A/N: thanks to all the reviewers, especially Hyper Piper91 for reviewing
every chapter (I think), even if it is just: 'keep going'. Will Carter come
back? Hmm, well I'm not going to give it away. Thanks again. Love LJ xXx
"I've thought about it, Susan, and one of us needs to sit them down and talk to them," Jing-Mei told her firmly while they stood in the quiet Doctor's Lounge. Abby had taken time off work to be with her daughter, but Carter was still coming in later that evening, carrying on like everything was already over.
"I don't know if we should interfere -" Susan trailed off as Jing-Mei raised one eyebrow. "What?"
"I know you just don't want us to do anything because you know you'd have to sort it out," Jing-Mei replied. Susan tried to look shocked but pretty soon she dropped the look.
"Ok, fine, but why me? Why me?" Susan fell to her knees dramatically and Jing-Mei couldn't help but laugh.
"Ok, now this is mean." She told Susan, strictly. "We're laughing here, but our friend really needs help." Susan nodded and got up, brushing dust from her knees, gravely.
"I still don't see why it has to be me, though," she muttered, darkly, as Jing-Mei left the room.
* * *
Susan rang on the doorbell and stood back as she waited. She had no idea what to say or where to begin. She was no teacher or lecturer and she was still wondering why it had to be her standing on the step. The door was flung open and she saw Abby standing there, out of breath as though she had run all the way to the door. Abby saw Susan and looked disappointed.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Susan said, seeing the look. "Are you not happy to see me?" Abby forced a grin, which was so wide it looked painful.
"No, it's ok. I was just -" Abby shook her head. "Never mind. Come in, Susan." She ushered Susan in, but Susan suddenly felt as though she did not belong here. Why did it have to be her who did this stuff?
* * *
Carter stared into the long, shallow locker and sighed deeply. Everything in it was hers. All the obscure belongings still carried a hint of her. He breathed in deeply, as though he was trying to remember how it was like. How it was like to sleep beside her; to see her every morning. How it was to kiss her.
He heard the Doctor's Lounge door open and he quickly slammed Abby's locker shut.
"Hey Carter," greeted Jing-Mei, cheerily. Then she saw his guilty expression. "What are you doing?" He quickly switched his expression to the dead, emotionless one he wore much more often; he knew it so well now, it was like a stone mask; not giving anything away, strong.
"Nothing," he answered, coolly and left.
Normally Jing-Mei would've pressed him for the answer, but she already guessed. Ok, Nathalie's condition would obviously affect people in different ways, but this had just gone too far. They needed each other, they knew it; hell, everyone knew it. What was keeping them apart?
* * *
Susan ran her finger around the rim of her coffee-cup which had been mechanically made in silence by Abby.
"So -" she began, wondering where she could go from here. "Where's Carter?" Abby got up and pretended to stack the plates on the drier.
"John left," she told Susan in a voice that she barely heard. It sounded so weak, so tired; lacking something, something important.
"Oh, Christ, Abby," Susan murmured. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." Abby turned around with a faint smile.
"Don't be sorry, Susan," Abby murmured. "It'll all be alright." Susan nodded kindly.
"Yeah, it will." She agreed, unconvinced. There was a silence.
"I have to - erm -" Abby searched the kitchen for something to give her reason to leave the kitchen and then she picked up a medicine bottle on the table. "I have to give Nathalie her Prostaglandin now. It's to help mix the red blood with the blue - "
"I know what it's for, Ab." Susan cut her off, gently. Abby smiled quickly, muttered something that sounded like "of course you do," and left the room. Susan sat in the silence for a while until she heard sobbing from the next room and she ran in.
"Abby, what's wrong?" she asked. Abby walked into Susan's open arms and cried; she was so glad she was here.
"It's not, Susan." She sobbed.
"It's not what, honey?" Susan prompted, softly. Abby looked up at her with helpless and tired eyes.
"It's not going to be alright, is it?" she whispered. Susan looked at her, heartbroken, wondering if she should promise things she wasn't certain of.
"Abby," she began. "Abby, look at me. It's going to be fine -" Abby's eyes welled up with tears again and she buried her head in Susan's shoulder.
"I promise." Susan added.
As she comforted her crying friend, she looked into Nathalie's cot, where the baby girl lay sleeping. Nathalie's small pouted lips were tinged with blue and Susan couldn't help but notice Nathalie's small rib-cage rising and falling at an incredible rate.
"I've thought about it, Susan, and one of us needs to sit them down and talk to them," Jing-Mei told her firmly while they stood in the quiet Doctor's Lounge. Abby had taken time off work to be with her daughter, but Carter was still coming in later that evening, carrying on like everything was already over.
"I don't know if we should interfere -" Susan trailed off as Jing-Mei raised one eyebrow. "What?"
"I know you just don't want us to do anything because you know you'd have to sort it out," Jing-Mei replied. Susan tried to look shocked but pretty soon she dropped the look.
"Ok, fine, but why me? Why me?" Susan fell to her knees dramatically and Jing-Mei couldn't help but laugh.
"Ok, now this is mean." She told Susan, strictly. "We're laughing here, but our friend really needs help." Susan nodded and got up, brushing dust from her knees, gravely.
"I still don't see why it has to be me, though," she muttered, darkly, as Jing-Mei left the room.
* * *
Susan rang on the doorbell and stood back as she waited. She had no idea what to say or where to begin. She was no teacher or lecturer and she was still wondering why it had to be her standing on the step. The door was flung open and she saw Abby standing there, out of breath as though she had run all the way to the door. Abby saw Susan and looked disappointed.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Susan said, seeing the look. "Are you not happy to see me?" Abby forced a grin, which was so wide it looked painful.
"No, it's ok. I was just -" Abby shook her head. "Never mind. Come in, Susan." She ushered Susan in, but Susan suddenly felt as though she did not belong here. Why did it have to be her who did this stuff?
* * *
Carter stared into the long, shallow locker and sighed deeply. Everything in it was hers. All the obscure belongings still carried a hint of her. He breathed in deeply, as though he was trying to remember how it was like. How it was like to sleep beside her; to see her every morning. How it was to kiss her.
He heard the Doctor's Lounge door open and he quickly slammed Abby's locker shut.
"Hey Carter," greeted Jing-Mei, cheerily. Then she saw his guilty expression. "What are you doing?" He quickly switched his expression to the dead, emotionless one he wore much more often; he knew it so well now, it was like a stone mask; not giving anything away, strong.
"Nothing," he answered, coolly and left.
Normally Jing-Mei would've pressed him for the answer, but she already guessed. Ok, Nathalie's condition would obviously affect people in different ways, but this had just gone too far. They needed each other, they knew it; hell, everyone knew it. What was keeping them apart?
* * *
Susan ran her finger around the rim of her coffee-cup which had been mechanically made in silence by Abby.
"So -" she began, wondering where she could go from here. "Where's Carter?" Abby got up and pretended to stack the plates on the drier.
"John left," she told Susan in a voice that she barely heard. It sounded so weak, so tired; lacking something, something important.
"Oh, Christ, Abby," Susan murmured. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." Abby turned around with a faint smile.
"Don't be sorry, Susan," Abby murmured. "It'll all be alright." Susan nodded kindly.
"Yeah, it will." She agreed, unconvinced. There was a silence.
"I have to - erm -" Abby searched the kitchen for something to give her reason to leave the kitchen and then she picked up a medicine bottle on the table. "I have to give Nathalie her Prostaglandin now. It's to help mix the red blood with the blue - "
"I know what it's for, Ab." Susan cut her off, gently. Abby smiled quickly, muttered something that sounded like "of course you do," and left the room. Susan sat in the silence for a while until she heard sobbing from the next room and she ran in.
"Abby, what's wrong?" she asked. Abby walked into Susan's open arms and cried; she was so glad she was here.
"It's not, Susan." She sobbed.
"It's not what, honey?" Susan prompted, softly. Abby looked up at her with helpless and tired eyes.
"It's not going to be alright, is it?" she whispered. Susan looked at her, heartbroken, wondering if she should promise things she wasn't certain of.
"Abby," she began. "Abby, look at me. It's going to be fine -" Abby's eyes welled up with tears again and she buried her head in Susan's shoulder.
"I promise." Susan added.
As she comforted her crying friend, she looked into Nathalie's cot, where the baby girl lay sleeping. Nathalie's small pouted lips were tinged with blue and Susan couldn't help but notice Nathalie's small rib-cage rising and falling at an incredible rate.