Thanks for all the encouragement to go on with this one. Its hard to find a
way around the real world's obstacles to get to my destination with it.
And thanks to Lifehouse's "Spin" for providing me with many thoughts while I was trying to sleep. Thanks so much. Yeah. ;)
Warning: Out of character-ness (umm.) ahead. Extremely, in my opinion. Character-ness is not a word.
--
"That isn't legal, Carter," she said, not bothering to tear her eyes from the chart in front of her. "I swear, every patient I've had today has been a diabetic. Isn't that something -"
He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to dig himself into another gap of his thinking. Every plan so far had failed, and he didn't see any hope of them succeeding eventually.
"Why not?"
"Because you aren't related to her," she said, holding up one finger. Immediately, another finger added to her count. "Two, to her, you're just another doctor."
"But we're like best friends," he said with a cheeky grin.
"Where's your head?" Susan laughed, as she began to the other side of the admin desk to study the board. "She has amnesia, remember?"
"Then you tell her." The woman in front of him turned around, her eyebrow furrowed. "Come on, Susan."
She pointed a finger into her chest. "Doctor, also."
He sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later."
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to her," he said, his voice lengthening as he walked away from the desk.
"We have patients, Carter," she spoke, the frustration easily read.
He came back to her for an instant, pointing to himself. "Doctor. Going to see patient."
"Get out of here," she laughed with a hard tone, and he sauntered out of the area. "At least take her chart."
He reached for it silently, fixing his eyes on the papers clipped together. Flipping through them, he read the information provided. Most of it he already knew.
"Good afternoon again, Abby," he said, glance still on the chart, as he came through the door. When he looked up, she was exactly as he left her: hands playing mindlessly with the blanket that hid the rest of her body.
"Hi," she said. "Any word on when I can get out of here?"
"Well," he sighed, his voice reasoning immediately, "it looks like you're going to have to stay here until we can find someone to take you in, or until you're of reasonable sense in memory."
"But who knows when that could be?"
"It could be over any span of time," he said apologetically.
She cast her glare across the room, her lips in a light pout as her messy curls danced around her profile. "This sucks."
"Carter, trauma."
As he turned around, the door had already slammed shut as quickly as it had been opened.
"Did you see who that was?" he said with a smile.
She shook her head, her own grin still set. "Nope."
"Okay," he said, coming off of the stool next to her. Gripping her hand for a second, "I'll be back to visit you later, okay?"
She nodded. "Is that mine?" she asked, pointing to the chart.
He searched it dumbly, then answered, "Yeah. Why?"
She shrugged, sticking her bottom lip out for a moment. "Could I see it?"
Carter cleared his throat and figured to himself. "I guess. Why not?" he asked rhetorically, handing her the collection.
"Thanks," she murmured, her fingers instantly reading over the material.
--
"And?"
"And there's still no word from her mother."
"So."
"So, we keep waiting."
"You do remember her mother, don't you?"
Susan shook her head. "Everyone hates their mother. There's no reason for this to be any different."
"Abby's mother is bipolar."
Susan's eyes grew wide with subtle recognition. "Tell me you're kidding."
Carter looked around. "Why would I joke about that?" he asked, with a bit of defense in his tone.
"Oh God," Susan said, putting the phone back on the hook. "Well, why didn't anyone tell me about this?"
"I told Chen," he whispered innocently. "Its not something Abby likes to talk about."
"Well, this is great. And her dad?"
"She doesn't."
Susan caught and nodded, cutting him off. "Right. Well, a sibling?"
"Brother in the Air Force." He had begun to give her all he knew, when another something unfolded to himself.
"Alright. Eric," she spoke. "The Air Force? Oh, this will be easy."
Off of her huffed laughter, he interrupted. "I don't know why I can't just take her home."
"Carter, not again -"
"Well, we've been dating for about two months. I don't understand how its not okay for me to take my girlfriend home."
"What?" Susan asked, almost startling Carter as she whipped around. "You liar."
"What?" he questioned her haunting expression, hoping to keep his acting inline. "What do you mean 'liar'?"
"You aren't dating."
"Says who?"
"You've never said anything about it before."
"She wanted to keep it a secret."
"Why?"
"Didn't want it to get in the way of her work."
"I don't believe a single word of this, Carter." She picked up the phone again. "Dialing the Air Force. What's the Air Force's number?"
Carter shrugged. "Try 1-800-Air Force."
"That's the blonde way to try something."
"Well, you've become a blonde."
They were silent for another minute or two while she struggled to pick a standard phone number from the information they had.
"Susan," he said again. "Why would I lie to you?" He was starting to feel a share of guilt somewhere.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Susan stared at him hard. "But I guess there's no reason not to believe you. Is there?"
He clasped his hands together. "I don't think so."
She broke a smile. "Okay, fine."
"Great," he said. "I'm going to go talk to her."
"Why didn't you say anything before about being her girlfriend though?" Susan inquired. "I would have let you take her home then, no doubt."
"Same reasons." He walked to the exam room, and sat down on the stool next to Abby's form. She was asleep with the chart at her feet. He watched her, until she began to stir.
"Hi," she said groggily. "How long have you.?"
"Just walked in," he laughed. "Found someone to take you home."
"Thank God," she said with her smile. "Who?"
He froze. "Me."
She bit her lip, raised her brow. "Is there more to this?"
"We've been close friends for a while." He waited for her reaction, and upon not receiving one, he continued. "Really close friends for a long time. Almost two years."
She nodded. "Weird thing is that I actually trust you. You're the only one who has been in here for the last two and a half days. Susan and Chen both say its true."
He agreed.
--
"My apartment?"
"Yeah."
She searched through the lot ahead of him. "I found my bedroom."
"Do you recognize anything?"
"No," she said, a frown in her voice visible through walls. "Not a single thing."
--
I know! Everything happened way too easily for Carter here, Abby probably wouldn't have believed him in a second. But, like I said, way OOC. So I think Em is probably the only one who is going to actually read this. lol (Without that being an insult. You're awesome, Em.)
Thanks for reviewing the last chapters, and please do the same for this one. It was a lot of dialogue, I know. Not my best work. ;)
-mandy
And thanks to Lifehouse's "Spin" for providing me with many thoughts while I was trying to sleep. Thanks so much. Yeah. ;)
Warning: Out of character-ness (umm.) ahead. Extremely, in my opinion. Character-ness is not a word.
--
"That isn't legal, Carter," she said, not bothering to tear her eyes from the chart in front of her. "I swear, every patient I've had today has been a diabetic. Isn't that something -"
He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to dig himself into another gap of his thinking. Every plan so far had failed, and he didn't see any hope of them succeeding eventually.
"Why not?"
"Because you aren't related to her," she said, holding up one finger. Immediately, another finger added to her count. "Two, to her, you're just another doctor."
"But we're like best friends," he said with a cheeky grin.
"Where's your head?" Susan laughed, as she began to the other side of the admin desk to study the board. "She has amnesia, remember?"
"Then you tell her." The woman in front of him turned around, her eyebrow furrowed. "Come on, Susan."
She pointed a finger into her chest. "Doctor, also."
He sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later."
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to her," he said, his voice lengthening as he walked away from the desk.
"We have patients, Carter," she spoke, the frustration easily read.
He came back to her for an instant, pointing to himself. "Doctor. Going to see patient."
"Get out of here," she laughed with a hard tone, and he sauntered out of the area. "At least take her chart."
He reached for it silently, fixing his eyes on the papers clipped together. Flipping through them, he read the information provided. Most of it he already knew.
"Good afternoon again, Abby," he said, glance still on the chart, as he came through the door. When he looked up, she was exactly as he left her: hands playing mindlessly with the blanket that hid the rest of her body.
"Hi," she said. "Any word on when I can get out of here?"
"Well," he sighed, his voice reasoning immediately, "it looks like you're going to have to stay here until we can find someone to take you in, or until you're of reasonable sense in memory."
"But who knows when that could be?"
"It could be over any span of time," he said apologetically.
She cast her glare across the room, her lips in a light pout as her messy curls danced around her profile. "This sucks."
"Carter, trauma."
As he turned around, the door had already slammed shut as quickly as it had been opened.
"Did you see who that was?" he said with a smile.
She shook her head, her own grin still set. "Nope."
"Okay," he said, coming off of the stool next to her. Gripping her hand for a second, "I'll be back to visit you later, okay?"
She nodded. "Is that mine?" she asked, pointing to the chart.
He searched it dumbly, then answered, "Yeah. Why?"
She shrugged, sticking her bottom lip out for a moment. "Could I see it?"
Carter cleared his throat and figured to himself. "I guess. Why not?" he asked rhetorically, handing her the collection.
"Thanks," she murmured, her fingers instantly reading over the material.
--
"And?"
"And there's still no word from her mother."
"So."
"So, we keep waiting."
"You do remember her mother, don't you?"
Susan shook her head. "Everyone hates their mother. There's no reason for this to be any different."
"Abby's mother is bipolar."
Susan's eyes grew wide with subtle recognition. "Tell me you're kidding."
Carter looked around. "Why would I joke about that?" he asked, with a bit of defense in his tone.
"Oh God," Susan said, putting the phone back on the hook. "Well, why didn't anyone tell me about this?"
"I told Chen," he whispered innocently. "Its not something Abby likes to talk about."
"Well, this is great. And her dad?"
"She doesn't."
Susan caught and nodded, cutting him off. "Right. Well, a sibling?"
"Brother in the Air Force." He had begun to give her all he knew, when another something unfolded to himself.
"Alright. Eric," she spoke. "The Air Force? Oh, this will be easy."
Off of her huffed laughter, he interrupted. "I don't know why I can't just take her home."
"Carter, not again -"
"Well, we've been dating for about two months. I don't understand how its not okay for me to take my girlfriend home."
"What?" Susan asked, almost startling Carter as she whipped around. "You liar."
"What?" he questioned her haunting expression, hoping to keep his acting inline. "What do you mean 'liar'?"
"You aren't dating."
"Says who?"
"You've never said anything about it before."
"She wanted to keep it a secret."
"Why?"
"Didn't want it to get in the way of her work."
"I don't believe a single word of this, Carter." She picked up the phone again. "Dialing the Air Force. What's the Air Force's number?"
Carter shrugged. "Try 1-800-Air Force."
"That's the blonde way to try something."
"Well, you've become a blonde."
They were silent for another minute or two while she struggled to pick a standard phone number from the information they had.
"Susan," he said again. "Why would I lie to you?" He was starting to feel a share of guilt somewhere.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Susan stared at him hard. "But I guess there's no reason not to believe you. Is there?"
He clasped his hands together. "I don't think so."
She broke a smile. "Okay, fine."
"Great," he said. "I'm going to go talk to her."
"Why didn't you say anything before about being her girlfriend though?" Susan inquired. "I would have let you take her home then, no doubt."
"Same reasons." He walked to the exam room, and sat down on the stool next to Abby's form. She was asleep with the chart at her feet. He watched her, until she began to stir.
"Hi," she said groggily. "How long have you.?"
"Just walked in," he laughed. "Found someone to take you home."
"Thank God," she said with her smile. "Who?"
He froze. "Me."
She bit her lip, raised her brow. "Is there more to this?"
"We've been close friends for a while." He waited for her reaction, and upon not receiving one, he continued. "Really close friends for a long time. Almost two years."
She nodded. "Weird thing is that I actually trust you. You're the only one who has been in here for the last two and a half days. Susan and Chen both say its true."
He agreed.
--
"My apartment?"
"Yeah."
She searched through the lot ahead of him. "I found my bedroom."
"Do you recognize anything?"
"No," she said, a frown in her voice visible through walls. "Not a single thing."
--
I know! Everything happened way too easily for Carter here, Abby probably wouldn't have believed him in a second. But, like I said, way OOC. So I think Em is probably the only one who is going to actually read this. lol (Without that being an insult. You're awesome, Em.)
Thanks for reviewing the last chapters, and please do the same for this one. It was a lot of dialogue, I know. Not my best work. ;)
-mandy