Chapter 17: August. 27, 2000, 11PM, Carter Mansion (Doug Ross' Point of
View):
No one has been able to find Carter since he left on the 13th. So now I am going to try. Mark and Kerry have been calling his apartment but there has been no answer. The landlord said that he moved out about a week ago. The only address he was given was one we already had, the address for the Carter Estate. Kerry and Mark have tried here already without any luck, but that was a week ago. Now it's my turn. I stand in front of Carter's house in awe. It is a mansion. I remember when he was younger all the doctors and nurses made fun of him for being so rich. But his money won't help him now.
I ring the doorbell and within a minute a butler opens the door.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asks me.
"Yes, I'm here to see Dr. John Carter."
"And you are?"
"Dr. Doug Ross. I work with John."
"Right this way, sir. He's in his office I believe." I follow the butler through a long, decorated hallway. "Just a moment, sir." He enters the room and closes the door.
I put my ear to the door and try my hardest to listen.
The butler is saying, "Dr. Carter. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is a man here who wishes to speak with you; a Dr. Doug Ross, I believe."
I couldn't hear anything for a minute. Finally Carter replies in a soft, raspy voice, "Send him in, Henry."
I pull back from the door and wonder what I will see in there. No doubt Carter is heading towards rock bottom. I am almost afraid to see him falling apart.
The butler opens the door and waves me into the office. I was afraid I would be shocked at Carter's appearance, but I am amazed. Sitting at a large wooden desk facing the door is a sharply dressed young man. He is wearing a black suit and gray dress shirt, with a perfectly tied tie and his hair slicked back. Granted his desk is a mess with papers and with a full ashtray and a half empty bottle of whiskey next to an empty glass, but the man himself looks remarkable. With his head down reading papers I can barely even tell if it is in fact Carter.
I heard the door close behind me and I turn. The butler is gone.
"Please sit, Dr. Ross." Yes it is Carter. He looks up at me as I sit.
"You're looking good, Carter."
"What did you expect to see?"
"Honestly I don't know. But you are looking much better than at your apartment."
He takes a drag from a cigarette and responds, "Thank you. I had a rough spot but as you can see I am right back on track." He starts reading some papers again.
"Where have you been the past week?" I ask.
"Here, mostly. Why?"
"Because Kerry and Mark have been trying to reach you with no luck."
"I was at a hotel for a couple of days before I came here."
"Of course. You had to get cleaned up before your family saw you again, right?"
Carter glances at me for a few seconds with a cold stare and then continues reading.
I am silent for a moment before I continue, "What's that you've got there?"
"It's paperwork for the Carter Foundation. I am heir to the family business, so I've decided to work with the rest of the Foundation on this until I take over."
"So you've decided to give up being a doctor-"
"Listen, Dr. Ross. I have much more important things to take care of than talking to you about this. So unless you have something more important to discuss, I'll have to ask you to leave my property."
"Kerry said you admitted to the accusations; to the drug addiction."
Carter's head shoots up and his eyes lock onto mine as he says, "I never admitted to any of that shit and you know it!" He is angry now. "Why won't you leave me alone?!" he shouts.
"Because we care about you, Carter-"
"No! That's not what I mean. I want to know why you, Dr. Ross, are so obsessed with pointing out any flaws that I might have?!"
"So are you saying that your drug use is a flaw?"
"Argh!" Carter screams as he pulls at his hair, "I told Kerry about injecting pain medication, but I am not a drug addict!"
"Carter! How can you not see that you have a problem?" Now I am getting frustrated.
"I don't have a problem except for you keeping me from my work-"
I stand and lean forward on Carter's desk, looking down at him as I say, "So you don't think vein lining in the hospital washroom is a problem?"
Carter doesn't speak. He has a fiery look in his eyes. But instead of getting mad, he finally replies, "This is not what I need right now."
"You're right. What you need is a swift kick to your head."
"Doug, I think it's time for you to leave," he calmly says. He starts to stand up but winces in pain and sits back down.
"Carter, you're in pain. Let me take you to the hospital so you can have your back checked out." Actually what I want to say is, 'Because you will just shoot up again,' but I bite my tongue.
He stands now and says, "Dr. Ross." It's eerie how calm his voice is. "Please leave my property."
I had forgotten how tall the young man is. But, my god, he is so skinny. I can now see that his suit is hanging off of him.
"Jesus, Carter," I say as I stand myself up straight, "You need to gain some weight. You are too damn thin." I get no response from him except an empty look in his eyes. I can't change his mind. And I can't think of anything more to say. So without another word, I leave Carter's office and I leave his mansion.
No one has been able to find Carter since he left on the 13th. So now I am going to try. Mark and Kerry have been calling his apartment but there has been no answer. The landlord said that he moved out about a week ago. The only address he was given was one we already had, the address for the Carter Estate. Kerry and Mark have tried here already without any luck, but that was a week ago. Now it's my turn. I stand in front of Carter's house in awe. It is a mansion. I remember when he was younger all the doctors and nurses made fun of him for being so rich. But his money won't help him now.
I ring the doorbell and within a minute a butler opens the door.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asks me.
"Yes, I'm here to see Dr. John Carter."
"And you are?"
"Dr. Doug Ross. I work with John."
"Right this way, sir. He's in his office I believe." I follow the butler through a long, decorated hallway. "Just a moment, sir." He enters the room and closes the door.
I put my ear to the door and try my hardest to listen.
The butler is saying, "Dr. Carter. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is a man here who wishes to speak with you; a Dr. Doug Ross, I believe."
I couldn't hear anything for a minute. Finally Carter replies in a soft, raspy voice, "Send him in, Henry."
I pull back from the door and wonder what I will see in there. No doubt Carter is heading towards rock bottom. I am almost afraid to see him falling apart.
The butler opens the door and waves me into the office. I was afraid I would be shocked at Carter's appearance, but I am amazed. Sitting at a large wooden desk facing the door is a sharply dressed young man. He is wearing a black suit and gray dress shirt, with a perfectly tied tie and his hair slicked back. Granted his desk is a mess with papers and with a full ashtray and a half empty bottle of whiskey next to an empty glass, but the man himself looks remarkable. With his head down reading papers I can barely even tell if it is in fact Carter.
I heard the door close behind me and I turn. The butler is gone.
"Please sit, Dr. Ross." Yes it is Carter. He looks up at me as I sit.
"You're looking good, Carter."
"What did you expect to see?"
"Honestly I don't know. But you are looking much better than at your apartment."
He takes a drag from a cigarette and responds, "Thank you. I had a rough spot but as you can see I am right back on track." He starts reading some papers again.
"Where have you been the past week?" I ask.
"Here, mostly. Why?"
"Because Kerry and Mark have been trying to reach you with no luck."
"I was at a hotel for a couple of days before I came here."
"Of course. You had to get cleaned up before your family saw you again, right?"
Carter glances at me for a few seconds with a cold stare and then continues reading.
I am silent for a moment before I continue, "What's that you've got there?"
"It's paperwork for the Carter Foundation. I am heir to the family business, so I've decided to work with the rest of the Foundation on this until I take over."
"So you've decided to give up being a doctor-"
"Listen, Dr. Ross. I have much more important things to take care of than talking to you about this. So unless you have something more important to discuss, I'll have to ask you to leave my property."
"Kerry said you admitted to the accusations; to the drug addiction."
Carter's head shoots up and his eyes lock onto mine as he says, "I never admitted to any of that shit and you know it!" He is angry now. "Why won't you leave me alone?!" he shouts.
"Because we care about you, Carter-"
"No! That's not what I mean. I want to know why you, Dr. Ross, are so obsessed with pointing out any flaws that I might have?!"
"So are you saying that your drug use is a flaw?"
"Argh!" Carter screams as he pulls at his hair, "I told Kerry about injecting pain medication, but I am not a drug addict!"
"Carter! How can you not see that you have a problem?" Now I am getting frustrated.
"I don't have a problem except for you keeping me from my work-"
I stand and lean forward on Carter's desk, looking down at him as I say, "So you don't think vein lining in the hospital washroom is a problem?"
Carter doesn't speak. He has a fiery look in his eyes. But instead of getting mad, he finally replies, "This is not what I need right now."
"You're right. What you need is a swift kick to your head."
"Doug, I think it's time for you to leave," he calmly says. He starts to stand up but winces in pain and sits back down.
"Carter, you're in pain. Let me take you to the hospital so you can have your back checked out." Actually what I want to say is, 'Because you will just shoot up again,' but I bite my tongue.
He stands now and says, "Dr. Ross." It's eerie how calm his voice is. "Please leave my property."
I had forgotten how tall the young man is. But, my god, he is so skinny. I can now see that his suit is hanging off of him.
"Jesus, Carter," I say as I stand myself up straight, "You need to gain some weight. You are too damn thin." I get no response from him except an empty look in his eyes. I can't change his mind. And I can't think of anything more to say. So without another word, I leave Carter's office and I leave his mansion.