Day 5

Not having anything to do didn't give either one of them much sleep. Lucy was deep in thought, trying to figure out what Namen's next move was going to be. She knew him by reputation; he always had a backup plan if the primary failed. Therefore, it stands to reason that he will make one final attempt on someone from her past. The question was: who? She knew that he wouldn't try anything so soon. He wouldn't drive seven hours to Chicago and then carry out his plan. He'd wait, find the right moment, and then strike.

Carter was still reviewing the events that occurred the other day. They all seemed so surreal to him, and incredible. Yet, it was reality. He did ride in a stolen police helicopter, he did see Lucy Knight, his former med student, pilot it like a veteran, and he did save the life of the man who changed both their lives. Now, all he could do was wait until morning before they could make a move.

As soon as they got back to her apartment, they both took a shower and dressed for bed. Lucy took her turn on the couch while Carter took the bed again.

But she couldn't sleep so she got up and paced around the living room, not bothering to turn on a light. The apartment was small but, due to there being few pieces of furniture, spacious for her compact form to move around in. There was a beautiful view of the city from the window. She stared outside, trying to focus her thoughts, calm down, and get back to sleep. Then she heard Carter come in. He could see her form silhouetted in the light let through the window. She stayed where she was, not turning around, letting him approach her from behind.

"Couldn't sleep either?" She said, more a statement than a question.

"Yeah." He said.

"Join the club." She said.

She heard a short laugh from Carter.

"I hardly got any sleep for months after what happened." He said.

"I found it hard too. I had to deal with the memories of a woman who died and accept them as mine. Plus, I had to deal with adopting a new life that I didn't choose. I usually cried myself to sleep every night, and wake up a few hours later from a nightmare." She said.

Carter closed the distance between them and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently turning her around to face him.

"Lucy, I'm- "

She quickly stopped him with a index finger to his lips.

"Don't apologize to me Carter. What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't stab me, you didn't want me to die, and you certainly couldn't have possibly imagined where I'd end up next. You blame yourself because you survived and I didn't. If I had survived and you didn't, I'd feel the same way." She said.

She continued to talk. She had to let him know her feelings about what happened.

"When I was dying, I was scared for you. When I saw you drop to the floor in front of me, I so was afraid of losing you. I wasn't angry, and I didn't blame you for what happened to me. Even when I was dying, my last thought was that you'd make it. You're a good man Carter, one of the best Doctors, and a great teacher. Don't throw that away. I want, more than anything, to see you live a good long life. I couldn't stand the thought of you living unhappy and alone." She said.

She moved in and put her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace.

"I love you John Carter." She said.

Carter, once again in shock from her confession, snapped back into reality and encircled her in his arms.

"I love you too Lucy Knight." He said, his voice cracking from the tears.

They stood there, the lights of Chicago casting their shadows on the floor, in each other's arms. Their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss.

"I'm not sorry for that." He said.

She laughed softly, with a warm smile lighting her features in the darkness of the room. Fatigue started to set in for them.

"Will you spend the night with me? Not for sex, just be with me? I don't want to be alone." He said.

"I'd like that." She said.

With their hands joined, they went into the bedroom and got into bed. After settling into comfortable positions, they each fell into a peaceful sleep.

That morning, Lucy was the first to wake up, feeling refreshed. She turned and saw Carter, still asleep. Lucy gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before carefully getting out of bed. She went into the kitchen and filled a kettle with water. Placing it on the stove, she went to the window to admire the city skyline.

Suddenly, a loud explosion interrupted her thoughts. Looking out, she could see a small fireball and smoke in the distance.

The next thing she knew she was inside the building, or rather, what was left of it. Most of the walls were either gone or had gaping holes in them. There were no lights except for small fires scattered about and sparks from shorted electrical fixtures. Looking around she recognized the remains of medical supplies and a defibulator unit plastered into a corner of the room. Then she saw the blackened colors of the walls as a trauma room. She walked toward the wall to take a closer look and stumbled over something, falling to her knees.

She gasped when she saw that she stumbled over a dead body. The face was badly burned and blackened from the explosion, but it was clearly Dr. Corday. She was at County. Oh god.

She got up and ran out into what was left of the hallway and saw other bodies strewn in her path. Romano, Weaver, Benton, Anspagh, Green, Malucci, Kovach, and finally Carter. He was on the floor, in the same position he was in when he was stabbed. She saw dried blood covering his white coat, and his eyes open, staring out into space.

"Lucy..." a voice said.

"Lucy! Wake up!" He said.

Carter awoke to someone struggling in his arms. Lucy was having a nightmare. She woke up with a start.

"You're in the apartment Lucy." He said.

"I know." She said.

She turned to face him and gave embraced him with all the strength she had.

"I'm not going to lose you Carter." She said.