On The Lake




Kate opened her eye's, disorientated and wondering why she was starting at the d sharp key. Sitting up, she remembered what had happened and groaning she stood up and stretched. Looking around, she noticed the cold cup of tea waiting on the table. Frowning and rubbing her face, she walked towards the kitchen and poured the cold liquid into the sink.

"Such a waste." Kate muttered to herself. "These American's must think I'm made of money!" Looking out the window over the sink which looked out into the street, Kate looked at her reflection and saw large angry looking lines starting back at her.

"Shit." she said, trying to rub the marks away. Turning around to face the fridge, she opened it and stared into the almost empty looking carton of milk and the lone box of cereal which she had no where else to put...

A pan of sizzling bacon and eggs were fring away on the stove as a hand holding a spatula began flipping them around. There was a radio yelling in the background and a figure shuffling awkwardly to the music.

"Na na na na..." came Carter's tuneless voice as he reached over to turn the portable radio up. "Na na na na...." The eggs were flipped onto a plate as Carter carried them over to the kitchen counter and sat down on a stool. "Hey baby, you really go my tail in a spin.." he yelled softly, trying his hardest to get the notes, but not quiet making it.

"Craps." muttered Kate as she opened her dresser to find something 'suitable' as her teacher had described it, to wear. Finally deciding on a pair of very comfy black jeans and threw on a light blue top with the words: Lee Jeans printed across in black letters. Brushing the notts out of her red hair and tying it back with a plain white scrunchy, Kate grabbed her bag and keys then dashed out the door. "I hope to God that I don't get lost...."

"John! What are you doing? You do realize that it's only five in the morning." said Millicent as she entered the kitchen to find her favorite Grandson singing like a madman.

"Life is a roller coaster, just got to ride it..." started Carter on another line. Gamma just stood there staring at him, arms folded, an amused smile on her face. Carter finally looked up and embarrassed, he began to blush and turned the radio down. "Uh, sorry. I didn't know you where here."

"So I noticed. You got work today?" she asked, walking to the fridge and pulling out a carton of milk.

"Yep." answered John, shoving the eggs into his mouth while looking at his watch. "andfinohurryibile." he said as he stood up and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Don't you ever have a day off?" asked Millicent, watching in awe as Carter grabbed his coat, bag and placed his plate, cutlary and a pan into the sink.

"Gotta go, I'll see you tonight, Ok?" said Carter, giving Gamma a peck on the cheek.

"I suppose that will have to do." she said, walking him to the door and waving as he drove off.

"He needs a girl." muttered Millicent to herself as she locked the door and walked back inside the Carter Family Mansion.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to County General Hospital, please?" asked Kate out of breath.

"Sure!" replied the stranger she had asked. "I'm just going there now. You visiting some long lost Uncle or something?" asked Dave 'What a chick!' he said to himself as Kate worked at getting her breath back.

"No, I was supposed to start work there fifteen minuets ago.” “Really, Where you from? You don't sound American." said Dave, flashing one of his 'Killer' smiles.

"Well, that's because I'm not. I'm Australian." answered Kate catching straight onto what Dave was trying to do and shot him a dirty look.

"Australian, huh? Well, If your working down in the ER, you'll be working with me! I'm Dave, second year resident." said Dave stopping abruptly to introduce himself, sticking his hand out as they approached the ambulance bay.

"The ER?" questioned Kate, a confused look on her face. "Oh, emergency. Right. Well, I'm Kate and I'm supposed to start work as an attending today." said Kate shaking Dave's hand with a death grip.

"Shit!" said Dave loudly, holding out his right hand and massaging it with his left. "You've got some grip!"

"Come's with being an Aussie, I guess." said Kate walking towards the double doors, Dave following close behind, still holding his hand in pain. "Thanks for showing me where to go. See you round" said Kate, flashing her killer smile at Dave who practically melted under her gaze.

"Yeah, hope to see you soon too." said Dave, momentarily forgetting the throbbing pain in his hand.

"Hi, do you know where I could find a Dr Weaver?" asked Kate as she approached the desk.

"Yeah, who are you?" asked Randi ruddily as she worked away at the computer typing something up.

"I'm Kate, I'm supposed to start work here today?" stated Kate as politely as she could.

"Are you the Dr Hobart from Australia?"

"Yeah.."

"CARTER!" yelled Randi, turning round and poking a figure which was standing at the other end of the desk, filling in a bunch of charts.

"What is it?" answered Carter, not turning round.

"Weaver is off somewhere will you show the new Doc- what are you, a resident?" asked Randi, turning back to face Kate.

"No, attending."

"Could you show the new attending round and then find Weaver or somebody they need to know that she's here." said Randi turning back to the computer.

"Sure." said Carter finally turning around to face Kate.

"I'm John Carter..." introduced Carter stopping in mid sentence when he noticed who it was. 'Oh.My.God - It's, It's Her!' thought John to himself as he stared in wonder of how something like this could occur. 'It's Him! How am I meant to be able to work with Him after what I’ve told him?'

“Carter! Are you ok?” asked Mark, coming up to desk to find Carter string at the new attending who was weirdly staring back.

"Carter!"

"What?"

"You ok?" asked Mark again.

"Yeah, fine. This is Dr Hobart, our new... attending?"

"Call me Kate." insisted Kate as she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Good to meet you. I've heard that you've already meet Dr Dave?" asked Mark, as he looked down at the chat in his hands and rubbed a name off the board.

"Yeah.."

"And I’ve also heard that you've already taken a course back in Australia to brief you on the different ways things are done here in the US?"

"Uhuh."

"Well, I'm Mark and there are two other attendings which you'll be sure to meet soon." said Mark, turning back round again to face Carter who was standing next to Kate still weighing down the possibility of him and Kate meeting up again just a day after they meet as total strangers.

"Carter, will you show Kate around?"

"Sure!" said Carter as he lead Kate a short way down the hall to the Lounge.

~*~*~*~

"I see that you've already found this spot." said Carter as he approached Kate from behind. The wind wiping his lab coat wildly around him.

"Oh, Dr Carter. You scared me!" said Kate as she came out of her train of thought.

"Sorry. Call me Carter. You OK?" asked John as he noticed the cuts on the back of her hand where she had gripped her hand trying to keep the cold out, was now black and blue and the patches of skin not covered, was a pale white.

"Yeah, fine." she answered a bit too quickly. Carter gave her a look.

"Your hand doesn't exactly tell me that your fine." said Carter gesturing towards the tiny wounds which dotted her hand.

"Oh. I didn't notice that I'd done that." said Kate dropping her hand and folding her arms across her chest to prevent the cold from getting to her.

"That was some handshake you must have given Dave. His whole hand has turned a deep shade of blue." at hearing this, Kate turned a deep shade of crimson.

"I'm sorry. He just got on my nerves."

"Ha, don't worry about it. He had it coming. Just remind me to never get on your bad side." Carter saw that Kate's teeth had begun to chatter and her lips turn a light blue colour. "Here, take my coat before you freeze to your death." said Carter, offering his thick leather coat. Kate accepted it with a muttered

"Thanks."

"Will you come inside now?" asked Carter. Kate barely nodded and turned towards the door that lead to the warmth of central heating.

Once inside, Kate took off John's coat and gave it back to him. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I unloaded all my problems on you, I'm sorry that I took your private time away from you. I'd, I'd just better go." said Kate as her tall, thin frame brushed past him and ran down the stairs that lead down to the ER. Carter just stared at the coat which she had placed into his arms and then after a moment or two, followed.

~*~*~*~

Kate sat in a lonely corner at Doc Magoos. Why had she let that patient get to her? She should have put all of it behind her, but at the worst time, she had almost had a panic attack. Suddenly, Carter was standing beside her table.

"How did you find me?" asked Kate. She had been sitting there about ten minuets so he couldn't have followed her.

"I have my ways. Mind if I join you?"

"No." The two sat in silence for a while. Carter looking out the window as Kate just stared at nothing.

"What you said there, you know, on the lake reminded me of everything that I have been through in the past year." said Carter, breaking the silence. Kate looked up and silently wild him to tell his tail.

"It was about a year ago when my med. student, Lucy and I took on a patient, Paul..."

~*~*~*~

"Wow." said Kate. "What a story. How is Lucy? I didn't see her today." Carter looked down at his cup of coffie.

"She didn't." he replied.

"Didn't what?"

"Make it." whispered back Carter, looking up again.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Kate didn't no what else to say. "Do you, you know, miss her?" asked Kate referring to Lucy.

"Yeah. We may had our differences, but I miss her a lot. She was like my little sister- don't tell her I said that." chuckled Carter as he remembered his answer to Chunney a couple of years ago when she had found the two in a some what 'compromising position'.

"So, where are you now?"

"As in life status?" asked Carter. Kate nodded.

"Well, now I'm still at the hospital, still clean and hopelessly single." he joked. Kate chuckled. "What about you?" asked Carter.

"Me? Oh no, you don't want to know about me. You already know too much about me!" joked back Kate.

"No, no, I want to know." insisted Carter, leaning forward. "Well, I'm in the states, I barely know my way around, I have a job, I'm hopelessly single AND I'm friendless."

"Ahh, well, we are a pair of hopelessness, aren’t we?"

"Yes, we certainly are." sighed Kate.

"What were you doing on the roof without a coat anyway, if you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't mind. I had one of those 'episodes' where I get all shaky and I kinda go into a sleep-walk. But this time, it was much worse." said Kate, looking at the cheap lace table cloth.

"How so?" said Carter gently.

"I was in trauma. The girl had been beaten up and raped. She was the same age as when it happened to me. I guess it just brought out all the memories. Thank God that the attending wasn't there."

"Well, it actually might mean something good."

"Huh?"

"Well, It may mean that your dealing with it. You know, recovering." suggested Carter, looking at the good side of things.

"I suppose. But what if it was a big one? What if next time I don't get 'out of it' in time to help the patient? I may lose everything I have- my job!" pointed out Kate.

"Well, for now, your fine. Don't worry. does anyone else know about what happened to you?" asked Carter, taking a sip out of his cup of coffie.

"Well, Dr Weaver knows a little." admitted Kate as Carter nodded and looked down at his watch.

"Aww man! You wouldn't guess what time it is." Kate looked out the window up at the sky.

"Nope, I wouldn't have a clue tonight."

"Tonight? what makes tonight so special?" asked Carter, astonished at how someone could tell the time by the sky at night.

"Oh, just the colour - darker or lighter or sometimes where the stars happen to be placed. You said I would never guess, but I will anyway. Midnight."

"How did you know?" questioned Carter as he stared at his wrist watch in awe.

"Just a guess. I'd better go. I know I'm off tomorrow, but who knows how long it will take me to get home!" said Kate as she stood up and shrugged into her coat.

"I could give you a lift."

"No, I wouldn't want to impose.."

"You're not imposing on anything. I offered, right?"

"Yeah, Ok. Thanks." thanked Kate as the two headed out the door and into the carpark of County General.



Part 6
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