Bad Karma
Carby. Something happens to Abby. Will Carter get to her in time? Will he be able to save her? Read on to find out!
A.N.: I'm not the original author of this story. The original author is carby luva 313. She's decided she doesn't have enough time to write, so she's giving me the honour of finishing it for her. I hope I can do as good a job!
Disclaimer: I do not own ER. It belongs to Michael Crichton and the other members of the production team.
Chapter 14: Post Op
Since they had first brought Abby to recovery after surgery, Carter sat by her side. He held her hand in his and gently stroked her cheek with his finger.
"See, I told you everything would be okay. You got through it, just like I promised you would." Carter whispered.
Abby made no movements to acknowledge his presence. She was still in a deep drug induced coma. Carter decided to talk to her anyway. After all, there was always that remote chance she could hear him, that only the paralytic drug was slowing her progress back into the world of the lucid.
"Lucy told me she had been to see you. Somehow I think she may have played a part in saving your life, and I'm glad." Carter said softly.
He leaned in and kissed Abby on the forehead. She was so beautiful. Not just on the outside, Abby's true inner beauty had really shone through over the course of the past few days. She was opening up to Carter more and more, which made his love grow continuously. Carter yawned. He was exhausted, after all he hadn't had much sleep the previous night. He watched the steady rise and fall of Abby's chest and it was almost hypnotic. Not long after he drifted off to sleep.
While Carter slept, he dreamt of Abby. He had just come home from work. He opened the door and the most wonderful aroma wafted out at him. As he ventured further into the house the smell became stronger. Carter pushed the swinging door into the kitchen and wandered in. Abby was standing near the stove, stirring a pot of something. He called out to her. When she turned around, her face was bruised and cut. She walked over to Carter and he embraced her. He was kissing her, and the most disgusting stench filled the air. The smell of blood and death. Carter pulled away from Abby and just looked at her. She opened her mouth as if to speak but only blood flowed out. A river of crimson fluid. He surveyed the scene before him, it was extremely sanguine.
Suddenly, Carter jolted awake. It took him a second to figure out where he was. Immediately his mind jumped to Abby. He looked over to his left. There she lay, peaceful. She looked happy, like a sleeping angel. Only the constant beeping of the monitors informed him otherwise. Carter wondered what had brought on the hideous episode he had just witnessed. He decided it was best to just put it out of his mind for now. All of a sudden, Carter felt Abby's hand twitch. Maybe it was just his imagination. He decided to make sure.
"Abby, can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." He instructed.
Nothing. Carter thought he had imagined it, until a few seconds later, Abby gripped his hand tightly. He looked down at her and her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Good morning sunshine." He whispered and smiled down at him.
With her free hand, Abby gestured at the intubation tube. She knew what it was for, but why it was there was beyond her.
"It's okay sweetie, the tube is just there because the tear in your diaphragm was worse than the surgeons had expected. You might have trouble breathing on your own if they take it out. Are you in any pain?" Carter inquired.
Abby shook her head in response.
"Alright. I'll be right back, I just have to page Dr.Romano and tell him you're awake." Carter explained. Abby nodded.
As John walked over to the phone to page Romano, Abby thought to herself. Had she dreamt the encounter with Lucy, or was it an out of body experience. Maybe she hallucinated it. Either way, she felt better knowing she would be okay. Knowing she would see John again. She thanked greater powers for helping her through the surgery. Soon Carter was back at her bedside.
"Dr.Romano is in surgery, so Dr.Dorset is coming to see you instead. He should be here in a few minutes. See, I promised you everything would be okay, now do you believe me?" Carter joked. Abby smiled around the tube and nodded.
"I have more good news. They caught Jack Conner and Kenny Bruckheimer." He said. Abby shrugged her shoulders, urging him to go on.
"They're both dead. They died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen and head. They tried to run for it, but the police slowed them down. Now you're safe. You never have to worry about something like this happening again." Carter reassured.
Abby had mixed feelings. She had been wishing death upon both of them after the incident, but she had also wanted to see them rot in prison. She decided that Carter was right, however. Now she could move on with her life knowing the worst was behind her. She nodded to tell Carter she understood and it was okay. Just then, the door to the room opened and in walked Dr.Dorset.
"Hey guys." He greeted them cheerily.
"Hi." Carter responded. Abby nodded in his general direction to acknowledge his presence.
"Alright, now that you're awake, let's see what progress you've made. I'm just going to check the incision site, and do a neurological exam. Dr.Carter, could you please wait outside?" Dr.Dorset explained as he walked nearer to Abby's bed.
Abby didn't want Carter to leave, and he was a little hesitant at first, but he knew it was for the best. He kissed Abby on the forehead and reluctantly let go of her hand.
"I'll be back soon sweetie. Dr.Dorset, can you page me when you're done? Thanks. See you in a bit." Carter said and left the room.
Eddie turned and waved him off. He then turned back to face Abby. He took down the readings from all the monitors before coming to sit by Abby's bedside, where Carter had been only moments before.
"I'm going to ask you some questions before I examine you, okay?" Dr.Dorset questioned. Abby nodded in response.
"Alright. Do you feel dizzy at all? Lightheaded? Nauseous?" He asked softly. Abby nodded to all three inquiries.
"Okay. How about pain, does anything hurt?" He asked. Again, Abby nodded.
"Can you show me where it hurts?" Eddie questioned further. Abby pointed to her diaphragm.
"How much is the pain, on a scale of one to ten?" He asked. Abby put two fingers on her right hand.
"Okay, that's not too bad then. I'll up your morphine a little. The dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea are all after effects of the sedation we gave you for the surgery. I'll give you a dose of compazine to help with that as well. Now, let's get your vitals." Dr.Dorset explained with a smile.
Abby nodded to show her assent. Edward then got up and stepped around to the other side of the gurney. He took Abby by both hands.
"Can you squeeze both my hands for me?" He asked.
Abby did as she was told. Her dexterity still wasn't the greatest, but Eddie was confident it would soon improve. Next he took hold of her right hand to check her capilary refill. It was good, no signs of capilary damage or constriction from drug reactions. With a warm smile he then gently took Abby's wrist. Her pulse was strong and steady. He gave her an encouraging wink.
Abby was still uncomfortable with having people touch her. People other than Carter, that is. She felt helpless and exposed, like she had with Jack Conner. She knew that the doctors only wanted to help her, but there was the constant feeling of weakness hovering over her. She was so vulnerable like this, and she hated it. The vulnerability, the weakness, the dependance, it was all horrible.
Next, Dr.Dorset checked her pupil dialation. Equal and reactive. All signs that her concussion was improving. Her sats were normal, so far the surgery seemed to be a success in that case. He proceeded to take her temperature. It was normal. No signs of infection so far, but later he'd draw a sample of blood to be sure. Dr.Dorset then moved on to check Abby's blood pressure. It was a little high, but that was most likely due to the stress from the past few days events. She was probably still getting over the shock of the surgery. Not to mention Jack Conner's death. Next came Abby's reflexes. The babinski was back to normal, another sign the concussion was improving. Her other reflexes were encouraging as well. A little slow after the surgery, but better than expected.
"Alright, everything looks perfect so far. You're blood pressure is spiking a little, but I'm sure you'll be fine once you rest some more. I'll check it again later. If it hasn't come down, I'll give you something for it. Now, just sit up for me so I can check your breath sounds." Dr.Dorset instructed warmly.
Abby was reluctant, but did as she was told. She felt extremely uncomfortable having someone undoing her gown and touching her bare skin. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dr.Dorset... Oh who was she kidding? She couldn't trust anyone right now! It was hard enough trusting herself and Carter...
Dr.Dorset put a gentle hand on Abby's back to help her up. She flinched at his touch. He noticed.
"Are you alright? Do you want me to get , instead?" Dr.Dorset asked concernedly. Abby shook her head and smiled up at him. She hoped it was convincing.
He proceeded to untie her gown and pull it aside at the back. The stethoscope disk felt cool against the hot skin of Abby's back. Dr.Dorset listened to the air rushing in and out of her lungs. The sounds were smooth and even. He then tied the gown back up. He slipped his hand onto her shoulder and eased her back onto the gurney. He then slipped his stethoscope down under her collar. Her heartbeat was strong and steady. He retreated the instrument and hung it back around his neck.
"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Dr.Dorset asked softly.
Abby shook her head. It really wasn't, she felt a little better. She felt more trusting now.
"Okay, now I just need to check the site of the incision. Can I just take a look?" He asked, knowing she felt uncomfortable.
Abby nodded in response. Dr.Dorset then pulled the covers down to expose her abdomen. He pulled up the gown that covered her frail body. She was nervous. Dr.Dorset was getting closer to somewhere she wanted no one to come near. Abby's skin was getting clammy, from nerves, so he decided to finish quickly.
"I'm going to palpate the incision to check for any unusual tenderness, alright? Just let me know me where it hurts." Dr.Dorset instructed softly.
As he gently moved his hands over Abby's abdomen, she relaxed a little more. There was no indication of tenderness besides the area of the incision. Other tha that the incision looked fine. There was no swelling, residual tissue damage, discharge, or other signs of infection. He pulled the gown back down and pulled the sheets up. He then looked up and met Abby's worried gaze.
"Perfect, no signs of infection. Just to be sure thought, I'm going to draw some blood." Dr.Dorset said apologetically.
He walked over to the other side of the room to fetch a lab kit. When he returned, Abby stretched her arm out in front of her and turned away. Edward saw she was frightened, so he tried to be as gentle as possible. He tied the tourniquet and found the perfect site. Abby felt a small sting as the needle went in. All these IV's and draws were going to leave track marks. Before she knew it the draw was done. She felt a little pressure when Dr.Dorset withdrew the needle, but the worst was over.
"Alright, now all there is left to do is up your morphine, and get you that compazine." He said.
With those words he placed the vials of blood on the side table and went off in search of the drug box. When he returned Dr.Dorset walked over to Abby's IV stand and turned a dial on the dosage indicator to increase the flow of morphine. He then injected a low dosage of compazine into her IV port.
"I'm going to give you benadryl to ease muscle spasm due to compazine, alright?" He suggested.
Abby nodded. There wasn't much else she could do with the tube in her throat. She wondered when he would bring that up. After drawing a dosage of benadryl Dr.Dorset injected that into Abby's IV port as well.
"Well, all your results are fine. If I didn't know better I would have never guessed you had just undergone surgery for a tear in your diaphragm." He joked. Abby smiled.
"Do you have any other questions?" He asked.
Abby nodded and indicated her breathing tube.
"Ah, yes. I think you might want to leave it in, at least untill the drugs start working. I'll tell Dr.Carter he can extubate you once it stops hurting and the benadryl has had time to work. Then you'll just have to wear an oxygen mask for a day or so. I'll tell him to monitor your sats and breath sounds, and one of us will be in periodically to check your progress. See you later, Abby." He said and dismissed himself.
When Eddie got outside the door he turned towards the general direction of the nurses desk. He took a step and bumped into something. Carter had been camped out by the door to Abby's room, slumped against the wall. He looked up when he received a nudge from the surgeon. He scrambled to his feet.
"How is she?" Carter asked worriedly.
"Hey, Dr.Carter, I was just going to page you. I'm all finished, Abby's doing great. Better than I would have expected. She's a real fighter. I'll be back in to see you when I get her labs back. I've given her benadryl to relax her muscles and morphine for the pain. She has good breath sounds. Once the pain is gone and the benadryl has had a chance to circulate, you can extubate her. Keep an eye on her sats, and breath sounds. One of us will be in to see her later. Bye." Dr.Dorset explained and turned to walk down the hall.
Carter grabbed the doorknob and dashed into Abby's room. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. He wandered over to her bed and took her hand. He then kissed her on the forehead.
"Hey, I missed you!" He exclaimed quietly. Abby blinked to return the feelings.
For a few minutes they sat in silence, untill Abby gestured towards the watch on Carter's hand. He was confused untill she gestured towards her E.T. tube. Carter glanced at the time.
"The benadryl should be working by now, how do you feel? Does your diaphragm still hurt?" Carter asked.
Abby shook her head. Her sats were fine, so he decided just to check her breath sounds to be sure it was safe to extubate. Abby felt much more comfortable having Carter examine her, but it was a bit awkward. Her breath sounds were good. Carter sighed. He decided to extubate, against his better judgement.
"Alright Abby, I see no reason to burden you with that tube any longer, so I'll pull it out. You know the drill, when I count to three I want you to take a deep breath and blow. Okay, here we go. One. Two. Three." He instructed.
Abby did as she was told. Once the tube was out she coughed. Carter reached for an emesis basin. Abby was fine, just a little sore.
"Thanks." She said hoarsely.
"Shh, don't talk yet. I'll get you some water." Carter shushed her.
Abby sipped it greatfully. She felt much better now that she could talk and breathe. With the tube in her throat she felt like it was choking her, and it reminded her of Jack. After a few minutes, she decided her throat had had long enough to recover.
"Well what do you know, you kept your promise and you got me through." Abby joked. Her throat was still a little sore.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Carter joked back.
They gazed into eachother's eyes for a few seconds. They found themselves leaning in. With closed eyes, their lips locked. The kiss that followed was one of the most passionate in a long while. Once the couple pulled away, they both sighed contentedly. No words needed to be spoken. Carter gently stroked Abby's cheek and pulled her hair out of her face. She closed her eyes. The drugs still had a hold on her, so she fell into their mercy. Soon Abby was asleep. Carter sat and watched Abby resting peacefully.
The worst is over he thought to himself...
A.N.: I know this chapter has barely any Carby in it, but I've decided this story needs SOME reality (besides, I like Dorset grin). Hope you liked it anyway! If I got any of the medical terms wrong, I'm not a doctor. Any knowledge of the subject has come purely out of watching ER so therefore it is their fault. Thanks to all my loyal reviewers, keep it up! Those of you new to the story, tell me what you think! Love all my readers! Julia