Chapter 16: A Final Farewell

That night, the doctor came in to tell the two youngsters that their baby did indeed not survive. That sat there crying, wishing for the tears to stop, but knowing that they wouldn't. "Can we see her?" Carter asks. The doctor nods his head and walks out of the room.

He comes back a little while later, holding the little lifeless body of their baby girl. He hands her to Abby, who takes her. Carter is right beside her, and they both take a good look at the daughter they could have had.

"We never gave her a name," Carter says.

Abby wipes away a tear. "Cristina," she says. Carter looks at the baby, nodding in approval of the name.

"She would've been perfect," he says.

"I know."

---A few weeks later---

Carter walked over to Abby's place, she had moved back home after having the baby. He walks down the sidewalk and opens the gate to the white fence surrounding her house.

"Where are you going?" he asks, eyeing the suitcases and almost packed car.

"Nowhere. It's just nothing's really right here."

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a week, that's it? Susan called me, looking for you; she wanted to know how you were holding up." He pauses for a second, not knowing what else to say. "Where are you going? To Chicago again?" he asks her, hoping she would say no, and that she was staying right here in Evergrove.

"It's not where I intended to go, but it's not here," she says sadly.

"But… why Abby, why are you going?"

"John… these past few weeks… have been unbearable. I just want to forget about it."

"You can't just forget about the past Abby."

"I know."

"Stay. Please."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"John, I told you I just want to forget about everything that's happened."

Seeing that this made her upset, he decided to stop asking why she was leaving. "Are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Probably not soon though."

Carter looks at the ground. She can see that he is upset, but he had to understand that she just had to get away from this town. Away from her crazy family, away from him, which reminded her too often of the child they both lost.

Abby looks at her watch. "I should get going," she tells him.

"Okay," he says, coming closer to her for one last goodbye. They hug, trying to remember everything about one another in that brief moment, knowing they wouldn't see each other for a while.

Abby gets in the car and starts it up. Carter comes by the window, and she rolls it down. "I'll miss you," he tells her.

"I know," she says, wiping her eyes to prevent the tears from flowing. She pulls out of the driveway, and starts to drive down the road. Carter watches as her car disappears in the distance.

"I love you!" he shouts down the road, even though he knows Abby probably can't hear him. A few seconds later his cell rings. He picks it up. "I love you too," says the person on the other line.

THE END

A/N: i know, its really sad that it had to end that way... but i ended it the way i did so i can write a sequel... which im working on now...its kind of going slow for the time being, but im gonna try to work on it some more. hope you all enjoyed!