**AUTHOR'S NOTE** I actually came up with the title for this chapter all on
my own. Pretty original, huh? Yeah, yeah. I tried to get this chapter
out faster than the last one. I think the next couple will be quicker,
because it's getting interesting...
Thanks again for the feedback. You all make me feel special. You like me!!! You really like me!! (tear...)
Chapter 4: The Long Walk
"Mind if I have a seat?" Andrew asked a distant Carter. He was distant mentally—lost in thought and seated on the ground in front of the tent that Gilliam and Abby shared.
"Excuse me?" Andrew tried again. Carter looked up. Andrew motioned to the ground next to him. "Mind if I join you?" Carter shook his head in reply.
"'John Carter' is it?" Andrew asked. Carter nodded. "Andrew Thompson," he introduced himself and offered his hand to Carter.
Carter shook it. "Nice to meet you."
The two men sat in awkward silence for a few moments.
"So, waiting for a bus?" Andrew tried to lighten the mood.
Carter smiled. "Gillian instructed me to wait here until further notice. I'm too afraid of what'll happen if I disobey her, so I'm staying put."
Andrew let out a chuckle. "Smart move, I wouldn't want to cross Gillian either... So, Gillian tells me you've known Abby for a while..."
"Yeah, almost," Carter paused to think for moment, "wow, five years now."
"Hmm...How did you meet? If you don't mind my asking..."
"Nope, it's fine," Carter smiled. "It's interesting actually. We met in the hospital where we both work, but we didn't really start talking until she busted me for shooting-up on painkillers at work."
"Really?" Andrew was intrigued and amused.
"Yeah, I was...well, you can probably guess that I was angry with her...but after I got clean, I realized that she really saved my life."
"And you've been clean since then?"
"Yup—and Abby and I have been friends since then...well, friends, then a couple, then apart, then friends...now I don't know what we are...It's so complicated with Abby..."
Andrew laughed at Carter's choice of the word "complicated." "Yeah, I get the feeling that Abby is very complicated..."
Carter nodded, "Yes."
"But I also get the feeling...that she's worth it..."
Carter looked over at Andrew. "Yeah, she is."
The two men suddenly heard footsteps, and they turned around to see Abby approaching. They both stood up, and Andrew shook Carter's hand.
"Good luck," Andrew said.
"Thanks."
Andrew walked up to Abby, gave her hand a squeeze and headed off to his own tent. Abby approached Carter slowly and awkwardly, but also with a sense of calm and a newfound sense of open-mindedness. She was tired of "the dance they do" and the fighting. All she wanted to do was talk. She had no expectations or plans, she just wanted to clear the air and start fresh. She hoped Carter felt the same, and when she looked in his eyes, she sensed he did.
"Let's take a walk," she finally said.
"Okay," Carter replied, and they slowly started on their way to nowhere in particular.
* * *
"So I guess you, uh..."
"Found out?" Carter finished for her.
"Yeah..."
Carter nodded. "I should have listened to you. I told you before that I was an idiot. Well, I still am an idiot. Susan and Luka made sure I knew it, too."
"So, Luka figured out where I was?"
"Yeah...Look, Abby..." He stopped and faced her. "I don't want you to think I expect anything. I'm lucky that you're even talking to me. I just came to apologize. I figured I owed you at least that much. I don't expect you to be my friend or even forgive me...I just—"
Abby put a finger to his lips in an attempt to silence him. "It's okay. I forgive you for not believing me. I understand..."
"It's just, there's so much unresolved between us."
"I know."
"But, I think in order to move on, we need to talk about it."
"I don't know if I can..." Abby turned away from Carter.
"I understand..."
"Do you?" she asked, turning around to face him again. "Do you even know what you did? Do you even know how much it hurt?"
Carter stared at her, speechless. "I—" he started, but didn't get to finish.
There was an explosion close by, near the area where the doctors and patients were sleeping. Carter instantly reacted by pushing Abby to the ground and lying on top to protect her. They lie on the ground as still as possible for a moment, straining to hear anything in the silence that followed. Carter slowly began to rise and helped Abby up as well.
"What was that?" Abby asked. Carter opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of gunfire cut him off. "Now, that is close, right?" Abby asked. Carter nodded
"Run," he commanded, and they both began to run.
"Where are we going?" Abby asked.
"There's an old plantation through the woods here," he said as he led her through the thick vegetation.
They continued to run until he heard Abby trip and fall behind him. She wasn't getting up, but she was grabbing her ankle in pain.
"I think it's broken," she said, trying her best to hide her obviously excruciating pain.
Without a word, Carter picked her up off the ground and continued to run through the woods. He wouldn't stop until he knew they were both safe.
Thanks again for the feedback. You all make me feel special. You like me!!! You really like me!! (tear...)
Chapter 4: The Long Walk
"Mind if I have a seat?" Andrew asked a distant Carter. He was distant mentally—lost in thought and seated on the ground in front of the tent that Gilliam and Abby shared.
"Excuse me?" Andrew tried again. Carter looked up. Andrew motioned to the ground next to him. "Mind if I join you?" Carter shook his head in reply.
"'John Carter' is it?" Andrew asked. Carter nodded. "Andrew Thompson," he introduced himself and offered his hand to Carter.
Carter shook it. "Nice to meet you."
The two men sat in awkward silence for a few moments.
"So, waiting for a bus?" Andrew tried to lighten the mood.
Carter smiled. "Gillian instructed me to wait here until further notice. I'm too afraid of what'll happen if I disobey her, so I'm staying put."
Andrew let out a chuckle. "Smart move, I wouldn't want to cross Gillian either... So, Gillian tells me you've known Abby for a while..."
"Yeah, almost," Carter paused to think for moment, "wow, five years now."
"Hmm...How did you meet? If you don't mind my asking..."
"Nope, it's fine," Carter smiled. "It's interesting actually. We met in the hospital where we both work, but we didn't really start talking until she busted me for shooting-up on painkillers at work."
"Really?" Andrew was intrigued and amused.
"Yeah, I was...well, you can probably guess that I was angry with her...but after I got clean, I realized that she really saved my life."
"And you've been clean since then?"
"Yup—and Abby and I have been friends since then...well, friends, then a couple, then apart, then friends...now I don't know what we are...It's so complicated with Abby..."
Andrew laughed at Carter's choice of the word "complicated." "Yeah, I get the feeling that Abby is very complicated..."
Carter nodded, "Yes."
"But I also get the feeling...that she's worth it..."
Carter looked over at Andrew. "Yeah, she is."
The two men suddenly heard footsteps, and they turned around to see Abby approaching. They both stood up, and Andrew shook Carter's hand.
"Good luck," Andrew said.
"Thanks."
Andrew walked up to Abby, gave her hand a squeeze and headed off to his own tent. Abby approached Carter slowly and awkwardly, but also with a sense of calm and a newfound sense of open-mindedness. She was tired of "the dance they do" and the fighting. All she wanted to do was talk. She had no expectations or plans, she just wanted to clear the air and start fresh. She hoped Carter felt the same, and when she looked in his eyes, she sensed he did.
"Let's take a walk," she finally said.
"Okay," Carter replied, and they slowly started on their way to nowhere in particular.
* * *
"So I guess you, uh..."
"Found out?" Carter finished for her.
"Yeah..."
Carter nodded. "I should have listened to you. I told you before that I was an idiot. Well, I still am an idiot. Susan and Luka made sure I knew it, too."
"So, Luka figured out where I was?"
"Yeah...Look, Abby..." He stopped and faced her. "I don't want you to think I expect anything. I'm lucky that you're even talking to me. I just came to apologize. I figured I owed you at least that much. I don't expect you to be my friend or even forgive me...I just—"
Abby put a finger to his lips in an attempt to silence him. "It's okay. I forgive you for not believing me. I understand..."
"It's just, there's so much unresolved between us."
"I know."
"But, I think in order to move on, we need to talk about it."
"I don't know if I can..." Abby turned away from Carter.
"I understand..."
"Do you?" she asked, turning around to face him again. "Do you even know what you did? Do you even know how much it hurt?"
Carter stared at her, speechless. "I—" he started, but didn't get to finish.
There was an explosion close by, near the area where the doctors and patients were sleeping. Carter instantly reacted by pushing Abby to the ground and lying on top to protect her. They lie on the ground as still as possible for a moment, straining to hear anything in the silence that followed. Carter slowly began to rise and helped Abby up as well.
"What was that?" Abby asked. Carter opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of gunfire cut him off. "Now, that is close, right?" Abby asked. Carter nodded
"Run," he commanded, and they both began to run.
"Where are we going?" Abby asked.
"There's an old plantation through the woods here," he said as he led her through the thick vegetation.
They continued to run until he heard Abby trip and fall behind him. She wasn't getting up, but she was grabbing her ankle in pain.
"I think it's broken," she said, trying her best to hide her obviously excruciating pain.
Without a word, Carter picked her up off the ground and continued to run through the woods. He wouldn't stop until he knew they were both safe.