Chapter Twenty - Only Time
It had been two hours since the plane landed, and Carter and Abby hadn't returned home yet. There was some place they had to be first. Alger dropped them off then took their bags to their new home. An hour passed as they sat on their bench. Their bench. You know, their bench. The bench where secrets were told, secrets were kept, secrets were created. There was a lot of history attached to it, therefore a lot of meaning.
"Remember that time when we were here, when we had all those criticals come in."
She looked at him strangely, she obviously didn't.
"You know, the guy who shot all those people cos his son got taken away."
"Oh. Kinda." She said sarcastically.
"Do you remember what I said to you?" He asked interested.
"Vaguely." She said, she seemed uninterested and looked out to the river.
"What were you thinking?" He asked.
She looked at him confused again.
"I mean when I told you."
Again, confused.
"How I felt." He said, making a statement.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"So you do remember?!" He said smiling.
"How could I forget?!"
He laughed as she smirked and looked away again.
"What did you think. When I told you. I mean, were you angry or pleased, or..I dunno."
"I seem to remember feeling confused. Which is no change for me whenever I was around you. But then when you left, and I saw you walking away, I felt.." She broke off. It was hard telling him after all they'd been through.
"You felt what?" He asked inquisitively.
"I dunno. I guess, I guess I felt empty." She suddenly said.
"What do you mean?"
"Like I'd lost you. I mean, it was all very well you telling me what you did, but you didn't wait for my reaction. You just left. Leaving me feeling empty and alone basically."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel that way."
"I know. I guess I was shocked too, I mean, I never knew you liked me back."
"Back?" He said surprised.
"Yeah." She said lowering her head and smirking a little embarrassed.
"I liked you before you said anything."
"You did?!"
"Yeah." She sighed.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Cos it was never the right timing! When I first met you, and I was a med student, it would have been inappropriate to say anything. Then..then you know."
"What?"
"Valentine's Day. Then I had to tell Weaver about the drugs, which was pretty hard considering I kinda looked up to you as a doctor."
"You did?!" He sounded surprised.
"Of course! The great John Carter, doctor extraordinaire! I'd heard so much about you in OB. I was petrified when I first met you!"
"Really?! That's so adorable." He said soothingly and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders."
"Yeah, so I pretended I didn't care and acted like you were nobody!"
"Ha! So that's why you weren't impressed when I tried to talk to you on the roof!"
"You remember that?!"
"Of course I remember it. I remember thinking you were beautiful. And then when you told me you were getting divorced, I couldn't believe it."
"Why?"
"I couldn't understand why anybody would want to divorce you." He said as if it was nothing.
"That's sweet John. But trust me, you'll feel the same in a couple of years."
"I don't think so. If I do then you can sue me for lying!"
"Done."
"So you liked me..when?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, exactly when did you realise you liked me."
"What, faced up to it, or actually started feeling for you?"
"Uhh, both."
"Well..feeling, I think it was when I saw you in Docs after you got back from rehab. You looked great and then you asked me about the drinking. Looking at it now I think maybe we became such good friends was because you caught me at the meeting, I knew we had to be close cos nobody knew about my drinking."
"And facing up?"
"Probably when my Mom came and the place blew up."
"Oh when I carried you to the bed and had to check you out?"
"Yeah. I was so embarrassed. And she wouldn't shut up! God, I was sitting there thinking, 'how bad does this look?!'"
"Really?! That's sweet."
"Well what do you expect? Luka helped the patient!"
"I can see how it happened then!"
"Completely." She said continuing the semi joke.
"You're quite hard to impress really aren't you?"
"Very."
"So if that guy hadn't of been smoking and made the place blow up, and if I hadn't of saved you first then you would never have even considered going out with me?!"
"Probably not!"
"Well, I think I owe that man a word of thanks!"
"Didn't he die?"
She looked at him and he had a slight smirk on his face. Slowly a smile spread across her face and they started laughing.
"I have no idea! I don't think so..I hope not."
"I'll bet he never thought smoking would kill in that way!"
"John that's not funny." She said trying to stifle her laughter.
"Oh come on, he's probably fine."
"I hope so for your sake!"
"So, you ready to go home?"
"Now?!"
"No next week. Of course now!"
"Yeah." She sighed.
"You don't sound too sure?"
"It's not that, it's just I don't want this holiday to be over."
"It's not over unless you make it over."
"What do you mean?"
"Well we start work tomorrow, which means we still have the rest of the evening to enjoy."
"And what are you planning on doing?!"
"Ahhh all will be revealed my sweet!"
"I think I like the sound of that."
"Great. Let's go then."
He held his hand out for her as he got up and pulled her up towards him. He kissed her gently before turning to walk to the car, still clutching her hand. She followed silently as he dragged her to the car, smiling all the way.
The drive home was mostly silent, apart from the occasional hum from either person, the radio wasn't much that day.
'Who can say where the road goes, where the days flows, Only Time.'
"I like this song." Said Abby solemnly.
"It's alright. Kinda sad though don't you think?"
"Of course. But I still like it."
"Yeah." He replied, still concentrating on the road ahead, glancing sporadically at Abby who remained solemn the whole journey.
"You okay sweety?" He asked after five minutes silence.
She turned her head away from the window and smiled mildly at him. She nodded her head weakly then returned to the window.
"You know, there's a myth that if your face has the same look for a long period of time then it'll stay that way if the wind changes."
"You really believe in that?" She asked, still looking out the window.
"Well I hope it's not true, for my sake as well as yours!"
She smiled at him again weakly and squeezed his hand lightly.
"I'm sorry John. It's just this song. It makes me think."
He sighed knowingly, he gently put his hand on her hand which had moved back to her leg, and took it. She looked up at him and he looked into her eyes, reassuring her that everything was okay. He squeezed her hand and held it the whole way home.
It had been two hours since the plane landed, and Carter and Abby hadn't returned home yet. There was some place they had to be first. Alger dropped them off then took their bags to their new home. An hour passed as they sat on their bench. Their bench. You know, their bench. The bench where secrets were told, secrets were kept, secrets were created. There was a lot of history attached to it, therefore a lot of meaning.
"Remember that time when we were here, when we had all those criticals come in."
She looked at him strangely, she obviously didn't.
"You know, the guy who shot all those people cos his son got taken away."
"Oh. Kinda." She said sarcastically.
"Do you remember what I said to you?" He asked interested.
"Vaguely." She said, she seemed uninterested and looked out to the river.
"What were you thinking?" He asked.
She looked at him confused again.
"I mean when I told you."
Again, confused.
"How I felt." He said, making a statement.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"So you do remember?!" He said smiling.
"How could I forget?!"
He laughed as she smirked and looked away again.
"What did you think. When I told you. I mean, were you angry or pleased, or..I dunno."
"I seem to remember feeling confused. Which is no change for me whenever I was around you. But then when you left, and I saw you walking away, I felt.." She broke off. It was hard telling him after all they'd been through.
"You felt what?" He asked inquisitively.
"I dunno. I guess, I guess I felt empty." She suddenly said.
"What do you mean?"
"Like I'd lost you. I mean, it was all very well you telling me what you did, but you didn't wait for my reaction. You just left. Leaving me feeling empty and alone basically."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel that way."
"I know. I guess I was shocked too, I mean, I never knew you liked me back."
"Back?" He said surprised.
"Yeah." She said lowering her head and smirking a little embarrassed.
"I liked you before you said anything."
"You did?!"
"Yeah." She sighed.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Cos it was never the right timing! When I first met you, and I was a med student, it would have been inappropriate to say anything. Then..then you know."
"What?"
"Valentine's Day. Then I had to tell Weaver about the drugs, which was pretty hard considering I kinda looked up to you as a doctor."
"You did?!" He sounded surprised.
"Of course! The great John Carter, doctor extraordinaire! I'd heard so much about you in OB. I was petrified when I first met you!"
"Really?! That's so adorable." He said soothingly and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders."
"Yeah, so I pretended I didn't care and acted like you were nobody!"
"Ha! So that's why you weren't impressed when I tried to talk to you on the roof!"
"You remember that?!"
"Of course I remember it. I remember thinking you were beautiful. And then when you told me you were getting divorced, I couldn't believe it."
"Why?"
"I couldn't understand why anybody would want to divorce you." He said as if it was nothing.
"That's sweet John. But trust me, you'll feel the same in a couple of years."
"I don't think so. If I do then you can sue me for lying!"
"Done."
"So you liked me..when?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, exactly when did you realise you liked me."
"What, faced up to it, or actually started feeling for you?"
"Uhh, both."
"Well..feeling, I think it was when I saw you in Docs after you got back from rehab. You looked great and then you asked me about the drinking. Looking at it now I think maybe we became such good friends was because you caught me at the meeting, I knew we had to be close cos nobody knew about my drinking."
"And facing up?"
"Probably when my Mom came and the place blew up."
"Oh when I carried you to the bed and had to check you out?"
"Yeah. I was so embarrassed. And she wouldn't shut up! God, I was sitting there thinking, 'how bad does this look?!'"
"Really?! That's sweet."
"Well what do you expect? Luka helped the patient!"
"I can see how it happened then!"
"Completely." She said continuing the semi joke.
"You're quite hard to impress really aren't you?"
"Very."
"So if that guy hadn't of been smoking and made the place blow up, and if I hadn't of saved you first then you would never have even considered going out with me?!"
"Probably not!"
"Well, I think I owe that man a word of thanks!"
"Didn't he die?"
She looked at him and he had a slight smirk on his face. Slowly a smile spread across her face and they started laughing.
"I have no idea! I don't think so..I hope not."
"I'll bet he never thought smoking would kill in that way!"
"John that's not funny." She said trying to stifle her laughter.
"Oh come on, he's probably fine."
"I hope so for your sake!"
"So, you ready to go home?"
"Now?!"
"No next week. Of course now!"
"Yeah." She sighed.
"You don't sound too sure?"
"It's not that, it's just I don't want this holiday to be over."
"It's not over unless you make it over."
"What do you mean?"
"Well we start work tomorrow, which means we still have the rest of the evening to enjoy."
"And what are you planning on doing?!"
"Ahhh all will be revealed my sweet!"
"I think I like the sound of that."
"Great. Let's go then."
He held his hand out for her as he got up and pulled her up towards him. He kissed her gently before turning to walk to the car, still clutching her hand. She followed silently as he dragged her to the car, smiling all the way.
The drive home was mostly silent, apart from the occasional hum from either person, the radio wasn't much that day.
'Who can say where the road goes, where the days flows, Only Time.'
"I like this song." Said Abby solemnly.
"It's alright. Kinda sad though don't you think?"
"Of course. But I still like it."
"Yeah." He replied, still concentrating on the road ahead, glancing sporadically at Abby who remained solemn the whole journey.
"You okay sweety?" He asked after five minutes silence.
She turned her head away from the window and smiled mildly at him. She nodded her head weakly then returned to the window.
"You know, there's a myth that if your face has the same look for a long period of time then it'll stay that way if the wind changes."
"You really believe in that?" She asked, still looking out the window.
"Well I hope it's not true, for my sake as well as yours!"
She smiled at him again weakly and squeezed his hand lightly.
"I'm sorry John. It's just this song. It makes me think."
He sighed knowingly, he gently put his hand on her hand which had moved back to her leg, and took it. She looked up at him and he looked into her eyes, reassuring her that everything was okay. He squeezed her hand and held it the whole way home.
