Commitment Unconfined
Chapther Sixteen
By Triggersaurus
triggersaurus@hotmail.com

Prepare yourselves, this is a monster fic! Well, for me anyway. It didn’t take me too long, but was quite an agonising piece to write, I have a horrible suspicion it isn’t one of my best and I didn’t really get my ideas across in the way I wanted, but like you care! LOL Well, all I can say is I hope you enjoy it, and I apologise if you don’t, if you can do a better job, go ahead! (Just kidding) Triggersaurus

Previously: Due to the death of a Taylor child, Doug and Carol have been granted custody of Ben when he leaves hospital.

"Sure you got it?"

"Yeah, got it Doug, go ahead."

"Okay, one step at a time."

A series of grunts follow and some loud clunking noises.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, keep going."

Doug pulls the bed up another stair as Carol pushes the other end.

"You would’ve thought the delivery men would know that it would go upstairs…" Carol groans as the bed goes up another step.

"Never assume too much of delivery men, that’s what I say!"

They continue up slowly.

"Whew, nearly there, three more steps."

"Three more steps before we have to figure a strategic plan to get it round the corner…"

"Well, at least the physically difficult bit will be over."

They lift the bed up one more time, and Doug disappears behind it as it straightens out on the hallway. "Got it Doug? I’m letting go!"

"Okay, got it…" A large thump and a sigh of relief is heard.

"Doug?! Are you okay?"

"Yeah…just fine…"

Carol clambers around the obstacle and sticks her head around the corner, to see Doug, slumped on the floor, eyes closed. His eyes open as he feels Carol looking at him, and she smiles. "I’ll go get some Coke or something."

"Mmm, that’d be great."

As Carol goes back downstairs and into the kitchen, Doug continues to talk to her from upstairs.

"What else do we have to do then?"

"What?" Carol hollers back as she gets two glasses from a cupboard.

"What else do we have to do, you know, in preparation for the onslaught of a three year old on our house?"

"Just get the bed into the room, get some toys…we could decorate his room I guess?"

"No! I am NOT doing decorating!"

Carol grins and heads back upstairs with two glasses of Coke. She leans on the top of the bed and passes one over to Doug, nearly tipping the bed, precariously balanced on one side, over.

"Oops."

"Klutz" Doug said, looking at her with eyes of a troublemaker, slurping his drink.

Carol drains her glass, ignoring him, and leans to take his, putting them on the bottom step of the staircase.

"Let’s go."

"Uh." Doug gets up, and looks at the bed, then grabs one end, and starts to pull it around the corner, with Carol pushes from the other end.

In the ER, the staff are enjoying the relative quiet April day. There are a couple of patients around to keep them occupied, but nothing too taxing, to everyone’s relief. Randi is sitting at the desk, doodling on some paper, keeping half an eye on chairs. Carter comes by to look for patients and leans over Randi’s shoulder to see what she is drawing.

"What is that?!"

Randi looks at her work, shading in some more of it.

"It’s my fashion line for men…I’ve decided to branch out a bit. You’d look good in it Dr. Carter."

"Aha, yeah, well, it’s okay Randi, I think I’ll just stick to what I’m used to actually."

He goes to look at the board, rubbing out the name of a patient that has been and gone. Obviously there is no one there to treat, and he turns around and leans against the counter. Just as he goes to say something to Randi, who is doodling again, he feels a weight on his white coat. He looks down and sees the cause of the problem.

"Is Carol and Doug here?"

"Well hey there, Ben. No, I don’t think they are right now, Randi? Is Dr. Ross in, or Carol?"

"Nope, not until this afternoon Dr. Carter."

"Hmm. There we go, not until this afternoon. What are you doing here anyway?"

Ben is looking around at the underworld beneath the admit desk. He fails to hear Carter, and wanders over to a big cardboard box that is sitting on the floor by Randi’s feet. He pulls at it, sliding it out, and takes a look in it, pulling out a huge piece of material. Randi feels the box hit her feet and looks to see what is going on.

"Aah! Be careful with that kiddo! That costs a lot of money!"

Ben drops it on the floor, confused by Randi’s squeal. He looks at her, and she stares back.

"Ahem." Carter senses some tension in the air and picks Ben up and sits him on the opposite work top, away from Randi, who is gathering her material back into the box.

"What’s that?" Ben reaches over and takes a scope out of Carter’s breast pocket.

"That’s for looking into people’s eyes, see, you press that…" A light beam flicks on "…then you look through this hole here…" He peers through the scope at Ben, who giggles. "You wanna have a go while I call your ward and tell them where you are?"

"Okay…" He takes the scope and looks into it, taking in what the ER looks like through an ophthalmoscope.

Carter picks up a phone and calls up to peds.

"This is the ER, we’ve got one of your kids down here…yeah, he’s here…no…he’s fine, playi…what?…no, that’s okay…well, we’ll keep him down here for a bit until you can, it’s quiet today…okay, sure…no problem…bye." He turns and looks at Ben, who has come scope-to-face with Mark. "Ah, Dr. Greene, I just called peds."

"Sure…" Mark says, rubbing his cheek where Ben has slipped and prodded him.

"They can’t spare anyone right now to come and get him, so I said he could say down here for a while. That’s okay, right? We’re not busy or anything, so?"

"Yeah, no problem, just keep him out of everyone’s way."

"I will."

"Dr Greene! Peds for you!"

"Okay Randi."

Mark goes to get the call, and Carter puts Ben back on the floor, taking his hand to go into the lounge, out of the way.

"Carter! Hey, one moment!"

"Yeah?"

"He has a physio appointment in about half an hour, so if no one has come to get him by then, can you take him down? Room 12 it is"

"Okay, yeah, sure."

A few hours later, Doug and Carol arrive for their shifts. Noticing the lack of patients, Doug goes to check the board, hand in hand with Carol. "Hm! Quiet day! What’s going on Randi?"

"Search me Dr. Ross, I’m just thankful!"
"Has it been like this all day?"

"Yep. Oh, your kid, what’s his name, Ben, he was down here, stayed awhile till Dr. Carter took him to physical therapy."

"Really? He wandered down here again? We’re gonna have to get him a leash!"

Carol peers at the scattered drawings on the desktop. "What are these Randi?"

"Oh, it’s my new fashion line for men."

"Hmm! Doug, how do you feel about a crushed purple velvet tux?"

Doug, who had been previously watching a couple of interns behind him throw a football, turned round.

"Huh?"

Carol smiles sweetly at him. "Nothing, don’t worry about it…" Doug saunters out to the lounge to take his coat off, still watching the football being passed. Carol leans down and whispers in Randi’s ear. "As soon as you get those made, let me know!"

"Sure thing Carol, can’t wait to see Dr. Ross in one!"

They laugh together as Carter comes up to them.

"Hey Carol, saw Ben earlier, he’s down at physical therapy now…"

"Yeah, I heard…"

"They want to know if you guys could go and see them or peds later."

"Oh. Okay. You know what for?"

"No, sorry."

"Okay…"

At about 6 o’clock that afternoon, Carol stuck her head around the door of the physical therapy room, closely followed by a grunt from Doug.

"Carol, Sarah’s down there, she just went…"

He sped off after her, with Carol on his tail. When she caught up, they were in the middle of the hallway.

"Hi again. Sorry to drag you down, I hope you weren’t busy in the ER?"

"No, slow day. Is there a problem?"

"No, no, nothing like that! If you just want to come in here where it’s a bit more comfortable…"

They went into another room and sat down on a couple of seats.

"We heard the good news! You got custody of Ben, that’s great!"

"Thanks" Doug and Carol both smile.

"Well, basically all I have to say is that Ben can be discharged tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he’s ready to face the world I think. He obviously doesn’t have full flexibility just yet, but it will come with time and just everyday walking and running, so he can go!"

"Well…"

"Okay…"

"That’s great news for him."

"Yeah…um, I think we have some shopping to do though!"

Sarah laughs.

"I’ll bet! Your first child, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck with him then."

They all stand up, going to leave.

"All I want to do is see him one more time tomorrow, just before he leaves."

"Sure."

"And I wish you both the best of luck with him, he’s a good kid."

"Thanks."

"See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

Doug and Carol go back to the elevators to return to the ER. As they step into an empty elevator, they smile at each other, and Doug kisses Carol as she wraps her arms around him.

Back in the ER, the staff stand in a close huddle at the main desk, around Carter.

"Tomorrow afternoon time I think, he has to go to physio one more time, then that’s it!"

"This is so great!"

"Yeah"

"Shhhh!!!! I hear a noise!!"

Everyone stops talking.

"It’s them! Act normal everyone!"

Everyone attempts to be doing ordinary things as Carol and Doug come up to the desk.

"Guess what guys?!" Says Carol, unable to contain herself.

Before she can say anything more, she is covered in a shower of party popper pieces and makeshift streamers from old crepe bandages. She turns around to see what has happened, seeing Doug covered as well, and starts to laugh, as the rest of the staff are already. When they stop, everyone tries to brush the bits away, and gathers around to congratulate them and ask questions. Mark battles through the field of excited medical staff to slap Doug on the back.

"Hey! Great news huh?!"

"Yeah. Wasn’t really expecting all this though!"

"Well, you know, we didn’t get to do anything when we found out you had custody, so…"

He grins and Doug smiles back.

"So I’m guessing you guys might need a little time to prepare?"

"Ah, yeah, I guess, I mean, we got a bed and put that upstairs and stuff…"

"Go on, take a couple of hours while some stores are still open."

"Really?"

"Yeah, go ahead, I’ll cover for you."

Doug laughs and puts an arm around his shoulders in thanks.

"Back by eleven though! I’m not superhuman…"

"Sure buddy, no problem. Eleven."

He manages to disentangle both himself and Carol from the melee and they grab their coats and leave, not without Carol giving Mark a peck on the cheek of appreciation.

The next morning, Doug is treating a teenager with a sprained ankle, and Carol has disappeared home temporarily to get it ready for later. Doug comes out of the exam room with Lydia.

"Get her a couple of spare bandages and let her go…"

"Okay, anything else?"

"No, thanks Lydia."

"Dr. Ross? Peds on the phone about Ben."

"Okay, one moment Jerry…" He puts his chart down and checks the board, finding only three other patients listed, and none of them peds cases.

"Ah ha! I am DONE!"

He takes the receiver from Jerry.

"Hello? Yeah…great, yeah…. okay…umm, half an hour…yeah, that’d be great…sure…okay…see you then."

"You taking him home today, Dr. Ross?"

"Yeah, we are Jerry. And how is married life treating you? Expecting any kids yourself yet?!" Doug teases, poking him, then skirting off into the lounge. He sticks his head back out again to shout to Jerry, "Tell Carol I’m in here when she gets in?" He disappears again.

About ten minutes later, Carol breezes in through the ER doors and makes a line towards the lounge door.

"Oh, Carol?"

"Hey Jerry"

"Dr. Ross said to tell you that he’ll be in there." Jerry points to the lounge.

Carol looks at Jerry for some moments, then looks at the door for a while. Then she pushes it and goes in. "You know Doug, Jerry has to be one of the most odd people I have ever met. Of course, I am not accounting for E Ray, but…" Doug, kissing her on the lips, halts her. He pulls away again, smiling at her, as she stands, mildly confused.

"We can go and get him now, Peds called, the surgeons want to take a last look and then we can go to physical therapy, and that’s it!"

"Great!"

"You bring a jacket for him? It’s kinda cold out there…"

"Yep, look!" She holds up a small blue coat with a print of Big Bird on the back.

"Oh, Carol, couldn’t you have got him a Bulls one or something? Look, it’s so…"

He pulls a face and fingers the jacket.

"It was the last one in his size in the shop, okay, and besides, I thought it was cute."

Doug sighs. "Okay, let’s go, I’ll forgive you this time. But I get to choose him a new shirt."

"It’s a deal!"

Sarah, the physical therapist, hugs Ben as he gives her a card he has made, with a picture of something indeterminable on the front. "You take care now, won’t you? Take it slowly, okay, don’t rush anything…" She looks up at both Doug and Carol, and stands up. "Who am I kidding, huh?! What three year old takes things slowly?!"

They all agree as they watch Ben jumping up and down, trying to say goodbye to another therapist. "Come on now, you done? Is there anyone possibly left in this hospital for you to say goodbye to?!"

Ben comes back over, and waves as he leaves the room. They go up to the ER to leave the hospital, and passing through, saying goodbye to everyone there as well. Doug goes to his car, unlocking it, and then turns around.

"Hmm. Now, where are you gonna sit?"

"I’ll sit with him in the back…we’ll have to get one of those seats."

"Okay, yeah."

They drive off, pulling up outside the house. Ben drops out of the car and holds Carol’s hand as they go up to the house, with Doug slightly ahead of them. They slow down as they get to the porch steps, and Ben stops. Doug turns around.

"Oh, you can’t do steps yet? Come here…I guess they are kinda big for someone your size…"

He lifts him up the steps, and holds onto him as Carol opens the door. He follows her inside, and puts Ben down again.

"Ta da!" They both stand, waiting for Ben to do something. Which he does, rushing off into the kitchen, then the closet, then around the lounge. "What’s up there?"

"That’s your bedroom up there. You want to go and see it?"

"Yeah! Is there a lellavator?"

"Elevator? No! You don’t get those in houses Ben, well, most houses anyway…"

They all go upstairs, Doug and Carol laughing as they watch.

That evening, Doug is sitting on the couch in the lounge with some sports brochures. All appears peaceful, until a small figure, wearing pyjama bottoms and nothing else, slides down the stairs feet first, giggling, and comes running round to where Doug sits. A strangled cry comes from upstairs, and Ben giggles some more, trying to climb onto the couch. Doug pulls him up. He cranes his neck forward. "What did you do?" He whispers to Ben, who is still laughing.

"I ran away!" He whispers back. Carol can suddenly be heard, clumping loudly upstairs in the direction of the staircase. Ben gasps, and looks at Doug with wide and excited eyes. Doug peers over the back of the couch to the staircase, and pushes Ben’s head down so that it can’t be seen, then ducking himself so he can’t be seen either. He puts one finger over his mouth, signalling to Ben, as Carol’s footsteps can be heard on the stairs. "On three, we jump out!" Doug whispers in Ben’s ear.

Carol comes down the last few steps, and stands with her hands on her hips, but smiling. "Alright…" she begins.

Just then, Doug and Ben pop up from behind the couch, shouting, and Carol jumps slightly. They both dissolve into laughter when they see Carol’s expression, and she joins in as well, coming over to the where they are.

"Okay, okay, you got me. Doug, you are teaching this boy bad habits! Come here, we have to get your top on!"

Ben, obediently now, goes to Carol, who sits on the couch, putting him on her lap to get the shirt on. As she pulls it down, Doug peers around at it, and grimaces again.

"Barney?! Oh please! Buddy, don’t you worry, we’re gonna get you some proper clothes soon."

Ben is wandering around again, looking at everything in the lounge. Carol sits back, and reaches over and picks up a brochure that Doug has been looking at. He leans over, resting his head on her shoulder, and points at various items as she flicks through the pages.

"Doug! Have you seen how much that costs?!"

"Yeah, but I thought, what with all this Barney stuff, and so on, you know, it can’t hurt for the kid to have some good stuff to wear!"

"But this Cubs shirt costs…well, we could get a car seat for the same price!"

"Aww, c’mon, it wouldn’t…"

Ben interrupts him.

"Who’s that?" He is pointing at some photos on the mantelpiece above the fire. The one he is looking at shows a man with dark features playing with two small girls, about five and seven years old each.

"That’s my father, Ben." Carol says.

"Father…who are they?"

"That’s me and my sister when we were little."

"Oh. What’s a father?"
Carol blinks and looks at Doug, who clears his throat.

"You don’t know what a father is Ben?"

"No…I don’t think so…"

"Everyone has a father, it’s a man who…um…I don’t know, they look after you when you’re little, teach you things, play games…ur…"

"Is one of these your father?"

"No, err, I don’t have a photo there of my father…"

"Why?"

"It’s sort of complicated. But you see that? That’s my mom, my mother…I don’t suppose you know what that means?"

"No."

"Same as a father, but your mother is a woman."

"Oh. And this is your mother?" He points at another picture.

"Yeah, that’s my mom. You can meet her one day."

"Where is she?"

"Where? She lives near here."

"Oh. Does your father live near here too?"

There is a short silence.

"No, my father is dead Ben."

"Dead? Like Clark?"

Carol frowns and looks at Doug.

"The Taylor kid…yeah, like Clark."

"Oh."

Doug looks at his watch, and then at Carol, who nods at him. He gets up from the couch.

"Okay kiddo…" He is interrupted again.

"Who is my father and my mother?"

There is another silence as Carol looks at Doug, frozen in between standing and sitting. He looks back at her.

"Ah."

"Ahem."

"Uhhh…"

"What is a father and a mother again? Look after and play…" He seems to be talking to himself as he looks at the photos some more. Relieved that this question was not directed at him, Doug stands up properly. "Bed time kiddo."

Ben looks up, away from the photos, around to Doug.

"Bed time?"
"Time to go to bed! Time to go and sleep!"

"Okay."

He takes Doug’s hand and comes back across the room. "Say goodnight to Carol"

"Goodnight Carol."

"’Night Ben."

"Bye bye!"

"Doug picks him up to go upstairs, and Carol slumps back into the couch with a sigh, as she listens to Doug talking to the boy. She gets up again, and follows them upstairs a few minutes later, finding Doug in the bathroom washing a toothbrush off, and Ben sitting on his new bed playing with a stuffed toy. She checks him, then goes to see Doug. He turns around as she comes in.

"We have to get him a toothbrush as well…he had to use mine."

"Eww, okay, that’s important!"

They both go to Ben’s new room, and Carol tucks him in under the quilt. Just as they both get to the doorway on their way out, a voice pipes up.

"I think…are you my mother and father?"

Carol swallows, looking at him, and Doug looks at the floor.

"You look after me and you play with me, so I think you are, is that right?"
Carol looks at the floor as well, as Doug throws her a glance and clears his throat. Carol looks up again, at Ben, then at Doug, her eyes seeming watery. Doug looks back at her, then at Ben.

"I guess so, Ben. I guess you are right."

Ta daaaaaaa! Okay, so it wasn’t as long as I made out, but it damn well felt like it at the time. As usual, mail me with comments, both nice and nasty, to triggersaurus@hotmail.com