Disclaimer: Sorry it took me so long to write this, but I had a lot of
things on my mind and wasn't in the mood to write. This chapter is pretty
short.
~*~*~*~*~
The knock on the door made Susan stir slowly. She got out of bed, taking a look into the mirror and realizing that she was still wearing the clothes from the previous day. Making her way to the door, she tried to fix her hair as much as possible.
"Who is it?" she asked, as she reached the door.
"Hey, Susan! It's me, John!" Carter called through the door.
Susan slowly opened the door and smiled slight when she saw him.
"Hey!" he greeted her, hugging her tightly.
"Hey" Susan replied wearily, trying to hide her sadness.
She managed to get out of Carter's embrace and went over to the bed to sit down. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Carter sat down next to her, just looking at her and smiling.
"What?" she asked, a little irritated.
"Nothing, I'm just glad to see you. How are you doing?" he asked, taking her hand.
"I'm holding on, I think. I didn't sleep too well though" she answered with a shrug. "John, I'm really not feeling well. Let me take a shower and get changed, ok?"
"Sure, whatever you want!" He said, leaning over to kiss her, but she pulled back and stood up, searching for her bag. Carter sat there, his look following every move she made. He definately wanted to know what was going on in her head, but he didn't want to push.
Susan disappeared into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She leaned back against the wall and felt a tear rolling down her cheek. Sometimes she just couldn't handle all the pressure. Carter had been awfully sweet to her lately and clearly made it easier for her to go on, but right now she just wanted to leave everything behind. She knew she never would though.
As she left the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her body, Carter blushed and tried hard not to stare.
"Good to know that I can still make you blush" Susan commented casually, grabbing her clothes and going back into the bathroom.
The next time she left it, she was dressed and her hair was up into a ponytail. Again, she looked at Carter, who was smiling slightly.
"What is it?" she asked curious.
"Nothing, you just... you look beautiful, you know. I never really noticed before" he said, blushing all over again.
"Well, thank you" she replied irritated, making Carter stand up quickly.
"No, I didn't mean it that way. I... I always knew you were..." he stuttered.
"And I meant it like I said it. Thank you" she reassured him and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Before she could pull back again, Carter wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you really ok?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.
"Mhm..." Susan mumbled, trying to avoid his eyes without any luck. She tried to hold back the tears she felt welling up, but there was no use. They quickly started to roll down her cheeks.
"Hey, it's ok. You'll be fine and Suzy will be fine, too, alright?" Carter said, trying to calm her down and pulling her against his chest. He let her cry until the tears ceased and her breathing slowed back to normal. Tilting her head up by her chin, he looked at her smiling.
"Alright?" he asked, as to make sure she was ok.
"Alright" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "We should get going" she said, after she pulled back.
Carter grabbed her jacket and helped her into it, before he put on his own coat.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah" she simply answered.
~*~*~*~*~
When they got to the hospital, Carter noticed the look of hesitation on Susan's face, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly. She glance quickly at him with a small smile on her lips.
"Thank you" she whispered and then entered Suzy's room, where she found Joe sitting next to the bed of her niece. A hint of panic flashed across her face and she hoped that he hadn't changed his mind.
"Hey Susan" Joe greeted, smiling lightly.
"Hey" she replied wearily, standing on the other side of the bed. "Hey honey" she said to the girl, stroking her hair.
Suzy looked drained, but she wasn't as pale as she had been the day before. Susan knew that physically, she'd be ok, but she didn't know what was going on in the little Suzy's mind.
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Susan asked her niece, smiling.
"I feel better... the doctor said I can go home today" Suzy replied wearily. She saw Carter standing in the hallway. He was watching her.
"Who is this, Aunt Susan?" the little girl asked, pointing into Carter's direction.
"Oh, he's... he's a friend of mine from Chicago" Susan motioned for Carter to come in and he did. "Joe, Suzy, this is John Carter. We're working together at the hospital".
Joe gave Carter's hand a small shake and smiled. Carter smiled back and then looked at little Suzy who was looking back and forth between him and her aunt.
"Hello Suzy" he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.
"Are you a doctor, too?" Suzy asked curiously.
Carter nodded. "Yes, I've been working with your aunt for quite a while now" he said.
Suzy was silent. She wanted to go home. Sensing that she didn't want to stay any longer, Susan went to get a doctor to release her niece.
After the doctor gave his okay to Suzy's release, Susan knew what was about to come.
"Susan, I need to talk to you" Joe said, looking rather sad.
She nodded and told Carter to stay with Suzy as long as she was talking to Joe.
"Did you change your mind?" she immediately asked when they left the hospital room.
"Yes, Susan. She's my stepdaughter. I can't give up on her..." he said, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Susan bit her lip. Tears were forming in her eyes when Joe finally looked up.
"I'm sorry, Susan. I really am..." he whispered and got back into the room to get Suzy's things. Susan watched him, wiping a single tear from her cheek and then met Carter's gaze. He left the room and took her hand, when he had reached her.
"What did he say?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"He's... he's going to take her with him, Carter. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to lose her again" she said, the tears now freely streaming down her face.
Carter wrapped her in his arms, whispering reassuring words to her. She cried for a while, until Joe and Suzy were ready to go home.
"Why are you crying, aunt Susan?" the little girl asked, taking her aunt's hand.
Susan kneeled down next to her and hugged her tightly. "It's ok, honey. I'm just... just sad. It'll be ok" she said, but she knew that she wasn't going to be ok.
~*~*~*~*~
The knock on the door made Susan stir slowly. She got out of bed, taking a look into the mirror and realizing that she was still wearing the clothes from the previous day. Making her way to the door, she tried to fix her hair as much as possible.
"Who is it?" she asked, as she reached the door.
"Hey, Susan! It's me, John!" Carter called through the door.
Susan slowly opened the door and smiled slight when she saw him.
"Hey!" he greeted her, hugging her tightly.
"Hey" Susan replied wearily, trying to hide her sadness.
She managed to get out of Carter's embrace and went over to the bed to sit down. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Carter sat down next to her, just looking at her and smiling.
"What?" she asked, a little irritated.
"Nothing, I'm just glad to see you. How are you doing?" he asked, taking her hand.
"I'm holding on, I think. I didn't sleep too well though" she answered with a shrug. "John, I'm really not feeling well. Let me take a shower and get changed, ok?"
"Sure, whatever you want!" He said, leaning over to kiss her, but she pulled back and stood up, searching for her bag. Carter sat there, his look following every move she made. He definately wanted to know what was going on in her head, but he didn't want to push.
Susan disappeared into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She leaned back against the wall and felt a tear rolling down her cheek. Sometimes she just couldn't handle all the pressure. Carter had been awfully sweet to her lately and clearly made it easier for her to go on, but right now she just wanted to leave everything behind. She knew she never would though.
As she left the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her body, Carter blushed and tried hard not to stare.
"Good to know that I can still make you blush" Susan commented casually, grabbing her clothes and going back into the bathroom.
The next time she left it, she was dressed and her hair was up into a ponytail. Again, she looked at Carter, who was smiling slightly.
"What is it?" she asked curious.
"Nothing, you just... you look beautiful, you know. I never really noticed before" he said, blushing all over again.
"Well, thank you" she replied irritated, making Carter stand up quickly.
"No, I didn't mean it that way. I... I always knew you were..." he stuttered.
"And I meant it like I said it. Thank you" she reassured him and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Before she could pull back again, Carter wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you really ok?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.
"Mhm..." Susan mumbled, trying to avoid his eyes without any luck. She tried to hold back the tears she felt welling up, but there was no use. They quickly started to roll down her cheeks.
"Hey, it's ok. You'll be fine and Suzy will be fine, too, alright?" Carter said, trying to calm her down and pulling her against his chest. He let her cry until the tears ceased and her breathing slowed back to normal. Tilting her head up by her chin, he looked at her smiling.
"Alright?" he asked, as to make sure she was ok.
"Alright" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "We should get going" she said, after she pulled back.
Carter grabbed her jacket and helped her into it, before he put on his own coat.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah" she simply answered.
~*~*~*~*~
When they got to the hospital, Carter noticed the look of hesitation on Susan's face, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly. She glance quickly at him with a small smile on her lips.
"Thank you" she whispered and then entered Suzy's room, where she found Joe sitting next to the bed of her niece. A hint of panic flashed across her face and she hoped that he hadn't changed his mind.
"Hey Susan" Joe greeted, smiling lightly.
"Hey" she replied wearily, standing on the other side of the bed. "Hey honey" she said to the girl, stroking her hair.
Suzy looked drained, but she wasn't as pale as she had been the day before. Susan knew that physically, she'd be ok, but she didn't know what was going on in the little Suzy's mind.
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Susan asked her niece, smiling.
"I feel better... the doctor said I can go home today" Suzy replied wearily. She saw Carter standing in the hallway. He was watching her.
"Who is this, Aunt Susan?" the little girl asked, pointing into Carter's direction.
"Oh, he's... he's a friend of mine from Chicago" Susan motioned for Carter to come in and he did. "Joe, Suzy, this is John Carter. We're working together at the hospital".
Joe gave Carter's hand a small shake and smiled. Carter smiled back and then looked at little Suzy who was looking back and forth between him and her aunt.
"Hello Suzy" he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.
"Are you a doctor, too?" Suzy asked curiously.
Carter nodded. "Yes, I've been working with your aunt for quite a while now" he said.
Suzy was silent. She wanted to go home. Sensing that she didn't want to stay any longer, Susan went to get a doctor to release her niece.
After the doctor gave his okay to Suzy's release, Susan knew what was about to come.
"Susan, I need to talk to you" Joe said, looking rather sad.
She nodded and told Carter to stay with Suzy as long as she was talking to Joe.
"Did you change your mind?" she immediately asked when they left the hospital room.
"Yes, Susan. She's my stepdaughter. I can't give up on her..." he said, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Susan bit her lip. Tears were forming in her eyes when Joe finally looked up.
"I'm sorry, Susan. I really am..." he whispered and got back into the room to get Suzy's things. Susan watched him, wiping a single tear from her cheek and then met Carter's gaze. He left the room and took her hand, when he had reached her.
"What did he say?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"He's... he's going to take her with him, Carter. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to lose her again" she said, the tears now freely streaming down her face.
Carter wrapped her in his arms, whispering reassuring words to her. She cried for a while, until Joe and Suzy were ready to go home.
"Why are you crying, aunt Susan?" the little girl asked, taking her aunt's hand.
Susan kneeled down next to her and hugged her tightly. "It's ok, honey. I'm just... just sad. It'll be ok" she said, but she knew that she wasn't going to be ok.