#hesjustcarter

Giving up her career in emergency medicine was difficult enough, and telling her folks was even worse. That was almost four months ago.

These days, J.ing M.ei finds herself relatively content, albeit bored. Sometimes hearing her new husband talk about rotations and the hardships of his final year in med school makes her miss it, but no. She can’t risk screwing anything up again. Not when there’s a person’s life at risk. That’s too big a gamble. So now she settles for bringing C.arter lunch.

This entire thing was arranged by their scheming parents. The vows had been said, the reception performed, and a less than glamorous honeymoon spent right here in gloomy C.hicago where a close eye could be kept on them at all times. It was suffocating, maddening, but at least they had each other to lean on while enduring this nightmare. Both were familiar with overbearing parents, a trait that helped them both survive it. One thing she made very clear early on was that she didn’t want to jeopardize their friendship by contributing to C.arter feeling trapped by circumstances beyond their control, allowing him total freedom to pursue other, more suitable romantic connections. Yes, she’d been the one to instigate it.

So why did it feel so awful when she saw him flirting with another med student while suturing a patient?

The woman was very pretty, very blonde — just his type — with pouty red lips and a bit of a mischievous demeanor about her. A stark contrast to J.ing M.ei. With these traits in mind, it was no surprise to see her leaning forward, poised to kiss. That’s when J.ing M.ei turned away from the window of the exam door, spinning on the heel of her boot and hurrying to the break room where she tosses the lunch back on the table and leans her weigh against one of the chairs, feeling positively ill.

What’s wrong with her? It’s nothing she hadn’t given full permission for, and is isn’t as though she and C.arter are romantically involved, marriage aside.

“Almost got it.” Mumbling to herself, Remmy had hauled herself up onto the countertop in the supply closet to get to the top shelf in the cabinet. Standing on tiptoes, body fully extended she should’ve asked for help. Instead she was stubbornly putting herself in a precarious situation. There were plenty of her coworker that were more than tall enough to help, but if she got one more short nickname or joke she would implode. Plus it meant asking for help and to talk to people in a nonprofessional sense, no thank you.

the passenger window rolled down just long enough for andrea's sister to lean across the center console. "don't do anything i wouldn't do ! " andrea groaned immediately, "that list is way too short." paulina laughed, earning herself a pointed look. the car pulled away with one last honk, disappearing down the street while the brunette stood there for a moment watching it go. the timing was perfect. not early, not late. exactly on time . . . which was a miracle considering she had spent the majority of her day off helping her sister and her roommates do a costco run. yes . . . a costco run took a majority of her day. those twenty-four year-olds had no idea what the hell they were doing.

the evening air was warm as she turned toward the restaurant, the sky painted in streaks of gold and pale orange. sunset hadn't quite arrived yet, but it was getting close. the windows overlooking the river reflected the fading light, and beyond them, the bridge stretched acros the water like something out of a postcard.

adjusting the strap of her purse, she made way toward the entrance, pausing briefly when she spotted a familiar figure nearby. a smile appeared before she could stop it. there he is. the nervousness she'd been feeling since the date was set remained. "carter." his name came out softer than she intended. andrea stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over him before returning to his face. "funny bumping into you here," she teased before reaching out automatically, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from the front of his shirt. for a second her hand lingered there. then she cleared her throat and stepped back with a sheepish smile. "you look nice."

"Oh then you picked the wrong spot, darling. A lot of people hide up here. Usually not at the same time but this is the go to spot to get away." Aoife jokes as she walks over to stand near him. She leans against the railing looking out at all the buildings nearby. She needed this right now it had been a hard day.

"I get it. I always take a few minutes when the day is hard. Dana said they could spare me so here I am." She thinks for a minute about taking out her phone or going to a corner. Quiet would be nice but honestly, conversation feels better.

"I've never been to Chicago what's that like? All I know is strange pizza and that big metal- umm the Bean? Is that even in Chicago? I could be making that up. I need to travel more honestly I've just always been too busy for that kind of thing."

Her head hurts. Hangover? Yeah, she has a hangover. 

As carefully and as slowly as she can Kate turns herself, feels skin brush against sheets that have far too a thread count to be her own. 

A blink of her eyes, she recognises the room…feels something in her chest sink…shit. She made some fucking dumbass mistakes while drunk. That was for sure. For a fraction of a second she wonders if it was a mistake, and then immediately casts that thought out of her mind. 

It was going to be a one time thing, one hundred percent. He’s made it very clear the two of them are not compatible, they do nothing but bicker and it’s not like he even really likes her that way. They only talk because they’ve known each other longer than really she would like to admit, and they knew far too much about each other's families to really ever not know each other in some way. 

It was just a thing. A thing that she didn’t have a name for. A thing they didn 't need to find a name for right because it was just a thing that wasn't going to happen again.

The last time she stepped foot in this hospital was when she had an arm injury, which was three years ago. Some things had changed of course while other things she remembered remains the same. Just thinking of how she firat met carter as her doctor brought a small smile to her lips. Even he had changed a bit since meeting him that day, although his boyish charm and clumsiness was still at his core.

Earlier when she agreed to having dinner with carter( after his many attempts of making jokes while fumbling to get some words out) she figured she take the bus here early to meet with him here after he finished his shift. Walking up to the admitting desk she saw a tall brunette woman at the desk and was going to ask for john carter when another person who she would assume is a doctor approached her. It didn't take long however for her to get the sense that he was the type of guy that thought he was hot stuff introducing himself like she should be impressed, ( which she wasn't.)

At first she was polite and told him that she was waiting for someone and it took all her will power to not roll her eyes his way. This Dale Edson was unfortunately the type of guy she would've been impressed with only because she would've been too young and naive to fall for something like this, thankfully she grew out of that phase in her life. her expression remain neutral with a tight smile. " wow, good for you doctor..Edson right? I'm flattered really. But as I said I'm already seeing someone so.." this man kept yapping on and on like he didn't even listen to her. She was gonna give him a reality check with a verbel insult when out of nowhere she sees carter walk up to her, two palms against her cool cheeks when he kissed her.

Margo was stunned by his actions but quickly melted into the kiss. Her own palms flat against his chest against his doctor lab coat. Pulling back breathless and for a moment had forgotten others who no doubt were staring at their display of affection. Her face grew warm as the reality of what just happened. Her eyes fluttering towards his Bambi brown eyes only led her to smile breathlessly.

Margo bit her bottom lip with a slow nod at his suggestion. " yeah I'd like that." She glasp her fingers in his hand and walked with him towards his locker room. She notices the looks and in particular that Dale guy who she only smirked and shrugged her shoulders as if she was glad that got him to finally shut up.