Here With Her
Carter sighed with the heat bearing down on his sweating body. Abby
prepared an icepack that she retrieved from the cabinet. Placing it on
Carter's neck, she awaited his response. "That better?"
Carter got lost in his own reply. He nodded, half sighing, half-moaning,
pleased with the feeling of ice on his sweat-soaked skin. Abby readied to
speak, almost nervously. "The worst of this is over, right?"
Carter looked up from his focus on the dirty tile. He looked at her eyes.
The eyes that were deep enough to get lost in. Extending and deep, he sat
in the stare and waited for her to talk again to hear her voice. Anything
to make the moment complete.
"Tell me we're gonna be okay."
Carter witnessed her lips moving to bring the words to the silent air
around them. He wasted no time contemplating, and leaned in to meet her
lips. Softly, he planted his lips onto hers. She was surprised, and showed
little reciprocation. He stood, meeting her eyes. "We're gonna be okay."
Abby's hands met at the back of his neck. She felt safe at once in his
arms; safe was she with her new guard around her. The rest of the world
outside in chaos, particularly the ER, and she was quarantined with John
Carter. She focused on his face, pretty much his eyes and lips alone,
unaware of the world swimming with disaster just a door away. Carter looked
even deeper and repeated, "We're gonna be okay." Abby, knowing that he
couldn't tell anything of the future, believed him. Carter had been through
his share of difficulties and his own messes, but things were different
with Abby. Carter protected her, and Abby protected him.
Thoughts of confusion raced through each of their minds the second the
words left Carter's mouth. Yet, at the same moment, they instinctively
acted alike. Leaning in together, they shared their kiss. Passionate and
convincing, they were lost. Oblivious to their surroundings, they held each
other. Abby, slightly nervous about acting as she was, hesitated to make
any first moves herself. But, she was relieved as Carter pulled her close
to his warm body with both of his arms. Abby's delicate hands, previously
stationed lightly on his shoulders, took positions in his soft hair and on
his broad back. They separated for a moment to catch their breaths. Abby,
although upset for pulling apart, played as Carter did. They gasped
heavily, Abby's hands holding on to Carter's sturdy arms. Carter was more
than pleased with the feeling of her small hands on his arms. He brought
his hands to her small waist and carefully, slowly, ran his hands up and
down just a few inches to make her comfortable. It had worked. Abby sighed
and initiated another kiss. Carter fell into it, sinking into the idea of
being with Abby. This one was much shorter, ending with the two watching
their hands intertwine almost with minds of their own. They gazed on in
amazement, watching themselves connect. Abby breathed heavily, with Carter
not much different. Carter picked up her other hand, closed his eyes, and
kissed her hand. Abby was blown away. She had never been in a relationship
where this ever happened. She was scared. Of something; either this new
discovery or the current situation. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality
and softly broke into small tears. Carter took her to him and held her. She
embedded her face in-between his shoulder and his neck, nestling peacefully
in his chest. He held his strong arms around her back, kissed the top of
her head, and hugged her.
Thunder rattled the yellowing window in the corner of the room. Abby looked
up abruptly, until she was soothed again by Carter. He rubbed her back, and
allowed her to wet his shirt with warm tears.
Abby felt each tear leave her eye, stinging with pain, grief and confusion.
Yet, she felt each tear fall between her cheek and his shirt, bringing her
the comfort she had longed to reach for so long.
Carter felt her pathos, kept it in his mind. He took her face in his hands
as thunder shook the window again, rain pelting against the filthy glass.
She looked at him through miserable, teary eyes as Carter reassured her,
"We're gonna be okay. Me and you."
She lay down on his chest again, this time her head facing the same way
that Carter's was: the door. No one was rushing through the hallways as
Carter and Abby had before they had been quarantined. There were still a
few people remaining at the admit desk. The patients were sitting
surprisingly still in chairs. Dr. Lewis was nowhere to be found. Neither
said a word for a few minutes.
"I don't see any doctors," Abby finally said, taking the silence.
Carter was already watching contently, concernedly. "Me either."
Once again, there was silence. The two stood holding each other, until at
Abby's request they sat on the floor. He was proud of her, for being so
brave. But he wouldn't tell her that until it was over. And he knew that it
would be soon.
Abby brought a hand up to his chest, and let it rest there. Carter
sporadically pecked the top of her forehead, or her trembling hand. She let
the feeling seep into herself, the feeling of being with him. It was like
storybook romance, the kind she had to realize as an adult. Her childhood
wasn't allowed fairytales or Disney movies.
Carter let her eyes close and slumber befall her. She breathed softly
against his chest, now heaving with comfort. He was happy enough to be with
Abby, and didn't want to jinx it or jeopardize it. While a health crisis
was sweeping over the hospital perimeter, he was holding this woman warm
within his arms. Softly, her breaths fell through his shirt to his content
chest, sending welcomed shivers through his body. He tensed and relaxed all
at once. He looked down at her, her chestnut hair staring back up. He
naturally stroked her locks with his free hand, the other resting on her
waist. As his one hand flowed through her hair appreciatively, he pulled
her closer with the other, taking in as much as he could of her. Breathing
in the scent and ignoring the sounds outside.
Slowly, the noises began to dissolve from the hallways and the lobby. Abby
rarely stirred in her doze. Her back rhythmically rose and fell, in sync
with each of her heavenly breaths. Although Carter was a doctor, working
with the human body everyday, he fell in love with hers. Just the shape of
her neck, the gentle curve and run of her arms, and the small of her back.
It was angelic, the mystique of her body and the power it had on him. He
kissed her forehead tenderly, then sat back to savor the moment, his body
against hers.
Carter lost track of time in his thoughts. He thought little of anything
else but Abby. He didn't want to think of anything else at the moment. He
felt both of her hands press against his chest as she slowly awoke, pushing
herself away.
Carter was less than pleased to see her small, warm body leave his too
soon, but enjoyed her tired face, blinking in the dim light of the room.
She stared down at the floor again, rubbed her eyes with a weary hand and
looked back up at Carter. He didn't think. He just bent in and kissed her
lips, concentrating on her lower lip. He teased it gently, nibbling on it
and caressing it, as Abby returned this action as much as she could.
Abby pulled away, slightly gasping, but just enough to notice in the quiet
room. She left his arms and walked over to the cabinet, where she removed
an icepack for herself and placed it on the back of her neck. She walked
over to him and sat back on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her,
kissing her tenderly on her head.
Abby reached for the thermometer. "I think I have a fever."
Carter froze. Please, God, no, he thought. He smiled at her, which was hard
to fake, and took the thermometer from her quivering hands. "Let me see, I
doubt it." The truth was that his head didn't doubt it. There was every
reason to think that Abby could be infectious. His heart however, strongly
disagreed, fighting back for both of their sakes.
She let him take it from her, and sat silently still. Carter carefully
allowed the tool to enter her ear, afraid himself of the result. Probably
more than Abby was. He closed his eyes, but was safe not to let Abby see
this expression. The thermometer rang within just a few seconds, and Carter
slowly opened his eyes to read the digits, glaring back at him as if they
were angry. Is this where it all came back for him? They were haunting him.
Just the numbers.
Ninety-nine. Carter sighed deeply, thanking God for keeping her here. John
Carter rarely ever turned to God at moments like this, at moments like any,
and it surprised him. He thanked God again, actually taking time to close
his eyes and bow his head. He smiled thankfully upwards, never feeling like
a fool for doing so. He was suddenly aware of the woman against his sturdy
frame. He looked down at her.
"It's bad," she said staring out into space. "What is it?" She looked back
up at him, and Carter's heart boasted calmly with happiness and pride.
"You're fine, girl," he said. He smiled. He felt odd for calling her
'girl,' but that really didn't matter. He left that brief thought, and
grinned as her body gratefully fell back into his chest. He lifted his chin
to rest upon her head, but lost his balance when she brung her face to kiss
his neck lovingly. She then again sank back into the slumber she was in
need of, and according to Carter, the slumber she so richly deserved.
[Part 2]