Title: One Day
Summary: Something happened in the ER 5 years ago today that changed the lives of all who worked there. Learn what through different views of those involved.
Author's Note: yes I know I should be working on Things I'll Never Say, and I promise I will, but I don't know where I'm going with that because I never intended for it to have a chapter 2. However, thanks to all of you awesome people who reviewed it, I promise that it will.
Btw, present in this fic actually means 2008, and A Thousand Cranes never happened
On to the story, don't forget to review:
*Present:
Carter stood behind the admit desk lost in thought. To any casual passer he may look like he was daydreaming, but John Carter wasn't that lucky. He was lost in thought, yes, but he knew very well that it wasn't a dream.
Its amazing how much can change in a day; one day, just one simple day.
It was the day Weaver left
The day Luka went home
The day Chen, the day Chen died
The day his heart broke
The day his world fell apart
The day he was left alone
"Doctor Carter," a voice broke his thoughts.
"Yes, Callie?" He replied. Callie Elizabeth was a new med student at County General. She was as bright eyed as they came. Normally he would love to help her, but not today, today was different. He didn't want to work today.
*Flashback:
"GSW coming in, two minutes out," Frank announced.
"Luka, can you take it?" I asked.
"Sure, Carter" Luka replied, and then heads towards the lounge for his coat, I assume.
I get back to the charts that I'm working on and when I look back up my face brightens as I see her walking towards me. I smile and simply say, "hey."
"Hey yourself," Abby replies with a smile that's only hers. I get up and wrap my arms around her as she comes behind the desk.
"I haven't seen you all day," I say before kissing her.
We reluctantly part seconds later as Luka comes out of the lounge and asks Abby to assist him.
If only I hadn't let her go.
*Present day:
"Doctor Carter are you alright?" Callie asks him.
"Huh? Sure, I'm fine," Carter replies, "what did you need?"
"Can you come see my patient in curtain 3? He has a fever, and.."
"I'll be there in a minute," Carter cuts her off as he sees Susan enter the hospital.
"I thought you were off?" he half asks, half states.
"I wish," she says cautiously. "Carter."
"Trauma coming in," Taylor the desk clerk interrupts. She can hardly be counted as 'new' she's worked there for 3 years, but to Carter and Susan she would probably always be 'new'.
*Flashback:
The ambulance pulled in a little less then two minutes later, lights flashing and siren squealing; nothing new to the employees of County's ER. A police car followed it with its own lights flashing.
I was just coming into work. Ready for another hectic day in the ER, but I was not ready for this day. No not this day.
"Susan can you," Luka began to ask.
But I cut him off with a no. There was no way that I was going to start early today. I just walked by and into the ER.
I came to find Carter behind the desk, surrounded by charts. It made me kind of glad that I wasn't the chief resident. I said a quick hello, and just before I entered the lounge, I heard Luka and Abby enter with the patient.
"What's open?" he asked. It was a simple question that we asked each other millions of times before.
*Present:
Carter and Susan look at each other. The same hint of sadness crosses their eyes; the same twinge of regret affects their hearts.
"Dr. Carter, Dr. Lewis, ETA 5 minutes, did you hear me?" Taylor asks.
"Um, yeah we a heard you," Susan stumbles.
"ETA 5 minutes, right," Carter feels he needs to add.
"Right, GSW, 5 minutes, Trauma 2 is cleared,"
*Flashback:
"What's open," I ask. A simple question that I ask all the time.
"Trauma 2," someone answers. I still don't know exactly who answered me. Who led us to that room at that particular moment, but it didn't matter, as Abby and I entered the Trauma room with the intent to save the man who was lying on the gurney.
*Present:
"Dr. Kovac, you are needed upstairs." Myla informs him.
"I'll be right up," he replies. He's still working in a hospital, still trying to save people's lives, but he's back in Croatia now. The place he called home.
He came here to forget, and most of the time he did, but every year, every year he was reminded of what he couldn't stop.
So he got up from his chair, pushed the thoughts from his mind and approached the stairs. The memories of the day exactly 5 years ago still on his mind. The images still imprinted. Forever haunting.
Summary: Something happened in the ER 5 years ago today that changed the lives of all who worked there. Learn what through different views of those involved.
Author's Note: yes I know I should be working on Things I'll Never Say, and I promise I will, but I don't know where I'm going with that because I never intended for it to have a chapter 2. However, thanks to all of you awesome people who reviewed it, I promise that it will.
Btw, present in this fic actually means 2008, and A Thousand Cranes never happened
On to the story, don't forget to review:
*Present:
Carter stood behind the admit desk lost in thought. To any casual passer he may look like he was daydreaming, but John Carter wasn't that lucky. He was lost in thought, yes, but he knew very well that it wasn't a dream.
Its amazing how much can change in a day; one day, just one simple day.
It was the day Weaver left
The day Luka went home
The day Chen, the day Chen died
The day his heart broke
The day his world fell apart
The day he was left alone
"Doctor Carter," a voice broke his thoughts.
"Yes, Callie?" He replied. Callie Elizabeth was a new med student at County General. She was as bright eyed as they came. Normally he would love to help her, but not today, today was different. He didn't want to work today.
*Flashback:
"GSW coming in, two minutes out," Frank announced.
"Luka, can you take it?" I asked.
"Sure, Carter" Luka replied, and then heads towards the lounge for his coat, I assume.
I get back to the charts that I'm working on and when I look back up my face brightens as I see her walking towards me. I smile and simply say, "hey."
"Hey yourself," Abby replies with a smile that's only hers. I get up and wrap my arms around her as she comes behind the desk.
"I haven't seen you all day," I say before kissing her.
We reluctantly part seconds later as Luka comes out of the lounge and asks Abby to assist him.
If only I hadn't let her go.
*Present day:
"Doctor Carter are you alright?" Callie asks him.
"Huh? Sure, I'm fine," Carter replies, "what did you need?"
"Can you come see my patient in curtain 3? He has a fever, and.."
"I'll be there in a minute," Carter cuts her off as he sees Susan enter the hospital.
"I thought you were off?" he half asks, half states.
"I wish," she says cautiously. "Carter."
"Trauma coming in," Taylor the desk clerk interrupts. She can hardly be counted as 'new' she's worked there for 3 years, but to Carter and Susan she would probably always be 'new'.
*Flashback:
The ambulance pulled in a little less then two minutes later, lights flashing and siren squealing; nothing new to the employees of County's ER. A police car followed it with its own lights flashing.
I was just coming into work. Ready for another hectic day in the ER, but I was not ready for this day. No not this day.
"Susan can you," Luka began to ask.
But I cut him off with a no. There was no way that I was going to start early today. I just walked by and into the ER.
I came to find Carter behind the desk, surrounded by charts. It made me kind of glad that I wasn't the chief resident. I said a quick hello, and just before I entered the lounge, I heard Luka and Abby enter with the patient.
"What's open?" he asked. It was a simple question that we asked each other millions of times before.
*Present:
Carter and Susan look at each other. The same hint of sadness crosses their eyes; the same twinge of regret affects their hearts.
"Dr. Carter, Dr. Lewis, ETA 5 minutes, did you hear me?" Taylor asks.
"Um, yeah we a heard you," Susan stumbles.
"ETA 5 minutes, right," Carter feels he needs to add.
"Right, GSW, 5 minutes, Trauma 2 is cleared,"
*Flashback:
"What's open," I ask. A simple question that I ask all the time.
"Trauma 2," someone answers. I still don't know exactly who answered me. Who led us to that room at that particular moment, but it didn't matter, as Abby and I entered the Trauma room with the intent to save the man who was lying on the gurney.
*Present:
"Dr. Kovac, you are needed upstairs." Myla informs him.
"I'll be right up," he replies. He's still working in a hospital, still trying to save people's lives, but he's back in Croatia now. The place he called home.
He came here to forget, and most of the time he did, but every year, every year he was reminded of what he couldn't stop.
So he got up from his chair, pushed the thoughts from his mind and approached the stairs. The memories of the day exactly 5 years ago still on his mind. The images still imprinted. Forever haunting.