Whoop, thanks for the reviews, CarByFoReVeR and gotluka'scookies – which is
one pretty cool name you've got there :) LJ xXx
* * * *
Susan stood and watched as Abby sewed up a long gash down the side of a patient's head. She worked quickly and carefully, an expression of deep concentration on her face.
"You're pretty good at this," Susan commented. Abby looked up, briefly and smiled.
"Thanks." She replied, turning back to her work.
"I remember when I was a med student, all those years ago," she grinned. "Man, you're making me feel old." Abby smiled again but said nothing.
"Luka's back, you know." Susan continued. There was a short silence. "Is Carter?" Abby finished up and looked at Susan.
"I don't know." She answered. Susan raised her eyebrows.
"Didn't he come back?" she asked, surprised. Abby took off her gloves and stuffed them into an already overflowing bin.
"Oh, he came back. I just don't know where he is." She frowned slightly. "I kind of sent him away."
"Well, good for you. You need to find a guy who doesn't keep doing a disappearing act." Susan reassured her. Abby sighed and Susan looked at her, concerned. "What? You're not regretting it, are you?" Abby looked straight at her and smiled a grim smile. Susan rolled her eyes.
"Abby, you're not going to do one of those 'I blame myself' things, are you?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Well I sent him away again, for no real reason. And now I don't know where he is." Abby shrugged her shoulders. Susan studied her expression, a mix of worry and regret.
"You're better off without him." She said, firmly. "And he'll come back, anyway. Probably just hiding out for a while – you know you're pretty scary when you're mad."
"Thanks." Abby muttered. Susan laughed at her dark expression.
"Oh come on, Abby. Smile. He'll come back."
* * *
But he didn't. And Abby worried – though she didn't want to. Why did he always make her worry? Why did she have to constantly care about him? It made life so much more difficult and though she didn't want to appear to care, she couldn't help but wonder where he was and if he was okay.
She sat in the Doctor's Lounge at the table. Medical textbooks were piled up, surrounding her like some sort of fort.
"Hey! You building something there?" Luka greeted, coming through the door. He half-laughed when he saw her face peering above the walls of books, checking to see who it was. She glared and stuck out her tongue at him.
"I should've known it was you. This is not a laughing matter. It's a very serious amount of work." She told him, sternly.
Luka poured himself a mug of coffee and leant against the worktop, watching her over the rim of his mug.
"It does look pretty heavy-duty. You have my sympathy." He smiled and held up his coffee. "Want one?" Her face appeared again with a grateful expression.
"That'd be great, thanks – it's kinda hard to climb out of this prison of books I seem to have built for myself."
He grabbed another mug and poured her one. He turned back around to find her still craning her neck over the top and watching him.
"What?" he asked, innocently. "I'm not going to spit in it or anything." He handed her the mug. "You look like some kind of meerkat when do that."
She took the coffee and struggled to stop a broad smile spreading across her face.
"Well, if it's a meerkat with a PhD, then why not?" She sipped the coffee and carried on writing notes and flicking through textbooks. She managed to work quietly for a few minutes before having to bring up an issue that had been occupying her brain for an overly long time.
"Where's Carter?" she asked. Luka looked up, surprised.
"I thought that you, of all people, would know that." He said, before seeing her slightly hurt expression.
"Well, I don't." she replied, shortly.
"Sorry." Luka shrugged. "Me neither." There was another silence.
"Could you phone up somebody from your crazy French Alliance thing and ask them if he's gone back?" she said, in a small voice. She tried to make it sound like a passing comment, but it was too pleading, too helpless – everything she didn't want to be.
"You think he would go back?" he asked. She leant her chin on the shortest pile of books and looked at him, exhausted and fed up.
"I don't know, Luka. I really don't know." She sighed. "But I'd be really grateful if you checked." He nodded.
"I'll check."
* * *
When Susan Lewis walked into the Doctor's Lounge at the end of a long day, she found Abby standing on a chair and peering down the back of the lockers, swearing and muttering to herself.
"Wow, you've been working way too hard." Susan said with raised eyebrows. Abby turned and looked at her, hair falling over her face which was an expression of pure frustration.
"I dropped a book," she explained, pointed down the back of the lockers. "Down there. I was trying to put them on top of the lockers, but, you know, it doesn't help being short – I have to just chuck them up there and they go everywhere and I'm pissed off." Susan smiled.
"Hey, calm down. I'll give you a hand." She went to the offending locker and began to edge it away from the wall. "Can you get behind it?" Abby smiled at Susan, struggling with the weight of the locker.
"You've only moved it an inch or two, Suze. I'm not that thin." Susan rolled her eyes and, under Abby's direction, began to shift it further back.
"You know, I could be home by now." Susan complained as Abby reached behind the locker. "Home and happy and not carrying a locker."
"Ok, ok – sorry. I've got it now." Abby grinned and held up the book, triumphantly.
"Yay!" Susan cheered, raising both arms in the air. Abby opened her mouth to shout a warning but the locker fell and crashed to the floor. Susan flinched at the sound and then looked at the locker, lying on the floor.
"Oh crap – I forgot." She muttered, before the two of them dissolved into giggles. After they both recovered, they lifted the locker together and pushed it back into place. The door of one of the lockers swung open and, as Abby closed it, a jacket fell out. She would've recognised it anywhere – Carter's. She looked at it for a while, and then picked it up to put back into his locker – the one they had been moving. Susan watched as Abby silently, sadly, put it back and as she did, a letter fluttered innocently from the pocket. They looked at it for a while. Then they looked at each other.
"Should I - ?" Abby bent to pick it up. "It has my name on it." She turned over the envelope, where 'Dear Abby' was scrawled on. She felt her heart beat faster as she gazed fondly at his handwriting and then felt angry at herself for caring this much.
"Well, if you do, tell me what it says." Susan chirped, with a smiled. Abby looked at her, biting her lip. She ran her finger under the seal at the back and began to slide the letter out. Then she stopped.
"What?" Susan asked. Abby ran her tongue over her dry lips and stuffed the envelope into her coat pocket in a sudden, decisive moment.
"I'll read it later." She told Susan, firmly. Then she pulled on her coat quickly and left. Susan stared after her, curiously as she stood in the dark, empty Doctor's Lounge. The dust began to settle comfortably over Carter's locker again, as though annoyed at being disturbed.
* * * *
Susan stood and watched as Abby sewed up a long gash down the side of a patient's head. She worked quickly and carefully, an expression of deep concentration on her face.
"You're pretty good at this," Susan commented. Abby looked up, briefly and smiled.
"Thanks." She replied, turning back to her work.
"I remember when I was a med student, all those years ago," she grinned. "Man, you're making me feel old." Abby smiled again but said nothing.
"Luka's back, you know." Susan continued. There was a short silence. "Is Carter?" Abby finished up and looked at Susan.
"I don't know." She answered. Susan raised her eyebrows.
"Didn't he come back?" she asked, surprised. Abby took off her gloves and stuffed them into an already overflowing bin.
"Oh, he came back. I just don't know where he is." She frowned slightly. "I kind of sent him away."
"Well, good for you. You need to find a guy who doesn't keep doing a disappearing act." Susan reassured her. Abby sighed and Susan looked at her, concerned. "What? You're not regretting it, are you?" Abby looked straight at her and smiled a grim smile. Susan rolled her eyes.
"Abby, you're not going to do one of those 'I blame myself' things, are you?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Well I sent him away again, for no real reason. And now I don't know where he is." Abby shrugged her shoulders. Susan studied her expression, a mix of worry and regret.
"You're better off without him." She said, firmly. "And he'll come back, anyway. Probably just hiding out for a while – you know you're pretty scary when you're mad."
"Thanks." Abby muttered. Susan laughed at her dark expression.
"Oh come on, Abby. Smile. He'll come back."
* * *
But he didn't. And Abby worried – though she didn't want to. Why did he always make her worry? Why did she have to constantly care about him? It made life so much more difficult and though she didn't want to appear to care, she couldn't help but wonder where he was and if he was okay.
She sat in the Doctor's Lounge at the table. Medical textbooks were piled up, surrounding her like some sort of fort.
"Hey! You building something there?" Luka greeted, coming through the door. He half-laughed when he saw her face peering above the walls of books, checking to see who it was. She glared and stuck out her tongue at him.
"I should've known it was you. This is not a laughing matter. It's a very serious amount of work." She told him, sternly.
Luka poured himself a mug of coffee and leant against the worktop, watching her over the rim of his mug.
"It does look pretty heavy-duty. You have my sympathy." He smiled and held up his coffee. "Want one?" Her face appeared again with a grateful expression.
"That'd be great, thanks – it's kinda hard to climb out of this prison of books I seem to have built for myself."
He grabbed another mug and poured her one. He turned back around to find her still craning her neck over the top and watching him.
"What?" he asked, innocently. "I'm not going to spit in it or anything." He handed her the mug. "You look like some kind of meerkat when do that."
She took the coffee and struggled to stop a broad smile spreading across her face.
"Well, if it's a meerkat with a PhD, then why not?" She sipped the coffee and carried on writing notes and flicking through textbooks. She managed to work quietly for a few minutes before having to bring up an issue that had been occupying her brain for an overly long time.
"Where's Carter?" she asked. Luka looked up, surprised.
"I thought that you, of all people, would know that." He said, before seeing her slightly hurt expression.
"Well, I don't." she replied, shortly.
"Sorry." Luka shrugged. "Me neither." There was another silence.
"Could you phone up somebody from your crazy French Alliance thing and ask them if he's gone back?" she said, in a small voice. She tried to make it sound like a passing comment, but it was too pleading, too helpless – everything she didn't want to be.
"You think he would go back?" he asked. She leant her chin on the shortest pile of books and looked at him, exhausted and fed up.
"I don't know, Luka. I really don't know." She sighed. "But I'd be really grateful if you checked." He nodded.
"I'll check."
* * *
When Susan Lewis walked into the Doctor's Lounge at the end of a long day, she found Abby standing on a chair and peering down the back of the lockers, swearing and muttering to herself.
"Wow, you've been working way too hard." Susan said with raised eyebrows. Abby turned and looked at her, hair falling over her face which was an expression of pure frustration.
"I dropped a book," she explained, pointed down the back of the lockers. "Down there. I was trying to put them on top of the lockers, but, you know, it doesn't help being short – I have to just chuck them up there and they go everywhere and I'm pissed off." Susan smiled.
"Hey, calm down. I'll give you a hand." She went to the offending locker and began to edge it away from the wall. "Can you get behind it?" Abby smiled at Susan, struggling with the weight of the locker.
"You've only moved it an inch or two, Suze. I'm not that thin." Susan rolled her eyes and, under Abby's direction, began to shift it further back.
"You know, I could be home by now." Susan complained as Abby reached behind the locker. "Home and happy and not carrying a locker."
"Ok, ok – sorry. I've got it now." Abby grinned and held up the book, triumphantly.
"Yay!" Susan cheered, raising both arms in the air. Abby opened her mouth to shout a warning but the locker fell and crashed to the floor. Susan flinched at the sound and then looked at the locker, lying on the floor.
"Oh crap – I forgot." She muttered, before the two of them dissolved into giggles. After they both recovered, they lifted the locker together and pushed it back into place. The door of one of the lockers swung open and, as Abby closed it, a jacket fell out. She would've recognised it anywhere – Carter's. She looked at it for a while, and then picked it up to put back into his locker – the one they had been moving. Susan watched as Abby silently, sadly, put it back and as she did, a letter fluttered innocently from the pocket. They looked at it for a while. Then they looked at each other.
"Should I - ?" Abby bent to pick it up. "It has my name on it." She turned over the envelope, where 'Dear Abby' was scrawled on. She felt her heart beat faster as she gazed fondly at his handwriting and then felt angry at herself for caring this much.
"Well, if you do, tell me what it says." Susan chirped, with a smiled. Abby looked at her, biting her lip. She ran her finger under the seal at the back and began to slide the letter out. Then she stopped.
"What?" Susan asked. Abby ran her tongue over her dry lips and stuffed the envelope into her coat pocket in a sudden, decisive moment.
"I'll read it later." She told Susan, firmly. Then she pulled on her coat quickly and left. Susan stared after her, curiously as she stood in the dark, empty Doctor's Lounge. The dust began to settle comfortably over Carter's locker again, as though annoyed at being disturbed.