Rough Path
Chapter 9: Back TogetherAbby held onto Carter. "I can't believe that you are here," she said as she touched his face. "I thought I was never going to see you again." She leaned over and kissed Carter.
"Abby .."
"Shh. Let me just look at you for a moment. I thought that I was never going to be able to kiss or hug you again. Is this really happening? Are you here?"
Carter nodded and looked at Abby. "I need to tell you something," he said.
She looked at him. "What do you need to tell me? Are you hurt more than you are telling me?" she asked.
Carter shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I brought someone back with me."
Abby turned around, and saw Luka standing in front of her. "Luka!!" she said as she went over to him and hugged him. "I thought you weren't coming back with John."
Luka looked at her. "I decided to come back for a while."
"I'm glad that both you and John are back from Africa," Abby said, smiling. She took a hold of John's hand. "Are you sure you are okay?"
"I'm fine, just a little sore. But I'm going to be just fine, thanks to Luka," Carter said, turning to face Luka. "I don't know how I can ever thank you .. I don't know what would have happened to me if you didn't find me."
"But we don't want to think about what could have happened," Abby said.
Luka nodded. "She's right, you are home now."
Abby looked at both Luka and Carter. "Well let's go home," she said.
Luka looked at them. "I'll see you two later on," he said as he started to walked away.
"Wait, Luka," Abby called out to him and he turned around. "Why don't you come to dinner with John and me?"
"Sure," he said.
They all left the airport.
A few hours later
Abby and Carter were finally alone. She looked at him, as they approached her apartment
"Do you need some help?" she asked.
He looked at her. "I just have a broken leg, I'm not ill," he answered as he walked into the apartment with his crutches.
Abby followed him in, and walked up to him, and took a hold of his hand. "I know you are not ill, John. But do you know what it was like for me these past few days when I thought that I lost you? It was horrible. I felt everything .. sadness, anger, shock, and most of all regret."
Carter looked at Abby. "What do you regret?"
"Everything. I should have told you that I ..," but Abby stopped mid sentence. She couldn't do it. She was too afraid to tell Carter exactly how she feels about him. "Well I'm sure you are tired," Abby said instead, as she headed into the living room.
Carter walked into the living room, and grabbed Abby's hand. "I'm not tired. I want to know what you were going to say to me just a few seconds ago."
Abby turned to face Carter. "I was just going to say that I should have told you that I really didn't want you to go to Africa. And should have stopped you from going."
"I don't think that was what you were going to say. We have been through a lot these past few days. Just tell me the truth."
"Okay, John Carter, do you know what I was going to say? I was going to tell you that I love you. Are you happy now?" Abby said, as she walked over to the couch.
Carter followed her to the couch, and took her hand in his. "You want to know who I was thinking about the whole time I was in Africa? It was you. I didn't want to leave you the second time, but I knew that I had to go. But the whole time I was there, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I missed you. I know that we still have a lot to deal with but I love you, Abby."
Abby looked at Carter. "Do you mean it?"
Carter nodded. "Of course I do."
Abby smiled. "Just promise me one thing, John. That you won't ever leave me again."
Carter looked at Abby. "I promise, I won't leave."
And for the first time in weeks, Abby actually believed that Carter wasn't going anywhere.
Later
Abby woke up, and saw that Carter wasn't next to her. For a moment, she was worried that she dreamed it all, that Carter was really gone. She grabbed her bathrobe, and walked out into the living room, where she saw that Carter was sitting. "Carter, what are you doing out here?"
He looked up. "Did I wake you up?"
She shook her head.
"I just couldn't sleep," Carter replied, as she looked at him.
She sat down next to him, and took a hold of his hand. "It must be jetlag."
Carter smiled. "Yeah, maybe that is the reason."
She looked at Carter, and could see that there was another reason for his insomnia. She wanted to ask him, but wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. "Are you sure that there's nothing you want to talk about?"
He looked at her. "I didn't know that I was missing for five days. The last thing I remember was trying to help this little boy when we heard the Mai Mai coming. But when Luka found me, I thought that it was the same day. I was so happy that the little boy was going to get help, but he was dead," Carter said, as tears started to roll down his cheeks.
Abby put her hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."
"But that is the problem. It was my fault. He was my patient, and I couldn't save him."
She looked at Carter. "Sometimes even though you tried your best to save a patient, there is nothing you can do. Just remember John that you aren't alone," she said, as she hugged him.
"I know, I'm not," Abby put her head on Carter's chest, and started to fall asleep.
The next morning
Carter woke up and heard Abby talking on the phone. "It's so great that he is home, Susan. Thank you for helping me when I was really down about Carter, and for finding me when I cut my hand."
Abby turned around, and saw Carter standing in front of her. "I got to go now, Susan," she said, as she hung up the phone.
"Good morning," Abby smiled.
He walked up to her. "So Susan was a great help during this ordeal with me?"
"Were you listening to my conversation?" Abby laughed.
"I just heard the end of the conversation. I know that it must have been really hard for you to think that you lost me."
Abby took a hold of his hand. "Susan was there for me from the beginning. Everybody at work tried to help me, but Susan was the only one who was really there for me. She tried to get me to think positive during this whole thing, but there were times when all I could think was negative, that you were gone, and I was never going to see you," Abby paused for a moment. "One night, I bought a bottle of vodka," she turned to face Carter, and could see the expression on his face. "I wanted to forget about how I was feeling, so I poured myself a glass, but in the end I couldn't drink it, the only thing that happened that night was me being clumsy. I dropped a wine glass, and when I went to pick it up, I cut my hand."
Carter looked at her, and put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this all. But I'm home now, and I'm not going to leave again."
"I know that you are never going to leave again," Abby smiled. "Why don't we stop talking about everything. Let's go spend some time together, I missed being with you."
"Don't you have to work?" Carter asked.
She looked at him. "Kerry gave me a few days off. I guess she thought I might want some time to spend with you, I wonder why," Abby laughed, as he put his arms around her.
Carter smiled. "Why are we sitting here, let's go out."
Later that night
Abby was sitting on the couch watching a movie, when she turned to Carter. "Do you want something to drink?"
Carter smiled. "Sure."
Abby walked into the kitchen, and was getting a glass out of the cupboard, when she saw the empty bottle of vodka. She touched the bottle.
"Is everything okay?" Carter called out to her.
"I'll be there in a moment."
She grabbed the bottle and threw it in the garbage can. It was like she wasn't going to need it anytime soon.
She turned around, and looked at Carter sitting on the couch. It was great that he was home, and okay. We went through a rough path, but we came through it okay, Abby thought to herself, as she walked into the living room, and put her arms around Carter.
To be continued!!
Author's Note: One more chapter to go.