This Story takes place several months after Homecoming. Carter returned from Atlanta and he moved back in to Kerry's basement. Kim Legaspi was never at County. Carol never left. Doug returned to her and County General. They were married and are now raising Tess and Kate together. Mark and Elizabeth are married and is pregnant.
Disclaimer: All ER characters belong to Warner Bros., NBC, and Michael Crichton. Carson, and Shawn are mine.
Summery: Something tragic happens to Kerry will Carter be able to help her.
Chapter 2:Not Again
The EMT's arrive at County General ER with Carter at her side. Carol and Jing Mei were in shock when they see Kerry is the victim. They wheel her into the trauma rooms "John what happened." Jing Mei asked. "I, I, don't know Deb." He couldn't hold together anymore he broke down in tears. She rubbed his back "John she's going to be ok. Maybe you should go to the lounge and sit down." She said. "No! I don't want to leave her." He told her "Okay but try to relax you won't do Kerry any good if you make yourself sick." She replied softly.
Peter heard that Kerry was here. He walked into the trauma room. He saw Carter looking very shaken up. He walked over to his friend. "Carter you okay?" he asked with concern. "I'm fine" he stated. Peter knew he wasn't fine. "Lets go to the lounge" Carter shook his head. "No I don't want to leave her" he whispered as he looked at Kerry. Peter sighed softly. "Come on Carter she's in good hands, Carol will come get you if there is any change." Carol nodded in agreement. Carter sighed "Okay ,fine" he said as he slowly walked from the room glancing back at Kerry before leaving.
Carter and Peter were now sitting in the lounge. "Its happening again." Carter whispered. "What's happening again?" Peter asked. He looked at him. "Lucy died because I wasn't there when she needed me. I wasn't there when Kerry needed me and now she might die too." He said sadly. Peter puts his arm around Carter's shoulder "Lucy's accident wasn't your fault neither was Kerry's." He said. "Yes it was Peter if I had gotten home sooner maybe I could have protected her." He whispered. Peter saw the worry and concern in his friend's eyes. "Carter I know you care about Kerry alot but what happened to her wasn't your fault." He said softly. Carter looked at him. "I, I love her Peter." He confessed. He was stunned he didn't see that coming. "Does she know how you feel? Peter asked. "No, I don't know, " Peter looked confused. "I never told Kerry how I feel Peter and now I may never be able to." He whispered as one lone tear made its way down his cheek.
Just then Carol walks into the lounge. "How is she." Carter asked. Carol doesn't say anything she just looks at Peter. "Carol please tell me how she is." He said fearing the worst. Carol sighs and sits down next to him. "She's pretty banged up. Her left wrist is broken as well as a few ribs. She had numerous cuts and bruises and she" Carol paused. "What Carol what is it?" he asked getting worried. "Carter, Kerry was raped the bastard must have been pretty rough she was badly bruised and bleeding." She finally whispered. He felt tears filling his eyes "I have to see her." He whispered. Carol nodded. "Okay" she said. She leads him to Kerry's room.
Carter walks in and sees Kerry laying there she looked so small and pale . He sits in a chair near her bed and gently takes her small hand in his. "Kerry it's me Carter." He whispered. She moved a little and opened her eyes. She could feel someone touching her she began to scream "No! No!." "Kerry its ok it's me Carter ." he whispered trying to reassure her. She looks at him "John " she whispered as she begins to sob.
He pulls her into his arms and she buries her face in his chest and continues to sob. "I thought it was you." She whispered. "You thought what was me." He asked. "Ringing the doorbell I thought you forgot your keys again. I let him in how could I be so stupid." She cried. He rubs her back and softly rocks her in his arms. "Shh its okay it wasn't your fault." He whispered. "He said his wife was in labor I should have known something wasn't right I told him I was a doctor but he still wanted to use the phone. Oh god John how could I be so dumb." She whimpered. "You're not dumb you were trying to be nice and help someone in need." He told her.
Just then his pager went off. He checks his pager. "Kerry I have to go." He whispered She looked at him "I thought you were off" she asked. He nodded "I am but I'm on call" he replied. "No John please don't leave me." She pleaded as she trembled with fear. Carter pulls her closer to him. "Shh it's okay I promise I won't leave you." he whispered as He gently rocked her until she fell asleep.
Several hours later Mark walks into Kerry's room to find Carter asleep with a sleeping Kerry in his arms. He taps Carter on the shoulder. Carter yawns "Hey Mark." He looked at him "Don't hey me Carter I paged you a couple of hours ago and you never answered. We really needed you the ER was terribly busy." he said. "Well Kerry needed me more." He smirked. "I tried to leave she was trembling and crying begging me not to leave her." He finished. "Well you should have told her you were on call. " Mark replied. Carter got a bit upset "Damn it Mark! don't you even care about her, she was raped and beaten she could have been killed! What if it were Elizabeth would you have answered some damn page!" He said.
"First of all Elizabeth is my wife and I love her. Mark replied. "Well I love Kerry." Carter snapped. The two men hear a whisper behind them "What!" Carter looked over and saw Kerry looking at him. Mark felt very uncomfortable. "Umm I've got to get back to the ER and Carter next time at least let me know you're not coming." He stated as he quickly left the room.
Once Mark was gone. Carter took Kerry's hand and looked into her eyes "I never meant for you to find out about the way I feel this way but its true Kerry I love you , I've loved you for so long but never had the guts to tell you" he whispered. "When I came home and found you laying there my heart sank I thought I was going to lose you. I want to kill the guy who did this to you." He finished as he tried to hide his tears form her. She reaches up and touches his cheek. "Oh John I love you too" she whispered "But how can I be with you when every time I close my eyes I see that man putting his hands all over me." Tears filled her eyes. "Its going to be ok. You'll get through this and I'll be there with you through it all" he whispered as he held her close to him.
Chapter 3:Return Of A Stranger...Kerry begins her recovery and her life with Carter. Coming Soon.
Disclaimer: All ER characters belong to Warner Bros., NBC, and Michael Crichton. Carson, and Shawn are mine.
Summery: Something tragic happens to Kerry will Carter be able to help her.
Chapter 2:Not Again
The EMT's arrive at County General ER with Carter at her side. Carol and Jing Mei were in shock when they see Kerry is the victim. They wheel her into the trauma rooms "John what happened." Jing Mei asked. "I, I, don't know Deb." He couldn't hold together anymore he broke down in tears. She rubbed his back "John she's going to be ok. Maybe you should go to the lounge and sit down." She said. "No! I don't want to leave her." He told her "Okay but try to relax you won't do Kerry any good if you make yourself sick." She replied softly.
Peter heard that Kerry was here. He walked into the trauma room. He saw Carter looking very shaken up. He walked over to his friend. "Carter you okay?" he asked with concern. "I'm fine" he stated. Peter knew he wasn't fine. "Lets go to the lounge" Carter shook his head. "No I don't want to leave her" he whispered as he looked at Kerry. Peter sighed softly. "Come on Carter she's in good hands, Carol will come get you if there is any change." Carol nodded in agreement. Carter sighed "Okay ,fine" he said as he slowly walked from the room glancing back at Kerry before leaving.
Carter and Peter were now sitting in the lounge. "Its happening again." Carter whispered. "What's happening again?" Peter asked. He looked at him. "Lucy died because I wasn't there when she needed me. I wasn't there when Kerry needed me and now she might die too." He said sadly. Peter puts his arm around Carter's shoulder "Lucy's accident wasn't your fault neither was Kerry's." He said. "Yes it was Peter if I had gotten home sooner maybe I could have protected her." He whispered. Peter saw the worry and concern in his friend's eyes. "Carter I know you care about Kerry alot but what happened to her wasn't your fault." He said softly. Carter looked at him. "I, I love her Peter." He confessed. He was stunned he didn't see that coming. "Does she know how you feel? Peter asked. "No, I don't know, " Peter looked confused. "I never told Kerry how I feel Peter and now I may never be able to." He whispered as one lone tear made its way down his cheek.
Just then Carol walks into the lounge. "How is she." Carter asked. Carol doesn't say anything she just looks at Peter. "Carol please tell me how she is." He said fearing the worst. Carol sighs and sits down next to him. "She's pretty banged up. Her left wrist is broken as well as a few ribs. She had numerous cuts and bruises and she" Carol paused. "What Carol what is it?" he asked getting worried. "Carter, Kerry was raped the bastard must have been pretty rough she was badly bruised and bleeding." She finally whispered. He felt tears filling his eyes "I have to see her." He whispered. Carol nodded. "Okay" she said. She leads him to Kerry's room.
Carter walks in and sees Kerry laying there she looked so small and pale . He sits in a chair near her bed and gently takes her small hand in his. "Kerry it's me Carter." He whispered. She moved a little and opened her eyes. She could feel someone touching her she began to scream "No! No!." "Kerry its ok it's me Carter ." he whispered trying to reassure her. She looks at him "John " she whispered as she begins to sob.
He pulls her into his arms and she buries her face in his chest and continues to sob. "I thought it was you." She whispered. "You thought what was me." He asked. "Ringing the doorbell I thought you forgot your keys again. I let him in how could I be so stupid." She cried. He rubs her back and softly rocks her in his arms. "Shh its okay it wasn't your fault." He whispered. "He said his wife was in labor I should have known something wasn't right I told him I was a doctor but he still wanted to use the phone. Oh god John how could I be so dumb." She whimpered. "You're not dumb you were trying to be nice and help someone in need." He told her.
Just then his pager went off. He checks his pager. "Kerry I have to go." He whispered She looked at him "I thought you were off" she asked. He nodded "I am but I'm on call" he replied. "No John please don't leave me." She pleaded as she trembled with fear. Carter pulls her closer to him. "Shh it's okay I promise I won't leave you." he whispered as He gently rocked her until she fell asleep.
Several hours later Mark walks into Kerry's room to find Carter asleep with a sleeping Kerry in his arms. He taps Carter on the shoulder. Carter yawns "Hey Mark." He looked at him "Don't hey me Carter I paged you a couple of hours ago and you never answered. We really needed you the ER was terribly busy." he said. "Well Kerry needed me more." He smirked. "I tried to leave she was trembling and crying begging me not to leave her." He finished. "Well you should have told her you were on call. " Mark replied. Carter got a bit upset "Damn it Mark! don't you even care about her, she was raped and beaten she could have been killed! What if it were Elizabeth would you have answered some damn page!" He said.
"First of all Elizabeth is my wife and I love her. Mark replied. "Well I love Kerry." Carter snapped. The two men hear a whisper behind them "What!" Carter looked over and saw Kerry looking at him. Mark felt very uncomfortable. "Umm I've got to get back to the ER and Carter next time at least let me know you're not coming." He stated as he quickly left the room.
Once Mark was gone. Carter took Kerry's hand and looked into her eyes "I never meant for you to find out about the way I feel this way but its true Kerry I love you , I've loved you for so long but never had the guts to tell you" he whispered. "When I came home and found you laying there my heart sank I thought I was going to lose you. I want to kill the guy who did this to you." He finished as he tried to hide his tears form her. She reaches up and touches his cheek. "Oh John I love you too" she whispered "But how can I be with you when every time I close my eyes I see that man putting his hands all over me." Tears filled her eyes. "Its going to be ok. You'll get through this and I'll be there with you through it all" he whispered as he held her close to him.
Chapter 3:Return Of A Stranger...Kerry begins her recovery and her life with Carter. Coming Soon.