Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Unstable Tracks
It had been snowing like crazy all day. Snow pilled up on the sides of the streets, signaling its peak season for car accidents, flu cases, and people who slipped on the ice and fractured something.
Inside County, it was unsurprisingly busy. The ER was buzzing with life contrary to the dead, cold night outside.
"Hey Carter, what are you doing down here?" Dr. Lewis asked when she saw him. "Did Peter finally get bored of you?"
Carter sighs "Oh I wish. He keeps dumping back here anytime he gets the chance. you know, how I am supposed to be a good surgeon if he doesn't let me do anything" he said as they both walked side by side toward the front desk.
"Well, sounds to me like he trusts you" Lewis replied, sitting down at a computer.
"More like wants to torture to me". Carter grabbed a chart that was handed him to him By Chuny. He turned back to Dr. Lewis." You know Dale did more procedures today than I've done all week-combined" he added shaking his head as he skimmed through the chart.
"Well, you know, there're more to medicine than slicing and dicing. Seems like that's all you surgery fellas care about" Lewis said, teasing.
"Haha very funny" Carter replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm gonna go check on my patient who apparently has a 0.28 blood alcohol. Either he drank the entire bar, or he's trying to set a record." He waved the chart over his shoulder as he turned and headed toward the exam room.
Dr. Lewis continued her working at the computer. After a while Dr. Green approached. "Hey Suzan,"
"Hey Mark" Lewis replied.
"What are you up to?" Mark asked as he sat down beside her, writing down hos notes.
"I'm trying to find a good senior living facility for my patient. She just lost her husband and has been living alone ever since. She's awfully frail and can't take care of herself. I found multiple healed fractures from all the times she fell trying to climb the stairs to her bed" Suzan told him with a voice heavy with sympathy.
"No family or relatives?" he asked
"None WILLING to take her" she said shaking her head. Mark nodded and chose silence for his answer.
After a while, Carter walked back toward them, seeming dejected.
" Hey Carter thought you'd be off by now" Mark said.
"Hey Dr. Green." Carter smiled at him. I'm just gonna go pick up Dr Benton's labs and head out. My drunk had liver damage -had to send him up for a biopsy, and he till kept asking for a drink"
Both Lewis and Green laughed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow guys" Carter said, waving as he stepped into the elevator.
Mark glanced back at Suzan and said "Carter looks beat. Wonder when Peter is gonna cut him some slack".
"Ha, you know that's neve gonna happen" Suzan gave a small huff. She continued "He also pulled a double again".
Mark raised an eyebrow "He's gonna burn out if he keeps at it".
"Well," She said eyes still on the screen, "try telling Carter that".
After finishing up, John walked toward to his car, fumbling coat pocket for his keys. It would've been much faster if his fingers weren't numb -the colas seriously slowing down his motor function.
He finally got inside and quickly turned the key to get his car started, only.. the engine wouldn't start.
John tried again, and again. Still nothing
"Come onn.." he muttered, trying a fourth time and it still didn't work.
Of course. His Jeep wasn't exactly made for Chicago's bitter cold weather. The engine probably froze or something.
He sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hands. For a moment, he seriously contemplated if he should just go back to County, find an empty exam room and sleep there. He checked his watch-only 7 hours until he was on again.
He finally decided to take the metro back home, even though an exam room sounded too tempting right now, his king seized bed with his favorite silky sheets won the tempting battle.
He stepped out of his car, tightened his coat around himself and made his way the metro station. If he hurried, he could catch the next train scheduled in ten minutes.
The metro station was almost completely empty and kind of eerie but at least the snow had finally stopped, John thought.
The train finally came; he got on and quickly took a seat in the far corner. He rubbed his hands against his thighs, trying to bring some sensation back into them, and blew warm air into his palms.
There were a few other passengers tonight, mostly people who, like him, were just coming off a long shift of work. He glanced at the tired looking woman across from him with two kids, a boy and a girl.
The boy was sound asleep, slumped against his mom side. The girl, however, was wide awake. She had bright blue eyes and was staring directly at him.
Carter offered her a small smile. She didn't smile back. Just kept staring.
What kind of parent drags their children out in this kind of weather in the middle of the night? He wondered. Probably a struggling one...
He thought about asking the woman if she was okay but quickly decided against it. This is not my problem. I should stop trying to fix everyone and everything all the time.
That's exactly what Dr. Benton told him earlier that shift - after Carter had spent over an hour trying to track down the family of a dying old man. " Am I letting Peter rub off on me? "
He wondered.
"No, He's right. I should stop worr...."
The train gave a violent jerk. Carter almost fell off his seat.
He instinctively glanced out the window, but the glass was fogged and streaked with condensation. He couldn't see a thing.
"The tracks are rusty," a tall man said from across the aisle said.
Carter turned to him, eyebrows raised.
"There are stretches where the rails freeze solid," the man continued, shaking his head. "The wheels can skid right over them-makes the whole train jolt."
"Shouldn't the maintenance crew be on top of that?" Carter asked, eying him.
The guy let out a dry chuckle. "You'd think so. But-God help us-they're always cutting corners. I should know. I used to be one of 'em."
He smirked. Carter gave a faint nod in return, unsure whether to laugh or be worried.
The train shook again only this time it was worse. The lights flickered, a soft murmur rolled through the train as people exchanged looks. The kids across were wide awake, clutching to their mother.
The mother didn't say anything, just squeezed her children as her eyes darted toward the windows.
Carter tried to look out again but no use. "Probably just more ice" he murmured softly to himself, shifting in his seat, trying to ignore the tight dread that crawled up his back.
Suddenly, the conductor's voice crackled over the intercom, muffled and broken. "-experiencing some-... technical issues-please remain-seated-"
Silence settled over the car. Thick, heavy silence. Even the usual hum of the engine felt distant now.
Everyone was anxious and probably most decided to get off the next stop. Anxious because they all felt it. That pit-in-your-stomach certainty that something was wrong-something bad was about to happen.
They say that time isn't linear. That sometimes we feel the moment before it happens, like a memory we haven't made yet.
But no one on that train could've known what was coming.
Suddenly, the train jolted.
Hard.
Every passenger-seated or standing-was thrown sideways. Bags tumbled. Someone screamed.
A loud, grinding metallic shriek tore through the floor as the lights cut out, plunging everything into pitch black.
Carter's head snapped forward, slamming into the seat in front of him.
Then came the real impact.
The entire car lurched off the tracks.
Metal screamed. Glass shattered. The train twisted violently as it collided with the tunnel wall, cars crumpling like paper. Carter felt himself lifted, then slammed down-his shoulder cracking against something hard before his back hit the floor. He heard himself scream out in pain.
And then...
Darkness.