Chapter 34 – Road Trip Part II

"So have you decided what you are going to call the baby?" Susan asked trying to make conversation to break the silence they have endured for past half an hour.

"Yes and no" Abby replied concentrating on her driving.

"Yes and no?" Susan said, shaking her head looking puzzled.

"Well no one knows about this except Neela, because she was there"

"What's that?"

"The baby might not be Carter's"

Susan gasped and looked at her with the slightest trace of a smile. "Well it wouldn't surprise me, there's 50/50 chance between Jake and Carter anyway"

"Yeah he came round to my place to say goodbye before he left for 'Cisco" Abby said, pointing at the McDonalds 'drive thru' sign to let her hungry friend know that food is nearby. She puts the indicator on to turn the vehicle into the outlet. "It will have to be McDonalds"

"That's fine, anything"

"Anyway Jake heard that I was expecting and suddenly announced that it could be his because he recalled a couple of occasions that he didn't use protection"

"What? Surely you knew he was wearing a condom?"

"Not if you're half asleep and him rolling over on top of me in the middle of night then realized he forgot to put one on and then presumed that I was on the pill, he carried on"

"Hopefully he did it to you with your consent"

"Yes half asleep, I'm sure you've done things half asleep"

"Yes" Susan snorted in her laughter. "I do things wide awake!"

Abby drove the Jeep up to the ordering window. A standing in the booth is a teenage employee who greeted them with her wide smile. "Morning ma'am what can I get you?"

"Suse?" Abby said swinging her head and raised her brows to look at Susan.

"I'll have a sausage egg McMuffin meal with orange juice and a coffee please"

"Make that two" Abby signalling two fingers at the girl.

The assistant nodded and busily taps away on the till. She picked up a condiment bag and stuffed it with napkins and straws and handed it over to Abby.

"So if you decided on a name, why you need to change it if it's Jake's?" Susan asked carrying on with the discussion.

"Cos if it's a boy I was going to give it a middle name - Jonathan after Carter" Abby announced taking the condiment bag and puts it on the dash.

"Is that everything ma'am?" The girl asked interrupting their conversation.

"Oh yes can I have some chocolate sauce please?" Abby requested wryly.

Susan's response is to raise her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing at Abby's request for the sauce for her hash browns craving.

"I'm sure we can get some for you, that be six dollars and 59 cents"

Abby looked down at her purse to get her money out and handed the cash over to the girl.

"Thank you, your order will be ready at the next window, have a nice day"

Abby drove to the next window where a teenage boy who is waiting, handed over their brunch. Abby dumped the food and drinks on Susan's lap and drives off to leave the premises to go back on the road.

"I bet you are hoping its Carter's?" Susan asked, looking into the bag and puts her hand in to pull out a McMuffin.

Abby nodded, "Yep" She replied truthfully "I still love him even though he had his problems at Christmas, well I must love him if I wanted to help him"

"And what does Jake think about the baby?" Susan handing over the McMuffin to Abby who kindly takes it with her free hand whilst the other hand is gripping on to the steering wheel.

"Hoping that the baby's his" Abby replied taking a bite of her brunch "Mmm this is good… hopefully, the only way to find out who is the father when I have the 12 week dating scan"

230 miles into the journey and Susan is now doing the driving. She has already driven 80 miles since taking over after stopping at the service for toilet break. Abby is sat in the passenger side and keeps drifting in and out of her sleep. Her tiredness has caught up from driving 150 miles. She kept waking up every time her head flopped forward or rolled to one side. She lets out a groan in frustration and sat up straight. She rubbed the back of the neck to ease the stiffness from resting her head in an awkward position whilst sleeping. Susan grinned at her friend who keeps grumbling.

"Hmm… Why is my life so complicated?" Abby muttered.

"Erm…" Susan murmured, gripping both hands on the steering wheel, blinking hard and she bites her bottom lip, recollecting her memories of her up and downs. "Gosh I thought my life was complicated at one point like ten years ago when I had to watch out for Chloe who turned up out of the blue, she then kept pinching my stuff to feed her drink/drug habit, going missing for days and got pregnant then abandons baby Susie by dumping her on me. Then years later after I came back to the County, Susie goes missing in New York, I had to go over and help find her"

"You can come up for air," Abby laughed, interrupting her friend waffling on.

"What else?" Susan took a deep breath, she didn't hear Abby interrupting. "Oh yes I met Chuck, did a silly thing by going to Las Vegas and married each other at the spur of the moment. We haven't known each other long, didn't workout, got divorced then got back together, fell pregnant, had Cosmo and now I'm on my own because he ran off with a girl who is barely out of her teens because I am a career woman not a woman who gets the dinner ready on the table when he comes home"

Abby chuckled at Susan's motor mouthing about her life story. "So what's the future holds for you Susan?"

"The future?" She answered with her eyes concentrating on the road "I think I need to move on"

"Move on?"

Susan nodded frantically "Yes, a new start for me and Cosmo, now I'm not with Chuck nor I ever want him back"

"What are you planning?"

"Well I did once said I loved my job and County is my home" Susan took a deep breath and pursed her lips. "Well I think it's time"

"What? Are you suggesting that you are leaving?" Abby asked leaning forward and narrowed her eyes.

"Leaving Chicago, yes I'm thinking of going back to Arizona"

"Nooooo! Why?"

"What have I got here apart from friends?" Susan shrugged taking a quick glace at Abby "My parents move to Arizona and my sister lives in New York, well what does that leave me? I think it would be good to let my parents watch my son grow up considering they have missed out on Susie"

Abby sunk back in to her seat and chewed her bottom lip looking out of her passenger door window.

"And you are the first person to know this…"

The disappointment has hit Abby. She sat in her seat in silence, she doesn't know what to say, she is starting to feel bitter because Carter has already left and now, hearing Susan announcing that she is planning to leave too. Abby tried to stop her mind wondering off thinking about being left behind by her friends. She leaned forward and punched the button turn on the radio to let the music drown out the thoughts whizzing round her head. The shock of her best friend leaving has already spoilt her trip even though it is only the beginning…