Sent From Above
Summary: Carter meets a miracle and doesn't even realize it until she's gone.
The winds attacked Chicago with angry force and the ferocity that could start a tornado. Those were eerie winds that blew that day.
Abby's hat flew off her head and she pulled her coat tighter around her to keep warm as she watched the hat tumble over into the entrance of the ER. As she bent to pick up the hat, Kerry tripped over her.
"Dr. Weaver!" Abby cried, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry, Abby! I didn't see you. It's this incessant wind! It's gotten everyone crazy today." Kerry smiled at Abby over her shoulder as she jogged off towards trauma one. Abby put her hat back on and walked into the lounge to see Carter.
"Hey, Abby," he greeted her as he picked up his chart again.
"Hi," Abby replied with a smile. She poured herself some coffee.
"Did you just get here?" Carter asked.
"Yeah. God, that wind just won't let up!"
"It's been blowing since two o'clock, supposedly." Carter shrugged, "Well, I have a patient."
"Yeah," Abby said, as she watched him leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carter walked into exam two and saw a young, thirteen-year-old girl sitting on the bed. Her brown hair fell just below her shoulders and had a slight wave to it. She looked up and Carter saw a pair of deep, sea green eyes that seemed to change like the waves on the ocean waters. They seemed to bore into his very soul. He shook off the ghostly feeling.
"Right. I'm Dr. Carter. Angela Sommers?" the girl on the bed nodded, "Are your parents around?"
"No." It was a simple answer, and so confident and final. Carter didn't ask anything else about it.
"Laceration on the left arm, it says here…" Carter looked up and realized Angela had pulled up the sleeve of her blouse and revealed a deep cut.
"How come you're shirt's not… Never mind." Carter was about to question the color of her bleach-white shirt, but thought better of it, "That'll need stitches." Angela nodded. She was saying very little. Carter sutured the wound in silence.
"Why are you sad?" Angela asked. Her voice was soft and gentle. She sounded so sweet and kind. She sounded as if she really cared. And understood.
"What makes you think I'm sad?" Carter asked, putting on a smile.
"I know it. I know you're sad. I can tell." She was very vague. And again, Carter asked no further questions.
"I don't usually open up to my patients," he sighed as he turned back to the wound. Angela looked at him quizzically.
"You don't… recognize me, do you?" she asked. He looked at her, into those dark green eyes, which seemed to be as deep as the deepest part of the ocean.
"Should I? I'm sorry."
"No, it's OK. It's better this way," she said in her melodious voice. Carter continued again in silence.
"You know, it's good to talk to someone. I may seem like a total stranger, but believe me, I can understand people very well. I feel like I know you. Don't you feel that way, Dr. Carter?" Carter paused and looked at her again.
"Sometimes I feel like I know people better than I really do." His words held a deeper meaning and he thought she would only skim the surface of it. She was only a girl. He looked back at the injury.
"I know how that is. Continue." Carter looked up at the girl again.
"How did you…" but he stopped. Those sea-green eyes seemed to quiet him. He had so many questions to ask her. Where were her parents? Why was it that, when her harm was bleeding, she had no blood on her white, long- sleeved blouse? How did she know Carter wasn't feeling very happy? But mostly, why was it that she could silence all those questions with those powerful eyes.
"Don't be afraid to talk about it, Dr. Carter. Everyone feels depressed and it's usually very personal and they feel uncomfortable talking about it. Believe me, I know. But I will not tell a soul and I will be your listening ear." Angela's expression was impassive. She didn't move, she didn't move at all. Even her hair was still. The only thing that she changed was her eyes. The waves green passed over them just like the ever- changing waters of the sea. Carter didn't know why, but there was something about her. He knew he could talk to her.
"I think I know people better than I really do. It happens a lot, that's all."
"For instance?"
"For instance, I thought I knew Lucy- she was my medical student a few years ago- and yet, I didn't know her at all. I didn't know her half as well as I thought."
"Continue."
"All she wanted to do was help. She never wanted to be a hassle. And yet, that's the way she was sometimes. But she wasn't really a hassle. She was a good person. But I had to act as a good resident would and I treated her the way she deserved to be treated. At least, the way I thought she deserved to be treated sometimes. We became good friends. But the truth is, I didn't really know her at all. She wasn't the same Lucy that I saw, lying on the floor of Curtain Three. It was a whole other Lucy." Carter's mind was going back to the day it all happened as he continued the suturing. Angela was listening intently. He had no idea what he was saying any more. Once it started, it just all started to pour out.
"The Lucy I knew was smart. She was resourceful, she was brave, she was strong and man was she stubborn! And sometimes she was even a little clumsy. But I suppose we all are sometimes. But the Lucy that I saw that Valentine's Day… She wasn't my Lucy at all. She was a scared Lucy, a frightened Lucy, a confused Lucy, a tired Lucy. She was a stranger to me. She died that night, you know."
"I know." Angela nodded with sympathy. Carter didn't hear her answer.
"And then there's Abby. I thought I knew her. Do I really know her? I don't know anymore. She's different some how. I don't know her half as well as I should. But she's a great friend for me. I wish I could be there for her like she's there for me."
"You are there for her, Dr. Carter!" Angela smiled, knowingly, "And she appreciates it a lot. Didn't you got with her to get her mother in Oklahoma?"
"How did you know that?" Carter asked. For some reason, the question wasn't stifled.
"You told me, remember?" she grinned.
"Oh, I don't recall saying that."
"Wasn't it you who stood by her when she was upset about something? You're a great friend to her, Dr. Carter. You know that."
"What if I don't want to be just a great friend?"
"Things will come together… In time," the girl whispered.
"I feel as if a gap's grown between us and I miss her. I miss what we used to have. And I need what we can have. I love her." There was another long silence.
"God, I miss her." Carter finally sighed as he looked up at the ceiling.
"She misses you too, I bet. But she cares about you. Do you want her to see you like this? She'll scold you if she sees you're still crying over her!"
"I'm not talking about Abby, Angela," Carter sighed, slightly exasperated.
"I know." Carter looked up at her suspiciously. The way she said it was so mysterious and the grin on her face only added to the mystery.
"Who…" but again, Carter could not find the words to finish the question.
"You'll find her again, Carter. You've lost her, but you'll find her again. She's found you. You just need to find her. And when you find her, you'll find Abby. And when you find Abby, you'll find happiness," Angela looked down at her injury, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Fixing my wound, of course!" Carter looked down at her arm and realized he'd finished.
"Yeah, I guess I did…" Carter sighed. Angela stood up and pulled the sleeve of her blouse back down again. She walked to the door. Before she left, she turned to him.
"And John, remember. You may have sewn up my cut, but I healed your heart." And with that, she turned and left, leaving Carter to looked puzzled after her.
"I didn't tell you my first name…" was all he could say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey, Carter, is something wrong?" Abby asked when she saw him again.
"No, not really. Angela Sommers..."
"Angela Sommers… Why does that name sound familiar?" Abby tried to think. Carter shrugged and then Abby remembered, "Oh yeah! She was that girl we treated a few weeks ago!"
"What?" Carter asked, astonished.
"You know, the trauma. No parents, lives with her Aunt and Uncle?" Abby could tell Carter still didn't remember so she said, "Remember? The car accident victim! She died on the table!" Carter stared at Abby, "What, was it something I said?"
"Can we get a coffee? I think something weird just happened," Carter said in a dazed monotone.
"Sure…" Abby said suspiciously. Carter and Abby walked outside and Abby realized something.
"Hey! The wind!"
"What about it?"
"It's stopped! And look, here comes the sun!" Abby cried, pointing at the parting clouds.
"Yeah, Abby, you're right!" Carter said with a smile, "It looks like things just got a little brighter. It's like a message."
"A message from above," Abby grinned, happy to see the sun.
"Sent from above…" Carter sighed happily.
Summary: Carter meets a miracle and doesn't even realize it until she's gone.
The winds attacked Chicago with angry force and the ferocity that could start a tornado. Those were eerie winds that blew that day.
Abby's hat flew off her head and she pulled her coat tighter around her to keep warm as she watched the hat tumble over into the entrance of the ER. As she bent to pick up the hat, Kerry tripped over her.
"Dr. Weaver!" Abby cried, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry, Abby! I didn't see you. It's this incessant wind! It's gotten everyone crazy today." Kerry smiled at Abby over her shoulder as she jogged off towards trauma one. Abby put her hat back on and walked into the lounge to see Carter.
"Hey, Abby," he greeted her as he picked up his chart again.
"Hi," Abby replied with a smile. She poured herself some coffee.
"Did you just get here?" Carter asked.
"Yeah. God, that wind just won't let up!"
"It's been blowing since two o'clock, supposedly." Carter shrugged, "Well, I have a patient."
"Yeah," Abby said, as she watched him leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carter walked into exam two and saw a young, thirteen-year-old girl sitting on the bed. Her brown hair fell just below her shoulders and had a slight wave to it. She looked up and Carter saw a pair of deep, sea green eyes that seemed to change like the waves on the ocean waters. They seemed to bore into his very soul. He shook off the ghostly feeling.
"Right. I'm Dr. Carter. Angela Sommers?" the girl on the bed nodded, "Are your parents around?"
"No." It was a simple answer, and so confident and final. Carter didn't ask anything else about it.
"Laceration on the left arm, it says here…" Carter looked up and realized Angela had pulled up the sleeve of her blouse and revealed a deep cut.
"How come you're shirt's not… Never mind." Carter was about to question the color of her bleach-white shirt, but thought better of it, "That'll need stitches." Angela nodded. She was saying very little. Carter sutured the wound in silence.
"Why are you sad?" Angela asked. Her voice was soft and gentle. She sounded so sweet and kind. She sounded as if she really cared. And understood.
"What makes you think I'm sad?" Carter asked, putting on a smile.
"I know it. I know you're sad. I can tell." She was very vague. And again, Carter asked no further questions.
"I don't usually open up to my patients," he sighed as he turned back to the wound. Angela looked at him quizzically.
"You don't… recognize me, do you?" she asked. He looked at her, into those dark green eyes, which seemed to be as deep as the deepest part of the ocean.
"Should I? I'm sorry."
"No, it's OK. It's better this way," she said in her melodious voice. Carter continued again in silence.
"You know, it's good to talk to someone. I may seem like a total stranger, but believe me, I can understand people very well. I feel like I know you. Don't you feel that way, Dr. Carter?" Carter paused and looked at her again.
"Sometimes I feel like I know people better than I really do." His words held a deeper meaning and he thought she would only skim the surface of it. She was only a girl. He looked back at the injury.
"I know how that is. Continue." Carter looked up at the girl again.
"How did you…" but he stopped. Those sea-green eyes seemed to quiet him. He had so many questions to ask her. Where were her parents? Why was it that, when her harm was bleeding, she had no blood on her white, long- sleeved blouse? How did she know Carter wasn't feeling very happy? But mostly, why was it that she could silence all those questions with those powerful eyes.
"Don't be afraid to talk about it, Dr. Carter. Everyone feels depressed and it's usually very personal and they feel uncomfortable talking about it. Believe me, I know. But I will not tell a soul and I will be your listening ear." Angela's expression was impassive. She didn't move, she didn't move at all. Even her hair was still. The only thing that she changed was her eyes. The waves green passed over them just like the ever- changing waters of the sea. Carter didn't know why, but there was something about her. He knew he could talk to her.
"I think I know people better than I really do. It happens a lot, that's all."
"For instance?"
"For instance, I thought I knew Lucy- she was my medical student a few years ago- and yet, I didn't know her at all. I didn't know her half as well as I thought."
"Continue."
"All she wanted to do was help. She never wanted to be a hassle. And yet, that's the way she was sometimes. But she wasn't really a hassle. She was a good person. But I had to act as a good resident would and I treated her the way she deserved to be treated. At least, the way I thought she deserved to be treated sometimes. We became good friends. But the truth is, I didn't really know her at all. She wasn't the same Lucy that I saw, lying on the floor of Curtain Three. It was a whole other Lucy." Carter's mind was going back to the day it all happened as he continued the suturing. Angela was listening intently. He had no idea what he was saying any more. Once it started, it just all started to pour out.
"The Lucy I knew was smart. She was resourceful, she was brave, she was strong and man was she stubborn! And sometimes she was even a little clumsy. But I suppose we all are sometimes. But the Lucy that I saw that Valentine's Day… She wasn't my Lucy at all. She was a scared Lucy, a frightened Lucy, a confused Lucy, a tired Lucy. She was a stranger to me. She died that night, you know."
"I know." Angela nodded with sympathy. Carter didn't hear her answer.
"And then there's Abby. I thought I knew her. Do I really know her? I don't know anymore. She's different some how. I don't know her half as well as I should. But she's a great friend for me. I wish I could be there for her like she's there for me."
"You are there for her, Dr. Carter!" Angela smiled, knowingly, "And she appreciates it a lot. Didn't you got with her to get her mother in Oklahoma?"
"How did you know that?" Carter asked. For some reason, the question wasn't stifled.
"You told me, remember?" she grinned.
"Oh, I don't recall saying that."
"Wasn't it you who stood by her when she was upset about something? You're a great friend to her, Dr. Carter. You know that."
"What if I don't want to be just a great friend?"
"Things will come together… In time," the girl whispered.
"I feel as if a gap's grown between us and I miss her. I miss what we used to have. And I need what we can have. I love her." There was another long silence.
"God, I miss her." Carter finally sighed as he looked up at the ceiling.
"She misses you too, I bet. But she cares about you. Do you want her to see you like this? She'll scold you if she sees you're still crying over her!"
"I'm not talking about Abby, Angela," Carter sighed, slightly exasperated.
"I know." Carter looked up at her suspiciously. The way she said it was so mysterious and the grin on her face only added to the mystery.
"Who…" but again, Carter could not find the words to finish the question.
"You'll find her again, Carter. You've lost her, but you'll find her again. She's found you. You just need to find her. And when you find her, you'll find Abby. And when you find Abby, you'll find happiness," Angela looked down at her injury, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Fixing my wound, of course!" Carter looked down at her arm and realized he'd finished.
"Yeah, I guess I did…" Carter sighed. Angela stood up and pulled the sleeve of her blouse back down again. She walked to the door. Before she left, she turned to him.
"And John, remember. You may have sewn up my cut, but I healed your heart." And with that, she turned and left, leaving Carter to looked puzzled after her.
"I didn't tell you my first name…" was all he could say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey, Carter, is something wrong?" Abby asked when she saw him again.
"No, not really. Angela Sommers..."
"Angela Sommers… Why does that name sound familiar?" Abby tried to think. Carter shrugged and then Abby remembered, "Oh yeah! She was that girl we treated a few weeks ago!"
"What?" Carter asked, astonished.
"You know, the trauma. No parents, lives with her Aunt and Uncle?" Abby could tell Carter still didn't remember so she said, "Remember? The car accident victim! She died on the table!" Carter stared at Abby, "What, was it something I said?"
"Can we get a coffee? I think something weird just happened," Carter said in a dazed monotone.
"Sure…" Abby said suspiciously. Carter and Abby walked outside and Abby realized something.
"Hey! The wind!"
"What about it?"
"It's stopped! And look, here comes the sun!" Abby cried, pointing at the parting clouds.
"Yeah, Abby, you're right!" Carter said with a smile, "It looks like things just got a little brighter. It's like a message."
"A message from above," Abby grinned, happy to see the sun.
"Sent from above…" Carter sighed happily.