Chapter 8
"So...I haven't seen you in a while," Carter said, then realized how stupid that sounded. Of course he hadn't seen her in a while; she left him because she found him with another woman! But still, he had to start somewhere.
"Yeah," Abby said. She had expected to be mad when she saw Carter, but she wasn't, not like she had been when she last saw him. As much as she hated to admit it, she had missed him, and it was kind of nice to see him again.
"Jill told me that you guys are here visiting a princess who lives in a castle?" Carter said questioningly, raising his eyebrows.
Abby laughed. "We were at your house, and she said it looked like a castle and decided that a princess must live there."
"You were at my house?" Carter asked, and Abby realized the significance of her words.
She nodded casually. "Yeah, but you weren't there."
Carter wasn't sure what to say. She had been at his house; that must mean she was here to see him. "So, what brings you to Chicago?" he asked casually.
"We were coming to see Eric," she said, which was partly true.
"How is he?"
"Gone. I went to his apartment and he wasn't there." Carter wondered if Eric was staying on his medication now, but he didn't have the nerve to ask.
"Oh. How's Maggie?" he asked, hoping to ease into things with small talk.
"Dead," Abby said, affectively ending his small talk.
"Oh." There was an uncomfortable silence.
"You lost your job?" he asked abruptly. Abby looked up at him, and he explained, "Jill told me."
"Jill needs to learn how to keep her mouth shut," Abby joked, stalling. Then, "I got laid off. You know, cutbacks."
"Where do you live?"
"Atlanta," she said, which was an out-and-out lie. She had been kicked out of her apartment in Atlanta, so she couldn't really claim to be a resident.
"How long you been out of work?"
"Three weeks. Nobody's hiring nurses."
Carter nodded, and walked to the end of her bed. He picked up her chart and flipped through it. "Says you're suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, anemia and vitamin deficiency," he said, looking up from the chart at her. She wouldn't meet his eye. "Are you okay?"
Abby nodded. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Carter sat on the edge of the bed. "Why'd you come to County?" he asked.
Abby shrugged. "I was in the area, figured I'd stop by," she lied.
Carter just looked at her. "Abby, you haven't eaten anything in at least a week. What's going on?"
Abby broke away from his gaze. "Nothing, okay? I've just been really busy. I haven't had time to eat." She realized her explanation sounded stupid, but she hadn't counted on how hard it would be to tell Carter the truth when the time came.
"Did you come here to see me?" Carter asked. She still wouldn't look at him. "Abby?"
"Look, Carter, do you think you could just go? I'm not really in the mood for this," Abby snapped. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to see him again. She just wanted to fall into his arms and let him take care of her and her children.
But she couldn't do that. He had betrayed her, in the worst way you could betray someone, and she couldn't just forget that. Things would never be the same between the two of them again, so she just wanted him to leave her alone.
But what about the kids? She had come here to tell him about the kids, and she hadn't done it, she couldn't now. Well, she could tell him later. It wasn't like she was going anywhere.
"I want to help you, Abby," Carter said, and she couldn't help but scoff. "I'm serious. I know we didn't part on the best of terms but-"
"You cheated on me, Carter! Don't try to dress it up and make it sound like we broke up so we could pursue different opportunities. I caught you in the supply closet with another woman, which is why I left. That's all there is to it!"
Well, it was finally out in the open. But for some reason, Carter had been given another chance with Abby, and he wasn't going to blow it. If she didn't forgive him, it wouldn't be because he didn't try. He knelt down next to her bed, so that they were at eye level. "Abby, that was the STUPIDEST thing I've ever done in my entire life, because it made me lose the woman I loved. I know what I did was wrong, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for it," he said sincerely.
"Well, sorry doesn't fix it, Carter. You did what you did because you wanted to, and you can't just come back and apologize, and expect that to make everything better."
"I don't expect it to make everything better. But Abby, I don't want us to be enemies. I made a COLOSSAL mistake, but doesn't everybody deserve a second chance?"
Abby bit her lip. It was hard being right here with him, seeing the regret on his face. But how could she forgive him, after what he had done to her? "I'm really tired, Carter, I just wanna get some sleep," she said.
Carter jumped to his feet. "Of course. I'll leave you alone. Sweet dreams." He walked to the door and paused. "But could we talk later?"
"Sure," Abby heard herself saying. What was she doing? She didn't want to talk to Carter! She wanted him to leave her alone!
Carter smiled with relief. Well, that was a good sign. "See you later," he said, waving as he left the room.
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Lara paced nervously behind the admit desk. She knew Dr. Carter was disappointed with her lack of skill. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but it seemed like she couldn't do anything right when it came to treating patients. Maybe she just wasn't meant to be a doctor.
But she had begged her parents to send her to medical school. They had spent more than $300,000 dollars on her education, and she knew that they wouldn't be happy if she suddenly decided to become a kindergarten teacher.
So she had to give this doctor thing her best try. Lara looked up at the board. What could she do that would prove her responsibility to Dr. Carter?
She glanced up at the name of the woman in Exam 1. Did she have some kids with her? Lara smiled excitedly. She knew what she could do! Eagerly, she picked up the phone and began dialing the number. Dr. Carter would be proud of her initiative.
____________________________________________________________________
Abby was asleep when the social worker arrived, but the grumpy woman had no problem with waking her up. "Miss Wazinky!" she bellowed, jolting Abby from her pleasant slumber.
"I'm aware that you have your children with you," she said, gesturing towards Jill and Riley, who were lying on the floor coloring. "Do you have a family member who can keep them during your stay in the hospital?"
"What?" Abby asked, still groggy from being woken up. "No, no family," she muttered.
"Then they'll have to come with me," said the social worker, snatching Riley's arm.
"Get off him!" Jill shrieked, kicking the woman in the leg. She howled and grabbed her wounded shin.
The yells brought Carter into the room. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing the social worker standing in the middle of the room, scowling.
"This woman will be staying in the hospital and doesn't have any family, which makes her children temporary wards of the state," the woman growled, eyeing Jill.
"Whoa, slow down! Who called you down here, anyway?" He couldn't imagine any of Abby's former coworkers ratting her out to social services.
The social worker consulted a card. "Doctor Lara Donovan."
"Well, Miss Donovan is a student here, and I'm sure that she didn't know that was unnecessary."
"It was necessary. Any person staying in the hospital who doesn't have-"
"I know the law; I'm the chief resident in the ER here. You can go now."
The woman didn't budge. "I cannot leave these children unguarded-"
"They're staying with me," Carter blurted out.
"That's highly irregular. I'm not sure if I approve-"
"You don't have to approve. It's completely legal, which you would know if you studied the custody laws a little closer."
The woman huffed. Finally, she turned to Abby and asked, "Is this alright with you?" sure she had found a loophole.
Abby looked at her, unsure of how to answer. She didn't want her kids staying with Carter. She didn't want them to get attached to him, so they would be disappointed when they left. But at least they would be safe with him. Who knew what would happen to them in a foster home?
So Abby nodded her head. "It's fine with me," she said.
"I'll be reporting this to my supervisors," the social worker said, storming out of the door.
"Thanks, Carter," she said once the woman had left.
"It's okay. Give me the keys to your car so I can get their stuff out."
Abby shook her head. "No, they can stay here with me in the hospital. They'll be fine here."
"Abby, you know they come and look in the rooms. They call social services back if you have two toddlers sleeping on your couch."
Abby sighed, because she knew that was true. Still, she hated sending her children off with someone they barely knew.
"Jill, Riley? C'mere," she said. She gathered her children in front of her. "You guys can't stay here with me in the hospital. You're going to stay with my friend, Doctor Carter."
Riley looked worried. "But Mommy, what if something bad happens?"
"Don't worry, you'll just spend the night at my house," Carter reassured him. "As soon as you get up, we can come back to the hospital and see your mom."
"I guess that's okay," Jill decided. "But we can come here as soon as we wake up?"
"As soon as you wake up. Well, you have to get dressed first, of course," he added. Jill and Riley started giggling.
"Or you could just come here naked," Abby suggested, which brought on more giggles. When the laughter finally ended, Jill said, "Okay, we'll stay with you, Doctor Carter. But just til Mommy feels better."
Carter nodded. "Okay," he agreed. The deal made, Jill and Riley returned to the floor and resumed their coloring.
"You know, you don't have to do this-"
Carter smiled. "I want to," he said.