Author's Text

There are so many writers now for Doug and Carol that the concept of "original" ideas for me are completely gone. Just this week I saw two of my future ideas worked up (or at least told to me that they were working on it) already. But, I will probably write my own stories for my ideas anyway. I do not read other people's work much (even ones posted to the alt.tv.er.creative newsgroup I only scan) and mostly that is to avoid what is already happening anyway.

This idea has been done before...by me...and by others too, but this is a new twist with it. Several people have asked me about this idea for Carol and I held off because it's been done many times by many writers but I finally figured, what the heck...but it is still done my way...as all my fan fics are.

The forthcoming of Trent Jacobs will bring a new character into my fan fics that will be my own and my own development. I would like to thank Steph (PedsER4884) for her understanding in this character. She knows why. Since he is a 'blank page' character, I am open to suggestions with him even though I have some ideas of my own for his future.

The characters in this story are not mine and no money is made by me for the use of them in this story.

Robin

"ER"
"Overprotective"
Opening Act

Scene opens at the Ross home, interior, early morning. Show Tatiana Ross come skipping through the house with the mail in her hands. She goes through the house to find Doug, working at the computer in his study room. She goes over to the computer and stands patiently beside it, not disturbing him, but obvious that she is there.

Doug (grins):
What's up, Punkin?

Tatiana (hands him the mail):
The mail's here!

Doug (nods):
That's fine, Punkin, just put it on the desk for me, OK?

Tatiana (reaches the mail to the desk close to her):
OK!
(turns back to Doug)
What are you doing, Papa?

Doug:
I'm doing a profile on an Intern that's coming to work for me..

Tatiana (ticks her head like Doug always does):
What's a profile?

Doug:
That's an information study that tells you something about someone you don't know.

Tatiana:
What would my profile say?

Doug (chuckles):
Ummm...let's see...cute...nosey...loves Zac Hanson and pizza!

Tatiana (giggles):
Papa!
(climbs up to his lap)
Can we play a game?

Doug (sighs):
I really need to get this done, Punkin.
(Tatiana makes a sad face at him)
But, I guess it can wait.
(smiles, loops his arms around her and turns her towards the monitor)
OK...pick us out a game...

Cut to show time lapse. Doug is still in the den but Tatiana is gone. Show Doug pick up the mail and sift through it. His attention is caught by an envelope that has no stamp, no return address, and is addressed with cut out words.

Doug (mumbles to himself):
Not another one...
(opens the letter, scans over it, and crumples it quickly)
Damn it!

Cut to show Scott suddenly in the doorway. He leans in, sees Doug, and stops.

Scott:
Hey, Dad, I'm going bike riding in the park with Taryn, OK?

Doug (nods):
Yeah, OK...
(suddenly thinks better of this and turns sharply to catch his son before he slip away)
NO! Wait a minute!
(Scott turns back)
Not today, Son...I'm sorry.

Scott:
Why not?

Doug (shakes his head):
Because I said no, OK?

Scott (perturbed):
That's not a very good reason...

Doug (grows annoyed):
It's the best one you're gonna get...Taryn can come over here, OK?

Scott (protesting):
But, Dad...

Doug (shrugs):
Take it or leave it, Scott!

Scott gives him an angry look and slips away from the door way. Show Carol now in the door way with a confused look.

Carol (comes into the room):
That was a little harsh, wasn't it?

Doug (doesn't look at her):
I have my reasons.

Carol:
You want to tell me what they are?

Doug (shakes his head, looks up at her):
No.

Carol (taken aback, but, not angry):
OK...did you get your profile on Trent Jacobs?

Doug (nods):
Yeah.

Carol (rolls her eyes):
Do you not want to share that with me, either?

Doug (smiles, hands her the printed profile):
Here you go...
(as she looks over it)
He'll be here next week for a tour of the hospital. I'm kind of anxious to meet him.

Carol:
He's a newlywed, huh?
(smiles)
I guess we know all about that, huh?
(Doug chuckles)
And he has a child! A little girl! How nice! I thought you said he was a cowboy?

Doug (grins):
A doctor can be married with a child and still be a 'cowboy'.
(chuckles)
You should know that!

Carol (smiles, wraps her arms around him):
Yeah, I guess I do!
(looks up at him)
Now, what's going on with you and Scott?

Doug (shakes his head):
Nothing...I just want him to stay home today...

Carol:
It's a beautiful day! Why should he spend it shut up inside when he could spend it riding his bike in the park with a cute little girl?

Doug (matter-of-factly):
Because I said so.

Carol (backs up away from him):
Now, don't go getting belligerent with ME, OK?

Doug (retracts):
Sorry.

Carol (concerned):
Doug, what's going on with you? You've been acting really strange lately...is it anticipating the surgery on your back? Are you scared? Is that what's making you a clinging vine all the sudden?

Doug:
I had a conference with Lizzie Corday yesterday...she pretty much mapped everything out for me...I'm a little nervous...yeah.

Carol (wraps her arms around him and moves close to him):
Well, it's OK to be nervous...scared even...but don't take it out on your family, OK?

Doug (nods, lays his head against hers):
OK...I'm sorry...

Tatiana's voice (off camera):
Mama! Papa! Come quick!!

Show Doug's head pop up with a horrified look. He and Carol start quickly out of the room in a dead run as the Opening Act fades into the Opening Credits of the show.

Act One

Show Doug and Carol running through the house, following the sound of Tatiana's voice. Doug is ambling behind Carol without a cane, but, still moving very gingerly.

Tatiana (screaming):
Mama!!! Papa!!!

Carol (reaching the doorway):
We're right here, Tatchie! What IS it?

Tatiana (pointing to the floor, almost crying now):
I didn't mean to break it! It fell off the shelf! I was just trying to get my doll box!

Focus on the open closet in the family room and a chair in the doorway. Pan back to show a box on the floor, broken, and open, and a pistol laying on the floor.

Carol (horrified):
Tatchie, don't touch it! Come here!
(Tatiana goes to Carol quickly and they wrap their arms around each other)
I'll get your doll box for you, OK? You go on out to the patio...
(Tatiana nods and starts out of the room)

Doug (as Tatiana gets to the door way):
Make sure Mrs. Lincoln goes out there with you, OK?

Tatiana (nods):
OK, Papa.

Carol (folds her arms and gives Doug a confused look):
Since when does she need Mrs. Lincoln with her to play on the patio?

Doug (heads over to pick up the gun):
Since I said so.

Carol (frustrated now):
Doug, you're not making any sense!
(frowns as he puts the gun back in the box)
What's that thing doing in a house with 6 children, anyway? How'd it get here?

Doug (softly):
I brought it home.

Carol (shocked):
WHY?

Doug:
For protection.

Carol:
Protection? From what?
(Doug shrugs)
OK...time out...WHAT is going on with you? You have been acting really weird ever since the Pedes Wing opened! You brought a gun into this house? Without even discussing it with me first?

Doug:
If I'd discussed it with you, you would've freaked out...just like you're doing now...

Carol:
And why would I 'freak out', Doug? It wouldn't be because we have children in this house, would it? Scott…and Tatchie...they are old enough and smart enough to know to stay away from it...but what if Marc had climbed up there? He would have thought it was a toy! I don't even want to THINK about the consequences!

Doug (frowns):
Do you think that I'm a complete idiot, Carol? First of all, the gun isn't loaded...second of all, it has a safety latch on it that is virtually childproof...the kids couldn't even pull the trigger...

Carol (shakes her head):
I don't care...you're a Pediatrician, Doug! You KNOW better...

Doug (turns quickly, snaps at her):
Don't tell me what I know, OK? Right now, the only thing I 'know' is that I want to protect my family!

Carol:
Protect us from WHAT?
(Doug sighs, shakes his head, but doesn't answer)
Doug, TALK to me! I'm your WIFE! I have a right to know what's going on in this house!

Doug:
NOTHING is going on in this house, OK?

Carol:
Nothing? You're buying guns? You won't let the kids out of your sight? You're cross and irritable with everybody? And NOTHING is going on? Are we back to that again? I thought we were to a point in our marriage where we discussed things together...

Doug (nods):
We do discuss things together...

Carol:
Not lately we don't!

Doug (scoffs):
Well, this is nothing you need to worry about.

Carol:
Oh, is that how it works around here, now? You're the only one allowed to worry about things that concern this family?

Doug (looks at his watch):
I've got to get to work...

Carol:
Don't you run out on this conversation, Doug! It isn't over! We'll talk about it later!
(Doug goes on out of the room without another word)
I'm not putting up with this kind of secretive stuff, Doug!
(follows him out of the room)
Are you listening to me?

Doug (turns to her, angrily):
How could I NOT listen to you, Carol, with your shrieking in my ear!

Carol (gives him an angry look):
We'll talk about this when you get home...are there any other guns lying around here that I should know about?

Doug (shakes his head):
No...and I'm taking this one with me.

Carol (as he gets to the door):
Do you have a permit to carry that thing?

Doug (nods):
Yes, I do.

Carol:
So, the Chicago Police Department knows you have it but your wife doesn't? That's real good, Doug...

Doug (snaps at her):
The Chicago Police Department is the one that told me to get it!
(hands her a folder full of papers)
Here! Read these! Then tell me we don't need this thing around!

Without another word he storms out of the house, leaving Carol holding the folder with a confused look on her face. She carries the folder through the house and sits at the kitchen table with it, opening it carefully, and looking over the contents. She reads over them with a horrified look on her face. Focus over her shoulder to let us read one of them with her. The note reads 'Dr. Ross...nice little family you have...better keep an eye on them'. Carol picks up another one that reads 'Watch that little girl of yours' and she jumps up from the table to run to the patio doors and look out. She sees Tatiana playing happily with her dolls on the deck but Carol is horrified to see she is alone.

Carol (opens the patio sliding doors):
Tatchie, come on in the house, OK?

Tatiana (looks up, confused):
But, you told me I could play out here...

Carol:
Your Papa told you to take Mrs. Lincoln out with you...

Tatiana:
Mrs. Lincoln was busy with the babies!

Carol:
Then, come in the house, now!

Tatiana (scoffs, protests):
But, you said...

Carol (perturbed):
Well, now, I'm telling you to come in the house, OK?

Tatiana (dejected, gathers up her dolls):
OK...

Cut to County Hospital. Show Doug in his office reading over his mail. He is reading over something and he crumples it, throwing it across the room, as Mark Greene comes in through the door.

Mark (chuckles):
Something wrong?

Doug (spins around, startled, fists clenched):
Don't EVER sneak up on me like that again!

Mark (puts his hands up in defense):
OK! OK! Take it easy!

Doug (sighs):
Sorry, Mark...I guess I'm just a little nervous this morning!

Mark (comes on into the office):
You've been jumpy for a few days...something going on you want to talk to me about?

Doug:
I suppose I should talk to somebody...I'm already in trouble with Carol...
(hands Mark the gun box)
...over this.

Mark (looks into the box):
A gun?
(looks up at Doug)
Are you nuts? With six kids in the house you would buy a gun?

Doug (sits at his desk...reaches out and picks up a small stuffed bear in a doctor's scrub suit and toys with it):
My family is important to me, Mark...I can't imagine my life without any of them.

Mark (sits on the edge of the desk):
What's going on, Doug?

Doug (hands him a note from out of his desk drawer):
This...
(as Mark begin to read over it)
I've been giving them to the Police, but, there's just too many of them now. They come to the house...they come here...they're on the windshield of my car...

Mark (shakes his head):
No wonder you're nervous.
(hands the note back to him)
Did you tell Carol?

Doug:
I gave her the folder of notes at the house...she blew up at me over the gun and we had a fight...

Mark:
Aw, well, you can take her some flowers and make up for that tonight...

Doug (chuckles):
Yeah...
(hands Mark another sheet of paper)
I did get the profile on Trent Jacobs...

Mark (reads over it):
Ummm...he doesn't sound like a 'cowboy' on this, does he? Married...has a three month old daughter...wife is a homemaker... mother is on town council...father is the Chief of Police...sounds like a pretty normal guy on this...

Doug (chuckles):
Yeah...I thought so too...I think that's why I'm looking forward to meeting with him. I'll be out of the hospital by the time he comes...at least...

Mark:
Yeah, when are you having this surgery, anyway?

Doug:
I'm scheduled for Monday.

Mark (quietly):
You real sure about this?

Doug:
I don't think I have much choice, do I? I've looked at all the other options and they all point down the same road.

Mark:
Then, I guess your mind is made up...Lizzie doing the surgery?

Doug (nods):
Yeah...and I'd like you to be there, too, if you will...just to assist. I know you can't do anything much, but, I think I'd feel better knowing you were there.

Mark (nods):
I can do that...sure...I'll talk to Lizzie about it and see if she has any problems with that.

Doug:
Benton is assisting her.

Mark (surprised):
Benton?

Doug (shrugs):
It was either him or Romano...

Mark (nods):
Benton is a good choice...he and Corday together should be fine for you.
(beeper goes off)
That's me...I'll talk to you later, OK?

Doug (nods):
Yeah, OK...
(once Mark is out of the office, he picks up the phone and dials a number)

Mrs. Lincoln (answering phone at the Ross home):
Ross Residence...

Doug (smiles):
Hello, Emily, this is Dr. Ross, could I speak to my wife, please?

Mrs. Lincoln:
I'm sorry, Dr. Ross, but you just missed her. She had some shopping to do.

Doug:
She take the kids with her?

Mrs. Lincoln:
No, the children are all here.

Doug:
OK, do me a couple of favors then...don't let the kids go out anyplace or leave them alone outside, OK?

Mrs. Lincoln (nods, confused):
All right...if that's what you want...

Doug:
And have Carol call me as soon as she gets home?

Mrs. Lincoln:
Of course, Dr. Ross.

Doug (smiles):
Thank you.
(hangs up the phone)

Doug reaches into his desk drawer and takes out one of the threatening notes and glances over it. 'Watch your little girl' he reads. He shakes his head and puts the note back.

Doug (mumbles to himself):
Good thing you left Tatchie where someone could watch her, Carol...good thinking...

He picks up a file and opens it to start working as Act One Fades to Black.

Act Two

Scene opens with Doug working in his office over a batch of files. He reaches back and rubs his sore back and leans back in his chair. His attention is diverted by a newspaper lying nearby and his picks it up. He chuckles at the photo on the page...it is a picture of John Carter kneeling behind Marc Ross at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Pedes Wing. Marc is holding the huge over-sized scissors and John has his hands on Marc's, guiding him for the cut. The headline reads "Bobby Carter Memorial Wing Opens at County".

*****Flashback*****

Scene opens at the new Pedes Wing. A crowd is gathered and David Morganstern is finishing up his opening speech.

David:
...for the future of the children of the Chicago area, it is with great pleasure that I present to you The Bobby Carter Memorial Wing of County General's Emergency Room...
(he reaches to unveil the plaque on the wall amid applause from the crowd)

At David's nod, Doug reaches Marc down to the floor. He is dressed in a pale blue, shoulder button, short pants romper with a white shirt, white socks, and white tennis shoes. The crowd reacts favorably to the sight of the little boy standing at the dedication ribbon and he looks around with a huge grin on his face. John Carter comes over and kneels down, bringing with him the ribbon cutting scissors. Under the watchful eye of both parents, Carter puts the scissors in Marc's hands and then holds his own hands over them. He puts the scissors up to the ribbon and helps Marc cut it loose to "officially" open the wing. The crowd applauds and Marc laughs with delight. Carter takes the scissors and puts them on the table and the mingling begins. Show Mark Greene with Doug and Carol...Mrs. Lincoln is close by with the triplets in a triplet stroller. Scott and Tatiana are out in the crowd drinking punch.

Mark:
I see you brought the whole family with you...

Doug (smiles):
Of course!
(motions to Rachel, Emma, and Nina)
You brought yours, too, didn't you?

Mark (nods):
I guess this is just a real family affair.

David (comes over and shakes hands with Doug):
Well, you did it, Doug! Did you ever think it would really happen?

Doug (chuckles):
I must admit that for a while, I had my doubts. It's really nice, David...thank you.

David (taken aback):
Thank ME? No! Thank YOU! You're the one that made this happen...

Doug:
You still had to give me the space.

David:
This is a good thing here, Doug...it's going to make a difference in the future of County.

David slips away and Kerry Weaver comes over to Doug. She looks around the room and nods with approval.

Kerry:
I have to admit, this is really nice. Carol, your decor is wonderful...I think it will really help with the children.

Carol (grins):
Thanks, Kerry!

Kerry:
I know I fought you on this place, Doug, but, now that I see it, I have to think you might be right after all.

Doug:
It'll make a difference, Kerry...it'll help you in the long run.

Laughter attracts the attention of the group. Doug looks to see that Marc has managed to get the scissors off the table Carter put them on and is running around the room with them trying to cut everything in his path.

Carol (rushing to Marc):
No, No, Marcus! Give Mommy those scissors!

Marc (laughing, mimicking Carol):
No, no!

Carol grabs the scissors away from him and he immediately begins to cry. She picks him up and carries him to the table with her, fetching a cookie and offering it to him and his tears subside.

Mark (chuckles):
He's a real show stealer, isn't he?

Doug (nods):
That he is...

Nina (standing now beside Mark):
He seems to be such a happy little boy.

Doug:
Yeah, he is...and I'm glad...that says a lot about the environment he's being raised in.

Nina (smiles):
Carol seems to be a really good 'Mom'.

Doug (nods):
She is. I know she worried about not having many maternal instincts when Marc was born, but, the time she took off with the triplets really changed things.

Mark:
But, she's happy to be working again, right?

Doug:
Oh, yeah...she loves working now that she can do it on HER terms!

*****Flashback to Present*****

Doug is reading over the newspaper article at his desk. His attention is caught by words like 'millionaire physician' and 'owner of the Drake hotel'. He is still looking over the article when Mark comes into his office.

Mark:
We're going to need you down in the ER for a while...Max is going with Anna so they can get their marriage license.

Doug (nods):
OK.

Mark:
Everything OK?

Doug:
Yeah, I was just looking over this article...I gave the interview for the newspaper...now I'm wondering if it was such a good idea.

Mark:
Because of the threats?
(Doug nods)

Doug:
I was just thinking about the opening and trying to remember if I saw anybody out of place there...anybody I didn't know...or didn't recognize...

Mark:
There were so many people there, how would you know?

Doug (frowns):
That's just the problem...I DON'T know. I can't think of any outright enemies I have...my guess is somebody wants one of my kids to try and get money out of me.

Mark (sighs):
I guess that's the problem with having money...somebody else always wants it.

Doug:
We're having a security fence put around the new house...I'll be glad when it's done and we get moved in...I think I'll feel safer about the kids at least...the triplets are starting to walk now...they'll be able to play in the yard before much longer. And Marc...he's completely active now. I want him to be able to ride his little toy car someplace where I don't have to worry about him.

Mark:
How soon will you be moved in?

Doug:
Another couple of months...it's almost done...then Carol is going to furnish it.

Mark:
What are you going to do with the old house?

Doug:
Keep it...maybe rent it...why? Are you interested?

Mark (laughs):
No...we're fine right where we are...I just wondered...

Doug:
Maybe this new intern and his wife will want to rent it when they come...I don't know...but we're keeping it...at least for a while.

Mark:
Are you worried about this guy?

Doug:
No...his credentials are good...apparently he's a good doctor...he'll be OK.

Mark:
It'll be your responsibility to keep an eye on him, you know...you're his boss.

Doug (nods, sighs):
Yeah...I know.

Mark:
I've got your leave papers in order...you think six weeks is all you're going to need?

Doug:
I HOPE so...I'll go nuts if I have to stay off much longer than that. Max will be in charge while I'm gone...he has to postpone his wedding, and I feel bad about that, but he wasn't bothered, so, I guess it's OK.
(beeper goes off)
That's Pedes...I better go.

Mark:
Yeah...

Cut to show Doug working with a little boy in the Pedes wing of the ER. The child is about Marc's age and VERY fussy. He is crying and trying to reach for his Mom and get off the table, all the while Doug tries to hold him on the table and check him over. Doug puts a thermoscan into the child's ear, causing him to cry even harder, and he reads it when he takes it out.

Mother:
He's running a fever, isn't he?

Doug (nods):
101ø...not overly high.
(takes a tongue depressor and attempts to look into the little boy's mouth...the child reaches for his mother, crying loudly)

Mother:
It's all right, Nathan...let the doctor look at you!

Doug (smiles):
I've got one just about his age...he's a wild ride when he doesn't feel good, too.

Mother:
He cries like that all the time...

Doug (nods):
I've got one like that, too...little boy born too soon that has some stomach problems...has he ever been checked for anything like that?

Mother:
No...do you think he should be?

Doug:
Does he have any problems taking milk?

Mother (surprised):
Why, yes! He does! How did you know?

Doug (shrugs):
Just a hunch...you should have him checked for lactose intolerance...I'm going to give him some penicillin for the fever...I suggest you take him to your own Pediatrician for follow up.

The mother nods, Doug takes out a syringe and fills it with penicillin. He takes the toddler's arm and leans close to him.

Doug (points across the room):
Nathan! Look! What's that over there?

The child looks to see a huge stuffed kangaroo in the corner. While his attention is distracted, Doug plunges the needle into his arm. The little boy looks back around, and fusses just a little, as Doug takes the needle out and lays it on the tray.

Doug (smiles, roughs Nathan's hair slightly):
There you go, Buddy...

Mother (picks child up and cuddles him):
Thank you, Dr. Ross...

Doug walks with her out into the main part of the ER to put the chart out for file. As he starts back through, Kerry Weaver hands him an envelope.

Kerry:
Oh, Doug, here! Someone left this for you.

Doug (takes envelope...looks at it suspiciously):
LEFT it for me? Did you see who it was?

Kerry (shakes her head):
No, I wasn't here when they came in, Jerry just left it and said someone brought it in and asked that it be given to you.

Doug (nods):
OK...thanks...

He walks on down the hall and rips the letter open. His eyes open wide as he reads the words...'If you remember what happened on level three of the parking garage, you'll know where to find your 'little girl'...and now she knows everything that happened to you there'. Doug's eyes flash panic...he stops at the main Pedes desk and picks up the phone, punching the number quickly. His face shows relief as Tatiana answers the phone on the other end.

Tatiana:
Ross Residence! Tatiana Ross speaking!

Doug (smiles, relieved):
Hi, Punkin...

Tatiana (delighted):
Hi, Papa!

Doug:
Everything OK at home?

Tatiana (reporter-like):
Scotty and Taryn are sitting on the patio making goo-goo eyes at each other...

Doug (chuckles):
Well, that's his business, OK? We had a talk about that, remember?

Tatiana (nods):
Yes, Papa.

Doug:
I'll be home in a little bit, OK? You be good and mind Mrs. Lincoln.

Tatiana:
I will, Papa! Bye!

Doug hangs up the phone with a puzzled look on his face. He reads back over the note again and then his eyes register fear as he suddenly understands what it means.

Doug (turns to leave the Pedes wing as quickly as he can):
Carol!

Just as he reaches the door that leads to the garage, he runs into Mark getting off the elevator. Mark reaches out and grabs him by the arm.

Mark:
Hey! Whoa! Where are you off to so fast!? Take it easy...

Doug (shoves the note into Mark's hand):
They weren't after my kids at all, Mark...they were after Carol! I know where she is...and I think she may need a doctor! Come with me?

Mark (nods):
Of course I will!

Mark follows along behind Doug as they go through the door and start up the steps to the parking garage entrance as Act Two Fades to Black.

Act Three

Scene opens with Doug and Mark in the elevator car on the parking levels rapidly and anxiously pushing the buttons. Doug impatiently pounds the side of the door in an attempt to speed up the ride while Mark looks on with a sympathetic look. When the elevator door finally opens, they see Carol leaning on the outside waiting for the elevator on her end. When she sees Doug, she smiles weakly as he goes out to her and starts to wrap his arms around her but she holds up her hands to keep him back.

Carol (faintly):
I knew you'd find me...

Doug (comforting voice):
We're gonna take care of you, Carol...

Carol (positive tone):
I'm OK...

Doug:
You're NOT OK...
(he reaches to pick her up but Mark and Carol both react quickly)

Mark and Carol (in unison):
NO!

Mark:
Doug, are you crazy? You are six days from back surgery! If you carry her, it could paralyze you!

Carol (touches his face, sad eyes):
I'm all right, Doug...

Mark:
I'll go back and get a gurney...

Carol (emphatically):
NO! I don't want anyone to think anything serious is wrong with me...I can walk if you guys just help me a little.

Mark (nods):
OK...we can do that...

Mark on one side and Doug on the other, Carol reaches an arm around each one of them and let's them help her into the elevator. All the ride down, no one says a word, but Doug keeps looking at Carol with a sympathetic, sad smile. The elevator opens and the three of them start through the ER together.

Kerry (as they pass the front desk):
What happened to you?

Carol (laughs lightly):
I stepped off the curb wrong...

Kerry:
You need me?

Carol (as they head into a trauma room):
Maybe...Mark will let you know...

Once they are in the trauma room, Carol slides onto the table carefully and Doug stays close beside her. She reaches out and touches his face reassuringly, and makes him look her in the eye.

Carol:
Doug, I'd like you to wait outside, please?

Doug (shakes his head):
Nothing doing...I'm staying right here.

Carol (emphatically):
Doug! I'm asking you to wait outside! Please?
(Doug gives her a perplexed look, Carol looks helplessly at Mark)
Can you get him out of here?

Mark (nods, takes Doug by the arm):
Come on, Doug...

Doug (protesting):
But...
(Mark gives him an 'it's ok' look and pulls him on out to the hallway with him)
Mark, come ON! I'm her husband!

Mark (nods):
Yes, you are, and I assure you that gives you certain rights, but, the patient is in control right now.

Doug (desperately):
But, I want to be there with her...FOR her...she was in there with me when I was the one on the table...

Mark (nods):
Yes, at your request! But, HER request is that you NOT be there and we have to honor that!

Doug (hurt):
I don't understand...
(nods shortly)
...but OK. I don't want to upset her. I'll be close by, OK? If you need me? Or she decides she wants me?

Mark (pats his shoulder comfortingly):
OK...that's fine.

Doug (grabs Mark by the arm as Mark steps away):
You be careful with her!

Mark (assuring eyes):
I'll give her the same courtesies I gave you.

Doug nods and trudges down the hallway and Mark goes back into the trauma room. He goes over to the table and Carol gives him a soft smile.

Carol:
You know the routine, Mark....you've done it before...I don't think you'll need any assistance...

Mark (concerned):
Why didn't you want Doug in here with you? Are you hurt that bad?

Carol (shakes her head):
No...I don't think I'm hurt very bad at all, really. It's just...they did the same thing to me that they did to him...they told me they were going to do everything exactly the way it was done to him...and I just don't want him to relive that through this exam...he's just now getting to the point where he might put it all behind him...I don't want it drudged up again.

Mark:
He'll never be over it, Carol. You know that as much as I do. And whether he's here for the exam or not, whatever memories he's still holding from that night are going to be drummed up again anyway.

Carol:
I can still protect him as much as possible...
(starting to crack):
I don't understand this, Mark...Greg Powell was behind what happened to Doug and he's dead now...he can't be part of this...I don't understand why someone out there wants to hurt Doug so much...

Mark (surprised):
Hurt Doug? Carol! Hello? I think you're the one hurting right now!

Carol (shrugs):
My pain is only physical, and that will pass. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to Doug?

Mark (chuckles)
You're really something...do you know that? Here you are, battered and assaulted, and the only thing you can think about is Doug...
(shakes his head)
Do you have any idea what you sending him out of here is doing to him right now?

Carol:
He doesn't need to be in here...he doesn't need to see this...

Mark:
Whether he needs to see it or not, he wanted to be here for you...

Carol (nods):
I know, and I appreciate that, but, I don't want him to go through all that again.

Mark:
So, you weren't raped?

Carol:
No...they did exactly the same thing to me that they did to Doug...I know everything he went through that night now, Mark...and I don't know how he got through it...

Mark:
The same way you are...

Carol (shakes her head):
No...you don't understand...women are more prone to rape and sexual attacks...they expect it more than men do...it's very traumatic for a man because they think they are supposed to be strong enough to fight.

Mark:
Are you sure you don't want me to get an assistant?

Carol:
No...you can do this...
(starts unbuttoning her shirt)
...we can do this...

Cut to show Doug going slowly into the security office of the hospital. He stops at a desk where a uniformed security guard is going over some papers he has on his desk. The name on the desk is Dan Weston.

Doug (softly):
Hey, Dan...

Dan (looks up):
Hey! Dr. Ross! What can I do for you?
(chuckles)
Is this about lights on the basketball court again?

Doug (shakes his head):
No, I wish it were something that simple, but, this is official business...I need a tape.

Dan (confused):
A tape? What tape?

Doug:
I need the security tape off the machine on level three of the parking garage...a patient was sexually assaulted up there today and we need to see if she can identify the man that attacked her.

Dan (shakes his head):
I thought we were all past this kind of stuff up there now...
(goes to the machine and takes the tape out)
...you'll have to sign for this, OK?

Doug (nods):
No problem.
(the security guard puts the tape on the counter, Doug signs a form and picks it up)

Dan (as Doug starts away):
Hope you find what you need.

Doug (as he goes out the door):
Me, too.

Cut back to the exam room where Mark and Carol are finishing up. Mark is pulling off his rubber gloves and Carol is lying on the table crying softly.

Mark (apologetically):
I'm sorry I hurt you...

Carol (composing herself):
It's OK...it wasn't your fault.

Mark:
I'd like to keep you overnight...will you stay?

Carol:
What do you want to do?

Mark:
I just want to pump some antibiotics into you with an IV and keep an eye on that laceration in the anal area...
(pauses, knowingly)
...nobody will have to know anything.

Carol (nods):
OK.

Mark (nods):
OK, I'll arrange to have you sent upstairs...what about Doug?

Carol (softly):
Yeah, it's OK...I'll see him once I get upstairs...we're going to need to talk...I at least owe him an explanation.
(lays her head back)
God! I don't know how he got through this!
(Mark isn't sure what to say or if he should say anything else. He looks at Carol with a sympathetic look but she cuts him off straight away)
Don't look at me like that, Mark...I'm all right...and I'll get through this...you just have to let me do it MY way, all right?

Mark (nods):
OK.

Carol (soft voice):
Go find my husband...I'm sure he probably needs a friend by now.

Mark nods and goes on out of the room. He stops at the desk and confers quietly with the nurses there, pointing over his shoulder to the room Carol is in. Then he goes down and waits for the elevator.

Cut to Doug's office. He is sitting at his desk watching the security tape on a VCR and TV in the corner. He has the remote control in one hand and his gun in the other. He has tears of anger in his eyes and an anguished look on his face. There is no sound on the tape, only picture. The picture is black and white but not really distorted. He watches as someone grabs Carol and slams her against the stone pillar in the garage. Then he watches as two other men hold her hands and pin her against the pillar while the attacker begins to touch her and caress her with his hands. He forces her to kiss him and then after the kiss, he slaps her, hard, in the face. Doug closes his eyes to the pain searing through him as he watches this but he can't turn it off. He watches everything on the tape but all the watching audience sees is his face, twisted with pain and anger, his hands starting to shake watching Carol's fate in front of him. When it's all over, the attacker walks by the security camera, looks up into it, and blows a kiss with a smile. This is too much for Doug. He takes the gun and aims it at the TV, pausing the action with the remote control.

Doug (to TV image frozen on the screen):
This one's for you, you son of a bitch!

Anger boiling over, he pulls the trigger and the gun goes off with a loud BANG!

Cut to show Mark getting off the elevator just about the time the gunshot rings out. With a panic stricken look, Mark takes off down the hallway in a dead run as Act Three Fades to Black.

Act Four

Scene opens with Mark charging to the door of Doug's office, several nurses are coming from other directions and they all arrive about the same time. Mark rips open the door and is relieved to find Doug sitting at his desk staring straight ahead across the room.

Mark (motions to the nurses):
It's OK...everything's all right.

Mark goes on into the office and walks slowly towards the desk, not sure what is happening, but, knowing enough to be careful.

Mark:
Doug? Are you OK? What happened?

Doug (places the gun on the desk and inches it carefully towards Mark):
I think maybe you better take this tonight, Mark...I just saw the face of the man that attacked my wife...I don't think it's a good idea for me to have this right now.

Mark (takes the gun and places it on a chair by the door):
What's going on, Doug?

Doug (points to the TV):
I got security to give me the tape off level three and I watched it. The only thing that kept me from going completely crazy is that there isn't any sound.

Mark (shakes his head):
You shouldn't have watched that tape, Doug...

Doug (snaps, cross voice):
Why not? My wife wouldn't let me be there for her during the exam...how else am I supposed to know what they did to her!? Are you planning on letting me read the exam chart?

Mark:
Carol didn't want you to have to go through all that again…she kept you out of the exam room to protect you...

Doug:
She made the decision for both of us, Mark! She only thought about how she felt. She didn't consider me at all.

Mark:
Doug, listen to yourself, OK? Your wife was attacked and sexually assaulted...don't you think under those circumstances she SHOULD have been thinking of herself first?

Doug (tears in his eyes, hurt look):
Why didn't she want me with her, Mark? Why didn't she let me help her?

Mark:
She just didn't want you to relive your own attack...you said she only thought about herself, but, really, the one she was thinking of was you.

Doug (pounds the desk in anger):
I could have taken it...I wanted to be there for her, Mark! I wanted to be there for her the way she was there for me...and she took that away from me!

Mark:
You can be there for her now. I'm admitting her...she's pretty beaten up and I'd like to keep an eye on her...
(quickly, reads Doug's mind)
...she's OK! And she's going to be OK! But tonight, I think she's better off here. She said to send you up as soon as she was in a room.

Doug (shakes his head):
I'm not good like she is, Mark. I don't know the things to say to make her feel better like she did me...why can't I do that for her?

Mark (grins):
You're not trained like she is. She's a certified rape counselor...she knows exactly the right things to say to the victim to give them back the self esteem that's been taken from them. You aren't trained for that. You're trained to take care of children...something you do better than anybody I've ever seen. All Carol needs right now is your support...and your love...
(smiles)
...you can give her that, can't you?

Doug (nods):
Of course I can.

Mark:
Don't let this eat at you, Doug. I know how you are. You let things bother you and fester until they boil over...don't do that with Carol.

Doug:
I did this to her, Mark...this is all my fault...I had those notes since the opening of the Pedes Wing...I knew someone was stalking my family and I didn't share that with her until it was too late!

Mark (sincerely):
Doug, you can't blame yourself for this! You said yourself those notes pointed to your kids...you had no reason to think they were after Carol...

Doug (scoffs):
I didn't think, period! Carol's right...I'm right back like I used to be...secretive...and trying to do everything myself...carry all the responsibilities and burdens on my own...
(shakes his head)
That's not how a marriage is supposed to work...not our marriage, anyway. I thought I was protecting her...all I did was push her into the line of fire.

Mark (shakes his head):
You didn't know.

Doug:
That doesn't make it any easier...

Mark:
Look, Doug, you did exactly the right things, here. You notified the police...you did what you could to protect your family...

Doug:
And disaster came anyway! What GOOD did any of it do me? My wife still suffered the consequences.

Mark (sighs):
I don't know what to tell you, Doug. All I know is that this wasn't your fault...that you didn't do anything wrong...and you didn't do this to Carol.

Doug (painful look):
Then why do I feel so guilty?

Mark:
Because she's the one that got hurt and not you.
(Pats his shoulder)
Go on upstairs and talk to your wife...

Doug (nods, smiles slightly):
Yeah...
(gets up from his desk)
She's OK, isn't she?

Mark (nods, smiles):
She's fine...just banged up a little.

Doug (carefully):
Was she...?

Mark (knowingly):
No...you said you watched the tape...you should know she wasn't raped.

Doug (nods):
I just wanted to be sure I saw everything...
(reaches to the VCR and takes the tape out)
Here...you better turn that over to the police...

Mark (pats his shoulder):
Everything's going to be OK, Doug...

Doug goes slowly and sadly out of his office. Mark takes the gun and the video tape and locks Doug's office door behind him as he leaves.

Cut to show Doug peeking around the door into Carol's room. Carol is resting on the bed. Her face is bruised and scraped. She has bruises on her arms. She is wearing a hospital gown and has the covers drawn up to her chest. She has an IV in her arm. Her eyes are closed but she is not sleeping. Doug goes quietly into the room and almost at once, Carol opens her eyes. She smiles when she sees him and reaches her hand to him.

Carol (concerned):
Hey...are you OK?

Doug (smiles, takes her hand in his):
I think that's supposed to be my line!

He gets to the bed and starts to wrap his arms around her, but, Carol holds him back and shakes her head.

Carol:
Don't!
(catches the hurt look on Doug's face and smiles)
Oh, Doug, it's not that...it's not that I don't want your arms around me...I just hurt all over so bad right now...you understand, don't you?

Doug (nods):
Yeah.
(sits in the chair beside her bed, still clasping her hand)
Are you OK?

Carol (nods):
I'm fine...
(touches his face)
What about you? Are you OK?

Doug (head down, voice low):
I'm sorry, Carol...I really let you down...

Carol (surprised):
Let me down? How did you let me down?

Doug:
I didn't give you those letters until it was too late to protect you...

Carol:
Doug, I read those letters...and I thought the same thing you did...that someone was after our children! Why in the world do you think they weren't with me?

Doug:
What were you doing here, anyway?

Carol:
I was coming to surprise you for dinner...
(chuckles)
Guess I was the one that got surprised, huh?

Doug (shakes his head):
I'm so sorry...

Carol (presses her fingers to his lips):
Don't...don't be sorry...it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong...

Doug (rubs his face against her hand, anguished voice):
Then why do I feel so guilty, Carol! Why do I feel like I did this to you?

Carol (reaches for him, takes his head in her hands, he leans forward to let her comfort him but he is careful not to press against her):
Oh, Doug, it's NOT your fault!
(holds him close to her, lets him rest his head on her shoulders and she begins to cry)
It's not your fault...

Doug (voice muffled in her shoulder):
I'm so sorry, Carol...I should have done more to protect you! I never wanted this to happen to you!

Carol (strokes his hair, holds him close to her, biting her lip to fight the pain of having him against her):
You think I ever wanted it to happen to you?
(kisses his hair)
Doug, for the first time I understand completely what you went through that night...
(pulls his head back for him to look at her)
How did you do it, Doug? How did you wander through the streets of Chicago waiting for Mark to get off duty hurting and bleeding like you were?
(Doug shrugs)
That's all I could think about through all of this...was what it must have been like for you to be scared...and hurt...and alone...with nobody there to help you and afraid to get help...

Doug (gives her a confused look):
You were thinking about ME? You're really something, you know that? You should have been thinking about yourself...

Carol (smiles):
I didn't have to think about me, Doug. I knew that you would be here for me...that you were going to feel the same about me no matter what. You didn't have that when it was you... we weren't even married then...

Doug (looks her in the eye):
I knew...I knew you were still going to care...
(buries his face against her and finally begins to cry)
God, Carol...I never wanted anything to happen to you...or one of the kids...

Carol (holds him to her and begins to cry with him):
I never wanted it to happen to you, either...but we got through it once...and we'll get through it again!

Doug (shaking his head):
Everything's different now...we have the children now...

Carol:
The kids will be fine...they don't have to know everything, just whatever we tell them... (strokes his hair, kisses his head)

Doug:
I'm so sorry, Carol...so sorry I didn't do more to protect you...so sorry I let this happen...

Carol:
You didn't let it happen, Doug...God! I knew this was going to be harder for you than when you went through it yourself!
(strokes him, kisses him)
I'm all right, Doug...as long as I have you...and our children nobody can ever hurt me...

Doug (muffled voice):
That's not true...it's easy to say those things now, but, it'll effect you...I can promise you that much. It'll effect you in ways you don't think about now...and for a long time to come.

Carol (smiles, sighs):
Well, if it does, we'll just have to work through it. I have you...and Nina can help...I'll be OK...
(pulls his face back, smiles at him, he keeps his eyes low)
Right now, what we have to think about is this back surgery you're facing on Monday...that's what we both have to focus on...

Doug (stammers):
I was...actually....thinking of postponing it...
(looks at her, she gives him a stern look)
...just until you're more on your feet and feeling better...

Carol:
I am fine, OK? I don't want you to postpone this surgery...I want you to have it and get it over with...these treatments are so painful for you...I want you to get better.

Doug (smiles):
Always thinking of me, aren't you?
(kisses her gently)
I guess that's why I love you so much.

Carol (pulls him to rest him against her chest):
If you have the surgery, then I'll have to take care of you and that will give me something to concentrate on...
(lost in thought)

Doug:
We'll get through this, Carol...we always get through everything...

Focus on Carol looking up at the ceiling, holding Doug close to her. Her eyes are misted with tears but she doesn't cry audibly because she doesn't want to alarm him. Pull back to show both of them on her bed, he is careful not to press his arms against her. He has his head buried against her and she is staring straight ahead into space as Act Four Fades to Black.

Closing Act

Scene opens at the Ross home, interior, night time. Show Doug sitting in a chair in the family room with Marc on his lap. Scott and Tatiana are sitting on the sofa facing him.

Tatiana (quiet voice):
So, Mama's not coming home?

Doug (shakes his head):
Not tonight...she'll be able to come home tomorrow.

Tatiana (confused):
Why did the bad man hurt my Mama?

Doug:
I don't know, Punkin...sometimes those things just happen.

Scott (quietly):
Is Mom gonna be OK?

Doug (nods):
Yeah, she's gonna be fine, but, she's gonna need a lot of help. She's not going to be feeling very well for a while, and I have to have this back surgery on Monday, so, I'm not going to be able to help her much. I'm counting on the two of you to really pitch in around here for a while...can I have your promise?

Scott (nods):
Sure, Dad...I'll help out all I can...I promise.

Tatiana (nods):
OK, Papa...I'll be Mama's Little Helper.

Doug (smiles):
Thanks, kids...
(reaches for them, both of them go over to him and hug him)
...I don't know what I'd do without you guys right now.
(kisses each one on the head)
I love you guys...you know that, don't you?

Scott:
We love you, too, Dad...you're going to be OK, too, aren't you?

Doug:
I'm sure I'll be fine...

Scott (reaches for Marc):
Want me to put him to bed for you?

Doug (shakes his head):
No, I'll put him down...thanks, though!

Doug carries Marc through the house to his room. The little boy is in his footed sleepers and Doug lays him down in his crib and gazes down at him with a soft smile.

Doug:
Go to sleep, Buddy, OK?
(Marc fusses...Doug offers him comfort by turning on his lullabye box on the side of his crib)
I'll see you tomorrow, Buddy...be good for Mrs. Lincoln, OK?

Marc (giggles):
Night night...

Doug (leans down and kisses Marc on the forehead):
Night night, Buddy...

Doug goes out of Marc's room and down the hallway into the master bedroom. He goes in and sits on the side of the bed, looking around the room in despair that Carol is not there with him. He starts putting some things for both of them into a duffel bag and then unplugs his dialysis machine to put it into its travel case. As he packs up the machine, his attention is caught by the folder he gave Carol earlier lying on the night stand. He reaches over and picks it up, leafing through the notes inside it, his eyes misting with tears and his face twisted with pain. Finally, he can no longer hold back his feelings. He sits on the side of the bed and buries his faces into his hands, finally sobbing freely for the pain he is feeling for Carol.

Cut to County Hospital. Show Kerry Weaver in the room with Carol, checking the numbers and making notes on her chart.

Kerry:
How are you feeling, Carol?

Carol:
I'm OK...where's Mark?

Kerry:
He's off duty now...he asked me to keep an eye on you...he thought it would be OK.

Carol (nods):
OK.
(pause)
You read the chart, then?

Kerry (nods):
And if you need anything...if there's anything I can do or get for you...

Carol (shakes her head):
I'll be fine...Doug went home to get a few things I need and he'll be back. He'll be here with me. He's all I need right now.

Kerry:
It's all well and good that you have the support of your husband, but, I doubt that he can understand what's happened to you right now enough to be much help right now...

Carol (smiles):
Actually, Kerry, Doug understands more than you know. We'll be fine. But, thanks, anyway.

Kerry:
Men don't understand when something like this happens to a woman...only women can understand...

Carol:
If it's all right with you, Kerry, I'd really rather just take solace in my husband's care...OK?

Kerry (shrugs):
OK...but if you need to talk to anyone...

Carol (smiles, nods):
I know where to find you.

Kerry starts out of the room just as Doug starts into it. He side steps to let Kerry pass.

Doug:
How's she doing?

Kerry:
She says she's doing OK...

Doug (grins):
Then, I'm sure she is. Carol is tough...and strong...

Kerry:
I guess we'll see, won't we? Just how strong...and how tough she really is...

Doug nods shortly and goes on into the room. He puts the things he brought down on the floor, but he is carrying a gift wrapped box.

Carol (smiles when she sees him):
There you are...did you talk to the kids?

Doug (nods):
Yeah, and they said to tell you when you come home, they'll help out all they can.

Carol:
What did you tell them?

Doug (shrugs):
Just that you got hurt...that a bad man hurt you...but that you're OK and you'll be coming home in a day or so.

Carol (pushes her curtain back):
Mark put me in a double room but listed it as private so you could have a bed to sleep in...
(smiles)
Neither one of us thought you should be sleeping in a chair right now.

Doug (chuckles):
Still thinking about me, aren't you?

Carol:
Always.
(motions to the box)
What's this?

Doug (smiles):
Something I got for you...
(opens the lid to reveal a silk night gown, rich with embroidery and lace)

Carol (takes it out of the box):
Oh, Doug! It's beautiful!
(reaches it to him)
Will you help me put it on?

Doug (nods):
Sure...

Carol sits up on the bed and Doug helps her off with the hospital gown. He slips the new nightgown over her head, but his eyes focus on the bruises on her back and he winces behind her back. He gets the nightgown on her and then sits beside her.

Carol (smiles):
It's beautiful...

Doug (smiles sadly):
Just like you...I just wanted you to have something nice...to make you feel special...

Carol (holds his hand):
You always make me feel special, Doug...just by being here.
(pats the bed)
Come on...sit here with me for a while and just let me be close to you...

Doug climbs onto the bed with her and slips his arm around her shoulders. She cuddles her head on his chest and wraps one arm around his waist, snuggling close to him. He lays his head down against hers and stares off into space as the Closing Act Fades into the Closing Credits of the show.

July 19, 1998