So here is chapter 3. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it so far. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed for me so far. I know it has taken me ages to write and post but I had exams. Anyhow, here's a quick recap of chapters 1 and 2: Abby is engaged to her new boyfriend Mike and then Carter and Abby have an argument about it. Please R&R, it's gratefully appreciated.
Chapter 3 Time heals?
The atmosphere in the trauma room was heavy with tension. Both Abby and Carter glowered at each other but neither one spoke. Even Luka and Sam could feel the unease and all four wanted to get out of there as quickly as they could. Luka took the lead as neither Abby or Carter would and he started yelling out orders.
The trauma was messy; they worked on the patient for over an hour in all but silence before he was finally taken up to the OR. Carter snapped off his gloves and lobbed them on the floor as he hastily left the room leaving Abby, Luka and Sam standing there. Luka looked at Abby who was staring at the floor.
"Are you OK?" He said.
"Oh, um...yeah. I'll be fine." She rubbed her tired eyes; the day had taken so much of her already. "I better get back to work." She said, making her way out of the room. She was going to have to try and avoid seeing Carter but that was going to be difficult she thought to herself.
"What was all that about?" Sam piped up sounding confused.
"I don't really know," replied Luka, still staring down the corridor at Abby, "Um...I have to go find Susan."
He found Susan in exam 4 taking a patient's history. "Hey, are you busy?" He asked her as he poked his head around the door.
She looked up at him then continued to write something on a chart. "No, not really, why?" She knew as soon as she said this that her day would be jinxed and she would be rushed off her feet later.
"Do you want to go get some coffee?"
"Yeah sure, just give me a minute." She said.
Susan and Luka made their way towards the coffee stand just down the road from the ER. The air was crisp and icy but the sun was shining. "Nice weather" said Luka, not really knowing where or how to start the conversation.
"Um...yeah," said Susan looking a little confused. "So you didn't bring me out here to talk about the weather. What's up?"
"I'm worried about Carter. I saw him and Abby arguing this morning and then in the trauma they were really weird with each other, I just wondered if you knew what was going on?" He said.
"Two coffees please," Susan said to the attendant as they reached the coffee stand.
"I really don't know, all I know is that Abby seemed quite upset." She said in answer to Luka's question.
"Do you think he's jealous of Mike?" Asked Luka, although he couldn't think of a reason why Carter should be. He didn't think Carter still thought of Abby in that way.
"I don't know. Do you want me to talk to him?" Asked Susan.
"Yeah, try and find out what's going on with him. See if we can get them to make up because I can't stand all the tension; it makes working with them difficult.
By now they had made their way back to the ER entrance.
"Good luck." Luka said holding open the door.
"Yeah thanks, I might need it!" She laughed.
Susan found Carter in exam 4 suturing up the hand of a man who had had an accident with a window.
"Hey, I need to have a word with you." She said as she pulled up a stool and perched beside Carter. Already he could tell that this conversation was not going to go where he wanted it to.
"What's up?" He said.
"That's what I'd like to know. Are you OK Carter?" Her tone was sincere. "We're all really worried about you, you always seem so down."
"It's nothing, I'm fine." He said defensively. He was grateful for her concern but he didn't want to talk about it; it was so muddled in his own head that even he didn't understand it. "I'm just tired, that's all." He carried on.
"Well, if you're sure you're OK," she said, although she was certain that there was something he wasn't letting on she didn't want to push him. "I do think you should talk to Abby though, she seemed pretty upset."
"And say what?" Abby was the last person he wanted to talk to after the fool he'd made of himself earlier that day.
"Well, sorry might be a good place to start." She answered sarcastically, raising her eyebrows and staring questioningly at Carter. He stared back at her and he knew she was right, however much he hated the fact.
"OK, OK." He said, giving in.
Standing in the ambulance bay everything suddenly slotted into place for Carter. He stood attentively watching Abby's slight frame as she raised her hand to her mouth and slowly drew on her cigarette. She had not seen him standing there behind her. In his mind it all became very clear; it was not Abby that made Carter angry but everything she now had. While her life had gradually come together his had been slowly unravelling.
Kem had left almost 6 months ago. He missed her and he missed their baby; the life he had so happily played out in his mind. He thought that time would heal his wounds but instead they festered, infecting every cell in his body. Today had been the day his fever broke and Abby had taken the full brunt of the force.
He cautiously moved towards Abby, wary of her response after the way he had acted towards her that morning. He guessed she had been avoiding him ever since and he didn't really blame her. He decided to go for a jokey approach to break the ice and ease himself into the conversation.
"I thought you quit" he quipped.
She hadn't heard him come up behind her and was slightly startled. So much for her trying to avoid him. "Yeah," she smiled sheepishly, "I did." She stubbed the cigarette out against the wall.
Both stood for a moment in awkward silence, staring down at the floor. Carter was searching for the right words. Apologies were not one of his strongest attributes as Abby had previously found out.
Abby looked up at his face. It looked broken and dishevelled. All her pent up anger vanished from her as she stared into his weary eyes. She touched his arm and he flinched: he had not been expecting it.
"Carter, it's OK." She said in a gentle voice. She smiled at him and started to make her way back towards the ER doors; her break was almost over and Weaver would soon be on the warpath.
Carter stood there, still silent, still willing the words to come to him.
"No. No, it's not OK." He said. "I acted like and idiot; I was way out of line and you should hate me but I'm sorry," His voice quavered and his eyes began to fill with tears, "I'm really, really sorry." He mumbled trying hard to hold his composure.
Abby pulled him into a hug. "I don't hate you," she said reassuringly, "I could never hate you."
He wanted to stand there forever; to forget everything around him but her voice pulled him back to reality.
"I gotta go." She said. "You know what Weaver's like. Will you be OK?"
"Yeah, sure."
Abby turned and walked back into the ER. Carter sank his body into the bench and his head into his hands and cried.