Jo & Lise xx Part Six
"What can I get you ladies?" the bartender asked as the group of three approached the bar.
"I'll have a..." Susan stared at the list on the wall. "Sex on the Beach. Deb?"
"Sex on the Beach? What's in that?"
"I dunno," Susan shrugged. "But it sounds intriguing."
"Okay, I'll have one of them too."
"I'll just have a diet coke, please," Abby said.
"Oh come on Abby!" Deb exclaimed. "Don't be so boring!" Abby looked nervously at Susan.
"Hey, we might need someone to make sure we get home okay," Susan laughed, picking up the cocktail that had been put down in front of her, and walking towards a table in the corner. Deb and Abby grabbed their drinks, following her.
"Who says I want to get home okay?" Deb winked. She looked up at Susan, who was staring at her drink. "What's wrong?"
"It's pink."
"We've had pink drinks before." "Yeah...but I normally start off with something a little more normal in colour...I usually don't know I'm drinking something pink by the time I'm drinking something pink."
"True." They all laughed, as they sipped at their drinks. "So Abby," Deb continued. "What was that with Carter outside the hospital just before we left?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you both looked a little down...and did you see the way he was staring at your ass?"
"That was intentional," she stared down into her glass. "I didn't wear these pants for the fun of it you know, I was making sure he knew what he was missing out on by being such an idiot."
"Right." Deb turned her attention back to 'sex on the beach' obviously realising she wouldn't get much more from Abby tonight.
"I'm going to the bathroom, be back in a minute." Abby got up from her seat, fleeing what she felt could become an awkward situation.
"What is up with her today?" she heard Deb asked as she walked away.
"You mean you didn't hear? Do you even work in the same ER as us Deb?" Abby had no doubt Susan would fill Deb in on all the details. At least it saved her the bother.
***
"Okay, next round's on me," Abby said, surveying the collection of cocktail glasses and diet coke bottles. They'd only had two rounds, but it looked more like ten by the collection they'd gathered up. "What do you want?"
"Erm...what was that purple thing I just had?" Abby and Susan both shrugged. "Well, one of them."
"I think sex on the beach will do me good," Susan winked. Abby headed over to the bar.
"Same again?" the bartender asked.
"No...Can I have another one of those purple things, and two sex on the beach please." Her hands shook as she took the tray he'd passed her and walked back to the table. She knew she shouldn't, but just this one wouldn't hurt.
"Thanks Ab..." Susan trailed off when she saw the drinks on the tray. "I only asked for one sex on the beach."
"Yeah I know." She looked down at her hand: the one that a few hours before had held an engagement ring. Sighing, she handed Susan and Deb their drinks.
"Being a little more adventurous now then?" Deb winked, but Abby was conscious of Susan's stare. She raised the glass to her mouth, her hands still shaking.
"Abby..." She stopped with the glass against her lips, still not taking a sip. Susan picked up her own glass, and pointed to it. "See this?" She held it out over the plant pot next to them, and upturned it, before placing the empty glass back on the table. Abby continued to stare at her friend. "I'm sorry Abby, it was really inconsiderate of us to bring you out and start drinking. I'm on coke for the rest of the evening." Her friend's eyes continued to bore into her. "Please."
Taking a deep breath Abby moved the glass away from her lips and followed Susan's example. "I need to go home. I'll get a cab, see you guys tomorrow." She smiled warmly at Susan, silently thanking her. As she walked off she could hear Deb quizzing Susan again.
"What's going on Susan? Is she pregnant or something?"
***
She wandered out towards the doors, but was suddenly restricted, by a large, leering man who seemed to fancy his chances. He had long greasy black hair, tied into a straggly ponytail, an ill fitting t-shirt clung round his large stomach, and his breath smelt foul of alcohol and cigarettes.
She frantically searched for a familiar face, but the table they had occupied was out of sight. He was getting closer now, egged on by his drunken mates in the corner.
"Hey Brother, I'd let that lady go if I were you," a familiar voice demanded.
"Yeah, and you are?"
"Why do you fancy your chances?!" Abby saw Pratt's figure, in an almost heroic silhouette.
The man realising he was beaten, gave up fairly easily, and moved onto his next victim.
"Pr- I mean Greg! I've never been more happy to see you!" she sighed with relief.
"See, I'm not just an annoying resident..."
"I'll never look at you in the same light again!" she joked, still feeling a little shaken.
"Want me to wait with you for a cab?"
"That'd be great...aren't you meeting someone though? I don't want to ruin your night too!"
"Its cool...I'm meeting Jing-Mei & Susan, I'm taking that's who you've been out with?"
"Mmmm. Long story!" Abby climbed into a cab, and kissed him gently on cheek.
He grinned to himself, and headed back inside.
***
Abby lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. It occurred to her, as it often did, that she had one seriously mucked up life. She wondered why nothing ever seemed to go right: maybe because she always mucked things up. It was true though. She had an amazing boyfriend, great friends like Susan and Deb, and a job she loved. So maybe she just wasn't allowed that much happiness. So the amazing boyfriend had to run off the Africa trying to get himself killed. She'd called off her engagement to that amazing boyfriend, and walked out on those great friends. It was beginning to look to her like staying and drinking all night would have been a better option. She needed to drown her sorrows right about now.
"I wanna have sex on the beach, come on move your body, sex on the beach..." she sang to herself, smiling sadly. What was in that thing anyway? She laughed remembering the look on Susan's face when she'd been staring at the bright pink drink. "I wanna have sex on the beach, come on everybody, sex on the..."
Her singing was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. She grabbed the hand held from her bedside table. "Hello?"
"Hi Abby, it's Susan." She glanced at the clock: it was only midnight, what was Susan doing phoning her? She'd expect her to still be at the club.
"Hi." She paused, before deciding she really ought to apologise. "I'm sorry about earlier...I just felt like I needed to get out of there, before...well, you know. But I shouldn't have just abandoned you guys like that."
"Don't sweat it. I should be the one apologising; I shouldn't have taken you there, I just didn't think." Abby shrugged, before realising that Susan couldn't see that down the phone.
"It's okay. So what are you doing home so early? And you don't sound very drunk..." Susan laughed gently down the phone.
"Well, after you disappeared Pratt turned up to collect Deb." She laughed once again, and Abby joined her, smiling. She decided it was probably best not to mention how Pratt had been her hero earlier. "So they went off, and after several not very pleasant guys had tried to chat me up I decided it was time to head off."
"Yeah, 'Can I buy you a drink' isn't a very effective chat up line on buy one get two free night!"
"Exactly. So I only had those two sex on the beach. And if I'd had another drink I really would have had to have three, since you two weren't there to have the two free ones!" There was a silence for a while, before Susan spoke up again. "So, almost drinking tonight...was that about Carter?"
"No," Abby answered, perhaps a little too forcefully.
"You sure?"
"I don't really know. I've just had like the worst day in the history of bad days."
"You gonna talk to him then?" Susan enquired.
"He's catching a plane at five in the morning."
"But I thought they weren't going to..." her voice caught in her throat. "I thought they weren't going to the clinic until Saturday."
"Long way to Africa."
"Yeah, of course..." she trailed off. "Abby?"
"Hmm?"
"Go see him off at the airport."
"No Susan, I can't! Really, it would be so inappropriate, after everything I've said and done..."
"Think about it?" Abby didn't respond. "Please?"
"Sure. I'm going to sleep now, goodnight Susan." She hung the phone up on her best friend, feeling slightly guilty, but at the same time relieved that she didn't have to continue the conversation. Was it really only five hours until he left the country? This could be the last chance she ever got to see him...
***
No matter how much she tried to curl up underneath her blankets, she still lay gazing wide eyed at the ceiling. The more she lay there, the more she began to think about going to sleep, the further away it became. She tiredly dragged herself out of bed and into the clothes she had just thrown off.
***
She knew he'd be there, she remembered him saying that it didn't feel right being there, but it didn't feel right for it to be empty either.
That was why she stumbled up the vast gravel drive at nearly one am. She had no idea whether he would actually be there, or whether there was a point to this trip, but she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't try.
How do you wake up a mansion? she pondered... do you just ring the doorbell?
The door opened in front of her, he stood there in an old t-shirt his hair messed up and bleary eyed.
"I've watched you stumble all the way up the drive..." he commented amused.
She smiled back and shrugged, as he gestured for her to go in.
***
"This place looks smaller in the dark...you could hardly call it small though really...!" she whispered, aware she was filling the silence with nonsense.
"Abby? What are you whispering for?!"
"It's this place...it makes me feel like I need to be on my best behaviour! It's just a whispering kinda place..."
He raised an eyebrow at her in reply, and led her into the study.
"Good night was it?" the whole tone suddenly changed, she knew what he was hinting at. She attempted to make the clothes she had thrown back on look more respectful.
"Carter, I swear I didn't touch a drop."
"You don't have to tell me anything."
"Ask Susan! I don't even know why I came here. It always comes back to this doesn't it? You don't trust me," she accused, storming towards the door.
He reached for her arm, swinging her back round towards him.
"I trust you ok! I trust you...it's just that I worry. I worry that you're drinking because you're unhappy, because I've made you unhappy...I don't want to do that Abby," he shot her the look, that always brought her back to him. It was as though they had some 'X' factor, some unknown force keeping them together.
"We've got about 3 hours until I have to get my plane...want to watch a film or something?"
"Yeah...but can I get changed first?!"
"I don't know...that outfit's working for you..."
"Carter! More like for you."
She returned a few minutes later, dressed in one of his t-shirts, her hair scraped back into an untidy ponytail. They curled up on the couch together and began to watch a pathetic early morning movie.
The sleep that had seemed so far away to Abby earlier soon descended on her, as her eyelids began to drop like they had lead weights upon them.
"Ha! Have you seen..." he began, until her realised she was fast asleep upon him. She looked so perfect, nothing to change, nothing to fix. The woman he loved.
***
"You know I love you Billy, I always will. But I can't do this anymore. It's just wrong."
"But Justine..."
"No buts Billy."
Carter awoke to the sound of two voices blaring from the TV. He opened his eyes slowly, and stared at the black and white picture on the screen. He looked down, to see Abby who was lying with her head in his lap. She looked so peaceful and happy. He stroked her hair lovingly, wanted to just stay in this moment.
"I have to go now Justine. But I'll be back, I promise." Carter sighed: he had to go soon too. How soon he wasn't sure, since he wasn't entirely sure on the time. Although this wasn't the film he'd been watching with Abby before they fell asleep...He glanced over at the clock on the wall, and almost yelled out loud when he saw the time.
Carefully lifting Abby's head from his lap, he stood up. After gently kissing the top of her head he rushed up the stairs and into his bedroom. He pulled on some clean clothes, ran a brush through his hair, and grabbed the bag that he'd packed last night ready for Africa before running back downstairs.
"I do love him, but it's wrong. He's married, what if Penny ever found out? I don't know what to do Carrie." He laughed briefly at the tackiness of the film, before turning his attention to Abby. She was so beautiful, and sleeping happily. Should he wake her? He wanted to say goodbye, but he didn't want to wake her up. Especially if it ended in another argument about him going alone.
He grabbed some paper from the coffee table, and scribbled a note, before leaving it there for her. "I'll see you really soon Abby. I love you." He kissed her gently on the top of her head, before smiling sadly and leaving.
"I've decided Carrie. I'm going to telephone him. I'll tell him exactly how I feel. And if he feels the same for me, then we're going to be happy forever. This really could be the very best day of my life."
***
Abby woke up the next morning to the breakfast news. She stretched out, wondering why the news was on, and her back felt stiff. It took a moment before she realised that she'd been at Carter's watching a film. She must have fallen asleep. She opened her eyes, and swung her legs over the side of the sofa. If it was the breakfast news then he should already have caught his plane...for a moment she couldn't help the feeling of excitement when she thought he may not have gone. But then she remembered the reason: for Luka. So why hadn't he left?
It was then that she noticed the note written in his handwriting lying on the coffee table. She picked it up, and quickly read it.
Abby,
I'm sorry I had to go. But I really have to do this. I'm going to get back fine, you'll see. And then everything's going to be great! Sorry I didn't say goodbye, but you looked so peaceful sleeping, I really couldn't bring myself to wake you. I have to run now because I'm going to miss my plane, but I'll ring you when I land, and I'll see you very very soon.
I love you.
John. xx
She stared at the piece of paper. "I love you." He loved her. If she thought about it she'd known that all along. But to know that he really did, that he'd 'said' that, was such an amazing feeling.
"I love you too," she whispered, grinning to herself.
***
Review time people! Please? :)