TITLE: Ten Year's Time
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com
PART: Part 3, Better Left Unsaid?
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby
RATING: PG, 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. =) Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used throughout the fic. =) Thanks to my Editor, Lucie, whom I forgot to thank in the first 2 openings. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!
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 3, Better Left Unsaid?
By Lisa, ERDrLewis@aol.com
###
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
###
"And what do you think the dream told you, John? How did it affect you?" Dr. Meyer tapped her pencil on the side of her notepad.
Carter sighed. He hated this, these sessions with Dr. Meyer. After Jamie had died, his mother had insisted he talk to someone since he had a past that included post-traumatic stress, depression, and drug use. But Carter didn't see how this was making a difference. "I don't know. It didn't affect me. Maybe it was telling me I'm ready to start dating again." An hour, twice a month. Carter had tried to convince Dr. Meyer to cut his sessions down, but she insisted that while he was taking antidepressants, even low dosage, he should see her twice a month. Then Carter had tried to convince her that he didn't need the pills anymore, but she persevered, telling him that he should take them through the year anniversary of his wife's death. Carter could see there was no way he was going to win.
There was a pause. Dr. Meyer scribbled something on her notepad. He knew he shouldn't have told her about the dream. But he didn't know what else they were going to talk about for an hour. "Do you think you're ready to start dating?"
"Maybe." How the hell was he supposed to know? "Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" he said, semi-sarcastically.
Dr. Meyer gave him a deadpanned look. "Is there any reason why you're in a grouchy mood today?"
"No."
From the look on Dr. Meyer's face, she wasn't buying it. She leafed through her notes. "It wouldn't have anything to do with your fortieth birthday being tomorrow, would it?"
Carter paused for a moment. "No," he tried to lie.
"Mhmm," she said with a smile. "So, John, what do you think being forty means?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Carter knew Dr. Meyer was in her mid-thirties, much younger than he. Or, it felt like much younger.
"Yeah, I kinda would," she said with a smile. "Do you feel like you're reaching a point in your life where you don't want to be?"
*My god, kill me now.* Carter chose to ignore that question. "I saw a little girl with leukemia yesterday. Well, she was in remission. She was only seven."
"Did that make you uncomfortable?"
"A little," he said truthfully. "I mean ... seven. That's how old Melanie is. I know it's not proven to be genetic, but with it on my side, with my brother, and Jamie's side ... it made me worry."
"That's understandable. Are you getting a lot of stress from work?"
"It's a stressful job. But, I've known that my whole life. It hasn't been any more stressful than usual." Carter looked at his watch. Thankfully, his time was almost up.
"Am I really that bad?" Dr. Meyer asked. Carter could see she was smiling.
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for evaluating the John Carter psyche today."
Dr. Meyer raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'll let you go five minutes early. Have a nice birthday tomorrow, John."
"Thanks. See you in two weeks, I suppose." Carter gave her a smile and walked as fast as he could to the door without Dr. Meyer noticing how fast he wanted to get out.
###
"Daddy!"
Carter spun around to see a little girl and boy running to greet him. "Hey guys! How was your morning?"
"Good. We had a big breakfast, we went out to eat," Melina said.
"Wow, Gamma took you? That's really nice of her."
"Hi Dr. Abby!" Jason called out.
"Abby! I didn't know you were on," Carter said.
"Hey Jason, hey Melina," Abby said, giving each child a brief hug. "I'm not, I just forgot some budget papers. They're done on Monday and I'm not close to done."
"You're not staying, Dr. Abby?" Melina asked.
"Nope, I have to go home and get work done. I wish I could stay with you guys!"
"But, your work is here," Jason said.
"I know, but I have to do this work at home."
"It's like homework at school, Jason," Melina said.
"I don't get homework," Jason protested.
"Well, you're very lucky then. You want to come into the lounge with me? I'll turn on the television for you," Abby said.
"Yeah!" Jason said, running off to the lounge with Melina close behind.
"Thanks, Abby," Carter said.
"No problem. Are they here all day?"
"Nope, just while my mom has a meeting upstairs."
"Oh, okay, good," Abby said. They wouldn't affect the plan at all.
###
"Lily, have the labs come back on Mr. Johnson yet? We've been waiting for three hours, are they that backed up?" Carter wearily lay the chart down on the desk.
"I'm not sure, Carter, but they're not back yet. I'll go find out," Lily said.
"Thanks, Lily." With that, he proceeded to go to the lounge.
###
"Okay, how are we going to make sure he doesn't come in here until his shift's over?" Chen asked.
"I don't know, that's your job, you're the one who's on," Dave replied.
"Just keep him occupied. Did everyone remember everything they were supposed to bring?" Abby asked, seeming somewhat flustered. She wanted this to all work out right.
Dave and Chen looked at each other. Abby must have been trying hard for a reason. "Yeah, everything's here," Chen answered.
Suddenly, Carter burst through the door. "Abby? Dave? What are you guys doing here? You're not on yet."
Abby and Dave exchanged a look. Ut-oh. "I, ya know, just decided to come in a little early and finish up some charts. I'm on in soon anyway."
Abby's eyes widened. That was her excuse! "Yeah, and I have to meet with Romano about the budget."
"I thought the budget reports weren't due until next week," Carter said.
Abby's eyes widened even more. "Yeah, me too, so I hope he doesn't want them!" *My god, Abby, pull it together.*
Carter eyed them skeptically. "You all must be up to something. I'll find out eventually though."
Suddenly, Lily ran into the lounge. "Guys, auto versus pedestrian, we get the ped. ETA 5 minutes."
"Since you all seem to be having a bit of a conference, I'll take it. Lily, can you grab Shane and Brandon and have them meet me outside?"
Lily and Carter left the lounge. "Budget reports?" Dave asked smiling.
"Oh, shut up! *I* was supposed to be doing charts. You caught me off guard. Okay, let's try and get this place ready."
"I can't stay long, since I'm on, but I'll try and send someone back here to help you," Chen said. She and Dave exchanged another look. "Hey, Abby, what's going on with you and Carter?"
Abby spun around. "Carter and me?" she squeaked. "Nothing! Why?"
"You've been acting weird around him. We just thought something might be going on," Dave explained.
Abby could feel her cheeks getting red. "No, of course not. No one brought any tape, I'll go see if Grace has any."
When Abby left the room, Chen and Dave looked at each other and exploded into laughter. "Something is DEFINITELY going on between them. Or at least Abby wants something to be going on between them," Dave said.
"Yeah, remember all those years ago, you could have sworn that they were having an affair? Way back when?"
"Yeah, but Abby was still with Luka. I still tell you Carter's the reason why she dumped him," Dave replied.
"I'll talk to Carter and see if I can get anything out of him. Here, you finish putting this up. I'll go find someone to help you. Abby should be back soon," Chen said, handing him the paper letters. She ran into Abby and Chuni on the way back in. "Chuni, I was just going to find you! Dave needs some help. I'll go keep Carter occupied."
She walked out into the admit area. "Lily, do you know where Carter is?"
"We just finished the trauma, I'm not sure where he went off to. But will you take him Mr. Johnson's labs?"
"Sure." She grabbed the papers and walked off in search of Carter. She found him in Exam Two with Mr. Johnson.
"They really should be here any time now, Mr. Johnson," Carter was explaining.
"Looking for these?" Chen asked, holding up the labs.
Carter smiled. "Thanks."
"Can I talk to you a minute when you're done?" Chen asked him.
"Sure," Carter said, looking a bit puzzled. Chen walked outside the room while he discussed Mr. Johnson's labs.
"Hey, everything okay?" Carter asked when he walked outside.
"Yeah, I was just hoping we could take a little walk. There's something I wanted to ask you."
Carter looked extremely puzzled now, but followed Chen as she led him outside. "Is this about what you and Dave and Abby were talking about in the lounge?"
"No, not really," Chen said. She stopped to lean up against the wall of the hospital. "Carter, is there anything going on with you and Abby?"
"Abby and me? No, why? Are there rumors about us going around?" Carter said, leaning next to her.
"No. But I've just noticed she's been acting a little funny around you lately."
Carter thought to himself for a moment. "Now that you mention it, she has. She's been a bit jumpy. I never thought of it though. She asked me to grab a cup of coffee yesterday and got all flustered when I said I had to be home."
Chen's eyes grew. Dave *was* right. "Hmm, like a date?"
"No, just coffee. It might have been a date," Carter said, a look of realization on his face.
"Mhmm. Just like I thought. Ask her out, Carter."
He turned to her. "What?!?"
"Ask her out. She's giving you all the signs." Chen paused. "Assuming you want to go out with her."
"I ... I never really thought about it," Carter said slowly.
"You think she's pretty?"
Carter gulped. "Gorgeous. But --"
"Nice?"
"Yeah, but --"
"Enjoy her company?"
Carter had given up on trying to protest. He sighed. "Yes."
"Then what are you waiting for? Two people that want to go out with each other, but no one wants to make the first move. And she won't. Not for a while. Because she's not sure if you're ready after ..." Chen trailed off.
"Yeah, but ... what if I'm not ready?" Carter asked, his eyes questioning.
"Don't you have a psychiatrist to tell you this?" Chen asked, remembering his morning appointment. "Carter, if you're not sure, then you're definitely ready. She's not going to rush you. She's not going to propose on the first date."
"Yeah ... yeah. I'm ready. Thanks, Deb."
Chen smiled. He was still the only one besides her husband she let call her Deb. "No problem. Now, get out of here! It's after six, you're off."
Carter smiled and walked back inside to get his stuff.
"Carter, Dr. Lockhart's looking for you in the lounge," Grace, the receptionist, said.
"Hey, thanks," he said. Good. He could ask her then. He paused for a second to look around the admit desk. It looked different. He suddenly realized that there wasn't the usually buzz of people around it. Doctors, nurses, no one was there. "Hmm." He ignored it and walked into the lounge.
He opened the door and realized where all of the people were.
"SURPRISE!" He looked around. Almost everyone who worked in the ER was there. Shifts were changing, so it would have been easy to round everyone up.
"Happy Birthday Carter!" they all screamed.
A smile erupted on Carter's face. "Thanks guys. Who's responsible for all this?" He looked over at Abby, Dave, and Chen, who had snuck in behind him.
Dave started to explain. "It was Abby's idea. Chen and I helped her put it all together. Brandon brought the cake and plastic silverware, Grace brought punch, and the nurses got the decorations," he said, pointing behind him. There were letters spelling out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTEB" hanging up.
"Carteb?" Carter asked.
"Okay, which one of you forgot to cut the 'B' into an 'R'?" Dave asked. Everyone laughed. "We only got two R's," he explained.
"It's great, it really is," Carter said. He could tell they spent a lot of time on the party.
"Alright, man, you get to cut the cake," Dave said, handing him the plastic cake cutter.
Carter cut cake for everyone, talked, ate drank punch. Eventually, the people who were off trickled out and the people who were on were called to duty. He and Abby were left to clean up.
"Are you sure they don't need you out there?" Carter asked.
"Nah, it's kinda slow. You shouldn't have to stay and clean up, it's your party," Abby said.
"What, and leave you here all alone? Here, can you help me with this banner?" Carter asked.
"Sure." Abby jumped on a chair to help him take down the banner. Carter jumped on the chair next to her.
"Don't fall off now," Carter warned. They both reached for the same piece of tape. Carter laughed and turned towards her. He stopped laughing when he realized how close her face was to his. Their eyes locked. "Abby?"
"Mhmm?" she asked.
"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you ..." *Should I?* he asked his mind. Well, it was either ask her or kiss her. He leaned in closer.
The door suddenly swung open. "Abby --" Chuni said, but stopped when she saw the pair.
"Wha --?" Abby swiveled around in the chair, not realizing that there was nowhere for her feet to go. She promptly fell to the ground.
"Abby?" Carter asked, jumping off the floor to help her up.
"You okay, hon.?" Chuni said between laughs. "We've got a trauma coming in in ten minutes, Dave wanted me to get you." She left the lounge laughing.
Carter tried to stifle his laughter. He finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" He was still laughing when he said it.
At first Abby looked hurt, then she joined in his laughter. "It is kinda funny," she said. "I'll be fine, just some bumps and bruises. You ... you, ah, said you wanted to ask me something?"
Carter smiled. "It can wait. Duty calls."
Abby looked puzzled. *Oh, right, Chuni said something about a trauma ...* "Yeah. Well, have a good birthday tomorrow."
"I will. And thanks for the party and everything," Carter said, smiling. Abby smiled back. Some things were better left unsaid.
###
End P.3
###
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com
PART: Part 3, Better Left Unsaid?
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby
RATING: PG, 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. =) Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used throughout the fic. =) Thanks to my Editor, Lucie, whom I forgot to thank in the first 2 openings. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!
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 3, Better Left Unsaid?
By Lisa, ERDrLewis@aol.com
###
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
###
"And what do you think the dream told you, John? How did it affect you?" Dr. Meyer tapped her pencil on the side of her notepad.
Carter sighed. He hated this, these sessions with Dr. Meyer. After Jamie had died, his mother had insisted he talk to someone since he had a past that included post-traumatic stress, depression, and drug use. But Carter didn't see how this was making a difference. "I don't know. It didn't affect me. Maybe it was telling me I'm ready to start dating again." An hour, twice a month. Carter had tried to convince Dr. Meyer to cut his sessions down, but she insisted that while he was taking antidepressants, even low dosage, he should see her twice a month. Then Carter had tried to convince her that he didn't need the pills anymore, but she persevered, telling him that he should take them through the year anniversary of his wife's death. Carter could see there was no way he was going to win.
There was a pause. Dr. Meyer scribbled something on her notepad. He knew he shouldn't have told her about the dream. But he didn't know what else they were going to talk about for an hour. "Do you think you're ready to start dating?"
"Maybe." How the hell was he supposed to know? "Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" he said, semi-sarcastically.
Dr. Meyer gave him a deadpanned look. "Is there any reason why you're in a grouchy mood today?"
"No."
From the look on Dr. Meyer's face, she wasn't buying it. She leafed through her notes. "It wouldn't have anything to do with your fortieth birthday being tomorrow, would it?"
Carter paused for a moment. "No," he tried to lie.
"Mhmm," she said with a smile. "So, John, what do you think being forty means?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Carter knew Dr. Meyer was in her mid-thirties, much younger than he. Or, it felt like much younger.
"Yeah, I kinda would," she said with a smile. "Do you feel like you're reaching a point in your life where you don't want to be?"
*My god, kill me now.* Carter chose to ignore that question. "I saw a little girl with leukemia yesterday. Well, she was in remission. She was only seven."
"Did that make you uncomfortable?"
"A little," he said truthfully. "I mean ... seven. That's how old Melanie is. I know it's not proven to be genetic, but with it on my side, with my brother, and Jamie's side ... it made me worry."
"That's understandable. Are you getting a lot of stress from work?"
"It's a stressful job. But, I've known that my whole life. It hasn't been any more stressful than usual." Carter looked at his watch. Thankfully, his time was almost up.
"Am I really that bad?" Dr. Meyer asked. Carter could see she was smiling.
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for evaluating the John Carter psyche today."
Dr. Meyer raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'll let you go five minutes early. Have a nice birthday tomorrow, John."
"Thanks. See you in two weeks, I suppose." Carter gave her a smile and walked as fast as he could to the door without Dr. Meyer noticing how fast he wanted to get out.
###
"Daddy!"
Carter spun around to see a little girl and boy running to greet him. "Hey guys! How was your morning?"
"Good. We had a big breakfast, we went out to eat," Melina said.
"Wow, Gamma took you? That's really nice of her."
"Hi Dr. Abby!" Jason called out.
"Abby! I didn't know you were on," Carter said.
"Hey Jason, hey Melina," Abby said, giving each child a brief hug. "I'm not, I just forgot some budget papers. They're done on Monday and I'm not close to done."
"You're not staying, Dr. Abby?" Melina asked.
"Nope, I have to go home and get work done. I wish I could stay with you guys!"
"But, your work is here," Jason said.
"I know, but I have to do this work at home."
"It's like homework at school, Jason," Melina said.
"I don't get homework," Jason protested.
"Well, you're very lucky then. You want to come into the lounge with me? I'll turn on the television for you," Abby said.
"Yeah!" Jason said, running off to the lounge with Melina close behind.
"Thanks, Abby," Carter said.
"No problem. Are they here all day?"
"Nope, just while my mom has a meeting upstairs."
"Oh, okay, good," Abby said. They wouldn't affect the plan at all.
###
"Lily, have the labs come back on Mr. Johnson yet? We've been waiting for three hours, are they that backed up?" Carter wearily lay the chart down on the desk.
"I'm not sure, Carter, but they're not back yet. I'll go find out," Lily said.
"Thanks, Lily." With that, he proceeded to go to the lounge.
###
"Okay, how are we going to make sure he doesn't come in here until his shift's over?" Chen asked.
"I don't know, that's your job, you're the one who's on," Dave replied.
"Just keep him occupied. Did everyone remember everything they were supposed to bring?" Abby asked, seeming somewhat flustered. She wanted this to all work out right.
Dave and Chen looked at each other. Abby must have been trying hard for a reason. "Yeah, everything's here," Chen answered.
Suddenly, Carter burst through the door. "Abby? Dave? What are you guys doing here? You're not on yet."
Abby and Dave exchanged a look. Ut-oh. "I, ya know, just decided to come in a little early and finish up some charts. I'm on in soon anyway."
Abby's eyes widened. That was her excuse! "Yeah, and I have to meet with Romano about the budget."
"I thought the budget reports weren't due until next week," Carter said.
Abby's eyes widened even more. "Yeah, me too, so I hope he doesn't want them!" *My god, Abby, pull it together.*
Carter eyed them skeptically. "You all must be up to something. I'll find out eventually though."
Suddenly, Lily ran into the lounge. "Guys, auto versus pedestrian, we get the ped. ETA 5 minutes."
"Since you all seem to be having a bit of a conference, I'll take it. Lily, can you grab Shane and Brandon and have them meet me outside?"
Lily and Carter left the lounge. "Budget reports?" Dave asked smiling.
"Oh, shut up! *I* was supposed to be doing charts. You caught me off guard. Okay, let's try and get this place ready."
"I can't stay long, since I'm on, but I'll try and send someone back here to help you," Chen said. She and Dave exchanged another look. "Hey, Abby, what's going on with you and Carter?"
Abby spun around. "Carter and me?" she squeaked. "Nothing! Why?"
"You've been acting weird around him. We just thought something might be going on," Dave explained.
Abby could feel her cheeks getting red. "No, of course not. No one brought any tape, I'll go see if Grace has any."
When Abby left the room, Chen and Dave looked at each other and exploded into laughter. "Something is DEFINITELY going on between them. Or at least Abby wants something to be going on between them," Dave said.
"Yeah, remember all those years ago, you could have sworn that they were having an affair? Way back when?"
"Yeah, but Abby was still with Luka. I still tell you Carter's the reason why she dumped him," Dave replied.
"I'll talk to Carter and see if I can get anything out of him. Here, you finish putting this up. I'll go find someone to help you. Abby should be back soon," Chen said, handing him the paper letters. She ran into Abby and Chuni on the way back in. "Chuni, I was just going to find you! Dave needs some help. I'll go keep Carter occupied."
She walked out into the admit area. "Lily, do you know where Carter is?"
"We just finished the trauma, I'm not sure where he went off to. But will you take him Mr. Johnson's labs?"
"Sure." She grabbed the papers and walked off in search of Carter. She found him in Exam Two with Mr. Johnson.
"They really should be here any time now, Mr. Johnson," Carter was explaining.
"Looking for these?" Chen asked, holding up the labs.
Carter smiled. "Thanks."
"Can I talk to you a minute when you're done?" Chen asked him.
"Sure," Carter said, looking a bit puzzled. Chen walked outside the room while he discussed Mr. Johnson's labs.
"Hey, everything okay?" Carter asked when he walked outside.
"Yeah, I was just hoping we could take a little walk. There's something I wanted to ask you."
Carter looked extremely puzzled now, but followed Chen as she led him outside. "Is this about what you and Dave and Abby were talking about in the lounge?"
"No, not really," Chen said. She stopped to lean up against the wall of the hospital. "Carter, is there anything going on with you and Abby?"
"Abby and me? No, why? Are there rumors about us going around?" Carter said, leaning next to her.
"No. But I've just noticed she's been acting a little funny around you lately."
Carter thought to himself for a moment. "Now that you mention it, she has. She's been a bit jumpy. I never thought of it though. She asked me to grab a cup of coffee yesterday and got all flustered when I said I had to be home."
Chen's eyes grew. Dave *was* right. "Hmm, like a date?"
"No, just coffee. It might have been a date," Carter said, a look of realization on his face.
"Mhmm. Just like I thought. Ask her out, Carter."
He turned to her. "What?!?"
"Ask her out. She's giving you all the signs." Chen paused. "Assuming you want to go out with her."
"I ... I never really thought about it," Carter said slowly.
"You think she's pretty?"
Carter gulped. "Gorgeous. But --"
"Nice?"
"Yeah, but --"
"Enjoy her company?"
Carter had given up on trying to protest. He sighed. "Yes."
"Then what are you waiting for? Two people that want to go out with each other, but no one wants to make the first move. And she won't. Not for a while. Because she's not sure if you're ready after ..." Chen trailed off.
"Yeah, but ... what if I'm not ready?" Carter asked, his eyes questioning.
"Don't you have a psychiatrist to tell you this?" Chen asked, remembering his morning appointment. "Carter, if you're not sure, then you're definitely ready. She's not going to rush you. She's not going to propose on the first date."
"Yeah ... yeah. I'm ready. Thanks, Deb."
Chen smiled. He was still the only one besides her husband she let call her Deb. "No problem. Now, get out of here! It's after six, you're off."
Carter smiled and walked back inside to get his stuff.
"Carter, Dr. Lockhart's looking for you in the lounge," Grace, the receptionist, said.
"Hey, thanks," he said. Good. He could ask her then. He paused for a second to look around the admit desk. It looked different. He suddenly realized that there wasn't the usually buzz of people around it. Doctors, nurses, no one was there. "Hmm." He ignored it and walked into the lounge.
He opened the door and realized where all of the people were.
"SURPRISE!" He looked around. Almost everyone who worked in the ER was there. Shifts were changing, so it would have been easy to round everyone up.
"Happy Birthday Carter!" they all screamed.
A smile erupted on Carter's face. "Thanks guys. Who's responsible for all this?" He looked over at Abby, Dave, and Chen, who had snuck in behind him.
Dave started to explain. "It was Abby's idea. Chen and I helped her put it all together. Brandon brought the cake and plastic silverware, Grace brought punch, and the nurses got the decorations," he said, pointing behind him. There were letters spelling out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTEB" hanging up.
"Carteb?" Carter asked.
"Okay, which one of you forgot to cut the 'B' into an 'R'?" Dave asked. Everyone laughed. "We only got two R's," he explained.
"It's great, it really is," Carter said. He could tell they spent a lot of time on the party.
"Alright, man, you get to cut the cake," Dave said, handing him the plastic cake cutter.
Carter cut cake for everyone, talked, ate drank punch. Eventually, the people who were off trickled out and the people who were on were called to duty. He and Abby were left to clean up.
"Are you sure they don't need you out there?" Carter asked.
"Nah, it's kinda slow. You shouldn't have to stay and clean up, it's your party," Abby said.
"What, and leave you here all alone? Here, can you help me with this banner?" Carter asked.
"Sure." Abby jumped on a chair to help him take down the banner. Carter jumped on the chair next to her.
"Don't fall off now," Carter warned. They both reached for the same piece of tape. Carter laughed and turned towards her. He stopped laughing when he realized how close her face was to his. Their eyes locked. "Abby?"
"Mhmm?" she asked.
"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you ..." *Should I?* he asked his mind. Well, it was either ask her or kiss her. He leaned in closer.
The door suddenly swung open. "Abby --" Chuni said, but stopped when she saw the pair.
"Wha --?" Abby swiveled around in the chair, not realizing that there was nowhere for her feet to go. She promptly fell to the ground.
"Abby?" Carter asked, jumping off the floor to help her up.
"You okay, hon.?" Chuni said between laughs. "We've got a trauma coming in in ten minutes, Dave wanted me to get you." She left the lounge laughing.
Carter tried to stifle his laughter. He finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" He was still laughing when he said it.
At first Abby looked hurt, then she joined in his laughter. "It is kinda funny," she said. "I'll be fine, just some bumps and bruises. You ... you, ah, said you wanted to ask me something?"
Carter smiled. "It can wait. Duty calls."
Abby looked puzzled. *Oh, right, Chuni said something about a trauma ...* "Yeah. Well, have a good birthday tomorrow."
"I will. And thanks for the party and everything," Carter said, smiling. Abby smiled back. Some things were better left unsaid.
###
End P.3
###