Title: Changes
Author: Me
Email: soap_queen@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Don't own anything at all.
A/N: Thank you Patti for being a beta reader and the best cheering section. Check out some of her Third Watch Stories, including the one we write together called Off Duty.
"Abby? Hey, someone's at the desk looking for you," Susan Lewis told her friend. "He made it sound important."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks. Can you?" she motioned to her patient. "He needs a blood draw."
"Sure. I'll take care of it."
"Thanks," Abby smiled before she left the room and headed for the desk. She spotted a man in a suit and tie standing near the desk. "Can I help you?"
"Abigail Lockhart?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I represent a Miguel Sandoval."
"Who?"
"He's a lawyer who practices in New York. You were named in the last will and testament of one William H. Wyczenski."
"That's my father. He's dead?"
"Yes. This letter will explain things further. I am sorry for your loss."
"Thanks."
"Good day."
"Bye," Abby took the envelope into the lounge and sat down. She took a deep breath and then opened it up. She read it quickly and then looked at the enclosed papers. She bit her lip and then left the lounge. As she passed the desk she called, "Hey Frank, tell whoever asks I had to go up and see Mary Cain."
"Yeah you got it," the desk clerk said gruffly.
hr
"Luka?" Abby poked her head into her friend's hospital room. "Hey, you awake?"
"Yeah," the man said, as he straightened up in bed. "Come in."
"Thanks," Abby entered the room and shut the door behind her. "Look, I wanted to tell you something before you heard it somewhere else."
"What's up?" He motioned for her to sit on the edge of his bed and she did.
"I just came from talking to Mary Cain."
"The nursing supervisor?"
"Yeah. I took a leave of absence."
"What?"
"My dad died and he apparently left me something that I have to go to New York to claim."
"So, you're just leaving?"
"Yeah." Off his look, "And don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm jumping ship or something. I won't be gone long."
"This doesn't have anything to do with Carter?"
"Not unless he killed my father."
"Abby."
"No, this has nothing to do with Carter, I swear." She checked her watch, "I gotta go call my mom and tell her the news." She hugged Luka. "Take care of yourself. I'm glad you're okay."
"Thank you. You, too."
HR
Abby made sure she was alone in the lounge before she dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Mom? It's me."
"Abby? Is everything alright?"
"Uh, no. Mom, I got a letter from a lawyer today. He represents Dad's estate."
"His estate?"
"Yeah. Mom, Dad died."
"Oh. Oh, no. Oh, Abby."
"Look, Mom, I'm heading for New York. Do you wanna meet me there? Or maybe I could come to Minnesota and we can take the train from there."
"I like the second idea."
"Okay. I'll call you when I get a flight."
"I love you, sweetie."
"I love you, too, Mom," Abby said before she hung the phone up.
HR
"Hey Abby, you wanna- What are you doing?" Susan asked when she walked into the lounge.
"Cleaning out my locker," Abby smiled over her shoulder.
"Why?"
"'Cause I won't be using it for a while," Abby said turning around. "That stuff on the table is Carter's. Give it to him okay?"
"You won't be here?"
"Just in case," Abby said. "Susan, I'm taking off for a while. There's some family stuff I need to take care of."
"Eric?"
"No, as far as I know he's okay. My dad died and there's a lot of stuff to straighten out."
"Oh Abby, I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Anyway, I just feel like I should be there right now instead of here," Abby turned back around to face her locker.
"And it has nothing to do with you and Carter breaking up?"
"That's a mild way of putting it, don't you think? Don't you mean does it have something to do with him dumping me via a letter? Rat bastard couldn't even do it in person," Abby vented a little of the anger she'd been feeling since Luka's friend had handed her that letter.
"That's a no right?"
"Yes it's a no. I'm not doing this because of him. I'm doing this because of me. Because I need to get out."
"When?"
"I managed to get a flight out at three tomorrow morning."
"So soon?"
"Yeah," Abby finished cleaning out her locker. "I just have to go home and pack. Just some clothes for now. If it becomes more of a permanent thing, I'll be sending for the rest of my stuff."
"I'm gonna miss you," Susan said with a wry grin as Abby turned around.
Abby smiled and hugged Susan, "Miss you too. Take care of yourself, okay? Take care of Jing-Mei too. ER chicks gotta stick together."
"I'll remember that," Susan nodded. "Bye Abby."
"Bye." Abby picked up her stuff and headed for the door. "Oh hey, what were you gonna ask me before?"
"What?"
"You were asking me something as you walked in the door but you interrupted yourself. What was your question?"
"I wanted to see if you wanted to go out for dinner or something."
"Maybe some other time," Abby smiled.
"Yeah, when you're not leaving," Susan kidded. "See ya Abby."
"See ya," Abby nodded as she made her final exit.
Susan went out the door a few seconds later. She could see Abby in the bay talking to Greg Pratt. He shook his head and gave her a hug. That's when Susan headed for the desk. She picked up the phone and pressed the line she had left on hold. "Sorry about that."
"So?"
"She's busy."
"Did you tell her it was me?"
"No and I think it's better that way." Susan said.
"So, what, I'm just supposed to walk in and say 'hey Abby, miss me?'"
"It's a thought," Susan theorized. "Look, I'll see you in a couple of months, right?"
"Right."
"Okay. See you then." Susan hung up the phone and looked up at Pratt. "Hey. I guess Abby told you, huh?"
"Yeah. Too bad. I liked her."
"Yeah, me too."
"Still say it was Carter's loss," he said picking up a chart and heading to see a patient.
"You don't know how right you are," Susan said under her breath.
Author: Me
Email: soap_queen@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Don't own anything at all.
A/N: Thank you Patti for being a beta reader and the best cheering section. Check out some of her Third Watch Stories, including the one we write together called Off Duty.
"Abby? Hey, someone's at the desk looking for you," Susan Lewis told her friend. "He made it sound important."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks. Can you?" she motioned to her patient. "He needs a blood draw."
"Sure. I'll take care of it."
"Thanks," Abby smiled before she left the room and headed for the desk. She spotted a man in a suit and tie standing near the desk. "Can I help you?"
"Abigail Lockhart?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I represent a Miguel Sandoval."
"Who?"
"He's a lawyer who practices in New York. You were named in the last will and testament of one William H. Wyczenski."
"That's my father. He's dead?"
"Yes. This letter will explain things further. I am sorry for your loss."
"Thanks."
"Good day."
"Bye," Abby took the envelope into the lounge and sat down. She took a deep breath and then opened it up. She read it quickly and then looked at the enclosed papers. She bit her lip and then left the lounge. As she passed the desk she called, "Hey Frank, tell whoever asks I had to go up and see Mary Cain."
"Yeah you got it," the desk clerk said gruffly.
hr
"Luka?" Abby poked her head into her friend's hospital room. "Hey, you awake?"
"Yeah," the man said, as he straightened up in bed. "Come in."
"Thanks," Abby entered the room and shut the door behind her. "Look, I wanted to tell you something before you heard it somewhere else."
"What's up?" He motioned for her to sit on the edge of his bed and she did.
"I just came from talking to Mary Cain."
"The nursing supervisor?"
"Yeah. I took a leave of absence."
"What?"
"My dad died and he apparently left me something that I have to go to New York to claim."
"So, you're just leaving?"
"Yeah." Off his look, "And don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm jumping ship or something. I won't be gone long."
"This doesn't have anything to do with Carter?"
"Not unless he killed my father."
"Abby."
"No, this has nothing to do with Carter, I swear." She checked her watch, "I gotta go call my mom and tell her the news." She hugged Luka. "Take care of yourself. I'm glad you're okay."
"Thank you. You, too."
HR
Abby made sure she was alone in the lounge before she dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Mom? It's me."
"Abby? Is everything alright?"
"Uh, no. Mom, I got a letter from a lawyer today. He represents Dad's estate."
"His estate?"
"Yeah. Mom, Dad died."
"Oh. Oh, no. Oh, Abby."
"Look, Mom, I'm heading for New York. Do you wanna meet me there? Or maybe I could come to Minnesota and we can take the train from there."
"I like the second idea."
"Okay. I'll call you when I get a flight."
"I love you, sweetie."
"I love you, too, Mom," Abby said before she hung the phone up.
HR
"Hey Abby, you wanna- What are you doing?" Susan asked when she walked into the lounge.
"Cleaning out my locker," Abby smiled over her shoulder.
"Why?"
"'Cause I won't be using it for a while," Abby said turning around. "That stuff on the table is Carter's. Give it to him okay?"
"You won't be here?"
"Just in case," Abby said. "Susan, I'm taking off for a while. There's some family stuff I need to take care of."
"Eric?"
"No, as far as I know he's okay. My dad died and there's a lot of stuff to straighten out."
"Oh Abby, I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Anyway, I just feel like I should be there right now instead of here," Abby turned back around to face her locker.
"And it has nothing to do with you and Carter breaking up?"
"That's a mild way of putting it, don't you think? Don't you mean does it have something to do with him dumping me via a letter? Rat bastard couldn't even do it in person," Abby vented a little of the anger she'd been feeling since Luka's friend had handed her that letter.
"That's a no right?"
"Yes it's a no. I'm not doing this because of him. I'm doing this because of me. Because I need to get out."
"When?"
"I managed to get a flight out at three tomorrow morning."
"So soon?"
"Yeah," Abby finished cleaning out her locker. "I just have to go home and pack. Just some clothes for now. If it becomes more of a permanent thing, I'll be sending for the rest of my stuff."
"I'm gonna miss you," Susan said with a wry grin as Abby turned around.
Abby smiled and hugged Susan, "Miss you too. Take care of yourself, okay? Take care of Jing-Mei too. ER chicks gotta stick together."
"I'll remember that," Susan nodded. "Bye Abby."
"Bye." Abby picked up her stuff and headed for the door. "Oh hey, what were you gonna ask me before?"
"What?"
"You were asking me something as you walked in the door but you interrupted yourself. What was your question?"
"I wanted to see if you wanted to go out for dinner or something."
"Maybe some other time," Abby smiled.
"Yeah, when you're not leaving," Susan kidded. "See ya Abby."
"See ya," Abby nodded as she made her final exit.
Susan went out the door a few seconds later. She could see Abby in the bay talking to Greg Pratt. He shook his head and gave her a hug. That's when Susan headed for the desk. She picked up the phone and pressed the line she had left on hold. "Sorry about that."
"So?"
"She's busy."
"Did you tell her it was me?"
"No and I think it's better that way." Susan said.
"So, what, I'm just supposed to walk in and say 'hey Abby, miss me?'"
"It's a thought," Susan theorized. "Look, I'll see you in a couple of months, right?"
"Right."
"Okay. See you then." Susan hung up the phone and looked up at Pratt. "Hey. I guess Abby told you, huh?"
"Yeah. Too bad. I liked her."
"Yeah, me too."
"Still say it was Carter's loss," he said picking up a chart and heading to see a patient.
"You don't know how right you are," Susan said under her breath.