I can only repeatedly apologise and grovel on my knees for the huge lapse in chapters.
I can't believe it has taken me so long to update but I've just graduated from university and have been working all summer so my free time has been in short supply.
Anyway a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed and written to me about this fic. It means so much to me and is fully appreciated.
This one's dedicated to you all.
Hide and Seek
Part 11
Peter Benton stared hard at the cream coloured telephone positioned neatly in front of him as if will power alone could magically raise the receiver and perform the dreadful task that needed to be carried out. He had lost count of the numerous times he had picked up the receiver with shaking hands only to hastily return it a moment later in reluctant defeat.
The surgeon shook his head in disbelief as he contemplated how many times he had had to do this, relay the awful news to a person that a relative or friend had been injured and describe their condition to them. He would admit that he wasn't skilled in the task, and it wasn't through lack of training or experience but rather a lack of what his mother would refer to as a gift. He had watched with inward pride at the ease with which Carter could make that connection with a patient's relative or friend and explain to them the severity of the situation whilst also comforting them in the process. Carter had this natural skill of getting on a level with relatives whilst Benton could only watch on the sidelines, wondering with a mixture of humility and envy how the hell he did it.
But now Benton didn't have Carter there to help him, he was on his own. Now Benton not only had to get on that level with a patient's relative but also overcome the emotional hurdle that had appeared in the form of his friendship with Carter. This wasn't any patient he would be discussing, this was a friend. This wasn't a stranger he would be explaining the situation to but Carter's grandmother; a lady with whom he had spoken to and, in his only gruff way, had tried to comfort in the aftermath of the Valentine's Day incident. He didn't want to have to put the lady through this anguish again.
With a clench of his jaw and a strong grip of the receiver Benton again dialled the now familiar sequence of numbers and awaited the dial tone. Listening to the ringing, the surgeon could feel his heart beating in almost sync with it and took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves. After what felt like an eternity but in reality a few seconds the telephone was finally picked up at the other end.
"Uh hello, Mrs Carter? Hi this is Peter Benton at ......yes that's right I work at County with John ...... yes it has been a while ......Mrs Carter...... I'm very sorry to have to inform you of this but there's been a incident here at the hospital involving Car ...John."
At the other end Millicent Carter clawed at the telephone cord and gripped it tightly, her hands turning a pale colour against the dark plastic. "Peter what has happened, is it serious?" The events of the previous February came flooding back to Millicent in heart wrenching detail. She prayed it was nothing as horrific as that night.
"I'm sorry Mrs Carter but it is serious. To cut a long story short a patient's relative attacked John tonight. He was brought to County and we were able to stabilise him. In a short while he will be taken upstairs to the Intensive Care Unit and be placed under observation."
"Is John going to be alright?"
"I think so. Mainly it is a lot of bruising. He is suffering the after effects of hypothermia and has got a couple of broken ribs and a concussion but it is nothing life threatening." Anymore he wanted to add.
"Thank you Dr Benton. As soon as my car is brought around I'll come straight to the hospital."
"Your welcome Mrs Carter, I will see you shortly."
As Benton replaced the receiver in its cradle with a sigh he chided himself for naively thinking that once they had gotten to hospital everything was going to be fine. He of all people should know that recovery is not just about receiving proper medical treatment and sending the patient on their way, that's why its called the recovery process.
Taking a glance through the window opposite the surgeon stared hard at his colleagues busy working in the ER. When the ambulance had finally arrived at the hospital earlier that night he had seen the horror etched all over their faces as they struggled to deal with the crisis. He understood from experience the pain and anxiety of treating a friend or family member.
Having stood at the trauma room door and watched the expressions on his colleagues faces as they worked feverishly to help Carter Benton knew a lot of the staff had been comparing tonight's events to Valentine's Day, including himself. He could only hope that Carter would not draw the same comparison. Benton didn't want his friend to go through the same traumatic experiences that he went through after February. Whatever happened he wasn't going to let Carter go through it alone like he did last time.
Knowing that the only way he could help Carter was to talk about what happened Benton stood up from the table, determined to locate Kerry and find out exactly what occurred in the hospital earlier today.
*****
Kerry Weaver wearily stepped out of the crowded elevator and made a start towards the admit desk in deep contemplation. She had just come from an intense meeting with Romano and Anspaugh regarding today's events, and with Romano issuing his usual brand of interrogation to her; the female doctor was about ready to collapse.
Both surgeons had demanded to know what had occurred in the ER today and Kerry for the second time in her career at County had felt inadequate at her job. She had little information to give to the surgeons about what had occurred in the ER because some of the staff had gone home after the incident and she had been unable to contact them. Without speaking to them or Carter directly she was making assumptions about the events, which both surgeons made more than clear wasn't acceptable.
Sighing in frustration, Kerry was just about to grab a neighbouring chart with the hope that it would distract her when she heard her name being called. Glancing up she saw the head of Security walking over to speak to her so she carefully crutched round the desk to meet him.
"Chris, what one earth happened to your face? Are you ok?" She queried concerned, taking in the bruising. She reached up intending to carefully tilt his face to side for a better look but he quickly swiped her hand away.
"God, don't ask. Just a little staff retribution for being fired. I can't wait for this day to be over." He paused for a moment to avoid colliding with a neighbouring gurney. "I heard from Mark that you had a security issue earlier on in the ER. Anything I need to be aware of?"
The female doctor waved her free hand dismissively. "No we got it covered thanks. One of your guys came down to help us. Have you had your face looked at?"
"No but it's fine Kerry, really. I should have seen it coming, guess my reactions are not as quick as they used to be." He chucked grimly. "I tell you it's the worst part of my job redundancies. But what with the department cut backs I had no choice."
Kerry nodded in understanding as she remembered all the times she had had to deal with the consequences of her department cutbacks. "I know, but it's not your fault Chris. You can only work with the resources that are available to you."
"Yeah. I just feel bad because the guy had a mother to take care of who was quite sick......... anyway what was the incident earlier? I need to file a report about it, you know what it's like."
Kerry paused for a few moments as she contemplated what had happened to her friend earlier. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not sure if you know him but John Carter, one of our ER doctor's, got attacked by a patient's relative today. The relative's still on the loose at the moment so that's why we needed one of your guys to watch Carter's room."
Chris shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my God, is it serious?"
"It was to begin with but he's stable now. We're just waiting for a private room to become available upstairs before we can send him up."
"Well I hope he makes a quick recovery, give him my best will you."
Kerry smiled in thanks. "Of course."
"I had better speak to the guy watching him just to make sure he's clear on what's going on and when his shift ends." Chris paused taking a glance around at the neighbouring exam rooms. "Can you show me where he is?"
"Yeah sure, he's in Exam 1." Kerry pointed in the direction of the room then slowly led Chris down the hallway. "We had a large trauma come in so unfortunately we had to move Carter out of the trauma room."
As the two colleagues rounded the corner they were surprised to find an empty chair outside the Exam room and the door firmly shut. Kerry paused outside the door in trepidation knowing that there could be a hundred different innocent reasons why the security guard had left his post but her mind was only focusing on one serious one. Swallowing hard, she knew it was a ridiculous thought but having been on edge all day and with tension flowing from every pore she couldn't prevent the fear that gripped her.
Grasping her crutch tightly with a sweaty hand she gave a worried look to Chris before hesitantly pushing the door open. As she slowly crutched inside the darkened room she froze in mid-step as she took in the sight before her.
"Oh my God."
I can't believe it has taken me so long to update but I've just graduated from university and have been working all summer so my free time has been in short supply.
Anyway a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed and written to me about this fic. It means so much to me and is fully appreciated.
This one's dedicated to you all.
Hide and Seek
Part 11
Peter Benton stared hard at the cream coloured telephone positioned neatly in front of him as if will power alone could magically raise the receiver and perform the dreadful task that needed to be carried out. He had lost count of the numerous times he had picked up the receiver with shaking hands only to hastily return it a moment later in reluctant defeat.
The surgeon shook his head in disbelief as he contemplated how many times he had had to do this, relay the awful news to a person that a relative or friend had been injured and describe their condition to them. He would admit that he wasn't skilled in the task, and it wasn't through lack of training or experience but rather a lack of what his mother would refer to as a gift. He had watched with inward pride at the ease with which Carter could make that connection with a patient's relative or friend and explain to them the severity of the situation whilst also comforting them in the process. Carter had this natural skill of getting on a level with relatives whilst Benton could only watch on the sidelines, wondering with a mixture of humility and envy how the hell he did it.
But now Benton didn't have Carter there to help him, he was on his own. Now Benton not only had to get on that level with a patient's relative but also overcome the emotional hurdle that had appeared in the form of his friendship with Carter. This wasn't any patient he would be discussing, this was a friend. This wasn't a stranger he would be explaining the situation to but Carter's grandmother; a lady with whom he had spoken to and, in his only gruff way, had tried to comfort in the aftermath of the Valentine's Day incident. He didn't want to have to put the lady through this anguish again.
With a clench of his jaw and a strong grip of the receiver Benton again dialled the now familiar sequence of numbers and awaited the dial tone. Listening to the ringing, the surgeon could feel his heart beating in almost sync with it and took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves. After what felt like an eternity but in reality a few seconds the telephone was finally picked up at the other end.
"Uh hello, Mrs Carter? Hi this is Peter Benton at ......yes that's right I work at County with John ...... yes it has been a while ......Mrs Carter...... I'm very sorry to have to inform you of this but there's been a incident here at the hospital involving Car ...John."
At the other end Millicent Carter clawed at the telephone cord and gripped it tightly, her hands turning a pale colour against the dark plastic. "Peter what has happened, is it serious?" The events of the previous February came flooding back to Millicent in heart wrenching detail. She prayed it was nothing as horrific as that night.
"I'm sorry Mrs Carter but it is serious. To cut a long story short a patient's relative attacked John tonight. He was brought to County and we were able to stabilise him. In a short while he will be taken upstairs to the Intensive Care Unit and be placed under observation."
"Is John going to be alright?"
"I think so. Mainly it is a lot of bruising. He is suffering the after effects of hypothermia and has got a couple of broken ribs and a concussion but it is nothing life threatening." Anymore he wanted to add.
"Thank you Dr Benton. As soon as my car is brought around I'll come straight to the hospital."
"Your welcome Mrs Carter, I will see you shortly."
As Benton replaced the receiver in its cradle with a sigh he chided himself for naively thinking that once they had gotten to hospital everything was going to be fine. He of all people should know that recovery is not just about receiving proper medical treatment and sending the patient on their way, that's why its called the recovery process.
Taking a glance through the window opposite the surgeon stared hard at his colleagues busy working in the ER. When the ambulance had finally arrived at the hospital earlier that night he had seen the horror etched all over their faces as they struggled to deal with the crisis. He understood from experience the pain and anxiety of treating a friend or family member.
Having stood at the trauma room door and watched the expressions on his colleagues faces as they worked feverishly to help Carter Benton knew a lot of the staff had been comparing tonight's events to Valentine's Day, including himself. He could only hope that Carter would not draw the same comparison. Benton didn't want his friend to go through the same traumatic experiences that he went through after February. Whatever happened he wasn't going to let Carter go through it alone like he did last time.
Knowing that the only way he could help Carter was to talk about what happened Benton stood up from the table, determined to locate Kerry and find out exactly what occurred in the hospital earlier today.
*****
Kerry Weaver wearily stepped out of the crowded elevator and made a start towards the admit desk in deep contemplation. She had just come from an intense meeting with Romano and Anspaugh regarding today's events, and with Romano issuing his usual brand of interrogation to her; the female doctor was about ready to collapse.
Both surgeons had demanded to know what had occurred in the ER today and Kerry for the second time in her career at County had felt inadequate at her job. She had little information to give to the surgeons about what had occurred in the ER because some of the staff had gone home after the incident and she had been unable to contact them. Without speaking to them or Carter directly she was making assumptions about the events, which both surgeons made more than clear wasn't acceptable.
Sighing in frustration, Kerry was just about to grab a neighbouring chart with the hope that it would distract her when she heard her name being called. Glancing up she saw the head of Security walking over to speak to her so she carefully crutched round the desk to meet him.
"Chris, what one earth happened to your face? Are you ok?" She queried concerned, taking in the bruising. She reached up intending to carefully tilt his face to side for a better look but he quickly swiped her hand away.
"God, don't ask. Just a little staff retribution for being fired. I can't wait for this day to be over." He paused for a moment to avoid colliding with a neighbouring gurney. "I heard from Mark that you had a security issue earlier on in the ER. Anything I need to be aware of?"
The female doctor waved her free hand dismissively. "No we got it covered thanks. One of your guys came down to help us. Have you had your face looked at?"
"No but it's fine Kerry, really. I should have seen it coming, guess my reactions are not as quick as they used to be." He chucked grimly. "I tell you it's the worst part of my job redundancies. But what with the department cut backs I had no choice."
Kerry nodded in understanding as she remembered all the times she had had to deal with the consequences of her department cutbacks. "I know, but it's not your fault Chris. You can only work with the resources that are available to you."
"Yeah. I just feel bad because the guy had a mother to take care of who was quite sick......... anyway what was the incident earlier? I need to file a report about it, you know what it's like."
Kerry paused for a few moments as she contemplated what had happened to her friend earlier. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not sure if you know him but John Carter, one of our ER doctor's, got attacked by a patient's relative today. The relative's still on the loose at the moment so that's why we needed one of your guys to watch Carter's room."
Chris shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my God, is it serious?"
"It was to begin with but he's stable now. We're just waiting for a private room to become available upstairs before we can send him up."
"Well I hope he makes a quick recovery, give him my best will you."
Kerry smiled in thanks. "Of course."
"I had better speak to the guy watching him just to make sure he's clear on what's going on and when his shift ends." Chris paused taking a glance around at the neighbouring exam rooms. "Can you show me where he is?"
"Yeah sure, he's in Exam 1." Kerry pointed in the direction of the room then slowly led Chris down the hallway. "We had a large trauma come in so unfortunately we had to move Carter out of the trauma room."
As the two colleagues rounded the corner they were surprised to find an empty chair outside the Exam room and the door firmly shut. Kerry paused outside the door in trepidation knowing that there could be a hundred different innocent reasons why the security guard had left his post but her mind was only focusing on one serious one. Swallowing hard, she knew it was a ridiculous thought but having been on edge all day and with tension flowing from every pore she couldn't prevent the fear that gripped her.
Grasping her crutch tightly with a sweaty hand she gave a worried look to Chris before hesitantly pushing the door open. As she slowly crutched inside the darkened room she froze in mid-step as she took in the sight before her.
"Oh my God."
