It's a WondERful Life
AUTHOR: Emma Stuart CATEGORY: Romance/Drama SPOILERS: None DISCLAIMER: I do not own ER, or any of the characters. I also don't own the movie I have borrowed from shamelessly, but that hasn't stopped me yet.
SUMMARY: When she contemplates taking her life just before Christmas, Abby finds some unexpected help from a former colleague.
ARCHIVE: Ask and ye shall receive.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first chapter of my second fan fiction. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
It was three days before Christmas, and Abby was cautiously optimistic that this might be the one Christmas holiday that would not suck. She glanced up at the board hanging over the ER administrative desk. It looked like they had caught up with most of the patients, and she might actually get off on time today. She had to wrap presents and finish decorating the tree in her apartment.
Her mouth curved into a grin. Carter had actually talked her into getting a Christmas tree this year-she had not had one in over three years, not since her separation from Richard. And that one had been artificial-tasteful, as Richard proclaimed. This tree was as freshly cut as you could get on the streets of Chicago, and her whole apartment smelled like a pine grove. She had found a box of some of her childhood ornaments, tucked away forgotten in a closet, the detritus of half a dozen moves in her adult life. Carter was coming over tonight to decorate and to-well, whatever.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and turned away from the board to see Frank holding out the phone towards her. "Call for you," he announced gruffly.
"Who is it?"
He grimaced. "What am I, a psychic?"
She silently took the receiver from his hand. "Hello?"
"Abby?"
She immediately recognized the frantic tones of her mother. "Maggie?" she asked in disbelief, "Where are you?"
"I'm at O'Hare Airport." Abby's heart sunk as Maggie continued. "I was able to get a flight in this afternoon. Sweetheart," she rushed on, "I couldn't bear the thought of spending Christmas by myself again this year, so I got on a plane and came to join you."
Abby could picture her mother beaming with her pronouncement. "Is everything alright, Mom?"
Maggie answered belligerently, "Well, I'm on my meds, if that's what you're asking."
"No, that wasn't what I was asking, but I'm glad to hear it, just the same." Abby hesitated, and plunged ahead. "What did Dr. Myers say about your trip here?" Dr. Myers was the therapist that Maggie had been seeing for the last 18 months. Maggie didn't respond.
"Mom, you DID tell her, didn't you?"
"Well-she didn't think it was such a good idea for me to come, but I missed my little girl."
Abby put her palm to her forehead and pushed her bangs up in a gesture of frustration. "Mom-"
Maggie cut her off. "Listen, honey, I'm going to go catch a cab to your hospital. I'll meet you there. We can go home together."
Abby blurted, "No, wait, Maggie-" but it was too late. All she heard was a dial tone. "Merry freaking Christmas," she muttered in frustration, slamming the phone back down onto the receiver.
"Hey, is that any way to treat an inanimate object?" Susan strolled up and slapped her case files onto the desk. When she saw her friend's face, she sobered. "What's the matter?"
Abby gave her a wintry smile. "My mother is in town-she should be here any minute."
Susan gave a low whistle. "Oh boy." She had heard the full story of Abby's mother over dinner together one night at Doc Magoo's, and recognized the full import of Abby's announcement.
Susan glanced quickly around the waiting area and exam rooms. "Does Carter know?"
"Not yet, but everyone will pretty soon." Abby sighed, "She doesn't exactly make a quiet entrance." She sighed again. "Guess I'd better warn John that Hurricane Maggie is about to hit shore."
"Good luck-here he comes now. I'm going to go hide in the lounge." Susan moved briskly down the hallway.
"Coward," Abby hissed after her.
"Who's a coward?" John Carter asked as he stepped up to her side.
She smiled up at him. The day had to get better, now that he was here. "Oh, no one." She reached down and clasped his hand. "Listen, I've got something I've got to tell you."
He grimaced. "As a matter of fact, I have something to tell you-my parents are in town."
Abby gaped up at him. "Together? I thought they were separated."
"Last I heard, they were-but they're here on a common purpose. They want to get to know you." Carter was looking at the floor, not making eye contact.
Abby closed her eyes. "Oh, God."
"Gamma told them that we had been spending a lot of time together, and that has them curious about you." He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder, sensing that she needed some comforting.
"Oh, God," Abby repeated. "I thought we'd have a quiet Christmas with your Grandmother. What was I thinking of?"
"Well, it will just be the five of us, including Gamma," Carter replied philosophically. "And you know Gamma likes you. How bad can it be?"
"Six," Abby whispered.
"What?" Carter bent his head closer to her mouth. "I didn't hear what you said."
Abby took a deep breath. "I said six-there will be six of us." When Carter stared at her with a blank look, she explained, "Maggie just called. She's in town. Surprise."
Carter let out a low whistle. "Surprise, indeed."
AUTHOR: Emma Stuart CATEGORY: Romance/Drama SPOILERS: None DISCLAIMER: I do not own ER, or any of the characters. I also don't own the movie I have borrowed from shamelessly, but that hasn't stopped me yet.
SUMMARY: When she contemplates taking her life just before Christmas, Abby finds some unexpected help from a former colleague.
ARCHIVE: Ask and ye shall receive.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first chapter of my second fan fiction. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
It was three days before Christmas, and Abby was cautiously optimistic that this might be the one Christmas holiday that would not suck. She glanced up at the board hanging over the ER administrative desk. It looked like they had caught up with most of the patients, and she might actually get off on time today. She had to wrap presents and finish decorating the tree in her apartment.
Her mouth curved into a grin. Carter had actually talked her into getting a Christmas tree this year-she had not had one in over three years, not since her separation from Richard. And that one had been artificial-tasteful, as Richard proclaimed. This tree was as freshly cut as you could get on the streets of Chicago, and her whole apartment smelled like a pine grove. She had found a box of some of her childhood ornaments, tucked away forgotten in a closet, the detritus of half a dozen moves in her adult life. Carter was coming over tonight to decorate and to-well, whatever.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and turned away from the board to see Frank holding out the phone towards her. "Call for you," he announced gruffly.
"Who is it?"
He grimaced. "What am I, a psychic?"
She silently took the receiver from his hand. "Hello?"
"Abby?"
She immediately recognized the frantic tones of her mother. "Maggie?" she asked in disbelief, "Where are you?"
"I'm at O'Hare Airport." Abby's heart sunk as Maggie continued. "I was able to get a flight in this afternoon. Sweetheart," she rushed on, "I couldn't bear the thought of spending Christmas by myself again this year, so I got on a plane and came to join you."
Abby could picture her mother beaming with her pronouncement. "Is everything alright, Mom?"
Maggie answered belligerently, "Well, I'm on my meds, if that's what you're asking."
"No, that wasn't what I was asking, but I'm glad to hear it, just the same." Abby hesitated, and plunged ahead. "What did Dr. Myers say about your trip here?" Dr. Myers was the therapist that Maggie had been seeing for the last 18 months. Maggie didn't respond.
"Mom, you DID tell her, didn't you?"
"Well-she didn't think it was such a good idea for me to come, but I missed my little girl."
Abby put her palm to her forehead and pushed her bangs up in a gesture of frustration. "Mom-"
Maggie cut her off. "Listen, honey, I'm going to go catch a cab to your hospital. I'll meet you there. We can go home together."
Abby blurted, "No, wait, Maggie-" but it was too late. All she heard was a dial tone. "Merry freaking Christmas," she muttered in frustration, slamming the phone back down onto the receiver.
"Hey, is that any way to treat an inanimate object?" Susan strolled up and slapped her case files onto the desk. When she saw her friend's face, she sobered. "What's the matter?"
Abby gave her a wintry smile. "My mother is in town-she should be here any minute."
Susan gave a low whistle. "Oh boy." She had heard the full story of Abby's mother over dinner together one night at Doc Magoo's, and recognized the full import of Abby's announcement.
Susan glanced quickly around the waiting area and exam rooms. "Does Carter know?"
"Not yet, but everyone will pretty soon." Abby sighed, "She doesn't exactly make a quiet entrance." She sighed again. "Guess I'd better warn John that Hurricane Maggie is about to hit shore."
"Good luck-here he comes now. I'm going to go hide in the lounge." Susan moved briskly down the hallway.
"Coward," Abby hissed after her.
"Who's a coward?" John Carter asked as he stepped up to her side.
She smiled up at him. The day had to get better, now that he was here. "Oh, no one." She reached down and clasped his hand. "Listen, I've got something I've got to tell you."
He grimaced. "As a matter of fact, I have something to tell you-my parents are in town."
Abby gaped up at him. "Together? I thought they were separated."
"Last I heard, they were-but they're here on a common purpose. They want to get to know you." Carter was looking at the floor, not making eye contact.
Abby closed her eyes. "Oh, God."
"Gamma told them that we had been spending a lot of time together, and that has them curious about you." He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder, sensing that she needed some comforting.
"Oh, God," Abby repeated. "I thought we'd have a quiet Christmas with your Grandmother. What was I thinking of?"
"Well, it will just be the five of us, including Gamma," Carter replied philosophically. "And you know Gamma likes you. How bad can it be?"
"Six," Abby whispered.
"What?" Carter bent his head closer to her mouth. "I didn't hear what you said."
Abby took a deep breath. "I said six-there will be six of us." When Carter stared at her with a blank look, she explained, "Maggie just called. She's in town. Surprise."
Carter let out a low whistle. "Surprise, indeed."