Thank you for your reviews. I'm sorry if you felt that the last chapter was a bit rushed I really didn't know how to write it. In response to Carbytothecore you'll just have to keep reading to find out what happened to the letter. I'm glad people are still interested in the story. I decided to bring Romano back from the dead because I don't think tptb should have killed him off. I have only just seen Touch and Go so I'll pretend that it didn't happen in this story and that Carter and Abby only saw each other briefly. Again I own nothing.
Chapter 6 - Awake and Breathe
I slowly force my eyes open. What the hell happened? There are wires attaching me to monitors, I can hear their steady rhythmic bleeping. Well it means I'm at a hospital at least. I move my hands and feet, they feel stiff and sore. Why don't I remember what happened? I try to sit myself up so I can look around to see if there are any more clues to where I am, as Dr. Romano and Dr. Corday enter the room. I take it I'm at County then.
"So you're back with us?" Corday says with a smile. Romano's looking at my chart and checking the machines by my bed.
"What happened?" at least they will know.
"You were involved in a car accident. You were knocked unconscious, we had to remove your spleen, but all your other injuries are relatively minor, just cuts and bruises mostly. You were lucky Susan."
"Is Chuck here?" I ask, thinking he may have been in the car with me.
"He's been here sitting with you, I think he's just gone to get a coffee, he'll be back soon." I take it he's fine then. "Is there anyone you would like us to call?"
"No. Where was I going, in the car I mean?"
"You don't remember?" I shake my head. "I think you were taking Abby shopping." I get a funny feeling in my stomach when she says that.
"How is she, she's all right isn't she?"
"She wasn't hurt as badly as you." I let out a sigh of relief. "However she went into labour early."
"Could they stop it?"
"No, they had to do a crash C section in the ER. There were complications."
"She's all right, she's not dead?"
"No, both her and the baby survived. She hasn't come round from the anaesthetic yet, but everything looks good at the moment."
*~*
I hear the bleeping of machines, it tells me I haven't just been dreaming this is real, I am at County. I open my eyes suddenly remembering about my baby, is it alive?
"You're awake then." I turn my head towards the voice, it's Andrea.
"My baby..."
"Is doing fine in the NICU." She smiles when she sees the look of relief on my face.
"You've got a healthy baby girl." I feel the tears welling up behind my eyes, a baby girl, a healthy baby girl! I can feel my smile growing until it's covering the whole of my face.
"Can I see her?"
"I'll get someone to bring her down to you. Is there anyone you would like me to call?" I shake my head; I'll deal with Maggie later. She turns and leaves. It's true, it's really true, my baby is alive. A couple of hours ago I thought everything was going to go totally wrong, that I might never see her alive.
"Here we are mom." Andrea wheels in the incubator. Mom, I never thought I'd hear that. I sit up as my baby is brought closer to me. Oh my gosh, she's so tiny, but perfect.
"Do you want to hold her?" Do I? Stupid question.
"Can I?"
"Just for a little while so that she doesn't get cold." She opens up the incubator and picks her up passing her towards me. The feeling I get is unlike any other I've ever experienced, it's amazing. My beautiful baby girl in my arms. I feel the tears coming again, tears of joy.
"What's her name?" Andrea brings me back to earth. After all the debates I'd had with myself I knew as soon as I saw her what her name was.
"Leah. Leah Rose Carter." I look up to Andrea to see what she thinks.
"Leah Carter, that's nice." She smiles at me. My attention goes back to my baby, my baby Carter. I'm amazed at this tiny little person in my arms, perfect and beautiful, totally helpless. I must have just sat there for ages just looking at her sleep, Andrea walks back into the room, I hadn't even noticed she'd gone.
"I'm sorry Abby, I'm going to have to take her back to the NICU." I look back at Leah, and plant a light kiss on her forehead before handing her back. "You'll be able to go up and see her soon. Dr. Coburn wants to check on you before we let you move about."
I watch after her as she wheels my baby away. I lie back against the bed and wander back into my thoughts.
*~*
"Right, everything looks fine, you should be able to go home in a few days." Dr. Coburn finishes her examination of me.
"When will I be able to take Leah home?"
"We'll see how she's doing when we send you home, if nothing's gone wrong by then you should be able to go together."
"Thank you." She gives me a smile before she exits. She's not been gone five seconds before I get another visitor, this time it's Luka, bringing with him a bunch of flowers which I gratefully accept, and a huge grin on his face which I'm sure matches mine.
After Luka I got a stream of visitors, the nurses altogether - Chuny, Lydia, Malik and Haleh, then Kerry and then Chuck who updated me on Susan's progress. The next person to come in is someone I didn't expect to see again, it's Mike, he seems rather nervous, hiding behind a bunch of flowers he's holding.
"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right." He says standing in the doorway.
"I am, thanks to you and everyone else who got me out. Thank you." I repeat, smiling at him, trying to make him feel a bit more at ease.
"These are for you." He comes a step closer, offering me the flowers.
"They're beautiful, thank you." He moves into the room and puts the flowers on a chair. I hadn't noticed what he looked like before. His bright blue eyes catch my attention; those with his dark brown hair give him a kind of boyish look.
"Anyway I better get going, more lives to save I suppose." He gives me a nervous smile. I would have never thought he was shy when I met him before, he was in control, now he looks like a fish out of water. I let out a small laugh just thinking about it.
"What?" His face changes, as he becomes more defensive, making me want to laugh more, luckily I don't.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter. Thank you for coming to see that I was all right. If you want you can come back and see Leah, my little girl." What was I saying? Oh well it won't harm to see him again.
"Thanks, I might pop in if I bring a patient in. I'll see you later." He leaves.
"Bye." I say as the door closes behind him. That was weird.
A/N. It might be a while before I next update due to school exams but I'll try my best, and in response to Maura Tierney - did you really think I would let Abby die?
Chapter 6 - Awake and Breathe
I slowly force my eyes open. What the hell happened? There are wires attaching me to monitors, I can hear their steady rhythmic bleeping. Well it means I'm at a hospital at least. I move my hands and feet, they feel stiff and sore. Why don't I remember what happened? I try to sit myself up so I can look around to see if there are any more clues to where I am, as Dr. Romano and Dr. Corday enter the room. I take it I'm at County then.
"So you're back with us?" Corday says with a smile. Romano's looking at my chart and checking the machines by my bed.
"What happened?" at least they will know.
"You were involved in a car accident. You were knocked unconscious, we had to remove your spleen, but all your other injuries are relatively minor, just cuts and bruises mostly. You were lucky Susan."
"Is Chuck here?" I ask, thinking he may have been in the car with me.
"He's been here sitting with you, I think he's just gone to get a coffee, he'll be back soon." I take it he's fine then. "Is there anyone you would like us to call?"
"No. Where was I going, in the car I mean?"
"You don't remember?" I shake my head. "I think you were taking Abby shopping." I get a funny feeling in my stomach when she says that.
"How is she, she's all right isn't she?"
"She wasn't hurt as badly as you." I let out a sigh of relief. "However she went into labour early."
"Could they stop it?"
"No, they had to do a crash C section in the ER. There were complications."
"She's all right, she's not dead?"
"No, both her and the baby survived. She hasn't come round from the anaesthetic yet, but everything looks good at the moment."
*~*
I hear the bleeping of machines, it tells me I haven't just been dreaming this is real, I am at County. I open my eyes suddenly remembering about my baby, is it alive?
"You're awake then." I turn my head towards the voice, it's Andrea.
"My baby..."
"Is doing fine in the NICU." She smiles when she sees the look of relief on my face.
"You've got a healthy baby girl." I feel the tears welling up behind my eyes, a baby girl, a healthy baby girl! I can feel my smile growing until it's covering the whole of my face.
"Can I see her?"
"I'll get someone to bring her down to you. Is there anyone you would like me to call?" I shake my head; I'll deal with Maggie later. She turns and leaves. It's true, it's really true, my baby is alive. A couple of hours ago I thought everything was going to go totally wrong, that I might never see her alive.
"Here we are mom." Andrea wheels in the incubator. Mom, I never thought I'd hear that. I sit up as my baby is brought closer to me. Oh my gosh, she's so tiny, but perfect.
"Do you want to hold her?" Do I? Stupid question.
"Can I?"
"Just for a little while so that she doesn't get cold." She opens up the incubator and picks her up passing her towards me. The feeling I get is unlike any other I've ever experienced, it's amazing. My beautiful baby girl in my arms. I feel the tears coming again, tears of joy.
"What's her name?" Andrea brings me back to earth. After all the debates I'd had with myself I knew as soon as I saw her what her name was.
"Leah. Leah Rose Carter." I look up to Andrea to see what she thinks.
"Leah Carter, that's nice." She smiles at me. My attention goes back to my baby, my baby Carter. I'm amazed at this tiny little person in my arms, perfect and beautiful, totally helpless. I must have just sat there for ages just looking at her sleep, Andrea walks back into the room, I hadn't even noticed she'd gone.
"I'm sorry Abby, I'm going to have to take her back to the NICU." I look back at Leah, and plant a light kiss on her forehead before handing her back. "You'll be able to go up and see her soon. Dr. Coburn wants to check on you before we let you move about."
I watch after her as she wheels my baby away. I lie back against the bed and wander back into my thoughts.
*~*
"Right, everything looks fine, you should be able to go home in a few days." Dr. Coburn finishes her examination of me.
"When will I be able to take Leah home?"
"We'll see how she's doing when we send you home, if nothing's gone wrong by then you should be able to go together."
"Thank you." She gives me a smile before she exits. She's not been gone five seconds before I get another visitor, this time it's Luka, bringing with him a bunch of flowers which I gratefully accept, and a huge grin on his face which I'm sure matches mine.
After Luka I got a stream of visitors, the nurses altogether - Chuny, Lydia, Malik and Haleh, then Kerry and then Chuck who updated me on Susan's progress. The next person to come in is someone I didn't expect to see again, it's Mike, he seems rather nervous, hiding behind a bunch of flowers he's holding.
"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right." He says standing in the doorway.
"I am, thanks to you and everyone else who got me out. Thank you." I repeat, smiling at him, trying to make him feel a bit more at ease.
"These are for you." He comes a step closer, offering me the flowers.
"They're beautiful, thank you." He moves into the room and puts the flowers on a chair. I hadn't noticed what he looked like before. His bright blue eyes catch my attention; those with his dark brown hair give him a kind of boyish look.
"Anyway I better get going, more lives to save I suppose." He gives me a nervous smile. I would have never thought he was shy when I met him before, he was in control, now he looks like a fish out of water. I let out a small laugh just thinking about it.
"What?" His face changes, as he becomes more defensive, making me want to laugh more, luckily I don't.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter. Thank you for coming to see that I was all right. If you want you can come back and see Leah, my little girl." What was I saying? Oh well it won't harm to see him again.
"Thanks, I might pop in if I bring a patient in. I'll see you later." He leaves.
"Bye." I say as the door closes behind him. That was weird.
A/N. It might be a while before I next update due to school exams but I'll try my best, and in response to Maura Tierney - did you really think I would let Abby die?