The Christmas Celebration

Author Note: The first passage is taken directly from ER ("Do You See What I See?"). Since we didn’t get to see what actually took place once Doug and Carol were able to get the evening off the story will be centered around their Christmas celebration. Story opens just as Carol is going to announce to the ER staff that they are back together. The timing of the story doesn't exactly fit with the timing of how ER played this out but, hey, what the heck. My part of the story starts after Carol says "Hell no."

The following contains a graphic sexual scene and is therefore rated for 18+ readers.   Of course, this story has no official affiliation with NBC, Constant-C or Warner Brothers and is for entertainment purposes only, no profit is derived from it.  Please do not reproduce without my consent.

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The Christmas Celebration

by Ruth
socalgal7@yahoo.com 

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 CHRISTMAS EVE

Carol took Doug’s hand and walked into the Nurses Station where people were still celebrating from the ER Party.

"Can I have your attention everybody? Can I have your attention please? I have an announcement to make. Can you turn down that music?" They both stood in the middle of the party with everyone's attention turned on them. "Okay, I have kept this a secret far too long. Doug Ross and I are seeing each other again..." Carol noticed that no one was surprised and continues "...and we're very happy." Doug looked down a bit.

The crowd began to react now as someone in the crowd yelled "Yeah?"

Connie turned to Chuny and triumphantly said "Okay pay up, pay up." Giving the money to Connie, Chuny commented "I was a week too late. I thought New Year's for sure."

"I'm surprised they kept it a secret this long." Lydia offhandedly stated.

"You knew?" Carol looked into the crowd.

"Please honey, it was obvious." Randi snuffed.

Looking around Kerry stated, "I didn't know."

"Neither did I." Anna joined in.

"Maybe, uh, something you guys didn't know is uh, that, uh, we've been seeing each other for a while now, again, and uh, I thought it would be great if she were to marry me."

Carol looked at him in surprise as the whole ER began cheering and clapping for them.

"Talk her into it, help me talk her into it." He looked to the crowd for help.

"To Carol and Doug, get it right this time!" Chuny yelled out as she toasted them.

Carter joined in on the toast "Yeah! Hear hear! Hear hear!"

"Do You See What I See?" began to play on the radio and Carol and Doug put their arms around each other. Carol looked at him.

"You always have to out do me don't you?" She smiled at him.

"Well, I had the opportunity and I took it." They both smiled at each other.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for the both of you!"

"Thank you Dr. Carter!" Doug stated. Carol joined in by saying "Thank you!"

Wrapping her arms around Doug’s neck they kissed each other.

"So you gonna stick around until I get off?" Doug whispered to her.

"Hell no."

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"But I will come back after your shift is over." She smiled and kissed him again. She knew it didn't make a lot of sense to come back to the hospital but she wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. She whispered in his ear. "We can drive home to my place. I want to wake up on Christmas morning in your arms." She left him then and he gazed after her as she exited the hospital.

Eight hours later Carol was back at the hospital, eager to get home again with Doug. The drive home was quiet. Carol still couldn’t believe Doug asked her to marry him. She was happy but pensive. She briefly thought about the last time she was to marry. She put these thoughts out her mind, though, she wanted tonight to be special.

She gazed at the Christmas lights and house decorations as they drove past them. People arriving home with packages to put under the tree. Couples tossing snow balls at each other. Although she was Ukrainian and had different holiday traditions she loved Christmas time. Doug didn’t mention it much but she felt he really enjoyed this time of year, too.

She looked at Doug and rested her hand on his thigh. He looked at her and they both smiled. Placing his hand over hers he squeezed it.

Doug wanted to talk to her about the wedding proposal. What she thought, when she wanted to get married, where she wanted to do it, her ring size… He felt the need to hurry the process along. He wasn’t sure why but he didn’t want to wait too long. He would deal with these things soon, though, tonight he just want to be with Carol. To hold her, to make love to her, to be happy.

They arrived at Carol’s just as new snow was beginning to fall. It was so beautiful as the Christmas lights reflected off the blanket that was coating the neighborhood. It really didn’t feel that cold to either Doug or Carol.

Doug came around to Carol’s side of the truck. She was standing outside of the Jeep and looked up toward the sky with her eyes closed. The snowflakes felt good on her face. Doug stood behind her and slid his arms around her waist and pressed his body against hers. Carol leaned back into him and holding his hands she pressed her head into his shoulder.

"Are you happy Carol?"

"Very happy Doug."

"You just seemed so quiet on the way home." Doug had a bit of a nervous tone in his words.

Turning around to face him Carol hugged him. Looking into his eyes she smiled. "You weren’t exactly being ‘Mr. Conversation’ yourself."

"Mmm… I guess you’re right." Doug chuckled and lightly kissed her. "Let’s go inside, I’m starting to get cold."

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The house was chilly. Carol was having heating problems and hadn’t had time to get someone over to check it out. While Carol went to turn on the Christmas lights on the tree, Doug began to prepare the fire. She was so glad she and Shep had found that fireplace behind the wall. It saved her a few times during some very cold periods during the winter.

"I have some eggnog. Do you want some, Doug?"

"Only if you have some rum to mix with it" he laughed.

"Oh, I think I can dig some up. I might even have some nutmeg."

Carol came back with two cups and set them on the coffee table. Doug was struggling a bit with the fire.

"Did you check to see if the flue was open?"

"Carol, I know how to start a fire. The wood is just…"

"Um, Doug…" Carol was pointing to the fireplace. "Doesn’t it mean when smoke is coming out that the chimney isn’t open?"

"Damn it!" He quickly opened the flue before any damage was done. "Sorry Carol. I shouldn’t have snapped at you."

Carol rolled her eyes at him. "Just come over here and sit with me." His heart melted. How did he get so lucky to end up with this woman?

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With the fire blazing now the house was beginning to warm up. Doug stretched out on the sofa holding out his hand to Carol. Gently taking it in her hand she sat down on the edge of the cushion facing him.

"I love you, Doug." The words caught in her throat as tears sprang to her eyes. Doug was a bit surprised by her emotions and grew concerned.

"Why are you crying? I only want you to be happy."

"Oh, Doug, I am happy. Just a bit nervous, that’s all. You know what happened the last time I gave this marriage thing a try." She wiped her face with her hand and smiled at him trying to show him things were okay.

"Hey, I’m nervous too. I never thought I would get married. The only example I had of marriage was Ray and mom, and that didn’t look too appealing to me. You, Carol, you have changed my views on marriage, though." He looked at her seriously. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We can get through anything. Just look, we’ve made it through the last six years!" They both chuckled at this knowing how true a statement that was.

Carol turned and stretched out on the sofa with Doug, feeling so warm and safe. He spread his legs so she could lie between them. Resting her head on his shoulder he wrapped his arms around her. Both starred at the Christmas tree for quite a while lost in their own thoughts.

Carol wanted Doug to kiss her. She moved her hair away from her neck, tucking it off to one side. Doug readily took the cue. Bending down he lightly drew his lips across her soft flesh letting his tongue slide along, too. This immediately sent shivers through her body. She softly moaned. "Doug you have no idea how good that feels."

"Tell me how it feels."

Carol sat up a bit and turned over to face him. "What?"

"I want you to tell me how it feels when I kiss you. I want to know what you experience when I make love to you."

"Well you are just going to have to kiss me again so I can explain it."

"No problem." Doug rolled her over so she was on the bottom. He penetrated her mouth with his tongue. His kiss was filled with such power and passion. "Tell me Carol. Tell me what it feels like." His kisses grew more insistent.

She had a hard time thinking. What does this feel like…? "My body tingles when you touch me. Sometimes it aches." Her hands were pulling on his shirt. She wanted to feel his body against hers. "I feel…"

Doug took his shirt off. He could tell she was struggling a bit; he didn’t want to pressure her. "It’s okay… I know, I know." He slowly began to unbutton her blouse. "Do you want to go upstairs?"

"No Doug. I want you to make love to me here." She pulled his mouth to hers again. Fire. That’s what it felt like to her. Burning. Sometimes she couldn’t get enough, sometimes it was too much. At times her emotions would take over and she wouldn’t know how to handle it. Six years to get to this point. So many times she pushed him away, so many times he kept coming back.

Doug pulled back and looked at her. He smiled. Pushing her blouse off her shoulders he kissed her neck. He slid her bra straps off and pushed it down below her breasts.

"Mmm… so beautiful." She arched her back slightly wanting him to suck her nipples. He lightly brushed his tongue across her left breast encircling the hard point. His hand caressed her other breast. Soft sounds were escaping her throat. He knew she loved this.

She pushed him back slightly so she could remove her top and bra. Doug sat up to watch her. Tossing her clothes on the floor she stood up. She began to unzip her jeans but Doug stood up and brushed her hand away.

"Let me." Doug moved directly next to her. His face so close to hers she could feel his hot breath against her face. He began to push her jeans down. As he took them off he moved down her body. Kissing her chest, breasts, rib cage, stomach, navel. She gazed at him as he traveled down her body.

Did he know, did he really know how much she loved him?

She stepped out of her jeans and Doug moved up against her again. He slipped his arms around her slim waist and gentle kissed her. His handles traveled down her back and he slipped them under her panties to grasp her bottom. He pressed her against his body so she could feel his hardness. As his tongue probed her mouth she reached down to undo his pants. He helped her slip them off.

Did she know, did she really know how much he loved her?

Both needing each other they quickly shed their underwear. Doug was always so quick to begin to please her first but she wanted to take the lead this time.

"Lay down Doug." He stretched out on the sofa and she sat on top of his thighs. Her hands began to caress his chest. She bent down and nuzzled into his neck breathing in his smell. Her mouth wandered down his body until she surrounded his penis with her lips. She moved slowly up and down his shaft. Her hair fell down around his legs and he closed his eyes enjoying the sensations he was feeling. She rotated between moving slow then fast. Taking his full length into her mouth she sucked on him hard. He tensed a bit pushing his hips up. Carol glanced up at him while she encircled his tip with her tongue. "Does this feel good?"

Doug was so close but he only wanted to come inside her. "Yes, it feels great, but Carol, I don’t want to come yet."

Carol sat up and with a bit of disappointment in her tone she responded. "Doug, you always make sure I am satisfied first. I just wanted you to have your turn."

"That’s just it. What makes me happy is to see you enjoying yourself. Come here," he chuckled, "I think I know what will make us both happy."

Carol was still on top of him so she stretched over his body and he guided himself into her. He never worried that she wouldn’t be ready for him. Her body immediately began to respond. Moving quickly she pushed back and forth against him. With the foreplay that had taken place she needed no more encouragement.

"Oh Doug…" He held on to her hips and pushed himself deeper. With the sounds of her voice and the contraction of her muscles he knew she was coming. She quickened her pace as she cried out his name again. He didn’t have enough room or enough time to roll her over.

"Carol, sit up… now!" She immediately complied putting the full weight of her body on him thrusting forward. His hot liquid shot into her body. Wave after wave he came. When she knew he was done she slowed her movements down and laid down on his chest again. They took several minutes to calm down and let their breathing return to normal.

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She slid off of him and grabbed the blanket to pull over them. Snuggling once again they returned to starring at the Christmas tree.

Yes, they knew how much they loved each other. Both were unsure of the future, both a little nervous, but both were confident in their feelings for each other.

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CHRISTMAS

Christmas morning came way too soon for both of them. They had fallen asleep on the sofa and Doug was starting to get cramps from Carol laying on him.

"Good morning sleepy head… and Merry Christmas too." He kissed the top of her head to wake her up faster.

"Mmm, Doug you always wake up before me."

"Old habits die hard I guess."

"Well, that’s is something we are going to have to change. Merry Christmas by the way." She kissed him tenderly.

"I’m going to jump in the shower before I get breakfast started. Do you want to come up?"

"Very tempting but you go ahead up. I’ll get a new fire going. I’m freezing." Carol was already heading up the stairs. "You know we’ve really got to get this heating situation fixed." He yelled after her. No answer. He just sighed and went about preparing the fire.

By the time Doug came up to get in the shower Carol was already dressed in a sweater and jeans. She was pulling something out of the dresser drawer and quickly put it back in when he entered the bedroom.

"What’s that?"

"Oh, nothing. Quit being so nosey and get in the shower."

"Is that my Christmas present?" He was trying to maneuver his way around her, tickling her in the attempt.

"Doug!" she squealed "You are just going to have to wait. Now get in the shower!"

"Party pooper. Fine, I will wait but not for long." Carol just smiled at him but wouldn’t budge until he went into the bathroom.

She grabbed the package from the drawer and went downstairs. She placed the box under the tree and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

About 15 minutes later she heard Doug going outside to his Jeep and returning just a couple of minutes later. Curious she went into the living room just as he had placed something under the tree.

"Hey, get away from that!" Doug quickly dropped the box that Carol had place there earlier.

"I… it was just… I only wanted…" Caught red handed he quickly went over to Carol and tried to kiss her neck.

"Oh no you don’t. You can’t use your charms on me. Breakfast first then we can open gifts."

Mumbling something under his breath she dragged him into the kitchen.

Breakfast was wonderful. It wasn’t so much the food as the fact that they were together. The mostly just talked about what they would be doing over the next few days. Dinner in the city, outings with friends, movies they wanted to see. There was a Christmas display that they had heard was really beautiful. The kind you drive through. Carol was a bit more excited about this then Doug was, but he was willing to do anything that made Carol happy.

Carol could tell that Doug was just dying to open his gifts so she finally gave in. "Okay Doug let’s open gifts. Jeez, if we ever have kids, Christmas time is going to be a constant battle."

Sitting by the tree Carol handed Doug his gift. "I hope you like it."

"I’m sure I will." He tore into the box, rifling through colored tissue paper, he finally got to an envelope. "You really had to make this hard, didn’t you?" Carol laughed.

He opened the envelop and starred at its contents. "Two tickets to a Bulls game. Carol, how in the world did you get these? I can’t believe it! I’ve been trying for months to get these tickets. This is fantastic." The words were tumbling out. Carol was thrilled by his reaction.

"Oh, I pulled a few strings. Worked through a few patients. I have my ways."

He hugged her tightly and then kissed her gently. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome. Okay, my turn."

Doug hoped she liked his gift as much as he liked hers. He handed her the large box. She slowly unwrapped the paper and put it to the side. She was sure he had someone else wrap it. Inside were several smaller packages. She looked at him curiously. Each package revealed something different. A swimsuit, shorts, sandals, tank tops, suntan lotion. She didn’t quite know what to make of it.

"Oh, I think there is something missing." Doug reached under the tree skirt and pulled out another present. "This should explain things."

Like Doug she opened the present and starred at its content. Two tickets to Hawaii for a week. Leaving right after New Years. She was astonished.

"Carol, you have been working so hard with getting the clinic going that I thought you needed a break. Do you like it?"

A slow smile spread across her face and a tear slide down her face. "Yes Doug. I love it. Thank you so much" she whispered. "This is the best Christmas I have ever had. You’ve made it so special for me." She reached up and stroked his face. Leaning forward she kissed him, slow at first and then more passionately.

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Other small presents came. Clothes, a necklace, a new basketball, a scarf. All were very nice gifts but nothing compared to the gift of love that they shared with each other that Christmas day.

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THE END

9/16/98