A Lover's Dream: A Deepwater Horizon Fanfic

It Begins

Caleb's POV

I was about to turn off the computer but stopped when I noticed Abby hadn't hung up yet. Her eyes were closed as she took a few deep breaths. I almost said her name, deciding not to when I noticed a tear slide down her cheek.

My heart sank into my stomach as she quickly covered her mouth, trying to stop the sob from escaping her lips. I didn't know what to do as I watched the love of my life cover her face and sob into her hands.

My throat dried as she slowly calmed down. She ran her hands through her hair, taking shaky breaths.

"Stop," she whispered under her breath, her eyes still closed. "He's safe. He's going to come home in a month. I can get through the next month. It's just a few more weeks and he will be home, safe."

My heart sank as Abby took a shaky breath. When she opened her eyes again, her tears were gone. The only signs that she had been crying was the redness still there and the streaks on her cheeks. I looked closer at her to see just how tired she was. The bags under her eyes were so dark they almost looked like bruises.

"Three more weeks," she mumbled. I was just about to call out to her when she reached forward, probably closing her laptop, ending the call.

I sat there, staring at the Skype homepage, trying to get the image of my broken fiancé out of my head.

"Caleb?" Mike said my name, but I didn't turn around. "You okay over there, kid?"

"No," I whispered. "And I don't think Abby is either."

I finally turned around to see Mike looking at me sadly, telling me that he had seen Abby break down.

"Look," he sighed as he leaned on the table next to me. "The first time is always the hardest, but Abby is a strong girl. She'll get through the next few weeks just fine. What you need to start thinking about is whether or not you can put her through this again. Maybe multiple times."

"What are you talking about?" I stuttered.

"Caleb, the guys like you."

"Really?" I scoffed. "The jokes, nicknames and hazing mean they like me?"

"Yep," he smirked at me. He cleared his throat as the smile left his face. "Kid, they want to offer you a full-time job here. Which means. . ."

"Which means I would constantly leave Abby at home," I finished for him. I looked back at the computer screen as if Abby was still there.

"I can't do that," I whispered. I slowly looked back at him, shaking my head. "I'm sorry, Mike, but I can't do that to Abby. I can't keep leaving. It wouldn't be fair to her. I just, I can't. I'm sorry, but. . ."

"It's alright," he sighed, laughing slightly. "I understand. Abigail comes first. As she should."

* * * * *

For the next couple of days, I couldn't get Abby out of my head. I mean, I always think about her, but it was different. Now I thought about the look on her face, the tears streaming down her cheeks and the bags under her eyes.

I was walking around, doing routine checks when I noticed something out of the blue. I walked over to one of the pipes and knelt down to get a closer look. I reached forward and touched the pipe. I furrowed my eyebrows together when I saw the excess mud now on my finger. I stood up and turned around, running into Mike. Literally.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I tried to walk past him.

"Caleb," he stopped me. "You alright?" He asked when he saw the look on my face.

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "No," I sighed. "I can't stop thinking about how broken Abby looked the other day. It's my fault, Mike. It was my dream to come here, my decision to leave her, and it's killing her. How could I do this to her? I say I love her and yet I put her through all of this."

Mike grabbed my arm and dragged me to the hallway, away from everyone else.

"First of all, stop." I was surprised by the firmness in his voice. "You didn't do this to Abigail. Being apart from the person you love is always hard. But, she agreed to it. When you get home, you're going to take her in your arms, kiss her, and then you're going to marry her. You two are going to spend the rest of your lives, happily and together."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "How about this," Mike sighed. "I have my Skype session with Felicia and Syd later today. When I call them, I'll talk to Felicia about Abby. I'm sure she's already gone over there, but I'll make sure she continues to visit Abigail. At least for the next couple of weeks. Until we go home."

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling a little bit better. "Thank you, Mike. I don't know what I would do without you and Felicia."

"You would be just fine," Mike laughed. "So would Abby. You got yourself a strong girl, Caleb. Don't let her go."

"Wouldn't dream of it."