A New Life
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 8
"Where is he now?" Susan asks. Her voice is so soft, soothing. Just what I need right now to calm my nerves. I feel like I could jump out of my skin.
I switch the phone to my other ear and sigh. If the receiver had a chord I'd have it wrapped too tight around my finger by now. Instead my hands are in my hair, just so they have something to do, some place to be.
I close my eyes and remember Carter curled up on the floor beside Bella's crib. "He's sleeping. He sleeps all the time, Susan." I don't tell her the sleep never lasts long and ends with Carter screaming from a nightmare or shivering and unresponsive in the bathtub.
"Do you need me to bring anything?"
I shake my head, then remember she can't see me. "No. I think we're okay." Truth is I want her to get here as soon as she can. Big as this house is, the walls are closing in on me. "I thought I could do this, Susan. I thought I could see him through this, just the two of us and Bella, but I can't. I can't do it anymore."
"I'm on my way, Abby."
"Thank you." I feel the thickness of tears in my throat as I hang up. I push my fingers against my eyes to fight it back, but it's no use. So I sit and cry and I'm still sitting there crying when the doorbell rings. I feel weak and unsteady on my feet, but make it to the door by keeping one hand on the wall.
I unhook the fifteen locks Carter had installed during a fit of paranoia. I also try to wipe my eyes and dry the tracks on my cheeks before I open the door. I don't know why, because seeing her standing there sets off a new wave of tears.
She takes me in her arms and for just a moment, I let myself forget. I feel safe. Protected. And then I remember.
Carter. Upstairs. In Bella's room. Asleep on the floor. He never sleeps this long. I should have checked on him. As soon as I got off the phone with Susan, or even while I was still on the phone. I should have checked on him.
I try to pull away from Susan, but she catches my wrist and pulls me back.
"I need to go check on him. It's too quiet up there."
Susan nods and follows me upstairs. It really is too quiet. It's the kind of eerie quiet that feels like a time bomb. Something is wrong, very wrong up here. I can feel it. Like a chill in my bones. Like the feeling I had as a kid, when I woke up and knew, just knew, Maggie was gone even before I looked in her room.
And now, right now, I know Carter is not going to be in Bella's room, where I left him.
Even the crib is empty.
I turn to Susan and she's right there, right behind me. I tear away from the empty room, and stumble to the master bedroom to check the bathroom. No sign of them.
"Carter!" I call, and Susan echoes me. "Carter! Carter!"
There is no answer, and honestly, I didn't expect one.
"He's gone. He took Bella and he's gone."
"We need to search the house before we jump to conclusions," Susan says, and I know she's right. "You search upstairs. I'll go downstairs."
I nod. I don't even wait to watch her go. I run to the nearest room, the room Carter used to sleep in when he was a kid staying with his grandparents. Nothing.
It's the same in every room. Nothing looks out of place.
There's no trace of him downstairs, either. No door left open or anything. It's as if he just disappeared into thin air.
Susan searches the grounds, and still there is nothing to indicate that Carter had been anywhere.
"Was his Jeep in the garage?"
"I would have heard him…" I would have, wouldn't I? I would have heard him come down the stairs, I would have heard him go into the garage. I would have heard him…How could I not hear the car start? Or the garage door go up?
"It's not in the garage, Abby. Is it supposed to be there?"
I nod. "He's gone…" Hot tears sting my eyes. My knees feel weak. The world feels fuzzy. Black…
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, welcome back," Susan smiles.
I try to sit up. "How long was I out?"
"About a minute."
"We have to find Carter, Susan."
"Maybe he went to the store. Give him time to come back on his own."
I shake my head, sending daggers of pain through my skull. "No. Susan, you don't understand. You haven't seen him lately. He's not…He's…I'm worried about him, Susan. That's why I called you. He's not himself."
"What do you want to do? The police aren't going to help until he's been gone 24 hours."
"We could drive around and look for his Jeep."
"I'll drive around and look for his Jeep. You stay here in case he come home."
I nod. I want to go with her and be part of the search, but she's right. I should stay home. Even though I don't think Carter is going to come home.
"Check his apartment. And mine. He might go there…"
"Try to stay calm, Abby. I'm sure he's jus gone to the store or something. He'll come home and you'll feel silly for worrying so much."
"I hope you're right." But I know in my heart she isn't right. And as soon as she's gone, I call the hospital to see if Carter and Bella have been brought there.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End chapter 8. Feedback is greatly appreciated. It only takes a moment…so what are you waiting for? Thanks for reading!
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 8
"Where is he now?" Susan asks. Her voice is so soft, soothing. Just what I need right now to calm my nerves. I feel like I could jump out of my skin.
I switch the phone to my other ear and sigh. If the receiver had a chord I'd have it wrapped too tight around my finger by now. Instead my hands are in my hair, just so they have something to do, some place to be.
I close my eyes and remember Carter curled up on the floor beside Bella's crib. "He's sleeping. He sleeps all the time, Susan." I don't tell her the sleep never lasts long and ends with Carter screaming from a nightmare or shivering and unresponsive in the bathtub.
"Do you need me to bring anything?"
I shake my head, then remember she can't see me. "No. I think we're okay." Truth is I want her to get here as soon as she can. Big as this house is, the walls are closing in on me. "I thought I could do this, Susan. I thought I could see him through this, just the two of us and Bella, but I can't. I can't do it anymore."
"I'm on my way, Abby."
"Thank you." I feel the thickness of tears in my throat as I hang up. I push my fingers against my eyes to fight it back, but it's no use. So I sit and cry and I'm still sitting there crying when the doorbell rings. I feel weak and unsteady on my feet, but make it to the door by keeping one hand on the wall.
I unhook the fifteen locks Carter had installed during a fit of paranoia. I also try to wipe my eyes and dry the tracks on my cheeks before I open the door. I don't know why, because seeing her standing there sets off a new wave of tears.
She takes me in her arms and for just a moment, I let myself forget. I feel safe. Protected. And then I remember.
Carter. Upstairs. In Bella's room. Asleep on the floor. He never sleeps this long. I should have checked on him. As soon as I got off the phone with Susan, or even while I was still on the phone. I should have checked on him.
I try to pull away from Susan, but she catches my wrist and pulls me back.
"I need to go check on him. It's too quiet up there."
Susan nods and follows me upstairs. It really is too quiet. It's the kind of eerie quiet that feels like a time bomb. Something is wrong, very wrong up here. I can feel it. Like a chill in my bones. Like the feeling I had as a kid, when I woke up and knew, just knew, Maggie was gone even before I looked in her room.
And now, right now, I know Carter is not going to be in Bella's room, where I left him.
Even the crib is empty.
I turn to Susan and she's right there, right behind me. I tear away from the empty room, and stumble to the master bedroom to check the bathroom. No sign of them.
"Carter!" I call, and Susan echoes me. "Carter! Carter!"
There is no answer, and honestly, I didn't expect one.
"He's gone. He took Bella and he's gone."
"We need to search the house before we jump to conclusions," Susan says, and I know she's right. "You search upstairs. I'll go downstairs."
I nod. I don't even wait to watch her go. I run to the nearest room, the room Carter used to sleep in when he was a kid staying with his grandparents. Nothing.
It's the same in every room. Nothing looks out of place.
There's no trace of him downstairs, either. No door left open or anything. It's as if he just disappeared into thin air.
Susan searches the grounds, and still there is nothing to indicate that Carter had been anywhere.
"Was his Jeep in the garage?"
"I would have heard him…" I would have, wouldn't I? I would have heard him come down the stairs, I would have heard him go into the garage. I would have heard him…How could I not hear the car start? Or the garage door go up?
"It's not in the garage, Abby. Is it supposed to be there?"
I nod. "He's gone…" Hot tears sting my eyes. My knees feel weak. The world feels fuzzy. Black…
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, welcome back," Susan smiles.
I try to sit up. "How long was I out?"
"About a minute."
"We have to find Carter, Susan."
"Maybe he went to the store. Give him time to come back on his own."
I shake my head, sending daggers of pain through my skull. "No. Susan, you don't understand. You haven't seen him lately. He's not…He's…I'm worried about him, Susan. That's why I called you. He's not himself."
"What do you want to do? The police aren't going to help until he's been gone 24 hours."
"We could drive around and look for his Jeep."
"I'll drive around and look for his Jeep. You stay here in case he come home."
I nod. I want to go with her and be part of the search, but she's right. I should stay home. Even though I don't think Carter is going to come home.
"Check his apartment. And mine. He might go there…"
"Try to stay calm, Abby. I'm sure he's jus gone to the store or something. He'll come home and you'll feel silly for worrying so much."
"I hope you're right." But I know in my heart she isn't right. And as soon as she's gone, I call the hospital to see if Carter and Bella have been brought there.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End chapter 8. Feedback is greatly appreciated. It only takes a moment…so what are you waiting for? Thanks for reading!