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Carter woke up late, like late, late. He's rushing through the ambulance bay doors when he skids to a stop right behind Dr. Benton. He holds his breath, praying to every God he can think of that he won't turn around, but, when has God ever been kind to John Carter?
Peter turns, and he already looks pissed off. Probably because of Carter. Oh, great. Carter thinks, I can practically the flames of hell licking at my ankles. He takes a deep breath as he watches Dr. Benton put his hands on his hips. He winces and rushes to try to explain.
"Dr. Benton I'm so sorry–my alarm didn't go off, I don't know what happened! Really, I'm so–"
"Carter." He snaps his jaw shut, feeling himself sweat through his button up. Peter grabs him by the arm, dragging him into the lounge. Once there, Peter sighs heavily and Carter sees his brows furrow and his jaw tighten. Carter gulps, wringing his hands together in front of him.
"You reflect on me, Carter, you know that." He pauses slightly, "Oh, sorry, I thought you knew that. Because clearly you don't give enough of a damn to bother trying to even show up on time!" Peter is shoving a finger into Carter's chest, pushing him back half a step. "Now, I want you to get your ass out there and take care of the little boy in exam 2 and then report back to me, promptly, if you can manage it." Dr. Benton sighs heavily, glaring at Carter as he shoves the chart into his chest and then turns and walks out. Carter is vaguely stunned, taking a second to catch his breath before rushing to open his locker and get to exam 2 as quickly as possible.
He's attempting to assess the little boy, Josh, who came in for a stomachache with a very frazzled mother. Josh seems to be having a very bad day because he will not stop trying to push and grab Carter. He's only seven but he has a hell of a swing. Lydia is standing next to Carter trying to distract the boy long enough for Carter to do any form of examination.
"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to calm down a little bit so I can listen to your lungs, okay?" Carter tries to smile reassuringly but the boy just lunges at him again. His mom grabs him and starts chastising him.
"Okay, I guess not." He mutters, taking a deep breath and leaning back on his stool. He hears Lydia offer to grab the boy a popsicle if he's good, and that seems to get through to him, so Lydia ducks out to go and grab one. While Carter has the chance, he asks the boy to lay down so he can feel his stomach, and he actually obeys. Still a little sour-faced, but he's laying down, which is a win for Carter. His only win today, really.
"Thank you, Josh." He smiles at the boy, before leaning to lightly push against his stomach, where he seems to strike the pain almost immediately. Josh lashes out, and since Carter wasn't expecting it this time, he manages to fully run his very, very, long nails against Carter's cheek. He cries out, quickly rushing a few steps away from the bed.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Josh's mom yells, already starting to panic, Carter tries to reassure her quickly.
"No, no, it's fine, I'll try again in a few minutes." He's barely able to smile from the pain blooming in his cheek. He thinks he might be bleeding. Great. Lydia comes back just in time with a cherry popsicle in hand. She immediately notices Carter grasping his face and rushes over.
She whistles in sympathy when she manages to pry his hand away from his cheek. "Well, those are probably going to need a few stitches." Carter pulls away as she tries to poke around the wound, and he immediately deflates at the mention of stitches.
"Oh, that's just what I need to top off my day, a beautiful scar to add to my collection." Lydia just laughs at him.
"It's okay, we'll get Peter to do it. Y'know how anal he is about his sutures." She's still inspecting his wound, but Carter clams up at the mention of Peter.
"No!" She raises an eyebrow at him, "well, I just mean– Dr. Benton is probably busy, and I don't think he'd want to bother doing my stitches." He tries to smile again but he drops it quickly as it pulls at the scratches. Lydia is still looking at him disbelievingly.
"Okay, I'll ask Haleh if she's free." Her tone is suspicious, and he knows she's going to relay this whole conversation to half the nurses within the next 5 minutes. He just can't bring himself to face Benton again so soon. He sighs a quick thank you before he quickly goes to sit in the suture room.
Carter is feeling very dejected, he knows Dr. Benton is going to have his head for taking so long with the little boy, especially because he managed to get himself hurt in the process. He's sitting there kicking his feet when Haleh walks in. He half smiles at her, and she immediately questions him.
"So, I heard you were very adamant about not having Peter do your stitches," she's smiling teasingly at him while she sets up the suture kit.
"I just can't resist you and your magic hands, Haleh." He's smiling (as much as he can, anyway) and she bursts out with a laugh.
"You are unbelievable, Carter." They fall into a comfortable silence as she does his stitches, which he barely feels (magic hands), when she prods him again.
"I know you came in late, Carter, but you're going to have to face him again eventually. You have to report to him, you know." He sighs heavily, which Haleh gives him a look for, "don't mess up my sutures, mister."
"Trust me, Haleh, I am going to avoid him like the plague. Just watch me." He puts on the best determined face he can, and she just laughs at him again. It doesn’t take her much longer to finish up, and Carol pops her head in to pull Haleh away. Carter let's himself sit for a few second when the suture room door is almost slammed open.
"Carter!" It's Peter. Who else would it be. Carter sucks in a quick breath and quickly turns to face him. "I thought I told you to get back to me promptly on the little boy in exam 2." Carter is now very annoyed. He barely resists the urge to roll his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Benton, but he was really combative. If you couldn't tell by the 10 stiches I have in my cheek." He gestures vaguely to his face. Peter actually does roll his eyes at Carter.
"Okay, well, just hop back to it, alright?" He turns to leave but not before shouting a, "quickly, Carter, c'mon!" over his shoulder. Carter rolls his eyes at Peter's back before begrudgingly walking towards exam 2. He takes a quick detour when he sees Dr. Ross sitting at admit, planning on asking him for some help. But, as he's just passing curtain 1, he hears someone pushing a shelf full of supplies round the corner behind him. He doesn't even have a chance to try and move before he's being shoved forward, he panics trying to get some form of footing but he's falling too quick, and wow, was the admit desk that close before? He feels a burst of angry pain against his forehead and suddenly he's on the floor.
He tries to look around, but finds his neck is unable to move. He momentarily panics before it hits him that there are a lot a people around him, and lot's of voices overlapping. Crap, he has a headache. Benton is not going to be happy. He winces, and suddenly someone is leaning down to talk to him.
"Hey, Carter?" They're tapping against his cheek, and a penlight is suddenly blinding him. He groans weakly, trying to pull away. "Alright, bud, it's okay." Dr. Ross, his brain suddenly supplies. He catches snippets of unequal and gurney before he's in the air, landing heavily. Then, he's being pushed and something is rattling. It feels like his brain is rattling along with it and it makes him nauseous. They slow to a stop, and he tries to catch the attention of Dr. Ross. He manages to grasp at his coat.
"What's up, buddy?" He's speaking quietly, something Carter is greatful for.
"'m gonna be sick, I think," he feels spit pool in his mouth, "like now, actually," he's slurring, he can tell.
"Okay, okay, one second," and he's suddenly being rolled, which forces up what is probably pure bile judging by the burn. He really hopes something is catching that and he's not just puking straight onto Dr. Ross' shoes.
"Okay, 'm done." He's gently pushed onto his back again. "thank–thank you." He can't tell if he's being understood, but Dr. Ross smiles at him all the same.
"Alright, can you tell me the date, bud?" Carter blinks a few times.
"uh…" He gulps, "is it… is it Tuesday?"
"Yes, it sure is, good job." Carter smiles weakly, feeling something pull in his cheek. Weird.
"And can you tell me what happened?" Carter stills.
"I… I fell?" Dr. Ross pats his head.
"Anything else?" He's quieter, and Carter knows he got it at least a little wrong.
"'m late… Dr. Benton is gonna kill me.." He feels his eyes start to drift up towards the ceiling. Someone is wiping something cold and wet against his forehead. How long have they been doing that? He squints upwards, and sees a familiar lady.
"'s that you, Haleh?"
"It sure is, sweetheart." She smiles sweetly.
"I knew it…Magic hands," he hears scattered laughter around him.
"I Don't think you're going to be able to avoid Dr. Benton anymore, honey." Carter just groans, squeezing his eyes shut. Someone is tapping his cheek again. Oh, right, Dr. Ross probably has more questions. He forces his eyes open to refocus on his face.
"Okay, Carter, we are going to take you up to CT, me and Haleh are going to be with you the whole time, alright?" His eyes are warm, but there's something there Carter can't quite place right now.
"m'kay…don't let me get lost." He hears the laughter again before the rattling starts back up. He groans at the noise. Dr. Ross taps his cheek and talks to him the whole elevator ride. They must reach CT because Carter is being propelled forward again. He watches the ceiling, occasionally closing his eyes against very bright lights. But, it never lasts long as Dr. Ross seems to make it his personal mission to bruise his cheek. He tries to bat at his hand, only succeeding in smacking it against the railing of the gurney.
"Stop it.. Dr. Ross… gonna bruise," his voice sounds thicker even to his own ears, and Dr. Ross and Haleh just smile tightly at him. He liked the laughter better. Suddenly he's being moved again, and the realizes he's in a much whiter room then before. Oh, right, CT. The machine whirrs to life, making Carter flinch.
"It's alright, Carter." Dr. Ross, but this time but louder and he seems to be surrounding him. At least his voice is soothing. "You'll be out of there so quickly you won't even notice, I promise."
"'m gonna hold you to that," he's not sure if they can hear him, but every so often Dr. Ross checks in, probably to make up for the fact he isn't within poking distance anymore. Dr. Ross is right, it doesn’t take long for him to be pulled out of the machine. Dr. Ross and Haleh greet him.
"Well, good news Carter, no brain bleed!" He smiles loosely at that, making a small celebratory noise while trying to throw his hands up. He doesn't quite make it.
"But, you are going to have to stay awake a while longer so we can monitor you. Sorry, bud." Carter whines, he's really tired. "Oh, I know, but I promise to make it as painless as possible." The ride back down to the ER is practically routine to Carter by now, a poke there, a question here, and of course, the rattling of the damn bed.
They situate him in exam 4, the quietest and darkest room they have. Dr. Ross sits with him for a while, he knows it must be at least an hour or two because Dr. Ross goes through around 3 charts. quietly working them with the little lamp by the bed turned towards him. He still occasionally asks him a question or pokes him, but then Carol pops her head in. A trail of light illuminates part of the room, and Carter sees they moved all of his stuff in here, probably while he was in CT.
"Doug, there's a boy in exam 2 that still needs to be seen,"
"be careful 'round him," Carter mutters. Doug looks at him with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"Oh, and Carter, Dr. Benton said he would come see you as soon as he can." She smiles at him, before she makes her exit. Shit. Dr. Benton can not see him like this. He'll be livid!
"Well, you should be good to sleep soon. I'll come back as soon as I can to check on you, okay?" Carter manages a nod, trying to hide how nervous he is about Dr. Benton coming to see him. Dr. Ross finally leaves, clicking the door shut quietly behind him.
Carter doesn't know what to do. he looks around (he finally got his C-spine checked, thank God), and he realizes he isn't hooked up to a monitor, just an IV. Carter quickly formulates a plan. He swings his feet over the edge of bed, he's very glad he still has his socks on. This gown is doing nothing for how cold it is in this place. He stands, feeling slightly dizzy before it clears. He takes a cautious step, and when he manages to move without immediately keeling over he starts walking with more confidence.
He manages to find his personal belongings bag in the dark of the room, and he manages to find his sunglasses that were tucked in his shirt pocket. He slips them on before dragging the IV stand behind him while he quickly pokes his head out the door. Once he deems the coast clear, he shuffles out. He wanders over to where the elevators are and realizes that Dr. Benton is probably going to be coming down. He tries to quickly turn to leave, where he stumbles right into someone who was very quickly rushing down the stairs.
"Woah! What are you–" a pause, "Carter? What the hell are you doing out here, man?" His voice softens significantly. Of course it's Dr. Benton who's coming down the stairs. Just his luck today.
"Just…Y'know.. clearing my head," He tries to aim for 'I am completely fine please leave now' but he hears himself slur through half of it and sees Dr. Benton's jaw tighten. Shit. He is so screwed. Peter just scoffs, pulling Carter by the shoulders back to exam 4. Peter basically tucks Carter in, pushing the blanket taut around him. He takes his sunglasses off for him, gently placing them on top of his belongings. Carter's head is swimming, he's finally feeling the effects of his short-lived escape. He looks up and sees Dr. Benton's face, lit up by the lamp left on my Dr. Ross and he looks so upset. Carter is so anxious he might throw up again.
"Carter, what were you thinking getting up like that? You smacked your forehead so hard into the admit desk you knocked yourself out." Peter is scrubbing a hand across his forehead. "Seriously, man, you scared the hell out of–" Peter suddenly cuts himself off, and Carter realizes it's because Carter is crying. His head is pounding against the tears but he can't stop, he desperately tries to wipe them away, but they just keep coming. He looks away from Dr. Benton, facing the floor on the opposite side of the bed.
"Sorry, I dunno why.." He cuts off with a horrifyingly pathetic sniffle that ends up morphing into a half sob, which only aggravates his head. Suddenly, Carter feels arms wrap around him.
"Shh, man, it's okay," Peter is whispering into Carter's hair, rubbing his right hand up and down his back, while his left helps wipe at his tears. "Don't apologize, man, I'm not mad." Carter barely processes the words, but his sniffles slow down with the comforting movements. Peter keeps holding him like that until he finally stops crying. Carter has no idea how long it takes, his concussion addled brain stopped really processing time a while ago.
"Carter, I'm not mad at you, okay?" Peter is staring very strongly into Carter's eyes, and Carter realizes he might actually mean it.
"Really?" his voice is thick and raspy with tears, but Peter understands him anyway.
"Yeah, man, really." Peter smiles softly at him. "Just get some rest. I'll wake you up in 30 minutes, okay?" Carter nods tiredly, finally given the go ahead to sleep, he's out in seconds. Later, when Peter wakes him up, he passes the questions with flying colors (if a little slowly).
Doug is finally done dealing with Josh in exam 2, diagnosing him with a slight case of constipation and a stressed mom. He checks his watch and realizes he hasn't checked on Carter in almost an hour. He quickly rushes to exam 4, he quietly opens the door, preparing to have to wake the poor guy up. Instead, he sees Peter sitting in the chair next to Carter while he does some charts. He's illuminated by the lamp by the bed, and Doug can see Peter's eyes flick up every few seconds. Peter looks over at him when he opens the door enough for it to creak, and he quickly goes to meet him at the door.
"I've woken him up twice now, the second just a few minutes ago. He's doing good, answered all the questions right both times." Peter is whispering, and he keeps looking over his shoulder, like Carter might dissappear if he looks away too long.
"Good, good," Doug smiles, "I can take over if you want."
"No, no, that's okay. I'm okay." Peter is quick to answer, Doug knew he would say no.
"Okay, ill come back soon to check on you two." Peter nods, and Doug quickly ducks out of the room. When he passes admit, there's a handful of people all waiting for him.
"Is he okay?" Its Susan who asks, and he nods.
"Oh yeah, he's in great hands," he smiles at the collective sigh of relief before he goes to check on his other patients.