A.N So sorry for the delay in posting this but was away for the
weekend and have been tired since getting back. Hope you are all still
enjoying it.
Four days later Abby finally contacted Carter. She lifted the phone and dialled the number for the mansion. "Carter residence." The deep voice on the other end spoke.
"May I speak to John Carter please?" Abby politely asked. She knew it was Algiers on the other end but didn't really want him to know it was her.
"Who may I say is calling?"
Damn, she thought. "Abby Lockhart."
"Abby, what a lovely surprise. We haven't heard from you in a while. If you give me a second I'll get Master John for you."
"Thanks Algiers." The elderly butler, genuinely sounded pleased to hear form her. Maybe she had been missed there.
"Abby." All of a sudden Carter's voice was on the other end of the phone. Abby froze, she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "Abby, you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here." Her voice was quiet. She couldn't muster up the courage to tell him what she wanted to over the phone. "I was wondering if we could meet somewhere?"
"How about I come over?" Carter asked her, as soon as she had asked.
"No, I can't have you here, not right now. How about the river, usual spot at about three this afternoon." She spoke quickly, fearing she wouldn't ask if she waited much longer.
"Okay, I'll see you there." Carter answered before Abby hung up the phone.
At two thirty in the afternoon, Abby stood debating by the front door whether or not to leave. She wanted to speak to him, get him to tell her exactly what had happened, but something was keeping her in the house. She touched her swollen stomach for the first time in a few days. She had distanced herself so much from the baby. She was so unsure of what she felt any more.
Finally she pulled the hat on to her head, zipped up her jacket and headed out into the cold afternoon. For November the weather was pretty mild but it was so unpredictable. She had to be prepared for anything.
Carter walked along the riverbank, scanning the whole time to see if he could see Abby. Finally he spotted her by their bench. She wasn't sitting on the bench though. She was leaning over the railings, watching the world go by. "Hey." He started as he walked up to her.
She turned quickly to see him walking so casually up to her. God she was falling in love with him all over again. The boyish smile on his face, his hands stuffed in his pockets, the way he walked. Abby mentally kicked herself for pining over him again. "Hey." She was trying to be non- committal, although she wasn't sure if it was working.
They stood in silence for almost five minutes before Carter finally spoke. "So, how are you?" The question sounded silly, even to him, but he didn't know what else to say.
She took a deep breath be4fore looking at him. "To be honest Carter, I don't know. How do you think I feel?"
He shook his head. He was beginning to realise what he had left behind when he went to Africa. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened, why you didn't tell me you were pregnant?"
"You want me to tell you a story, okay then. Eight months ago, a very sad event happened in your life. Your Gamma died and I had no clue how to reach you. After you heard the news, you retreated into a shell that I couldn't penetrate. I was having problems too and I will freely admit that I still have problems, but I was still there. You had left the relationship well before you left for Africa. Which I might add I would have known nothing about if I hadn't seen you that afternoon, am I right?" Abby had managed to keep her voice on a low level, but it was soon to spiral out of control. She glanced up to Carter to see him nod an answer to her. "Right, so while you were away, I thought that maybe I was pregnant. So I took four tests, yes four, just to make sure. I then went along to my OB/GYN and had it confirmed. I knew I was pregnant when you came back. I wanted so much to tell you when I woke to find you on my bed, but I was so mad at you. You had hurt me so much, more than you will ever realise. I never planned on keeping this a secret, but I couldn't just blurt it out to you. Then you left again, which destroyed me. I managed to keep the pregnancy a secret. Susan only found out when I was four months along, by then it was too late to do anything about it. She has been so supportive of me, Sam too. They have been there every step of the way, including my threatened miscarriage."
"You almost miscarried?"
"Yes. And I was finally getting my life straight. Alex and I have been doing up the spare room as a nursery, and I realised that I couldn't live without my baby, until you turned up. You changed everything yet again."
"What do you mean I changed everything yet again?"
"I don't know what I am going to do any more Carter. You meant the world to me and then you swan back to Chicago with a new pregnant girlfriend and expect everything to be fantastic, well it's not. You have no idea of what I have gone through in these last six months. What I almost gave up, what I am close to giving up again. SO don't think that this is going to be an easy ride for you." Abby took a deep breath again. She was finally finished with what she wanted to tell Carter. Tears had risen in her eyes, during her speech but she had managed to keep them in control. She wouldn't cry in front of him. That's for sure.
"One thing, when are you due?" Carter finally spoke. He was so proud of her that she had managed to tell him her feelings but it had almost made him realise what a fool her had been. He had walked away and left the person he had loved the most. The person he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and now he had come home and destroyed her faith in the world.
"A little over four weeks, and before you ask, I don't know what I am having." Abby said, pulling the collar of her jacket up. "I have to go now, I'm sorry, but I can't stay here any more."
Carter watched as she walked off. She was such a different person now. She had always been strong but he had never seen this side of her before.
The phone woke Susan from the nap she was taking on the sofa. "Hello." Her voice sounded tired. It wasn't till she heard the heavy breathing on the other end that she was fully awake. "How is it?"
"Susan, can you get to the hospital?" Abby voice was laboured.
"Abby, what's wrong?" Susan sat up right on the sofa. "What's the matter?"
"I've called the ambulance." Abby stopped mid sentence and let out a scream. "I've gone into labour Susan. Please meet me at the hospital."
"I'm on my way, hang on sweetie." Susan told her best friend as she screamed out in pain again.
Four days later Abby finally contacted Carter. She lifted the phone and dialled the number for the mansion. "Carter residence." The deep voice on the other end spoke.
"May I speak to John Carter please?" Abby politely asked. She knew it was Algiers on the other end but didn't really want him to know it was her.
"Who may I say is calling?"
Damn, she thought. "Abby Lockhart."
"Abby, what a lovely surprise. We haven't heard from you in a while. If you give me a second I'll get Master John for you."
"Thanks Algiers." The elderly butler, genuinely sounded pleased to hear form her. Maybe she had been missed there.
"Abby." All of a sudden Carter's voice was on the other end of the phone. Abby froze, she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "Abby, you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here." Her voice was quiet. She couldn't muster up the courage to tell him what she wanted to over the phone. "I was wondering if we could meet somewhere?"
"How about I come over?" Carter asked her, as soon as she had asked.
"No, I can't have you here, not right now. How about the river, usual spot at about three this afternoon." She spoke quickly, fearing she wouldn't ask if she waited much longer.
"Okay, I'll see you there." Carter answered before Abby hung up the phone.
At two thirty in the afternoon, Abby stood debating by the front door whether or not to leave. She wanted to speak to him, get him to tell her exactly what had happened, but something was keeping her in the house. She touched her swollen stomach for the first time in a few days. She had distanced herself so much from the baby. She was so unsure of what she felt any more.
Finally she pulled the hat on to her head, zipped up her jacket and headed out into the cold afternoon. For November the weather was pretty mild but it was so unpredictable. She had to be prepared for anything.
Carter walked along the riverbank, scanning the whole time to see if he could see Abby. Finally he spotted her by their bench. She wasn't sitting on the bench though. She was leaning over the railings, watching the world go by. "Hey." He started as he walked up to her.
She turned quickly to see him walking so casually up to her. God she was falling in love with him all over again. The boyish smile on his face, his hands stuffed in his pockets, the way he walked. Abby mentally kicked herself for pining over him again. "Hey." She was trying to be non- committal, although she wasn't sure if it was working.
They stood in silence for almost five minutes before Carter finally spoke. "So, how are you?" The question sounded silly, even to him, but he didn't know what else to say.
She took a deep breath be4fore looking at him. "To be honest Carter, I don't know. How do you think I feel?"
He shook his head. He was beginning to realise what he had left behind when he went to Africa. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened, why you didn't tell me you were pregnant?"
"You want me to tell you a story, okay then. Eight months ago, a very sad event happened in your life. Your Gamma died and I had no clue how to reach you. After you heard the news, you retreated into a shell that I couldn't penetrate. I was having problems too and I will freely admit that I still have problems, but I was still there. You had left the relationship well before you left for Africa. Which I might add I would have known nothing about if I hadn't seen you that afternoon, am I right?" Abby had managed to keep her voice on a low level, but it was soon to spiral out of control. She glanced up to Carter to see him nod an answer to her. "Right, so while you were away, I thought that maybe I was pregnant. So I took four tests, yes four, just to make sure. I then went along to my OB/GYN and had it confirmed. I knew I was pregnant when you came back. I wanted so much to tell you when I woke to find you on my bed, but I was so mad at you. You had hurt me so much, more than you will ever realise. I never planned on keeping this a secret, but I couldn't just blurt it out to you. Then you left again, which destroyed me. I managed to keep the pregnancy a secret. Susan only found out when I was four months along, by then it was too late to do anything about it. She has been so supportive of me, Sam too. They have been there every step of the way, including my threatened miscarriage."
"You almost miscarried?"
"Yes. And I was finally getting my life straight. Alex and I have been doing up the spare room as a nursery, and I realised that I couldn't live without my baby, until you turned up. You changed everything yet again."
"What do you mean I changed everything yet again?"
"I don't know what I am going to do any more Carter. You meant the world to me and then you swan back to Chicago with a new pregnant girlfriend and expect everything to be fantastic, well it's not. You have no idea of what I have gone through in these last six months. What I almost gave up, what I am close to giving up again. SO don't think that this is going to be an easy ride for you." Abby took a deep breath again. She was finally finished with what she wanted to tell Carter. Tears had risen in her eyes, during her speech but she had managed to keep them in control. She wouldn't cry in front of him. That's for sure.
"One thing, when are you due?" Carter finally spoke. He was so proud of her that she had managed to tell him her feelings but it had almost made him realise what a fool her had been. He had walked away and left the person he had loved the most. The person he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and now he had come home and destroyed her faith in the world.
"A little over four weeks, and before you ask, I don't know what I am having." Abby said, pulling the collar of her jacket up. "I have to go now, I'm sorry, but I can't stay here any more."
Carter watched as she walked off. She was such a different person now. She had always been strong but he had never seen this side of her before.
The phone woke Susan from the nap she was taking on the sofa. "Hello." Her voice sounded tired. It wasn't till she heard the heavy breathing on the other end that she was fully awake. "How is it?"
"Susan, can you get to the hospital?" Abby voice was laboured.
"Abby, what's wrong?" Susan sat up right on the sofa. "What's the matter?"
"I've called the ambulance." Abby stopped mid sentence and let out a scream. "I've gone into labour Susan. Please meet me at the hospital."
"I'm on my way, hang on sweetie." Susan told her best friend as she screamed out in pain again.