Author's Notes: Here's the next part. I hope you'll like it and won't be disappointed ... Thank you for the reviews!! : )
"Good morning," I say carefully as I come closer to her, trying not to startle her. I don't think she noticed yet that someone has joined her.
But it doesn't help. She jumps a little and looks at me with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry," I apologize. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Dr Carter, Miss um.," I begin as I search through the chart to find her name.
"Lockhart," she interrupts me. "Mrs Lockhart. Abigail. Abby," she informs me nervously.
I smile at her reassuringly.
"You're here because of your . arm?" I ask her, pointing at the arm she's holding.
She nods. "Yeah. It . it was an accident. I . I wanted to get a glass from the top drawer and got myself a chair to climb on to reach it. But then I lost my balance and fell off the chair . without the bowl," she adds to lighten up the atmosphere, trying to smile.
"The bowl?" I ask her, raising an eyebrow.
Her smile disappears. "Oh . did I say bowl? I meant glass. Without the glass. God . I'm not only clumsy I also have a bad memory," she laughs nervously. "My husband always tells me that I'll kill myself one day because . "
"Hey," I interrupt her and put my hand on her shoulder lightly. "Are you . are you sure that this is how it happened?" I ask her, trying to make her tell the truth. It is obvious that she's telling me lies and the only reason for this I can think of is that someone did this to her.
She shakes her head quickly and vehemently. "Of course this is how it happened," she tells me, looking down at the floor, her voice cracking slightly as she's speaking.
"If you need help . we can help you."
I can tell that she's trying to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. "The only help I need is for my arm," she tells me firmly. "Is anything broken?"
I sigh. I know she's lying. But I don't think she'd tell me if I pushed her now. I'll just let her come back. Maybe she'll open up then. "No, it's just dislocated. You'll get a sling and . "
"No, no sling please."
I raise my eyebrow. "But you need it for your shoulder to heal."
"I promise to keep it still. Just no sling, please," she pleads.
I think about it for a moment. She probably doesn't want her husband to know that she was at a hospital. I don't want to make it even worse for her when she gets home. And I can't say no anyway when I look into her eyes.
"Okay, but you have to sign something . "
"I know," she interrupts me. "I know how this works. I'm a nurse."
"Really? Where?" I ask her surprised.
"Well, I was a nurse. At Northwestern. I . they . ," she stutters, probably trying to come up with another lie. But she decides to just skip that part instead of lying. "Well, and now I'm searching for a new position."
For some reason I'd really like to see this woman again. And maybe if she worked here I'd have the chance to get to know her and to help her.
"Really? How would you like to work in an ER?" I ask her with a wink. "One of our nurses just quit because she's having a baby. So . if you would be interested . after your arm is better . I'd see what I can do for you," I offer her with a smile.
For the first time I see a genuine smile on her face and it makes her look even more beautiful. "I'd be interested," she finally says.
"Great," I say with an even wider smile. "Do you have some time right now? We have a diner across the street and we could talk about some things. Like what you've done at Northwestern. It's nothing great. But what they have there is more of a coffee than the stuff they call coffee here."
She laughs slightly. "I know, the coffee at our hospital was the same. I guess it's like that in every hospital. But I'm used to it. So whatever they'll have there is fine for me."
"Great, let's go then," I say as I offer her my hand to help her stand up.
I'm not surprised about the wave of electricity that runs through my body as her skin and mine touch. I don't know what it is about her that makes me like her already. I'm trying to tell myself that she's just a patient, just like the many others I see during the day. But even though I really don't know what it is, I know she is more than that.
***
"Oh, it's nice here," I say as we enter the diner across from the hospital.
"Yeah. It's small but I like it," he says to me with a smile. "How about the booth over there?" he asks, pointing at a quiet booth in a corner.
"Yeah, why not," I agree as we walk over to it.
I have no idea why I agreed to this. I should see that I get home as soon as possible before Richard comes home and gets even angrier. But there is something about him . I can't quite place it . that makes me trust him. Though I can't tell him about Richard. I can't tell anyone about him. He'd be mad and maybe not only hurt me in the end. And it's embarrassing to admit that you let your husband . Though he probably already knows. It was stupid to go to a hospital. It was stupid to risk anyone finding out. But the pain got worse during the night and I had to make sure that nothing is broken.
"Anything I can bring you?" the waitress interrupts my thoughts as we sit down in the booth.
He's looking at me like I should order first. "Oh, just a cup of coffee please."
"And you, sir?" she then asks.
"Just coffee, too please. Thank you."
"I'll be right back with your orders," she says before she disappears and leaves us alone.
"Just coffee Mrs . um . Lockhart? They have great pie, here."
"Abby. You can call me Abby, Dr Carter," I offer him.
"And you can call me . Carter," he answers with a boyish smile that makes me smile, too.
"Carter?" I ask and raise my eyebrows.
"Yeah," he says and laughs slightly. "My first name is John, but everyone calls me Carter."
"That's . interesting," is all I can think of to say. "Carter it is then. But I'm not hungry, thank you," I finally answer his question.
He looks at me - obviously confused.
"The pie you were talking about. You said it's good here. But I'm not hungry."
"Oh, right. Well, [but] you should definitely try it some time."
I nod as the waitress reaches our table with the coffees we've ordered.
There is a - surprisingly - comfortable silence between us before he begins to speak.
"So . what have you been doing at Northwestern as a nurse?"
"I was an OB nurse," I tell him with a smile. "I love kids."
He smiles back at me. "Do you and your husband have children?"
I have to swallow hard as he mentions this and my thoughts wander to the hardest decision I ever had to make only a few days ago. It brings tears to my eyes to think of what might have been. I hope he won't notice them.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "Did I say something wrong?"
I look at him and manage to compose myself more or less. "No. No, you didn't say anything wrong. We don't have any children."
"But I'd be interested in a job as an ER nurse," I say to change the subject.
I think he notices that it's something I don't want to talk about. "I'll see what I can do for you then," he says, smiling at me again. "I should know more within the next few days."
"That's great," I say, honestly hoping that I can find a new job at County. I can't stand sitting at home all day anymore.
"Right now I have to go, though. Sorry," he suddenly says as he checks his watch. "I have to call . um . someone. It's already 11 am. I didn't notice how quickly the time passed."
"11 am?[,]" I ask in shock as I can feel my stomach turn. Richard will be [at] home soon. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll call you within the next few days. And thank you," I bring out before I stand up quickly to be home as soon as possible.
I don't even bother to wait for the bus. I just walk home. It's not far and I might make it in time if I really hurry now.
***
"Your purse!" I call after her. But she's already out of Doc Magoo's and disappeared around the corner.
I can't stop thinking about her as I make my way back to the hospital.
I still don't know what it is. But I want to know more about her.
I forget about that thought quickly, though as I meet Alison just as I come out of the door.
"John! Where have you been? Why didn't you call me?" she asks me in her high pitched voice. She sounds like a furious teenager.
"I was just about to call you, sorry. I forgot about the time . "
"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you have to work."
"I was here with a patient . "
"With a patient? You had dinner with a patient?" she asks me in disbelief.
"Yes . um . no. I wanted to help her to find a job here ... "
"Her? So it's a woman. Is she good looking?" she asks me, her hands on her hips. "Did you have fun with her?"
"Alison!" I say, raising my voice to make her stop. "Don't be silly. She came in as a patient. But she's a nurse and I wanted to help her to find a new job since she lost her position at Northwestern. No need to get jealous, okay?"
She's quiet now and looking guilty. But I feel guilty, too because I know she's not far from the truth with her words. I did enjoy the little time I had with Abby. And I can't wait for the moment that I can see her again.
