Heya all!
Thanks a lot – I hope these words haven't lost all meaning now – for the reviews
Britgirl2003, starbright, Carby-Always, Dracula5555, Carby6, Angel Dust, kat, maura, stephanie, JanBry, Trapped In A Matchbox, carby luva 313 and gotluka'scookies.
(gotluka'scookies – did you read All I Ever Needed, cos I think I remember thanking you before. Thanks for bothering to read all these chapters in one go)
Anyway, I really do appreciate it
So thanks again
Now things start to fall apart
Or come together
As with most things, it depends how you look at it, really
Enjoy! Love LJ xXx
Beyond All Of Everything. Chapter Twenty. Promises, Promises
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o SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 19: Eric misses Susan when she goes out on a date. Carter, Abby and Ollie have a great time at his house but all good things come to an end.
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"Don't promise things that are beyond you."
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The front door of Susan's apartment clicks open and she trudges in.
"I swear Jing-Mei did that on purpose," she declares on entering. Eric looks up and his face breaks into a grin as he sees her standing there: as fed-up as ever.
"So, did you have a good –"
"Don't even start, Eric." Susan points a warning finger at him and marches straight past the counter of her open plan kitchen, where he sits beaming, and into her bedroom. Eric keeps his head down and waits a while. In a few moments, she emerges holding a black jewellery box.
"What's this?" she asks, suspicious. Eric shrugs with a smile.
"Open it," he suggests and she lifts to lid to reveal a silver necklace in the velvet-lined box. Susan says nothing but lets the chain of the necklace run between her fingers as she holds it up.
"I guess someone heard bout your broken one," Eric comments. Susan looks up at him with softly arched eyebrows.
"Well someone is being a bit too kind then," she replies, walking up to him and sitting on the other stool at the counter. "I can't take this, Eric."
"Why not? I've got a new job; who do I spend my money on?"
"Not me," Susan advises. "I come home everyday, pissed off and shouting. I really am not a very nice person to be around."
"I think you're great." Eric answers but this time he looks her in the eyes without shying away. "And I thought you might need cheering up." They look at each other, a thousand thoughts racing through both minds but still indecision tops them all.
"Want to try it on?" Eric breaks the silence, finally. He clasps the delicate chain around her neck and she turns back to him with a slight smile.
"It's really pretty. Thank you – though I don't deserve it – thank you," Susan murmurs.
"I'm glad you like it; it suits you," Eric tells her. Then, before hesitation and doubt takes a hold of her, she reaches up and, hands on either side of his face, she kisses him.
"You did what?!" Jing-Mei Chen sits on a spare ER bed in Curtain 3.
"Shh…keep it down – she's working today." Susan hisses and pulls the curtain round further.
"But he's her brother. You're just meant to be giving him somewhere to stay – this isn't some package deal, Susan." Chen struggles to keep her voice down.
"I know, I know." Susan moans. "I mean, I barely know Abby, I'm just helping her out, but I really don't think she'd appreciate me kissing her younger brother."
"Do you even know him?" Jing-Mei persists, her voice rising. "What did you say to him? Hey, welcome to Chicago – I'm going to stick my tongue down your throat."
"Will you shut up?" Susan tells her. "How do I deal with this? I can't chuck him out, but I really can't carry on doing this."
"I don't know, ask Abby."
"Yeah, how exactly? I've never actually had an intensely serious conversation with her, am I just gonna start with this?"
"Come on, it's not so bad; we're all adults – actually…how old is her little brother?"
"That's not funny. He's only a few years younger than me. We'll sort it out."
"I just can't believe you kissed him so soon after meeting him."
"Oh give me a break – he's a really sweet guy."
"But he's still Abby's little brother," Jing-Mei reminds her.
At that moment, the curtain scrapes open and Carter stands staring at them.
"You know Abby's little brother?" he demands. Susan groans loudly and attempts to bury her head in the mattress.
"I told you to shut up," she mutters to Jing-Mei. Carter looks blankly at her and asks instead:
"Is he here in Chicago?"
"Yeah," Jing-Mei answers, confused. "Eric. He's staying at Susan's."
"Thanks." Carter nods. Then he pauses. "Is Susan alright?" Susan sits up.
"Did you hear anything else of that conversation?"
"Nope."
"Then I'm great." She chirps and calmly walks off to her next patient. Carter looks at Jing-Mei quizzically.
"Don't ask."
As Carter stands in the hall just outside Susan's front door, he hesitates. It was lucky for him that his shift finished and that he just so happened to be passing Curtain 3 on his way out. It was also lucky that Susan was still at work as he didn't think that it would be right to tell her just yet.
But would it be right to tell her brother? After all, Abby desperately reminded him all the time to never, never ever tell anybody. But this was different – this was her brother, he had a right to know. He should know. He deserves to know. It was different. It was okay. Wasn't it?
It doesn't matter anyway, he's going to tell Eric and he knocks sharply on the front door. The door swings open eventually and Eric stands in the doorway.
"Hey…" Eric greets, slightly confused. "It's John, right?"
"Yeah, I…erm…I work with Abby and Susan…" Carter begins, awkwardly.
"Oh right – Susan's not in right now," Eric tells him.
"That's okay – I kind of need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, come in." Eric ushers him in, a little puzzled. He hoped this wasn't about what happened with him and Susan because he was still very dazed about that.
"I need to talk to you about Abby," Carter announces, drawing in a deep breath. "And I really don't know where to start but I think you need to know about this…"
Carter is walking down obscure streets in Chicago; the last hour or so has been a haze of mixed emotion like some overly rich cocktail that has left him feeling sick and dizzy. And guilty. Now he's having second thoughts. Eric's reaction to it was as expected. Shocked then angry then upset and torn. He, himself, had been stuck in the third stage for days and it has steadily got worse. Talking to someone had not made it better, in fact he feels worse. Abby had trusted him on this. And he broke that trust. He shouldn't have done it; he shouldn't have done it,
The doctor sits for a while on a bench and sighs. His hands are pale and shake as he buries his head in them. Pulling himself together he gets up and heads to the only place that could clear this dank feeling – to Abby's.
Eric has been very quiet. It hasn't helped that Susan returned home from work without her usual banging and yelling – something has changed and not just between them. She sits beside him on the couch in a prolonged silence before turning decisively towards him.
"I'm sorry," she says. Eric looks up surprised.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry," she repeats. "It really wasn't appropriate what I did last night, was it?"
"Huh? No, no – it's not that at all. I just…" Eric struggles to find his words but Susan just watches patiently, a gentle smile gracing her face. "I got some…bad news today."
"Oh –" Susan replies softly. "What was it?"
"I can't say," Eric sighs eventually and it seems to carry more age and heaviness than anything she'd heard.
"Ok," she nods and doesn't press further.
"I wish that I could tell you, though," he says, hurriedly, hoping she's not offended. "I really do, cos it's killing me, Susan. I don't know what to do. I never thought – I mean – I didn't realise – and I should've –"
"Hey…hey it's okay," Susan soothes and puts her arm around him. "It's alright."
"But it's not," Eric insists. Susan sees straight into his brown eyes and while hers are full of concern, he looks like he's about to cry.
"Well then it will be," she answers firmly. He looks at her and buries his face into her shoulder. She wraps her arms around him and he holds her tightly but what he pictures behind his closed eyes causes tears to run down his face. His own sister – why hadn't he been there for her?
Abby leaves Ollie's room having put him to bed. There is duct tape patching up the battered door and all sharp and/or heavy objects have since been removed from the Lockhart household. Richard Lockhart will not be returning home today as he is attending a conference somewhere on the outskirts of the state, although god knows how he's managed to hold onto his job, but when there's a knock on the door she still gets that same feeling of dread and fear sickening her stomach.
Carter stands in the open doorway with a gaunt and guilt-ridden face.
"Abby – Abby I'm sorry."
Suddenly she feels as though she can't stand and her arms shake as she leans against the doorframe. Her heart races with a nauseating panic and her voice comes out choked and tight.
"Oh god, John – who did you tell?"
- o -