Author's Notes: Thank you for the positive feedback – I promise the pay off from all this build up will appear eventually! Sorry for the short chapters – can only really write in bite size pieces due to a recurrent neck problem that limits the time I can spend at the computer right now.
Secrets and Lies
Chapter Four"Hi, good evening. This is Charge Nurse Sam Taggart, over at County ER. I'm just phoning to enquire if a Dr Barnett still works for you?"
Her phone manner kicked in instantly. She managed to suppress her emotion, her tiredness, and her anger at having to do this in the first place, to keep her tone light and professional.
"Ray? He does, but he's not here now,"
The voice on the other end of the line was hesitant, clearly suspicious. You and me both honey, Sam thought, you and me both.
"Do you know where he is?"
She asked, twisting the phone cord back and forth between her fingers.
"Why are you asking?"
"I have news regarding an old friend,"
Her tone was remarkably even. She shocked even herself. But then, she'd always had a highly developed ability to repress.
"He's down in Philadelphia, visiting for his mom's birthday I think,"
"Do you have a contact number? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent,"
She tried to sound more insistent, without allowing emotion into her voice. She tried to impress upon this anonymous woman how important this was without being forced to be confrontational.
"I'm not sure…"
"Listen…"
Sam paused pointedly, allowing the voice on the other end of the line to finally introduce herself.
"Amy,"
The answer came quickly, defensively.
"Listen, Amy. I know you're suspicious of me. But this old friend of his – she's dying. And one of her last wishes was to see him,"
She practically hissed it into the receiver. She still couldn't quite believe she was doing this. After everything that had happened, why of all people did Abby want him around again? It didn't make sense to Sam.
"Really?"
"I swear. Will you help?"
"I think I've got his mom's number, hang on…"
The woman left the phone, and Sam scrabbled for a pen. She wrote the given number on the back of her free hand.
"Thank you,"
She added curtly, and put the phone down before Amy could say another word. Sam sat in silence for a minute, staring at the number on the back of her hand.
Rage still boiled deep down in her soul about what had gone on so many years ago, all the things that had happened, some of which even he still knew nothing about. She knew she could never forgive it, were it her in Abby's place. She doubted even she ever would forgive her own role in what happened. But somehow, Abby was willing to. Abby was willing to see them one last time before she died. Maybe it would give her the peace Sam knew she longed for. And for that reason, and that reason alone, she was willing to put personal feelings aside and call the one person who's voice she had always sworn she never wanted to hear again.