The Secret Life of Kerry WeaverAuthor: Rorie Classification: S Author's notes: This is something I came up with... it doesn't match official show canon... I guess you could say it's an alternate story line. Harrison, Nebraska is about 10 miles east of the Wyoming border, and 20 miles south of the South Dakota border. I have no idea what the high school's name is or what the team mascot is. DR. KERRY WEAVER'S HOME Dr. Kerry Weaver stumbled through her front door, juggling cane, mail, and groceries. It had been a long day at the hospital. She may have had her differences with Dr. Doug Ross in the past, but days like today made her wish he hadn't decided to leave them and go to Seattle. She had seen more ear infections and vomiting children today, it seemed, than in the rest of her medical career. Whose idea was it to have her be the pediatrician for the day? She didn't know, but when she found out, that person was going to regret it mightily. Going to the kitchen, she set the bag of groceries on the counter along with the mail. She then headed to her bedroom to change into something vastly more comfortable than the suit she wore to work. Returning to the kitchen, she was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a gray t-shirt that boasted "Property of the Harrison High Dust Devils." Putting the milk in the fridge, the juice in the freezer, and the other groceries into the pantry, Kerry turned her attention to the stack of mail on the counter. "Student loan statement...Visa bill...electric bill... water bill... junk... junk... junk...letter from Grace... letter from Uncle Jacob and Aunt Lyla... phone bill... JAMA...." she said each of them out loud as she separated things into piles. She picked up the junk mail pile and dropped it into the garbage, she moved the bill pile to the desk, and carried the letters and magazine into the living room and dropped them on the coffee table. Kerry headed back into the kitchen and put a mug of water with a tea bag into the microwave, and pulled leftover pizza out of the fridge. After the microwave beeped she removed the mug and put the pizza in. She let the tea steep until the pizza was done. Removing the tea bag she added 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of coffee creamer to her tea and stirred it. Balancing the pizza and tea with a grace borne of years of practice, she negotiated her way back to the living room sofa. She picked up the letter from Grace first. Grace was her older sister, adoptive, of course. Grace was the total opposite of Kerry, at least the way she was now... she was carefree, outgoing, and always happy, and Kerry adored her. Grace's letter was full of the antics of Abby and Will, her three-year-old twins, and Melissa, their 12-year-old sister. Grace's letters always provided Kerry with a good laugh. She didn't get to see Grace and the family often enough... her sister had married her high school sweetheart and had never left Harrison, living a few blocks away from the house where they grew up, where their mother had lived until her death. Laying aside the letter from her sister, she picked up the one from her aunt and uncle. Aunt Lyla obviously wrote it... her uncle was the strong, silent type. Jacob Weaver was a small-town doctor who only spoke when he felt what he had to say was truly important. Lyla Weaver, on the other hand, loved to talk and that, in turn, translated into long rambling letters to her niece away in that 'God forsaken' big city of Chicago. Old Mrs. Johnson from down the street finally died from the cancer, Sarah Anne Leland had another daughter, and Jayson Parker decided to return to Harrison and hang out his shingle... he was a lawyer, used to practice in Lincoln. No real news, just the same old small-town gossip she had grown up with. Next she picked up the new issue of JAMA... there were some fascinating articles that she lost herself in, her half-drank tea and half-eaten pizza forgotten. "Mommy, I'm flying!" 3-year-old Rhiannon screamed from the swings. "Yes, Baby, I see." her mother replied, as she looked at her watch. "Come on, Rhiannon, we've got to go home. Daddy will be there soon, ready for dinner." "Okay, Mommy." the girl yelled, getting off of the swing. She ran to her mom, her long red hair flowing out behind her. Her mom buckled Rhiannon into the car seat in the back and got in the driver's seat. Five minutes later, they were approaching a busy intersection, the light was green. Mom noticed in the mirror that Rhiannon had once again unbuckled herself from the car seat... that girl was a regular Houdini when it came to restraints. She turned slightly, "Rhi, baby, sit down and buckle your belt back, please." She turned her attention back to the road just in time to see a car barreling through the red light. She had no time to react, everything went black... Dr. John Carter was just getting in to his apartment in the basement of Kerry Weaver's house when he heard a scream from upstairs. He rushed up into the main part of the house. Another scream pierced the air, he went into the living room to see Kerry asleep on the sofa, an open JAMA laying on the floor. She was obviously having a nightmare. He went and sat on the edge of the sofa and put his arm on her arm, "Kerry, wake up." he shook the other doctor awake. "Carter?" Kerry said, sweat beading on her forehead, "What are you doing up here?" "You were screaming in your sleep... I was worried about you." he replied. "Thank you, Carter, I'm okay now...really." she said in the face of his unbelieving stare. "Are you sure, Kerry? I don't want to leave if you're not." "I'm fine, Carter, now go on...." she said, forcing a smile. Carter wasn't sure he believed her, but he knew how stubborn Kerry Weaver could be, so he left to go back downstairs to his apartment. Kerry got up and went to her bedroom, gathered up necessities and went to take a shower. She stood under the hot spray, trying to get her pulse and breathing to return to normal. She couldn't remember what she had been dreaming, but she remembered being terrified. When her vitals had returned to their normal levels, Kerry got out of the shower and got dressed and went to bed. She woke up in a hospital room, alone and scared. Her head hurt tremendously, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain emanating from her right leg. But that pain paled in comparison to the fear in her heart. Where was Rhiannon? Was she okay? A nurse walked into the room, "Oh, we're awake." she said, way too cheerfully. "Where's my daughter? Is she okay? Where's Rhiannon?" "Calm down, Honey." the nurse said. "I'll get your doctor." The nurse returned a few minutes later with a tall African-American man. "My name is Dr. Tredner." he said, by way of introduction. "Kerry Logan." she replied, softly. "Where's my daughter?" The doctor got a very soft, sympathetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Kerry." he said. "Rhiannon was brought in dead-on-arrival. She didn't make it." "Noooo," Kerry screamed. "Rhiannon!" Kerry woke up with a start, her heart was racing, she was tangled in the sheets, and her nightgown was soaked in sweat. This time, however, she remembered what she was dreaming. She sat up, turned on the lamp, and opened the top drawer of her bedside stand. She pulled a small framed picture out and stared at it. A beautiful little girl with red hair like her mother's smiled back out at her. "Rhiannon," she whispered, "I'm so sorry." Now, fully awake, Kerry allowed the memories to come... no fighting them this time.... After the doctor had told her about Rhiannon, she had cried until she could cry no more. It was strange that Brian wasn't there. Maybe the hospital hadn't been able to reach him. But, no, she found out later, he was at the hospital at that time, he just didn't want to see her yet. When he finally came in to see her, it was to tell her that the funeral arrangements had been made. It would be that weekend, in Harrison. Dr. Tredner had told her that she wouldn't be released for at least two weeks. "No, Brian, I can't go then." she pleaded with her husband. "It doesn't matter, Kerry, it's done." he said, coldly. She looked at Brian carefully. It was then that she could see the blame, the hate in his eyes... directed towards her. She knew now that he would never back down. "Can I at least see her?" she asked. "I don't care what you do, Kerry. But do it fast... she's being moved tomorrow morning." with that the man she was married to, the love of her life left the room, never to come back. Kerry pulled the call button, it was answered by a different nurse. "What can I do for you, Kerry?" she asked, genuinely interested in how she could help her patient. "I want to see my daughter." Kerry answered. The nurse was nonplused for a moment, she thought the patient knew her daughter was dead. "She's in the morgue." Kerry continued. "I don't know if that's possible." the nurse began. "Please, I have to. I won't be out for the funeral. My husband's moving her in the morning. This is my only chance to say goodbye. Please!" Kerry pleaded with the nurse. "I'll see what I can do." the nurse said sympathetically. "Thank you." Kerry said, smiling wanly. The nurse returned several minutes later, followed by a man pushing a wheelchair. They arranged the foot rest to support Kerry's injured leg, then gingerly transported her to the chair, hanging her IVs on the special hook for them on the chair. The man pushed the chair to the elevator and pushed the button for the basement where the morgue was located. The morgue had already been alerted that she was coming down, so they were ready for her arrival. "Mrs. Logan," the attendant said, "Follow me." Kerry was wheeled into a small comfortable room, where she waited. A few moments later, the morgue attendant entered carrying the body of her daughter. He placed the precious bundle into her arms and left saying to call when she was ready to leave. Kerry looked into the face of the angel she held. There was no damage evident. She had died of massive internal injuries... if Kerry had opened the blanket she would have seen the Y-incision from the autopsy, but she didn't. Instead, she just held the girl to her chest and rocked back and forth, singing a lullaby that had always been Rhiannon's favorite. She couldn't finish... she broke down in heart-rending sobs, the kind reserved for a mother whose child was never going to wake up, was never going to run in the park, never going to fly on the swings, go to school, fall in love, get married, or have babies of her own some day. When the sobs subsided, Kerry called the attendant to take Rhiannon, her good-byes were said. Her transporter took her back up to her room, where the doctor was waiting for her. He told her that even with surgery she would never fully regain the use of her injured leg. She would probably walk again, but would have to rely on a cane for the rest of her life. She nodded numbly, accepting what he said at the moment. The part of her that cared about life lay dead in a drawer in the morgue.... She was released from the hospital rehab facility two weeks later. She had learned to walk again, she had graduated from a walker to a cane, but as Dr. Tredner had said, she would be using it for the rest of her life, unless some miracle surgery came along. Kerry went home with her aunt, who had come to Lincoln to stay with her for a while. She was greeted by a house empty of human presence. All the furniture was still there, but the life was gone. A large manila envelope waited on the kitchen counter, in it were divorce papers. Brian was leaving her... she had killed his baby, and now he was gone. He agreed to pay her medical expenses and a small alimony, but he wanted nothing more to do with her. She didn't cry, she didn't care anymore...she was dead inside. When school started back up in the fall, she changed her major, even though she was only a year from graduating. If asked, the people at County General would probably tell you that Kerry Weaver had been born with the personality of sandpaper, and had always wanted to be a doctor. They would be wrong. Kerry Weaver had been one of the most popular girls at Harrison High School. She was a cheerleader, the Prom queen, always had the lead in the school musicals, and a straight-A student. She was the sweetest girl that anyone knew, always ready with a kind word and a smile, even to the most lowly outcasts of high school society. She had married Brian Logan, the captain of the football team, right out of high school. They moved to Lincoln, where Brian was enrolled in the University of Nebraska. Kerry didn't go to college right away, she found out she was pregnant, so she waited a year, until after Rhiannon was born to start. The day that their daughter was born was one of the happiest ever for Brian and Kerry Logan. Kerry started school the next fall as an science education major... she wanted to teach high school biology and chemistry. Everything was perfect, until that terrible day. That day, the sweet Kerry Logan had died, to be replaced by the Kerry Weaver that County General knew. Changing her major was easy, she had taken most of the pre-med courses already in her double biology/chemistry major. She graduated on time and was accepted into medical school right away. Kerry never looked back again... she never saw Brian again. She put all thoughts of that terrible time in her life into a locked compartment of her mind, keeping only the picture of Rhiannon that she kept in the bedside table. Sometimes, however, the memories crept out of their hiding place to haunt her. She wondered what brought this latest bout on... then she realized the date... her daughter would have turned 10 today, and tomorrow would be seven years to the day that she's been gone. The dam broke and Kerry hung her head and cried... heart-rending sobs that matched those she had cried in the morgue all those years ago. Finally, exhausted she fell asleep, still cradling the photograph of the smiling girl. The next morning, she called her aunt, "Aunt Lyla, it's Kerry." She paused and took a deep breath, "Tell Rhiannon I love her when you see her today." The staff in County General's ER noticed a change in Dr. Weaver. She seemed, somehow, softer. A smile played around the corners of her mouth and actually reached her eyes. Something had happened since she had left the hospital at the end of her last shift that lifted a great burden off of her shoulders. That afternoon, Mark was in the doctor's lounge when Kerry came in and opened her locker. There staring out at him was a new photograph... a smiling little redhead who looked a lot like Kerry Weaver. The end... |
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