Author's Note: Well, here's chapter 7, a little quicker than previously. I'll try to churn the chapters out quicker now, as I've been a bit slow in the past. But I can't promise anything. Thanks for the reviews for chapter 6. I thought "wtf is up with non italic abby" summed this up perfectly! Hehe! Thanks once again, and I'd love to know what you think of this chapter. Now, on with the fic. Jo xx

*

"I have a surprise for you," Susan announced as she and Abby stood at their lockers putting their coats on.

"Oh dear, I don't like the sound of this."

"It's good, trust me."

"Why does that just make me even more worried?" Abby queried as she took a quick look at the ultrasound picture on her locker door before shutting it.

"And you say I'm your best friend. Come on, let's go." She took Abby's hand, and almost forcefully pulled her out of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"Out."

"Woah, hang on!" Abby ground her heels to the floor, stopping Susan from pulling her along. "Susan, in case you hadn't noticed I'm wearing jeans and an old jumper, and I am fat."

"You're not fat, you're five months pregnant."

"Exactly! I should be sat at home with my feet up reading pregnancy magazines and eating some weird food like gherkins with Nutella."

"The only craving you've had is for satsumas."

"That's not the point! I'm just saying, I shouldn't be going out."

"You mean you don't want to go out. Stop being such a spoil sport and come with me. It's not like it's anywhere fancy, we're just going to have coffee." Abby raised an eyebrow. "Decaf, of course."

"Fine." Abby rolled her eyes, and followed Susan out to the El. "Why are we getting the El? Can't we just go over the road?"

"Nope, there's a place in the city centre I want to try out."

"So, why are we going to this particular place?" Abby asked once they were on the train.

"Erm, actually, we're meeting someone there."

"Ooh, anyone exciting?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Your viewpoint." Susan looked slightly uncomfortable. "Erm, I tracked down Kevin for you. I thought you might like to see him, and you know." She shrugged. "If you don't want to we don't have to go though."

"Does he know I'm pregnant?"

"No. But I thought maybe it would be good for you to have someone, and so I tracked him down, and..."

"Susan, I can't tell him. I know you mean well, but this has nothing to do with him."

"He's the father of your baby Abby."

"No he's not."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not the father of my baby."

"You...you slept with someone else?" Susan wasn't sure how to react. She wanted to support her friend, but she was shocked at this revelation.

"No Susan."

"I don't understand."

"Carter's the father."

"But you said..."

"I know what I said. I chickened out. I told Carter I was pregnant, and he sounded so excited, I couldn't tell him it was his. He'd want to be a happy little family, and that wouldn't be good for him. He can do so much better."

"Well, I guess you don't want to see Kevin? Some best friend I am then. Screwed up on that one didn't I?"

"You're the best best friend there is. You didn't screw up, you were just trying to help me. Really, I appreciate it."

***

"Vanessa," Carter announced, looking up from his book.

"What?"

"I like the name Vanessa." He held up the book to show her he was reading a baby name book. "I think we should call our baby Vanessa."

"And what if it's a boy?"

"I mean if it's a girl. What do you think?" He looked at her pleadingly.

"I don't know. I never really thought of the name before, it's not exactly one of my top ten. Anyway, you've been stuck on Rose or Miriam for the last three weeks."

"Yeah, but I didn't know what Vanessa meant before." Abby rolled her eyes.

"We're going to name our child by the meaning, not by a name we like?"

"It is a name I like. I like the name because of the meaning."

"Okay, spill it. What does it mean? And if it means 'muppet' then I will shoot you."

"Hey baby, Mummy's making fun of your nickname!"

"John..."

"Okay, okay! It means butterfly."

"Butterfly?"

"Yup." He nodded to emphasise his point. "Cute, don't you think?"

"As in butterflies and tornadoes?"

"Mummy has a good memory too."

"Stop calling me Mummy!" she complained, rolling her eyes once again.

"It's cute! Anyway, I'm just educating the baby, making sure it knows who its Mummy is."

"I think it'll know John."

"Okay, sorry." He looked a little dejected, and Abby couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

"Aww, cheer up! In four months the baby will be born, and then you can call me Mummy all you want." He seemed to perk up a little at that.

"So, what do you think of Vanessa?"

"It's a cute idea."

"Exactly! I'll have my tornado and my butterfly."

"Actually Abigail means Joy of God."

"You know what I mean!" he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. "But you like the name?"

"I don't know John. I like the idea, but I'm not sure about the name. Are there any other names that mean butterfly?" He looked down at his book momentarily, finding an answer for her.

"Not unless you want to call her Kimimela, or something similar!" he announced, and they both laughed. "What do you like if you don't like Vanessa then?"

"I don't know..."

"You never suggest anything Abby. You must have an opinion!"

"I know, I just...I don't want to label my kid before we know what sex it is. Plus, what if she doesn't look like a Vanessa when she's born?"

"You must have some names you like," he prompted, watching her expectantly.

"I don't know..."

"Come on Abby! It's not going to jinx it to say a name or anything."

"Okay...but don't laugh."

"I promise."

"Well, I always kind of liked Eva or Eve."

"Why would I laugh at that? They're beautiful names."

"I don't know..."

"Let me look up the meaning!" he announced, thumbing through the pages.

"For goodness sake John!"

"What? You don't want to name our daughter 'dog poop' or something by mistake, do you?"

"Well you want to name our daughter after chaos theory, which is almost as weird if you ask me!"

***

For the next two weeks, every time Carter and Abby were in the same room as each other Susan would give Abby a little wink, as if encouraging her to tell him. Abby was sick and tired of it. She knew her friend just wanted to help, but she didn't want Carter to think he had any right to this kid. He would try to help her. She didn't need helping. She could do this alone.

"Abby, could you start a Tazocin IV for Mrs. Cooper, please?" Carter asked, signing off a chart on the patient they'd just been working on in the trauma room. He looked round the rest of the room, smiling at everyone. "Well done guys, we did good on this one. I'll be in the lounge if you need me." And with that he turned and left the room.

Abby moved to set up the IV, and was nudged by Susan, who proceeded to wink at her. "Oh Susan, for goodness sake!"

"What? I just think you should say something."

"Err, Susan...?" She glanced about the room, indicating the other people who were listening in. Chuny and Lydia both looked down at the floor, slightly guilty, before making their excuses and leaving.

"Okay, now we can talk about it."

"I don't know what you want me to say to him!"

"I'm sorry Carter, I love you, and I'm having your baby."

"You're crazy." Abby rolled her eyes.

"You're the crazy one for giving up the best man ever!"

"Why don't you have him, if you think he's so great," Abby joked.

"Don't think Chuck would be too pleased," Susan laughed, helping her friend hook the IV bags up. "Come on, humour me. Tell him."

"Susan, this is a very important decision that has to be made, it can't just be made in a split second."

"So you might tell him soon?"

"No Susan, he's not finding out. And don't you dare tell him either."

"But you just said it's a decision that can't be made in a split second!" Susan moaned checking Mrs. Cooper's vitals as they talked.

"I didn't make it in a split second, I decided nearly four months ago."

"I just..."

"Look, thanks for being concerned and all that, you're a great friend. I just don't feel right telling him."

***

"One dollar to enter!" Jerry announced, putting a pot with the words "Baby Bet" on the side down on the admit desk. "Guess date, time, sex, weight and name."

"Ooh, I'll enter!" Chuny announced as she came up to the desk. "One dollar, right?"

"Yup. Half the money goes to the winner, and half on a baby gift."

"Aww, that's cute Jerry," Susan laughed, joining them. "Never knew you had the heart to come up with something like that."

"Haha, funny Dr. Lewis."

"Okay, what do we write our guesses on then?"

"Err, you can't enter," Jerry explained.

"Why not?!"

"Best friends with the expectant parents. We have no way of knowing what they've told you."

"Oh of course, I forgot. It's going to be a girl, born at 5:27 in the morning, weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces, and she will be called Elfriede Gertrude. You know, Abby told me."

"I told you what?" Jerry quickly moved the "Baby Bet" pot to underneath the desk, and the trio turned to smile shyly at Abby.

"Err, hi Abby."

"What did I tell you, Susan?"

"Well, I..."

"She was just telling us how you told her all about how your morning sickness stopped a few months ago," Chuny bluffed, and Susan and Jerry nodded enthusiastically.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"You should trust your best friend, Abby. We were just talking about the pregnant woman in curtain two, and it came up in discussion."

"Susan, there is a ninety year old man in curtain two," Abby announced, looking up at the board.

"Oh..."

"Okay guys, you can drop the act. Have you got a baby pool going?"

"Wasn't my idea..."Jerry muttered, turning away and suddenly finding his computer very interesting.

"Oh, I don't mind," Abby replied. "And I'm sure my daughter won't mind when I tell her she was the subject of a bet. Poor little Elfriede Gertrude."

"You heard, didn't you?"

"Yup," Abby nodded solemnly, and the trio before her all looked immensely guilty. She couldn't help but giggle. "Oh my goodness, you three look so funny, all guilty about nothing!"

***

"Susan, can we go home please?" Abby moaned as Susan pulled yet another baby outfit off the rail and held it up for Abby to inspect.

"We're baby shopping, you can't just give up. Bump's going to need loads of stuff when he or she is born."

"Yeah, in four months time."

"Less that four months," Susan corrected, holding up some blue corduroy dungarees with a duck on the front. "What about these? Aren't they adorable?"

"And what if the baby's a girl?"

"Oh come on, a girl can wear blue dungarees."

"Yeah, but everyone will think she's a boy."

"Hmm..." Susan pondered this for a moment. "You know, you're right. It must be that maternal instinct! Right, we'll find a pretty pink dress, and get both. Then at least the baby will have one outfit when it's born."

"Susan, really, it's not worth the fuss."

"Oh come on, this is a Carter kid, it's got to have some nice clothes."

"Just because the baby has Carter blood that does not mean he or she is a Carter," Abby stated bitterly. "I'm a nurse. I will buy what I can buy on a nurse's salary. Not what could be bought with a mega-millionaire's money. And my baby will be happy with what he or she has, because he or she will be brought up to realise that money doesn't make you happy."

"I totally agree," Susan stated, replacing the dungarees on the rail. "After all, it's family that's important, right?" Abby nodded, glad she'd got her point across.

"Thanks Susan, I...hang on, you're going to start going on about how the babies father should be included in that family, aren't you?"

"I wasn't going to say a thing!" Susan raised her hands in a 'surrender' motion. "I'm not talking about that Carter guy anymore. As far as I'm aware, you never even slept with him."

***

"You would never guess what was going on at work today," Abby said, as they were wandering around the shopping centre later that day, looking at baby essentials.

"What?"

"They started some betting pool, about our baby."

"Only just? I thought they would have had it going for ages!" They both laughed. "So, anything important I should know about our baby?"

"Well, it's going to be a 7 pound 3 ounce girl, called Elfriede Gertrude, apparently."

"Delightful."

"My reaction exactly! They could have come up with a nice name to give us some ideas, I thought."

"We have a name. Our little Vanessa." He put a hand protectively over her stomach.

"First, I didn't agree to that name. And second, what if it's a boy?"

"Well, according to the betting it's a girl," he joked.

"Carter..."

"Okay, well we'll think up a boy's name."

"Like?" Abby queried, picking up and inspecting a pack of baby spoons.

"I don't know...Henry?"

"No!" Abby exclaimed. "I don't want my son to be called Henry. It sounds all posh and formal."

"Okay, what about Philip?"

"I don't know, maybe." She shrugged. "Here, we'll take these," she added, handing him the spoons. "They change colour to show you the temperature. Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, great. So what's your favourite name for our little muppet if she's a boy?"

"If she's a boy? I think you're getting a bit muddled up."

"No I'm not!" He laughed, and placed a quite kiss on her forehead. "I just know that she's a girl."

***