He was apprehensive about leaving again when his relationship
with Abby was still so raw after his first trip to Africa. But since he
came back something remained behind. He'd left a part of himself with the
starving children and victims of violence. It was forcing him to go back,
without warning. The call had come suddenly. There was connection that
formed with him and Luka and the second the phone rang through the quiet
ER, he knew this is where things started to change. It was the first rift
in a tide that was going to change their lives forever.
He wanted to only think of getting home to Abby the moment Gillian curled up to him when Luka forced them out of the clinic, but the moment his hand curled around her for protection he felt a burst of energy. It wasn't so much a attraction as it was a need to protect her from harm. She was just like Abby. She was stubborn. She hated when people were right. She hated Luka trying to protect her and since he was only a friend, she would hate it even more. However, when she was asleep he'd talked to Luka and promised, if anything should happen, he would take care of her, as if she was his own. Luka knew it was presumptuous to ask such a favor from Carter, but he'd seen how Gillian had reached out to Carter. Probably the worst of it all was Carter confessing his own anxiety over his relationship with Abby. Luka understood somehow, yet he didn't offer suggestions. He didn't say, "I told you so". He only listened intently and prayed silently that things would work out. From the look in Carter's eyes, Luka could tell that he had a deep love for Abby that would never go away, but if worse came to worse, he would swallow his pride and his feelings and take a step back, forcing her to correct the mistake on her own. That was Carter. Always stubborn and unwilling to admit his feelings when he knew that it made him too vulnerable.
So that same day Carter took personal leave, telling only Kerry of his whereabouts, but not of the conditions in which he was going. The second he told her that things in life were taking a wrong turn, she knew he needed the time. When he admitted to having failed, it was a sign that maybe a vacation from his vacation was just what he needed. She'd seen him at his worst and somehow she could see it in his eyes, in his actions, that it was coming back.
"Where is everyone? There are patients waiting to be seen. Some of them have been here since last night," Romano said as he walked through admit.
"Luka' in Africa. Pratt and Chen are in trauma. Lewis is working on patients with Weaver," Abby said as she put together another chart.
"What about Dr. Carter?"
"Didn't show up."
"Get him on the phone and tell him he's fired."
"He's not fired. He took personal leave," Kerry said as she discharged another patient. Abby looked at her, trying to not make it obvious that she was listening to their conversation. She couldn't believe that Carter left again without a word. It was becoming typical routine.
"He just got back from a vacation. We were short handed as it was," Romano argued.
"Listen, we're already looking into getting some more docs but right now we'll deal with what we have. The situation has been taken care of until further notice," Kerry told him.
"Why'd he leave?" Abby asked.
"I don't know," was all Kerry told her.
"Did something happen?"
"You know as much as I do," Kerry told her before walking off.
Meanwhile, in Africa, Carter sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. After nearly starving, surviving a fight with a man armed with a knife and a gun, killing him and somehow managing to get Luka, nearly dying, back to the clinic, his worst fear was that he was going to have to watch Luka die.
"Gillian," he said laying a hand on her shoulder. He'd sat in solace until his own thoughts began to eat at him and he realized that sitting around wasn't doing any of them good. He had to change his shirt again. The heat was exhausting. It was so hot outside that sleep wouldn't come, yet it was the only thing he wanted to do. He'd found Gillian right where he left her, at Luka's side. "Has he woke up?"
She shook her head as she stood up. "Hey. How are you?" she asked reaching up to touch under his swollen eye.
"I'm fine. I'm worried about him."
"He's in a lot of pain."
"His odds are better if we can get him out of here and to a real hospital."
"We can't move him. He's not stable enough."
"He's going to die laying on this table. He needs a doctor in an operating room. One helicopter ride and that bullet lodged in his hip can be removed and he can heal properly. We're running out of blood and our vaccinations could run out at any second."
"We can't transfer him."
"Then he's going to die."
Carter left her there. He was frustrated that he couldn't do anything. He wanted to make everything better for Luka, for Gillian and for himself. Someone wasn't making anything easy on him. He couldn't remember how long he sat in the dark atmosphere, with his only light at the end of his cigarette, but at some point she joined him, poured them a couple drinks, and finally agreed that Luka deserved a chance and that only came with moving him. Arrangements were made quickly and as the journey neared it's end and they landed on the rough of the European hospital, they almost lost him. Using his self taught French, with a little help from Gillian, Luka's condition and life was handed over to a team of surgeons he wasn't even familiar with.
He wanted to only think of getting home to Abby the moment Gillian curled up to him when Luka forced them out of the clinic, but the moment his hand curled around her for protection he felt a burst of energy. It wasn't so much a attraction as it was a need to protect her from harm. She was just like Abby. She was stubborn. She hated when people were right. She hated Luka trying to protect her and since he was only a friend, she would hate it even more. However, when she was asleep he'd talked to Luka and promised, if anything should happen, he would take care of her, as if she was his own. Luka knew it was presumptuous to ask such a favor from Carter, but he'd seen how Gillian had reached out to Carter. Probably the worst of it all was Carter confessing his own anxiety over his relationship with Abby. Luka understood somehow, yet he didn't offer suggestions. He didn't say, "I told you so". He only listened intently and prayed silently that things would work out. From the look in Carter's eyes, Luka could tell that he had a deep love for Abby that would never go away, but if worse came to worse, he would swallow his pride and his feelings and take a step back, forcing her to correct the mistake on her own. That was Carter. Always stubborn and unwilling to admit his feelings when he knew that it made him too vulnerable.
So that same day Carter took personal leave, telling only Kerry of his whereabouts, but not of the conditions in which he was going. The second he told her that things in life were taking a wrong turn, she knew he needed the time. When he admitted to having failed, it was a sign that maybe a vacation from his vacation was just what he needed. She'd seen him at his worst and somehow she could see it in his eyes, in his actions, that it was coming back.
"Where is everyone? There are patients waiting to be seen. Some of them have been here since last night," Romano said as he walked through admit.
"Luka' in Africa. Pratt and Chen are in trauma. Lewis is working on patients with Weaver," Abby said as she put together another chart.
"What about Dr. Carter?"
"Didn't show up."
"Get him on the phone and tell him he's fired."
"He's not fired. He took personal leave," Kerry said as she discharged another patient. Abby looked at her, trying to not make it obvious that she was listening to their conversation. She couldn't believe that Carter left again without a word. It was becoming typical routine.
"He just got back from a vacation. We were short handed as it was," Romano argued.
"Listen, we're already looking into getting some more docs but right now we'll deal with what we have. The situation has been taken care of until further notice," Kerry told him.
"Why'd he leave?" Abby asked.
"I don't know," was all Kerry told her.
"Did something happen?"
"You know as much as I do," Kerry told her before walking off.
Meanwhile, in Africa, Carter sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. After nearly starving, surviving a fight with a man armed with a knife and a gun, killing him and somehow managing to get Luka, nearly dying, back to the clinic, his worst fear was that he was going to have to watch Luka die.
"Gillian," he said laying a hand on her shoulder. He'd sat in solace until his own thoughts began to eat at him and he realized that sitting around wasn't doing any of them good. He had to change his shirt again. The heat was exhausting. It was so hot outside that sleep wouldn't come, yet it was the only thing he wanted to do. He'd found Gillian right where he left her, at Luka's side. "Has he woke up?"
She shook her head as she stood up. "Hey. How are you?" she asked reaching up to touch under his swollen eye.
"I'm fine. I'm worried about him."
"He's in a lot of pain."
"His odds are better if we can get him out of here and to a real hospital."
"We can't move him. He's not stable enough."
"He's going to die laying on this table. He needs a doctor in an operating room. One helicopter ride and that bullet lodged in his hip can be removed and he can heal properly. We're running out of blood and our vaccinations could run out at any second."
"We can't transfer him."
"Then he's going to die."
Carter left her there. He was frustrated that he couldn't do anything. He wanted to make everything better for Luka, for Gillian and for himself. Someone wasn't making anything easy on him. He couldn't remember how long he sat in the dark atmosphere, with his only light at the end of his cigarette, but at some point she joined him, poured them a couple drinks, and finally agreed that Luka deserved a chance and that only came with moving him. Arrangements were made quickly and as the journey neared it's end and they landed on the rough of the European hospital, they almost lost him. Using his self taught French, with a little help from Gillian, Luka's condition and life was handed over to a team of surgeons he wasn't even familiar with.
