The Tangled Webs We Weave:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters on ER if I did I would be extremely rich.. Which I'm not. There is also language that some people may find offensive.
Set in a random place in time, probably between season 6 and now. Elizabeth and a few other characters do not exist in this story, so that is why they won't appear.
Chapter 1: That's what friends are for.
As the sun shone through the clouds on a warm spring morning, Doctors Lewis and Carter were caught up in the masses of patients that swamped the ER.
"Why are we always working when the weather turns good?" Carter asked
"Must be written in the contract.. Thou shalt work when normal people are having fun." Susan replied with a laugh
"Yeah I guess so." Carter answered as he and Susan made their way along the corridors of the ER. They were merely indulging in the ritual of moaning about the job. It had become tradition to find the happiest member of staff and then seek to make them as miserable as the rest.
Susan had been caught this way many times. She would always start the day with a smile on her face, but after just an hour it would drop. She did manage to go one day without anyone bringing her down though, and that was the day her and Carter finally got together. Everyone was trying to dampen her mood but no-one could get through.
As Susan and Carter continued their conversation they saw Kerry approaching,
"Have you two not noticed all the patients?" Kerry asked sternly
"Yeah Kerry, we're on it. We already have 12 patients each. We're both just on our way back from radiology." Susan answered
"Well here's another 3 each." Kerry replied, ignoring the comment about radiology, as she dumped the charts on Carter and Susan
Just then Mark Greene walked past, and as he did Susan froze. Her and Mark had, had a major disagreement a few days ago. Usually they resolved their disputes quickly, but this was different. Mark was not only and angry man this time, he was a jealous man too.
He was jealous because Susan was with Carter. It had only been a few weeks but it was going well.
Although outwardly Mark showed all the signs of a jealous man, inside he was torn apart.
Him and Susan knew how they felt about one another, but there was one problem... They never told each other.
They loved each other, but they're chance had passed. However, they had still managed to remain friends, the chemistry was still there. Until a few days ago.
*FLASHBACK TO ARGUMENT*
Susan and Mark in the Doctors Lounge
"What the hell are you playing at?!" Susan yelled
"Me?!" Mark shouted back
"You humiliate me in front of a patient, then laugh about it with a desk clerk, and you expect me not to be pissed off? You're a clueless son of a bitch!" Susan screamed
"Whatever, I don't even care right now. Oh and thanks for telling me that you're screwing Carter!" Mark said viciously
"What the fuck?! Why should I tell you who I am or am not sleeping with? And by the way we're not screwing, as you so delightfully put it." Susan answered smartly
"Not yet." Mark muttered under his breath
"Fuck you." Susan called back as she stormed out of the lounge.
As they parted they both recoiled in horror at what had been said.
Susan and Mark sometimes argued but they never swore at each other. This was serious.
*PRESENT TIME*
Now every time Mark and Susan saw each other it stung. Both wanted to say sorry but both were so hurt by what had been said that neither of them could bring themselves to do it.
They didn't let is affect their work, but everyone could sense the tension between to two of them. They were usually so close knit. They would consult each other on everything, share lunch, get each other coffee's and organise staff birthday parties together. No of that happened now. The atmosphere was heavy, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for round 2.
It was worse for Mark. He had no-one to talk to. It used to be Susan, but not now. All those years of friendship was so close to being completely obliterated by a petty argument, and some impulsive, stupid words.
He didn't want to talk to Carter, simply because he didn't want to make him feel like piggy in the middle. That wouldn't be fair. It's not Carters fault he fell in love with Susan. She's irresistible.
Every time Mark saw Susan kiss Carter it was like being stabbed a thousand times. He knew he still loved her. He couldn't help it.
He loved her more than words, and he sensed she felt something too. Well he thought she used to anyway. Now he didn't know.
He knew that the longer she stayed with Carter, the more likely she was to fall in love with him and utter those immortal words, that he so wanted to say to her.
After all, look at what Carter could give her. It was everything a girl could every want. Money, status, a big house, swimming pool, no need to worry about debts.
He also wasn't someone's reject like Mark was. Jen didn't want Mark and he had been married to her for 10 years before they split. Why the hell would Susan want him?
He knew Susan wasn't as shallow to only be with Carter for the wealth. She obviously felt something for him. To think of that hurt Mark even more.
It wasn't like Mark disapproved. He liked Carter, he was his friend, but something just didn't seem right. He couldn't help thinking that he should be with Susan instead.
Mark knew if he wanted Susan as part of his life he had to say sorry.
He had to find a way, some how, to make her realise how sorry he was. He knew she was sorry too. They had known each other so long, he could sense it. He even caught her giving him sad looks when she thought he wasn't looking.
They couldn't continue like this. Mark couldn't anyway. He was verging on the edge of depression. He had lost his best friend, he daughter was hundreds of miles away and his ex wife had married someone else.
He felt like he was all alone in this world. He signed out that night and headed for the lounge, where he found Carter enjoying the basketball that was on TV.
"Hey, you off home?" Carter said from the couch
"I guess so." Mark replied
"You ok? She is sorry you know." Carter said
"Yeah, then why hasn't she said anything. She's a big girl now, she shouldn't make you her messenger." Mark answered
"I'm not. But I can see how this is tearing you both apart. You need each other, the ER needs you both. You were such good friends before this." Carter commented
"And now we're not. It's not affecting our work, so let's just leave it yeah?" Mark began to shout
"Ok, ok. I'm telling her the same you know. But I have to let it go with her because she gets angry, then she starts to cry." Carter wondered if that would soften Mark
When Carter told Mark that Susan cries, Mark felt like crying too. He hated to think he was the reason for Susan's misery, even though he knew he was.
She was right, he had humiliated her in front of a patient. He had made fun of the way she put her IV in, even though she had done it a thousand times before.
He had quipped to the patient that they were sending her back to med school as she didn't learn much the first time.
As soon as he said it he could see the pain in her eyes. Why the hell did he have to make it worse by telling Jerry about it. He had screwed up big time.
Mark made his way home slowly that night. He had a lot to think about. Susan was not going to forgive him without making him really earn it.
He knew she may say some bad things, and guilt trip him for a while, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to get angry at her again. He was just going to let her vent, all her anger, frustration and hurt.
"After all that's what friends are for. If we can ever get back to that." Mark thought quietly as he wandered up the steps to his apartment.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters on ER if I did I would be extremely rich.. Which I'm not. There is also language that some people may find offensive.
Set in a random place in time, probably between season 6 and now. Elizabeth and a few other characters do not exist in this story, so that is why they won't appear.
Chapter 1: That's what friends are for.
As the sun shone through the clouds on a warm spring morning, Doctors Lewis and Carter were caught up in the masses of patients that swamped the ER.
"Why are we always working when the weather turns good?" Carter asked
"Must be written in the contract.. Thou shalt work when normal people are having fun." Susan replied with a laugh
"Yeah I guess so." Carter answered as he and Susan made their way along the corridors of the ER. They were merely indulging in the ritual of moaning about the job. It had become tradition to find the happiest member of staff and then seek to make them as miserable as the rest.
Susan had been caught this way many times. She would always start the day with a smile on her face, but after just an hour it would drop. She did manage to go one day without anyone bringing her down though, and that was the day her and Carter finally got together. Everyone was trying to dampen her mood but no-one could get through.
As Susan and Carter continued their conversation they saw Kerry approaching,
"Have you two not noticed all the patients?" Kerry asked sternly
"Yeah Kerry, we're on it. We already have 12 patients each. We're both just on our way back from radiology." Susan answered
"Well here's another 3 each." Kerry replied, ignoring the comment about radiology, as she dumped the charts on Carter and Susan
Just then Mark Greene walked past, and as he did Susan froze. Her and Mark had, had a major disagreement a few days ago. Usually they resolved their disputes quickly, but this was different. Mark was not only and angry man this time, he was a jealous man too.
He was jealous because Susan was with Carter. It had only been a few weeks but it was going well.
Although outwardly Mark showed all the signs of a jealous man, inside he was torn apart.
Him and Susan knew how they felt about one another, but there was one problem... They never told each other.
They loved each other, but they're chance had passed. However, they had still managed to remain friends, the chemistry was still there. Until a few days ago.
*FLASHBACK TO ARGUMENT*
Susan and Mark in the Doctors Lounge
"What the hell are you playing at?!" Susan yelled
"Me?!" Mark shouted back
"You humiliate me in front of a patient, then laugh about it with a desk clerk, and you expect me not to be pissed off? You're a clueless son of a bitch!" Susan screamed
"Whatever, I don't even care right now. Oh and thanks for telling me that you're screwing Carter!" Mark said viciously
"What the fuck?! Why should I tell you who I am or am not sleeping with? And by the way we're not screwing, as you so delightfully put it." Susan answered smartly
"Not yet." Mark muttered under his breath
"Fuck you." Susan called back as she stormed out of the lounge.
As they parted they both recoiled in horror at what had been said.
Susan and Mark sometimes argued but they never swore at each other. This was serious.
*PRESENT TIME*
Now every time Mark and Susan saw each other it stung. Both wanted to say sorry but both were so hurt by what had been said that neither of them could bring themselves to do it.
They didn't let is affect their work, but everyone could sense the tension between to two of them. They were usually so close knit. They would consult each other on everything, share lunch, get each other coffee's and organise staff birthday parties together. No of that happened now. The atmosphere was heavy, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for round 2.
It was worse for Mark. He had no-one to talk to. It used to be Susan, but not now. All those years of friendship was so close to being completely obliterated by a petty argument, and some impulsive, stupid words.
He didn't want to talk to Carter, simply because he didn't want to make him feel like piggy in the middle. That wouldn't be fair. It's not Carters fault he fell in love with Susan. She's irresistible.
Every time Mark saw Susan kiss Carter it was like being stabbed a thousand times. He knew he still loved her. He couldn't help it.
He loved her more than words, and he sensed she felt something too. Well he thought she used to anyway. Now he didn't know.
He knew that the longer she stayed with Carter, the more likely she was to fall in love with him and utter those immortal words, that he so wanted to say to her.
After all, look at what Carter could give her. It was everything a girl could every want. Money, status, a big house, swimming pool, no need to worry about debts.
He also wasn't someone's reject like Mark was. Jen didn't want Mark and he had been married to her for 10 years before they split. Why the hell would Susan want him?
He knew Susan wasn't as shallow to only be with Carter for the wealth. She obviously felt something for him. To think of that hurt Mark even more.
It wasn't like Mark disapproved. He liked Carter, he was his friend, but something just didn't seem right. He couldn't help thinking that he should be with Susan instead.
Mark knew if he wanted Susan as part of his life he had to say sorry.
He had to find a way, some how, to make her realise how sorry he was. He knew she was sorry too. They had known each other so long, he could sense it. He even caught her giving him sad looks when she thought he wasn't looking.
They couldn't continue like this. Mark couldn't anyway. He was verging on the edge of depression. He had lost his best friend, he daughter was hundreds of miles away and his ex wife had married someone else.
He felt like he was all alone in this world. He signed out that night and headed for the lounge, where he found Carter enjoying the basketball that was on TV.
"Hey, you off home?" Carter said from the couch
"I guess so." Mark replied
"You ok? She is sorry you know." Carter said
"Yeah, then why hasn't she said anything. She's a big girl now, she shouldn't make you her messenger." Mark answered
"I'm not. But I can see how this is tearing you both apart. You need each other, the ER needs you both. You were such good friends before this." Carter commented
"And now we're not. It's not affecting our work, so let's just leave it yeah?" Mark began to shout
"Ok, ok. I'm telling her the same you know. But I have to let it go with her because she gets angry, then she starts to cry." Carter wondered if that would soften Mark
When Carter told Mark that Susan cries, Mark felt like crying too. He hated to think he was the reason for Susan's misery, even though he knew he was.
She was right, he had humiliated her in front of a patient. He had made fun of the way she put her IV in, even though she had done it a thousand times before.
He had quipped to the patient that they were sending her back to med school as she didn't learn much the first time.
As soon as he said it he could see the pain in her eyes. Why the hell did he have to make it worse by telling Jerry about it. He had screwed up big time.
Mark made his way home slowly that night. He had a lot to think about. Susan was not going to forgive him without making him really earn it.
He knew she may say some bad things, and guilt trip him for a while, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to get angry at her again. He was just going to let her vent, all her anger, frustration and hurt.
"After all that's what friends are for. If we can ever get back to that." Mark thought quietly as he wandered up the steps to his apartment.