Coming Home
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 6
She closed the bedroom door, turned the lock so Eric wouldn't walk in on them. Not that she expected anything to happen, but if she could get Carter to open up to her, she didn't need her brother to come along and ruin the moment. She and Carter had enough to deal with, without adding Eric to the mix.
He held on to her hand, her fingers caught in his crushing grip. Once the lock clicked into place, she turned to him and tried to smile. "I've been worried about you all day."
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like I did. I don't know…I don't know what got into me."
She eased him toward the bed, and he sat down. She sat beside him, facing him. He reached up with his free hand to push a lock of her hair out of her face. She thought he might lean in and kiss her, but he only looked at her, his eyes searching her face as if he'd ever seen her before. She shivered under his gaze, and when she tried to look away, he caught a finger under her chin and forced her head back up.
He stared at her for a long, tense moment. He caressed the line of her jaw, the outline of her lips. She wondered what was going through his mind, and the depth of his study of her made her feel a little uneasy. His finger traced the swell of her cheeks, the slope of her nose.
"Carter…"
"No. Don't talk." He closed his eyes as his exploration moved to stroke the haphazard arch of her eyebrows. His fingers paused momentarily over her forehead, then on into her hair, combing through it to the ends, and down her back.
She shivered again, and knew if anyone other than Carter were touching her like this she would feel violated and embarrassed.
"You're so beautiful."
"Carter…"
His eyes opened, glistening with new tears. "I just want to hold you. Can I just hold you, Abby?"
She nodded and he slipped her arms around her. He lay back, taking her with him. She could feel his heart beating where her head rested against the main artery in his neck. She found it lulling, and her eyes closed.
He kissed the back of her head. "I thought I was going to die."
Her eyes opened, and she felt herself stiffen in response to his words and the raw emotion in his voice, but she didn't move. She knew better. Knew he needed to work through it himself, and any interference from her would cut him short.
"I thought it was a mistake when I got there. The conditions were terrible. The smell of sickness hung in the air and I should have just turned around and come home. There were so many people, so much sickness, and very little medicine. Luka wasn't even there. He had gone to Matenda for supplies and he wasn't back yet. He should have been back, and he wasn't. I should have come home, but I didn't. I went to help the people, and I tried.
"When Luka came, he brought four wounded rebel soldiers. We had no power in the hospital because of rain. Only a generator. I worked on the most critical patient, his brother was there. Said a bee flew into him and he fell. It wasn't so much a bee, but a bullet. And I couldn't save him. There wasn't time. Maybe he would have died here, I don't know. I think we could have helped him at County. But he died. He wasn't the first patient I lost there, but he was dead."
Carter took a deep breath, and a tense silence filled the room. Abby didn't move, except a slight twitch in her finger on his chest.
"Luka went back to Matenda, there was a clinic there. He had critical patients he couldn't bring back to the hospital in Kisangani. An opportunity came up for me to go to Matenda as well, so I went. I felt like I needed to get away from the hospital. We vaccinated a bunch of kids, Luka and me. And there was fighting in the distance. Luka thought it was about a mile off. That night the fighting came closer and we had to run. The rebels showed up at the clinic the next day. One of the soldiers they meant to kill was under our care. I couldn't understand the words, but their meaning was very clear."
Abby held her breath, waiting for him to continue. She knew he had a blank look in his eyes, the power of memory transporting him back to the war torn Congo.
"The brother was there, the brother of the boy I couldn't save in Kisangani. He fought with another rebel, a very rough looking guy who showed no remorse in his eyes. He would have killed us all. But the brother pleaded for us, for me, because I had tried to save his brother. He said 'hello' to me, and it was all I could do to say 'hi.' I didn't even recognize my own voice. I thought they were going to kill us. Me, Luka, nurses from the hospital, the patients.
"He thanked me, and the walked away. The killed the soldier Luka and I had treated. They didn't just kill him. The executed him. And we could do nothing but watch. I thought they were going to kill us."
"But they didn't, Carter. They didn't." Abby sat up, her hair framing her face as she looked down at him. "You're here. You're home."
Carter closed his eyes. "Luka isn't. We left him there, at the clinic. He refused to leave his patients and insisted they couldn't travel."
She traced the line of his jaw. "He wouldn't want you to worry about him."
He opened his eyes and brought his hand up to his hair. "That doesn't mean I can just turn it off. I'd feel better if I knew he got back to Kisangani."
"Can you call him?"
"The phone lines are unreliable out that far."
"I'm sure he's all right. Luka can…Luka can take care of himself."
Carter sighed. "I hope you're right."
"Of course I'm right."
His eyes closed again and she lay her head on his chest, her arms around him. His fingers went to her hair, gently scratching at her head. She lay awake for a long time thinking about Luka, praying for Luka's safe return to Chicago, or a phone call at least because she knew Carter wouldn't be able to relax until he heard from Luka.
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Use the review button to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 6
She closed the bedroom door, turned the lock so Eric wouldn't walk in on them. Not that she expected anything to happen, but if she could get Carter to open up to her, she didn't need her brother to come along and ruin the moment. She and Carter had enough to deal with, without adding Eric to the mix.
He held on to her hand, her fingers caught in his crushing grip. Once the lock clicked into place, she turned to him and tried to smile. "I've been worried about you all day."
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like I did. I don't know…I don't know what got into me."
She eased him toward the bed, and he sat down. She sat beside him, facing him. He reached up with his free hand to push a lock of her hair out of her face. She thought he might lean in and kiss her, but he only looked at her, his eyes searching her face as if he'd ever seen her before. She shivered under his gaze, and when she tried to look away, he caught a finger under her chin and forced her head back up.
He stared at her for a long, tense moment. He caressed the line of her jaw, the outline of her lips. She wondered what was going through his mind, and the depth of his study of her made her feel a little uneasy. His finger traced the swell of her cheeks, the slope of her nose.
"Carter…"
"No. Don't talk." He closed his eyes as his exploration moved to stroke the haphazard arch of her eyebrows. His fingers paused momentarily over her forehead, then on into her hair, combing through it to the ends, and down her back.
She shivered again, and knew if anyone other than Carter were touching her like this she would feel violated and embarrassed.
"You're so beautiful."
"Carter…"
His eyes opened, glistening with new tears. "I just want to hold you. Can I just hold you, Abby?"
She nodded and he slipped her arms around her. He lay back, taking her with him. She could feel his heart beating where her head rested against the main artery in his neck. She found it lulling, and her eyes closed.
He kissed the back of her head. "I thought I was going to die."
Her eyes opened, and she felt herself stiffen in response to his words and the raw emotion in his voice, but she didn't move. She knew better. Knew he needed to work through it himself, and any interference from her would cut him short.
"I thought it was a mistake when I got there. The conditions were terrible. The smell of sickness hung in the air and I should have just turned around and come home. There were so many people, so much sickness, and very little medicine. Luka wasn't even there. He had gone to Matenda for supplies and he wasn't back yet. He should have been back, and he wasn't. I should have come home, but I didn't. I went to help the people, and I tried.
"When Luka came, he brought four wounded rebel soldiers. We had no power in the hospital because of rain. Only a generator. I worked on the most critical patient, his brother was there. Said a bee flew into him and he fell. It wasn't so much a bee, but a bullet. And I couldn't save him. There wasn't time. Maybe he would have died here, I don't know. I think we could have helped him at County. But he died. He wasn't the first patient I lost there, but he was dead."
Carter took a deep breath, and a tense silence filled the room. Abby didn't move, except a slight twitch in her finger on his chest.
"Luka went back to Matenda, there was a clinic there. He had critical patients he couldn't bring back to the hospital in Kisangani. An opportunity came up for me to go to Matenda as well, so I went. I felt like I needed to get away from the hospital. We vaccinated a bunch of kids, Luka and me. And there was fighting in the distance. Luka thought it was about a mile off. That night the fighting came closer and we had to run. The rebels showed up at the clinic the next day. One of the soldiers they meant to kill was under our care. I couldn't understand the words, but their meaning was very clear."
Abby held her breath, waiting for him to continue. She knew he had a blank look in his eyes, the power of memory transporting him back to the war torn Congo.
"The brother was there, the brother of the boy I couldn't save in Kisangani. He fought with another rebel, a very rough looking guy who showed no remorse in his eyes. He would have killed us all. But the brother pleaded for us, for me, because I had tried to save his brother. He said 'hello' to me, and it was all I could do to say 'hi.' I didn't even recognize my own voice. I thought they were going to kill us. Me, Luka, nurses from the hospital, the patients.
"He thanked me, and the walked away. The killed the soldier Luka and I had treated. They didn't just kill him. The executed him. And we could do nothing but watch. I thought they were going to kill us."
"But they didn't, Carter. They didn't." Abby sat up, her hair framing her face as she looked down at him. "You're here. You're home."
Carter closed his eyes. "Luka isn't. We left him there, at the clinic. He refused to leave his patients and insisted they couldn't travel."
She traced the line of his jaw. "He wouldn't want you to worry about him."
He opened his eyes and brought his hand up to his hair. "That doesn't mean I can just turn it off. I'd feel better if I knew he got back to Kisangani."
"Can you call him?"
"The phone lines are unreliable out that far."
"I'm sure he's all right. Luka can…Luka can take care of himself."
Carter sighed. "I hope you're right."
"Of course I'm right."
His eyes closed again and she lay her head on his chest, her arms around him. His fingers went to her hair, gently scratching at her head. She lay awake for a long time thinking about Luka, praying for Luka's safe return to Chicago, or a phone call at least because she knew Carter wouldn't be able to relax until he heard from Luka.
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Use the review button to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!