Previously..
"That cut looks really deep. I think you should go get stitches. It doesn't seem to want to
stop bleeding. I'll tell Bill what happened and I'm sure that he will understand if you are
Few hours late. You can always make up for the missed hours with overtime," she
laughed and Carter just nodded his head and took her offered handkerchief to stem some
of the blood.
"Yeah um thanks," he stammered realizing he didn't even know her name. It was
obvious they were co-workers.
"No prob, I'll see you in that meeting at 5 right about the new antenna design right?' she
asked and he only nodded and started to make his way back to his car and to Cook County
to get stitches.
"I must be a magnet for that place," he thought to himself as he roared up the engine and
screeched out of the parking lot.
Carter once again approached the front desk searching for familiar faces. He saw Dave and
was about to shout when a clipboard was shoved at him and a quick explanation to fill out
his insurance information and previous medical history was given. Defeated he ok a seat in
the chairs and was surprised at how quiet this alternate Cook County seemed to be. There
seemed to be no chaos. It was a Monday, so it could be one of those rare 'its so quiet lets
race wheelchairs' type day. So far from his vantage point he saw Malucci and that was it.
Finally an hour after he had turned in his information, is name was called. He looked up
and saw a nurse that he did not recognize. He followed her to curtain one and let her take
his blood pressure and temperature. He was then told to wait until the doctor came to check
him out. He waited for a half-hour while listening to a little boy and a mother a curtain over.
It seemed the kid had food poisoning and couldn't stop vomiting. He plugged his nose and
chuckled at what unfortunate doctor got to handle that one. Hopefully whoever it is
didn't dress their best today. Finally he heard the curtain being pulled back and smiled
at whom he saw.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Chen and I'll be looking at your cut today. Can you tell me when you hit
your head?" Jing Me asked as she took out her penlight and began her exam by first
checking out for normal eye dilation. While it was slim there was a chance with any
injury to the head for a concussion.
"Deb!", Carter exclaimed as her followed the pen light with his eyes and then blushed
as he realized what he had just said. He was going to have to think fast to cover this one
up.
"Excuse me?? Do I know you?" Jing Me asked a little taken back by hearing her old name
from a stranger.
"Um, uh yeah I remember you from college. We took organic chemistry together?" he
said thinking fast remembering a tale that she related to him about her second awful
semester of Organic Chemistry with the ancient professor, Dr. Reush.
"Oh wow. I'm sorry I don't remember you. That was quite some time ago. I can still
remember how awful the instructor was however. ", she said sincerely while she began
to clean up his cut and prep it for stitches.
"Yep, mean old eccentric Dr. Reush, how we loved him so", he smiled glad to even banter
about something he wasn't even involved in with someone familiar from his own world.
"Well after I put in a few stitches you'll be good as new. So what did you end up doing after
you got of college?. Unfortunately I haven't kept in touch with many people from the old
days." she asked.
"Well I actually got into engineering. I'm currently working over at the Motorola
Company. In fact I have a friend here I think. I myself have been bad with keeping up
with friends. She was training to be a doctor last I heard. I think she was actually
studying here believe it or not. I thought while I was here I might drop her line. Maybe
you know her. Her name is Lucy Knight?" he inquired trying to sound a casual as possible.
Jing Me gasped and a flint of sadness swept her face. John felt his heart plummet with the
thoughts of why Lucy's name invoked such a response from Deb. "Oh I'm so sorry Mr.??
I never did get your name?
"It's John, John Carter"; he said offering his hand for a shake for the first time.
Jing Me accepted it and continued on with her explanation.
"I'm afraid Lucy is in a coma Mr. Carter. A couple months ago she was attacked by a
patient here and was badly injured. We've asked the parents to give consent to take her
off life support and have her be a donor but they won't budge. The possibility of her ever
waking up is less than three percent.," she said hating to have to repeat such dismal facts
once again to this Mr. Carter.
"Oh, do you think I could still visit her?" he asked and Jing Me silently nodded and
offered to escort him. She finished up his stitches and they both made their way to
the third floor.
As John entered he had to fight back tears at the sight of Lucy. He thought that he
would never get to see her again but there she was. She was hooked up to the usually
rigors of life support and yet she still looked like a sleeping angel. He could see old scars
of where her flesh had to be woven together but she was whole. He took a seat next to
her and grasped her hand almost visioning the opening of her eyes. Yet there was no
response and Jing Me could only leave at the look of sadness and loss in the stranger's
face. She told him the visiting hours he could stay and then left. John could only stare
mesmerized at his ex-student's lifeless face. This chance was so close. Lucy was alive
and yet she was not. He didn't know what to do. He had finally found her yet he had no
way of knowing if she would even live. He even himself knew as well that even if she
did snap out of this that it was likely that she would not be Lucy when she woke up.
He could only pour out his frustration in tears and leave the hospital and see what else
this world had to it.