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Cold Turkey
Abby swung the doors to the ambulance bay wide open. She sighed deeply. Her shift was finally over. It had felt like it would never end. A whole slug of patients had just died and it was depressing her.
Abby sat down on the hood of a car and reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her cigarettes. She flicked out her lighter and the flame danced with the end of her cigarette. She took a deep breath and let the toxic air fill her lungs to the brim. Slowly, she exhaled the dark gray ash from her mouth.
She didn't know why she did it. It just made her feel better. Abby knew the dangers of her addiction. So many people had died in the ER because of lung disease. But that didn't stop her. She had nothing to live for anyway. And it's not like she hadn't tried to stop. The patch didn't work and the gum tasted horrible. Abby wasn't about to go to a group for support. Even the thought of going made her feel weak and helpless.
Most people thought her work was enough to keep her going. She helped people. 'That's worth living for,' most folks said; but not to Abby. She needed something more substantial. She needed something that wanted her to quit.
"Those things'll kill you, you know."
Abby snapped her head up and found herself looking her reason square in the eye.
"I know. But that doesn't matter."
"It matters to me," he said with emotion in his eyes as he sat down next to her.
"Carter, you don't have to look out for me. I know the risks of them and I've tried to stop. Nothing works."
Carter sighed deeply, as if he was looking for strength for the both of them inside him, "Put it out."
"Why?"
"Because I care. Because I want you to stop."
Abby took a long breath of smoke. She held the tiny roll in her hand and stared at it. She had let it control her life for too long. She tossed it onto the white snow.
"Okay. But what do I do next time I get a craving?" she asked jokingly.
John stood up, put his hand out and pulled her up close to him.
"Find me."
He leaned in and took her mouth in his. John welcomed the ask-flavored tongue because he knew it would never taste that way again.
Fin
Cold Turkey
Abby swung the doors to the ambulance bay wide open. She sighed deeply. Her shift was finally over. It had felt like it would never end. A whole slug of patients had just died and it was depressing her.
Abby sat down on the hood of a car and reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her cigarettes. She flicked out her lighter and the flame danced with the end of her cigarette. She took a deep breath and let the toxic air fill her lungs to the brim. Slowly, she exhaled the dark gray ash from her mouth.
She didn't know why she did it. It just made her feel better. Abby knew the dangers of her addiction. So many people had died in the ER because of lung disease. But that didn't stop her. She had nothing to live for anyway. And it's not like she hadn't tried to stop. The patch didn't work and the gum tasted horrible. Abby wasn't about to go to a group for support. Even the thought of going made her feel weak and helpless.
Most people thought her work was enough to keep her going. She helped people. 'That's worth living for,' most folks said; but not to Abby. She needed something more substantial. She needed something that wanted her to quit.
"Those things'll kill you, you know."
Abby snapped her head up and found herself looking her reason square in the eye.
"I know. But that doesn't matter."
"It matters to me," he said with emotion in his eyes as he sat down next to her.
"Carter, you don't have to look out for me. I know the risks of them and I've tried to stop. Nothing works."
Carter sighed deeply, as if he was looking for strength for the both of them inside him, "Put it out."
"Why?"
"Because I care. Because I want you to stop."
Abby took a long breath of smoke. She held the tiny roll in her hand and stared at it. She had let it control her life for too long. She tossed it onto the white snow.
"Okay. But what do I do next time I get a craving?" she asked jokingly.
John stood up, put his hand out and pulled her up close to him.
"Find me."
He leaned in and took her mouth in his. John welcomed the ask-flavored tongue because he knew it would never taste that way again.
Fin