Carter tapped impatiently on the table with his fingers as he pressed the
phone hard against his ear.
"Abby...Abby." he murmured into the receiver that responded with the same
ringing tone. "Come on, babe, pick up, I miss you."
He looked at the clock above him. It was only eleven-thirty. Surely she
wouldn't be asleep yet? Maybe she was tired from the journey.
* * *
Eric's hands scrabbled through Abby's handbag frantically as the mobile phone continued to ring. His fingers grasped the plastic casing and he brought it out of the bag. On the phone screen, a miniature picture of a phone flashed and the letters spelt out "HOME". He knew that's who it would be and he pressed "Answer" and placed it to his ear.
In Chicago, Carter was aware that the ringing tone stopped. "Hello? Abby? Is that you?" he asked desperately. She was ok, wasn't she? He had been so stupid for not going with her.
"No, it's Eric." Eric answered. "Carter, right?"
"Yeah," Carter replied, vaguely. "Where's Abby? Is she ok?"
"She's fine, calm down," Eric said. "She's just asleep that's all. It's kinda been hard for her, coming down here alone."
"She's not alone," Carter replied. "She has you. And Nathalie."
"You know what I mean," Eric told him. "You have no idea how worried she is about seeing Maggie again. It'd be nice if you were here."
"Well it's not my fault," Carter snapped, irritably. God, now Eric was trying to lecture him? He felt bad enough already.
"Hey, calm down, Carter. I didn't mean any offence." Eric held up his free hand in submission, even though Carter couldn't see him. "Anyway, aren't we kinda missing the point here?"
"Right, yeah, sorry." Carter nodded to himself, shaking his anger off. "So how are they both?"
Eric, who had got up and strolled over to the spare bedroom as Carter spoke, peered into the bedroom.
"Well they're both sleeping now," Eric observed. "Nathalie has been a little angel, as I'm sure she always is." Carter, on the other end, smiled wistfully. God, he wished he was with his wife, who needed him. He wished so hard he could see his little daughter's wide green eyes and innocent stare. ".and Abby." Carter was now aware of Eric walking towards her, sleeping soundly in the bed.
Eric looked at Abby. She slept peacefully, but her forehead was creased in a frown and she hugged herself tightly in her sleep. She missed Carter. Eric sighed to himself and left the room, not wanting to disturb her. He had already disrupted her life; he didn't want to intrude on her sleep, too.
".well, Abby's sleeping right now, but she wasn't so great this morning. I guess she's a bit apprehensive about meeting Maggie," Eric admitted. There was a silence. "I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow, she was just tired, I guess," he added, optimistically.
"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Carter agreed, unconvinced. "Well, thanks, Eric. You take care of my special little girls, right?"
"I promise." Eric replied. "See ya, Carter."
"Yeah, bye Eric," Carter replaced the phone and sighed. He knew that Eric's cheerful tone was put on. He shouldn't have convinced Abby to go. He should've made Weaver let him go. He sank his head into his hands and sighed again. He wasn't sure exactly how he should've gone about this complicated situation, but he did know that he should be with Abby now. He should be holding her and assuring her and being there for her, just like he had promised. He put his head on the table top
"Sorry, Abby," he whispered into the wood laminate. "Sorry, sweetheart."
* * *
In an apartment bedroom, one hundred and ninety miles away, the wind blew in through an open window and rustled the curtains like whispers. This whispering wind blew a loose strand of her hair gently behind her ear and she smiled slightly in her sleep. Her frown relaxed and disappeared. Abigail Carter snuggled into the bedclothes and slept on.
* * *
Eric's hands scrabbled through Abby's handbag frantically as the mobile phone continued to ring. His fingers grasped the plastic casing and he brought it out of the bag. On the phone screen, a miniature picture of a phone flashed and the letters spelt out "HOME". He knew that's who it would be and he pressed "Answer" and placed it to his ear.
In Chicago, Carter was aware that the ringing tone stopped. "Hello? Abby? Is that you?" he asked desperately. She was ok, wasn't she? He had been so stupid for not going with her.
"No, it's Eric." Eric answered. "Carter, right?"
"Yeah," Carter replied, vaguely. "Where's Abby? Is she ok?"
"She's fine, calm down," Eric said. "She's just asleep that's all. It's kinda been hard for her, coming down here alone."
"She's not alone," Carter replied. "She has you. And Nathalie."
"You know what I mean," Eric told him. "You have no idea how worried she is about seeing Maggie again. It'd be nice if you were here."
"Well it's not my fault," Carter snapped, irritably. God, now Eric was trying to lecture him? He felt bad enough already.
"Hey, calm down, Carter. I didn't mean any offence." Eric held up his free hand in submission, even though Carter couldn't see him. "Anyway, aren't we kinda missing the point here?"
"Right, yeah, sorry." Carter nodded to himself, shaking his anger off. "So how are they both?"
Eric, who had got up and strolled over to the spare bedroom as Carter spoke, peered into the bedroom.
"Well they're both sleeping now," Eric observed. "Nathalie has been a little angel, as I'm sure she always is." Carter, on the other end, smiled wistfully. God, he wished he was with his wife, who needed him. He wished so hard he could see his little daughter's wide green eyes and innocent stare. ".and Abby." Carter was now aware of Eric walking towards her, sleeping soundly in the bed.
Eric looked at Abby. She slept peacefully, but her forehead was creased in a frown and she hugged herself tightly in her sleep. She missed Carter. Eric sighed to himself and left the room, not wanting to disturb her. He had already disrupted her life; he didn't want to intrude on her sleep, too.
".well, Abby's sleeping right now, but she wasn't so great this morning. I guess she's a bit apprehensive about meeting Maggie," Eric admitted. There was a silence. "I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow, she was just tired, I guess," he added, optimistically.
"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Carter agreed, unconvinced. "Well, thanks, Eric. You take care of my special little girls, right?"
"I promise." Eric replied. "See ya, Carter."
"Yeah, bye Eric," Carter replaced the phone and sighed. He knew that Eric's cheerful tone was put on. He shouldn't have convinced Abby to go. He should've made Weaver let him go. He sank his head into his hands and sighed again. He wasn't sure exactly how he should've gone about this complicated situation, but he did know that he should be with Abby now. He should be holding her and assuring her and being there for her, just like he had promised. He put his head on the table top
"Sorry, Abby," he whispered into the wood laminate. "Sorry, sweetheart."
* * *
In an apartment bedroom, one hundred and ninety miles away, the wind blew in through an open window and rustled the curtains like whispers. This whispering wind blew a loose strand of her hair gently behind her ear and she smiled slightly in her sleep. Her frown relaxed and disappeared. Abigail Carter snuggled into the bedclothes and slept on.