:*:*:*:*:*:*:
CHAPTER ELEVEN
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
A/N: Okay guys, time to get this fic back on the right track! (Thanks carbytrekie02.) Thanks for the reviews again (hyperpiper91, StrokeoFlucK, shutupandlisten17, CARTERJOHN, Nurse Mandi, you guys encourage me so much!)! You guys are awesome. All righty then. With that said, here it goes!
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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Carter looked at his watch. It was nine o'clock. He was exhausted and needed sleep desperately, but his shift ran for just one more hour. But of course it seemed like another eternity. He looked around, then found a very inviting file cabinet behind the front desk. That was where he dropped himself in a heap with a tin-sounding thump. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him.
"Thirty-three patients," he mumbled tiredly. "I had a new patient... every ten minutes. Less. Four hours, thirty-three patients. Not for... not for a human."
He made Chuny laugh at this comment.
"Oh come on, Carter. Just hang in there a little longer. It's slowing down. And be glad there's no graveyard shift for you."
"I am glad. Trust me, I am," he said, opening his eyes to look at her. "Hey, if anyone needs me, I'll..."
"Be in three."
"Yes, thank you."
"Mm-hm."
Carter did as planned and headed to curtain three where he pulled a chair to Abby's bedside. He brushed the hair from her face and smiled at her.
"Abby, come on. You've got to come to sometime." He looked at her again, then out the window on the door. "I'm going to have to make you wake up soon. Just a little sugar shock or something." He laughed a little at this then looked back at her. He knew that she had been awake before, but just barely, and he had missed it. He knew that by just coaxing her she would come to. "Well, I know you can hear me. Or at least I believe you can. I know I can't hear you, but you can hear me. Look, I know that you probably want to stay asleep just as much as I do, but you can't. We need you here. I need you here, I know that." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "I want you back in the ER." Carter knew it was senseless to talk her into waking up, but he didn't really care. No one was taking notes, why should he care? "Well, I need a pick-me-up. I'll be back." He had left his coat on the chair before, in his five minutes of free time somewhere over the last four hours. He put it on and buttoned it tightly. "Love ya."
Carter went toward the ambulance bay.
"I'm going to Doc's for some caffeine. Page me if you need me!" he called to no one in particular. It really didn't matter. Someone always heard these little memos.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter stepped into the frosty air and carefully made his way to Doc's. When he got to the door, he stood under the doorway for just a minute to feel the heat blowing down on him. He then took a seat on a barstool and unbuttoned his jacket for the sudden warmth. A girl with light brown hair came to him.
"Hey," she said, looking at his identification card that was clipped to the neck of his green scrubs. "Doctor Carter."
He squinted lightly to see the small black letters embossed into her white plastic nametag. "Hey Christina."
She smiled at him. "What can I get for you?"
"Uh, anything warm and caffeinated will work."
"Coffee? Or maybe some hot cocoa?" she asked, smiling again.
"You know what, cocoa for a change," he suggested.
"Okay, I'll be back in a jif."
"And could you see if there's any of those little marshmallows?" he asked, holding up the fingers of his left hand as if he were holding one.
"Anything for the doc," she said with yet another smile.
"Thanks." Carter pulled out a straw and a napkin. He ripped most of the paper off the straw, then put his mouth on one end to blow the paper off the other end and into his hand. He chuckled at the loop-like pattern it did before it landed, then struggled to put the paper back on to see if he could manage a full loop.
"The paper never goes back on," Christina said as she set down his cocoa.
"It does if I can help it." Carter put his straw down, realizing it was a soda straw and not a coffee straw, then lifted his mug to his mouth. The steam rose slowly to his face as he smelled the cocoa. "Wow, this smells really good. My compliments to the chef."
"Thanks," she said.
He took a sip of the cocoa, taking in a few miniature marshmallows, then sucked in air to cool his burning tongue. Christina laughed at this.
"So, you work at County. What's it like?"
"It's not bad. Hard day, though."
"Yea, I bet."
"Not enough."
She looked at him, slightly perplexed.
"Never mind," Carter said, sipping his cocoa again. This time he pulled out a spoon and fished out the marshmallows.
"So, anything else?" she asked, then dropped her voice to a whisper. "On the house?"
"No, I'll pay for it. I owe enough people some things already," he said, not wanting to get into detail.
"Oh, come on," she said playfully.
"No thanks. I have to get back to work soon, anyway. I'm only on an unauthorized break. I should actually be having this to go."
"Oh, do you have to? I mean, there's no one else to talk to around here."
"No one back there, either," he lied.
She caught him. "With all those people? Not one person? I'm sure there's someone... a girl, perhaps?"
Carter didn't want to answer this. Not at all. "Well, everyone's shifts are already over. And the girl... she's busy."
"It can't be that busy if you had time to come here."
"I'd uh, I'd rather not get into it," he admitted, sipping more cocoa.
"Girl trouble? I could help you out if you'd like," she offered, hinting for a further conversation.
"I... don't think you could, actually."
"Are you underestimating the power of a woman, Doctor Carter?" she asked jokingly.
"Unless you can heal people with your own two hands, then yes, I believe I am." 'That ought to end that conversation,' he thought with another sip from the scalding mug.
She put on an apologetic look. "I guess not."
"I have to go," he said.
She pulled over a Styrofoam cup and a plastic lid with a coffee straw, then poured his cocoa in it silently.
"Thanks," Carter said whole-heartedly with a smile. "I needed it." He set a five-dollar bill on the counter and turned to leave.
"No problem, and thank you!" she said after him. "Oh yea, and good luck to you."
"Thanks!" Carter called, then stepped back out the door, his coat fluttering in the wind.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter's shift had been over for about ten minutes, and his cocoa was long gone. He was again next to Abby, lying parallel to her in his chair and sleeping, his hand over hers.
He woke to a sudden tapping on his palm, blinking his eyes to adjust to the surprising darkness in the room. Just one light illuminated the entire area. He tried not to let that distract him as he looked to his right hand for an answer to the light pressure he had felt. He then looked at Abby, who was awake and looking at him.
"Hey, sleepy," they said in unison.
"Glad to see you're finally awake," Carter told her truthfully.
"Glad to see that you're awake," she repeated softly.
"Do you... remember anything?" he asked inquisitively.
"Vividly. Up until after that guy hit me, but then everything's kind of absent."
"No fair," he said in a mockery of jealousy. "Everything was blurry for me."
"That's because you hit your head, you goof."
"Oh, right." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"I think I might have heard you," she said suddenly.
Carter looked at her with an interested look.
"Thanks for waking me up."
"No problem," Carter said. Then there was an awkward silence.
"Hey Carter," she said, simultaneously with his "Hey Abby."
"You go," he said politely.
"Thanks. About the other day, I'm really sorry. I was out of line. I just didn't know, or else I would have listened. I mean, I had been helping you out all day and then you just snapped at me, I don't know. I shouldn't have said anything back at you. I was just in a really good mood and then you brought that up and... You know, it was a defensive thing."
"I understand. I'm really sorry, too. I should have told you... No, wait. Scratch that. I shouldn't have yelled at you in the first place. Friends?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yea. Any time, you know that, right?"
"Yea. Same here." Carter then stood up. Abby sat up, too.
"Could you?" she asked, looking back at the flat bed.
"Sure," Carter said, then raised the back of the bed so she could lean back and sit. He then leaned over and gave her a hug. She hugged him back.
"I'm going to go alert staff that you're awake. I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay," she called after him as he left. She then sat back and smiled contently to herself, relieved to get everything off her mind. Save for one thing, which was obviously a person. And that was Carter.
~~~~
Carter leaned against the nearest wall, his hands clasped and his gaze facing upward, but not at the ceiling. "Thanks, Big Guy," he said aloud. He was clean. Everything was right again, with a simple apology. It could have happened a long time ago, but the two of them acting like high schoolers didn't help that. But it was over. The trouble was done, and he was ready to start anew from where he left off that night on the roof. His mind was clear, and nothing was there. Save for one person.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
A/N: Okay guys, time to get this fic back on the right track! (Thanks carbytrekie02.) Thanks for the reviews again (hyperpiper91, StrokeoFlucK, shutupandlisten17, CARTERJOHN, Nurse Mandi, you guys encourage me so much!)! You guys are awesome. All righty then. With that said, here it goes!
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
CHAPTER ELEVEN
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter looked at his watch. It was nine o'clock. He was exhausted and needed sleep desperately, but his shift ran for just one more hour. But of course it seemed like another eternity. He looked around, then found a very inviting file cabinet behind the front desk. That was where he dropped himself in a heap with a tin-sounding thump. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him.
"Thirty-three patients," he mumbled tiredly. "I had a new patient... every ten minutes. Less. Four hours, thirty-three patients. Not for... not for a human."
He made Chuny laugh at this comment.
"Oh come on, Carter. Just hang in there a little longer. It's slowing down. And be glad there's no graveyard shift for you."
"I am glad. Trust me, I am," he said, opening his eyes to look at her. "Hey, if anyone needs me, I'll..."
"Be in three."
"Yes, thank you."
"Mm-hm."
Carter did as planned and headed to curtain three where he pulled a chair to Abby's bedside. He brushed the hair from her face and smiled at her.
"Abby, come on. You've got to come to sometime." He looked at her again, then out the window on the door. "I'm going to have to make you wake up soon. Just a little sugar shock or something." He laughed a little at this then looked back at her. He knew that she had been awake before, but just barely, and he had missed it. He knew that by just coaxing her she would come to. "Well, I know you can hear me. Or at least I believe you can. I know I can't hear you, but you can hear me. Look, I know that you probably want to stay asleep just as much as I do, but you can't. We need you here. I need you here, I know that." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "I want you back in the ER." Carter knew it was senseless to talk her into waking up, but he didn't really care. No one was taking notes, why should he care? "Well, I need a pick-me-up. I'll be back." He had left his coat on the chair before, in his five minutes of free time somewhere over the last four hours. He put it on and buttoned it tightly. "Love ya."
Carter went toward the ambulance bay.
"I'm going to Doc's for some caffeine. Page me if you need me!" he called to no one in particular. It really didn't matter. Someone always heard these little memos.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter stepped into the frosty air and carefully made his way to Doc's. When he got to the door, he stood under the doorway for just a minute to feel the heat blowing down on him. He then took a seat on a barstool and unbuttoned his jacket for the sudden warmth. A girl with light brown hair came to him.
"Hey," she said, looking at his identification card that was clipped to the neck of his green scrubs. "Doctor Carter."
He squinted lightly to see the small black letters embossed into her white plastic nametag. "Hey Christina."
She smiled at him. "What can I get for you?"
"Uh, anything warm and caffeinated will work."
"Coffee? Or maybe some hot cocoa?" she asked, smiling again.
"You know what, cocoa for a change," he suggested.
"Okay, I'll be back in a jif."
"And could you see if there's any of those little marshmallows?" he asked, holding up the fingers of his left hand as if he were holding one.
"Anything for the doc," she said with yet another smile.
"Thanks." Carter pulled out a straw and a napkin. He ripped most of the paper off the straw, then put his mouth on one end to blow the paper off the other end and into his hand. He chuckled at the loop-like pattern it did before it landed, then struggled to put the paper back on to see if he could manage a full loop.
"The paper never goes back on," Christina said as she set down his cocoa.
"It does if I can help it." Carter put his straw down, realizing it was a soda straw and not a coffee straw, then lifted his mug to his mouth. The steam rose slowly to his face as he smelled the cocoa. "Wow, this smells really good. My compliments to the chef."
"Thanks," she said.
He took a sip of the cocoa, taking in a few miniature marshmallows, then sucked in air to cool his burning tongue. Christina laughed at this.
"So, you work at County. What's it like?"
"It's not bad. Hard day, though."
"Yea, I bet."
"Not enough."
She looked at him, slightly perplexed.
"Never mind," Carter said, sipping his cocoa again. This time he pulled out a spoon and fished out the marshmallows.
"So, anything else?" she asked, then dropped her voice to a whisper. "On the house?"
"No, I'll pay for it. I owe enough people some things already," he said, not wanting to get into detail.
"Oh, come on," she said playfully.
"No thanks. I have to get back to work soon, anyway. I'm only on an unauthorized break. I should actually be having this to go."
"Oh, do you have to? I mean, there's no one else to talk to around here."
"No one back there, either," he lied.
She caught him. "With all those people? Not one person? I'm sure there's someone... a girl, perhaps?"
Carter didn't want to answer this. Not at all. "Well, everyone's shifts are already over. And the girl... she's busy."
"It can't be that busy if you had time to come here."
"I'd uh, I'd rather not get into it," he admitted, sipping more cocoa.
"Girl trouble? I could help you out if you'd like," she offered, hinting for a further conversation.
"I... don't think you could, actually."
"Are you underestimating the power of a woman, Doctor Carter?" she asked jokingly.
"Unless you can heal people with your own two hands, then yes, I believe I am." 'That ought to end that conversation,' he thought with another sip from the scalding mug.
She put on an apologetic look. "I guess not."
"I have to go," he said.
She pulled over a Styrofoam cup and a plastic lid with a coffee straw, then poured his cocoa in it silently.
"Thanks," Carter said whole-heartedly with a smile. "I needed it." He set a five-dollar bill on the counter and turned to leave.
"No problem, and thank you!" she said after him. "Oh yea, and good luck to you."
"Thanks!" Carter called, then stepped back out the door, his coat fluttering in the wind.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Carter's shift had been over for about ten minutes, and his cocoa was long gone. He was again next to Abby, lying parallel to her in his chair and sleeping, his hand over hers.
He woke to a sudden tapping on his palm, blinking his eyes to adjust to the surprising darkness in the room. Just one light illuminated the entire area. He tried not to let that distract him as he looked to his right hand for an answer to the light pressure he had felt. He then looked at Abby, who was awake and looking at him.
"Hey, sleepy," they said in unison.
"Glad to see you're finally awake," Carter told her truthfully.
"Glad to see that you're awake," she repeated softly.
"Do you... remember anything?" he asked inquisitively.
"Vividly. Up until after that guy hit me, but then everything's kind of absent."
"No fair," he said in a mockery of jealousy. "Everything was blurry for me."
"That's because you hit your head, you goof."
"Oh, right." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"I think I might have heard you," she said suddenly.
Carter looked at her with an interested look.
"Thanks for waking me up."
"No problem," Carter said. Then there was an awkward silence.
"Hey Carter," she said, simultaneously with his "Hey Abby."
"You go," he said politely.
"Thanks. About the other day, I'm really sorry. I was out of line. I just didn't know, or else I would have listened. I mean, I had been helping you out all day and then you just snapped at me, I don't know. I shouldn't have said anything back at you. I was just in a really good mood and then you brought that up and... You know, it was a defensive thing."
"I understand. I'm really sorry, too. I should have told you... No, wait. Scratch that. I shouldn't have yelled at you in the first place. Friends?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yea. Any time, you know that, right?"
"Yea. Same here." Carter then stood up. Abby sat up, too.
"Could you?" she asked, looking back at the flat bed.
"Sure," Carter said, then raised the back of the bed so she could lean back and sit. He then leaned over and gave her a hug. She hugged him back.
"I'm going to go alert staff that you're awake. I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay," she called after him as he left. She then sat back and smiled contently to herself, relieved to get everything off her mind. Save for one thing, which was obviously a person. And that was Carter.
~~~~
Carter leaned against the nearest wall, his hands clasped and his gaze facing upward, but not at the ceiling. "Thanks, Big Guy," he said aloud. He was clean. Everything was right again, with a simple apology. It could have happened a long time ago, but the two of them acting like high schoolers didn't help that. But it was over. The trouble was done, and he was ready to start anew from where he left off that night on the roof. His mind was clear, and nothing was there. Save for one person.