(Before I say anything else I want everybody to repeat after me: "All Hail Joycelyn Solo!" She took pity on a poor, isolated English girl whose parents treat her like a modern-day-Cinderella and deprive her of Digital/Satellite, thus ensuring she would have to wait until February for Season 9. Thanks to her I have seen the first four episodes and, after a week of watching them ad nauseum, I have been inspired to write a new chapter to this fic. It is only filler at this stage, but at least it is an update! Hope you enjoy it nevertheless, and if you do or don't let me know.)
Part 7
"Hey Sweetie." Abby rested a hand on Carter's shoulder and leant down to kiss the top of his head as he sat at the table in the lounge, pouring over an article in a medical journal.
"Hey," he replied, raising his head slightly to smile at her. "You off?"
"Yeah," she groaned wearily. One of the perks of being Nurse Manager. You get to finish your shift on time so that you can go home and spend hours working on the nursing schedules."
"I'm sorry babe," Carter said sympathetically, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to his side. "I'd help you if I could."
"I know you would," she said softly, smoothing down the hair that was sticking up on top of his head. You want me to wait for you?"
"I wouldn't bother. I'm waiting on some patients, plus I have to meet with Kerry before the changeover and then I get to review all the morning charts before I sign off on them…one of the perks of being an Attending," he joked.
Abby chuckled"So what time do you think you'll be home?"
Carter looked down for a second as he thought about this, then he sighed tiredly as he looked back up to answer her. "Not for another couple of hours yet. You should go home and get some rest. You're looking a little tired."
"Thank you very much!" Abby pretended to take offence and punched him lightly on the arm before dropping into his lap and throwing her arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?" Carter laughed, surprised by her sudden action and a little winded as well.
"Well," Abby lowered her face to his and started to kiss along his jaw line, "if my husband is going to be stuck inside this hospital without me for the next few hours I want to give him some happy thoughts to keep him going." She continued to kiss down his neck, running her hand through his hair as she did, and Carter more than willingly began to return her kisses. They both became lost in the moment as the kiss began to increase in intensity, but after a time Carter stopped and tried to pull away.
Abby let out a little groan of dissatisfaction as he pushed her away. "Why did you stop?" she pouted.
"We can't do this here, Abby. Why do you always do this to me?"
"Do what?"
"Make me wish that this hospital didn't exist! You wait until the end of your shift to get me excited when you know that I'll be here by myself for another few hours with nothing to do about it. It's very distracting, you know."
"I can go and see if the supply closet is free, if you like," she teased, leaning close to whisper suggestively in his ear.
Carter laughed and put her gently off his lap. "Much as I'd love to, I have to get back to work eventually! My break is over soon, and Susan would have a field day if she caught us twice in one day."
"Okay, if you're going to be reasonable about it!" Abby said, reluctantly leaving Carter's arms and walking over to her locker to put her coat on. When she finished she turned to say 'goodbye' and found that Carter was once more engrossed in the journal that lay open on the table. She stood for a moment, smiling indulgently at the look of concentration on his face that made him look like a little boy studying, then walked over to the table and laid a hand on his arm.
"What'ya reading?" she asked in a singsong voice, looking over his shoulder
"An article," he teased.
"I can see that," she groaned. "Why?"
"Because I received the distinct impression from my wife that unless I read these magazines I'd be taking cold showers for the next month."
"You're reading Dr Infante's leaflets?" she asked, surprised.
"Didn't I say I would?"
"You did, but I didn't believe you. Thank you John!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck once more and nearly choking the breath out of him.
"What was that for?" he asked when she eventually released her hold on him.
"For being so wonderful," she answered. "I know you're not crazy about this whole thing, but it means so much to me that you're making the effort. It would be so easy for you to give up on us and walk away but you're doing this so…thank you!" Abby could feel the tears starting to rise to her eyes so she turned away and wiped at them with the back of her hand. No matter how open she was about her emotions now, she still wasn't comfortable with crying in front of other people…even Carter.
Carter, noticing the change in her voice stood up and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "I would never give up on us," he said softly, picking up a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I can't imagine my life without you. I'm not just reading these leaflets to humour you; I'm reading them because there is nothing else I can think of to make my life more complete than to have a baby with you. I love you, and I will always love you…whether we have a baby or not."
By this time Abby was in tears and willingly gave in when Carter pulled her into an embrace. She snuggled against his chest until her sobs had subsided, then she pulled back to smile at him.
"Not even pregnant yet and I'm already emotional!" she kidded, wiping away the last of her tears. Carter smiled back at her and reached a hand up to cup her cheek, smoothing away one stray tear with his thumb.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll see if I can get Deb to cover the end of my shift and I'll take you home…"
"Don't be silly," Abby sniffed, pulling away from him and straightening herself up. "I'm fine now and I certainly don't need your help to find the El station. Besides, the sooner you get back to work the sooner you'll finish, then maybe you and I can finish what we started earlier…"
"Okay," Carter relented, "just be careful, and promise me you won't work too hard on those schedules."
"Humph, like that's going to happen!" she scoffed. "I've got enough to do with your mother visiting next week and planning this anniversary party without…dammit!"
"What?"
"I forgot to bring the invitations in. I can't believe I didn't remember until now!"
"Well, we'll just have to bring them in tomorrow, won't we?" he reasoned. "It's not for another couple of weeks yet so I'm sure one day won't make any difference. And as for my mother, how many times do I have to tell you? If you ignore her she'll go away!"
Abby laughed and moved towards the door. "That's easier said than done and you know it, but I'll try."
"That's my girl," Carter said, taking hold of Abby's hand and walking with her out of the exit and into the ambulance bay. "Are you sure you're good to get home by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," she said patiently. "I'll be lonely, but I'll be fine."
"If you're sure…" Carter began, uncertainly.
"I'm sure. Now get down here and give me a proper goodbye."
Carter was more than happy to oblige, smiling as he drew her into his arms and lowered his head to capture her lips in one long, lingering kiss. For a moment they again felt as if the world around them were melting away, until the sound of distant sirens interrupted their thoughts and brought them back to reality.
"Hey Carter! Stab wound coming in. ETA three minutes!"
Carter groaned and pulled back from the kiss. He held up a hand to acknowledge Chuni's holler, then leaned his forehead against Abby's. "Guess I'd better get back to work," he sighed.
"Yes you do," she said softly, standing on her tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I love you," he said against her lips.
"I love you too…now get over there and save some lives!"
They shared a smile and started to walk in opposite directions, Carter towards the hospital and Abby towards the El station. Carter continued to watch her for as long as he could, but just as she was turning the corner to leave the ambulance bay an ambulance pulled in and stopped in front of the entrance. Carter sighed inwardly, and then shook himself back into 'Doctor-Mode' as the doors to the ambulance flew open and the gurney was brought out.
"Give me the bullet!"
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(I've decided that I'm not going to promise to have anything written by a certain date as I never stick to deadlines. I'm going to try for once a week updates but you never know when inspiration will strike! In the meanwhile thanks to everybody who reviewed and emailed me: feedback always appreciated. And to those of you who asked, you have no need to worry about this fic. I am incapable of writing angst so this story will be fluff all the way. Em)
Part 7
"Hey Sweetie." Abby rested a hand on Carter's shoulder and leant down to kiss the top of his head as he sat at the table in the lounge, pouring over an article in a medical journal.
"Hey," he replied, raising his head slightly to smile at her. "You off?"
"Yeah," she groaned wearily. One of the perks of being Nurse Manager. You get to finish your shift on time so that you can go home and spend hours working on the nursing schedules."
"I'm sorry babe," Carter said sympathetically, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to his side. "I'd help you if I could."
"I know you would," she said softly, smoothing down the hair that was sticking up on top of his head. You want me to wait for you?"
"I wouldn't bother. I'm waiting on some patients, plus I have to meet with Kerry before the changeover and then I get to review all the morning charts before I sign off on them…one of the perks of being an Attending," he joked.
Abby chuckled"So what time do you think you'll be home?"
Carter looked down for a second as he thought about this, then he sighed tiredly as he looked back up to answer her. "Not for another couple of hours yet. You should go home and get some rest. You're looking a little tired."
"Thank you very much!" Abby pretended to take offence and punched him lightly on the arm before dropping into his lap and throwing her arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?" Carter laughed, surprised by her sudden action and a little winded as well.
"Well," Abby lowered her face to his and started to kiss along his jaw line, "if my husband is going to be stuck inside this hospital without me for the next few hours I want to give him some happy thoughts to keep him going." She continued to kiss down his neck, running her hand through his hair as she did, and Carter more than willingly began to return her kisses. They both became lost in the moment as the kiss began to increase in intensity, but after a time Carter stopped and tried to pull away.
Abby let out a little groan of dissatisfaction as he pushed her away. "Why did you stop?" she pouted.
"We can't do this here, Abby. Why do you always do this to me?"
"Do what?"
"Make me wish that this hospital didn't exist! You wait until the end of your shift to get me excited when you know that I'll be here by myself for another few hours with nothing to do about it. It's very distracting, you know."
"I can go and see if the supply closet is free, if you like," she teased, leaning close to whisper suggestively in his ear.
Carter laughed and put her gently off his lap. "Much as I'd love to, I have to get back to work eventually! My break is over soon, and Susan would have a field day if she caught us twice in one day."
"Okay, if you're going to be reasonable about it!" Abby said, reluctantly leaving Carter's arms and walking over to her locker to put her coat on. When she finished she turned to say 'goodbye' and found that Carter was once more engrossed in the journal that lay open on the table. She stood for a moment, smiling indulgently at the look of concentration on his face that made him look like a little boy studying, then walked over to the table and laid a hand on his arm.
"What'ya reading?" she asked in a singsong voice, looking over his shoulder
"An article," he teased.
"I can see that," she groaned. "Why?"
"Because I received the distinct impression from my wife that unless I read these magazines I'd be taking cold showers for the next month."
"You're reading Dr Infante's leaflets?" she asked, surprised.
"Didn't I say I would?"
"You did, but I didn't believe you. Thank you John!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck once more and nearly choking the breath out of him.
"What was that for?" he asked when she eventually released her hold on him.
"For being so wonderful," she answered. "I know you're not crazy about this whole thing, but it means so much to me that you're making the effort. It would be so easy for you to give up on us and walk away but you're doing this so…thank you!" Abby could feel the tears starting to rise to her eyes so she turned away and wiped at them with the back of her hand. No matter how open she was about her emotions now, she still wasn't comfortable with crying in front of other people…even Carter.
Carter, noticing the change in her voice stood up and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "I would never give up on us," he said softly, picking up a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I can't imagine my life without you. I'm not just reading these leaflets to humour you; I'm reading them because there is nothing else I can think of to make my life more complete than to have a baby with you. I love you, and I will always love you…whether we have a baby or not."
By this time Abby was in tears and willingly gave in when Carter pulled her into an embrace. She snuggled against his chest until her sobs had subsided, then she pulled back to smile at him.
"Not even pregnant yet and I'm already emotional!" she kidded, wiping away the last of her tears. Carter smiled back at her and reached a hand up to cup her cheek, smoothing away one stray tear with his thumb.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll see if I can get Deb to cover the end of my shift and I'll take you home…"
"Don't be silly," Abby sniffed, pulling away from him and straightening herself up. "I'm fine now and I certainly don't need your help to find the El station. Besides, the sooner you get back to work the sooner you'll finish, then maybe you and I can finish what we started earlier…"
"Okay," Carter relented, "just be careful, and promise me you won't work too hard on those schedules."
"Humph, like that's going to happen!" she scoffed. "I've got enough to do with your mother visiting next week and planning this anniversary party without…dammit!"
"What?"
"I forgot to bring the invitations in. I can't believe I didn't remember until now!"
"Well, we'll just have to bring them in tomorrow, won't we?" he reasoned. "It's not for another couple of weeks yet so I'm sure one day won't make any difference. And as for my mother, how many times do I have to tell you? If you ignore her she'll go away!"
Abby laughed and moved towards the door. "That's easier said than done and you know it, but I'll try."
"That's my girl," Carter said, taking hold of Abby's hand and walking with her out of the exit and into the ambulance bay. "Are you sure you're good to get home by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," she said patiently. "I'll be lonely, but I'll be fine."
"If you're sure…" Carter began, uncertainly.
"I'm sure. Now get down here and give me a proper goodbye."
Carter was more than happy to oblige, smiling as he drew her into his arms and lowered his head to capture her lips in one long, lingering kiss. For a moment they again felt as if the world around them were melting away, until the sound of distant sirens interrupted their thoughts and brought them back to reality.
"Hey Carter! Stab wound coming in. ETA three minutes!"
Carter groaned and pulled back from the kiss. He held up a hand to acknowledge Chuni's holler, then leaned his forehead against Abby's. "Guess I'd better get back to work," he sighed.
"Yes you do," she said softly, standing on her tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I love you," he said against her lips.
"I love you too…now get over there and save some lives!"
They shared a smile and started to walk in opposite directions, Carter towards the hospital and Abby towards the El station. Carter continued to watch her for as long as he could, but just as she was turning the corner to leave the ambulance bay an ambulance pulled in and stopped in front of the entrance. Carter sighed inwardly, and then shook himself back into 'Doctor-Mode' as the doors to the ambulance flew open and the gurney was brought out.
"Give me the bullet!"
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(I've decided that I'm not going to promise to have anything written by a certain date as I never stick to deadlines. I'm going to try for once a week updates but you never know when inspiration will strike! In the meanwhile thanks to everybody who reviewed and emailed me: feedback always appreciated. And to those of you who asked, you have no need to worry about this fic. I am incapable of writing angst so this story will be fluff all the way. Em)