Abby arose out of the unmade bed watching the figure lying there, snoring almost inaudibly. She made her way into the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. Her head throbbed with every step, and she had a shift in two hours. Lucky me. She took a brush to her hair and a warm towel to her face. This would soon mask the apparentness of sex to her appearance.
She found her clothes, donned them, and gathered her things in order to leave. Before she left, found a pen and a paper napkin in order to write a note. Unfortunately, the only thing she was able to write was.....
I'm sorry.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" Thoracotomy tray. Meg of Atropine and start a Dopamine drip. Page Corday down here, now!" shouted Carter to Haleh.
" Stats are dropping! BP's 60/90 and Pulse Ox is tacky at 71. You gotta intubate." she replied
" Right, 32 French," he began " Dammit, I can't see squat! It's too filled up with blood!
" What do you wanna do?" asked Lydia
" 10 blade and cross clamp and where the hell is Elizabeth?"
" Dr. Carter," called Malik from the phone, " Dr. Corday is in the middle of a Whipple."
" Whipple my ass! I've got a patient down here with his throat and lungs drowning in blood, and I can't get a tube down. Plus, it's cutting of the oxygen to his heart. I need a surgeon, now! I don't care who it is, but I need a surgeon. Pronto!"
" Gotcha Boss." replied Malik turning his attention back to his call to surgery.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" Hey Abby," said Luka Kovac " can you get a blood count on Mr. Bryant in curtain four?"
" Uh, yeah. You said blood count, right?"
" Yes. You seem frazzled. Did you get enough sleep?'
He was concerned. He was always concerned about her. Even now that they aren't even together, he's still concerned about her. How nice of a guy can you get? Maybe just a little too nice.
" I'm fine, Luka."
" Are you eating OK?" he asked
" Yes. You sound like Carter do you know that?"
" Thanks. I think."
" You're welcome. It was a complement."
" It always is with you," he declared " I wish that you would tell him already."
" Tell who? What?"
" That you're completely in love with him."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" Carter, what the hell are you doing?" asked the British woman slamming through the trauma room door.
" Saving your ass," he turned to Haleh " Internal paddles. Charge to 200. Clear."
" Asistole."
" 300. Clear."
" What happened? You put in a chest tube?!"
" I had to! He had a pneumothorax!. I couldn't get a tube down! A chest tube was my only option. I had to drain all that blood out," he explained " 350. Clear. Oxygen wasn't getting to his heart due to the massive amounts of blood blocking his airway!! You were in surgery and I didn't have a surgeon. What was I supposed to do? Let him die!"
" No. Page Benton or Romano or Somebody! Anything, but do it yourself!"
" Stats are rising. Pressure's 85/90 and Pulse Ox is 78. Nice save, Carter." said Haleh
" You're bloody amazing John Carter! Let's get him to the OR." stated Corday
" What about your Whipple?"
" Romano took over."
" Thanks."
" No need. You needed me more."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" But I need you, Abby!" exclaimed Susan
" Yadda, Yadda, Yadda..."
" All right. By the way, you didn't call last night! How did your date go with Mr. AA?"
" Let's just say I would have rather been working the night shift!"
" The ER vortex? That bad, huh?"
" Says the master of understatement." said Abby
" Ouch."
" You have no idea."
" Where did you go?"
" Definitely not home."
" You didn't go bar hopping without me did you?"
" No." she stated bluntly
" Then where? Oh my God, you slept with Luka!" she joked
" Hardly," she scoffed
Susan peered at her. If looks could kill, she thought.
" I went to Carter's."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I really got all trauma-y in this chapter! I have never really tried writing a trauma scene, but I took my chances. Reference time! Any ER fan worth her salt knows whence the title came from.
The line 'Gotcha Boss' was coined by Dave Malucci in the epp. 'The Longer You Stay'when talking to Weaver. Can you tell I like that episode? The argument between Elizabeth and Carter was taken from a similar argument between our girl Lizzie and Peter Benton in 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'. The beginning scene where Abby writes the note to the *practically* unknown guy is taken from a scene between Ross and Rachel on the most hilarious sitcom Friends. The conversation between Luka and Abby for the most part was taken between Carter and Abby in the epp. 'Beyond Repair'. The 'Completely in love' line was spoken by Susan to Carter in reference to Abby in the stunningly written episode 'Secrets and Lies'. One of my favorites in Season 8. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda was taken from a little sitcom called Seinfeld? Thought you might recognize that one. The 'Oh my God, you slept with Luka' joke was said by Carter, but I just can't remember where it came from. Please, forgive me! I love your reviews. I need, covet, eat, drink, and breathe them. Yours- not-so-dumb-blonde
