When I first told my sister the premise of this story, she told me I was
nuts and a carby traitor and stormed out of the room. Not to worry though
my little carbies. I have not gone out of my mind. You will enjoy this
story if you just keep reading. Actually, this chapter first introduces
little traces of carbiness, but I don't want to hint anything or say
anything I shouldn't. Hehe. Please review!
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I am walking down the isle. I have my big white gown on and a big veil
over my head. After it seems like a mile that I've been walking, I finally
get to where my husband-to-be is standing with the minister. My brother
turns to me and smiles and lifts the veil and puts it behind my head. The
groom is turned towards the minister and is smiling and I see him laugh as
he turns to face me. All of a sudden I stop dead in my tracks and scream..
"Ahhh." I sit up in bed and realize it's 3:24 in the morning. I look over and despite my outburst, Michael is still asleep beside me.
"I need a shrink." I say half out loud and half to myself. Michael rolls over and makes a noise and I just stare at him. That was the strangest part of the dream. The face I was looking at right now was not the face of the man I was marrying in the dream. ************************************************************************
A week later I'm starting to feel a little better about things. I'm almost downright chipper as I make my way into the hospital. As I skip into the lounge, I realize someone else is sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. I ignore him and go to my locker and open it.
"Hey." He acknowledges my presence.
"Oh, hi." I smile and nod and pretend like I hadn't seen him before.
"We haven't talked in a while." He wrinkles his forehead, but doesn't look up from his paper.
"We don't really have anything to talk about anymore Carter."
"I heard you're getting married. Congratulations." I'm too much of a coward even to face him as he says this.
"Uh, thanks." I mutter quietly.
"Well my shift is starting, I gotta get out there." He folds up his paper and puts it down and stands up. He turns once more however as he reaches the door. "I hope you're happy Abby, I really do."
My knees turn weak and I have to grab onto the locker door to balance myself. Thankfully he has already left so he doesn't notice. A second later the door opens again though and for a brief second, I think it's going to be him, but its actually Susan, who I know has already been on for several hours.
"Hey, I thought I saw you come in. What's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing." I attempt to compose myself.
"Okay. Well Kerry's pissed off about something or another and the charts are starting to back up, so I'd get out there if I were you. Have you seen Carter? I need to ask him if he'll cover my shift next weekend."
"Isn't this a little in advance?"
"Well yeah, but I figure I better ask early before everyone else does."
"Oh, well he left here a couple minutes ago."
"What happened with you two?"
"Huh?"
"You guys were really tight and now you aren't inviting him to your wedding and you barely talk to him anymore. Did you have a fight or something?"
"No. I just.I don't know.he." I'm grasping for the right words but nothing is coming to mind. I'm saved as the door swings open and Kerry comes in.
"You two need to get out there right now. Quit wasting time."
"I just got here."
"I don't care. Did you get a look at chairs? The patients aren't going to heal themselves."
"Geez." Susan mutters and rolls her eyes at me as she leaves.
"Abby wait a minute." Kerry calls out to me as I follow Susan. "I need you to pick up an extra shift this week. I know you're probably busy with preparations and I understand, but in order for you to get time off, you need to first get a minimum number of shifts for the month."
"Okay, just tell me when." I nod and finally make my way out of the small lounge. Apparently I'm just in time for a trauma, which just happens to be coming through the ambulance bay doors as I exit the room.
"Give me the bullet." Carter says, coming from the front desk towards the paramedics wheeling the gurney.
"Eighty six year old woman. She was rear-ended on her way to her primary physician. Paramedics brought her in with her daughter. She's in the next rig. I got this one." Susan says and points him out the door. Already seeing two nurses with the first trauma, I go outside with John to wait for the second.
"You should come." I break the silence. He looks over at me with a questioning look. "The wedding I mean. If you don't have other plans. I was meaning to invite you, I just wasn't sure if you'd want to come."
"You don't have to invite me."
"No. I mean it. You should come." I must be out of my mind. Why am I pushing this? The doors to the ambulance open. "Just let me know." ************************************************************************
"Ahhh." I sit up in bed and realize it's 3:24 in the morning. I look over and despite my outburst, Michael is still asleep beside me.
"I need a shrink." I say half out loud and half to myself. Michael rolls over and makes a noise and I just stare at him. That was the strangest part of the dream. The face I was looking at right now was not the face of the man I was marrying in the dream. ************************************************************************
A week later I'm starting to feel a little better about things. I'm almost downright chipper as I make my way into the hospital. As I skip into the lounge, I realize someone else is sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. I ignore him and go to my locker and open it.
"Hey." He acknowledges my presence.
"Oh, hi." I smile and nod and pretend like I hadn't seen him before.
"We haven't talked in a while." He wrinkles his forehead, but doesn't look up from his paper.
"We don't really have anything to talk about anymore Carter."
"I heard you're getting married. Congratulations." I'm too much of a coward even to face him as he says this.
"Uh, thanks." I mutter quietly.
"Well my shift is starting, I gotta get out there." He folds up his paper and puts it down and stands up. He turns once more however as he reaches the door. "I hope you're happy Abby, I really do."
My knees turn weak and I have to grab onto the locker door to balance myself. Thankfully he has already left so he doesn't notice. A second later the door opens again though and for a brief second, I think it's going to be him, but its actually Susan, who I know has already been on for several hours.
"Hey, I thought I saw you come in. What's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing." I attempt to compose myself.
"Okay. Well Kerry's pissed off about something or another and the charts are starting to back up, so I'd get out there if I were you. Have you seen Carter? I need to ask him if he'll cover my shift next weekend."
"Isn't this a little in advance?"
"Well yeah, but I figure I better ask early before everyone else does."
"Oh, well he left here a couple minutes ago."
"What happened with you two?"
"Huh?"
"You guys were really tight and now you aren't inviting him to your wedding and you barely talk to him anymore. Did you have a fight or something?"
"No. I just.I don't know.he." I'm grasping for the right words but nothing is coming to mind. I'm saved as the door swings open and Kerry comes in.
"You two need to get out there right now. Quit wasting time."
"I just got here."
"I don't care. Did you get a look at chairs? The patients aren't going to heal themselves."
"Geez." Susan mutters and rolls her eyes at me as she leaves.
"Abby wait a minute." Kerry calls out to me as I follow Susan. "I need you to pick up an extra shift this week. I know you're probably busy with preparations and I understand, but in order for you to get time off, you need to first get a minimum number of shifts for the month."
"Okay, just tell me when." I nod and finally make my way out of the small lounge. Apparently I'm just in time for a trauma, which just happens to be coming through the ambulance bay doors as I exit the room.
"Give me the bullet." Carter says, coming from the front desk towards the paramedics wheeling the gurney.
"Eighty six year old woman. She was rear-ended on her way to her primary physician. Paramedics brought her in with her daughter. She's in the next rig. I got this one." Susan says and points him out the door. Already seeing two nurses with the first trauma, I go outside with John to wait for the second.
"You should come." I break the silence. He looks over at me with a questioning look. "The wedding I mean. If you don't have other plans. I was meaning to invite you, I just wasn't sure if you'd want to come."
"You don't have to invite me."
"No. I mean it. You should come." I must be out of my mind. Why am I pushing this? The doors to the ambulance open. "Just let me know." ************************************************************************