In his rush to get to Carter's place, jack ran a red light and narrowly missed a collision with a small white charade. His near collision didn't slow his fury and as he was turning down Carter's street, a flash of light blinded him and he made a split second decision to swerve out of the on coming car's path. He skidded on the bitumen and spun onto the sidewalk and finally stopped inches from a tree that would have totaled his car. A bump to the head made him feel dizzy and nauseous. He piled out of the car and spilled his dinner over the roots of the tree. As he regained his composer, he looked over to see the car he had swerved out the way for had fled the scene. He shook his head at the missing vehicle and climbed back in the car to drive up to Carter's house, slowly. As he parked his car he noticed the white van parked across from the house and he walked up to the passenger side window and stuck his head up close to see through the tinted glass. He saw two lazy men fast asleep in the front and he clenched his fists in rage. He smashed the fist hard down on the bonnet and screamed obscenities at the two slackers. To his amazement, neither budged and he took a second look at the men to find the two had ear plugs in and the doors were locked. He griped his forehead in frustration and decided to not waste his time on them, he ran up to her front door and knocked and waited.
No reply. He jiggled the handle and the door swung open and he walked inside. His heart pounding as he walks down the hallway and calls her name.
"Carter" he repeated. Quick glance in the lounge, not there. She wasn't in the kitchen either but a worrying half-empty wine bottle sat open on the bench next to an empty pill container. Anti-depressants, 100 prescribed by Dr Clifford PHD today. In a panic he searched the rooms. She wasn't in any of the rooms but as he entered the bathroom, he dropped to his knees. He didn't feel the pain he usually felt in his bad knee because he was numbed. She lay on the floor in front of him, dressed up in her blue air force uniform. She was made up perfectly, flawless and beautiful. She lay lifeless, mostly on the floor. Her upper half propped up against the wall, the position she had slid into. A trail of blood on the wall behind her, posed in the position of the body they had seen not long ago. A gun was gripped in her hand; her finger clenched around the trigger and a plastic bag was clenched inside a fist. Jack crawled over to her side, at closer glance he saw the pills half crushed inside the bag. She hadn't been able to swallow the pills so she swallowed a bullet instead. Jack placed a trembling hand against her neck, praying for a miracle he couldn't get. He felt nothing and in her eyes he saw almost none of the endless blue he loved, her pupils dilated in the search for light that she no longer saw. A tear landed on her uniform, his tears fell freely. He dropped from his knees and sat down beside her, hardly breathing as he mourned. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a mobile. He hit speed-dial for Janet.
"Janet?" he asked with a pause "I'm at Carter's house…" he told her numbly "I found her… oh god" he cried starting to break "Sam has… she has…" he couldn't finish, he couldn't speak it.
"Sir can you hear me?" the womanly voice asked, "are you alright sir?" the voice wasn't Fraiser's.
"What?" he asked confused and brought a hand up to his head as he felt a surge of pain. As he removed his hand he saw blood on his hand that wasn't Carter's, his blood.
"Good you're conscious, are you in any pain?" the voice asked and he felt a hand grip his. He jumped and turned to look at Carter's body but saw the passenger side seat of his car. He looked at the hand gripping his hand and saw the elegant fingers that he had seen gripping the gun.
"Carter?" he asked looking up at her face as she stood in the open car doorway looking at him worriedly. He gasped in relief realizing he was still in his car inches from the tree. He looked at Carter and smiled placing his hand on her cheek and feeling the warmth of her skin. She grasped his wrist in reassurance and he pulled her close to him as he hugged her. He could hear her heart beating and he found himself crying.
"You're alive" he muttered overwhelmed with joy and she pulled away enough to look at him as she spoke
"Sir I'm fine, you veered away from my car. You're the one I'm worried about" she explained "Janet's on her way. Now you have to tell me if you're injured, do you feel any pain?"
"I'm fine, I just bumped my head major" he laughed and then heard the distant sound of sirens from the local ambulance "you called the ambulance?" he asked confused
"No, someone else must have" she replied reaching across him to get his seat belt off. A car turned on the street and Janet climbed out and rushed over. Carter was still wrestling with the belt buckle that seemed to be jarred. She moved out of the way so Janet could attend to Jacks head and she came round to the passenger side and climbed in to unbuckle the belt. The belt finally gave way and clicked open just as the ambulance pulled up. The paramedics tried to take Jack to the hospital but he refused and Janet assured them he would be all right in her care. The paramedics left him with her only after Janet showed them her air force medical license. Sam and one of the airforce officers assigned to watch her helped Jack over to Janet's car and Janet took him back to the infirmary.