Disclaimer: I don't own ER, Susan, Chuck, or anyone at County, or The Scarlet Letter. However, I have dibs on Regan. I wish I had dibs on Coop, but unfortunately, I do not. :-p
Long Lost, Chapter Five
Regan entered County General and went to the window. Sam Taggart sat there, and looked up.
"Hey, can I help you?" she asked, her tone friendly.
"Hi, I'm Regan, I'm here to see Dr. Lewis," Regan replied. Abby was walking past, saw Regan, and stopped.
"Hey, Regan, come on in!" Abby said, and Sam buzzed her in. Regan entered and Abby hugged her. "How was Boston?"
"It was wonderful," Regan said, a huge grin across her face. "I had such an awesome time seeing my parents!"
"Speaking of parents, your mom's in with a patient," Abby stated. "You can wait at the admit desk if you'd like. It's kinda quiet now."
"Thanks," Regan replied, still smiling. She walked over to the admit desk and noticed her cousin-in-law, Dave Malucci, working on charts. "Hello, cousin Dave!" Regan laughed, using a southern accent.
Dave looked up and grinned, and replied, "Well, howdy there, cousin Regan. Did you just get back from Boston?"
"Just flew in," Regan informed him.
"And boy, are your arms tired!" Dave joked. "You should come over for dinner soon," he added. "Melanie was talking about you the other night. She wants you to call her so you can go do some girlie stuff together."
Regan laughed again. "I'll definitely give her a call," she said. "I'm meeting Susan so we can go baby shopping."
"Pink or blue?" Dave asked slyly.
"Nope, can't say a word," Regan said, and shook her head. "I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Sworn to secrecy about what?" asked Dr. Robert Romano, who had just walked up to the admit desk. "Some ER conspiracy going on that I don't know about?"
"Hi, Dr. Romano," Regan said politely. Robert and Susan were friends, and Regan was fond of the doctor. "Dave's trying to figure out if Susan's having a boy or a girl."
"Hmm," Romano said, and scratched his chin. "I'll say girl. Am I right?"
"I can't say," Regan said, and pretended to zip her lip. "How are you, Dr. Romano?"
"Call me Robert," Romano replied. "And I'm fine, thanks. Elizabeth and I are headed off for a romantic weekend, so I get to avoid this nuthouse."
"I feel the love, Dr. Romano!" Dave said, jokingly wiping a tear from his eye. "Admit it, you'll miss me!"
"Like I'd miss a case of hemorrhoids," Romano snapped back. It was all in jest, for Romano did respect Dave, and Dave felt the same for Romano. The doctor's beeper went off, and he checked it. "That's the OR I have to run. Good seeing you, Regan!" Romano ran off before Regan could reply.
The doors to the ER burst open and a trauma came in, and Dave left. Regan checked her watch and waited for Susan. She pulled a book out of her bag and leaned against the admit desk and began to read. Suddenly, she felt someone looking over her shoulder.
"Ahh, the adventures of Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale," a voice said, and Regan whirled around. She found herself face-to-face with a handsome young man around the age of 25. "I'm sorry, did I frighten you?" he asked, his tone gentle.
"I um...I didn't know you were there," Regan said, and fidgeted with her hair. She'd been trying to break that habit for years, but was unsuccessful so far.
"Sorry again," the man said. He extended his hand. "I'm Nick Cooper. Everyone calls me Coop."
Regan shook his hand, and felt hers tremble. Coop was handsome - *very* handsome. She could feel her palms begin to sweat. "I'm Regan Miller," she said, and added, "everyone calls me Regan." That sounded so stupid! she thought to herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Regan," Coop replied. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'm waiting for Dr. Lewis," Regan said.
"Oh, well, she's in with a patient right now. Are you sure I can't help you with anything? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Regan laughed. "I'm Dr. Lewis' daughter," she explained. Coop was surprised and laughed. "I thought everyone knew about me."
"We do," Coop said. "I do, I mean. I just didn't think about it at first. Wow, I can see the resemblance. You have the same eyes, and your smiles are really similar."
At that moment, Susan walked up to the admit desk. She tossed her chart onto a pile on the desk and embraced Regan. "You are never, ever, ever leaving home again," she said, hugging her daughter tightly. "Got it?"
Regan looked at her birth mother and grinned. She'd been visiting her parents in Boston for the past week and a half and had missed Susan and Chuck a great deal. "Yes, ma'am," she replied.
"I'm not old enough to be a ma'am," Susan retorted, and turned to Coop. "So, you've met my pride and joy?"
"Yes, I did," Coop answered, and smiled at Regan. Regan, in turn, felt her cheeks turn as red.
"Let me get my stuff together," Susan said, and she and Regan walked into the lounge. "How was Boston? And how are your parents?"
"They're great," Regan said, and watched as Susan opened her locker, took out her purse and put her white lab coat inside the locker and closed it. "But I feel like an idiot."
"Why?" Susan asked, motherly concern evident in her voice. "What happened, sweetie?"
Regan leaned against a locker and sighed. "I met Coop, and he's really cute - I mean, *really* cute - and I got all flustered."
"It happens," Susan said, and smiled at her daughter. "It's normal."
"He introduced himself, and said, 'Everyone calls me Coop.' Then I said, 'I'm Regan, everyone calls me Regan.' I'm such a dork!" Regan put her head in her hands. "I'll bet he's laughing at me right now."
"Then I'll make sure Romano and Dave make his life miserable," Susan said. "Come on, I'll treat you to lunch."
Susan and Regan exited the lounge. Coop waved to them as they walked past the admit desk.
"It was nice meeting you, Regan," he said.
Regan turned around and smiled. "Thanks, it was nice meeting you, too," she said. Susan put her arm around Regan.
"See, very UN-dork-like," she remarked. "So, I was thinking about something."
"What's that?" Regan inquired, as they exited County General and walked towards Susan's car.
"I think that, once you're ready to get married, you should live next door to me," Susan began, and Regan laughed. "And this way, I can see you all the time. And don't forget I'll be a built-in baby-sitter for all those grandkids of mine."
"Why not just get some handcuffs and we can be together 24/7?" Regan retorted, and laughed again.
"See, you did get my brains," Susan replied. She and Regan stopped walking. "I really missed you. The house was just too quiet without you around."
"I missed you and Chuck too," Regan said. "But I did bring plenty of presents for you guys and the baby. And I got to see Harvard! It was really amazing." She giggled and added, "I bought the baby a Harvard t-shirt."
"Ahh, getting your little sister's college plans in gear before she's even born?" Susan smiled.
"Something like that," Regan answered, and she and Susan walked off, their arms linked together.
The next chapter: Regan's family grows. :)
Long Lost, Chapter Five
Regan entered County General and went to the window. Sam Taggart sat there, and looked up.
"Hey, can I help you?" she asked, her tone friendly.
"Hi, I'm Regan, I'm here to see Dr. Lewis," Regan replied. Abby was walking past, saw Regan, and stopped.
"Hey, Regan, come on in!" Abby said, and Sam buzzed her in. Regan entered and Abby hugged her. "How was Boston?"
"It was wonderful," Regan said, a huge grin across her face. "I had such an awesome time seeing my parents!"
"Speaking of parents, your mom's in with a patient," Abby stated. "You can wait at the admit desk if you'd like. It's kinda quiet now."
"Thanks," Regan replied, still smiling. She walked over to the admit desk and noticed her cousin-in-law, Dave Malucci, working on charts. "Hello, cousin Dave!" Regan laughed, using a southern accent.
Dave looked up and grinned, and replied, "Well, howdy there, cousin Regan. Did you just get back from Boston?"
"Just flew in," Regan informed him.
"And boy, are your arms tired!" Dave joked. "You should come over for dinner soon," he added. "Melanie was talking about you the other night. She wants you to call her so you can go do some girlie stuff together."
Regan laughed again. "I'll definitely give her a call," she said. "I'm meeting Susan so we can go baby shopping."
"Pink or blue?" Dave asked slyly.
"Nope, can't say a word," Regan said, and shook her head. "I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Sworn to secrecy about what?" asked Dr. Robert Romano, who had just walked up to the admit desk. "Some ER conspiracy going on that I don't know about?"
"Hi, Dr. Romano," Regan said politely. Robert and Susan were friends, and Regan was fond of the doctor. "Dave's trying to figure out if Susan's having a boy or a girl."
"Hmm," Romano said, and scratched his chin. "I'll say girl. Am I right?"
"I can't say," Regan said, and pretended to zip her lip. "How are you, Dr. Romano?"
"Call me Robert," Romano replied. "And I'm fine, thanks. Elizabeth and I are headed off for a romantic weekend, so I get to avoid this nuthouse."
"I feel the love, Dr. Romano!" Dave said, jokingly wiping a tear from his eye. "Admit it, you'll miss me!"
"Like I'd miss a case of hemorrhoids," Romano snapped back. It was all in jest, for Romano did respect Dave, and Dave felt the same for Romano. The doctor's beeper went off, and he checked it. "That's the OR I have to run. Good seeing you, Regan!" Romano ran off before Regan could reply.
The doors to the ER burst open and a trauma came in, and Dave left. Regan checked her watch and waited for Susan. She pulled a book out of her bag and leaned against the admit desk and began to read. Suddenly, she felt someone looking over her shoulder.
"Ahh, the adventures of Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale," a voice said, and Regan whirled around. She found herself face-to-face with a handsome young man around the age of 25. "I'm sorry, did I frighten you?" he asked, his tone gentle.
"I um...I didn't know you were there," Regan said, and fidgeted with her hair. She'd been trying to break that habit for years, but was unsuccessful so far.
"Sorry again," the man said. He extended his hand. "I'm Nick Cooper. Everyone calls me Coop."
Regan shook his hand, and felt hers tremble. Coop was handsome - *very* handsome. She could feel her palms begin to sweat. "I'm Regan Miller," she said, and added, "everyone calls me Regan." That sounded so stupid! she thought to herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Regan," Coop replied. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'm waiting for Dr. Lewis," Regan said.
"Oh, well, she's in with a patient right now. Are you sure I can't help you with anything? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Regan laughed. "I'm Dr. Lewis' daughter," she explained. Coop was surprised and laughed. "I thought everyone knew about me."
"We do," Coop said. "I do, I mean. I just didn't think about it at first. Wow, I can see the resemblance. You have the same eyes, and your smiles are really similar."
At that moment, Susan walked up to the admit desk. She tossed her chart onto a pile on the desk and embraced Regan. "You are never, ever, ever leaving home again," she said, hugging her daughter tightly. "Got it?"
Regan looked at her birth mother and grinned. She'd been visiting her parents in Boston for the past week and a half and had missed Susan and Chuck a great deal. "Yes, ma'am," she replied.
"I'm not old enough to be a ma'am," Susan retorted, and turned to Coop. "So, you've met my pride and joy?"
"Yes, I did," Coop answered, and smiled at Regan. Regan, in turn, felt her cheeks turn as red.
"Let me get my stuff together," Susan said, and she and Regan walked into the lounge. "How was Boston? And how are your parents?"
"They're great," Regan said, and watched as Susan opened her locker, took out her purse and put her white lab coat inside the locker and closed it. "But I feel like an idiot."
"Why?" Susan asked, motherly concern evident in her voice. "What happened, sweetie?"
Regan leaned against a locker and sighed. "I met Coop, and he's really cute - I mean, *really* cute - and I got all flustered."
"It happens," Susan said, and smiled at her daughter. "It's normal."
"He introduced himself, and said, 'Everyone calls me Coop.' Then I said, 'I'm Regan, everyone calls me Regan.' I'm such a dork!" Regan put her head in her hands. "I'll bet he's laughing at me right now."
"Then I'll make sure Romano and Dave make his life miserable," Susan said. "Come on, I'll treat you to lunch."
Susan and Regan exited the lounge. Coop waved to them as they walked past the admit desk.
"It was nice meeting you, Regan," he said.
Regan turned around and smiled. "Thanks, it was nice meeting you, too," she said. Susan put her arm around Regan.
"See, very UN-dork-like," she remarked. "So, I was thinking about something."
"What's that?" Regan inquired, as they exited County General and walked towards Susan's car.
"I think that, once you're ready to get married, you should live next door to me," Susan began, and Regan laughed. "And this way, I can see you all the time. And don't forget I'll be a built-in baby-sitter for all those grandkids of mine."
"Why not just get some handcuffs and we can be together 24/7?" Regan retorted, and laughed again.
"See, you did get my brains," Susan replied. She and Regan stopped walking. "I really missed you. The house was just too quiet without you around."
"I missed you and Chuck too," Regan said. "But I did bring plenty of presents for you guys and the baby. And I got to see Harvard! It was really amazing." She giggled and added, "I bought the baby a Harvard t-shirt."
"Ahh, getting your little sister's college plans in gear before she's even born?" Susan smiled.
"Something like that," Regan answered, and she and Susan walked off, their arms linked together.
The next chapter: Regan's family grows. :)
