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
18: Going Home
Three more uneventful days had passed. It was the morning of Abby's ninth day in the hospital. She was getting stronger by the day and recovering very well from surgery. There wasn't much left to do before her discharge. The surgeons had been in to examine her countless times over the last few days, and had not found anything significantly wrong. wasn't keen on letting Abby go so quickly, but agreed to it because Abby needed her rest away from the hospital. Besides, Carter was there in case of anything. Abby was one final examination away from freedom.
It was a beautiful day outside, and Abby couldn't wait to stand on her own and bask in the warm sunshine. The surgeons hadn't let her walk much on her own since the surgery in fear of re-injuring her diaphragm. Never the less, Abby remained optimistic, mostly due to Carter. She finally truly believed she would be okay.
Carter was sound asleep at Abby's right hand. She stared longingly, unblinkingly out the window, anticipating her discharge. The minutes snailed by, and Abby thought the clock might as well have stopped at this rate. After an eternity, she decided to wake Carter. After all, wouldn't it look funny if on the day of discharge she died. Of boredom. Abby silently giggled to herself as she shook Carter awake.
"Come on lazy bones, get up!" Abby laughed as she hit Carter playfully over the head with a pillow.
"Alright, alright I'm up!" He groaned.
"Do you remember what today is?" Abby asked.
"Like I could forget!" Carter exclaimed.
"Well in that case, maybe I'll let you get back to sleep." Abby said.
"No, it's a good thing you woke me. What time is it?" Carter asked.
Abby took him by the wrist and twisted his arm to look at his watch.
"Ten twenty one." Abby answered.
"In that case, I'd better get going. I want to get some things done around the house before you get discharged. I'm going to go get everything ready, and I'll come back for you when I'm done, around three or so. We'll stop at your house to get some extra things you need first." Carter explained.
"Okay, sounds good." Abby said.
"Are you going to be okay by yourself, or do you want me to stay untill the surgeons come by?" Carter inquired.
"I'll be fine. Besides, at this rate, they might not be here untill next week." Abby joked.
"Okay then, I love you and I'll see you soon." Carter said.
He got up and kissed Abby on final time before heading to the door.
"Be good." He laughed.
"I will, I promise." Abby said with an angelic look flickering across her face.
Carter smiled and turned to leave. The door closed with a click and Abby was alone. She fell back into her pillows and sighed contently. The thought of freedom suited her. That, and all the extra time she'd get to spend with Carter. Life (almost) didn't get any better than this.
The memories of the incident had faded into mere shadows of what they had been since Abby's day of admittance. She still had nightmares and thoughts of hopelessness and such, but she could handle it. Everyone was there for her, they were so supportive. Without them she could never have gotten through it all. She was thanking God for blessing her with such good friends when the familiar click of a door opening could be heard. In walked Drs. Dorset, Corday, and Romano.
"Good morning." Abby said cheerfully as the trio walked over to her bedside.
"You seem in a good mood today." Elizabeth said pointedly.
"I'm out of here today! Of course I'm happy!" Abby rejoiced.
The surgeons smiled down at her.
"Where's Dr.Carter?" Asked Dr.Romano.
"He went to run some errands before he took me home." Abby explained.
"Hmm, sounds to me like he's getting something special ready..." Dr.Dorset trailed off.
Abby laughed and swatted him lightly.
"Knowing John, probably." She mused.
"Well I get the idea you want out of here, so let's finish up in here and then you can get dressed and move on to recovering the right way, curled up in front of the television with a carton of Ben and Jerry's in hand." Dr.Romano laughed.
They all laughed, but the amusement was cut short by the sound of a pager going off. All three surgeons reached for theirs.
"Damnit. I'm needed for a consult in the ER. Oh well, good luck Abby and I'll be by again before you leave to see you." said.
With that they waved her off as she stepped through the recovery room doors. Drs. Romano and Dorset turned and focused their attention back on Abby once the heavy doors clicked shut.
"Okay, let's get this over with." Abby said with a smile.
"The vision of optimism, silver lining. It pluckets my heartstrings to see it so soon after such a traumatising event. Let it be known that my heartstrings are nearly unplucketable." Dr.Dorset said jokingly.
They all laughed. Abby had only then finally noticed he was right. It felt so good to laugh again, too.
"In that case, let's get on with it. You know the drill, questions and answers first, then the physical." Dr.Romano explained unnecessarily.
Robert took a seat in Carter's chair, and Eddie pulled up another one from further aside the bed. Dr.Romano flipped Abby's patient chart open to the previous day's page. Abby's vitals were, for the mostpart, good. The only thing was her blood pressure. It still hadn't come down, even though Abby's stress level seemed to have. If it still hadn't dropped today, which both surgeons suspected it hadn't, they'd perscribe something. Dr.Romano had just flipped to a new page when another pager went off. It was Eddie's this time.
"Oh come ON! I hate pagers. I hate emergency appendectomies even more. Alright Abby, I'll leave you in the very capable hands of Dr.Romano. I'll be by later with to see you. Bye for now." He said.
Dr.Dorset got up and put his chair back into it's original spot. He, like , walked out through the doors of the recovery room. For the millionth time that day Dr.Romano turned to face her again.
"If mine goes off I swear I will murder whoever pages me." Dr.Romano said, as if to give a warning.
Abby giggled. Dr.Romano realized how stupid he must sound and laughed in spite of himself.
"Okay, where did we leave off on my discharge checklist?" Dr.Romano inquired.
"Somewhere around Q and A." Abby giggled.
"Ah, right. First off, any pain? Nausea? Dizziness? Shortness of breath?" Dr.Romano questioned.
"Let's see. Not much, no, no, and no." Abby listed.
"Okay then. How much pain?" He asked further.
"Only about one point five out of ten. Frankly, I think it's only because of the laughing so hard, anyway." Abby commented dryly.
"Good then, but I'll be the judge of that. First let's start with your vitals." Dr.Romano said.
Abby nodded. He gently took her by the wrist and looked down at his watch. He let ten seconds tick by as he counted her pulse. Eleven times six was sixty six. Good pulse rate considering Abby had spent the last nine days confined to a gurney. He scribbled the number down in the chart. Dr.Romano looked up at the monitors and took down the numbers. Sats were 98, in accordance with pulse ox. Abby's ECG looked fine, no abnormal ST waves. Heart rate was good. He checked the dosages on her IV's. They were getting lower by the day. Robert finished scribbling in the chart and he looked up.
"Everything's perfect so far." He reassured Abby with a smile.
"That's always good to hear." Abby said.
"Mmm hmm." Dr.Romano acknowledged as he reached for the thermometer.
He carefully pulled Abby's hair back and gently stuck the thermometer in her ear. After a few seconds it beeped. 36 degrees celcius, normal. No cause for concern there. Then Robert decided to check Abby's blood pressure. He made a mental bet with himself that it was still high, though wishing it wasn't. For Abby's sake.
Abby's heart raced as Dr.Romano put the blood pressure cuff around her arm. She knew she should relax, or the reading might be inaccurate, but it was hard to when you were worried about the result. She hoped her blood pressure had dropped, because she was already going to be on enough medications.
Robert noted the reading on the sphygmomanometer. Abby's blood pressure was 160 over 90. Still up there. He sighed before he spoke. Abby noticed the sigh.
"Abby, your blood pressure is still high. I have no choice but to write you a perscription for it." Dr.Romano explained.
Abby sighed as he scribbled the perscription and dosage down on her chart. She had been in perfect health before the incident, and now she was reduced to this. It just wasn't fair. She felt so useless. Why had her pressure been so high, she wasn't stressed, she doubted any of her sutures were infected, and the surgeons had assured her she was free of any vascular disorders. Maybe God was just punishing her. No. She wasn't going to let this destroy her faith. Everyone had to believe in something, and Abby found her beliefs to lie in Carter, and since the incident all her other friends, herself, and especially God.
Robert once again put down the chart only this time he pulled out his penlight.
"Alright Abby just look straight at me." He instructed.
Abby did as she was told. Robert noted her pupils as being five millimetres and reactive. The swelling in her cranial cavity had finally gone down and her concussion had fully healed. The bruising on her face was almost completely gone, too. Abby looked much better now than when she had first come in.
"Good, your concussion is gone." Dr.Romano said enthusiastically.
Abby smiled, at least there was one piece of good news.
"Now I need to check your reflexes. Can you swing your legs over the edge of the bed for me?" Dr.Romano asked warmly.
"Sure thing, boss." Abby replied with a smile.
Robert was being very gentle with Abby. He had never harboured much respect for any of the nurses, including Abby, but after the incident he felt so much warmth towards her. It wasn't as though he pitied her, but now he knew how good of a person she really was. Carter was a very lucky man indeed.
"Dr.Romano?" Abby's voice snapped him out of his reverie.
"What? Oh sorry, lost my train of thought for a second there. Where was I?" He asked.
"You were going to check my reflexes." Abby said, glancing at the mallet in Dr.Romano's hand.
Robert too realized the obvious and blushed a furious scarlet.
"Right, sorry about that. Let's get on with it then." He said sheepishly.
Abby giggled while Dr.Romano collected himself. He moved on to check her babinski. It was positive, reassuring him Abby's concussion had indeed improved fully. Next he gently tapped her knees. Her rate of reaction had greatly improved as well. He stood back up straight after finishing up.
"All done there. You have lightning quick reflexes." Dr.Romano laughed.
"I guess the thought of getting out of here is helping me in my recovery." Abby thought out loud.
"Who knows, maybe that whole positive thinking dealy really does work. Now can you just pull your feet back up on the bed. I'm going to check your heart and breath sounds." Robert explained.
Abby once again did as instructed. She pulled the covers over her legs. She had only just noticed it but the air in the room felt strangely cool against her warm skin. Dr.Romano then proceeded to untie her gurney in the back. Her exposed skin was soft to the touch. He then put the ends of the stethoscope into his ears and moved the disk over Abby's back. He paused to listen at strategic intervals. Abby's breath sounds were much improved since the surgery. Her diaphragm was getting increasingly stronger by the day. Next Dr.Romano moved the stethoscope to Abby's chest. She was a little startled by the action, but Robert didn't seem to notice. He carried on with the examination. Abby's heart was in good condition. No indication of cardiological or vascular defects that would increase blood pressure. Dr.Romano then took of his stethoscope and placed it back around his neck. He tied Abby's gown back up and she leaned back into her pillow.
"Your breath sounds have improved tremendously. All there is left to check is your incision." Dr.Romano said pointedly.
"Great!" Abby rejoiced.
"Okay, just lay back and relax. I'm going to pull your gown back and check the sutures. If everything looks like it's healed perfectly, then I'll remove the stitches today." Dr.Romano smiled.
Abby leaned back and took a deep breath to steady herself. She still felt nervous about having people touch her. Robert gently pulled her gown up and her blanket down. There was still a lot of bruising around the ribs, however the swelling around the diaphragm had subsided. Abby winced slightly as Dr.Romano moved his hands over her diaphragm.
"Is that still tender?" He asked.
"A little bit." Abby replied.
"Okay, in that case I want to get an ultrasound. Other than that I'm going to order a chest x-ray, labs for creatine, cholesterol, bloodbourne toxins, chem 7, coag panel, hematocrit, blood glucose level, and a serum test. I'm also going to perscribe valium, amphetamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, vicodin, and acetaminophen. These medications combined will make recovery more comfortable untill your diaphragm is fully healed, as well as bring down your blood pressure and raise your energy level." Dr.Romano listed.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Abby said.
"I'll get a nurse to come in and take you to radiology after I get a blood sample. Besides that Dr.Legaspi is going to come in and set up an appointment schedual." Dr.Romano added.
"Sure." Abby responded.
Dr.Romano went over to the store cupboard to get a lab kit. As he was looking through different, very disorganized, piles of equipment, his pager sounded.
"Satan creator of all things evil!" He cursed.
"Summoned?" Abby asked coolly, stifling laughter.
"Unfortunately. At least it's not the ER. I think Lizzie needs some help with that appy. One of us will be back A.S.A.P. to finish the work up. See you later." Dr.Romano said whilst exiting the room.
Abby thought she'd be alone untill one of them returned, but a second later the door opened again and Shirley, the scrub nurse, walked in.
"My oh my they are in high demand today, aren't they?" She asked lightly.
"Seems like it. I hope it doesn't turn into a popularity contest, or we'll all suffer the wrath of Dr.Romano." Abby laughed.
"Too late, he's on the warpath. I already got in his path of destruction simply by standing at the desk. He threatened to put me on scut duty if I didn't come in here immediately and carry out his masterfully written orders." Shirley said as she looked over Abby's chart.
She read and re-read the whole page a couple of times to make sure she didn't miss anything. Otherwise, her life was on the line. After she finished she looked up.
"Okay, radiology it is!" Shirley said triumphantly.
As Shirley was wheeling Abby down to radiology, Abby thought to herself. Who would have thought anyone working with Dr.Romano would be this enthusiastic? Oh well, he's not that horrible. Sure he can be a horrid little turd sometimes, but he's been absolutely wonderful to me the whole time I've spent in this crap hole. I don't think it's out of pity, either, he just doesn't seem the type. She mused. Abby looked up in time to see the sign above the x-ray room doors. In a few minutes that sign would be flashing a message in red: 'Caution, radiation in use.'
"Here we are." Said Shirley before walking into the back room of the lab.
An x-ray tech emerged from the control room wearing a heavy lead vest. Abby was always one for safety, but unfortunately a chest x-ray required a good clear field view of just that.
"Hello Abby." Said the x-ray tech.
"Hey Rick." She replied.
"Okay, can you just scoot over to this table for me?" He asked as he pulled the railings on Abby's bed down.
Abby did as she was told. It was awkward. She knew Rick, considering the hundreds of times she had accompanied patients to radiology, but it was strange being the one in need of assistance. She didn't like this side of hospital life. Not at all. Thoughts of vulnerability ran rampant through her head once again as she followed Rick's instructions. Abby laid perfectly still, determined to do it right the first time so she could get out of here faster.
After all the x-rays were done, Rick slid them into an envelope and put them in the slot at the foot of Abby's bed with the charts for the doctors to reveiw later on. Shirley was saying something about her favourite television program, ER. Something about a couple that treaded on eggshells around eachother. They pretended they were in love, but neither of them was ready to express what they both so desperately wanted to say. To break up. It was sickening, actually. Abby stopped paying attention somewhere around the part where two guys were trying to impress their girlfriends by fencing. Instead Abby focused on her relationship with Carter. She couldn't wait to see him again, to have him hold her in his strong arms. No sooner had she thought about Carter than they reached her room again.
"If you need anything just call me. Get well soon, bye Abby." Shirley said and exited the room.
Once again Abby was left alone with her thoughts. Oh and what thoughts they were. Again memories of the incident came rushing back. Today she would finally find out whether or not she was pregnant. What if she was? Would John want her anymore? She'd have to get an abortion. Abby found tears streaming down her cheeks. She had promised Carter she wouldn't let herself cry over it anymore. That no matter what happened, she'd get through this. As Abby was wiping the tears from her eyes, the door opened. Dr.Legaspi strode into the room. A look of concern invaded her face when she saw Abby's tears. Kim strode over to Abby's bed and sat down.
"Are you alright, Abby? What's the matter?" Dr.Legaspi asked.
"Oh, nothing, I'm fine." Abby replied.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I'm here when you're ready to talk." Dr.Legaspi reassured.
"Thanks." Abby said.
"How about we set up your appointment schedual, so you can get it over with." Kim suggested.
"Sure, okay." Abby sighed.
"How about every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting next week? As long as it takes, but I'm thinking at least two weeks, or six sessions untill you're ready to go back to work and handle the emotional pressures that come with working in the ER." Dr.Legaspi noted.
"If you think it's best." Abby said.
"It doesn't matter what I think, it matters if you feel up to it." Dr.Legaspi explained.
"Okay then. Sure." Abby asserted.
"Great. I'll write you into my appointment book and everything will be set. Be at my office next Monday at 12:30. It shouldn't take more than an hour." Dr.Legaspi said.
"Alright, see you then." Abby said with a note of finality in her tone.
"Bye. Feel better soon. Remember, think positive." Dr.Legaspi said.
She got up out of the chair and walked out the door. Abby fell back against her pillows for the millionth time that day. She waited with bated breath for the surgeons to return for about half an hour. Abby also wondered where John was. She glanced over at the clock above the door. It was 2:30 pm. As she was watching the second hand slink by, the door opened. It was Drs. Corday and Dorset.
"Hey Abby." They said in unison.
"Ooh, in sync. Hey again." Abby laughed.
"Dr.Romano informed us that he couldn't finish. He was called in to prep for his whipple procedure. In all the commotion he seemed to have lost track of time. We saw him before he went in. Has Shirley taken you to radiology yet?" Asked
"Yep." Abby replied.
"Great, let's have a look at everything then." Dr.Dorset said as pulled both Abby's chart and films from the slot at the foot of her bed.
As the surgeons looked through Abby's charts and films, she sat and held her breath, praying for the best. A few minutes later shoved the films back into the envelope and slipped it back into the slot. Both doctors came over and sat on either side of Abby's bed.
"Your x-rays look good. Your ribs are still healing, but as long as you stay in bed and don't over exert yourself, you should be okay. Dr.Romano has indicated everything went fine with your physical. Did he get around to getting the labs done?" Dr.Dorset questioned.
"No, he was paged while he was looking for the lab kit." Abby answered.
"Okay, let's start with that then." said.
Dr.Dorset looked over the charts as Elizabeth went in search of a lab kit. Someone really needed to organize the equipment cupboards. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. No pun intended. After a few minutes Eddie went to help her search. A little while later they found the kit hidden with the chest tube kits. Who would have thought? The doctors went back to sit by Abby.
"Alright Abby, can I just have your left arm please?" inquired.
Abby held out her hand. carefully tied the tourniquet. Abby hated needles. She knew what was coming, so she looked away. Much to her surprise, Dr.Dorset took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Abby felt relieved. She barely even felt the needle go in. Soon had three vials full of blood and she untied the tourniquet and withdrew the needle. She took a piece of gauze and held it to the site of the draw.
"There, that wasn't so bad now, was it." Lizzie said matter-of-factly.
"Not really." Abby admitted, smiling gratefully at Eddie.
"Now all there is left to do is the sonogram. Then we can remove your sutures, write your perscriptions, and get you out of here." Dr.Dorset reassured with a smile.
Abby nodded her assent. Edward got up and left the room in search of the portable ultrasound and Liz went on a lab run. Abby silently prayed she was healed enough to satisfy the surgeons she could leave. A minute or two later Dr.Dorset returned carrying the sonosite. He brought it over and stood by Abby's bed. He spoke while he set everything up.
"That was surprisingly easy to find. I thought it would be worse than tracking down a bloody lab kit. Okay, are you ready?" He asked sympathetically.
"I guess so." Abby replied.
Edward gently pulled up Abby's gown and pulled her covers down, exposing her diaphragm. Dr.Romano was true to his word, the swelling had noticably decreased. Dr.Dorset spread the transmitting gel over Abby's entire abdomen. He carefully studied the image presented on the screen before him as he slid the transducer over Abby's diaphragm. No signs of hemmorhage, or any residual tissue damage. Edward clicked the monitor off and wiped the gel off of Abby's abdomen. He then proceeded to pull her gown back down and her blankets up. Abby felt more comfortable with Dr.Dorset every day. He was such a nice guy.
"Good news Abby. There's no sign of bleeding or sclerosis. If your labs are good, you're free to go." Dr.Dorset said cheerily just as re- rentered the room.
"How's the sonogram look?" asked.
"Good, no permanent damage." Eddie answered.
"The labs look great too. Creatine, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels are all normal. Noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine levels are altered, but only slightly. Coag panel, hematocrit, and chem 7 are good. Negative bloodbourne infections and toxins. Last but not least, serum came back negative." listed.
"Oh thank God!" Abby rejoiced.
She had tears of happiness cascading down her cheeks. She wasn't going to need an abortion after all! Good things do happen to good people.
"I knew you'd be happy." smiled.
"Excellent. Now all there is left to do is unhook the monitors, remove the sutures, withdraw the IV's, write the perscriptions, sign the discharge orders, and schedual a follow up. It should be done in all of half an hour." Dr.Dorset exclaimed.
Abby was still so overjoyed at the fact that she wasn't pregnant that all she could do was nod ecstatically.
"Okay Abby, I'm going to remove your IV's. You'll just feel a little sting and some pressure." explained.
Abby didn't even care about the needles. She laid back and completely relaxed as Elizabeth pulled out the lines and bandaged the sites. When she was done she spoke.
"You'll have some track marks, but they should be healed within the next week or two." She said.
"Great." Abby said happily.
It felt great to finally have a full range of motion, not having to worry about tearing out the IV's.
"Now let's get these monitor leads off." said.
Abby let untie her gown for better access to her heart monitor leads. She gently pulled them off as well as the pulse ox cable. When she was done Liz tied Abby's gown back up. Abby gratefully fell back into her pillows. Dr.Dorset carefully pulled out Abby's nasal cannula. It was wonderful to breathe freely, without worrying about monitors going off if your breathing was even slightly irregular.
"That must feel loads better." said pointedly.
"Like you would not believe." Abby sighed contentedly.
"Time to pull out your sutures." Dr.Dorset said.
Abby nodded and laid back. Dr.Dorset pulled down her bedclothes and moved her gown out of the way. He carefully cut each stitch and pulled it out gently. was removing the sutures Abby had in her face. It was all over quickly and (almost) comfortably. The sites itched now, but that was all due to the healing process.
"All done. Now I've written down your perscriptions dosages, and instructions for valium, amphetamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, vicodin, and acetaminophen. If there's anything you need to know, you know where to reach any one of us." said.
"Yes, thank you guys. For everything. For saving my life." Abby said with joyful tears in her eyes.
"Any time." Both surgeons said simutaneously.
The two surgeons were in the process of signing Abby's discharge orders when Carter came in.
"Hey honey, I'm back! Hey guys." Carter greeted.
Drs. Corday and Dorset nodded to acknowledge his presence. They were still busy with the charts.
"Hey! I missed you." Abby said.
Carter strode over to Abby's bed with a gift bag in one hand and a giant bouquet of white roses in the other. He kissed Abby on the cheek.
"Aww, you shouldn't have!" Abby said, blushing.
"Too bad, I did." Said Carter, almost forgetting the surgeons were there.
He handed Abby the gift bag, which had a card attached to the side, and the bouquet. Abby smelled the roses, they were so fragrant.
"Oh John, they're so beautiful." Abby noticed.
"Nowhere near as beautiful as you, darling." Carter replied.
Abby went on to reading the card. It was a very sweet and romantic get well card. She put it back inside the envelope and beside the perscriptions on the bedside table. She moved on to opening the present. It was a beautiful black dress. It was a halter, low cut, and came down just above the knees. With it there were black heels.
"Thank you so much." Abby said and embraced Carter.
"Nothing too good for my baby. Susan helped me pick it out. We went to your apartment and picked up a bunch of things you'll need while you're with me. I also took a week off from work so I could be home with you." Carter said.
They had both completely forgotten the other occupants of the room at the time. Dr.Dorset cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Oh geez, sorry. I forgot you were here." Abby blushed.
"Don't worry about it." Dr.Dorset laughed.
"So what's the story?" Carter asked.
"She's free to go. As long as you promise to watch her carefully over the next week and call us if you have any concerns. She's due back for a follow up the Friday after next at 12:00 pm. It's then we'll decide whether or not she can go back to work." said.
"Great!" Carter rejoiced.
"Alright, get well soon, Abby and we'll see you in a few weeks!" Dr.Dorset said.
"Bye, and thanks for everything!" Abby called out.
The two surgeon smiled and left the room. Carter gathered all of Abby's other get well gifts while she got dressed. Abby looked down at her body. She still had many scars and bruises left, but she tried her best not to feel ashamed of them. When she was done Carter picked up all her things and held her arm in his. The two of them walked happily down the hall and to the elevator.
When they reached the ER everyone went straight for Abby. Luka gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Everyone else wished her all the best and hoped to see her soon. Her and Carter then walked out the doors and to his car. The talked about the details of Abby's day in the car. Carter was glad she could be honest with him. He told her that over the course of the next two weeks he'd be keeping a strict eye on her, and keeping a journal of her vitals for Dr.Romano. Abby wondered why Dr.Romano never mentioned it to her. Either he forgot or John was lying just to make sure she was okay without making himself seem to worrisome. Either way it was a sweet action on his part.
Soon they reached John's house. He took Abby by the arm like a gentleman. He escorted Abby up the front steps and opened the door with his other hand. Carter was laden with get well gifts for Abby.
When they got inside there was a dim light. Abby looked around and saw she was surrounded by thousands of white candles. It reminded her of the dream she had about Lucy. Being surrounded by this soft light made Abby feel safe. As Carter took her coat Abby looked down at the groumd and noticed the trail of rose petals.
When Carter was done hanging their coats he told the butler to take Abby's luggage to her room. He then slipped his arms around her waist. Abby turned around and embraced Carter. They were both drawn into a passionate kiss. When they pulled away Carter turned Abby around and put his hands over her eyes. He led her into the dining room. When they arrived Carter let Abby see. There was a small round table with a bouquet of red roses, and candles, set for two. On the table there were plates of Canneloni Al Forno and Pollo Aglio L'Herbe. It looked and smelled absolutely delicious.
"Surprise." Carter whispered to Abby.
"Oh, John I-" She began.
Carter put a finger to her lips to shush her.
"I'm just so glad you're finally home." He said.
Carter took Abby's arm in his and led her to the table. He pulled out her chair and pushed it back in when she took her seat. He then walked over to his side of the table and also sat down. Abby was still in open mouthed shock at the setting. Once their napkins were placed in their laps, Carter spoke.
"My world felt so empty when you went missing. Now that you're back, I realize I can never let you go again. Promise me you'll stay with me untill the end of time." Carter said.
"I promise John. I love you." Abby said without hesitation.
Throughout dinner they sat in a companionable silence, occasionally broken by compliments or miscellaneous comments.
After dinner Carter led Abby into an upstairs room. That's not saying much considering this was the Carter mansion. The room that he led her into was the ballroom. It was beautiful. There were paintings on the walls of ladies dancing with their men. They were all wearing old fashioned ballgowns. The chandaliers hanging from the ceiling were exquisite. Real crystal with candles instead of lightbulbs. It was so romantic. There was a table at the far end of the room with an old record player on it.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." Carter said to Abby.
She nodded and watched him as he strode over to the record player. He fiddled with it for a second untill he found the right song. It was silent for a second and then the music began. It was Fur Elise, Abby's all time favourite classical song. Carter walked back over to her and held out his hand. Abby took it gratefully. They danced slowly for the duration of the song. Carter could not stop looking into Abby's beautiful warm brown eyes. When the song ended another song played. Crash and Burn by Savage Garden. It was a great song. So if you need to crash then crash and burn you're not alone. The lyrics were wonderful. Carter looked at Abby as the song played.
"They're right, you know. If you ever need me, I'm here." He said.
It was all that was needed. Abby was so happy to be there. Right now is all that matters. The song soon ended. The next song was Drowning, by the Backstreet Boys. Abby finally realized what the record was. It was a collection of her favourite songs. It was amazing how they all matched the moment. After a few more songs the record was all done playing.
Abby had the time of her life, but she was worn out. She was still recovering her strength. Carter noticed her stifling a yawn, so he swept her up off her feet. He carefully opened the door without letting her down and carried her down the hall. Abby noticed another trail of rose petals leading in the general direction which Carter was going. They stopped at a door on the right side of the hall. John carefully turned the doorknow with his free hand and pushed the door open. It was a bedroom. There were white silk sheets on a king size bed. The bedframe looked to be made of ebony. The bed had hangings around it of a brilliant scarlet color. There was also a pair of white satin pajamas with a black 'A' on the front pocket in cursive. The bed was covered in red rose petals. On the night table there was a black notebook and a quill with ink. Beside the table there was a black backpack half hidden in the shadows. Abby could only imagine what that stuff was for. On the walls there were pictures of ballerinas dancing on the set of what looked like Swan Lake. A portrait of queen Victoria hung on the wall above the bed.
Carter carefully set Abby down on the bed. He unbuckled the straps to her high heels and took them off. He then untied her halter and leaned in to kiss her.
"I love you Abby, but now I want you to get some rest. I'll wait outside while you change, then I want to record your vitals and let you get some sleep." Carter instructed.
"No, it's okay. You can wait here." Abby said.
So that's what the notebook and backpack were doing there. Abby was just glad Carter cared so much. John sat on the bed whilst Abby changed into her pajamas. She crawled in under the sheets and Carter reached for the bag. He checked her pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. Then he made sure she took all of her meds according to 's instructions. When she was done Carter kissed her and stood up to leave.
"John, I love you. Please stay with me." She pleaded.
Carter smiled and sat back down beside her. He pulled Abby into an embrace.
"Of course I'll stay." He said softly.
Abby moved over to make room for him. He crawled into the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her small frame. Abby laid her head on his chest and listened to his rythmic breathing. Soon she had fallen asleep. Carter made sure she was comfortable.
"Goodnight, my angel. Sleep tight and sweet dreams." He said.
Soon John too was tired. He yawned and looked at his watch. It was 12:42 am. He looked down at Abby one more time before putting his head down on the pillow. The sandman soon came to visit him, too. As they both slept, they dreamt of each other...
A.N.: Hey everyone! It's my longest chapter EVER! I'm surprised it only took me 2 days to write! I hope you like it. I threw in some reality and some romance to balance things out. Thanks to all my loyal reviewers, I promise to post more soon! Hope you like it! –Julia-