It's a WondERful Life
AUTHOR: Emma Stuart CATEGORY: Romance/Drama SPOILERS: None DISCLAIMER: I do not own ER, or any of the characters. I also don't own the movie I have borrowed from shamelessly, but that hasn't stopped me yet.
SUMMARY: When she contemplates taking her life just before Christmas, Abby finds some unexpected help from a former colleague.
ARCHIVE: Ask and ye shall receive
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'll be on vacation the next week, coming up with the rest of the story. But I couldn't leave you hanging! Stay tuned.
Chapter 3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
"Abby, don't." The quiet words startled her. She grasped the railing and spun around.
"You?" she gasped in shock, "But I thought you were dead. I went to your funeral!"
Mark Green shrugged his shoulders. "I am dead. But that doesn't mean I'm not standing here and talking to you." When he saw her tottering near the edge of the ledge, he moved forward quickly and grasped her elbow. "Hey, careful now. I don't want to lose my first case before I begin." He helped Abby over the railing, and she sat down abruptly, drawing her knees to her chest and lowering her head to her knees.
Taking several deep breaths, she raised her head and looked at Mark. He was wearing green scrubs and the same shabby clogs he had worn the last time she had seen him in the ER. But the look of worry was erased from his face, and he had a wonderful serenity about him. "You're still here," she wailed. "I thought my imagination was playing tricks."
Mark spread his arms and said, "No tricks. It's me."
She smiled up at him. "Well, it's good to see you, dead or alive. I've missed you-we all have." She broke off abruptly as she replayed his previous words in her mind. "You said that I was your first case," she repeated cautiously. "What does that mean? Oh, God, you're not the first of four ghosts to visit me tonight, are you?"
Mark smiled gently and hunkered down in front of her. "Nope, wrong movie. I was sent here tonight because you were thinking of taking your life, and I want to show you what a mistake that would be."
Abby let out a shaky laugh, "Oh, I love that movie-where Jimmy Stewart runs down the street, screaming, 'Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! Merry Christmas, Movie Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Savings and Loan!' " She smiled wistfully at the memory.
Mark grinned and stood up. "Yeah, I loved that movie too. But I'm the real deal tonight, and we've got work to do." He reached out his hand to her and pulled her to her feet. "How do you feel?"
Abby frowned. Her hand, which had been throbbing from the earlier cut, felt fine. Looking at the palm, she realized that the cut and bandage were gone. She swallowed, and noticed that the sore throat she had earlier in the day had vanished. "I feel fine. What happened to my hand? The cut is gone. Did you perform a miracle?"
"No, you got your wish."
"Wish? What wish?" Abby looked mystified.
Mark took both of her hands in his, and replied, "You wished you had never been born. You got your wish. You don't exist. You never did. Poof! Now, it's my job to show you what the world without you would have been like."
Abby laughed and pulled her hands away from his grasp. "Oh, no, I'm hallucinating. This can't be for real."
Mark smiled, but shook his head from side to side. "No, this is all very real. People can see and hear you, touch you even, but they do not know you as Abby Lockhart, because you never existed."
She stared at him. "Who are you in this scenario? Clarence? Are you earning your wings?"
Mark shrugged. "We all have to earn our wings someway. This is the task that I've been given. Now, c'mon, we've got a long night ahead of us." He took her hand and stated in stern tones, "Touch the hem of my garment and we shall be invisible."
Abby gaped at him. "Will I be able to fly?"
"No, I've just always wanted to say that." He grinned at her, and took a firmer grasp of her hand. "Let's go-now."
AUTHOR: Emma Stuart CATEGORY: Romance/Drama SPOILERS: None DISCLAIMER: I do not own ER, or any of the characters. I also don't own the movie I have borrowed from shamelessly, but that hasn't stopped me yet.
SUMMARY: When she contemplates taking her life just before Christmas, Abby finds some unexpected help from a former colleague.
ARCHIVE: Ask and ye shall receive
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'll be on vacation the next week, coming up with the rest of the story. But I couldn't leave you hanging! Stay tuned.
Chapter 3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
"Abby, don't." The quiet words startled her. She grasped the railing and spun around.
"You?" she gasped in shock, "But I thought you were dead. I went to your funeral!"
Mark Green shrugged his shoulders. "I am dead. But that doesn't mean I'm not standing here and talking to you." When he saw her tottering near the edge of the ledge, he moved forward quickly and grasped her elbow. "Hey, careful now. I don't want to lose my first case before I begin." He helped Abby over the railing, and she sat down abruptly, drawing her knees to her chest and lowering her head to her knees.
Taking several deep breaths, she raised her head and looked at Mark. He was wearing green scrubs and the same shabby clogs he had worn the last time she had seen him in the ER. But the look of worry was erased from his face, and he had a wonderful serenity about him. "You're still here," she wailed. "I thought my imagination was playing tricks."
Mark spread his arms and said, "No tricks. It's me."
She smiled up at him. "Well, it's good to see you, dead or alive. I've missed you-we all have." She broke off abruptly as she replayed his previous words in her mind. "You said that I was your first case," she repeated cautiously. "What does that mean? Oh, God, you're not the first of four ghosts to visit me tonight, are you?"
Mark smiled gently and hunkered down in front of her. "Nope, wrong movie. I was sent here tonight because you were thinking of taking your life, and I want to show you what a mistake that would be."
Abby let out a shaky laugh, "Oh, I love that movie-where Jimmy Stewart runs down the street, screaming, 'Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! Merry Christmas, Movie Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Savings and Loan!' " She smiled wistfully at the memory.
Mark grinned and stood up. "Yeah, I loved that movie too. But I'm the real deal tonight, and we've got work to do." He reached out his hand to her and pulled her to her feet. "How do you feel?"
Abby frowned. Her hand, which had been throbbing from the earlier cut, felt fine. Looking at the palm, she realized that the cut and bandage were gone. She swallowed, and noticed that the sore throat she had earlier in the day had vanished. "I feel fine. What happened to my hand? The cut is gone. Did you perform a miracle?"
"No, you got your wish."
"Wish? What wish?" Abby looked mystified.
Mark took both of her hands in his, and replied, "You wished you had never been born. You got your wish. You don't exist. You never did. Poof! Now, it's my job to show you what the world without you would have been like."
Abby laughed and pulled her hands away from his grasp. "Oh, no, I'm hallucinating. This can't be for real."
Mark smiled, but shook his head from side to side. "No, this is all very real. People can see and hear you, touch you even, but they do not know you as Abby Lockhart, because you never existed."
She stared at him. "Who are you in this scenario? Clarence? Are you earning your wings?"
Mark shrugged. "We all have to earn our wings someway. This is the task that I've been given. Now, c'mon, we've got a long night ahead of us." He took her hand and stated in stern tones, "Touch the hem of my garment and we shall be invisible."
Abby gaped at him. "Will I be able to fly?"
"No, I've just always wanted to say that." He grinned at her, and took a firmer grasp of her hand. "Let's go-now."