Forgotten Soul
Part One
By Aeris Jade
aerisjade@worldnet.att.net

Part: 1/?
Rating: R
Beta Reader: Scotty 'the brick' Welles
Spoilers: Season Seven

Disclaimer: Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye.



She read over the report critically before starting the next paragraph. Behind her, she could hear Malucci and Abby yelling at each other, followed by a loud crash. 'Why did the computer in my office pick today to quite working?'

Having enough, she spun around in the chair and stood up. "HEY!! That is enough. I'm sick of your bickering, Now if you two insist on acting like children, then that's the way I'll treat you." She paused, taking some pleasure in the chaste looks on their faces. "For the rest of the day, you two have janitorial duty, and you will work as a team. Your first task is to clean every toilet in this hospital, and I mean every single toilet, on every single floor."

"Oh, come on, chief, Surely you don't mean every toilet..." He trailed off as he took in her mood. "But...even the patients rooms...? But...that'll take us days..."

"Then I suggest you get started." Kerry put her glasses back on and turned to the computer.

"...all your fault...."

"Me?! You're the one acting like a..."

Kerry slammed her hand onto the desk. "Hey, do I have to give you something else to do?"

Abby blanched and yanked Malucci away before he could reply and get them into more trouble. Kerry suspiciously watched them go, she'd check in on them in about an hour and make sure they were doing what they were supposed to.

She settled in front of the screen and started to type again...only she couldn't remember what she had been typing. 'Does it never end?' She had tried, she really had. All day she'd kept a tight rein on her temper, but she could only take so much, and frankly she was having a bad week.

Between Carter getting put out over her and Mark constantly looking over his shoulder, Jing-Mei's pregnancy, Malucci avoiding Benton, Benton's sudden temper change, Kim coming on to her, certain uncomfortable dreams she'd been having because of that, and Mlungisi being... she was a wreck. Of course her avoiding Kim was also a problem, especially since that for the last two days the blonde doctor had been a constant presence in the ER looking for her.

She thrived on pressure, lack of sleep, and stress. A talent that had let her fly through med school, that had ended with her graduating with honors and as her classes valedictorian. But at that moment she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

She was on the verge of just telling everyone off, and possibly decking Romano. Decking him? She wanted to tie him down to an examine table and neuter the bastard, without anesthesia. Hell, forget neutering him, she'd just take a chain saw and... If her imagination was any indication then it was time for a vacation. A long one.



Kerry slapped the side of the computer as the screen flashed green, then red, and then went blank. Two hours worth of reports had been on there, and she hadn't gotten a chance to save them yet. "Damn it."

"You okay?"

Kerry narrowed her eyes at Mark, clenching her jaw to keep from saying anything 'instructive'. She took a few shaky breaths visualizing calmness. Her bubble of anger looked over at her bubble of calm, cocked its head and laughed. "I'm going home."

She brushed past a surprised Mark who seemed to have the sense not to point out that there was another hour left of her shift. She figured he was simply afraid she'd assign him to toilet duty with Malucci and Abby, but whatever his reasons she was grateful.

Her body slammed into the lounge door causing it to fly open and bounce off the wall. Luka, Corday, and a few stray nurses looked up. She bared her teeth and growled very softly as she grabbed her stuff, but it was loud enough to cause the two doctors to take an involuntary step back. Randi, who'd just been entering the room through the other door, hastily backed out.

She took one last look around then stalked out, her body language sending anyone in her path scattering. She made the short distance to her car in a matter of seconds and violently tossed everything into the back seat. Revving the car to life, the wheels spinning briefly in the day old snow before screeching out onto the street.

'Why does everyone expect me to take care of everything? I'm not a machine, I have a life, I have feelings.' She speed up as the light turned green, seeing a large shadow approaching from her right.

She turned her head and barely had time to scream as the truck sideswiped her.



"We're got incoming!" Randi screamed into the lounge.

Mark sighed tiredly. It figured that the minute Kerry left, the ER would turn into a madhouse. That was how it always worked. He couldn't figure it out. She could leave for five minutes, for an hour, or a day and everything would fall apart.

"Great, so much for lunch." Elizabeth grumbled as he followed everyone out to meet the ambulances.

"Hey, at least you got to eat something."

The first ambulance was already unloading their patient and rolling it inside. By silent agreement, both he and Elizabeth took it.

"What've we got?" he asked as he noted the...woman's head was wrapped in gauze.

The two paramedics exchanged nervous looks. "A large truck rammed the side of her car. Her head hit the steering wheel..." They stepped back as the others transferred the woman onto the table. "...The woman is..."

"Oh, god Kerry..."



Carter raced into trauma one. He'd just heard that Kerry had been brought in and that she'd been sent up for a head CT, but no one knew anything else. The room was quiet as Lydia and Haleh rushed around Kerry. Mark and Elizabeth were softly confirming next to the light boards.

Carter's eyes flickered from Kerry to the x-rays trying to decide which one was most urgent. He squeezed her bruised hand, then moved behind Mark. "Are those the scans?"

"You shouldn't be in here."

Carter leaned past them studying the two x-rays intently. "Neither should you, or Dr. Corday, or Lydia..."

"You know what I meant. You're her friend."

Carter tore his eyes away from the board long enough to levelly gaze at the attending. "And you're not?"

"He's right." Both men glanced at Corday, surprised by her soft support. "Everyone here knows her in some form or another."

"What's the diagnosis?"

"A couple of bruised ribs, sprained wrist, and a slight concussion," Elizabeth recited as she flipped the board off.

"No brain damage?" Carter asked cautiously.

"She's awake."

He tensed as he moved to her side, his senses working overtime as he tried to notice everything. The way her grey eyes scanned the room in confusion, the way she winced as she tried to move her left hand... "Hey, you gave us quite a scare. Do me a favor and don't do that again?"

Kerry frowned at him without any recognition. "I...WA...where am I?"

"You're at County." Mark stopped writing in her chart, taking in her lost look for the first time.

"Is that a new hospital?"

"Do you know your name?" Elizabeth asked gently when neither man responded.

"Kerry Christine Weaver."

"What's the date?"

"December 09, 1987."



Kim approached the front desk, not sure how to break the news to everyone. She was used to telling strangers bad news, not people she knew.

Carter saw her first, his eyes drilling into hers, searching for some sort of answers. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

Carter relaxed minutely as he waited for her to drop the bomb.

"But she's suffering from partial amnesia."

"Meaning...?" Peter asked.

"Meaning, she remembers all her medical knowledge, birthdays, holidays, but everything else she's coming up blank. As far as she's concerned she thinks she's still living in Africa and 27 years old." Kim was definitely not happy about this. Kerry was a good friend, but she was also a love interest, and they still hadn't talked about what had happened over dinner.

"All right. Will she get her memory back?"

"If she wants to."

Carter tapped his fist against the desk, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Kerry's been under a lot of stress recently and a close friend of hers was killed last night. The accident acted like a trigger, but it's up to her whether or not she'll regain them."

"She never said anything," Lydia muttered.

"Does she ever?" Mark replied.

"What should we do?" Carter asked finally.

Kim shrugged. "Nothing. There's no reason why she can't continue working in the ER. In the meantime, I'll try to keep an eye on her and monitor her condition." She glanced over at Mark. "Are you going to keep her overnight?"

"There's no reason to, but if you think..."

"No. She needs to be around familiar surroundings."

Carter dumped the chart he'd been working on. "I don't mind leaving early to take her home..."

"I don't think so. We're backed up as it is."

"I can do it. I'm off in a few minutes anyway."

Mark eyed Kim curiously, but nodded his approval. He was aware that the two women were friends, but there was this little voice that kept nagging at him, suggesting that they were more than that.



Aeris Jade Orion
AIM: Aeris Jade
ICQ: 51496263
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Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/aeris3996

" This act hasn't been seen in 20 years, and if i'm any judge of talent it will never be seen again."
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