Accidents Happen Sometimes ( The next day) Summary - Just as Abby and Carter are getting used to their lives, tragedy strikes. Or does it? . . . Disclaimer - Only the characters not yet born belong to me. My birthday came and went and I still don't own ER. Oh well, there's always next year.

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Abby sat on the chair as Carter excitedly searched for a jacket in a pile of clothes that he just dumped out of a box. "Carter!" His head snapped up and he looked at Abby expectantly. "Stop unpacking everything that I pack. I told you to take out what you need before I pack it. You're making me nervous." He smiled. "You're just nervous because you don't like going to the doctor." Abby frowned and mumbled, "I still don't see why you can't do an ultrasound in the ER. I would feel a lot more comfortable." He grinned and said, "I just want to do this the normal way, by scheduling an OB appointment. You only do an ultrasound in the ER if there is an emergency." Abby smiled. "Calling your pregnant wife abnormal isn't smart if she's a bundle of nerves like what you witnessed yesterday. I just might kill you or somebody."

Carter stopped rooting through the clothing and went over to Abby and kissed her on the forehead. He hugged her reassuringly and whispered into her hair, "You're fine, I'm fine, the baby is fine, we're all fine. There is nothing to be worried about. You have to go to the OB to get an ultrasound because it is procedure. You know this. If it really makes you uncomfortable, I'll ask the doctor to let me do it. But you have to go to the OB ward." Abby grimaced and said, "Fine, but don't be surprised when I'm grouchy for the rest of the day." Carter gave her an impish grin. "I have nothing to worry about as long as you take your nap before you start work." Abby playfully swatted his arm as she left the room. He followed, pulling on his newly rediscovered jacket. Abby picked up the car keys, meeting Carter's eyes in a challenging stare when he started to protest. Much to Carter's surprise, she gave in and let Carter take the keys. Carter put them back in her hand and when she gave him a questioning look, he replied, "Enjoy your freedom while you can because pretty soon, everyone, not only me, is going to be very overprotective of you. Besides, I like to see you smile." She smiled quickly and kissed him as she passed him on her way out the door.

As they drove to the hospital, Carter looked over at Abby and said, " Hey Abby, wouldn't it be cool if we're having quadruplets?" Abby snorted and gave him an incredulous look. "Four of you John? I don't think so." He shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with it. Four babies aren't a lot to handle." Abby rolled her eyes as she pulled into a parking space. "We're here!" she announced dramatically. Carter opened the door and jumped out of the car, in his excitement, forgetting about Abby. She slipped on a water spill right in front of the admit desk, causing her to fall on her butt. Carter heard her gasp and a thud and turned around to see Abby sprawled out on the floor. He quickly picked her up and carried her to the closest exam room.

Susan saw them and sprinted across the hallway towards them. "Carter what the hell happened?" Carter tried to comfort the now sobbing Abby while he said to Susan, "She fell." With those words, Susan jumped into action, setting up the equipment for an ultrasound. Carter gently lifted Abby's shirt, exposing her flat, pale stomach and wiped conducting gel on it. Abby shivered and began to tremble violently. "Something isn't right. I can feel it." He gently placed the probe on her stomach and turned on the screen. Abby looked at his and Susan's shocked faces and immediately began to cry. Carter whispered, "Twins!" and looked on confusedly as Abby cried harder. Susan, realizing what the problem was, leaned over and turned on the sound. "Abby calm down and look at the screen. You have two beautiful babies and as far as I can tell, they're fine."

Abby was so shocked, she immediately stopped crying and turned her head towards the screen. She smiled at the images on the screen, then turned towards Carter and Susan. She took Carter's hand and whispered, "Well, you got half of your dream." In response, he leaned over and gave her a short kiss on the lips. "I'm so sorry that I scared you. I was pretty confused and I couldn't find the right words to say."

"That's okay. It doesn't matter anymore."

Susan smiled and said, "Now that everything is okay, I need to get back to work." Abby shook her head vehemently. "You can't go anywhere without a proper thank you. Come over here." Susan obeyed reluctantly. Abby reached over and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much Susan. I think Carter and I would like it very much if you agreed to be the babies' godmother." Susan grinned and drew them both into a tight hug. Carter laughingly said, "I take that as a yes?" She nodded excitedly. "Of course I will."

Abby wiped the gel off of her stomach, and slid off of the gurney, straightening her clothes in the process. "I'd love to stick around and chat, but we have an OB appointment that we're late for. I'll see you later Susan." She waved as they walked out of the exam room.

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( A few hours later.)

Abby opened her eyes slowly and looked at the clock. It read 5:45 and Abby sat up and looked around her quickly. "John, where are you?" She heard a muffled reply coming from their bathroom. As soon as she walked into the bathroom, Carter swivelled around so his back was to her. Grinning, Abby walked up to the tub and knelt beside it. "What's the matter, you getting shy with me?" Carter shrugged and Abby gasped, seeing a huge purple bruise on Carter's rib cage. "Carter, where the hell did you get that!?" He tried, unsuccessfully to get out of the tub. Abby's expression softened as she asked, "Did you hurt your back when you picked me up today?" He nodded miserably. "And to make matters worse, I slammed the gurney into my rib-cage." She crooned sympathetically. "And I bet you can't get out of the tub without help."

"I'll just have to stay in here until I can. You're supposed to be resting, not lifting heavy things. I'm not risking you hurting yourself over me." Abby left the bathroom, saying, "The least you can do is put more hot water in the tub so you won't get sick. Carter obliged her, sighing as he slid down into the water. A few minutes later, Abby charged back into the bathroom. "That's it John! If you won't let me help you, I'm calling Susan to help you get out of the tub." She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help laughing at the mortified look on Carter's face. He finally gave in, reluctantly saying, "Well, it doesn't make any sense for me to stay in here and catch a cold.

Abby helped him out of the tub and into their bedroom. He lay across the bed while Abby slammed drawers in the bathroom. She came back out holding a bottle of lavender scented massage oil. Carter groaned and tried to stop her from rubbing it on his back. She laughed merrily and said, " Stop acting like such a baby." He frowned sulkily and said, "I am not acting like a baby. I have a shift in a couple of hours and I don't need everyone making suggestive comments about the fact that I smell like lavender oil."

She smiled roguishly. "Well you could always tell them that we were fooling around and I accidentally spilled it on you." Carter grinned and threw a pillow at her. "Wouldn't you just love that? I know that you're only telling me that because you know by the time you go back to work tomorrow, everyone will have forgotten about it and you won't have to deal with the teasing." She shrugged good-naturedly. He waved dismissively as he lay back across the bed. "Do what ever you want, as long as you don't touch my bruise. It hurts." Abby couldn't help smirking and saying, "Aww, poor baby. Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" He turned and glared at her, but his expression soon softened.

Abby poured some oil into the palm of her hand and smoothed it over his back. He moaned appreciatively as she skilfully kneaded his back, softly whispering, "Well if you lose your day job, you could always be a masseuse." She chuckled, saying, "You can pay me back a couple of months from now when my feet swell beyond recognition."
He grinned and rolled over, pulling Abby down on top of him. She shrieked, saying, "John, stop it ! You're getting oil all over the sheets and you're going to make your back hurt even more." He grinned cheekily and shrugged. "I'm invincible. Pain can't touch me."

She rolled her eyes. "What makes you say that?" He gazed warmly in her eyes eliciting shudders from deep inside her. "You're all that I need to survive." Abby grinned and blushed a brilliant shade of red. "Isn't that a part of a song?" Carter shrugged. "Yeah, but it says what I fell exactly so why not use it? I think that's the whole point of love songs anyway." She placed her hand on her stomach impulsively, grinning when Carter placed his hand over hers. "I am never going to do anything again to put these babies in danger. I almost lost them today because I was being stubborn. Anyway, it'll be kind of fun to have people waiting on me hand and foot."

Carter leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. She chuckled. "Why is it that guys kiss girls when they have nothing to say?" He traced the outline of her lips, smiling lazily. "I do have something to say, I just say it better that way." She smiled and said, "Well I have something to say also." Carter winked suggestively and asked, "Would that involve anyone of us taking off our clothes?" Abby shook her head. "That's all you have on your mind. But seriously, I want to go back to med school. I want to be able to do more for the patients that I see. Before, it was enough for me to be a nurse, but if I can do it, why limit myself?"

He stared at her quietly, slowly breaking out into a grin and then laughing. He stood, bringing Abby with him and swung her around, laughing and whooping all the time. "You, Abigail Carter have just made this the best year in my life. I've wanted you to go back to med school ever since you left it. You married me, you're having my children and you're going back to med school!" She smiled quietly. "I take it you're happy then?" Carter placed her on the bed, still hopping around restlessly. "Of course I'm happy. There's no way I could be happier!" Abby said, "That's good to know." so quietly that Carter couldn't hear her. He looked down at her concernedly and said, "Abby, you look kind of green are you okay?" She shook her head and said, as she sprinted to the bathroom, "As it turns out, morning sickness doesn't only happen in the morning." Carter stood, looking after her with a look on his face that plainly read, 'What have I gotten us into?'