Author's notes: I love you guys!!!! I just got home after like a horrid day and i had like 10 reviews in my mailbox. I felt so special and it made everything better... Okay so thanks to Kattybaby2318, carbyluv, kate, mandi, IdontwriteIjustread, hyperpiper 91, Catie, JCojeg, and AJ. Thanks so much for reviewing!!! You guys are awesome. I only continue this fic for you!!! :-) I'm planning to make this the beginning of the beginning. Whatever sense that may make. I'm listening to Bryan Adams, "Right Here Waiting for You" and Celione Dion, "Touch Me Like This". It might be reflected upon in the story. Also I wanted to ask if you guys were okay with the setting, specifically time since I know I skipped around alot. It was like a day later then a week later. Tell me if that's okay or if you want that changed. And how I'm presenting Abby... I don't know. I usually write her as strong, but depressed, and I'm really going away from that. Tell me if it's good, you like or don't, and what I could do to maybe make it better.. Thanks so much!!! Oooh oh yeah, go read this story, it's by Kattybaby2318, it's called 9 Months Loosing Something. Great story. Just really great story. I just finished reading the latest update. I am completely addicted... Enough with me blabbering.. And on to the main presentation...
~*~
She glanced at her watch and at the doors again. They were fifteen minutes late. She knew she shouldn't have let them take the El to the hospital by themselves. Why did she give in to their constant nagging. She was tempted to grab that phone and dail Nette's cell, but she knew she was just being paranoid. They probably stopped for something to eat or joined a club at school or something. But on their first day? All the possible senarios ran through her head like a clock. No. She wouldn't do it. She wouldn't think about it. She silently thanked that unseen force for making her work right through her break so she had double the time now to worry. At least she wouldn't kill anyone. Not that she had that happen to her yet. Yes, she had patients die, but not because of something she did or didn't do. Her record was great. She wanted to keep it that way. She dug into her pocket. That was it. Twenty minutes late. Right when she had flipped the phone open did she hear the giggling of her two munchkins. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your late."
She saw her kids expressions grow serious.
"Sorry Mom, the El was late. Then we needed to stop by the library..."
She nodded her head, and kissed each on the forehead. At least they were safe. And honest. She pushed Nette's long brown hair behind her ear and turned both of them around and rounded them off towards the lounge.
"Sorry guys, I got another 3 hours on me. Then we can go home. Start your homework since those bags don't look too light."
She walked into the lounge with them, and settled them down with something to eat and drink, made sure they were okay on the homework front, and headed back to work. She knew they would stay in there and watch TV in a few minutes or something, but at least they would be quiet, and they were good kids in general. They wouldn't get in the way. They knew the drill. She had kept them in the ER back in Boston a few times, and they knew what happened beyond those doors. Things she rather didn't have them see just yet. She jumped back into work mode, and grabbed a few charts. The day was pretty slow and nothing much had come in except for the trauma earlier and her encounter with Luka. She had seen him walking around a few times, and he had signed off some orders for her, but they hadn't had another chance to chat. Every time she saw him she knew he was tempted to give her some nursing order. It was what he had been used to. But he slowly gained acceptance of her through the day.
The last three hours of her shift disappeared in a flash. She had gone through about 9 patients in under three hours, and managed to get them admitted or sent home. That was the worst part sometimes. They were your patients until someone else took them off your hands or you sent them home. And some patients just never left... She signed the discharge orders and headed back to the rack to grab another easy one, a suture or something, to fill the last 20 minutes of her shift. Yet there was nothing there. She hadn't realized how slow it really had been today. One out of a millon days. She saw Luka heading towards her, and she gave him a quick smile.
"It was slow today huh?"
She saw the Croatian look at the rack and noticed there were no chart in there for patients to be seen and the board was all but empty. He looked like he was in shock. He probably was. She knew how bad it could get sometimes, and the light days never came. But take them as they come. And enjoy them.
"If you want, you can head home... There's what? Like fifteen minutes of your shift left? Go home. Get some rest."
Rest? From what? An exhilirating and wonderful day? She was up for a round of softball, some ice cream, a huge dinner, and a night out. And he was telling her to go home and get some rest. Men. She would never understand them. She wasn't tired. Far from it. But she knew Nette and John probably were, so she took the hint and quickly headed to the lounge to gather them, and her things up. They would head home, she would cook something for dinner, and they would finish off the rest of their homework. They would probably watch TV and she would dig out of them what she could about their new school.
"Thanks Luka. See you tomorrow..."
She saw the quick hand wave and muffled 'yeah'. She headed towards the lounge and saw the two of them collapsed on the sofa. Must have been a really long day. They usually weren't that tired. John was practically asleep on Nette. And Nette, being the big sister by 13 minutes, let him use her leg as a pillow. It was shocking how much they reminded her of herself and Erik. It was actually really weird sometimes because they didn't have those normal sibling rivalries. They got along, and if they did get mad at each other, it was for a really short while. And even then, they didn't argue. Just didn't talk, but the tension was still missing. She smiled at her daughter, and gave her the nodd. The nodd that they were going home. She saw her face light up a bit, and she gently woke John up.
"Let's go home, guys."
She gathered her stuff, and she helped John and Nette back their bags. She ended up searching for her pager, which she had mysteriously lost somewhere inbetween walking into the lounge a few minutes ago and now.
"Mom..Let's go..."
She remembered now where she put it. She had put it back into her locker. She spun the dial quickly and opened it. As she grabbed it off the top shelf, she heard the lounge door swing open. She assumed her kids had gotten a head start out the door, and took a second or two longer scanning what she needed to remember to bring the next day.
"Dr. Wyczenski?"
Okay. So that deffinetly wasn't Luka. Nor any of the med students. Or her son for that matter. She thought everyone already. And that voice sounded so familiar. Maybe a bit deeper and matured, but still vaguely familliar.
"Yeah?"
Her voice had come out a bit more forceful and grouchy than she had intended, but she sort was trying to figure out what she was forgetting to do.
"I'm the Chief of Staff, Dr. John Carter."
She froze. She froze and no part of her body would move. Nothing could move her at that point in time. Seconds felt like minutes. She finally managed to get herself together briefly, somewhat stablizing the instant shock. He wasn't supposed to be here. Why was he here? The Chief of Staff wasnt' supposed to work shifts. He was supposed to sit in an office and come down once a year or something to pass out fruit cake. And he didn't realize it was her. He didn't know who it was. But then again, only Luka might remember her maiden name. But he had also heard it. Her mother had always been called by it by Malique and Randi, even Dave when he had still been around. Why now? Why did this just have to ruin her perfect day. She just also realized her kids were still in the room. The awkward silence that only she felt was getting to her.
"Annette, John, would you guys go out to the bay. I'll be right there."
She heard the shuffling of feet, but they didn't sense anything wrong. Neither did he for that matter. Only she knew what was about to happen. She had played the scene in her head so many times throughout the first few years of the twins life. Many times were she showed up and he completely ignored her. Rejected her, them. Well, it was now or never. She turned around.
"What? They don't call you just Carter anymore?"
She saw his expression change from a light, glad face to complete disbelief and hatred. She hadn't expected less. He looked at her strangely, from head to toe. Not sure what to say, what to do. The tension in the air was almost palapable. She was glad for the slight interruption from Annette.
"Mom, are you coming?"
She wanted to get out of there. She wanted to exit that room. That building and never come back. But she couldn't. And since she couldn't, she needed to get over whatever feelings might still be hanging around.
"Yes. Give me a minute more. I promise, hun. I'll be right there."
She watched her daughter exit the room and the door swing to a shut. She looked at him, and finally was able to make eye contact. They could have burned through each other if they wanted to. She was about to say something else, break the tension. But the tension could never really be broken completely. She heard his voice come out, in a slight whisper, sort of hoping she would not hear the question.
"Mom?"
No, idiot. Some random little girl just came in here and called her mom for no apparent reason.
"Why so shocked? I don't seem like the motherly type to you?"
Sarcasim and bitter hate. One of the two. Wasn't a good idea for the two to mix. She sounded rude and childish, but she had no control over her emotions anymore. Anything was fair game. He didn't reply. She wanted to get home. She turned around and walked past him towards the door. He still had that look of shock on his face. It was only the beginning. Wait till he found out the full truth. But she still wasn't sure if she was going to tell him or not. She walked out the door, and as soon as she had exit it, she heard her name being called, low and soft, but still there. She froze in her place for a second, as if giving him a chance to go after her if he really wanted to. But no anvil. She walked off towards the bay, she was going home with her kids. Her two beautiful kids who she loved more than life.
~*~
She glanced at her watch and at the doors again. They were fifteen minutes late. She knew she shouldn't have let them take the El to the hospital by themselves. Why did she give in to their constant nagging. She was tempted to grab that phone and dail Nette's cell, but she knew she was just being paranoid. They probably stopped for something to eat or joined a club at school or something. But on their first day? All the possible senarios ran through her head like a clock. No. She wouldn't do it. She wouldn't think about it. She silently thanked that unseen force for making her work right through her break so she had double the time now to worry. At least she wouldn't kill anyone. Not that she had that happen to her yet. Yes, she had patients die, but not because of something she did or didn't do. Her record was great. She wanted to keep it that way. She dug into her pocket. That was it. Twenty minutes late. Right when she had flipped the phone open did she hear the giggling of her two munchkins. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your late."
She saw her kids expressions grow serious.
"Sorry Mom, the El was late. Then we needed to stop by the library..."
She nodded her head, and kissed each on the forehead. At least they were safe. And honest. She pushed Nette's long brown hair behind her ear and turned both of them around and rounded them off towards the lounge.
"Sorry guys, I got another 3 hours on me. Then we can go home. Start your homework since those bags don't look too light."
She walked into the lounge with them, and settled them down with something to eat and drink, made sure they were okay on the homework front, and headed back to work. She knew they would stay in there and watch TV in a few minutes or something, but at least they would be quiet, and they were good kids in general. They wouldn't get in the way. They knew the drill. She had kept them in the ER back in Boston a few times, and they knew what happened beyond those doors. Things she rather didn't have them see just yet. She jumped back into work mode, and grabbed a few charts. The day was pretty slow and nothing much had come in except for the trauma earlier and her encounter with Luka. She had seen him walking around a few times, and he had signed off some orders for her, but they hadn't had another chance to chat. Every time she saw him she knew he was tempted to give her some nursing order. It was what he had been used to. But he slowly gained acceptance of her through the day.
The last three hours of her shift disappeared in a flash. She had gone through about 9 patients in under three hours, and managed to get them admitted or sent home. That was the worst part sometimes. They were your patients until someone else took them off your hands or you sent them home. And some patients just never left... She signed the discharge orders and headed back to the rack to grab another easy one, a suture or something, to fill the last 20 minutes of her shift. Yet there was nothing there. She hadn't realized how slow it really had been today. One out of a millon days. She saw Luka heading towards her, and she gave him a quick smile.
"It was slow today huh?"
She saw the Croatian look at the rack and noticed there were no chart in there for patients to be seen and the board was all but empty. He looked like he was in shock. He probably was. She knew how bad it could get sometimes, and the light days never came. But take them as they come. And enjoy them.
"If you want, you can head home... There's what? Like fifteen minutes of your shift left? Go home. Get some rest."
Rest? From what? An exhilirating and wonderful day? She was up for a round of softball, some ice cream, a huge dinner, and a night out. And he was telling her to go home and get some rest. Men. She would never understand them. She wasn't tired. Far from it. But she knew Nette and John probably were, so she took the hint and quickly headed to the lounge to gather them, and her things up. They would head home, she would cook something for dinner, and they would finish off the rest of their homework. They would probably watch TV and she would dig out of them what she could about their new school.
"Thanks Luka. See you tomorrow..."
She saw the quick hand wave and muffled 'yeah'. She headed towards the lounge and saw the two of them collapsed on the sofa. Must have been a really long day. They usually weren't that tired. John was practically asleep on Nette. And Nette, being the big sister by 13 minutes, let him use her leg as a pillow. It was shocking how much they reminded her of herself and Erik. It was actually really weird sometimes because they didn't have those normal sibling rivalries. They got along, and if they did get mad at each other, it was for a really short while. And even then, they didn't argue. Just didn't talk, but the tension was still missing. She smiled at her daughter, and gave her the nodd. The nodd that they were going home. She saw her face light up a bit, and she gently woke John up.
"Let's go home, guys."
She gathered her stuff, and she helped John and Nette back their bags. She ended up searching for her pager, which she had mysteriously lost somewhere inbetween walking into the lounge a few minutes ago and now.
"Mom..Let's go..."
She remembered now where she put it. She had put it back into her locker. She spun the dial quickly and opened it. As she grabbed it off the top shelf, she heard the lounge door swing open. She assumed her kids had gotten a head start out the door, and took a second or two longer scanning what she needed to remember to bring the next day.
"Dr. Wyczenski?"
Okay. So that deffinetly wasn't Luka. Nor any of the med students. Or her son for that matter. She thought everyone already. And that voice sounded so familiar. Maybe a bit deeper and matured, but still vaguely familliar.
"Yeah?"
Her voice had come out a bit more forceful and grouchy than she had intended, but she sort was trying to figure out what she was forgetting to do.
"I'm the Chief of Staff, Dr. John Carter."
She froze. She froze and no part of her body would move. Nothing could move her at that point in time. Seconds felt like minutes. She finally managed to get herself together briefly, somewhat stablizing the instant shock. He wasn't supposed to be here. Why was he here? The Chief of Staff wasnt' supposed to work shifts. He was supposed to sit in an office and come down once a year or something to pass out fruit cake. And he didn't realize it was her. He didn't know who it was. But then again, only Luka might remember her maiden name. But he had also heard it. Her mother had always been called by it by Malique and Randi, even Dave when he had still been around. Why now? Why did this just have to ruin her perfect day. She just also realized her kids were still in the room. The awkward silence that only she felt was getting to her.
"Annette, John, would you guys go out to the bay. I'll be right there."
She heard the shuffling of feet, but they didn't sense anything wrong. Neither did he for that matter. Only she knew what was about to happen. She had played the scene in her head so many times throughout the first few years of the twins life. Many times were she showed up and he completely ignored her. Rejected her, them. Well, it was now or never. She turned around.
"What? They don't call you just Carter anymore?"
She saw his expression change from a light, glad face to complete disbelief and hatred. She hadn't expected less. He looked at her strangely, from head to toe. Not sure what to say, what to do. The tension in the air was almost palapable. She was glad for the slight interruption from Annette.
"Mom, are you coming?"
She wanted to get out of there. She wanted to exit that room. That building and never come back. But she couldn't. And since she couldn't, she needed to get over whatever feelings might still be hanging around.
"Yes. Give me a minute more. I promise, hun. I'll be right there."
She watched her daughter exit the room and the door swing to a shut. She looked at him, and finally was able to make eye contact. They could have burned through each other if they wanted to. She was about to say something else, break the tension. But the tension could never really be broken completely. She heard his voice come out, in a slight whisper, sort of hoping she would not hear the question.
"Mom?"
No, idiot. Some random little girl just came in here and called her mom for no apparent reason.
"Why so shocked? I don't seem like the motherly type to you?"
Sarcasim and bitter hate. One of the two. Wasn't a good idea for the two to mix. She sounded rude and childish, but she had no control over her emotions anymore. Anything was fair game. He didn't reply. She wanted to get home. She turned around and walked past him towards the door. He still had that look of shock on his face. It was only the beginning. Wait till he found out the full truth. But she still wasn't sure if she was going to tell him or not. She walked out the door, and as soon as she had exit it, she heard her name being called, low and soft, but still there. She froze in her place for a second, as if giving him a chance to go after her if he really wanted to. But no anvil. She walked off towards the bay, she was going home with her kids. Her two beautiful kids who she loved more than life.