Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I actually started working for my exams and totally forgot about this, I only have chance to write this as I had a riding accident and can't move my neck so get the day off school. I will try my best to update more regularly, I just hope people are still reading. I'm sorry if this isn't any good I need to get back into writing it.
Chapter 19 - Shimmer
"Carter's waiting for you at admit"
"Cheers Susan", I step out of the exam room and join her in the corridor.
"So what's happening between the two of you?"
"Nothing, he's just taking Leah out every now and then."
"What did you say to him?"
"Well..."
"Susan triple MVA coming in we need you." Saved by the bell, well Weaver actually
"I'll catch you later, and then you can tell me all about it." She laughs before heading after Weaver. Just what I want to do. I continue down the corridor towards the desk.
"Jerry where did Carter go?"
"Lounge I think."
"Thanks." I head through the door to find him sitting on the couch with Leah in his arms.
"Hey, what are you doing here this early?"
"I have a meeting with Weaver about starting work again."
"You might have to wait a while, she just got pulled into a trauma." I pour two coffees handing one to him before sitting down at the table.
"She still works down here?" He says with a laugh "I thought it would all be above her now."
"Nope, she still graces us with her presence every once in a while. So what have you been up to today, has daddy been spoiling you again?" I get up taking Leah from Carter's arms allowing him to drink his drink.
"We went to the park and fed the ducks and then we had ice-cream, well I had ice-cream, I didn't think you'd approve me giving her some."
"Definitely not!"
"It's a good job I didn't take you to MacDonalds Leah, I think mummy would have killed daddy!"
"I think even at seven months my daughter has better taste than MacDonalds!"
"Can I take her tomorrow, we were going to visit the zoo."
"Could you make it another day, I've got the next two days off and want to spend some time with her. I've missed her, even though I wouldn't see her much when I'm working anyway. I miss being able to pop up to see her in day-care in my breaks."
"OK, can I pick her up on Tuesday? You know if you don't want me to take her out so often I don't have to."
"No, it's fine, it's better for her than being stuck in day-care, I better make the most of it if you're starting back here." I glance at my watch, I better get out there before someone notices I'm gone. "I better take her up now, if you've got a meeting with Weaver."
"It's all right I'll take her if you need to get back, and if she got pulled into a trauma it won't be for a while. I'll see you before I go."
"Thanks." I say after passing Leah back to him and hurrying out, immediately being yelled for by Sam at triage, I seem to have forgotten that I was meant to be taken over from her.
*~*
"Right, so what's going on between you two?"
"Like I said nothing. He came round last week, and we talked. We didn't even end up shouting at each other. He told me why he left and about Africa and Kem. Well we eventually got onto Leah and I said that he could take her out while I'm at work." The three of us were sat in a diner near Susan's house. Me and Leah across from her, separated by a mountain of food. She had bought more than enough for two people let alone one, when I commented on it she had just laughed saying she was eating for two.
"So nothings going on?"
"Nope." I shake my head, before tucking the stray strands of hair behind my ears.
"Chuny's going to be disappointed."
"What?"
"She really thought something had happened between the two of you, asked me to find out what!" She gives me a sheepish grin.
"I can't believe you!"
"You would have done the same if it was someone else." That's true "And it wasn't just me!"
"Sam?"
"How did you guess?"
"Well she did seem a bit odd yesterday, she kept asking all these different questions."
"You didn't give anything away though."
"There was nothing to give away."
"I was hoping for some juicy gossip!"
"Sorry, you'll just have to find another victim." She gives me a curious look.
"What?" She shakes her head
"Nothing," I throw her a look
"You just seem different, good different, happier."
"I suppose I'm just glad to have sorted some things out with Carter, it feels good to know where we stand, I didn't know what to think, or feel, at least we're talking again, and he seems happier. He seems to enjoy taking Leah out, and I'm glad he wants to be part of her life." She shakes her head
"You and Carter."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just you always do this with each other, never tell each other what your thinking, wondering what the other is feeling. It'd have been so much easier if you'd just sorted everything out from the beginning."
"What when he came back the first time?"
"Before he went in the first place, if you'd have talked to each other perhaps none of this would have happened."
"I think things would have got worse if he'd stayed, we needed space apart from each other, I'm happier now that we're not together than when we were. It was just too complicated, everything seems so much easier now. I probably wouldn't have said that a month ago, but it does now."
"Good, it's about time you were happy."
"I am." We sit there in silence, I tend to Leah while Susan continues stuffing her face.
"God, I better be getting back." She says glancing at her watch.
"Chuck?"
"Yeah he wants me to go meet his parents tonight."
"Nervous?"
"Very, I really don't know what to expect. He's asked me to marry him again." My head shoots up to look at her, a smile spreading across my face.
"What did you say?"
"I said maybe, it seems like the right thing to do I just don't know if it's what I want."
"Have you talked to him about how you feel?" she shakes her head.
"So you tell me I should have just talked to Carter from the start, but you don't take your own advice?"
"I suppose you're right, I've been putting it off for long enough." She gets up and collects the bill, I follow her with my eyes, wondering what she's going to decide. I fish around for some money in my bag that I find as she comes back.
"How are you getting home?"
"I'll get a cab."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I have done it before!"
"I know, it's just that I'm sure Chuck wouldn't mind dropping you off."
"No, it's fine, anyway you two need to talk." I flash her a smile before packing up my stuff and sorting Leah out. We exit the dinner and say goodbye as she walks round the block to her apartment and I hop into a cab.
I step out of the car, passing the driver my money, which is difficult holding my bags and Leah, before turning round towards my building. Sat on the steps is a person I didn't expect to see.
"Carter?"
He looks up quickly, running a hand over his eyes, which doesn't disguise the fact he's been crying. He stands up as I walk towards him and takes one of my bags, leaving me with a free hand to open the door and he follows me in to the building closing the door behind him.
Chapter 19 - Shimmer
"Carter's waiting for you at admit"
"Cheers Susan", I step out of the exam room and join her in the corridor.
"So what's happening between the two of you?"
"Nothing, he's just taking Leah out every now and then."
"What did you say to him?"
"Well..."
"Susan triple MVA coming in we need you." Saved by the bell, well Weaver actually
"I'll catch you later, and then you can tell me all about it." She laughs before heading after Weaver. Just what I want to do. I continue down the corridor towards the desk.
"Jerry where did Carter go?"
"Lounge I think."
"Thanks." I head through the door to find him sitting on the couch with Leah in his arms.
"Hey, what are you doing here this early?"
"I have a meeting with Weaver about starting work again."
"You might have to wait a while, she just got pulled into a trauma." I pour two coffees handing one to him before sitting down at the table.
"She still works down here?" He says with a laugh "I thought it would all be above her now."
"Nope, she still graces us with her presence every once in a while. So what have you been up to today, has daddy been spoiling you again?" I get up taking Leah from Carter's arms allowing him to drink his drink.
"We went to the park and fed the ducks and then we had ice-cream, well I had ice-cream, I didn't think you'd approve me giving her some."
"Definitely not!"
"It's a good job I didn't take you to MacDonalds Leah, I think mummy would have killed daddy!"
"I think even at seven months my daughter has better taste than MacDonalds!"
"Can I take her tomorrow, we were going to visit the zoo."
"Could you make it another day, I've got the next two days off and want to spend some time with her. I've missed her, even though I wouldn't see her much when I'm working anyway. I miss being able to pop up to see her in day-care in my breaks."
"OK, can I pick her up on Tuesday? You know if you don't want me to take her out so often I don't have to."
"No, it's fine, it's better for her than being stuck in day-care, I better make the most of it if you're starting back here." I glance at my watch, I better get out there before someone notices I'm gone. "I better take her up now, if you've got a meeting with Weaver."
"It's all right I'll take her if you need to get back, and if she got pulled into a trauma it won't be for a while. I'll see you before I go."
"Thanks." I say after passing Leah back to him and hurrying out, immediately being yelled for by Sam at triage, I seem to have forgotten that I was meant to be taken over from her.
*~*
"Right, so what's going on between you two?"
"Like I said nothing. He came round last week, and we talked. We didn't even end up shouting at each other. He told me why he left and about Africa and Kem. Well we eventually got onto Leah and I said that he could take her out while I'm at work." The three of us were sat in a diner near Susan's house. Me and Leah across from her, separated by a mountain of food. She had bought more than enough for two people let alone one, when I commented on it she had just laughed saying she was eating for two.
"So nothings going on?"
"Nope." I shake my head, before tucking the stray strands of hair behind my ears.
"Chuny's going to be disappointed."
"What?"
"She really thought something had happened between the two of you, asked me to find out what!" She gives me a sheepish grin.
"I can't believe you!"
"You would have done the same if it was someone else." That's true "And it wasn't just me!"
"Sam?"
"How did you guess?"
"Well she did seem a bit odd yesterday, she kept asking all these different questions."
"You didn't give anything away though."
"There was nothing to give away."
"I was hoping for some juicy gossip!"
"Sorry, you'll just have to find another victim." She gives me a curious look.
"What?" She shakes her head
"Nothing," I throw her a look
"You just seem different, good different, happier."
"I suppose I'm just glad to have sorted some things out with Carter, it feels good to know where we stand, I didn't know what to think, or feel, at least we're talking again, and he seems happier. He seems to enjoy taking Leah out, and I'm glad he wants to be part of her life." She shakes her head
"You and Carter."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just you always do this with each other, never tell each other what your thinking, wondering what the other is feeling. It'd have been so much easier if you'd just sorted everything out from the beginning."
"What when he came back the first time?"
"Before he went in the first place, if you'd have talked to each other perhaps none of this would have happened."
"I think things would have got worse if he'd stayed, we needed space apart from each other, I'm happier now that we're not together than when we were. It was just too complicated, everything seems so much easier now. I probably wouldn't have said that a month ago, but it does now."
"Good, it's about time you were happy."
"I am." We sit there in silence, I tend to Leah while Susan continues stuffing her face.
"God, I better be getting back." She says glancing at her watch.
"Chuck?"
"Yeah he wants me to go meet his parents tonight."
"Nervous?"
"Very, I really don't know what to expect. He's asked me to marry him again." My head shoots up to look at her, a smile spreading across my face.
"What did you say?"
"I said maybe, it seems like the right thing to do I just don't know if it's what I want."
"Have you talked to him about how you feel?" she shakes her head.
"So you tell me I should have just talked to Carter from the start, but you don't take your own advice?"
"I suppose you're right, I've been putting it off for long enough." She gets up and collects the bill, I follow her with my eyes, wondering what she's going to decide. I fish around for some money in my bag that I find as she comes back.
"How are you getting home?"
"I'll get a cab."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I have done it before!"
"I know, it's just that I'm sure Chuck wouldn't mind dropping you off."
"No, it's fine, anyway you two need to talk." I flash her a smile before packing up my stuff and sorting Leah out. We exit the dinner and say goodbye as she walks round the block to her apartment and I hop into a cab.
I step out of the car, passing the driver my money, which is difficult holding my bags and Leah, before turning round towards my building. Sat on the steps is a person I didn't expect to see.
"Carter?"
He looks up quickly, running a hand over his eyes, which doesn't disguise the fact he's been crying. He stands up as I walk towards him and takes one of my bags, leaving me with a free hand to open the door and he follows me in to the building closing the door behind him.