Vows and Promises
Part Fourteen
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 thank everyone for the great feedback and encouragement. As always, I believe that the characters do talk to their friends after someone moves away. Well, they should and this is my fic so they do.

 
"Hello, Doug" an accented voice replied "Is that the best way to answer your telephone?"

Doug cringed. "Hi, Helen" Doug attempted a pleasant tone, after all this was his future mother-in-law, "It's good to hear from you." He was aware of Carol behind him trying not to snicker. Even after all these years, Doug still felt uncomfortable around Carol's mom.

"I'll get Carol for you" Doug said hopefully. He was hoping for a stay of execution. He knew what was coming. Helen Hathaway had never been one of Doug's fans.

"No, no. Doug" "I want to speak with you"

"Me?" Doug tried to be cool, he hoped that Helen was in a congenial mood. Otherwise he knew he was doomed.

"You sound surprised, Doug" Helen said in accented English.

"No, no" Doug said quickly. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't stop himself "Just that when you want to speak with me you call at 2 am and curse at me in Russian." He recalled those times, they were at least once a week after Helen had decided that Doug had yet again broken her daughter's heart and left her pregnant and alone. He looked up to see Carol shaking her head at him. He knew she wouldn't want him to start anything.

"I'm surprised you recognize the curses" Helen sounded vaguely amused.

"Well, when someone yells them at you for years you pick them up pretty fast" Doug explained. He was listening to the tone of her voice. She didn't sound annoyed, yet. Like Carol, Helen had the same anger responses. He'd learned Carol's long ago, and Carol had likewise learned them from her mother. Doug smiled at that thought. He decided he'd tell her that one day, when he wanted to bug her. Carol did not like to be told she was like her mother.

"Yes, I believe that is true" Helen chuckled "I am sorry Doug, but my heart was breaking for my daughter. Surely you see that now that you have children."

"If a guy ever left Tess or Kate abandoned and pregnant, I'd break his legs." Doug laughed "I got off easy"
 Helen laughed at that thought too. "So how are my grandchildren?"

"Oh, they're good." Doug took extreme pleasure in his children. It tore his heart out to not live with them during their first months of life. "Teething, screaming, sleeping, spitting up"

Helen cut to the chase. "I heard you are marrying my daughter"

Doug squirmed, glad that videophones hadn't become widespread yet and Helen couldn't see him. Unfortunately, Carol could. She smirked at him from across the room. "Yes, I did"

"So are you actually going to marry her this time or are you going to move to Timbuktu?"

"I'll marry her" Doug eyed Carol "If she'll have me"

"Good" Helen's pleasure was clear in her voice. She honestly still didn't know what her daughter ever saw in Doug Ross. Yet, she did know that Doug made Carol happy. When he had his act together that was. "You are only lucky schmuck, Doug Ross"

"Yes, I know Helen" Doug agreed. It wasn't the exact terming he would use, but Doug did know that indeed he was very lucky.

"And Doug?" Helen continued.

"Yes, Helen" Doug responded, now confident. He had given Helen what she wanted. She's so much like Carol, Doug mused, I can see through her too.

"Call me mom." Helen said, and then quickly added. "Tell Carol, I'll call her tomorrow"

"Yes, of course. Good night .. Mom" Doug was touched. He really didn't expect Helen to welcome him with open arms, but her permission to call her mom, that was a sign she would at least not refer to him as the "schmuck", well, not seriously anyway.

"Good night, Doug" Helen hung up then.

Doug hung up the phone in astonishment and turned to face Carol who was grinning broadly by this time. His mind was spinning. The same woman who called Doug to curse at him in the middle of the night in Russian was now accepting him as a member of the family.

"No Russian curses?" Carol asked innocently. Carol had called her mom the day after they had gotten engaged. She endured some stress from her mother but the utter joy in Carol's voice came through to Helen clearer than any words could. Still, even Carol hadn't expected her mother's reaction.

He grabbed her in a big hug and lifted her into his arms again. "No Russian curses" he confirmed "and I can call her mom"

"Wow" I'll have to thank her tomorrow, Carol thought, then again, she might not want to make a big deal out of it.

"My thoughts too" Doug confirmed. "Now where were we?" He brushed his lips against his and they melted into a kiss.

"I think that's the spot" Carol giggled taking in the warm smell of Doug and the scratchiness of five o' clock shadow.

"Oh, lot's more to go" Doug said heading toward the stairs.

"Is that a promise?" Carol teased settling back against him.

"You better believe it" Doug responded and together they ascended the stairs to the bedroom.