Lexie pushed her way into the crowded ER room and looked around. She made
her way up to the admit desk and set her bag down on the floor next to her.
"Excuse me." She said in a quiet voice to the older heavyset man behind the
desk.
"Sign in and have a seat in the chairs and someone will be with you as soon as they can." Frank said without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Oh, um, no. I am looking for Dr. Carter." She said in the same hushed tone.
Frank finally looked up and studied the pretty woman in front of him. "May I tell him who is asking for him?" Frank asked nosily.
Lexie smiled at the implication in his voice. "Yes, tell him his sister is here to see him." Frank stood up and nodded to her. He walked down the hall and pushed into the trauma room.
"Carter, you have a visitor." Carter was working on a gunshot wound and didn't bother to look up.
"A patient?" He asked not really caring about the answer. He was far too busy to stop and go see someone e who wanted to jump ahead of the line just because they had been there a million times before.
"Nope, she says she is your sister."
Carter finally looked up. "Barbara?"
Frank shrugged.
"Ok, tell her I will be out as soon as I can." Frank turned and left and found the woman standing in the same place she had been.
"He is in the middle of a case but if you want you can wait in the lounge for him." Lexie nodded and picked up her bag. She walked through the door to the lounge and paused to make sure that no one was asleep before she walked in. She set her bag down and sat down in one of the hard chairs around the small table. She stared out the small window at the foot traffic outside. It was so strange to be back in Chicago. It had been almost six years since she had dared come here and after the last trip she swore she would never be back. But now she had no choice. This was the one place Landon wouldn't look and that was her only saving grace at this point. She adjusted in her chair so that the hard metal bar wasn't pushing into the bruise that ran the length of her back and stifled a small whimper as she sat back again slowly.
"Hey!" Carter said from the door and she turned around and smiled at him.
"Hey sibling." She said quietly and got up to hug him. She closed her eyes and took a quiet breath to stop herself from flinching as his arms squeezed the tender skin on her hips. She hadn't seen the bruise yet but she was sure it was there.
John pulled away and looked at her with a grin and it faded as he caught sight of the swollen cut on her lip and the slight purple that had snuck out from under her huge sunglasses. "Barbi?" He questioned as he pulled the sunglasses off of her face. The tears started to build up as soon as he forced her to make eye contact with him. She flinched slightly as his skilled hands examined the swollen skin that surrounded her eye. "Did he do this to you?" John asked with controlled anger in his voice. He was writhing on the inside and unless she told him of a terrible car accident or another freak accident it was going to take everything he had not to walk out of the hospital and get on the first plane to New York. "Barbara?" He asked again with his tone becoming more warning. She nodded and her gaze went to the floor. "He did this to you?" John asked in a mix of astonishment and rage. She said nothing. "Did he hurt you anywhere else?" He asked not wanting to hear the answer he already knew. She nodded. "Ok, come with me."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door.
"John please don't do this. I will be ok I swear." He wasn't listening to her and pulled her into a private exam room.
"Abby, can you come in here please?" Carter called out the door. "Barbi, you know the drill. Get into the gown and let me check you out. Then we will talk ok. But I need to know that you are ok first." Lexie nodded slowly. She was pretty sure she had a broken rib and as a doctor she knew that you can't mess around with that sort of thing.
Abby helped her into the gown and Lexie closed her eyes and she heard Abby gasp quietly. Abby had seen a lot in her time. A lot seemed to be an understatement, but this was one of the worst she had ever seen. There were more bruises and cuts than fresh skin.
"You are Barbara right?" She said quietly. Lexie nodded.
"Yeah but no one other than John and Gamma call me that. Everyone else calls me Lexie."
Abby nodded. "Ok Lexie. I am going to get you something for the pain then Carter will check you out." Lexie nodded again and sat on the bed. Abby excused herself and walked out to find John. He was on his cell phone in an exam room yelling at someone. Abby waited until he was done then walked in without knocking.
"How is she?" He asked and Abby didn't answer right away. She knew how Carter was and she also knew this was killing him. He and his sister had always had a strange relationship. They weren't close in the typical sense but they had a bond that was stronger than most brothers and sisters she had ever known. Maybe it was having to survive with no one but each other for so many years or maybe the death of their brother Bobby, either way Abby knew that Carter was pissed.
"John, do you want me to get Luka or Susan to handle this. This is too close to home for you." Carter shook his head.
"No, I will handle it."
Abby nodded. "Do you want me to page surgery?"
Carter looked confused. "Why?"
Abby bit her lip. "I think she may need it." Carter covered his face with his hands and resisted the urge to throw up. He nodded without removing his hands. Abby touched his arm and he finally looked at her. She gave him her best a reassuring smile and turned and walked out of the room.
Carter took a few deep breaths and walked back to the exam room. He knocked slightly and her voice told him to come in. Her voice didn't sound the same to him. It sounded like frightened child that had no clue on how to make the pain stop and his heart broke. "How ya doing?" He asked and sat down next to her. She smiled slightly and nodded.
"I will live."
He nodded. "Did they give you anything for the pain?" She nodded.
"What is the problem now?" Carter heard Romano's voice boom in the hallway and he leaped up to beat him into the room.
"Dr. Romano, please wait." Abby begged as Carter walked out into the hall.
"Wait? Why, so I can hear the sob story of some crack whore whose pimp beat her up?" Carter felt the anger rise but knew he had to keep calm.
"Dr. Romano, no offence but I would rather have another surgeon evaluate this case."
Robert raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "I am hurt. Do I detect a lack of faith in my medical skills or are you just feeling the need to piss me off today?"
Carter shook his head. "It is a family member and it is a delicate situation."
Robert felt a knot start in the pit of his stomach. "A family member?" Carter nodded.
"Someone beat up your Grandmother?" Robert asked and felt a pang of guilt for hoping that was the correct answer.
Carter shook his head. "No, my sister Barbara. Her boyfriend beat her up and she is terrified right now."
Robert closed his eyes. "Was it Landon?" He asked quietly and Carter and Abby stared at each other in shock.
"Excuse me?" Carter asked and Robert shook his head as he walked into the room. Lexie looked up at him and tears filled her eyes, tears that mirrored the ones that Robert was fighting back himself.
"Oh my God." She whispered and he walked over to her bedside, their gaze never breaking.
"Lex, what did he do to you?" Robert whispered. Lexie let the tears fall and Robert gently wiped them off of her cheek.
"What are you doing here?" She whispered and he shook his head.
"There will be time for all of that later. Right now I just want to make sure that you are ok." Lexie nodded and Carter and Abby stood in shock in the corner.
"Wha.." Abby tried to ask.
Carter shook his head. "I have no idea."
"Sign in and have a seat in the chairs and someone will be with you as soon as they can." Frank said without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Oh, um, no. I am looking for Dr. Carter." She said in the same hushed tone.
Frank finally looked up and studied the pretty woman in front of him. "May I tell him who is asking for him?" Frank asked nosily.
Lexie smiled at the implication in his voice. "Yes, tell him his sister is here to see him." Frank stood up and nodded to her. He walked down the hall and pushed into the trauma room.
"Carter, you have a visitor." Carter was working on a gunshot wound and didn't bother to look up.
"A patient?" He asked not really caring about the answer. He was far too busy to stop and go see someone e who wanted to jump ahead of the line just because they had been there a million times before.
"Nope, she says she is your sister."
Carter finally looked up. "Barbara?"
Frank shrugged.
"Ok, tell her I will be out as soon as I can." Frank turned and left and found the woman standing in the same place she had been.
"He is in the middle of a case but if you want you can wait in the lounge for him." Lexie nodded and picked up her bag. She walked through the door to the lounge and paused to make sure that no one was asleep before she walked in. She set her bag down and sat down in one of the hard chairs around the small table. She stared out the small window at the foot traffic outside. It was so strange to be back in Chicago. It had been almost six years since she had dared come here and after the last trip she swore she would never be back. But now she had no choice. This was the one place Landon wouldn't look and that was her only saving grace at this point. She adjusted in her chair so that the hard metal bar wasn't pushing into the bruise that ran the length of her back and stifled a small whimper as she sat back again slowly.
"Hey!" Carter said from the door and she turned around and smiled at him.
"Hey sibling." She said quietly and got up to hug him. She closed her eyes and took a quiet breath to stop herself from flinching as his arms squeezed the tender skin on her hips. She hadn't seen the bruise yet but she was sure it was there.
John pulled away and looked at her with a grin and it faded as he caught sight of the swollen cut on her lip and the slight purple that had snuck out from under her huge sunglasses. "Barbi?" He questioned as he pulled the sunglasses off of her face. The tears started to build up as soon as he forced her to make eye contact with him. She flinched slightly as his skilled hands examined the swollen skin that surrounded her eye. "Did he do this to you?" John asked with controlled anger in his voice. He was writhing on the inside and unless she told him of a terrible car accident or another freak accident it was going to take everything he had not to walk out of the hospital and get on the first plane to New York. "Barbara?" He asked again with his tone becoming more warning. She nodded and her gaze went to the floor. "He did this to you?" John asked in a mix of astonishment and rage. She said nothing. "Did he hurt you anywhere else?" He asked not wanting to hear the answer he already knew. She nodded. "Ok, come with me."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door.
"John please don't do this. I will be ok I swear." He wasn't listening to her and pulled her into a private exam room.
"Abby, can you come in here please?" Carter called out the door. "Barbi, you know the drill. Get into the gown and let me check you out. Then we will talk ok. But I need to know that you are ok first." Lexie nodded slowly. She was pretty sure she had a broken rib and as a doctor she knew that you can't mess around with that sort of thing.
Abby helped her into the gown and Lexie closed her eyes and she heard Abby gasp quietly. Abby had seen a lot in her time. A lot seemed to be an understatement, but this was one of the worst she had ever seen. There were more bruises and cuts than fresh skin.
"You are Barbara right?" She said quietly. Lexie nodded.
"Yeah but no one other than John and Gamma call me that. Everyone else calls me Lexie."
Abby nodded. "Ok Lexie. I am going to get you something for the pain then Carter will check you out." Lexie nodded again and sat on the bed. Abby excused herself and walked out to find John. He was on his cell phone in an exam room yelling at someone. Abby waited until he was done then walked in without knocking.
"How is she?" He asked and Abby didn't answer right away. She knew how Carter was and she also knew this was killing him. He and his sister had always had a strange relationship. They weren't close in the typical sense but they had a bond that was stronger than most brothers and sisters she had ever known. Maybe it was having to survive with no one but each other for so many years or maybe the death of their brother Bobby, either way Abby knew that Carter was pissed.
"John, do you want me to get Luka or Susan to handle this. This is too close to home for you." Carter shook his head.
"No, I will handle it."
Abby nodded. "Do you want me to page surgery?"
Carter looked confused. "Why?"
Abby bit her lip. "I think she may need it." Carter covered his face with his hands and resisted the urge to throw up. He nodded without removing his hands. Abby touched his arm and he finally looked at her. She gave him her best a reassuring smile and turned and walked out of the room.
Carter took a few deep breaths and walked back to the exam room. He knocked slightly and her voice told him to come in. Her voice didn't sound the same to him. It sounded like frightened child that had no clue on how to make the pain stop and his heart broke. "How ya doing?" He asked and sat down next to her. She smiled slightly and nodded.
"I will live."
He nodded. "Did they give you anything for the pain?" She nodded.
"What is the problem now?" Carter heard Romano's voice boom in the hallway and he leaped up to beat him into the room.
"Dr. Romano, please wait." Abby begged as Carter walked out into the hall.
"Wait? Why, so I can hear the sob story of some crack whore whose pimp beat her up?" Carter felt the anger rise but knew he had to keep calm.
"Dr. Romano, no offence but I would rather have another surgeon evaluate this case."
Robert raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "I am hurt. Do I detect a lack of faith in my medical skills or are you just feeling the need to piss me off today?"
Carter shook his head. "It is a family member and it is a delicate situation."
Robert felt a knot start in the pit of his stomach. "A family member?" Carter nodded.
"Someone beat up your Grandmother?" Robert asked and felt a pang of guilt for hoping that was the correct answer.
Carter shook his head. "No, my sister Barbara. Her boyfriend beat her up and she is terrified right now."
Robert closed his eyes. "Was it Landon?" He asked quietly and Carter and Abby stared at each other in shock.
"Excuse me?" Carter asked and Robert shook his head as he walked into the room. Lexie looked up at him and tears filled her eyes, tears that mirrored the ones that Robert was fighting back himself.
"Oh my God." She whispered and he walked over to her bedside, their gaze never breaking.
"Lex, what did he do to you?" Robert whispered. Lexie let the tears fall and Robert gently wiped them off of her cheek.
"What are you doing here?" She whispered and he shook his head.
"There will be time for all of that later. Right now I just want to make sure that you are ok." Lexie nodded and Carter and Abby stood in shock in the corner.
"Wha.." Abby tried to ask.
Carter shook his head. "I have no idea."
