Abby had finally fallen asleep with Alex by her side. For a nine-
year-old boy, he knew when something was wrong. Only problem was, he
didn't know what the problem was or how to fix it. The only thing he could
think to do was call his mom.
Over in the ER things hadn't really slowed down. Carter and Kem had eventually left which Susan was most pleased about. He hadn't spoken to anyone after he had seen Abby. Maybe he was frightened too.
Susan was standing at the desk, reading over her last few patients before leaving for the night when the telephone rang. "Doctor Lewis, could you get that for me." Frank shouted from the other end of the desk.
"County Genera, how can I help you?" Susan asked as politely as she could.
"I need to speak to my mom." The little voice on the other end said. Susan recognised the voice straight away.
"Alex is that you?"
"Yeah, I need my mom Susan." There was certain urgency in his voice.
"Alex, what's wrong? Aren't you at Abby's?"
"Yes, that's the problem. I don't know what's wrong with her. I found her crying in her bedroom, and now she's asleep. I'm worried." His voice sounded on the verge of tears.
Susan was astounded by how much the little boy had attached himself to Abby. "Alex listen to me. I'm finished just now, but your mom is still busy. I'll come over right away. Is Abby still asleep?"
"Yeah, Susan can you hurry?"
"I'm on my way. I want you to stay in the bedroom with Abby okay?"
"Okay." And with that Alex hung up.
Susan looked around trying to find Sam. She saw her heading for the suture room. "Sam, sorry to interrupt but can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Susan had interrupted her suture a man who had fallen at work slicing his arm open.
"Sure, excuse me Mr Clark, I'll be back in a minute." Sam peeled the gloves from her hands and followed Susan out into the hallway. "So what's up?"
"Alex is just off the phone." Susan started before getting interrupted.
"Is he all right?"
"Yes, he's fine. He's worried about Abby. You heard who came back today didn't you?"
"Yeah, must be tough on her. What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know. I'm finished just now and on my way over, when are you off?"
"An hour." Sam said glancing at her watch. "I'll come over straight after."
"Thanks." Susan replied, before turning on her heal and heading for the lounge.
Susan opened Abby's apartment door and was immediately hit by the smell of tea and toast. She could hear voices from Abby's bedroom so she knew Abby was awake. "Hey." She said as she pushed the bedroom door open. Abby and Alex were sitting up in bed with mugs of tea and a plate of hot buttery looking toast between them.
"Hi Susan." Abby answered weakly. Susan could tell she was close to tears. It was so hard to see Abby in this condition.
"Hi Susan, do you want some toast? I didn't burn it." Alex smiled as he held the plate out in Susan's general direction.
"Don't mind if I do." She answered taking the top piece of toast and biting into it. "Mmmm, this is good."
"Alex, why don't you go play X-box for a while." Abby suggested laying her hand on her young friends back.
"Are you sure?" He asked. Susan smiled at the concern laced in his voice.
"Yeah, on you go. I want to talk to Susan for a minute."
"Okay." He said, jumping off the bed and heading for the spare room. They both watched him go wishing they could be as young and innocent again.
Susan turned to where Abby was sitting to find her friend already in tears. "Oh Abby." Susan walked across the room, sat on the bed and took Abby into her arms. "Everything's going to be okay."
"How could he do this to me?" She stuttered. "Did I mean that little to him?" Her sobs became louder. She felt so stupid for allowing herself to fall in love with the guy. Even more so for allowing it to last this long.
"Abby, don't get yourself worked up. You know what Coburn told you. Any undue stress could cause you to go into labour early." Susan reminded her.
"I know but I can't help it. You know she was in the bathroom while I was there today. Didn't have a clue who I was, all she was interested in telling me was her boyfriend had brought her from Africa to get her the best pregnancy care possible. I felt like a fool. The look of love in her eyes when she spoke about him was outstanding. I felt like I was a nobody."
"That's not true and you know it, Abby. You are someone. Someone great. And see that look you are talking about, I've seen you with it so many times."
"Susan, I don't know if I can do it anymore." Abby finally admitted. She had lay in bed all afternoon debating where or not to give her child up. She knew within herself there was no way she could take care of a little baby as well as herself. No way in the world.
"Abby what are you talking about?"
"I don't think I can look after this baby."
"Yes you can." The voice came from the doorway. Neither of the friends had realised that Alex had been listening to the whole conversation. "Abby, you can look after your baby. You look after me so well." He climbed back up into the bed beside her. "I know that if my mom wasn't around I'd want you to look after me."
That statement made Abby cry even harder. She couldn't stop. "Abby I know it's hard right now, but I've watched you over these last six months, you've got stronger and you know tat you can do anything. I now you've had a hard time, and don't think I don't know that you have been crying yourself to sleep every night, but you can do this. Believe us." Susan took her back into her arms again, wrapping Alex in the hug too. "We are all here for you."
A knock at the door interrupted the hug. "It'll be Sam." Susan said standing, wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She walked across to the door and opened it. "What the hell are you doing here."
Carter stood, shocked by the way his friend was treating him. "I came to speak to Abby."
"Well you can't." Susan said pulling the door behind her. "You have no right to be here and absolutely no right to talk to her right now. She'll talk to you when she's ready. You have no idea what you've put her through John. Just leave things alone just now. Leave it a while and let her come to terms that your back."
"Okay, if you say so, but I have to speak to her at some point." Carter said as he turned to leave. "Tell her when she's ready, all she has to do is call." He walked back down the stairs without looking back. Susan actually felt sorry for him in a way but he had left Abby and come back with someone new.
"Where's Sam?" Abby asked when Susan walked back into the bedroom alone.
"It wasn't her. Abby, Carter was here." Susan watched as Abby's fell. "I sent him away and told him to give you time. He said when your ready to talk to him then you've to call him."
"Thanks Susan." Abby said. "And thanks for this afternoon, both of you. I don't think I would have got through today without you." Alex smiled as he cuddled further into Abby. Abby's head was still swimming with everything that was going on. She still wasn't sure exactly what she wanted but she knew with a little help from her friends she would work it all out.
A.N - Well two chapters in the one day. They have actually been written since yesterday but was out for dinner last night and have been working all day so now is my chance to post. This is my last post before the weekend as I am away over the weekend snowboarding. I promise that mopre will be written and hopefully posted on Monday. Still not too sure how it is going to turn out. Maybe a Carby, maybe not.
Over in the ER things hadn't really slowed down. Carter and Kem had eventually left which Susan was most pleased about. He hadn't spoken to anyone after he had seen Abby. Maybe he was frightened too.
Susan was standing at the desk, reading over her last few patients before leaving for the night when the telephone rang. "Doctor Lewis, could you get that for me." Frank shouted from the other end of the desk.
"County Genera, how can I help you?" Susan asked as politely as she could.
"I need to speak to my mom." The little voice on the other end said. Susan recognised the voice straight away.
"Alex is that you?"
"Yeah, I need my mom Susan." There was certain urgency in his voice.
"Alex, what's wrong? Aren't you at Abby's?"
"Yes, that's the problem. I don't know what's wrong with her. I found her crying in her bedroom, and now she's asleep. I'm worried." His voice sounded on the verge of tears.
Susan was astounded by how much the little boy had attached himself to Abby. "Alex listen to me. I'm finished just now, but your mom is still busy. I'll come over right away. Is Abby still asleep?"
"Yeah, Susan can you hurry?"
"I'm on my way. I want you to stay in the bedroom with Abby okay?"
"Okay." And with that Alex hung up.
Susan looked around trying to find Sam. She saw her heading for the suture room. "Sam, sorry to interrupt but can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Susan had interrupted her suture a man who had fallen at work slicing his arm open.
"Sure, excuse me Mr Clark, I'll be back in a minute." Sam peeled the gloves from her hands and followed Susan out into the hallway. "So what's up?"
"Alex is just off the phone." Susan started before getting interrupted.
"Is he all right?"
"Yes, he's fine. He's worried about Abby. You heard who came back today didn't you?"
"Yeah, must be tough on her. What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know. I'm finished just now and on my way over, when are you off?"
"An hour." Sam said glancing at her watch. "I'll come over straight after."
"Thanks." Susan replied, before turning on her heal and heading for the lounge.
Susan opened Abby's apartment door and was immediately hit by the smell of tea and toast. She could hear voices from Abby's bedroom so she knew Abby was awake. "Hey." She said as she pushed the bedroom door open. Abby and Alex were sitting up in bed with mugs of tea and a plate of hot buttery looking toast between them.
"Hi Susan." Abby answered weakly. Susan could tell she was close to tears. It was so hard to see Abby in this condition.
"Hi Susan, do you want some toast? I didn't burn it." Alex smiled as he held the plate out in Susan's general direction.
"Don't mind if I do." She answered taking the top piece of toast and biting into it. "Mmmm, this is good."
"Alex, why don't you go play X-box for a while." Abby suggested laying her hand on her young friends back.
"Are you sure?" He asked. Susan smiled at the concern laced in his voice.
"Yeah, on you go. I want to talk to Susan for a minute."
"Okay." He said, jumping off the bed and heading for the spare room. They both watched him go wishing they could be as young and innocent again.
Susan turned to where Abby was sitting to find her friend already in tears. "Oh Abby." Susan walked across the room, sat on the bed and took Abby into her arms. "Everything's going to be okay."
"How could he do this to me?" She stuttered. "Did I mean that little to him?" Her sobs became louder. She felt so stupid for allowing herself to fall in love with the guy. Even more so for allowing it to last this long.
"Abby, don't get yourself worked up. You know what Coburn told you. Any undue stress could cause you to go into labour early." Susan reminded her.
"I know but I can't help it. You know she was in the bathroom while I was there today. Didn't have a clue who I was, all she was interested in telling me was her boyfriend had brought her from Africa to get her the best pregnancy care possible. I felt like a fool. The look of love in her eyes when she spoke about him was outstanding. I felt like I was a nobody."
"That's not true and you know it, Abby. You are someone. Someone great. And see that look you are talking about, I've seen you with it so many times."
"Susan, I don't know if I can do it anymore." Abby finally admitted. She had lay in bed all afternoon debating where or not to give her child up. She knew within herself there was no way she could take care of a little baby as well as herself. No way in the world.
"Abby what are you talking about?"
"I don't think I can look after this baby."
"Yes you can." The voice came from the doorway. Neither of the friends had realised that Alex had been listening to the whole conversation. "Abby, you can look after your baby. You look after me so well." He climbed back up into the bed beside her. "I know that if my mom wasn't around I'd want you to look after me."
That statement made Abby cry even harder. She couldn't stop. "Abby I know it's hard right now, but I've watched you over these last six months, you've got stronger and you know tat you can do anything. I now you've had a hard time, and don't think I don't know that you have been crying yourself to sleep every night, but you can do this. Believe us." Susan took her back into her arms again, wrapping Alex in the hug too. "We are all here for you."
A knock at the door interrupted the hug. "It'll be Sam." Susan said standing, wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She walked across to the door and opened it. "What the hell are you doing here."
Carter stood, shocked by the way his friend was treating him. "I came to speak to Abby."
"Well you can't." Susan said pulling the door behind her. "You have no right to be here and absolutely no right to talk to her right now. She'll talk to you when she's ready. You have no idea what you've put her through John. Just leave things alone just now. Leave it a while and let her come to terms that your back."
"Okay, if you say so, but I have to speak to her at some point." Carter said as he turned to leave. "Tell her when she's ready, all she has to do is call." He walked back down the stairs without looking back. Susan actually felt sorry for him in a way but he had left Abby and come back with someone new.
"Where's Sam?" Abby asked when Susan walked back into the bedroom alone.
"It wasn't her. Abby, Carter was here." Susan watched as Abby's fell. "I sent him away and told him to give you time. He said when your ready to talk to him then you've to call him."
"Thanks Susan." Abby said. "And thanks for this afternoon, both of you. I don't think I would have got through today without you." Alex smiled as he cuddled further into Abby. Abby's head was still swimming with everything that was going on. She still wasn't sure exactly what she wanted but she knew with a little help from her friends she would work it all out.
A.N - Well two chapters in the one day. They have actually been written since yesterday but was out for dinner last night and have been working all day so now is my chance to post. This is my last post before the weekend as I am away over the weekend snowboarding. I promise that mopre will be written and hopefully posted on Monday. Still not too sure how it is going to turn out. Maybe a Carby, maybe not.