A few days later everything was going fine. Carter had brought a new tux, Gamma ad everything ready and Sara had brought a new dress, and accessories. She couldn't help but use the event as an excuse to buy a new outfit.
Susan, Abby, Pratt, Deb and Luka had also made there own preparations for the dinner. They had made a pact. They knew it was likely that the night was going to be a boring one and vowed that if it was then they would go and have a few drinks together.
However two days before the event Sara was feeling really tired and run down. Weaver had taken over a week off to deal with her own personal crisis and Sara had been roistered to take on most of her shifts. Not only that, Sara had gone clubbing a few nights in the week so was already feeling sleep deprived before she had to look after Tara and Will for 2 nights. Tara had been sick so Sara had been up with her most of the night while Lisa their mother had to visit a friend who was in hospital in LA. Completely shattered Sara continued working until the lack of sleep and over exposure to the flu caught up with her at work. Her head was hurting like someone had constantly hit it with a baseball bat while her body felt like she was on fire. Her stomach wasn't doing her any favours as it was sporadically threatening to empty out its contents as well as causing a dull pain to cause riot in her gut.
Sara was filling in charts in the lounge when Carter came to ask her about a patient.
Carter: Hey Sara, do you know where Mr Richards in 3 left his belongings? He's convinced that one of the nurses has stolen his bag?
Sara: Um... Aaachoo
Carter: Hey you ok?
Sara: Yeah I'm fine. It's just a cold
Carter placed his hand on her forehead before she pulled away.
Carter: You're burning up.
Sara: I'm fine. Tell Mr Richards that the nurse was his wife and she's waiting for him in the car
Carter: I will but…
Before he could finish his sentence Sara rushed out of the lounge and into the ladies toilets with her hand over her mouth ready to greet last nights dinner.
Carter followed her.
Pratt: What's wrong with Sara?
Carter: She isn't well
Pratt: Oh rite. Are you going in to the ladies room to check on her?
Carter: Yep
Pratt: Brave man
Carter walked in to find all the toilets empty except the one, which he could hear, Sara in. The door was locked.
Carter: Sara open the door it's me.
Sara reluctantly opened the door before another movement from her stomach forced her to turn her face toward the porcelain toilet seat. Carter got down on his knees, got some tissue paper, held her hair back and rubbed her back while the acidic taste of eaten food brushed passed her tongue.
Once she was done, Carter passed her some tissue which she cleaned herself up with before facing Carter.
Carter: You ok?
Sara: Yeah. Thanks for coming.
Carter: Anytime. I just wanted to make sure your ok.
Sara walked over to the sink and washed her face while Carter stared at her with a look of concern upon his face.
Sara: Nah, I bet you used me as an excuse to get an insight into the ladies room. Except you got an insight into what I had for dinner last night.
Carter: Thank you for that.
Sara: Anytime! I better get back to work anyway and so should you before Romano catches you in here
Carter: Unless they made a mistake on his birth certificate I don't think he'll be found in here and anyway you are not going back to work, you're going home
Sara: I'm fine, it's just a bug. It will pass
Carter: You need to rest.
Sara walked out of the ladies room in to the reception area as Carter followed.
Sara: Carter, honestly I'm fine. It's nothing that a warm coffee can't fix
Carter: I'm not taking no for an answer, you're going home and I'm going to take you. I'm getting off in 10 minutes and Gallant is going to cover your shift aren't you Gallant?
Gallant: Yeah (enthusiastically) What am I doing? (to Abby in an undertone)
Abby: Covering her shift
Gallant: Oh
Sara: Stop fussing
Carter placed his hand on her forehead again before she pulled away again.
Carter: I'm not fussing. You're being stubborn. You're burning up.
Sara: I'm not stubborn.
Carter: You're proving my point. Haleh get me a thermometer please
Haleh: Here
Carter carefully placed the thermometer in to Sara's ear. Beep
Carter: 102. Susan can you cover the last 10 minutes of my shift. I'm taking her home, right now
Susan: Ok, take care of her Carter; we need her to entertain us at your grandmother's dinner.
Carter: It won't be that bad! But yeah I'll look after her.
Carter took Sara in to the lounge.
Sara: Ok I'll go but you don't need to take me.
Carter: I've got my car and its raining outside. It makes sense.
Carter turned the dial on Sara's locker and got out her coat for her.
Sara: How did you know my locker combo? Actually don't tell me, apart from being annoying, breaking and entering is another one of your hidden talents!
Carter put away his stethoscope and put on his own coat.
Carter: I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway come on then.
Sara and Carter waved the ER team goodbye while Sara sat in the passenger seat on Carters car.
The journey was a silent one and Sara was sitting there determined not to talk to Carter. As they travelled Carter couldn't help but laugh. Sara gave him an evil look; Carter thought it resembled the look of a 6 year old patient who he told he would have to spend the night in the ER. He decided to break the ice.
Carter: They always say, Doctors make the worst patients. I'm starting to agree with that statement.
Sara: I'm not even that ill. I would have been fine.
Carter: The way you were going you would have passed out in the ER.
Sara: I wouldn't have. I just needed a couple of hours sleep in the lounge.
Carter: All you'd get is a couple of minutes before a trauma comes in and a nurse wakes you up.
Sara: Maybe, but I hate being at home when I'm ill. I just lie there bored and feeling Shiite.
Carter: I won't let you get bored, and you're not going to feel Shiite once you get a few hours sleep.
Carter stopped outside Sara's apartment and climbed out of the four by four and headed toward her apartment with Carter following close by.
Carter: Do you feel like having anything to eat?
Sara: No, not yet, but feel free to help yourself. I still feel like my stomach's not settled. I'm going to get changed, I feel like I'm burning in this top.
Carter: No I'm all right at the moment too.
Sara headed towards her bedroom and got changed in to her nightwear, which consisted of a T-shirt and a thin pair of joggers.
But as soon as she headed in to the living room she felt she was going to puke again and ran in to her bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Carter interpreted the signals and followed her in to the bathroom. Almost like De ja vu, (minus the unclean floor) Carter was down on his knees rubbing Sara's back and holding her hair. Once she finished she sat on the floor feeling exhausted. Carter looked at her with a worried look on his face. She looked quite weak. He handed her some tissue.
Carter: You ok?
Sara: Yeah. Ow (clutching her stomach)
Carter: Hey, you ok? Your stomach hurts?
Sara: It's just a dull pain every now and again. Don't worry about it. I stretched it yesterday training
Carter: Are you that's all it is?
Sara: Yeah positive (she lied)
Carter: Ok then, first things first, bed.
Carter picked Sara up gently and carried her to her bedroom and sat her on the bed.
Sara felt so comfortable, almost like she could sleep in his arms as she rested her head against his chest. She knew he cared about her, just by looking at his eyes and seeing the concern, even by the gentle way he touched her and the constant question asking. Normally Sara would be totally pissed off with all the fuss but for once she wasn't. She was glad he was here.
Once on the bed, Carter wrapped the sheets around her and gave her some medicine to help lower her temperature. As soon as she rested her head against the pillow, Sara was asleep. She was totally exhausted.
Carter watched her as she slept. He swore that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen she looked like an angel and just had a glow surrounding her. Stray hairs hung around her eyes; Carter gently moved them with his thumb and kissed her on the cheek. He pulled the covers over her, shut the blinds and set himself up a base in a spare bedroom. He found some spare cloths of Ty in the closet and Sara had told him where he'd find a spare toothbrush. He got changed and laid in bed staring at the ceiling feeling happy. He decided that he had to ask Sara out on a date. It was eating him up inside just watching her, wanting her to be his, not being able to pull her in to an embrace that signified the intensity of his love for her. But he wanted to know if she felt the same way. After a few minutes, Carter too fell asleep.