Chapter 3

Carter made the appearance of leaving the hospital, knowing Mark and Doug would be watching to make sure he actually left. Problem was he had no where else to go. His cleaning job didn't start for a few hours.

And it was snowing so hard, it was almost like a blizzard.

Pulling his coat tighter around him, shivering hard against the harsh wind. Carter stumbled his way out the ambulance bay, shuffling through the snow until he reached the street. He looked back and forth thinking where to go.

And then looked straight ahead, spotting Doc Magoo's. Shrugging, he set off towards it. He could afford a cup of coffee, and hopefully linger for the next couple of hours at a stool at the bar in the corner. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

He just sat down, having ordered his coffee when his cell phone rung.

Pulling it out, assuming it was the hospital, he answered it; "Carter."

"Oh Gammy. Hi." He said cheerfully, a smile forming on his face.

Until she spoke, and it dropped; "Yes I did speak to him earlier...yeah but...I know but...you have to understand...I'm a doctor Gammy you know that! I can't just quit...Yes I know I'm a Carter but...if you'll just listen...Gammy..."

Carter sighed, forced to let his grandmother rant to him about turning his back on the family, to which she then hung up on him.

Groaning, Carter just let his head drop to the counter in exhaustion and defeat.

0o0o0oo0oERO00o0o0oo0o

If it was possible, Carter felt even more tired.

Having just finished his cleaning job at the student campus, washing sheets and cleaning toilets. What fun.

Now he slowly trudged along the snow covered road heading to the hospital, his arms crossed to keep his coat tighter around him. Hat and gloves adorned. The snow fell down harder, blurring his vision so he couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of him. He had planned to drive but his car was out of petrol, of course he had forgotten to fill it up so it was stuck back at the hospital.

And he was forced to walk.

His eyes stung as the wind attacked his face, and his cough was becoming even more present. Intermixed with constant sneezing and consistent shivering. Becoming so bad, he felt the shaking deep in his bones.

He could barely feel his fingers.

It was becoming harder to think straight, or breath.

The only thing that kept him going was thinking of taking a hot shower at the hospital and changing into some scrubs, maybe taking a nice nap in the on call room. Or eating some hot food in the cafeteria.

It sucked to live at the hospital. But he loved it. More than anything he loved being a doctor. Helping people. Saving lives.

And there was no way he would give it up. Not for anything.

Music dragged him from his musings, and he looked up bleary eyed as he rounded a corner. In a quiet street where there were a few shops and lots of houses, there were couples of people walking about with bags of gifts, then there was a family outside the house putting up lights, Christmas music blaring from the inside. Three kids, two boys and a girl were with their parents, laughing as they built snowmen. Before breaking out into a snowball fight.

Carter paused to watch them for a moment.

Their pure joy and love really touched Carter, and he couldn't help but smile. This was why he became a doctor, so he could help families like this. So they could return to their family, safe and sound, knowing doctors like him were out there helping keep them alive.

But he couldn't help feel a pang of envy as well. The family looked so happy. By the looks of it, it wasn't a big house, so they probably weren't very wealthy, but they were happy. They had each other. That's all that mattered.

His family wasn't like that.

It was all about keeping up the family name, and spreading their philanthropic endeavours. Going on cruises and trips all over the world, donating money to charities and good causes. His life was spent travelling all over the world with his family, but always being alone whilst his parents conducted business. Then there was the parties, having to talk to important people, and act a certain way.

It was like his life was decided even before he was born. He was just meant to be the Carter heir, and continue the Carter legacy the way they wanted.

They didn't even act like a real family.

At Christmas, the exchanging of gifts was often lavish or not done at all. Many times, his parents had just been too busy to celebrate Christmas or his birthday.

Thankfully he had his brother to play with a child, to keep him company. They were the best of friends. Until Robert (Bobby) died of Leukaemia when Carter was still just a child. He lost not only his brother and best friend, but the only person who understood him. It was the reason he became a doctor. He couldn't save his brother, but maybe he could save someone else's brother.

His parents became even more distant. Gammy was probably the only closest person he had left in the family, who didn't always support his decision to become a doctor, but he thought would always be there for him.

Until now.

Refusing to meet his father's ultimatum, he was now no longer a Carter.

It turns out money wasn't everything.

Now Carter had no money, and no family. Some Christmas this was turning out to be. Bloody typical really. Christmas always sucked for him, and he just gave up feeling anything good around this time of year.

As another coughing fit broke out, Carter pushed himself to move on. He resisted looking back at the family, finding it to painful to watch.

Turning another corner at the end of the street, Carter found himself in a quieter more run down area. It was practically deserted.

He probably should have taken a cab. It was getting dark, and the streets weren't always safe.

But cabs were expensive.

It wasn't far to the hospital now anyway.

As Carter continued walking he heard voices up ahead. Looking across the street he spotted some kids hanging out in front of a closed store. They couldn't be more than 15, some looked even younger.

Carter kept his head down and walked faster. He wasn't going to judge or presume, but he also didn't want any trouble.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

There was a shout and laughing, and as Carter turned his head he saw some of the kids had started shoving each other.

A few stumbled into each other, but one lost his footing on the curb. A younger kid, probably no more than 10. The snow and ice, making it slippery. He slipped and stumbled backwards, before falling into the road, rolling into the middle.

Carter froze, watching in concern, already turning to head over. Thinking he was hurt.

The others laughed, thinking it was funny.

Even the kid in the road laughed as he went to get up.

Carter paused, and went to start walking again assuming everything was fine.

Until something out the corner of his eye caught his attention. Headlights. At the end of the road, heading fast towards them. Then there was the squeal of tyres, and the headlights veered left and right all over the road. At one point they even veered onto the pavement.

Drunk driver Carter immediately thought.

Panicked he looked at the kids. The young boy still messing up in the middle of the road. Now standing and throwing snowballs at the others. Soon another kid ran out to join him.

"Hey! Get out of the road!" Carter called, stepping forward in alarm.

Most ignored him, but one. An older kid just shot him a finger; "Bite it old man!"

Old man? Carter frowned baffled. He wasn't much older than them.

Shaking his head and refocusing. Carter saw the car was getting closer and closer, its speed increasing.

"Hey...!" Carter shouted again, but knew they were just going to ignore him.

He didn't have time to think. He just acted.

Taking his bag off, and letting it drop to the street so it wouldn't slow him down. He ran off the curb, he headed straight for the kids. The way they were standing, there was only two in the line of fire with the way the car was heading. Thinking quickly, he knew if he pushed the first one out the way, it would alert the others to what was happening and they could get out the way.

Which is what he did. Or tried to do.

Just as he was running for the first kid, he slipped on some ice. Falling forward, he shoved at the kid hard, pushing him out the way of the car.

The other kids all looked on in shock, shouting and frowning in confusion, until they saw the car coming and rushed out the way.

Carter wasn't so lucky.

In mid fall, he didn't have time to get out the way.

He turned just in time to see two bright lights.

Then his body exploded with pain as the car hit him side on at full pelt. He rolled up the front of the car, his back smashing the windscreen. The car continued going at full speed, so he rolled right up over the top of the car, flying over it as the car sped off down the street and disappeared.

And Carter went flying, landing hard down on the road, rolling a few times. He must have hit his head, because it was then everything went black.

Meanwhile, the kids instantly shouted in hysterics watching the scene unfold, and broke apart. Legging it in all directions and disappearing.

In a new deserted street, just lay one person. Dr John Carter, laying face down in the middle of the road, blood covering him, and pouring out underneath him. Soaking the white snow bright red.

No one came to help.

Not a single sound was made or heard apart from the snow falling. Now covering the hospital Doctor.

And still Carter didn't move. Or breath.

There was nothing.