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Chapter 3.

It was a couple of hours later when Susan found a moment to check on Abby again. Maliks shift had finished and Abby's SATs and heart rate had stabilized so everyone had agreed to leave Carter alone. Now, as Susan opened the door to Trauma 1, she could see that he had fallen asleep. His hand still clasped Abby's, his head resting on her upper arm. Susan smiled at the sight as she moved up to get a better look at Abby. The bruising around her neck had deepened, looking a nasty mixture of black and purple. The bruise was the imprint of Mr. Richmond's hand. Susan winced at the thought of Abby having to face that bruise everyday, a constant reminder of what happened today. She looked at Carter, debating whether to wake him. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed something flicker. Looking back at Abby, she saw her eyes flickering.

'Abby?' Susan whispered, leaning down a little, 'Abby, open your eyes.' Susan looked on, hardly breathing as she watched Abby struggle to open her eyes. Then, every so slowly, she opened them.

Abby could hear someone calling her. Telling her to wake up. She registered the voice, it was Susan. She was confused. Why was Susan waking her up? Why was Susan at her house? God her head hurt. It was too hard to even try and think. Her eyelids left so heavy and she was aware of a whining noise. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Looking straight up she saw Susan standing over her, looking relieved. Abby tried to talk but found she couldn't. She looked around her wildly, her eyes fixing on the ceiling. She was in the hospital, lying on a gurney. And she couldn't move her arm.

'Abby,' Susan whispered, 'you have to keep calm.'

Abby tried to looked at her arm. That's when she noticed the tube. Oh God, she thought, they had to intubate me. Again, she tried to look at her arm to see what was wrong. It was Carter. He was lying on her arm, holding her hand. She looked again at Susan, silently questioning her with her eyes.

'He's never left your side. You've been unconscious for almost 2 hours. Do you remember what happened?'

Abby closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again and nodded. She looked back to Carter. She gave his hand a little squeeze, and he moved slightly. She squeezed a little harder and he began to stir. Abby turned her head back to Susan as she began to talk to her.

'Abby, we had to intubate you because your SATs and pulse rate dropped way too low.' 'Abby!' Carter whispered. She looked over at him, seeing the smile on his face and in his eyes. 'Oh God,' he said, 'thank God. You're going to be ok, Abby' he started to stroke her hair again, not taking his eyes off her. Abby closed her eyes. She remembered. Mr. Richmond had been strangling her. God her head hurt. And her throat. Abby motioned to the respirator tube. Susan looked at her, 'Do you want to try without the respirator?' she asked. Abby looked over at Carter, God, he looked like a goof with that stupid grin on his face. She nodded as best she could with the tube in.

'Ok,' Susan said. As she stretched over to reach the tube connection, Carter continued to squeeze her hand reassuringly, 'I'm gonna disconnect the tube and see how you do' Abby watched as Susan disconnected the tube. How many times, she thought, have I seen this done, how many times have I helped with this procedure. I never thought I'd be in this position. The air in the room seemed to pulsate as Carter and Susan both held their breath, watching Abby intensely. For a moment Abby didn't breath and Carter looked at Susan. Susan returned his glance and thought he resembled some crazy man. Then they heard the best sound in the world. Abby took a breath. Carter coughed, suddenly realizing that he had been holding his breath, waiting for her to breathe again. Susan smiled at them both, got her stethoscope out and listened carefully to Abby's chest.

'Good,' Susan sounded relieved. 'Ok Abby, you have good air entry on both sides. You know the drill, on my count, a little cough and we'll have this tube out, alright.' Abby nodded her head as Carter held her head. He quickly placed a kiss on her forehead.

'Ready?' he asked. Abby rolled her eyes at him. He laughed.

'She's ready.' he told Susan.

'Ok.' Susan unstrapped the sides that held the mouthpiece in place and grabbed hold of the outer tubing. '1...2....3' On 3 she pulled as Abby coughed and the tube came out. Abby continued to cough as Susan deposited the tube in the waste bucket and Carter lifted the back of the gurney so Abby could sit up.

'You ok?' he asked, as he put on a nasal cannula and connected it up to the oxygen. Abby opened her mouth and tried to answer him, but the words wouldn't come out, so she nodded. Carter turned and got Abby some water which she took and sipped a little of the cool liquid. Coughing again she looked at Carter and said, 'Better.' It came out as a croak.

Susan snapped off her gloves and, throwing them in the trash, looked at Abby. 'You'll be in over night for observation but I don't see any problems. Are you in any pain?'

Abby nodded, 'headache and my throat.' she croaked. 'OK' Susan said, lifting up what Abby presumed was her chart, 'I'm ordering some vicodin, Haleh will be in in a moment to give it.' 'No,' Abby whispered, 'Tylenol will be fine.' Susan looked at Abby and Carter. Carter had told her about his addiction to vicodin and she knew about Abby's alcoholism and that she had returned to her AA meetings. She mentally kicked herself for suggesting the drug. 'OK,' she said. 'Tylenol.' As she turned to leave she said to Carter, 'Take care of her.' She smiled as she saw Carter look back at Abby. We're never gonna get him out of this room, she thought as she left.

'You warm enough?' Carter asked Abby. She looked down and saw that she was now in a gown.

'I'm ok, Carter' she answered softly. Carter just starred at her, and then sighed deeply.

' I thought..' he began, '..I thought I was gonna lose you.' he admitted.

'You know me,' Abby said glibly, 'I'm not that easy to get away from.'

Carter chuckled slightly, and then looked into Abby's eyes with such intensity that she began to feel uncomfortable. 'I was so scared Abby.' He said it so quietly that Abby had to strain her ears to hear him.

'John,' she began, but stopped when she saw the tears in his eyes. She lifted her hands to his face and wiped them away with her thumbs as they fell, then pulled his face to her and kissed him gently on the lips.

They pulled away from each other when they heard the door swing open and Haleh came into the room with a medi pot.

'Hey Abby, here's your Tylenol.' she said with a smile. She then added in her mothering voice, 'How you doing?'

Abby took the medication and painfully swallowed them with water that Carter had again provided her with. 'I've been better.' she said, her voice getting stronger. She shrugged, 'but then again, I've been worse.'

Haleh smiled at her. That sounded more like Abby.

'Susan wants you to have a CT scan to check your head. Apparently you hit it really hard.' Abby shock her head, then wished that she hadn't. 'I don't need the CAT scan,' she said. She looked over at Carter, 'honestly, I'm ok.'

'Abby,' Carter started, 'your head was bashed against the wall. You had loss of consciousness. You had lack of oxygen to the brain. You're lucky. I would have asked for a MRI.

'Ok.' Abby relented; glad she didn't have Carter as her doctor.

'They'll be here to collect you soon.' Haleh said as she turned to leave. 'Oh,' she said as she turned back to Carter, 'Dr. Lewis prescribed this for you.' She pulled a packaged sandwich out of her pocket and tossed it to Carter. Then she left.

Carter smiled at Abby, who was unclipping the pulse -ox monitor from her finger. 'I don't care what anyone says about this place,' he said, 'the service here is good.' Abby gave a small laugh, and then regretted it. That really hurt. She lifted her hand to her throat.

'Does it hurt?' he asked, concern etched on his face. 'A little,' she said, looking into his disbelieving gaze. 'OK a lot'

'You should have taken the vicodin,' he said, walking around the gurney to the other side, tipping the overhead lamp a little. 'Open up.' he motioned.
Abby chuckled but opened her mouth to Carter. 'It looks red, but that it.' He noticed that she was laughing. 'What?'

'Nothing'

'Come on, what's so funny?'

Abby smirked at him, 'Open up!'

Carter now smiled back at her, 'Well it worked didn't it. I'll have to remember that one.' he winked at her. She hit his arm in disgust.

'Do I really have to stay overnight,' she whined.

'You have a concussion. You were on a respirator for 2 hours. Do you really think they're gonna let you out of here.'

' Yeah, but,' she moaned, ' its not like I'm going home by myself. I have you to look after me at home. Wouldn't that be better? I mean 1 on 1 care. Plus,' she held his hand in her own. 'I'll have the best doctor in the hospital to take care of me.' '

Abby, ' Carter looked at her with that disapproving look he seemed to keep just for her. Abby looked up at him with a look that he was positive she had created just for him. Her puppy look, he called it.

'Don't you want me home?' Carter looked deep into her eyes. How could he convey to her how desperately he wanted to take her home? A few brief hours ago he had been so afraid that she would never leave the hospital again. Before he had a chance to answer her the double doors opened and Daryl, an ER orderly entered the room.

'Abby,' he smiled, 'they're ready for you up stairs.'

She looked at Carter, 'You coming too?'

'Yeah.' he said as Daryl started the wheel her out, 'I'll meet you up there. I want to have a word with Susan.'

'Ok' Abby replied, and she rested back against the gurney. She knew what he wanted to talk to Susan about. About taking her home.

Carter made it to CT just as Abby was finishing up. 'So?' she asked, adjusting her nasal cannula. He leaned over her to adjust the oxygen rate, 'so what?'

'Did she say I could go home?' Carter looked at her with an amused look on his face.

'Come on,' she finished, 'I can read you like a book.' Daryl came back into the room to take Abby back down to the ER.

'If the CT is clear, and you can maintain good SATs on your own, yes, She'll release you into my care.' Abby grinned at him as she took the nasal cannula off.

'What are you doing?' Carter asked her as they entered the ER.

'I can't maintain my own SATs with this on can I? By the time the CT's back I'll have Susan convinced I was never on a respirator.'

Daryl parked Abby in curtain 3 and left. 'I wish you'd stay here.' Carter said, concerned. 'Carter, you know I'd hate it here. I'll be fine. I'll have you.' Carter smiled back and lifted her hand to his lips. And I'll have you, he thought.

Abby was forced to wait another hour before her CAT scan results came back. In that time she had plenty of visitors. Most of the staff who had been there when it had happened were long gone, but others who had come on shift afterwards all appeared to express their concerns and well wishes to Abby. Abby hated it. She knew they were just trying to be supportive and concerned but she hated all the attention. Finally the results came back and she was given the all clear. Carter brought his car around to the ambulance bay as Susan wheeled Abby out in a wheelchair, much to the disgust of Abby. Susan laughed as she watched Carter making a fuss of Abby, helping her into the car, while Abby moaned at him to stop being overprotective. These two will never change, Susan thought. Abby looked better. In fact she looked 100% better than she did 3 hours ago, lying on a gurney, hooked up to a respirator, BP, pulse and SATs in her boots! Susan couldn't believe she was letting her go home. If it had been anyone else they would have had several days in hospital. But she knew very well that she would never have been able to keep Abby in. She also knew that if Abby had stayed, Carter wouldn't have left either. Besides, Abby would have Carter to watch over her. Who better than the guy who lives and breathes for you, she thought. She watched them leave, making them promise to call if they needed anything, then went back inside to finish the few remaining hours of her 24 hour shift.