These Questions
Chapter 22 - Freezing Waters, Part Two
The man looked at him quizically. He didn't understand, obviously, but took note of the many ambulances near his own vehicle.
"What's going on?" he asked, gesturing to the sudden jam of the ambulances beside them. He brought back his finger to scratch his nose. "Car crash... or something?"
"Could you just get to the hospital?" Abby said, more of demanding than anything else. She blinked hard and turned her head to the man in front.
The man nodded. "Yeah. County?" He laughed, "My cousin used to work there."
Carter looked over at Abby. She was watching as each of the ambulances stormed through the crowd of regular traffic.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she replied. Her hands were fighting one another in her lap. She looked out the window again and breathed out quickly.
"Abby," he reasoned. "You're nine months pregnant. You don't know what this is. It could be dangerous."
"Well," she said, "it doesn't look like I have a choice, does it? Weaver paged me anyway." She shugged with a quiet laugh. "Duty calls, right?"
"Forget it," he said. "You don't have to go. Forget the page."
"It's my job, John," she said. "I'm a nurse." She looked away then back to his face. "Its what I do, isn't it?"
He looked at her sternly, but she stared straight back at him. He started to speak, but she shushed him with a finger in the air.
"He worked in some -ology department," the man went on. "Radiology? Cardiology? Brainology..."
"I think we're gonna be fine," she said in a whisper. "Just promise me you won't leave me, John." Her voice was serious, her tone carefully set.
Panic hit him and he looked around the car nervously. "I'm not gonna leave you," he said. "Don't leave me."
She swallowed. "I wouldn't."
Carter nodded and looked down. Suddenly, he felt her hand upon his. She smoothly stroked it comfortingly. He nodded again, this time stronger, and put his hand on hers. They watched each other for an instant, minus any smiles. Captivated.
The man shifted in his sight as he waited for the lights ahead to change in their favor. "Do you know someone named Bob? He works at County."
Abby rolled her eyes and looked ahead to the man. "Do you know how many Bobs there are?"
"Just focus on the road, okay man?" Carter added. He turned back to her.
Abby's lips met in a compromise, nothing near a smile.
Carter couldn't help but watch her. He was afraid for her. He was afraid for himself, but he didn't know what he would do if something happened to her. He watched as she blinked again with a sigh as the driver continued his story.
"I want you to know," he said, slightly elevating his hands in the air, "whatever happens tonight - "
"John," she whispered. "We *are* going to make it out of here. Don't talk like that."
He nodded. He tucked that thought away into the end of his mind, and tried to focus on something else. Something other than the violent red and blue of ambulances, or the calm hand near his on the seat of the car.
"That serious?" the man in front questioned.
Abby rolled her eyes again and came close to the man. "Did you wanna mind your own business?"
The man rudely murmured an apology. He rolled his eyes as well and began to focus on the road ahead again. He started to hum a tune to himself and soon turned it into a whistle.
Carter and Abby sighed in unison. The man quickly picked up a strong chorus, still annoying.
"Can you please just be quiet?" Carter questioned suddenly.
"Please," Abby breathed with a nod.
The man shrugged and muttered another something, but it was inaudible to the pair in the backseat. Their attention was taken to the traffic, their hands, the traffic again.
They were making their way as quickly as they could through the wad of cars on the streets. With the ambulances ahead of them, it wasn't making it easier.
"John," she whispered again, "we're never going to get there."
"We'll get there," he said.
"We should have taken the L," she argued quietly. "We would have been there by now."
He nodded. "It'll take twice as long to get there."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Abby," he said again, "we'd have to run. You are in *no* condition to run."
"I can run," she insisted.
"No," the man intruded, "You're pregnant."
"Keep your eyes on the road, man," Carter shouted. He looked to his left as a few more ambulances fought their way around them.
"What the hell is going on, John?" She looked on with him. "Oh, my God, what's going on?"
He wished he could answer her. But he couldn't. "I don't know."
The sirens were everywhere. They had grown accustomed to the noise, now, sitting in the car with ambulances at every angle. The blue and red lights lit Abby's face as she watched in wonder at the vehicles passing by. He saw her sit straight through the chaos.
He was scared. He had no idea what in hell could ever be the matter. But, somewhere in Chicago that night, something had happened. A few miles away, the ER was working on it. It had been an hour since their page. They had missed an hour of what was going on.
"John," she said, reaching behind to tug on his sleeve without taking her eyes off of the sight. "Those ambulances are going to Mercy. They aren't going to County."
He looked at her face. She shot a serious look his way, then pointed at the graphic image ahead of them. It was true. They were all of Mercy's crew.
"You're right," he said, "Those aren't going to County."
"Do you have your phone?" she asked, looking at him intently.
"I didn't think to take it," he admitted. "Don't you have yours?"
"Spaced it," she said. "Hey?" She tapped the man in the driver's seat on the shoulder.
"You rang?"
Carter wiped his forehead in frustration at the man's comment as Abby spoke, "Do you have a cell phone?"
"God, no," the man laughed. Abby had turned away, refusing to listen to the rest as he went on. "Rack up bills like that? Monsterous! No thank you."
"Can you get through right there?" Abby asked, pointing out a gap.
"Go for it," Carter suggested.
"This is a 2001 Jag," he said. "I'd rather die."
"You have a Jag, but no cell?" Carter asked him dumbly. Abby ignored this and went on,
"Sir," she said, "there's an emergency and we *must* be there. Please, just try it."
"I'm not dying and either is my car," he stubbornly said. "Now sit down or get out."
Carter considered his next move. He wanted to jump out of the car, but he knew Abby wouldn't be able to keep up. No, she could, but he wouldn't let her. He couldn't believe Kerry had paged her in the first place. Especially for an emergency, which was turning out to be mysteriously serious.
"Oh, my God," the man said, taking them away from their second of peace.
Abby and Carter looked up at the sound of his voice. Out the window, they stared to see another frightening scene. He heard Abby's breathing become faster, rushing as he tried to keep up with his own. He attempted to bring himself back to reality by closing his eyes. When he opened them, though, he found himself in the same position. That horrible, but completely true nightmare.
"Oh, man," Carter whispered. "Oh, man."
"What the hell," Abby began. "Oh, Jesus Christ."
"Here, County," the man shouted. "Go, do your work!"
[Part 23]