ER/Stand Crossover




Randi stood before the full length mirror and let her robe slip off her shoulders. Her body was one of the few things she was generally pleased with about herself. She ran her hands along her sides then cupped her breasts. Enough to show off, she thought with a smile, but not enough to get in the way. She was a little taller than average for a woman, with long legs and a naturally athletic build. She didn't usually think of herself as beautiful, but she did what she could to keep her body as taut and supple as possible and she could see that she hadn't lost hardly any of it at all over the summer. Then again, she thought with a smile, I'm the only one in this motley group that even bothered to do a stretch all summer.

Unbidden, her hands lowered down to her stomach. She wasn't showing, not yet. If Luka and Kerry were right, then she was almost three months along. It's almost the end of September, she thought. I waited and waited to be sure, and now I have to say something. It was time for John to know. She tried to ignore the icy cold ball of fear that had settled in her stomach. He has a right to know, she told herself. It scared her, but it didn't detract from her happiness about the pregnancy at all. She was happy about it, that was a fact, and she knew that she wanted the child regardless of how John felt. She sensed that a child would be a kind of symbol of hope, and she wanted that hope.

" You know, its pretty chilly to be standing around naked like that." Carter stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a heavy robe. He came up behind her. " Still, I have to say, the view is pretty nice." He draped the robe around her,pulling her into an embrace. " Wanna share my robe?"

" I don't think that's really a question now that I'm in here with you." She felt good in his arms, but she was determined to have the talk that night. " John, we have to talk about something, ok?"

" Ok. Let's talk in bed." He scooped her up in his arms. Randi almost lost her resolve. John was clearly feeling frisky and that was hard to resist. Plus, she loved it when he started acting all manly. He carried her over to the bed and set her down on the heavy down comforter. " I had something I wanted to talk to you about, too." He fumbled with his robe, obviously intent on finding something.

She rested on her side and gently touched his face. " John, stop. I need to go first."

He stopped, leaning up on his elbow, a smile on his face. " What is it? Have I been bad?"

" No... It's..." She hesitated. " This isn't easy..."

His good humor faded a little and his face took on a serious cast. " If you want, I can go first." Again he smiled. " You haven't been bad at all."

She took a deep breath. " John... I'm almost three months pregnant. You're... you're the father. There hasn't been anyone else..."

" You're pregnant..." His expression seemed almost grim. " Almost three months... why didn't you say something sooner?"

" I... My mom had a lot of early miscarriages. I wanted to be sure." It was maddening, she thought, to be lying there in his arms, not knowing what he was thinking.

" A baby.." he said softly. He suddenly held her tight. " You know, this makes what I was going to say and do seem kind of silly but I think I better make an honest woman of you." He reached into his robe and came up with a small jewelry box. He grinned at her. " I suppose I should get down on my knees to do this... " He took a deep breath. " Randi, I have wanted to do this since August. I just needed to... find my courage I suppose. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and my *only* regret is that it took me so long to find you. I missed out on three years with you because I was blind. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. " He opened the box, revealing an elegant gold ring. A sparkling diamond was in the center of the setting, surrounded by deep blue sapphires. It had a slightly antique look to it. Randi wasn't incredibly familiar with expensive jewelry, but she knew enough to know that she was looking at a piece of heirloom jewelry. " It's not as good as a baby, but I wanted to give you the best engagement present ever. Something just as beautiful as you. But now I feel bad, because I don't think I could ever find something as beautiful as you." His hand ran down her body, resting on her stomach. " Randi, will you marry me?"

She looked into his eyes, feeling suddenly shy and awkward. " You're not upset?"

Now he looked surprised. " Why would I be upset? I mean, yes we probably could have waited a little, but... A baby... Think about it. " He touched her stomach again. His eyes twinkled. " We could name it Randi if its a girl or if its a boy."

" We're not naming the baby Randi," she said with a laugh. " I say we name it Carter Fronzac." She leaned into him, feeling herself relax in his arms. He loved her and wanted to marry her. She had worried for nothing and with sudden clarity she realized just how needless her worry had been. " How are we supposed to get married anyway? Are you a priest alone with being a doctor, lover, fisherman and soon to be father?"

He held her close and kissed her. " We could wait until we get to Boulder and find some rabbi or pastor that survived if you really want. Or we could elope tonight. Marriage doesn't need the official stamp of civilization." He kissed her again. " So do you want to elope tonight? You're worrying me by not saying yes, you know."

Randi wondered in that instant if it was really possible to be so completely happy. She took the ring from his hand and carefully placed it on her finger. " Yes, John, I will marry you."

They kissed. John looked into her eyes and grinned again. " I guess we better get this marriage consummated then. "



Part 51
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