Here With Her
"That's the pizza guy," Carter said from the couch, as the run of the faucet whispered from the bathroom in the hallway.
"The money's on the table," Abby called.
He picked himself up and wiggled his toes from the comfort of clean, white socks. He picked the two bills up from the surface in the dining area and made his way to the door.
There was another knock before he could answer, this more urgent.
Puzzled, but not showing it, he opened the door.
His view met that of Maggie's, coated from head to toe in winter wear. Her hair was flipped out from under a knitted hat. A large bag hung from her left hand, and a small, petite purse was in grasp of her right.
"Dr. Carter!" she exclaimed. "How are you?" She let her bags fall carefully to the ground in the hallway and came toward him. She pulled him into an immediate hug and patted him on the back, all the while chattering about her finally coming to see the two of them.
Carter, seeing that she was getting along better than the last time he'd seen her, smiled at her wellbeing and rubbed her back with a welcoming, gentle hand. "I'm fine. You look better."
"Thank you," she said with a tight smile. "I just hope Abby doesn't get so... well, you know. You know how she is."
He nodded, smiling as well. Still cautious, new to another Maggie situation, he motioned her to the couch. She jumped a little, happily and walked to the couch. "Where's my daughter?"
"Taking a quick shower," he said with a slow nod. He sat down in the chair opposite, leaving the last vacant spot for Abby to sit being next to her mother.
Maggie smiled, "Okay." She looked around her apartment. "How far along is she? She didn't tell me, Dr. Carter. How far along is she?"
"Five months," he said with a suddenly proud smile. "And you can call me John, you know."
"Oh," she said. "Five months?"
He nodded again.
"Is the baby healthy?"
"Yeah," he answered. He loved that fatherly role he got to take now and then. It made him feel differently than usual. But it was a good different. "Perfect."
Maggie stirred slightly in her cushion. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"We wanted to wait until it was born," Carter replied. "Its more of a surprise that way."
She nodded, still amazed and engaged in this conversation. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother," she said, her voice somewhat above a whisper.
"Hey, that's right," he said. "Congratulations."
"No!" she corrected him. "Congratulations to you! You get to be a daddy!" She reached across the room and slapped his knee. "How does it feel?"
He chuckled a little. "Great, actually."
"Oh," she cooed in return. "That's so wonderful."
He nodded again.
"You know," she said, her voice dropping barely and her face falling into a fit frown, "Abby's been through a lot."
Carter had a feeling that he knew where this would end up. What she was saying.
"She had an abortion with Richard," she said.
Carter nodded slowly, his head bowed toward the ground.
"It says a lot," she began, "that's she's happy having this baby with you."
He looked up at her.
"It means that she's more than happy with you," she said. "So I have to say thank you. I'd like to."
"Why?"
"For making my little girl happy," she said shaking her head. "It's never been easy, barely possible, for me to do that for her." She cleared her throat. "Tell me you love her. That you're there for her."
He nodded sincerely. "I-I love her," he said. "I'll always be there - "
"Thank you," Maggie said, as Abby came out of the bathroom.
"Mom?" she said, her voice stale. She was wrapped in her plain pajamas - a sweatshirt and flannel pants. Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy, but cute ponytail.
"Abby," her mother said, nearly mystified by the site of her daughter that she had obviously longed to see. "Oh, Abby, honey."
"What are you doing here?"
"Came to see you!" she said, "I told you I was coming!"
"Not so soon," Abby answered, stealing a look Carter's way.
"God! Look at you!" she said, placing her hands on Abby's stomach. Abby stared at her mother, but Maggie's view was intently focused on the Abby's stomach. She bit her lip as she looked toward her mother's hands resting there. "Does it kick yet?"
"Mom, have you been taking your meds?"
"I remember you used to kick like crazy," she said. "Eric never did much. Ever. You were such a feisty one, Abby. Yes, you were - "
"Mom," she said, taking her hands gently.
"Maggie," Carter said rising from a more content position in the chair. "Listen to us for a second," he continued looking at Abby's worried face.
"Of course I'm taking my meds," she said reasonably, still fascinated with the hold she had as of now. "Take a look in my purse! I made sure they were all filled before I came here, so I wouldn't run out."
"They're not supposed to give you any more unless the bottles are empty," Abby corrected her, worriedly. "Did you take extra to get a refill or something? Mom!"
"Abby," she said quietly, "I told my doctor that I was coming to see you, and she emptied it for me. She even wrote you a note, I told her you wouldn't believe me. Its in there as well."
"That's not illegal?" Carter asked, his eyebrows arched.
"They talked about it, I guess, and said it would be fine," she said. "I did it for you, Abby. I knew that you would be worried or disappointed - "
"Worried, Mom," Abby said. "I was worried."
Maggie looked up. "Please trust me, Abby, I'm your mother."
Abby began to nod slowly, "Fine - "
"Oh!" Maggie shouted. "Look! It kicked! John, look!"
John smiled at Abby and came over to her to join Maggie in her triumph. While Maggie was still amazed, he reached up and kissed Abby sweetly on her lips, still pouting a little.
"I think its going to be okay this time," he whispered as Maggie kept up her talking to the baby. Abby looked up at him. Her face was something between a frown and something of confusion.
She sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she started, "but I think you're right about her."
"Me, too," he said as Abby reached up to kiss him, longing for him to hold her again.
[Part 27]