Ray's Songbird

Summary: Ray's old high school sweetheart A.J. Parker is now a successful singer/songwriter touring with the Goo Goo Dolls and Chris Keller. What happens when Brett drags him to the Empty Bottle one night and he sees her performing? Will he admit he still loves her before the tour rolls out of town and she rolls out of his life again forever?

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ER. That all belongs to Michael Critchton, John Wells, NBC ect. I also don't own Ray. Although I wish I did cause Shane West is so HOT! However, I do own my musician, A.J. and I envision Bethany Joy Lenz playing her and any other OC's in the story.

Chapter One

Ray Barnett looked around the Empty Bottle, still not believing he agreed to come tonight. He really didn't feel like hearing sub-par musicians and so-called songwriters sing their horribly commercialized crap. "Brett, why are we here?" he asked his friend. Brett smiled simply, saying, "Cause Chris Keller's performing tonight along with the Goo Goo Dolls, man and word on the street says they've got another act on the tour and she's hot." "That' s an excellent reason then. Thanks for dragging me here tonight." The two men clinked beer bottles as the lights dimmed on the stage and hoped the hot girl would be performing first. Little did Ray know that he knew the hot girl that was coming on to the stage, little did he know that the hot girl was the love of his life and former high school sweetheart from back home in Philly, A.J. Parker.

A.J. Parker had never been so nervous in her life; tonight she was performing for the first time on the Emo/Punk tour with Chris Keller and the Goo Goo Dolls, one of her favorite bands. She took a deep breath and let it out before the owner of the Empty Bottle; Kevin Rayne went on stage to introduce her. "Hey, Ladies and Germs welcome to the Bottle tonight! I am pleased to welcome for the first time ever to the Bottle stage tonight the lovely and talented A.J. Parker! Give it up!" Ray almost choked on his beer as he heard him say A.J. Parker. Shaking his head, he realized there were probably hundreds of chicks named A.J.; it couldn't be her. What happened next proved him wrong, walking out onto the stage was his A.J. Parker from high school and she still looked exactly the same: HOT. He couldn't believe that was her up there until she opened her mouth and her sweet, soft voice filled the club. "Hi, everyone out there." She said nervously.

Taking another deep breath she calmed her nerves and sat down on the stool, bringing the microphone closer to her and she introduced the first song she'd be playing, "I'm A.J. and this song is called Everywhere. I hope all of you like it." She closed her eyes and began to strum her acoustic guitar, completely unaware that the love of her life, Ray Barnett was in the audience watching her the way he used to watch her when she'd sing for him in her bedroom in high school. A.J. took one last deep breath and began to sing her song.

Turn it inside out so I can see The part of you that's drifting over me And when I wake you're, you're never there But when I sleep you're, you're everywhere You're everywhere Just tell me how I got this far Just tell me why you're here and who you are Cause every time I look You're never there And every time I sleep You're always there Cause you're everywhere to me And when I close my eyes it's you I see You're everything I know

That makes me believe

I'm not alone

I'm not alone

I recognize the way you make me feel

It's hard to think that

You might not be real

I sense it now, the water's getting deep

I try to wash the pain away from me

Away from me

Cause you're everywhere to me

And when I close my eyes it's you I see

You're everything I know that makes me believe

I'm not alone

I'm not alone

And when I touch your hand

It's then I understand

The beauty that's within

It's now that we begin

I hope there never comes day

No matter where I go

I always feel you so

Cause you're everywhere to me

And when I close my eyes it's you I see

You're everything I know that makes me believe

I'm not alone

Cause you're everywhere to me

And when I catch my breath

It's you I breathe

You're everything I know

That makes me believe

I'm not alone

You're in everyone I see

So tell me

Do you see me?

"Man, do you see her? She's hot!" Brett shouted. "Yeah, really hot." Ray agreed half-heartedly. He would have been more enthusiastic about A.J.'s hotness but was to busy being enthralled by her amazing voice and talent. He always told her that she should sing but she was too shy to pursue it, but it was obvious now that somewhere along the line things changed and she wanted to sing. Ray studied her as she moved from the stool and a keyboard was brought onto the stage, her guitar was taken away as well. She was still as small and beautiful as he remembered about 5'3, 100 pounds, long auburn locks that fell down her back in curls, huge, luminous chocolate doe eyes, full lips, lightly tanned skin and a curvaceous body. Suddenly it was like he was back in high school again, completely crushing on her as if they were back in the halls of Breakbridge High in the Northern Heights neighborhood of east Philadelphia.

A.J. sat down on the smaller stool that was placed behind her black keyboard and stretched out her fingers before she began to play random notes to random songs as she thought about the song she was going to sing. She wrote it almost immediately after she and her high school sweetheart Ray Barnett had broken up. He went to medical school and she stayed behind to pursue her budding art career. That was the day that he told her he loved her, but he left anyway. That was possibly the worst day of her life and for some reason the best because it was obvious they were both going in different directions and weren't meant to be. As she began the notes to Sunday Train she whispered under her breath, "This is for you Ray wherever you are in life." A.J. then closed her eyes to stop the tears she thought were going to fall and began to sing.

Sunday is only two days away

Already they said the train was coming in late

I'll wait

This reminds me of last year

September, I think

When you said you loved me

But you had to leave me

So I'll wait, I said

On a Sunday train

I can hear the whistle

Blowing you away

On a Sunday train

I can hear the steeple bells

Ringing a refrain

And I'll say goodbye, again and again

Cause I can't get it out of my head

And I'll wait like I wait for every Sunday train

It's cold here tonight

Christmas I think

Did you get my letter?

The paper was like this, blue and pink

Two hours to go now

And I'm already here

Seat 24A just like you told me last year

They said it might snow

And there'll probably be rain

The wind's gonna blow

I'll be here just the same

Cause I don't want to miss you

And baby I miss you

So come on back this way

On a Sunday train

I can hear the whistle

Blowing you away

On a Sunday train

I can hear the steeple bells

Ringing a refrain

And I'll say goodbye, again and again

Cause I can't get it out of my head

And I'll wait like I wait

I'll wait like I wait

I'll wait like I wait for every Sunday train