"So what do we have?" Said Susan sighing as she stood looking at the board.

"A cracked rib in two, absyss of the rectum on three and a hypochondriac with wax in their ears in four."

"Oh my God. Could this day get any worse?" She replied to Luka who was standing next to her with a frown spread across his worn face.

"You look tired." He commented to her.

"You too." She replied, both still looking at the board.

"It was a long night last night."

"I can see."

"Not in that way. I'm not sleeping well recently."

"Me neither." She answered as they both turned their backs to the board and sighed simultaneously.

Susan yawned and then looked up at Luka who was smiling at her.

"What?"

"You're pretty when you yawn."

"What and I'm not pretty all the time?!" She replied sarcastically as she walked past him to search through more patient files.

"That's not what I meant." He sighed as he followed her over.

"God this pile is huge."

"You should see mine."

"If it's bigger than mine I'd be very surprised."

"Prepare to be surprised." He said as he reached over and stacked a huge load of files on top of hers.

"Okay..you've got a few."

"You call that a few?!" He said surprised.

"It is a lot."

"Yep. All to be done by the end of the week."

"Oh God, mine too."

They both rolled their eyes and sighed again, they seemed to be doing that a lot recently.

"What do you say we get together tonight, have a drink at my place and do our charts together?" Susan said randomly as they still stood contemplating doing some work.

"Sounds great." He said still not looking as if he was going to do anything.

"Luka! Susan! Find some patients!" Shouted Weaver from behind them.

"Duty calls. I'll see you later?"

"Sure. What time?"

"Uh..about 7? I finish at 5. What about you?" She asked as she began walking away backwards.

"5. I'll be there at 7."

"Great." She said smiling as she walked off down the hall.

Luka turned his attentions back to his files and sighed again rubbing his face with his hands. He smiled slightly to himself, it felt good to be getting out of the flat for a night but not really going out officially. The thought of an evening with Susan sounded very tempting, and it didn't worry him about conversation, he knew she always had something to talk about.

"Hot date?" He heard a voice ask from behind him as he slouched more into his files.

"We're just friends Abby." He replied to the familiar tiny voice who had now moved around in front of him.

"I know!" She replied in that sarcastic happy tone she always did.

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"What you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking anything."

"Sure." He said as he carried on studying his notes.

She looked at him in a strange way and then went about her work. Later on, Susan and Abby were having lunch at Doc's discussing an earlier patient.

"And then he just took them off and started dancing around the gurney!"

"Oh my God! What did you do?!" Abby replied laughing.

"What could I do?! I just waited for him to finish his rundown of Onward Christian Soldiers and then helped him get into a gown!"

They both laughed furiously for a while and then the laughter faded down and Susan wiped her eyes from the tears that had formed. Being an ER doctor wasn't great at the best of times, but sometimes it was moments like that, that reminded her why she became one in the first place.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even do this job!" She laughed. "But then I realise my life would be pretty average unless I had an old veteran singing to me naked round a bed!"

"So true!" Abby replied laughing again.

"Refill?" Interrupted the waitress who stood next to their booth chewing gum looking really pissed off.

"Uh.no I'm okay." Replied Susan.

Abby shook her head and then gave Susan a funny look as the waitress walked away.

"What jumped up her ass and died?" Asked Abby quietly.

"God knows." Susan took another sip of her half empty coffee and looked out the window. "I wonder if there's ever been a Winter here when it hasn't snowed." She said simply.

"Doubtful. I like snow. It makes it feel like Christmas."

"Yeah I like it, but I just wondered." She sighed again.

"You okay?" Abby asked suddenly.

"Yeah why?"

"You just seem a little.off."

"No I'm okay. Just got so much work at the moment. I wonder sometimes where it all came from."

"Know that feeling." Abby drank the rest of her tea and then folded her arms, waiting to ask the question that had been on her mind the whole time.

"So what are you up to tonight?" Asked Abby suddenly. Suttle.

"Uh.Luka's coming over."

"Really?" She asked, pretending mercilessly to be surprised.

"Yeah. It's not what you think, we're just friends."

"That's funny."

"Why?"

"That's exactly what he said."

"Well then it just proves it then doesn't it!"

"Proves what?"

"That whatever you're thinking isn't what's going on!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to."

"I'm just.never mind."

"I'm a big girl Abby."

"Just be careful. He's not the most reliable person at the moment. He's pretty unpredictable lately."

"I know. But there's nothing goin' on so I'm not worried."

"I'm just warning you. But, saying that, you could tame him!"

"When did we ever say we were even goin' out?!"

"You didn't have to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said smiling.

"Oh come on! I've seen the way you two look at each other! You're both so transparent!"

"Is it that obvious?!"

"Just slightly!"

"God not everybody knows do they?"

"Well he doesn't know you like him."

"That's good."

"Not if you wanna date him!"

"I never said that!"

"Yeah yeah."

"There's no chance for us. He likes brunettes."

"I wouldn't be so sure. And plus he's told me he likes you."

"When?!" She laughed slightly then turned serious once she heard of this 'news'.

"I can't remember. He didn't say he liked you directly, but he seems to talk about you a lot. And always drops you into the conversation."

"Lucky me."

"Seriously Susan, he thinks quite highly of you I think."

"Good to know."

"Well whatever happens you know I'll be here for whatever."

"I know. Thanks."

Susan squeezed Abby's hand and then downed the rest of her coffee.

"You're lonely. I can tell." Abby said as Susan finished.

"I'll be okay."

"If you ever need to talk. You know where I am."

"Yeah. Sure." Susan smiled and then got up to put on her coat.

"What time are you off?"

"5. You?"

"9. God I hate this place." Abby muttered.

"Have fun. See you later." Susan smiled and then walked out of Doc's and across to the ER.

Abby sat and thought for a while, Susan wasn't happy. She could tell. They hadn't been great friends for long, but she could already tell her mood and how she was feeling. She just wanted her to be happy. She wanted Luka to be happy too, maybe each other was just what they needed. If it wasn't, she didn't know what the solution was. But she knew Susan felt alone, you just had to look at her face. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind her.

"You know thinking so much can make you age quicker."

"Really?"

"Uh huh." Said the voice as it moved in front of her, leaning over the table for a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey." Abby said smiling.

"Good morning." He replied smiling and looking over the menu. "Did you just have coffee with Susan?"

"Yep."

"She okay?"

"Yeah why wouldn't she be?"

"I dunno, she just seems a little, down in the dumps."

"Yeah. I asked her about it. She didn't really wanna talk about it."

"That's weird."

"What is?"

"Usually she's good about stuff like that. I mean she doesn't hide it."

"Yeah I kinda got that impression that why I was worried about it."

"Why don't you go out tonight or something? Maybe she'll talk about it with a few drinks thrown her way."

"She's busy tonight. I already asked."

"Oh. Doing what?!"

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"I'm not, but usually she's busy with you and Chen."

"She's seeing Luka."

"When?"

"Tonight."

Carter looked up from the menu, eyebrows high looking surprised as ever.

"A date?!"

"Apparently they are just 'friends'" She motioned holding her fingers up doing the Mini Me sign.

Carter smiled and returned to the menu.

"Well maybe they are."

"How do you figure?"

"Well she's never really shown interest in him before. And she's friends with me and we're not dating."

"Yeah that's cos I'd kill her."

"And plus I'm in love with you."

"Well there's that too."

They laughed and then went silent, both wondering what was really going on between the two.

"I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Make sure she's okay." Said Carter sincerely, he really did care what happened to Susan, and how she felt.

"I will."

"Any thoughts on the problem yet? Or just a huge mystery?"

"She's lonely." Abby said exasperatingly.

"What?"

"Susan. Lonely."

"Yeah I know what but I mean, she's never lonely, she's just.Susan."

"Yeah and maybe she's even more alone than most people because people have that attitude."

"What attitude?"

"The attitude where you expect her to be okay just because she's always making sure everyone else is."

"Oh. I guess."

"It's true. People forget to make sure she's okay cos they're so busy thinking about themselves."

"Yeah."

"I wanna help her John. She's a really good friend, I hate seeing her like this."

"Is she really that bad?"

"Think Weaver, but at Christmas."

Carter stopped looking over the menu again and looked up at Abby's concerned face.

"Yeah, it's that bad."

"I didn't know." He said blankly.

"She'll be okay. But if she looks like she needs someone, don't hold back."

"Of course."

"I knew there was a reason I married you!" Abby said reaching over and grabbing his chin playfully.

"So what are you having?"

"Oh no I'm good. I've gotta get back."

"Great I come over to see my wife and she runs off when I arrive!"

"We've been here five minutes already Carter. And plus, I've already had something with Susan."

"Well..I'll catch you later then." He pouted and then looked out the window, trying to make her stay.

"It won't work John. I wised up to you a long time ago. And you, well you're still.."

"..learning. I know. See you later honey." He interrupted and leaned over to kiss her goodbye as she rushed off back to the ER vortex.