The reviews meant a lot to me again, thanks. : ) Sorry for the delay, but I was busy. I hope you still want to read. : )
Here is where the spoiler for S10 begin. So if you are spoiler free, you better don't read it now. ; )
I hope you'll like it and let me know what you think. : ) Thanks.
Chapter 4: "Letting Go"
A few days passed. Carter and Abby spent most of the time talking, sorting out their feelings for each other. They both felt better after talking about everything. Now they knew how much they were loved by the other and that they couldn't be without each other.
They never wanted to be apart again.
"John, there's someone for you on the phone!", Kerry yelled down the hallway. Carter was just on his way from exam one to exam two.
He turned around and gave her a puzzled look.
"Not now, I am busy. Tell them to call back later or take a note."
He entered the exam room to treat his next patient. Abby was already there.
A little girl was sitting on the gurney, holding her knee. Her mother was standing next to her, holding her hand tightly.
"Hello little one, I'm doctor Carter.", he said to her in front of him.
After Africa, he was even more eager to help children, even if they weren't half as hurt as the children he saw there.
He examined her knee.
"What's your name sweety?", he asked her and stroked her cheek. He could tell she was scared by the surroundings, tears were still running down her face. She must have been about 4 or 5 years old.
"Jo.", the little girl answered between sobs.
"Jo like in Joanna?", Carter asked her to distract her from the pain in her knee.
The little girl nodded.
"That's a beautiful name your Mom gave you.", he said and could see that the girl started to smile. He could see that the mother was smiling, too now. She seemed so worried about her little daughter.
"How did that happen, Jo?"
"I was riding my bike and I fell."
"Oh, that hurt huh?"
The little girl nodded.
"Don't worry, we'll make it better soon.", he said to her, making her smile.
Abby stood next to him, watching him with the child. He was great with children, that was for sure. He was great with people in general.
Carter was just about to put a bandage on the little girl's knee when Kerry entered the room.
"John, you really need to answer the phone, it's someone from Africa.", she said to him, waiting for a reaction. But it was like he forgot about Kerry.
He looked up at Abby. She was as clueless as he was. They both had no idea what the call could be about.
"Abby here will take care of you, okay?", he said to the girl.
"I'll be right back."
Abby smiled at her and kneeled down in front of her.
"Let's see what we can do for you."
They both looked at each other one last time before he left the room. He knew Abby would take good care of the little girl.
Abby was just coming out of exam two when she saw Carter standing at the admit desk, about to put the phone down.
He looked sad and his eyes were teary. She was wondering what the phone call was about, she started to worry.
She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. She could feel him jump a little. He didn't notice that she was standing next to him.
"Hey, what was the phone call about?", she asked worriedly.
He turned around and looked into her eyes.
"It …", he started to say. But stopped and grabbed her arm gently. "Let's go in here.", he added and led her into an empty exam room.
He knew that the news he had would be terrible for her. And he wanted to be alone with her in that moment. He wanted her to feel save with him. He wanted to make sure that she could show her feelings. That she didn't have to hold anything back in public.
And he was sad himself. He never thought he would be before Africa, but now he was.
Abby was nervous. She didn't know what to think. John acted weird and it scared her.
They were in the exam room now and John put his hands on Abby's shoulders.
"Abby, it was a call from Africa."
He didn't know how to tell her.
"John, please, what did they want?"
The silence was killing her. She could feel it was something serious and she waited him to finally tell her what was wrong.
"It's Luka. The Mayi Mayi came back to the camp again and … they shot him."
A tear was running down his face. His time with Luka in Africa brought the two closer to each other. He had great respect for him. He was a brave man, never too scared of his own life, always willing to help. And now he was dead. That was a shock.
And he was worried about Abby. He knew she was not in love with Luka anymore, but they were still friends.
She just stared at him in disbelief. That could not be true. She spent two weeks worrying and when she thought that it was finally over, he tells her that Luka is dead.
She was sad, Luka was still her friend.
Tears were forming in her eyes.
Carter pulled her into his arms and let her cry, crying himself at the same time.
She was glad that she was alone with Carter, so she could let go of her emotions.
He was rubbing her back while he was thinking about how to tell her the other news he had.
"Abby …", he said and pulled away from her a little to face her. "I have to go back to Africa to get his body over here. I owe him that."
She was just staring at him.
"What?", she exclaimed between sobs. "No, you can't go back there! I won't let you!"
She was angry now. She could not understand how he could do that to her. They just had each other back and now he wanted to leave her again. She couldn't let him go again. It was a dangerous place, she didn't even want to think about it that it was possible that he never came back again.
She pulled away from him and started pacing through the room.
"Abby, I have to go. I am sorry, I don't want to leave you either, believe me! And I know how you feel. But he deserves that. It's the least I can do for him. He was a brave man, I can't just leave him there, expecting that someone will take care of him."
He walked towards her and made her stop, holding her shoulders to make her look at him.
"Hey, I will be back as soon as possible. I won't stay one single minute longer than really necessary, okay?"
She shook her head, starting to cry again. She knew Carter was right, but she didn't want to let him go, worry about him again. And maybe never see him again. The thought to be away from him again was almost killing her.
She let him hug her again, crying into his chest.
"Promise me to call me every day at least once!", she sobbed. "And make sure it won't take any longer than really necessary."
"I promise.", he said and kissed the top of her head. "Not a second longer than necessary without you in my arms."
He didn't want to go either. But he really owed Luka that.
He knew how hard it was for her. There was no word that could describe how worried he would be about her if she was alone in Africa.
"I wish I could come with you."
"No, I didn't want you there. It's terrible. I didn't want you to see all that."
He was glad that there was no way she could really go with him. She wasn't immunised. Otherwise he'd really worry. He knew her and he knew she'd go with him if it was possible, just to be with him. Even if it meant that she'd die with him. But he knew that feeling. Anything was better than lose the other, even death.
"Promise that this is the last time ever that you leave me.", Abby said into Carter's chest while they were hugging each other tightly.
"You make me promise a lot lately.", he tried to joke, but Abby did not laugh.
"I promise.", he finally answered, tightening his embrace around her. She did the same.
She buried her face deep in his sweater to inhale his scent to never forget it again. Not that this was possible anyway, but just to be sure.
He tried to do the same, to feel near her while he was away.
"My flight, I have to go.", he said when he looked at the board with the flight announcements.
But both didn't want to let the other go. It was harder than they had both expected.
Abby told herself not to cry, but she couldn't help it. Before he was only an inch away she couldn't hold it back anymore. She didn't want to make a scene, but it was just too hard to let him leave her again.
When they were apart enough to see each others face, she could see that he was crying, too. It made her feel a little better to see that he was as worried about her as she was about him and that she was not the only one having a hard time with him leaving.
They kissed each other deeply before he finally grabbed his bag and left.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
And then he disappeared in the crowd.
