Sorry that I haven't been tending to this one as much as my others. I forgot where I was going with it. It was a really good idea, too...
--
"Carter," Susan called from the desk.
He came to see her standing, waiting with her coat on. Should she be calling him 'Carter?' If they were going out, shouldn't she be calling him 'John' now? Just a thought, he reminded himself, and gave her a rehearsed smile. "Yeah?"
"Get your coat on." She playfully giggled and curled a strand of hair behind her ear. "We're going to be late for our reservations."
He opened his mouth, but stopped himself and nodded. What was he going to say? He would never know, truthfully. She looked elsewhere and trotted towards a few nurses. Carter sighed and walked to the lounge with a heavy head.
He still hadn't recovered from the fight with Abby. He didn't think it was that big of a deal, but it was. He had cursed himself for his ignorance like that. He knew she was right. Just because he had Susan, he had ignored he and Abby's relationship, which was important as well. Very important to the both of them.
Abby and Luka were in the lounge when he entered. Luka, however, was just leaving. He nodded to Carter as he mumbled his name. Carter nodded after him all the same, then looked at Abby. Abby looked back, but shifted her gaze to the floor. She began to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Something wrong?" Carter inquired, taking his coat from his shoulders and tossing it into the locker. He loosened his tie, but not too visibly, seeing as he had dinner reservations.
"What?" she asked looking up. Her eyes didn't resemble any crying, so Carter felt lost for words.
"I thought you were, um, crying," he rushed with a sympathetic smile. She stayed still. "Were you?"
She shook her head. "No," she said looking away again.
He nodded and turned to his locker. He focused on the mirror in the back. There were dark circles under his eyes, depicting clear weariness. He traced a finger through the irritating stubble on his cheek. Why was he going out to eat? He'd just worked an almost twenty hour shift; did Susan know that?
He didn't want to have dinner with her. He was going to put it into a joke, in a hopeful attempt to lighten the mood between Abby and he at the moment. Instead, his eyes were diverted to her, desperately trying to cleanse her face. She was crying.
Carter left his locker open and slowly crept to her side. "What's wrong, Abby?"
She jumped at his voice. "Nothing, John," she whispered. Her words were silent, but crystallized against the dark, opaque atmosphere between them. She searched her fingers for nothing and knotted them together. Her eyes met his, and it was then that he realized he was standing close to her. He wasn't uncomfortable like he thought he would be. Back in reality, her eyes were locked on his. His were focused on hers. He recognized the tears. He felt her stare on him, in him.
"Something's wrong," he said. "You can tell me, Abby."
"That's just the thing," she said, interrupting him. She drew apart a little and continued. "I can't."
"What do you mean?" he laughed weakly. "Of course you can, Abby. I'm your best friend. Why couldn't you?"
She shook her head. Taking away another stray tear, she added, "Because you're not my friend at all, John." She called him John, he thought, as she went on. "We're not the same."
He nodded. "I know."
She nodded, too. He hoped that she was as disappointed about their dispute as he was.
"Have dinner with me," he said.
"What?"
"Have dinner with me," he said. He was almost disappointed with himself. Remember Susan? he asked himself. "Just me and you. We can try to get this whole thing straightened out."
She smiled wearily. Her tears had ceased. "Okay," she sniffed. With a slightly tearful laugh, she repeated, "Okay."
He didn't think twice about the reservations. They hadn't paid ahead of time; big deal if they missed on dinner date. Why should Susan be upset with that? She knew Abby was his closest friend.
He pulled her into a strong hug. Her arms instantly grabbed him, bringing him closer. She was crying out inside, he could sense it. With Abby, he always could sense that. He held the back of her scrub top, near her neck and hair. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed quietly to himself. "You're my best friend, Abby," he said.
Abby's hands rubbed the end of his back. He did the same to her, enjoying himself. She pulled apart, and Carter stopped himself from groaning. "I know," she said. Her smile was small and meager, but it was a smile. It was a smile from Abby, and that could light up his day.
"I'll be right back," he said. "Then we'll go out and eat, 'kay?"
"Would it be okay if we just got something to go?" Abby asked, her voice still shaky. "I have something I want to tell you." She added this quietly with her face unsure.
"Of course," Carter answered. He tried to watch for the something in her eyes, but didn't find it. He proceeded from the lounge to the desk again to see Susan waiting for him.
"Carter!" she said. Her smile was there, but she didn't mean it. "Where's your coat? Let's go!"
"Not tonight," he said.
"Excuse me?"
He shook his head. "Sorry," he said, "I know we had reservations and everything. But I worked for almost a day without sleep. And I gotta get some sleep."
She didn't want to say anything. "Okay," she said. "Fine." She looked at him oddly again. "We all work long days around here Carter." She giggled carelessly and kissed him across the counter. It felt different.
"I'll call you, Carter," she said as she was leaving.
How about you call me John, he thought. He could have laughed aloud at himself for sounding so dumbly.
He reentered the lounge. "Ready, Abby?"
She nodded from her seat on the couch. "Yeah," she whispered. "Let's go."
--
Ooooh, what is she going to tell him in Chapter three?? No one's that interested...
A note: I was listening to Secret Garden, the Jerry Maguire song while I wrote this. The one with the Tom Cruise-Renee Zellwegger dialogue in it. That put something into this story, I guess. I wish I could have written a more Carby story to the song though.
Sorry for it being kind of short. Chapter three should be up pretty soon.
Again, thanks for all the great feelings from reviews!! You guys are so sweet.
-me
--
"Carter," Susan called from the desk.
He came to see her standing, waiting with her coat on. Should she be calling him 'Carter?' If they were going out, shouldn't she be calling him 'John' now? Just a thought, he reminded himself, and gave her a rehearsed smile. "Yeah?"
"Get your coat on." She playfully giggled and curled a strand of hair behind her ear. "We're going to be late for our reservations."
He opened his mouth, but stopped himself and nodded. What was he going to say? He would never know, truthfully. She looked elsewhere and trotted towards a few nurses. Carter sighed and walked to the lounge with a heavy head.
He still hadn't recovered from the fight with Abby. He didn't think it was that big of a deal, but it was. He had cursed himself for his ignorance like that. He knew she was right. Just because he had Susan, he had ignored he and Abby's relationship, which was important as well. Very important to the both of them.
Abby and Luka were in the lounge when he entered. Luka, however, was just leaving. He nodded to Carter as he mumbled his name. Carter nodded after him all the same, then looked at Abby. Abby looked back, but shifted her gaze to the floor. She began to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Something wrong?" Carter inquired, taking his coat from his shoulders and tossing it into the locker. He loosened his tie, but not too visibly, seeing as he had dinner reservations.
"What?" she asked looking up. Her eyes didn't resemble any crying, so Carter felt lost for words.
"I thought you were, um, crying," he rushed with a sympathetic smile. She stayed still. "Were you?"
She shook her head. "No," she said looking away again.
He nodded and turned to his locker. He focused on the mirror in the back. There were dark circles under his eyes, depicting clear weariness. He traced a finger through the irritating stubble on his cheek. Why was he going out to eat? He'd just worked an almost twenty hour shift; did Susan know that?
He didn't want to have dinner with her. He was going to put it into a joke, in a hopeful attempt to lighten the mood between Abby and he at the moment. Instead, his eyes were diverted to her, desperately trying to cleanse her face. She was crying.
Carter left his locker open and slowly crept to her side. "What's wrong, Abby?"
She jumped at his voice. "Nothing, John," she whispered. Her words were silent, but crystallized against the dark, opaque atmosphere between them. She searched her fingers for nothing and knotted them together. Her eyes met his, and it was then that he realized he was standing close to her. He wasn't uncomfortable like he thought he would be. Back in reality, her eyes were locked on his. His were focused on hers. He recognized the tears. He felt her stare on him, in him.
"Something's wrong," he said. "You can tell me, Abby."
"That's just the thing," she said, interrupting him. She drew apart a little and continued. "I can't."
"What do you mean?" he laughed weakly. "Of course you can, Abby. I'm your best friend. Why couldn't you?"
She shook her head. Taking away another stray tear, she added, "Because you're not my friend at all, John." She called him John, he thought, as she went on. "We're not the same."
He nodded. "I know."
She nodded, too. He hoped that she was as disappointed about their dispute as he was.
"Have dinner with me," he said.
"What?"
"Have dinner with me," he said. He was almost disappointed with himself. Remember Susan? he asked himself. "Just me and you. We can try to get this whole thing straightened out."
She smiled wearily. Her tears had ceased. "Okay," she sniffed. With a slightly tearful laugh, she repeated, "Okay."
He didn't think twice about the reservations. They hadn't paid ahead of time; big deal if they missed on dinner date. Why should Susan be upset with that? She knew Abby was his closest friend.
He pulled her into a strong hug. Her arms instantly grabbed him, bringing him closer. She was crying out inside, he could sense it. With Abby, he always could sense that. He held the back of her scrub top, near her neck and hair. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed quietly to himself. "You're my best friend, Abby," he said.
Abby's hands rubbed the end of his back. He did the same to her, enjoying himself. She pulled apart, and Carter stopped himself from groaning. "I know," she said. Her smile was small and meager, but it was a smile. It was a smile from Abby, and that could light up his day.
"I'll be right back," he said. "Then we'll go out and eat, 'kay?"
"Would it be okay if we just got something to go?" Abby asked, her voice still shaky. "I have something I want to tell you." She added this quietly with her face unsure.
"Of course," Carter answered. He tried to watch for the something in her eyes, but didn't find it. He proceeded from the lounge to the desk again to see Susan waiting for him.
"Carter!" she said. Her smile was there, but she didn't mean it. "Where's your coat? Let's go!"
"Not tonight," he said.
"Excuse me?"
He shook his head. "Sorry," he said, "I know we had reservations and everything. But I worked for almost a day without sleep. And I gotta get some sleep."
She didn't want to say anything. "Okay," she said. "Fine." She looked at him oddly again. "We all work long days around here Carter." She giggled carelessly and kissed him across the counter. It felt different.
"I'll call you, Carter," she said as she was leaving.
How about you call me John, he thought. He could have laughed aloud at himself for sounding so dumbly.
He reentered the lounge. "Ready, Abby?"
She nodded from her seat on the couch. "Yeah," she whispered. "Let's go."
--
Ooooh, what is she going to tell him in Chapter three?? No one's that interested...
A note: I was listening to Secret Garden, the Jerry Maguire song while I wrote this. The one with the Tom Cruise-Renee Zellwegger dialogue in it. That put something into this story, I guess. I wish I could have written a more Carby story to the song though.
Sorry for it being kind of short. Chapter three should be up pretty soon.
Again, thanks for all the great feelings from reviews!! You guys are so sweet.
-me