AN: I do not own Doctors, or any of the characters. I only own Abi and Lindsay. All rights go to their original owners.
Abi's POV
I followed Heston into his office, and studied the room. It was small, but still seemed quite comfortable. The furniture consisted solely of a desk, two chairs, a computer and a bed, presumably for those patients with the slightly more serious medical issues. "So, what's wrong, Abigail?" Heston questioned, gesturing for me to sit down opposite him. I did so, as I pulled off my jacket. It was far too hot in here for my liking. "It's Lindsay." I began, taking a sharp inhale of breath. "She was involved in an accident a few months ago." Heston's smile fell.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is she alright?" He questioned. I nodded, taking another shaky breath.
"Yeah. She had 5 broken ribs, and she's broken both of her legs. She'll be fine. That's not what I'm worried about." I confessed, as I felt a tightening in my chest. I covered my mouth with my hand, and let out a loud hacking cough. This was all that had been happening the past few months. I was finding it more and more difficult to breathe. Heston placed his hand on my shoulder to steady me as my body shook violently. "What's going on, Abigail?" Heston asked, as I took a moment to catch my breath. I sighed.
"Xander." I stated, causing Heston's fists to clench slightly. He never had liked Xander. It was only now that I saw he was right not to trust him. "A few months ago, he re-entered our lives, completely in debt. Lindsay and I offered to help him, like the idiots we are..." I trailed off. "He took all our money and ran. We've got nothing. We're living in this tiny little flat on the Churchill estate, that Lindsay's father offered to pay for because of Carrie. Lindsay can't work, obviously, nor can Carrie. But I can't find a job." Heston let out a sigh of frustration.
"I told you that boy was trouble." He replied, and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I know that now, don't I?" I answered, running a hand through my hair. "We can't stay where we are. It's not me I'm worried about. It's Carrie. She's 12, and she's living in a flat filled with damp and who knows what else! No one will hire me, so I can't get us out of there." Heston studied my expression, and let out another sigh. He stayed silent once I'd finished telling my story, and thought for a moment. After a few moments, he clearly had an idea. His eyes lit up, and he placed his hand down on the table. "How long are you planning to be in Letherbridge for?" He questioned, and I shrugged.
"Until we can find a flat elsewhere, I guess. Unless I find some reason to make me stay." I guessed. "Why?"
"I'm going to speak to Howard, he's the practise manager, about getting you a job here. We've had a few people leave recently, so there's certainly space." He replied, as I let out a gasp.
"Are you being serious?" I questioned, and he nodded. A massive smile filled my face, as I got out of my seat and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you!" I exclaimed. He chuckled, and lightly placed his arms around me.
"It's alright, Abigail." He assured me. "Just, next time, stay away from Xander, alright?" I nodded, letting go of him.
"Never again." I insisted.
Jimmi's POV
By the time I returned to The Mill, I found it locked. Presumably Mrs Tembe had gone for her lunch break. I rummaged through my pockets, attempting to find a key, when I was approached by a young woman in a wheelchair. She stopped to my right, and lightly pulled on my jacket sleeve. "Excuse me?" She questioned, her voice soft. I turned to look at her. Dark long hair covered her shoulders, and her matching dark eyes appeared to be studying me back. "Sorry, we're closed for lunch. Maybe you could try coming back later? What time is your appointment?" I asked, and the woman rolled her eyes. "I don't have an appointment. I'm looking for my friend. Her name is Abigail Carter. Tall, blonde, strange accent?" She questioned.
"Oh, yes, she's been here!" I said, remembering the girl from before. Why was this woman looking for her?
"Yes, well done, genius. That's not what I'm asking. Is she still inside?" The woman questioned. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I've got no idea, I've been on my lunch break." I admitted, and the woman once again rolled her eyes.
"Well, you're of no use to me then. Can you open this door then, so I can see if my friend is in there?" She asked.
"What?" I questioned. "No, I can't. I don't even know who you are!" The woman sighed, and offered me her left hand.
"Lindsay Willows. I'm Abigail's flatmate, and she's late for my physio appointment. Now, I don't suppose you've noticed, but I can't drive myself to the other side of Letherbridge, so I need her." I took her hand, and she immediately pulled it away. "Look, if you can't trust me, can't you just go and see if she's in there, please?" She asked, clearly exasperated. I nodded, producing the key to The Mill that Howard had given me a few months ago.
"Stay here." I instructed Lindsay, as I opened up the front door.
"Believe me, I'm not going anywhere in a hurry." She answered sarcastically, as I shut the front door behind me. As I entered the main reception, Karen, our afternoon receptionist appeared, seemingly from nowhere. She had a habit of doing that. "Oh, hello, Jimmi!" She said, a slight joy in her voice as always. "Did you have a nice lunch break?" I nodded.
"I did, cheers for asking, Karen. Have you seen Heston?" I questioned, and Karen seemed confused.
"I think he's in his office. Why are you looking for him?" She asked.
"It's not him I'm looking for. It's his niece." I explained, heading towards the offices. Heston's office was the first one, so it didn't take me long to reach it. I knocked on the door, as a female voice called, "Come in!" I entered the room, to find Abigail sat by herself, staring at me with her bright blue eyes. "Oh hello!" She said, raising her hand at me. "It's Jimmi, isn't it? Jimmi with an I?" I smiled slightly at the fact that she remembered me, and nodded.
"That's me." I replied, as she got on her feet.
"So, Jimmi with an I, how can I help you? If you're looking for Heston, he's with someone called Howard. At least I think that's his name." She asked, smiling softly at me.
"Why's he with Howard?" I asked, completely forgetting the reason I came in here.
"Oh, he's speaking to him about maybe getting me a job here. I may be staying in Letherbridge longer than I thought." Abigail admitted, a slight frown on her face. That was when she covered her mouth, and began to cough. It started off as a tiny cough, but within a few moments it had escalated into a violent hack. Her body shook with each cough, as I placed my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to keep her still. Her coughing receded, as she looked at me tiredly. "Thank you." She said weakly.
"That sounds nasty. Have you seen someone about it?" I inquired, not letting go of her. From the violent way she had been coughing, I was frightened that if I let go of her she may collapse. Abigail nodded weakly. "Well, I am a Doctor. I sort of self diagnosed." She confessed. "Could you get me a glass of water?" I nodded.
"I can do better than that." I replied, placing my arm around her back. "Put your arm around my shoulder, and I'll take you to the break room. If you're going to be working here, you're going to need a tour." Abigail smiled softly.
"You're very kind, Jimmi with an I." She answered, placing her arm around me.
"You know, you can just call me Jimmi. Most people call me that." I responded, and she giggled slightly. A smile formed on my face, as I glanced at her. Her face was slightly red, and her eyes seemed to be looking solely at me. I could hear how violently her heart was pounding in her chest from how close I was to her, and I wondered. Was that my fault? I dismissed all thoughts of that. She had just had a coughing fit, that was the cause. I supported her until we reached the break room. Karen and Niamh were sat at the table now, staring at me and Abigail. Niamh had a slight smirk on her face, whereas Karen had a massive grin on her face. "Aww!" Niamh remarked. "You've only known each other for 5 minutes and you're already carrying her everywhere." Abigail looked at her in confusion. I placed her down on the softer chairs opposite the table, and got her a glass of water from the tap. I handed it to her, and sat beside her. "You feeling a bit better now?" I asked softly, once she'd drunk down the water. She weakly nodded.
"Thank you." She whispered, lightly hugging me. Niamh let out another "Aww!" That caused Abigail to immediately pull away.
"Sorry." She apologized. "I really should be getting back to Heston." She got on her feet, stumbling slightly and she walked away. That was when I realised why I wanted to talk to her in the first place. "Abigail!" I called, getting up. "There's a woman outside waiting for you!" Abigail looked at me in confusion, before a look of horror overtook her face. "Oh, crap. Lindsay had her appointment with the physio today!" She exclaimed, going to run. As she did so, she fell to her knees. She let out a quiet noise of pain, before attempting to get back up. I helped her back up, and held her up, as Howard and Heston approached us. "I'm assuming you're Dr Carter?" Howard inquired, studying Abigail. The blonde nodded, as I noticed her hands were shaking slightly. "If you'd like to follow me, we can go for your interview now." Howard glanced at me. "Dr Clay, if you could let go of the woman, that'd be appreciated. Don't you have patients to see?" I hesitantly let go of Abigail, and was glad to see she could stand by herself. She glanced at me.
"Could you call a taxi for Lindsay? Please?" She questioned, and I nodded. Abigail smiled softly, before following Howard to his office.
"What's wrong with her?" I asked. "It's not normal for her to keep collapsing like that, surely?" Heston nodded.
"She was always very weak as a child." He answered. "You'd better go and explain to Lindsay what's going on. Be careful though. She's a bit...explosive." With a brief pat on the back, Heston walked off, leaving me on my own. Taking in a sharp breath, I decided I'd go and speak to Lindsay. Hopefully she'd have calmed down since I spoke to her earlier. Hopefully.
AN: And I'm going to end it there! Thank you for reading, it is very much appreciated! Any feedback makes my day, so feel free to leave a comment saying what you thought of this chapter. The question of the chapter is what do you think of Abigail and Lindsay? Do you like them? Also, would you like more fluffy moments in future, or more drama driven stuff? Any answers to these questions would be appreciated! Thank you so much!
-Melody x
