PART FIVE-
"Dad!" Carter turned from his conversation with Jerry at the sound of his daughter's voice. He looked at her and Harry, puzzled.
"Jessie, what are you two doing here?" he asked. Abby wasn't going to be happy about this, she didn't like them coming to the hospital.
"Tara was ill, so she dropped us here." The child minder. He couldn't believe someone could be so stupid. Leaving a ten-year-old to look after her seven-year-old brother, and find her parents was irresponsible.
"Didn't she come in with you or anything?" he asked, concerned.
"No. Why should she?" Jess shrugged.
"Okay, never mind. Let's just find somewhere for you too to go before Mum sees you."
"Why?" Harry asked, still looking around himself in awe. He'd always loved the ER, it seemed so exciting.
"You know she doesn't like you two being here. It's not good for you to be exposed to all the hurt and anger that you'll see here," he explained.
"Oh," he shrugged. "I like it here!"
"Yes, we know that Harry!" he laughed. At that moment, Susan came out of the staff room with her bag, obviously ready to leave. "Susan!" he called, smiling at her. She came up to him, and said hi to Jess and Harry.
"Carter, what do you want?" she said, laughing.
"Err, do you think you can look after these two, take them to Doc Magoo's or something? The child minder let us down, and I can't keep them in the ER. If Abby finds out she'll go mad."
"I'll go mad about what?" Oh dear.
"Abby!" Carter said, smiling at his wife.
"What's going on?" she asked, walking around the desk. "Jess, Harry! What are you doing here?" She turned to her husband. "John, what are they doing here?"
"Tara kind of brought them here. She was ill, and."
"I knew I never should have hired her! There was something about her, I knew she'd do something like this. I told you, didn't I, but you wouldn't listen, she."
"Abby," he interrupted her. "This really isn't the time or the place." She sighed.
"Fine, just sort out these two. I've still got half my shift left."
"Me too. Susan?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Sorry Carter, I can't help. Wish I could, but I'm really busy." She smiled at the kids, before turning to leave. "I'll see you guys soon!"
"Great," Abby sighed.
"We'll just stay," Harry said happily.
"No you won't Harry Carter!" Abby exclaimed.
"Please Mum! It's not for long." he looked up at his mother, his eyes big and wide. She couldn't resist that look.
"Okay, just this once. But never again." She took his hand, and started to lead him to the Doctor's Lounge. "Jess, follow us."
"I see I don't get any choice," she muttered under her breath.
"Come on Jess, it's just a few hours," Carter said, taking her hand and following Abby.
*** Luka sighed as he made his way to the Doctor's Lounge. The shift had been a long one, with no major cases to keep him busy, just a string of increasingly annoying patients. He pushed the door open, and walked straight to his locker. He was going to get out of here as soon as he could.
"Hello Dr. Kovac," a voice came from behind him. He turned around to find the Carter children sitting at the table, Jess reading and Harry drawing a picture.
"Hello," he replied, taking his jacket from the locker.
"Do you want to see my picture?" Harry asked, motioning for Luka to go over to them. He shut his locker door, and walked over to them. "It's of Mummy and Daddy, see?" he pointed out. Luka smiled at him, nodding.
"It's very good. I'm sure your Mummy will like it lots."
"She will. She likes things like this. Daddy does too."
"Of course they do." He turned to Jess. "What are you reading Jess?"
"Something from the reading box at school. It's boring though. I don't get to read the interesting books 'cause I'm not good enough."
"I'm sure you are."
"No, I'm not. The teacher moved me down a box, because I wasn't doing very well. I was moved down to the yellow book in Maths too."
"Oh dear, well hopefully you'll be moved back up soon."
"Dad said it doesn't matter what I do in school, but I know it does. He doesn't like it when I do bad."
"I bet he's proud of whatever you do."
"Maybe," she answered, yawning.
"Did you not get much sleep last night?" Luka asked her.
"I got lots.I went to bed early."
"Oh, how come?"
"She had a real bad tummy ache," Harry said. "She said she just wanted to go to bed, so Mummy let her."
"Ah right. Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you two sometime."
"Bye Dr. Kovac."
"Goodbye Luka."
"Bye Jess, bye Harry."
He left the siblings behind to continue with their previous exercises, and left the ER as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be dragged into a trauma when he was off shift. There was something about Jess that worried him, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She just didn't seem completely happy. He knew it couldn't be anything Abby and Carter were doing, they were great with their kids. There was an idea lingering in the back of his mind. He wasn't sure whether to listen to his suspicions, or dismiss it as jealousy that they got to be happy with each other. Perhaps he'd research it when he got home, see what he came up with.
*** (Sorry this has taken a while! I just didn't feel motivated to write it, for some reason. :-/ But it's written now! It's fairly short, and I was actually going to post this with the next chapter as one, but I think I prefer it in two. Just in case it wasn't clear, this is set 2 years after the last chapter. I'm sorry about the jump, I know I do it a lot- hope you find it okay! *g* Thanks for the feedback, keep up with it! xxJoxx)
"Dad!" Carter turned from his conversation with Jerry at the sound of his daughter's voice. He looked at her and Harry, puzzled.
"Jessie, what are you two doing here?" he asked. Abby wasn't going to be happy about this, she didn't like them coming to the hospital.
"Tara was ill, so she dropped us here." The child minder. He couldn't believe someone could be so stupid. Leaving a ten-year-old to look after her seven-year-old brother, and find her parents was irresponsible.
"Didn't she come in with you or anything?" he asked, concerned.
"No. Why should she?" Jess shrugged.
"Okay, never mind. Let's just find somewhere for you too to go before Mum sees you."
"Why?" Harry asked, still looking around himself in awe. He'd always loved the ER, it seemed so exciting.
"You know she doesn't like you two being here. It's not good for you to be exposed to all the hurt and anger that you'll see here," he explained.
"Oh," he shrugged. "I like it here!"
"Yes, we know that Harry!" he laughed. At that moment, Susan came out of the staff room with her bag, obviously ready to leave. "Susan!" he called, smiling at her. She came up to him, and said hi to Jess and Harry.
"Carter, what do you want?" she said, laughing.
"Err, do you think you can look after these two, take them to Doc Magoo's or something? The child minder let us down, and I can't keep them in the ER. If Abby finds out she'll go mad."
"I'll go mad about what?" Oh dear.
"Abby!" Carter said, smiling at his wife.
"What's going on?" she asked, walking around the desk. "Jess, Harry! What are you doing here?" She turned to her husband. "John, what are they doing here?"
"Tara kind of brought them here. She was ill, and."
"I knew I never should have hired her! There was something about her, I knew she'd do something like this. I told you, didn't I, but you wouldn't listen, she."
"Abby," he interrupted her. "This really isn't the time or the place." She sighed.
"Fine, just sort out these two. I've still got half my shift left."
"Me too. Susan?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Sorry Carter, I can't help. Wish I could, but I'm really busy." She smiled at the kids, before turning to leave. "I'll see you guys soon!"
"Great," Abby sighed.
"We'll just stay," Harry said happily.
"No you won't Harry Carter!" Abby exclaimed.
"Please Mum! It's not for long." he looked up at his mother, his eyes big and wide. She couldn't resist that look.
"Okay, just this once. But never again." She took his hand, and started to lead him to the Doctor's Lounge. "Jess, follow us."
"I see I don't get any choice," she muttered under her breath.
"Come on Jess, it's just a few hours," Carter said, taking her hand and following Abby.
*** Luka sighed as he made his way to the Doctor's Lounge. The shift had been a long one, with no major cases to keep him busy, just a string of increasingly annoying patients. He pushed the door open, and walked straight to his locker. He was going to get out of here as soon as he could.
"Hello Dr. Kovac," a voice came from behind him. He turned around to find the Carter children sitting at the table, Jess reading and Harry drawing a picture.
"Hello," he replied, taking his jacket from the locker.
"Do you want to see my picture?" Harry asked, motioning for Luka to go over to them. He shut his locker door, and walked over to them. "It's of Mummy and Daddy, see?" he pointed out. Luka smiled at him, nodding.
"It's very good. I'm sure your Mummy will like it lots."
"She will. She likes things like this. Daddy does too."
"Of course they do." He turned to Jess. "What are you reading Jess?"
"Something from the reading box at school. It's boring though. I don't get to read the interesting books 'cause I'm not good enough."
"I'm sure you are."
"No, I'm not. The teacher moved me down a box, because I wasn't doing very well. I was moved down to the yellow book in Maths too."
"Oh dear, well hopefully you'll be moved back up soon."
"Dad said it doesn't matter what I do in school, but I know it does. He doesn't like it when I do bad."
"I bet he's proud of whatever you do."
"Maybe," she answered, yawning.
"Did you not get much sleep last night?" Luka asked her.
"I got lots.I went to bed early."
"Oh, how come?"
"She had a real bad tummy ache," Harry said. "She said she just wanted to go to bed, so Mummy let her."
"Ah right. Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you two sometime."
"Bye Dr. Kovac."
"Goodbye Luka."
"Bye Jess, bye Harry."
He left the siblings behind to continue with their previous exercises, and left the ER as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be dragged into a trauma when he was off shift. There was something about Jess that worried him, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She just didn't seem completely happy. He knew it couldn't be anything Abby and Carter were doing, they were great with their kids. There was an idea lingering in the back of his mind. He wasn't sure whether to listen to his suspicions, or dismiss it as jealousy that they got to be happy with each other. Perhaps he'd research it when he got home, see what he came up with.
*** (Sorry this has taken a while! I just didn't feel motivated to write it, for some reason. :-/ But it's written now! It's fairly short, and I was actually going to post this with the next chapter as one, but I think I prefer it in two. Just in case it wasn't clear, this is set 2 years after the last chapter. I'm sorry about the jump, I know I do it a lot- hope you find it okay! *g* Thanks for the feedback, keep up with it! xxJoxx)