Spoilers: If you have not seen any of Season 9, what happened in "First
Snowfall" did not happen in this fic.
Chapter 2
"Not Alone"
The next morning:
Abby woke up and saw Carter lying awake next to her.
"Morning John," Abby whispered as she sat up. Carter put his arms around Abby.
"Morning," he responded, lazily, looking at her. Abby turned and looked at the time, "I'm going to go call to see if there is any news about Eric," she said as she crawled out of bed. Carter had just gotten out of bed and was about to take his shower when Abby
called to him.
" John." Carter turned around. In mock-seriousness, he replied, "Abby."
"Thank you for everything," Abby said as she hugged Carter.
"No problem, Abby."
***
Eric…He's my little brother and I have no clue where he is. What kind of sister am I that I don't know where he is? Well I'm the reason he got arrested, and he wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't done this to him.
"Abby?"
Abby turned around. "Oh John, why did I do this to my brother?"
Carter walked over to Abby. "You did nothing to your brother, and we are going help
him."
"We?" questioned, surprised. Abby could not believe that Carter was still here. Normally, every time there was a family problem, her current boyfriend would either have left by now, or would have gotten annoyed at her for spending so much time dealing with her family. Not Carter though, he was going to be here to help through it all.
"Yes, we. Did you really think I wasn't going to help you?" Carter, smiling, asked as he held Abby tightly.
"Oh, John, I know, but I do this on my own all the time."
"I know, you have in the past. Now, this time, you're not alone. We're doing this together." Carter delicately stated.
"Okay." she said.
"I have to get to work, but I'll see you tonight," he said as he leaned down and kissed Abby goodbye.
"John?"
"Yeah?," Carter asked as he turned around.
"I don't know what I would do without you."
"You don't have to know, Abby, because I'm not going anywhere."
Later that day,
Carter and Susan were in the lounge. "How are you and Abby doing?" Susan asked.
"Great," Carter replied, grinning. Chuny then entered the lounge, "Abby is on the phone. She says that she needs to talk to you,
Carter."
"Thanks Chuny." Carter called as he left the lounge.
"Abby, did you find out where he is?" Carter questioned as he sat down, the phone pressed to his ear.
"He is in Nebraska on an airbase there; I'm taking the 6 PM flight there," Abby answered.
"I get off at 8pm, but I'll get someone to cover my shift," Carter asserted her.
"John, no it's fine, I told you that I do this on my own all the time."
"Carter, we need you out here now," Kerry Weaver's demand interrupted the phone conversation.
"Bye, John. I'll call you when I get there," Abby said as Carter hang up the phone.
Carter then went and helped Kerry with a routine trauma.
After the trauma,
"Kerry, I need a few days off," Carter stated, his eyes making up for his words.
"Well…" Kerry said softly, thinking.
"Just 2 days at the most," Carter said, helping his case.
"Okay," Kerry replied with reluctance in her softening voice.
"Thank you, Kerry."
***
The next day,
Abby sighed. She had found Eric at the Nebraska airbase and a more surprising visitor… Maggie.
"Abby," Maggie stated softly. Abby looked up, and saw her mom standing in front of her.
"Hey," she said as she got up from where she had been sitting.
"Abby, don't so this."
"Mom, he told you, and not me about his illness. How am I supposed to feel?"
"He didn't want you to know," Maggie explained delicately.
"I know more about this illness than you do," Maggie continued, softly.
"Yeah, I forgot," said Abby "Don't you think he would want someone with more stability? Why let him worry that you'll leave him?
He doesn't need that, too."
"Abby, I have been on my meds everyday for the past two years. Why must you do this all the time?" Abby started to walk away from Maggie.
"Abby, don't leave like this."
"Mom, just leave me alone," Abby cautioned, clearly stressed.
"I'll go get us a room," was Maggie's only reply as she walked away from her daughter.
"Abby," a voice called softly.
"I told you to leave me alone," Abby turned around, and smiled slightly.
"John!" she walked over to him, and without saying anything, held him tightly.
"Are you okay?" Abby looked up at Carter. "John, I need you," she admitted delicately. Holding her had, Carter went and sat down.
"Abby, I'm here for you." Abby rested her head on Carter's chest and listened to his heart until she heard an intake of breath and words.
"What happened?"
"Eric told Maggie that he was bio-polar, but he didn't tell me."
"Maybe he didn't want to worry you, especially after what you had to deal with Maggie when you were a child."
"He's my little brother, and he didn't even want to see me." Carter saw by the look on her face that she was dying inside, and he wished that he could help her somehow; but he knew that this pain was something that even an experienced doctor, like himself, couldn't fix with anything but love and understanding.
"I know, and I'm sure he'll talk to you later," Carter mused.
Abby wanted to stay in Carter's arms forever, where her family and their problems couldn't hurt her.
"Let's get a hotel room," Carter suggested as he stood. "I already got us some rooms," Maggie said as she walked up to Carter and Abby.
"But I didn't know we had an extra person." Maggie looked at her daughter, and she could see that she was happy that Carter was here.
"Its nice to see you again, Mrs. Wyczenski"
"Call me Maggie."
Carter squeezed Abby's hand reassuringly and she knew that he was there for her. Maggie looked at her daughter and could see that Carter was more than a friend.
"Come on, let's get a room," Carter prompted as he put his arms around her, and they walked to the hotel.
During the night,
Abby tossed and turned.
"Abby?" Carter asked as he turned to her. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know if I can do this anymore," Abby admitted. "I just want to leave and not look back."
"Abby. Shh, don't think about it tonight; just try to get some sleep,"
Carter tenderly instructed as he touched her face.
"John, why did you come here?" Abby asked with a questionable look on her face.
"Abby, I'm here for you, that's why." Abby didn't want to tell him, but the minute that she saw him tonight, she knew that she was going to be able to deal with her family because she had someone to lean on.
"I know, you are, and you don't know how much that means to me,"
Abby sighed as Carter held her tightly. She laid her head on his
chest, and he started to stroke her hair.
"Everything is going to be okay, Abby," he whispered, noticing that she was quickly falling asleep.
"Goodnight, Abby," Carter lovingly whispered as he turned off the light.
To be continued!!!
