Title: Bent
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Never will.
Author's Note: Sorry that it took me a view days to update. I hope everyone's liking it so far. Thanks for the reviews. Please keep it up.
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Abby rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. 3 a.m. Ugh.Why do I have to be hungry now? She thought to herself as she rolled out of bed and put her bathrobe on.
She searched the freezer until she finally found what she had been looking for. A half-pint of Rocky Road ice cream. She pulled a spoon out of the drawer, grabbed the TV remote off of the counter, and collapsed onto the couch. She flipped through the channels until she found something that she wanted to watch. She eventually settled on "When Harry met Sally."
By the time that the movie was over Abby had finished off the last of the ice cream and was exhausted. She switched off the TV, through the empty container of ice cream away, and put the spoon in the sink. By then Abby didn't think she had enough energy to make it back to her bed, and decided not even to try. She laid back down on the couch and pulled the quilt that was hanging over the back of it over her. And there she slept peacefully, until she was woken up by the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, groggily into the receiver.
"Abby Lockhart?" The thick-accented man on the other end of the line asked. Something about the way he had said her name sent chills down her spine.
"Abby Lockhart?" The man asked again, after Abby didn't respond.
"Uh, yes.this is Abby Lockhart. Who is this?" She asked warily.
"You know John Carter?" It was statement more than a question.
"Yes.yes I do." She said, her voice starting to shake. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She didn't want the man to drag this out. If something was wrong she just wanted to know.
"I'm very sorry.but the hospital that Dr. Carter was working at was bombed earlier today."
Abby felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her. She couldn't breath. She tried to calm herself down before she tried to speak, but the man on the other end had already answered the question that she had wanted to ask.
"It doesn't appear that there were any survivors."
"Doesn't appear? So that means it's possible?" She asked, with some hope in her voice.
"Ma'am.I'm no expert on this matter, but I've seen the damage. No one that was in that building could have survived."
Abby couldn't believe it. She didn't believe it. Something didn't feel right. Something was telling her not to give up. So she held on tight to what little hope that she had.
"But maybe he wasn't in the hospital when it happened." She told the man on the other line. "Maybe he wasn't there. I mean, that could be the case, couldn't it?"
"I suppose it is possible, but-"
"Right, it's possible."
"Yes, but there was no reason for Dr. Carter to be out of the hospital at that time." The man could hear Abby crying on the other end of line. "But it is possibly, ma'am."
Abby took a deep breath. "Have you identified any of the bodies?"
"No, not yet. We are working on that now." The man paused for a second, and Abby could hear him talking to someone in the background. "Okay, okay." He said to the other man before turning his attention back to the phone. "I'm very sorry Ms. Lockhart, but I have to go. There are other families that we have to inform."
"I understand."
"We will call you when we know more." And with that he hung up, leaving Abby holding the dead phone in her hand. She put it back on the holder and walked over to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets. She wasn't sure what she was looking for until she found it. She pulled out the unopened bottle of scotch and sat it down on the counter. She stood there starring at it for a good minute before she finally opened it and raised the bottle to her mouth. But before she took a drink she noticed the sonogram picture on the table. She let the arm that was holding the bottle fall to her side as she picked up the picture. She leaned against the sink, looking at the little baby that was inside of her. The little baby that may never have a father. The only piece of John that she had left.
She looked down at the bottle once more. She threw it across the room and it smashed into pieces against the wall, spilling the alcohol all over the floor. Abby collapsed to the ground and pulled her knees into her chest, her face buried in them. She rocked back and forth, tears running down her face. She shook her head. This can't be happening. It can't be. She groped in the darkness for any shred of hope that she could find to cling onto. But was left with nothing but broken glass and a broken heart.
******************************************************************
It was 4:30 in the morning and most of the County staff were finishing up their work and preparing to go home.
"Dr. Weaver, Randy just called-" Frank started to tell Kerry before she cut him off.
"If she's trying to get out of her shift today you can tell her to forget about it."
"No, uh.she said that you needed to turn on CNN. Something about Dr. Carter. She sounded pretty upset."
Kerry turned on the TV and the other doctors and nurses, including Susan and Luka, gathered around to see what was going on. When Kerry flipped to CNN the workers were stunned by the image of what appeared on the screen. The destruction to the building had been horrific. But what stunned them the most wasn't the image on the screen, but the headline below it. American doctor, John Carter, believed dead after hospital bombing in Central Africa.
To the doctors and nurses watching, it had seemed like the ER had gone completely silent. The usual noise and commotion that they had come accustomed to had now seemed to fade away, and they were left with nothing but the sound of the reporter's voice.
"If you're just tuning in, what you see behind me is the remains of what once was one of the largest, and busiest, hospitals in Africa. Approximately two hours ago it was hit with what officials believe to be a bomb. There is no word yet of any survivors, and we are estimating the casualties to be anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000. Among them, and American doctor, Dr. John Carter, who was in Africa on a two week missionary. It goes without saying, that we are praying for his safe return, but as you can see behind me, it doesn't appear that anyone could have survived."
"Abby." Susan said, realizing that it was possible that Abby had seen this. She grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
"I'm going with you." Luka replied, as he followed Susan out of the hospital.
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Abby was still on the floor when she heard the phone ring. She made no attempt to answer it, but instead got up and headed for the bathroom. She thought that a shower might calm her down. She stopped when she heard the answering machine kick on.
"Hi. This is Abby's. Please---"
"Hey.I don't get my name on the answering machine?"
"Do you live here?"
"Practically."
"Fine." Abby said, laughing. "This is Abby AND JOHN'S. Please leave us---"
Abby rushed over to the machine and the phone and ripped both of them out of the wall and threw them across the room. But it was already too late. She had heard his voice. And now, she was once again in tears on the floor.
As she broke into sobs, she could hear her cell phone ringing in the other room, and as much as she wanted to go in there and smash that too, she just let it ring.
********************************************************************
The voice mail clicked on.
"It's Abby. Leave me a message." beep
"Abby, it's me. Look, I don't know if you've seen what's going on yet, but I just wanted to tell you not to worry. Everything's okay. I'm.I'm trying my best to get there, but it might take me awhile. I just wanted to tell you not to worry. I'll see you soon."
And with that, John hung up the phone and started home.
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Author's note: Please tell me what you think so far. I am going to try my best to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but if I can't I won't be able to get it up until next weekend. (Unless we get a day off school b/c of the snow.)
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Never will.
Author's Note: Sorry that it took me a view days to update. I hope everyone's liking it so far. Thanks for the reviews. Please keep it up.
*************************************************************************
Abby rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. 3 a.m. Ugh.Why do I have to be hungry now? She thought to herself as she rolled out of bed and put her bathrobe on.
She searched the freezer until she finally found what she had been looking for. A half-pint of Rocky Road ice cream. She pulled a spoon out of the drawer, grabbed the TV remote off of the counter, and collapsed onto the couch. She flipped through the channels until she found something that she wanted to watch. She eventually settled on "When Harry met Sally."
By the time that the movie was over Abby had finished off the last of the ice cream and was exhausted. She switched off the TV, through the empty container of ice cream away, and put the spoon in the sink. By then Abby didn't think she had enough energy to make it back to her bed, and decided not even to try. She laid back down on the couch and pulled the quilt that was hanging over the back of it over her. And there she slept peacefully, until she was woken up by the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, groggily into the receiver.
"Abby Lockhart?" The thick-accented man on the other end of the line asked. Something about the way he had said her name sent chills down her spine.
"Abby Lockhart?" The man asked again, after Abby didn't respond.
"Uh, yes.this is Abby Lockhart. Who is this?" She asked warily.
"You know John Carter?" It was statement more than a question.
"Yes.yes I do." She said, her voice starting to shake. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She didn't want the man to drag this out. If something was wrong she just wanted to know.
"I'm very sorry.but the hospital that Dr. Carter was working at was bombed earlier today."
Abby felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her. She couldn't breath. She tried to calm herself down before she tried to speak, but the man on the other end had already answered the question that she had wanted to ask.
"It doesn't appear that there were any survivors."
"Doesn't appear? So that means it's possible?" She asked, with some hope in her voice.
"Ma'am.I'm no expert on this matter, but I've seen the damage. No one that was in that building could have survived."
Abby couldn't believe it. She didn't believe it. Something didn't feel right. Something was telling her not to give up. So she held on tight to what little hope that she had.
"But maybe he wasn't in the hospital when it happened." She told the man on the other line. "Maybe he wasn't there. I mean, that could be the case, couldn't it?"
"I suppose it is possible, but-"
"Right, it's possible."
"Yes, but there was no reason for Dr. Carter to be out of the hospital at that time." The man could hear Abby crying on the other end of line. "But it is possibly, ma'am."
Abby took a deep breath. "Have you identified any of the bodies?"
"No, not yet. We are working on that now." The man paused for a second, and Abby could hear him talking to someone in the background. "Okay, okay." He said to the other man before turning his attention back to the phone. "I'm very sorry Ms. Lockhart, but I have to go. There are other families that we have to inform."
"I understand."
"We will call you when we know more." And with that he hung up, leaving Abby holding the dead phone in her hand. She put it back on the holder and walked over to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets. She wasn't sure what she was looking for until she found it. She pulled out the unopened bottle of scotch and sat it down on the counter. She stood there starring at it for a good minute before she finally opened it and raised the bottle to her mouth. But before she took a drink she noticed the sonogram picture on the table. She let the arm that was holding the bottle fall to her side as she picked up the picture. She leaned against the sink, looking at the little baby that was inside of her. The little baby that may never have a father. The only piece of John that she had left.
She looked down at the bottle once more. She threw it across the room and it smashed into pieces against the wall, spilling the alcohol all over the floor. Abby collapsed to the ground and pulled her knees into her chest, her face buried in them. She rocked back and forth, tears running down her face. She shook her head. This can't be happening. It can't be. She groped in the darkness for any shred of hope that she could find to cling onto. But was left with nothing but broken glass and a broken heart.
******************************************************************
It was 4:30 in the morning and most of the County staff were finishing up their work and preparing to go home.
"Dr. Weaver, Randy just called-" Frank started to tell Kerry before she cut him off.
"If she's trying to get out of her shift today you can tell her to forget about it."
"No, uh.she said that you needed to turn on CNN. Something about Dr. Carter. She sounded pretty upset."
Kerry turned on the TV and the other doctors and nurses, including Susan and Luka, gathered around to see what was going on. When Kerry flipped to CNN the workers were stunned by the image of what appeared on the screen. The destruction to the building had been horrific. But what stunned them the most wasn't the image on the screen, but the headline below it. American doctor, John Carter, believed dead after hospital bombing in Central Africa.
To the doctors and nurses watching, it had seemed like the ER had gone completely silent. The usual noise and commotion that they had come accustomed to had now seemed to fade away, and they were left with nothing but the sound of the reporter's voice.
"If you're just tuning in, what you see behind me is the remains of what once was one of the largest, and busiest, hospitals in Africa. Approximately two hours ago it was hit with what officials believe to be a bomb. There is no word yet of any survivors, and we are estimating the casualties to be anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000. Among them, and American doctor, Dr. John Carter, who was in Africa on a two week missionary. It goes without saying, that we are praying for his safe return, but as you can see behind me, it doesn't appear that anyone could have survived."
"Abby." Susan said, realizing that it was possible that Abby had seen this. She grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
"I'm going with you." Luka replied, as he followed Susan out of the hospital.
*************************************************************************
Abby was still on the floor when she heard the phone ring. She made no attempt to answer it, but instead got up and headed for the bathroom. She thought that a shower might calm her down. She stopped when she heard the answering machine kick on.
"Hi. This is Abby's. Please---"
"Hey.I don't get my name on the answering machine?"
"Do you live here?"
"Practically."
"Fine." Abby said, laughing. "This is Abby AND JOHN'S. Please leave us---"
Abby rushed over to the machine and the phone and ripped both of them out of the wall and threw them across the room. But it was already too late. She had heard his voice. And now, she was once again in tears on the floor.
As she broke into sobs, she could hear her cell phone ringing in the other room, and as much as she wanted to go in there and smash that too, she just let it ring.
********************************************************************
The voice mail clicked on.
"It's Abby. Leave me a message." beep
"Abby, it's me. Look, I don't know if you've seen what's going on yet, but I just wanted to tell you not to worry. Everything's okay. I'm.I'm trying my best to get there, but it might take me awhile. I just wanted to tell you not to worry. I'll see you soon."
And with that, John hung up the phone and started home.
*******************************************************************
Author's note: Please tell me what you think so far. I am going to try my best to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but if I can't I won't be able to get it up until next weekend. (Unless we get a day off school b/c of the snow.)