Here With Her
"John?" she asked, coming through the door.
He waited quietly behind it, before he closed it cautiously and tied his arms around her. She flinched at the surprise, but smile and sighed with a head against his shoulder as she realized who it was. He kissed the top of her head exactly five times fast and hugged her tighter.
"I'm surprised we're still working here," she said, turning around in his hold to answer his caressing. She put her arms around his neck and smiled upward.
"How's the baby?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Good, I guess," she said, looking down to her stomach. She glanced back up to his face. "He's hungry, though."
"She's hungry?"
"He's hungry."
He grinned happily and shook his head. "I think this one's a girl."
She shook her head just the same. "It's a boy. And he's very hungry."
He kissed her nose, and said, "Let's go get something to eat."
"I thought you would never catch on - "
"Busy?"
They turned around, still held together, to see Haleh in the doorway with a raised pair of eyebrows.
"We're gonna take our break, Haleh," Carter said with a smile, taking Abby to his side. She looked down, biting her lip, then back up to the figure in the entrance.
"Okay then," Haleh said, with the same attitude as her arrival had brought. "Stay clear of Weaver on your way out."
"Why?"
"Fresh batch of med students," she said with a nod.
"Ah," Carter answered, taking Abby's hand into his gently. "Victims."
Haleh rolled her eyes and stepped outside of the room.
Carter looked to Abby, who shrugged with a smile. He put an around her shoulders and led her out of the door.
--
"That's a lot of pie," Carter joked, pointing a finger to her plate.
"Well," Abby said, her eyes on the dish in front of her, "I've got two mouths to feed."
"You've got one," he said with a laugh. "Whatever you eat, she's gonna eat again."
She stuck a forkful of the pie into her mouth silently. "You're a man. You don't know."
He shrugged with a grin. "Maybe so."
They ate their meals in tranquil quiet for a minute. Abby put her fork down on the napkin next to the plate and took her soda to her lips. She stopped before she could take a drink and cleared her throat.
He looked up at her, mouthful of pie, and mumbled a "What?"
She twisted her hands anxiously on the table. "Maggie's coming."
He kept his head in the same position: tilted to the left, chewing his treat lightly. He set the fork down and gathered his napkin to dab the sides of his mouth. "Oh."
Her voice became more nervous. "She wants to see you, she wants to see the baby."
"So, she's not coming for a while?"
"No," she said. "She said she wants to see me now. Me with the baby."
He nodded. "Okay."
"You're okay with this?" she asked immediately.
He shrugged, picking up his fork again. "Why not?"
"I-I don't know."
"Has she been taking her meds lately?"
"She said so," Abby explained. "She said she's been doing fine."
He nodded. "Okay, then there's nothing to worry about."
"Really?" she asked with a smile. "You don't mind?"
He laughed softly to himself. "Why would I? She's gonna be my mother-in-law soon."
She sighed in relief. "I knew you would understand. God, thank you so much, John."
He smiled and reached across the table to grip her hand, which had been released from its lock. She smiled back and looked back to her food.
--
"Do you know when she's coming?" Carter asked from the bedroom. He pulled a shirt over his head heavily and tossed his shoulders around to comprehend the cool cloth.
"Huh?"
"Maggie," he said, swiping a hand down his tired face. "When's she coming?"
"Um," she said, "I think in a month or two."
"Oh," he said. "You had me thinking it was like next week or something."
She entered the room in a t-shirt and shorts and fell onto the bed. "Nope."
"Well," he said, with a slightly building laugh, "isn't a month or two kind of a big range?"
"She didn't know when she could get time off of work," Abby said pulling the blankets down from the bed. "God, I hope she's doing okay."
He slid into the bed next to her and moved closer to her. He stroked her head gently with his warm hand and ran it over her forehead. "Don't worry about anything. You need sleep."
She smiled and turned toward him. "I need sleep?"
"We stay up too much," he said with a grin.
She nodded against the pillow. "True."
He yawned and felt her hand find his under the blanket. "Tomorrow night, can we order pizza?"
She laughed aloud. "I don't care."
"Good," he said. "'Cause it sounds good right now."
She smiled and glided nearer to him. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "Good night."
He watched as she smiled one last time for the night and closed her eyes. Her body was warm against his. It was her that he loved. It was beautiful.
He snapped out of the adoring state he'd fallen into again and breathed out quietly. In the dark, he put a hand over her small waist and brought her closer to him. Still amazing.
