Chapter 5: Keeping Sane
A/N: Sorry this took so long. Only allowed on the computer on weekends. I'll try to do these faster.
Abby listened intently to Carter's tale.
"What? Avalanche? Did you call the police? 911?"
"Abby, I'm not stupid! Of course I did!"
"Why couldn't you have told me this in front of Peter and Kerry?"
"Because if Peter heard, he'd probably be on his way over by now!"
"I'm on my way over!"
"No, Abby, stay there!"
"Look, if you wanted me to stay, why did you call me?"
"Because I heard the messages you left on Dave's voice mail and you sounded anxiety-ridden!"
"Me? Anxious? I was a little nervous that's all!" Abby sounded insulted, "And even if I was worried you think this would calm me down?"
"Abby, listen! There is nothing you can do! You're in Illinois! We're in Minnesota! And I still do not know why!"
"Oh cut the crap, Carter!"
"Look, help is on it's way and I'm a doctor, remember? I can handle this!"
"Peter's going to ask about you, you know."
"I know. You have to tell him that everything will be fine."
"Will everything be fine?" there was silence on the other end and Abby sighed, frustrated, "How can I say that when I don't even believe it? When *you* don't even believe it?"
"If anyone asks, just quickly change the subject!"
"If they're determined..."
"Pretend you're being paged or something... I don't know!"
"In a way, Carter, I wish you didn't call me... But at least I know what's going on... Even if I wished I didn't..."
"Uh, right, OK, you're confusing me now, Abby, I should go."
"Yeah, bye," Abby hung up. She exited the room she had sneaked into. She walked down the hall and was trying to keep calm. Her effort must have showed because Jing-Mei Chen stopped her.
"Abby, is something wrong?"
"Um... No, why would something be wrong? Do you have any work for me?"
"No... I was just concerned. You look a little pale."
"Oh no, I'm fine, really, just fine!" But her voice squeaked slightly as it rose.
"All right, but if you need to talk to someone..." Jing-Mei walked off.
"Yeah..." Abby sighed.
Carter tried again as hard as he could to move the rocks with little success waiting for the police. He couldn't help Dave if he was covered with rocks. Dave groaned with pain as he became conscious again, his shirt was stained crimson from the blood that was oozing out of him at a rapid rate.
"Who is that?" Dave asked, weakly, his vision blurred.
"It's me, Dave, Carter," Carter answered, but Dave was out again. Carter bit his lip. He couldn't believe this was happening. First Lucy, now Dave, who next? Him? It was killing his sanity. All the dreams, all the events happening in his life, the drug problem he had had... Everything was effecting his sanity. But he pushed his thoughts aside. He had to keep them out. He was not going to lose another friend, that, he promised himself. Carter tried pushing the rocks away by hand again and when he gave up and saw a fallen tree branch, an idea struck him. He walked over to the branch and tested its strength. What he needed was to get *under* the rock and push it away like that. He tested the stick one more time. He then ran over to the rock, shoved the stick as far under it as he could get, and began pushing down on the stick. He had underestimated its strength. It moved the boulder slightly more than he had with out it... Before it snapped. Carter saw it fall backwards on where the stick had been but held it up. He rolled it over so it was stable and wouldn't roll back, but to make sure, he placed half of the stick he had used to move it with in it's path. One of Dave's legs was accessible to the air now and, even being a doctor, Carter flinched slightly at the site before him. If Dave's shirt was bloodstained, it was nothing compared to his jeans. Wet and dry patches of the vermilion liquid stained the dark denim. Carter knew the bones were crushed. He didn't have any equipment and so he had to be resourceful and make do. He looked around. Then, he saw their gear. Dave's gear had somehow gotten off his back and was a few feet away while Carter had discarded his gear when he saw the tumbled rocks. It was about ten feet away. He remembered only packing a first aid kit but he knew there were some bandages in there, among a few other things that might help, and so he got to work.
"Abby... ABBY!"
"Huh?" Abby was drawn out of her daydreams... Or day nightmares.
"Trauma coming in!" Kerry screamed.
"Oh, right!" she said as she saw Mark and Luka wheeling in a bleeding patient on a gurney. She almost screamed at what she saw. Before her eyes was Dave Malucci, bleeding like crazy out of wounds all over his body. Actually, she did scream.
"Holy crap!" she yelled so loud that Mark and Luka stared at her, confused. Abby blinked and looked at the patient again. It was a male, but he was blond and wasn't bleeding much. He was still conscious and moaning in pain. Mark rolled him away and Elizabeth joined while Luka stayed behind. Abby shook her head to make the vision disappear completely from her mind. She took some deep breaths.
"Abby, are you all right?" Luka asked. Abby swallowed and shook her head.
"No," she replied.
"Don't take this patient," he ordered, "Go home."
"But-"
"Go home!" now, he was racing down the hall after the trauma patient. She didn't have time to argue. Kerry, who had seen the whole thing, allowed Abby to take some time off. Abby pulled on her jacket, imagining all the horrible things that could be happening to Dave and Carter both. Sometimes, she could almost see it. Dave, lying underneath tons of rocks pleading for Carter to help. Carter, meanwhile, was holding back, fighting with himself, losing his sanity. Abby had been worried for his sanity for a while now. Mostly since Lucy's death. She knew he couldn't handle the loss of another friend. Heck she wasn't even sure she could handle it. She wasn't sure anyone could.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. Only allowed on the computer on weekends. I'll try to do these faster.
Abby listened intently to Carter's tale.
"What? Avalanche? Did you call the police? 911?"
"Abby, I'm not stupid! Of course I did!"
"Why couldn't you have told me this in front of Peter and Kerry?"
"Because if Peter heard, he'd probably be on his way over by now!"
"I'm on my way over!"
"No, Abby, stay there!"
"Look, if you wanted me to stay, why did you call me?"
"Because I heard the messages you left on Dave's voice mail and you sounded anxiety-ridden!"
"Me? Anxious? I was a little nervous that's all!" Abby sounded insulted, "And even if I was worried you think this would calm me down?"
"Abby, listen! There is nothing you can do! You're in Illinois! We're in Minnesota! And I still do not know why!"
"Oh cut the crap, Carter!"
"Look, help is on it's way and I'm a doctor, remember? I can handle this!"
"Peter's going to ask about you, you know."
"I know. You have to tell him that everything will be fine."
"Will everything be fine?" there was silence on the other end and Abby sighed, frustrated, "How can I say that when I don't even believe it? When *you* don't even believe it?"
"If anyone asks, just quickly change the subject!"
"If they're determined..."
"Pretend you're being paged or something... I don't know!"
"In a way, Carter, I wish you didn't call me... But at least I know what's going on... Even if I wished I didn't..."
"Uh, right, OK, you're confusing me now, Abby, I should go."
"Yeah, bye," Abby hung up. She exited the room she had sneaked into. She walked down the hall and was trying to keep calm. Her effort must have showed because Jing-Mei Chen stopped her.
"Abby, is something wrong?"
"Um... No, why would something be wrong? Do you have any work for me?"
"No... I was just concerned. You look a little pale."
"Oh no, I'm fine, really, just fine!" But her voice squeaked slightly as it rose.
"All right, but if you need to talk to someone..." Jing-Mei walked off.
"Yeah..." Abby sighed.
Carter tried again as hard as he could to move the rocks with little success waiting for the police. He couldn't help Dave if he was covered with rocks. Dave groaned with pain as he became conscious again, his shirt was stained crimson from the blood that was oozing out of him at a rapid rate.
"Who is that?" Dave asked, weakly, his vision blurred.
"It's me, Dave, Carter," Carter answered, but Dave was out again. Carter bit his lip. He couldn't believe this was happening. First Lucy, now Dave, who next? Him? It was killing his sanity. All the dreams, all the events happening in his life, the drug problem he had had... Everything was effecting his sanity. But he pushed his thoughts aside. He had to keep them out. He was not going to lose another friend, that, he promised himself. Carter tried pushing the rocks away by hand again and when he gave up and saw a fallen tree branch, an idea struck him. He walked over to the branch and tested its strength. What he needed was to get *under* the rock and push it away like that. He tested the stick one more time. He then ran over to the rock, shoved the stick as far under it as he could get, and began pushing down on the stick. He had underestimated its strength. It moved the boulder slightly more than he had with out it... Before it snapped. Carter saw it fall backwards on where the stick had been but held it up. He rolled it over so it was stable and wouldn't roll back, but to make sure, he placed half of the stick he had used to move it with in it's path. One of Dave's legs was accessible to the air now and, even being a doctor, Carter flinched slightly at the site before him. If Dave's shirt was bloodstained, it was nothing compared to his jeans. Wet and dry patches of the vermilion liquid stained the dark denim. Carter knew the bones were crushed. He didn't have any equipment and so he had to be resourceful and make do. He looked around. Then, he saw their gear. Dave's gear had somehow gotten off his back and was a few feet away while Carter had discarded his gear when he saw the tumbled rocks. It was about ten feet away. He remembered only packing a first aid kit but he knew there were some bandages in there, among a few other things that might help, and so he got to work.
"Abby... ABBY!"
"Huh?" Abby was drawn out of her daydreams... Or day nightmares.
"Trauma coming in!" Kerry screamed.
"Oh, right!" she said as she saw Mark and Luka wheeling in a bleeding patient on a gurney. She almost screamed at what she saw. Before her eyes was Dave Malucci, bleeding like crazy out of wounds all over his body. Actually, she did scream.
"Holy crap!" she yelled so loud that Mark and Luka stared at her, confused. Abby blinked and looked at the patient again. It was a male, but he was blond and wasn't bleeding much. He was still conscious and moaning in pain. Mark rolled him away and Elizabeth joined while Luka stayed behind. Abby shook her head to make the vision disappear completely from her mind. She took some deep breaths.
"Abby, are you all right?" Luka asked. Abby swallowed and shook her head.
"No," she replied.
"Don't take this patient," he ordered, "Go home."
"But-"
"Go home!" now, he was racing down the hall after the trauma patient. She didn't have time to argue. Kerry, who had seen the whole thing, allowed Abby to take some time off. Abby pulled on her jacket, imagining all the horrible things that could be happening to Dave and Carter both. Sometimes, she could almost see it. Dave, lying underneath tons of rocks pleading for Carter to help. Carter, meanwhile, was holding back, fighting with himself, losing his sanity. Abby had been worried for his sanity for a while now. Mostly since Lucy's death. She knew he couldn't handle the loss of another friend. Heck she wasn't even sure she could handle it. She wasn't sure anyone could.