Authors Note- Okay we are starting tog et into the good stuff...I hope you enjoy, please read and review!
~*~
I started heading up the stairs, but even from the bottom floor I could hear the music playing from upstairs. I trudged my way up the stairs, I was sort of tired, since I had to pull a 36-hour shift, with about six hours of sleep in-between. But I still wanted to come. Bryce meant a lot to me. And even more so now. Abby and I haven't actually talked about what happened, and it seemed like we were avoiding each other. I doubt we are going to be able to do that tonight. Unless the party turns into total chaos, but I doubt that will happen. According to Bryce, it was only supposed to be a few of his friends and some people from the ER. I reached the door, and before I even had enough time to knock, it swung open, and there stood Bryce, a huge smile plastered across his face.
"Dr. Carter!"
I rolled my eyes. I always told him to call me Carter. Hell everyone does anyway. I handed him his gift, a bunch of X Box games that he had mentioned he wanted, but never thought he would get. I ruffled his hair, and went inside with him. The party had definitely started, and everyone was feasting on pizza and chips, soda strewn all around the apartment. He searched around, waving to Luka, Sam, and Susan, who were all huddled in a corner talking. Bryce and his friends were gathered around the TV, racing cars or fighting some aliens, or something. I walked over to Susan and listened to them talk about crazy patients for a while. I was wondering where Abby was, and every so often I would scan the room. Susan must have noticed because she pulled me off to the side.
"Is there something going on between you and Abby?"
I tried to remain cool and calm, because this could only turn into potential gossip.
"No. Why?"
I saw she was looking around the room too.
"I know you guys didn't hit it off, but you did with Bryce. If it's awkward for you two to be together in the same room . . . "
I started to shake my head no, trying not to laugh. She had no clue how run she was. There was an awkwardness between us. Just not the same awkwardness Susan was implying.
"Do you know where she is?"
She looked at me, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I wanted to ask if she needed help with anything."
She nodded her head, probably buying my excuse. Or she wanted to support me trying to be friends with Abby. Susan was clueless.
"I saw her heading into her bedroom with some guy a few minutes ago."
I thanked her, and headed to Abby's bedroom. I don't exactly know why my heart was beating at that minute. I guess because I might have thought she really wasn't in love with me, or if she was just using me. Or so many jumbled thoughts. The door was unlocked and when I had opened the door, a short, blonde man rushed out. Almost knocking me over. I should have gone and given him a damn good piece of my mind. But my attention strained back to Abby. She was leaning on the balcony railing, starring out into space. I walked in slowly, and opened the screen door further. I stood on her balcony with her, looking out at the city. She was wearing only a sweater, so I took my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders, my arm around her for added warmth. Or comfort.
"Are you okay?"
I saw her nod her head, but she slowly began to lean into me, her head resting against my chest, her breathing heavy and laboured. I ran my hands over her back, just trying to comfort her. It killed me to see her like this. She seemed so strong to me before. She finally managed to look up at me, and I reached to wipe away the tear that had begun to fall.
"My . . . my ex husband . . . He wants . . . He wants Bryce . . . "
I pushed her bangs away from her face. Anything to stop her from crying.
"But he can't. You have custody, right?"
Abby loved him more than anything else in this world.
"Yeah . . . But only because Richard agreed to it. He could take him away from me . . . "
I shook my head.
"No. He couldn't."
She leaned back into me, and I kept on rubbing her back. She had stopped crying, but was still shaking. I kissed her gently on the forehead. She looked back up at me, giving me a small smile. Which had probably taken more effort than anything. I leaned down, looking into her deep chocolate eyes, giving her another kiss. I felt my head tilting to the left, meeting her lips. A shock of electricity shot through me, and our kiss just kept on deepening. I wouldn't be able to pull away if I tried. Her hands were running up and down my chest, she was driving me insane.
We both broke away when we heard the screen door slam. Bryce stood looking at the both of us, smiling more than ever.
"I was gonna ask you if we could open presents, but I already got what I wanted."
I pretended to look out at the city, since I was turning cherry red, and Abby probably was the same. It's not every day that you get caught making out by your preteen son. And then he just manages to support it. I saw Abby's hand leaning out to hit him, and she started to laugh. She grabbed my hand and interlocked her fingers in it.
"Come on, boys, let's go."
Bryce stopped as soon as he got inside the screen door, and Abby bumped into him, and I bumped into her. That whole chain reaction thing.
"Just make me a promise?"
I just looked at Abby and she gave me this questioning look.
"What's up?"
Bryce looked at the both us, completely serious.
"When you guys are having wild and crazy sex in the middle of the night, try to keep it down."
I saw Abby's mouth dropping open, forming in a small smile. She spanked him, him running away from her. I just started laughing. Where do kids learn all this these days? She grabbed him by his shoulders, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you, you know that?"
I watched them smile at each other.
"Yeah, mom, I love ya too!"
I suddenly felt like interjecting something, cause I was feeling a bit left out.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?"
Okay, so it was probably equivalent to the response a five-year-old might make, but hey, I was improvising.
"Love ya too, Carter."
I laughed a bit.
"Thank you Bryce."
Abby was laughing. She gave us that head nod and we began to walk toward her.
"Bryce, we'll be out in a minute. And no comment from you."
I saw Bryce with that evil little twinkle in his eye. He left and Abby shut the door.
"Please don't let Bryce know about any of this. He was disappointed enough that Richard forgot about his birthday."
I nodded my head, and I grabbed her hands.
"We're gonna be okay."
I saw her look at me, probably unconvinced, but probably half in shock as well. Since when were 'we' an official 'we'? Does that make any sense?
"Come on, let's get out there before Bryce does some real damage."
I nodded my head, and she was about to let go of my hand, when she must have decided against it, since she gripped onto it even more.
"Are you sure?"
I didn't know how right the timing would be, and how everything would work out. The timing seemed to suck.
"Yeah."
I smiled at her. So maybe it wouldn't be such a bad party after all.
~*~
I started heading up the stairs, but even from the bottom floor I could hear the music playing from upstairs. I trudged my way up the stairs, I was sort of tired, since I had to pull a 36-hour shift, with about six hours of sleep in-between. But I still wanted to come. Bryce meant a lot to me. And even more so now. Abby and I haven't actually talked about what happened, and it seemed like we were avoiding each other. I doubt we are going to be able to do that tonight. Unless the party turns into total chaos, but I doubt that will happen. According to Bryce, it was only supposed to be a few of his friends and some people from the ER. I reached the door, and before I even had enough time to knock, it swung open, and there stood Bryce, a huge smile plastered across his face.
"Dr. Carter!"
I rolled my eyes. I always told him to call me Carter. Hell everyone does anyway. I handed him his gift, a bunch of X Box games that he had mentioned he wanted, but never thought he would get. I ruffled his hair, and went inside with him. The party had definitely started, and everyone was feasting on pizza and chips, soda strewn all around the apartment. He searched around, waving to Luka, Sam, and Susan, who were all huddled in a corner talking. Bryce and his friends were gathered around the TV, racing cars or fighting some aliens, or something. I walked over to Susan and listened to them talk about crazy patients for a while. I was wondering where Abby was, and every so often I would scan the room. Susan must have noticed because she pulled me off to the side.
"Is there something going on between you and Abby?"
I tried to remain cool and calm, because this could only turn into potential gossip.
"No. Why?"
I saw she was looking around the room too.
"I know you guys didn't hit it off, but you did with Bryce. If it's awkward for you two to be together in the same room . . . "
I started to shake my head no, trying not to laugh. She had no clue how run she was. There was an awkwardness between us. Just not the same awkwardness Susan was implying.
"Do you know where she is?"
She looked at me, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I wanted to ask if she needed help with anything."
She nodded her head, probably buying my excuse. Or she wanted to support me trying to be friends with Abby. Susan was clueless.
"I saw her heading into her bedroom with some guy a few minutes ago."
I thanked her, and headed to Abby's bedroom. I don't exactly know why my heart was beating at that minute. I guess because I might have thought she really wasn't in love with me, or if she was just using me. Or so many jumbled thoughts. The door was unlocked and when I had opened the door, a short, blonde man rushed out. Almost knocking me over. I should have gone and given him a damn good piece of my mind. But my attention strained back to Abby. She was leaning on the balcony railing, starring out into space. I walked in slowly, and opened the screen door further. I stood on her balcony with her, looking out at the city. She was wearing only a sweater, so I took my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders, my arm around her for added warmth. Or comfort.
"Are you okay?"
I saw her nod her head, but she slowly began to lean into me, her head resting against my chest, her breathing heavy and laboured. I ran my hands over her back, just trying to comfort her. It killed me to see her like this. She seemed so strong to me before. She finally managed to look up at me, and I reached to wipe away the tear that had begun to fall.
"My . . . my ex husband . . . He wants . . . He wants Bryce . . . "
I pushed her bangs away from her face. Anything to stop her from crying.
"But he can't. You have custody, right?"
Abby loved him more than anything else in this world.
"Yeah . . . But only because Richard agreed to it. He could take him away from me . . . "
I shook my head.
"No. He couldn't."
She leaned back into me, and I kept on rubbing her back. She had stopped crying, but was still shaking. I kissed her gently on the forehead. She looked back up at me, giving me a small smile. Which had probably taken more effort than anything. I leaned down, looking into her deep chocolate eyes, giving her another kiss. I felt my head tilting to the left, meeting her lips. A shock of electricity shot through me, and our kiss just kept on deepening. I wouldn't be able to pull away if I tried. Her hands were running up and down my chest, she was driving me insane.
We both broke away when we heard the screen door slam. Bryce stood looking at the both of us, smiling more than ever.
"I was gonna ask you if we could open presents, but I already got what I wanted."
I pretended to look out at the city, since I was turning cherry red, and Abby probably was the same. It's not every day that you get caught making out by your preteen son. And then he just manages to support it. I saw Abby's hand leaning out to hit him, and she started to laugh. She grabbed my hand and interlocked her fingers in it.
"Come on, boys, let's go."
Bryce stopped as soon as he got inside the screen door, and Abby bumped into him, and I bumped into her. That whole chain reaction thing.
"Just make me a promise?"
I just looked at Abby and she gave me this questioning look.
"What's up?"
Bryce looked at the both us, completely serious.
"When you guys are having wild and crazy sex in the middle of the night, try to keep it down."
I saw Abby's mouth dropping open, forming in a small smile. She spanked him, him running away from her. I just started laughing. Where do kids learn all this these days? She grabbed him by his shoulders, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you, you know that?"
I watched them smile at each other.
"Yeah, mom, I love ya too!"
I suddenly felt like interjecting something, cause I was feeling a bit left out.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?"
Okay, so it was probably equivalent to the response a five-year-old might make, but hey, I was improvising.
"Love ya too, Carter."
I laughed a bit.
"Thank you Bryce."
Abby was laughing. She gave us that head nod and we began to walk toward her.
"Bryce, we'll be out in a minute. And no comment from you."
I saw Bryce with that evil little twinkle in his eye. He left and Abby shut the door.
"Please don't let Bryce know about any of this. He was disappointed enough that Richard forgot about his birthday."
I nodded my head, and I grabbed her hands.
"We're gonna be okay."
I saw her look at me, probably unconvinced, but probably half in shock as well. Since when were 'we' an official 'we'? Does that make any sense?
"Come on, let's get out there before Bryce does some real damage."
I nodded my head, and she was about to let go of my hand, when she must have decided against it, since she gripped onto it even more.
"Are you sure?"
I didn't know how right the timing would be, and how everything would work out. The timing seemed to suck.
"Yeah."
I smiled at her. So maybe it wouldn't be such a bad party after all.