Part 2

They approached the superior looking sales woman and explained what they wanted. She gave a terse smile, asked Abby her dress size, and then whisked her out back to the spacious fitting rooms. Carter slumped into one of the chairs reserved for boyfriends who had been brought along on shopping trips, and he thought about how they had got where they were. After that day last summer when they thought they had found a case of smallpox in the ER he had realised how much Abby really meant to him. In one sharp moment of realisation he had seen a glimpse of what his life would be like without her in it and he knew that it was not something he was prepared to let happen. He had gone round to her flat and before she had the chance to ask any questions or get defensive on him he had kissed her, a long passionate kiss that was over two years in the making. She had been shocked at first, but he could tell that she had felt the same longing that he had. The kiss seemed to last forever, neither of them wanted to break contact. At last they broke for breath, still holding each other close. They simply stared at each other, softly panting as they tried to get their breath back. Then she had smiled "So, you want to come in?"

That had been it. They spent the entire night talking, holding each other as they caught up on all the conversations they had missed. He talked about his parents' divorce and how seeing Sobricki again had really shaken him up; she talked about her drinking and what she had really felt about his relationship with Susan Lewis. At the end of the evening it was like they had never been apart. Everything was the same as it had been before only better. They hadn't had to go in to work the next day because the department was still quarantined, so after waking up on the couch to find Abby lying in his arms Carter had made them both breakfast from the meagre contents in her fridge, then they had taken a walk in the park. The sun was shining, the sky was bright, and he was happy. As they walked along with their hot-dogs Carter looked over at Abby and reflected on the great change 24 hours could make in a man's life. If somebody had told him yesterday that he would be walking with his arm linked with Abby's, laughing at the shape of a cloud that looked like Dr Weaver in one of her moods, he would have told them they were crazy. Yet here he was. It was a dream come true. It was perfect. He stopped walking, and Abby stopped as well, looking at him quizzically. He bent down and gave her a soft lingering kiss that sent a thrill all the way down her spine. There had been a lot of kisses since that first one yesterday, but this one was different. This was passion, longing, desire, companionship and love. This was "I've found the perfect person for me". He looked deep into her eyes and said the words he had said on her doorstep last night, but which now also had new meaning…"I love you, Abby."

She had looked back into his eyes and said the same words. "I love you too, John."

They had made a quick retreat from the park and made their way back to her apartment, barely keeping their hands off each other. They were both eager to get their bodies in contact as soon as possible but their love making was not rushed. It was the most intimate and tender act either of them had ever indulged in, and when it was over they lay in bed sated. Abby drifted off to sleep against Carter's chest, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder, whilst Carter stayed awake for hours looking at the still form beside him and the listening to the soft sound of her breathing. He eventually drifted off into the first peaceful, uninterrupted sleep he had had in two years.

They both had recognised the need to keep their relationship a secret at work. Even though Carter and Luka were working towards building a tolerable working relationship, and Abby and Susan were trading pleasantries on a regular basis (occasionally even sharing a cup of coffee at Doc's) they didn't want to damage these fragile friendships by rubbing their exes noses in it. Also the rumour mill about them had finally dried up. People accepted that theirs was a close working relationship so no longer nudged each other whenever the two of them walked by in close conversation, so they didn't really want to start it up again. They could let the relationship move along at its own pace without the unsubtle comments of the fellow members of the ER staff. It was hard, though. Carter had to stop himself from touching her whenever they were near each other: it wasn't so bad if they were with a patient in one of the exam rooms, but when they were both standing at the nurses station he practically had to physically restrain himself from brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, or simply running his hand along her arm to assure himself she was real. They had found plenty of opportunities to steal kisses, and there was always Doc's for their coffee break, but Carter wanted to shout out to everybody that he was in love with Abby. Would it ever be time to tell everybody?…

At that moment Abby emerged from the fitting room.