Chapter 5 – Young, Old and The Gifted
"Mom would you mind looking after Jack on Saturday night please?" Robyn asked with her son resting on her hip.
"You are asking me to stay in on a weekend night?" Abby swung her head at her daughter's direction, raising her brows and forced a smile. She is wearing her hair down, past shoulder length flowing with waviness, still a hint of brunette in it, naturally highlighted with gray and white. She is busily chopping up the onion and throwing them in the pan in preparation for dinner. The onion had made her eyes water; she wiped them with her sleeve. She blinked hard and widens her eyes to focus again from the blurry vision.
"I don't ask for much"
"Don't you?" Abby said with sarcasm.
"Ok I've got date, I really like this guy Jimmy and I don't want to miss it" Robyn waved her hand and swapped hips, as Jack is getting too heavy to stay in one place. "Please… I don't get chance to get out often after being tied down with this little guy"
"Like I said you should have thought about it before sleeping with Chris back then" She frowned.
"Gee thanks Mom, sounds like you didn't want the grandchild after all"
"Robyn don't be like that!" Abby jumped from Robyn's offence "I wouldn't change Jack for the world, I was only stating the principle of things"
Robyn scoffed at her mother.
"If you're going to be like that young lady you shall not be going on a date" Abby glared at her.
"I'm sorry it's just I'm so excited ok? Anyway you can have a nice cosy night watching a movie with your squeeze"
"Squeeze? Is that what you call him?" Abby mouthed and winced "Thanks"
"Is that a yes or a yes?"
"Where's the no in your question?"
"There isn't one"
There was a knock on the door. Abby cocked her head at her daughter to answer it. Robyn walked through to the hallway headed straight to the door with Jack still sat on her hip.
"Hey" Susan grinned with a little wave and gasped at Robyn "My gosh you are the image of your mother!"
"Gee thanks!" Robyn dropped her shoulders, rolling her eyes. "Hi you must be Susan, come in" Signalling her in with her head.
Robyn is the image of Abby, long flowing brunette hair, same facial structure but she doesn't have her mother's amazing pout instead she has inherited her father's thin lips. She also has his eyes and his tallness. Robyn's skinny frame stood at 5ft 8 ins, almost eye level with Susan who is an inch shorter.
"Hello…" Susan spoke in a babyish voice to Jack, tugging his cheek as she enters the hallway. "You must be Jack" Jack smiled putting his thumb in his mouth and turning to bury his head shyly into his mothers shoulder.
"Mom told me all about you"
"Good things I hope…"
Susan's eyes marvelled at the interior of the Carter's residence. They were still the same pictures up on the staircase wall that she remembered from years ago. John inherited the house after his parents died, even though he was not the eldest child. His sister Barbara who is the last living in that intermediate family decided to stay put in Switzerland, which she has lived for nearly four decades. Susan noticed there was something missing, no servants in the house…
Susan followed Robyn into the kitchen to meet Abby. She is standing at the sink washing the chopping boards and utensils. She turned around, grabbing a towel to dry her hand.
"Hi" She greeted and moves in to give Susan a peck on the cheek.
"Hey" Susan looks round at the kitchen, which is very modernized.
"You managed to get away from work" Susan asked inspecting the impressive looking kitchen, so impressive you wouldn't think Abby the sort would spend time there.
"Yes I got away at 5" Abby answered opening the seven-foot refrigerator door; the kitchen lighting reflected against the chrome door.
"Wine?" She asked popping her head round the door, raising the bottle up.
"I have just one glass, I'm driving"
"I'm doing a curry for dinner, well actually it's a Balti"
"That's great, I could smell it as I walked through the door, mmm… I love Balti"
Susan lent her back against the work surface; Abby handed over the glass of wine and takes a sip while watching Abby slaving away at the cooker. She winced as the zingyness of her drink woke up her taste buds. Robyn walked in buttoning up her coat ready to go out, she crouched down to zip up Jack's coat too.
"Right I'm off to Hayley's now"
"Ok" Abby nodded as she bends over to get the plates out.
"I guess Saturday a yes then?" Robyn smiled smugly
Abby sighed, "Yes"
"Great you're the best!" Robyn jumped with joy and gives her mom a big hug. She takes Jack by the hand and left after saying their goodbyes. Susan couldn't help smiling their rare mother and daughter bonding. They spend a few moments in silence.
"So what does the boy toy who gave you happiness for the past 20 years look like?" Abby asked tasting the food from the wooden spoon, trying to break the silence between them "Mmm that's good…"
"Boy toy? Would you class him as one if he's 5 years younger?" She frowned.
"Yep I say so, Jake was 8 years younger, and he definitely was one!"
"Oh god! I remember him so well, he really did like you, and you were a bad girl for shacking up with a med student"
"He took our fling seriously, but I only saw it as a bit of fun" Abby chuckled as she sets the table, positioning the cutlery in their respective place.
"Do you remember an actor who made it big in 1990's called Pierce Brosnan? Robert looks a bit like him"
"Oh Susan you got taste after all" Abby tossed her hair as she turned to head back into the kitchen.
"What do you mean by that?" Susan asked following Abby with her arms folded.
"No offence I thought you know who was really ugly" Abby shuddered as she tried not to say the taboo subjects name as she walked to the rice maker with the plates in her hand and a serving spoon in the other. She puts a huge dollop of rice on to the plate and handed one over to Susan. She repeated the same on the other plate. Abby then stepped aside to ladle the Balti on to both piles of rice.
"You mean Chuck?" Susan shook her head "You can say his name"
"Sorry. I thought you'd get upset"
"He's not worth getting upset over… I was blind and needy at the time" She blushed with embarrassment as she walked out of the kitchen to sit down at the table in the dining room. Abby followed.
"You mean blind drunk!" Abby laughed out loud.
"Yeah that's it" Susan chuckled to herself. "The only thing decent came out from him is Cosmo… I wouldn't change him for the world considering I married his bastard father, anyway Robert flying in tonight to help Cos move in his new house while I'm at the conference tomorrow, you should get to meet him while he's here" Susan takes her first mouthful and nodded "Mmm this is yummy"
Abby smiled at her cooking compliment and then noticed Susan's face turned into sadness and dropping her shoulders, drawing in a deep breath.
"You look sad Susan" Abby frowned tilting her head to one side "Did the visit to the grave upset you?"
"It has been an long emotional day for me and yes it was sad seeing his grave, but something else happened there, a gardener died on me"
"Are you having me on?"
"No…" Susan took a sip of the last drop her wine in her glass and shook her head as she swallowed "He had angina and gave him his spray then talked to him about the collection of meds he had in his bag and the next minute he was dead, I tried to revive him but no…"
"I'm sorry Susan for having to go through that," Abby said, sympathetically. She rose up to leave the dining room.
She joked, "Hmm feels like I'm outliving everyone!" Susan's mobile rang and she takes it out from her bag and looks at the screen to see who is the caller - Robert. She pressed the button and answered it. "Hi hun…"
"Hi Suse, I got your text about your surprise reunion with Abby, wow! Anyway I just want to let you know my flight will land at Chicago O'Hare at 11 pm, I'm checking in now, I should be boarding within an hour"
"Ok I'll meet you later, have a safe journey" She nodded; "I love you…" pulled the phone away from her ear and pressed the button to hang up.
"I love you" Abby mouthed playfully as she walked back in to the table with a jug of water in her hand and pours some in to Susan's glass.
Susan laughed sarcastically at Abby "That was Robert, should be landing at O'Hare about 11" then picks up the glass of water to take another sip before asking her friend "So do you have anyone in your life now?"
"Yes I do" Abby started to smirk.
"What's that look?"
"You know him very well"
"Do I? Give me a guess"
"Tall, dark well not now he's gray and handsome"
"Is he someone we worked with?"
"Yes I still work with him"
Susan took a long pause trying to think the possibilities that could be the new man in Abby's life; especially the one's who is her type. "It's erm… Nah…it can't be… it's not possible he could be married now"
"Go on have a wild guess"
"Oh I don't know… Luka?" Susan shrugged, sticking her bottom lip out.
Abby bursts out laughing "You're absolutely right Susan, it is Luka"
"Really? I would have thought he got hitched to Sam"
"No he didn't, they drifted apart and made it worst when she fell pregnant with his baby and she aborted it because she didn't want another child after Alex."
"That's sad, I bet Luka was gutted"
"Well I can't comment on that" Abby bowed her head shamefully.
Susan tried to get a piece of meat stuck in her teeth with her tongue, then stuck her finger in her mouth still trying to remove it. She managed to fish out the offending carcass. She cocked her head to one side and asked, "Do you ever regret aborting Richard's baby?"
"I knew you were going to bring that up"
"Only because of your expression, come on Abby I can read you like a book"
"Yes I do sometimes considering Robyn turned out a healthy… horrible child"
"Aww she can't be that horrible"
"She's kind of rebelled since her dad died"
"Well kids rebel from a loss and also when their parents split" Susan nodded "Are you giving her enough attention?"
"Who are you… my shrink?" Abby laughed, "Not as much as I like to, I'm too tied up with my job"
"Why don't you do what I did when I was Chief, do more of the administrative work, that's how Weaver got herself to spend more time with her son Henry, I thought I'll do that so I can see my son, but it was still not good enough for Chuck…"
Susan was interrupted by Abby's phone ringing. Abby rose up and headed to the phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi just to say I'll be home later because I'm snowed under because one doctor gone home sick"
"No problems, I'll see you when you get home" Abby placed the phone back down on to the receiver and walked back to her seat.
"Hey I saw Ray Barnett's band went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts" Susan grinned mopping her sauce with a naan bread.
"Yeah" Abby nodded as she used her fork to chase the remaining food left on her plate.
"He did finally go into music. I remember I had a word with him when I was handing out contracts to all interns after their first year. I asked him if medicine is really what he wanted to do as he is so committed to his music. That gave him to think about but he carried on as a doctor"
"He left three years later when his band got successful" Abby said enjoying the taste of her food. "Mmm that good… You would leave if you were making six figure sums"
"I loved the name of his band X-Ray" Susan laughed "His homage to his previous life, and Cos didn't believe me that I said I was his boss!"
"Well kids never believe parents nor have interest in what we have to say" Abby smiled wryly at her.
"Gosh you think how many girls screamed and fainted over him"
"You think how many female patients swooned" Abby laughed, "With that pout of his and boyish charms"
"I can't think who had the better pout. You or Ray?" Susan laughed, jesting at Abby's trademark.
Abby stuck her tongue out at her friend.
"So do you know what he's doing now since his band split?" She asked
Abby picked up the naan bread and tore off a piece "Well Ray never went back into medicine, he became a record producer"
"All the best to him"
"Ray and Neela got engaged at one point"
"Really? I did wonder if they would get it together"
"They only lasted three years"
"I guess they broke up because of Ray's commitment to music?" Susan questioned with an answer as she stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
"You've got it"
"So Where's Neela now?"
"At Mercy as Deputy Chief"
"Why did she leave county? Did she want to move to someplace different?"
"No she left because of Greg Pratt" Abby answered after taking a swallow "He was always on her back and Neela couldn't take it anymore, she should have sorted it out but hesitated, I guess poor Neela always had been sensitive"
Susan shook her head "Yes she was a sensitive girl, we all have our sensitive moments especially when you come out of Med school facing the real world. I was a second year resident when Kerry Weaver first came as an Attending, she was constantly on my case, dressing me down and pinching my patients trying to succeed. I would not let her get in the way of my career, I've hardened up. We clashed consent until one day I had this patient with who had an eating disorder causing for him to have heart trouble. I gave Nurse Jarvik orders for Donnatal and she left the whole bottle with him, never guess what? He drank the whole lot…"
Susan took in a breath and continued "I came back to check on him and there was Mark Greene and Kerry Weaver trying to give him a stomach pump. Weaver's sharp tongue was lashing at me unprofessionally in front of the patient and his wife. She scolded at me that it was not the nurse's fault, as it was my responsibility. Mark was not impressed at the bickering had words with us in private, told Kerry to back off me as he said the I was one of gifted young doctors he's known… hmm not that gifted he probably said that because he wouldn't say to her… I fancy Susan so back off! Since then Kerry and I got on fine"
"You are gifted, don't put yourself down, you wouldn't be made a Chief of ER in your thirties ok"
"Ok whatever, from that day with Weaver, I wouldn't take any shit from anyone at work"
"You don't take compliments very well do you?"
Susan quickly replied, "Neither do you?"
Abby paused as she was going to speak. She shrugged "Ok and your reason is?"
"My reason is maybe the way Chuck treated me"
"Did he treat you bad before you left Chicago?"
"Not really, just bemoaned a lot because he was stuck at home with Cosmo, being a house husband, but he wanted it to be that way because I was on good money and earned more than him"
"Anyway you would never guess who Neela finish up marrying?" Abby said, changing the subject trying to avoid stating her own reasons.
"Gallant?"
"Yes!"
"Oh how sweet, they were well suited"
"They have 2 daughters, they got together after Michael came home from the Middle East about a year after her split with Ray"
"What about Archie Morris? I couldn't believe he was made Chief Resident"
"He's dead"
"Dead?" Susan jerked her head up in surprise "What killed him then?"
"Cocktail of drink and drugs" Abby answered picking up her glass "Post mortem did a tox screen and there was traces of Alcohol and amphetamine, but there was a mystery surrounding that someone spiked his drink so no one really got to know if he did it himself, he was at Ray's gig and that didn't look good on him too."
"Yeah but remember Archie liked his weed didn't he?" Susan curled up her top lip "He probably did it himself!"
"Probably"
"Anyway never mind that lot for now, we'll talk about them later, what I really want to know how you and Carter got back together?"