Okay here's the latest. I apologize in advance for the ugly cutoff and for the latter part of the chapter. It was difficult to write and may be difficult to read. Thanks so much Bookworm, zarqa and lipamo for your feedback! Here goes nothing.
Shaken awake by someone shaking her shoulder, Carrie swore, shifted away from Brody so as not to disturb him.
"Jesus Christ, Abby!"
Glaring, taking her by the arm the older woman brought her to the opposite side of the room.
"This waking me from a sound sleep thing is really starting to get old!" Carrie hissed.
"Well you know what else is getting old? Finding you in every bed but your own in the morning!"
"Sorry, old habits are tough to break," she snorted, but from the look she was getting she knew Abby wasn't backing down.
"What do you want me to say? I'm not apologizing for staying here all night. It calmed me down, it let me get a few fucking hours of sleep! Isn't that what you wanted?"
"You know what I want...you...you know what I fucking want?!" Abby spat taking Carrie aback, never having heard her friend swear.
"I want to get a decent night sleep and calm down too. But I can't! Because you are so damn determined to break rules, go against regulations."
"I haven't...look you signed off on-"
"On what? You extending your stay? Losing your weekend pass? Because one more slip-up and there's a very good chance of that happening!"
"Abby, I-"
"If anyone else had found you this morning you'd be in for it, Carrie. We both would!"
"Look you didn't let me in the fucking room! Dr-" Catching herself before she blew Khan in, put him in danger of being in for it too, Carrie covered. "Someone else did."
"Well that someone else isn't responsible for your case! I am! I'm responsible and I'd be held accountable. I could lose my job! Did that even occur to you, Carrie? Once?"
Realizing it hadn't, that she'd been taking advantage of Abby's kindness for weeks now and hardly giving a damn, Carrie bowed her head, crossed her arms.
"No. It..it hadn't."
"Look, I care about your well being. But I need to know you care even an iota about mine, about everyone else's! It's important, Carrie. Do you know what your description was in your case file when you were sent here?"
Nervously looking up Carrie shook her head.
"No, I never-"
"The patient is single minded to the point of recklessness and destructiveness. Her need to meet her own ends comes at the expense of people around her as well as herself."
"Shit."
"That's just the opening line," Abby sighed. "Honey, everything we've been working on with you since you were admitted is to help curb those tendencies. Get you practicing behavior that doesn't harm you, doesn't take advantage of others. If you can't meet that criteria, if I don't believe you have, I can't sign off on your release, even your weekend pass. I can only say I let things slide for your benefit so many times before my boss stop trusting me with your case. If that happens forget it, you'll be in here even longer! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Nodding, chin quivering Carrie sat at the foot of Brody's bed, squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to jeopardize anything. Not my release, your job! I'd never intentionally do that!"
"Is that right?"
"Yes!" she insisted. "Look I didn't come in here last night to achieve my own fucking ends. It may have been reckless but it wasn't destructive. Brody needed me in here! It settled him down, it settled our kid down! That's not being selfish and wrapped up in myself, that's me caring about them. And if anyone has a fucking problem with that tell them to find me! It was my choice! You had nothing to do with it."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Abby nodded. "Well, let's hope it won't come to that. It hasn't so far. No one has confronted me and luckily no one caught you! But I need you to get back to your room before that changes."
When Carrie looked hesitant, turned back to Brody, Abby sat beside her on the bed.
"Look, we'll go back. You can catch up on sleep, get some breakfast. Then after group I'll arrange it so you can come back down."
"How? You just said we're walking thin ice, I don't-"
"You said the baby settled down last night too?"
"Yeah, what does that have to do with-"
"You're almost into your sixth month and the father of your child is in the hospital unconscious, Carrie. My boss is a lot of things but he isn't made of stone," Abby said.
"So I can come back?"
"After group and a little reflection time we'll make it happen, okay? Just no more mishaps between now and then."
Nodding, still holding his hand Carrie couldn't make herself let go. "What if something happens to him though? I don't-"
"If it's anything major you'll know about it. That much we can do."
Wiping her eyes with her free hand she nodded, sniffled, getting Abby looking on in concern.
"Carrie?"
"You read me the fucking riot act I deserved to hear and now you're being so nice to me," Carrie said incredulously, looking up. "You're right, I've completely taken advantage. Why do you even care so much?"
"Because you're my patient, honey. Look...you have been put through the wringer. What you went through before you came here, Brody's issues, his getting hurt. That's why I've been lenient."
"Because you feel sorry for me?" she scoffed.
"No, because I care about you. And yes, I got frustrated but it's because I was concerned!"
"About your job."
"Hey," Abby cut in. "You're my patient, missy. You're my job. And I want to see you succeed in here and be done with this place for good. I don't want to see you upset and in tears all the time."
Glancing at Brody she arched a brow, rubbed his upper arm.
"Nice muscles on this one," she said approvingly, getting Carrie laughing in spite of everything.
"Bet he can just swoop you up in the air without thinking."
"Yeah, five months ago anyway."
"He's a tough one though. I can tell," Abby said knowingly. "He'll be out of here soon, and the two of you will have your birthday/wedding weekend. And before you know it you'll be discharged for good. So long as we keep on the up and up. No more screwups."
"There won't be, I...I promise."
"Okay. Good."
After Carrie kissed Brody's cheek, said she'd be back soon, slipping her arm around her Abby walked her out.
"C'mon, lets so get some food in you."
...
Eyes cracking open, Brody frowned, tried to sit up as his head swam. Slumping back down he tried to take deep breaths, felt pain when he did. Guessing it was his ribs he groaned, then found his face feeling like it had been broken three times over. When he moved his arm he winced, bit his lip to keep from crying out. His shoulder, his whole body hurt like a mother and the sensation felt too fucking familiar.
Curled up on his side, eyes darting around, between the cinderblock walls, dim lights, pain each time he moved, mouth going dry his blood ran cold. Shivering now, reaching with his good arm for a blanket on the chair he caught a whiff of vanilla. The lotion she liked.
"That blonde you knocked up, we'll find her too!"
"C..Carrie.." he choked. "Motherf...Carrie!"
Sitting up, head spinning from the drugs, his injuries, both, not seeing her his vision slid out of focus and he put his head in his hands, rocked back and forth.
"You gonna sit there in that van all night, motherfucker? Get out!"
Hearing the slams on the window, windshield he flinched.
"Get out! You piece of shit deserter! GET OUT!"
Feeling the knife in his arm after they pried him from the van, the repeated kicks to the ribs Brody lay back on his side, tucked his knees to his chest. Whimpered as flashbacks threatened to overwhelm.
"This is for my friends in Guantanamo, you piece of shit!"
"Afsal enough! You want to kill him before he talks?!"
"And kill his family after..."
Muttering, pleading in Arabic now he clutched the blanket tighter, held it to his face, heard her voice. "You're safe...you're not there, everything's fine. Everything's fine.."
Shaking his head he curled up smaller, shivered. "No Carrie, no. You can't stay they'll kill you..you can't stay here. You can't stay here.."