Title: Different, but the Same
Archive: Ask-I'll let you know
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters they belong to NBC and Warner Brothers and Michael Crichton
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.
This is the honeymoon chapter that I have been working on mentally for a while, and just recently got around to typing it out. The reason that I like this chapter so much is that I get to present a place that I know and love. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Just so you know, it is really hard to type in a southern accent, but I did my best, and I think ya'll should be able to figure it out!
****
The benefit, her talks with Gamma, dinner with John's mother, their first kiss, Gamma's illness and death, John's proposal, their wedding and the party after, the private plane, the first several hours on the jet. All of these memories swirled around in Randi's head as she lay in the bed of the private jet, wrapped safely in John's arms. He was sound asleep, obviously exhausted from the excitement of the past twenty-four hours. The soft rumble of the planes motor reminded her that she had no idea where they were headed, although she did not care as long as she was with John.
She moved ever so slightly, but enough to wake the man sleeping next to her.
"Hey. You can't sleep?"
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"About where you are taking me. We have been on this thing for four hours. Are we leaving the country?"
"Nope. Actually, we could have been there an hour ago, but I told the pilot to give us an extra few hours. But we should get dressed soon."
"How soon?" Randi asked, with an unmistakable glint in her eye.
"Oh, we can wait a little longer, I think." He said as he leaned in and began to kiss her neck.
****
As they exited the plane an hour later, Randi looked around with a confused expression on her face. The first thing she saw was the miniscule airfield and pine trees.
"OK, where the hell are we?"
"I tell you when we get there." He grabbed her hand, and led her to the convertible that waited for them. Randi noticed how quiet this place was. The sun was just rising, and Randi realized how clean and pristine everything was.
John and an older man carried the bags and put them in the back of the shiny car. The men shook hands, and the older man walked over to where Randi stood.
"I hope ya'll have a wonderful stay here, and let us know if you need anything." He then dipped his dirty baseball cap at Randi and walked off.
Randi looked at John and asked him with her eyes where they were.
"Ya'll?" she asked. He silenced her question with a loving, passionate kiss. He then proceeded to lift her off the ground, and put her in the passengers seat.
"You have not done that since I sprained my ankle on that first date," she giggled.
"I know. How's that for nostalgia?" They pulled out of the airfield, and onto a secluded two-lane highway, surrounded by what seemed like endless forests. Randi had never seen so many trees. Gradually, there was more sand on the sides of the road and fewer pine trees, and the smell of salt water began to envelope Randi. Then she saw it. A clean pristine beach, with a few sunbathers and waders.
"Let me guess," she said sarcastically, "We are going to the beach."
With his eyes still on the road ahead of him, he smiled and simply said, "Something like that."
But they continued driving, until John stopped at a boat dock
"Now I am really confused. I'm not sure I like where this is going."
"We are almost there. Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
John grabbed Randi's hand, and she realized that she did not care where they went, as long as she was with him.
A middle-aged man led them to a nice sized motorboat, where they assisted in getting their luggage.
The man sped off towards a small bit of land that Randi could see in the distance. That little land mass got bigger as they got closer, and she realized that that was their destination.
Once the boat stopped, they got out of the boat, and the driver began to speak with John.
"We'll get the luggage to the house later today, Dr. Carter," the driver said with a distinct southern accent.
"Thanks, Walt."
John then began to lead Randi away from the ocean, towards the center of the little island.
"What is going on, John? How did you know him?"
John laughed, but said nothing, while Randi looked around as they walked up the brick path. She could see the ocean, and hear the waves. She was shocked at how beautiful this place was. Then she saw something that made her jaw drop.
John stopped her in front of the antebellum mansion, and looked at the shocked expression on his wife's face.
"You rented this for our honeymoon?"
"Not exactly. Do you like it?"
"I love it. It is beautiful. So close to the ocean. But I still want to know where we are, and why are we here?"
"We're off the coast of Georgia. And we own this place." He smiled as he told her this.
"What?"
John grabbed Randi's shoulder, turning her toward him.
"Gamma left the Georgia property to us. It was meant to be a wedding present. This was her favorite place to be, aside from Chicago. She brought me here every summer until I started college. She loved the serenity and quiet. Bobby and I used to build sand castles and hide in the forest. After he died, Mom and Dad never came back, but she continued to bring me here every July. Come on, let's take a look around."
As John led Randi around, he recognized the look on her face. It was the same child like expression she had during her first visit to the estate in Chicago. He loved the way her eyes shown and her face was cover in a silly grin. He gave her the grand tour, showing her the flower garden, every inch of the mansion and the guesthouse, the stables, and finally the private beach.
"So all of this belongs to us?"
"Yep. I signed all the legal documents last week. We officially own a little piece of the South."
The couple took off their shoes, and left them on the wooden walkway that led to the sand. The warm morning breeze blew through Randi's lightweight sundress. John took her hand and pulled her towards the water, where he planted a fiery kiss on her lips.
"I feel like I'm in a movie or something," she said as she slightly pulled back from the kiss.
He smiled, and gently brought her back into the kiss, just as a wave plowed into their feet, causing John to lose his balance. He fell backwards into the warm salty water, taking Randi with him. They both laughed hysterically at what they must have looked like.
"Now I really do feel like I'm in a movie." As Randi said this, John's hands moved to the buttons on her dress. A flutter of passion swept over them, like the wave that had just knocked them over. He continued to hungrily kiss her as she returned the emotions. They spent more than an hour, making love on their private beach.
****
Five days later, around noon, John and Randi decided to go to the mainland for lunch. They got cleaned up and prepared to make a trip. They walked out toward the boat landing, and John put his arm around Randi's neck.
"So Walt, the guy who brought us over here, he works for us?" Randi asked.
"Yep. He is married to Bethany, the housekeeper. Mr. Otis is our gardener, and he is married to Mrs. Willi, the cook. Those two have been around since I was a kid. They will be back next week, because their thirtieth wedding anniversary was this week. Walt and Bethany started about fourteen years ago, just after they got married."
"Thirty years. Wow, I can't imagine our thirtieth anniversary. It seems so far off."
"With my intellectual ability, I'd say about thirty years from now," He said with a sarcastic grin on his face.
"Oh, shut up!" She slapped him on the stomach, and he proceeded to run away from her, towards the boat. She playfully chased after him, and caught up to him at the dock, where she jumped on his back. She was careful not to be too rough, because she did not want to cause him to hurt his back again. He seemed to be ok, and he carried her piggyback the rest of the way to the boat.
On the ride back to the mainland, Randi sat in her husband's lap, in the bottom of the boat, while he gently caressed her hair. They were both thinking about the past several days, and how perfect life was.
"So where are we going to eat?"
"I know a great place, really casual. You like barbeque?"
"You really do want me to get the full Southern experience don't you? I honestly have never had any before, but I'm willing to try anything. I'm starved!"
He laughed at her, and pressed his lips to her forehead.
"There are some people there that I wanted to see. If they are even still around, that is. We can visit for a while, and then we can go back to the island, to change. I made dinner reservations at a nice little seafood restaurant, so we will have to take the boat again. Sound good?"
"Uh huh."
She leaned back and kissed him. Walt coughed loudly, and told them that they had reached their destination. The husband and wife exited the boat, and walked hand in hand to the convertible that was right where they left it.
They drove about a half an hour away from the coast, to what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. They were again surrounded by pine trees. John pulled into a small dirt parking lot in front of a small wooden building.
"Baby, are you certain this is where we were supposed to go?"
"Yep. Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. Randi looked behind her, and saw that there were about four or five other automobiles in the parking lot, all of which were pickup trucks, and were somewhat older and much more run down.
There were a couple of table full of people in the room, and the rest were empty. John headed directly to the counter, and spoke to the older woman who had her back turned away from them.
"Miss Bessie?"
The woman stopped what she was doing at the sound of John's voice.
"Who said that?" Her words were pronounced with a strong southern drawl. "There is only one person in the world that can call me that." She turned around, and looked at John. "Little Johnny Carter, I declare. Is that you?" The short, but hefty woman walked out from behind the counter and up to John.
"Yes, Miss Bessie. It's me," he said as he hugged her.
"Land's sake, look at you, all grown up and handsome. Your grandma must be real proud of you. She told us you were a doctor now. Is she comin' down this July?"
John's tone became somber as he told his friend about Gamma. "Um, she died this past fall."
"Oh, Johnny, I'm so sorry to hear that. How are you holdin' up? And what are you doin' here?"
"I'm alright now. I just got married. This is my wife Randi." He looked as his wife as she shook hands with the older woman.
"She's a pretty thing, Johnny. Better keep an eye on her."
"I will, believe me."
"Are ya'll stayin' on the island?"
"That is actually why we are here. We are staying there for our honeymoon. Gamma left it to us in her will as a wedding present. Anyway, I wanted to see if you were still here, and still making those ribs and peach pies I remember so well."
"You bet. I'll bring some out." She stepped into the back room.
"She used to be the housekeeper at the mansion, and she became a good friend to me and my brother. She would let us jump on the beds before she made them, and let us have ice cream in the den, if we put blankets down. Then we found out that it had always been a dream of hers to open a restaurant of her own. Bobby and I told Gamma, and Gamma wrote her a check then and there, and told her to go out and make her dream come true. And she did. I know that it is not much, but it is exactly what she wanted."
Miss Bessie reappeared with a plate full of barbeque ribs, and two sweet teas. They began to eat, and Randi was surprised that she actually enjoyed the meal. It was unlike anything she had ever eaten in Jersey or in Chicago. John seemed to be able to read her mind.
"You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy," he whispered into her ear.
She whispered back, "What does that make you? Toto?"
He laughed at her comment, just as Miss Bessie put two pieces of her famous peach pie in front of them. They ate until they were stuffed, and then got ready to leave. John asked miss Betsy for the check, but she refused to give it to him.
"It's my treat. I've known you for years; heck I even changed a few of your diapers, if I recall correctly. I ain't gonna charge you for this!" She hugged him quickly, and headed back behind the counter. "You'll be coming back more now?"
"Sure, I hope we come back once a year form now on. Thanks, Miss Bessie. Bye!"
"Bye," Randi added.
****
Dinner that night was much more formal than lunch, but was still fairly quaint. The couple took the boat directly to the little seafood restaurant that was located on a small cliff above the waves. It was an outdoor restaurant, complete with live music from a local country group.
The waiter led them to a table that was set away from the rest, under a weeping willow, lit up by candlelight. John pulled Randi's chair out for her, and then sat down in his own. He ordered some wine, and then began to stare into his wife's eyes.
"You are so beautiful. You know that right?"
"You keep telling me."
"I was thinking, and we never actually talked about this before the wedding." He hesitated.
"What is it, John?"
"When do you want to think about having children?" he blurted out.
"What? John, we just got married. I do want to have children with you. But not immediately. I want to be able to concentrate on us-you and me-right now. Maybe in a year. Is that all right?"
"Sure. I guess being here has made me think about what life was like when I was a child. Before Bobby died, and my mother got depressed. And when Gamma was alive." He looked down at his plate and tried hard not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Randi reached out and grabbed his hand.
"We will spend summers down here with our children, and they will love it as much as we do. We won't let our children down. They are going to know exactly how much we love them. And they will also know how much we love one another."
In the background, they head the band begin a slow acoustic ballad. The female lead singer began to sing the haunting love song, causing John to look up into the eyes of his wife. He stood up and pulled her up too. They began to dance, right then and there, under the cover of the weeping willow. They said nothing, but each one knew what the other was thinking. Randi listened to the words of the song, and realized that it rung true in their love story. The couple danced the night away, and then headed back to the mansion for one last night in the place that they loved so much.
Archive: Ask-I'll let you know
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters they belong to NBC and Warner Brothers and Michael Crichton
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.
This is the honeymoon chapter that I have been working on mentally for a while, and just recently got around to typing it out. The reason that I like this chapter so much is that I get to present a place that I know and love. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Just so you know, it is really hard to type in a southern accent, but I did my best, and I think ya'll should be able to figure it out!
****
The benefit, her talks with Gamma, dinner with John's mother, their first kiss, Gamma's illness and death, John's proposal, their wedding and the party after, the private plane, the first several hours on the jet. All of these memories swirled around in Randi's head as she lay in the bed of the private jet, wrapped safely in John's arms. He was sound asleep, obviously exhausted from the excitement of the past twenty-four hours. The soft rumble of the planes motor reminded her that she had no idea where they were headed, although she did not care as long as she was with John.
She moved ever so slightly, but enough to wake the man sleeping next to her.
"Hey. You can't sleep?"
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"About where you are taking me. We have been on this thing for four hours. Are we leaving the country?"
"Nope. Actually, we could have been there an hour ago, but I told the pilot to give us an extra few hours. But we should get dressed soon."
"How soon?" Randi asked, with an unmistakable glint in her eye.
"Oh, we can wait a little longer, I think." He said as he leaned in and began to kiss her neck.
****
As they exited the plane an hour later, Randi looked around with a confused expression on her face. The first thing she saw was the miniscule airfield and pine trees.
"OK, where the hell are we?"
"I tell you when we get there." He grabbed her hand, and led her to the convertible that waited for them. Randi noticed how quiet this place was. The sun was just rising, and Randi realized how clean and pristine everything was.
John and an older man carried the bags and put them in the back of the shiny car. The men shook hands, and the older man walked over to where Randi stood.
"I hope ya'll have a wonderful stay here, and let us know if you need anything." He then dipped his dirty baseball cap at Randi and walked off.
Randi looked at John and asked him with her eyes where they were.
"Ya'll?" she asked. He silenced her question with a loving, passionate kiss. He then proceeded to lift her off the ground, and put her in the passengers seat.
"You have not done that since I sprained my ankle on that first date," she giggled.
"I know. How's that for nostalgia?" They pulled out of the airfield, and onto a secluded two-lane highway, surrounded by what seemed like endless forests. Randi had never seen so many trees. Gradually, there was more sand on the sides of the road and fewer pine trees, and the smell of salt water began to envelope Randi. Then she saw it. A clean pristine beach, with a few sunbathers and waders.
"Let me guess," she said sarcastically, "We are going to the beach."
With his eyes still on the road ahead of him, he smiled and simply said, "Something like that."
But they continued driving, until John stopped at a boat dock
"Now I am really confused. I'm not sure I like where this is going."
"We are almost there. Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
John grabbed Randi's hand, and she realized that she did not care where they went, as long as she was with him.
A middle-aged man led them to a nice sized motorboat, where they assisted in getting their luggage.
The man sped off towards a small bit of land that Randi could see in the distance. That little land mass got bigger as they got closer, and she realized that that was their destination.
Once the boat stopped, they got out of the boat, and the driver began to speak with John.
"We'll get the luggage to the house later today, Dr. Carter," the driver said with a distinct southern accent.
"Thanks, Walt."
John then began to lead Randi away from the ocean, towards the center of the little island.
"What is going on, John? How did you know him?"
John laughed, but said nothing, while Randi looked around as they walked up the brick path. She could see the ocean, and hear the waves. She was shocked at how beautiful this place was. Then she saw something that made her jaw drop.
John stopped her in front of the antebellum mansion, and looked at the shocked expression on his wife's face.
"You rented this for our honeymoon?"
"Not exactly. Do you like it?"
"I love it. It is beautiful. So close to the ocean. But I still want to know where we are, and why are we here?"
"We're off the coast of Georgia. And we own this place." He smiled as he told her this.
"What?"
John grabbed Randi's shoulder, turning her toward him.
"Gamma left the Georgia property to us. It was meant to be a wedding present. This was her favorite place to be, aside from Chicago. She brought me here every summer until I started college. She loved the serenity and quiet. Bobby and I used to build sand castles and hide in the forest. After he died, Mom and Dad never came back, but she continued to bring me here every July. Come on, let's take a look around."
As John led Randi around, he recognized the look on her face. It was the same child like expression she had during her first visit to the estate in Chicago. He loved the way her eyes shown and her face was cover in a silly grin. He gave her the grand tour, showing her the flower garden, every inch of the mansion and the guesthouse, the stables, and finally the private beach.
"So all of this belongs to us?"
"Yep. I signed all the legal documents last week. We officially own a little piece of the South."
The couple took off their shoes, and left them on the wooden walkway that led to the sand. The warm morning breeze blew through Randi's lightweight sundress. John took her hand and pulled her towards the water, where he planted a fiery kiss on her lips.
"I feel like I'm in a movie or something," she said as she slightly pulled back from the kiss.
He smiled, and gently brought her back into the kiss, just as a wave plowed into their feet, causing John to lose his balance. He fell backwards into the warm salty water, taking Randi with him. They both laughed hysterically at what they must have looked like.
"Now I really do feel like I'm in a movie." As Randi said this, John's hands moved to the buttons on her dress. A flutter of passion swept over them, like the wave that had just knocked them over. He continued to hungrily kiss her as she returned the emotions. They spent more than an hour, making love on their private beach.
****
Five days later, around noon, John and Randi decided to go to the mainland for lunch. They got cleaned up and prepared to make a trip. They walked out toward the boat landing, and John put his arm around Randi's neck.
"So Walt, the guy who brought us over here, he works for us?" Randi asked.
"Yep. He is married to Bethany, the housekeeper. Mr. Otis is our gardener, and he is married to Mrs. Willi, the cook. Those two have been around since I was a kid. They will be back next week, because their thirtieth wedding anniversary was this week. Walt and Bethany started about fourteen years ago, just after they got married."
"Thirty years. Wow, I can't imagine our thirtieth anniversary. It seems so far off."
"With my intellectual ability, I'd say about thirty years from now," He said with a sarcastic grin on his face.
"Oh, shut up!" She slapped him on the stomach, and he proceeded to run away from her, towards the boat. She playfully chased after him, and caught up to him at the dock, where she jumped on his back. She was careful not to be too rough, because she did not want to cause him to hurt his back again. He seemed to be ok, and he carried her piggyback the rest of the way to the boat.
On the ride back to the mainland, Randi sat in her husband's lap, in the bottom of the boat, while he gently caressed her hair. They were both thinking about the past several days, and how perfect life was.
"So where are we going to eat?"
"I know a great place, really casual. You like barbeque?"
"You really do want me to get the full Southern experience don't you? I honestly have never had any before, but I'm willing to try anything. I'm starved!"
He laughed at her, and pressed his lips to her forehead.
"There are some people there that I wanted to see. If they are even still around, that is. We can visit for a while, and then we can go back to the island, to change. I made dinner reservations at a nice little seafood restaurant, so we will have to take the boat again. Sound good?"
"Uh huh."
She leaned back and kissed him. Walt coughed loudly, and told them that they had reached their destination. The husband and wife exited the boat, and walked hand in hand to the convertible that was right where they left it.
They drove about a half an hour away from the coast, to what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. They were again surrounded by pine trees. John pulled into a small dirt parking lot in front of a small wooden building.
"Baby, are you certain this is where we were supposed to go?"
"Yep. Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. Randi looked behind her, and saw that there were about four or five other automobiles in the parking lot, all of which were pickup trucks, and were somewhat older and much more run down.
There were a couple of table full of people in the room, and the rest were empty. John headed directly to the counter, and spoke to the older woman who had her back turned away from them.
"Miss Bessie?"
The woman stopped what she was doing at the sound of John's voice.
"Who said that?" Her words were pronounced with a strong southern drawl. "There is only one person in the world that can call me that." She turned around, and looked at John. "Little Johnny Carter, I declare. Is that you?" The short, but hefty woman walked out from behind the counter and up to John.
"Yes, Miss Bessie. It's me," he said as he hugged her.
"Land's sake, look at you, all grown up and handsome. Your grandma must be real proud of you. She told us you were a doctor now. Is she comin' down this July?"
John's tone became somber as he told his friend about Gamma. "Um, she died this past fall."
"Oh, Johnny, I'm so sorry to hear that. How are you holdin' up? And what are you doin' here?"
"I'm alright now. I just got married. This is my wife Randi." He looked as his wife as she shook hands with the older woman.
"She's a pretty thing, Johnny. Better keep an eye on her."
"I will, believe me."
"Are ya'll stayin' on the island?"
"That is actually why we are here. We are staying there for our honeymoon. Gamma left it to us in her will as a wedding present. Anyway, I wanted to see if you were still here, and still making those ribs and peach pies I remember so well."
"You bet. I'll bring some out." She stepped into the back room.
"She used to be the housekeeper at the mansion, and she became a good friend to me and my brother. She would let us jump on the beds before she made them, and let us have ice cream in the den, if we put blankets down. Then we found out that it had always been a dream of hers to open a restaurant of her own. Bobby and I told Gamma, and Gamma wrote her a check then and there, and told her to go out and make her dream come true. And she did. I know that it is not much, but it is exactly what she wanted."
Miss Bessie reappeared with a plate full of barbeque ribs, and two sweet teas. They began to eat, and Randi was surprised that she actually enjoyed the meal. It was unlike anything she had ever eaten in Jersey or in Chicago. John seemed to be able to read her mind.
"You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy," he whispered into her ear.
She whispered back, "What does that make you? Toto?"
He laughed at her comment, just as Miss Bessie put two pieces of her famous peach pie in front of them. They ate until they were stuffed, and then got ready to leave. John asked miss Betsy for the check, but she refused to give it to him.
"It's my treat. I've known you for years; heck I even changed a few of your diapers, if I recall correctly. I ain't gonna charge you for this!" She hugged him quickly, and headed back behind the counter. "You'll be coming back more now?"
"Sure, I hope we come back once a year form now on. Thanks, Miss Bessie. Bye!"
"Bye," Randi added.
****
Dinner that night was much more formal than lunch, but was still fairly quaint. The couple took the boat directly to the little seafood restaurant that was located on a small cliff above the waves. It was an outdoor restaurant, complete with live music from a local country group.
The waiter led them to a table that was set away from the rest, under a weeping willow, lit up by candlelight. John pulled Randi's chair out for her, and then sat down in his own. He ordered some wine, and then began to stare into his wife's eyes.
"You are so beautiful. You know that right?"
"You keep telling me."
"I was thinking, and we never actually talked about this before the wedding." He hesitated.
"What is it, John?"
"When do you want to think about having children?" he blurted out.
"What? John, we just got married. I do want to have children with you. But not immediately. I want to be able to concentrate on us-you and me-right now. Maybe in a year. Is that all right?"
"Sure. I guess being here has made me think about what life was like when I was a child. Before Bobby died, and my mother got depressed. And when Gamma was alive." He looked down at his plate and tried hard not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Randi reached out and grabbed his hand.
"We will spend summers down here with our children, and they will love it as much as we do. We won't let our children down. They are going to know exactly how much we love them. And they will also know how much we love one another."
In the background, they head the band begin a slow acoustic ballad. The female lead singer began to sing the haunting love song, causing John to look up into the eyes of his wife. He stood up and pulled her up too. They began to dance, right then and there, under the cover of the weeping willow. They said nothing, but each one knew what the other was thinking. Randi listened to the words of the song, and realized that it rung true in their love story. The couple danced the night away, and then headed back to the mansion for one last night in the place that they loved so much.