Here With Her
Time would still fly by. Two months with Abby now, and things couldn't get any better. They were both living in Carter's apartment. They had just moved all of Abby things, for the most part, to Carter's place. They had spent most of the day sitting on boxes drinking milkshakes Abby had made, after a lengthy battle with a blender. They had laughed it up, and settled onto the crates, pulling two next to each other. It was so "teenagerish," and normally Carter wouldn't allow something like that to seep into his life. He didn't enjoy living like he was younger. Before Abby, he almost honestly refused to admit to real fun and real life. Things weren't just different with Abby, they were almost their own trait. They were so, well, Abby, and the Abby things were the best things on earth to Carter.
The ER was slow on Fridays. Well, usually it was. Today, it was anything but.
"Carter," Susan called from behind. Carter whipped around and stared at her. "Thirteen year-old male, bleeding from the thigh. Car accident. They hit a bus."
"How stupid do you have to be to hit a city bus?" he questioned, taking a clipboard from her hands and reviewing it to himself.
"One of those small ones," Susan answered.
"So then the riders in it were hurt, right?" he asked. "And they're all coming in here, aren't they?"
Susan nodded comically. "You got it. Good luck." She walked away, in time for Weaver to stroll up to Carter.
"How about this, Carter," she said, setting a faster pace for their walk to the ambulance bay. "Somebody drove into Doc Magoo's."
Carter stopped. "Are you serious?"
Weaver started walking again, and Carter followed. "Completely. Hope none of our own were in there."
"None of the doctors were on break," Carter said. "I should have been now, and that's where I would have been."
"Consider yourself very lucky," said Pratt, just joining them from behind.
"I'd rethink that statement," Haleh said from following. They entered the ambulance bay and pulled on last minute gloves to attend to the patients.
"What was that, Haleh?" Weaver said.
Haleh tilted her head to one of the ambulances pulling toward the building. A paramedic bounded from the vehicle, to the pavement. She motioned Weaver towards her and whispered something in her ear. Well, not really whispered, but with all of the noise, Carter didn't hear a thing. He walked closer to her, until Weaver held up a hand. She waved to Susan, who was just entering and pointed towards one of the stretchers being lifted from the ambulance. Susan ran over immediately to tend to it.
Carter started towards Susan to assist, but was stopped by Weaver.
"Carter," she said calmly.
"Weaver."
"Abby. It's Abby."
Carter didn't wait for her to say anything else, or for her to wait for him to say anything. He ran towards the ambulance, through the heavy rain. Thunder was pounding on his ears, the lightening flashing from far away, but still too close for him. Perfect horror scenario.
His eyes flew to the tiny frame on the stretcher. His mouth was open, but he was too shocked to notice anything but a twisted Abby. His hands shook as he turned to aid Susan, somehow attending to her work quite reservedly. Well, reservedly for the situation anyway.
"Carter," she said, working quickly, "You don't have to help with Abby."
Carter would probably throw up if he helped anyone, seeing Abby like this. "No, I want to."
Abby's eyes fluttered, and slowly opened.
"Abby!" Carter shouted through the thick noise. He grabbed her delicate hands and awaited her response. He held them to his chest as the gurney moved towards the entrance, causing him to keep up.
"John." She looked at him.
"Abby! Abby," he said. Then he didn't know what to say to her. She was sitting their with the same beautiful eyes, the smile wasn't there, but the eyes alone were there.
"Keep her conscious," Susan said. "Don't let her get away from us."
They arrived in one of the rooms and began procedures. She was bleeding from everywhere. Her scrubs were soaked with it, and her creamy, precious skin was now blanketed in it.
"What happened Abby?" Carter said, examining her abdomen. There was a cut near her chest, right above her stomach. It was somewhat deep, and Carter was instantly gripped by fear.
"Some maniac just hit the restaurant." She stuttered, and Susan's worried glance met his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, please, Susan." He didn't even know that he'd said it until Susan nodded in agreement. He figured it was the fear talking, rather than his head.
One of the doctors began to tend to the gash on her stomach. Abby held her hand up as far as she could.
"Careful," she said. "I'm pregnant."
Carter looked at her. She smiled wearily back. He smiled also, either out of reassuring her or actual happiness. The happiness won, of course. "What?" he said, unsure of whether it had been processed or not yet.
Abby laughed weakly, half-moaning in pain. She squeezed his hand for strength, and let Carter gently stroke her forehead. "I found out yesterday afternoon. I was going to tell you today. At home, I'm sorry." She cried out in pain and collapsed backwards, her chin pointed upward as to outlast the discomforting hurt. Carter clutched her hand tighter, closer to him. He kissed her head, and then her lips.
"Don't do that," one of the doctors complimented.
Carter ignored him and smiled at Abby. "It's okay, Abby. Be strong, Abby."
She started to cry. "Ouch!" She fell away, and didn't move.
"Carter!" Susan shouted. "Don't let her do that!"
Carter shook her. "Abby!"
She stirred, and opened her eyes again. But only briefly.
"You can't do that, Abby. Don't scare us like that." Carter was keeping the tears down.
One of the doctors, Geller by his nametag, approached Carter. He took his hand and tried to pull him away from Abby. Abby didn't want to let go, only semi-conscious, and cried for Carter to come back. Carter tried to fight his way out of Dr. Geller's grip, but it was useless.
They were finally removed from the room, where Carter's tears were more apparent, to him and anyone else. Geller looked down solemnly and indicated a chair for Carter, but Carter refused.
"You're a doctor, Dr. Carter," he said. "One of the best, I hear."
Carter didn't move. "Don't you dare waste time making talk," he said. "What's wrong with her?"
Geller swallowed hard. He looked Carter straight in the eye, and talked slowly but surely. "Had she been nearer to the accident, she would have been killed. Consider her lucky enough, compared to the others there. Many of them didn't survive."
Carter couldn't believe his ears. He didn't trust them, let alone his eyes. As a doctor, he didn't tune out. "What's wrong with her?"
"She was hit hard in the abdomen and the head by something," Geller said. "Paramedics on the scene said she was one of the first to be pulled from the site, and if she hadn't been she would have died."
Carter implanted his face into his hands, waiting for the tears to come. Being strong was hard in situations like this. "The baby. She's pregnant."
Geller sighed. "Yes, she is." He placed a firm hand on his arm.
"Don't do that, please," Carter said, "it's scaring me. I know I have to be a doctor and everything, but I also have to be John Carter and the boyfriend. And also, now the father."
Geller looked down, returning to his face shortly. "Things are more complicated now that we have a baby to save. If things come to the worst, I want to know if we should save your girlfriend or the baby."
Carter lifted his head and looked at him in disbelief, almost in anger. "You're insane! It can't be that bad-"
"Dr. Carter," he said, "you know very well, as a doctor, that it certainly can be."
Carter thought hard and let a small tear leave his eye and travel down his cheek. Thunder rolled outside, but was all the same to Carter. He was standing alone in the hospital, the girl of his dreams a million miles away. The ER was bustling with activity, unaware of the relationship that could be torn in two at a minute's notice.
[Part 11]