New Beginnings
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from ER or any of that
Author's Note: Random thing written during Spanish and Chemistry (Sorry, Ms. Peterson and Mr. Mihailov...) And this is my first attempt at an ER fic, so I apologize if its not that great. Set sometime after "Fear" so it contains mild spoilers for "Fear" (specifically, the Elizabeth Corday stuff...)
Abby Lockhart let out a short and sudden shiver as the harsh November winds of Chicago hit against her during her long walk down the mainly abandoned street. If it had been up to her, she would not be walking on this day, but she needed a little time away from the emergency room. The wind blew against her once more as it began picking up speed. Abby pulled her coat closer to her and wrapped it further around her thin body as she began walking a bit faster.
She stopped suddenly, spinning around on the heel of her black boot. There it was in the window of the store. A black shirt hung proudly in the display window alongside several other shirts of the same design, varying only in color. It was so simple and plain, solid black and coming down to about where her elbows would be, but Abby loved it.
She glanced down at her watch for a second to see how she was doing on time. Her shift did not start for a little over an hour so Abby figured she had time to go into the store, find the shirt in her size, pay for it, and get back to the ER with time to get some hot chocolate with Neela before their shifts began.
"Good afternoon," a female voice from the back of the store greeted Abby as she walked in through the doors. Abby was so lost in enjoying the heat within the store that she neglected to recognize the familiar voice. It was not until the voice spoke again that she picked up on it. "Anything I can help you with?" the English female asked.
Abby's mouth dropped open in shock as she walked towards the back of the store where she would be within eyesight of the woman back there. "Elizabeth?" she asked curiously.
The woman behind the cash register gasped, picking her ashamed head up slightly at the recognition of her former co-worker. "Abby," Elizabeth Corday said finally in greeting. "What brings you to this part of town?"
"Taking Weaver's offer on getting a little time away from the ER," Abby answered honestly. "Actually, Neela kinda made me do it. But I'm so glad I did. What brings you here?" she asked curiously. She bended forward a little bit, propping her elbows up against the counter and using her hands to hold up her head.
Elizabeth groaned as she sat on a seat behind the cash register. "Working," she said in a slightly embarrassed voice. "Not forever. Just temporary until all this chaos dies down."
"What happened with all that?" Abby asked curiously. "Not that it's my business, but" she added, sensing that Elizabeth might not fully want to share her experiences. "Weaver fire you?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not exactly," she began truthfully. "But the position she offered...I know I can do better than that. It's not what I want."
"So you'll work in with clothes until you can get what you want?" Abby asked doubtfully. "What happened to England?"
"I can't go back there," Elizabeth exclaimed. "Not yet. Again, this all has to die down. You can't just go from surgeon to nothing and expect to be accepted with welcoming hands," she pointed out. Her statement was followed by an exasperated sigh.
"If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have fired you," Abby offered.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but technically, I wasn't fired. Just offered a much lower position."
"Still..."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said finally after a long, uncomfortable silence. "Only if you were in that meeting," she mumbled under her breath as she rose from the seat. "Anything in particular I get for you?" she asked curiously.
"Why?" Abby asked in apparent confusion.
"My boss is walking in the door," Elizabeth whispered sharply as she quickly rushed out from behind the cash register and dragged Abby to a rack of clothes close to where the doctor had been standing. "Honestly, why'd you come here?" she asked as her boss walked towards the back of the store, passing the two women quickly.
"Well, the black shirt in the window kind of caught my attention," Abby responded honestly. "But it's not that big of a deal."
"It'd look good on you," Elizabeth pointed out with a shrug.
"Ok, now you're playing the saleswoman," Abby said in a mock scolding voice.
"I'm paid on commission."
Abby nodded as she felt a pang of sympathy for the former surgeon. "Well, if you put it like that" she began as she walked over to the pile of shirts and began hunting for her size. Once finding it, she followed Elizabeth back to the cash register.
"Here, I'll let you use my employee discount," Elizabeth offered as she hit some buttons.
Abby smiled as Elizabeth handed her the shirt in a bag. She fished into her pocket, finding her credit card. She carefully placed it in Corday's perfectly manicured nails. Once she had her credit card back, she put it in her pocket and started making her way to the door. "I've got to get back now," she said. "But it was nice seeing you once more."
"Likewise," Corday replied as she watched Abby leaving.
"Good luck in England," Abby called from the doorway.
"Thanks," Elizabeth said softly. "And Abby," she called as the doctor began walking out of the shop. She stopped, turning back around, waiting to hear what Corday had to tell her. "You'll make a great doctor," Elizabeth finished sincerely. "Don't do anything rash to screw that up."
Abby smiled as she waved good-bye for a final time. She closed the door to the shop and began heading back to the hospital.