Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that appear on the show, however I have made up a few of my own.

Survival: Part Three

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Someone get a backboard and collar," Susan yelled as she ran over to where Abby was kneeling next to Carter. His eyes were fixed on the sky but he wasn't showing any signs that the words Abby was whispering were completely heard. "What happened?" Susan asked.

"I don't know. We were talking and then this car came out of nowhere," Abby told her before glancing over her shoulder and noticing Gallant holding a drunk man against the dented car.

With the help of Pratt and Malik, they managed to get Carter onto the backboard and then onto a gurney. Susan took a flashlight to his eyes.

"John, does your head hurt?" Susan asked. He didn't answer. She glanced at Abby who stood outside the trauma room watching. "I need you to tell me what hurts."

"Dr. Lewis, you should see this," Malik said as a new med student cut away Carter's shirt.

She stood up fully and walked across from them. "Are those from the accident?" she asked upon seeing the deep bruising on his torso and across his ribs. "Get an ultrasound," she told Malik. "Help me roll him," she told Pratt.

"More on his lower back," he said.

"Dr. Lewis," the med student said. "There's something else." She held up Carter's right wrist to see a design burned into his skin.

"Are those cigarette burns?" she asked. Susan looked out the window again and her eyes connected with Abby's. Something wasn't right about this picture.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It took all his strength to lift his arm and rub his throbbing head, wincing in as pain shot through his entire body. Then he felt the sting of a needle stuck into his arm and for a brief moment he relished in the drugs that pumped through his body before realizing that this was ruining his career. Working as quickly as he fingers would let him, he pulled the needle out, not caring as a trickle of blood began to run down his arm. All he could think about was getting out of there before he did something really stupid. He found his shoes on the floor and slowly slipped his feet into them. He went to secure his watch around his wrist until he noticed the gauze that obstructed the way. He realized the longer he stayed here, the more questions they would ask. By now they had already taken x-rays and examined him, finding out that his injuries from the car accident only added to his other injuries. He glanced at the nearest clock and noticed he had been there far too long. It was almost ten.

"Are you suppose to be moving? I think you need to get back into bed," a girl in an unlabeled lab coat said. "You're bleeding. Did you take out your IV?"

"Who is this?" Carter asked as he walked past admit.

"Pratt's med student," Jerry told him.

"Wonderful," he said as he walked into the lounge, the girl following him.

"You're really hurt. You need to stay in the hospital for awhile. Walking could injure your internal organs," the girl argued. "Are you suppose to be in the lounge? Patients don't come into the lounge."

"I'm not a patient," he said through gritted teeth.

"What are you doing?" Susan asked walking into the lounge to find Carter opening his locker.

"I was asking him the same thing. It looks like he's breaking into another locker," the med student said.

"Can you take care of her?" Carter asked without turning around.

"John, you should be in bed," Susan said.

"I told him that." Susan looked at the girl before looking back at Carter. "Kerry wants you to talk to someone. Now that you're awake."

"I'm fine and I'm not talking to some shrink. I've done that already." He slammed his locked shut and turned to them. Susan could see the pain etched across his face, his lips slightly paler than the rest of his flushed face. She reached up and placed her hand on his forehead.

"You have a fever."

"Susan, I am fine. Actually, I'm excellent," he said as Abby stepped into the lounge with Pratt. "I have morphine running through my blood stream. I've wanted this fix since the day I was forced to stop. So, yeah. I'm perfect. And who's brilliant idea was it to feed an addict his poison?" he yelled. "You shoot me up with drugs without a second thought. Do you realize all the time I just wasted trying to get better, suffering through this, wasting three months is some center that mainly taught me how to play pool but not how to manage my life and my addiction? Tell Kerry, I'm saving her some time. I quit," he said before brushing painfully past Pratt and walking out the door, leaving Susan standing, knowing that he decisions had practically ruined her best friend's life.

"You gave him drugs?" Abby asked stepping further in.

The new med student was getting more information than most people in the ER had at that moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews. I'm still working on all the details of Carter's condition so bare with me as I decide how I want it to come into play. Please continue to R&R.