(Part 4)

Abby remembered her words to Nicole from the past. Here she was in her apartment, crying. Here she was, unable to do anything but cry. She became a nurse to make a difference; to save others. But how could she save others if she could not even save herself?

Abby walked into the bathroom and picked up the bottle of aspirin on the counter around the sink. She considered what to do next. As she was contemplating her life, the magazine lying next to her make-up grabbed her attention. She could have sworn she had left it on the beauty secrets page, but it was on some literature page. One quote in general stood out. It read: The road to a friend’s house is never long. -Danish proverb.

The road to a friend’s house is never long… Abby repeated in her mind as she dropped the bottle on the floor and ran out of the bathroom.

The doorbell rang several times, all in a row. Whoever it was, they were robbing Carter of his sleep. He had to work double shifts the next day and was not too pleased with this sudden interruption.

His expression changed however when he saw who was on the other side of the door.

“Abby? What’s wrong?” Carter asked the weary-looking woman, his voice heavy with fear and concern.

Abby didn’t answer. She couldn’t. If she had, the crying would start again, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to stop this time.

Before he knew what he was doing, Carter reached out and pulled her into an embrace. He felt her breaking down and sobbing against his shoulder. Everything that they had been going through with each other the past months disappeared. There was no longer any distance, and it felt just like old times with their friendship.

After a long time, she finished crying. He had held her the whole time, afraid of letting go… afraid of losing her forever this time. Once the tears stopped, she had left. He didn’t ask any questions; she would tell him when ready. He knew something was wrong- something bigger than Luka or Maggie. She had never broken down in front of him like this before. Carter sighed resignedly while shaking his head. All he knew was that he would be there completely.

As Abby walked back to her apartment, she felt much better. Although the problem had not gone away, she was relieved that her friendship with Carter hadn’t. It was there. She discovered it always had been.

That night she had fallen asleep; something she wasn’t able to do in the longest time. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe someone or something was looking out for her. Maybe she was apart of someone’s prayer.