**AUTHOR'S NOTE**
So, here it is, the highly anticipated (I hope...) sequel. Don't be
discouraged if it starts out slow; they'll be plenty of action later on;
trust me.
Just a disclaimer...I don't know anything about Africa or the Congo or what kind of names the people have there, so I kind of made them up. I don't know what cities have airports or whatever, I just tried to use what I remember from the Congo episodes. It's a fictional story about a fictional show...get over it.
Chapter 1: Far and Away
As Abby stepped off the plane and walked through the airport in Kinshasa, she found herself wishing she had more eyes to take in her surroundings. It was unlike any place she'd ever been. Even in the airport, there was such a sense of culture. Off in a far corner, a group of people were clapping and singing. She spotted the nation's flag everywhere.
She peered out the large picture window. The landscape was magnificent. The foliage was unique and extraordinary. She couldn't spot a tree, or even a shrub, that she had seen before. She was swept up in the feeling of being far and away from everything that was familiar. It was a surprisingly comforting feeling.
Slowly she wandered, unhurried and carefree, soaking everything in. This was her first venture outside the US (besides going to Canada as a kid). I was so different, yet so much better than she could have ever possibly imagined.
"Abigail Lockhart?" A voice broke through her misty daydream.
"Yes, well, 'Abby' actually," she responded, "and you are?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, 'Guillaume Partier.' Call me Gui," he reached out to shake her hand.
"It's nice to meet you. They said you'd be here to pick me up."
* * *
"So, where are you from?" Abby shouted to Gui over the whir of the engine on the small commuter plane, which would take them to Kisangani. However, she was more interested in talking to the man seated next to Gui.
"Well, actually, I was born here, but I was raised in France, and then I moved back as a teen... " Gui looked up to see that Abby was not at all paying attention to him. Her eyes instead were fixated on the man seated next to him, who was also sharing her gaze. "I also lived on Neptune for a few years..." he continued jokingly, but when she didn't bat an eye, he knew he had lost her completely.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners? Abby, this is—"
"Andrew Thompson," the man answered for himself and reached out his hand.
"Abby Lockhart," she responded, still holding her gaze on him as she shook his hand. His hand was warm and his grip strong, yet gentle at the same time.
Feeling awkward with two people shaking hands across the front of him, Gui offered to go check with the pilot to see how much longer the flight would take. Abby and Andrew didn't even notice his leaving. They simply inched closer to one another to fill the space Gui had left vacant.
Andrew had the bluest eyes that Abby had ever seen. They literally sparkled. They starkly contrasted with his dark curly hair, but they seem to fit him nonetheless.
"I'm from San Francisco, how about you?" Andrew finally broke the silence.
"Chicago."
"Ah, the windy city...It must be a lot different from here."
"Yeah, but it's nice to be someplace warm for a change—even if it is a little oppressive...So, you're a doctor?" Andrew nodded in reply. "What's your specialty?"
"Pediatrics...How about you—doctor or nurse?"
"Well, both actually..."
"Both?"
"It's a long, complicated story..."
* * *
"And here is where we keep our, uh, limited supply of equipment." Gui was in the midst of giving Abby and Andrew a tour of the hospital—if you could call it that—where they would be working.
"Uh, excusez-moi, Gui, could we borrow a doc—Abby?" A female voice interrupted their tour. Abby turned around to see its owner.
"Gillian, right?" she asked as she pointed to the woman. She remembered her from when Luka had come home with malaria.
"Right, what are you doing here?"
"Thought I'd see for myself what all the fuss is about over here."
"Well, as you can see, we can use all the help we can get. Could I steal you away for a sec? Gui, is that okay? We could really use some help..."
"Sure," Gui replied, and Abby waved a quick goodbye to them both as she followed Gillian.
"Where do I start?" Abby asked. She was overwhelmed by the number of people standing about. The waiting area was at least three times as crowded as County on its busiest days, and there were people standing outside as well.
"Anywhere...Grab a doc if something is real serious."
"I am a doctor..."
"Oh...good. Well, start anywhere. No charts to worry about here, and I guess I'll be calling for you if I find anything serious," Gillian smiled as she wandered off to help a patient. Abby stood still for a moment, overwhelmed by the sight before her. Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her sleeve. A little girl of about ten looked up at her with wide brown eyes.
"Êtes-vous un docteur {Are you a doctor}?" she asked shyly.
"Oui {Yes}," Abby answered.
"Mon frère est malde {My brother is sick}," she said quietly, as she pointed to her little brother, who was in a corner with a terrible cough.
Abby followed the little girl over to her brother. He was a little frightened of her so she spoke slowly, "Je m'apelle Abby. Je suis un docteur. Quel est ton nom? {My name is Abby. I am a doctor. What is your name?}"
* * *
"So, when did you learn French?" Andrew asked Abby as he walked her to her tent late that night.
"Well, I took it in high school and college. I was pretty good. I almost went to France, but..." she stopped.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's complicated," Abby brushed it off. She didn't want to get into the dynamics of her crazy family life right now. She had just met this guy, and she didn't want to scare him off.
"It seems like a lot of things with you are complicated."
"Well, I'm a complicated girl," she teased. Their banter reminded her of her and Carter's. It seemed so long ago...
"Lucky for me, I like complicated," he replied. Abby blushed at his comment.
"Well, here we are," she stated as they reached her tent. They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Then, Andrew reached out for Abby's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Sweet dreams." His eyes sparkled at her. Abby could have melted.
* * *
That night, Abby lie awake thinking. She thought of Andrew. She thought of Carter. John Carter... Even halfway around the globe, he still had this power over her. She wondered what he was doing. She wondered if he had discovered the truth. She wondered if anyone knew where she was. She wondered if anyone cared. She told herself to stop thinking of negative things. She told herself to focus on the here and now, on the happy things like Andrew and the chance to make a difference here in the Congo. Just as these happy thoughts were about to lull her to sleep, the sound of gunfire awoke her with a start.
* * *
On an airplane some thousands of miles away and over the ocean, John Carter too awoke with a start.
Just a disclaimer...I don't know anything about Africa or the Congo or what kind of names the people have there, so I kind of made them up. I don't know what cities have airports or whatever, I just tried to use what I remember from the Congo episodes. It's a fictional story about a fictional show...get over it.
Chapter 1: Far and Away
As Abby stepped off the plane and walked through the airport in Kinshasa, she found herself wishing she had more eyes to take in her surroundings. It was unlike any place she'd ever been. Even in the airport, there was such a sense of culture. Off in a far corner, a group of people were clapping and singing. She spotted the nation's flag everywhere.
She peered out the large picture window. The landscape was magnificent. The foliage was unique and extraordinary. She couldn't spot a tree, or even a shrub, that she had seen before. She was swept up in the feeling of being far and away from everything that was familiar. It was a surprisingly comforting feeling.
Slowly she wandered, unhurried and carefree, soaking everything in. This was her first venture outside the US (besides going to Canada as a kid). I was so different, yet so much better than she could have ever possibly imagined.
"Abigail Lockhart?" A voice broke through her misty daydream.
"Yes, well, 'Abby' actually," she responded, "and you are?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, 'Guillaume Partier.' Call me Gui," he reached out to shake her hand.
"It's nice to meet you. They said you'd be here to pick me up."
* * *
"So, where are you from?" Abby shouted to Gui over the whir of the engine on the small commuter plane, which would take them to Kisangani. However, she was more interested in talking to the man seated next to Gui.
"Well, actually, I was born here, but I was raised in France, and then I moved back as a teen... " Gui looked up to see that Abby was not at all paying attention to him. Her eyes instead were fixated on the man seated next to him, who was also sharing her gaze. "I also lived on Neptune for a few years..." he continued jokingly, but when she didn't bat an eye, he knew he had lost her completely.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners? Abby, this is—"
"Andrew Thompson," the man answered for himself and reached out his hand.
"Abby Lockhart," she responded, still holding her gaze on him as she shook his hand. His hand was warm and his grip strong, yet gentle at the same time.
Feeling awkward with two people shaking hands across the front of him, Gui offered to go check with the pilot to see how much longer the flight would take. Abby and Andrew didn't even notice his leaving. They simply inched closer to one another to fill the space Gui had left vacant.
Andrew had the bluest eyes that Abby had ever seen. They literally sparkled. They starkly contrasted with his dark curly hair, but they seem to fit him nonetheless.
"I'm from San Francisco, how about you?" Andrew finally broke the silence.
"Chicago."
"Ah, the windy city...It must be a lot different from here."
"Yeah, but it's nice to be someplace warm for a change—even if it is a little oppressive...So, you're a doctor?" Andrew nodded in reply. "What's your specialty?"
"Pediatrics...How about you—doctor or nurse?"
"Well, both actually..."
"Both?"
"It's a long, complicated story..."
* * *
"And here is where we keep our, uh, limited supply of equipment." Gui was in the midst of giving Abby and Andrew a tour of the hospital—if you could call it that—where they would be working.
"Uh, excusez-moi, Gui, could we borrow a doc—Abby?" A female voice interrupted their tour. Abby turned around to see its owner.
"Gillian, right?" she asked as she pointed to the woman. She remembered her from when Luka had come home with malaria.
"Right, what are you doing here?"
"Thought I'd see for myself what all the fuss is about over here."
"Well, as you can see, we can use all the help we can get. Could I steal you away for a sec? Gui, is that okay? We could really use some help..."
"Sure," Gui replied, and Abby waved a quick goodbye to them both as she followed Gillian.
"Where do I start?" Abby asked. She was overwhelmed by the number of people standing about. The waiting area was at least three times as crowded as County on its busiest days, and there were people standing outside as well.
"Anywhere...Grab a doc if something is real serious."
"I am a doctor..."
"Oh...good. Well, start anywhere. No charts to worry about here, and I guess I'll be calling for you if I find anything serious," Gillian smiled as she wandered off to help a patient. Abby stood still for a moment, overwhelmed by the sight before her. Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her sleeve. A little girl of about ten looked up at her with wide brown eyes.
"Êtes-vous un docteur {Are you a doctor}?" she asked shyly.
"Oui {Yes}," Abby answered.
"Mon frère est malde {My brother is sick}," she said quietly, as she pointed to her little brother, who was in a corner with a terrible cough.
Abby followed the little girl over to her brother. He was a little frightened of her so she spoke slowly, "Je m'apelle Abby. Je suis un docteur. Quel est ton nom? {My name is Abby. I am a doctor. What is your name?}"
* * *
"So, when did you learn French?" Andrew asked Abby as he walked her to her tent late that night.
"Well, I took it in high school and college. I was pretty good. I almost went to France, but..." she stopped.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's complicated," Abby brushed it off. She didn't want to get into the dynamics of her crazy family life right now. She had just met this guy, and she didn't want to scare him off.
"It seems like a lot of things with you are complicated."
"Well, I'm a complicated girl," she teased. Their banter reminded her of her and Carter's. It seemed so long ago...
"Lucky for me, I like complicated," he replied. Abby blushed at his comment.
"Well, here we are," she stated as they reached her tent. They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Then, Andrew reached out for Abby's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Sweet dreams." His eyes sparkled at her. Abby could have melted.
* * *
That night, Abby lie awake thinking. She thought of Andrew. She thought of Carter. John Carter... Even halfway around the globe, he still had this power over her. She wondered what he was doing. She wondered if he had discovered the truth. She wondered if anyone knew where she was. She wondered if anyone cared. She told herself to stop thinking of negative things. She told herself to focus on the here and now, on the happy things like Andrew and the chance to make a difference here in the Congo. Just as these happy thoughts were about to lull her to sleep, the sound of gunfire awoke her with a start.
* * *
On an airplane some thousands of miles away and over the ocean, John Carter too awoke with a start.