"Only ever since Luka started work here again."
She nodded. "And you're okay with that?"
"Me?" Carter laughed, attempting to keep it from sounding too bitter. Susan shrugged. "I'm not exactly pleased, but I'd never say anything."
She repeated a shrug, and nodded. "And Abby?"
"She doesn't feel comfortable with the two of us working together."
Susan stepped back to the counter, reaching for her bag on the surface and slinging it over her shoulders. "Well, there's no feeling like completing another shift down here. Successfully."
"Going home?" Carter asked with his eyes cast onto a chart in his arms. Same story as the last six hours'.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm out of here. See you all tomorrow."
He nodded with a slight wave, and returned to his work. The words were starting to blur together after his lengthy shift of ten hours, after having Weaver and Luka head to a conference out of state. Left in charge with a darkened Romano breathing down his back.
"Carter," a voice interrupted, "could you come here for a second?"
He looked up to Abby, as he wiped his eyes. His goal to strike away the sleep threatening wouldn't pull through. "Sure. What is it?"
"I think the mother of the leukemia kid wants to ask you something."
They shared a short glance as their walk continued to the trauma room. The woman inside looked back up at them with dark, tear-ridden eyes and searched for support.
"Let me get you a chair, Ms. Lyons," Abby offered quietly, stepping out of the room.
The woman only glanced back down at her son, waiting for him to awaken from the sleep he had assumed.
"Ms. Lyons," Carter said, coming closer to her, "I'm Dr. Carter."
She nodded as Abby slipped back into the doorway, coming around to the mother and helping her into the chair she'd fetched. She thought to continue out, but stopped and stood next to Carter.
"We tried everything we could," he said. "No one knew he had tracked anything, and there was no way of telling before this."
Abby cleared her throat. "He had some of the best people in the state working on him. He's very young and the disease was too much for him."
Carter laid his eyes into his knees, trying his hardest to burn through. "We're very sorry."
The woman didn't move, so Carter went on. "If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them."
Again, she kept her eyes on the small figure in front of her. She bent forward and placed a kiss into his forehead, his eyes. Her hope to wake her son was slowly fading.
"We're so sorry," Abby said as they moved out of the room.
When the couple were alone in the hallway, Abby squeezed his hand and headed the down toward where Chen was asking for her. Carter looked up and decided to take his break.
--
"I thought I would find you here."
His head snapped up and found her walking toward him, her jacket wrapped around blue scrubs. He offered her a faint smile, reflecting off her own as she stopped a foot away from him.
"A little much sometimes."
He shrugged.
She came further to him and rested her shoulder against his, elbows standing on the rail close to his.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice like ice as it shattered everything around them. She joined his head, hung above the river below.
He shook. "It's just sad."
"That's not what it is to you."
He looked back at her, ready to counter. But her eyes caught his, and he stopped. "I know."
His hands fell over the edge of the rail, and she took the nearest one into her own. Analyzing every detail of his skin, she grasped it tightly and pulled him away from the overlook to the bench behind them.
"I'm sorry," she repeated as his head rested against her shoulder. She let her own fall atop of his mess of hair, whispering again. "I'm sorry."
Her hair falling in front of her face was a simple amusement to him. Feather-like, it fell through the wind and shone with every ray of the sun in which they bathed. When the wind picked up, it would take the tresses into her eyes. And at this moment she wouldn't pick up her hand to gently push them out of the way.
So he did so for her.
When his hand caught her view, she reached for it and held it in her lap, sketching blindly over his rough skin, weathered with this day's thoughts. Each of them exhaling strongly, they took advantage of the afternoon around them and fell back to the person next to them.
"What was it like?"
"Hmm?"
"After your brother died."
He stared over and across the city's dull lights, the dirtied air added. "Different."
She looked as if she took the initiative to end the conversation, but Carter continued.
"Our parents were never around, never paid attention." He swallowed. "But after Bobby died everything was different."
"Oh," she murmured. "How?"
Another sigh. "Different. darker. Much quieter."
For a long while, neither of them spoke a word. Just one hand on top of the other, idly admiring still. Whenever a zephyr's trail had spoken, each of them would fall back further.
A soft kiss against his pale cheek: "We've gotta go."
He nodded and together they stood, walking alongside the rail above waters. The breeze picked up and he hung his arm around her hips. Soon they found their own step, and continued with the other in complete serenity.
--
When a baby was put to bed, and the blankets in his crib had been sweetly tucked around his cradled body, the last thing that parents could do was admire his beauty. The same frustrated set from his mother, Carter had pointed out.
Each parent had their arms resting on the side of the crib, eyes set on the tiny being inside. He breathed so softly, and a father could be concerned with nothing but the state of his son's comfort - pulling the blankets down repeatedly to cover the tips of his toes. Sighing continuously at the sight of what they'd created, each found themselves in awe.
Her arm rested at the bottom of his back, hand climbing to twist a gather of his T-shirt into her fingers. With this, he carefully put an arm around her.
He looked down at her, just a glance her way. Within a moment, his lips met the top of her head.
She turned her face to see him, smiling down at her.
And she smiled in return.
--
end
--
Just wanted to thank *everyone* for being SO supportive about this fic. It was my first one I've ever done and I loved writing it, and receiving your feedback. Sorry it took so long to update it, I've had the first six paragraphs in MSW for about a month. ;)
Thank you so much again, and I really hope this chapter did something.
-manda
She nodded. "And you're okay with that?"
"Me?" Carter laughed, attempting to keep it from sounding too bitter. Susan shrugged. "I'm not exactly pleased, but I'd never say anything."
She repeated a shrug, and nodded. "And Abby?"
"She doesn't feel comfortable with the two of us working together."
Susan stepped back to the counter, reaching for her bag on the surface and slinging it over her shoulders. "Well, there's no feeling like completing another shift down here. Successfully."
"Going home?" Carter asked with his eyes cast onto a chart in his arms. Same story as the last six hours'.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm out of here. See you all tomorrow."
He nodded with a slight wave, and returned to his work. The words were starting to blur together after his lengthy shift of ten hours, after having Weaver and Luka head to a conference out of state. Left in charge with a darkened Romano breathing down his back.
"Carter," a voice interrupted, "could you come here for a second?"
He looked up to Abby, as he wiped his eyes. His goal to strike away the sleep threatening wouldn't pull through. "Sure. What is it?"
"I think the mother of the leukemia kid wants to ask you something."
They shared a short glance as their walk continued to the trauma room. The woman inside looked back up at them with dark, tear-ridden eyes and searched for support.
"Let me get you a chair, Ms. Lyons," Abby offered quietly, stepping out of the room.
The woman only glanced back down at her son, waiting for him to awaken from the sleep he had assumed.
"Ms. Lyons," Carter said, coming closer to her, "I'm Dr. Carter."
She nodded as Abby slipped back into the doorway, coming around to the mother and helping her into the chair she'd fetched. She thought to continue out, but stopped and stood next to Carter.
"We tried everything we could," he said. "No one knew he had tracked anything, and there was no way of telling before this."
Abby cleared her throat. "He had some of the best people in the state working on him. He's very young and the disease was too much for him."
Carter laid his eyes into his knees, trying his hardest to burn through. "We're very sorry."
The woman didn't move, so Carter went on. "If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them."
Again, she kept her eyes on the small figure in front of her. She bent forward and placed a kiss into his forehead, his eyes. Her hope to wake her son was slowly fading.
"We're so sorry," Abby said as they moved out of the room.
When the couple were alone in the hallway, Abby squeezed his hand and headed the down toward where Chen was asking for her. Carter looked up and decided to take his break.
--
"I thought I would find you here."
His head snapped up and found her walking toward him, her jacket wrapped around blue scrubs. He offered her a faint smile, reflecting off her own as she stopped a foot away from him.
"A little much sometimes."
He shrugged.
She came further to him and rested her shoulder against his, elbows standing on the rail close to his.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice like ice as it shattered everything around them. She joined his head, hung above the river below.
He shook. "It's just sad."
"That's not what it is to you."
He looked back at her, ready to counter. But her eyes caught his, and he stopped. "I know."
His hands fell over the edge of the rail, and she took the nearest one into her own. Analyzing every detail of his skin, she grasped it tightly and pulled him away from the overlook to the bench behind them.
"I'm sorry," she repeated as his head rested against her shoulder. She let her own fall atop of his mess of hair, whispering again. "I'm sorry."
Her hair falling in front of her face was a simple amusement to him. Feather-like, it fell through the wind and shone with every ray of the sun in which they bathed. When the wind picked up, it would take the tresses into her eyes. And at this moment she wouldn't pick up her hand to gently push them out of the way.
So he did so for her.
When his hand caught her view, she reached for it and held it in her lap, sketching blindly over his rough skin, weathered with this day's thoughts. Each of them exhaling strongly, they took advantage of the afternoon around them and fell back to the person next to them.
"What was it like?"
"Hmm?"
"After your brother died."
He stared over and across the city's dull lights, the dirtied air added. "Different."
She looked as if she took the initiative to end the conversation, but Carter continued.
"Our parents were never around, never paid attention." He swallowed. "But after Bobby died everything was different."
"Oh," she murmured. "How?"
Another sigh. "Different. darker. Much quieter."
For a long while, neither of them spoke a word. Just one hand on top of the other, idly admiring still. Whenever a zephyr's trail had spoken, each of them would fall back further.
A soft kiss against his pale cheek: "We've gotta go."
He nodded and together they stood, walking alongside the rail above waters. The breeze picked up and he hung his arm around her hips. Soon they found their own step, and continued with the other in complete serenity.
--
When a baby was put to bed, and the blankets in his crib had been sweetly tucked around his cradled body, the last thing that parents could do was admire his beauty. The same frustrated set from his mother, Carter had pointed out.
Each parent had their arms resting on the side of the crib, eyes set on the tiny being inside. He breathed so softly, and a father could be concerned with nothing but the state of his son's comfort - pulling the blankets down repeatedly to cover the tips of his toes. Sighing continuously at the sight of what they'd created, each found themselves in awe.
Her arm rested at the bottom of his back, hand climbing to twist a gather of his T-shirt into her fingers. With this, he carefully put an arm around her.
He looked down at her, just a glance her way. Within a moment, his lips met the top of her head.
She turned her face to see him, smiling down at her.
And she smiled in return.
--
end
--
Just wanted to thank *everyone* for being SO supportive about this fic. It was my first one I've ever done and I loved writing it, and receiving your feedback. Sorry it took so long to update it, I've had the first six paragraphs in MSW for about a month. ;)
Thank you so much again, and I really hope this chapter did something.
-manda