Part 5
Abby woke the next morning and lazily reached out for Carter, hoping to spend a few minutes cuddling up to him before they both had to get up for an 8 o'clock shift, but her arm cut through the air and hit the empty space in the bed where he usually lay. She called out his name sleepily but received no reply, so she slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the flashing red numbers of the clock on the nightstand. She groaned as she saw what time it was.
*6.32*
They didn't have to be up for at least another half hour, and much as she loved John Carter she was the first to admit that it was next to impossible to get him out of bed before the alarm had gone off. So where was he? She pulled herself into a seated position and again called out his name as she cast her eyes around the room for some sign of his whereabouts, but as before there was no reply. Sighing she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and picked up Carter's discarded shirt from the floor, shrugging it on and doing up the buttons as she set off in search of him.
As she moved out of the bedroom into the living room the sound of somebody singing drifted over to her from the kitchen. Following the direction of the singing she found Carter standing barefoot in front of the stove, stirring something in the frying pan and occasionally checking on something else under the grill. He was wearing only a pair of trousers and had a tea-towel thrown over one shoulder, partially covering his naked chest, and Abby stood still for a moment just admiring him as he sang along to The Beatles and swayed his hips in time to the music.
"Somebody's a bit perky this morning!" she said suddenly, causing him to whirl around quickly with the frying pan and spatula still in his hands.
"Jeez, Abby, you scared the crap out of me!" He had practically jumped out of his skin and Abby couldn't help but laugh a little at the expression on his face. He gave a little scowl as if he were angry with her, although they both knew he wasn't really.
"I'm sorry babe," she said, making a little pouty face. He quickly lost the angry look on his face as he choked back his laughter and smiled at her. "So what are you doing up so early?" she asked, returning his smile.
"A guy can't get up early to make his wife breakfast?" he said light-heartedly, turning back to the stove. "Bacon and eggs ok for you?"
"Wow, I must have been better last night than I thought!" she joked, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, peeking over his shoulder as he pulled the bacon out from under the grill. She tried to reach out a hand to sneak a piece without him seeing but he caught her and slapped her hand away playfully. "Hey!" she said, stepping back from him and rubbing her hand. "That really hurt!"
"No picking," he admonished, waving the spatula in her face. "Now sit your cute butt at that table while I get the toast."
Abby did as she was told and sat down at the table, appreciating for the first time how much effort Carter had gone to. Fresh flowers had been put in a vase in the centre of the table and the kitchen, despite the fact Carter had been cooking, was spotless. He had even remembered to put the salt and pepper on the table, something she had to constantly remind him of because he never put enough in his cooking. She was just beginning to wonder what had gotten into her husband when she heard him switch off the stove and divide the contents of the pan onto two plates.
"A girl could get used to this," she smiled as he placed a plate in front of her and leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips.
"That's sort of what I had in mind," he said as he took his seat next to her, giving her a quick flash of a grin and a wink as he bit into his toast. She smiled back and they spent the next few minutes eating their breakfast in silence. When they were done Carter rose from the table and took the dishes to the sink; Abby tried to get up to help but he just pushed her back down into her seat and wagged a finger at her to tell her to stop. Abby watched him move around the kitchen, whistling a tune and putting things away, until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what was going on...
"What are you doing, Carter?" She practically shouted at him in her frustration, shocking him for the second time that day. He turned to face her with the dishcloth in his hand.
"Cleaning the dishes?" he asked in a puzzled voice, not quite understanding the question but knowing that he was in trouble if she was calling him 'Carter'.
"Not now," she rolled her eyes, "...with this whole breakfast thing."
"You didn't like the breakfast?"
"I *loved* the breakfast," she said, calming down as she spoke. God he was cute when he was confused! "I'm just curious where this bright and cheery Carter came from. I've not seen him in a while and I've kind of missed him."
Watching her as she blushed slightly Carter put down the dishcloth and walked over to her, putting his hands gently on her shoulders and pulling her up to face him. They looked into each other's eyes for a brief second before they both closed the gap, their lips meeting in a deep and lingering kiss.
"Well," he said, pulling away from the kiss and reaching out a hand to tame Abby's morning hair, "I think he's back. He's been acting like a total dick the last couple of days and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you."
"Does that include reading the booklets Dr Infante gave us..." Carter groaned, "...and promising me that you won't dismiss what she said because you don't like it?" She had raised her voice slightly to be heard over his protestations, and put her hands on both sides of his face to force him to look her in the eye. He tried to break eye contact but she wasn't letting go, so he eventually gave up.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'll take them in to work with me and we can read through them on our break."
"Good boy," she said, standing on her toes to kiss the tip of his nose then twisting herself out of his embrace. "Now I need to go take a shower."
"You can say that again!" he called out as she walked away.
"Hey!" she paused in the doorway to look at him. "Be nice, or I may find that I'd rather spend my lunch-break with Susan and you'd be left all alone in that empty exam room..."
She left the sentence hanging, knowing that Carter would never jeopardise one of their stolen moments in the ER! She left him to get their bags together for work and tidy up as she stepped into the shower, revelling in the sensation of the warm water cascading down her back. If only she could stay in here forever and not have to worry about going to work, she thought...but she knew it would become very boring very quickly, and she would miss the hustle-and-bustle eventually! She sighed as she shut off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself and entering the bedroom to get ready for work...
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(That may be it for a while. I move back up to uni on Sunday and have to get a phone-line installed in my room so I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I'll try to get something up by next week, but hopefully this little bit of fluff will be enough to keep you going. Thanks for all the great reviews: they are very much appreciated and they help me improve. Em)
Abby woke the next morning and lazily reached out for Carter, hoping to spend a few minutes cuddling up to him before they both had to get up for an 8 o'clock shift, but her arm cut through the air and hit the empty space in the bed where he usually lay. She called out his name sleepily but received no reply, so she slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the flashing red numbers of the clock on the nightstand. She groaned as she saw what time it was.
*6.32*
They didn't have to be up for at least another half hour, and much as she loved John Carter she was the first to admit that it was next to impossible to get him out of bed before the alarm had gone off. So where was he? She pulled herself into a seated position and again called out his name as she cast her eyes around the room for some sign of his whereabouts, but as before there was no reply. Sighing she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and picked up Carter's discarded shirt from the floor, shrugging it on and doing up the buttons as she set off in search of him.
As she moved out of the bedroom into the living room the sound of somebody singing drifted over to her from the kitchen. Following the direction of the singing she found Carter standing barefoot in front of the stove, stirring something in the frying pan and occasionally checking on something else under the grill. He was wearing only a pair of trousers and had a tea-towel thrown over one shoulder, partially covering his naked chest, and Abby stood still for a moment just admiring him as he sang along to The Beatles and swayed his hips in time to the music.
"Somebody's a bit perky this morning!" she said suddenly, causing him to whirl around quickly with the frying pan and spatula still in his hands.
"Jeez, Abby, you scared the crap out of me!" He had practically jumped out of his skin and Abby couldn't help but laugh a little at the expression on his face. He gave a little scowl as if he were angry with her, although they both knew he wasn't really.
"I'm sorry babe," she said, making a little pouty face. He quickly lost the angry look on his face as he choked back his laughter and smiled at her. "So what are you doing up so early?" she asked, returning his smile.
"A guy can't get up early to make his wife breakfast?" he said light-heartedly, turning back to the stove. "Bacon and eggs ok for you?"
"Wow, I must have been better last night than I thought!" she joked, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, peeking over his shoulder as he pulled the bacon out from under the grill. She tried to reach out a hand to sneak a piece without him seeing but he caught her and slapped her hand away playfully. "Hey!" she said, stepping back from him and rubbing her hand. "That really hurt!"
"No picking," he admonished, waving the spatula in her face. "Now sit your cute butt at that table while I get the toast."
Abby did as she was told and sat down at the table, appreciating for the first time how much effort Carter had gone to. Fresh flowers had been put in a vase in the centre of the table and the kitchen, despite the fact Carter had been cooking, was spotless. He had even remembered to put the salt and pepper on the table, something she had to constantly remind him of because he never put enough in his cooking. She was just beginning to wonder what had gotten into her husband when she heard him switch off the stove and divide the contents of the pan onto two plates.
"A girl could get used to this," she smiled as he placed a plate in front of her and leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips.
"That's sort of what I had in mind," he said as he took his seat next to her, giving her a quick flash of a grin and a wink as he bit into his toast. She smiled back and they spent the next few minutes eating their breakfast in silence. When they were done Carter rose from the table and took the dishes to the sink; Abby tried to get up to help but he just pushed her back down into her seat and wagged a finger at her to tell her to stop. Abby watched him move around the kitchen, whistling a tune and putting things away, until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what was going on...
"What are you doing, Carter?" She practically shouted at him in her frustration, shocking him for the second time that day. He turned to face her with the dishcloth in his hand.
"Cleaning the dishes?" he asked in a puzzled voice, not quite understanding the question but knowing that he was in trouble if she was calling him 'Carter'.
"Not now," she rolled her eyes, "...with this whole breakfast thing."
"You didn't like the breakfast?"
"I *loved* the breakfast," she said, calming down as she spoke. God he was cute when he was confused! "I'm just curious where this bright and cheery Carter came from. I've not seen him in a while and I've kind of missed him."
Watching her as she blushed slightly Carter put down the dishcloth and walked over to her, putting his hands gently on her shoulders and pulling her up to face him. They looked into each other's eyes for a brief second before they both closed the gap, their lips meeting in a deep and lingering kiss.
"Well," he said, pulling away from the kiss and reaching out a hand to tame Abby's morning hair, "I think he's back. He's been acting like a total dick the last couple of days and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you."
"Does that include reading the booklets Dr Infante gave us..." Carter groaned, "...and promising me that you won't dismiss what she said because you don't like it?" She had raised her voice slightly to be heard over his protestations, and put her hands on both sides of his face to force him to look her in the eye. He tried to break eye contact but she wasn't letting go, so he eventually gave up.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'll take them in to work with me and we can read through them on our break."
"Good boy," she said, standing on her toes to kiss the tip of his nose then twisting herself out of his embrace. "Now I need to go take a shower."
"You can say that again!" he called out as she walked away.
"Hey!" she paused in the doorway to look at him. "Be nice, or I may find that I'd rather spend my lunch-break with Susan and you'd be left all alone in that empty exam room..."
She left the sentence hanging, knowing that Carter would never jeopardise one of their stolen moments in the ER! She left him to get their bags together for work and tidy up as she stepped into the shower, revelling in the sensation of the warm water cascading down her back. If only she could stay in here forever and not have to worry about going to work, she thought...but she knew it would become very boring very quickly, and she would miss the hustle-and-bustle eventually! She sighed as she shut off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself and entering the bedroom to get ready for work...
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(That may be it for a while. I move back up to uni on Sunday and have to get a phone-line installed in my room so I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I'll try to get something up by next week, but hopefully this little bit of fluff will be enough to keep you going. Thanks for all the great reviews: they are very much appreciated and they help me improve. Em)