:::::::::::::::

October 13, 01

:::::::::::::::

This chapter takes place 6 (yes, six) years after the last...(Don't mind the horrible medical stuff)

:::::::::::::::

Doug rolled over onto his side, his mind quickly flashing with the brief image of Carol. Laughing, her curly hair blowing in the wind. He quickly shoved it away, like he did every morning, and every night. She was the first thing he thought about when he woke and the last thing he thought of before he fell asleep. And all the time in between he had to struggle to forget her, even six years and a steady girlfriend later.

He opened his eyes. He looked at the blonde woman lying beside him, her arms tucked under her and her cheek pressed against the pillow. He smiled slightly and thought once again of the contrast between her and Carol.

Carol had dark, curly, hair that went down to her shoulders, or maybe a bit further. Joanna had blonde hair, so blonde it was nearly white. And it was sleek, straight, and went half way down her back. Her eyes were like liquid water they were so blue, while Carol's eyes had been hazel with pretty flecks of brown around the pupil. Joanna was slightly shorter than Carol and her body was somewhat more angular. Like her sharp cheekbones. Her voice was more feminine than Carol's husky one. Personality-wise, Joanna was shyer and quieter than Carol but was very animated once you got to know her. She didn't have quite as many mood swings as Carol had once had. While Carol had been a nurse in the ER, Joanna was a doctor on the pedes floor at County. Joanna was completely different than Carol and Doug supposed maybe that was why she had caught his eye in the first place because he needed a change. Something to keep his mind off of Carol.

It hadn't worked, but he had come to care greatly for Joanna. He could never love her as much as he loved Carol, he had figured out, but he did love her. Although sometimes he wondered if he was cheating her because he often thought of Carol while he was with her. He was just glad that he had done the right thing and told Joanna about Carol. She knew everything and hadn't even thought about leaving Doug because she knew that he was a changed man and her personality automatically gave him a chance.

Doug shook himself out of his thoughts and reached out, tucking a long strand of hair behind Joanna's ear. He slid closer to her and rubbed his hand along her back.

"Jo, baby, wake up." Doug whispered into her ear, rubbing his lips against it. She sighed and shifted. He kissed the spot directly behind her ear. "Jo." He murmured.

"Hey." She whispered beneath him. He smiled and backed away, meeting her blue gaze with one of his own.

"Good morning." He said. She turned onto her back and smiled up at him. He bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. "Have good night's sleep?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah." She replied and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her again.

"What time do you have to go in?" He asked.

"Seven." She replied.

"Me too." He said.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"5:51." He replied.

"We've got time." She whispered and he chuckled.

"Yes, we do." He said and slid his body gently over hers.

:::::::::::::::

"What have we got?" Mark asked as a gurney rolled through the doors. One of the paramedics accompanying it replied as Mark, Susan, Chuny, and Haleh moved up to the gurney and began wheeling it down the hall.

"73-year-old woman, fell down the stairs, possible broken hip. Her vitals are.." And he proceeded to rattle them off and Mark made mental note of them as they continued into an emergency room. Mark looked down at the elderly woman and saw the pain on her face.

"We're going to help you ma'am. Things will be just fine." Mark reassured her. She nodded.

"I'm so stupid." She said, her voice thick with pain. "I shouldn't have been carrying that big box down the stairs." She said. Mark smiled gently.

"Well, we're going to fix you right up." He said. She nodded as the gurney came to a stop in the trauma room. The paramedics left soon afterwards as the rest of the staff began to work on her. Doug pushed the door open and peeked his upper half into the room.

"Need any help in here?" He asked. Mark shook his head.

"No, Doug, I think we've got it." Mark replied. Doug nodded and went to turn but the old lady protested.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. Doug, having heard her exclamation stopped and turned. He gave Mark a puzzled look but continued into the room. Then he recognized the woman. It was Mrs. Barnado, his old landlady. He smiled warmly down at her.

"Hello Mrs. Barnado, how are you?" He asked. She grinned.

"I thought that was you, Dr. Ross." She replied. He grinned and took her hand.

"Yes, it's me." He looked down at her body, wondering what had happened. She smiled and waved her other hand at him, dismissively.

"I fell down the steps. I must have broken my hip." She said.

"We won't know until we get the X-Ray, Mrs. Barnado." Mark commented. Doug looked back down at the woman.

"Anyway, it's been so long since I've talked to you." The chipper old woman said. Doug grinned.

"Yes, it has been." He said and moved out of the way for one of the nurses, but continued holding her hand.

"I almost forgot all about them." She said.

"About what?" He asked, now puzzled and wondering if she was developing Alzheimer's.

"The letters." She said. His heart skipped.

"What letters?" He asked.

"The letters that were sent to your apartment after you left. I never knew how to contact you because I didn't know which hospital you worked at." She paused. "Yes, seven letters have come to your old box, around the same time each year. Around Thanksgiving. Hmm, I can't quite seem to remember who they were from, some woman. A..Catherine, maybe? No, no, that's not it."

"Carol?" Doug breathed, barely able to supress the anxiety that was suddenly overwhelming him.

"Yes, that's it!" The woman beamed, glad that he had been able to figure it out. "A Carol Hathaway, I believe. She has sent seven letters, one a year, since right after you moved out of the building." Doug simply stared at her, unsure how to react to this. Carol had contacted him all along. She had..Oh God. He needed to read those letters. "I don't know how long I will be in the hospital. I suppose I could let you get those letters." She said. Doug nodded.

"I'd appreciate it." He said. She nodded.

"If you can come and visit me later, I can have my daughter take you." She said. Thank God! Doug thought.

"That would be helpful." Doug said. She smiled.

"Come see me later, alright? We'll figure things out then." He said.

"Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Barnado."

"You're welcome, Dr. Ross." She smiled at him and he quickly left the room. He made his way to the men's room and leaned against the wall. Carol had contacted him. He wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or scared to read the letters.

:::::::::::::::

Doug stepped out of the elevator and sighed deeply. His heart was pounding deeply in his chest. He walked to the desk on the orthopedics floor and smiled at the clerk. She was young and blushed at his attention.

"Hey, could you tell me which room Mrs. Barnado is in." He said. She nodded.

"Sure." She replied and looked at something on the desk. "Room 302." She replied. He smiled again.

"Thank you." He began walking down the hallway and stopped in front of the room. He could see a pregnant woman, through the crack of the door, standing by the bed and holding an old hand, presumably Mrs. Barnado's. He knocked gently and stuck his head in, smiling.

"Hello." He called. Mrs. Barnado grinned at him.

"Dr. Ross, come in!" She exclaimed. He walked in and smiled politely at the young pregnant woman standing by the bed.

"This is my granddaughter, Jezze. My daughter was tied up with her work, so Jezze will be taking you to the building. Is that okay?" She asked. Doug grinned.

"That's perfectly fine. How are you?" He asked Jezze. She smiled in return.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Jezze, I think you should leave now. I believe Dr. Ross is very anxious to get these letters, am I right?" She asked. Doug ducked his head and smiled.

"Yes, I am." He replied. She smiled and nodded, understanding.

"I thought so. Well, Jezze knows where the letters are, so off you go." She ordered. Doug chuckled and Jezze smiled.

"Ready?" She asked. He nodded.

"Thanks for doing this." He said. She smiled.

"It's not a problem. I owe Nana a favor." She smiled warmly at her grandmother. "I'll be back later, Nana. As soon as I take him." She said. The woman waved a hand.

"No hurry." She replied. Doug chuckled and turned, leaving the room with Jezze by his side.

:::::::::::::::

Jezze used her key to open the door to her grandmother's small apartment in the building she owned.

"How long has your grandmother owned this building?" Doug asked curiously.

"Well, her and Grandfather bought the building back in '64. Grandfather died 6 years later and Nana has stayed here ever since." Doug nodded, suddenly nervous. His palms were sweating and he wiped them discreetly on his jeans. "Nana told me exactly where she kept the letters, so I should find them easily." Jezze said and made her way to a small desk. She open up the third door down and began rifling through it. "Ah ha!" She exclaimed and pulled out a bundle of letters, bound together with a rubber band. "Exactly where she said they were. Nana has a great memory." Doug resisted the urge to snap up the letters from her hands and tear into them to find out what they said. He smiled politely.

"Thank you for doing this." He said. She nodded and smiled pretty at him and handed him the small bundle.

"It's no problem." Doug itched to read the letters but knew he would have to wait until he was alone.

:::::::::::::::