Disclaimer: I don't own Carter…I don't own Abby…I don't own Luka…damn, I
don't own anyone, do I?
Warning: This fan fiction contains spoilers for upcoming ER episodes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carter looked up from his locker when he heard the door to the Lounge open. He smiled when he saw who it was.
"Hey, good morning, Abby," he said to the nurse, getting back to putting on his lab coat.
"Hi, Carter," she replied, sounding a little distracted. She walked to the coffee machine and quickly turned it on.
Carter chuckled to himself. He turned around to face her. "Didn't get enough sleep last night?"
When she didn't answer, he frowned. "Abby?"
She turned and looked at him. "What?"
He blinked in confusion. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine…why?"
"Well, I don't know…I asked you something and it's like you didn't hear me."
"Oh, are you serious? I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired…what did you ask?"
"Uh…never mind."
"Okay," she replied.
Carter looked at his watch. He had one minute until his shift started and if he didn't get out of the Lounge before that, Weaver would have his head.
"Well, I have to go start my shift. I'll see you later?"
"Uh-huh," she grunted, lifting a hand to acknowledge him.
Carter bit his lip, thinking about whether or not he should stick around. He went with the latter and walked out the door.
"Carter!"
The young doctor turned when he heard someone call his name. "Yeah?"
"We have an MVA coming in. Auto vs. bike, it's a drunk driver," Dr. Kovac told him, rushing by to get to the ambulance bay.
"What a great way to start the day," Carter muttered to himself.
When he got to the bay, the ambulances had just arrived and were already unloading the patients.
"Alright, Kovac, you're with Carter, Susan, you're with me," Kerry ordered.
Luka and Carter ran to one of the gurneys. "Give us the bullet," Carter said to the paramedics.
"Thirty-eight year old white male, possible head, neck, and back trauma with a broken arm. He's also drunk."
"Okay, let's get him to Trauma 2," Kovac said, as they rolled the gurney.
The doctors rushed into the trauma room, followed by Gallant, Abby and Chuny.
"Can I help, Dr. Carter?" the young medical student asked.
"Dr. Kovac?" Carter asked Luka.
Luka looked at Michael. "Sure, Gallant."
"Let's get a head CT, Chuny, call the OR and get someone down here for a surgical consult, and get me his blood alcohol level!" Carter called to whoever was listening.
"Dr. Carter, he's seizing!" Gallant yelled.
"Okay, okay…get me the paddles! Actually, Gallant why don't you take this."
Carter handed the paddles to Michael, who immediately positioned himself over the driver's body. Carter smiled to himself at how completely hopeful his newest med student was.
"Uh, charge to 100…clear!"
Abby shook her head. "No change."
"Again…clear!"
"Still in V-fib!"
"Charge to 150…clear!"
Carter frowned as Gallant continued to shock the man. After a few minutes, Carter put his hand on Gallant's shoulder. Gallant turned his head and looked at him.
"How long has he been down?" Carter asked.
"Twenty-seven minutes," Chuny replied.
Carter sighed. "Put them down, Gallant. There's nothing else we can do."
The heart monitor flat-lined.
"Asystole," Abby stated.
"Dr. Kovac, if you would," Carter said, quietly.
Luka nodded. "Time of death: 9:11."
Gallant looked down at the floor and Carter looked at him in sympathy.
"Why don't you go clean up," Carter whispered to him.
Michael looked up and gave him a small, but grateful, smile. He shuffled out of the room. Chuny followed in suit.
"Damn it," Carter said to himself.
"What?" Luka asked, overhearing him.
"Why the hell was the guy drinking in the first place anyway?" Carter asked.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe he was…" Luka started.
"That was a rhetorical question," Carter explained, cutting him off.
"Oh."
Carter shot a quick look at Abby. She met his eyes for a split second, but quickly looked away. Carter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He shrugged it off.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Carter asked.
"Except for the other person who was brought in, no," Luka replied.
"God, as if getting drunk isn't bad enough, he had to go on and drive," Carter ranted.
"Excuse me," Abby said, quickly walking out the door.
Carter looked after her. He thought for a moment until finally putting two and two together.
The way she had been acting, how she had been trying her best to avoid him…could it be?
"Luka?" Carter asked.
Luka turned to face him.
"Uh, has Abby been acting…I don't know, a little strange lately?"
"Not that I could notice," Luka replied. "Why?"
"Well, she's living with you and…"
"Actually, she moved back to her apartment."
Carter raised his eyebrows. "Oh!" he exclaimed, feeling a little foolish.
He had assumed that Abby had started to drink again…but she was just on ends about moving back to her apartment…right? "So she hasn't had anything alcoholic to drink that you know of, right?"
"Well, yes, she has. Before she moved back, she had started drinking some beers."
Carter's eyes widened. "Wh…what?"
Luka looked at his colleague strangely. "I said she started drinking some beers."
"How…how could you be so calm about this? Why didn't you stop her?"
"Why would I feel the need to stop her? She's a big girl."
"If you're not helping her, you're hurting her," Carter reprimanded.
Suddenly, the door to the trauma room opened and Abby entered. The room was filled with a deadly silence.
"Abby, I…" Carter started.
"Look, Carter, I don't want your help. I don't need your help. What I need is for you to leave me alone. Don't try to control me. I can take care of myself."
With that, Abby left the room as quickly as she had entered it.
Carter ran his hands through his hair, shooting a nasty look at Luka, who looked back at him with a confused expression, and ran out the door to follow Abby.
Warning: This fan fiction contains spoilers for upcoming ER episodes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carter looked up from his locker when he heard the door to the Lounge open. He smiled when he saw who it was.
"Hey, good morning, Abby," he said to the nurse, getting back to putting on his lab coat.
"Hi, Carter," she replied, sounding a little distracted. She walked to the coffee machine and quickly turned it on.
Carter chuckled to himself. He turned around to face her. "Didn't get enough sleep last night?"
When she didn't answer, he frowned. "Abby?"
She turned and looked at him. "What?"
He blinked in confusion. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine…why?"
"Well, I don't know…I asked you something and it's like you didn't hear me."
"Oh, are you serious? I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired…what did you ask?"
"Uh…never mind."
"Okay," she replied.
Carter looked at his watch. He had one minute until his shift started and if he didn't get out of the Lounge before that, Weaver would have his head.
"Well, I have to go start my shift. I'll see you later?"
"Uh-huh," she grunted, lifting a hand to acknowledge him.
Carter bit his lip, thinking about whether or not he should stick around. He went with the latter and walked out the door.
"Carter!"
The young doctor turned when he heard someone call his name. "Yeah?"
"We have an MVA coming in. Auto vs. bike, it's a drunk driver," Dr. Kovac told him, rushing by to get to the ambulance bay.
"What a great way to start the day," Carter muttered to himself.
When he got to the bay, the ambulances had just arrived and were already unloading the patients.
"Alright, Kovac, you're with Carter, Susan, you're with me," Kerry ordered.
Luka and Carter ran to one of the gurneys. "Give us the bullet," Carter said to the paramedics.
"Thirty-eight year old white male, possible head, neck, and back trauma with a broken arm. He's also drunk."
"Okay, let's get him to Trauma 2," Kovac said, as they rolled the gurney.
The doctors rushed into the trauma room, followed by Gallant, Abby and Chuny.
"Can I help, Dr. Carter?" the young medical student asked.
"Dr. Kovac?" Carter asked Luka.
Luka looked at Michael. "Sure, Gallant."
"Let's get a head CT, Chuny, call the OR and get someone down here for a surgical consult, and get me his blood alcohol level!" Carter called to whoever was listening.
"Dr. Carter, he's seizing!" Gallant yelled.
"Okay, okay…get me the paddles! Actually, Gallant why don't you take this."
Carter handed the paddles to Michael, who immediately positioned himself over the driver's body. Carter smiled to himself at how completely hopeful his newest med student was.
"Uh, charge to 100…clear!"
Abby shook her head. "No change."
"Again…clear!"
"Still in V-fib!"
"Charge to 150…clear!"
Carter frowned as Gallant continued to shock the man. After a few minutes, Carter put his hand on Gallant's shoulder. Gallant turned his head and looked at him.
"How long has he been down?" Carter asked.
"Twenty-seven minutes," Chuny replied.
Carter sighed. "Put them down, Gallant. There's nothing else we can do."
The heart monitor flat-lined.
"Asystole," Abby stated.
"Dr. Kovac, if you would," Carter said, quietly.
Luka nodded. "Time of death: 9:11."
Gallant looked down at the floor and Carter looked at him in sympathy.
"Why don't you go clean up," Carter whispered to him.
Michael looked up and gave him a small, but grateful, smile. He shuffled out of the room. Chuny followed in suit.
"Damn it," Carter said to himself.
"What?" Luka asked, overhearing him.
"Why the hell was the guy drinking in the first place anyway?" Carter asked.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe he was…" Luka started.
"That was a rhetorical question," Carter explained, cutting him off.
"Oh."
Carter shot a quick look at Abby. She met his eyes for a split second, but quickly looked away. Carter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He shrugged it off.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Carter asked.
"Except for the other person who was brought in, no," Luka replied.
"God, as if getting drunk isn't bad enough, he had to go on and drive," Carter ranted.
"Excuse me," Abby said, quickly walking out the door.
Carter looked after her. He thought for a moment until finally putting two and two together.
The way she had been acting, how she had been trying her best to avoid him…could it be?
"Luka?" Carter asked.
Luka turned to face him.
"Uh, has Abby been acting…I don't know, a little strange lately?"
"Not that I could notice," Luka replied. "Why?"
"Well, she's living with you and…"
"Actually, she moved back to her apartment."
Carter raised his eyebrows. "Oh!" he exclaimed, feeling a little foolish.
He had assumed that Abby had started to drink again…but she was just on ends about moving back to her apartment…right? "So she hasn't had anything alcoholic to drink that you know of, right?"
"Well, yes, she has. Before she moved back, she had started drinking some beers."
Carter's eyes widened. "Wh…what?"
Luka looked at his colleague strangely. "I said she started drinking some beers."
"How…how could you be so calm about this? Why didn't you stop her?"
"Why would I feel the need to stop her? She's a big girl."
"If you're not helping her, you're hurting her," Carter reprimanded.
Suddenly, the door to the trauma room opened and Abby entered. The room was filled with a deadly silence.
"Abby, I…" Carter started.
"Look, Carter, I don't want your help. I don't need your help. What I need is for you to leave me alone. Don't try to control me. I can take care of myself."
With that, Abby left the room as quickly as she had entered it.
Carter ran his hands through his hair, shooting a nasty look at Luka, who looked back at him with a confused expression, and ran out the door to follow Abby.