Ok, here we go 38…
Ch 38
Abby's original plan was to take Imogen straight home, to set her up in front of the TV and leave her there until Nick got home, the looks she'd seen earlier and Imogen's questioning insistence that whatever had happened earlier was her fault had changed her mind though, she'd seen a degradation of Nick's child that worried her and so, as they walked out of the ER they missed the El platform and carried on.
"Where are we going?" Imogen asked looking up as she held Abby's hand, chewing on the lolly stick from Jerry's earlier treat.
"I feel like walking." Abby said looking down at her, shrugging slightly.
"Walking where?" Imogen asked, her little face contorted inquisitively.
"I know a place." Abby told her as she gripped Imogen's hand tighter and checked across the street before crossing. They walked hand in hand in silence for a while, they stopped at a snack vendor to purchase a couple of drinks and a snack for Abby, Imogen said she didn't want anything and they continued as Abby pocketed her candy bar and held their sodas. They walked away from the sounds of the street, the sounds of the ER, past the sounds of car horns, past the sounds of peoples voices, through a park, they walked across the grass and down over a slight slope until the river came into view.
"Where are we going?" Imogen asked again, quietly this time as she squinted up into the sun obscuring Abby's face.
"Right there." Abby pointed at a bench by the river, looking from it to Imogen.
"Why?" Imogen asked frowning, squinting again as she looked from the bench to Abby. Abby sighed slightly as they approached; she crinkled her forehead as she thought about Imogen's question. Why? Why were they going there, why was she taking her there, she wanted to know what had happened today but why did she think that this was the place to ask, why was this necessarily the place that she would find the answers she was looking for?
"Because." Abby started her teeth grinding as she thought, her face frowning as she continued looking over at the buildings on the other side of the river. "Because this is a good place to talk about stuff." She said pouting slightly as she looked down at Imogen and they approached the bench.
"What stuff?" Imogen frowned; Abby was making no sense to her.
"Just stuff." Abby replied still pouting.
"Why is this a good place to talk about stuff?" Imogen continued her interrogation as she shuffled herself up onto the seat without help as Abby sat down.
"I used to come here all the time to talk to my friend about all stuff that I was upset about." Abby explained in her best four-year-old language.
"What kind of stuff?" Imogen frowned up at her as Abby passed her the bottle of soda, which she accepted automatically without taking her eyes from Abby's face.
"All kinds of stuff." Abby told her shrugging looking down at Imogen as she unscrewed the top of her drink.
"So are we 'posed to talk about stuff here?" Imogen frowned, shuffling back into her seat without taking her eyes off Abby.
"I want you to tell me what happened at school today." Abby sighed looking down fondly at Imogen who was still frowning up at her.
"Why?" Imogen frowned still, questioningly. Abby breathed out slowly, looking away from Imogen considering her question, or more how to answer it as Imogen hopped off the bench and grabbed a stick off the ground, starting to play with it.
"Because I think that something that happened at school upset you." Abby explained looking down at Imogen, frowning at herself as she thought that she might have blown her chance, breathing again she restarted. "You know just because a grown up told you that something was your fault it doesn't mean that they're right." Abby said catching Imogen's eye as she looked up. "You know, adults get stuff wrong sometimes too." She said maintaining Imogen's gaze as she shuffled back onto her seat and nodded. "And maybe someone thought that what happened today was your fault and it might not have been." Abby pouted slightly at her.
"But you have to listen to the teachers." Imogen frowned up at her, her brain bubbling; her mind completely confused now.
"Yeah, you do, but you also have to think about what actually happened." Abby sighed, pulling the candy procured earlier from her pocket as she looked away, she broke a piece off for Imogen which she accepted happily, and sighing she looked back at her. "Imm, grown ups don't always get things right, and so you have to think about what really happened, because I'm not sure what happened, Charlie said what happened and Wyatt told the doctors what happened but you didn't." She said, breaking a piece of chocolate from the bar as Imogen considered her words.
"But everyone always thinks that it was me or Lauren." Imogen frowned, concentrating hard now.
"Was it you today?" She asked chewing, as Imogen began to shake her head and frown unhappily taking an aggressive breath. "So d'you think you can tell me what happened?" She asked in a gentle, four year old pressuring, voice.
"You're not sposed to tell tails." Imogen countered her eyes angry.
"But you're supposed to tell the truth right?" Abby answered her, looking down as she considered the prospect, Imogen remained silent as she looked back up to Abby and breathed hard again.
"If I tell you then you're not allowed to tell Daddy." Imogen frowned pouting.
"If it's bad Imm then I have to tell your Dad." Abby told her honestly, breaking another piece off the candy bar and handing it to her.
"But what if it'll just make him sad?" She frowned looking back at Abby, her eyes wide as the chocolate began to melt between her fingers.
"Ok," Abby sighed, "I won't tell him if it's just going to make him sad." She frowned, getting slightly frustrated by the situation.
"You promise." Imogen looked up at her for confirmation, she nodded as she said 'yes' and waited patiently as Imogen accepted her guarantee.
"Charlie got hit by Toby because Ollie hit Wyatt because he hit me." Imogen said quietly.
"Ok." Abby said breathing in. "Why did it all start?" She said scanning the top of Imogen's head as she looked down, wiping her hands on the hem of her top. "Imogen?" She added quietly.
"I called Wyatt dumb." Imogen told her looking guiltily up.
"Why." Abby questioned, Jesus, getting a straight story out of a four year old was hard work.
"Because." Imogen told her looking back down at the ground.
"Because why?" Abby pressured gently. Imogen looked back up at her swallowing hard, as close to tears over something emotional as Abby had ever seen her.
"I don't want to tell you." Imogen said frowning as her eyes flooded.
"Honey you know me and you are friends right?" She said gently, running her hand through Imogen's hair as she nodded mutely. "Sweetheart, talking about things makes them easier, it makes them easier to figure out." She said quietly leaning down to Imogen who now had tears running down her face, Abby was quite impressed that she hadn't seen any before now.
"He said that Lauren wasn't at school because I was mean, and when I said that wasn't true he said that I wasn't allowed to be in the tree and I told him that I was and then he said that his Mom said that I was stupid and naughty, and I said that I didn't care and he said that I was dumb because I didn't have a Mom and Charlie said that that didn't matter and Wyatt said that his Mom said that I was always in trouble 'cause I didn't have a Mom and that 'cause I don't have a Mom that no one should be friends with me, and then I told him he was dumb 'cause that's what Daddy and Mealia said and," She sniffed her chest raising erratically as she tried to finish, "And I said that I didn't want a Mom if she was like his Mom, because she talks funny and is always mean to Daddy and Mealia and then he throwed a stick at me and cut my face and then Toby Brimfield pulled me out of the tree and then Charlie tried to hit Toby and then Ollie hit Wyatt and I'm not sure what happened after that 'cause my arm hurt." She finished her rant, it had taken Abby enough time and gentle persuasion to get it out of her and now Abby was slightly confused as to what to do with all the information she'd just been given as Imogen tried to sniff back her angry tears, rubbing aggressively at one of her eyes with a couple of knuckles.
"Oh Imogen." She sighed looking down at the angry upset child in front of her, sighing again, she tucked a clump of dark hair behind Imogen's ear in an effort to see her face. "He was talking crap you know that right?" She said frowning down at the distressed little girl. Imogen swallowed and looked up at her, her eyes red rimmed.
"That's a bad word." She told Abby in a whisper, swallowing hard, sniffing.
"I know." Abby said, nodding down at her as she sniffed again. "Imm, nothing he said is true, you and Lauren are best friends, she doesn't think you're mean sweetie," She continued looking down at her. "And, I promise you, you're one of the smartest kids I've ever met." She smiled, her hand now on Imogen's back as her skinny body continued to shudder. "Ok." She started as Imogen continued to cry; in the hazy early afternoon sunlight she pulled Imogen across her lap, one of Imogen's legs resting either side of her thighs as Imogen continued to cry into her chest, her arms tucked between their bodies.
"You want to hear something?" Abby asked into Imogen's hair line as her head leaned into her shoulder, she slowly lifted her head away from Abby's collar bone as Abby leaned back from her slightly, Imogen nodded slowly, catching Abby's eyes. "I grew up with just a Mom." She said raising her eyebrows slightly at Imogen who was frowning at her, "I just had a Mom, and Daddy just had a dad for a long time, and Amelia didn't have a Mom or a Dad until just recently, and Jasper had a Mom and a Dad until he was all grown up." She said looking at her. "It doesn't matter." She shook her head smiling slightly at Imogen who she had firmly in her grasp, maybe that was what was making the difference. "I had a good time with just my Mom and you know Dad had a good time with just his Dad." She smiled at Imogen who had one of the most renowned playboys on the East coast as a grandfather. "Dad had a good time with Grandpa, Honey I don't want you to take anything that 'Wyatt Jenson' says seriously, I know it's mean and I know it upsets you, but you think about all the cool things you've done with Lauren, or Daddy or your Grandpa, or Amelia even, and then you think about all the fun you guys have that he's not allowed to have because his Mom won't let him." She smiled at Imogen who was playing with Abby's hair as she listened.
"But you're all Lauren's family, not mine or Daddy's." She frowned slightly, avoiding Abby's eyes as she muddled her hands through Abby's hair.
"That's not true, Grandpa and Daddy are both your family." She said frowning slightly looking into Imogen's eyes as tears continued to course down her face.
"I don't want any more boys to be my family." She pouted slightly sniffing.
"Imm, I know, and I know it sucks, but I'm going to promise you something." She said, the muscles around her jaw tensing as she spoke, catching Imogen's eyes again. "I can't say that me and Daddy are always going to be together, and I can't promise that we're always going to live near each other, but I promise you that you and me are always going to be friends, and I promise you that if you ever want to hang out with me then we can hang out together, ok?" She said honestly as her eyes never left Imogen's.
"And Lauren." Imogen said earnestly.
"And Lauren." Abby confirmed smiling at her again.
"But can we all try to always live near each other?" She asked her eyes wide, her hands still playing in Abby's hair.
"We can try, yeah." Abby nodded at her as she laid her head back on Abby's shoulder and Abby ran her hand up Imogen's back slowly, it was a funny feeling, having a kid hanging off you, having a kid who'd not rather be anywhere else, or with anyone else hanging off you.
"Birdie and Eddie looked after me and Lauren for ages." Imogen whispered into Abby's collarbone as she closed her eyes, she was clearly not tied but she wanted to stay where she was as she spoke to Abby.
"Yeah I heard that." Abby nodded into Imogen's hair, the fact she was talking to a four year old now inconsequential.
"Do you love my Daddy?" Imogen asked quietly, her head still laid against Abby's shoulder. Abby breathed deeply, it had all been going well up until this point, she'd made promises that she maybe couldn't keep, but promises that she'd try to keep none the less, and now the question this little person has asked in innocence had thrown her completely. As long as she didn't disappear, which she had no intention of doing, this might work out, she might be able to admit some of this stuff, but still, how far should she go with this? She had feelings for him, not; it's been built up for two years Carter type feelings for him, but more 'I'm thirty five, he's hot and there's a good chance he's everything I want' feelings, she pictured his face as she thought and she smiled involuntarily. "You don't have to love me." Imogen said earnestly as she pushed herself up off her chest, her cast arm hanging limply against Abby's right arm.
"Come here." Abby told her smiling, escaping the question slightly, but answering it also as Imogen laced her arms around her neck. How had she gotten herself in this deep?
"Hello." Nick's voice smiled from behind them, Imogen didn't move but Abby shifted to see him rounding the bench.
"Hi." She smiled drawing a breath moving Imogen slightly as he bent to kiss her and took a seat beside them. "How…" Abby frowned slightly at him a comedic tone to her voice as she looked at him and he took over her question.
"How did I find you?" He asked nondescriptly as he bent to find Imogen's face, his hand on Abby's back.
"Is this the whole Nick Johnson P.I. thing again?" She asked laughing slightly.
"Yeah, that and go to the hospital and ask everyone who works there what they think the chances are that you've abducted my child; which are pretty high by the way." He nodded once at her comically at her "and after that get an assessment of where you might be." He said smiling looking back from Imogen to her.
"I'm that predictable hunh?" She smiled laughing slightly.
"Apparently so." He smiled. "So how are we doing?" He asked bending to see Imogen again. "Has she been crying?" He frowned looking at Abby, he knew how rare it was that she did, things usually had to be pretty bad before she would crack.
"Yeah." Abby nodded biting her lip slightly, tipping her head to look down at Imogen.
"What happened?" Nick frowned looking back up to Abby.
"She got into a fight." She told him quietly looking back over at him.
"A fight, an actual physical fight?" He queried, still frowning.
"Kind of yeah, I think that she was actually really being fought over but…" Abby half smiled at him.
"Breaking hearts already?" He laughed a little as he ran his hand up and down Imogen's back and she moved to switch herself into his arms.
"Something like that." Abby smiled as she helped Imogen move onto Nick, she figured it could wait until later to tell him the ins and outs of the situation since he wasn't pushing for them.
"Check that out, that's a pretty cool cast you've got there misses." He smiled as Imogen rested her head on his chest.
"Abby did it." She said quietly picking at it with her other hand as Abby looked down at it.
"I never saw one like that before." He smiled looking down on Imogen's head.
"I didn't know what colour to get, you can write on it and stuff." She said, cheering up slightly as she tipped her head to look up at him.
"Oh yeah, maybe you should take a marker to school tomorrow so you can get everyone to sign it." He smiled down at her.
"I think so." She nodded resting her head against his chest again.
"Me too." Nick agreed, smiling. "So what d'you say to us going to get some dinner?" He asked looking between Imogen and Abby. Abby looked up from Imogen a smile in her eyes as she nodded at him, and they both moved to stand up, Nick pulling Imogen up onto his hip as he did.
Ok, there we go let me know what you think about the whole thing………. I just re-read ch 37 and it actually seems to me like absolutely nothing really happened in that chapter that was really of that much relevance, I headed back into my incoherent ramblings stage again! So sorry about that, but hopefully we're getting back on track.
I'm going to get back to review responses next time around, but Carbybubbles, it's nice to have you back in the game.