A/N: This chapter's going to go a little fast, and it might be a little bit
"Oh come on, why a vacation? Why now?" but you'll have to deal with it.
This is more of a tie the loose ends for Carter chapter.
And so many thank you thingers to everybody! I'm so glad to hear that people are reading this. I write when ideas come to me, so bear with me on this chapter. Just remember that Carter keeps having head trauma trouble, and that things aren't so clear anymore. He can't seem to think before he speaks...
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
CHAPTER EIGHT
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
"Issat, isthayou?" Came a voice from the figure that lay on the gurney, almost in a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~
Carter woke to darkness. Or at least he thought he did. He wasn't sure of this; or anything else for that matter. Everything was a blur, even his vision, and the memories of whatever had gotten him here... by the way, where was he? All he saw was a figure, one he was very sure he knew, but it was outrageously difficult to tell when everything looked hazy and dark. It was still another minute until he felt... nothing. He felt absolutely nothing, not even the drone of a nagging headache. That was the only thing he was positive that he had felt in the past time. Only God knew how long that time was. Carter brought his attention back to the figure.
"Is that... is that you?" Carter said, but that was not what the anonymous person heard. What he had heard was completely different.
Carter heard nothing from the person.
~~~~~~
"I said, how are you doing?" The voice said.
~~~~~~
"Who are you? I can't see a thing!" Carter asked.
~~~~~~
"Hrryou? Icaseeathin." the figure on the gurney slurred again.
"It's me, Carter." The voice said. "Hold on a sec..."
~~~~~~
Carter heard nothing but slurs of words; could they even be words? Or was it the drone of machinery? Suddenly, something very cold pressed against his head. The cold had not affected him, for he hadn't felt the cold. He only jumped from the sudden jolt into reality that the cold had provided. Now there was no darkness, but everything was blurry, almost on the verge of doubling. He could hear clearly now, but he couldn't see a thing. Now all he knew was that the figure before him had brown hair and was wearing white... possibly a doctor's jacket. Yes, this was the person he had longed to see.
"Are you okay?" the anonymous figure asked.
"I can't - I can't see, everything's all blurry!" Now he recognized the voice. "Oh man, thank God it's you! You just made my day half-better! WHOA!" There was a cold shock, then darkness. "Oh crap, I can't see! I can't see anything!"
"That's because I haven't taken the ice pack off your eyes. Just wait a second."
Carter laughed at himself, then in amazement that he could finally see straight and clearly. "Thanks, I haven't done anything clearly since... wait a minute, what time is it?" he asked frantically.
"It's about quarter to two."
"What day is it?" he asked, just to be sure.
"It's Wednesday."
"What was yesterday?" he asked, once again to be sure.
"Tuesday." This was in a sarcastic matter-of-factly tone.
"I know that, I meant what happened yesterday?"
"Well, I slept at your house on Monday, remember?"
"Oh good, so I've only been out for the night. Thanks Mark."
"What happened?" Mark asked.
"Well, first I want to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted in trauma, uh," Carter started, then put his hand in the air for gesturing. He held up two fingers. "trauma, two?" Mark nodded at him to signify that he was right. "Yea, well I'm sorry I was so persistent and all." He put his hand back down, realizing how heavy it felt after a while.
"It's okay, it was all your instincts."
"Anyway, I'm sorry and, uh... Oh yea, after the trauma I yelled at Abby for no apparent reason and I wanted to say I was sorry, but she was about to go on vacation so I was going to go to her house and apologize when, uh, wait. I was going to apologize, when... Where's Curt?" Carter interrupted himself.
"He had to go to work, Carter." Mark was on the verge of saying a simple "Duh, Carter."
"Oh well, if he comes back I want to talk to him. Wait, when do I start?"
"You STARTED about four hours ago. Now continue the story!" Mark said anxiously.
"Uh, then I fell, then I don't really remember, but I know this guy Curt came along, nearly hitting me with his car nonetheless, but he got me and called the paramedics for me." Carter was pretty sure that was the story. "Oh wow, quarter to two? I have to get to work!"
"Whoa, hold on. You're not going to work with head trauma," Mark said sternly.
"But I have a job!" Carter said persistently.
"Not today," Mark said with a hint of jealousy that he would have to work.
"Oh," Carter whined. "okay, but can I at least go on the desk or something?"
"Take the day off, Carter. Curt said he'd come back around three, so wait till then, and then go home and collect yourself. No offense, but you look like hell," Mark commented.
"Thanks," Carter said sarcastically.
"Mark, you're wanted in exam three," an extra female voice said.
"Thanks Chuny," Mark said as he smiled to Carter and walked out of the room.
"How's this one?" Chuny asked with a laugh.
"It's worse than the last," Carter admitted. "This is the third time this week!"
"Really? I thought it was the second," she said.
"Nope. Come sit, I'll fill you in on my masochistic ways," Carter said with an inviting smile.
She was immediately convinced. "Go ahead... enlighten me."
"Well..."
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
"Come on, why'd you do it?" Chuny asked. "People just don't go around knocking themselves into lockers. Not normally, or do you want me to call Psyche?"
"I was just having a bad day."
"No you weren't."
"Yes I was."
"No, you weren't."
"Yes I was. Besides, how would you know?"
"You were happy all day!" Chuny was getting annoyed.
"A patient was annoying me, that's all," Carter lied. And badly.
"Yea right. Come on, I want the truth. Truth! Now!" She was getting very anxious.
Carter stared her in the eye, then sighed. "Okay. But you can't tell a soul. Not one person can know. Not yet."
'Sh*t,' Carter thought. There was no conniving your way out of that woman's instinct.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter stared out onto the road in front of his apartment. He had gotten there in his pajamas, but now he was in some normal clothing. Not like it mattered.
"Everyone's going to know. Chuny can't keep a secret, it's that nurse thing."
After a few minutes of staring into vacant oblivion, Carter realized something. Every good aspect was followed by a bad thought, but at least he could work his way to the end of the chain.
"If she would tell, then everyone would know. Of course, the downside is, they already know. But then everyone would know it was true. Then there would be tension. But then someone would slip out the secret to Abby. Or maybe they wouldn't," Carter pondered.
His thoughts were running rapidly. There was no breaking this chain. "But they probably will. And then she won't believe them, because no one believes gossip. But sometimes they do. But if she does, she'll avoid me. She can't avoid me anymore, so that's a good thing. Of course, that's because she's already avoiding me. But I can apologize. But she's on vacation. But I can wait until she gets back." That was the end of the chain. Carter would have to settle for it.
"I have to wait." Carter looked at the road now, despising the salt that now lay there. That turned his attention. "Oh, sure... NOW they salt it!"
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
And so many thank you thingers to everybody! I'm so glad to hear that people are reading this. I write when ideas come to me, so bear with me on this chapter. Just remember that Carter keeps having head trauma trouble, and that things aren't so clear anymore. He can't seem to think before he speaks...
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
CHAPTER EIGHT
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
"Issat, isthayou?" Came a voice from the figure that lay on the gurney, almost in a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~
Carter woke to darkness. Or at least he thought he did. He wasn't sure of this; or anything else for that matter. Everything was a blur, even his vision, and the memories of whatever had gotten him here... by the way, where was he? All he saw was a figure, one he was very sure he knew, but it was outrageously difficult to tell when everything looked hazy and dark. It was still another minute until he felt... nothing. He felt absolutely nothing, not even the drone of a nagging headache. That was the only thing he was positive that he had felt in the past time. Only God knew how long that time was. Carter brought his attention back to the figure.
"Is that... is that you?" Carter said, but that was not what the anonymous person heard. What he had heard was completely different.
Carter heard nothing from the person.
~~~~~~
"I said, how are you doing?" The voice said.
~~~~~~
"Who are you? I can't see a thing!" Carter asked.
~~~~~~
"Hrryou? Icaseeathin." the figure on the gurney slurred again.
"It's me, Carter." The voice said. "Hold on a sec..."
~~~~~~
Carter heard nothing but slurs of words; could they even be words? Or was it the drone of machinery? Suddenly, something very cold pressed against his head. The cold had not affected him, for he hadn't felt the cold. He only jumped from the sudden jolt into reality that the cold had provided. Now there was no darkness, but everything was blurry, almost on the verge of doubling. He could hear clearly now, but he couldn't see a thing. Now all he knew was that the figure before him had brown hair and was wearing white... possibly a doctor's jacket. Yes, this was the person he had longed to see.
"Are you okay?" the anonymous figure asked.
"I can't - I can't see, everything's all blurry!" Now he recognized the voice. "Oh man, thank God it's you! You just made my day half-better! WHOA!" There was a cold shock, then darkness. "Oh crap, I can't see! I can't see anything!"
"That's because I haven't taken the ice pack off your eyes. Just wait a second."
Carter laughed at himself, then in amazement that he could finally see straight and clearly. "Thanks, I haven't done anything clearly since... wait a minute, what time is it?" he asked frantically.
"It's about quarter to two."
"What day is it?" he asked, just to be sure.
"It's Wednesday."
"What was yesterday?" he asked, once again to be sure.
"Tuesday." This was in a sarcastic matter-of-factly tone.
"I know that, I meant what happened yesterday?"
"Well, I slept at your house on Monday, remember?"
"Oh good, so I've only been out for the night. Thanks Mark."
"What happened?" Mark asked.
"Well, first I want to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted in trauma, uh," Carter started, then put his hand in the air for gesturing. He held up two fingers. "trauma, two?" Mark nodded at him to signify that he was right. "Yea, well I'm sorry I was so persistent and all." He put his hand back down, realizing how heavy it felt after a while.
"It's okay, it was all your instincts."
"Anyway, I'm sorry and, uh... Oh yea, after the trauma I yelled at Abby for no apparent reason and I wanted to say I was sorry, but she was about to go on vacation so I was going to go to her house and apologize when, uh, wait. I was going to apologize, when... Where's Curt?" Carter interrupted himself.
"He had to go to work, Carter." Mark was on the verge of saying a simple "Duh, Carter."
"Oh well, if he comes back I want to talk to him. Wait, when do I start?"
"You STARTED about four hours ago. Now continue the story!" Mark said anxiously.
"Uh, then I fell, then I don't really remember, but I know this guy Curt came along, nearly hitting me with his car nonetheless, but he got me and called the paramedics for me." Carter was pretty sure that was the story. "Oh wow, quarter to two? I have to get to work!"
"Whoa, hold on. You're not going to work with head trauma," Mark said sternly.
"But I have a job!" Carter said persistently.
"Not today," Mark said with a hint of jealousy that he would have to work.
"Oh," Carter whined. "okay, but can I at least go on the desk or something?"
"Take the day off, Carter. Curt said he'd come back around three, so wait till then, and then go home and collect yourself. No offense, but you look like hell," Mark commented.
"Thanks," Carter said sarcastically.
"Mark, you're wanted in exam three," an extra female voice said.
"Thanks Chuny," Mark said as he smiled to Carter and walked out of the room.
"How's this one?" Chuny asked with a laugh.
"It's worse than the last," Carter admitted. "This is the third time this week!"
"Really? I thought it was the second," she said.
"Nope. Come sit, I'll fill you in on my masochistic ways," Carter said with an inviting smile.
She was immediately convinced. "Go ahead... enlighten me."
"Well..."
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
"Come on, why'd you do it?" Chuny asked. "People just don't go around knocking themselves into lockers. Not normally, or do you want me to call Psyche?"
"I was just having a bad day."
"No you weren't."
"Yes I was."
"No, you weren't."
"Yes I was. Besides, how would you know?"
"You were happy all day!" Chuny was getting annoyed.
"A patient was annoying me, that's all," Carter lied. And badly.
"Yea right. Come on, I want the truth. Truth! Now!" She was getting very anxious.
Carter stared her in the eye, then sighed. "Okay. But you can't tell a soul. Not one person can know. Not yet."
'Sh*t,' Carter thought. There was no conniving your way out of that woman's instinct.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter stared out onto the road in front of his apartment. He had gotten there in his pajamas, but now he was in some normal clothing. Not like it mattered.
"Everyone's going to know. Chuny can't keep a secret, it's that nurse thing."
After a few minutes of staring into vacant oblivion, Carter realized something. Every good aspect was followed by a bad thought, but at least he could work his way to the end of the chain.
"If she would tell, then everyone would know. Of course, the downside is, they already know. But then everyone would know it was true. Then there would be tension. But then someone would slip out the secret to Abby. Or maybe they wouldn't," Carter pondered.
His thoughts were running rapidly. There was no breaking this chain. "But they probably will. And then she won't believe them, because no one believes gossip. But sometimes they do. But if she does, she'll avoid me. She can't avoid me anymore, so that's a good thing. Of course, that's because she's already avoiding me. But I can apologize. But she's on vacation. But I can wait until she gets back." That was the end of the chain. Carter would have to settle for it.
"I have to wait." Carter looked at the road now, despising the salt that now lay there. That turned his attention. "Oh, sure... NOW they salt it!"
:*:*:*:*:*:*: