean of photographers. They heard several whispers of "Who is that?" and "Have we seen her with him before?" and "Another girl? How many has that been this month?" Randi had to laugh out loud at the last comment.
****
Once inside, they left their coats at the front, and entered into the main room. It was guarded by a large skeleton of some prehistoric creature.
"Impressive." Randi was in awe of the scale of everything in the building, and could not comprehend spending that much money on anything, much less a party. She held on to John's had tightly for fear of getting lost. She figured that would not make a very good impression on John's family.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
"Uh-yeah. I guess I'm just I'm just a bit overwhelmed."
"Relax. Stick with me, and you will be fine. All you have to do is stand there and look gorgeous. And you are doing fine in that departm-"
A middle age man walked up to them, at that moment, and cut John's sentence short.
"John. How are you doing? It's been a long time. Who is this beautiful creature on your arm?"
"Bryan McAllister, this is Randi Fronczak. We work together."
"Oh right. At County. You know," Bryan continued, directing his discussion toward Randi, "I always thought that John here would start a practice. Why he would want to work at a rat hole was beyond me. But now I can see what is keeping him there." The older man touched Randi's cheek, and it became obvious to John how uncomfortable she was, and surprised him how angry it made him.
"There's Gamma and Gramps. Excuse us please Bryan."
"Thank you, John. He was making me really uncomfortable."
"He's always been a complete jerk. Ready to meet Gamma and Gramps?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
They walked over to the table where John's grandparents sat.
"Hello, John. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it."
John leaned in and kissed Millicent Carter on the cheek, and shook hands with John Truman Carter Sr.
"Sorry about that Gamma. Traffic was backed up, and then we ran into Bryan McAllister on our way in."
"My sympathies. How long do plan to be impolite John. Introduce us to the lovely young lady."
Oh, Sorry. Randi Fronczak, These are my grandparents, John and Millicent Carter. Gamma and Gramps, Randi Fronczak."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Carter."
"Has my grandson gotten you out on the dance floor yet?" the older Carter inquired.
"No he hasn't." She looked at him with a smile.
"Then let me try to show my apologies for him, and invite you for a spin around the dance floor. Shall we?"
Randi looked at John, who nodded his head. *Can she waltz?* he thought to himself.
"Of course."
John Sr. and Randi headed out to the dance floor, and John sat down beside the matriarch of the family.
"She seems like quite a young woman. Is she the one you were planning on bringing?"
"No. She called and said she had the flu. Randi and I work together, so I asked her to fill-in. She did not want to at first-"
"But you are glad she did." The elderly woman finished his sentence. John just smiled at her. "I can see it on your face. How long have you known her?"
"She has worked at the hospital for a while, but I never thought of her as a potential, um, as someone I would like to get to know better. We're friends, you know? But she is fun to be around. Different than most of the others."
"Is she a doctor?"
"Um, no-a desk clerk." John wondered what Gamma's response would be.
"Oh-a hard working woman. I like someone who is willing to work hard. She seems very spunky and energetic. I like her a lot."
John excused himself from the table and walked out on to the dance floor and cut in on his date and his grandfather.
The two were soon dancing around, and Randi could not help but think that she could get used to this.
The party wound down soon after dinner, and by 11:00, John and Randi were bored out of their minds.
"You ready to get out of here?" he asked her.
"Definitely," she said, as she let out a sigh of relief.
They walked out of the museum, and waited for their limo.
"It's still kind of early. You, uh, want to maybe go and get some coffee or some ice cream or something?" John said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Sure. But ice cream? John, I'm still full from the lobster at dinner. I've got a better idea." She looked at him with a glint of mischief in her eyes, and they entered the limo, and drove off.
Rating: PG (For now)
Spoilers: "Thy will be Done" and maybe others later
Archive: Ask-I'll let you know
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters they belong to NBC and Warner Brothers and Michael Chriton
This is an alternate ending to "Thy Will Be Done." What if John asked someone else first. This is a story of what could have happened had one thing changed and the effects that it could have had on the lives of those on the ER.
****
"Carter will you help Abby with this one?"
"Why can't you do it?" John asked. He was sitting behind the Admit desk.
"I-I just can't," Dave stuttered.
"What's the matter, Dave? You afraid of clowns?" Abby rolled her eyes as she began to check vitals on the clown.
"Maybe he had a bad circus experience."
John and Abby, along with two paramedics wheeled the clown down the hall toward a trauma room. Heleh stopped John, and asked him to speak with a woman who was looking for a clean needle. After arguing with her for several minutes, John was relived when Randi called him from down the hall. He walked away from the redheaded woman toward the desk clerk.
"Some girl called you; said she would not be able to make it-flu," Randi said with her distinct Jersey accent.
"Some girl. So you did not get a name?"
"You got more than one date tonight?"
"Oh great."
"Big Date?" Chuny asked.
"It had potential." John was obviously trying to think of a quick fill in date.
"So ask someone else." The Latina nurse suggested.
"No, it's this charity event. It's going to be boring. Nobody's going to want to go."
"Why? Ask someone from the ER."
"Like who? -Chuny, you want to go?
"Not me. I've got plans." With that the nurse walked away, with a grin on her face.
Carter thought about it for a second, and turned to face Randi.
"Randi?"
"What, you want me to go to a charity event? Come on Carter-I would not know what to do at a charity event. Not exactly my rung on the ladder of society."
"Oh, please. Half the people that will be there don't belong there. I would not be going if I did not have to, but it's my grandparent's thing. They expect me to bring someone. Please." He looked at her with his dark brown eyes, and she found it hard to say no.
"Fine, Ok whatever. What should I wear?"
"Great. Thank you so much. You really saved me!"
Suddenly Abby yelled from the trauma room. "Carter- your clown is crashing!"
"Ah, crap!" He ran down the hall, and yelled over his shoulder "It's formal!"
****
Randi was sitting at the Admit desk, when Carter and Abby walked up.
"Hey Randi, be sure to be nice to him tonight. He just killed a clown." Abby said sarcastically.
"I did not," Carter protested.
"Didn't save him."
Abby walked back down the hall, giving Carter no time to respond. Instead, he walked over to Randi.
"So what time should I pick you up? Is 8:00 alright?"
"Sure, Dr. Carter, sounds great. Look, are you sure you want to take me? I figured you would want to take Abby."
"She and Luka are, um, together, so she's not interested."
"You asked her?"
"No. We'll have fun. That's a promise. And if we don't, then we can leave, and go somewhere else. Okay?"
"Fine. Here is my address," she said as she smiled a rare smile and scribbled something on a scrap of paper.
He smiled back, and turned to go talk to a patient.
****
Five hours later, Randi looked herself over in the full-length mirror in the bathroom of her tiny apartment. It had not taken her very long to decide on the dress to wear. She only had a few formals, but realized that she would be meeting two of the most respectable, not to mention rich people in Chicago. She was their grandson's date, so she had to look decent. She knew that her simple, strapless black gown, which she had worn to wedding ages ago, was the only thing she had that fit into the category of "decent." After tying her long tresses into a neat French twist, she quickly applied some makeup, and found her shoes. She finished minutes before her doorbell rang.
"Hey, Dr. Carter," she said as she opened the door.
"Hey. You look amazing."
"Yeah, I, uh, I clean up pretty well."
"No kidding. Hey tonight call me John. Please."
"Ok-John-let me get my coat and my purse, and I think I will be ready."
"Great."
She returned a minute later, and John held the door open for her, and they departed for the museum.
****
They exited her building, and she giggled at the sight of the limo.
"Is that for us?"
"Your chariot awaits," Carter replied suavely. Randi giggled again, prompting John to ask her what was so funny.
"I was just thinking about the last time I was in a limo. My senior prom. I went with Vinny Dubranaski. No one really knew how his father made his money. Some kind of Mob thing was the rumor, but I don't know. Anyway, it was a very memorable night, for Vinny anyway."
John laughed as she stepped into the limo, and he followed.
****
"So, how many people will be at this thing?" Randi asked fifteen minutes later.
"Um, lets just say that my grandparents like spectacle. Oh, and don't worry about the cameras and stuff, just hang on to me, and keep walking."
"What do you mean, cameras? Like paparazzi and stuff?"
John nodded.
"I guess this will be quite the scandal. I can see the headline now. 'Jonathan Truman Carter the III, seen living it up with lowly desk clerk.'"
The limo pulled to a stop in front of the museum.
"Oh, come on. Give yourself some credit. I get the impression that you don't do that nearly as often as you should. You're a great person. Spunky, organized, attractive."
As he said this, he smiled at her, a valet opened the door, and John began to exit. He held out his hand for Randi as she tried to regain her train of thought.
*Did he just say that to me?* she thought.
He was right about the cameras. There were so many. It was almost overwhelming, but he grabbed her hand and began to lead her through the ocean of photographers. They heard several whispers of "Who is that?" and "Have we seen her with him before?" and "Another girl? How many has that been this month?" Randi had to laugh out loud at the last comment.
****
Once inside, they left their coats at the front, and entered into the main room. It was guarded by a large skeleton of some prehistoric creature.
"Impressive." Randi was in awe of the scale of everything in the building, and could not comprehend spending that much money on anything, much less a party. She held on to John's had tightly for fear of getting lost. She figured that would not make a very good impression on John's family.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
"Uh-yeah. I guess I'm just I'm just a bit overwhelmed."
"Relax. Stick with me, and you will be fine. All you have to do is stand there and look gorgeous. And you are doing fine in that departm-"
A middle age man walked up to them, at that moment, and cut John's sentence short.
"John. How are you doing? It's been a long time. Who is this beautiful creature on your arm?"
"Bryan McAllister, this is Randi Fronczak. We work together."
"Oh right. At County. You know," Bryan continued, directing his discussion toward Randi, "I always thought that John here would start a practice. Why he would want to work at a rat hole was beyond me. But now I can see what is keeping him there." The older man touched Randi's cheek, and it became obvious to John how uncomfortable she was, and surprised him how angry it made him.
"There's Gamma and Gramps. Excuse us please Bryan."
"Thank you, John. He was making me really uncomfortable."
"He's always been a complete jerk. Ready to meet Gamma and Gramps?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
They walked over to the table where John's grandparents sat.
"Hello, John. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it."
John leaned in and kissed Millicent Carter on the cheek, and shook hands with John Truman Carter Sr.
"Sorry about that Gamma. Traffic was backed up, and then we ran into Bryan McAllister on our way in."
"My sympathies. How long do plan to be impolite John. Introduce us to the lovely young lady."
Oh, Sorry. Randi Fronczak, These are my grandparents, John and Millicent Carter. Gamma and Gramps, Randi Fronczak."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Carter."
"Has my grandson gotten you out on the dance floor yet?" the older Carter inquired.
"No he hasn't." She looked at him with a smile.
"Then let me try to show my apologies for him, and invite you for a spin around the dance floor. Shall we?"
Randi looked at John, who nodded his head. *Can she waltz?* he thought to himself.
"Of course."
John Sr. and Randi headed out to the dance floor, and John sat down beside the matriarch of the family.
"She seems like quite a young woman. Is she the one you were planning on bringing?"
"No. She called and said she had the flu. Randi and I work together, so I asked her to fill-in. She did not want to at first-"
"But you are glad she did." The elderly woman finished his sentence. John just smiled at her. "I can see it on your face. How long have you known her?"
"She has worked at the hospital for a while, but I never thought of her as a potential, um, as someone I would like to get to know better. We're friends, you know? But she is fun to be around. Different than most of the others."
"Is she a doctor?"
"Um, no-a desk clerk." John wondered what Gamma's response would be.
"Oh-a hard working woman. I like someone who is willing to work hard. She seems very spunky and energetic. I like her a lot."
John excused himself from the table and walked out on to the dance floor and cut in on his date and his grandfather.
The two were soon dancing around, and Randi could not help but think that she could get used to this.
The party wound down soon after dinner, and by 11:00, John and Randi were bored out of their minds.
"You ready to get out of here?" he asked her.
"Definitely," she said, as she let out a sigh of relief.
They walked out of the museum, and waited for their limo.
"It's still kind of early. You, uh, want to maybe go and get some coffee or some ice cream or something?" John said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Sure. But ice cream? John, I'm still full from the lobster at dinner. I've got a better idea." She looked at him with a glint of mischief in her eyes, and they entered the limo, and drove off.