There was a sad silence in the small office as a pen was laid to rest on a desk. The lawyer seated behind the desk gave the couple a sad smile and gathered up the papers to file away.

Carter looked at Kem with a deep sadness in his eyes over the decision that they had made and finalized. He was expecting to see sadness in Kem's eyes, but it was not there.

After a long time of discussion and even a bit of marriage counselling, Kem and Carter had amicably come to the decision that their marriage was not working and it was better off terminated. They both grieved for their lost son, but while Carter managed to move on, Kem was unable to do so.

Desiring to part sooner than later, they had each taken a few sick days from work and had managed to get through the divorce process rather quickly and now, with the papers signed, it was final.

"This is for the best, John," Kem said, rising from her chair. "It's just too hard to be with you anymore. It's been a long while, but I still grieve over Joshua. I thought I was getting better, but that whole call from the contractor to offer to build the center put me over the edge."

Carter nodded, tears in his eyes, "What are your plans now?" he asked, trying to be civil.

"A few weeks ago, when we realized that it was not going to work, I began looking into options that would allow me to continue my work as a doctor, yet feel some peace in my life," Kem said, holding back any trace of emotion. "I signed up with Doctors Without Borders and I am going overseas tomorrow."

Sighing, Carter remained silent. He knew that Kem would not want to stay once she was on her own.

Taking Carter's silence as acceptance of the decisions made, Kem managed a half-smile and quietly left the office without looking back. Carter gazed at the lawyer, who was smiling sympathetically.

Carter sighed and gazed back at the closed door, "Life never gets easier," he whispered softly.

"Do you ever rest, Dave?" Dr. Faith asked, as she walked into the room and saw Dave painstakingly pulling himself from his bed into a nearby wheelchair. "You ARE allowed to rest, you know."

Dave chuckled and let out a cough, "Weaver assigned me to visit a psychiatrist today, at this late hour," he moaned. "She says that I don't get any supper until I speak with Psych about being hit by Carter's car."

Amy smiled and gripped the handles of the wheelchair, "Well, I'll wheel you over to your session so that you don't kill yourself before you get there," she said, slowly wheeling Dave from the room. "I understand how you feel about psychiatrists, but you should just go along with the motions, it's much easier."

As they went into the elevator, Dave sighed, "I was hit by Carter's car, I had my spleen out, I've forgiven him and moved on from it," he explained, as the elevator rose. "What more is there to say?'

Within seconds, they had arrived on the Psych floor, "It seems really simple, but I'm sure the psychiatrist will want to explore your feelings about each part of what happened," she said, as she wheeled Dave to the nurses station. "What you went through was interesting and very memorable."

Before he could reply, Dave, who agreed with Dr. Faith's words, was told by an on-duty nurse that the psychiatrist would see him right away. Sighing, Dave allowed himself to be rolled towards his office.

Smiling, Amy turned back and walked back to the elevators. It was time to go home and get back to work.

After hours of driving silently through the streets of Chicago with thoughts weighing on his mind, Carter found himself parked in front of Dr. Faith's clinic. It was a wonder he hadn't crashed.

The day had been hard, Carter thought, as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, desperately needing a little bit of rest. The amount of emotion used over the past few weeks had drained him.

Tap, tap, tap

Startled, Carter opened his eyes and saw Nathan standing outside his window, looking concerned.

Rolling down his window, Carter spoke tiredly, "Nathan, hi there," he said. "I was just having a rest in my car. It's been a long day for me and I'm quite tired."

Nathan raised an eyebrow, "You just happened to pull over and fall asleep in your car in front of my mom's clinic?" he asked, suspicious of Carter's excuse. "Why don't you come in for a while?"

Grateful for a distraction, Carter unbuckled his seat belt and quickly got out of his car, "It's a little late, Nathan," he commented, as he locked his car and followed Nathan inside. "Shouldn't you be at home eating and doing homework?"

While he waited for a reply, Carter, very weary, sunk into a wheelchair and slouched. He sighed, after being on his feet all day, sitting felt so good.

"Are you all right, Doctor Carter?" Nathan asked, concerned at Carter's fatigue.

Carter nodded tiredly, "As I said, it's been a long day," he replied.

Nathan nodded, "I understand," he said. "Anyway, my mom's off visiting Doctor Dave at the hospital, but she should be back pretty soon…."

Suddenly, Dr. Faith, who had taken a fast train back from County, came in just as Nathan had finished speaking. Right away, she noticed Carter was sitting in a wheelchair, looking tired.

"John, what are you doing here?" Dr. Faith asked, concerned at the way he looked. "Is everything all right?"

There was silence. Realizing that Nathan was still there, Dr. Faith looked at him expectantly.

"Nathan, you can go home and help Lucas with Renee and Katie now," Dr. Faith said, smiling at her eldest son. "Perhaps you can even phone Rachel and chat for a few minutes. I understand, from talking with her father earlier, that she is home and would enjoy a phone call from a friend."

Turning a shade of light pink, Nathan grinned and quickly jogged out of the clinic.

"So, Nathan has a soft spot for Mark's daughter?" Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dr. Faith smiled, "Yes, I think it's rather cute to see Nathan all lovesick," she replied. "So, you never did tell me exactly why you came by here tonight."

Carter sighed, "The divorce was finalized today," he admitted wearily. "Kem signed up to go join Doctors Without Borders somewhere overseas. I'm just feeling drained from the whole divorce process."

"Oh, John, I'm so sorry to hear that," Dr. Faith said, taking a seat in a plastic chair nearby. "I understand that once a family is made, it is devastating when it falls apart."

Carter sighed, "Nathan said that you were visiting Malucci at County," he commented, changing the subject. "How is he doing now?"

"Even though he's still pretty tired, Dave is physically doing a lot better than he was," Dr. Faith commented, smiling, as she noticed the sudden change in discussion topic. "Doctor Kovac and his son visit with Dave a lot and are still looking after Daniel. Even though Dave is sick, he wants Daniel to stay in school and is grateful for Doctor Kovac's help."

Sitting up a little straighter, Carter spoke, "Hey, Amy, do you want to grab some dinner with me?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't be offended by the request. "I'm feeling a little hungry now."

Amy didn't honestly feel like going out on a dinner date with anyone at the moment. However, she felt horrible that Carter had such a crappy time with the divorce and wanted to make him feel better.

"Sure, John, I wouldn't mind sharing a meal with you," Dr. Faith said, smiling as she stood up. "Why don't you pick the place and we'll go and enjoy ourselves."

Carter nodded and, standing up, he offered his arm to Dr. Faith. He looked at her eagerly.

Even though she thought it a little awkward, Dr. Faith took his arm and they left the clinic together.

In truth, neither of them were actually looking for a relationship to develop, as neither of them felt emotionally ready for it. However, it was nice to develop a secure friendship and that's what it was.

A chuckle rang out as water from a glass pitcher splashed out of a glass goblet and on to a pristine tablecloth. There were sudden footsteps and a horrified gasp.

"Sorry about that," Carter mumbled, slightly embarrassed, as he watched the now annoyed waiter mop up the puddle of water from the once pristine tablecloth. "I'm a little clumsy."

Amy sucked in a breath and waited in silence as the waiter finished mopping the water up and moved away from the table. Then, smiling, she burst into quiet, yet mischievous laughter.

Carter was silent, then he began laughing. People around them glared and were murmuring to each other about the unnecessary noise, but neither Carter nor Amy cared, they were just enjoying themselves.

Having received many complaints about the noisy couple, the manager walked over to them, "I am sorry, Mr. Carter, but you and your date will need to leave immediately," he said. "You are making a lot of unnecessary noise and the customers are complaining about your uncouth and immature manners."

Carter nodded and got to his feet, trying not to laugh. Amy stood and they left the restaurant, much to the relief of the customers who had complained about their shenanigans.

"Oh, that was embarrassing," Carter commented, as they stepped out into the cool night air. "I've never been thrown out of a restaurant before. Perhaps we might be better off taking a walk and talking?"

Amy nodded, "I'd like that very much, John," she said, taking his offered arm.

Peals of amused laughter rang out as Amy and Carter walked away from the restaurant.