Let me just say. . .I'm not going for realism here. Things that happen in
this chapter probably couldn't really happen but that's OK. We'll just
pretend.
Abby kicked the rubble that once was her home. She didn't see the point in sifting through it. The only two important things she'd ever had were gone. It took the building only half an hour to burn down completely. And in the entire time neither Sarah nor Carter had appeared. Abby was numb. She'd walked around to all the ambulances, looking, and asking for her family.
She sat down in the street. Traffic had been stopped and people were still being pulled from the wreckage. Abby knew that Carter and Sarah's bodies would soon be uncovered. She wasn't sure she wanted to be there when they were but she had nowhere else to go.
She had sent Jessica home. No reason to keep the poor kid here. But Abby's whole life had literally gone up in flames. She realized that she had no photographs of either of them and that's when she started to cry.
But over the noise of the rescue workers she heard something that sounded familiar. A baby was crying. Abby stood up and ran towards the sound. She stopped in front of a bookcase lying on its front. She bent down and tried to pull it up. It wouldn't budge. "Help!" she screamed. "There's someone under here! Help me!" Two rescue workers came running and together they lifted the bookcase off the people trapped under it.
A small mass of brown curls poked up. "Mama," Sarah cried, holding her arms out to Abby.
Abby swept the little girl into her arms and held her tight. "It's OK, sweetie. Mama's here." Still comforting her daughter, Abby turned her eyes back down to where Carter was lying very still.
*************
Carter opened his eyes slowly. He heard people talking but he couldn't see them. He could tell he was in a hospital room. "He must have pulled the bookcase on top of him and Sarah. It saved their lives," a voice was saying. It sounded familiar but Carter couldn't place it with a face. He was too tired . . .
*************
When Carter opened his eyes again the first thing he saw was Susan. She smiled at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living," she said.
"Sarah," he croaked.
"She's fine," Susan said. "You saved her life."
"Abby?"
"She's fine too. She's on her way up now." Susan's face disappeared from view.
"Hey John," Abby said.
Carter smiled. "Abby."
She kissed his forehead gently. "There's someone here who wants to see you," she said placing Sarah on the bed next to her father.
"Daddy," Sarah giggled.
"Hello Princess. Daddy's coming home soon. I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world . . ." he drifted off again.
**************
"Abby, what's this?" Carter asked as Abby walked into the kitchen of their new apartment. He was holding a bottle of red wine.
Abby's face turned bright red. "That's for Susan's birthday," she said.
"Which would explain why it's hidden under the sink," Carter said.
"I didn't want to tempt myself by keeping it in plane view," she explained.
"Well then why couldn't you buy Susan something else?" he asked, his voice becoming louder.
"Because awhile ago she told me about this wine she had once. She said it was the most divine thing in the entire world. And that's it. The same year and everything."
Carter shook his head. "I can't believe that you'd be drinking again and that you'd LIE to me about it."
He tried to walk past her but she grabbed his arm. He tried to shake her off. "I'm not lying, John. That bottle's for Susan. I can't drink. I'm . . ."
"An alcoholic, Abby. The word you're looking for is alcoholic."
"No. The word I'm looking for is pregnant."
Abby kicked the rubble that once was her home. She didn't see the point in sifting through it. The only two important things she'd ever had were gone. It took the building only half an hour to burn down completely. And in the entire time neither Sarah nor Carter had appeared. Abby was numb. She'd walked around to all the ambulances, looking, and asking for her family.
She sat down in the street. Traffic had been stopped and people were still being pulled from the wreckage. Abby knew that Carter and Sarah's bodies would soon be uncovered. She wasn't sure she wanted to be there when they were but she had nowhere else to go.
She had sent Jessica home. No reason to keep the poor kid here. But Abby's whole life had literally gone up in flames. She realized that she had no photographs of either of them and that's when she started to cry.
But over the noise of the rescue workers she heard something that sounded familiar. A baby was crying. Abby stood up and ran towards the sound. She stopped in front of a bookcase lying on its front. She bent down and tried to pull it up. It wouldn't budge. "Help!" she screamed. "There's someone under here! Help me!" Two rescue workers came running and together they lifted the bookcase off the people trapped under it.
A small mass of brown curls poked up. "Mama," Sarah cried, holding her arms out to Abby.
Abby swept the little girl into her arms and held her tight. "It's OK, sweetie. Mama's here." Still comforting her daughter, Abby turned her eyes back down to where Carter was lying very still.
*************
Carter opened his eyes slowly. He heard people talking but he couldn't see them. He could tell he was in a hospital room. "He must have pulled the bookcase on top of him and Sarah. It saved their lives," a voice was saying. It sounded familiar but Carter couldn't place it with a face. He was too tired . . .
*************
When Carter opened his eyes again the first thing he saw was Susan. She smiled at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living," she said.
"Sarah," he croaked.
"She's fine," Susan said. "You saved her life."
"Abby?"
"She's fine too. She's on her way up now." Susan's face disappeared from view.
"Hey John," Abby said.
Carter smiled. "Abby."
She kissed his forehead gently. "There's someone here who wants to see you," she said placing Sarah on the bed next to her father.
"Daddy," Sarah giggled.
"Hello Princess. Daddy's coming home soon. I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world . . ." he drifted off again.
**************
"Abby, what's this?" Carter asked as Abby walked into the kitchen of their new apartment. He was holding a bottle of red wine.
Abby's face turned bright red. "That's for Susan's birthday," she said.
"Which would explain why it's hidden under the sink," Carter said.
"I didn't want to tempt myself by keeping it in plane view," she explained.
"Well then why couldn't you buy Susan something else?" he asked, his voice becoming louder.
"Because awhile ago she told me about this wine she had once. She said it was the most divine thing in the entire world. And that's it. The same year and everything."
Carter shook his head. "I can't believe that you'd be drinking again and that you'd LIE to me about it."
He tried to walk past her but she grabbed his arm. He tried to shake her off. "I'm not lying, John. That bottle's for Susan. I can't drink. I'm . . ."
"An alcoholic, Abby. The word you're looking for is alcoholic."
"No. The word I'm looking for is pregnant."