I pick myself up off the floor, I think I'm okay, but I'm not really sure. I reach out to hold onto the table, I feel weak, I grab onto the table when a sudden pain shoots through my wrist. Jesus Christ, its bruising and its twisted in a funny position, I must have twisted it when I was using it to break my fall. Stupid John! Why the hell would he push me anyways? I just wanted to make sure he was okay, despite the hatred I have towards him lately, I have been a bit worried about him and his new change. "Abby-" Randi walks through the doors and looks at me. "Are you okay?" She looks over me from top to bottom, he eyes stop at my wrist. My other hand immediately goes over it. "Yeah, Yeah I'm fine." I lie.
"You don't look fine." Her eyes still on my aching wrist.
"Well I am." I say with a little more of an edge.
"Did John do that to you?" She nods towards my wrist, I push my way past her and out of the lounge, I really don't want to be talking about this, not now, not with her. "Abby!" She shouts after me, drawing attention to us. "What?" I turn and look at her.
"Did John do that to your wrist?" Susan walks over to us.
"Did John do what?" She looks concerned.
"Nothing, John didn't do this. I just fell in the lounge." I fib to my friend. I feel horrible doing this. Its not like I am with John, or ever will be again, so need to worry them right? "Let me see." Susan demands moving my hand away from my wrist and holding it gently. Owe, I want to scream it hurts so badly, but that would be making a big deal out of a small situation. "I'll splint it." She says walking towards an exam room, I carefully follow, try to ignore all the eyes from patients and coworkers that are watching me. I walk into the exam room, as Susan sets out the supplies. "Sit down." She gestures toward the bed.
"I have a shift I have to finish." I carefully sit on the bed and rest my throbbing wrist on the table she has set out. "Its not broken." She says inspecting it closely.
"No, I know." I look at her, our eyes meet. She knows something's up, I know she will asks the only problem is I'm not really sure what is wrong with John and I. "He did this didn't he?" I sigh and look at her.
"No, well, he pushed me. I was in his way. He knocked me out of the way." I explain.
"What?" She sits down on the bed across from me. She looks appalled. "John? John Carter, this is so- so out of character for him. Why? What would possess him to do something so awful?" I look her in the eye, not sure who she is concerned about now, John or me. "I don't know." I reply simply, looking down at my wrist and cringing.
"I'm so sorry Abby." She starts to splint my wrist. "I will talk to him." I shake my head, and swallow. "No, Susan. Don't do that. Just let me deal with this. I promise I will tell you if it gets to be more then I can handle."
"Okay, if that's what you want." She looks disappointed.
"It is." I nod my head and get up.
~*~
"Just do your homework in the lounge okay?" I say rubbing my sons hair. It's been two days since the attack, and I have not seen John. "I just hope that patient who did this to you is not here today." Bryce frowns. I lied to him. I told him a patient did this to me. I know it was wrong to do that, I should have told him the truth, but I couldn't not right now. I know something is wrong with John and I have to find out what it is. My stomach has been hurting a lot lately since that day too. He pushed my stomach, I don't know why he did that. I just hope he is not working today. I rub my stomach it, "What's wrong mom?" Bryce asks looking quite concerned. I shake my head at him.
"Then why are you holding your stomach?"
"It just hurts a bit that's all." I reassure Bryce and myself. He gives me another look and walks into the lounge. "You okay?" Susan whispers leaning over the admit desk.
"Yeah. I just have had a bit of an upset stomach since..." My words trail off as I see Carter walks through the entrance. "You want me to do an Ultra sound see if everything is okay?" She draws my attention back to her.
"Uh- no." I follow him into the lounge, not wanting him to be alone with me son. They have already started talking. I make my way over to the coffee machine and grab a cup of coffee. "Some patient hurt my mom." Bryce tells Carter. I stop and glance over at him, our eyes meeting. He looks scary today, "oh yeah?"
"Yeah, her wrist as been in a splint ever since that day." Bryce explains, I turn around really wanting this conversation to stop. "Bryce, go work out at admit desk." He gives me a funny look, but leaves. He knows something is up with Carter these days, and I think he is okay with having to stay away from him until Carter gets better. I have already told him he was not to talk to him. "What are you doing?" I take a sip of my coffee.
"Talking to Bryce." He spits back sarcastically.
"Well don't. Stay away form me and my son." With that I turn on my heels and leave him standing alone. I toss the cup of coffee out, lately the taste of it has made me sick to my stomach.
I walk out of the lounge, Bryce is sitting there talking with Luka, why didn't I meet him instead of Carter? I know he is going out with one of my closest friends, god Sam is so lucky. Luka isn't an abusive dickhead. "Hey." Luka smiles at me. "Bryce told me about your wrist are okay?" I smile at Luka, and glare at Bryce, god I wish he'd stop telling people that story. "Yeah, I'd be better if my son kept his mouth closed." I say in mock seriousness. Bryce laughs then gets back down to work. I imagine these last couple of days have been quite hard on him, I pick up a chart and look over it, well this is the beginning of my very long and stressful shift.
"Abby, do you mind getting that?" Thirteen hours straight and now he wants me to start answering faxes? "Fine." I grumble. I pull the fax out of the machine. "To Dr. John Truman Carter. From North-western." I can't believe this he is applying for another position at another hospital. Just get away from me I'm assuming. I flip through the papers, knowing this is none of my business but unable to help myself. "Drug Rehab-" He was a drug addict? I flip to the very last page and close it. He's using again. I know I haven't asked him straight up, and I'm pretty sure that if I did he'd deny it, but I am positive he is using again. This explains so much. He accuses me of being the fucked up one? I let him near my son. I don't even want to know what could have happened to Bryce if I had left him there any longer. I storm off looking for John Carter.
"You don't look fine." Her eyes still on my aching wrist.
"Well I am." I say with a little more of an edge.
"Did John do that to you?" She nods towards my wrist, I push my way past her and out of the lounge, I really don't want to be talking about this, not now, not with her. "Abby!" She shouts after me, drawing attention to us. "What?" I turn and look at her.
"Did John do that to your wrist?" Susan walks over to us.
"Did John do what?" She looks concerned.
"Nothing, John didn't do this. I just fell in the lounge." I fib to my friend. I feel horrible doing this. Its not like I am with John, or ever will be again, so need to worry them right? "Let me see." Susan demands moving my hand away from my wrist and holding it gently. Owe, I want to scream it hurts so badly, but that would be making a big deal out of a small situation. "I'll splint it." She says walking towards an exam room, I carefully follow, try to ignore all the eyes from patients and coworkers that are watching me. I walk into the exam room, as Susan sets out the supplies. "Sit down." She gestures toward the bed.
"I have a shift I have to finish." I carefully sit on the bed and rest my throbbing wrist on the table she has set out. "Its not broken." She says inspecting it closely.
"No, I know." I look at her, our eyes meet. She knows something's up, I know she will asks the only problem is I'm not really sure what is wrong with John and I. "He did this didn't he?" I sigh and look at her.
"No, well, he pushed me. I was in his way. He knocked me out of the way." I explain.
"What?" She sits down on the bed across from me. She looks appalled. "John? John Carter, this is so- so out of character for him. Why? What would possess him to do something so awful?" I look her in the eye, not sure who she is concerned about now, John or me. "I don't know." I reply simply, looking down at my wrist and cringing.
"I'm so sorry Abby." She starts to splint my wrist. "I will talk to him." I shake my head, and swallow. "No, Susan. Don't do that. Just let me deal with this. I promise I will tell you if it gets to be more then I can handle."
"Okay, if that's what you want." She looks disappointed.
"It is." I nod my head and get up.
~*~
"Just do your homework in the lounge okay?" I say rubbing my sons hair. It's been two days since the attack, and I have not seen John. "I just hope that patient who did this to you is not here today." Bryce frowns. I lied to him. I told him a patient did this to me. I know it was wrong to do that, I should have told him the truth, but I couldn't not right now. I know something is wrong with John and I have to find out what it is. My stomach has been hurting a lot lately since that day too. He pushed my stomach, I don't know why he did that. I just hope he is not working today. I rub my stomach it, "What's wrong mom?" Bryce asks looking quite concerned. I shake my head at him.
"Then why are you holding your stomach?"
"It just hurts a bit that's all." I reassure Bryce and myself. He gives me another look and walks into the lounge. "You okay?" Susan whispers leaning over the admit desk.
"Yeah. I just have had a bit of an upset stomach since..." My words trail off as I see Carter walks through the entrance. "You want me to do an Ultra sound see if everything is okay?" She draws my attention back to her.
"Uh- no." I follow him into the lounge, not wanting him to be alone with me son. They have already started talking. I make my way over to the coffee machine and grab a cup of coffee. "Some patient hurt my mom." Bryce tells Carter. I stop and glance over at him, our eyes meeting. He looks scary today, "oh yeah?"
"Yeah, her wrist as been in a splint ever since that day." Bryce explains, I turn around really wanting this conversation to stop. "Bryce, go work out at admit desk." He gives me a funny look, but leaves. He knows something is up with Carter these days, and I think he is okay with having to stay away from him until Carter gets better. I have already told him he was not to talk to him. "What are you doing?" I take a sip of my coffee.
"Talking to Bryce." He spits back sarcastically.
"Well don't. Stay away form me and my son." With that I turn on my heels and leave him standing alone. I toss the cup of coffee out, lately the taste of it has made me sick to my stomach.
I walk out of the lounge, Bryce is sitting there talking with Luka, why didn't I meet him instead of Carter? I know he is going out with one of my closest friends, god Sam is so lucky. Luka isn't an abusive dickhead. "Hey." Luka smiles at me. "Bryce told me about your wrist are okay?" I smile at Luka, and glare at Bryce, god I wish he'd stop telling people that story. "Yeah, I'd be better if my son kept his mouth closed." I say in mock seriousness. Bryce laughs then gets back down to work. I imagine these last couple of days have been quite hard on him, I pick up a chart and look over it, well this is the beginning of my very long and stressful shift.
"Abby, do you mind getting that?" Thirteen hours straight and now he wants me to start answering faxes? "Fine." I grumble. I pull the fax out of the machine. "To Dr. John Truman Carter. From North-western." I can't believe this he is applying for another position at another hospital. Just get away from me I'm assuming. I flip through the papers, knowing this is none of my business but unable to help myself. "Drug Rehab-" He was a drug addict? I flip to the very last page and close it. He's using again. I know I haven't asked him straight up, and I'm pretty sure that if I did he'd deny it, but I am positive he is using again. This explains so much. He accuses me of being the fucked up one? I let him near my son. I don't even want to know what could have happened to Bryce if I had left him there any longer. I storm off looking for John Carter.