Ok, here we go again, I'm going to try, I think to get two ch's up a day, that's my aim but it mat not actually happen, so here's the first anyway, there may be another later. It's another long one…
Review responses are at the end. Thank you so much for all of them they are awesome. XxX Kay.
Ch 45
The service passed without another hitch, within twenty minutes Jasper and Amelia were married, rings and kisses had been exchanged and the seats formerly making up the pews had been crafted into neat circles, forming seating areas. The food and drink were in mid flow and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The music dulled down as yet another announcement came over the mike.
"Ok, we've got a best man speech coming up." A male voice informed them, "Apparently it was written about an hour ago, so give them a chance." He finished as the music picked up again.
"So Mrs. Carmichael how does it feel?" Kate asked as she grabbed Amelia who was on her way past.
"Honestly?" Amelia said looking at Kate, "A bit weird but not any different really." Amelia confided smiling, she'd changed into a pair of low slung baggy combat pants, and a tight white v-neck tee shirt ready for the ensuing party, she had the luxury, unlike most of the others, and she'd taken advantage of it.
"Congratulations." Luka said bending, giving her a kiss on the cheek, she smiled back at him warmly.
"Yeah." Sam added hugging her.
"Thanks for coming." Amelia smiled at both of them.
"Hey congrats Dr Mac." Pratt said as he sidled over to them.
"Thanks Greg." Amelia replied still smiling. "Are you all alright for drinks and food and everything?" Amelia asked.
"Yeah thanks." Sam smiled at her.
"You know where everything is right?" She continued worried for her guests.
"Don't worry about us, just have a good time." Sam told her, "This party's great." She said honestly, smiling at Amelia.
"It's got absolutely nothing to do with me." Amelia confided laughing, "I'm still trying to figure out who put this whole thing together because I know he didn't do all this by himself." She smiled spying Jasper who was chatting amicably with a group of his colleagues.
"Have some faith." Luka smiled defending him.
"No, she's right." Kate said with a wicked smile on her face.
"Ok, so who did all this?" Amelia asked, semi convinced she'd tell her as she crossed her arms, looking at her friend.
"I've been sworn to secrecy." Kate shrugged.
"Ok, just holler if you need anything." Amelia said to Luka, Sam and Pratt, adding, "And don't let her tell you any bullshit stories." She said indicating Kate who she had no doubt was spreading all kinds of rumours amongst her guests.
"Hi." Amelia said to Abby as she took a seat beside her with, Neela, Elizabeth, Susan, "You all ok?" She asked looking at Abby who had a decidedly sleepy looking Imogen on her lap.
"Fine, yeah." Abby replied, "So how does it feel?" She asked.
"I don't know, weird, you've done it before, you should know." She smiled.
"That's a very nice rock you've got there." Susan smiled indicating the ring on Amelia's finger.
"Thanks, it's new." Amelia beamed back at her as Abby rolled her eyes.
"How did you end up with her?" Amelia indicated Imogen.
"I have no idea." Abby smiled looking down at the child.
"You want to put her to bed?" Amelia asked, offering up accommodation.
"Immo d'you want to go to bed?" Abby asked the child as she snuggled further into her chest.
"No." Imogen replied resolutely.
"Imm, you look like you about to fall asleep." Abby said aware that Elizabeth was switching chairs.
"I'm not." Imogen replied grumpily sitting up straighter. "I'm awake." She said squirming off Abby's lap.
"Hey we were just looking for you." Ed said from behind them, talking to Imogen, "You're Dad's teaching Lauren and the other kids how to make cocktails, you want to join in?" He asked, whisking an increasingly awake Imogen away with him.
Abby, Elizabeth and Amelia turned around to see Nick and another guy at the Bar, using all their old tricks, throwing shakers and bottles in the air, juggling between the two of them with and increasingly growing audience as someone else pulled their way up onto the bar to start fire breathing.
"Well that answers my question." Elizabeth said spying her daughter.
"God, it's like a circus over there." Susan laughed as the fire breathing man started fire breathing and someone else on top of the bar lit a load of juggling batons and started juggling.
"Are you kidding Amelia's yard looks like this every Saturday night." Sam smiled taking a seat.
"You want one?" Amelia said turning away offering Abby a cigarette, having seen it all before.
"Thanks." Abby said taking one as Amelia bent to light hers off one of the torches, switching with Abby and lighting the second one.
"They'll be fine with Ed." Amelia said looking at Elizabeth smiling, trying to quell Elizabeth's doubts as Sam noticed Alex getting dangerously close to the various fiery antics, someone pulling him back slightly as he did.
"So did you really have no idea that he was planning this?" Susan asked with a smile as she looked at Amelia.
"I really, really had absolutely no idea." Amelia smiled back at her shaking her head her eyes twinkling. "I thought he was planning something but I didn't know what and this never even crossed my mind." She smiled.
"I don't think anyone did, did they?" Abby said shrugging.
"Oh, come on, Nick knew, which implies that you have to have known." Amelia smiled at her.
"I…I'm, I'm not saying anything." Abby held her hands up smiling, laughing as she did.
"See so you did know." Amelia said, her eyebrows raised.
"So, are you disappointed that you didn't get to plan your wedding?" Elizabeth asked crossing her legs, smiling slightly
"God no, I think that whoever planned this one…" She shot a knowing look in Abby's direction. "Did a pretty good job." She smiled.
"I already told you that it had nothing to do with me." Abby defended herself.
"You're not a very convincing liar." Amelia said as her mouth twitched into a smile.
"Really, I thought that, that was one of the things I was better at." Abby said raising her eyebrows taking a drag on her cigarette as she rolled her eyes good-humouredly.
"Well whoever did organize this sure knows how to throw one hell of a party." Susan smiled as Elizabeth, Sam and Amelia nodded their agreement, Amelia braced herself as she saw Lauren hurtling towards her.
"Mommy." She screeched excitedly as she hit Amelia and started bouncing up and down.
"Hi." Amelia said laughing slightly at how overexcited she was.
"Mommy, Grampa's here, Grampa's here." She bounced looking up and over at the burly man who was approaching. Amelia followed her gaze and saw him as well, standing up to greet him, a huge smile on her face as he arrived.
"Hi James." She smiled warmly at Jasper's father.
"Hi daughter in law." He smiled, his eyes wrinkling as he pulled her into a hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he did. "So my son's finally managed to tie you down." He said with a deep throaty chuckle as he pulled away.
"It would seem so." Amelia smiled at him, nodding.
"Well, congratulations young lady, I'm honoured that you took him off my hands, although I did warn him that if he brought another Quack into the family he was in for it." He smiled placing his hand on the top of Lauren's bouncing head.
"Oh, well what can you do." She smiled shrugging. "Did you see him yet or were you cornered by this one as soon as you walked through the door?" She inclined her head, looking down at Lauren, her hands on her hips.
"Yes, I've seen him, he looks like he's on pretty good form." James grinned at her.
"Sorry, James these are some of my colleagues." She started turning towards Elizabeth, Susan, Sam and Abby. "More quack's I'm afraid." She grinned at him as she introduced her new father in law.
"Corday as in Guy's and St Thomas' Corday?" He asked as Amelia introduced Elizabeth.
"That's right." Elizabeth nodded, frowning up at him slightly.
"My wife used to work with your father I think, Annie Carmichael she was an Anaesthetist." James said nodding at her.
"Of course, of course." Elizabeth nodded, standing as she did. "She was my supervisor for a while when I was a junior." Elizabeth smiled at him, Jasper's mom and his sister's twin had died in a car accident the year before he arrived in New York.
"How's your father?" James asked as they struck up a conversation and Amelia moved to sit down.
"It's a small world after all." Abby noted, her eyebrows raised as the others smiled. They were interrupted as the DJ stopped the music.
"Ok, here we go, this is the revised best-man speech, we've got one of the best men up here, we need Nick as well though, I think that the other one may already be out of the picture, 'Doc' stop trying to smoke subtly, your yard's big but it's not that big, get your ass up here."
Amelia rose to her feet rolling her he eyes with a 'busted' expression on her face, the eyes of all those sitting around her on her as she stood up.
"Feel free not to listen to my second public humiliation of the night, and it's only…" She checked her watch. "Eight thirty, Christ." She smiled as she stood up and headed towards where the event was about to happen.
Dan, Jasper's brother was standing on a bench as they arrived, obviously quite drunk, his older brother Tom trying to make him sit down.
"Nick, stop showing off and get over here." The guy on the mike said as the crowd gathered.
Nick put down all the bottles and accessories, and ran over, jumping on the bench next to Dan, in front of the house, checking on him for a second before climbing up onto the table next to Tom. Jasper ambled up behind Amelia wrapping his arms around her waist as she leaned back into him. She watched as the remaining children ran off, out into the now empty expanse of grass.
"Ok boy's take it away." The mike guy told them as Nick cleared his throat and Tom took the mike.
"I'm, Jasper's brother Tom, I think that I've met about ten of you before, so I thought you should know that I'm not just a rambling idiot that he picked up on the street." Tom started a smile on his face. "Dan and Nick and I have had many a conversation about this over the last couple of hours." Tom began waxing lyrical into his microphone. "But given that Dan's suggestion for the opening line of his speech was 'if I could only say a few words I'd be a better public speaker' he was vetoed fairly quickly when he turned up this afternoon, and now he's a little indisposed so…" He paused laughing slightly at his younger brother "We decided that as two of best men, Amelia, don't take that as any kind of reflection on the guy you just married." Tom quipped as light laughter rumbled around the crowd. "We decided to do it together, so…" Tom paused handing the mike over to Nick.
"Ok." Nick continued, "The pair of you know that I'm happy for you, we're all happy for you, obviously I'm a bit pissed that I lost Amelia to Jasper in the first place but, mate I'll let it go for tonight," He joked. "I'm not going to go easy on you, I'm certainly not going to go easy on Amelia, sorry." He grinned shrugging, "And between the two of us we know every embarrassing story there is to know about Jas; guys there's people here who didn't know you before you arrived in Chicago, and considering there were no stag or hen do's, which is where the ritual humiliation usually takes place we've got to do it now I'm afraid, so there's a few things that I feel I need to say, actually there's a few things that I think you need to see." Nick paused, as a white sheet was unfurled, hanging from the top two windows of their house, above his head.
"Oh Jesus." Amelia muttered.
"Ok for all of you who've known these two for a long time and for all who haven't here are a few bits that pretty much sum them up, this is why I love you guys, and why I think all of us love you guys, there's a few of these that need some explaining, so we've put a special collection together, but there's so many that we're gonna play them all night long, a lot of people have contributed to this so thanks to all of you." Nick finished. "There's no porn by the way," Tom added bending to the mike as 'Jasper and Amelia The true story.' Appeared briefly on the sheet from a projector at the back of the yard.
"Ok, we're going to kick this off when these two met each other, which I think was about almost six years ago, is that right?" Nick asked looking for confirmation, Amelia and Jasper nodded at him. "Meals was at med school and Jas had just moved over here." Nick told the crowd, most of whom had managed to procure champagne; Jasper had managed to acquire a bottle. A shot appeared on the sheet of Jasper and Amelia with their backs to each other, both talking to other people.
"I'm not going to tell you it was love at first sight for these two." Nick chuckled along with the crowd, as another shot of Amelia throwing her drink over Jasper appeared. "That was the first night they met, what was it you said to me after that Meals?" Nick asked, "I believe you told me that your husband was a drunken asshole, and that's the polite way of putting it." Nick told the crowd grinning as Amelia remained quiet, a smile on her face. A few more shots of the two of them alone, and together appeared, as Nick carried on explaining their history.
"Ok, now here's where it gets interesting for those of you who don't know what Amelia did before she became a doctor, because I think, now I don't know but I think she's kept it pretty quiet, think a mixture of 'Cocktail' and 'Coyote Ugly', for those of you who do know it's just a nice trip down memory lane." Nick told his audience. A copy of a magazine clipping flashed onto the screen, bearing the title, 'The hottest bar in town.' With a picture of Amelia and several other girls mid-dance, all standing in a line on the bar, one of them fire breathing in the front of a heaving bar.
"Oh my god, is that you?" Neela, who was standing close to Amelia asked her, looking at the picture.
"In a former life." Amelia smiled nodding at her.
Another picture flashed up, this time of Amelia on her own, behind the bar juggling about six spirit bottles concentration all over her face, followed by another of her and Nick doing some kind of pair cocktail making act on top of the bar. A few more similar pictures followed of Amelia cavorting on and behind the bar some with Jasper and various others, then a few of Jasper out on the town. "You're guess is as good as mine as to how he's a lawyer." Tom said as a shot of Jasper draped over the bonnet of a convertible with a traffic cone on his head flashed up.
"Where the hell did he get all these?" Amelia questioned Jasper.
"I have no idea, why did you throw a drink over me?" He said frowning in pretend frustration as she elbowed him gently in the ribs and laughed.
Next came a couple of pictures of Amelia and Jasper with a group of other people, gently glossing over Amelia's pregnancy, which Nick had figured wasn't the point of the day, or this part of the day at least.
"Ok, there's a few of Lauren in here too, just so you don't forget it's her birthday today, because I don't think she'd forgive me if we didn't acknowledge it." Nick smiled. Everyone cheered "Lo." Nick shouted causing her to run over to Amelia, and Imogen bounded towards Abby. Jasper grabbed Lauren as she approached and heaved her onto his hip; Ella had already veered off towards Elizabeth as Abby picked Imogen up.
"Hey that's you two." Amelia said, talking to Imogen and Lauren as a picture of the pair sleeping together in a crib appeared, when they were both about three months old. Amelia smiled slightly at the memory. There were a few more of Lauren always with Imogen and at least one of Jasper, Amelia, Nick, Birdie, Ed, or a variety of other people.
"We're hitting the last few now." Nick assured everyone, "Jasper had just won a landmark case right here." As a shot of the two men looking distinctly disheveled talking to Amelia, Birdie and Ed flashed up, "and then Amelia's graduation, you look like a very responsible mother their Meals." Nick laughed as a shot of Amelia, Lauren, Birdie and a crowd of others dancing on the bar appeared. "Actually to be fair mate I think that's Imogen there as well." Tom said squinting at the picture trying to identify Nick's daughter.
A few slightly more subdued pictures of Amelia and Jasper appeared, both of them always looking happy, or as if the photographer had just interrupted them, Lauren and Imogen both squealed, giggling as shots of Jasper and Amelia kissing came up, and then of Jasper's Proposal earlier on, and Amelia's acceptance. "And there we have it ladies and gentlemen, if you could all raise your now probably almost empty glasses to Jas and Amelia, Congratulations." Nick and Tom smiled toasting as the rest of the crowd joined in, and Birdie beckoned him down from his bench. Jasper put down the little girl on his hip, as they smiled at each other, Lauren and Imogen grimaced at each other as Amelia and Jasper smiled at each other, kissing. Again a cheer went up from the people around them.
"Sorry, sorry everyone." Nick's voice boomed out again, drawing everyone's attention back to him, the photos continued playing at random above his head, "I've just been told that there are a certain group of people here tonight, and apparently it's traditional for the newlyweds to take the first dance, but they've already missed that and so…" Nick turned towards the bar, bringing everyone else's eyes with him as he jumped off the bench and headed towards where there were four women already standing.
"No." Amelia shook her head adamantly.
"We've got the original line-up up there, they need you Meals." Nick said smiling cheekily, climbing up on the bar himself.
"No." Amelia almost laughed, in her own mind she wasn't going anywhere near the bar top. Birdie appeared next to Nick, on the ground though, taking the mike, Amelia shook her head, laughing, she couldn't see a way out, but she had no intention of going.
"Darlin', you're gonna get up here, you know you are I know you are, so get over here." Birdie instructed, grinning broadly.
"I'm not Bird, sorry." Amelia said resolutely.
"Mommy I want to go." Lauren said loudly looking up at Amelia.
"Come on, the kids even want to get up here, don't bail on me darlin'." Birdie instructed in her usual sarcastically stern way.
"No." Amelia laughed shaking her head
"Get up there Doc." Some one yelled from the other side of the yard.
"You get up there." Amelia muttered turning away.
"Aww, go on." Jasper said giving her a small push towards the bar and a smile.
"This is going to be the shortest marriage ever if you carry on like this." She said her eyebrows raised a patronizing smile on her face as she looked at Jasper.
"Meal, you're going to have to take one for the team here I think." A voice came over the mike.
"Get up there." Another encouraging shout echoed over the yard, rolling her eyes she relented reluctantly as she began to head for the bar, and another small cheer erupted.
"Birdie do you realize how long it's been since I did this?" Amelia asked frowning at Birdie as she arrived by the bar and kicked off her shoes next to the little accumulated pile.
"Oh, it's just like falling off a bike." Birdie grinned. "Give 'em two minutes." She instructed the crowd.
"Mom, I want to too." Lauren said trying to get up on the bar as Amelia pulled herself up.
"Me too." Imogen chipped in.
"Guy's I don't think now is a good idea." Amelia knelt down, getting as close to them as she could without getting off. "Immo, can I borrow your hair toggle?" She added holding out her hand as Imogen pulled her hair out of its ponytail.
"Mom, we've done it before." Lauren continued loudly.
"Yeah when we were much littler." Imogen added. Amelia looked up scanning the crowd, looking for someone to take them away. She caught Nick's eye and he headed back, gathering them up.
"You can do it later I promise." Amelia called after them standing back up.
"Birdie, I'm gonna need a drink before I do this." Amelia instructed, almost instantly a vodka shot appeared in her hand, which she downed.
"I could actually go for one of those as well." The girl next to her said nervously looking at Birdie.
"Oh my god, hi." Amelia said giving the woman next to her a hug, "I didn't even see you yet."
"Just got here." She confided, grabbing her drink along with the other three who'd also decided that it wasn't a bad idea. The five women re-shuffled themselves after a quick conference.
"Whose idea was this?" Amelia asked petrified, really not wanting to be standing where she was, with a lot of her colleagues and her mother looking on.
"Sorry." Kate admitted. "I stupidly mentioned to Birdie that we were all here."
"Christ, I'm glad I changed." Amelia admitted, subtly tightening the string on her pants and drawing her hair up.
"We've got to look like we're having fun doing this or we're going to look like fucking idiots." Kate said shaking her head, a concerned frown on her face.
"They need to not all be watching us." Sophie, the woman next to Amelia said.
"Yeah but they are, and the chance of us not looking like idiots is almost nonexistent." Amelia noted.
"Ok, well what do you suggest?" One of the other two asked.
"You think this thing can take our weight, it looks like it's made out of cardboard." Amelia said surveying the bar that had appeared in her yard.
"Right, ok, right." Kate said taking charge, spying the microphone on the back of the bar. Switching it on she addressed the crowd, "Hi." She sighed, smiling a stunning, somewhat embarrassed smile, "Just so you know, we've not done this in a while, and Christ knows why we're doing it tonight, but it looks like we are." She sighed again; turning to put the mike down, "Actually, no, screw it." She said considerably more cheery suddenly turning back around, the others on the bar exchanged puzzled glances, Amelia had her hand's on her hips, she was finding it slightly hard to swallow as she surveyed the crowd, everyone looked up at Kate, as she continued. "We've got a Broadway dancer up here, a veterinarian, a PR executive and a doctor, and I don't know what Lucy does." Kate paused turning to the woman who told her, "And an advertising agent. We all started out like this, and all had a good time, so we're gonna do our best for you, I think that Meal was the last one of us to dance up here, what, four years ago?" She looked back at the others, ascertaining their agreement, "The rest of us haven't been up on a bar for a bit longer than that, at least not professionally; but since we've been bullied into it by our old boss and we're taking on the traditional first dance, accept that it's the first dance we've done together in more than six years and we'll give it our best shot." Kate finished her little speech smiling, as clapping emanated, primarily from the New Yorkers.
"Can we get another round of shots at the bar please." One of them asked loudly. The five of them were handed shots, and they stood, semi ready to dance, Birdie was right, it was just like falling off a bike.
"You guys set?" Amelia asked as they exchanged smiles and reluctant nods. "Ok shoot." Amelia called as the five of them spun on the bar, knelt down and bounced back up downing their drinks in unison, as the music kicked in perfectly on time and they started dancing.
"How much would you bet that one of them is going to fall off there?" Susan asked a wicked smile on her face.
"I don't know but I can grantee that if it was us the bar would have collapsed and we'd be lying in a heap on the floor by now." Abby shook her head laughing, watching them as Nick appeared beside the majority of the ER clan, smiling.
"So d'you think she picked the wrong career?" He smiled as he snaked his arm around Abby's waist, she glanced at him before looking back to the bar.
"How long did she do this for?" Susan frowned at him.
"Seven years almost." He nodded at her, smiling involuntarily as the memories flooded his brain. "She was the best dancer they ever had." He raised his eyebrows as they all looked at her, even after four years she was still the best one up on the bar as she laughed with one of her compatriots as they continued dancing.
"Seven years of dancing on bars to become an ER Doctor at county, doesn't seem like a fair trade off really does it?" Susan sighed shaking her head, irony evident.
"Maybe we should get her to do this every day, entertain the patients in chairs." Pratt added watching as the five women danced.
"Yeah, we could get Sam, Abby, Chen, Susan, Neela, Kerry, Yosh maybe…" Luka said grinning broadly.
"Don't even think about it." Sam warned.
"Yeah, all of you up on the admit desk, it'd be perfect." Pratt added; his eyebrows raised, a grin on his face.
Review responses…
LoopyLu1 – Here is the next part, enjoy!
CourtiePie – I'm glad you like it, I'm totally an Abby fan too.
Blah – I hope that u got enough sleep, I'm honored that you feel this is sleep depravation worthy! And yes your speculation was right! – Well done. I'm going to brave it and wait for friends to air over here but thank you, your reviews are awesome!
Teertornado – I'll set up some kind of counseling for you! I've decided to do a few epilogue things so I'll wean you off it gradually. (I've actually become a little addicted to writing this myself, and to reviews!)
Tracey – I'm glad u liked the wedding, I thought it was fun. I wouldn't worry about the thesaurus, telling me you like it is more than enough so cheers.
Carby 6 – Thanks, keep reading!
Lillian – Abby and Nick aren't going anywhere in a hurry.
Hibbs – Wait and see, it's all drawing to a bit of a close, but keep reading!
Thanks so much for all the reviews, they make my day! And I'm very excited about hittin the hundred mark.