In This Life
by: Eyes-of-Pearl
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: ER and A Walk to Remember (which includes the movie and its soundtrack) belongs to their respective owners.
Author's Note & Synopsis: AU. I found it surprising that Shane West are in both ER and A Walk to Remember. The more I thought about it, the more I could draw similarities from it. Hence, the creation of this story.
I have every intention for this to be a Reela, so Reela fans won't be disappointed. However, I must warn you I am trying to portray the Ray Barnett that we see in the ER from the Landon Carter that we see in Awtr so I will apologize beforehand if the characters appear to be OOC. I will emphasize that this is AU and the sequence of events from both series will be changed accordingly to fit this story.
In This Life
Prologue
He made a list of all the things that he wanted to do in life. Right there, near the top was to leave Beaufort, North Carolina. He grew up in this little port town all his life, going to the same schools with the kids that he knew from the time he was old enough to terrorize the sandbox. He knew all the locals, and more often than not, sat with them every Sunday at the Baptist Church for the service. He had a reputation around the town for being a world-class jerk for the early part of his life. It had gotten to the point that the principal would have his mother on speed dial because he was such a frequent visitor. It was probably not the best record to hold when you go in for parent-teacher interviews.
Of course, everything changed during his senior year at Beaufort High. He and his friends pulled a prank, one that landed another kid at the hospital. To his indignation, his punishment was to participate in the school play and to tutor young children at a local school. There was no way he could have pulled it off without help, while keeping some semblance of dignity.
Before he knew it, he found himself asking for help at the doorsteps of the Reverend's daughter. She was the star of play and a wondrous singer. Against his own expectations, he had fallen for Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan, the very daughter and the school's 'outcast'. He was ashamed to admit that he and his friends were a source of a great deal of teasing throughout Jamie's educational career.
Yet, through her faith and optimism in God and life, she taught him a lesson in humility, to live and to hope. However, God had other plans for Jamie when she succumbed to her battle with leukemia at the age 18.
A part of him died that day with his wife, and his first true love. So, with the blessings from those closest to him, he hardened his heart and left his home town to pursue his dreams of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. Little did he know that fate had other plans in stored for him and nothing would ever be the same again.
-o-o-
She thought that her life was perfect. She had the most supportive parents and siblings. She was on her way to having a successful career as a medical doctor and her parents were very proud of their daughter's achievements. She considered herself lucky to be multicultural, getting the best of both worlds while living in England under an Indian heritage. Now, she was given a great opportunity to intern in the United States. She thought that everything was going to be so perfect.
Perfection became a distorted illusion when reality sank in. At the hospital, she found herself intruding on a close-knitted family of ER staff. True, she was from England, spoke English but she was still part Indian. She was what one of the staff kindly termed as those "third-world" doctors who couldn't speak proper English. She found herself overwhelmed and falling behind despite all her previous knowledge. She was so unhappy that she even contemplated leaving medicine all together.
That was when her parents intervened and told her in no pleasant terms, that they would disown her if she had taken such a course. After all, she was the eldest daughter and needed to maintain the family name and honour. Besides, they were paying for her to go to school.
At that point of utter solitude, she found herself falling in love for fellow colleague, Dr. Michael Gallant. He was kind and supportive, always had a complement to spare. He was dedicated to the profession but also loyal to his country. He left to serve in Iraq and fought for his fellow Americans.
For a year, she waited, wishing and praying for the occasional correspondence from him until one day, they came no more. Instead, she got the ominous phone call which notified her of his death. She was alone again. Closing off her heart and transferring what remaining energy she had, she delved into her work. She didn't want to be hurt again, so she worked harder, always trying to keep up. She maintained an image of perfection, always courteous and professional.
Until one day, fate intervened. Before she knew it, her best laid plans and her self-erected walls began to crumble and change.
End of Prologue
AN: I figure that it will be nice to have a brief summary of Awtr for those who haven't seen the movie. As well, this sets up for what I hope will be the premise for my fic, so how was that? Let me know what you guys by leaving a review, 'k.
