Enfant D'espoire
Information, useless stuff, and the necessaries:
Okay, before we begin, I need to give you a little timeline… I've definitely moved some things around. We're gonna say this is '99-ish; Lucy is irrelevant, the "Saint Valentine's Day massacre" of sorts will not be occuring in my little world, Carter is, of course, still renting Kerry's basement, she was seeing Ellis West, and Carter's finished with Roxanne or whatever her name was. Luka has already arrived, but Doug is still there purely because I find his obnoxiousness entertaining, and Jeanne's still a PA at Cook County. Whew, okay, timeline's done.
The movie based upon Danielle Steel's novel Heartbeat gave me the idea and I admit I kidnapped three elements that led to the legal documents, the "Ellis is a bastard" route, and the "Gotta love Carter" aspect. I mean, he's just so cute!
Hope I haven't spoiled anything for you, just thought the explanations were helpful if not necessary. My thanks go to Mickey and Claudie (who is going to kill me for not going with "the original plan", but anyway). Enjoy all! Please review, send feedback, something, anything…
And the last little thing: I'm setting this in late January… because the climate of the winter season is definitely a necessary!
Part One –
Sighing somewhat longingly, Kerry stood in the kitchen, watching as the last of the coffee grounds disappeared into the garbage disposal. When the noise ceased, she shifted her gaze and leaned more heavily against her crutch to alleviate the pain that had settled in her hip and thigh. It would worsen in the weeks and months to come, she knew, but there wasn't much to be done about it yet.
Turning more carefully than usual, she ignored the empty bottle of painkillers she'd just set on the counter, having dumped the remaining pills down the disposal minutes before, to her immense satisfaction. And then, she put on her coat and headed out the door, started her car and steering toward the hospital.
If last night was any indication as to what she should expect, Kerry had a feeling she was in for a very interesting ride.
Twelve Hours Later
Doc Magoo's
"You're what? You have to be… well, you sure as hell can't be keeping it!" Ellis West's voice raised several octaves higher than normal as the esteemed Doctor Weaver swirled the tea in her glass with a straw, watching as wine sputtered past his lips.
Her voice was quiet but sure, perhaps even subdued as she replied, "I'm pregnant, Ellis, it's a child we created, not a stray mutt that followed me home. Of course I'm keeping it. I'm thirty-nine years old, you do the math." Sarcasm had always been one of her better weapons.
His gaze sharpened as he focused on the fidgeting of her hands.
"I never wanted kids Kerry, you know that," he paused and brushed his hands over his lapel, "and if you've made your decision, why are we even speaking? You're keeping," the Synergix representative waved his hands in the air as his voice faltered, "it… for purely selfish reasons," a lightbulb seemingly went off in his head, "and how do I even know it's mine? What with that resident living in our basement…"
"Goddammit – you did not," Kerry pushed her chair back, fumbled with her crutch, and stood quickly, an air of anger encompassing them. "Goddammit, Ellis! You may question my motives, my abilities and my humanity, but don't you ever," her voice fell dangerously low, "ever question my integrity! I've never asked you for anything Doctor West," her tone was icy, "and I sure as hell won't start now. I thought you deserved a chance to, at the very least, get to know your child!"
At that, Ellis stood, towering over her, and grabbed her free wrist. "Kerry."
"Let go of me," she commanded, irrational fear overruling her anger as his grip tightened before releasing her again.
Lowering his face to hers, he whispered, "Get rid of the little bastard, I won't let you touch me with this. I've worked too hard and too long for you to ruin me now…" his words were halted as Kerry reflexively slapped him.
Stepping backwards, she shook her head with a strange mix of desperation and rage, "This isn't about position or money," she began but quickly stopped, realizing the lack of effect in her words. Turning on her heel, Kerry stormed from the restaurant, crutch clicking furiously at her side.
"Kerry!" Ellis yelled, rubbing his jaw with one hand and banging the table with the other.
Moments later, Kerry rushed through the ER to the lounge, ignoring Randi and Jeanne's calls, and the presence of both Drs. Carter and Ross in the lounge. Both men looked up upon her entrance, taking in her flushed face and wild-eyed look. Doug idly thought he'd never seen her so angry, and Carter's eyes filled with concern. However, they were still startled when Kerry stood before the couch, growled as she worked her arm loose from the crutch, and pitched it harshly across the room.
"Goddammit all to hell!" Kerry quasi-yelled, then gave into her weaker leg and collapsed into the sofa cushions.
For a moment the lounge was quiet, if not stunned. Then Carter stood, circled the couch, and handed her a bottle of water. A moment passed before she accepted it, twisted the top to no avail, then handed it back to be opened.
"Thank you, Carter," her voice was tired, measured, and he sat beside her, watching as the anger seemed to drain from her body.
"Hey, Kerry, what the hell pissed you off?" Doug chose to interrupt.
Instead of rising to the bait, she lifted her head, grinned ruefully, and answered, "Life."
Carter stood and retrieved the crutch as he often did at home – 'yes' he thought, 'it is home' – and handed it to her.
"I'm off, anyway. Don't you have patients to see?" her gaze shifted between them slyly, and she was gone as quickly as she'd arrived.
She walked a little slower than usual, Jeanne noted, watching her friend carefully as she exited Trauma 2. The hospital was buzzing with gossip – Doug from the lounge and Haleh from Magoo's – and the PA couldn't help but sigh as she tried to figure out how to get Kerry to open up about whatever was wrong. No one knew what words were said between the attending and her ex, but many witnessed the tension and anger, and heard the resounding slap – flesh against flesh.
Smiling to herself, she told Randi she was taking her break, and approached a weary-looking Dr. Weaver, extending a lunch invitation. "My treat, your favorite Mexican place?"
And she laughed out loud when the doctor, after a few moments of visible wavering and a glance to prove to herself that few were waiting, nodded, and together they left. "Italian instead," Kerry suggested, eyebrows raised.
An hour and two orders of baked manicotti later, after Jeanne's best prodding, goading, offering, inquiring, and near-begging, Kerry was still hesitant to open up.
Sighing, Boulet gave up, placed a gentle hand over her friend's even as she stared at her water glass, and spoke. "Just know that I'm never too far, and when you're ready to talk, I'll be available. You don't have to deal with everything alone, Kerry, you have a couple of friends who'd gladly listen."
Kerry lifted her head and sighed along with her, wondering silently just who these seemingly invisible friends were.
"I'm not kidding, you've got me and Carter at the very least."
"Yeah," she replied, voice monotone. 'Carter', she thought. 'If Jeanne can read my mind, I wonder what he can do,' and with that, Kerry pushed her thoughts down before they strayed places they did not belong.
"Back to work?" Jeanne asked, waiting for her nod as she pushed Kerry's hand from the check then laid several bills on the table. "Let's go," she said, aloud, mentally adding, "Maybe Carter will have better luck."
Information, useless stuff, and the necessaries:
Okay, before we begin, I need to give you a little timeline… I've definitely moved some things around. We're gonna say this is '99-ish; Lucy is irrelevant, the "Saint Valentine's Day massacre" of sorts will not be occuring in my little world, Carter is, of course, still renting Kerry's basement, she was seeing Ellis West, and Carter's finished with Roxanne or whatever her name was. Luka has already arrived, but Doug is still there purely because I find his obnoxiousness entertaining, and Jeanne's still a PA at Cook County. Whew, okay, timeline's done.
The movie based upon Danielle Steel's novel Heartbeat gave me the idea and I admit I kidnapped three elements that led to the legal documents, the "Ellis is a bastard" route, and the "Gotta love Carter" aspect. I mean, he's just so cute!
Hope I haven't spoiled anything for you, just thought the explanations were helpful if not necessary. My thanks go to Mickey and Claudie (who is going to kill me for not going with "the original plan", but anyway). Enjoy all! Please review, send feedback, something, anything…
And the last little thing: I'm setting this in late January… because the climate of the winter season is definitely a necessary!
Part One –
Sighing somewhat longingly, Kerry stood in the kitchen, watching as the last of the coffee grounds disappeared into the garbage disposal. When the noise ceased, she shifted her gaze and leaned more heavily against her crutch to alleviate the pain that had settled in her hip and thigh. It would worsen in the weeks and months to come, she knew, but there wasn't much to be done about it yet.
Turning more carefully than usual, she ignored the empty bottle of painkillers she'd just set on the counter, having dumped the remaining pills down the disposal minutes before, to her immense satisfaction. And then, she put on her coat and headed out the door, started her car and steering toward the hospital.
If last night was any indication as to what she should expect, Kerry had a feeling she was in for a very interesting ride.
Twelve Hours Later
Doc Magoo's
"You're what? You have to be… well, you sure as hell can't be keeping it!" Ellis West's voice raised several octaves higher than normal as the esteemed Doctor Weaver swirled the tea in her glass with a straw, watching as wine sputtered past his lips.
Her voice was quiet but sure, perhaps even subdued as she replied, "I'm pregnant, Ellis, it's a child we created, not a stray mutt that followed me home. Of course I'm keeping it. I'm thirty-nine years old, you do the math." Sarcasm had always been one of her better weapons.
His gaze sharpened as he focused on the fidgeting of her hands.
"I never wanted kids Kerry, you know that," he paused and brushed his hands over his lapel, "and if you've made your decision, why are we even speaking? You're keeping," the Synergix representative waved his hands in the air as his voice faltered, "it… for purely selfish reasons," a lightbulb seemingly went off in his head, "and how do I even know it's mine? What with that resident living in our basement…"
"Goddammit – you did not," Kerry pushed her chair back, fumbled with her crutch, and stood quickly, an air of anger encompassing them. "Goddammit, Ellis! You may question my motives, my abilities and my humanity, but don't you ever," her voice fell dangerously low, "ever question my integrity! I've never asked you for anything Doctor West," her tone was icy, "and I sure as hell won't start now. I thought you deserved a chance to, at the very least, get to know your child!"
At that, Ellis stood, towering over her, and grabbed her free wrist. "Kerry."
"Let go of me," she commanded, irrational fear overruling her anger as his grip tightened before releasing her again.
Lowering his face to hers, he whispered, "Get rid of the little bastard, I won't let you touch me with this. I've worked too hard and too long for you to ruin me now…" his words were halted as Kerry reflexively slapped him.
Stepping backwards, she shook her head with a strange mix of desperation and rage, "This isn't about position or money," she began but quickly stopped, realizing the lack of effect in her words. Turning on her heel, Kerry stormed from the restaurant, crutch clicking furiously at her side.
"Kerry!" Ellis yelled, rubbing his jaw with one hand and banging the table with the other.
Moments later, Kerry rushed through the ER to the lounge, ignoring Randi and Jeanne's calls, and the presence of both Drs. Carter and Ross in the lounge. Both men looked up upon her entrance, taking in her flushed face and wild-eyed look. Doug idly thought he'd never seen her so angry, and Carter's eyes filled with concern. However, they were still startled when Kerry stood before the couch, growled as she worked her arm loose from the crutch, and pitched it harshly across the room.
"Goddammit all to hell!" Kerry quasi-yelled, then gave into her weaker leg and collapsed into the sofa cushions.
For a moment the lounge was quiet, if not stunned. Then Carter stood, circled the couch, and handed her a bottle of water. A moment passed before she accepted it, twisted the top to no avail, then handed it back to be opened.
"Thank you, Carter," her voice was tired, measured, and he sat beside her, watching as the anger seemed to drain from her body.
"Hey, Kerry, what the hell pissed you off?" Doug chose to interrupt.
Instead of rising to the bait, she lifted her head, grinned ruefully, and answered, "Life."
Carter stood and retrieved the crutch as he often did at home – 'yes' he thought, 'it is home' – and handed it to her.
"I'm off, anyway. Don't you have patients to see?" her gaze shifted between them slyly, and she was gone as quickly as she'd arrived.
She walked a little slower than usual, Jeanne noted, watching her friend carefully as she exited Trauma 2. The hospital was buzzing with gossip – Doug from the lounge and Haleh from Magoo's – and the PA couldn't help but sigh as she tried to figure out how to get Kerry to open up about whatever was wrong. No one knew what words were said between the attending and her ex, but many witnessed the tension and anger, and heard the resounding slap – flesh against flesh.
Smiling to herself, she told Randi she was taking her break, and approached a weary-looking Dr. Weaver, extending a lunch invitation. "My treat, your favorite Mexican place?"
And she laughed out loud when the doctor, after a few moments of visible wavering and a glance to prove to herself that few were waiting, nodded, and together they left. "Italian instead," Kerry suggested, eyebrows raised.
An hour and two orders of baked manicotti later, after Jeanne's best prodding, goading, offering, inquiring, and near-begging, Kerry was still hesitant to open up.
Sighing, Boulet gave up, placed a gentle hand over her friend's even as she stared at her water glass, and spoke. "Just know that I'm never too far, and when you're ready to talk, I'll be available. You don't have to deal with everything alone, Kerry, you have a couple of friends who'd gladly listen."
Kerry lifted her head and sighed along with her, wondering silently just who these seemingly invisible friends were.
"I'm not kidding, you've got me and Carter at the very least."
"Yeah," she replied, voice monotone. 'Carter', she thought. 'If Jeanne can read my mind, I wonder what he can do,' and with that, Kerry pushed her thoughts down before they strayed places they did not belong.
"Back to work?" Jeanne asked, waiting for her nod as she pushed Kerry's hand from the check then laid several bills on the table. "Let's go," she said, aloud, mentally adding, "Maybe Carter will have better luck."