And the morning light was breaking...
+++++++++++++++++++++++
This little girl looked so scared

so frightened

"Carter!" Mark yelled,"CARTER!"

Her big brown eyes burned into his skin

Something was so familliar about her

"John" Deb tapped his shoulder,"Dr.Greene...." her jaw
dropped, the color draining from her face

"You know her, don't you?" he whispered

Deb nodded robotically

"CARTER!" Mark yelled one last time, breaking his connection
with the big brown eyes he could have sworn he'd seen before

Deb
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Slowly moving cross the bed
He gets up without her waking
To the voices in his head
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Hi"

The little girl blinked

Jing Mei sighed, her whole body shaking as she switched
over to the fast paced Chinese."Is that better?"

The little girl nodded

"Where's your mummy?"

She searched through her coat pocket eagerly, smiling at Jing mei,
until she pulled out a crumpled picture."My mummy"

"Oh god" Jing Mei gasped

From the admit desk, Carter kept his eye on Jing Mei and the girl

..."Up to surgery.Bed 2..." Mark's voice faded in and out

"Your other mummy" she couldn't tear her eyes off the picture
in front of her

A blurry woman in front of a hospital. In a lab coat
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Through the shadows in the hallway
To the room they painted blue
On the inside he is frightened
He's at a loss for what to do
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She listened to the story.Even after the little girl stopped telling it
it played over and over in her head

They had died. Her grandmother gave her the letters, the address of
the mother in Chicago, the one in the picture

"Do you really live here?" the little girl asked

"Can you tell me your name?" Deb asked

The little girl looked at her curiously."You're Jing Mei"

Deb nodded slowly

"I'm Maeko"

"Who do we have here? I sent for labs awhile ago, Dr.Chen" Kerry
huffed through a forced smile

"I'm not a nurse" she bent down and picked up Maeko as she walked away.
"And I'm tending to my patient"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Till he opens up his eyes
And the angels all look down
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Deb!" Carter cried,"Deb! Deb! Deb!"

Maeko clung tightly to Deb's hand."Who's that?"

JIng Mei looked down at Maeko, then back at Carter."Your ba-ba"

"She doesn't speak english?" he asked, ruffling the girl's hair

She shook her head

"Is she by herself?"

Deb rolled her eyes, setting the soda in front of the girl who
had sat down on the couch in the lounge

"Deb"

She sighed,"Yeah she's alone. Maeko left California to look for her
birth mom,who's here.All she has left is her grandmother"

Maeko looked up,searching Carter's face

Deb looked away
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Even closer than this life
Closer than your faith
Closer than the things that you hold dearly and in vain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"How fast do DNA tests come back?"

Abby dropped her chart."What??"

"DNA" Carter answered semi calmly

"If ordered STAT" she followed his eyes to where they were both
watching Deb exit the lounge with Maeko,"Two days"

He nodded,"I don't have two days"

"Obviously"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"YOu're how old Maeko?" Deb closed the door of the exam room
and warmed the stehoscope with her palm

"7"

"Big girl" she replied, "7"

"My birthday is...."

"June third" Deb said outloud

Maeko grinned proudly at Jing Mei

Deb leaned over and pulled the curtain shut."Take a deep breath"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Closer than this light
Falling through again
Given more than anything that you could hope to win
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Did someone call child services?" Kerry yelled

Abby looked at Carter

"Yeah Dr.Weaver" he lied," about 5 minutes ago"

"Chen hasn't seen any other patients today.I don't know who she
thinks she is..."

"Your labs came back an hour ago" Abby called after Dr.Weaver

Carter walked away in time to avoid Kerry's rant about
the upstairs lab."Deb"

"John?"

"Where is she?"

Deb bit her lip."Upstairs.Day Care. I figured I should actually do some work"

Carter nodded,"Kerry..."

Her face turned bitter."No mentioning Kerry"

He chuckled lightly."Of course not"

"YOu should go see her" JIng Mei said quietly

Carter nodded

"I had to call child services"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And he knows his life is changing
It's never easy letting go
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Dr.Carter?? Dr.Chen said we would be expecting you"

He looked puzzled, but smiled

"Maeko's the one in the corner" the day care assisant touched his
shoulder."She's quiet."

"Thank you" carter replied. He stood in the doorway, watching her
every move

Maeko felt the eyes and turned to him, smiling. The little girl
held out a doll for him to play, so he could join her game

The Daddy doll
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
But for the first time you are mortal
As the child before you grows
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She went to reach for a new chart

"We need to talk" Carter grabbed her arm,"Now"

Deb felt her bottom lip start to quiver."John.."

"Now Deb" he snapped, making a few people stare

She dropped the chart and walked with him to the elevator,
feeling the people's eyes burn into her back

"Why didn't you tell me?" he spat angrily as the elevator
doors closed

Jing Mei just looked at him sadly
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And he wonders at the sight
Of the joy that they have found
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
He held the door open that lead to the roof for her

"Ever just been so scared" her voice shook

Carter rubbed his eyes anxiously."she's mine, isn't she?I mean
she's a carbon copy of you, but she's mine,isn't she?"

Her bottom lip quivered as tears raced down her cheeks."I was so scared"

"Deb!" he threw his arms up in disgust

"I was 22, 23, maybe" she sunk down, leaning her back against the ledge.
"I was scared.I had a new life, a new career"

His daughter."I have a daughter" Carter slid down till he sat across
from her

"I never thought she'd..." Jing Mei buried her face in her hands as
she cried

"Come back?" Carter leaned over and grabbed his knees."Deb"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Even closer than this life
Closer than your faith
Closer than the things that you hold dearly and in vain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"If I can't handle this, what am I going to do if Michael comes back?"
Deb brought her face up and looked at him sadly

"Michael wasn't a secret"he struggled to stand up and hug her.
Carter reached out for her hand

Deb stopped crying

"Come on..I hate standing too close to the ledge"

She nodded, reaching out for his hand

He picked up her other hand and placed it on his shoulder.
His arm around her waist."I couldn't really think of a better
time for her to come,actually" Carter announced, pulling her into
a slow dance

Deb rested her face on his shoulder, wanting to cry

"She came when we were both ready" he lowered his voice."We can do
this"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Closer than this light
Falling through again
Given more than anything that you could hope to win
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Deb closed her eyes, resting her body against his

"Maeko what?"

She opened one eye, looking at his calmly smiling face."Maeko Grace"


He nodded,"Does she know who I am?"

Jing Mei nodded, her racing heart slowing down to it's normal pace

"Wow" Carter chuckled hoarsely,his voice shaking,"Alright"

Deb brought her head back up so she could see his face

"She's got your eyes" his voice caught as Carter quickly looked
away

She touched the side of his face,"John?"

Carter looked back at her, tears racing down his face."I'm scared" he
said quietly

Jing Mei bent down and kissed his forehead."We can do this"

"We can do this" Carter repeated softly
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Closer than this life
Closer finally
Living for the only thing you ever made complete
Oh... the one thing that you both did perfectly...