Chapter 4: When over isn't over
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Abby surveyed her surroundings once more. She looked incredulously from Mark, who was standing in front of her, to his background, and back to him again.
"Are we, are we." she stammered. She looked confused as ever.
Mark gave a laugh. "Don't look so confused." He told her. "We are where we are, although it doesn't look like it." He started to walk. It was then when Abby realized that she was standing shin-deep on the water. She waded through the water and followed Mark. They were walking side by side now. "I know you have lots of questions. Fire away."
"Okay," she said tentatively. "We're not in Hawaii, are we?" she asked doubtfully.
"No, we're not," Mark answered with a laugh. "In here, it doesn't matter how you expect it to look like. What matters is the fact that you're here."
Abby just looked at him, puzzled as to whether to be happy or regret that she's here. A few moment of silence pass while they still continue to wade. Finally, Abby began to speak again." Look at this place, it's so beautiful, so calm, so." she said as she marvels at the beauty that surrounds her.
"Perfect?" Mark finished for her.
"Yeah." She answered. A feeling of serenity and contentment overwhelmed her. Again, silence passed. "I guess I really don't have any questions, maybe except for one. It's just that, I don't know if I'm worthy enough to be here." She finally confided.
Mark gave her a warm smile before answering. "Honestly, Abby, you deserve credit more than you give yourself. You've done a lot more than you think you did." Abby just gave a dry laugh.
"Maybe you mistook me for someone else!" she joked.
Mark's tone suddenly became serious. "You deserve much more than you think, Abby. Think about your mom, you brother, those patients you see everyday. Think about those children yesterday, and that woman you help. Think about Carter." Abby remained silent, and casts her eyes downwards, remembering each and everyone he mentioned. Suddenly, visions of his mother, his brother Eric, John, and that woman she tried to help before the accident flashed in her mind. "You gave them everything you could, everything you thought they need. No matter how little those things may seem to you, for them it makes a big difference." Mark's tone then became light again. "They don't expect you to be Superman, you know." He added with a light chuckle. "You can't literally save the world, or something like that. It's those little things they expect from you." Mark let a few moments passed to let it all sink in. "You deserve something like this, and maybe much more." The water started to get deeper as they walk, and now it reached as high as her thighs. She was feeling a twinge of panic when all of a sudden, Mark grabbed her hand as if to assure her.
"What do mean more?" she asked with a little laugh. "I am right here now, aren't I? I mean, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't supposed to be, right?" She looked at him as if he was joking.
Mark looked at her straight in the eye before answering. "No Abby, you don't belong here." His answer took her by surprise. Before she could question him, he suddenly let go of her. "Not yet." He added. All of a sudden, a bright, warm light began to embrace her, and for a second she felt as if she was sinking in the ocean, but at the same time she felt like flying. The images soon began to fade, but before it went away, Mark gave a wave and whispered something. "Say hi to Carter for me. Take care of each other."
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The machines still continue to sound. To Carter, it seemed like they were screaming the inevitable. Carter felt like they had been working on her for hours, but they still can't bring her back. Finally, Weaver spoke again, with a hint of despair in her voice.
"How long has it been?" she asked quietly.
Susan looked at the watch. "Almost an hour ." She answered, tears threatening to fall down her face. Luka just looked at the two women, still performing compressions.
It was all that Carter could take. Reality had finally sunk in. He ran towards the men's room and entered one of the stalls. He sat down, as tears finally began to fall, like a river, down his face.
*******************************
"No, no, we have to keep going," Susan declared as tears fell down her face. Everyone inside was silent, looking for a sign of hope. "We can't stop!" She looked at Luka tearfully. He understood and still performed his job.
"Susan, I know it's hard, but-" Kerry started to say but a different sound emanated from the machine.
"We got her!" Luka shouted, almost gleefully. The room erupted with movements. They swiftly moved to stabilize her condition, and after a few nerve-wracking minutes, they were finally successful.
"Let's get her to the OR, now," Weaver ordered, sounding relieved.
Susan and Luka watched as Kerry and the other nurses escort Abby towards the operating room. Susan turned towards Luka and saw him wipe his eyes. She gave a nervous laugh. "You did a great job." She finally said to him. "She'll make it, I know she'll make it."
Luka gave a small smile. "We all did." He glanced around. "I guess somebody should tell Carter."
***********************************
"Carter?" Susan asked as she hesitantly enters the men's room. She then heard him, crying his heart out inside on of the stalls. "Carter?" she asked again. She found him slumped on the floor.
"I didn't do anything, Susan," he finally said. "I just stood there, wishing this was all a bad dream. I just watched her die and I didn't do a damn thing!" he said, shouting the last words of his sentence while banging his fists on the floor. "It's all over now. Everything, the only thing, in my life is over." He said quietly. Fresh tears began falling down again. He looked up to see Susan smiling at him. "No, Carter, it's not over." Finally, the two words he thought he would never hear came out of Susan's mouth: "We got her."
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That's chapter four, folks. I'll start on the next one, probably the last chapter, as soon as I can. I write two chapters a day, so this one will be up the same day I put up the third one. Hope you enjoy this one. Thanks a lot for everyone who gave their reviews!
******************
Abby surveyed her surroundings once more. She looked incredulously from Mark, who was standing in front of her, to his background, and back to him again.
"Are we, are we." she stammered. She looked confused as ever.
Mark gave a laugh. "Don't look so confused." He told her. "We are where we are, although it doesn't look like it." He started to walk. It was then when Abby realized that she was standing shin-deep on the water. She waded through the water and followed Mark. They were walking side by side now. "I know you have lots of questions. Fire away."
"Okay," she said tentatively. "We're not in Hawaii, are we?" she asked doubtfully.
"No, we're not," Mark answered with a laugh. "In here, it doesn't matter how you expect it to look like. What matters is the fact that you're here."
Abby just looked at him, puzzled as to whether to be happy or regret that she's here. A few moment of silence pass while they still continue to wade. Finally, Abby began to speak again." Look at this place, it's so beautiful, so calm, so." she said as she marvels at the beauty that surrounds her.
"Perfect?" Mark finished for her.
"Yeah." She answered. A feeling of serenity and contentment overwhelmed her. Again, silence passed. "I guess I really don't have any questions, maybe except for one. It's just that, I don't know if I'm worthy enough to be here." She finally confided.
Mark gave her a warm smile before answering. "Honestly, Abby, you deserve credit more than you give yourself. You've done a lot more than you think you did." Abby just gave a dry laugh.
"Maybe you mistook me for someone else!" she joked.
Mark's tone suddenly became serious. "You deserve much more than you think, Abby. Think about your mom, you brother, those patients you see everyday. Think about those children yesterday, and that woman you help. Think about Carter." Abby remained silent, and casts her eyes downwards, remembering each and everyone he mentioned. Suddenly, visions of his mother, his brother Eric, John, and that woman she tried to help before the accident flashed in her mind. "You gave them everything you could, everything you thought they need. No matter how little those things may seem to you, for them it makes a big difference." Mark's tone then became light again. "They don't expect you to be Superman, you know." He added with a light chuckle. "You can't literally save the world, or something like that. It's those little things they expect from you." Mark let a few moments passed to let it all sink in. "You deserve something like this, and maybe much more." The water started to get deeper as they walk, and now it reached as high as her thighs. She was feeling a twinge of panic when all of a sudden, Mark grabbed her hand as if to assure her.
"What do mean more?" she asked with a little laugh. "I am right here now, aren't I? I mean, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't supposed to be, right?" She looked at him as if he was joking.
Mark looked at her straight in the eye before answering. "No Abby, you don't belong here." His answer took her by surprise. Before she could question him, he suddenly let go of her. "Not yet." He added. All of a sudden, a bright, warm light began to embrace her, and for a second she felt as if she was sinking in the ocean, but at the same time she felt like flying. The images soon began to fade, but before it went away, Mark gave a wave and whispered something. "Say hi to Carter for me. Take care of each other."
********************************
The machines still continue to sound. To Carter, it seemed like they were screaming the inevitable. Carter felt like they had been working on her for hours, but they still can't bring her back. Finally, Weaver spoke again, with a hint of despair in her voice.
"How long has it been?" she asked quietly.
Susan looked at the watch. "Almost an hour ." She answered, tears threatening to fall down her face. Luka just looked at the two women, still performing compressions.
It was all that Carter could take. Reality had finally sunk in. He ran towards the men's room and entered one of the stalls. He sat down, as tears finally began to fall, like a river, down his face.
*******************************
"No, no, we have to keep going," Susan declared as tears fell down her face. Everyone inside was silent, looking for a sign of hope. "We can't stop!" She looked at Luka tearfully. He understood and still performed his job.
"Susan, I know it's hard, but-" Kerry started to say but a different sound emanated from the machine.
"We got her!" Luka shouted, almost gleefully. The room erupted with movements. They swiftly moved to stabilize her condition, and after a few nerve-wracking minutes, they were finally successful.
"Let's get her to the OR, now," Weaver ordered, sounding relieved.
Susan and Luka watched as Kerry and the other nurses escort Abby towards the operating room. Susan turned towards Luka and saw him wipe his eyes. She gave a nervous laugh. "You did a great job." She finally said to him. "She'll make it, I know she'll make it."
Luka gave a small smile. "We all did." He glanced around. "I guess somebody should tell Carter."
***********************************
"Carter?" Susan asked as she hesitantly enters the men's room. She then heard him, crying his heart out inside on of the stalls. "Carter?" she asked again. She found him slumped on the floor.
"I didn't do anything, Susan," he finally said. "I just stood there, wishing this was all a bad dream. I just watched her die and I didn't do a damn thing!" he said, shouting the last words of his sentence while banging his fists on the floor. "It's all over now. Everything, the only thing, in my life is over." He said quietly. Fresh tears began falling down again. He looked up to see Susan smiling at him. "No, Carter, it's not over." Finally, the two words he thought he would never hear came out of Susan's mouth: "We got her."
*********************************
That's chapter four, folks. I'll start on the next one, probably the last chapter, as soon as I can. I write two chapters a day, so this one will be up the same day I put up the third one. Hope you enjoy this one. Thanks a lot for everyone who gave their reviews!