This episode has to do with total speculation on "Episode Nineteen" and
beyond. I wanted to get the story posted before the episode airs tonight
so that no one thinks it is influenced by the episode in any way. I
already have a couple chapters written, but I'll wait to post them until I
get some feedback. Please review!
As always, only in my dreams do I own these characters. Actually, I do have a birthday coming up.that could be a really great present.if Noah just shows up at my doorstep.I'd enjoy that. Hehe.
"I thought your shift wasn't til later." Abby mumbled as she awoke to Carter hurriedly getting dressed on the other side of the room and quickly checked her alarm clock.
"It isn't." He shook his head as he pulled on one of his socks. "I have to go over to Gamma's. Alger just called my cell."
"Is she alright?" She sat up in bed and pulled the comforter up around her.
"I don't know. He just said she was having difficulty breathing or something. I don't know. He wasn't very clear."
"Call me later, okay?" Abby said as he started to go towards the door. He turned back around and nodded and walked over and bent down to give her a quick kiss.
"It's probably nothing." John said as he gave Abby one last kiss. "I'll call you at the hospital."
With that, he was gone, and Abby rolled over and went back to sleep. John left her apartment and got into his Jeep. He flipped on the radio before starting on the drive to the mansion. Twenty five minutes later, he reached the house and pulled into the driveway. As he approached the front door, he noticed something seemed wrong about the house. There was this strange air about it. He rang the doorbell and soon heard quick footsteps approaching.
"Margaret, what's the matter?" John asked, as the housekeeper opened the door in tears.
"Mrs. Carter." That was all the woman had to say for him to suddenly become extremely worried. He turned and took the stairs two at a time until he reached his grandmother's bedroom door. As he went to turn the handle, the door opened, and Alger walked out.
"What's going on?" Carter said sharply.
"I'm so sorry, sir." The elderly man looked like he was about to burst into tears as John himself felt himself begin to break. He looked over Alger's shoulder and let out a sigh of anguish. He ran his hands through his hair before entering the room. As he approached the bed, he pulled a nearby chair over and sat down. He reached over and gently smoothed Gamma's hair and took her hand in his and kissed it.
"Oh god." John whispered. He looked over and saw Alger had quietly re- entered the room. "Did you call my father yet?"
"No." The butler shook his head as John sighed again.
"Okay, I'll do it. And can you get me the number for the funeral home?"
"Sir, someone else can take care of those arrangements."
"No, I'll do it." Alger nodded and exited the room, leaving John alone with his grandmother. "I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you Gamma. I loved you though, more than I ever told you."
John looked around the room, and saw that everything remained the same as if Millicent had never died. Her tea cup still sat beside her bed with a lipstick smudge on it. Her hair brush sat at her dressing table with a noticeable strand of silver hair stuck into it. Her perfume scent still hung in the air, not yet interrupted by the inevitable smell of death. John felt a tear roll down his cheek before he even realized he was crying.
"Hello?" Abby answered her cell phone, not recognizing the number.
"Hey Abby." A familiar voice said slowly. The color drained out of Abby's face as she sat down at the table in the lounge. "I know you're probably really pissed off at me, but I need to talk to you."
"Where are you?" Abby asked as she ran her hand through her hair.
"That diner across the street."
"You're at Doc Magoo's?" She asked incredulously.
"Yeah. I just got into town, and it was the first place I thought to go. I'll explain everything if you just come here."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." Abby said and hung up. The door opened, and Luka walked in.
"Everything okay?" He asked, noticing the expression on Abby's face.
"Uh, I'm not sure." Abby replied, and stood up and went over to her locker. She opened it and pulled out her jacket.
"Are you off now?"
"No."
"Is something wrong with Carter?"
"No. It's my brother." Abby closed her locker and walked towards the door. "I have to go."
Abby left and walked towards the front desk.
"Jerry, have you seen Chuni?"
"Uh, I think she's in exam four."
"Thanks." She answered and walked towards the exam room. As she came close, the door opened and the other nurse came out. "Hey, Chuni, I need to take care of something. Can you cover for me for a little bit. I'll make it up to you."
"Yeah, sure. Everything okay?" Abby nodded and thanked her once again before exiting the emergency room. She crossed the street and went into the diner. She looked to her right, and saw a man a few booths back stand up and give her a small smile. Moving towards him, Abby couldn't believe it was him. He now had a grown out beard and mustache, and was almost unrecognizable.
"Hey." Eric said as he gave Abby a big hug. "Sit down. You want coffee?"
"Sure." Abby nodded, and sat across from her brother. Eric called the waitress over and ordered Abby's coffee.
"So." Abby started, shrugging. "Have you talked to Mom?"
"No. I wanted to talk to you first before dealing with her."
"She's worried, you should call her." The waitress brought the coffee and Abby took a long sip.
"Aren't you going to ask me?" Eric asked, looking up from his own coffee. Abby gave him a questioning look. "Where I went, what I did, why I did it?"
"Does it matter?"
"I don't know. I guess not." They were both silent for several minutes.
"I figured you were dead." Abby finally broke the silence.
"Why would you think that?"
"You came to see me.you bought a plane.you were.depressed."
"I have a disease."
"I know that."
"I'm not Maggie, you know."
"I know." Abby sighed. They were both silent once again.
"I thought about it." Eric finally admitted. "I don't have much to live for Abby. Besides you. And I don't want you to have to deal with me like we've both dealt with Maggie. You've already raised me once."
"You're my brother.I'm not going to just throw you away."
"I want to get help Abby." Eric admitted. Abby didn't respond. "That program or whatever..."
"You have to be on meds to be in the program."
"I know that. I'll take the meds."
"And stay on them." She continued.
"Abby, I know. I want to do it. I don't want to let you down anymore. I love you."
Abby pressed her lips together and forced a small smile. "I love you too."
As always, only in my dreams do I own these characters. Actually, I do have a birthday coming up.that could be a really great present.if Noah just shows up at my doorstep.I'd enjoy that. Hehe.
"I thought your shift wasn't til later." Abby mumbled as she awoke to Carter hurriedly getting dressed on the other side of the room and quickly checked her alarm clock.
"It isn't." He shook his head as he pulled on one of his socks. "I have to go over to Gamma's. Alger just called my cell."
"Is she alright?" She sat up in bed and pulled the comforter up around her.
"I don't know. He just said she was having difficulty breathing or something. I don't know. He wasn't very clear."
"Call me later, okay?" Abby said as he started to go towards the door. He turned back around and nodded and walked over and bent down to give her a quick kiss.
"It's probably nothing." John said as he gave Abby one last kiss. "I'll call you at the hospital."
With that, he was gone, and Abby rolled over and went back to sleep. John left her apartment and got into his Jeep. He flipped on the radio before starting on the drive to the mansion. Twenty five minutes later, he reached the house and pulled into the driveway. As he approached the front door, he noticed something seemed wrong about the house. There was this strange air about it. He rang the doorbell and soon heard quick footsteps approaching.
"Margaret, what's the matter?" John asked, as the housekeeper opened the door in tears.
"Mrs. Carter." That was all the woman had to say for him to suddenly become extremely worried. He turned and took the stairs two at a time until he reached his grandmother's bedroom door. As he went to turn the handle, the door opened, and Alger walked out.
"What's going on?" Carter said sharply.
"I'm so sorry, sir." The elderly man looked like he was about to burst into tears as John himself felt himself begin to break. He looked over Alger's shoulder and let out a sigh of anguish. He ran his hands through his hair before entering the room. As he approached the bed, he pulled a nearby chair over and sat down. He reached over and gently smoothed Gamma's hair and took her hand in his and kissed it.
"Oh god." John whispered. He looked over and saw Alger had quietly re- entered the room. "Did you call my father yet?"
"No." The butler shook his head as John sighed again.
"Okay, I'll do it. And can you get me the number for the funeral home?"
"Sir, someone else can take care of those arrangements."
"No, I'll do it." Alger nodded and exited the room, leaving John alone with his grandmother. "I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you Gamma. I loved you though, more than I ever told you."
John looked around the room, and saw that everything remained the same as if Millicent had never died. Her tea cup still sat beside her bed with a lipstick smudge on it. Her hair brush sat at her dressing table with a noticeable strand of silver hair stuck into it. Her perfume scent still hung in the air, not yet interrupted by the inevitable smell of death. John felt a tear roll down his cheek before he even realized he was crying.
"Hello?" Abby answered her cell phone, not recognizing the number.
"Hey Abby." A familiar voice said slowly. The color drained out of Abby's face as she sat down at the table in the lounge. "I know you're probably really pissed off at me, but I need to talk to you."
"Where are you?" Abby asked as she ran her hand through her hair.
"That diner across the street."
"You're at Doc Magoo's?" She asked incredulously.
"Yeah. I just got into town, and it was the first place I thought to go. I'll explain everything if you just come here."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." Abby said and hung up. The door opened, and Luka walked in.
"Everything okay?" He asked, noticing the expression on Abby's face.
"Uh, I'm not sure." Abby replied, and stood up and went over to her locker. She opened it and pulled out her jacket.
"Are you off now?"
"No."
"Is something wrong with Carter?"
"No. It's my brother." Abby closed her locker and walked towards the door. "I have to go."
Abby left and walked towards the front desk.
"Jerry, have you seen Chuni?"
"Uh, I think she's in exam four."
"Thanks." She answered and walked towards the exam room. As she came close, the door opened and the other nurse came out. "Hey, Chuni, I need to take care of something. Can you cover for me for a little bit. I'll make it up to you."
"Yeah, sure. Everything okay?" Abby nodded and thanked her once again before exiting the emergency room. She crossed the street and went into the diner. She looked to her right, and saw a man a few booths back stand up and give her a small smile. Moving towards him, Abby couldn't believe it was him. He now had a grown out beard and mustache, and was almost unrecognizable.
"Hey." Eric said as he gave Abby a big hug. "Sit down. You want coffee?"
"Sure." Abby nodded, and sat across from her brother. Eric called the waitress over and ordered Abby's coffee.
"So." Abby started, shrugging. "Have you talked to Mom?"
"No. I wanted to talk to you first before dealing with her."
"She's worried, you should call her." The waitress brought the coffee and Abby took a long sip.
"Aren't you going to ask me?" Eric asked, looking up from his own coffee. Abby gave him a questioning look. "Where I went, what I did, why I did it?"
"Does it matter?"
"I don't know. I guess not." They were both silent for several minutes.
"I figured you were dead." Abby finally broke the silence.
"Why would you think that?"
"You came to see me.you bought a plane.you were.depressed."
"I have a disease."
"I know that."
"I'm not Maggie, you know."
"I know." Abby sighed. They were both silent once again.
"I thought about it." Eric finally admitted. "I don't have much to live for Abby. Besides you. And I don't want you to have to deal with me like we've both dealt with Maggie. You've already raised me once."
"You're my brother.I'm not going to just throw you away."
"I want to get help Abby." Eric admitted. Abby didn't respond. "That program or whatever..."
"You have to be on meds to be in the program."
"I know that. I'll take the meds."
"And stay on them." She continued.
"Abby, I know. I want to do it. I don't want to let you down anymore. I love you."
Abby pressed her lips together and forced a small smile. "I love you too."