New Year
Part One
By Anna M. and Natalie
anna_783@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, neither Natalie or Anna own ER.
RATING: PG-13
CATAGORY: CARTER and LUCY.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:

NATALIE: This was my first fan-fic and I want to say thanks for Anna’s help in co writing this.

ANNA: Okay, I was hit by writers block! Until, I saw the pre-view (not the film, just the pre-view) of the movie, ‘The Family Guy,’ and ever since then I’ve been writing! There’s a lot of refrences in this story, national lampoons Christmas Vacation, the bbc show Casualty, Elvis and of course me, Nat and our editor Sarah written into the story.

SPECIAL THANKS: Thank-you to Sarah, for her wonderful editing!

 -In Memory Of Jimmy Stewart, "I’ll lasso The Moon"-

"Frank!" Lucy called as she raced down her hallway, lugging an eight hundred pound bag of text books behind her.

Frank rolled turned around and rolled his blue eyes. "What is it?" He moaned.

"I just wanted to tell you," Lucy paused looking up at her boyfriend, "I can't make it tonight."

Frank frowned. "Lucy, I haven't seen you since November, what's the deal?"

"Frank, you know I have to study!" Lucy protested.

"Yeah, but it would be nice to see you every so often," Frank complained.

"I know, it's just I have about a hundred things to do and so little time to do it." Lucy continued.

"So what am I going to say to Todd and Margo, they planned this over a month ago," Frank added. Lucy frowned, not Todd and Margo, the perfect example ofyuppies.

"Oh come on, Todd and Margo, remember last time, we sat around and played jenga for over an hour. I felt like I was going to fall asleep, until their neighbor set the lawn on fire."

Frank frowned again. "Lucy, they're my friends, and seeing you're my girlfriend, I think you should make time for me and my friends!"

Lucy looked Frank in the eye. "You think, I should make time for your friends."

"Of course! I make time for your things!" Frank stammered. Lucy was beginning to believe that the tall, light haired Frank was beginning to resemble a jack-ass.

"Frank, I'm going to study and not going to Todd and Margo's, Got it?" Lucy stated, she continued to walk off dragging her bag.

"So you're staying for double shifts?" Frank asked, Lucy nodded in response. 'God!' Lucy thought, "he's so annoying at times like this!' Frank was a sweet guy, sometimes. Yet lately he'd been pushy about spending time together. Lucy wished for a relationship that was solid and stable. Was it possible, just to have a boyfriend and not worry about stupid things like where you were going out tonight. Lucy felt angst inside, her stomach tightened and she felt particularly jumpy and upset. She'd met Frank in September when he came into the ER, she was doing a psyche consult on the patient next to him and afterwards he had asked her out. Nothing much, no sparks, just a plain dinner and they were dating. It had been pretty casual, Frank even moved in last month, yet still, Lucy didn't feel like the earth moved when she was with him. It was a particular gray December Day, the Christmas rush was over, the holidays were done. All that was left was New Year's. Lucy hated New Year, it was justanother day where people made promises to themselves, knowing it will never happen.

The air was cold, and there was snow on the ground, although it had been there for weeks now, and it had become an ugly gray color, the same hue as the sky. Lucy lugged open the door to the private practice, she'd left County two months ago, when she found a better job working for one of the most talented psychiatrists in Chicago. Lucy loved her job, she had a real talent for the ambition to heal. Sometimes she'd come to the hospital, just to escape Frank, she knew it was wrong, but if she was going to escape anywhere, it would have to be her work.

"Good morning, Natalie," Lucy stated to her secretary.

"Happy New Year's Eve!" Natalie beamed. Natalie was a bit odd, she always got decked out for the holidays, at Christmas she had dressed in an elf costume and baked cookies for everybody. Today she was dressed in silver and had party hats, noise makers and confetti pinned all over her. She was one of those woman who would make an entire outfit out of saran-wrap, wear it in public, then go and heckle Martha Stewart about it.

"So what are you doing this New Year's Eve?" Natalie asked cheerfully.

"Nat, I was planning on studying, I'm not really the party animal." Lucy responded as she noticed Natalie's champagne bottle earrings.

"Studying! What an injustice to New Year's Eve! It's the one time of the year we can all party down to the year's accomplishments, you of all people should be celebrating, this is the year you became a doctor and snagged yourself a man!"

Natalie could see the frown enter Lucy's face. "You had a fight didn't you?" Natalie asked.

"It wasn't that big a deal," Lucy responded.

"Tell me about it!" Natalie implied. Then she cringed, remembering Lucy's ten o' clock. "After Mrs. Williams has her appointment."

"Okay," Lucy replied. "I'll talk to you later."

"John!" Jane squealed. He slowly turned around to see his pouting girlfriend. Jane was beautiful; short dark brown hair, perfect red lips, violet eyes, and a tall slender body. Jane was a model, who Carter had met last year when she tripped and broke her ankle on the cat walk. He liked Jane, it was just that he didn't see a future in a life with Jane. She was nice, but too high maintenance, Jane didn't settle for being second best and had been known to change Carter's schedule to fit her own.

"What is it dear?" Carter asked.

"Dah-ling, you know we can still make the flight to New York. Tyra and Cindy are going to be there and--"

"Count me in," Dave added as he walked by.

"I have work though," Carter protested.

"Not anymore," Jane giggled. Carter hated when she did this. He hated going to these supermodel balls, they weren't as good as they sounded. What was even worse was that he was going to New York at New Year's eve. It would be crowded, noisy and most of all there would be drunks everywhere, not the kind of night he would enjoy.

"Well, just give me an hour and I'll drive us to the airport," Carter replied.

"The plane leaves at noon, so be ready," Jane added.

Carter walked off, the fake grin disappeared from hisface. He hated the way Jane manipulated him. She was like Roxanne, just a tad more bearable and a whole lot prettier. Although, Jane did spend an average of four hours in the bathroom every morning. 'If only,' Carter thought. 'If only I could find someone who I was happy to be with.' Carter smiled, maybe, she'd come, someday that day would come.

"I don't know what the problem is," Lucy explained.

"It's just he gets all upset just because I can't be with him twenty four, seven."

"Well you have been working here a lot during late nights," Natalie revealed.

"Really? I can't tell." Lucy replied.

"Lucy, you're the only person who came in on Christmas Day to work the suicide lines."

"Well, I guess I have been working late," Lucy said softly.

"And he just wants to be with you," Natalie added.

"Oh Nat, you do know how to make people feel guilty," Lucy laughed. "So what do I do?"

"I can call in Dr. Grossman, give you the day off," Nat replied. "You can go show up, say your sorry and it'll be all right! It's so romantic!" Nat shrieked, that was another thing about Natalie, she was Danielle Steel's number one fan.

"Nat! I can't believe you!" Lucy joked, she picked her coat up.

"Go Lucy! Proclaim your love!" Natalie called.

Lucy turned as she headed out the door. "Thanks Nat."

"You're welcome, Lucy." Natalie smiled.

"Good call, Carter!" Mark complimented.

"Thanks," Carter replied, his face beaming with a smile.

"Uh, Carter," Dave said as he stripped off his gloves. "Isn't that your girlfriend?"

Carter's smile vanished. His eyes raced to the clock.1:46. "Oh- shit!"

"Yes, shit is a good word to describe the situation," Dave laughed as the angry supermodel stomped towards him. Carter gulped as he stepped out into the hall.

"Jane," Carter began.

"John Carter! I waited for you, you lied to me! And that bitch wouldn't let me come and get you!" Jane screamed pointing at Randi.

"Jane, please try to calm down, I can explain!"

"No! You made me miss the party of the year, just so you could treat someone, I am your girlfriend, wait let me rephrase that.I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" Jane yelled.

"I was helping to save someone's life, wait!" Carter called as he chased after Jane. "Jane, please wait!"

Jane stood in front of a cab and laughed. "No! I waited long enough!"

Carter stood there, feeling the usual post break-up pain well up inside him. After 10 minutes Dave and Mark stood on either side of him.

"Ouch," Dave commented.

"Don't worry, you were better off without her," Mark comforted.

"But why does it hurt so much?" Carter asked, feeling the agony of rejection.

"Go home, your shift's over anyway," Mark stated.

"Have a good New Year," Dave added as he walked off. Carter gave a weak shrug in response. He knew there was no way this New Year would not be a good one.

Lucy raced up her stairs to her apartment, she couldn't wait to see Frank. Nat had put this good feeling in her and all she wanted to do was make up with Frank. She'd taken a cab, to get here as soon as possible but had stopped at the Grocery Store to pick up some food and wine. She smiled as she knocked on the door.

"Frank?" She called. Nobody came, after a few minutes of knocking, she balanced the two grocery bags on her hip and searched through her pocket. After entering the apartment she saw his shoes on the ground and coat hung up on the wall. 'He's here, but why didn't he answer me?' She asked herself. Lucy wandered up throughout the apartment, the bags still in her arm. She opened her bed room and dropped the bags.

"Frank!" She gasped.

"Lucy, I, I can explain!" Frank stammered as he crawled out of the familiar woman's eyes.

"Get out," Lucy said coldly. "Both of you."

"Lucy please," Frank protested. The tall blonde woman whose name was Lola, their valet was finished getting dressed and quickly escaped, the whole time avoiding Lucy. Frank threw a bath robe on and followed Lucy to the closet.

"Lucy it meant nothing!" Frank cried as Lucy shoved his clothes into a bag.

"Here," She said, thrusting the bag at him.

"Can I get dressed?" Frank asked.

"Get out!" Lucy screamed, pushing him out of the apartment. She could hear him protesting on the other side of the door, but he finally left. Lucy felt a rawness inside of her as she stood in the cold apartment. 'How could I not see it?' She asked herself. She looked over at a picture of her and Frank and ripped it up angrily. It wasn't until she saw the pieces, laying ripped on her table, she began to cry. Hot tears dripped out, her eyes grew swollen and sore, her sobs grew louder. The pain inside her was agony, she needed an escape, and the local bar was just down the road. Keeping her eyes down on the street, she prayed it would be open at two in the afternoon.