nowprettybbyimrunning

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

I made a 2nd twitter account for the pitt/er, just in case youre over there too <3

its here

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Winter

This is chapter 2 from the series "Carter's Favorite Season is Autumn", series masterlist HERE, chapter 1 HERE, add yourself to my taglist HERE.

W.C: 8k

WARNINGS: mention of blood, inaccurate medical procedures, i think some cursing

AUTHOR'S NOTE: i think this kinda gets progressively more shitty as you reach the end.

Three days. Three whole working days had passed since Carter’s and Autumn’s little fight and she still wasn’t talking to him and John did not know for how long he could take it. It was more than just the fact that he had an enormous crush on her and she was not even looking at him, killing him. It was the fact that they were friends, they had a kind of routine together that for Carter had become, in a way, sacred. 

Every time he got home, instead of relaxing and being happy about having a few hours of silence and peace, Carter couldn’t wait for the next day to start just so he could see Autumn. There was brightness and warmness in the way she bounced into the ER, messy curls tucked into her big brown coat and characteristic green scarf that somehow made the orangey red of her hair stand out even more; usually two coffees in her hands, and one was for him. By the time she had walked up to the entry dest where he was impatiently waiting, John had already caught himself staring at her in awe. Jerry always laughed at him. Everyone did. To the point that now he was being called “loverboy” behind his back. Carter could only hope that his new nickname hadn’t reached Autumn’s ears.

But he had ruined it. He had been an asshole and clearly deserved what he was getting (which was nothing, and that was the problem); yet, he thought the way she had been acting was at least a tiny bit childish. What were they, five years old? Carter knew he needed just three seconds to express how utterly sorry he was for the way he had acted and they’d be back to normal. ‘Cause if there was one thing he had gotten to know pretty well in almost two months of residency, was Autumn, and there was no way this wasn’t also pissing her off.

Anyways, the point is that he missed her. Just three days and it felt like a lifetime without her. John did not feel like he was being dramatic. Yes, he had seen her, of course he had it was impossible not to. Still, she hadn’t talked to him. Not. A. Single. Word. 

So, he decided that day would be the last one he’d let the redhead keep on ignoring him.

Autumn had just gotten to the hospital and went straight to the break room to enjoy at least five minutes of peace while she drank her coffee before someone called her for help. She found that Carter was already inside the dimly lit room, sitting on the couch and drinking his own mug of coffee. She knew he was looking at her, she could feel it. But she was not going to look at him or talk to him, not until he said sorry. That’s all it took, Dr. Hawthorn just wanted to hear her friend apologize.

They hadn’t said a word to each other since she walked out of the exam room after Carter stitched her up. Everyone was talking about their little argument, Autumn had heard the nurses whispering and every time she walked into a room Carol and Susan were already in, they stopped talking. She didn’t know exactly what they were saying, but they were talking. And if that wasn’t enough, the gossip was not only about her and John, but also about her and Doug.

Dr. Ross had gone to check up on her after the incident with the psych patient. It was late at night and he hadn’t had dinner yet, so she served him a plate of the pasta she had cooked for herself. That’s it. But of course once he went back to the ER and told Lydia what he had been doing, it suddenly had been a date. It was not.

Sure! Doug was a hot guy, every single person working or not at County General knew that, but Autumn was not interested at all. Plus, she did not want to get into trouble, and whatever little game Dr. Ross was trying to get her into had already reached Dr. Greene, who did not doubt asking her about it.

“Dr. Hawthorn, do you have a minute?” Was the first thing Autumn heard when she came back to work the next day and Mark was waiting at the entry desk.

“Yeah, sure” she followed him into an empty (thank god) exam room, “is there a problem?” the redhead expected him to ask her about the psych patient or, worst case scenario, about Carter.

“No, not really,” Dr. Greene started, “it’s just that, you know how fast word travels in here” sure thing Sherlock, “and I heard that Dr. Ross took time off yesterday to pay you a visit,” that was not the topic of conversation she was hoping for.

“Yeah, he just wanted to check on me and give me some painkillers,” Autumn excused him.

“And have dinner,” oh oh.

“Dr. Greene I swear it’s not like that, at all” was she sweating? yeah she was.

“I know, I know” Mark held up both hands to stop her from talking, “but Doug is… well, he is Doug. And I want you to be careful,” she did not appreciate the babying, but she understood it.

Since then Autumn tried to keep things between her and Doug strictly professional, and it was working, she hoped. But the silence in the break room did not last long, it was exactly Dr. Ross who cut through it by stepping inside.

“There you are,” he said leaning against the lockers, “I need you in room 2”.

“Who?” Carter asked.

“Both of you, now,” Autumn and John immediately left their half drank coffees and followed Doug down the corridor, “ten year old boy, has been coughing for a few days and has a little fever, figured you Autumn specially would like to go solo”.

“Me?” There was clear surprise in her voice.

“Yes, do you not want to?” Dr. Ross asked jokingly.

“No- I mean, yeah of course who’s with him?”

“Mom’s in there, the kid’s name is Liam I-” Doug was interrupted by Carter.

“Do I have to be there?” 

“Yes” Doug looked at him, “like I was going to say, I’ll be there in the room watching over just in case, and you too Dr. Carter,” he handed a clear chart for Autumn to take.

She grabbed the paper, a bit nervous, and entered the room with Doug and John behind her, going directly toward the exam table, while the other two men stayed back closer to the door.

Liam was already sitting on the exam table, his legs slightly swinging back and forth, on his hands what seemed to be a keychain. Autumn gave a bright smile to the kid’s mom who sat in a chair next to the boy before she started to talk.

“Hi there,” she snapped on a pair of gloves, “My name is Autumn and they are Dr. Ross and Dr. Carter” she signaled with her right hand the direction where they were standing, John almost jumped at hearing her acknowledge him “I’m a medical student, is it okay if I examine you today?” Autumn waited for the mom’s approval and Liam’s confirmation. When she got a nod from the woman and a shy ‘yes’ from the kid she took her stethoscope off around her neck and prepared to use it.

“It’s nothing too serious, he has just been coughing for a few days and it won’t stop” the mom told her.

“Okay, then let’s take a listen to see what’s going on, Liam can you please sit straight for me?” the little boy did just as he was asked, “excellent, now take a deep breath in”. Autumn listened carefully first to his chest, “and out,” there was a bit of a wheeze but she wanted to be sure so she moved on to listen through his back, “good,now do it again one more time,” and yes, there definitely was. She took off the stethoscope and took down some notes on the chart, “has he had any history of asthma? he or anyone in the family”.

“No, not really” Liam’s mom shook her head, “he rarely gets sick, he’s usually a very healthy kid”.

“Any pets or smokers at home?” Dr. Hawthorn kept on asking the regular questions.

“Not, it’s just us, no other animals or people”

“I see,” Autumn took a moment to think, “if there’s no pets, smokers or prior asthma then I’m going to order a chest X-ray to confirm if it is early bronchitis or just a virus that’s too stubborn to go away yet,” she looked at Dr. Ross to see if he had any objections.

“Sounds about right,” Autumn smiled, “go and put down the order, good job Dr. Hawthorn,” the redhead wanted to scream at Doug’s words but she contained herself and instead just rushed out of the exam room with the biggest smile on her face.

Carter had wanted to stop her to tell her she had been amazing, but decided against it when he noticed she was still not looking at him.

Autumn watched as the technician clipped the X-rays into place, “is this the first one you’re doing alone?” he asked.

“Yes, it is” she got closer to see better.

“Well, the lungs are clear, what were you looking for exactly?” the old man tried to help.

“Just wanted to make sure the patient doesn’t have bronchitis.”

“Doesn’t seem like it”

“Yeah, it probably is just a virus,” Dr. Hawthorn scribbled what she was seeing onto the chart, “can I take those with me? so Dr. Ross can take a look at them”

“Yeah of course, let me get an envelope,” she waited patiently for the man to hand her back a brown envelope with Liam’s X-Rays inside and went on a mission to find Doug. It took her a few minutes but she finally caught him talking to Dr. Greene.

“Dr. Ross, do you have a minute? I have Liam’s X-Rays with me,” she held them up and then handed them over.

“Yeah, let me see” Doug opened the envelope and examined them, “what do you think Dr. Hawthorn?,” he looked at her.

“There’s nothing in the lungs, they are clear, it’s probably just a virus and should be gone soon, so I’d just give him some analgesics as the mom said he had already been coughing for a few days, try to make it go faster. Maybe add a follow-up in case it doesn’t let up?” Autumn prayed to not have forgotten anything and to have made a decent enough presentation.

“That’s exactly what I’d suggest,” the redhead couldn’t help but smile, “you wanna tell the mom?”.

Dr. Hawthorn blinked at him, “me?”

“Yeah of course,” Doug handed her back the X-Rays, “you checked Liam, you made the diagnosis, seems fair don’t you think?”

“Okay, I’d love to”.

“Carter!” Dr. Ross called for him, “go with her,” Autumn did not know if he should thank him or kill him, she’ll decide after releasing Liam.

They walked in silence together to room 2, and when they got there Carter opened the door and moved to the side to let Autumn walk in, going in after her.

Liam was lying on the exam table now, he looked tired and his mom was running her hands through his hair. The woman looked up to the sound of the door closing behind John.

“Hello again,” Autumn greeted, “I’m here to update you on Liam’s X-Rays results, I’m sorry if I took too long, I can see that he is tired,” she walked over to him and placed her left palm on the kid’s forehead, checking that he hadn’t gotten a fever during the time she was gone, but his body temperature was fine. Carter waited on a corner.

“Oh please don’t apologize,” the woman stood up, “is he fine?”

“Yes he is fine,” the mom exhaled, “there was nothing of concern in his lungs, what he’s got is probably just a virus”.

“What can I give him?”

“I’m gonna give him some analgesics, I’ll send in a nurse in a moment to give him his first dose here and then you’ll have to get a prescription and continue to give it to him at home every eight hours,” Autumn took the liberty to write down everything she was saying for Liam and his mom to take home in case they forget, “I also recommend giving him lots of water and a few lemon teas a day or honey sweets to help him with the throat ache from all the coughing, you can also come back in a few days for a follow-up, or sooner if you don’t see any improvement in one or two days,” Dr. Hawthorne gave the woman a sheet of paper full of bullet points with information about what to do.

“Thank you so much doctor, we’ll be back if it is necessary,” Liam got up and stood beside his mother.

“Well let’s hope that’s not necessary,” she took a lollipop out of her pocket and handed it to the boy, “this is for you Liam, it has honey in it, it’ll be good for your throat”.

“Thank you Dr. Autumn,” the redhead smiled and pinched his cheek.

“I’ll go call a nurse to give him the medicine and then you are free to go,” she smiled at the small family for the last time and turned around. Carter opened the door for her again.

“Autumn wait,” John called after her before she could get away.

“What do you need?” she asked lowly, keeping her distance.

“I just wanted to say that you were amazing, really” there was an unmistakable look of pride on John’s face.

“Thanks,” Autumn simply replied and was starting to turn away when he spoke again.

“And I also wanted to say that I’m sorry,” Dr. Carter took a step toward her and she crossed her arms over her chest, “I was an asshole, I know you have nothing going on with Doug”.

“It was something a friend would not think about their friend,” she tried to keep her cool but the relief in her voice could be heard by anyone.

“You’ve been avoiding me” he stated, “it was childish”.

Dr. Hawthorn laughed and Carter smiled at the sound, “I know, I just wanted to hear you say that you were sorry”.

“So we are good now, aren’t we?”

“Yes we are,” Autumn got closer to him to fix his crooked tie, “but next time ask me instead of assuming shit you know it’s not real”.

John gulped at the graze of Autumn’s fingers on his neck, his heart beating faster, “I will, I promise”.

“I have to go tell Carol to give Liam something for his cough,” she started walking backwards, “I’ll see you at 3 for our coffee?”

“Wouldn’t miss it even if I tried,” Dr. Carter waited for Autumn to turn around and then hit the air with his fist.

“Easy loverboy,” Lydia pushed an empty gurney down the corridor, “Dr. Benton is looking for you in trauma 1” and with not one more word Carter practically skipped away, overjoyed by the fact that his and Autumn’s friendship was back to normal.

“What are you doing tonight? It’s Friday” Autumn asked Carter while taking the first sip of her coffee.

“My parents are taking me to an event they got going on” both of them were eating someone else’s donuts.

“You don’t sound too excited” the redhead playfully lifted up the sides of John’s lips with her fingers to make him smile, and it worked.

“That’s because I’m not.” Still, the smile his friend had brought to him did not fade away.

“And why’s that?” Dr. Hawthorn didn’t want to pressure him into dumping more personal information on her if he did not want to, but she was curious. After all, Carter didn’t mention his parents. Like never.

“It’s just boring I guess,” he started, “I just would rather be doing something else, like sleeping” Autumn laughed, “what are you doing?”.

“Probably just listen to some music, try and cook something nice for once,” both took a big gulp from their mugs, almost finishing their coffees. But neither of them wanted their little break to end too soon.

“Like what?” John sat back on his chair and started manspreading.

Autumn almost got caught up in her own words and cleared her throat before speaking again, “music or food wise?”.

“I guess both,” the tiny smirk that appeared on Dr. Carter’s face could’ve killed Dr. Hawthorn right then and there.

“Well, I’m kinda craving some chicken” John pulled a face at that, “what’s wrong with chicken?” she tried to sound hurt, but in reality found it very funny.

“It’s just a bit plain… and boring” he explained.

“Oh and hanging out with your parents on a Friday night it’s not?” she joked.

“What can I say? I’m a family man,” Carter opened up his arms above his head, “whatever, and what music?” he sat straight again, elbows on the table.

Autumn thought for a few seconds, “I kinda have been listening to Linger by The Cranberries nonstop” she confessed.

“What d’you mean? the album it’s on?” she must mean the album. 

“Nope, just the song”.

“Don’t you get tired of it?”

“I don’t get tired of things i like, Carter” Autumn kinda hoped that he would get the hint that she was, in fact, talking about him.

“Not even people?” and maybe he had.

“Not even people,” the redhead confirmed.

The next week, while Autumn and Carter were working a night shift, a snowstorm hit Chicago. So now they were physically stuck at the hospital since snow didn’t seem to stop falling and every means of public transport shut down as it was too dangerous for people to wander around, which meant they were having a quiet and slow night at County General; and even though the thought of being completely confined inside the hospital wasn’t too appealing, they were thankful that it was under those conditions. With not many patients to look after.

Actually, it was a very boring night. Used to the chaos that was the ER, both Autumn and Carter found it hard to stay still without doing anything, and the silence that invaded every corridor and room was upsetting and eerie. And that was the reason they were where they were at that moment.

Carter had managed to somehow steal the keys to the cafeteria kitchen from Linda who was fast asleep, sitting at a chair, without waking her up. Autumn had been on the lookout in case any of the older residents or doctors suddenly appeared and told them off for their little shenanigan.

Once they were inside the cold and big room they got into a fit of laughter, feeling like two bad kids who knew they could get in trouble if found. John was leaning forwards with his hands in his knees, he was having trouble trying to stop laughing but he couldn’t; to the point that his eyes were filling up with tears. Autumn wasn’t too different, she had had to grab the countertop or else she might fall. But unlike Dr. Carter, she had already stopped laughing but had been coughing for the past ten seconds from it.

When John realised the problem the redhead was under, he immediately got close to her and started giving some harsh pats on her back, “are you okay?” He face palmed himself mentally, of course she was not, her face and neck were getting red from all the effort.

“I’m okay” more coughing, “just- water please” Autumn begged.

“Yeah, sure, on it” Carter, as fast as he could, grabbed the first cup he found, filled it up with tap water and gave it to her.

“Thank you”

“Would you like to drink some tea while I cook something for us?” Dr. Carter offered. He was rummaging through the kitchen’s cupboards trying to find a mug, and tea for that matter. 

“That’d be nice, yes” Autumn propelled herself on top of an aisle and watched him put water in the pot and turn the stove on. The heat that radiated from it warmed them up a bit. “What’s on the menu chef.”

John took some stuff from the fridge and placed it beside her, “I was thinking maybe I could cut some vegetables and cook them with some chicken?”

“I thought chicken was boring” the redhead poked the man on the ribs, tickling him and getting a smile out of it.

“Not my chicken ma’am, no” he started by washing up some carrots.

“Okay then, amaze me” Dr. Hawthorn handed Carter a big knife.

“Oh, you will, believe me.”

Autumn took a liking to watching John cook for her. She didn’t know if he was doing it to impress her or because he actually was a good cook, and she’ll find out sooner or later which is the case. “Do you like snow?”

“I like playing with it I guess” he moved on to some onions.

“Like snowball fights you mean?” The redhead stole a piece of carrot from the pile he had just finished cutting.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Carter pointed at her with the knife but she just laughed, “yes of course I mean snowball fights, what else can you do in the snow?” 

“Oh come on! you don’t like doing snow angels?” she bit down on the orange stick.

“No, I don’t like getting all my clothes wet from laying on the freezing ground,” it was the turn of the bell peppers to get cut into surprisingly thin slices.

“That’s lame John, you sound like an old grandpa” Autumn took the piece of chicken’s breast out of the tray it was in and handed it to him.

“I’m not a grandpa,” he complained.

“No, you’re right” he was worse, “my grandpa at least loved doing snow angels with me, on the freezing ground may I add.”

Carter rolled his eyes, “of course he did you’re his granddaughter.”

A few minutes passed and Carter had finished chopping all the ingredients and put them on a cooking pot when Autumn spoke again “I think I’d beat you in a snowball fight” it was a lie, she was awful at them; but, she also loved to tease him.

“No way, no one beats my throw” he was now looking at her, having finished his job for the time being.

“I think I could,” the redhead pressed.

“Fine” John caved in, “once the snow lets down we’ll go outside and I’ll show you how good I am.”

“Okay, loser has to get the morning coffees for both of us the entire next week” Dr. Hawthorn extended her hand for him to shake.

“Deal,” he took it and gave it a firm shake “you’re going to regret it.”

“I don’t think I will,” Autumn tried as best as she could to not show how she felt the moment John’s way bigger hand got into contact with hers. The man’s felt warmer and stronger against her own. Internally she wished they never had to let go. Carter was the one to let go so he could grab a bottle of kitchen oil and uncap it.

“Carter I don’t think you shou-” she tried to warn him but it was too late, he had already let big splash of oil hit the burning hot pot, sending flames into the air, “OH MY GOD”

“Oh shit-” John jumped back.

“PUT THE LID ON PUT THE LID ON” Autumn pointed to the lid that was resting behind him. 

Once the flow of oxygen had been stopped from getting inside the pot, putting off the fire, Carter turned off the stove. “I’m sorry, I hope you like your vegetables and chicken a bit crisp.”

Dr. Hawthorn jumped off the countertop and patted him on the shoulder, “I always liked my food a bit smoked,” she tried to joke while getting some plates and utensils for them.

“Just don’t consider this as my cooking, okay?” Dr. Carter served some of his slightly burned dish on each plate, “I swear I'm a good cook.”

“I’ll have to taste it to believe it.”

“Someday I’ll cook for you again and you’ll have to swallow your words,” they took the first bite and it wasn’t that bad.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything!” Autumn found it cute how distressed he was getting over it when the food really wasn’t bad.

“No, but you thought about it”

“No, I did not” they kept on eating. “This was actually quite good.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice,” John took their empty plates to the sink.

Autumn followed him so she could wash them as a thank you, “again, no I’m not.” Carter looked at her with his hands on his hips and eyebrows raised. “I’m being serious, this was better than whatever I could’ve prepared for myself at home, thank you.”

“You’re welcome” he took to helping the redhead dry the dishes with a towel he found laying around and started putting them back where he had found them. “So, what now?”

Dr. Hawthorn rinsed her hands, “let’s check with Lydia, maybe there’s something we can help on.”

“That sounds boring” John complained and Autumn laughed a laugh that was more than music for his ears.

“That sounds like work,” they made sure to tidy everything up before getting out the kitchen and locking it up again, “if there’s nothing then I’ll take you up on that snowball fight.”

“What have you done?” Lydia asked them when Carter left the keys on top of the desk in front of her.

“How are you Lydia? Enjoyed your nap?” Autumn knew the woman liked her a tiny bit more than she liked John.

“Like a kid enjoys their sweets,” the nurse joked, “what are you two up to?”

“We just stole some chi-” John was interrupted by Dr Hawthorn’s index finger on his lips, attempting to shut him up.

“Is there something for us to do? Any patient?” Both residents sure hoped there wouldn’t be.

“No, at least no one has been admitted since I’ve been awake,” nurse Wright explained, “and last time I checked Dr. Greene was sleeping in the break room so I guess no.”

“Could you page us in case something comes up?” Carter begged while handing Dr. Hawthorn her scarf and beanie that he had picked up from said room on their way from the cafeteria’s kitchen.

“Where are you going?” The woman looked at them like they were crazy.

“Just outside the ambulance bay, we want to see the snow,” Autumn said as she followed Dr. Carter to the door and he held it open for her.

“But it’s freezing out there” Lydia yelled at them.

“That’s the entire point,” John yelled back before stepping out and closing the door.

The moment their feet landed on the outside pavement a chill ran through their spines. Lydia was absolutely right, it was freezing. Carter took a moment to look at Autumn through the corner of his eye. Her big green scarf covered her up almost to the lips, her matching beanie covered her ears, though he could see a bit of it getting red from the cold; her hair was tucked under it and under her big brown leg length coat that didn’t graze the floor just by a few inches. He watched her let out a puff of air that turned white when it came into contact with the air outside and wished he was close enough to her face to inhale it himself. She looked perfect, as if they hadn’t spent hours and hours running around an ER filled with patients before the storm hit. Self-consciousness invaded him, he probably looked like he had been run over by a truck.

Yet Autumn thought he had never looked better. Yes, he looked tired; but so did she. And she wondered if that was how he looked like every time he got home and got into bed, drained from all the time spent at County General. She cursed at herself for wearing a coat with no pockets and forgetting her woolen gloves at home, because Carter’s hair seemed like the best place for her cold hands to rest and get warm and she was fighting every cell in her body to not do so.

“Are you ready to get your ass beat?” He finally broke the silence around them.

“Don’t get so cocky Dr. Carter,” the redhead teased, walking toward the snow.

“Dr. Carter? You must mean business…” he followed her like a puppy follows its owner.

“That I do,” her sneakers started getting wet and she instantly knew that meant she’d get a cold by the next morning, but at that moment the possibility of having to be a mouth breather for a few days did not worry her. 

“So, loser is on coffee duty?” that was what they had agreed.

“I’d like to change it up a bit if you let me,” Autumn bent her knees to grab a handful of snow.

“I’m listening,” he’d agree to anything she asked of him.

“If you win, I’ll be on coffee duty,” Dr. Hawthorn said with a grin on her face that told Carter she was up to no good when he looked at her, also getting down to pick up some snow, “if I win, you have to do a snow angel with me” she finished while both of them tried to mold into balls the snow on their hands.

John pretended to be thinking about it, but in reality he had nothing to think about. “You’re on,” he agreed and threw the first ball in her direction, hitting her on the shoulder.

“Hey,” Autumn tried to sound offended, “I wasn’t ready!” she threw hers back and hit him on his chest.

Carter was surprised by the strength of her throw, “where did you learn to throw like that?”

“I might’ve forgotten to mention that I took baseball classes as a kid” Dr. Hawthorn stood as if she was a player and snapped her arm forward, sending a big ball of snow into the air at high speed, crashing directly on Carter’s stomach.

“That’s totally cheating,” he started to complain “and you know it,” he tried to do the same movements as her, but she dodged it.

“No it’s not, I just didn’t tell you the entire truth,” Autumn repeated her last throw, but this time her snowball landed on John's face, most precisely his nose.

Dr. Carter took his hands to his face and bent his knees forward a bit. A muffled grunt escaping his lips.

“OH MY GOD” Autumn rushed to his side the moment she noticed what had happened, “I’m so so sorry John, let me see” she grabbed his hands to remove them from his face so she could see the damage she had caused.

“It’s fine, I’m fine” John tried to assure her, but his face said otherwise.

“No you’re not, your nose is bleeding” Autumn bent his head backwards to stop the blood from flowing and staining his clothes, “let’s go inside and I’ll help you clean up”

“Okay, yeah that I can take,” John was kinda glad for the hit he took if it meant he’ll have the redhead tending to him, close to his face.

They ran inside the hospital and into an exam room as fast as they could in order to avoid being seen by Lydia or they’d probably get scolded. Carter sat down on the exam table while Dr. Hawthorn prepared some gauze to clean his nose and upper lip as some blood had already dried there. She tilted his head back by grabbing him by the chin. John was looking at her with sad puppy eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that” she started to gently rub on his nose with the gauze, “you’ll make me feel bad”

“You broke my nose” he played with her.

“No I did not! don’t be a baby” she punched him on the arm before putting some cotton in one of his nostrils as it was still bleeding a bit, ���I guess we could say I won…”

“Yeah, through cheating,” Carter could not resist the urge to fix Autumn’s hair that was falling on his face as she hovered over him. He took a strand that was grazing his cheek and moved it to rest behind her shoulder.

The redhead smiled at the gesture and finished cleaning him up, “now you owe me some snow angels”

“We’ll see about that” John tapped on his nose to see if it was hurting, it was not.

“You know you will do it” Autumn put away everything she had used.

“How can you be so sure?” He knew he would do it, but still he wanted to know why she was so sure.

“‘Cause you don’t seem like the type of guy to break a promise” she started explaining, “and I think you like me too much not to” Dr. Hawthorn had no idea from where she had gotten the guts to say that. She didn’t mean it romantically. Well, yeah she did. But Carter didn’t know that. Couldn't know that, or it’ll be the end of her.

Carter did not know what to say, he couldn’t say yes but he also could not not say anything at all. So he just awkwardly laughed, and now the moment felt as uncomfortable as ever. He noticed the way Autumn’s face changed at his response and it made him feel the most terrible and stupid he had felt in his entire life.

“I’m going to the break room,” the redhead let him know, grabbing the room’s handle to get away from him. Great, he had definitely ruined it, they were having an awesome night together but he had to be the one to end it.

“I’ll go with you,” he quickly got up and followed her.

“Suit yourself,” was all Dr. Hawthorn replied to him.

As they walked down the corridor Carter tried to find something to say, but what? Yeah you’re right I like you, like a lot, and risk being rejected by her?  No chance. Autumn didn’t like him, at least not in the way he liked her, he was sure of that; so, he wasn’t going to put their friendship on the line because of his silly crush. It’ll go away eventually, he hoped.

Once they were in the break room, neither of them said a word. The redhead sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, faking being interested in some news about the stock market. John sat down next to her, he knew she hated anything that had to do with stock, every time a man who looked like he owned assets came into the ER for help she’d leave him to someone else. 

They were the only ones there at the moment, Dr. Greene must have woken up at some point and gone somewhere else. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Carter, it made sense as it should have been almost four in the morning, which meant he had been awake for almost an entire day with no naps in between. Autumn must have been as tired as him because he could feel how her breathing slowed down second by second, and after a few minutes he was also dozing off too when an external weight landed on his left shoulder.

It was her head.

Autumn was resting her head on his shoulder.

Carter smiled to himself and moved his head a bit to be able to watch her. She looked at peace, and there was nothing he loved more than to see that: her relaxed, next to him. It was the fact that he felt Autumn was comfortable enough with him to the point of falling asleep, none other than on his shoulder, when they were the only two living souls in the room that made his heart jump. The smell of coconut from her shampoo and the vanilla in her perfume reached his nose, he could swear on god that never in his life had he smelled something as delicious.

And just like that, he fell asleep too. With his head on top of hers.

And in that moment he did not care at all that someone would probably walk in and see them like that, that depending on who would it be the entire hospital would hear about it, that they’d be the targets of jokes for an entire week; ‘cause it meant that, at least on someone else’s mind, Autumn and him fit together.

Christmas time arrived at County General Hospital as quick as days were cold, and everyone was too excited for secret santa to come. It was the 23rd of December and they were supposed to give out the gifts that day since not all were coming back until after Christmas.

The picking process had been easy, Autumn had been in charge of writing down in tiny pieces of paper the names of all the workers that were participating, and then each one pulled out from a mug, the name you picked was the person you were buying for.

Dr. Hawthorn’s paper had said Susan, and she got her a long dark blue trench coat she had heard her say she wanted for a long time.

But Carter was overjoyed and excited from the moment he opened his and read, on her neat cursive “Autumn”. Since that moment ten days ago, he had paid even more attention than he usually did to everything she said just in case it gave him an idea about what to give her. And once he finally made up his mind and prepared his gift for her, he had been counting down the days until he was able to give it to her.

He arrived at the ER with the package he himself had wrapped in red paper under his arm and went straight to the break room to save it in his locker so Autumn would not see it. He was planning on giving it to her when they’d be doing their walk to the bus stop, where Carter always waited with her until her’s came.

“That’s a big box” Susan commented the moment she saw him enter the room, “who’s your lucky secret santa?”

“I’m not telling you” he opened his locker and had to play tetris with the stuff he had in it so Autumn’s gift would fix.

“Come on! why not?” Dr. Lewis almost screamed and got closer to him.

“‘Cause you’ll tell her” it took him a few tries but he was able to close the metal door.

“You know I would never tell Autumn you’re her lucky santa,” after hearing the blonde say that, John turned around abruptly, almost crashing into her and making a mess of the coffee mug she was holding.

“How did yo-” he really wanted it to be a surprise.

“You wouldn’t put effort into personally wrapping whatever’s inside there if it wasn’t her,” she kinda had a point, but he was not going to give himself away so easily. Susan and Carol had been trying to get him to confess his feelings for Dr. Hawthorn for a few weeks now and, surprisingly, he hadn’t fallen into it, yet.

“That’s not true,” it actually was, “I would’ve done it for anyone”

“So what you’re saying is that it actually is her,” Susan crossed her arms on top of her chest.

“I said I’m not telling you” John was almost to the door when he heard Dr. Lewis speak again.

“Whatever you say, loverboy” there was the nickname, again. He raised his middle finger at her without turning around.

Autumn had just gotten there where he reached the front desk, looking for her, and his coffee. The redhead handed it to him before she set hers down while taking off her big green scarf with one only with one hand.

“You know you still owe me that snowangel” Dr. Hawthorn pointed her index finger at him, “It’s been weeks”

“And here I thought you had forgotten about it,” he took a sip from the styrofoam cup, “thanks for the coffee by the way” he was trying to divert the topic of conversation to something else.

“I already told you to stop thanking me every day for it” she really had, but every time he tries to pay her back she says no, “and no, I didn’t forget about it, I’ll never forget about it”

Carter threw his head back and grunted, “fine, next time it snows I’ll do a snow angel with you” he finally gave in.

“You know they say it’ll snow on new year’s eve,” Autumn told him and signaled for him to follow her.

“Then it’s a good thing we’ll be stuck here” they were working a night shift on new year’s eve, which meant they’d be starting it together.

Carter would be lying if he said he hadn’t dreamt about a midnight kiss. ‘Cause he had. Twice in a row. Both times he had woken up in a sweat, having to take a cold shower despite the coldness of winter outside.

He noticed that the redhead didn’t bring in anything that resembled a present with her, “did you forget your secret santa gift at home?”

“huh?” Autumn was confused for a moment, “oh right! No, I kinda cheated and gave it early.”

John was bumped over the fact that this confirmed his was not the name written on her paper, “and who was it?”

“Dr. Lewis” that’s why she had asked him about it in the break room, “bought her a blue trench coat.”

Everyone knew Susan loved her coats, “she probably loved it.”

“She did, I saw her wearing it yesterday,” they arrived at the break room, again, where Autumn finished taking off her extra layers of clothing and putting them away inside her locker, “who’s yours?”

Carter smiled at her back, grateful that she was not able to see his little slip, “you can’t know that.”

“But it’s almost over,” he was not going to fall into this one, “I just want to know if you’re good at giving presents, I promise I won’t tell” the redhead turned around and rested her hands at her hips.

“Well, you said it yourself it’s almost over,” John said while laughing and she rolled her eyes, “you’ll know eventually” she was going to love it, he was sure.

“But you already know min-” Autumn’s protest was interrupted by Dr. Benton.

“Dr. Hawthorn, there’s a kid with early signs of pneumonia in room 4 and Dr. Ross needs your help,” he instructed her, “Carter paramedics are bringing in a GSW to the chest in two minutes, go to trauma 1 right now.”

“Yes sir” both residents responded at the same time.

The rest of the shift went on as usual, always a little hectic, especially with the holidays around the corner. Some firework’s injuries and kids sick with the flu.

Carter and Autumn were ready to get the hell out of there. They grabbed their stuff from the break room as fast as they could, just in case a new patient came in and delayed their exit, and practically ran out of County General.

They were already walking on the sidewalk when John noticed she was shivering and not wearing her coat, “where’s your coat?”

“I forgot to grab in the hurry of getting out” she engulfed herself in her own arms, thankful to at least have a big sweater and her green scarf on.

“Here,” Carter started to take off his own coat, “have mine.”

“Oh no no” the redhead tried to stop him by tapping his forearms, “you’ll get sick John, we’re almost to my bus stop.”

“Just let me-” he stopped in his tracks and set the wrapped box he was carrying on the floor, “and as soon as you get on your bus I’ll hail a cab while you have the entire ride home and another few blocks to walk,” he extended the black jacket to her, “just put it on please.”

“Fine” she accepted and started to put it on while Carter picked up the gift and resumed walking, “just because I’ve already been exposed to too much flu today…” that made him chuckle, “did you not get to see your secret santa?” Autumn looked at his arms.

“I actually did, she’s wearing my jacket right now,” he tried to be smooth.

“No way! Seriously?” Dr. Hawthorn stopped walking.

“Yes, this” he handed her the box, “is for you” John watched her expectantly as she sat down on a bench they had stopped in front of and started tearing off the paper.

Once all the red was out of the picture, Autumn’s mouth dropped in awe and his eyes opened like saucers. She immediately set it down beside her and jumped to hug Carter.

“A moka pot?!” she screamed in his ear as her arms interlocked in the back of his neck and she felt him do the same around her waist.

“Do you like it?” his voice was filled with excitement over her excitement, he knew he had nailed it.

“I fucking love it, seriously” they broke apart, “thank you so much it’s the best thing you could’ve given to me.”

“I’m glad you like it, take it as a ‘thank you’ for all the coffees you bring me and don’t let me pay for” the smiles on their faces could not get bigger even if they tried.

They continued their little journey to Autumn’s stop while she read aloud, from the back of the box, all the special features her new coffee maker had. And when it was time for her to get on it, both wished she would have invited him over to try it for the first time; but Autumn was too shy to suggest it and Carter was too scared to ask.

That night, John dreamt of a midnight kiss from his friend, again. Only this time it also included breakfast in bed and two mugs of freshly brewed espresso.

When New Year’s Eve came around and it found Dr. Hawthorn and Dr. Carter like they said it would, snowed in and stuck in another night shift, they didn’t mind it at all. If you had asked them if they preferred to spend that night at home or right where they were at that point, they wouldn’t second guess going for the latter option.

They weren’t able to spend much time together as John had been invited by Dr. Benton to help out in an open heart surgery, an opportunity he couldn’t miss and that had lasted nearly seven hours. Which had left Autumn to her own devices most of the day, even though Dr. Ross had kept her occupied with lots of sutures and taught her to do a spinal tap.

But when the clock marked 11:55 p. m. , all the ER staff got together at the entry desk. Dr. Hawthorn helped Lydia and Dr. Greene’s wife, Jen, pass around some non-alcoholic fruit punch to toast with at midnight, giving everyone a tiny cup.

By the time they finished serving it was a few seconds 'till 12 p. m. and Autumn found her place next to Carter.

“Hey, long time no see” he greeted.

“I’m very happy that you got to help Dr. Benton on that surgery but it was such a bore without you here,” the redhead confessed, “I missed you.”

John felt his heart jump in his chest, “I mi-”

“TEN, NINE-” he wanted to tell her that he had missed her too, a lot; but the countdown set him back.

“EIGHT, SEVEN-” Autumn joined in, still looking at him.

“SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE-” Carter copied her, yelling the numbers in each other’s faces.

“TWO, ONE-” God she wished he would kiss her.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” And he would have done so if they had been alone.

For now the clink of their glasses and a hug, so tight they felt their insides stood on new places, had to suffice.

TAGLIST: @thinemineours @Katydunn047-blog @delicatetrashtree

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

NAVIGATION ⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚

𖦹 ¡! About me:

I'm 21.

My pronouns are she/her.

English is not my 1st language <3

my twitter

𖦹 ¡! For requests:

You can send me requests for headcanons or one shots.

It doesn't have to be very specific! if you just want a small detail included send it too!

I do write smut / +18 content; however, if I'm not comfortable with writing what you're requesting I'll politely turn it down.

𖦹 ¡! Who do I (currently) write for:

Right now I'm writing for Dr. John Carter from the tv series ER and Dr. Robby from the tv series The Pitt.

I'm also open to write for other characters from this series.

𖦹 ¡! Masterlist:

John Carter

Carter's Favorite Season is Autumn (series masterlist)

Autumn Hawthorn and John Carter became friends during their first day of residency together. But what happens when the line between friendship and something more begins to blur as the weeks fly by and neither is willing to speak into existence what both of them felt since the beginning?

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

He's a 10 But He is Making Out in Room 2

This is chapter 1 from the series "Carter's Favorite Season is Autumn"

W.C: 3,8k

Warnings: mention of blood, stitches, cursing, injury by patient.

Autumn Hawthorn’s first day at County General Hospital in Chicago did not only mark her first residency day at the ER, but also the day her own personal foundations got shaken by an external and unexpected force. Said force had a tall figure, a handsome face with the most inviting and kind brown puppy eyes she had ever seen, and a name: John Carter. She has always been a good girl who does not lie and hates anyone who does, so if you ask her about her colleague, she’ll say that meeting him is the best thing to happen to her in the last months. Well, more like the second best thing. The best one is starting her residency.

Interested in following pediatrics, her favorite doctor to work with was Doug Ross, who seemed to have taken a liking to her and let her follow him around like a lost puppy everywhere he went. 

Every day was just about the same. 

She’ll wake up before the sun has risen and get ready as quickly as possible, eager to get to the ER and start working. At the beginning, after meeting John, Autumn would get herself and Dr. Carter coffee to go and they’d drink it together at the break room in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. But that was until a few days ago Doug started getting it for her. Now she’ll drink the coffee Dr. Ross bought for her while John poured himself some from the coffee pot and eventually they were called down to tend to a patient. 

She and Carter would also have lunch together at the cafeteria and then around 3 p.m., when their eyelids began to shut, they’d meet again for another coffee to help them keep going, not a very healthy habit for doctors.

And finally, if they were lucky enough to get to go home that very same day and not have to work night shifts, John walked her to her bus stop and said goodnight with a quick hug.

She had checked her reflection on the hospital’s doors before going in, making sure her curly auburn hair looked good and her working outfit was still decent and nothing had happened to it throughout her walk from her apartment to the ER. But, what for? if as soon as she stood inside the chaos that was County General, she saw the only reason why she wanted to be presentable each day, talking to the patient that occupied most of his lately. Autumn noticed the way Carter’s lips pulled slightly up into a smirk and couldn’t miss Liz’s arm, possessively grasping his shoulder while batting her long eyelashes at him.

During the course of her first few weeks at the ER, Autumn had talked her therapist's ear off about an incredible amount of horrendous scenes she had seen and experienced, including the first patient she and Carter saw die; however, none of them stirs her feelings up as much as seeing Carter constantly and without a care in the world flirt with Liz (a patient nonetheless) at the front desk, and today was one of those days.

The brunette had made her appearance not too long ago, and ever since then kept coming back and asking for Dr. Carter specially to see her. Everyone knew what was going on, of course. Jerry even had seen them getting into John’s car once and driving away together. But no one said a thing even though it was clearly morally wrong. Autumn wondered if they had something serious going on, were they going on dates? Did Liz know the way Carter likes his coffee just like she did?

It was torture. Starting what she knew would be a long and arduous shift with the image of the man that she was slowly but surely falling for, trying to play the womanizer role out in the open was torture. It wasn’t right, Carter did not seem like that type of guy. 

Fuck doctors. Or well, student doctors for that matter. Autumn was not putting up with that shit, she made a beeline directly to the bathroom and almost ran into Carol.

“Hey kid, what’s with the face?” since the nurse’s comeback they had found a safe place in each other, and of course she immediately caught up on her cranky mood.

“The one I was born with?” Autumn joked in an attempt to get out of the confrontation, but she knew she had been cornered when Carol peeked her head around the bathroom door to spy on what had caused her to frown.

“Oh, I see… It’s a loverboy matter” the redhead couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her colleague’s (she hoped soon would be friend) comment as she washed her hands just for the sake of doing something with them.

“Don’t call him that.”

“But Pumpkin isn’t that what you want him to be?” Autumn knew she had used the lame nickname they had given to her just to try and soften her.

“Who wants who to be what?” Susan interrupted their conversation by rapidly walking into the bathroom, three were a crowd and it was starting to get suffocating.

“Autumn and Carter” claimed Carol at the same time the resident said “no one nothing”.

“Ohh I love this topic!” Dr. Lewis was also clearly in on the redhead’s little crush.

“It’s not a topic and it will never be ‘cause I’m going out there right now” Dr. Hawthorn almost sprinted out of the small room that seemed to be closing in on her with each second that passed around the topic of John Carter.

Luckily for her, neither he nor Liz were still at the front desk. Maybe she had gone home already, or he had been called to tend to a patient without her help. Either way, Autumn was glad to not have to continue to see the scene that almost made her crash out within her first three minutes at the hospital.

But that was until Dr. Benton asked her to get some files of his he had forgotten at room 2 and she immediately got down to the task. Who knocks before going into what is supposed to be an empty room at a hospital? Maybe after today she should start building on that habit, because when she abruptly opened the door what she found was far away from an empty, normal, usual, hospital room. Instead she found John and Liz mid makeout. At the interruption, Carter turned around white as a sheet, and the state he was in would’ve been a sight for sore eyes if it wasn’t for his company; disheveled hair sticking out everywhere from someone running their needy hands through it, crooked tie along with not one or two, but three unbuttoned shirt buttons; ragged breathing and lastly, plump pink lips shiny from lip gloss. Liz wasn’t far from that, she was sitting down in a bed and her skirt had rolled up slightly, the ponytail Autumn had seen her in when she got to the hospital was nowhere to be seen, now her brown hair was free and messy and her green shirt brought up the red on her cheeks from the heat in the room.

“Autumn hi” Carter greeted her “when did you get in?” The only man in the room tried to fix his hair and rubbed the palm of his right hand on his lips to get rid of the shine from Liz’s lip gloss.

“Uhm just a few minutes ago, I- sorry I just came for these” Autumn grabbed Benton’s files that were right next to Liz’s hand on the bed.

“Hi! I’m Liz” the brunette tried to introduce herself and extended her hand for the redhead to shake, Carter standing right in the middle.

“I know” Autumn ignored the girl’s gesture and turned around, leaving for the second time that day a room that made her feel like she was running out of air.

It’ll definitely be a long, very long day. 

“You have to stop doing this Liz” Carter reprimanded the girl while both of them tried to fix their clothes, no longer in the mood for whatever it was they would’ve ended up doing if Autumn had not walked in.

“What are you talking about?” and of course she was playing dumb.

“Showing up at my job and looking for me, you’ll get me into trouble” but she laughed, “I’m being serious” he knew that word had already gone around, and after what had just happened he was sure that either Dr. Benton or Dr. Greene were going to call him out. Not because he did not trust Autumn, she wouldn’t tell a soul what she had seen, but somehow everyone always knew.

“Yeah sure Carter, you’re a doctor, I had a rash, do the math”.

John finally got the tie’s knot down right, and started going for the door. He didn’t even answer her, and maybe it was for the better. They had been going at it for a few weeks, and even though everyone knew, no one really said something. But then again, no one had actually caught them. Until Autumn.

Man did he like her. Autumn, not Liz. He did like Liz, otherwise he would not have been hooking up with her. In fact, Carter even got to enjoy her company sometimes. Yet, it was the redhead, his coworker, his colleague, whatever you want to call it, who was infiltrating every waking and sleeping thought of his. And he didn’t complain. Dreaming of Autumn and looking forward to seeing her during their shifts had brought fun and excitement to his daily life, but it made it hard for him to really focus and concentrate. Plus, everyone had noticed the way Dr. Doug Ross flirted with her and tried to steal her help whenever he could. It pissed Carter off. A student doctor? He wanted to tell Doug to get a grip. After all, everyone also knew the only reason he was so invested in Autumn was to try and make Carol jealous. But who was he to do that? It would also be a bit hypocritical of him given the fact that he was sleeping with a patient.

Sadly, Carter did not see the redhead for the rest of the morning. He actually tried to hide from her, too embarrassed to confront her after what she had walked into  in room 2. It was weird, they usually chose cases together and helped each other out, so John knew his friend would be questioning him about it if they happened to cross paths.

However, his freedom from Autumn did not last long.

At around 1 p.m., Carter was filling out the chart of the last patient he had released when he heard some commotion and shouting from one of the exam rooms. Followed by a crash, and then a scream; from a voice he would pick out anywhere. He quickly ran toward it followed by Jerry and one of the security guards.

When they rushed in they found what was clearly a psych patient who had somehow been able to undo his arm’s restraints, and unfortunately got a hold of a scalpel and hit Autumn on the forehead.

Once Jerry and the officer were able to subdue the patient, Carter made his way to Autumn who was leaning against a wall in a corner of the room watching everything unfold while clutching her forehead, blood streaming down her face and into her forearm, staining her scrubs.

“Hey, hey are you okay?” Carter gently placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to direct her look at him.

Dr. Hawthorn seemed to be in shock and did not answer right away. She blinked at him, confused. But then she gazed at her hand and saw it covered in blood and her eyes opened like saucers. Autumn hadn’t noticed that the blow she took had been strong enough to draw blood. Her face contorted in pain.

“Come with me” John started and steadied her when she almost fell.

Once they were alone in one of the exam rooms, Carter sat her down at one of the beds and inspected her wound, “you’ll need stitches” he kept his voice soft and low, forgetting how embarrassed he was to see her just mere minutes ago. he gave Autumn some gauze to keep on the cut while he gathered what he needed to stitch her up and put on gloves.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad” the redhead spoke for the first time, trying to joke with him, yet John did not smile as he was already in his doctor mode. And he would not tell but this was his most important (and favorite) patient so far.

“You know someone should’ve been with you in that room, he is a psych patient it wasn’t right for you to be alone with him” he said in his most serious tone, not tending to her wound yet.

“I was just checking if he had fallen asleep or-” Carter interrupted her.

“Still, Autumn you have to be more careful with this type of patient, he could’ve gotten you good” he tried to concentrate as much as he was able to prepare the needle and thread.

“He already got me good, didn’t he? you’re about to do stitches on me” there went the jokes ignored, again.

“Whatever, just tilt your head back for me” Dr. Hawthorn obeyed him, and he carefully peeled the gauze full of blood away, their hands brushing just a tiny bit, “you’ll have a scar, at least a tiny one”.

“That’s fine, cool guys seem to dig them” she was getting tired of trying to lift up the mood with no positive results, and her eyes searched her friend’s face for some signal of what was wrong with him, but Carter was not looking at her. He was too focused on cleaning her cut first and the sudden silence in the room engulfed them.

It had been minutes when Autumn decided she couldn’t take it anymore and spoke, “Carter, what’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” of course he knew what she meant.

“You’re not laughing at my jokes, you’re not looking at me, you’ve basically been avoiding me since I walked in on you and Liz” she saw how his lips twitched at the mention of the brunette.

“Yeah you’re right, I’m sorry it was just embarrassing” he threaded the first stitch through and Autumn flinched, “sorry, almost done though, just one more will be enough”. She shut up for a while and just watched his face while he worked, admiring the way his jaw tensed due to his concentration; and when he was finished smiled at him “aaaand we’re done”.

“Thank you, Carter” she thanked him while he took off his gloves, a few moments of silence passed while Autumn covered her fresh stitches with new, clean gauze. “What is going on between you and her?”.

The question knocked John off his feet and he answered automatically in what was not the best tone or way, “why are you asking? I don’t ask questions about you and Doug”.

“Me and Doug? Carter what are you- wow you must be really embarrassed then” Autumn practically jumped out the bed and walked to the door to get out of that room as soon as possible. She had just taken a scalpel to the forehead, she was not going to put up with whatever John was trying to argue about. She and Doug? What was he on? Was he jealous? No, he couldn’t be.

“Oh come on everyone noticed it” that stopped Autumn in her tracks and made her turn around to look at him.

“Noticed what exactly?”

“Him flirting with you” John stated without looking at her, pretending to be too occupied tidying up what he had just used to fix her up.

“You’re insane, Carter” he had to be kidding, she let her hands rest on her hips, showing him that she was starting to get mad.

“Oh, really? I’m insane?” Autumn nodded, “then explain to me why he brings you coffee every morning”.

She rolled her eyes, “that’s ridiculous, he is just being nice and you’re mad that I stopped bringing you coffee every morning when I no longer had to get my own”.

“Yeah right, he is being nice” now he was looking at her and suddenly felt scared of how close she had gotten to him, “then why is he always asking for your help with the most dumb shit ever?”

Autumn actually laughed at that, “he is supposed to teach us stuff, he is just doing his job, John” she pronounced his name tightly, almost through her teeth.

“So now you don’t know how to take someone’s temperature? he’s not even asking for your help in peds!” Carter was starting to raise his voice, not even he recognized himself at that moment.

“It’s all practice, just because I want to specialize in pediatrics doesn’t mean I’m not going to watch other cases, you do the same!”

John scoffed, “he is your superior Autumn, do you know the trouble you could get into?” he was being insufferable, he knew it. And he also knew Autumn was not going out with Doug, yet he was still jealous.

“Jesus Christ what has gotten into you today!? Did I walk in right when she was about to suck you off at work and pissed you off?” she had gone too far.

“Wouldn’t you like that” but he always seemed to be two steps ahead of her. There was a sudden quiet in the room, the air thickening as the minutes passed, the implications of Carter’s comment too sharp for one of them to keep talking.

“Go to hell”, Autumn said and left John alone, slamming right into a chest on her way out. Someone’s chest. Dr. Ross’ chest. It seemed as if the devil himself had been listening to her’s and Carter’s discussion and decided to stir things up even more than they were.

“Autumn, there you are!” Doug smiled down at her, “I heard about what happened, I’ve been looking for you, are you alright?”, and just as she was about to answer, the door of the room she had just gotten out of opened, and out came John, scoffing at them and walking away. “What’s with him?”.

“Ignore him, he has had a weird day”, Dr. Hawthorn crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover the blood that had dripped on it, “and I’m fine, just two stitches it’s not a big of a deal”, she reciprocated his smile with a tightlipped one, and for a moment she wondered if maybe Carter was right and Doug had been trying to make her fall into his charms.

“Well, it’s not nothing, I talked to Dr. Greene and Dr. Benton and you’re free to go for the day, get some rest” when Autumn heard the news, her shoulders slumped forward in relief as she could feel a headache brewing and would love nothing more than to lay in her bed and drink some very hot tea.

“Thank you, Dr. Ross I think I need it”

Doug placed a hand on her sidearm “you need it and you deserve it, you did good today”.

“Good?” the redhead raised her eyebrows, “I got assaulted by a psych patient because I was stupid enough to check on him alone”.

Both of them laughed, “yeah well, happens to the best of us”.

“Doug”, Susan called from the end of the hallway, “they need you in trauma 2”.

“Duty calls”, he buried his hands in his jacket’s pockets, “call if you need something, though”.

“I- I- yeah sure I will”, Autumn watched him walk away until he turned around before going down the corridor.

“And Dr. Hawthorn?” she just mhmed at him, “they look good on you, the stitches”, not only did he have the guts to say that to her, but he also winked at her and Autumn swore she could feel her throat dry up.

For Carter, the rest of the day could not get more boring even if he tried for it and wanted it to. He had stitched four patients and given ibuprofen to other three that just had headaches. He hadn’t seen Autumn again since he got out of the exam room and saw her talking to Dr. Ross, not even at the break room for her usual 3 p.m. coffee, the one they drank together ever since Doug started buying her morning one for her.

Even though he knew that to do it would probably get her to talk to the nurses, he decided to ask Lydia about Autumn’s whereabouts. He approached the entry desk where he had seen her last just a few minutes ago and found her right there.

“Lydia, hi” John rested his elbows on the desk.

“Hello, Dr. Carter” the woman side-eyed him, word probably got around about him and Liz that morning.

“Have you seen Dr. Hawthorn?” He gave her his best smile, trying to get on her good side.

“She went home hours ago” finally, Lydia looked straight at him. Carter knew he was not going to like what she’ll tell him next when he saw the lady’s lips curling up into a grin, “Dr. Ross talked to Dr. Greene and Dr. Benton and got them to agree to send her home after today’s incident”, there it was, Doug Ross once again in the conversation.

“Uhm- well, if she calls and needs anything, could you please let me know?” he was jealous, he really was.

“Oh don’t worry kid, Doug’s got it covered” there was almost a singing tone in the way Lydia said that.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said, loverboy”, did she just call him loverboy?

“Lydia please erase my name from the board”, the man of the hour, Doug Ross was putting on a jacket while pointing to the whiteboard behind the desk, “I’ll be back in like an hour”.

“W- Where are you going?” Carter tried to stop himself from asking, but the need to confirm it (because he knew exactly where the man was going) was stronger than him.

“To check on Dr. Hawthorn”, Doug answered and Lydia flicked Carter’s elbow to mess with him, “do you want me to pass a message?”.

“No, no it’s fine”, John immediately left the desk, he couldn’t bear watching Dr. Ross leave the ER knowing all too well where he was going, did Autumn even know he was going to her’s? He needed a nap, a long one; and to not wake up until the redhead was back so he could make amends with her.

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Carter's Favorite Season is Autumn (ongoing series)

ADD YOURSELF TO THE TAGLIST HERE

SUMMARY: Autumn Hawthorn and John Carter became friends during their first day of residency together. But what happens when the line between friendship and something more begins to blur as the weeks fly by and neither is willing to speak into existence what both of them felt since the beginning?

NOTE: I haven't written in a long time, even less something that has multiple chapters. I don't expect this to be a long fic and can't say with certainty how often I'll be posting, so please bear with me. English is not my first language, and even though I reread it to check on spelling or grammar mistakes, i might've missed something!

Warnings will be available on each chapter, but expect the usual ones (ex. blood, innacurate medical procedures, maybe eventual smut).

Also, I decided to create an original character as it makes it easier for me to write, but feel free to picture yourself/exchanging Autumn's name for your own <3

AO3 LINK

CHAPTERS

Chapter 1: He's a 10 but he's Making Out in Room 2

Chapter 2: Winter

Chapter 3: Spring (soon)

Chapter 4: Summer (soon)

Chapter 5: Autumn (soon)

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

john carter x reader! reader and john are young parents and their son gets hurt at the park but no one at the hospital knows about johns wife and child! <3

Thank you for sending a request! I hope you enjoy, kinda got away from me with the word count lol

WC: 1473

It was the perfect spring day outside, 70 degrees and sunny. It was finally warm enough to enjoy a nice day outdoors with your kid. You got your kid ready and buckled them in the stroller.

While at the park, your kid takes a header coming off the slide. Luckily, she's okay. Seeing your kid crying and with scraped-up knees and hands, your heart sinks. You lift her and carry her over to a bench and sit her on your lap as you quickly check her over. Even though it wasn't worth going to the hospital, you decided to take her there just to see her dad; maybe it'll make her feel better. Walking through the doors of the ER, you're greeted by a man at the front desk. You ask him if Carter is there.

"Carter? Yeah, let me see if I can track him down real quick," the man at the front desk replies.

Just then, Carter walks out, and as soon as the little girl catches sight of him, her frown quickly turns to a smile. She immediately squirms out of your arms and scurries over to her dad, wrapping her arms around his leg and burying her face into his scrubs. Carter chuckles softly as he bends down and scoops his daughter into his arms, careful not to hurt her scraped knees.

"Hey there, sweetheart. What happened to you?" He smiles down at her, gently wiping her tears with his thumb. You approach the two, a fond smile crossing your face as you watch their interaction.

"Oh, I'm not surprised. This one is as clumsy as her dad." He teases gently. He takes the two of you and leads you to Curtain 2.

Once Carter closes the curtain around you, he sets your daughter down on the exam table and begins to gently clean and disinfect the scrapes on her knees and hands. While he works, she continues to cling to him, her mood quickly improving with her dad's gentle touch.

"You're being a very brave girl right now, you know that? These scrapes look pretty rough, but you're handling it like a champ," Carter tells your daughter, his voice soft and comforting.

As Carter finishes cleaning and bandaging the scrapes, your daughter looks up at him

"Daddy, can I get a lollipop?" she asks, her puppy dog eyes on full display.

Carter chuckles and nods, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Of course you can."

He rummages through a drawer and pulls out a cherry lollipop, which he hands to your daughter.

"There you go, sweetheart. One lollipop for the most courageous patient I've seen all day."

Your daughter's face lights up as she takes the lollipop, immediately unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. She smiles up at Carter, clearly feeling better now that the scrapes on her knees and hands are being taken care of. As you watch your daughter happily sucking on her lollipop, you turn to Carter and sheepishly apologize.

"I'm sorry for coming in and bothering you with something so minor. But I figured she would feel better if she could see her dad."

Carter gives you a warm smile and shakes his head. "Don't apologize, you're never bothering me when you come to see me. And you were right, seeing her smile and be happier makes my day better for me too."

He looks down at your daughter and gently pats her head. "And besides, I'm always happy to see my favorite girls." Your heart melts at his response, and you can't help but smile and give him a peck on the cheek. It's moments like these that remind you why you fell in love with Carter in the first place. 

Just as you lean in to give Carter a quick kiss, the curtain to the exam room suddenly opens, revealing another doctor, Doug Ross. He walks in, a look of concern on his face.

"Carter, I need some help with a patient in -," he starts to say but abruptly stops when he notices the intimate moment between you and Carter. He raises an eyebrow, and a slight smirk forms on his lips.

Carter turns to face Doug, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as he realizes that he's been walked in on. Your daughter, oblivious to the sudden interruption, continues to happily suck on her lollipop.

"I, uh, I'll be right there," Carter replies to Doug, his gaze shifting between him and the two of you. Doug gives Carter a knowing look and nods.

"No rush," he says, his smirk growing into a playful smile. "I can see you're a little occupied at the moment."

Once he's gone, Carter turns back to you and your daughter, his expression softening. He steps closer to the two of you, placing a hand on your waist and drawing you close.

"I have to go," he says, his voice low and soothing. "But you're all good to go." He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to your lips. You can feel the warmth radiating off him as he pulls away, his hand still on your waist.

As he pulls away, he turns to your daughter, his expression softening even more. He gently pats her head, his fingers brushing through her hair.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart," he says, his voice tender. "Be good for Mom." Your daughter nods, still happily sucking on her lollipop. 

"Alright, sweetie, we need to say goodbye to Daddy now," you tell her. Your daughter looks up at him, still sucking on her lollipop.

"Bye-bye, Daddy!" she says, her voice muffled by the lollipop.

You call out after Carter, "Bye, love you."

As Carter hears you say "I love you," a warm smile instantly brightens his face, and he turns around just long enough to call out to you, "I love you, too," before disappearing down the hall. Your heart skips a beat at the gesture, and you can't help but feel a sense of bittersweet happiness that despite his busy job and hectic schedule, Carter still finds a way to show his love for you and your daughter.

After departing from Carter and the two of you, Doug makes a beeline for the staff lounge, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Upon entering, he spots Carol meticulously organizing a stack of patient files.

"Hey, Carol," Doug says with forced nonchalance. "Guess what I just witnessed in Curtain Room 2."

Carol glances up from her mountain of paperwork, intrigued by Doug's suggestive tone. "What is it?" she inquires, one eyebrow arching with curiosity.

Doug grins, unable to contain the gossip any longer. "I just walked in on our dear Carter sharing a little... intimate moment with someone," he says, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Carol's eyes widen in surprise, and a smirk forms on her lips. "Really?" she responds, clearly intrigued by the news. "Who was he with?"

"Well, that's the puzzling part," Doug admits, leaning against the wall with a sly grin. "No clue."

As Carter enters the staff lounge, he's taken aback to see both Doug and Carol looking at him with mischievous smiles. He raises an eyebrow, immediately suspicious of their intentions.

"Why are you two grinning like that?" he questions, walking toward them warily.

Doug and Carol share a conspiratorial look before Doug speaks up, "We just had a question for you, Carter."

Carter raises an eyebrow, bracing himself for what he suspects is coming next. "What's that?" he asks, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.

Carol chimes in, a smirk on her lips. "We were wondering who the woman was you were with in Curtain Room 2 earlier."

Carter's face flushes red, his mind racing as he tries to think of a response. He's caught off guard by their question, having forgotten that he was witnessed in a rather intimate moment. He clears his throat, trying to compose himself.

"It was, uh..." he starts to say, but then hesitates. He doesn't know if he's quite ready to reveal his relationship just yet. Doug and Carol watch him intently, their smiles growing wider as they notice his discomfort.

"Come on, Carter," Doug teases, "you can't just leave us hanging like that. Who was she? She's cute?"

"It was my wife and daughter," he admits, a soft smile crossing his face as he thinks about you.

Carol and Doug stare at him in shock, their mouths hanging open.

"Wait, what?! You have a wife and a kid?!" Carol exclaims, her eyes wide.

Doug nods, equally shocked. "Yeah, no way! When did that happen?"

Carter rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, still feeling a bit embarrassed. "We got married a few years ago, and we have a little girl. She's four," he explains. Doug and Carol exchange amazed looks.

"How did we not know this?" Doug demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

Carter shrugs, a bit sheepishly. "I guess I just didn't think it was a big deal to mention."

MASTERLIST

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

John Carter x reader where Carter wants reader to move in with him but reader has a rule that she wouldn’t move in with a boyfriend unless they’re married. So Carter doesn’t waste any time in popping the question because he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. Thank you 😊

Ah, this is my first ever request. Thank you so much! This was fun; I hope you enjoy it!

WC: 500

"C'mon, move in with me," Carter mumbles into your neck, sleep still evident in his voice. He peppers kisses along your throat, squeezing you closer to him in an almost needy way. With a soft hand, he brushes loose hair out of your face, smiling tenderly as he does so. He gently kisses your forehead, slowly stroking your hair. "We could be waking up like this every day… No need to rush home and get a clean set of scrubs before taking the L to work," he says. You can't help but smile and shake your head lovingly.

Carter chuckles softly at your response as he keeps brushing his fingers through your hair. "Don't shake your head at me," he grins. "You know, I have a point. Just imagine I could make you breakfast, hell, even breakfast in bed. Every morning." He nuzzles his nose lightly into the crook of your neck, his breath warm against your skin. "Please say you're at least considering it," he murmurs, kissing your jawline before pressing a lingering kiss below your ear.

"You know my rule, John... I don't want to move in with anyone unless I'm getting married," you sigh. Carter lifts his head and props himself on his elbow to look at your face. His expression is a mix of surprise and excitement as he registers your words.

"…Marry me?" he asks, his voice tinged with disbelief. Yet there's an unmistakable, wide grin spreading across his face.

"Are you being serious or just joking around?" You whisper.

"I've never been more serious in my life," Carter replies without hesitation. He gently cups your face with his hand, his thumb grazing over your cheek. "I want to marry you. I want to wake up next to you every day and come home to you every night. I want you to be my wife." The sincerity in his eyes and the conviction in his voice leave no room for doubt. He's not just saying this because it's what he thinks you want to hear or just so you move in with him - he means every single word. He smiles warmly as he continues to gently stroke your cheek. "Marry me. Please say yes." His tone is almost pleading, and it's clear how much he wants you to say yes. His eyes search your face, desperate for your answer.

You can't help but smile as you look into his beautiful eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of love wash over you. "Yes," you say softly, barely able to hide the excitement in your voice.

Carter's face lights up with pure joy. He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and pulls you into a tight hug. "God, I love you," he whispers, burying his face into your hair. He presses kisses all over your face, laughing happily as he does so. "We're getting married! We're getting married," he repeats as he squeezes you tightly, clearly overjoyed by the fact that you said yes.

MASTERLIST

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

can you please write #25 off your winter prompts with john carter? thank you for writing for him 🫶

A/N: In my head this takes anywhere pre-season 8. First ER fic! I am super stoked about it. Because ER is so old and such a small fandom I really don't expect this one to get any traction. It was more for me than anything else. HOWEVER, if anyone has any other requests for ER for John or anyone else, I'd be happy to do them

Word Count: 928

Warnings: None

To  say you were fed up would be an understatement. All day Romano had been on your case about “not pulling your weight” - which had been followed by an off handed remark about your weight. 

The asshole. 

Now you were going to end your year how it started - alone and annoyed. 

Romano had asked you to restock supplies for the suture trays, and with your luck, you’d managed to get yourself locked into the old supply closet. 

It had been at least forty minutes and no one had found you. You could hear the faint thumping of the music that Jerry had proudly curated. You’d long given up calling for help - no one could hear you with the music playing loudly in the background. 

You sat on the floor, your back resting against the supply rack. You looked up at the ceiling, absentmindedly thinking about all the ways your New Year’s Eve could have gone. 

The faint click of the door had your full attention. Your eyes widening, you watched as Carter searched the room until his eyes landed on you on the floor. 

“Hey, we’ve been looking all over for-” 

“The door, Carter!” You yelled, leaping at him. It was too late, in concern he’d stepped towards you, the door slamming behind him. 

“What the-” he started, turning to try and open the door. 

You let out a sigh, sliding back down onto the floor. 

“I’ve been locked in here for nearly an hour,” you groaned, dropping your head in your hands. 

“Ah,” he simply said. 

“That’s all you have to say?” 

“Just about,” he let out a laugh, sliding down to sit next to you. “It’s kind of nice though, isn’t it? The quiet I mean.” 

You turned your head to look at him. He was smiling at you in that boyish way that made your heart race. 

“I’d appreciate it more if it wasn’t nearly midnight,” you mumbled. 

“Oh, had a big date did you?” He teased, his shoulder knocking against yours. 

You found yourself smiling despite yourself. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Jameson just proposed to me.” 

“Right, you and seventy-five year old Mr. Jameson are going to make such a lovely couple.” Carter rolled his eyes, a wide grin spread across his face. 

“Green is an ugly color on you, Carter,” you let out a laugh. 

John let out a breathy laugh, his smiler growing smaller as he turned his attention to the floor. He glanced at his watch. 

“What time is it?” 

“Uh,” Carter spared another glance at his watch, “ten til midnight.” 

You gave him a silent nod in reply. You felt yourself growing anxious. You weren’t sure why, you never felt more at ease than when you were with John. He had that way about him. Easy going and comforting. Everything with him just felt…natural. 

“Did you-” John’s voice cracked. 

You turned to look at him, eyebrows knitting together. 

“Did you have plans tonight?” He asked. 

“No,” you paused, “I thought I’d just drag through my shift like normal. I didn’t expect Romano to inadvertently get me stuck in a storage closet.” 

John’s eyes studied you. You wanted so badly to squirm under his gaze, but you held your ground. 

“Did you?” 

John let out a laugh, “No, just uh. I mean, Gamma tried to get me to do a charity fundraiser, but I’d rather be here honestly.” 

“Really, Carter? You’d rather be locked in a storage closet with me?” You let out a bubbly laugh. 

“Yeah, actually. I would.” 

Your laughing slowly died out as you looked at him. Carter’s smile only grew at your reaction. 

“John, you can’t mean that,” you said softly. 

“I think I’ll be the judge of that,” he smiled down at you. 

You held each other’s gaze. It was quiet now, the thrumming of the music was only faint to you know. 

Your heart hammering against your chest, you felt your breath catch in your throat. 

Shouting in the hallways caused you to jump. The countdown had started. 

“What do you say?” Carter was already closing the distance between you both, his nose gently brushing against your own. 

You could hear cheers down the hall. With a smile and your heart in your throat, you closed the distance between you. 

John reached out to cup your cheek pulling you close. Kissing John Carter was gentle and warm. Comforting and all consuming. 

“There you both - oh!” 

You and John broke apart to see Susan trying to bite down her grin. 

“Uh, Romano is looking for you,” She smiled down at you. “Carter, Weaver’s looking for you.” 

“Right,” he said breathlessly. 

Susan held the door open for you both, she mouthed a silent sorry to you before walking back down the hallway. 

“Well, uh,” John swallowed. 

Pulling him down by his tie, you gave him another kiss. John let out a small sigh before you pulled away. 

“Find me after your shift?” You whispered against his lips. 

“God, yes,” he replied, his cheeks slightly red.

You let out a small breathy laugh. “Happy New Year’s, John.” 

John smiled broadly at you, that boyish teasing look back on his face, “Happy New Year’s”

“Alright, people fun is over! Time is money! Get back to work. It’s a wonder how this place manages to run at all!” 

You rolled your eyes at Romano’s shouting. You spared John one more look before you grabbed your suture supplies and headed towards Romano’s shouting. A smile spread clear across your face, the ghost of John’s kiss still pressed against your lips.

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Hey someone who writes for John Carter thank you!!! I was wondering if I could get an imagine with a pregnant reader literally anything will do!

I'm so sorry this took so long holy-

John Carter with pregnant reader Head cannons (gender neutral)

He's already protective of you since you guys are in a relationship. The moment he finds out that you are pregnant, his face lights up and he gives you a hug. He was so excited and that melted your heart a little. He's one of those people who will try to do everything for you because he wants you and your unborn child to relax. Want some water? No, John will get it for you. And if you get morning sickness, he will always comfort you and rub your back.

He's definitely a real one because you had a craving for baby back ribs from this one place a few minutes away and while it tasted amazing, you ended up getting sick and throwing up. And what did he do? Asked you if you wanted more ribs later.

As a doctor, he does cringe inside if you developed the sudden craving and obsession for soda but he'll come back from the gas station with your favorite snack and an extra large fountain drink for you. But also, he'll come back with a water bottle. He always makes sure to lift up your belly every now and then and gets you to lean yourself on him.

By the way, he might scold you if you don't drink enough water or eat enough food. It took lots of convincing to just get one medium coffee a day. He thought about secretly getting it decaf but he decided against it. Lots of cuddling and lazy days! When you give birth, he will buy you anything that he knew you couldn't eat while you were pregnant. Want sushi? Give him 15 minutes and he'll coo over the baby while letting you eat for as long as you want. And him asking if you want more if you get sick still applies.

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

could you maybe do winter prompt 8 with john carter? maybe not eating the dough (maybe the reader could sneak a few bites before he gets Concerned), but just general, playful fighting with the ingredients (e.g. flour, since it's such a messy pain in the-) and the like?

i'll thank you a thousand times over if it's possible !!!

Sorry this took a bit longer than I had intended. I hope you still enjoy it! Here’s to hoping more people watch The Pitt and then start watching ER! I’m always here if you have another John request 💕

Word Count: 836

———————————

You never claimed to be a patient person. In fact the concept of delayed gratification was practically null and void to you. Why wait when you could have it now and enjoy it just the same?

This of course was the only thought in your brain as you zeroed in on the cookie dough. John was busy trying to measure the flour for the next batch to pay you too much attention. Leaning against the counter you looked down at the freshly mixed bowel in front of you. It called to you like a siren of sugar. 

Grabbing a nearby spoon, you scooped up a bit of the dough before eating it. Closing your eyes you savored the taste. John was a lot of things, but expert baker was not something you would have pinned him down for. But oh, did he know what he was doing. 

“I know I did not just see you eat some of the raw cookie dough.” 

You turned wide eyed to John. He was trying his hardest to give you a stern look, but he was failing miserably. His arms crossed over his chest and a dish rag hanging from his shoulder, he tried his best to give you a disappointed look, but the smile tugging on the corner of his mouth told a different story. 

“And what if you did?” You prodded, a wide grin plastering across your face. 

John couldn’t fight the smile on his face any more. He rolled his eyes at you, placing the cup of flour on the counter. He leaned closer to you now, readjusting his sweater sleeves to sit more comfortably above his elbows. 

“You know better than to eat raw cookie dough,” he sighed before a laugh escaped him. His brown eyes were trained only on you now. Warm and playful, the quintessential John Carter.  

“Yeah, but it looked so good, John, I couldn’t help myself,” you reasoned, “Besides how was I supposed to know you were such a good- no - great baker?” 

John’s face flushed at your words, “Don’t try and sweet talk your way out of this.” He stood tall in front of you, swallowing a bit to steady his nerves. 

“Me? Sweet talk? John Carter, I would never. I speak only the truth.” You enjoyed watching the blush creep up his neck as you leaned closer towards him. 

“Oh, you do, do you?” He was grinning at you now. He raised his eyebrows at you, challenging you. 

“Mhmm,” you replied. Your smile only growing more broad. “Your hands aren’t just good for saving lives.” 

John let out a laugh at that, shaking his head at you as he looked down at the floor. 

“Really, you have a whole other career opportunity waiting for you. Maybe then you’ll let me enjoy a few harmless spoonfuls of cookie dough.” 

“You’re something else, you know that?” He let out another low laugh. 

 “John?” You whispered, leaning in closer towards him. 

“Yeah?” He asked, his face drawing closer to yours. 

“I loaf you,” you breathed out before dropping the cup of flour over his head. You blinked as the flour rained down on you, but you recovered quickly letting out a laugh. Grabbing the bowl of dough and running. 

“Hey!” John yelled after you, chasing you around the kitchen into the living room. 

John caught you by your waist, both of you managing to lose your footing in the process and tumbling gracelessly on the floor. 

The bowl tumbled to the floor, the dough still clinging to the side of the bowl. John was sprawled on the floor next to you, his face and hair covered in flour. 

“Did you just say you loaf me?” He laughed breathlessly. 

“Yes, I do. I loaf you John,” you laughed, “You really know how to whisk me off my feet.” 

“Oh God, that was worse,” he let another laugh. 

“You loaf it,” you smirked back at him, savoring John’s carefree attitude.  The week had been so hard on him at County, you were just happy to see the smile return to his face.

“I do, I loaf it,” he hummed, his face inches from yours, “But I love you more.” 

It was your turn to feel flush now, John’s nose nudging against yours before he kissed you. It was slow and soft. As if John wanted to truly relish in the moment. 

As John pulled away, you let out a sigh, “You’re lucky I love you to get all that flour all over me,” you teased. 

“Oh, you? You’re worried about the flour?” He laughed lowly. “Gee, I wonder whose fault that is.” John rubbed his cheek against yours smearing flour across your face. 

“John!” you squeaked out between laughter. 

John held you by the waist on the floor as he climbed on top of you. He shook out his hair raining flour down on top of you. 

There lying helpless on the floor you cemented that there was nowhere on Earth you would rather be.

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Hello, could you write something about John Carter x Fem!Reader? John has a crush on the reader and is not very good at hiding it, the rest of the hospital knows this and they joke around with him, for example Doug playfully flirts with the reader to see Carter's reaction. The reader is the only one who doesn't know, because she is very distracted and she thinks that John only sees her as a friend, which hurts her because she also has feelings for him. I would like Susan on a bad day to get tired and tell them "I've had enough of this situation. Why don't you kiss once and for all? You're both in love."

Feelings

( I'm so sorry this took so long omfg)

Everybody knew. Except the two of you of course. You both had feelings for each other but you both thought that the other did not feel the same way. You were subtle in hiding it while Carter tried to hide his crush on you in a very obvious way. Everyone, especially Doug, picked up on the way that Carter would always bring you lunch if he knew that you had been busy enough to have to skip lunch.

Carter would always seem to freeze and stumble over his words whenever he was around you, his cheeks blushing at he tried and failed to hide the fact that he had a gigantic crush on you. You were just oblivious to the fact that John had a crush on you. You had thought that he thought of you as a friend. While you were hurt, you weren't surprised.

The two of you were driving Susan crazy. The answer was basically spelled out right in front of you guys but since you both thought the other wasn't interested, nothing happened really. That was until Doug decided to "flirt" with you. The moment Doug started playfully flirting with you, you could tell just by the look of Carter's eyes he was jealous.

"A guy would be crazy lucky to have you."

Doug knew that he was getting a ride out of Carter by flirting with you and he enjoyed every second of it. Susan was just done with the situation, though.

She walks up to John later that day.

"Carter, I swear to God, you better go and talk to her."

Carter tried to come up with an excuse as he sees you charting.

"I've had enough for this situation. JUST GO KISS HER." Susan rasied her voice during the last part of her sentence.

Carter almost died from excitement when you made eye contact with him and smiled.

Everyone seemed to read the room and Susan sighed in relief.

"It's about damn time. The suspense was killing me."

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Saint John (John Carter x gn!reader)

Summary: A conversation with your best friend during a quiet moment in the break room. Set during Season 1.

WC: 0.7k

“You know, Saint John is the patron of friendship and love,” your voice rings out in the quiet break room. Carter’s head turns to you next to him on the couch. He’s flipping through a magazine, just glancing at the pictures. It’s been a quiet night so far. Neither of you are tired enough to sleep yet, even though you know you should try.

“It’s a pretty common name,” he smiles. “I don’t think I was named after a Saint.”

“You don’t have to be,” you respond, tilting your head. “But it’s still fitting, don’t you think?”

Something in his chest aches. Love. He does love you. He tells you this sometimes, but when he does, he only ever means it as friends. He’s thankful the room is dim, and he hopes it’s dark enough that you can’t see the blush on his cheeks.

“I suppose.”

You grin up at him. ���Come on, you’re my best friend, I think it’s really fitting. I never really had a best friend before you.”

There it is again. That sweet ache in his chest for you. He knows he’s your best friend and you’re his, but hearing you say it out loud again, and hearing you mention love in relation to him, makes his heart skip a beat. A few beats, really. Despite being settled in your close friendship, he never quite thought about himself as someone associated with friendship and love. He had friends, classmates he’d talk to, and a date here and there, but none of it ever stuck. Not like you did. Stuck by his side every day and on his mind every night.

“Are you an expert on saints or something?” Carter asks. He lets the magazine in his hands drop onto the table in front of him and he leans back against the couch.

“No,” you smile. “I just went to Catholic school.”

He lets out a laugh. “Right. What else did they teach you about this Saint John?”

“Well, he’s also the patron saint of authors, and burn and poison victims. So I think I’m pretty safe with you.”

“You don’t need a saint to protect you,” he says. “You have me.”

“I know,” you smile. “I’m very glad to have you. If I ever get burned or poisoned, you’ll be there, right?”

He nods. “Of course. I’ll always be there.”

The sincerity in his voice is striking. It scares you. Despite how often he casually mentions his care for you, it never quite sinks in. You still think every little bump in the road is going to send him running.

“Maybe I should write a book,” you joke to soften the mood again. “Or we could co-author one together.”

“Yeah? About what?”

“Doctor stuff,” you smile. “What not to do in med school.”

Definitely don’t fall in love with your best friend. Even if they study with you all the time, and help you memorize pesky details for exams, and remind you to get some sleep when it’s past midnight and you’re still at the library with all of your textbooks in front of you. Even if they pay for lunch and spend the night more than they should. Even if they’re the only person who understands you.

“We know plenty about that,” Carter laughs.

“Exactly. Easy money. Not that you need any.”

Carter rolls his eyes and shoves you. “Trying to swindle me out of my hard earned money?”

“Maybe,” you smile, straightening up. “Would you let me?”

In a heartbeat, he thinks.

“No,” he answers, trying not to let his true feelings show. Carter bites back a smile and ignores the way his stomach churns. “I want my fair share.”

“Sixty-forty?” You propose with a playful smile gracing your features.

“I get sixty percent?” He teases. “You’re so kind.”

You shove him back. “No, genius, you get forty percent.”

His hair falls in his eyes as he sways to the side. Before he can respond, Benton props the door open with his hand, leaning his head in. “Come on, you two, MVA incoming and we’re getting at least three major traumas. Let’s go.”

Carter shoots you one last smile as he stands up and rushes to the door, catching it before it fully closes, and holds it open for you. You don’t miss how pink his cheeks are in the light that spills in from the hallway. He’s going to be the death of you.

—A/N: a short moment between friends who both wish they were more. i <3 friends to lovers so most of my ideas are based on that. already posted on ao3! my inbox is open!!

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

Stitch Me Up

Notes: John Carter x Fem!Reader (857 words) -- I'm watching ER and I might just love him.

Summary: You needed stitches and that's something Carter could do.

Warnings: none

🦋 Masterlist 🦋

Carter was having the worst day. He had already changed his clothes three times—1. Hot coffee (his own), 2. A patient with appendicitis threw up on him, and 3. Blood. Whose? He had no idea—and he was down to his last and least professional tie. It had a big fish on it. 

He begged Dr. Benton for something easy, something he had done a million times before, and he directed him to the corner curtain where you had been waiting for close to an hour.

You slipped down the front steps of your apartment complex. It was raining and you were wearing old rain boots and traction was nowhere to be found. You had a fractured foot and were waiting on stitches. It was your elderly neighbor who called the ambulance. She had always been fond of you and freaked out when she saw all the blood.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Carter.” John came in looking at your X-Rays. “Your foot looks good.” He didn't want to look up, half certain that Benton was messing with him and he was just there to clean a bedpan.

“Nice tie.” You said with a crooked smile. You were on a lot of pain killers and he might’ve been the best looking man you had ever seen.

“Oh, thanks.” He glanced at you, laughing a little, and immediately looked again. “H-hi, I’m Dr. Carter.”

You giggled. “You said that already.”

“It remains to be true.” He grinned and you loved it. You wanted to see him do it again. 

Carter rolled his chair to your bed and took a look at your head wound. He had very much learned his lesson about fraternizing with hospital admittants after his bout with Liz ended in gonorrhea but he couldn't deny you were very pretty. Beautiful, even. “Ready?” He asked and cleared his voice of its hoarseness.

You carded your fingers through his bangs. You really were never this forward, you had never even asked a guy out before, but the Ativan seemed to want to change that. He looked at you wearily but still let you do it. “Yep,” you said, popping the P. 

You watched as he worked. He bit his lip in concentration. It was very cute. “Do you ever date your patients?” The you before your fall would have cringed and you could hear her screaming internally. Maybe you did have a concussion.

“Not anymore.” John was smirking at you. He couldn't believe it. He was actively talking about how he wasn't going to do this again and here he was, doing it.

“What if I asked for a different doctor?” You asked and he could barely contain his groan. He needed to focus on his stitch work.

His eyes flicked to you and you felt a little thrill run through you. “You want me to leave?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. 

“I guess not.” You sighed. “But what do I get out of this?”

He let his fingers steading the skin around your wound linger down to your cheekbone. “For one, you get to keep your blood in your body.”

You hummed, uninterested. He laughed, and real laugh that forced him to put down the forceps. “What’s the second?”

John cringed. He had a second answer but he was hesitating. It would put him firmly into flirting territory. “The second?” He was buying time, face scrunched up in embarrassment. 

You yanked on his fish tie and batted him once in the face with it. “Are you shy, Dr. Carter?”

He smoothed out his tie and gave you a stern look. It was adorable.

“And second,” he said, “you get to look at my face.”

“My, aren’t we full of ourselves.”

John cringed. He knew it was stupid. He couldn't believe it said that, what an idiot, and now you were probably going to sue the hospital for harassment. Benton would never stop giving him shit.

“But you do make a good point.” You smile, lifting his head by the chin to see it. “What am I supposed to do when you’re done? How will I survive never getting to see your face again?”

He picked the forceps back up and resumed his work. “I think you’ll live.”

You let him work the remainder of your stitches in silence and you relished in the bob of his Adam’s apple when he caught you staring. 

“I think we’re all done here.” He gave you a soft smile. 

“Will you do one more thing for me, doctor?” You batted your lashes. Though unlikely, part of you really hoped you could see him again.

“Anything.” And he meant it to. Even under the fluorescent lights and hospital gown, he couldn't resist.

“Would you sign my boot?”

.

You waited about thirty minutes hoping to see Dr. Carter before your roommate brought you home. You were giddy on your cab home, talking her ear off about him up until the hour she helped you take off your boot before bed. 

“The cute doctor signed your boot?” She asked, inspecting it.

“Yeah,” you sighed. 

“Well he left you his number.”

[nowprettybbyimrunning]

John Carter taking an interest in a nurse on his first day, but everyone’s overprotective of her since she’s one of the younger nurses. You can decide what else happens. Thank you.

Sorry, this is more like headcanon/blurbs because my brain is fried from work, so this is all I got. If you guys would like this to turn into an actual fic, you can comment below, and I'll try and get to it. :) WC: 345

Their first interaction is definitely when Benton is giving Carter a hard time on one of the procedures; afterwards, she strides up to him and touches his shoulder, telling him, 'It's okay. You're new; you're not supposed to know everything, yet.' After that, Carter has a soft spot for her.

He asks around to get a sense of you; he questions Jerry, Haleh, and Lydia—hell, even Randi. And they all laugh and smile at him knowingly. They begin referring to him as 'Lover Boy' whenever they encounter him. He doesn't gather much information from them; they were quite tight-lipped.

Carter asks Ross, since Carter has seen the way you two interact like siblings, always having each other's backs and picking on each other. Carter thought Ross would give him a better idea. Ross's protectiveness shows, and he tells Carter not to try anything unless he's serious about you, or else he'll kick Carter's ass.

Susan and Carol were much more accepting of Carter's newfound interest in you. They told him you were single and very much on the market, sharing what your favorite flowers, favorite takeout, and favorite candy are.

With that, Carter decides to take a night when he knows you both have off and shows up on your doorstep with a bottle of wine, candy, and flowers. DID he go overboard? Possibly, but the look on your face was worth it.

“Carter? What’s all this?” You ask, smiling.

“These are for you,” he gestures for you to take the flowers.

“Oh? Wow, these are beautiful, Carter. Did you wanna come in?” She grins, moving to allow him to come in.

“John, you can call me John,” he smiles. “I would love to come in.”

You two end up watching a movie on your couch. Carter does the typical yawn-stretch mood and puts his arm ‘subtly’ around your shoulders, bringing you closer against him. Your cheeks turn pink as you keep your eyes on the movie.

It’s safe to say Carter secures a date with you next time the two of you have off.