"Did she get upset?" Abby asked across the table. "She seemed a little edgy with me."
"No," Carter said. "Maybe it just wasn't her day."
"Well," Abby said. "I already figured that."
Carter nodded and turned his attention to the pair of pepper and salt shakers at the end, near the wall of the table. He picked up the pepper without any reason, apparent or not, and let it down again. "It's been hard for her lately."
"With all the," Abby said, then stopped. "You know."
He nodded again. To make this moment symmetrical, he should have picked up the salt. "Yeah. I know."
They were quiet. It was as if they owed her some respect , even though she wasn't there. He held her hand now, without looking at it. She gripped it adoringly back, and also kept her eyes on the undefined pattern on the table.
"Where's our coffee?" he said, sighing.
"Where's our food?" she said, raising the word 'food.'
He shrugged and smiled. "I'm hungry." He looked away. "I felt awful. When I went to speak with her I mean."
"I know," she said, gripping his hand again. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged again. "It's good to have you here."
She turned up her bottom lip into a smile. "It's not so bad being here."
He nodded heavily and scratched the back of his head. His own hand felt warm against his skin, and he breathed out as she traced his knuckles with her hand.
"You're great," she said. "You didn't do *anything* bad, you know."
He nodded. "I know." He shook his head. "I would have been happy to have her. I just wish I didn't have to give her away. I wanted to be with her."
"I know you did," she said.
He breathed out again. "It's hard giving someone like that up. Sometimes they really take you away and you don't notice it, I guess, until it's too late."
She shook her head. "I know." She looked up as the waitress approached them.
"Excuse me," the woman said.
Carter looked up now as well.
"Your lunch should be out in about twenty minutes," she said with a polite, but completely transparent smile. "We're sorry for the wait."
"You know what," Carter said, standing up, "we're gonna see about going somewhere else. We've been waiting here for a while now."
She nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry."
Abby smiled as Carter, frustrated, stood up. She took his hand, which he eagerly took the same, and together they walked outside.
"It's just," Carter stuttered, "I thought I would be with her until the end, you know?"
She nodded. "I know."
"I never noticed she was there," he said. "I mean, I saw her. Just didn't realize how I really saw her."
She nodded again. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "And now it's too late."
"Maybe not," she said. She looked up at him with cautious eyes. "Maybe you should go see her."
He looked up and shook his head. "No, I can't."
"Yeah you can, John."
He finally nodded his head and kissed her cheek. "I want to see her before she leaves."
"Go," she said. "I'll see you later."
He turned on one foot and walked swiftly to the ambulance bay. He waited for himself to gather enough strength and walked through the doors with a pair of hands nervously intertwining.
"Where's Danielle?" he asked Haleh. "Little girl, came in with the tumor in her leg. Getting tranferred to the children's hospital?"
"Curtain area three."
"Thanks," he said. He ran to the spoken location and opened the curtain to see her waiting in the bed. She was weakened from all of the treatment given to her in different parts of the hospital. She'd been nearly everywhere, he suspected.
"Sorry for running out on you earlier," he said.
"You had a date with the nurse," she whispered with a smile. "I don't care."
"I should have been here with you, sweetheart."
She shook her head. "My mom and dad should."
He bent his head. 'They're busy,' was the only think he could think of to say. But who was too busy to see their daughter, diagnosed with cancer? "The nurses are trying to find them." It was a lie, but she knew it. And he knew it.
"Miracle's ambulances are here," Lydia said, opening the curtain a bit more.
"I'll see you later," Danielle said. "Thanks."
He nodded and turned to see Abby coming through the door. He grabbed her hand and they walked away again. He held her tight, now, as she put her arm around his waist.
"You're a good guy."
--
:)
Someone, I think Em, mentioned the "bad acting" on Sherry Stringfield's half.
Thank you.
I didn't want to say it before, because although I figured pretty much everyone reading my fics were Carbys, I knew that there were still Susan fans. I like Susan; she's okay. But, in my opinion, she's NOT the best actor.
Enough beating.
-me
"No," Carter said. "Maybe it just wasn't her day."
"Well," Abby said. "I already figured that."
Carter nodded and turned his attention to the pair of pepper and salt shakers at the end, near the wall of the table. He picked up the pepper without any reason, apparent or not, and let it down again. "It's been hard for her lately."
"With all the," Abby said, then stopped. "You know."
He nodded again. To make this moment symmetrical, he should have picked up the salt. "Yeah. I know."
They were quiet. It was as if they owed her some respect , even though she wasn't there. He held her hand now, without looking at it. She gripped it adoringly back, and also kept her eyes on the undefined pattern on the table.
"Where's our coffee?" he said, sighing.
"Where's our food?" she said, raising the word 'food.'
He shrugged and smiled. "I'm hungry." He looked away. "I felt awful. When I went to speak with her I mean."
"I know," she said, gripping his hand again. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged again. "It's good to have you here."
She turned up her bottom lip into a smile. "It's not so bad being here."
He nodded heavily and scratched the back of his head. His own hand felt warm against his skin, and he breathed out as she traced his knuckles with her hand.
"You're great," she said. "You didn't do *anything* bad, you know."
He nodded. "I know." He shook his head. "I would have been happy to have her. I just wish I didn't have to give her away. I wanted to be with her."
"I know you did," she said.
He breathed out again. "It's hard giving someone like that up. Sometimes they really take you away and you don't notice it, I guess, until it's too late."
She shook her head. "I know." She looked up as the waitress approached them.
"Excuse me," the woman said.
Carter looked up now as well.
"Your lunch should be out in about twenty minutes," she said with a polite, but completely transparent smile. "We're sorry for the wait."
"You know what," Carter said, standing up, "we're gonna see about going somewhere else. We've been waiting here for a while now."
She nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry."
Abby smiled as Carter, frustrated, stood up. She took his hand, which he eagerly took the same, and together they walked outside.
"It's just," Carter stuttered, "I thought I would be with her until the end, you know?"
She nodded. "I know."
"I never noticed she was there," he said. "I mean, I saw her. Just didn't realize how I really saw her."
She nodded again. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "And now it's too late."
"Maybe not," she said. She looked up at him with cautious eyes. "Maybe you should go see her."
He looked up and shook his head. "No, I can't."
"Yeah you can, John."
He finally nodded his head and kissed her cheek. "I want to see her before she leaves."
"Go," she said. "I'll see you later."
He turned on one foot and walked swiftly to the ambulance bay. He waited for himself to gather enough strength and walked through the doors with a pair of hands nervously intertwining.
"Where's Danielle?" he asked Haleh. "Little girl, came in with the tumor in her leg. Getting tranferred to the children's hospital?"
"Curtain area three."
"Thanks," he said. He ran to the spoken location and opened the curtain to see her waiting in the bed. She was weakened from all of the treatment given to her in different parts of the hospital. She'd been nearly everywhere, he suspected.
"Sorry for running out on you earlier," he said.
"You had a date with the nurse," she whispered with a smile. "I don't care."
"I should have been here with you, sweetheart."
She shook her head. "My mom and dad should."
He bent his head. 'They're busy,' was the only think he could think of to say. But who was too busy to see their daughter, diagnosed with cancer? "The nurses are trying to find them." It was a lie, but she knew it. And he knew it.
"Miracle's ambulances are here," Lydia said, opening the curtain a bit more.
"I'll see you later," Danielle said. "Thanks."
He nodded and turned to see Abby coming through the door. He grabbed her hand and they walked away again. He held her tight, now, as she put her arm around his waist.
"You're a good guy."
--
:)
Someone, I think Em, mentioned the "bad acting" on Sherry Stringfield's half.
Thank you.
I didn't want to say it before, because although I figured pretty much everyone reading my fics were Carbys, I knew that there were still Susan fans. I like Susan; she's okay. But, in my opinion, she's NOT the best actor.
Enough beating.
-me