DISCLAIMER: I do not own ER, I am in fact making no profit.

Chapter Six: Dinner and Pictures

"How was Africa?" Sam asked as he entered the room.

"Well…"

"That's what they all say at first." He said with a smile. "So let me guess, your wanting to get involved."

"After seeing it." She continued.

"Yeah." He simply replied as he handed her a cup of coffee. "There are a few options."

"Like?"

"Well, you can go to Africa as a doctor. That would be ideal since Jonah and his mother will want you to travel back with them." He explained. "Plus they could use all the help they could get."

"That's in a month." Abby added.

"Your looking to get involved now, excellent."

"I'd probably sleep better."

"Alright then, how about you come back at one, I'll fill you in then. We have a project that you'll be great for."

"Sounds great."

……….

"Before I knew it they were firing on all of us. Well, us indirectly."

"I can't believe that."

"Yeah, by the end we treated five gun shot victims. Three died, two were luckily just flesh wounds."

"All the blood." Susan stated as she recalled Abby's previous statements in the hospital.

"It changes you."

"I can imagine."

"I don't know why I deserved to be born here, to be so lucky, but I feel like I should do something with it."

"We should all do something about it." Susan agreed.

"Here are your salads." The waitress said as she approached with the two plates.

"Thank you." Abby replied.

"So what are you going to do?" Susan asked.

"I don't know. I'm going back at one, I'll find out then."

"But your going back?" Susan asked.

"In a month, with Jonah."

"For how long?" Susan asked.

"A few months, I'll be back." Abby said with a smile.

"Well, John left, and now you. I don't want you all to be a world a away."

"I know, and I don't particularly want to be A world away, but…"

"But you can't live with yourself if you don't." Susan finished.

"Sucks, I know." Abby warmly joked.

"Well, you'll have to be in the country in about seven and half months." Susan said with a smile on her face.

"No!" Abby screeched.

"Yes!" Susan screeched louder.

"Oh my god! What did Chuck say?"

"He was so happy, so was Susie."

"That is great. I'll definitely be back."

"You better be."

"This baby is going to know its Aunt Abby." Abby stated with a wry smile.

"That's a little scary."

"Shut up."

………

As Abby opened the door to Sam's office she realized she was obviously late.

"Abby." Sam said.

"Sorry I'm late." She replied.

"Your not." Ethan interjected.

"Ethan." She said as she hugged him. "I didn't know you were coming back."

"They summoned." He joked.

"I'm glad you're here." Sam explained. "I'll tell you what we want the two of you to do."

………

"Would you like another refill?" The waitress asked as she poured more water into Abby's glass.

"Thanks." She replied. "Stop laughing." Abby demanded.

"I can't help it."

"Ethan, it's not that funny."

"Yes it is." He continued, as his eyes began to water.

"Your not laughing so hard your crying."

"I think I might be."

"Ok, what's yours?"

"I don't think I can top that."

"Try." She said seriously.

"Fine!" He said, trying to regain composer. "I was eleven."

"You gotta give me more."

"Just wait." He snapped. "I was eleven, and we were going to North Carolina. The people we were going with owned a small six person plane." Abby gave a look like get to the funny part. "It was a three hour flight, and when we were about to leave to come home we stopped at McDonald's for lunch." Again she looked at him to continue. "They told my friend Steve and I not to drink a medium drink, but we didn't listen."

"No way!" Abby said in disbelief.

"About an hour and half into the flight we felt like we were going to die."

"You didn't."

"All we had were are empty cups, so Steve went first. No problems, sure he had to stop himself, which is very painful, but no problems. I go back to the back and just as the cup really starts to fill up I lose my balance."

Abby broke out in laughter as she manages to sneak out the words "no way."

"To make it worse there were so may of us that I had to sit in the jump seat where my accident had occurred."

"You win." Abby laughed as she stared at him.

"I'm so glad, underwear girl." He replied.

"You don't want me to think up a new nickname for you."

"Your right." He joked.

"Yeah, so when am I going to get to see these pictures?" She asked as she stopped laughing.

"Whenever you want." He replied.

"Well, I have to work tonight. How about tomorrow afternoon?"

"How about we get some dinner and then I'll take you to my studio."

"You have a studio?"

"Well, I call it a studio. It's really my apartment."

"I see." Abby said. "I'll give you my number, call me tomorrow. After three."

"After three, got it."

"Ok, well I have to go take a nap before work."

"Glad to see your so productive."

"Again with the sarcasm, you really want a new nickname." She said with a smile.

"No fun Abby Lockhart!"

"Again not helping your case." She sarcastically replied as she moved toward the door.

"Tomorrow" He yelled, gaining the other customer's attention.

Abby shook her head.

……….

"Ok on my count. One, two, three. Lets get a CBC, chem7, chest film and c-spine."

"V-Fib." Haleh stated as the heart monitor went monotone.

"Charge panels to three hundred." She stated as they began chest compressions.

"Eppy?"

"Yes. Clear."

"Still V-Fib."

"Charge panels to four hundred. Clear."

"Still nothing."

"Five hundred, push the Eppy. Clear."

"A Systole" Haleh stated.

……….

"Mrs. Cochran." Abby asked as she entered the family room. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair stood up. She was holding a three year old boy who was asleep. "Mrs. Cochran I'm Dr. Lockhart. Let's step out into the hall." The woman placed the sleeping boy into the chair and followed Abby into the hallway.

"How is Josh? Is he ok? They won't tell me anything." The woman asked.

"Mrs. Cochran your husband sustained serious injury in the accident."

"He had gone to some concert. Him and his buddies, they never get to do anything anymore. That's why they were out so late. Some band they love. I don't know. I knew he should stay, but he wanted to go so bad. I just wanted him to have this, you know. He works so hard, does so much. I just wanted him to have this. Just to have it. Oh my god." The woman leaned her back against the wall as the realization of the seriousness of the accident set in for the first time.

"Mrs. Cochran, your husband came in unconscious. He had hit his head on the window, he had broken ribs. One of which punctured his pericardium, the sac around his heart."

"Is he…" The woman said with tears in his eyes.

"We lost him for a little over a minute, but we were able to resuscitate him. They rushed him to surgery a few seconds ago."

"Is he going to be ok?" The woman asked with tears falling down her face.

"I don't know. He'll get a cat scan after the surgery. That's the real concern, we don't know how hard he hit his head, or what effect it has had. His inter cranial pressure was fine, which means there isn't any swelling."

"Ok. What? I mean…"

"I can take you to the surgical waiting room."

"Thank you." The woman stated as she squeezed Abby's arm.

"Your welcome."

"Let me get Joseph."

"Ok."

……….

Hi you've reached Abby's, I'm either at work or choosing not to answer the phone. Leave a message.

"Hey Abby this Ethan. Guess your either still asleep, or not picking up the phone out of embarrassment for realizing you told me about that fateful day your sophomore year. Call me."

The noise from the answering caused Abby to glance at the clock. 3:48 PM. "Ohhhh, I need to get up. Or not." She said to herself.

……….

"I didn't realize you were such a late sleeper." Ethan said as they sat down at their table.

"I stayed late to see about a patient."

"What happened?"

"He was in a car accident. His three year old son and his wife waited all night. When my shift ended I had to stick around to find out."

"I understand."

"So tell me about these pictures I'm going to see. I need to be prepared."

……….

"They're beautiful." Abby stated as she flipped through a large photo album.

"Thanks." He modestly replied.

She flipped the page and saw the picture of her sitting on the bed with Jonah. Her hand lightly touching his head. John behind her, Jonah looking into her eyes. It was surreal to see. "I don't know what to say."

"It's my favorite." He stated.

"It's amazing."

"It shows the humanity. We see the need, the hurt, the desperation, but we also see kindness, love, help, compassion, dedication. That's what the people need to see. Lives being touched."

"Well said."

"I've got a talent." He joked.

"Where are the others?" She asked seriously.

"What?"

"You know."

"There over here." He said as he pointed to a box.

"I want to see them."

"Some are pretty bad."

"I want to." Abby slowly began to pull pictures out of the box. They were in order. Ethan had turned just as the men were coming out of the bushes. He had managed to get shots of the guns in the air. The looks on the people's faces. She turned to a picture of the man lying on the ground with the gun to his head. Once again she saw the feet of the gunman behind him. Ethan saw her flinch as she turned to the next one. Even though it was a black and white photo the blood was still striking and vivid. "Oh my god Ethan."

"Maybe we should stop."

"No, I want to see them." The pictures got worst. The shots of the thirty other people, some wounded, all bloody became engraved in her mind. Even though they already were. The bodies placed to the side. The people lined up. She could smell it, she could feel it.

"I don't know what to say."

"Abby, you don't have to say anything."

"What are we going to tell them?"

"I don't know."