TITLE: Ten Year's Time
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com
PART: 2, Things Held Inside.
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby
RATING: PG-13, but later parts may have a harsher rating.
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't written anything in forever. Please give some feedback. =) This part is really short, but it's just a setup for part two. Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used at the end. =)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.
Ten Year's Time: Part 2, Things Held Inside.
by Lisa Brown
June 2, 2010
###
Carter looked up to see his wife standing there, scantily clad in her white bathrobe.
"Jamie?"
"Mhmm. Looks like you're ready for bed," she whispered.
Carter was quite confused. She wasn't supposed to be here, he knew that, but he couldn't quite place why. But, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, because he knew he had not been seduced in quite some time. And he quite liked it. "C'mere." He pulled her on top of him and passionately kissed her.
He was kissing her neck, when he heard her say "Daddy?"
*Oh, she wants to talk dirty,* he thought. *Well, we can have that.*
"Daddy?"
Carter shot up in bed. Only a dream. Had it come to that now? He looked towards the doorway to see a little girl standing in it.
"What's wrong, honey? Bad dream?"
The little girl nodded her head. Carter patted the empty space next to him and she clambered into it.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"No," the six-year-old replied, settling in.
After a few moments of silence, she said, "Daddy? I miss Mommy."
"I know honey. I do too."
###
*Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.*
Carter opened his eyes to see two children jumping on the other side of the bed.
"Hi Daddy!" the now-cheerful little girl said.
"I told you it would only take three jumps," the boy said.
"Jason! Melina! What did I tell you about jumping on the bed?"
"That we shouldn't do it." The two squealed with laughter.
"Alright, you two, time to get ready. Aren't you going shopping with Gamma today?" Carter told them with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh yeah! Jason, we have to be good so we get a present!" Melina whispered loudly, grabbing his hand.
Carter chuckled to himself and began to get ready for work.
###
"Daddy, I want to shave too!" Jason said, walking into the bathroom.
"Ah ... okay, but you have to promise me something."
"What?" he asked.
"You'll never, ever, ever shave without Daddy, okay? Four-year-old boys aren't supposed to shave, so you have to make sure Daddy's here so you won't get hurt. Promise?"
"Promise!!"
Carter reached up and grabbed the protective plastic cap for his razor. He placed it on the disposable razor so Jason wouldn't get cut.
"We have to use the whipped cream too!"
"It's shaving cream, and it doesn't taste good like whipped cream. So, be sure not to eat any," Carter warned as he sprayed a little bit into Jason's hands. Jason, seizing the opportunity, slathered the cream all over his face. Carter laughed. "I don't think we should shave up there, buddy," he said, pointing to his forehead.
"Daddy!" Melina shouted, rushing into the bathroom. "Gamma says if you don't come down for breakfast now, you're going to be in trouble."
"Okay, buddy, we'll have to shave later," Carter said, wiping the shaving cream off of Jason's face. "Now go downstairs and stall for me for a little while while I get dressed."
"Okay," the little boy said, running out of the room.
"Daddy, how much longer are we going to stay with Gamma and Grampa?" Melina asked.
"I don't know, honey. At least until the end of the summer. Why? Don't you like staying here?"
"I like Gamma but ... Grandpa's kind of not nice."
Carter sighed. He and his father had always had disagreements, but he thought they were getting along better. "Was he mean to you, Mel?"
"No. He's just not very nice."
Carter smiled. "It's just been a long time since he's had kids in the house. He'll get better, I promise." He made a mental note to ask his father about it when he got home. "But Grampa's gone for the rest of the week, so that'll be okay, right?"
Melina smiled. "Yep. You better get dressed before Gamma gets mad." And with that she ran downstairs.
###
"Hey Carter. How are you?"
Carter looked up to see Abby Lockhart pouring a cup of coffee. "Okay, I suppose. Can you pour me a cup of that?"
"Sure. We haven't been able to talk in a while. Anything new?" she asked as she got out another coffee cup.
"Not really," Carter said, shutting his locker and accepting the cup of steaming coffee Abby was offering him. "Who else is on?" he asked, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't bore Abby with the details of his life.
"Umm ... Shane, Brandon, Johnson. Some nurses. I'm not really sure." She frowned. It sounded like something was up with Carter. Something he didn't want to talk about.
"Good job, chief," Carter said, smiling at her.
"Hey! Well, I'll never be as good as you were," she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink.
"You just have to get used to it. I was just kidding, you know."
"Yeah, by the time I get good, Romano'll find a replacement." She smiled at him. "C'mon, we better get out there. For all I know, we're the only two on."
Carter laughed and followed her out.
###
"Carter, can you get the girl in three? She fell out of a tree," Abby said.
"Sure, Dr. Seuss," Carter said grabbing the chart.
Abby smiled. "Hey, what's this I hear about you having a birthday on Friday and not coming to work?"
Carter grimaced. "Bad rumor. I'm taking my kids to the zoo." He walked off to curtain three.
"Hi there, Kim, I'm Dr. Carter. Sounds like you had some trouble with a tree."
"I fell out. My arm hurts," she said.
"Alright, I'll take a look. You're a brave girl for not crying. You must be Mrs. Burton," Carter said, addressing the woman with the girl.
"Yes. She was playing in the tree with some friends and I told them to get down. That's when she fell. She thinks she's invincible."
"Why's that?" Carter asked, examining her arm.
"I'm not sick anymore," Kim said matter-of-factly.
"She's been in remission from leukemia for about 5 months now."
Leukemia. His brother's killer. His wife's killer. But, he put on a smiling face. "That's wonderful. You're a fighter, I can tell. How old are you?"
"Seven. Ouch, that hurts," she said as Carter tried to bend her arm.
Seven. His daughter's age. "Well, it's looks broken. We'll send you up for some x-rays and look at them when you get back to see what we have to do, okay?"
"Cool."
"Let me or one of the nurses know if we can get you anything," he told Mrs. Burton. He gave her a smile and walked out of the curtain.
###
"Long day, eh?" Abby said as she walked into the lounge to see Carter sitting on the couch.
"Yeah. I'm off in five minutes, thank god."
"Me too. The morning actually wasn't that bad, everything just piled up a little while ago. It seems to be slowing now." She walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee. "So, you won't admit that Friday's you're birthday?"
Carter took a sip of coffee and tried not to grimace. Not only his birthday was on Friday, but his fortieth. He didn't feel like he was supposed to be forty. "Don't you have files or something that can confirm that? Or are you going to make me say it?"
"Nah, I'll take that as a yes. So, big day planned? You took the whole day off."
"Not really. I seriously am going to the zoo with my kids. Nothing like caged up animals and greasy food to celebrate with. Then we're having dinner with my mother, which isn't unusual, seeing as we do that every night."
"That's it? Come on. A little bird told me this was a big birthday too." Abby grinned at him.
Carter smiled back. "Oh, but I'm in denial about that part."
Abby had missed their conversations over the past few months. "How about when we get off, we go get a cup of coffee?"
Carter held up his cup in the direction toward hers. "Aren't we already doing that?"
*Oh, great, Abby, say something stupid, why don't you.* She could feel her cheeks getting pink again. God, she was acting like a ditzy high schooler.
Carter laughed at her reaction. "No, really, I promised my kids I'd be home for dinner. My mom has to go to some dinner, and they don't want to eat alone. Some other time?"
"Of course," Abby said, regaining her composure. "I should get started on the budget reports for this month anyway."
"Then I'm really sorry I can't go. Those things are awful. Well, it's seven o'clock, I better get going."
"Okay. I'd walk out with you, but I have to wait to do rounds with Chen and Dave."
Carter chuckled. "Would you ever imagine it to end up like this? The four of us still here after all of these years? Taking the place of Weaver, Greene, Lewis, ..." Carter trailed off, not wanting to mention the name of Abby's former husband.
"If you would have told me ten years ago that I would have Weaver's job, I probably would have socked you. A lot has changed in the past few years."
"A lot has stayed the same, too. Well, see you tomorrow, Abby."
###
"Daddy, Gamma said we get to go to work with you tomorrow."
Carter looked up from his plate of food to look at his daughter. "Just for a little bit. Gamma has to have a meeting with someone at the hospital and you get to stay with me then. And then Friday, we get to go to the zoo."
"Yay, I want to see the monkeys first," Jason announced.
"We'll see if we can do that. How was shopping?"
"Fun, Daddy! We got you a birthday present," Melina explained.
"And I got a football and Mel got a Barbie," Jason added.
"JASON! You weren't supposed to tell, Gamma said."
"It's okay, hon. A football and a Barbie, huh? You'll have to show me after dinner."
"Can we play with the football after dinner, Daddy?" Jason asked.
"We'll see." He couldn't help but notice the forlorn look on Melina's face. He suddenly realized there would be no one to play Barbies with her. Maybe he could talk his mother into it when she got home from her dinner. It was times like these he missed Jamie the most.
###
"Arrgh!" Abby screamed out loud. She threw the stack of papers down towards the end of the bed. All of the numbers were running together. She wasn't sure if she could see straight anymore.
Why did she take this job anyway? Because Romano was desperate, and he offered her a large sum of money, she reminded herself. When Carter stepped down as ER Chief when Jamie died, Romano was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He knew she would accept. Because she was qualified and had no family to slow her down. Carter had his kids, Chen was happily married now, heck, even Dave was happy in love. He and his wife were in the process of adopting a baby girl. That's why, even though she was the least experienced attending, she had gotten the job. *Face it, Abby. I have no life.*
Not that she was proud of that. Divorced twice, because of loveless marriages. Once from Richard, once from Luka. No kids, for fear of what could happen. Her mother died five years ago, her brother still in Florida. The only man seeming to interest her in this whole town didn't seem interested in her.
It was her fault. She had waited too long. By the time she had realized who and what she wanted, and told Luka, Carter announced he and Jamie were pregnant and engaged. Young and giddy and in love. Abby had never had that feeling. She had never known things were moving that fast for them. They had only been going out a few months.
Almost a year, she corrected herself. And this was a few years after he had told her he had feelings. Had she really expected him to wait around for her? No.
She never told him this. Didn't want to spoil his newfound happiness. And now, she thought it was too early to approach him in that manner. It had only been six months since Jamie's death. Or maybe it had been longer. How long had she had this job? Eight months, because according to her notes, she had done eight budget reports. At least eight months.
But he seemed to only want her friendship. He tried to change the subject when she asked about his personal life, or gave minimal answers. Her attempt to ask him out failed.
Or maybe she was just approaching it the wrong way. Maybe he didn't know she felt that way. Oh well, it could wait. But look where waiting got her before?
What Carter needed now was support. Tomorrow, with the surprise she and Dave and Chen worked out for him, he would see that the whole ER was there for him. But especially her.
###
I understand that some things are better left unsaid
I'm afraid of the truth
But what can I do if I still want you
###
End P.2
###
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com
PART: 2, Things Held Inside.
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby
RATING: PG-13, but later parts may have a harsher rating.
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't written anything in forever. Please give some feedback. =) This part is really short, but it's just a setup for part two. Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used at the end. =)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.
Ten Year's Time: Part 2, Things Held Inside.
by Lisa Brown
June 2, 2010
###
Carter looked up to see his wife standing there, scantily clad in her white bathrobe.
"Jamie?"
"Mhmm. Looks like you're ready for bed," she whispered.
Carter was quite confused. She wasn't supposed to be here, he knew that, but he couldn't quite place why. But, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, because he knew he had not been seduced in quite some time. And he quite liked it. "C'mere." He pulled her on top of him and passionately kissed her.
He was kissing her neck, when he heard her say "Daddy?"
*Oh, she wants to talk dirty,* he thought. *Well, we can have that.*
"Daddy?"
Carter shot up in bed. Only a dream. Had it come to that now? He looked towards the doorway to see a little girl standing in it.
"What's wrong, honey? Bad dream?"
The little girl nodded her head. Carter patted the empty space next to him and she clambered into it.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"No," the six-year-old replied, settling in.
After a few moments of silence, she said, "Daddy? I miss Mommy."
"I know honey. I do too."
###
*Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.*
Carter opened his eyes to see two children jumping on the other side of the bed.
"Hi Daddy!" the now-cheerful little girl said.
"I told you it would only take three jumps," the boy said.
"Jason! Melina! What did I tell you about jumping on the bed?"
"That we shouldn't do it." The two squealed with laughter.
"Alright, you two, time to get ready. Aren't you going shopping with Gamma today?" Carter told them with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh yeah! Jason, we have to be good so we get a present!" Melina whispered loudly, grabbing his hand.
Carter chuckled to himself and began to get ready for work.
###
"Daddy, I want to shave too!" Jason said, walking into the bathroom.
"Ah ... okay, but you have to promise me something."
"What?" he asked.
"You'll never, ever, ever shave without Daddy, okay? Four-year-old boys aren't supposed to shave, so you have to make sure Daddy's here so you won't get hurt. Promise?"
"Promise!!"
Carter reached up and grabbed the protective plastic cap for his razor. He placed it on the disposable razor so Jason wouldn't get cut.
"We have to use the whipped cream too!"
"It's shaving cream, and it doesn't taste good like whipped cream. So, be sure not to eat any," Carter warned as he sprayed a little bit into Jason's hands. Jason, seizing the opportunity, slathered the cream all over his face. Carter laughed. "I don't think we should shave up there, buddy," he said, pointing to his forehead.
"Daddy!" Melina shouted, rushing into the bathroom. "Gamma says if you don't come down for breakfast now, you're going to be in trouble."
"Okay, buddy, we'll have to shave later," Carter said, wiping the shaving cream off of Jason's face. "Now go downstairs and stall for me for a little while while I get dressed."
"Okay," the little boy said, running out of the room.
"Daddy, how much longer are we going to stay with Gamma and Grampa?" Melina asked.
"I don't know, honey. At least until the end of the summer. Why? Don't you like staying here?"
"I like Gamma but ... Grandpa's kind of not nice."
Carter sighed. He and his father had always had disagreements, but he thought they were getting along better. "Was he mean to you, Mel?"
"No. He's just not very nice."
Carter smiled. "It's just been a long time since he's had kids in the house. He'll get better, I promise." He made a mental note to ask his father about it when he got home. "But Grampa's gone for the rest of the week, so that'll be okay, right?"
Melina smiled. "Yep. You better get dressed before Gamma gets mad." And with that she ran downstairs.
###
"Hey Carter. How are you?"
Carter looked up to see Abby Lockhart pouring a cup of coffee. "Okay, I suppose. Can you pour me a cup of that?"
"Sure. We haven't been able to talk in a while. Anything new?" she asked as she got out another coffee cup.
"Not really," Carter said, shutting his locker and accepting the cup of steaming coffee Abby was offering him. "Who else is on?" he asked, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't bore Abby with the details of his life.
"Umm ... Shane, Brandon, Johnson. Some nurses. I'm not really sure." She frowned. It sounded like something was up with Carter. Something he didn't want to talk about.
"Good job, chief," Carter said, smiling at her.
"Hey! Well, I'll never be as good as you were," she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink.
"You just have to get used to it. I was just kidding, you know."
"Yeah, by the time I get good, Romano'll find a replacement." She smiled at him. "C'mon, we better get out there. For all I know, we're the only two on."
Carter laughed and followed her out.
###
"Carter, can you get the girl in three? She fell out of a tree," Abby said.
"Sure, Dr. Seuss," Carter said grabbing the chart.
Abby smiled. "Hey, what's this I hear about you having a birthday on Friday and not coming to work?"
Carter grimaced. "Bad rumor. I'm taking my kids to the zoo." He walked off to curtain three.
"Hi there, Kim, I'm Dr. Carter. Sounds like you had some trouble with a tree."
"I fell out. My arm hurts," she said.
"Alright, I'll take a look. You're a brave girl for not crying. You must be Mrs. Burton," Carter said, addressing the woman with the girl.
"Yes. She was playing in the tree with some friends and I told them to get down. That's when she fell. She thinks she's invincible."
"Why's that?" Carter asked, examining her arm.
"I'm not sick anymore," Kim said matter-of-factly.
"She's been in remission from leukemia for about 5 months now."
Leukemia. His brother's killer. His wife's killer. But, he put on a smiling face. "That's wonderful. You're a fighter, I can tell. How old are you?"
"Seven. Ouch, that hurts," she said as Carter tried to bend her arm.
Seven. His daughter's age. "Well, it's looks broken. We'll send you up for some x-rays and look at them when you get back to see what we have to do, okay?"
"Cool."
"Let me or one of the nurses know if we can get you anything," he told Mrs. Burton. He gave her a smile and walked out of the curtain.
###
"Long day, eh?" Abby said as she walked into the lounge to see Carter sitting on the couch.
"Yeah. I'm off in five minutes, thank god."
"Me too. The morning actually wasn't that bad, everything just piled up a little while ago. It seems to be slowing now." She walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee. "So, you won't admit that Friday's you're birthday?"
Carter took a sip of coffee and tried not to grimace. Not only his birthday was on Friday, but his fortieth. He didn't feel like he was supposed to be forty. "Don't you have files or something that can confirm that? Or are you going to make me say it?"
"Nah, I'll take that as a yes. So, big day planned? You took the whole day off."
"Not really. I seriously am going to the zoo with my kids. Nothing like caged up animals and greasy food to celebrate with. Then we're having dinner with my mother, which isn't unusual, seeing as we do that every night."
"That's it? Come on. A little bird told me this was a big birthday too." Abby grinned at him.
Carter smiled back. "Oh, but I'm in denial about that part."
Abby had missed their conversations over the past few months. "How about when we get off, we go get a cup of coffee?"
Carter held up his cup in the direction toward hers. "Aren't we already doing that?"
*Oh, great, Abby, say something stupid, why don't you.* She could feel her cheeks getting pink again. God, she was acting like a ditzy high schooler.
Carter laughed at her reaction. "No, really, I promised my kids I'd be home for dinner. My mom has to go to some dinner, and they don't want to eat alone. Some other time?"
"Of course," Abby said, regaining her composure. "I should get started on the budget reports for this month anyway."
"Then I'm really sorry I can't go. Those things are awful. Well, it's seven o'clock, I better get going."
"Okay. I'd walk out with you, but I have to wait to do rounds with Chen and Dave."
Carter chuckled. "Would you ever imagine it to end up like this? The four of us still here after all of these years? Taking the place of Weaver, Greene, Lewis, ..." Carter trailed off, not wanting to mention the name of Abby's former husband.
"If you would have told me ten years ago that I would have Weaver's job, I probably would have socked you. A lot has changed in the past few years."
"A lot has stayed the same, too. Well, see you tomorrow, Abby."
###
"Daddy, Gamma said we get to go to work with you tomorrow."
Carter looked up from his plate of food to look at his daughter. "Just for a little bit. Gamma has to have a meeting with someone at the hospital and you get to stay with me then. And then Friday, we get to go to the zoo."
"Yay, I want to see the monkeys first," Jason announced.
"We'll see if we can do that. How was shopping?"
"Fun, Daddy! We got you a birthday present," Melina explained.
"And I got a football and Mel got a Barbie," Jason added.
"JASON! You weren't supposed to tell, Gamma said."
"It's okay, hon. A football and a Barbie, huh? You'll have to show me after dinner."
"Can we play with the football after dinner, Daddy?" Jason asked.
"We'll see." He couldn't help but notice the forlorn look on Melina's face. He suddenly realized there would be no one to play Barbies with her. Maybe he could talk his mother into it when she got home from her dinner. It was times like these he missed Jamie the most.
###
"Arrgh!" Abby screamed out loud. She threw the stack of papers down towards the end of the bed. All of the numbers were running together. She wasn't sure if she could see straight anymore.
Why did she take this job anyway? Because Romano was desperate, and he offered her a large sum of money, she reminded herself. When Carter stepped down as ER Chief when Jamie died, Romano was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He knew she would accept. Because she was qualified and had no family to slow her down. Carter had his kids, Chen was happily married now, heck, even Dave was happy in love. He and his wife were in the process of adopting a baby girl. That's why, even though she was the least experienced attending, she had gotten the job. *Face it, Abby. I have no life.*
Not that she was proud of that. Divorced twice, because of loveless marriages. Once from Richard, once from Luka. No kids, for fear of what could happen. Her mother died five years ago, her brother still in Florida. The only man seeming to interest her in this whole town didn't seem interested in her.
It was her fault. She had waited too long. By the time she had realized who and what she wanted, and told Luka, Carter announced he and Jamie were pregnant and engaged. Young and giddy and in love. Abby had never had that feeling. She had never known things were moving that fast for them. They had only been going out a few months.
Almost a year, she corrected herself. And this was a few years after he had told her he had feelings. Had she really expected him to wait around for her? No.
She never told him this. Didn't want to spoil his newfound happiness. And now, she thought it was too early to approach him in that manner. It had only been six months since Jamie's death. Or maybe it had been longer. How long had she had this job? Eight months, because according to her notes, she had done eight budget reports. At least eight months.
But he seemed to only want her friendship. He tried to change the subject when she asked about his personal life, or gave minimal answers. Her attempt to ask him out failed.
Or maybe she was just approaching it the wrong way. Maybe he didn't know she felt that way. Oh well, it could wait. But look where waiting got her before?
What Carter needed now was support. Tomorrow, with the surprise she and Dave and Chen worked out for him, he would see that the whole ER was there for him. But especially her.
###
I understand that some things are better left unsaid
I'm afraid of the truth
But what can I do if I still want you
###
End P.2
###