AN: Hi it's me again with yet another Carby, I must get a life, sad huh. Thanks again to each and every one of you who R and R my last story. Warning one or two spoilers for end of S10 and start of S11.
Drawn Uncontrollably To You by Rosa17
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters etc..
Rating: PG 13 to be on the safe side
Summary: Starts Summer 04. A new man comes into Abby's life and a new woman into Carter's but there's a twist in the tale.
Chapter 1
Summer 04
They walked along the beach in silence their bodies not touching; both lost in their own private world of thoughts. All around them was noise of happy families. She was wondering how best to tell him she was leaving. He was wondering how best to try and get her to stay, here, with him as the only thing, which had kept them together, was gone. It lay between them still, huge, a colossal ache which each of them had to deal with alone, not together as that would never be. He though was prepared to give it one last try. One last chance to hold onto something he had never really had at all.
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Abby approached her next patient, a boy of about ten who was accompanied by a slightly younger girl and a man, who looked distinctively like both children.
'Hi I'm Dr Lockhart, it says here you fell out a tree and fell awkwardly on your right leg?' Abby said to the boy as she looked at the chart and read that his name was Ethan Norris.
'Yeah Indie, pushed me' Ethan answered
'Did not' replied the girl
'Did too'
'Did...'
'Guys, guys, that's enough' the man finally said to the pair, then to Abby he said 'Sorry'
Abby smiled at him and then tried again. 'Okay Ethan, let me examine your leg okay'
Ethan nodded at Abby but scowled at the girl and Abby examined him he winced as she touched a tender part of his leg.
'Mom's gonna be real mad, when she gets back from her honeymoon with Charles' said the girl
'India be quiet' the man told her sternly, knowing that his daughter was right, his ex wife would blame him for this accident.
Abby looked up and smiled at the trio then said. 'Well you need to have an X-ray so we can see what's going on inside your leg' she wrote some notes on the chart 'When they're back I'll take a look and we'll go from there'. She gave Ethan a reassuring smile and moved onto her next patient.
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He held her close, he didn't want to lose her, if he did what would he have left? Nothing. She stayed in his arms, it was somehow comforting, but she was putting off the inevitable and she couldn't stay. She didn't even want to stay. When she had first agreed to come here to the States, she had planned to return to Africa as soon as she could and this, now was that time.
'John' she said 'I'm going back to the Congo'
'No don't' he answered still holding her tightly 'Don't go. I want you to marry me'
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'Well' said Abby breezily looking at the trio in front of her. 'There's good news and there's bad news'
'What's the bad news?' asked Ethan
'You've broken your leg, your tibia in fact, this bone here' and she indicated where the break was.
'The good news?' asked India
'It's a clean break and we can fix you right up. You'll have to walk around on crutches for a bit though'
'Cool' said Ethan 'I've always wanted to do that'
The man made a non-committal sound as Sam approached and said 'Your patient in one is crashing'
As Abby rushed off she said 'I'll be back'
'She's pretty don't you think Dad?' Ethan asked 'Hey Dad!' Ethan shook his father's arm to get his attention.
'Yeah' he replied 'She's pretty hot'
India and Ethan exchanged glances knowingly.
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She pulled away slightly from the embrace and looked him in the eye.
'John don't. Don't say something you don't really mean. This, us isn't working, maybe it never was. Maybe we rushed into everything because of..' she paused not able to finish the sentence but he knew what she meant anyway. 'We have to move on and I can't do that with you. I need to go home, to Africa. Where I can make a difference where I have already made a difference, where my work is, where my heart is, my life. I want to go back alone'
He bit his bottom lip and after staring at her for long minutes he looked out across the water.
'You don't want to marry me. We both know it's over' She pulled completely out of his arms. 'John?'
'You've already decided then' he said his voice flat, emotionless.
'Yes my flight leaves tomorrow'
He raised his eyebrows at her surprised that she was leaving so soon. Suddenly realising that she must have been planning this for a while.
She touched his arm and said ''I'm sorry John' as she walked away leaving him alone with his thoughts as he gazed seemingly at the water but in fact he saw nothing.
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Abby stood at the desk watching Ethan and his sister and father move towards the exit, she imagined that Ethan and India would soon be fighting over the crutches as she looked down and wrote some notes on the charts in front of her.
'Excuse me Dr Lockhart'
Abby looked up to see Ethan's father there. 'Is there a problem Mr Norris?' she asked
'Oh no, no he's fine, and the name's Ben. I wondered if you were free tonight?'
Abby looked at him puzzled 'What?' she asked
'For dinner'
'Oh' she said 'Well...ummm... I...er well'
'You're seeing someone?' he asked
'Err no, it's just umm...Not tonight, no I can't go to dinner with you'
'You know I don't give up when I meet someone I like'
'Well that's very flattering but the answer's still no'
'I don't give up' the man said as he headed out the door.
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He stood looking out of the window as she got in the cab, she had been adamant that he not accompany her to the airport and so they had already said goodbye. He walked around the house that he had hoped to make a home in, with Kem and their son. But now that was not going to be, he was alone and how he hated that, being alone.
He walked into the room that was going to be his son's room and sat on the floor looking up to the ceiling, he wrapped his arms around his drawn up legs and did what he should have done a long time ago, he cried. Letting out all the emotion that had been building up in him for days, months, maybe for even the past year or so.
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