pIt was your typical Chicago day. Snow was falling on the ground, adding to the six inches that had already accumulated. The wind was blowing hard enough to make you feel like you couldn't breath. The weather guy said the temperature was 17 degrees, but with the wind chill it would feel like thirty below. Abby pushed her way through the double doors of the Emergency Room at Cook County General. Randi was seated behind the desk. Susan was yelling at someone in Trauma One. Luka was hovering over a patient. Kerry looked like she was looked for someone's ass to eat for lunch. Abby rushed into the lounge to avoid her.p"Mornin'" Carter said without looking up from his file.p"Hi to you too. You want to tell me why you snuck out this morning?" She asked slightly annoyed.p"Chen needed to leave, so I covered the end of her shift."p"Have I done something?" Abby was more than a little annoyed.p"No, why?" Carter still did not look at her.p"Because you are acting like I just stole your lollipop." She hung her coat in her locker. "Are you going to say anything?"p"Nothing to say." Carter replied in a huff. Abby angrily walked out of the lounge. She saw Susan walk out of Trauma 1.p"Hey Susan, can I talk to you for a minute?"p"Sure, this room is clear now, we can go in here." She held open the door and followed Abby in. "What's up?"p"Have you talked to Carter yet today?"p"No, Why?"p"He's pissed off at me for something and I was wondering if he might have casually mentioned it to you."p"Why would he be mad at you?"p"I don't know. I think he was going to ask me to marry him last night."p"You mean he didn't?" Susan asked incredulously.p"You knew?" Abby was stunned.p"Yeah," she sighed and sat down on the gurney, "He showed me the ring and Said he was going to ask you last night."p"I saw the ring last night. It fell out of his coat."p"Did you like it?"p"Duh, who wouldn't? But why didn't he ask? We were at dinner and he was giving me this whole speal about us and changing and all that garbage, and then nothing. He barely spoke to me on the way home and then he snuck out early this morning without so much as a kiss goodbye. Explain that."p"I think you should talk to him about it."p"I can't. He'll think I was snooping."p"No he wouldn't." Susan stood up and walked over to the doors, "Look Abby, Carter loves you, that's obvious. One way or another, you will be together." Susan walked out leaving Abby there alone.p*******************p"Halleh, I need to run this sample upstairs for Weaver, can you keep an eye out for me. It shouldn't take too long."p"Whatever."pAbby walked up the stairs slowly. She hadn't been able to concentrate since she had spoken to Susan this morning. Susan was right. He would ask her when he was ready, so why was she fretting over it so much? Because she wanted him to ask her and she wanted it so badly. She got to the top of the stairs.p"Oh, excuse me," she apologized after bumping into someone.p"No problem," she heard a man's voice and looked up, "I'm Dr. Johanssen, I will be the new ER attending for the year, and you are?" He held his hand out her.p"Abby, Abby Lockhart. I'm the Nurse Manager down in the ER."p"Nice to meet you Nurse Abby."p"Abby is fine," she said removing her hand from his. She instantly felt uncomfortable around him. There was something about him that she didn't like. "If you'll excuse me, I really have to go." She walked away from. She could feel the eyes burning into her ass.p*********************pFifteen minutes later, Abby was waiting for the elevator to go down. It finally opened after what seemed like and eternity. She walked inside and pressed the button. As the doors began to close, and hand went between them. "Well, hello there Nurse Abby," Dr. Johanssen stepped inside. Abby backed herself against the back wall.p"Please, just call me Abby."p"Oh, I will call you whatever I want to call you," he walked up to her and put his face only inches from hers, "In fact, I will call you what I want and do with you what I want."p"I don't know what kind of sick and twisted world you live in, but there is help for people like you," she slipped away trying to press the button for a closer floor. Dr. Johanssen grabbed her arm forcefully and slammed her up against the elevator.p"Let's get one thing straight. I don't know who you think you are but you do NOT speak to me in that matter." The coffee smell on his breath made her nose burn.p"Get you hands off of me!"p"I like when you fight, it makes it so much better." He leaned in to kiss her and she spat in his face. He slammed against the wall again and raised his hand and slapped her in the face. Her back hurt and the taste of copper filled her mouth from where she had bit her lip. She looked into his eyes. There was something so horrible deep within them, something that she didn't want to believe, something she didn't want to feel the wrath of, something that terrified her inside...........pLet me know what you think and I will continue. I welcome criticism and I also like to know what you would like to see happen next. It helps me with my writer's block I get sometimes. Thanks!