Ribbon of Glass
Part One
By Pebbles
pebbles@ukgateway.net

RATING: Over 13?
TIMELINE: December 2000 - Spring 2001 but ignoring almost all events of Season 7

DISCLAIMER: ER and its characters are the property of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Amblin Television, NBC, Michael Crichton and Constant C Productions. There is no copyright infringement intended. This has been written purely for the enjoyment of ER fans everywhere. I am receiving no monetary compensation for my work. These ideas belong to this author and in no way reflect the values or intentions of the creators and writers of ER. - Sophie O'Neill & Simon Tweedale are my own inventions.

"Everything I possess
Given with tenderness
Wrapped in a ribbon of glass" - Annie Lennox (Cold)

PART: One
December 4th 2000


The sleek blue BMW coupe slipped into the last parking space in the garage. Sophie cut the engine but didn't make any further move to exit the car. She just leant back into the comfort of the leather seat for a full five minutes taking long deep breaths, composing herself for her first day at County General Hospital. Despite the glowing recommendation from her mentor at New Western and the encouraging interview with Kerry Weaver, Sophie still felt sick to her stomach. After all, she had been out of the saddle for a full twelve months. It was not going to be easy to start again in a new hospital and especially half way through the academic year.

After checking her watch she inspected her reflection in the vanity mirror - running her fingers quickly through her cropped ebony hair and checking her front teeth for any stray remains of her breakfast cereal - then grabbed her bag off the passenger seat. It was 6.55am - time to make a move if she was to be on time for her appointment with the legendary Chief of County's ER.

As she hurried towards the entrance doors, Sophie pulled her overcoat tightly around her body trying to block the assault of the mid-winter gale. Chicago winters were unforgiving and Sophie briefly wondered why she had bothered dressing in a skirt. No doubt all her co-workers would be dressed warmly and comfortably in trousers - whether male or female. It was just the remnants of her old fashioned up bringing - the dress code of an earlier generation. Her father had loved to see her smartly dressed - showing off her feminine assets. "Your mother had beautiful legs too." He would say. "Don't you go hiding them under ugly slacks my girl!"

Making her way to the administration desk she took in the familiar sights, sounds and smells of a typical inner city hospital ER. Immediately she began to relax, feeling quite at home. "Hello." She smiled warmly at the middle-aged desk clerk. "I'm Sophie O'Neill. I believe Dr Weaver is expecting me."

Frank, the ex-cop turned desk clerk found himself grinning back at the pretty young woman stood before him. She was not short - probably around 5' 6" but her slight build and delicate features leant her a kind of elfin appearance. Rather reminiscent of the young Audrey Hepburn Frank thought.

"Yes, Dr Weaver told me to look out for you." Frank unconsciously pulled in his stomach as he rose to his feet. "You'll find her in the doctor's lounge. Can I show you the way?"

"Thank you - I'm sure I can find it." Sophie reached out and patted Frank's forearm, thanking him again before making her way along the hall. She didn' t notice that he stood gazing after her for a full 60 seconds before the ringing phone distracted his attention. He was still smiling when he picked up the receiver.

"Dr Weaver." Sophie spoke softly not wishing to startle her new boss whose back was turned to her. Kerry Weaver lifted her head from the pile of charts she was reviewing.

"Come in, Sophie." The auburn-haired doctor gestured to the easy chair alongside her. She studied her new employee briefly over the top of her glasses. Noting Sophie's smart appearance, she turned her attention back to the paperwork on her lap.

"I'm nearly done. Let me just finish up and then I'll give you the full tour."

Whilst Kerry made a few notes on the last chart, Sophie let her eyes roam around the lounge. There was a long line of grey regulation lockers as well as the ubiquitous refrigerator, coffee machine and collection of easy chairs. The atmosphere was 'lived in' rather than truly comfortable but it was no worse than it's equivalent at New Western. Sophie stood up and removed her heavy overcoat, folding it over the back of her chair. She also removed the softly tailored Versace jacket and folded that carefully too.

"You'll find the locker at the end is empty." Kerry suddenly spoke without apparently looking up.

"Thank you." Sophie took her belongings and stowed them away. Finally she slipped into the short white lab coat she had brought with her and wrapped her stethoscope around her collar. The slight weight of it around her neck added to her returning feeling of self-confidence.

"Well I'm done here." Kerry announced at last. She hauled herself to her feet, deftly slipping her arm into the brace she habitually used. "You'll find many similarities here to the ER at New Western but there are a number of innovations I have introduced to ensure a smoother running of the department." Kerry gestured for Sophie to go ahead of her through the door. The pride the older woman took in her work was quite apparent.

"First I need to run the board with Dr Kovac before he goes off but  then.I.." Her voice trailed off as the previously quiet hallway was suddenly filled with a crowd of paramedics and County personnel propelling a couple of gurneys from the ambulance bay. Kerry increased her pace to a near run whilst Sophie kept close beside her.

"What the hell is going on here? Why wasn't I paged?" Kerry's voice cut cleanly through the turmoil surrounding the patients.

A tall doctor with Mediterranean appearance looked up from the patient he was starting to examine. "We had no warning Kerry. MVA just across the street - two critical." His voice was weary and distinctly accented.

"OK. You take the first in trauma one." She turned her attention to a shorter man in blue scrubs. "Malucci - you go with Kovac!" Pushing forward she lowered her voice slightly but its tone was still imperative. "I'll take the second. Sophie - you're with me. The tour will have to wait."

Sophie felt the adrenaline rush through her veins as she quickly slipped into the disposable trauma gown, straining to catch every detail of the bullet being presented by the paramedic.

"Female, 33. Found unconscious at the scene - she'd been thrown through the windshield. Tachy - lost at least 2 litres in the field. Major trauma to the head, chest and abdomen - it's a mess. Sorry - we just scooped and  ran." The young paramedic looked distressed.

"OK - we'll take it from here." Kerry proceeded to bark orders and the team went into action like a well-oiled machine - albeit one on manic overdrive. Sophie found herself performing procedures as if she did them every day - confidently and precisely. Despite the increasingly desperate measures being taken to revive this mortally wounded woman Sophie felt calm and focussed. Until the moment when Kerry reached for the sternal saw to crack open the patient's chest.

Kerry turned to her, the tool in her blood-covered hand. "Sophie - have you used one of these?"

Sophie backed away just slightly. "No.I."

Kerry seemed to take in the younger woman's reluctance. "Perhaps not on your first day. Huh?"

Sophie just nodded. She looked away as Kerry applied the saw to the woman's already broken chest. For the first time, she realised they were losing the battle. Her eyes were drawn to the adjoining trauma room where they were working on the other victim. If victim was the right word - she had gathered that he was the driver of the other vehicle and had a high blood alcohol level. There was a lot of activity in the room centred on the tall Dr Kovac who was so obviously in command.

Feeling even more detached from the scene before her; Sophie's attention now was drawn to the tragic figure of the woman's husband standing outside the room. His face was white with shock and he was tightly gripping a tiny baby to his chest as if that was all that was keeping him from collapsing in grief.

"Sophie!" Kerry's shrill cry cut through her reverie. "Apply the internal paddles - now!" Without hesitating she took the paddles from the nurse at her side. Hearing her own voice as if from a distance demanding the relevant voltage, Sophie reached inside the bloody cavity to directly shock the heart. It was futile - the injuries were too severe - but they persisted anyway until Kerry finally called it at 7. 55. They had worked on the woman for less than an hour but it felt as if the whole twelve-hour shift had passed. There was a moment of silence around the table as each member of the team paused to draw breath. But there was no time to dwell for long on the meaning of what had occurred. The young woman's husband stood just outside the door - his expression a mask of fear - truly dreadful to behold.

He backed away as Kerry opened the doors to the trauma room. Behind her the nurses were working to remove the tubes and machinery that had been used in the struggle to save the woman's life. Soon a sheet would be drawn up to her chin to cover the worst of her injuries; the bloody dressings removed.

"We did everything we could Mr Brodrick. She never regained consciousness." Kerry's voice was a gentle monotone. All the time Brodrick kept backing away as if by avoiding the bearer of bad news he could continue to deny the truth. His wife was dead and their child motherless.

"Mr Brodrick." Kerry persisted, closing the gap between them to lay her hand upon his arm. Finally a low moan escaped from his lips and his knees began to buckle. One of the nurses took his right elbow in support and Kerry took the other. Someone positioned a chair behind him. Sophie found herself reaching out and taking the baby gently from his arms.

"She was just trying to soothe the baby. She only just slipped off her seat belt for a moment. The road ahead was clear - it was only seven in the morning!" The words began to pour out of Mr Brodrick. He looked helplessly from one person to another trying to understand what had happened. How could there have been a drunk on the road at seven in the morning?

"Would you like to come and see your wife now, Mr Brodrick?" Kerry still had her hand on his arm. "Sophie will take care of your baby for now. OK?" She glanced briefly up at Sophie checking that's she knew what she should do.

Brodrick nodded - everything about his posture now signalling defeat. Finally he hauled himself back to his feet as if he had suddenly aged fifty years and allowed himself to be led into the trauma room.

Sophie stood for a moment in the hallway before deciding to take the baby into the lounge. It would be quiet there and she could try and recover her composure. The adrenaline rush, which had helped her cope with working on the trauma was now causing her whole body to tremble. The baby in her arms seemed to be picking up on her tension and was becoming restless. He was so tiny - barely six weeks old she guessed. Probably still being breast-fed.

The enormity of the infant's loss suddenly came home to Sophie and she found her eyes misting over. As the hot salty tears poured down her face she realised that she must have been only a babe in arms herself when her own mother was killed. Her life also cut short by a drunk driver. It was as if she were looking at herself as she stared into the wrinkled face of the fretful baby. She so wanted to comfort him. Rocking him gently in her arms she soon found herself humming a familiar lullaby.



Dr Luka Kovac tore off his latex gloves and flung them in the bin. After them went his protective gown. The patient had been stabilised and was now on his way to surgery from which there was little doubt he would make a full recovery. But there was no satisfaction in the successful outcome. That man by his selfish actions had caused the death of a young mother. Although Luka was pledged as a doctor to save all human life, he found it increasingly difficult to keep his emotional response in check. Today he had gritted his teeth and worked on to the best of his ability - but his resentment was only barely under control.

He strode off towards the doctor's lounge - not wishing to rub salt in the wound by witnessing the scene in trauma two. He knew all too well the pain of sudden bereavement. The physical pain as if your own heart had been torn out of your chest; the mental anguish, which barely lessened as the months ran into years. Luka Kovac had experienced it all himself. At times like these his memories threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to put some distance between himself and the suffering of the young father.

He massaged his forehead with the fingers of one hand as he opened the door to the lounge with the other. The fatigue was catching up on him too. His shift - a double - should have been over an hour ago and he still hadn't run the board with Kerry. Before he did anything else he planned to get as strong a possible dose of caffeine down his throat.

He didn't notice her at first. In two strides he was already at the coffee machine searching among the soiled crockery for a clean cup. It was the soft but clear voice that stopped him in his tracks.

"Hush little baby - don't say a word - Daddy's going to buy you a mocking bird. And if that Mocking bird don't sing then Daddy's going to but you a diamond ring.."

Luka sought out the source of the beautiful but sad little voice. She was standing by the window with her back towards him; rocking slightly from side to side - slightly leaning towards her right in that special posture that women adopt when they hold a baby. His eyes came to rest on the nape of her neck. It was the longest most elegant neck he had ever seen - accentuated by the shortness of her hairstyle and the scooped neckline of her blouse. As she turned slowly around, still completely unaware of his presence, he took in the finely sculptured form of her ear and the perfect line of her jaw.

Suddenly she froze like a rabbit caught in the glare of a light. She stared at him - her eyes impossibly large and dark against the ivory whiteness of her skin. Luka licked his lower lip guiltily as if he had been caught spying on her. It was then that he saw that her face was streaked with tears. He ducked his head to avoid her gaze and quickly backed out of the room. Her grief had threatened to fly across the room and pierce him like an arrow. As the door shut behind him he realised his heart was pounding.

For a moment Luka leant back against the now closed door waiting for his pulse to return to normal. All he wanted to do was bolt right out of there. Retreat to the quiet and emptiness of his hotel room. But he still had to sign off with Kerry. To his relief he saw her making her way towards him. He quickly covered the ground between them not wishing to make her walk farther than necessary.

"The board seems pretty clear Luka - you should be able to get out of here soon." Kerry cricked her neck trying to accommodate for the vast difference in their heights.

Luka nodded, his mind still elsewhere. "Er.Kerry. There's a young woman in the lounge with a..er... baby.?" Confusion was written all over his face. Kerry smiled.

"That'll be Sophie O'Neill - our new 4th year Med. Student. She's joining us from New Western. Sorry I didn't get time to introduce you." Kerry hurried towards the admit desk not wanting to hold up Luka's departure any longer than necessary.



End of part one
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