Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Carter or Abby or anyone else in this
piece of work.
Warning: This fan fiction contains spoilers for upcoming ER episodes.
AN: I haven't updated in awhile, huh? I've been working on my Dave fic, Back Home. Hey, I have an idea! Check the fic out and tell me what you think about it! What? Oh, no, of course I'm not trying to promote my own work!
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Carter ran into the welcomingly warm diner across the street from the ER. He shivered as he walked in from the cold and walked over to the counter.
"Hey, can I get a coffee," he requested to the waitress, who nodded and left to get his drink. He sighed and looked around, pausing when he saw Abby in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. He gazed at her for a moment, waiting for her to look up. He turned back when he realized the waitress had already come back with his coffee. He smiled at her and gave her a word of thanks before looking back at Abby. This time, he found her eyes staring back at him. He raised his eyebrows when she beckoned him over to her table. He grabbed his cup, got up, and walked over.
"Hi," he greeted, sitting down at the booth.
"Hey," she replied. "Are you off?"
He shook his head. "I'm on break. How about you?"
"Yup, I got off a half hour ago," she told him.
He nodded and looked down at the swirling, brown liquid in his mug. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at the nurse, a questioning look in his eyes. The silence took over as the two played their little game. Abby was the first to look away. She swirled her own coffee with her spoon and gave a sigh of irritation.
"So when do you plan on it?" she asked.
Carter gave her a confused look. "What?"
"When are you going to start interrogating me?"
Carter gave a small laugh. "What are you talking about?"
"I see that look in your eyes. I know what you're thinking."
"Oh, is that so? Well, why don't you tell me, then."
"You want to ask me. You want to ask when I started, why I started, is there anything I can do to help you…" she replied, making small motions with her hands.
"Are you going to tell me the answers to those questions?"
She gave him a short glare. She looked down at the table. "My birthday," she said, so quietly that Carter could barely hear her.
He leaned in. "What do you mean?"
"I started drinking on my birthday," she repeated, a little more loudly.
"Your birthday was in January…" Carter said, slowly.
"Yeah, well you didn't seem to remember at the time," she replied, almost bitterly. "Nobody did."
"What is that, a self-pity excuse?" he asked.
"No," she said, defensively. "It's the truth."
"Why didn't you remind anyone?"
"As if it wasn't depressing enough that nobody remembers," she groaned.
"So…people forgetting your birthday pushed you over the edge?" he asked, cautiously.
"No," she scoffed. "I can handle that, I suppose. It's…it was all the things that happened that day."
"Will you tell me what?"
She looked up at him, contemplating her words. "It was a lot of stuff…Luka told me he was going to Bosnia for awhile, I had to deal with this little boy who lost his mother, I had to deal with a woman and her abortion story, and to top it off, Richard tells me he's getting remarried," she blurted.
"That IS tough," Carter remarked.
Abby paused before she continued. "It was the day that Sobriki came back," she told him, quietly.
Carter froze for a moment. "Oh…" he started, but trailed off.
"Yeah…so I guess I can't really blame you for not remembering my birthday," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Carter didn't reply and Abby became concerned. Suddenly he looked up at her.
"Let's go," he said.
"What?"
"Let's go," he repeated. "I want to take you to an AA meeting."
"Oh, no," she laughed. "I do NOT want to go to an AA meeting. Besides, you're still on duty."
He shrugged. "I'll get someone to cover for me," he said.
"But…"
"Abby, I want to help you. You know I do. Please, just let me do that."
"Look, I can't go. Not now. But, if you stop nagging me about it, I'll go."
"When?"
"What time do you get off?"
"I've got a 24-hour shift…on at 1:00, off at 1:00," he replied.
"I get back on at 8:00, so I'll go before my shift," she told him.
"Do you promise?" he asked.
"Cross my heart," she assured.
He nodded. "Okay, it's a deal then," he said, sticking out his hand.
She took it and entwined his fingers with hers. Carter raised an eyebrow at her gesture and returned the smile he saw her giving him.
Later…
"So how was it?" Carter asked as they waited outside for the arriving trauma.
"How was what?" Abby replied.
"The meeting," Carter said, looking at her.
"Oh…it was boring," she told him, tossing him a glance.
"So you did go," he reasoned.
"Yeah…it was boring," she repeated.
He sighed to himself. "Did you do it for you or because you promised me I would?"
She gave him another glance and looked away. The ambulance arrived in the bay and Carter and Abby walked toward it.
"I did it for you," was the response.
Warning: This fan fiction contains spoilers for upcoming ER episodes.
AN: I haven't updated in awhile, huh? I've been working on my Dave fic, Back Home. Hey, I have an idea! Check the fic out and tell me what you think about it! What? Oh, no, of course I'm not trying to promote my own work!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carter ran into the welcomingly warm diner across the street from the ER. He shivered as he walked in from the cold and walked over to the counter.
"Hey, can I get a coffee," he requested to the waitress, who nodded and left to get his drink. He sighed and looked around, pausing when he saw Abby in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. He gazed at her for a moment, waiting for her to look up. He turned back when he realized the waitress had already come back with his coffee. He smiled at her and gave her a word of thanks before looking back at Abby. This time, he found her eyes staring back at him. He raised his eyebrows when she beckoned him over to her table. He grabbed his cup, got up, and walked over.
"Hi," he greeted, sitting down at the booth.
"Hey," she replied. "Are you off?"
He shook his head. "I'm on break. How about you?"
"Yup, I got off a half hour ago," she told him.
He nodded and looked down at the swirling, brown liquid in his mug. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at the nurse, a questioning look in his eyes. The silence took over as the two played their little game. Abby was the first to look away. She swirled her own coffee with her spoon and gave a sigh of irritation.
"So when do you plan on it?" she asked.
Carter gave her a confused look. "What?"
"When are you going to start interrogating me?"
Carter gave a small laugh. "What are you talking about?"
"I see that look in your eyes. I know what you're thinking."
"Oh, is that so? Well, why don't you tell me, then."
"You want to ask me. You want to ask when I started, why I started, is there anything I can do to help you…" she replied, making small motions with her hands.
"Are you going to tell me the answers to those questions?"
She gave him a short glare. She looked down at the table. "My birthday," she said, so quietly that Carter could barely hear her.
He leaned in. "What do you mean?"
"I started drinking on my birthday," she repeated, a little more loudly.
"Your birthday was in January…" Carter said, slowly.
"Yeah, well you didn't seem to remember at the time," she replied, almost bitterly. "Nobody did."
"What is that, a self-pity excuse?" he asked.
"No," she said, defensively. "It's the truth."
"Why didn't you remind anyone?"
"As if it wasn't depressing enough that nobody remembers," she groaned.
"So…people forgetting your birthday pushed you over the edge?" he asked, cautiously.
"No," she scoffed. "I can handle that, I suppose. It's…it was all the things that happened that day."
"Will you tell me what?"
She looked up at him, contemplating her words. "It was a lot of stuff…Luka told me he was going to Bosnia for awhile, I had to deal with this little boy who lost his mother, I had to deal with a woman and her abortion story, and to top it off, Richard tells me he's getting remarried," she blurted.
"That IS tough," Carter remarked.
Abby paused before she continued. "It was the day that Sobriki came back," she told him, quietly.
Carter froze for a moment. "Oh…" he started, but trailed off.
"Yeah…so I guess I can't really blame you for not remembering my birthday," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Carter didn't reply and Abby became concerned. Suddenly he looked up at her.
"Let's go," he said.
"What?"
"Let's go," he repeated. "I want to take you to an AA meeting."
"Oh, no," she laughed. "I do NOT want to go to an AA meeting. Besides, you're still on duty."
He shrugged. "I'll get someone to cover for me," he said.
"But…"
"Abby, I want to help you. You know I do. Please, just let me do that."
"Look, I can't go. Not now. But, if you stop nagging me about it, I'll go."
"When?"
"What time do you get off?"
"I've got a 24-hour shift…on at 1:00, off at 1:00," he replied.
"I get back on at 8:00, so I'll go before my shift," she told him.
"Do you promise?" he asked.
"Cross my heart," she assured.
He nodded. "Okay, it's a deal then," he said, sticking out his hand.
She took it and entwined his fingers with hers. Carter raised an eyebrow at her gesture and returned the smile he saw her giving him.
Later…
"So how was it?" Carter asked as they waited outside for the arriving trauma.
"How was what?" Abby replied.
"The meeting," Carter said, looking at her.
"Oh…it was boring," she told him, tossing him a glance.
"So you did go," he reasoned.
"Yeah…it was boring," she repeated.
He sighed to himself. "Did you do it for you or because you promised me I would?"
She gave him another glance and looked away. The ambulance arrived in the bay and Carter and Abby walked toward it.
"I did it for you," was the response.