When They Found Out
Doug Ross
By Elena Ridgeway
spunkie_2003@yahoo.com

It had been a really depressing Valentine's Day. This nurse from radiology asked me out for the umpteenth time, and I finally told her I was married, and my wife had my ring to remember me by while she was visiting family in Russia. Carol has relatives in Russia. If only she was visiting them and living here instead of being in Chicago, never calling, just sending pictures, telling me not to come. She was all I thought about, especially when I turned on the news that night. The news anchor said he had breaking news straight from Chicago. That always intrests me, since I lived there most of my life. Then he said Cook County General. I froze. Carol worked there, what if a bomb had gone off and killed her, or injured her, or Tess and Kate if they were visiting. I switched off the TV. I didn't want some news program telling me the love of my life was gone. I called Mark. He wasn't home. I wanted to call the hospital, but couldn't. What if Randi answered, telling me the news I so dreaded? I left a message on his machine and prayed he got it. Come to think of it now, Mark could of been hurt never gotten the message. But I didn't think of that then. I just thought about Carol.

It was about 4 that afternoon when I got the call. "Mark? Is Carol Ok???"

"She's fine, Doug."

"What happened? I heard something on the news. I was so afraid."

"A psych patient attacked some of the staff with a butcher knife." I froze. Names ran through my mind.

"Who, Mark?"

"Carter and Lucy" No. Lucy, the perky med student? And Carter. God, he was more mature than I ever was. A damn fine doctor, too. And a damn fine friend.

"How are they?"

"Lucy died."

"Oh god. Where..."

"Once in the neck, once in the chest, two in the stomach."

"God...What about Carter?" I was in shock because of Lucy. I hardly knew her, but I still KNEW her, ya know. I prayed Carter was ok. If he was gone, it would be way too much.

"He got stabbed twice in the back. Hit the kidney and descending colon. Almost lost the kidney and has to have a temporary colostomy. He'll be ok in a couple of weeks, we think."

"I can't believe this."

"That's not the worst part. Weaver found them in Curtain 3, after they had been laying there god knows how long. I can't believe that Carter lived with losing that much blood."

"It's unreal Mark." My mind was spinning with the information I had just obtained. Just imagining caring for someone I knew like that brought back harsh memories of Carol's suicide attempt. "I'm so sorry." "Yeah. Listen, Doug, I gotta go. We're short a doc and I have to get someone to cover."

"Call me with an update on Carter, Ok?"

"Yeah. Talk to ya later."

After that, I grabbed my coat and went for a walk, hoping the fresh air would help kill the nausea in my stomach. I just kept repeating 'it wasn't Carol. it wasn't Carol.'

I didn't help one bit.