Chapter 4 - Eavesdropping
Abby rushed into the ladies room, entered into one of empty stalls and locked the door from behind. She puts the toilet seat lid down and sat on it. She grabbed hand full of toilet paper and started to cry.
Abby stopped sniffling when she heard someone humming away entered the room and listened to the footsteps in to the next stall. A minute later Abby lets go again when she heard the loo flushing. The noise drowned out her cry.
Footsteps came out of the cubicle to the wash areas, a hand reached for the tap and looked at herself in the mirror. It was Susan Lewis. She was inspecting her face making sure she looked presentable. She overheard a 'hiccup' from behind and swung her head round. Susan stepped back and tapped on the door.
"Hello? Are you ok in there?" She asked.
"Go away!" Abby shouted.
Susan narrowed her eyes and raised her brows as she recognised the voice. "Abby, is that you?"
Abby unlocked the door and stood there with mascara streaks down her face.
"Abby! What's wrong?" Susan asked worriedly
Abby shrugged her shoulders and blew her nose. She walked to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. 'Uh! What a state!'She turned on the tap and bent over to bathe her face with cold water. Reaches for the paper towels and dried her face. Abby turned to Susan and cried again. Susan puts her arms round Abby to embrace a hug. Giving her a gentle squeeze.
"You want to talk about it?"
"I did a really stupid thing last night." Abby nodded "I went for a drink with Luka after work, he needed a friend to talk to."
"Yes, as you would" Susan nodded in her reply.
"We got quite drunk, went back to his place and erm..." Abby shrugged her shoulders at Susan feeling embarrassed to say the words.
Susan carried on nodding until it dawned on her what Abby was implying.
"Oh god! Abby you didn't!" Susan laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Well… I knew you guys would get back together again… hey wait a minute? Isn't Luka with…?"
"Yes I know!" Abby exclaimed said, defensively "I feel so ashamed because…"
"Because you are seeing someone else?" Susan interrupted, gently folding her arms. "So I heard."
"Oh no… no…we are not together anymore, anyway that wasn't serious."
"I'm surprised you never told me who he was considering we're best friends? Come on Abby who was he? I'm intrigued!"
"I really don't want to say…" Abby looked away, knowing that she'll be in trouble for seeing a med student.
"Oh don't tell me its Dubenko!" The pretty blonde laughed, nudging her arm.
"Very funny Susan!" Abby laughed back.
"Maybe you want to talk more over a drink?"
"Yep, this isn't the time and place,"
"Chuck going to his parents tomorrow for a few days taking Cosmo with him, obviously I can't have the time off" Susan said with her arms folded "I could do with the company"
"Ok sure!" Abby's pager goes off and looked down "Chuny… I've got to go"
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Sara Lanski rolled her eyes when she saw Abby entering the room. Abby smirked back at the girl's expression.
"Ok…" Abby took a breath, looking down at the chart. "I'm going perform an ultrasound on you Miss Lanski"
"Yeah whatever" Sara replied, looking at her doctor wondering why her eyes were all puffy.
Abby grabbed a stool placed it next to the gurney and sat down. She reached for the transductor probe and pulled it towards herself and placed it on the bed. She tapped away on the keyboard inputting details.
"Can you lift your gown up please, I want to scan your abdomen" Abby asked grabbing the gel bottle. "I'm gonna put this gel your tummy ok? This may feel a little cold" She squeezed out the gooey blue gel on the girl stomach, puts the bottle down. She grabbed the transductor, placed it on the girl's stomach and steers it around vigorously to pick up a clear picture on the screen.
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Susan walked across the road to the Jumbo Mart to grab a coffee. She entered the store, looking around. She sighed when she saw the length of the queue at the coffee counter. Susan joined the queue. She looked down one of the aisles and saw Jake on his break.
Jake strode along the aisle and bumped into an old friend. They shook hands and started chatting. From a distance Susan can hear them.
"Hey long time no see!" the guy said, "You still training to be a doc?"
"Yeah I am on my fourth year and working over the road" Jake replied
"Oh yeah County General?"
Jake nodded.
"God that place is busy, I bet it's nice having to work with those hot nurses!"
Jake laughs, "Yeah…"
"So have you got a babe in your life then?"
"Not anymore, we split about a month ago, I work with her, she's a doctor"
"Yeah! What's she like?" The guy asked out of curiosity
"Hot! She's my rotation supervisor!"
"Really? You're living dangerously aren't you? Sleeping with your supervisor!"
"That's the thrill of it!" Jake laughed
Susan gasped after eavesdropping their conversation. Her mouth was hanging wide open. Susan stormed out of the store leaving the queue and dashed across the road into the ambulance bay and quickly entered the hospital through the sliding doors.
Neela approached Susan rushing in. "Can I speak to you for second?"
"Later, Neela" Susan replied glancing around "Has anyone seen Abby?"
The young Indian doctor replied. "She's in treatment room four Dr Lewis"
"Thanks Neela"
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Chuny was assisting Abby whilst she was working away on the ultrasound.
"See that. That's your baby," Abby pointed at the screen. "Heartbeats good, I can see a slight separation on your placenta which have cause the bleeding"
"How far gone I am?"
"About 15 weeks, we will have to admit you, you will need bed rest"
"I can't do that," the girl sobbed "My parents gonna kill me now, they don't know I'm pregnant!"
"I'll go and phone for a bed Doctor," Chuny said. The nurse walked out and bumped in to Susan looking infuriated.
"Dr Lockhart…" Susan said in a whispered tone "I want to see you in my office!"
"Huh?" Abby turned her head and saw her angry looking boss stood next to her. "Ok, I'll be there a in a sec" Abby narrowed her eyes at her patient. Did Sara really report me?