(4) Cause For Concern
"There's a helicopter bringing in a patient from that MVA," Susan called to Dr Jing-Mei Chen. "Wanna come up?"
"Sure, why not?" Jing-Mei shrugged her shoulders and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "I'm sure it'll be great fun."
"What'll be great fun?" Dr Greg Pratt asked as he came into the Doctor's Lounge.
"The roof." Susan replied, shortly.
"Ooh!" Pratt put on a high voice. "I'm there!" Jing-Mei raised her eyebrows.
"That is so unattractive," she told him, smiling as the three of them left the Doctor's Lounge for the lift.
* * *
There was a gust of cold wind and Abby realised she was on the roof. When Carter had ordered her not to follow her, she had obediently and dejectedly drifted off in the other direction and now she had found herself on the roof. She held Nathalie closer and sighed heavily. He didn't need her. He didn't love her; and yet she had never loved him or needed him more than now.
It was dark now. How long had she stood on the roof for? She wondered how long Carter wanted her to stay away from him for. It was weird; she wanted to please him so badly that she found she was actually letting himself distance himself from them. She felt so confused, so lonely. She needed comfort from someone, anyone.
"Where are you?" Abby whispered into the wind and over the cold, uncaring rooftops and roads of Chicago, to no-one in particular. "Where are you now that I need you?"
Suddenly a blindingly bright light shone itself in her face and Abby staggered back, stunned. Nathalie whimpered slightly in fear and hid her face in her mother's jacket. For a crazy moment, Abby thought it was somebody answering her call, but then she saw it was actually a helicopter and her heart sank.
"Shh, it's alright Nat," she murmured to her baby.
* * *
The helicopter landed gently; its huge blades whipping wind at their hair. The helicopter crew got down and rushed the patient over to Susan, Jing-Mei and Pratt, shouting instructions. There was so much noise that Jing-Mei was finding it difficult to hear every voice yelling at her.
"Jing-Mei," Susan shouted and she was made aware that Susan had been trying to tell her something.
"Huh?" she called back.
"Isn't that Abby over there?" Susan yelled. Jing-Mei looked over her shoulder and frowned.
"You two take this one, I'll be down soon." She told Susan and Pratt who nodded and wheeled the patient away. The helicopter rose into the air and the noise died away as it flew off into the dark sky.
"Hey, Abby," Jing-Mei called. Abby turned and forced a smile. "I thought you went home ages ago." Abby shrugged.
"John told me he wanted to be alone," she repeated his orders in a quiet voice that broke Jing-Mei's heart.
"Well how long have you been up here?" she asked. Abby shrugged her shoulders again. Jing-Mei sighed and put her arm around her friend.
"Come on, Abby. Go home," she told her. "It's cold up here. You need to go home and get some sleep." She had never seen Abby look so tired before.
Abby nodded and let herself be led away by Jing-Mei as she clutched Nathalie to her, trying to keep her warm and ignoring the fact that she, herself, was shivering.
* * *
"How was she?" Susan asked, finally, when she and Jing-Mei left the trauma room.
"Well, remember how you said she was unusually quiet last night?" Jing-Mei began. Susan nodded. "It's like that, only much, much worse." Susan frowned to herself as Jing-Mei went into more detail.
"Nathalie's appointment began at 11am. So Abby must've been standing up there for at least seven hours." Susan muttered, shaking her head. "And all because Carter 'wanted to be alone'?"
"I don't know. The old Abby wouldn't have taken that kind of crap from anyone; and definitely not from Carter." Jing-Mei sighed.
"Well, the old Carter wouldn't have been like that." Susan pointed out. "I know this is hard for both of them, but can't they see they need to stay together? I don't know what Carter thinks he's doing, but he was so cold to her last night, and she just said nothing. I think he's already given up."
"On Nathalie?" Jing-Mei asked. "How could he do that?" Susan shrugged.
"I think one of us should talk to him." She said and raised her eyebrows at Jing-Mei, hinting.
"No, no way. I can't do it," she replied, shaking her head. "You know him better than I do, and I don't really think we should get involved. It's family issues."
"Well ok. We'll leave it a while," Susan agreed. "But I don't think Abby really is in the right state to defend herself."
"There's a helicopter bringing in a patient from that MVA," Susan called to Dr Jing-Mei Chen. "Wanna come up?"
"Sure, why not?" Jing-Mei shrugged her shoulders and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "I'm sure it'll be great fun."
"What'll be great fun?" Dr Greg Pratt asked as he came into the Doctor's Lounge.
"The roof." Susan replied, shortly.
"Ooh!" Pratt put on a high voice. "I'm there!" Jing-Mei raised her eyebrows.
"That is so unattractive," she told him, smiling as the three of them left the Doctor's Lounge for the lift.
* * *
There was a gust of cold wind and Abby realised she was on the roof. When Carter had ordered her not to follow her, she had obediently and dejectedly drifted off in the other direction and now she had found herself on the roof. She held Nathalie closer and sighed heavily. He didn't need her. He didn't love her; and yet she had never loved him or needed him more than now.
It was dark now. How long had she stood on the roof for? She wondered how long Carter wanted her to stay away from him for. It was weird; she wanted to please him so badly that she found she was actually letting himself distance himself from them. She felt so confused, so lonely. She needed comfort from someone, anyone.
"Where are you?" Abby whispered into the wind and over the cold, uncaring rooftops and roads of Chicago, to no-one in particular. "Where are you now that I need you?"
Suddenly a blindingly bright light shone itself in her face and Abby staggered back, stunned. Nathalie whimpered slightly in fear and hid her face in her mother's jacket. For a crazy moment, Abby thought it was somebody answering her call, but then she saw it was actually a helicopter and her heart sank.
"Shh, it's alright Nat," she murmured to her baby.
* * *
The helicopter landed gently; its huge blades whipping wind at their hair. The helicopter crew got down and rushed the patient over to Susan, Jing-Mei and Pratt, shouting instructions. There was so much noise that Jing-Mei was finding it difficult to hear every voice yelling at her.
"Jing-Mei," Susan shouted and she was made aware that Susan had been trying to tell her something.
"Huh?" she called back.
"Isn't that Abby over there?" Susan yelled. Jing-Mei looked over her shoulder and frowned.
"You two take this one, I'll be down soon." She told Susan and Pratt who nodded and wheeled the patient away. The helicopter rose into the air and the noise died away as it flew off into the dark sky.
"Hey, Abby," Jing-Mei called. Abby turned and forced a smile. "I thought you went home ages ago." Abby shrugged.
"John told me he wanted to be alone," she repeated his orders in a quiet voice that broke Jing-Mei's heart.
"Well how long have you been up here?" she asked. Abby shrugged her shoulders again. Jing-Mei sighed and put her arm around her friend.
"Come on, Abby. Go home," she told her. "It's cold up here. You need to go home and get some sleep." She had never seen Abby look so tired before.
Abby nodded and let herself be led away by Jing-Mei as she clutched Nathalie to her, trying to keep her warm and ignoring the fact that she, herself, was shivering.
* * *
"How was she?" Susan asked, finally, when she and Jing-Mei left the trauma room.
"Well, remember how you said she was unusually quiet last night?" Jing-Mei began. Susan nodded. "It's like that, only much, much worse." Susan frowned to herself as Jing-Mei went into more detail.
"Nathalie's appointment began at 11am. So Abby must've been standing up there for at least seven hours." Susan muttered, shaking her head. "And all because Carter 'wanted to be alone'?"
"I don't know. The old Abby wouldn't have taken that kind of crap from anyone; and definitely not from Carter." Jing-Mei sighed.
"Well, the old Carter wouldn't have been like that." Susan pointed out. "I know this is hard for both of them, but can't they see they need to stay together? I don't know what Carter thinks he's doing, but he was so cold to her last night, and she just said nothing. I think he's already given up."
"On Nathalie?" Jing-Mei asked. "How could he do that?" Susan shrugged.
"I think one of us should talk to him." She said and raised her eyebrows at Jing-Mei, hinting.
"No, no way. I can't do it," she replied, shaking her head. "You know him better than I do, and I don't really think we should get involved. It's family issues."
"Well ok. We'll leave it a while," Susan agreed. "But I don't think Abby really is in the right state to defend herself."