Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original ER characters, however I
have made up a few of my own.
Apprehension: Blast From the Past
~*~*~*~*~*~
For close to twelve hours she had watched from afar as he treated and streeted many patients without one moment of hesitation and hardly a time to breathe. She had watched as he playfully bantered with Susan; the only real time he smiled. She had watched as he broke the news to a mother of five that her husband wouldn't be coming home again. She had watched as he slowly slipped into the men's room, only to emerge five minutes later with a flushed face and no expression. Now he was walked back to admit, not really looking as exhausted as he was, and picking up his messages and labs.
"Aren't you due for a break?" Abby asked leaning on the counter next to him.
"I'll take a break when I'm ready."
"I was kind of hoping for company for coffee."
"Ask Trent," he said before his hands stilled and he took a millisecond to respond. "Oh, wait. He's at home taking care of your mysterious kid." He erased a name off the board. "And while we're on the subject, why don't you spend time with your own kid? Are you that scared of being a mother that you can't even see your own kid?" he asked.
"It's not what you think. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but there's never been a time."
"Really, because you're practically lived out of my house. You came to talk to me at Kerry's. You've had plenty of time."
"Don't be mad."
"I'm not mad."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not. I just feel sorry for that little boy who never gets to see his mother because she's having too much fun with her new boyfriend."
"I don't have to explain my relationship with my son or with Trent. Apparently, it's not something you could understand. Not being a father and all," she said looking at her feet.
Her motions went unnoticed by him and he didn't offer up any comeback line. When she looked up he was completely ignoring her while scanning his messages.
"Excuse me," he said as he took a step to walk around her but all his motions halted when she blocked his path.
"Talk to me," she pleaded.
"We're not discussing this any further. We've already established that I have my life and you have yours. We live them separately." He turned away from her and was about to walk off when Frank stopped him.
"You have a visitor. She's been waiting about an hour but you've been running around like a mad man," Frank told him.
"I'm really busy. My med student is late. And I have patients," Carter said.
"I think she's scared. She probably shouldn't even be here. If you could just talk to her," Frank said. Carter sighed and rubbed his eyes, finally looking at Frank. "She's in chairs." Carter looked into chairs and aside from a few people with coughs or bruises, there was no one there he knew.
"I don't know anyone in chairs, Frank. Maybe this person left."
"No. The little girl. Blonde hair. Nose in a book." Carter looked again and there she was.
Sensing someone watching her, the girl looked up from her book and the first eyes she met were his.
"Frank, do we have the forwarding phone numbers and addresses for past employees?"
"What?" he asked Carter.
"The book that has all forwarding addresses? Find it," Carter said as he rounded admit and walked over to chairs, slowly sitting down in one across from the girl, his back to everyone who was attempting to watch Dr. Carter with this mysterious girl.
"Hi," Carter said, setting his charts on the chair next to him.
"You're Doctor Carter?" she asked.
"The one and only."
"Then I guess I'm in the right place." She hesitated to smile. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.
He nodded, afraid that the right words wouldn't come to him.
"Dr. Carter, I have that book," Frank said. He watched Carter wave him off.
"Are you hurt?" Carter asked.
"No. I might be dead when my mom finds out I'm here."
"You came alone?" he asked.
"Everyone was really nice to me on my flights."
"If I'm correct, you're living in Europe," he said.
She nodded.
"And you flew here by yourself?"
She nodded.
"How'd you get that kind of money?" he asked.
"My mom had this account set up for me. She said it had money that my dad would send to me. I had to search really hard to find the account number. I still don't know how much is in it. But I bought my plane ticket and then I came here."
"Any reason why?"
"She has a new boyfriend. He's not very nice. To either of us."
"Did he hit you? Hurt you?" Carter asked.
"Only once, but she didn't do anything, so I came here. He can't hurt me here, right?" she asked, her eyes threatening tears.
"No. No one can hurt you here," Carter reassured her, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: Please continue to R&R and check out my other stories. I'm in the process of working on more, so my time is now divided. So please bare with me as I won't be updating as many chapters as I did before.
Apprehension: Blast From the Past
~*~*~*~*~*~
For close to twelve hours she had watched from afar as he treated and streeted many patients without one moment of hesitation and hardly a time to breathe. She had watched as he playfully bantered with Susan; the only real time he smiled. She had watched as he broke the news to a mother of five that her husband wouldn't be coming home again. She had watched as he slowly slipped into the men's room, only to emerge five minutes later with a flushed face and no expression. Now he was walked back to admit, not really looking as exhausted as he was, and picking up his messages and labs.
"Aren't you due for a break?" Abby asked leaning on the counter next to him.
"I'll take a break when I'm ready."
"I was kind of hoping for company for coffee."
"Ask Trent," he said before his hands stilled and he took a millisecond to respond. "Oh, wait. He's at home taking care of your mysterious kid." He erased a name off the board. "And while we're on the subject, why don't you spend time with your own kid? Are you that scared of being a mother that you can't even see your own kid?" he asked.
"It's not what you think. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but there's never been a time."
"Really, because you're practically lived out of my house. You came to talk to me at Kerry's. You've had plenty of time."
"Don't be mad."
"I'm not mad."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not. I just feel sorry for that little boy who never gets to see his mother because she's having too much fun with her new boyfriend."
"I don't have to explain my relationship with my son or with Trent. Apparently, it's not something you could understand. Not being a father and all," she said looking at her feet.
Her motions went unnoticed by him and he didn't offer up any comeback line. When she looked up he was completely ignoring her while scanning his messages.
"Excuse me," he said as he took a step to walk around her but all his motions halted when she blocked his path.
"Talk to me," she pleaded.
"We're not discussing this any further. We've already established that I have my life and you have yours. We live them separately." He turned away from her and was about to walk off when Frank stopped him.
"You have a visitor. She's been waiting about an hour but you've been running around like a mad man," Frank told him.
"I'm really busy. My med student is late. And I have patients," Carter said.
"I think she's scared. She probably shouldn't even be here. If you could just talk to her," Frank said. Carter sighed and rubbed his eyes, finally looking at Frank. "She's in chairs." Carter looked into chairs and aside from a few people with coughs or bruises, there was no one there he knew.
"I don't know anyone in chairs, Frank. Maybe this person left."
"No. The little girl. Blonde hair. Nose in a book." Carter looked again and there she was.
Sensing someone watching her, the girl looked up from her book and the first eyes she met were his.
"Frank, do we have the forwarding phone numbers and addresses for past employees?"
"What?" he asked Carter.
"The book that has all forwarding addresses? Find it," Carter said as he rounded admit and walked over to chairs, slowly sitting down in one across from the girl, his back to everyone who was attempting to watch Dr. Carter with this mysterious girl.
"Hi," Carter said, setting his charts on the chair next to him.
"You're Doctor Carter?" she asked.
"The one and only."
"Then I guess I'm in the right place." She hesitated to smile. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.
He nodded, afraid that the right words wouldn't come to him.
"Dr. Carter, I have that book," Frank said. He watched Carter wave him off.
"Are you hurt?" Carter asked.
"No. I might be dead when my mom finds out I'm here."
"You came alone?" he asked.
"Everyone was really nice to me on my flights."
"If I'm correct, you're living in Europe," he said.
She nodded.
"And you flew here by yourself?"
She nodded.
"How'd you get that kind of money?" he asked.
"My mom had this account set up for me. She said it had money that my dad would send to me. I had to search really hard to find the account number. I still don't know how much is in it. But I bought my plane ticket and then I came here."
"Any reason why?"
"She has a new boyfriend. He's not very nice. To either of us."
"Did he hit you? Hurt you?" Carter asked.
"Only once, but she didn't do anything, so I came here. He can't hurt me here, right?" she asked, her eyes threatening tears.
"No. No one can hurt you here," Carter reassured her, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: Please continue to R&R and check out my other stories. I'm in the process of working on more, so my time is now divided. So please bare with me as I won't be updating as many chapters as I did before.
