Chapter 1
"What time do you get off?"
I turned towards him, a smile involuntarily coming to my face. "I'm off now. I was just leaving."
His face fell. "I'm on til five," He said woefully. "I'll come over to your place after I get off though, okay?"
"Sounds great." He leaned down to kiss me.
"Ew, gross," said Susan, entering the room.
Carter laughed. "Mind your own business, Susan," he said, then resumed the kiss.
"Oh, and by the way, DOCTOR Carter, there's two traumas coming in so you might want to get out here." Smiling smugly, Susan left the lounge.
Carter sighed. "Well, I guess I gotta go. See you tonight, Abby. Or really, tomorrow."
"Bye John," I said, waving. As soon as he walked away, Susan returned to the lounge. "Oh, you guys are so cute," she murmured, making herself a cup of coffee.
"Didn't you say something about two traumas?" I gestured towards the still swinging door of the lounge.
Susan shrugged. "Made it up. There's a woman with an infected toenail, and I guess that's sort of a trauma."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right," I said, grabbing my coat from the table.
"Hey, you can't leave now! I came in here so I could get the inside scoop."
"On what?"
"You and Carter!"
"There IS no inside scoop! We're a happy couple, period."
Susan leaned across the table. "Chuny said you guys had a fight last night," she whispered confidentially.
"It was no big deal. He came back and apologized like twenty minutes later." Susan didn't look convinced. "I'm really happy with him, Susan. Happier than I've ever been with anyone else. It's like we were meant to be together and how did you manage to get me to trail off into the land of romantic drivel?"
Susan smiled. "Now, that's what I like to hear!" she said enthusiastically, ignoring my last comment. She drained the last of her coffee. "Well, I've heard enough. I'll go spread the word that you guys are still together. I'm sure everyone will be delighted." She threw her coffee cup away. "Well, everyone but Chuny. She's gonna lose that ten bucks. I TOLD her you guys weren't broken up, but nooooo, she had to find out the hard way. "
"It's good to know my friends are concerned about my well-being," I said sarcastically, leaving the lounge before Susan could pressure me for any more information. As I walked out of the ER doors, I saw Carter's back as he went down the hall, and I had to restrain myself from calling out for one last goodbye.
What I told Susan was true. John and I really are happy together. In fact, I can't recall a time in my life that I've ever been happier. Every morning when I wake up, I remember that I'm going to see him today and it puts me in a good mood. It seems like for once in my life everything is going well.
I was almost whistling as I boarded the El.
___________________________________________________________________________
When I woke up, I was thinking about Carter. What time is it, I wondered. I flipped over in bed and looked at my clock. 3:08 AM, it said. John's not off work yet, I realized, disappointed. He will be in two hours, though. I can't wait until he gets here.
Maybe I could make him breakfast. That would be nice. Coming home after a hard day's work to a nice warm meal. I started planning a menu in my head.
Suddenly, I realized something. "I don't have eggs," I whispered into the quietness of my apartment, like I was confessing some great sin. What kind of breakfast would it be without eggs? I considered just forgetting the breakfast idea, but I had kind of grown attached to it. It would really be nice. I decided to go to the store and get the eggs.
Crawling out of the bed, I pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans. I didn't need to look nice; I was just going to the convenience store. Grabbing my keys, coat, and a five dollar bill that was lying on the table, I headed out the door.
I walked up to the local 7-11, and now I was actually whistling. This breakfast was going to be perfect, I decided. And even if the food wasn't, the company would be.
I smiled as I pictured Carter coming into the house, all tired and worn out, and discovering the nicely set table with a beautiful breakfast laid out on it. I couldn't wait.
I stopped whistling when I got up to the sign on the door of the 7-11. CLOSED, it said. "I thought this store was supposed to be open 24-7?" I grumbled to no one in particular. There wasn't another store that sold eggs for half a mile, so I considered just going home. No, I wanted to make John breakfast. I had gotten so carried away with the idea now, that it would be a colossal disappointment to me if I couldn't do it. I turned around and headed for the next nearest grocery store.
I had gone about two blocks when I heard footsteps behind me. Who was that, I thought, quickening my steps. I heard the footsteps again, this time closer. My eyes darted around for someplace I could go into for protection from whoever was following me, but everyplace was closed at three in the morning. Except for the person behind me, the street was deserted. I was beginning to think that maybe going to the grocery store wasn't such a good idea.
I know that when someone's following you, you're supposed to turn around and look at them to let them know you're aware, but I was so scared I could barely walk. Finally, I realized I would have to turn around. I stopped abruptly and turned to face my attacker.
A huge man, more than 6 1/2 feet tall, was walking quickly up to me. When he saw that I had seen him, he started running. In my direction.
I tried to turn and run, but my feet wouldn't work, and I tripped and fell. Fear overcame me as the man approached me.
"What time do you get off?"
I turned towards him, a smile involuntarily coming to my face. "I'm off now. I was just leaving."
His face fell. "I'm on til five," He said woefully. "I'll come over to your place after I get off though, okay?"
"Sounds great." He leaned down to kiss me.
"Ew, gross," said Susan, entering the room.
Carter laughed. "Mind your own business, Susan," he said, then resumed the kiss.
"Oh, and by the way, DOCTOR Carter, there's two traumas coming in so you might want to get out here." Smiling smugly, Susan left the lounge.
Carter sighed. "Well, I guess I gotta go. See you tonight, Abby. Or really, tomorrow."
"Bye John," I said, waving. As soon as he walked away, Susan returned to the lounge. "Oh, you guys are so cute," she murmured, making herself a cup of coffee.
"Didn't you say something about two traumas?" I gestured towards the still swinging door of the lounge.
Susan shrugged. "Made it up. There's a woman with an infected toenail, and I guess that's sort of a trauma."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right," I said, grabbing my coat from the table.
"Hey, you can't leave now! I came in here so I could get the inside scoop."
"On what?"
"You and Carter!"
"There IS no inside scoop! We're a happy couple, period."
Susan leaned across the table. "Chuny said you guys had a fight last night," she whispered confidentially.
"It was no big deal. He came back and apologized like twenty minutes later." Susan didn't look convinced. "I'm really happy with him, Susan. Happier than I've ever been with anyone else. It's like we were meant to be together and how did you manage to get me to trail off into the land of romantic drivel?"
Susan smiled. "Now, that's what I like to hear!" she said enthusiastically, ignoring my last comment. She drained the last of her coffee. "Well, I've heard enough. I'll go spread the word that you guys are still together. I'm sure everyone will be delighted." She threw her coffee cup away. "Well, everyone but Chuny. She's gonna lose that ten bucks. I TOLD her you guys weren't broken up, but nooooo, she had to find out the hard way. "
"It's good to know my friends are concerned about my well-being," I said sarcastically, leaving the lounge before Susan could pressure me for any more information. As I walked out of the ER doors, I saw Carter's back as he went down the hall, and I had to restrain myself from calling out for one last goodbye.
What I told Susan was true. John and I really are happy together. In fact, I can't recall a time in my life that I've ever been happier. Every morning when I wake up, I remember that I'm going to see him today and it puts me in a good mood. It seems like for once in my life everything is going well.
I was almost whistling as I boarded the El.
___________________________________________________________________________
When I woke up, I was thinking about Carter. What time is it, I wondered. I flipped over in bed and looked at my clock. 3:08 AM, it said. John's not off work yet, I realized, disappointed. He will be in two hours, though. I can't wait until he gets here.
Maybe I could make him breakfast. That would be nice. Coming home after a hard day's work to a nice warm meal. I started planning a menu in my head.
Suddenly, I realized something. "I don't have eggs," I whispered into the quietness of my apartment, like I was confessing some great sin. What kind of breakfast would it be without eggs? I considered just forgetting the breakfast idea, but I had kind of grown attached to it. It would really be nice. I decided to go to the store and get the eggs.
Crawling out of the bed, I pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans. I didn't need to look nice; I was just going to the convenience store. Grabbing my keys, coat, and a five dollar bill that was lying on the table, I headed out the door.
I walked up to the local 7-11, and now I was actually whistling. This breakfast was going to be perfect, I decided. And even if the food wasn't, the company would be.
I smiled as I pictured Carter coming into the house, all tired and worn out, and discovering the nicely set table with a beautiful breakfast laid out on it. I couldn't wait.
I stopped whistling when I got up to the sign on the door of the 7-11. CLOSED, it said. "I thought this store was supposed to be open 24-7?" I grumbled to no one in particular. There wasn't another store that sold eggs for half a mile, so I considered just going home. No, I wanted to make John breakfast. I had gotten so carried away with the idea now, that it would be a colossal disappointment to me if I couldn't do it. I turned around and headed for the next nearest grocery store.
I had gone about two blocks when I heard footsteps behind me. Who was that, I thought, quickening my steps. I heard the footsteps again, this time closer. My eyes darted around for someplace I could go into for protection from whoever was following me, but everyplace was closed at three in the morning. Except for the person behind me, the street was deserted. I was beginning to think that maybe going to the grocery store wasn't such a good idea.
I know that when someone's following you, you're supposed to turn around and look at them to let them know you're aware, but I was so scared I could barely walk. Finally, I realized I would have to turn around. I stopped abruptly and turned to face my attacker.
A huge man, more than 6 1/2 feet tall, was walking quickly up to me. When he saw that I had seen him, he started running. In my direction.
I tried to turn and run, but my feet wouldn't work, and I tripped and fell. Fear overcame me as the man approached me.