------------------------------------

"Hey Mark." Doug says, walking up to the desk, stepping up beside Mark.

"Doug. Hey." Mark says.

"When is our new head RN supposed to be here? We are behind!" Doug says.

"She should be here anytime now. If she comes in, asking for me, come find me." Mark says.

"Sure Mark." Doug says as Mark walks away with a chart. Doug scribbles away on his chart and throws it into his finished pile.

"Excuse me?" A woman's voice asks. Doug looks up and his breath his taken away from him. He stares at the woman and smiles.

"Can I help you?" Doug asks.

"I'm looking for Mark Greene..." The woman says. He smiles brightly.

"You must be the new head nurse." Doug says. She smiles and nods her head.

"That would be me." The woman says. Doug walks around the desk.

"Just wait here, Dr. Greene shouldn't be too busy, I'll just go get him now." Doug says.

"Thanks." She says with a nod. He walks away and goes into the room Mark had entered a few seconds earlier.

"Hey Mark. I need to see you when your done." Doug says. Mark nods.

"Almost done.....There we go. I'll be back soon to get those." Mark says to the patient and turns to Doug.

"What do you need?" Mark asks, getting ready to push through the door. Doug grabs his arm and pulls him back.

"The new nurse is here. But I'm warning you now Mark...she's mine!" Doug says, his voice quiet. Mark chuckles.

"I understand!" Mark says and walks out still chuckling. Doug follows him with a sly grin on his face. Doug leads him to the dark-haired woman.

"Dr. Greene?" The woman asks.

"You must be Carol Hathaway." Mark says. She nods.

"Yeah, that's me." Carol says. Mark smiles and looks at Doug.

"Doug, you busy?" Mark asks. Doug shakes his head no.

"Nope. No pedes cases for me right now." Doug says.

"Great. Because I need to get back to my patient. Would you show Miss Hathaway around,

show her the ropes?" Mark asks. Doug smiles warmly.

"Sure." Doug says. Mark turns back to Carol.

"That okay with you?" Mark asks. She nods.

"Sure." She says smiling at Doug.

"Okay, well if you have any questions then just asks Doug and if there's any he can't answer, you can ask me later." Mark says. Carol nods. He turns and walks away smiling quickly at Doug over his shoulder.

"So..to start us off would you like to put your coat and stuff in the lounge?" Doug asks turning back to Carol and smiling warmly.

"That would be nice." Carol says. He nods.

"This way." He says, touching her elbow lightly, turning her towards the lounge. He walks in.

"You can keep your stuff in your locker over here." Doug says pointing to a locker. "The previous head nurse used this locker so it's empty. Mine is the one right here." Doug says pointing to the one beside it, with Ross on the door. "Your combination is 28-14-21." Doug says. She looks at him and smiles.

"Thanks." She says and turns to the locker. She tries the lock but she can't get it. She tries again as he watches. She turns to him helplessly. He chuckles.

"Here, let me show you." He says. He does it effortlessly.

"Thanks!" She says and smiles, hanging up her coat and purse.

"Your welcome. If you have any more problems just ask anyone around here that has a locker. You'll get the hang of it." Doug says. She smiles.

"So show me around." Carol says. He chuckles.

"Of course." He says and makes his way out of the room.

"So, that's basically the whole layout of the place." Doug says, taking her back to the nurse's station. She smiles.

"Thanks." She says.

"Hey, no problem." He says, smiling at her. Her heart skips a beat.

"Hey! We need some help over here!" A paramedic calls out. Doug looks over and sees a child on a gurney.

"Excuse me Carol." Doug says and runs to the gurney. Carol watches, not sure what to do now. She turns around and sighs and almost smacks into Mark.

"Oh! Sorry Dr. Greene." Carol says.

"Oh Hey Carol. Get the grand tour?" Mark asks.

"Yeah. I did. Doug showed me everything." Carol says.

"Great. So..do you think you would like to help me with a patient? I'll help ya get started." Mark says.

"That'd be great!" Carol says and follows him into a room.

Doug is walking down the hall when he spots Mark, writing in a chart.

"I owe ya one." Doug says, walking past him. Mark chuckles.

"I know!" He says to Doug as he walks by.

Doug is sitting in Doc Magoo's sipping on a coffee. He hears the tinkle of the bell against the door, indicating that someone has come in, but he doesn't look up. He just sits and thinks about the new nurse.

"Doug?" He hears someone say his name. He looks up, brought out of his daydreaming.

"Oh hey Carol." Doug says motioning for her to join him. She smiles and slides into the booth across from him.

"What's so interesting about that coffee?" Carol asks. Doug chuckles.

"Nothing. My mind was just wandering. So what are you doing over here?" Doug asks.

"Well..I was hungry and I just got off work, so I thought I would come try this place out since it's so close to the hospital." Carol says. Doug wrinkles his nose.

"I would recommend something but there's nothing here that won't send you right back to the hospital complaining of nausea and an upset stomach." Doug says and chuckles. Carol smiles.

"That bad huh?" She asks.

"Well..I guess if you go with the stuff they don't have to cook you'll be alright." Doug says. Carol smiles.

"Well I'm starving. So when I die, you can tell them you tried to stop me." Carol says with a twinkle in her eye. Doug chuckles as she flips open a menu. After she's done ordering, Doug racks his brain for something to say.

"So...uh what hospital did you used to work at?" Doug asks.

"Oh um...up North in Chicago...Brown County Hospital." Carol says.

"Oh yeah, I've heard of it. Why'd you leave?" Doug asks. She looks down at her hands.

"I'd rather not say." Carol says. He gives her a puzzled look but nods.

"Sure. That's okay." Doug says. She looks up and smiles weakly. "I've been here for about five years." Doug says. She smiles.

"I guess you know everyone pretty well then." Carol says. He nods.

"I guess so." Doug says.

"So what's the story with Dr. Weaver's leg?" Carol asks curiously. He chuckles.

"I was a Resident with her and you know what, I'm the only one at the hospital that knows what happened with her leg." Doug says.

"So your not going to tell me?" Carol asks smiling at him. He smiles mischievously.

"Maybe." Doug says.

"Come on Doug, I promise not tell anyone." Carol says leaning in towards him. He chuckles.

"Okay, okay, but you owe me one!" Doug says. She giggles.

"Okay." She says.

"She was in a car with her foster parents." Doug starts but she cuts him off.

"She's adopted?" Carol asks.

"Apparently......Well anyways, she was with her parents and they were driving over some train tracks. Well her foster father had a heart attack and the car stopped right there on the tracks. Well her mother was screaming at Kerry to help and Kerry was trying. They didn't even notice the train coming. It hit the car and her parents were killed instantly. Kerry somehow survived and only crushed her leg. They got it reconstructed but she has to walk with that cane." Doug says. Carol's mouth is hanging wide open.

"Wow. She must have gone through a lot." Carol says.

"Yeah, I suppose she did, even though afterwards she acted like nothing happened and got on with it.....ever since she came to County and found out I was here, she's been hostile towards me, because I know what happened. I think she was looking for a fresh start. We used to get along pretty well. I mean we weren't friends or anything but we weren't at each other's throats all the time like we are now." Doug says.

"So I take it you to have problems?" Carol asks.

"All the time." He says chuckling. Carol smiles. The waitress brings up her food.

"You sure you don't want anything?" Carol asks.

"Nope.....You know, you can't tell anyone I told you about Kerry because if she finds out then I might as well go and dig my own grave." Doug says.

"I won't tell. How come no one has ever asked you about it before?" Carol asks.

"Well...not too many people know we were Residents together and the people that DO know don't think that I know what happened to her leg." Doug says. She nods understanding as she stuffs her face. He chuckles and then looks at his watch. "Well my break is over now and I have to get back to work. When do you work again?" Doug asks.

"Tomorrow. Bright and early." Carol says.

"There not wasting any time with you are they?" Doug asks chuckling.

"Nope. But I don't mind. I actually am glad." Carol says. He stands up and smiles at her.

"Well....enjoy your meal. I'll see you tomorrow then." Doug says and smiles his earth shattering grin. She almost turns into a puddle on the floor.

"Bye." She says and he walks out. She turns back to her food and smiles, thinking of how great this relocation could actually work for her.

------------------------------------

The next day Doug is working and he runs around the corner, to go to the ambulance bay and runs smack into Carol.

"Oh shit Carol! I'm really sorry!" Doug says. She smiles.

"It's okay. Are you alright?" She asks.

"Yeah. I gotta now. I'll catch ya later." Doug says and runs out into the ambulance bay where an ambulance pulls up. She throws her stuff into the lounge, promising herself to get it later and runs out to help Doug.

"What's the bullet?" Doug asks, running beside Carol.

"14 year old, was driving his father's car and crashed into a tree," and he continues on with the medical jargon I know nothing about.

"Why was he driving?" Doug asks.

"Don't know. Must be a rebellion." The paramedic says as they wheel the kid into a room. Doug, Carter, Elizabeth, Carol, and the other nurses work on the kid.

"Nice save Doug." Carol says as he snaps off his gloves.

"Thanks Carol." Doug says smiling sideways at her. She grins back, looking away bashfully.

Carol is sitting in the lounge with a cup of coffee, staring into space. Doug walks into the lounge and sees her.

"Oh hey Carol." He says.

"Hey Doug." Carol replies.

"How was your first real day?" Doug asks.

"It's been great actually. I'm getting the hang of things around here. Only thing is, this coffee is horrible." Carol says standing up and dumping hers into the sink. He chuckles as he stands beside her, getting his own cup.

"Always has been, always will be." Doug says.

"As long as it has caffeine I'll be alright." Carol says, leaning on the counter, turning to him. He chuckles and brings his mug up to his lips and tastes it. He makes a face but downs it. She laughs and walks over to the door.

"I'll see ya later Doug." Carol says and pushes her way out of the lounge. He watches her go and turns back to the counter, smiling to himself.

------------------------------------

"Your in early, Doug." Mark says. Carol and Mark are standing beside each other at the desk when Doug walks in. The two of them look at him.

"Yeah well, when you live alone, your bored, and you like your job, you come into work!" Doug says. Mark chuckles and Carol smiles.

"Doug Ross, bored? Never thought I would see those in the same sentence." Mark says.

"You'd be surprised." Doug says and smiles.

"Hey Carol, I like your hair." Randi says, referring to Carol's half ponytail.

"Thanks Randi." Carol says, smiling. She picks up her chart and walks off.

Carol is walking down the hallway and Doug spots her. He comes up behind her.

"Hey Carol, I like your hair." He says in a girly voice, imitating Randi. Carol turns to him and punches his arm playfully.

"Oh shutup Doug!" Carol says. He chuckles.

"At least you have hair!" Mark says, walking past them. Carol and Doug laugh. They push their way into the lounge and Carol flops down onto the couch. He chuckles and goes to his locker.

"Tough day?" Doug asks.

"No..not really....I guess...I just feel like an intruder." Carol says.

"What do you mean?" Doug asks turning to her.

"Well all the other nurses act like I'm not there. It's like they have something against me. The only people who talk to me like a normal person are you and Mark. And then Randi's comment today was appreciated. But that's about it." Carol says, looking up at him.

"Just give them time to get used to you. I'm sure once they get to know you, they'll like you. Your a great person and a great nurse. They're just jealous because one of them didn't get picked for the head nurse position." Doug says.

"It's not my fault! Besides...the only difference between being a regular nurse and a head nurse is you have to do all the administration shit when your the head. I wish I didn't have to put up with it, but it pays more." Carol says. He nods.

"Give them time." Doug says, turning to his locker and taking out his coat, slipping it on. He grabs his scarf and walks past her. "I'll see you." Doug says.

"Thanks Doug." She says.

"For what?" He asks.

"For being a friend." She says.

"No problem." He says.

"Bye Doug." She says.

"Bye." He replies as he pushes his way out of the door. She sighs and stands up, going back to work.

Carol is standing at the desk working on something, bored, and wishing Doug was there to make her laugh. She smiles inwardly as she thinks of him. He could be just what she needs to forget....him. Just thinking of him makes her blood run cold. She thinks of the scar on her stomach and squeezes her eyes shut, trying not to think about it.

"Carol? Carol, you okay?" She hears someone, snapping her out of her trance. She turns to find Mark staring at her with a peculiar look on his face.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Just...thinking." Carol says. He nods, puzzled.

"Why don't you go home? Your off pretty soon anyways and it's really quiet." Mark says. She nods.

"Thanks Mark." She says. He nods and she walks off to the lounge, him staring after her with a concerned look on his face.

------------------------------------

Doug and Mark are sitting in the lounge, talking quietly.

"She was acting really weird yesterday. I walked up to the desk and she had her eyes squeezed shut and she was like all tense. Then when I called her name she didn't answer me for a few seconds and when she did she was like out of it. I'm worried about her." Mark says. Doug nods.

"You know...it's weird how we haven't known her very long but we can already tell when something is wrong. She is so easy to talk to. I'm comfortable around her." Doug says. Mark smiles.

"Make your move yet?" He asks. Doug chuckles.

"I'm waiting for a little while. You know? I want to go out with her, but I don't want her to think I'm jumping into it." Doug says. Mark nods.

"You know...you've really changed." Mark says. Doug smiles.

"That's good right?" Doug asks.

"It's great buddy. Well I gotta get back to work." Mark says.

"Yeah....me too." Doug says as they stand.

Carol walks into work and Doug sees her. He decides to wait for her. A few minutes later she walks out of the lounge and walks up to the desk.

"Hey." he says.

"Hi Doug." Carol says, smiling at him.

"Can I ask you something?" Doug asks as he follows Carol down the hall. She turns to him and smiles.

"Sure.." She says.

"Would you want to do something tonight?" Doug asks.

"You mean like a date?" Carol asks.

"Kinda....I guess so." Doug says shyly. She smiles.

"Sure. I'd like that." She says. He smiles.

"Great. What time are you off?" He asks.

"About 6." Carol says.

"Me too. How about I stop by your place around 7, then." Doug says.

"Sure...I'll give you my address later." Carol says.

"Great." He says with a smile and touches her elbow slightly and walks off. She smiles to herself happily and goes about her work.

"Your awful happy today." Mark says. Carol smiles at him.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Carol says. He smiles and she walks off to work. He knows that Doug asked her out and he smiles to himself, walking off.

"Hey Doug." Mark says. Doug looks up from the desk.

"Mark." He says.

"I've got some news, you might want to hear." Mark says teasingly. Doug looks up.

"What?" He asks. Mark chuckles.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mark asks. Doug glares at him.

"Are you going to tell me or just annoy the shit out of me?" Doug asks.

"Oh you know how much I love to annoy you." Mark says. Doug rolls his eyes and walks off. Mark follows him.

"Alright, alright! I surrender." He says, holding his hands up in the air.

"So?" He asks.

"I was talking to you-know-who earlier today and..." Mark starts.

"Carol?" Doug asks quietly. Mark nods.

"And I said she looked awfully happy today and she said, yeah, she guesses she is. She seems really excited about tonight." Mark says. Doug smiles.

"Really?" He asks. Mark nods.

"Yup." He says. Doug smiles.

"Thanks for telling me Mark." Doug says. Mark nods.

"No problem bud." He says and pats Doug's back. Doug watches him go and smiles. When he turns around he sees Carol down the hall. He smiles at her and she smiles shyly back. Then she turns back to her chart. He chuckles to himself and pushes his way into the exam room.

"Hey Doug." Carol says, walking into the lounge. He smiles at her.

"Hey Carol." He says.

"I need to give you my address." Carol says.

"Oh yeah...right." Doug says, having completely forgot about getting that. She giggles at him and slips a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Here. I already wrote it down." Carol says, handing him the paper. He smiles and takes it from her.

"Oh yeah, I know where those apartments are." He says.

"So where are we going? I need to know what to wear." Carol says.

"I think that we'll go to that restaurant at the Navy Pier. If that's okay with you." He says.

"That's fine." Carol says.

"I'm going to just wear khaki's and a sweater, just to give you an idea." Doug says.

"Great, then, I'll see you at seven." Carol says. She grabs her coat and flashes him her brilliant smile. He nods and she walks out. He turns around and smiles, looking down at her address one more time before getting his coat and leaving the lounge. On his way out Mark calls out to him.

"Hey Doug! Wait a sec." Mark says. He catches up with Doug.

"Yeah?" Doug asks.

"Call me." Mark says. Doug chuckles.

"Okay." He says.

"Have fun!" Mark says. Doug smiles.

"Thanks." He says and walks out of the hospital.

The doorbell rings and Carol takes a deep breath. She stands up from her position on the couch and grabs her sweater. She pulls open the door and finds Doug standing in the hallway of the apartment building. He is wearing khaki's and a dark green sweater with a brown leather jacket over it.

"Hey." Carol says. Doug smiles at her, in her knee-length, sleeveless, black dress. She pulls the sweater over her dress. She has on black shoes and her hair is tied up in a high ponytail.

"You look nice." Doug says. She smiles shyly.

"Thanks." She says, stepping out onto the porch and pulling the door shut behind her. He smiles and they walk to his jeep. He opens the door for her and she gets in, smiling.

They are done eating and are walking on the pier. Doug takes a deep breath and decides to get something out in the open.

"Carol?" He says.

"Hmm?" She asks. They stop and are looking out over the water.

"I had a really good time with you tonight." Doug says. She smiles at him.

"I had a great time too." Carol says. He smiles.

"If you don't care, I would like to do this again sometime." Doug says. She smiles but doesn't look at him.

"I would like that." Carol says.

"Okay then....I really think there are some things we should talk about then." Doug says. She turns to him.

"Like what?" Carol asks.

"Why don't we go back to one of our apartments and talk, in private." Doug says. She nods, seeing the serious look on his face.

"Okay." She says. He smiles weakly. She starts to get nervous. She really likes Doug and doesn't want to ruin this. She doesn't want him to tell her something bad.

They pull up to Carol's apartment building. Doug gets out and before he can open her door, she gets out.

"I could have got that." Doug says.

"I'm capable." Carol says. He chuckles.

"I know you are." Doug says.

"I'm sorry, it's sweet and everything but I would rather do it myself." Carol says. He understands.

"I know. Your not a very dependent person." He says. She smiles.

"No, I'm not. I'm also not used to all this attention." Carol says. He chuckles. They walk up to the building and go inside. They walk down the hall to room number 3. Carol uses her key and unlocks the door. She steps inside and flips on the light. He walks into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Here, let me have your coat." She says. He takes it off and she hangs it up on the back of the door. "Do you want some coffee?" Carol asks.

"No, that's alright. It's a little late for coffee, if I want to sleep." Doug says. She smiles.

"Alright then, you want anything else?" Carol asks.

"Nope. Thanks though." Doug says.

"You sure?" She asks. He grins.

"I'm fine. Carol." He says. She grins.

"Okay then, let's have a seat." She says, motioning to the little couch she has in her 'living room'. He nods and sits down, she sits beside him. "So..." She says, her voice trailing off.

"Well...I guess...if we want to continue going out there's some things you should know about me." Doug says, pausing.

"You act like you killed somebody." Carol says, half joking. He smiles.

"No, it's nothing like that." Doug says with a chuckle. She smiles.

"Whew!" She says, pretending to be relieved. He smiles but gets serious.

"For a long time....up until about a year ago, I wasn't exactly the best person in the world. I drank. A lot. Almost every night I would go out to bars and drink. Sometimes I would come into work, hung over so bad that Mark had to sneak me into exam room and give me an IV and let me sleep it off. See, the reason I didn't stop was because as long as it didn't effect my work, I thought I didn't have a problem. I thought wrong. It did effect my work. Just not in ways I saw. I also was a womanizer." Doug has been looking down at his hands the whole time, Carol watching him. "That is not something I am proud of. Every night I went to a bar, I usually ended up taking a woman home with me, sleeping with her, then leaving before the morning came. I'm just lucky I didn't get any diseases. Anyways.....about a little over a year ago, I took a woman home with me. I slept with her and then the next morning she needed a ride home, so I gave her one. On the way there she had a seizure. I rushed to County and they couldn't save her. I didn't even know her name. They found out she had epilepsy and that she had been drinking and had done cocaine. I found out her name and her sister came in, telling me she knew the kind of guys her sister went out with. She was describing me, in not so wonderful terms. Then Mark tried to test me for cocaine. I hadn't done anything like that, I didn't even know she had, so I took the test. My alcohol level was up though. For a long time

everyone at work hated me. I'm not kidding. I knew I had crossed the line. That night after I went home, I had countless messages from woman I didn't remember, on my answering machine. I erased them all, then threw away all the alcohol in my house. From that day on, I promised myself not to be like that anymore. You see, it wasn't really the alcohol I was addicted too...it was how it can take away the pain. It can make you forget for a few hours. So it wasn't like I couldn't give up the alcohol. I could and I did. The only time I ever drink now is when I have someone with me and I know what my limit is. I haven't been drunk since that night." Doug says, finally looking at her. She was just sitting there, looking at him.

"Wow." She says. He nods.

"My past is not something I am proud of. I just hope it doesn't change the way you think of me. The person I am now, is who I am. I'm not the guy I used to be anymore." Doug says.

"That's a lot of information for me to stomach all at once." Carol says. He nods sadly.

"I know." Doug says.

"Can I ask you something? It will help me understand this all better." Carol says.

"Sure." Doug says softly, already thinking he ruined it with her.

"When you said the drinks take away the pain and you can forget for a few hours....what were you trying to forget?" Carol asks. She sees the painful look on his face. "You don't have to tell me." Carol says.

"No..it's okay. You need to know." Doug says. She smiles at him reassuringly. "Well.....growing up my dad used to hit me and my mom around a lot. He would talk trash to us and beat us if we talked back. He was drunk when he did this too. When he wasn't drunk he was normally a pretty great dad, only he was hardly ever home and when he was home he was usually drunk. So it wasn't often that he was a great dad. Once he took me with him on a road trip to Vegas. He got drunk and was screwing some hatcheck girl while I sat out in the hall all night.....It wasn't the best childhood, especially when he left for good when I was 12. I swore to myself that I would never hit woman or children. And I never have. I think that's part of the reason I became a pediatrician, to help kids. But my dad wasn't the best role model when I was growing up. So I started to drink and take woman home with me too. And at work...I am pretty reckless when it comes to saving kids. I'll do anything to save a kid and the administration does not like that. I think that's another reason I drank, to forget that. And I drank to forget the kids that died under my care." He says, his head hanging like a puppy dog that had just been kicked. She smiles sadly, understanding the pain he has gone through his whole life.

"Doug." She says. He doesn't look up. "Doug, look at me." Carol says. He turns his head up, meeting her eyes. "It doesn't change what I think of you. It actually shows me better what kind of guy you are." She says, smiling reassuringly at him. He smiles back.

"Your great, you know that?" He asks. She smiles.

"I'm not so sure." Carol says. He takes her hand into his.

"Yes you are. Your a great friend. I feel like I could tell you anything and I've only known you a week." Doug says.

"There's some things about me you should know too." She says. He gives her his full attention. "But I need do something first. So can you wait a few minutes out here?" Carol asks.

"Sure." Doug says, nodding. She stands.

"Okay. Be right back." Carol says and turns walking down a hallway and going into a room, shutting the door. He sits on the couch twiddling his thumbs. He is glad to have told her. He waits and a few minutes later she comes out. She has put on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Hey. No fair. You got to change!" Doug says. She smiles.

"I had to do it, so I can tell you the whole story." Carol says. He smiles, puzzled.

"Okay." He says. She sits beside him and takes a deep breath. He reaches over and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. She pulls her hand away and puts her hands on the bottom of her t-shirt. He gets a surprised look on his face and she gets up onto her knees. She lifts her shirt just a little and he sees a long scar across her stomach and side. He looks at it, then back up to her. She has a painful look on her face and he takes her hand, pulling her down. She sits down and he questions her with his eyes.

"You know how you asked me why I left Brown County?" She asks. He nods. "My ex-boyfriend, Tony, used to beat me." Carol says, her chin quivering slightly, but she held firm. A look passes through his face but he doesn't say anything. "The reason I have that scar is because Tony hit me with a baseball bat, repeatedly in my side." A single tear slides down her cheek, but he knows she doesn't want him to comfort her, yet. "I had to get surgery to repair the damage. I was brought into the ER several times, although I made them take me to different hospitals then the one I worked at because I didn't want people I knew to ask questions. He broke my arm once and right after I got my cast off, when my bone was still pretty weak, he broke it again. He would curse at me and I found him sleeping with other woman in our bed, numerous times. I started to work more to get away from him and he realized what I was doing. He beat me so bad that time, I nearly died. They also took me to Brown. My best friend realized what happened and she got me help. He was arrested and that's where he is now. But I still couldn't do anything about my life. I was helpless. I was so unconfident and everything was happening. I tried to....I slit my wrists." Carol says, showing him the scars on her wrists. He takes her hands into his and looks at the scars. He looks up at her with a painful look on his face. "I did everything right but for some reason I didn't die. I got help and my life was turned around. But I couldn't stay there, so I moved down here because my mom lives here." Carol says. Tears are streaming down her face now and he looks at her with one of the saddest looks on his face.

He pulls her into a hug and she buries her head into his shoulder. When she pulls away a minute later she talks again.

"That was about two years ago, that I tried to kill myself. Since Tony, I haven't dated anyone but when I came to County, you were so nice. You smiled and joked with me, making me laugh. When you talked to me, you made me feel like I was wanted. I think that's why I took the thing with the nurses so hard. I wanted to be accepted. I want to go out with you again Doug but.....you'll have to take things slowly with me. I'm still not sure of myself and I'm still a little wary of men." She says. He nods.

"I understand. It sounds like we both have had pretty rough times. I just want you to know, that I would never hurt you. I went through that with my mom when I was a boy and I know all about it." He says quietly, in a reassuring voice. She nods.

"I trust you." Carol says. He smiles.

"Would I be going too fast if I kissed you right now?" He asks, staring straight into her eyes. She shakes her head slightly and leans in closer to him. He leans in and she can feel his warm, sweet breath on her face. Their lips connect softly with a powerful spark. He almost pulls back because of that passion he feels passing through their lips. He has never felt that before with anyone. He places his hands on the side of her face and kisses her slightly deeper, but slowly. She makes a soft noise from deep in her throat and his heart pounds wildly. When he pulls away she still has her eyes closed. He leans his forehead against hers as they catch their breaths. When she opens her eyes he is staring straight at her. He smiles.

"That was...Wow." He says. She smiles. "That's never happened to me before." He says.

"Me neither." She whispers. He finally unglues himself from her and he looks at his watch.

"Wow. I've been here for an hour and a half." He says.

"What time is it?" She asks.

"10." He replies. She nods. "I better go. I have to be at work pretty early in the morning." He says. She nods.

"Okay." She says quietly. He smiles.

"It was wonderful talking to you. I don't think I've ever connected with a person like that before." He says. She smiles.

"Me neither." She says, with a sigh. He chuckles and stands. She stands and he embraces her into a hug. She hugs him back and when he let's go, he walks to his coat slipping it on.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks.

"Definitely." She says. He smiles and opens the door. He shuts the door and she walks over to

it, locking it. She smiles happily and runs back to her bedroom. She jumps onto the bed and daydreams about him, smiling the whole time.

Doug walks into his apartment around 10:30 and picks up his phone. He dials Mark's number and waits.

"Hello?" Mark asks.

"Did I wake you?" Doug asks.

"Oh hey Doug. Nope, you didn't." Mark says.

"That's good." Doug says.

"You were gone for 3 and a half hours son. What the hell did you do?" Mark asks. Doug chuckles.

"Well DAD," He chuckles again. "I took her out to that restaurant at the Navy Pier, like planned. Then we were walking for awhile on the pier and I told her that I wanted to go out again sometime and she said she did too. But I told her there was some things she needed to know about me and I told her that we should go somewhere private, like one of our apartments. She agreed and we went back to her apartment." Doug says.

"You didn't......you know...." Mark says.

"No Mark. We didn't." He says. Mark chuckles.

"Well that sucks." Mark says.

"Shutup and let me talk." Doug says.

"Okay okay, sheesh!" Mark says.

"I told her about my drinking and womanizing and.." Doug says but is interrupted again.

"You didn't tell her that!" Mark says.

"Yes, Mark, I did. I told her about Nadine Wilkes and how I haven't done anything in over a year." Doug says.

"What did she say?" Mark asks.

"Well she wanted to know why." Doug says.

"What did you say?" Mark asks.

"I told her about my childhood, what my dad did to me and my mom, and the job. I told her that I hoped this wouldn't change the way she thinks of me. Then she told me there were some things she had to tell me too. So she told me." Doug says.

"Care to share?" Mark asks curiously.

"Mark...I don't know if she would want me to tell you. No offense but it was some pretty deep stuff and I don't want to disrespect her." Doug says.

"Okay okay. So then what?" Mark asks.

"She told me that she wants to date me more but that we would have to take things pretty

slow and I agreed. Then I asked her if it would be too fast if I kissed her and she said no and we kissed. Man...Mark I am telling you.....I have NEVER experienced something like that before." Doug says.

"Why? Was she a good kisser or something?" Mark asks.

"Yes but that wasn't it. Something happened. There was like electricity flowing through us. So much passion. I have never felt that before with anyone." Doug says.

"Wow." Mark says.

"That's exactly what I told her after we kissed." Doug says.

"Lucky you." Mark says.

"Yeah...I really am. Well Mark...I'm gonna go okay? You work tomorrow?" Doug asks.

"Yup." Mark says.

"I guess I'll see you then. Bye Mark." Doug says.

"Bye." Mark says and they hang up.

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