Fic: Welcomes and Goodbyes PART 4
Characters/Pairing: Connor/Abby
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Primeval and it’s characters belong to Impossible Pictures, no copyright infringement is intended.
AN: This is my first Fic so please, leave a comment :D
BIG thanks to wilemina_29 for betaing *hugs* and thanks to my friend Callace, for looking over my attempts of writing LOL
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"Jenny, where’s Connor?"
She let me go and looked down.
"Abby, ahm ... he ... "
"Just tell me, Jenny. Please!"
"I will, but you have to calm down! You hyperventilated, do you remember what happened?" Jenny took my right hand and squeezed it.
"I ... no ... I was thinking about ... ahm ... some things. I think I freaked out a bit, I remember. What happened to Connor?"
"Well, you lost consciousness. Sarah called the ambulance and he ... well, he was scared. When the ambulance arrived they wanted to take you to the hospital but they didn't let him ride with you because he isn't a family member. We brought him here but he was breathing too fast and he collapsed when we arrived. I don't really know where they took him. Sarah and Becker are with him."
I was crying again. When I tried to get out of the bed Jenny held onto me preventing my escape.
"Jenny let me go, I need to see him!"
"Calm down, please Abby!" She shoved me back down and held me to the bed. When I began to sob again, she called a doctor.
Jenny tried to calm me down and when the doctor arrived she explained what happened. He gave me a mild sedative to relax me and asked Jenny to wait outside. After a few minutes I was ready to listen to the doctor who told me that my hard sobbing caused my heart to beat irregularly and that this in turn caused me to lose consciousness. He asked me if it was the first time something like that happened. I told him that I’d had problems with that as was a teenager. He nodded and scribbled down something on the clipboard he was holding.
"Well, we’ll have to run some tests Miss Maitland. So you can leave after we get the results but you’ll have to stay at least overnight."
"What tests? I want to see my friend!"
"Just some blood tests and a heart function test, don't worry. A nurse will come here to take blood samples and explain the ECG monitor to you, it won’t take long. I’ll tell them to take you to your friend afterwards, okay?"
"Thanks."
He nodded "But don't stress yourself! You will be a bit out of it since I just gave you a sedative. You may feel a bit unstable, so don't go anywhere on your own alright?"
"I wont. Don't worry."
He smiled.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow morning then."
I sighed. I didn't want to wait any longer! I just wanted to go and see Connor.
Jenny came back in looking very worried.
"What did he say? Are you okay?”
I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. They have to run some tests."
She let out a breath and sighed.
"Good, at least you’re better! Sarah was just here. I sent her and Becker home now, there’s nothing they can do here."
"Did she say anything about Connor? How is he?"
"Ahm ... Abby, they wouldn't tell Sarah anything. But they want to contact his Dad."
His dad? That sounded serious.
I just looked at Jenny. She sat down beside me and stilled my hands. I hadn't noticed that I was wringing them in my lap.
"Abby? Maybe we should call someone from your family too? Your mum? To make you feel better?"
"NO! God no! Not that she would care anyway. I'm fine, okay?"
"But why not? Maybe it would be good for you not to be alone now."
"I'm not alone! I have Connor and you guys. Plus my mum doesn't give a shit about me."
"Ahm ... okay. But I'm sure that she cares Abby. She is your mum."
"No she doesn't. She didn't care when her husband tried to rape me."
Oh no! ... I hadn’t meant to blurt that out, I didn’t want people knowing about my past, what would Jenny think of me?
Jenny looked wide eyed.
"What? Abby ..."
"No! Just ... just forget I said anything. It was a long time ago."
Before Jenny could say anything more about it, a nurse came into my room. I was really relieved about the interruption. The nurse asked Jenny to leave the room while she explained the ECG test to me. After she had put the pads on my body and took some blood, she told me that Connor had listed me as his emergency contact and that the doctor had ordered her to take me to him. She'd let me dress, and would be back in 5 minutes.
"Dress?" I looked around.
The nurse smiled.
"Yeah, your friend outside, brought in some clothes for you. Just put them on and I'll take you to Mr Temple."
Jenny came back in when the nurse left my room.
"Abby, can I ask you something?"
"If you have to."
I had a pretty good idea what she wanted to ask me.
I started getting dressed, while Jenny sat down on the bed.
"Did you ever talk to someone about what happened with your step-father?"
I sighed.
"I tried to talk to my mum about it. She didn't believe me."
I couldn't look into her face.
"How old were you?" She sounded weird ... not Jenny-like. She sounded like a councillor.
"Seventeen. Henry, my stepfather, was drinking a lot, like my mum. They got married when I was thirteen and everything I did was wrong. Henry used to beat me when he was really drunk and mum just looked away, or just said, that I deserved it. Then one night when I was 17, Henry came to my room at night... he smelled like an entire bar. He touched me everywhere and he told me to hold still. At first I did, I was so scared. When he told me that I wasn't good enough for him so I should be grateful, that he was showing me how to be a real woman, I started to fight back. I kicked him in the balls, so he let me go. When I told my mother about it the next morning, she told me that I was lying. She said Henry was the best thing that had happened to her and that I was just trying to break them up. Jack was only twelve back then. I don't think he knew anything had happened at all. I left that day."
Jenny came over and hugged me.
"I'm so sorry, Abby."
"Please just don't tell anyone, okay? I'm over it. I got into kickboxing and I'm good now."
She let me go.
"Alright, thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. Does anyone else know?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Okay. If you want to talk about anything, you can ... with me I mean."
I nodded and sighed.
"Thanks." I wiped my eyes. I hadn't even realized that I was crying.
The nurse came back to take me to Connor. Jenny came with me but stayed in the waiting room while I went into his room.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
I was taken aback when I saw him, he was hooked up to machines and looked so small in his hospital bed. I sat down on a chair beside him, and taking his hand in mine, I looked at his gloveless right hand.
He looked so strange without his trademark fingerless gloves and I wondered where they had put them. His ring wasn't around his neck either. I reached out to caress his face, it was so weird to see him this still. Connor was never still, he always moved even in sleep. God, I couldn’t lose him! I needed him. He was my best friend and I loved him. And not only because he was my friend, he was more to me and I knew that now.
A nurse came in after a while to check on his machines and scribbled something down on the clipboard at the foot of Connors bed.
"Ahm,... sorry, but could you tell me where the ring is that he had around his neck?"
I just had to ask her since I knew how important it was to him.
The nurse was a bit younger than me and she had red hair and a pale face. I noticed her piercing bright green eyes when she looked at me.
She smiled "Yeah. Do you want to have it?"
I nodded "Yes, please!"
She left the room and came back a few seconds later. In her hand she had Connor’s ring on the leather string.
"Is it your wedding ring?" She asked.
I looked at her confused.
"I ... why do you think that?"
"Because of the inscription. It’s really sweet." She replied, handing me the ring.
"ahm ... yeah. Thank you."
"No problem."
She smiled again and left.
When she was out of the room I looked at the ring more closely. The inscription said 'You will always be home to me'. Before I had the chance to think about it all, the door opened and a doctor came in.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but are you Miss Maitland?"
I nodded "Yeah."
He sat down on a second chair and scooted closer to me.
"Alright, so; there are some things I need to talk to you about. Could you answer a few questions for me?"
"I can try."
"Good. Your colleagues told me that Mr. Temple lost his voice this evening? Did he have a fever or any other symptoms?"
"Yeah and he said that his throat was sore, he was tired, oh and he had a headache."
The Doctor seemed satisfied and nodded.
"Well, it seems that he has pneumonia. There was some fluid on his lungs but we got that under control. He is breathing on his own now, as you can see. We have him on broad spectrum antibiotics and he should wake up soon but he will be weak and his voice won't return right away. He may still experience some trouble breathing, but that'll get better soon."
"So he'll be okay?"
"Yeah, he was lucky that he collapsed right here in the emergency room. The fluid that had accumulated in his lungs was actually pretty dangerous."
The doctor was telling me more about Connors condition, but I wasn’t listening anymore ... I didn't want to listen.
He looked at me and smiled a practiced looking smile.
"Miss Maitland? You are a patient yourself aren't you? All that you have to know is that he will get better. Don't worry!"
I nodded numbly and he finally left me alone with Connor.
I lay my head right beside Connors on the bed. I don't know how long I sat there before the door opened again. I looked at the intruder and saw a man standing there. He looked at me and took a few steps into the room, then he looked at Connor. He sighed and came over to me with his eyes still on Connor. I slipped the necklace over my head and looked at the man again.
He was standing right beside me when he took a shuddering breath in and said "Oh, my boy, what happened?"
"They think he has pneumonia." I explained
He looked at me now "Ahm ... sorry. I'm James Temple, Connor’s Dad. You’re Abby?"
"Ahm ... yeah. Nice to meet you, Mr. Temple."
He smiled and I saw where Connor got his dimples from. And his eyes, his father had the same brown eyes.
"Call me James please."
He got a chair over and sat down beside me. I still had Connors hand in mine, his dad saw this and smiled again.
"Connor talks about you a lot when he calls you know."
"He does?"
He nodded "Yeah. You work together?"
"Yeah, we share an office at the research centre."
"Yeah, he told me that. I was so happy when he got the job with the government while he was still in his last year of uni."
"Yeah, he is great."
I stoked Connors hand while talking to his dad.
"Abby? Can you tell me what happened today?"
"I hope so. Connor’s been ill since yesterday. You know, sore throat and he was hoarse, but then he lost his voice completely. We where watching some DVD's together with some colleagues and ... well I think it is my fault ..." Tears rolled down my face again
"I'm sure it wasn't Abby. Please don't cry."
"But it is! I hyperventilated and fainted. And because Connor isn't a member of my family, the paramedic wouldn't let him ride with me. My friend Jenny said that he was breathing too fast and that he kind of collapsed. But he is my family in every sense that counts, you know?"
"Yeah, from what he tells me, he feels the same."
"Yeah, the same ... I just realized that."
His father looked me in the eyes and nodded.
"Well, I think I can say that you may be at fault, but only because Connor cares so much for you! So please don't feel guilty. Are you okay?"
I nodded "Yeah, I'm okay.”
I felt Connors hand twitch and looked at his face.
"Connor?"
His eyes where still closed but he whispered something. I got nearer to his face.
"Conn? Come on, wake up, please!"
He whispered again, but this time I got what he said.
"Abby."
"I'm here! Just wake up."
He sighed and opened his eyes. I smiled and threw my arms around him.
"Abs! Oww! Air! And my chest hurts!" Connor still had to whisper to speak at all.
"God, sorry! I'm so sorry!"
My eyes teared up again, and one tear dropped onto his face. He lifted his hand and brushed the tears from my eyes with his thumb.
His dad moved around the bed now to stand on Connors other side. Connor looked up at him, confused.
"Dad?"
"Yeah. It's good to see you son, but another situation would have been nicer. You scared me and the young lady here!"
Connor looked at me again.
"What happened?"
"Jenny told me that you broke down when you got here, that you couldn't breath. And your doctor just told me that you have pneumonia. Do you remember?"
He thought about it and nodded after a while.
"Yeah ... they wouldn't let me go with you or even see you."
His dad cleared his throat and said "I'll go and look for a doctor, okay?"
Connor nodded, and looked back at me. I took his hand in mine again and moved the chair closer to his head so that we could talk.
"What happened to you Abs? What got you crying so hard?"
I looked away and sighed.
"I was thinking, about Cutter and Stephen and how we lost them and ... I can't lose you!"
"I'm not going anywhere Abby!"
"Connor, you could have died in the lab just yesterday. And now this! You’re in the ICU and you had fluid in your lungs. I was so scared. I need you! I love you!"
His eyes grew wide and I slapped my hand over my mouth. It wasn't supposed to come out like this. But now it was out and I took in a breath.
"I do, I really do!"
"Say it again!" He whispered.
"I love you!" I sobbed now and lay my head on the bed right beside his head.
His hand came up to cup the back of my head, he stroked my hair and whispered "I love you too, Abs."
I kissed his neck and then he turned his head to me and I kissed his mouth. It was just a sweet little kiss and we stopped it before we got carried away. I suddenly remembered his necklace with the ring on.
"I have your ring here."
He shook his head.
"No, keep it!"
Right than the door opened and Connors dad came back in with a doctor.
********
I was allowed to go home the next day and since Connor still had to stay in the hospital, I offered his dad a place to stay for the night.
James was a nice man and I found out more things Connor got from his dad. He had the same sense of humour and like Connor, James loved tea.
His dad amused me with stories from Connors childhood while we were eating dinner that evening.
"... and he demanded that I buy him a computer! He was just nine years old back then, but I couldn't deny him much, since was always a good kid. Never got into much trouble and you know what happened when I got that computer home?"
I imagined a little nine year old Connor and had to smile.
"No, what?"
"At first he had to help me to hook the thing up! My little boy instinctively knew how to do that! We got it working, I told him to be very careful with it and he promised me he would. But when I got home the next day, he had taken it apart. He was looking at the insides of the computer and told me that the motherboard was too slow. I didn't even know what a motherboard was!"
I had to laugh out loud at that.
"Yeah, that sounds like him."
His father's eyes grew sad when he saw that I had Connors necklace.
"When his mum passed away, he didn't talk for almost three months. The only things he did was go to school and fiddle with his computer. I was so worried about him. Do you know what got him talking again?"
I shook my head.
"I gave him the ring you’re wearing right now. He broke down and cried for almost an hour. Then he got out a leather sting and put the ring around his neck. He said that he would find a girl one day and he would know that she was the one, right from the start. And two years ago, he told me 'I found her'. You know that I met my late wife at work too?"
I smiled.
"Connor told me that she liked ABBA."
"Yeah, she did. I still miss her and I thought often that Connor would have needed a mum when he grew up but he was a good kid. Always so bright, but he never had many friends."
"He has now. More than just me."
"I know, he told me while you where getting checked out today. Thank you for keeping him safe. I had to let him go, but I still worry for him, he’s the only thing left of my wife and my only child. But he’s happy here with his work, and with you."
"I'm happy with him too. And I hope that he can come home soon."
"Yeah. I'll have to go home tomorrow, but you two have to promise me that you'll come and visit me, okay?"
"We will! Very soon, I hope."
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Connor signed himself out the next day. He said he wanted to go home and that he could recover better there. I agreed to take care of him and that he wouldn't be alone at any time. If any signs of breathing trouble occurred, we'd call an ambulance straight away.
I was sitting with my back to the headboard of his bed with his head in my lap.
"Abby, ahm ... when you said ... you know ... " He still had to whisper, but the doctor at the hospital said that it only would take one or two more days for his voice to return.
"I meant it, Connor. I love you!"
With that I bent down and kissed him. This time the kiss was more passionate and I put my hand on the back of his head to hold him to me. He brought both of his hands around my neck and drew me nearer to him.
When we both needed to take a breath, he lay his forehead against mine and grinned.
"Took you long enough!" I hit him and he laughed "I love you too Abby! Since the first time I saw you I knew it would be you!"
Yeah. It was right to tell him, he was my best friend and we’d already been through so many things together, good and bad. Now, he was my boyfriend and for the first time, I wasn't scared at all about that thought. I knew I could trust him with my life and my heart.
"Abby? What the hell are they? Hairless dogs? God they look horrible!"
My eyes widened, Jack had come home and Sid and Nancy had greeted him right at the door!
Connor laughed "Hairless dogs? Well, that could work!"
"Oh, shut up!"
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THE END