AN: Thanks for reviewing. ER-Carby-Luva what didn't you understand? Tell me and I'll try to explain or maybe it will become clear as you read this new chapter.

Drawn Uncontrollably To You

Chapter 16

July 2005

'Not invited to the wedding then?' Frank asked Carter as he came on shift.

Carter who had been working since six that morning grunted an unintelligible reply.

'Didn't catch that' Frank added

'I'm off at six, I'm going later'

'Miss the ceremony though' Frank told him

'We can't all attend the wedding, there be no one here' Carter replied getting irritated with him

'Yes I know that but I thought you'd be there'

'I'm not' he replied stomping off before he said something he might later regret.

0o0

Susan looked stunning Abby thought even in white and Susie looked pretty cute in her baby pink dress too. Abby was still not convinced that pink however pale was the right colour for her to wear. She couldn't name the shade, for although she owned several pink tops, pink was not a colour she favoured wearing.

Abby felt happy for Susan and Chuck and of course little Megan, who was also in pink, but sitting on the lap of Chloe. Abby stood next to Susie reflecting on her conversation with Susan earlier.

'I'm doing the right thing aren't I?' Susan asked having suddenly acquired last minute jitters.

'Do you love him?' Abby asked

Susan nodded 'Yes'

'You want to spend the rest of your life with him?'

'Yes'

'Well then? What's to worry about?'

'You're right. It's going to be fine, I'm just nervous'

'You don't need to be, it's going to be great'

Susan took a deep breath and replied 'Yeah. Yes it is'

And here they were married, the congregation started cheering as Chuck and Susan shared a kiss which brought Abby back to the present and she smiled.

o0o

'How did it go?' Carter asked Luka as he came on shift

'Good. They seem to be very happy. What have we got?' he asked in return, referring to the patients Carter was handing over to him.

'Possible kidney stone in four, chest pain and a fracture in one. One, two, three needing suturing, projectile vomiting also in four and no trauma at present. Last one went to OR about an hour ago'

'Right. Go and have fun looked like the party was really starting as I left' Luka told him. Then as Carter moved off Luka added 'By the way she'll take your breath away'

Carter stopped in his tracks, turned around and asked 'Susan?'

'No, Abby. She looks beautiful, a bit self conscious but really beautiful. Don't get me wrong Susan looked great too, but I didn't think you were interested in her the way you are about Abby'

o0o

Carter arrived at the celebration a little later than he had planned, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and he made a beeline for Susan and Chuck, where he offered his heartfelt congratulations, before heading off to find some colleagues from the ER.

He had been sitting at a table with Jing-Mei, Chuny, Jerry, Randi and Haleh for about quarter of an hour and still hadn't spotted Abby. His curiosity had got the better of him and he said ' Seen Abby?' as casually as he could to the others.

'She went off with Megan and Susie a while back' said Haleh

'Oh' said Carter nodding, trying to appear uninterested as possible, while his eyes were darting all over the place to see if he could catch sight of her.

'She looks really pretty today' said Randi

'What? Oh really' replied Carter turning to her and then back to the throng of guests.

They looked at Carter and Jing-Mei and Randi laughed.

'Don't tease him' said Jerry but Carter appeared to be oblivious.

'What? He's not even listening to us' Randi told him

'It's a shame she's disappeared' Jing-Mei commented

'She'll be back soon' Haleh said 'She can't have gone far'

o0o

Susan spotted Abby, Susie and Megan as they entered the room.

'I was about to send out a search party' joked Susan

'There was a line and then they were blocking the baby-changing bit, so it took longer than expected' Abby explained handing Megan over to Susan 'Next time you can change her yourself'

'Oh but that's what bridesmaids do Abby, they help the bride and I needed you to do a diaper change and restroom stop'

'I'm sure that kind of 'help' is not listed in any wedding guide book'

'Since when do you read stuff like that?' Susan asked

'Never, just a hunch'

'Oh right, you've made your point. Thank you' Susan said and Abby smiled.

o0o

Carter finally saw Abby on the opposite side of the room chatting to a guy who seemed to resemble Chuck, but was taller with dark hair. Chuck appeared to be introducing Abby to this guy whoever he was.

Carter shifted slightly in his seat to a more upright position and started biting his bottom lip as he watched them. Luka had been right about one thing she looked stunning. How Susan had persuaded her to wear a pale pink dress he didn't know, maybe it was because the design cleverly hid Abby's recent scar. Which he knew she was rather self-conscious of, as it was still as new scars are, still sticking out like a sore thumb.

When he focused back on Abby he realised that she had started to dance with this guy, which irked him rather more than he would care to admit.

'If you want to dance with her you'll have to get in there' Jing-Mei said to him

'What?' Carter replied

'Don't play dumb with me' she said

He sighed and answered 'She seems to be having fun with whatever his name is. Doesn't need me butting in'

'She doesn't know you're here' put in Randi

'Why don't you go and ask her?' Jerry suggested

'She won't see you if you sit here all night' added Chuny

'You know you want to' Haleh said

Carter turned and looked around the table at them all and than back to Abby.

'Look the song's finished and some other guy has asked her to dance' he said

'Honey you can make excuses all evening but it won't help you get a dance or two with her' Haleh told Carter. 'In fact I'd like to dance, Jerry?'

'Yeah sure' Jerry said and off they went

'You know that guy over there is kind of cute' commented Jing-Mei

'What the one sitting with two other guys?' asked Chuny

'Yes that's the one'

'Why don't we three head over there?' suggested Randi

'What about old grumpy here?' asked Jing-Mei as she pointed to Carter who gaze was fixed on watching Abby.

'If we leave him alone it might make him buck his ideas up' said Chuny

'Good idea' said Jing-Mei and Carter was left sitting on his own.

o0o

It took Carter another ten minutes or so to realise that everyone had abandoned him and if he was honest he couldn't blame them he hadn't been very sociable. As he saw Abby standing at the side of the room still chatting with one of the guys she had been dancing with he took the initiative, got up and headed over to her.

'Hey' he said as he reached them

Her face broke into a smile as she returned his greeting. 'Hi. I thought you'd decided not to come or got tied up at work'

He shook his head and said 'No' Then he offered his hand to the man next to him and introduced himself 'John Carter'

The man shook his hand and replied 'Adam Martin, Chuck's cousin'

The three of them stood there awkwardly, the conversation had suddenly dried up and Carter knew it was because he had decided to appear at that moment. A few moments later Adam made some excuse and left Carter and Abby to it.

Carter sighed and said 'Luka said it went well earlier'

'Yeah it did'

'You look like you're enjoying yourself'

'I am' she nodded and looked at him and added 'You okay? You seem a bit odd'

'I'm fine' he replied and then after a pause added 'Care to dance with me?'

Abby turned to him surprised and said 'Why not'

Carter didn't know if he had made the right move in asking her to dance, now she was really close to him and he felt admiring her from a distance had been somewhat easier.

'You sure you're okay?' she asked him as they danced carefully round the dance floor.

'Uh huh' he replied for some reason feeling like a fourteen year old school boy.

They lapsed into silence and after a minute or two Abby suddenly said 'Okay, What? What is it?'

'What are you talking about?' he asked in return

'I don't know you seem to have something on your mind'

'I've just been thinking'

'What?' she asked more softly this time

'Oh no, nothing to.. er.. Worry about, um I've been thinking about you'

'Me?' she said giving him a shy half smile

'You know' he began 'you look very smart' he blurted out in attempt to say something encouraging and also to try and alter the way the conversation had started.

'Smart?' she said laughing

'Oh no well, I didn't mean smart. I meant beautiful'

'Oh'

'Not that you're not smart, intelligent, smart I mean'

'Carter' said Abby amused 'What are you getting at? You're more jittery that Susan was this morning'

'Sorry' he replied

'Don't need to be'

'Can we start again?'

'That would be the best thing you've said all evening'

'Good' he said then added in a teasing tone 'Have I mentioned you look very beautiful tonight Ms Lockhart'

'I don't know' she replied playing along with him 'You might have mentioned it' she added with a grin and the odd tension disappeared.

o0o

'I see he's got his dance' Chuny said to the others, which included the three men they had met.

'More than one, they've been on the dance floor a long time' commented Haleh

'It did the trick though, all of us leaving him alone' Jing-Mei added

'Have you noticed though, they seem to be getting cosier with each dance' mentioned Randi

'That's a good thing' put in Jerry and the others nodded.

o0o

As they danced Carter became increasingly relaxed the teasing he had endured from his colleagues earlier faded into insignificance.

He knew it seemed a bit silly, but he could not break the gaze, which he was sharing with Abby. The gaze which was becoming incredibly intense.

'You know' he said barely above a whisper

'What?' she replied as she look tenderly at him and smiled

He couldn't help himself when he replied 'When you look at me like that I feel like I'm the only person in the room with you'

o0o

Everyone had said goodbye to the happy couple and they had left the party. Some people went back to continue the party and others decided that now the bride and groom had left, they too would depart. One by one they left until two figures remained standing in the parking lot.

'Peaceful out here huh?' Abby said wandering off to a grassy area and sitting down on a bench she noticed there.

'You know you should check the bench is clean before you sit on it with that dress on' Carter told her.

'I don't think I'll be wearing it again. It was bad enough Susan insist I wear pink'

'I wondered how she persuaded you to wear it. It suits you by the way'

Abby sighed and said 'Susan had already promised Susie she could wear pink. I didn't get much of a choice'

She shivered and moved closer to Carter so that their bodies were touching.

'Cold?' he asked

'No not really' she replied

'You shivered' he told her

'Mmm it was like an involuntary shiver and opposed to a shiver with cold'

'Oh' he said, then there was a moments silence before he asked 'Did you get asked out for a date?'

'What?'

'By one of the guys who you were dancing with earlier?'

'And what if I said yes?'

He shook his head and turned away from her, she touched his arm gently.

'John?'

'What?'

'No one asked me out. I think Adam might have but you came along'

'Would you have said yes if he had?'

'No. Just because I was friendly with the guy doesn't mean I want to date him. Do you want to date every woman you meet?'

'No'

'Well then'

'I'd ask you out on a date, but I think we're way past the first date stage' he said turning to face her once more

'You don't want to date me then?' she asked

'I think' he muttered 'That we could maybe go out to dinner'

'As in a date?'

'You want it to be?'

She gave a small laugh and said 'You are something John Carter you know that. You never really tell me how you feel'

'What's that supposed to mean? You want to know how I feel?'

'About me, yes! Should I have asked one of the men I met earlier out on a date? Or have I been waiting until the time is right with you for nothing?'

'You want to know how I feel about you? After all that's happened, all we've been through' he asked their voices were now becoming raised.

'We haven't been through it all together' she pointed out

'You've always been in my thoughts, even when I didn't want you to be, you were there'

'That's supposed to be encouraging' she replied

'Abby' he paused 'How can I get through to you. I love you'

She looked at him, her expression stunned. Which reminded him of the day he proposed to her on the roof at County. Except this time she smiled at him, instead of yelling back as she had done last time.

'Why didn't you just say so?' she asked quietly

'I just did' he looked at her suddenly worried that he declaring his love had been at the wrong moment.

'Good' she said

'Good?' he asked

'Yeah well it makes it easier if we're both in the same place'

'The same place?' he asked

She cupped her hands around his face, so that he gave her his full attention and said tenderly 'I love you'

Then unlike the last time she had kissed him, several months ago at Christmas, she kissed him purposefully on the mouth, gently to start with until he began to kiss her back.

o0o

Chuck and Susan exhausted from their big day slept peacefully in their hotel bed close together that night. As several miles away Carter watched as Abby's dress slithered to the floor, before he moved to gently caress her. Her hands nervously lingered over her recent scars and he brushed them away, taking time to kiss the scars with tenderness, before taking her to the bedroom. Where they rekindled the passionate side to their relationship, with love.