Time out.
Carter could tell from Anna's reaction that she wanted his help, but she couldn't ask him for it. He stayed by her side until she fell back into her drug-induced sleep. The pain meds she was on taking her into a land of deep slumber. He made the arrangements to move her to another part of the hospital, under a different name so that Max wouldn't be able to find her. How could someone treat someone with such a good heart and beautiful soul so horribly? He didn't know, he wanted to strangle Max for hurting her like that, but against his better judgment knew that he should just stay away from him, let him think that he was doing what he had asked, staying away from his wife.
He went and found Dr. Corday, since she was Anna's surgeon and he wanted her to be able to continue with her care. He explained the situation to her, letting her know what he had done. She agreed with him that this was probably the best thing for Anna right now. He walked back to her room, watching her sleeping from the door to her room, 'oh Anna, how could it have come to this? How did you get yourself into something this awful?" Carter knew that he needed to keep Max from her. Anna had fallen for his charms before, when she had taken him back into her life leaving behind her residency at County to return to Philadelphia to work things out with him. He was afraid that if she were left alone with him again, he would find the words to manipulate her to give him another chance.
Carter knew what it was like to love someone with all your soul that was the way that he loved Abby. That was probably the way that Anna loved Max, to be so willing to forget everything that he had done to her and give him another chance. In Carter's eyes Max had run out of chances and he would protect his friend, with his life if that's what it came down to. He didn't love her the same way anymore, moving from the infatuation stage, to more of a deep lasting friendship with her. He'd stick his neck out for anyone who he considered a friend, that's what in his eyes friends did for each other. Carter watched Anna start to stir from her sleep. He moved from the door to her bedside pulling the chair that was there over so that she would know that she wasn't alone anymore.
"Hey there sleepy," he said to her pushing the hair back from her face.
"Hi John," Anna said as she opened her eyes all the way, still feeling groggy as she tried to pull herself up in the bed a little more.
"Here let me help you." Carter said putting his hand under her shoulder to help pull her up in the bed a little more. He knew that her stomach muscles right now were probably useless and hurt her to move much. He moved the pillow so that it was more under her head as he got her into more of a sitting position than a laying down one.
"Thanks." She smiled weakly at him.
"Can you get me a drink please?"
"Yeah not a problem," Carter reached for the water pitcher that was sitting on the tray next to her bed, "here you go. Drink slow, it's been awhile since you've had anything."
Anna nodded as she took small sips from the glass that he had handed her. The exhaustion from everything was clear on her face and Carter couldn't help but notice it as he looked at her. "How's the pain?" He said slipping back into more of a doctor-patient conversation with her for the time being.
"It hurts." She said looking at him, "in more ways than one."
Carter looked at her, picking up on the subtle meaning in her statement. He knew that this was hard on her, not just the physical aspects of being in the car accident, but the emotional side of walking away and admitting to him that her life, the one that she had been pretending was alright, in fact was just the opposite. Right now he just wanted to get her healed from the accident, they would deal with everything else once he knew that she was stronger. "On a scale of 1 to 10, oh hell," he smiled at her, "doctor you know the drill."
"Yeah I know the drill," she tried to return the smile, "I'd say about a 7."
"Well then let's see if we can't get you something, make you more comfortable." Carter picked up the chart from the end of the bed. She was only a few hours post-operative so the pain was to be expected, but they could also manage it. Carter made a note on the chart and then adjusted her morphine drip. "That should help a little. Here's the button, you know how to use it."
"Yeah I do." She said wrapping her hands around the little black button. "Thanks for everything John."
Carter watched as the morphine started to kick in and her eyes were getting heavy again, "you're more than welcome Anna. It's what friends do for friends. You're safe here, Corday and I are the only ones who know where you are at, Max won't be able to find you this time, at least while you are here. I will do what I can to protect you, and together, after you're better..." He didn't' get the chance to finish his sentence, her eyes were now closed and the rise and fall of her chest let him know that she was back asleep. Looking down at her, he smiled, "you just need a time out, and that's what I'm gonna give you. We'll get it fixed Anna, I can promise you that you will be safe as long as I'm watching over you."
Carter could tell from Anna's reaction that she wanted his help, but she couldn't ask him for it. He stayed by her side until she fell back into her drug-induced sleep. The pain meds she was on taking her into a land of deep slumber. He made the arrangements to move her to another part of the hospital, under a different name so that Max wouldn't be able to find her. How could someone treat someone with such a good heart and beautiful soul so horribly? He didn't know, he wanted to strangle Max for hurting her like that, but against his better judgment knew that he should just stay away from him, let him think that he was doing what he had asked, staying away from his wife.
He went and found Dr. Corday, since she was Anna's surgeon and he wanted her to be able to continue with her care. He explained the situation to her, letting her know what he had done. She agreed with him that this was probably the best thing for Anna right now. He walked back to her room, watching her sleeping from the door to her room, 'oh Anna, how could it have come to this? How did you get yourself into something this awful?" Carter knew that he needed to keep Max from her. Anna had fallen for his charms before, when she had taken him back into her life leaving behind her residency at County to return to Philadelphia to work things out with him. He was afraid that if she were left alone with him again, he would find the words to manipulate her to give him another chance.
Carter knew what it was like to love someone with all your soul that was the way that he loved Abby. That was probably the way that Anna loved Max, to be so willing to forget everything that he had done to her and give him another chance. In Carter's eyes Max had run out of chances and he would protect his friend, with his life if that's what it came down to. He didn't love her the same way anymore, moving from the infatuation stage, to more of a deep lasting friendship with her. He'd stick his neck out for anyone who he considered a friend, that's what in his eyes friends did for each other. Carter watched Anna start to stir from her sleep. He moved from the door to her bedside pulling the chair that was there over so that she would know that she wasn't alone anymore.
"Hey there sleepy," he said to her pushing the hair back from her face.
"Hi John," Anna said as she opened her eyes all the way, still feeling groggy as she tried to pull herself up in the bed a little more.
"Here let me help you." Carter said putting his hand under her shoulder to help pull her up in the bed a little more. He knew that her stomach muscles right now were probably useless and hurt her to move much. He moved the pillow so that it was more under her head as he got her into more of a sitting position than a laying down one.
"Thanks." She smiled weakly at him.
"Can you get me a drink please?"
"Yeah not a problem," Carter reached for the water pitcher that was sitting on the tray next to her bed, "here you go. Drink slow, it's been awhile since you've had anything."
Anna nodded as she took small sips from the glass that he had handed her. The exhaustion from everything was clear on her face and Carter couldn't help but notice it as he looked at her. "How's the pain?" He said slipping back into more of a doctor-patient conversation with her for the time being.
"It hurts." She said looking at him, "in more ways than one."
Carter looked at her, picking up on the subtle meaning in her statement. He knew that this was hard on her, not just the physical aspects of being in the car accident, but the emotional side of walking away and admitting to him that her life, the one that she had been pretending was alright, in fact was just the opposite. Right now he just wanted to get her healed from the accident, they would deal with everything else once he knew that she was stronger. "On a scale of 1 to 10, oh hell," he smiled at her, "doctor you know the drill."
"Yeah I know the drill," she tried to return the smile, "I'd say about a 7."
"Well then let's see if we can't get you something, make you more comfortable." Carter picked up the chart from the end of the bed. She was only a few hours post-operative so the pain was to be expected, but they could also manage it. Carter made a note on the chart and then adjusted her morphine drip. "That should help a little. Here's the button, you know how to use it."
"Yeah I do." She said wrapping her hands around the little black button. "Thanks for everything John."
Carter watched as the morphine started to kick in and her eyes were getting heavy again, "you're more than welcome Anna. It's what friends do for friends. You're safe here, Corday and I are the only ones who know where you are at, Max won't be able to find you this time, at least while you are here. I will do what I can to protect you, and together, after you're better..." He didn't' get the chance to finish his sentence, her eyes were now closed and the rise and fall of her chest let him know that she was back asleep. Looking down at her, he smiled, "you just need a time out, and that's what I'm gonna give you. We'll get it fixed Anna, I can promise you that you will be safe as long as I'm watching over you."