Chapter Three
John Carter sat with his fiancée in the restaurant of their hotel awaiting the arrival of Jack Carter. They sat at a table for four, Kem drinking a glass of sparkling water and Carter, coffee. Carter looked at his watch and noticed the time. It was 6 o clock in the evening; his father's plane had landed 2 hours previously and was bound to show up soon.
"What time is it?" Asked Kem
"Its 6…01. He should be here soon." Carter added
"Ohh good. What about the Chicago flight?" she asked
"Hopefully will land in about 40 minutes." Carter added with a gleeful tone in his voice. "Do you know when everyone else is arriving?" Carter said
"Hopefully in the morning." Kem stated
"Good. That's good." He smiled.
"Aren't you excited?" Kem asked.
"For what? The wedding? Of course I am" He answered very quickly.
Kem looked hurt at this. "I meant for your friends coming. You haven't seen them in months."
"Oh right, yeah of course. We'll have a lot to catch up on. I can't wait to see my godson, he is 19 months now" Carter smiled.
Kem looked at Carter and smiled. As she brought her head down, bringing her eyes to the plate that lay on the table top her facial expression changed to that of a despondent frown.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Kem enquired
"About the wedding? No, not at all…no…" He smiled briefly at Kem until he noticed his father enter the busy restaurant over her shoulder. He stood up and Kem turned and looked over her shoulder as she stood.
"Hey dad" Carter said pulling his father into a hug
"Good evening John, Kem" Jack said as he moved towards Kem and placed a kiss on her cheek. They sat down.
"How was your flight?" Carter asked his dad.
"It was alright. Paris is a far cry from New York I'll tell you that much."
"It's a far cry from the Congo too" Carter joked.
"How are things there?" Jack asked looking in Kem's direction.
"Things are good. The hospital is doing well and the centre is up and running, successfully." Kem added happily.
"That's good to hear" Jack smiled "Do you have any idea to when we will be graced with the presence of your mother?" Jack asked Carter
"Dad come on! Try to be good this week. Please" Carter pleaded
"John, you and I both know that I'm not the problem, it's your mother…" Jack considered continuing but thought it best not to after seeing the expression on his sons face. "Ok…ok….I promise to be good. Now can we eat I'm starving!"
Kem stifled a cough and smiled at Carter.
"Actually dad, we were planning on having dinner when our guests from Chicago arrive which should be…" Carter looked at his watch "…in the next hour. So you can either get a drink, or eat on your own" Carter joked.
"I suppose I'll just have to get a drink then wont I?" Jack laughed. "So who is coming from Chicago?"
"Well, Susan Lewis and her family."
"Didn't you and Susan date?" Jack asked
Carter laughed. "I would hardly call it that! Also, Luka and Sam, with Alex of course." Jack looked confused. "Alex is Sam's kid." Jack nodded.
"And uhh…Abby" Carter added looking at Kem who merely smiled back at him.
Jack's face brightened. "I like Abby" Jack said.
Carter looked towards Kem again whose face was a wash of jealousy and awkwardness.
"Dad!" Carter said somewhat annoyed.
A confused Jack Carter replied with "What?" At that Kem stood up.
"I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in 3 seconds. Excuse me." Kem smiled and slowly pushed her way past the chairs and along to the restrooms.
Carter picked up on the awkward look on her face. "Did you have to do that?" Carter asked his father.
"Do what? All I said was that I like Abby." Jack answered, still bewildered by the whole situation.
"You were making Kem feel uncomfortable. I don't think she appreciated her soon to be Father-in-Law happily discussing his son's ex-girlfriend."
"Ohh don't be ridiculous John. All I said was that I liked her, is that so wrong? I like Kem too, would you like me to tell her that?" Jack said somewhat sarcastically.
"Don't do that" Carter smirked.
"Man you guys are boring"
"Alex, please shut up. We're all tired ok kiddo?" Sam pleaded with her son
"Why? You guys haven't done anything except sit on a plane for like 10 hours. Stop complaining!"
"Alex I'm not in the mood for your crap right now" Snapped Sam, who placed her head back on Luka's shoulder.
Alex looked out of the windows from the mini-bus that was shipping everyone to their hotel now that they had arrived in Paris.
"Jake…?" Alex said almost seductively
"Later kiddo, Jake wants some rest" He then put his head back on top of Abby's who was sitting pretty much on top of him half asleep.
"Abby?" Alex said with a slightly optimistic tone in his voice knowing she had slept the large part of the journey. Instead she lifted her head up off Jake's shoulder high enough to give Alex a famous 'Abby death glare'.
Scared, Alex turned his attention to the passengers sitting the row behind him.
"Does Cosmo want to wake up?" He said excitedly
Susan grumbled and said "Alex, if you so much as make that baby twitch I willkill you!"
Alex, somewhat frightened just sat and quietly looked out of the window
"What time is it now John?" Jack Carter asked his son
"Its 5 past eight. They'll be here soon."
"I should hope so. I'm about ready to eat a walrus" Jack added.
"Thanks for that Dad…" Carter laughed
"I wonder what is taking Kem so long" Jack said
"Yeah, me too…I think I'll go look for her. If they come just tell them to wait. I won't be gone any longer than 10 minutes." Carter said
"But John…" It was too late; Carter had left the table in the search for Kem.
"Wow, Dr Carter really goes all out doesn't he?" Jake chirped from the back off the cab. "I wasn't exactly expecting to be put up here!" He laughed
Abby raised her head off his shoulder and smiled
"Sweetie, Carter makes about $10,000 on interest a day…this is a drop in the ocean for him" She laughed and kissed him
"What!" Jake screeched in disbelief prompting Abby and Susan to say:
"Carter's loaded" in unison.
"Really? How loaded?" he asked, gaining more and more interest by the second.
"I don't even think he knows" Susan added.
"What like, millions? Hundred of millions?"
"Try…billions" Abby laughed and continued to watch Jake's face get more and more shocked.
Jake then began laughing "And you broke up with him because…?" He asked Abby
She smirked and said "Just be thankful he broke up with me, otherwise I would never have met you now would I?" She asked kissing him.
"Would you two like to stop eating each other long enough to get out of the car?" Susan joked.
Jake and Abby pulled apart, regained a degree of composure and got out of the car which had come to a halt outside the Grand Plaza.
Once inside the massive hotel the party of eight split into three groups for check-in. Jake and Abby were first to check in, to be followed by Luka and Sam, and finally Chuck and Susan.
As they stood waiting for their friends Jake was being terrorised by Alex. Abby was standing by Susan pushing Cosmo's stroller.
"Hey, I'll be back in like 2 minutes. I need to go the restroom." Abby said
"Ok, if we're done before you're back, we'll wait on you" Susan said
"Ok, thanks" Abby said as she walked off in search for the restroom, brushing Jake's arm on the way by.
Carter rushed through the lounge and the back end of the hotel lobby. He found the restrooms and stood outside the door.
"Kem? Are you still in there? Kem?" he got no reply
He stood to the side and waited for a few minutes. He then decided to stick his head in the door.
"Kem? Kem? Its John, are you in here?" he asked, shouting slightly whilst getting many strange looks from the women already in the restroom.
He got no reply and as he turned his body to removing his head from the door of the woman's toilets he accidentally collided with another woman.
Abby glanced around the massive lobby in search for the women's restroom and having no luck what so ever. Instead she thought she'd be best asking someone, so she turned to the nearest person she could ask.
Upon standing next to the slightly short concierge she quickly realised she wasn't in the states anymore, or even an English speaking country. She racked her brain for all the French she could remember.
"Bonjour"
"Bonjour Madame"
Ohh crap, I don't remember any more. Where the hell is Neela when I need her? She thought.
Abby continued to stand motionless, staring at the man for what felt like an eternity.
Come on Abby, think! Toilette? That sounds French. She continued to rack her brain. Femme. I think that means woman. Ok here goes
"Uhh…Femme Toilette si vous plais? She was almost certain she just said Female Perfume…
The concierge laughed politely and said, in English
"I think you're looking for the Women's restroom, am I correct?" He spoke with a thick French accent. She felt her face go red.
Abby laughed and blushed. "Yes"
"Far right Madame." He said
"Thank you very much" An extremely embarrassed Abby walked in the direction she was directed in.
Upon reaching the restroom door she noticed a man standing with his head in the door. She laughed at this, not understanding why men have such a phobia of women's toilets, yet girls will happily enter a men's restroom if she really needed to. As she approached the door the man began to move and by the time she had reached the door, she walked straight into him.