One Summer Night
Part 6
By Lisa
ERDrLewis@aol.com

Lucy walked up to the house. She wasn't sure if he would be there or not, but she sure hoped he would. Lucy had taken the El back to her place, freshened up, and taken the El to Carter's house. Just in case he wasn't, and Kerry was, Lucy had grabbed a sweater he had left at her apartment. She could always say he left it at the ER. She walked up the steps and rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" she hear Kerry say from inside. "Lucy?" Kerry said, as she opened the door.

"Uh, hi, is Carter here?" Lucy asked.

"No, he's still with his mother, I assume. Can I tell him something for you?" she asked.

"That's alright. Will you just give this to him?" Lucy asked, handing her the sweater.

Kerry could see disappointment and sadness in her eyes. "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, not looking at her.

"Lucy, don't worry about that fight you had with Carter today. He's been fighting with everyone lately. I think he's too stressed out. He's been in a fight with me, you, his parents, his grandparents, I heard even his new girlfriend . . ."

"Girlfriend?" Lucy squeaked out. Had Carter told her about them?

Kerry could see Lucy tense up at the word. "Yeah, he said something about a girlfriend, not sure who though." With those words, she could see Lucy start to relax. *Hmm," Kerry thought to herself. *Could Lucy really be L.K.?*

"Well, I better be going," Lucy said, starting down the steps.

"Lucy?" Kerry said.

Lucy turned back around. "Yes, Dr. Weaver?"

Kerry smiled. "I think Carter is at his grandparents' place," she said, with a twinkle in her eyes.

Lucy smiled for a moment, but then realized that she had just given herself away. Kerry laughed at the sight. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Now, you better run along. Tell Carter hello for me."

Lucy ran up the steps again to give Kerry a hug, which surprised her. "Thank you so much, Dr. Weaver!"

And with that she ran back to the El. She had a John Carter to find.

"John, please stay for dinner," his mother said.

"Sure, I have nothing better to do," he said, taking advantage of the fact that his grandfather and father were both away on business.

The two of them sat in the study while they waited for Carter's grandmother to come home from her bridge game.

"Dear, is something bothering you?"

"No, what makes you think that?"

"It just seems that something is wrong."

Carter sighed. "I just got into a fight with my med student, Lucy, today."

"Is that the same Lucy you brought over?"

Whoops. "Yeah."

"You like her, don't you?"

"Mom!"

"Well, I can tell you do. She's a sweet girl. John, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

There was a moment of silence. "You're going out with her, aren't you?"

"What did Barb tell you?"

"Nothing. She didn't say anything about you. I was just assuming. So, what's really troubling you is that you got in a fight with your girlfriend."

Sometimes Carter hated how his mother knew him so well. "Yeah, that's it."

He saw his mom smile. "Well, that's all I wanted to know."

"Yeah, this is it," Lucy told the taxi cab driver. The El didn't run close enough to Carter's grandparents' house, so she hailed a cab there. "You can stop here." She didn't want to have the taxi drive all the way up the driveway. She shoved some money in the driver's hand and hopped out. She walked up the driveway, which was a pretty far walk, and finally reached the door. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Quickly, someone came to the door. The butler. Lucy forgot his name. "Yes?"

"Uh, is Carter here? John Carter?"

"Miss Knight, correct? One moment please," he said, disappearing for a moment.

Lucy stood in the doorway, not quite sure of what to do. She then saw Carter walk out of a door. "Hi," she said.

"Hi."

"Um, I'm sure this is a bad time and everything but-"

"Can we go somewhere to talk? Your place or something?" Carter asked.

Lucy smiled a little bit. "Yeah. That'd be good."

Lucy unlocked the door and threw her keys on the kitchen counter. She flipped on the radio as Carter walked over to the couch and sat down. She followed him.

"I'm sorry," the both said at the same time. They laughed.

"Me first," Lucy said. "I'm sorry I mixed up the two patients' files. I can understand why you got mad. I'll be more careful from now on with that."

Carter smiled. "Well, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have blown up at you. It's just that I'm so stressed out lately . . ."

"Well, we can work on that later. Now, I know you got a nice gourmet meal, but I haven't eaten dinner, so I'm going to make myself a sandwich."

They sat and talked while Lucy ate her sandwich. When Lucy went to wash the dish she used, she felt Carter grab her from behind. "Dance with me?" he asked.

Lucy turned around. It would be Carter, of all people, who could get her to dance to a song on the radio in her kitchen. She rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the words of the song.

- You turn around

Then you ask me behind tears of doubt
Just what do I see in you.
Please don't cry
I know sometimes it seems we barely get by
But you don't see how much you do
To get me through.
When the world is cold
And I need a friend to hold
You give me love, you give me love
And when my hope is gone
And I feel I can't go on
You pick me up
You give me love, you give me love
I apologize
If I never told you what you are in my eyes
Oh baby, let me tell you now
Every day
Looks sweeter knowing you'll be there in every way
Now how can you say that's not enough
'Cause when the world is cold
And I need a friend to hold
You give me love, you give me love
And when my hope is gone
And it feels I can't go on
You pick me up
You give me love, you give me
Everything my heart desires
Morning sun and midnight fires
Someone there to share my dreams
With you I have everything
When the world is cold
And I need a friend to hold
You give me love, you give me love
And when my hope is gone
and I feel I can't go on
You pick me up
You give me love
Yeah, when my world is cold
And I need a friend to hold me
You give me love, you give me love
And when my hope is gone
And I feel I can't go on
You pick me up
You give me love . . . -

"So, what are we going to do if we get in another fight at work?" Lucy asked Carter that night as they lay in bed.

"We'll have to try not to. But, let's just take it one day at a time."

"Yeah, one day at a time." That's what they'd have to do. Take it one day at a time.

End.