Chapter 3 If Only you knew
Scene 1
Abby and Chen were treating Mr. Jeffaries a Patient with a possible appendicitis, Romano has just came in after being called in to give a surgical consult.
Romano: (Checks Mr. Jeffaries abdomen)
Mr. Jeffaries: (Screws up his face in pain) Aww
Romano: Looks like you might need surgery Mr. Jeffaries (begins to wheel Mr. Jeffaries out of the room) don’t worry you'll be safer with me than these ER butchers (Romano continues to wheel Mr. Jeffaries out of the room)
Abby: (Makes a note on the chart)
Chen: You seem happier today. I heard about that little girl who lost her Mother yesterday.
Abby: Ashley?
Chen: Yeah, how is she?
Abby: Her Grandmother came and took her home this morning.
Chen: (looks like she's going to say something)
Abby: (Interrupts her) and yes Carter called last night and the meeting went very well.
Chen: I wasn't going to ask that.
Abby: Sure you were, everyone else seems to be asking me that today. (Smiles and walks off)
Scene 2
Carter has just said goodbye to his Father and is making a call from the Airport to County General. Jerry answers the phone.
Jerry: County, how can I help you?
Carter: Jerry can you get Susan for me?
Jerry: Carter?
Carter: Shh, I don't want Abby to know it's me.
(Susan and Abby walk past the desk)
Jerry: Lewis, Mystery Man on the phone for you.
(Susan and Abby stop walking)
Abby: What another blind date?
(Abby walks off and Susan takes the phone off Jerry)
Carter: Hey, is she around?
Susan: She just left. Why are you calling here?
Carter: I need to know what time Abby's shift goes to and I can't really ask her, can I!
Susan: Oh yeah. Wait a sec and I'll check (picks up the Nurses schedule and looks at it). She finishes at 10 tonight.
Carter: Thanks
Susan: So you got everything planned for tonight?
Carter: Yeah all set.
Susan: I can't wait to see Abby's face, she going to be so surprised.
Carter: I better go, my flights about to board
Susan: See ya
(Carter and Susan hang up)
Scene 3
Richard comes into the ER looking very angry, Pratt and Weaver are at the desk discussing a Patient, Jerry is answering the phones and Susan is signing the board.
Richard: (Yelling) Where's Abby? I need to speak to her now.
(Everyone at the desk stops what they are doing and look up to see who is yelling and Abby comes along with a chart to put in the dispo box)
Abby: (Seeing Richard) Richard, What do you want?
Richard: (Yelling) What do I want Abby? You know what I want, I want to know why?
Abby: Why, what? and calm down, this isn't the place for this.
Richard: (Yelling) No I won't calm down Abby. I think everyone should know what you did. Don't you!
Abby: (Begins to look worried) What are you talking about?
Richard: (Yelling) Our baby, you aborted our Baby. You had no right. You didn't even give me a chance to be a Father to our Baby.
Abby: (Tears begin to form) You don't know what it was like growing up with a bipolar Mother. I was scared our baby would be bipolar. I couldn't have a bipolar child, I just couldn't (begins to cry)
Richard: (Still yelling) That's no excuse. I had to find out years later and it was my baby too Abby. Do you know what that's like? Do you?
Abby: (Still crying) I'm sorry Richard. You were never meant to know.
Richard: (Yelling) It's too late now Abby. Our baby didn't get a chance, why should you! (Storms out of the ER)
Abby: (Stands there shaking with her head down until Richard leaves, then slowly begins to walk out of the ER)
Susan: (Goes to follow her) Abby wait
Weaver: Leave her, she needs space.
Scene 4
About 10 minute’s later Carter walks into the ER wearing a suit and carrying a huge bunch of dried flowers. Susan and Pratt are still at the desk looking over charts.
Carter: Surprise
(Susan and Pratt look at Carter then look at each other as if to say what do we do?)
Carter: What, where is she?
Pratt: She….
(Susan gives Pratt a look that says be quiet)
Carter: Come on, What's going on, where's Abby? Did something happen to her?
Susan: She just left about 10 minutes ago
Carter: I thought you said she was on 'til 10
Susan: (Shrugs her shoulders) You should go find her John. She seemed really upset.
(Carter runs out of the ER to go and find Abby)
Scene 5
Carter sees Abby walking slowly along the street with her head down.
Carter: (Calls out) Abby!
Abby: (Keeps walking as if she's in her own world and can't hear anything around her. She keeps walking across the road unaware of the car coming towards her)
Carter: (Runs over to Abby and suddenly pulls her off the road)
Abby: (Looks up with tears in her eyes) Carter!
Carter: (Pulls Abby in for a hug and softly says) Hey, hey. What's going on?
Abby: Oh John, I'm so sorry. (Begins to cry)
Carter: (Pulls out of the hug) Lets go somewhere quiet and talk about this?
(They begin to walk off. Carter has his arms around Abby's shoulders as they walk. They walk along until they get to the bench by the river where they sit down)
Carter: (Wipes a tear off Abby's face) So what's this all about?
Abby: (Begins to cry again) I had an abortion John.
Carter: (looks at her surprised) What, when, was it ours? (Stands up)
Abby: (Wipes her eyes) No Richards..
Carter: (Starts to get angry) I can't believe you never told me Abby.
Abby: It was years before we even meet and it was something I wanted to put out of my mind forever.
Carter: Did anyone know?
Abby: (Nods her head) Yeah Maggie and the Doctor that's all who knew. Richard didn't even know.
Carter: (Angrily) We're being though so much together over the years and after everything that happened last year we promised we'd talk about everything. What you thought you couldn't tell me?
Abby: No John, It's not that.
Carter: (Yelling) Well what is it then Abby, 'cause I sure as hell would love to know. Don't you trust me?
Abby: (Crying) Of course I trust you John
Carter: No enough to tell me something that important, huh Abby!
Abby: I'm sorry John. I just couldn't talk about it.
Carter: My God Abby you're a Nurse. Why would you get an abortion?
Abby: (Crying softly) I couldn't have a bipolar Baby, I just couldn't..
Carter: What if it was our baby, would you get an abortion then?
Abby: (Looks down and doesn't answer Carter)
Carter: (Angrily) Well you just answered my question Abby. What does that say about how much I mean to you (Storms off)
Abby: (Quietly to herself) If only you knew, If only you knew.
Me: Can Carter forgive Abby or will this destroy their relationship? Find out in the next chapter of 'The end of the beginning'.