"Der Rosenkavalier, Part 3"
By: Melissa and Cathy
When it came time to chose a new Chief Resident for the e.r., Kerry, Mark and the other Attendings found themselves having to chose between Maggie Doyle and Carter. Kerry was all for Carter. She liked Doyle well enough and felt the woman had excellent skills as a trauma physician. But, Doyle didn't have any people skills. Of all the Attendings, Mark was the only one who could ever be considered a "softy", the rest of them, like herself, were tough and demanding. Kerry felt it would be in the best interest of all concerned if the new Chief Resident was someone who countered those tough qualities. Someone who would listen to the other residents and the students. Someone compassionate and caring. Someone who not only had a passion for being a doctor, but who also had the ability to be a great one. Someone like John Carter. Kerry voiced her opinion to Mark, concerned that having Carter living with her was making her biased. Mark agreed with her choice and added that he felt Carter would be a benefit because of his surgical training. So, it was Mark who presented Carter as the candidate to the other Attendings and it was Carter who got their support. It was agreed that Mark and Kerry would be the ones to tell him the good news since they worked more shifts with him than the other Attendings.
"Carter? Got a minute?" Mark asked.
"Sure," Carter put down the chart he had just picked up, then followed Mark into the lounge. Kerry was already inside, sitting at the table.
"Have a seat," Mark said as he sat down.
"Am I in trouble?" Carter asked. He couldn't think of anything he had done wrong lately. Kerry and Mark seemed serious and that made him nervous.
"Carter, you know that we've been considering you and Maggie Doyle to fill the position of Chief Resident," Kerry began. "Well, the Attendings have voted and both Doctor Anspaugh and Doctor Romano have given their approval of our choice."
"Oh." He thought he would feel more disappointed than he did and finding out he didn't make Chief Resident. Well, to be honest with himself, it was always something that other people had kept telling him he should strive for, and not really something that he wanted.
Kerry and Mark both smiled. "Carter, you have the job," Mark said.
John looked from Kerry to Mark, then back to Kerry again. "Are you sure?"
Mark laughed. "We're very sure, Carter. Do you want to be Chief Resident?"
John nodded his head vigorously, his doubts about it fading fast. "Yes. I'll take the job. When do I start?"
Mark and Kerry both laughed at that. "Now." Kerry managed to answer.
"Now? Okay. No problem."
The rest of the staff congratulated him throughout the rest of the day. Even Maggie, although she seemed tense as she gave him her congratulations. Later he would speculate that he should have realized she was angry, but he hadn't seen that. It had occurred to him that she would be disappointed. But, not angry.
A few days later, he found himself being called up to Anspaugh's office. Much to his surprise, Mark and Kerry were there already. As was Romano, looking smug and self-righteous. Nothing new about that, he thought.
"Please have a seat, Doctor Carter," Anspaugh directed.
John sat down, wishing he knew what was going on. Mark and Kerry looked as confused as he did, but Anspaugh seemed upset and Romano was on the verge of gloating.
"I understand that Doctor Carter and Doctor Maggie Doyle were both under consideration for the position of Chief Resident?" Anspaugh asked Kerry.
"That's correct. We took into consideration their backgrounds and management styles as well as their medical skills. Is there a problem? The other day, you both had no trouble agreeing with our choice."
"A serious accusation has been made," Romano said. He was practically sneering at Kerry. "That the only reason you chose Doctor Carter over Doctor Doyle is because he's sharing your bed."
Kerry paled as the words sank in. As much as she had fantasized about the very thing, it was a ridiculous accusation. There was only one person who could have made an accusation like that, and that was the person who had not been given the position: Maggie Doyle. What the Hell was going on in Doyle's mind? Kerry couldn't even bring herself to look over at John. She knew that if she did, she would end up blushing and revealing how she felt about him. She leaned forward, addressing Donald directly.
"That is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard. I can assure you that Doctor Carter is nothing more than a friend and a boarder. I even left the final decision to Mark, just in case I did have a bias toward Doctor Carter because of the fact that he rents a room from me. We are not involved with each other, and we never have been."
"I can assure you that Kerry never put any pressure on me or the other Attendings to chose Doctor Carter as Chief Resident. We all reviewed the candidates and she did not tell the others her choice. And I can also assure you that I'm not having a sexual relationship with Doctor Carter, either." Mark added the last part, hoping that making such an outrageous statement would make Anspaugh and Romano see the foolishness of the accusation.
"We haven't heard from Doctor Carter yet." Romano turned his attention to John, who was still red with anger and embarrassment.
"If you don't think I'm qualified to be Chief Resident in the E.R., then replace me. I have not slept my way into the position." And with that, he got up and left. No one tried to stop him.
"Well?" Kerry asked. "Do you want to replace him as Chief Resident? If you do, then it might be a long wait for a new one because I refuse to put Maggie Doyle into that position just because someone made such a blatant accusation."
"I agree with Kerry," Mark said.
"I believe you. Both of you. But, when an accusation like this is made, we have to investigate it. Surely you understand that, Kerry." Anspaugh said.
"I understand it. I just wish that we were able to have the person in here that made that accusation. I would have liked for her...or him to sit in front of me and make that accusation to my face."
"While I understand how you feel, you must understand that you can't take any kind of action against Doctor Doyle over this. You can't go back downstairs and yell at her over this, nor put her on a work schedule designed to punish her. It's not her fault if someone complained." Romano said.
"The Chief Resident makes up the work schedule, not us. You would know that if you ever read any of the memos that are sent out with your name on them," Kerry pointed out.
"Touche, Doctor Weaver." Romano's smile made her feel queasy inside. At least they knew right where they stood with each other. It seemed so unfair to have Doug Ross no longer a thorn in her side, but still have to deal with Romano. He was worse than Doug Ross on a bad day. Way worse.
Back downstairs, Kerry let John know that he was still Chief Resident. She could feel the anger simmering underneath the surface and was glad that their shift was almost over. She knew without a doubt that Doyle herself had been the one making the accusation. Doyle had been often been at odds with Carter, pointing out that she had been a resident in emergency medicine for a year longer than he had been. In the world according to Doyle, the year he spent as a surgical intern didn't mean a thing. Kerry and Mark didn't look at it that way. To them, that year was one of Carter's major assets. There were procedures he could do, procedures he could teach, that other trauma physicians couldn't. At least she had the small satisfaction of noting that Maggie Doyle wouldn't look at her. She hoped the woman felt very guilty over the underhanded trick she had pulled.
John angrily slammed the dishes into the dishwasher. He was still upset over the meeting in Anspaugh's office. He wasn't so upset that Maggie had made the accusation though. It had to have been Maggie, he thought. He remembered how she had seemed upset, maybe even angry, when she congratulated him. How could she do that to him? But, aside from his disappointment with Maggie, what had him upset the most was the way Kerry had blithely assured Anspaugh that it was a ludicrous idea. That had hurt. He wasn't so vain that he considered himself to be that good-looking or a stud, but he had not expected her to act as if she would rather eat nails than have sex with him.
Kerry sat on the couch, pretending to read a medical journey, but instead stealing glances into the kitchen. John was still upset, that much was obvious. She hoped he didn't break anything and she found herself wincing each time a dish clattered against another. She was glad that she wasn't Maggie Doyle right now. With John in such a foul mood, he might just strangle her. How could she make an accusation like that about her and John? To begin with, she was not the one who had made the final decision that had given John the position of Chief Resident. She had left that up to Mark, knowing that Mark could and would be impartial. But, Maggie had made the accusation and Anspaugh had requested a meeting with Romano, Mark, Kerry, and John Carter. It had been so hard to sit there and assure Donald Anspaugh that she had never thought about John in a sexual way - he was her tenant and nothing more. A friend. It was a ludicrous idea and she told him so. It was also irritating to have to look over at Romano's sanctimonious expression during the meeting.
She jumped as she heard a loud clanging of metal. Getting off of the couch, she headed into the kitchen.
"Need any help?"
"No," he snapped.
"I was just being considerate, John. You don't have to snap at me," she snapped back.
He turned to face her then and she took an involuntary step back as she saw the fury in his eyes.
"It's a bit late to be considerate, isn't it, Kerry?"
"I don't understand what you mean." She shook her head, looking for any clues in his face as to what he was talking about.
"Never mind. Just forget it." He turned back around, in his mind, effectively ending the conversation.
Kerry stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. The arm twitched under her touch, but he didn't pull away. That had to be a good sign.
"I'm sorry about what happened today. Donald Anspaugh really had no right to put you on the spot like that. Maggie had no basis for her accusation, none at all. You didn't deserve to have to sit there and be subjected to all of that. I know that I'm no prize, John, but I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't want to say anything that would hurt my feelings. I know that's why you said as little as you could and then left. You didn't want to say out loud to Romano and Anspaugh that I'm not --- your type. I really do appreciate your consideration."
John bit his tongue, stopping himself from lashing out at her until she was done talking. His anger at what she had said was now replaced by amazement that she had such a low opinion of herself. Not his type? Did he really have a type? Did she not realize how many times he had laid upon his bed in the basement and had to use his own hand on himself because his thoughts about her were driving him crazy? She obviously had not realized any of that.
He turned around, struck by the look in her eyes and on her face. Kerry Weaver really didn't think she was a good catch. He wanted so much to reach out and pull her close to kiss her. Show her that she was a desirable woman. Prove to her that she was wrong. The idea of the two of them together was not ludicrous. Not one bit.
Before he could think twice about it, he did just that.
Kerry let out a small gasp of surprise as John's arms encircled her and pulled her toward him. She could feel his heart beating rapidly as he lowered his head and let his lips lightly brush against hers. She raised her hands to his shoulders, thinking that she would push him away, but his lips then made a firm connection to hers and the only thing she wanted to do was to pull him even closer - as if that was possible.
John's head pulled back and his smoldering eyes gazed down into her pleasantly surprised ones.
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now than to make love with you, Kerry."
"Carter...John, are you sure? Have you been drinking?" Her eyes searched his face, looking for any sign that he was joking around with her. "You can't be serious."
He gently took her hand and placed it over his erection. "Does this feel like I'm joking, Kerry?"
Kerry blushed furiously as she realized that he wasn't joking. If he was, then he had to be the greatest actor in the world. And the look in his eyes was telling her that he wasn't acting.
"I won't force you to do anything, Kerry, but I want you so damn much."
She found her voice once more. "I want you, too, John. Why don't we go upstairs?"
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I've never wanted anything more than this."
"And you have protection?"
"I think so."
"Well, we'll need to make sure. You go on up to your room and I'll be right there. I'm not going to take any risks with you, Kerry."
She nodded, then headed for the stairs as he went down to his room. How many nights had she sat at the island counter in the kitchen and listened as he and Roxanne had wild sex down those steps? Too many, she told herself. And yet, despite the fact that she knew he would be mortified to know that she was eavesdropping on his sex life, she couldn't resist. How she had longed to be the woman down there with him. She slowly smiled. Tonight, she would finally be that woman. She turned around and headed down the basement stairs, meeting him as he was walking up them.
"I was thinking that I would rather make love with you down here," she couldn't keep from smiling because she knew she was blushing like a school girl. Good Lord, she had never reacted this way to a man before. She had spent some wild times with Ellis West, but had never blushed. She could tell the raunchiest of jokes and not get the slight bit pink. But, she couldn't tell John Carter that she wanted to make love with him without getting embarrassed? What was happening to her?
"All right. Just ignore the mess," he joked as he turned around to lead her over to his bed. But he didn't turn fast enough for her to miss the way he was blushing. Knowing that this was as special to him as it was to her gave her a new resolve and she pushed her girlish fears aside. She was a grown woman and he was a grown man. Both were not innocents, but she knew that tonight, with each other, it would feel that way for them both.
As he tossed the box of condoms onto the nightstand, she let her cane drop to the floor, then came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his back. His hands grasped hers and as he turned around in her arms, he made sure that they kept hold of each other.
"Well, here we are," he said, half smiling.
"Yes. We are most certainly here. This is silly, you know. We've both been with other people, so there's no reason for either one of us to be nervous."
"No, there's not." He bent his head and kissed the edge of her mouth, then the center of it, his lips warm and demanding. She parted her lips slightly, giving him permission to go further, even as her hands skimmed across his side and found the buttons on his shirt, undoing them as quickly as she could. She broke off their kiss so she could lavish her attention upon his chest, kissing every inch of it as fast as she revealed it. As her lips found one of his nipples, she couldn't resist the urge to nip at it, eliciting a deep groan from him. She sucked on it until it was hard, then turned her attention to its mate, knowing that John would return the favor in good time. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, letting her hands learn the way his muscles felt just underneath his skin.
"My turn," he murmured as his hands worked the buttons of her blouse free. Before the gauzy material hit the floor, he had lowered his head to where her full breasts were now overflowing her bra. She wanted him so much and it was all she could do to remain still while his lips and tongue explored her skin. She wanted to pull him down onto the bed with him, rip off the rest of their clothing and make love to him as soon as possible. A soft whimper escaped her lips as his mouth closed over the satin fabric of her bra, encasing her nipple in a wet warmth that was an echo of the one down below. He made short work of unhooking her bra and removing it. She stood still as his gaze lingered upon her pale breasts, now heavy with desire. She felt a thrill as he smiled and then lowered his head to nuzzle his face in the valley between them. A shiver ran up her spine as he suckled a nipple, then licked a path to its twin.
"Your turn," he grinned as he pushed his body away from hers.
A wide grin on her face, she undid his belt, then unsnapped his jeans. Her hand on the zipper, she watched his face as she lowered it, then slipped her hand over his hardness. Even though it was still covered by his boxer shorts, the material was thin enough to enable her to feel the heat of his arousal. She lowered her eyes, wanting to see what she had imagined on so many different nights. She smoothed the material over his erection, liking the way the cotton molded itself to his body and letting her know that he had more than enough there to bring her satisfaction.
"Help me kneel down," she said. She wanted to be able to drop to her knees, pulling his pants down his body as she did so, but she knew that it would be painful for her.
"Sure." He helped her get to her knees, then at her urging straightened, slipping out of his jeans and undershorts. It was her turn to send an appraising gaze his way. She wasn't disappointed in the least. She trailed her fingers over his slim hips and the roundness of his butt and then back to the front where his penis stood at attention for her. And only her. "Do I pass your inspection?" he asked, his voice deep with desire.
She nodded. "With flying colors."
"Good." He swept her up into his arms, then gently laid her down upon his bed, undoing her pants so he could slip them and her panties off of her body. He tossed them into the corner, not caring about where they might land. All he cared about was the woman who lay before him, her eyes bright as she watched him take in all of her body.
He bent over her thigh, letting his lips tenderly touch the faint scars that crisscrossed her skin. The reason for her limp, although she never spoke of it. And he wouldn't ask, either. It wasn't important tonight.
Kerry felt her eyes water as John gently kissed her scars. It never amazed her at the number of men she had known who had been able to kiss away the memories of the accident that had left those scars -- the list wasn't long. There was Mlungisi, her lover when she was in Africa. There was Ellis West. And now there was John Carter. The attentions of other men had all seemed to call attention to her deficiencies, John's attentions made her feel special and not deformed. The soft cry that escaped her lips as she realized this about him quickly changed into a moan of desire as his lips began to make their way up her leg and between her legs. She reached out for him, her fingers grasping for any hold they could find as his lips and tongue stoked the flames of her arousal. Her skin was hot where his hands touched her and she found herself opening her legs even more for him, wanting him to do all he could to minister to her needs.
She heard him chuckling and couldn't keep from grinning herself. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," he lowered his head once more, making her gasp for air.
When she could draw a decent breath, she insisted on an answer. "No, I want to know what made you laugh."
"I was just thinking about what the people at work would say if they could see you the way I do right now." His eyes were dark pools of pure desire as he looked up her body at her. "You are so hot, Kerry. So incredibly hot."
"I think that you had too much wine with dinner."
He shook his head. "Don't you realize how desirable you are? How beautiful? It is such an incredible turn on for me to see you like this -- hot and needing to be loved until you scream."
It was her turn to chuckle. "And you think you're the man who can do that for me?"
"I know I am."
Kerry let her head drop back to the mattress, knowing that he was probably right about that. How many times had she heard Roxanne scream out his name as he drove her to the heights of arousal? Too many. It was her turn now.
"John, I think I'm missing out on something here," she said.
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, wondering what he was missing?
"I think you should turn around to do that."
"Oh." So, she wanted them to do each other. He was okay with that idea. Except for the fact that she was just a tiny wisp of a thing -- seeing her without clothing had reinforced that for him -- and he was so afraid that he would crush her. "Okay, but I want you on top."
Kerry sat up laughing as they moved around on the bed. "I'm glad that you've already realized the way things should be."
His only answer was to move her body around on top of his until he could reach what he wanted, then he continued to drive her wild.
"Cheater," she moaned. She managed to get herself together enough to show him that she knew how to please a man. The sounds that he began to make told her that he was very pleased indeed to find that out.
Carter was awake well before his alarm went off for work. Not that he minded. He liked having the quiet time to be able to watch Kerry sleep. Her body felt so right the way it molded against his own and he found himself hoping that the alarm would never go off. He wanted to stay like this for a very long time. But, he knew that it would go off and then they would have to get ready for work. Or at least he would. If he remembered correctly, she had the day off. If he would have also had the day off then he knew just what he would be doing to fill up the hours of that day. But, he didn't. So, he was just going to have to wait until they did get time off together.
He tenderly kissed the top of her head, thinking about how incredibly lucky he was. Not only was he now Chief Resident, but he had finally found out that he had been right about Kerry -- she was someone that he could be himself with, be at ease with, and maybe even spend the rest of his life with. A woman with whom he could find commitment -- a real commitment and not just some arrangement to stay together as long as they were having a good time. He smiled as he discovered that he liked the idea of being committed to Kerry Weaver. It was definitely one of his better ideas.