Here With Her
Carter sipped his coffee, staring hollowly at the pot in front of him. He felt Susan's friendly eyes watching him do so, allowing him to start the conversation, if there was to be one, whenever he felt ready.
He brought himself back to those first days, where he and Abby would lie next to each other. Her arms wrapped around his waist, his around hers. She would sigh every few minutes while she rested peacefully, leaving his heart to melt. He wondered about the two of them while playing with her cute chestnut hair, wrapping it around his fingers and then letting it fall. He wanted her back so much, and probably with the smallest chance, he might get her back.
"I thought Abby had something for Luka," he suddenly poured. Susan almost jumped, but tried not to let him notice. She leaned in to pay attention to his story. "I told her one night because I was scared a little bit. She got mad and we broke up, I guess. I tried to talk to her again, and I ended up getting shoved out again."
"Boy, Carter," Susan said after a pause. "You know how to get into stupid messes, don't you? How could you jeopardize something you loved so much?"
Carter felt tears welling up in his eyes, and beginning to mist. "Because I fell in love with her."
Susan's jaw dropped. She pulled it back up, but Carter had already noticed. "You have to tell her, Carter."
"I did," Carter stated. "I told her, she didn't care."
Susan sighed, and looked into his pained expression. "Carter, do something about it. Do something before it's too late."
"Do what?" He fired at once. "What can I do to make her realize, to let her know..."
"You know what you have to do," Susan said. "You just haven't heard of it yet."
Carter looked at her, then hugged her. "Thanks, Susan."
She nodded and smiled as he walked away. Carter knew not what to do, but at least he knew how to feel.
-
"I love you," the woman behind him said.
"I love you, too," the man answered.
Normally, this would delight Carter. He wouldn't admit it or show it to anyone, there was never really a chance. Either way, he didn't want to hear it at all today.
"But I love you more," the woman said with a flirting giggle.
"No way," the man replied. "I love you more. More than life, more than anyone - "
"I love you more than anyone in the world!"
"I love you more than my dog - "
"Pookie?"
"More than Pookie."
Carter whipped around, preparing to say something to the couple. Instead he saw them, hand in hand kissing. The way they actually acted was disgusting. They met in a rather appauling kiss that never seemed to end and the man's hands were maliciously destroying the woman's hair. But there was love in both of their eyes.
He wanted that. He had almost had that. Well, minus this couple's disgusting habit. He wanted to be with Abby. He couldn't live without her. He knew it now. In a way, he thought to thank this couple. They had showed him only more of what he had thought he wanted. He thought he wanted to hear Abby say she loved him, as he loved her. He did love her.
But now it was different. He wanted to be with her. To be with her. Not just love her, but live in this world with her. He wanted everyone to know that he was with her. He wanted to do everything on earth to prove to her that she was the one he was supposed to be with.
He witnessed the couple finally breaking apart. The man stroked her back roughly, as the woman did the same. He almost winced, just imagining how much it probably hurt...
Abby was gentle, loving, caring and at the same time completely like him. Just trying to get by. He'd never been in love before. But he knew that she was the one he should be with. She was Abby and he was John Carter.
He wasn't talking engaged or anything. He didn't want to ask her to marry him. Well, perhaps not yet. But she meant everything to him. In no time at all, he had fallen for her. Years later, he's dating her, and again in no time, he's in love with her.
In love with every ounce of her body, heart, soul, mind. She was everything to him. Everything. He had to get her back. Of course she wasn't with Luka. She was with him. He trusted her now. He always had. He never knew it.
-
"Susan," Carter called. "Susan! Wait!"
She turned around to meet him in the ambulance bay. "Kerry doesn't want me, does she? Tell her I went home already - "
"No," he said, catching his breath and breaking a laugh. "I gotta thank you."
"You 'gotta thank me?'" Susan said with a confused expression.
"You showed me everything," he said.
"What?" she said with a laugh, doubting this.
"I love her," he said. "I love her more than anything, anyone. More than life. I'd die for her, I know it."
Susan shook her head. "I know, I know. Carter, you did that all on your own. You showed yourself." She looked him straight in his puzzled, but happy eyes. "And it's about time."
Carter leapt to her and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
She hugged him calmly, unlike him. "You did it on your own."
"No," he began, laughing.
She pulled him away. "Go get her, Carter."
He nodded. "I will."
"I know."
[Part 7]