Janet arrived at work the next morning a little early the next morning, the
traffic being much better than usual, probably because she'd left almost
half an hour early.
"Hi." Joanne greeted her as she dumped her purse on the table in the staff room.
"Hey." Janet replied without much emotion.
"I didn't think you'd be in today."
"Why not?" Janet asked, sitting down across from Joanna at the table after putting her stuff in her locker.
"I just thought you and Jack would have a lot of stuff to sort out." She smiled almost apologetically. Janet snorted in response,
"Right." She replied. Joanne frowned,
"What?" She asked,
"Nothing."
"Janet, it's obvious something's bothering you. Give me a break I mean, I'm not stupid." She pressed, Janet sighed.
"It's just Jack."
"What? What'd he do?" Joanne asked, concerned.
"No, nothing." She paused. "It's just. Last night, we went from being angry with each other, to hugging. It just felt off. And now he's decided we should go back to Colorado before the baby's born." She said the last part less than enthusiastically.
"And you don't want to go back?"
"No, it's not that. It's just, I would have preferred to wait until after the baby was born." She paused again, "I'm just being selfish, Jack has to go back for his job, and Cassie wants to see her friends."
"Is it what you really want?" Joanne asked, seeing the less than eager way Janet spoke about returning to Colorado.
"I don't know." She thought for a moment. "A part of me does. But another part of me really dreads going back."
"What parts winning?" Joanne asked with a smile,
"I'd say it's a tie just now." Janet smiled back.
"Do you know why you don't want to go back?"
"Yeap."
"And..?"
"Sam."
"Oh." Joanne said as the realisation dawned on her. "Did you talk to Jack about it?"
"Yeah."
"What'd he say?"
"That there's nothing between them. I know he's lying, but I just acted like I believed him. I couldn't really face going through all that with him last night." She laughed, "How the hell did my life end up so complicated?"
"Oh come it's not that bad."
"Right. I'm only pregnant with my ex's baby, who lest we forget has a thing with my best friend, except they can't do anything about it because of they frat. regs." Janet neglected to mention the part about how they were together in two alternate realities.
"Well when you put it like that..."
"I just feel horrible about doing this to Sam. She loves him, really loves him."
"If she loves him so much why didn't she just get a transfer?" Joanne frowned.
"Her work's important to her."
"Her analysis of deep space radar telemetry?"
"It's apparently fascinating, if you're into that sort of thing." She stopped when she saw Joanne's dubious look. "Look, it's all classified, but the point is, what they do is important, very important."
"I suppose." She said doubtfully, not understanding what could be more important. "So are you going to go?"
"I don't really have much choice." She replied, "I knew I'd have to go back sometime, but.."
"You thought you'd be able to decide when." Joanne finished the sentence for her. Janet nodded. "You know, if Sam's really such a great friend she'll understand." Joanne tried to be helpful.
"I don't know." Janet paused for a second, "I mean, she doesn't even know Jack and I knew each other before."
"She doesn't?" Joanne was a little shocked by this development.
"It just kinda never came up in conversation." Janet replied sheepishly. Joanne's look prompted some more. "Well I mean what was I supposed to say, 'Guess what Sam? I used to live with your CO.' Yeah that's the kind of thing you just fling in." She said defensively.
"You're right, sorry." She smiled, "So when are you going?" She asked.
"After I've worked my four weeks notice I guess." Janet replied, her tone returning to the less than eager one from before.
"You don't have to you know." Joanne suggested.
"What?"
"Work the four week notice, I mean your maternity leave's starting in two weeks anyway. And I know the doctor that's covering for you is available right now. You could just go."
"That eager to get rid of me?" Janet joked.
"No! No, that's not what I meant. I mean if anything it's the opposite, you're a great doctor. But I'm just thinking about you, I mean, you have to drive back right?" Janet nodded, "Well would you rather do it six and half or seven and a half months? And I mean, you're gonna have to face Sam sometime, the longer you leave it.."
"I guess you're right." She said, lost in thought. "Are you sure that's ok though, I mean I feel like I'm dropping you in it. You persuaded the board to take me on, and now I'm leaving."
"Don't worry about it, I'm the boss in the ER, all hiring and firing decisions are up to me, the board just think they have a say." She laughed.
"Thanks."
"No problem. So, you want to make today your last day?"
"It's your call."
"Ok." She looked at her watch. "Looks like Mathew and Kerry are late again. Come on, you ready for your last day?" She smiled, Janet returned the smile,
"Oh yeah, bring it on." She laughed,
"You're gonna be sorry you said that, we're gonna be really busy now." Joanne said, pouting. Janet laughed.
"Sorry, I forgot about the jinx." She said as they both stepped out into the ER.
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Jack heard the door click as Janet came home,
"Where the hell have you been?" Jack asked springing up off the seat and towards her.
"What?" She asked pushing past him.
"It's almost eight, your shift ended almost two hours ago." He said looking at his watch.
"Sorry, I went out with Joanne and some people from work." She said, annoyed by the way he was questioning her.
"Well you could have called, I was worried."
"I'm sorry ok?" She said, her voice softening. "I'm not used to having somebody at home waiting for me."
"I guess." He sat down as she got herself a drink, "So how was work?" He asked, trying to be cheerful.
"Fine, just the usual."
"You know I was thinking, are you sure it's safe to work there, I mean, I saw this documentary about two doctors being stabbed-" He was cut off mid- sentence,
"That wasn't a documentary Jack, that was ER, the TV show." She said, slightly amused, "And you don't have to worry, Joanne suggested that today be my last day."
"She did?" Jack asked excitedly.
"Yeah. That's why we went to the bar, an impromptu leaving party."
"You went to a bar?" He asked, his voice filled with concern. "With smoke and stuff. You didn't drink anything did you?"
"Jesus Jack, calm down. The baby won't be affected because I was in a bar for a couple of hours."
"Right. Right, sorry." He quickly changed the subject. "That's great though! We can go back even sooner." Jack said, grinning.
"Yeah, great." Janet tried to sound happy.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked,
Nothing." She lied. "I'm just tired." Which wasn't a lie at all, she was almost dead on her feet. She finished her drink, walking over to the couch rubbing her aching back.
"Your back sore?" He asked.
"Yeah." She didn't sit down. "Is Cass in her room?"
"Yeah."
"I'll just go say hi." She walked away. Leaving Jack somewhat bemused by her lack of enthusiasm about going back, and despite what she said, he knew fine while it wasn't just tiredness.
"Hi." Joanne greeted her as she dumped her purse on the table in the staff room.
"Hey." Janet replied without much emotion.
"I didn't think you'd be in today."
"Why not?" Janet asked, sitting down across from Joanna at the table after putting her stuff in her locker.
"I just thought you and Jack would have a lot of stuff to sort out." She smiled almost apologetically. Janet snorted in response,
"Right." She replied. Joanne frowned,
"What?" She asked,
"Nothing."
"Janet, it's obvious something's bothering you. Give me a break I mean, I'm not stupid." She pressed, Janet sighed.
"It's just Jack."
"What? What'd he do?" Joanne asked, concerned.
"No, nothing." She paused. "It's just. Last night, we went from being angry with each other, to hugging. It just felt off. And now he's decided we should go back to Colorado before the baby's born." She said the last part less than enthusiastically.
"And you don't want to go back?"
"No, it's not that. It's just, I would have preferred to wait until after the baby was born." She paused again, "I'm just being selfish, Jack has to go back for his job, and Cassie wants to see her friends."
"Is it what you really want?" Joanne asked, seeing the less than eager way Janet spoke about returning to Colorado.
"I don't know." She thought for a moment. "A part of me does. But another part of me really dreads going back."
"What parts winning?" Joanne asked with a smile,
"I'd say it's a tie just now." Janet smiled back.
"Do you know why you don't want to go back?"
"Yeap."
"And..?"
"Sam."
"Oh." Joanne said as the realisation dawned on her. "Did you talk to Jack about it?"
"Yeah."
"What'd he say?"
"That there's nothing between them. I know he's lying, but I just acted like I believed him. I couldn't really face going through all that with him last night." She laughed, "How the hell did my life end up so complicated?"
"Oh come it's not that bad."
"Right. I'm only pregnant with my ex's baby, who lest we forget has a thing with my best friend, except they can't do anything about it because of they frat. regs." Janet neglected to mention the part about how they were together in two alternate realities.
"Well when you put it like that..."
"I just feel horrible about doing this to Sam. She loves him, really loves him."
"If she loves him so much why didn't she just get a transfer?" Joanne frowned.
"Her work's important to her."
"Her analysis of deep space radar telemetry?"
"It's apparently fascinating, if you're into that sort of thing." She stopped when she saw Joanne's dubious look. "Look, it's all classified, but the point is, what they do is important, very important."
"I suppose." She said doubtfully, not understanding what could be more important. "So are you going to go?"
"I don't really have much choice." She replied, "I knew I'd have to go back sometime, but.."
"You thought you'd be able to decide when." Joanne finished the sentence for her. Janet nodded. "You know, if Sam's really such a great friend she'll understand." Joanne tried to be helpful.
"I don't know." Janet paused for a second, "I mean, she doesn't even know Jack and I knew each other before."
"She doesn't?" Joanne was a little shocked by this development.
"It just kinda never came up in conversation." Janet replied sheepishly. Joanne's look prompted some more. "Well I mean what was I supposed to say, 'Guess what Sam? I used to live with your CO.' Yeah that's the kind of thing you just fling in." She said defensively.
"You're right, sorry." She smiled, "So when are you going?" She asked.
"After I've worked my four weeks notice I guess." Janet replied, her tone returning to the less than eager one from before.
"You don't have to you know." Joanne suggested.
"What?"
"Work the four week notice, I mean your maternity leave's starting in two weeks anyway. And I know the doctor that's covering for you is available right now. You could just go."
"That eager to get rid of me?" Janet joked.
"No! No, that's not what I meant. I mean if anything it's the opposite, you're a great doctor. But I'm just thinking about you, I mean, you have to drive back right?" Janet nodded, "Well would you rather do it six and half or seven and a half months? And I mean, you're gonna have to face Sam sometime, the longer you leave it.."
"I guess you're right." She said, lost in thought. "Are you sure that's ok though, I mean I feel like I'm dropping you in it. You persuaded the board to take me on, and now I'm leaving."
"Don't worry about it, I'm the boss in the ER, all hiring and firing decisions are up to me, the board just think they have a say." She laughed.
"Thanks."
"No problem. So, you want to make today your last day?"
"It's your call."
"Ok." She looked at her watch. "Looks like Mathew and Kerry are late again. Come on, you ready for your last day?" She smiled, Janet returned the smile,
"Oh yeah, bring it on." She laughed,
"You're gonna be sorry you said that, we're gonna be really busy now." Joanne said, pouting. Janet laughed.
"Sorry, I forgot about the jinx." She said as they both stepped out into the ER.
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Jack heard the door click as Janet came home,
"Where the hell have you been?" Jack asked springing up off the seat and towards her.
"What?" She asked pushing past him.
"It's almost eight, your shift ended almost two hours ago." He said looking at his watch.
"Sorry, I went out with Joanne and some people from work." She said, annoyed by the way he was questioning her.
"Well you could have called, I was worried."
"I'm sorry ok?" She said, her voice softening. "I'm not used to having somebody at home waiting for me."
"I guess." He sat down as she got herself a drink, "So how was work?" He asked, trying to be cheerful.
"Fine, just the usual."
"You know I was thinking, are you sure it's safe to work there, I mean, I saw this documentary about two doctors being stabbed-" He was cut off mid- sentence,
"That wasn't a documentary Jack, that was ER, the TV show." She said, slightly amused, "And you don't have to worry, Joanne suggested that today be my last day."
"She did?" Jack asked excitedly.
"Yeah. That's why we went to the bar, an impromptu leaving party."
"You went to a bar?" He asked, his voice filled with concern. "With smoke and stuff. You didn't drink anything did you?"
"Jesus Jack, calm down. The baby won't be affected because I was in a bar for a couple of hours."
"Right. Right, sorry." He quickly changed the subject. "That's great though! We can go back even sooner." Jack said, grinning.
"Yeah, great." Janet tried to sound happy.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked,
Nothing." She lied. "I'm just tired." Which wasn't a lie at all, she was almost dead on her feet. She finished her drink, walking over to the couch rubbing her aching back.
"Your back sore?" He asked.
"Yeah." She didn't sit down. "Is Cass in her room?"
"Yeah."
"I'll just go say hi." She walked away. Leaving Jack somewhat bemused by her lack of enthusiasm about going back, and despite what she said, he knew fine while it wasn't just tiredness.