These characters are not mine, nor do I profit from their use. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my first story, and as always, thanks to my amazing editor Elizabeth!

This story is #3 in a series. Previous stories:
1. Streets of Philadelphia
2. Lost and Found

Previously in this series....
Anna smiled. "So there's definitely an us?"
"Of course. I love you Anna"
"I love you too."
**********************************
“This is so awful. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“We weren’t exactly talking to each other. What was I supposed to do, call you out of nowhere and say, ‘Hey Susan, how are you? I was just attacked’?”
“No, but that reminds me. Why didn’t you keep in touch with me?”
“It didn’t seem like you wanted me too.”
“Why, because when you told me how you felt I didn’t hop off that train and go back without a second thought? Are you still obsessing over that?”
“Well I...”
“You know what Mark? I have a lot going on in my life right now and as much as I want to be your friend, I can’t take your re-hashing the past! If you want to stay friends you have to accept that I have a new life.”
***********************************
Mark heard a knock at the door. “Hey Sus can you hold for a sec?”
“Sure.”
He walked to the door and looked through the peephole. He was shocked. Mark flung open the door.
“Susan?”
She was standing there with a cell phone, little Susie in tow.
“Surprise!”
************************************
And now, here’s A New Day!
************************************
Mark rubbed his eyes, for he was not sure what he saw was real. Sure enough, Susan was there. She gave him a huge hug.
“Susan, it’s great to see you, but I gotta ask, what are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story. I got a call from Don Anspaugh a few weeks ago asking if I would be interested in the Chief of ER position. At the time, I turned it down, but after Chloe left, I knew I had to get out of Phoenix. I called Anspaugh and asked if it was still open. He said he’d put me back in the pool, but in the meantime they’d need another attending, cause it would probably be myself and Kerry who would be considered. So, here I am!”
“I’m so happy you’re back! Do you have a place to stay?”
“Yeah, we’re staying with Doug and Carol. wait, Susie where did you go?”
They found Susie asleep in a chair in Mark’s apartment. “That girl is always wandering off. Susie, come on let’s wake up.” She turned toward Mark. “We’d better go.”
“OK, see you tomorrow.”
************************************
“Susan, wake up.”
Susan rolled over in bed, then woke with a start. “Huh?” She looked around in the dark, confused.
“It’s Carol. Listen, you want to get to the apartment building early so you can get that great apartment.”
“Oh yeah. Hey, thanks for letting me stay with you guys.”
“No prob. I’m going in at 10, I’ll take Susie -- do you want to pick her up then?”
“That’d be great. Thanks, Carol.”
“Now come on, you’d better get going.”
************************************
“Why are we walking so fast?” asked Carter as he and Anna walked briskly down the street.
“We’re late for my appointment with the renter. I just hope there isn’t another meeting at 9:30.”
They huffed and puffed their way up the steps to the building and burst through the door. “Oh crap,” muttered Anna under her breath as she saw the renter talking with another woman who obviously had a meeting with him too. The woman was introducing herself to the renter. “I’m Susan Lewis.”
Carter looked stunned. “Susan?”
Susan spun around. “Carter?”
Anna stood aside, looking very confused.
“Susan, what are you doing here?”
“I moved back. It’s great to see you!”
Carter saw Anna’s confused expression. “Oh sorry. Susan this is--”
“Anna Del Amico! It’s great to finally meet you, Anna!”
Now Carter and Anna both looked confused. “Carol told me,” said Susan.
“What exactly did she tell you?”
“Everything.”
“Oh,” said Anna and Carter in unison.
“So Susan,” said Anna, “are you here to look at the apartment too?”
“Uh-oh, don’t tell me you’re here for the same apartment.”
“Yeah I am. Wow, this is awkward”.
“I’ll say.”
The renter cleared his throat. “Before this little rendezvous, I was about to tell Dr. Lewis that there is now a second apartment available on the same floor. So if you are both interested, the apartments are open.”
“Great,” said Susan, “So it looks like we’re going to be neighbors.”
****************************************
A few hours later, Anna and Carol were at the admit desk working on charts when Elizabeth walked by. “Ladies,” said Elizabeth, “Ready for our girls night?”
“Yep,” said Anna. “I really missed those things.”
“Wait,” said Carol, “that’s tonight?”
“It’s the first Friday of the month.”
“So that would make today...?”
“The third.”
Carol suddenly turned pale. “Um..yeah, I’ll be there. Will you excuse me for a moment?” Carol walked quickly towards the lounge. Anna and Elizabeth exchanged puzzled looks.
“What was that all about?”
*****************************************
Carol threw open the door to her locker and yanked out her purse, digging around in it. “Come on, where is this thing?” she muttered in frustration. Finally, she gave up and dumped the purse out on the table. At that moment, Doug walked in.
“Hey..whoa what happened here?”
“Hey. Help me find my date book.”
“Uh-oh, you miss a hot date?”
“This isn’t funny, Doug. I think I’m late.”
“Late for what?”
“No Doug, the other kind of late.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep,” said Carol, triumphantly pulling the date book out of the mess on the table, “Four days, to be exact.”
They looked at each other and bolted out the door to draw her blood.
*****************************************
It was a pretty quiet day in the ER, so Carol spent much of her time by the phone waiting for the lab to call. She looked at her watch for a second, then re-focused her gaze on the phone. She didn’t notice Doug come up behind her.
“You know, these things take time.”
Carol jumped. “You scared me.”
“You know, we haven’t been able to talk about this. How do you feel about this whole thing?”
Carol tipped her head back. “You know, at first I was really worried. But then I realized, ‘Hey, we’re ready for this.’ I hope it’s positive.”
“Yeah, me too.” He leaned in to kiss her when the phone rang. They both grabbed it. Carol shot an annoyed look at Doug and jerked the phone away from him.
“Hello? Yes. Thank you very much!”
Carol hung up the phone and turned towards Doug, a huge smile on her face.
That was the only answer he needed.
******************************************
That night, Carol was putting on makeup, too deep in thought to notice Doug was sneaking up behind her.
“Boo!” Carol jumped, causing her to smear her lipstick. “Look what you made me do!”
“Oh darn,” said Doug as he wrapped his arms around her waist, “I guess you won’t be able to go.”
“Sorry, I have to, it’s the only time we all have to talk. Besides, if it weren’t for this girls night I wouldn’t even know I was pregnant.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
“No. I think it’s bad luck to tell this early, but Elizabeth will probably suspect something when I turn down one of her famous cosmopolitans.”
“Just tell her you have a headache.”
“Good idea. Susan should be here any minute with Susie. Are you sure you don’t mind watching her?”
“Not at all. I need the practice.”
*******************************************
When Carol and Susan arrived at Elizabeth’s apartment. Anna and Jeannie were already there. Carol and Susan greeted everyone and sat down on the couch. Elizabeth walked over with two glasses. “Care for a cosmopolitan, ladies?”
“I’d love one,” said Susan.
“How about you Carol?”
“Not yet. I have a bit of a headache.”
“I’m sorry to hear about that,” said Elizabeth, “So anyway, we were just talking about how interesting everyone’s love lives are getting.”
“Not mine,” said Susan with a laugh.
“Actually, that reminds me, what is the deal with you and Mark?” asked Carol.
“There is nothing between me and Mark.”
“What about when you left?,” asked Jeanie.
“Whoa, can someone fill us in on what you’re talking about?” asked Anna.
Carol began to speak but Susan stopped her. “I’ll tell about it. During the weeks before I left, Mark was acting strangely. He was obviously upset when I told him I was leaving. Well, I was getting on the train and who should come running up but Mark. He tells me to stay and that he loves me, and then we kissed, and then I left. I didn’t get the nerve to tell him I loved him until the train was pulling away with me in it.”
Anna and Elizabeth just stared. Finally Elizabeth broke the silence. “Do you still have feelings for him?”
“I don’t know. I know that he wasn’t the reason I came back, but since I got here...I don’t know. I think maybe it’s too late now.”
Almost in unison, Anna and Carol responded.
“It’s never too late.”
*******************************************
“All right Susie, time to go to bed,” said a very tired Doug. Susie stood up on the couch.
“No! Let’s play horsey!!”
“C’mon Sus you gotta get some sleep.”
Susie sat down and pouted. “Please?”
Doug sighed. “How can I resist that face? OK, hop on!”
Doug got on his hands and knees and Susie hopped on his back. “OK Susie, where to?”
She led him around the living room. Doug began to get into it, and he began to make horse noises. Just then, Susan and Carol walked in.
“Hi Doug,” said Carol, trying to hold back her laughter. Susan couldn’t hold it back, and she laughed hysterically.
“Laugh if you will,” said Doug as he got up. “OK Susie, now it’s time for bed.”
“I’ll take her,” said Susan, and she scooped up Susie and took her upstairs.
*******************************************
Two hours later, everyone had gone home, and only Elizabeth and Anna were left in the apartment washing the glasses.
“Hey Liz,” said Anna, “can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Have you ever been involved with someone and was really close to them, but had something you just couldn’t tell them?”
“Not really, but then again I’m awful at hiding things from people. Are you and Carter having trouble?”
“No, not at all, it’s just that we’re getting to the point where we’re so close, and yet there’s this one thing that is getting in the way.”
“The thing you’re keeping from him?”
“Yeah.”
“Here’s what I think. You should tell him, but only when the time is right.”
“I don’t know when that is.”
“You’ll know.”
********************************************
The next morning, Carol woke up and was confused when she didn’t feel Doug there. She then remembered he had to pull a double shift. She snuggled under the covers. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered to herself, smiling. She and Doug weren’t planning on having kids this early on, but now that she was pregnant it seemed like the perfect time. Her mind was filled excitement, and she fell asleep, contented.
********************************************
Anna slammed her fist down on the alarm clock and wandered in a trance toward the bathroom. She looked in the mirror, remembering Elizabeth’s words. “Pick the right time.” She turned around to watch Carter sleeping. She decided that what she had to tell him could wait. Their relationship was going incredibly well at the moment, and she didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardize that. She turned around to see Carter waking up.
“Anna?’ he mumbled sleepily, “What time is it?”
“She walked over and sat on the bed. “It’s 6.”
“We have 2 hours then. Come back to bed.” He gently pulled on her arm. She didn’t need any more persuasion. She got back into bed and snuggled next to him. Everything seemed perfect.
It was definitely going too well to tell him.
**********************************************
“Mommy wake up!” squealed Susie as she jumped onto the sofa bed where Susan was sleeping.
Susan yawned. “Susie, it’s so early. Go back to bed.”
“Can I sleep here?”
“Sure.”
Susie got into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Susan, on the other hand, stayed awake. She got up and walked to the window, peering around the curtains. The sun was coming up. She knew she had to go to work soon, but for the moment all she cared about was watching the sunrise. She thought of Mark, and what the future held for them. She smiled. It was a new day, and full of possibilities.

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