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The Rainbow After The Storm

Chapter Nineteen

A couple of weeks later

The ER was slammed, Carter felt as though he had spent the past twelve hours in one of the two trauma rooms. In fact he hadn't seen his wife all day, the fact that their shifts were different hadn't helped, but as he glanced at the clock he noticed that her shift had in fact started over two hours ago. Now he was preparing to leave, she had another twenty two to do and by that time he would already be back in the place they called work.

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'Abby can you take this patient' said Pratt, it wasn't a question but a statement.

'What? I'm juggling twelve already' She examined the chart he handed her. 'Oh no, not another one, do you know how many allergic reaction patients I've seen on this shift?'

'While you see to them I can take the MVA coming in' he replied walking off

'Don't take it personally' said Sam 'It's because he's trying to impress Trinity'

'Who?'

'Trinity's another new nurse' Sam said indicating the new nurse.

'Another one?'

'Yeah'

'Dr Carter, Dr Carter' said a patient coming up to the admit desk and scratching his neck. 'I can't stop this itching'

'One moment Mr O'Leary' she said 'I'll be right there.' She sighed heavily and raised her eyebrows to the ceiling, then to Sam she said 'If I have to take one more allergy patient I'll scream. Poison ivy, poison oak, nettle rash, bee stings, wasp stings, insect bites, then there's sunburn, sun stroke and unsafe use of the barbecue, it's driving me mad'

'It's the weather' Sam commented

'Mmmmm' Abby answered clearly unimpressed.

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'Mrs Sherrill how can I help you?' Abby asked relieved that she had a patient who hadn't been spending too long in the great outdoors.

'Well I don't know where to start' she replied.

Abby had already decided that Mrs Sherrill was a very nervy woman who seemed to require a lot of reassurance.

'What symptoms have you experienced?' Abby asked

'I think it's my time' she told Abby

'Time? Time for what?' Abby answered thinking of a few 'times' it could be. She glanced at the chart and noted that the patient was in her early forties.

'How do you feel now?' Abby asked

'Unwell'

'How unwell? Try and describe it to me'

'Well you know it's difficult to talk about'

Abby inwardly sighed, this was going to take time, time she didn't have for one patient although now she was only juggling eight including Mrs Sherrill.

'Would you prefer to talk to a male doctor?' Abby asked

'No, no I want to talk to you'

'Good'

Mrs Sherrill beckoned Abby closer. Abby sensing the woman's embarrassment closed the curtain to give her some more privacy.

Finally Mrs Sherrill declared 'I think I'm menopausal, I feel quite unusual. I feel like crying all the time, I haven't had my period in weeks and I have to go to the bathroom frequently'

'Could you be pregnant?' Abby asked

'Oh, you think that's possible?'

'Have you done anything that might result in a pregnancy?'

'You know I hadn't thought about that, I just thought my time had come' she paused thinking 'Yes Dr...' she paused again looking at Abby's ID 'Dr Carter, it is possible. I've never really thought about it before I haven't had any children, I've never married'

'So you're not Mrs Sherrill?' Abby queried

'No, yes. Well I call myself that you see. Miss sounds old fashioned and I don't like Ms so I use Mrs, of course Mother doesn't like it'

Abby tried to get her patient back on to the topic 'So it's technically possible that you could be pregnant?'

'You promise you won't tell my mother?'

Abby frowned and said 'Everything you tell me is confidential'

'Then yes' Mrs Sherrill said 'Mother wouldn't like it if she knew I'd slept with a man' then she whispered 'She likes to know where I am, what I'm doing, where I'm going. I didn't tell her I was coming here. She thinks I'm at work, I'm a cashier at a bank'

Abby gave a little sigh, wishing her shift was over 'When was the date of your last period?'

'Oh' Mrs Sherrill thought about this and said 'About ten weeks ago, that's why I thought it was the menopause, that and putting on a little weight'

'Right' Abby replied writing on the chart 'I'll find a nurse and we can run some tests to see if you're pregnant'

'Yes, thank you, you're so kind. I think however that if I am pregnant my mother might throw me out'

'You live with her?' Abby asked amazed.

'Yes, she can't manage alone, she's nearly eighty and riddled with arthritis'

'I'm sorry' Abby told her 'I'll be back later, okay' and giving her patient a supportive smile she left.

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Abby walked quickly out of the room her mind on Mrs Sherrill and met with Carter in the corridor.

'You're back already' she said glancing at her watch

'Having fun?' he asked

'No not really. Pratt's been passing all the summer fun patients to me, except this one' she said indicating her last patient.

He bit his lip and looked up and down the corridor before taking her hand and dragging her to the drug lock up.

'What are you doing?' she asked him.

'Quit talking and kiss me' he said surprising her again

'Is that an order?' she teased

'I missed you' he told her 'I haven't seen you since yesterday or was it the day....'

She cut him off mid sentence as her mouth covered his and they shared a much longed for moment until James Wright banged his fist on the window and indicated that they assemble with him in the corridor.

When facing him, he then proceeded to tell them what he thought of their behaviour. They were still standing there rather embarrassed when Susan came along.

'You know the disabled bathroom is pretty good for that kind of thing' she told them

'It was just a kiss' protested Abby

'Really?' replied Susan 'He yelled at the pair of you like that for a kiss? I thought you both were at least well, you know'

'There are different types of kissing' said Yosh passing by

'Well?' Susan asked Carter and Abby

'It was I haven't seen my wife for a couple of days kind of kiss'

'Oh' Susan said laughing 'Remember the disabled bathroom for next time'

'Thanks' said Abby dryly knowing that it was going to take a while to live the incident down.

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'Mrs Sherrill' Abby said later 'Your results are back'

'What did they show?' she asked

'The pregnancy test was positive'

'I'm pregnant, not menopausal?'

Abby nodded and said 'Yes'

'My mother is going to be so mad'

'Have you got any one else you can confide in?'

'There's Hartley, my boyfriend' she said shyly and blushing like a beetroot.

'You've been seeing him long?'

'Oh yes, when Mother first met him she banned me from ever dating him again, but we couldn't stop so we meet in secret'

'How long ago was that?'

'When I was eighteen, twenty five years ago'

Abby looked at her patient unbelievingly and answered 'You think she might have changed her mind since then?'

'No, every time she mentions men, she says she's so grateful I never got together with Hartley'

'Sometimes we have to do things that are right for us. Whether they may please the people we love or not. It maybe this time for you and Hartley to start your lives together'

'It's just so difficult with Mother. Do you have trouble with your Mother?'

Abby smiled 'Ah well it's complicated with my Mother. She lives in Minnesota with my brother'

'Your brother takes care of your Mother?'

'No actually it's more of the other way round, but as I said it's complex' moving the conversation back to her patient she added 'You want to keep the baby?'

'Oh yes I think so. I didn't think I'd ever be a mother. It's something that has never crossed my mind what with taking care of Mother and everything. Are you a mother?'

'No' Abby said quietly shaking her head.

'You know I don't know how I'm going to manage I mean the baby will come first. My Mothers used to being the most important person in my life'

'You know what my Mom told me once and believe me it took me a long time to act upon her advice and giving advice was never high on her list of priorities but this advice I've always remembered. She told me that if you don't take a chance you'll miss out on all the great things. Everyone deserves great things, don't you think?'

'Definitely. I will think about what you've said. Do you think I could call Hartley?'

'Sure I'll organise it for you'

They shared a smile and then Abby left the room.

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Abby was still mulling over Mrs Sherrill as she drove home for some much needed and deserved sleep. She eventually discharged her after going through all the relevant information, talking about tests she could have and performing a sonogram to make sure everything looked okay. Not paying full attention to the road ahead, when she refocused she had to slam the brakes on hard to prevent hitting the car in front. Shaken she spent the remainder of the journey concentrating on the task in hand until she pulled up in the driveway. Where she soon became immersed in her thought once more.

Hartley had been concerned, worried and overjoyed all wrapped up into one Abby mused. Pausing in her thoughts she had a moment of panic and searched through her purse until she located her diary. She flicked thought the pages, saw what she was looking for and realised that she too was late, six days late. The last time this had happened she had been married to Richard.

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She set the test down on the side of the sink and exited the bathroom. Carter sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her. He raised one eyebrow as if to ask 'well?'

'Two minutes' she answered

She sat beside him; they both were lost in their own thoughts. Despite this he reached over and laced his fingers with hers and remembered their conversation from earlier.

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He was exhausted when he came home from his shift and the first thing he did was take a long shower which always revived him. She was sitting on the bed pretty much where he was now when he finally came out from having the shower. She looked nervous and there was something else, which he was unable to describe.

'What?' he asked sitting beside her

She bit her lip and said 'I'm late?'

'Late? Late for what?'

She looked at him, a look which said 'don't be so dense' then she said 'I think next time I have to take antibiotics we need to follow the drug leaflet and use extra protection to the pill'

'Oh' he said 'That kind of late? Are you sure?'

'No, I just thought about it. Today I had this patient who got me thinking' she said explaining herself

'We should do a test. I'll go buy one' and he did

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Bringing himself back into the present he glanced at the clock on the bedside table and said 'Two minutes is up'

She sighed and said 'You go'

'You sure you want me to?'

She nodded and he left the bed and entered the bathroom.

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