John Carter quotes from E.R.

Carter

What should I tell Weaver?

Luka

Whatever you want.

Carter

Can I tell her you're coming back?

Luka

I don't know.

Carter

Don't do anything stupid.

Luka

[smiles] Like what?

Carter

Like get yourself killed.

Abby

[when Carter decides to head back to Africa] I don't know. You knew I didn't want you to go, and you went anyway. What, were you trying to hurt me?

Carter

Why would I want to hurt you?

Abby

I, I don't know! I don't know! Why would you want to hurt me?

Carter

It wasn't about you.

Abby

Oh, come on! You weren't even going to tell me you were going! If I hadn't bumped in to you when you were leaving, I wouldn't even have known!

Carter

I wasn't trying to hurt you. I wanted to feel like I was really doing something.

Abby

Did you even think about me?

Carter

Yes.

Abby

Okay, what did you think (pause) What did you think? I don't know why you bothered to come back. (starts walking away)

Carter

Oh, you're just going to walk away?

Abby

Yeah.

Carter

Okay, walk away, Abby. That's what you do best.

Abby

You want to know what you do best? You make this all about my problems, but you know what? You have some problems too. You've got some really big problems.

Debbie

You really don't like the Dixie Chicks? Everybody likes the Dixie Chicks.

Carter

Everybody?

Debbie

Everybody with taste.

Carter

I brought you some things: Sterile gloves, needles, catheters, syringes. IV Ceftriaxone and Cipro. DPL sets, suture kits, old pulse-ox. Ooh, look at this. Old microscope. I tried to get a portable x-ray, but it wouldn't fit in my carry-on.

Where did you get all of that?

Carter

My hospital in Chicago donated it.

Do they know they donated it?

Carter

Yeah, more or less.

Carter

[while reading a Christmas card from the ER] Oh my God! Dr. Romano died.

Kem

Was he a friend?

Carter

Umm, no... No, not really.

You ever seen a kid do something this crazy before?

Carter

Honestly? [shakes his head]

Carter

[about Kem] You never met her?

Luka

No. She must have gotten past me.

Abby

You're gonna be a dad.

Carter

Yeah.

Abby

How's it feel?

Carter

Scary. Especially in this room. I start thinking about all the things that can go wrong all the mistakes you can make.

Abby

You're gonna be a great father.

Carter

Hey, would you mind if Kem observes in the hospital today?

Kerry

Yep.

Carter

Um- she has her Master's Degree in Public Health.

Kerry

That's no reason to punish her. [Carter laughs] Give the poor woman a credit card, Carter- let her have some fun.

Carter

I tried that. She would like to speak to the Public Health nurses and see how we track communicable disease.

Kerry

Sure, fine. Maybe she can motivate some of these slackers around here.

Abby

l[ooking at the plaque of Romano's face] Is it just me, or do the eyes seem to follow you?

Carter

Was Romano's prosthetic arm destroyed in the accident?

Abby

I dunno. Why?

Carter

'Cause if it wasn't, it's going to hunt Dr. Weaver down and strangle her. [he, Kem and Abby laugh]

Kem

He wasn't a big supporter of gay rights?

Carter

Ah, no.

Abby

That's too creepy. [she leaves, Elizabeth Corday walks in]

Elizabeth

Did I miss the dedication?

Carter

More like post-mortem payback.

Elizabeth

[reading the plaque in astonishment] Oh, my God!

Susan

[about Neela] She'll be a star in internal medicine or research, something using your intellect, but she's not an ER doc.

Carter

Since when did intellect become a liability to working in the ER?

Kerry

There was a memo while you were in Africa.

Carter

Neela, we were ranking fourth year med students in there. And everybody agreed you're really bright, and we really like working with you.

Neela

Someone spoke poorly of me?

Carter

Well, nobody in particular.

Neela

Was it Dr. Chen? Because she's had it in for me...

Carter

Neela, you have to be more decisive. Okay, you have to be more... proactive.

Neela

They feel I'm too passive?

Carter

Tell you what, for the next four hours, you are a doctor. I want you to carry a minimum of three patients at all times. Start their workups, order their labs and meds, and present back to me only after you've put your own diagnostic plan into action. Today, you're a shark.

Neela

Shark?

Carter

Keep swimming, or you die.

Abby

How's Kem? She must be getting big.

Carter

Very.

Abby

You should see Susan.

Carter

How's she doing?

Abby

Well, you know how some mothers talk to their unborn children? Susan threatened to pull hers out with her bare hands if it didn't hurry up.

Milicent dies, you run off halfway around the world. Disappear for months. Only to come back like some sort of avenging angel, with a pregnant African girl in tow.

Carter

Her name is Kem.

Are you back using drugs?

Kem

Oh my God, John. We're having a boy!

Carter

Yeah, I think you mentioned that. What is this? What, you're having a little prenatal jitters?

Kem

You don't think that, maybe we...

Carter

What?

Kem

Rushed into this?

Carter

'Course we did. But we didn't over analyze it, we didn't reexamine it, we didn't overthink it. We just did it 'cause it felt right.

Kem

This is a life that we're responsible for. You and me.

Carter

We're ready. Are you ready? [points at her belly]