A/N: I don't own ER or any of it's characters. This story takes place during season 6 during "All in the Family." Yes, this is a Cary fic because, yes, I believe it that episode should've ended up differently. I'm a Carcy lover and if you aren't, that's fine too. Anyhoo, this is my interpretation on what should've happened. (if Kellie Martin didn't leave to complete college.) Also, all of the opening quotes up to chapter 5 are from the song State of Mind by Merril Bainbridge.
Chapter 8: Changes Anyone?
"While I'm asleep
I feel it driving me to something I'll regret
What if I make the change?
What if I loose my courage
This time?"
"Okay, sorry to make you wait as long as you had to, Lucy, but you know these traumas they're very unpredictable." Kerry said sitting behind a desk across from Lucy. She'd kept her waiting for nearly 2 hours, it was alredy nightfall when Kerry was finished.
"I know it all too well, Dr. Weaver." She lowered her head and put her hand on the scars on her neck.
"Well...what are you doing here, Lucy?" She started noticing Lucy's discomfort.
"As you may or may not know, I left to go home and be with my family during my recovery. After nearly 5 months of physical therapy, I have the ability to walk again--without a cane or anything at all. Um, I was hoping I could come back to work again. Start where I left off."
"That's a lot to ask, Lucy." She replied and Lucy's heart sank. "I'm glad you're back, really, I am. But…we have new Med students and there are no residents left that would be able to teach you. Didn't you try to complete your Psych rotation at your hospital back home?"
"I did but the doctors said they couldn't let me until I was back to full health, and by that time--"
"By that time, you would already be making your way back here." She finished for her with a small smile. Lucy nodded with a faint smile.
"Exactly. Dr. Weaver, I know I'll most likely have to start from scratch but I'm willing to do that if it means I can continue to work here and finally graduate." Kerry paused for a moment in thought.
"Alright, I'll make you a deal." She said standing up and walking toward Lucy. "I'll let you get back to work on your Psych rotation and we'll work out your schedule tomorrow. As for your resident, I'm sure Dr. Legaspi would be more than happy to have you." Lucy stood up and smiled at Kerry and shook her hand.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Weaver. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"You're going to make a great doctor, Lucy. When you graduate, whenever that is, we still have to hash out those details, I'd be glad to have you on my staff." Lucy smiled and nodded gratefully and opened the door to leave but Kerry stopped her.
"Uh, Lucy, ayou taking any medication?" She asked rather nervously. Lucy didn't know about what happened to Carter and Kerry was, to say the least, a little worried she'd gone through the same thing.
"Just a painkiller my doctor prescribed. My legs get a little sore at times so…" She trailed off hoping Kerry got her meaning.
"Okay, I'd like to take a look at that later on. Tomorrow too, I suppose. Get everything done at once."
"Okay. Is that all? Dr. Greene said he wanted to see me too." She half lied. Lucy didn't want to tell Kerry that Mark was going to be checking her stitches. Kerry might find that inappropriate considering that she had them all over her body. Not just from the stab wounds but from when her check was cracked open.
"Yeah, that's all. Come in tomorrow morning between 6: 30 and 9 o'clock, whatever works for you, and we'll get you set up."
"Alright, thanks, Dr. Weaver. Uh, have you seen Carter at all today? I wanted to apologize to him. We didn't exactly leave on good terms."
"He should be in the Lounge. His shifts almost over." Lucy nodded and thanked Kerry again and headed downstairs to find Mark and Carter. His shifts almost over? That's odd. Carter normally works to all hours of the hight. Why is shift almost over? Makes no sense. She reached the front desk and almost called out for Jerry but corrected herself when Frank came into sight.
"Frank, do you know where Dr. Greene is?"
"Dr. Greene was in the Lounge with Drs. Carter and Corday. But he said that he had to go to a dinner with his parents, then he and Dr. Corday left."
"Dammit!" She shouted with much frustration. She slapped the admit desk and gave a sigh of defeat. it was at that moment she saw Frank give her strange look, as if she was crazy. "Sorry."
"He left you a message. He said he was sorry and would find you tomorrow to do what you planned."
"And just what are you planning with Dr. Greene?" She heard Chuny joked walking into the Lounge. She ignored that comment, rolling her eyes.
"Thanks, Frank." She with a slightly annoyed tone from Chuny's comment. He nodded and went back to the ringing phones.Fixing the strap of her bag on her shouldershe took a deep breath. More than anything right now she wanted to take a painkiller but didn't dare in front Frank. He'd been eyeing her all day and he just made her very uncomfortable. As she was walking out she heard a voice behind her talking to Frank. Normally, Lucy would've ignored this, but the voice was so familiar. She turned around and felt her breath catch in her throat. "Carter?" He was laughing at something Frank had said and turned around, the smile leaving his face.
"Lucy?" Apparently, he didn't get the memo that she'd returned. A little joke of Daves and the nurses at her expense. This would be so much easier if he already knew I was here. He looked her up and down just staring at her for a moment like Dave had done. Setting his bag down, obviously leaving the Lounge to go home, a detail which still confused her, he walked over to her and she smiled.
"Hey, Carter. How are you?" She asked nervously trying to sound as if nothing had changed.
"Lucy!" He laughed, rushing to her and hugged her, picking her up off the ground a few inches and spinned her around twice before setting her down. She laughed and hugged him back so glad that he was happy to see her. This day had gone better than she thought it would. "What are you doing here? That's not what I mean. What I mean is…what did you do to your hair? I didn't mean that either. I'm sorry, it's just…your back. You are back, right?" He spoke so quickly Lucy wasn't sure what answer first, let alone how.
"Yes, I'm gonna work out my new schedule tomorrow and possibly start work the day after or next week. Whatever Dr. Weaver decides. How have you been?"
"Good! Good! Well, as good as good can be." He said the earlier happiness leaving his voice as he looked slightly toward the ground. Lucy saw this and looked at Carter confused.
"Did I miss something?" She asked hoping to get an answer but received none.
"More than you know." He said moving away from her to pick up his bag.
"Oh, my god. Did you talk to Dave? He said that very same thing." She said half laughing as they started to walk outside together.
"See 'ya, Frank! Page me if I'm desperately needed!" He called back as they walked outside into the slightly sticky August air. "So...how have you been?"
"Great!" She said smiling but it quickly fading as she chuckled scratching her head. "I'm exaggerating. I've been good. You?"
"About the same, really. Didn't we already go over that?" He said moving to the bench smiling. He didn't want to leave just yet. Lucy was back and he wanted to talk to her like he used to. Only less loud. "Any news? Changes I should be up on?"
"Besides me no longer being in a wheelchair?" She joked on the outside but inside, Carter knew what she was feeling. Joking about what happened seemed to make the truth hurt less. "Nothing big. New medications, hair change, and smoking count?"
"Yeah, your hair. It's nice. I like it, though I'm gonna miss the blonde. Did you say smoking?" He asked suddenly changing the subject.
"I'm not gonna miss it. The blonde, that is, and yes." She reached down in her bag and pulled out a pack showing them to him. She gave a half-hearted smile and put them away.
"You smoke now?" He thought about how he and Abby had talked in Doc Magoos when he first came back. She took up smoking too. This place and the stuff that happened here seemed to do that to people--make them do things you thought they'd normally never do. "Jeez, why?"
"Well, I was in a bad place, as you know, and well...let me put it to you this way, emotional roller coaster that never should've stopped did. What can I say? Shit happens." His eyes went wide hearing her say that.
"Lucy! God! You've really changed!" He couldn't help but laugh saying this and pretty soon she joined him.
"I know. Believe me, I know. But enough about me, what about you? How much have you changed?" Carter hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should tell her. He wasn't sure if he should tell her that after she went away he became a drug addict and had to live in rehab for 3 months because of his grief. He wasn't sure if he should tell her that when she left, he was so alone and couldn't talk to anybody. He wasn't sure if he should say all the things he wanted say, that he had pent up inside him since the day she left.
"Uh...little things, you know." She could tell he was holding something back. After working with the people at Cook County over a long period of time, a week at most, you could always tell when someone was lying or only telling you half of something.
"I won't go into it. Whatever you went through must've been rough but I won't push. You can tell me when you're ready, if you want." He looked up at her and saw that smile. It was so infectious and he smiled back at her and wrapped his arm around her. They sat there for a few more moments in silence as if nothing had changed. They easily slipped back into their normal routine and they'd only been together for 5 minutes.
Lucy couldn't lie, she'd missed Carter so much when she left--him most of all. He wasn't just her teacher but she thought of him as a friend. Maybe her best friend. She valued his opinion, on certain subjects, and trusted him. Though he would never say it, Carter felt the same way about Lucy. He knew what everyone would say about them behind their backs and he didn't care for one reason: what they thought would happen, never would. It was impossible for he and Lucy to become romantically invovlved. But that night, sitting there and talking in each others arms felt so right. How could it be wrong?
Chapter 9: First Day
Preview: With new rules to play by, Lucy has an interesting first day.