Chapter 5: Friday on my mind.

"Abby…Abby wake up." Said Susan. Abby jolted her head up as she snapped back to consciousness. She pushed her hair from her face and stared in confusion at the pile of charts scattered haphazardly across the table. She didn't remember closing her eyes. She didn't remember resting her head on the table.

"Coffee?" asked Susan.

Abby looked up. She felt dazed. She hadn't even realised Susan had been standing in front of her.

"Um…yeah." She replied after taking a moment to think it through. Maybe coffee would help her stay awake.

Susan poured two cups of coffee. It was unlike Abby to fall asleep at work. She wondered if something was wrong.

"Are you OK?" she questioned. "Only you've been rather quiet for the past few days, has something happened with Mike?"

"No, it's not Mike. I'm just…" she paused, deliberating what to say. "Just tired. That's all."

It wasn't a lie. She had hardly slept all night. Or the night before that. It was just the reason for her lack of sleep that she hadn't told anybody. If she told someone that would make it real and she wasn't sure she was ready for that. Not just yet.

"You know you can talk to me anytime OK?" Susan said; sure that there was something Abby wasn't letting on. " Well, except right now because I've really got to go fetch Grace from day-care."

Abby smiled and shook her head. "Thanks." She was grateful to have such a great friend in Susan.

"No problem" Susan replied as she headed out the door.

Abby sat for a while aimlessly staring at the bottom of her coffee cup, still pondering all the charts she had left to finish. She needed more coffee.

As she got up to make another cup Luka wandered into the Doctor's lounge.

"Hey." He greeted her.

"Hey." She replied. "Want some coffee?"

"Oh, no thanks. I'm off now. I'm taking Sam and Alex away for the weekend."

"Anywhere nice?" She inquired. She wished she were going away somewhere; instead she would be stuck in the ER all weekend.

"Up to the lakes, I rented a motor home again."

"Have fun." She said.

"And you." He responded sarcastically, staring at the mess on the table. "Bye."

As he stepped outside into the frozen iciness of the ambulance bay Luka spotted Carter sitting on the bench; he looked so downcast and mournful.

"You'll catch you death out here if you stay too long; it's freezing." Commented Luka, rubbing his hands together to create warmth. He sat down on the bench beside Carter.

"Don't you have some place to be?" Asked Carter, not really wanting his wallowing disturbed.

"No, I told Sam I'd wait for her while she went to pick up Alex from school."

"Great" Carter mumbled under his breath. "That's just great." He got up off the bench ready to head back inside. It was obvious that he was in a foul mood once again.

"Carter what is wrong with you lately?" demanded Luka. "You mood is just up and down like a yo-yo and it's starting to affect everyone around you. What is going on?"

Carter sat back down. Luka was right; it was starting to affect everyone around him. He needed to get out of the downward spiral he was on but he still couldn't figure out how. "I'm sorry." He said.

They sat in silence for a while. Finally Carter came out and told Luka about the phone call. About the fact that Kem hadn't wanted to talk to him; didn't ever want to talk to him again.

"I'm sorry." Was now Luka's reply. He thought back to the time he had lost his own family. How much it had hurt, how alone he felt and how desolate the future had looked.

"You should go to Africa Carter; you have to go and see her one final time."