Vows and Promises
Part Seven
By Susan
lilichild@aol.com

ARCHIVE: Sure, just tell me where
TIMELINE: Well, this part takes place in the summer before season 7 and goes from there, the other parts will take place later, it’ll make more sense once you read the fic.
SPOILERS: I don’t read ‘em. You shouldn’t either J That said, anything that I didn’t beyond the latest aired episode is pure speculation.
DISCLAIMER: The story is mine, the characters aren’t. They belong to Warner Brothers, don’t waste your time suing, I have no money
NOTE: This is part one of a series and is my first fic, be kind J Comments welcome
PREVIOUSLY: Doug and Carol got engaged (yes, again), and decided upon a post Thanksgiving wedding at the house in Seattle. Doug called Mark to share the good news and asked him to be his best man. Mark accepted, Chuni, Haleh, and Conni overheard and put two and two together so to speak and asked if they were right in their assumption. Mark told them yes, and the three nearly knocked him over hugging.
PREVIOUSLY: Doug and Carol became engaged “again”. They planned a post Thanksgiving wedding and the list of attendants became rather large. Susan Lewis was to be maid of honor and Mark best man.
NOTE: I’m assuming a few things in this part, that Susan did hear about Mark’s attack, and Carter’s but not his addiction. Oh, as in this part as in earlier parts, moving away doesn’t mean you stop talking to your friends, unlike ER…
PREVIOUSLY: Doug proposed to Carol again, and she accepted again. Mark was asked to be best man and Susan maid of honor, both accepted. Mark told Elizabeth about his past with Susan, which she said she was fine with. Carol told Susan Mark was best man and of course, dating Elizabeth. Susan said she was fine with that. Doug and Carol wanted to ask Carter to be an usher but were reluctant to call him at rehab. Carol was discussing the situation with Susan, whom she thought she had told about the drug addiction, but that wasn’t the case.

“What? What happened to Carter, Carol” Susan asked anxiously over the phone.

“I don’t even know how to say this” Carol began unsure of how to break the news to Susan.

“Carol, tell me” Susan stated “I need to know”

“Well, remember how I told you he was attacked in the ER by a patient and Lucy, one of the med students was killed?” Carol continued

“Yeah, you were still in Chicago at the time” Susan replied. Of course, she’d heard of that. It was actually a pretty big news story at the time, especially in medical circles.

“Right, he was stabbed in the back and he had a lot of pain, and I guess he felt really guilty.” Carol said not fully willing to tell the rest. The news had been a big shock to her as well. She had been in Chicago packing at the time this had happened. Mark had come to say goodbye to her, and he looked so bad. She asked why he seemed so upset and he began to cry. When he was finally able to speak again he told her what they had done that day. Carol almost began to cry thinking about it. It had been a shock to everyone.

“Oh, God. Did he attempt suicide?” Susan asked worriedly. She knew that wasn’t like Carter, but then again before her attempt, it wasn’t like Carol either.

“No” Carol said sadly remembering the day she almost died, it seemed like a lifetime ago. “No, Carter became addicted to narcotics”

“He what?” Susan exclaimed in shock. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the image of Carter on drugs.

“Yes, he became addicted to narcotics” Carol said “Abby, one of the med students, saw him inject some Fentanyl into his wrist after a trauma. He’d been acting strange for a while before hand, no one connected the dots… or wanted to”

“Oh my God” Susan said softly ingesting this information. “Is he okay, where is he?”

“In rehab” Carol replied “From what Mark said, Abby told him and they told Kerry. Carter denied everything”

“So how’d they get him to go, he was always pretty stubborn” Susan said remembering the Carter she knew.

“Kerry, Mark, Anspaugh, Benton and some others confronted him, they told him to go to the rehab center in Atlanta, or they were going to make sure he didn’t practice medicine anywhere”

“Wow…” Susan trailed off, she couldn’t believe it.

“Carter got mad, said he didn’t want the job and stormed out.” Carol said “Benton went after him and somehow talked him into going.”

“Benton?” Susan asked in wonder

“Yup, Benton” Carol confirmed “He even accompanied him down”

“Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Benton, he must have changed” Susan mused

“Nah, same old grumpy Benton” Carol said, to which Susan laughed. “Seriously though, he’s always had a soft spot for Carter, even after Carter changed specialties.”

“Oh, right. You told me he changed to emergency medicine” Susan said “I still can’t believe it.”

“Everyone was shaken up by it” Carol confirmed “Mark was very upset, and from what I heard it really shook up Kerry.”

“Weaver?” Susan questioned, maybe Weaver had changed in the time she’d been gone too.

“Kerry’s not that bad” Kerry said to which Susan snorted “Well, not as bad as she used to be”

“She was eager to throw Doug out.” Susan pointed out

“Yeah, but Doug pretty much broke the law” Carol reminded her. “We asked her to the wedding”

“Doug approved of that?” Susan asked in disbelief. Doug and Kerry had never really gotten along. Doug had often said the only good thing about leaving County had been leaving the watchful eye of Weaver.

“He did, because I told him to” Carol stated

Susan chuckled, that at least, made sense.

“Back to Carter, should I call him?” Carol asked “I wouldn’t want to impose anything upon him or rub his face in our happiness.”

“What does Doug think?” Susan asked

“Doug said he’d probably appreciate being treated like a normal person” Carol responded. She and Doug had talked at some length about it. Carol was unsure of calling Carter, Doug said they should treat him normally, at least, that’s how he would want to be treated.

“I think Doug’s right, Carol” Susan said thoughtfully. “Besides, he might like hearing some good news and a friendly voice”

“Good point” Carol conceded “I guess I should call now”

“No point in putting it off” Susan agreed

“I’ll call you and tell you how it goes” Carol promised

“You better” Susan teased

Carol hung up then and looked at the number in her hand for the treatment center in Atlanta that Mark had given her over the phone. Well, here goes, she thought. She dialed.

“Third floor” A voice answered on the other end of the line.

“Uh, yes” Carol stammered “Can I speak with John Carter?”

“Please hold, I’ll get him for you”