Coming Home
An ER Fan Fiction story by AbCaLuDa
**Standard disclaimers apply. Read chapter 1 for more info :)
Coming Home
Chapter 2/? (I have no idea how long this fic will be!)
Morning came, and with it the brightness of the sun through the window. Abby sat up and rubbed her eye. Alone. Again. Or was her night with Carter just a dream? It had seemed so real, had felt too real. But dreams can be trick the mind, Abby knew.
She threw the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. No sign of Carter anywhere, except that her night clothes were scattered on the floor. "Some dream," she muttered to herself. She must have really been into it, to throw her clothes around like that. She retrieved her underwear from the foot of the bed, sweats from the floor at the end of the bed, shirt closer to the headboard.
Her body felt heavy, as it always did the morning after sex. "You have got to get a grip, Lockhart," she sighed. Carter was gone, Carter dumped her and would be happy to never see her again. Except they had to work together, and they would have to see each other. Like she and Luka had to see each other all the time, had to work together, after the break-up.
In the bathroom, Abby rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror. When would she learn to date outside of the hospital? Luka ended in disaster, Carter ended in total heartbreak. But her dream proved to her she was far from over Carter, and maybe never would be.
She looked herself in the eye. "Maybe I could transfer to another hospital. Maybe in Boston or Atlanta. Somewhere, anywhere far away from here." She sighed and turned away from her own disheveled image.
She turned the shower on and stepped into the flow. The water felt good, cleansing, almost as if she could wash away the thoughts of Carter. How dare he dump her, abandon her, and assault her in her dreams. She would have to give him a piece of her mind when he came back to work. If he came back to work. The thought crept in uninvited and almost brought her to her knees.
What if the dream was somehow his way of saying goodbye? He was in the Congo. Abby didn't know much about that area of the world, in fact she wasn't even sure where it was on the map. She knew only what Luka had told her, and none of it was good. Too many patients, not enough doctors, almost no supplies, and lots of fighting and turmoil. Dangerous, Luka had said. Risky. Unpredictable.
Dangerous. Risky. Unpredictable. The words tumbled through Abby's head. Carter was hurt, Carter needed her. That's what the dream meant. But there was nothing she could do. She had no way to contact him, or Luka. No way to know where to go or what to do to find him.
Tears filled her eyes and flowed like rain down her cheeks. Somehow she finished her shower and when she turned off the water she smelled bacon. Eric? Cooking? New fear ripped through her and she hurried to get dressed and check on him before he burned the apartment building down.
She flung the bedroom door open and stopped short of yelling at Eric, because it wasn't Eric at the stove. His back was to her, but he turned to smile at her. Her first thought was that he looked older somehow. More like a man, like a man who had seen things that changed the way he looked at the world.
"Mornin'," he said softly.
"Mornin'," she answered and moved toward him. "I thought I dreamed last night."
He shook his head. "If you did, I did."
"You're really here, aren't you?" He nodded and turned back to the bacon and eggs on the stove. She stood behind him, her arms around him, her cheek pressed against his back. He smelled like sweat and his shirt felt damp. "Did you go jogging?"
"You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you."
She almost wished he had, so she wouldn't have panicked and acted like a fool. Thank goodness no one knew she cried in the shower because she thought he was hurt. No one would ever have to know about that. He wasn't hurt, he was there, with her, cooking a breakfast that smelled wonderful even mixed with the musky manly smell of him.
She stood next to him until he stepped away to get the plates. "Can I do anything?"
"Just sit down. Let me serve you."
He had just set her plate down when Eric opened his door with an exaggerated sniff. "Smells good." Abby tensed, expecting…she wasn't sure what she expected but she knew Carter wouldn't be thrilled with Eric's appearance. "Oh, hey, Carter."
"Eric." Carter gave Eric a half-nod of acknowledgement. "There's plenty if you want to grab a plate."
Abby felt like she was watching a tennis match, glancing from one to the other of them. Her brother and her lover. She knew one reason, the main reason, Carter dumped her was Eric. Because she had chosen Eric. Because she felt obligated to help Eric, and Eric had been nothing but a burden since he came to town.
But Eric was her brother. And she was obligated to help him. She had to help her. She couldn't turn her back on him. He needed her. She was the only on. Maggie couldn't help him because Maggie was too close to the disease, and because Maggie was Maggie and Maggie could never really help anyone other than herself.
"Nah," Eric shook his head. "I'm already late. I have to go to a meeting."
"Okay." Carter sat down with his plate.
Eric took his coat and keys and left. Abby watched him go and the click of the door closing caused her to blink. "What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"I thought…" Abby looked down at her plate. She had no idea what she thought.
Carter reached across the small table and took her hand. "I'm glad Eric didn't stay. I need to ask you something."
Her mind flashed to the engagement ring she had found in his jacket pocket that night not too long ago. Her stomach fluttered and turned over on itself and she felt like she could throw up. What would she say? What could she say? He had dumped her, he had gone to a poor, depressed and oppressed country. He was back, suddenly, unexpectedly, unannounced. If he asked her to marry him now…she knew what her answer would be. She knew the only answer she could give.
She didn't realize she wasn't looking at him until he caught a finger under her chin and turned her face up to him. His eyes were shining. "Abigail Lockhart, will you marry me?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
How's that for the end of a chapter? Want to know what Abby's answer will be? Feedback me, let me know what you think, and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.
An ER Fan Fiction story by AbCaLuDa
**Standard disclaimers apply. Read chapter 1 for more info :)
Coming Home
Chapter 2/? (I have no idea how long this fic will be!)
Morning came, and with it the brightness of the sun through the window. Abby sat up and rubbed her eye. Alone. Again. Or was her night with Carter just a dream? It had seemed so real, had felt too real. But dreams can be trick the mind, Abby knew.
She threw the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. No sign of Carter anywhere, except that her night clothes were scattered on the floor. "Some dream," she muttered to herself. She must have really been into it, to throw her clothes around like that. She retrieved her underwear from the foot of the bed, sweats from the floor at the end of the bed, shirt closer to the headboard.
Her body felt heavy, as it always did the morning after sex. "You have got to get a grip, Lockhart," she sighed. Carter was gone, Carter dumped her and would be happy to never see her again. Except they had to work together, and they would have to see each other. Like she and Luka had to see each other all the time, had to work together, after the break-up.
In the bathroom, Abby rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror. When would she learn to date outside of the hospital? Luka ended in disaster, Carter ended in total heartbreak. But her dream proved to her she was far from over Carter, and maybe never would be.
She looked herself in the eye. "Maybe I could transfer to another hospital. Maybe in Boston or Atlanta. Somewhere, anywhere far away from here." She sighed and turned away from her own disheveled image.
She turned the shower on and stepped into the flow. The water felt good, cleansing, almost as if she could wash away the thoughts of Carter. How dare he dump her, abandon her, and assault her in her dreams. She would have to give him a piece of her mind when he came back to work. If he came back to work. The thought crept in uninvited and almost brought her to her knees.
What if the dream was somehow his way of saying goodbye? He was in the Congo. Abby didn't know much about that area of the world, in fact she wasn't even sure where it was on the map. She knew only what Luka had told her, and none of it was good. Too many patients, not enough doctors, almost no supplies, and lots of fighting and turmoil. Dangerous, Luka had said. Risky. Unpredictable.
Dangerous. Risky. Unpredictable. The words tumbled through Abby's head. Carter was hurt, Carter needed her. That's what the dream meant. But there was nothing she could do. She had no way to contact him, or Luka. No way to know where to go or what to do to find him.
Tears filled her eyes and flowed like rain down her cheeks. Somehow she finished her shower and when she turned off the water she smelled bacon. Eric? Cooking? New fear ripped through her and she hurried to get dressed and check on him before he burned the apartment building down.
She flung the bedroom door open and stopped short of yelling at Eric, because it wasn't Eric at the stove. His back was to her, but he turned to smile at her. Her first thought was that he looked older somehow. More like a man, like a man who had seen things that changed the way he looked at the world.
"Mornin'," he said softly.
"Mornin'," she answered and moved toward him. "I thought I dreamed last night."
He shook his head. "If you did, I did."
"You're really here, aren't you?" He nodded and turned back to the bacon and eggs on the stove. She stood behind him, her arms around him, her cheek pressed against his back. He smelled like sweat and his shirt felt damp. "Did you go jogging?"
"You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you."
She almost wished he had, so she wouldn't have panicked and acted like a fool. Thank goodness no one knew she cried in the shower because she thought he was hurt. No one would ever have to know about that. He wasn't hurt, he was there, with her, cooking a breakfast that smelled wonderful even mixed with the musky manly smell of him.
She stood next to him until he stepped away to get the plates. "Can I do anything?"
"Just sit down. Let me serve you."
He had just set her plate down when Eric opened his door with an exaggerated sniff. "Smells good." Abby tensed, expecting…she wasn't sure what she expected but she knew Carter wouldn't be thrilled with Eric's appearance. "Oh, hey, Carter."
"Eric." Carter gave Eric a half-nod of acknowledgement. "There's plenty if you want to grab a plate."
Abby felt like she was watching a tennis match, glancing from one to the other of them. Her brother and her lover. She knew one reason, the main reason, Carter dumped her was Eric. Because she had chosen Eric. Because she felt obligated to help Eric, and Eric had been nothing but a burden since he came to town.
But Eric was her brother. And she was obligated to help him. She had to help her. She couldn't turn her back on him. He needed her. She was the only on. Maggie couldn't help him because Maggie was too close to the disease, and because Maggie was Maggie and Maggie could never really help anyone other than herself.
"Nah," Eric shook his head. "I'm already late. I have to go to a meeting."
"Okay." Carter sat down with his plate.
Eric took his coat and keys and left. Abby watched him go and the click of the door closing caused her to blink. "What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"I thought…" Abby looked down at her plate. She had no idea what she thought.
Carter reached across the small table and took her hand. "I'm glad Eric didn't stay. I need to ask you something."
Her mind flashed to the engagement ring she had found in his jacket pocket that night not too long ago. Her stomach fluttered and turned over on itself and she felt like she could throw up. What would she say? What could she say? He had dumped her, he had gone to a poor, depressed and oppressed country. He was back, suddenly, unexpectedly, unannounced. If he asked her to marry him now…she knew what her answer would be. She knew the only answer she could give.
She didn't realize she wasn't looking at him until he caught a finger under her chin and turned her face up to him. His eyes were shining. "Abigail Lockhart, will you marry me?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
How's that for the end of a chapter? Want to know what Abby's answer will be? Feedback me, let me know what you think, and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.