ER: Doug and Carol Series

Story #13

Tis the Season

by: Courtney

It’s Tuesday morning, 11am. John Carter is just walking out of an exam room when he, very literally, runs into Charlie. “Oops, sorry,” he says as he catches her arm to keep her from falling. “You okay?” they are both laughing as they regain their balance.

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,” she smiles. He nods.

“So, what brings you here today?” he asks her.

“Uh, I came to have lunch with Doug and Carol. They’re both working today and they wanted to talk to me about something. I just hope this isn’t about my grades,” she rolls her eyes.

“That bad, huh?”

“Not awful, but I got another C.” She looks at John. The disappointment in his eyes is somewhat surprising and disheartening. She finds herself wishing she had not mentioned the grade at all as she sees that she has not lived up to his expectations. “I know,” she sighs, “I could have done better.”

“You know what you need to do? You need to find a subject that really interests you, figure out what you really love. Then, you can set a goal for yourself. If you know what you want to do with your life, it makes the road to get there that much smoother.”

Charlie furrows her brow in thought of this idea. “Great. Only one problem, though. Any suggestions on how to find a goal?”

“That’s up to you. I have some catalogs and stuff though. You could borrow them if you want. Maybe flipping through them will bring about a spark of interest.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to get those from you sometime.”

“Sure. I’ll bring them by one day this weekend if you’re home. How’s that?”

“Fine, thanks,” she smiles. Looking down at her watch, she sees the time. “I’m late. I better go. Thanks again, John. I’ll see you around.”

“Okay Charlie, see you.” He turns towards another exam room as Charlie heads off to find her lunch dates.

Doug and Carol are both standing at the nurses station in their coats when Charlie walks up. “Sorry I’m late,” she says.

“That’s okay,” Doug replies. He grabs his keys off the counter and asks, “Ready?”

“Yep,” Charlie and Carol say and the three make their way for the doors.

They decide to eat at a nearby restaurant that is less than a block from the hospital. It’s quiet and pretty empty as they sit down at an unoccupied table near the back. “So,” Charlie says, “what’s the occasion? You guys must have something important to say if it couldn’t wait until you got home.”

Doug looks at Carol and she nods slightly at him. “Charlie,” he begins, “we have some news for you. Carol and I . . . That is we are . . .”

Carol breaks in as Doug falters, “We’re going to have a baby.”

Charlie stares at the two of them for a moment, utterly speechless at this news. Eventually, she finds her voice, “You’re kidding! A baby? Wow,” she seems very shocked but not exactly unhappy.

“Well, what do you think?” Doug asks.

“I don’t know what to think,” she confesses, still shaking her head as if trying to register this news. “Did you plan this or something?”

“No,” Carol replies. “We were as surprised as you.” She smiles slightly and scans Charlie’s face for a reaction.

“How long have you known?”

“Just a few days. I went to the doctor on Saturday. We wanted to hold off on telling you until it was for sure, then we wanted to find a time when we could tell you together,” Carol explains.

Charlie nods and looks at them both again. A small smile forms on her lips. “Well, I guess I congratulate you both now, right?”

Carol smiles. She gets up from the table and goes over to hug Charlie. “Thank you,” she says. “I’m so glad you’re okay with this. I was really worried how you’d take it.”

Doug seems pleased by Charlie’s reaction as well. He is smiling as Carol returns to her seat.

“Are you two getting married now?” Charlie asks.

They look at one another then back to Charlie. “Not just yet,” Carol says. “Let us drop one bombshell at a time,” she smiles. “We have to get used to the idea of having a baby right now. I think any wedding plans will be far into the future.”

Doug nods his agreement. “You and I are moving into Carol’s place though. I hope that’s still okay with you. I know we talked about it before and you were for it, but, well, I know things are a little different now. Do you still feel the same way?”

“Yeah, I do. I think that’s great, actually. I can have all my stuff in one room and sleep in the same bed every night.” She smiles and both Doug and Carol look relieved that she is alright with their decision. “So, when do we have to have the stuff out of the apartment?”

“We’ve got a month. We’ll wait until after Christmas to get started,” Doug tells her. “So, what are we all having?” he looks at the menu in front of him.

She picks up a menu from the table. “What sounds good?”

They begin to talk about their choices for lunch and they all decide on a different meal. The waitress comes and takes their orders. She returns a short while later with their food and the three of them spend the rest of the meal talking over the upcoming changes in all of their lives.

Charlie is standing at the sink, washing vegetables. It’s Christmas Eve and she has promised to get a head start on some of the preparations for tomorrow’s dinner. At the moment, she is washing squash for a casserole Carol is going to make. It is after five o’clock at night and both Doug and Carol should be arriving home soon.

Charlie hears the door open and calls, “In here guys!”

“Hey, how’s it going?” Doug asks as he walks into the kitchen along with Carol. He sets a few bags down on the kitchen table and walks over to the refrigerator to get a drink. “Anyone for a glass of tea?” he asks.

“Yes, please,” Carol says. She sits down at the table. “How was your day, Charlie?”

“Pretty good,” she washes the last piece of squash and sets it into the waiting bowl. Turning off the water, she dries her hands and takes a seat at the table with Carol. “How about you? Was it busy at the hospital today?”

Carol widens her eyes and says, “Oh yes! The holiday season seems to draw in the crowd.” She rubs her eyes, “I’m exhausted.”

Doug comes over to the table and sits down with them. He sets a glass of tea in front of Carol and says, “You’d better get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

“Don’t remind me,” Carol grimaces. The thought of dinner with their mothers is already making her squeamish.

“It’ll be fine,” Doug says.

“Yeah, you said that on Thanksgiving and look what a barrel of laughs that turned out to be,” she looks pointedly at Doug.

“She has a point, Doug,” Charlie says.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side! You two need to stop worrying. It can’t get any worse than the last dinner. Helen will just spend the meal throwing daggers at me with her eyes and I’ll have to try and pretend not to notice. I’m the one in the hot seat here. I don’t know what you two are worried about, she *likes* you.” He smiles.

“Have you told her about the baby?” Charlie asks. One look at Carol’s face and it is pretty obvious the answer is no. “Wrong question, huh?”

“Yeah, let’s save that for another time,” Doug says, glancing at Charlie.

“Sorry. Well, Carol, what time are you going to start cooking in the morning?”

“Let’s see, dinner is at five, so I have to put the turkey in by nine. I guess if I start that early, everything can be done tomorrow.”

“Great, I’ll get up to help you.”

“Thanks,” Carol smiles.

“Well, if you two have to start cooking at nine, maybe we should open gifts tonight. I mean, I’d hate to get up too early considering the action we have in store for us tomorrow night,” he smirks.

“That’s fine with me, okay by you?” she asks Charlie.

“Sure, fine.”

“Okay, we’ll do it after dinner then,” Doug says.

They all agree and Carol and Doug go up to change for dinner. Charlie agrees to get dinner started while they are gone.

Their dinner consists of chicken, salad, and a casserole Carol had prepared the night before. They have all eaten and cleaned up the kitchen by 8 o’clock and they are all sitting around the living room. The Christmas tree is huge and grandly decorated. Carol and Charlie had worked very hard on the decorations for this year. Charlie was especially excited because this was the first real Christmas she’d ever had. And, even for Doug and Carol, it was the happiest one either of them remembered. Even the unexpected news of their impending parenthood had not dampened their holiday spirits. The numerous gifts piled under the tree were a great way to show they cared about one another, but the happy expressions on their faces seem even more important on this holy night.

“Okay,” Doug says, getting up to walk over to the tree. He picks up a large box and reads the card. “To Charlie, from Santa,” he reads. He smiles as he hands the package to Charlie.

“Thank you,” she says and unwraps the box. Inside is a new skirt and sweater, both very nice. “Thanks guys,” she smiles as she sees the gift.

“Don’t thank us, thank Santa,” Doug says to her. She smirks at him and chuckles. Doug laughs, then reaches down for the next gift. This one is smaller and it is addressed to Carol, also from Santa. Carol takes the box and unwraps it to find a beautiful silk scarf.

“Oh, I love it! Thank you,” as she says this, Doug opens his mouth to speak. “I know, I know, thanks Santa,” she corrects herself with a smile.

“Now, you open one,” Charlie instructs Doug.

He nods and finds a box addressed to himself. He opens it to reveal a new pair of brown, leather loafers. “Now how do you suppose Santa knew I needed these?” Doug asks the girls with a smile. They laugh at him and he grins.

Many more gifts are exchanged between the three. Charlie receives even more clothes, a new pair of shoes, some candles and pictures for her room, and several other things. Carols gifts include clothes, some things she’s been wanting for the house, a few books, among others. As for Doug, he also gets some clothes, several movies he’s been wanting, and lots of other gifts that he is thrilled with, but Charlie and Carol can’t quite seem to grasp why. “Only a man would get excited when someone gives him a flashlight,” Carol tells Charlie with a giggle. Doug sticks his tongue out at her and continues to examine this latest gift.

“Okay, I have a few more for you two,” Carol says, getting up. She walks into the other room and comes out with two boxes. She hands one of the boxes to Charlie. It is about the size of a shoe box. She thanks Carol and opens the gift to find a carved, wooden jewelry box. “Oh my gosh! It’s gorgeous,” Charlie says. “Thank you so much,” she walks over and gives Carol a hug.

“You’re very welcome,” Carol tells her. She turns to Doug, “This is for you,” she gives him the other box which is much smaller than Charlie’s was. He smiles and takes the package. Inside is a brown, leather wallet. “I thought you needed a new one. Look inside,” she instructs. He does and finds the wallet has several pictures inside. One is of Charlie, another is of he and Carol, and yet another is of the three of them all together. There are two more empty spaces as well. “I thought there were two more people you might want to add pictures of someday,” she explains. She’s thinking, of course, of his son and of the child they are going to have. He smiles and breathes deeply.

“Thank you,” he gets up and comes over to the couch to hug her. “I love you,” he says and kisses her gently.

“I know, I love you, too.”

“Wait, didn’t we get him something else?” Charlie asks.

“Huh?” Carol seems confused as she looks at the girl.

“You know,” Charlie leads, staring at Carol.

“Oh! Of course, we almost forgot,” She goes over to the desk and pulls out an envelope. She hands the envelope to Doug who seems intrigued by this last present. He opens it up to reveal two tickets to the Bulls season ender.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it! How did you two get these?” he asks, knowing the game has been sold out for months.

“We have connections,” Carol replies with a smile.

“But, there are only two, won’t you guys be joining me?”

“Are you kidding? We got two so you and Mark could go and we could get out of it. We’ll be glad to stay here, trust us,” Carol says.

“Really? Mark’s gonna flip!”

“Well, I’m glad that you like them,” Carol says, grinning.

“I love them, thank you,” he kisses her again. “And, thank you, Charlie,” he gives Charlie a quick hug. She smiles.

“I have a something for you both,” Charlie says, getting up from her seat. “It’s not much so don’t get too excited. Just something I made.” She leaves the room and goes over to the hall closet. From somewhere in the bottom, she pulls out a large, flat box and a small, square one. She gives the small box to Carol and the big box to Doug. Carol opens hers first and finds a small white tea cup with an intricate design painted on it.

She smiles at Charlie, “You made this?”

“Yeah, in art class. It’s not that great, but I didn’t have the money to buy you anything and . . .”

Carol cuts her off, “No, this is so much better. It’s really beautiful. You did a great job, thank you,” she hugs Charlie.

Doug opens his package next. The box contains an 8 by 10 portrait in a simple wooden frame. The picture within the frame is a hand painted image of he and Carol. “Wow, this is really great, Charlie, thanks,” he beams.

“You’re welcome. It’s the one from beside your bed. I always thought it was a great picture of you two from the first moment I saw it. I thought maybe you could keep that to hang up when you have your own office someday.”

“Yeah, thanks. This is really good work. I never knew you were so talented at art,” her work is very good and both Doug and Carol are quite surprised.

“It’s not that good,” Charlie says.

“Sure it is. You should be proud of this kind of talent,” Carol tells her, examining the picture. Charlie blushes and still tries to shrug off their compliments.

Doug rises form his seat and says, “Well, now that you’ve both gone to get your last two gifts, I guess I’ll go get mine.” He walks to the closet and reaches into the pocket of his coat. He retrieves two small velvet boxes and gives one to Charlie. She opens the box and finds a gold chain with a large, blue stone dangling from it. “It’s your birthstone, sapphire,” he says. Her birthday is on September 12th.

“This is too much,” she tells him. “You shouldn’t buy me such expensive things,” but her protests find nothing but resistance.

“Just put it on and say thank you,” he teases. He takes the box from her hand and removes the necklace. He puts it around her neck and fastens the safety clasp.

She reaches up and touches the stone as it rests just below her neck. “Thank you, Doug,” she rises from her seat and gives him a hug.

“It’s my pleasure,” he tells her and returns the hug. “Now,” he turns to Carol, “this is for you.” He hands her the other box and she smiles. She gasps when she sees the large diamond stud earrings that rest in the velvet lining of the box.

“Oh Doug, they’re gorgeous,” she says.

“I thought I should give you a diamond, and since we aren’t quite prepared for this one yet,” he points to his ring finger to indicate an engagement ring, “I thought these would be the next best thing.”

She smiles and puts the earrings on. “I love them, thank you!” She gets up to hug him and then says, “I love you.” They kiss lovingly and he sits back down beside her on the couch.

“Well,” Doug looks at his watch, it’s after ten o’clock, “we’d all better get some sleep if we’re going to be ready for tomorrow.”

“What about this mess?” Carol asks, indicating the paper and boxes that are strewn about the room.

“Don’t worry about that. I can clean up in here in the morning while you two start on the food. It’ll give me something to do besides countdown to my doom,” he grins and rolls his eyes as Carol laughs and gives him a light sock in the arm.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep.” Doug waits for Charlie and Carol to head up the stairs, then follows them. They have checked all of the door, turned off all of the lights. All that’s left to do is crawl under the covers and get some rest.

Charlie thanks both of them for all of her gifts and bids them good night. She kisses both of their cheeks, not something she usually does, then heads off to bed for the night.

Doug smiles as he and Carol enter the bedroom. “She seems happy, doesn’t she?” he asks Carol.

“Yeah, she does. I think she’s finally beginning to be comfortable here.”

He nods and seems pleased with this. He and Carol get ready for bed and snuggle together beneath the warmth of the blankets. “I’m really happy, too,” he tells her.

“Yeah, it was a nice evening,” Carol says.

“Well, yeah, that too, but I meant in general. I’m happy with my life, with our life.”

She smiles, “Really? So am I.”

He pulls her close and, as the snow falls outside on this sacred night, they keep each other warm.

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Created by Courtney Stovall © 1998

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