Chapter Seven: When there's nowhere else to turn
As Mark lined up the aspirin and poured the whisky for the second time in just a few days, he sat and thought.
Ten years ago this was not what he would have imagined his life to be like. He assumed that he and Jen would have another child, a little brother or sister for Rachel, but hopefully still being in Chicago where he was surrounded by friends.
He'd hoped to be enjoying his life, not sat alone in a dark apartment pining for the woman he loved. But that had changed as well. At one point the only woman he had ever loved was Jen, but that finished, and she remarried. Now the woman he loved was Susan. The one who stuck by him through all his troubles with Jen, listened to him whinge and curse, but never once judged him.
As he swallowed the first aspirin he flinched, not really knowing what he was doing, but thinking that this was the only way out.
With a swig of whisky the second, third, fourth, and fifth pills went down quite easily. Mark was starting to feel queasy. He couldn't see very well, mainly because he'd taken his glasses off, but this was a drunken, suicide haze.
Back at the hospital Susan was slowly starting to make her mind up. When she and Carter had gotten together she was just desperate for someone to take her mind off Mark. Someone to help her forget how in love with him she was, even though they had fallen out.
Carter was great for that. He showered her with kisses, hugs and the attention she craved after remaining single for so long, waiting for Mark. The sex wasn't great but it was something that she knew they could work at, she just had to show Carter a few things she liked.
But now that wasn't enough. All the memories from her night with Mark had come back to her. She remembered every kiss, and how every time he touched her skin she sighed, knowing how right being with him felt. As she lay in her hospital bed for the last night before he discharge the next day she made up her mind. It had to be Mark.
She had known him for years. They had shared every possible emotion, experience and joke. As Doug put it, they were 'The Mutt and Jeff of Emergency medicine.'
Little did she know Mark was slowly sinking into an alcohol and drug induced coma.
He counted the spaces missing in the packet. He was up to eleven now, and the bottle of whisky was half empty.
'Typical' Mark thought.
He didn't have any cash to by some more whisky so he'd just make the most of what he had left. So with the remaining half a bottle of whisky, Mark finished off the last five pills in the packet of aspirin.
Across the other side of Chicago, Carter sat by the pool at the family home. He remembered sitting here all those years ago as a med student, thinking about Susan. Now he was sat here thinking about her again, and somehow he knew Mark would be thinking about her too.
Carter got up and grabbed the keys to his car. The only person that he knew he could talk to was Mark.
Twenty minutes later Carter reached Mark's apartment. He banged on the door but nobody answered. Carter knew Mark wasn't working and he could see from outside that a small light was on. He wondered why Mark wasn't coming to the door.
He tried calling Mark's cell phone but it was switched off.
'That's' strange. Mark never turns his phone off.' Carter thought.
Inside Mark was becoming increasingly drowsy, and he could feel his heart and breathing rate increase. He knew these were serious symptoms of an aspirin overdose and that this was the stage that he should seek emergency medical attention. But right now he didn't care, he had given up on hoping for anything in his life.
Carter was outside and beginning to worry about Mark. He knew his friend was the other side of that door, but why he wasn't answering he didn't know.
Eventually Carter decided that he had to do something. He banged hard on the door for the last time, but Mark didn't answer.
Carter started to kick at the door until it swung open. He wasn't ready for what faced him. Mark was slumped over his kitchen table a small glass had been knocked over and the contains spilt onto the floor.
Carter shook Mark and shouted in his ear.
"Mark! It's Carter. Mark, come on wake up!" Carter yelled
Mark just rolled his head lightly and let out a small groan.
It was when he tried to lift Mark's head when he noticed the empty whisky bottle and a whole sheet of aspirin that had been consumed.
"Oh god!" Carter exclaimed as he reached for his Cell phone and dialled 911.
When the operator picked up Carter relayed all the information he could, and made sure that they knew how serious this was.
A mere 8 minutes later the paramedics arrived, Carter called down the stair well to them. He recognised them, they came into County all the time with junkies, gang bangers and other undesirables. But Mark wasn't one of these, he was just a very lonely guy.
As they strapped monitors to Mark, Carter could see his heart was racing but his blood pressure was falling, with his diastolic down to only 50. Mark was sweating profusely, and Carter knew he was in serious trouble if they didn't get him to County soon.
Ten minutes later Carter crashed into the ER with the gurney that Mark was lying on. He screamed at the staff for help. Doctor's Kovac and Weaver came running over, along with Haleh and Lydia.
"Carter I thought you were off....Oh my god!' Kerry exclaimed as she saw just who was strapped to the gurney.
Carter started reeling off Marks vitals, they were not looking good. As they rolled the gurney into trauma one and transferred Mark he began to vomit.
"Roll him!" Kovac shouted
"We're going to have to intubate him to protect his airway." Kerry said "7.5 ET tube."
As Carter watched them work on Mark he saw a piece of screwed up paper sticking out of Mark's pocket. He reached over an grabbed it. As he read it he began to cry, he realised that Mark had tried to kill himself because he couldn't be with Susan.
As Dr Kovac treated Mark with IV fluids and active charcoal, Carter slowly walked out of the doors and decided he had to tell Susan to choose Mark. She had to realise how much Mark loved her, and how much he would need her if he made it.
Carter hated to think his friend may not make it. Mark had been a mentor to Carter, someone to look up to. Although he was angry at him for sleeping with Susan, he knew he didn't do it out of spite, but that he truly loved her. And Carter wasn't going to be someone to stand in the way of that.
As Mark lined up the aspirin and poured the whisky for the second time in just a few days, he sat and thought.
Ten years ago this was not what he would have imagined his life to be like. He assumed that he and Jen would have another child, a little brother or sister for Rachel, but hopefully still being in Chicago where he was surrounded by friends.
He'd hoped to be enjoying his life, not sat alone in a dark apartment pining for the woman he loved. But that had changed as well. At one point the only woman he had ever loved was Jen, but that finished, and she remarried. Now the woman he loved was Susan. The one who stuck by him through all his troubles with Jen, listened to him whinge and curse, but never once judged him.
As he swallowed the first aspirin he flinched, not really knowing what he was doing, but thinking that this was the only way out.
With a swig of whisky the second, third, fourth, and fifth pills went down quite easily. Mark was starting to feel queasy. He couldn't see very well, mainly because he'd taken his glasses off, but this was a drunken, suicide haze.
Back at the hospital Susan was slowly starting to make her mind up. When she and Carter had gotten together she was just desperate for someone to take her mind off Mark. Someone to help her forget how in love with him she was, even though they had fallen out.
Carter was great for that. He showered her with kisses, hugs and the attention she craved after remaining single for so long, waiting for Mark. The sex wasn't great but it was something that she knew they could work at, she just had to show Carter a few things she liked.
But now that wasn't enough. All the memories from her night with Mark had come back to her. She remembered every kiss, and how every time he touched her skin she sighed, knowing how right being with him felt. As she lay in her hospital bed for the last night before he discharge the next day she made up her mind. It had to be Mark.
She had known him for years. They had shared every possible emotion, experience and joke. As Doug put it, they were 'The Mutt and Jeff of Emergency medicine.'
Little did she know Mark was slowly sinking into an alcohol and drug induced coma.
He counted the spaces missing in the packet. He was up to eleven now, and the bottle of whisky was half empty.
'Typical' Mark thought.
He didn't have any cash to by some more whisky so he'd just make the most of what he had left. So with the remaining half a bottle of whisky, Mark finished off the last five pills in the packet of aspirin.
Across the other side of Chicago, Carter sat by the pool at the family home. He remembered sitting here all those years ago as a med student, thinking about Susan. Now he was sat here thinking about her again, and somehow he knew Mark would be thinking about her too.
Carter got up and grabbed the keys to his car. The only person that he knew he could talk to was Mark.
Twenty minutes later Carter reached Mark's apartment. He banged on the door but nobody answered. Carter knew Mark wasn't working and he could see from outside that a small light was on. He wondered why Mark wasn't coming to the door.
He tried calling Mark's cell phone but it was switched off.
'That's' strange. Mark never turns his phone off.' Carter thought.
Inside Mark was becoming increasingly drowsy, and he could feel his heart and breathing rate increase. He knew these were serious symptoms of an aspirin overdose and that this was the stage that he should seek emergency medical attention. But right now he didn't care, he had given up on hoping for anything in his life.
Carter was outside and beginning to worry about Mark. He knew his friend was the other side of that door, but why he wasn't answering he didn't know.
Eventually Carter decided that he had to do something. He banged hard on the door for the last time, but Mark didn't answer.
Carter started to kick at the door until it swung open. He wasn't ready for what faced him. Mark was slumped over his kitchen table a small glass had been knocked over and the contains spilt onto the floor.
Carter shook Mark and shouted in his ear.
"Mark! It's Carter. Mark, come on wake up!" Carter yelled
Mark just rolled his head lightly and let out a small groan.
It was when he tried to lift Mark's head when he noticed the empty whisky bottle and a whole sheet of aspirin that had been consumed.
"Oh god!" Carter exclaimed as he reached for his Cell phone and dialled 911.
When the operator picked up Carter relayed all the information he could, and made sure that they knew how serious this was.
A mere 8 minutes later the paramedics arrived, Carter called down the stair well to them. He recognised them, they came into County all the time with junkies, gang bangers and other undesirables. But Mark wasn't one of these, he was just a very lonely guy.
As they strapped monitors to Mark, Carter could see his heart was racing but his blood pressure was falling, with his diastolic down to only 50. Mark was sweating profusely, and Carter knew he was in serious trouble if they didn't get him to County soon.
Ten minutes later Carter crashed into the ER with the gurney that Mark was lying on. He screamed at the staff for help. Doctor's Kovac and Weaver came running over, along with Haleh and Lydia.
"Carter I thought you were off....Oh my god!' Kerry exclaimed as she saw just who was strapped to the gurney.
Carter started reeling off Marks vitals, they were not looking good. As they rolled the gurney into trauma one and transferred Mark he began to vomit.
"Roll him!" Kovac shouted
"We're going to have to intubate him to protect his airway." Kerry said "7.5 ET tube."
As Carter watched them work on Mark he saw a piece of screwed up paper sticking out of Mark's pocket. He reached over an grabbed it. As he read it he began to cry, he realised that Mark had tried to kill himself because he couldn't be with Susan.
As Dr Kovac treated Mark with IV fluids and active charcoal, Carter slowly walked out of the doors and decided he had to tell Susan to choose Mark. She had to realise how much Mark loved her, and how much he would need her if he made it.
Carter hated to think his friend may not make it. Mark had been a mentor to Carter, someone to look up to. Although he was angry at him for sleeping with Susan, he knew he didn't do it out of spite, but that he truly loved her. And Carter wasn't going to be someone to stand in the way of that.
