Before I start this chapter, let me just say that the last line of the
second chapter was supposed to be "had just come home." I realized I
forgot the word "home." Teehee
As the sun climbed through the bedroom window Abby opened her eyes and closed them again right away. "Too bright," she grumbled. She yawned and slowly got out of bed.
She heard someone talking and she froze. It took her a minute to remember that it was Carter. Then she remembered why he was there.
Carter was hanging up the phone as Abby walked into the kitchen. He smiled sympathetically when he saw her.
"I called Romano and told him you won't be in for a few days. Thought I'd save you the trouble of having to talk to that asshole." Abby didn't say anything.
"Um, I made you some coffee," Carter said as he poured some for her.
"Thanks," she said meekly. Carter picked up his coat and headed for the door. Abby followed him. "Thanks for staying here with me," she said.
"Are you going to Minnesota today?"
"Yeah. I'm driving up." There was a pause. "You working today?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "No. I'm on tomorrow morning." There was another pause. "You'll be OK making the trip alone?" he asked. "I bet Susan would go with you if you wanted her to."
Abby looked at him, his large brown eyes full of concern. "I don't." Abby stopped. She was going to say that she didn't want Susan to come with her but she also wanted to hint that she wanted Carter to go. But she couldn't. They were just friends now. Abby had to keep reminding herself that they were just friends.
But Carter read through her. Just like he always did. "Do you want me to go with you?"
Abby couldn't do anything except nod. Once again she noticed tears were running down her face. Carter wiped one away with his thumb. "When do you want to leave?" he asked.
****************
An hour later they were in Carter's jeep heading out of the city. Abby glanced over at him. She wanted to kick herself for not holding on to him.
She thought about how good he had been to her; coming back from South America just to be with her, flying to Nebraska to help her with Eric's court marshal. She didn't deserve him. And apparently, he agreed. But here he was, once again coming to her rescue. Her knight in shining scrubs.
"You doing alright?" His voice brought her back from her thoughts.
"As well as can be expected," she said. And it was true. She could have been a lot worse. If he weren't there she would be doing a lot worse.
"John, I." she started to say. He looked at her, expecting her to continue. "I just wanna thank you for.for coming with me. For being here." She couldn't look him in the eye.
"That's what friends are for," he said.
"No, it's not." Out of all her friends she had chosen him to lean on. She couldn't imagine going through this with anyone else. "This is going beyond the call of friendship. It's.you've been really great."
She glanced at him and saw that her words had touched him. But he wasn't about to let her know that. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
"It's something to me," she insisted. "No one has ever been there for me like you have and I didn't think.I didn't think you would be any more after we.after we broke up."
She could feel his eyes dart from the road back to her. "Why? Why would that change? We're friends, Abby. And after all that we've been through together I'd say we're pretty close friends at that."
"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to make things work," she said softly. "I'm sorry I was so wrapped up in myself."
Carter took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It's OK."
She wanted to throw her arms around him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life in his arms. But he had said it himself.they were friends.
Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's a little teaser for you.at the funeral Abby runs into someone she hasn't seen in years. Someone she doesn't even recognize at first.
As the sun climbed through the bedroom window Abby opened her eyes and closed them again right away. "Too bright," she grumbled. She yawned and slowly got out of bed.
She heard someone talking and she froze. It took her a minute to remember that it was Carter. Then she remembered why he was there.
Carter was hanging up the phone as Abby walked into the kitchen. He smiled sympathetically when he saw her.
"I called Romano and told him you won't be in for a few days. Thought I'd save you the trouble of having to talk to that asshole." Abby didn't say anything.
"Um, I made you some coffee," Carter said as he poured some for her.
"Thanks," she said meekly. Carter picked up his coat and headed for the door. Abby followed him. "Thanks for staying here with me," she said.
"Are you going to Minnesota today?"
"Yeah. I'm driving up." There was a pause. "You working today?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "No. I'm on tomorrow morning." There was another pause. "You'll be OK making the trip alone?" he asked. "I bet Susan would go with you if you wanted her to."
Abby looked at him, his large brown eyes full of concern. "I don't." Abby stopped. She was going to say that she didn't want Susan to come with her but she also wanted to hint that she wanted Carter to go. But she couldn't. They were just friends now. Abby had to keep reminding herself that they were just friends.
But Carter read through her. Just like he always did. "Do you want me to go with you?"
Abby couldn't do anything except nod. Once again she noticed tears were running down her face. Carter wiped one away with his thumb. "When do you want to leave?" he asked.
****************
An hour later they were in Carter's jeep heading out of the city. Abby glanced over at him. She wanted to kick herself for not holding on to him.
She thought about how good he had been to her; coming back from South America just to be with her, flying to Nebraska to help her with Eric's court marshal. She didn't deserve him. And apparently, he agreed. But here he was, once again coming to her rescue. Her knight in shining scrubs.
"You doing alright?" His voice brought her back from her thoughts.
"As well as can be expected," she said. And it was true. She could have been a lot worse. If he weren't there she would be doing a lot worse.
"John, I." she started to say. He looked at her, expecting her to continue. "I just wanna thank you for.for coming with me. For being here." She couldn't look him in the eye.
"That's what friends are for," he said.
"No, it's not." Out of all her friends she had chosen him to lean on. She couldn't imagine going through this with anyone else. "This is going beyond the call of friendship. It's.you've been really great."
She glanced at him and saw that her words had touched him. But he wasn't about to let her know that. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
"It's something to me," she insisted. "No one has ever been there for me like you have and I didn't think.I didn't think you would be any more after we.after we broke up."
She could feel his eyes dart from the road back to her. "Why? Why would that change? We're friends, Abby. And after all that we've been through together I'd say we're pretty close friends at that."
"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to make things work," she said softly. "I'm sorry I was so wrapped up in myself."
Carter took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It's OK."
She wanted to throw her arms around him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life in his arms. But he had said it himself.they were friends.
Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's a little teaser for you.at the funeral Abby runs into someone she hasn't seen in years. Someone she doesn't even recognize at first.