Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. God, Malucci, what are you going to do?
Just march in there and ask for her? You don't even know if she's working.
You are dumb sometimes. And what if she isn't pleased to have you turn up
like this?
Dave's thoughts stopped him dead, across the street from the ER entrance. He took a deep breath. Why was he so nervous about going in there? Why was he even here in the first place? No. He knew why. He was worried about her. He laughed to himself. No one would believe it was possible for him to care about someone other than himself; but he did. Seeing Abby so upset yesterday had affected him more than he would have expected though. And this morning, he had headed over here to check how she was coping. He vaguely remembered her saying she was working today, but he wasn't sure what time. Knowing that he had a shift in a couple of hours, and that he wouldn't be able to concentrate until he knew Abby was ok, he started towards the ambulance bay. Entering the building, he paused for a moment, looking for a familiar face. He noticed Frank over at the admit desk, but the clerk was busy arguing with a young doctor he didn't recognise. Dave knew that he couldn't just stand there, hoping that Abby happened to walk past him, so he decided to just ask the next doctor or nurse he saw.
Susan found herself muttering under her breath as she tried to escape the chaos of the ER by hiding in the lounge. She had almost made it inside when
"Excuse me."
She sighed, but turned around.
"I was wondering if you could help me out here."
"You need to register at the desk." She pointed towards Frank then pushed the door open and made a move inside.
"Erm, no. Actually I'm looking for Abby Lockhart!"
That made Susan stop. She studied him for a moment. Carter had only been gone a couple of weeks and already Abby had strange guys showing up to see her?
When he got no answer, Dave asked again. "Is Abby working today?"
"Erm, yeah. And you are?"
"Dave."
"Dave?" Susan again stared at him. "So, known Abby long?"
Dave didn't get a chance to answer when Malik suddenly joined them. "If it ain't Dr Dave."
"Hey man. How you doing?" Malucci was glad to see a friendly face. The blonde doctor had been starting to freak him out.
"Can't complain. What brings you back to this sorry place?"
"I'm here to see Abby."
"Abby?" Malik smiled. "Really? Well, she's around somewhere."
"I'll go find her." Susan offered. "Let her know you're here."
"Thanks." Dave watched as she headed off down the corridor. He turned to Malik. "What's her deal?"
Abby couldn't believe how much her shift was dragging. And it wasn't even like the ER was quiet. Normally, it wasn't until nearly the end of her shift when she would start counting down the time 'til she could get out of there. Today though, she couldn't even make it to her break. Probably because usually she had a cigarette to look forward to, but not anymore. She'd decided that if she was going through with her pregnancy then she had to do it right. No smoking; no drinking. She groaned. It wouldn't be easy. She still hadn't told anyone at the ER. The next time Weaver was in, she'd tell her, but she wasn't ready to make a public announcement just yet. Now though, she needed to survive this shift. At the moment, she was in the drug lockup, trying to look busy, hoping no one would bother her. No such luck.
"How come you always manage to find somewhere to hide, and I never can?"
Abby looked up to see Susan. Abby shrugged. "Natural talent?"
"Hiding from anyone in particular?"
"Not really." Abby replied, shaking her head. "Why?"
"Cause there's some guy in chairs looking for you."
"Some guy?"
"Some guy called Dave."
"Malucci?" Abby was surprised. "What does he want?"
"Don't know. He just said he was looking for you."
"Ok. Thanks."
"No problem!"
Abby could feel Susan watching her, as she walked away. She rolled her eyes. Wait until she finds out about the baby she thought. There's no way she won't tell Carter. She found that a crowd had formed around Malucci, made up of Malik, Haleh and some of the other nurses. Dave seemed to be loving the attention. The conversation quickly ended though when she approached and everything went quiet.
"We'll leave you two to it!" Haleh broke the awkward silence, and began pushing everyone away."
"Hey!"
"Hey!" Dave felt nervous again. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all."
"Not too bad considering." Abby glanced back towards the desk. "We've still got an audience."
Dave laughed. "You think we've given them something to gossip about?"
"We? You're the one who's shown up out of the blue, asking to see me. I had no part in this."
"I know. I wanted revenge for the thing in the canteen yesterday."
"Really?"
"No."
Knowing that they were still being watched, Abby nodded towards the doors. "I'm kinda due a break. Seeing as I owe you a cup of coffee, you want to go over to Dr McGoo's?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"I'll be across the road." Abby shouted to the group that was still hanging around the desk. "Just in case, you want to come eavesdrop." Abby rolled her eyes as everyone quickly went back to work.
"So, you're really not mad at me for turning up like this?"
Abby shook her head.
"I would have called, but you forgot to leave me your number."
"Did I?"
"Yeah." Dave glanced around the room. "It feels weird sitting here. Yet the place is still the same." He grinned. "I'm so glad that Weaver wasn't working today. If I had seen her, I probably would have run for it."
"I never thought that you'd be scared of her."
"I'm not!"
"And am I not worth having to be in the same room as her?"
"No!"
"Oh, that's it! You're paying for the coffees again now."
"Just because I said that?"
"No. Because I didn't bring any money with me!"
"Oh, you're an evil and manipulative woman, Abby Lockhart. Taking advantage of a generous, considerate guy like me."
Abby laughed. "Whatever. Lying about yourself ain't gonna make me feel guilty."
"Fine. I'll pay!" Dave gave in, throwing his arms up in defeat. "So other than the nurses I saw today and Frank, who else is still at the ER?"
"Well, Weaver as you know. Erm, Chen, Luka."
"Who was the blonde chick?"
"Susan Lewis."
"She kinda frightened me!" he confessed. "Hey, is Carter not around any more?"
Abby looked away. "No. He left! A couple of weeks ago." Her voice caught as she struggled to get the words out.
Dave was silent for a moment. "Abby, is he." he began gently.
"Yeah." Abby was determined not to cry, but didn't trust herself to make eye contact with him. "I should have told you last night but."
"No. Abby, I'm here to listen, but anything you don't want to say, that's cool."
She nodded. She glanced at her watch. "I gotta get back."
"Yeah. Don't want you getting fired now you've got that baby to think about."
Abby stood up, then stopped. "I'm glad that you came today, Dave. Thanks!"
"I'm glad too." As she turned to leave, he shouted after her. "Hey Abby. Let me give you my phone number. Case you need to talk some more."
Finally her shift was over. Abby was desperate to get home and just sleep. When she entered the lounge, she found Susan sat at the table.
"Hey." Susan glanced up as she entered.
"Hey. I thought you finished a while ago?" Abby asked, opening her locker.
"I did. I wanted a quick chat with you."
"What about?"
"Your new friend."
"Susan. I just want to go home. I'm really tired."
"I know that it's none of my business, but you're a friend and so is Carter."
Abby sighed and didn't say anything.
"I just don't want you rushing into a relationship with someone else so soon after Carter."
Abby slammed her locker shut. "Ok. Let's clear a few things up. One - I'm not in a relationship with Dave. He's just a friend! Two - if I were it would be nothing to do with you at all. And three - Carter has nothing to do with anything anymore. He lied to me and then left. End of story."
"Abby, it's ok to be mad at him, to miss him." Susan paused. "To still be in love with him."
"You don't know me. Ok? So don't try and tell me what I'm feeling."
"Abby, I'm your friend. I just want to help."
"We're not friends! Friends don't lie to each other about how a certain boyfriend was using drugs and planning to leave town."
"Abby."
"Actually, I bet you wanted us to break up. Were you jealous? That it? Regretting that you dumped him?" Abby accused angrily.
"Whatever, Abby. Believe what you like. I don't know why I even bothered."
Susan stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Abby slumped down on the couch. Nice going, Abby. Nice going!
Dave's thoughts stopped him dead, across the street from the ER entrance. He took a deep breath. Why was he so nervous about going in there? Why was he even here in the first place? No. He knew why. He was worried about her. He laughed to himself. No one would believe it was possible for him to care about someone other than himself; but he did. Seeing Abby so upset yesterday had affected him more than he would have expected though. And this morning, he had headed over here to check how she was coping. He vaguely remembered her saying she was working today, but he wasn't sure what time. Knowing that he had a shift in a couple of hours, and that he wouldn't be able to concentrate until he knew Abby was ok, he started towards the ambulance bay. Entering the building, he paused for a moment, looking for a familiar face. He noticed Frank over at the admit desk, but the clerk was busy arguing with a young doctor he didn't recognise. Dave knew that he couldn't just stand there, hoping that Abby happened to walk past him, so he decided to just ask the next doctor or nurse he saw.
Susan found herself muttering under her breath as she tried to escape the chaos of the ER by hiding in the lounge. She had almost made it inside when
"Excuse me."
She sighed, but turned around.
"I was wondering if you could help me out here."
"You need to register at the desk." She pointed towards Frank then pushed the door open and made a move inside.
"Erm, no. Actually I'm looking for Abby Lockhart!"
That made Susan stop. She studied him for a moment. Carter had only been gone a couple of weeks and already Abby had strange guys showing up to see her?
When he got no answer, Dave asked again. "Is Abby working today?"
"Erm, yeah. And you are?"
"Dave."
"Dave?" Susan again stared at him. "So, known Abby long?"
Dave didn't get a chance to answer when Malik suddenly joined them. "If it ain't Dr Dave."
"Hey man. How you doing?" Malucci was glad to see a friendly face. The blonde doctor had been starting to freak him out.
"Can't complain. What brings you back to this sorry place?"
"I'm here to see Abby."
"Abby?" Malik smiled. "Really? Well, she's around somewhere."
"I'll go find her." Susan offered. "Let her know you're here."
"Thanks." Dave watched as she headed off down the corridor. He turned to Malik. "What's her deal?"
Abby couldn't believe how much her shift was dragging. And it wasn't even like the ER was quiet. Normally, it wasn't until nearly the end of her shift when she would start counting down the time 'til she could get out of there. Today though, she couldn't even make it to her break. Probably because usually she had a cigarette to look forward to, but not anymore. She'd decided that if she was going through with her pregnancy then she had to do it right. No smoking; no drinking. She groaned. It wouldn't be easy. She still hadn't told anyone at the ER. The next time Weaver was in, she'd tell her, but she wasn't ready to make a public announcement just yet. Now though, she needed to survive this shift. At the moment, she was in the drug lockup, trying to look busy, hoping no one would bother her. No such luck.
"How come you always manage to find somewhere to hide, and I never can?"
Abby looked up to see Susan. Abby shrugged. "Natural talent?"
"Hiding from anyone in particular?"
"Not really." Abby replied, shaking her head. "Why?"
"Cause there's some guy in chairs looking for you."
"Some guy?"
"Some guy called Dave."
"Malucci?" Abby was surprised. "What does he want?"
"Don't know. He just said he was looking for you."
"Ok. Thanks."
"No problem!"
Abby could feel Susan watching her, as she walked away. She rolled her eyes. Wait until she finds out about the baby she thought. There's no way she won't tell Carter. She found that a crowd had formed around Malucci, made up of Malik, Haleh and some of the other nurses. Dave seemed to be loving the attention. The conversation quickly ended though when she approached and everything went quiet.
"We'll leave you two to it!" Haleh broke the awkward silence, and began pushing everyone away."
"Hey!"
"Hey!" Dave felt nervous again. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all."
"Not too bad considering." Abby glanced back towards the desk. "We've still got an audience."
Dave laughed. "You think we've given them something to gossip about?"
"We? You're the one who's shown up out of the blue, asking to see me. I had no part in this."
"I know. I wanted revenge for the thing in the canteen yesterday."
"Really?"
"No."
Knowing that they were still being watched, Abby nodded towards the doors. "I'm kinda due a break. Seeing as I owe you a cup of coffee, you want to go over to Dr McGoo's?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"I'll be across the road." Abby shouted to the group that was still hanging around the desk. "Just in case, you want to come eavesdrop." Abby rolled her eyes as everyone quickly went back to work.
"So, you're really not mad at me for turning up like this?"
Abby shook her head.
"I would have called, but you forgot to leave me your number."
"Did I?"
"Yeah." Dave glanced around the room. "It feels weird sitting here. Yet the place is still the same." He grinned. "I'm so glad that Weaver wasn't working today. If I had seen her, I probably would have run for it."
"I never thought that you'd be scared of her."
"I'm not!"
"And am I not worth having to be in the same room as her?"
"No!"
"Oh, that's it! You're paying for the coffees again now."
"Just because I said that?"
"No. Because I didn't bring any money with me!"
"Oh, you're an evil and manipulative woman, Abby Lockhart. Taking advantage of a generous, considerate guy like me."
Abby laughed. "Whatever. Lying about yourself ain't gonna make me feel guilty."
"Fine. I'll pay!" Dave gave in, throwing his arms up in defeat. "So other than the nurses I saw today and Frank, who else is still at the ER?"
"Well, Weaver as you know. Erm, Chen, Luka."
"Who was the blonde chick?"
"Susan Lewis."
"She kinda frightened me!" he confessed. "Hey, is Carter not around any more?"
Abby looked away. "No. He left! A couple of weeks ago." Her voice caught as she struggled to get the words out.
Dave was silent for a moment. "Abby, is he." he began gently.
"Yeah." Abby was determined not to cry, but didn't trust herself to make eye contact with him. "I should have told you last night but."
"No. Abby, I'm here to listen, but anything you don't want to say, that's cool."
She nodded. She glanced at her watch. "I gotta get back."
"Yeah. Don't want you getting fired now you've got that baby to think about."
Abby stood up, then stopped. "I'm glad that you came today, Dave. Thanks!"
"I'm glad too." As she turned to leave, he shouted after her. "Hey Abby. Let me give you my phone number. Case you need to talk some more."
Finally her shift was over. Abby was desperate to get home and just sleep. When she entered the lounge, she found Susan sat at the table.
"Hey." Susan glanced up as she entered.
"Hey. I thought you finished a while ago?" Abby asked, opening her locker.
"I did. I wanted a quick chat with you."
"What about?"
"Your new friend."
"Susan. I just want to go home. I'm really tired."
"I know that it's none of my business, but you're a friend and so is Carter."
Abby sighed and didn't say anything.
"I just don't want you rushing into a relationship with someone else so soon after Carter."
Abby slammed her locker shut. "Ok. Let's clear a few things up. One - I'm not in a relationship with Dave. He's just a friend! Two - if I were it would be nothing to do with you at all. And three - Carter has nothing to do with anything anymore. He lied to me and then left. End of story."
"Abby, it's ok to be mad at him, to miss him." Susan paused. "To still be in love with him."
"You don't know me. Ok? So don't try and tell me what I'm feeling."
"Abby, I'm your friend. I just want to help."
"We're not friends! Friends don't lie to each other about how a certain boyfriend was using drugs and planning to leave town."
"Abby."
"Actually, I bet you wanted us to break up. Were you jealous? That it? Regretting that you dumped him?" Abby accused angrily.
"Whatever, Abby. Believe what you like. I don't know why I even bothered."
Susan stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Abby slumped down on the couch. Nice going, Abby. Nice going!
