Thank you for the reviews. I hope you're impressed with the rate at which I'm managing to get chapters up, I'm trying to get Carter back as soon as posssible for you. Sorry about the shortness of this and the last chapter, the next will be longer and better, hopefully.
Chapter 12 - Ordinary Life
"Hurry up Abby you're going to miss the start."
"I'm coming, you know you could have helped!" I struggle towards the living room laden with goodies. Ice cream, chocolate, popcorn, crisps and milkshakes. Full of healthy goodness, not.
"I'm pregnant I'm supposed to be relaxing." She laughs.
"I'm sure you could have managed the walk to the kitchen."
"You're here now so what's the problem?" I want to hit her but I can't holding all this junk.
"Move your feet." I plonk myself down on the couch next to her handing her the ice cream and a milkshake. We are having a girls night in mainly because neither of us has the energy to go out properly.
"What are we watching first then?"
"Bridget Jones' Diary."
"Again, we've seen that about a thousand times!"
"So I like it and I'm the pregnant one so I get to choose."
"Was I like this?"
"You bet!" She laughs shovelling ice cream into her mouth. I have to give in, if she put up with me I have to put up with her.
"Fine you win, Bridget Jones it is, but I get to choose the next one."
Four hours later we were full of girly films and junk food, well I was, Susan was still eating.
"So any word from Carter?" Why did she have to bring that up now?
"None, obviously his new life in Africa is more important to him than his daughter is."
"I'm sure it's not like that."
"Why are you sure? I haven't heard anything from him in about 10 months."
"Carter isn't like that."
"No, the old Carter wasn't like that, he has a new life now."
"He'll turn up eventually, has Luka not heard from him?"
"Not for a couple of months now, you don't think something could have happened to him?" Worry creeping into my mind, perhaps that was why no one had heard from him, what if he was dead?
"No I don't, someone would have contacted us if it had."
"What if they don't."
"Abby he's fine, just wrapped up in whatever he's doing out there."
"You're probably right as always." I lean back, trying to reassure myself. Why do I even care? It's not like he cares about me or about Leah, he's made that pretty clear. Yet I still care. Carter is just well Carter. I can't explain it even to myself, there's just something about him. My mind wanders back to some of the good times we had, by the river, in Doc's, up on the roof, they all come flooding back. We both sit there in silence for an age, when Susan starts to make a move.
"I better be getting off."
"But you don't have your car, you'll get soaked, plus it's late. Why don't you crash here? You can have my bed as long as you don't mind sharing a room with Leah."
"Are you sure, now you mention it I don't think I'll stay awake long enough to get home. I would call Chuck but he's working."
"I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't fine." I get up to go sort out the room, leaving her sitting there still pigging out on food. "If you don't stop eating you'll throw up soon." I get a muffled reply "It's bad for you to eat right before you go to sleep."
"Stop being such a mom!" She laughs having followed me into the bedroom.
"Here." I throw her something to sleep in.
"Cheers, will you be all right on the couch."
"I'll be fine, now get changed and go to sleep."
"Yes mom!" I throw her an exasperated look and leave her to it.
"Night Susan."
I set about clearing up the left over food to make way for me to fit on the couch. I stack the dishes up in the sink, it looks like I'm going to have fun. I think about doing them now when I look at the clock it's past twelve and I've got a shift in the morning so I head to the couch instead and curl up to grab a few hours sleep before Leah wakes up.
Chapter 12 - Ordinary Life
"Hurry up Abby you're going to miss the start."
"I'm coming, you know you could have helped!" I struggle towards the living room laden with goodies. Ice cream, chocolate, popcorn, crisps and milkshakes. Full of healthy goodness, not.
"I'm pregnant I'm supposed to be relaxing." She laughs.
"I'm sure you could have managed the walk to the kitchen."
"You're here now so what's the problem?" I want to hit her but I can't holding all this junk.
"Move your feet." I plonk myself down on the couch next to her handing her the ice cream and a milkshake. We are having a girls night in mainly because neither of us has the energy to go out properly.
"What are we watching first then?"
"Bridget Jones' Diary."
"Again, we've seen that about a thousand times!"
"So I like it and I'm the pregnant one so I get to choose."
"Was I like this?"
"You bet!" She laughs shovelling ice cream into her mouth. I have to give in, if she put up with me I have to put up with her.
"Fine you win, Bridget Jones it is, but I get to choose the next one."
Four hours later we were full of girly films and junk food, well I was, Susan was still eating.
"So any word from Carter?" Why did she have to bring that up now?
"None, obviously his new life in Africa is more important to him than his daughter is."
"I'm sure it's not like that."
"Why are you sure? I haven't heard anything from him in about 10 months."
"Carter isn't like that."
"No, the old Carter wasn't like that, he has a new life now."
"He'll turn up eventually, has Luka not heard from him?"
"Not for a couple of months now, you don't think something could have happened to him?" Worry creeping into my mind, perhaps that was why no one had heard from him, what if he was dead?
"No I don't, someone would have contacted us if it had."
"What if they don't."
"Abby he's fine, just wrapped up in whatever he's doing out there."
"You're probably right as always." I lean back, trying to reassure myself. Why do I even care? It's not like he cares about me or about Leah, he's made that pretty clear. Yet I still care. Carter is just well Carter. I can't explain it even to myself, there's just something about him. My mind wanders back to some of the good times we had, by the river, in Doc's, up on the roof, they all come flooding back. We both sit there in silence for an age, when Susan starts to make a move.
"I better be getting off."
"But you don't have your car, you'll get soaked, plus it's late. Why don't you crash here? You can have my bed as long as you don't mind sharing a room with Leah."
"Are you sure, now you mention it I don't think I'll stay awake long enough to get home. I would call Chuck but he's working."
"I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't fine." I get up to go sort out the room, leaving her sitting there still pigging out on food. "If you don't stop eating you'll throw up soon." I get a muffled reply "It's bad for you to eat right before you go to sleep."
"Stop being such a mom!" She laughs having followed me into the bedroom.
"Here." I throw her something to sleep in.
"Cheers, will you be all right on the couch."
"I'll be fine, now get changed and go to sleep."
"Yes mom!" I throw her an exasperated look and leave her to it.
"Night Susan."
I set about clearing up the left over food to make way for me to fit on the couch. I stack the dishes up in the sink, it looks like I'm going to have fun. I think about doing them now when I look at the clock it's past twelve and I've got a shift in the morning so I head to the couch instead and curl up to grab a few hours sleep before Leah wakes up.