DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from "ER". The only characters I own are Lucy and Carter's twin girls Annabelle and Gabriella and Lucy's patient, Anasha. If you want to use any of these characters or want to learn how to write in this Native American language, just e-mail me a letter at lucyabby_2624@hotmail.com and I will be happy to help you. Anuh. Goodbye for now.

A Knight for Giving

It was one of those slow mornings in the ER. Dr. Lucy Chasity Knight was sitting on the roof, enjoying the sunrise and drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

As she was finishing the last sip, she heard the familiar sound of an ambulance pulling up. She groaned, but got up anyway to go see what was wrong.

"What've you got?!" Lucy asked in a commanding tone as she approached the ambulance bay.

"Five year old female, high fever and some abdominal tenderness. BP's 100/76, pulse is 98. She won't give us her name. Probably too scared. We started an IV and gave her 500 CC's of saline."

Lucy nodded as she went around the side of the ambulance. "I'll see if I can get her to tell me," Lucy replied.

Mike, who was one of the paramedics nodded.

As Lucy approached the gurney, she smiled down at the young girl reassuringly.

"Hi, sweetheart, my name is Lucy. We're gonna take care of you. You're gonna be just fine. Can you tell me your name?"

At first, the girl didn't answer, but then she whispered something that Lucy recognized somewhat.

"What was that, sweetie? You don't have to be afraid. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."

"M-matocwainoturoff," the girl whispered again.

Lucy gasped as she realized the girl didn't speak English.

"Here's your problem," Lucy said to Mike with a slight laugh, "she doesn't speak English."

"Well, what does she speak?" Mike asked as he came around the side and prepared to help move the girl to the trauma room.

"A Native American Language I think." Lucy replied. "It sounds a little familiar though. I took tribal languages in college for one semister and I had an Indian pen pal. Let me see something."

Mike nodded.

"Whatever works."

Lucy nodded and took a deep breath.

"Uhnasautahn?" Lucy asked in a gentle whisper.

The girl nodded.

"Matocwa Anasha." The girl said in a whisper.

"Did you get her name?" Mike asked.

Lucy smiled and nodded triumphantly.

"Yup. Her name is Anasha."

"Wow!" Mike replied in amazement. "You really are a miracle worker."

Lucy smiled as they entered the trauma room.

As things started to get crazy, Anasha started crying and squeezijng Lucy's hand even tighter.

"Can you tell her it's okay? That we're not going to hurt her." Luka asked as he began to examine the young child.

Lucy nodded.

"Mataiundunai," Lucy reassured her scared patient. "Unsatah?"

Anasha nodded, but the tears still continued to fall.

"Let's get a CBC, Chem 7, and abdominal series, now!" Luka urged the group. "We don't have much time."

After the trauma was overwith and Anasha was stablilized, Lucy took her up to the ped's unit.

She stayed with her for a little while until she was needed back down in the ER. She hated to leave her, but she promised the child that she would soon return.

*************

As Lucy was finishing up a few charts, Arielle Hartson came up to her.

"Uh Luce, we need to talk," Arielle said seriously. "it's about Anasha."

"What's up?" Lucy asked as she followed her friend into the lounge.

"Her CBC came back and white blood count is sky-high."

"D-do you think she has cancer?" Lucy asked in a shaky tone.

Arielle nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so. We're not sure what kind it is yet. Ancology wants to do a biopsy."

"Aw man," Lucy replied, shaking her head.

Arielle nodded as she sat down in a nearby chair.

"Maybe you should be the oe to talk her through it. She trusts you."

Lucy nodded as she left the room, totally bewildered as to what just happened.

*************

As Lucy prepared Anasha for the biopsy, she talked to her a little bit more.

As Anasha got a look at Lucy's hair barrette, she smiled.

"Undiashan?" Lucy asked with a smile.

Anasha nodded.

"Manaieut saguam."

Lucy smiled and laughed a little.

"What did she just say, TK?" Dr. Malucci asked as he prepared to do the procedure.

"She said she likes the color of my barrette cause it reminds of the water back wehre she used to live with her parents."

Dave nodded and smiled slightly.

"This isn't a bad position for you," he replied with a fond smile. "You're good with kids."

Lucy smiled in agreement.

"Well, I have two of my own, why shouldn't I be?"

As Dr. Malucci stuck the needle in, Anasha started crying a little, but not that much.

"Unasan? Uhsanatai." Lucy said with a gentle smile as she began to stroke the child's jet-black hair.

"What did you just say?" Dave asked.

"I said, see, it doesn't hurt," Lucy replied. "I think it's time for you to learn some Indian words."

"it wouldn't hurt. Arielle can speak Russian pretty well. Abby is good at Italian and German. There's no reason why I can't learn some Native Languages."

Lucy laughed and rolleld her eyes slightly.

"it's tribal language Dave."

"Eh, whatever." Dave replied, which got them both laughing.

*******************

As Lucy sat at the admit desk, she tried her best to concentrate on doing some last minute paperwork. But the harder she tried, the more difficult it became. All she could think about was Anasha. She was only five and already she had lost her parents and now she had a terminal disease. It wasn't fair.

As Lucy let out a HUGE sigh, Carter came up to her.

"A penny for your thoughts, Luce?" He asked, using her petname.

Lucy shook her head.

"How do you tell a five year old girl she has cancer?"

"Ooh," Carter replied with a pained look on his face. "That one's hard. Did you just find out?"

Lucy nodded.

"Arielle told me."

"Well, I suggest that you'd better tell her. And soon."

Lucy nodded as she pushed the paperwork to the side of the desk and proceeded to the ped's floor to have a chat with Anasha.

*******************

Lucy took a deep breath as she tried to figure out the right words to say. She finally got the courage to speak.

"Anasha," Lucy said, making sure she was able to get the girl's attention. "Um, how do I say this?"

"You're supposed to be the expert in this language," Dr. Dave replied.

Lucy glared at him.

"Uhnashai mataiun. Unsatah?"

Anasha nodded.

Then she asked the question that Lucy was afraid of the most.

"Matanuneutai?"

Lucy didn't know how to answer that question. She didn't want to say no, cause she wasn't sure. So she said the next best thing.

"Matasaienuet."

Anasha nodded and fell asleep in Lucy's lap.

As Lucy sat there, stroking Anasha's hairgently, she said a small prayer for the young child.

**********************

"Lucy. Lucy, wake up. Hey, Luce."

Lucy rubbed her eyes gingerly. She had apparently fallen asleep watching Anasha, who was still asleep in her lap. Carter was gently shaking her awake.

"What's up?" she asked him. "Where've you been?"

"Around."

"Obviously," she replied, shifting Anasha to the bed.

He gestured to Anasha. "who's this?"

"Five-year-old girl with cancer, doesn't speak English, only a tribal Native american language that no one else here but yours truly can understand."

"Ouch. have you told her?"

"Yes, but not what kind. They're doing a biopsy up in oncology,"LUcy added quickly. "I just don't know if knowing what kind of cancer she has will make

things any easier for her."

"Maybe not to her, but it would sure help out her parents," Carter pointed out quietly. "Luce? You okay?"

Lucy hadn't thought of that. Anasha had mentioned her parents earlier, but she didn't know if they were alive or dead. Something gave her an uneasy feeling that her second suspicion would be the truth. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay," Carter said unconvinced. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

LUcy sat, watching Anasha in the midst of seemingly peaceful slumber. A moment later, she stirred and awoke with a small smile, and they started to talk. But Lucy had to ask her about her parents, and she got her answer.

********************

"I was right," she told Arielle shakily when she got the biopsy results back later. Anasha had an early form of leukemia.

"That she had cancer?"

"No, that her parents were deceased. Her father was killed while defending the villiage from enemies and her mother drowned in a river."

"Oh my gosh," Arielle murmured. "The poor girl."

"You know what?" Lucy asked.

"What?"

"Anasha needs to be with a family."

"Good thinking, LUcy"

"I'm not finished. This family," LUcy continued, "should know the ins and outs of her medical problems."

Arielle burst out laughing.

"What?" LUcy asked indignantly this time.

"Of course," Arielle grinned, "the solution. Lucy, are you thinking of adopting Anasha?"

A flash seemed to have hit her. She had found her solution even before she knew it. Adopting Anasha was a perfectly natural and logical thing to do.

"That's not what I originally meant, but that sounds fantastic. Excuse me, Arielle," she added politely, heading for the door. There was something she had to do.

"Where are you going?" Arielle wanted to know.

"I'm going to talk to Carter," Lucy yelled, halfway down the hall. Arielle shook her head disbelievingly.

Lucy raced downstairs, crossing her fingers. She hoped that John would agree to adopting Anasha. Just hope for the best, she told herself.

She found Carter in the louge, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Jing-Mei.

"Carter, good thing I found you. We..we need to talk. NOW."

"Wow! Luce, slow down. What's up?"

"I was just talking to Arielle and I found out that Anasha's parents are deceased and I was thinking that maybe we could adopt her."

Carter looked at his wife carefully before answering the question.

"I don't think that's possible,Luce.'

"Why not?" Lucy asked. "I could teach her English and it wouldn't hurt you to learn a different language."

"That' not it," Carter replied, sitting down and putting an arm around Lucy.

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is we already have two daughters of our own."

"So? That's not an excuse."

"I didn't say it was an excuse," Carter replied defensively, "all I said was-"

"I know what this is about," Lucy cutt him off. "This is about your residency promotion isn't it? You don't want anything to come between you and your chance to show Weaver that you are ready for more work. Well guess what? Maybe this is God's way of showing you that you aren't ready for that yet. And if you aren't going to help her, then I will. I'l lsee you at home."

Before Carter had a chance to respond, Lucy was gone.

He sighed and looked at Jing-Mei for help.

She just shook her head.

"I'm not getting involved with this one, Carter. But I am going to say this though, she does have a point."

*********************

As Lucy headed towards Adelle Newman's office, she heard Cleo's alarmed voice call her name.

"Lucy!" yelled Cleo. "Your patient is crashing! Bp is down to eighty pelp and resps are shallow."

"Oh my goodness!" Lucy whispered in fear as she raced towards the room. "What happened?" She asked breathlessly when she entered.

Cleo shrugged.

"I have no idea."

After they got Anasha stabilized, the docs left, and Lucy had a chance to talk to her.

Luckily she had never actually brought up discussion of adoption with the girl, so it would be all right.

"Anasha?" she asked, and her heart almost broke

just looking at the child's wide, frightened eyes. "Mataiundunai."

"Unmetashai?" Anasha asked.

Lucy didn't know how to answer the question. So she did the next best thing.

"Atunmesai. Unmatushan?"

Anasha nodded and squeezed Lucy's hand.

Lucy sighed with relief as she checked to make sure that the IV was okay.

"Matanuneutai?"

There was that question again. Lucy felt in her heart that she couldn't lie to Anasha is she was going to be her mother. And she did love the child.

Lucy shook her head and whisered, "No. Unshametan anashana."

Anasha understodd yes, no and maybe. Small words like that, but other than that, her English interpetation wasn't very good.

As Lucy sat there, comforting the child, she made a promise to herself. She promised herself that she would not only adopt Anasha and help her have a normal life, but she would teach her English and try to learn some more of Anasha's native language. That was a promise that Lucy prayed she would be able to keep.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next time on ER: Lucy looks into adopting Anasha and also teaches her some English.

Abby finds a baby girl named Amanda on her doorstep and Jing-Mei finds out that her niece, Serenity may have to go back to China.

Any suggestions for part 3 are definitely encouraged!

Just e-mail me at lucyabby_2624@hotmail.com