Argh – it's all almost over
I feel incredibly pathetic for wishing it wasn't ending so quickly
Yes
I am pathetic
Heh heh, oh well – what can ya do?
Apart from thank all you reviewing geniuses:
loocy, starbright, gotluka'scookies, Carby-Always, Mrs. Rhett Butler, hyperpiper91, eve1980, aphrael-chibi, proffy, Sampa-girl, britgirl2003, mandi, maura, Emily, striker20, Carby6 and Dracula5555
This is chapter 22 of 24
Chapter 25 will just be a mega thank-you thing
As well as some tying up of loose ends
And answering any questions
If you've got any
But I'm going to stop talking about this useless crap
And let you get on with reading
Enjoy! Love LJ xXx
Beyond All Of Everything. Chapter Twenty-Two. Just For You (Again)
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o SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 21: Carter and Abby talk about how Abby stays silent to protect Ollie but they speak too loudly and Ollie hears.
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"Everyone is a spectator; the only choice you have is whether or not you watch. If it's tearing you up, John – don't watch."
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Susan reaches into her locker and tries to gather her stuff as fast as possible – there some strange sort of tension in the Lounge as she, Carter and Abby collect their belongings to leave the ER at the end of a quiet and overwrought shift.
"Phone call for you, Abby," Chuny pokes her head round the door.
"Okay, I'll take it in here," Abby replies and Chuny disappears again.
"So…" Carter begins to stiffly speak to Susan whilst Abby lifts the phone off the receiver. "How's Eric?"
"Erm – okay. He's okay," Susan answers sharply before adding: "But I wouldn't really know…" She buries her head deeper into her locker hoping Carter doesn't take the conversation further but, thankfully, the stilted silence is abruptly cut short.
"Oh god," Abby shouts suddenly, dropping the phone which swings wildly on the cord. She has jumped back from it and stands with her hands clamped over her mouth, a distressed expression on her face. She didn't hear much through the phone call but she heard enough.
"You damn well better come down here and bail me out," his raucous voice buzzed down the line. It was all she needed to hear before the phone went dead.
"What is it?" Carter turns to her.
"How could you Carter? It was bad enough that you told my brother," her voice is higher and strained, she speaks too quickly and both Carter and Susan struggle to keep track of her panicked talking. "Oh god, I've got to get Ollie from school. How many times did we go through it? You promised me you'd tell no-one. And I trusted you. I shouldn't have, though. Oh god, I shouldn't trust anyone with this."
Susan looks to Carter, confused but Carter seems to know what she was saying because he takes hold of her by her shoulders, forcing her to calm down.
"Abby – who found out? What's going on?" he asks, gently.
"They arrested Richard," she tells him, faintly.
"I didn't call the cops, Abby."
"Then who did?" she pauses and then they both turn to look at a bewildered Susan standing there, apprehensive of what's coming next.
"Eric," Carter realises. "I'm so sorry, Abby. Oh Jesus…"
"Susan – get Eric and make him meet us at the Police Station," Abby instructs before grabbing her bag and heading out the door.
"Okay…" Susan nods slowly, thinking this really isn't a good time to ask what the hell is going on.
"Where are you going?" Carter calls, dashing after her.
"I've got to get my son," Abby's voice shakes though she speaks firmly and decisively.
"Then I'm coming with you," he grabs her hand and she looks vacantly at him. "It'll be quicker in my car." He offers and leads her off to the staff car park.
Oliver Lockhart was in the middle of some kind of finger-painting in the corner of his classroom and then there was a crazy blur of activity. He's guessing that's what's brought him here, perched on Abby's hip, hurrying down some corridor somewhere with John striding along beside her. A police officer, complete with his hat and badge, leads them through the clean halls with a confused Uncle Eric lagging behind them with the blonde lady – another friend from work.
"Here he is," the officer stops outside some metal bars and points into the cell. Richard Lockhart glares out from inside, his tuxedo jacket flung on the floor and his tie loosened – he looks pissed off.
"Who's this?" Eric asks. Abby turns to him, her eyes blazing in a mix of anger and fear.
"This is my husband – this is Richard," and Eric can't help but notice her voice trembles. After the conversation with John last night, everything clicks together. Now the only clueless one there is Susan.
"What's going on?" she whispers aside to Carter. Carter looks at Abby.
"Can I tell Susan?" he asks.
"Go ahead – what difference will it make?" she says flatly.
"I warned you Abby – why would you go and do a stupid thing like this?" Richard snarls through the bars like some rabid animal.
"Shall we leave them?" Carter suggests to Susan and she nods, only too happy to go. This was her first time in meeting Richard Lockhart and she can't help but dislike him. Maybe it's the instant bad impression she gets from the fact that he's locked up in a cell or maybe it's the weird way he's leering at her – either way, she eagerly follows Carter out.
"You know what happens now, don't you?" Richard raises his voice and Abby closes her eyes, trying to block him out and sort things out with Eric. "I won't be in here forever. Shame that." Abby takes a breath and grips Ollie tighter as she fixes Eric with a hard stare.
"Didn't John explain it to you?" she demands. "Why did you have to call the cops? Did you even stop to think about everything?"
"Abby – Abby…"
"Jesus Christ, Eric – you just turn up in Chicago randomly and now you're taking control of my life?"
"Abby, listen to me – "
"What gives you the right to make my choices for me? This is not for you to decide upon."
"I know," he asserts but she just looks blankly at him.
"Hey, Ollie?" Richard tries to reach to the boy through the bars whilst Abby and Eric talk. "Hey, you gonna come visit your Daddy in prison? It wasn't my fault, you know that, right? I haven't done anything. We can do stuff together when I get out…"
"Don't touch him," Abby retorts in a strangled voice, stepping back from the bars.
"Why not? He's our little boy, isn't he, Abby? He's my son," Richard croons softly.
"You're sick," Eric spits at him as he watches him in disgust and horror before turning back to Abby. "This guy deserves to be in here but Abby – Abby I didn't call the cops."
"Huh?" Abby looks at him closely but he's telling the truth.
"You can't keep my son from me, Abby – you're my wife, remember?" murmurs Richard. Ollie twists in his mother's arms to face his father with a defiant glare.
"No – she's my Mom," he pipes up, loudly and clearly. "And I called 911." Then he looks at Uncle Eric who's standing, staggered and adds viciously: "You're sick!"
After the cacophony of voices, the cell is suddenly silent with the three of them just gaping at the six-year old boy who isn't scared of Richard Lockhart anymore.
"You called the cops?" Abby repeats, weakly.
"Oliver Lockhart?" the officer standing by verifies. "Yeah he called last night - told us when this guy would be in and everything." The officer points at a shocked Richard.
"What happens now, Richard?" Eric smiles down at the dumfounded man in prison. "What difference would it have made if Abby had told everyone? Your son was the one that put you away."
Richard says nothing but Abby still stares feverishly at Ollie.
"But Ollie – you don't understand – you don't know what you've done…" she shakes her head with anxiety creasing a frown onto her face.
"I do – I heard you and John talking about it last night." Ollie tells her, earnestly. "But it's okay; it's over now, Mom."
As Abby looks at her young son's face with wide eyes and happy smile, her own eyes fill with tears. Only a child could have so much faith in the law to trust that it would keep him safe. Only a child would put his mother's life above his and while his fingers had punched out the familiar 911 just last night, it was only Ollie who could've ended this. After all – it was so simple: she was his Mom. Eric puts his arm around her and leads her back out through the corridors but Abby doesn't feel it, she's just numb – she can't believe it's finally over.