A/N: Again thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, mean a lot to me to hear that people really do like the story and gives me motivation to keep writing it.

Calmer weather

There was something about this trip to Chicago that had been nothing but bad luck since Anna had arrived. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself once again in the SICU at County general. This time however, she knew she was there because her husband and attempted to carry out his threat and kill her. She could not help but wonder if she was ever really going to be safe. She felt like she was stuck in that movie enough, where the woman tried to escape her husband and did not make it until she killed him. However, there was no way that Anna would have the strength or the willpower to hurt Max. Inside she was a doctor and bent on saving lives not taking them. She would probably be the one to shoot him and to patch him back up.

Her shoulder hurt now, not as bad as it had when she first remembered getting there but sore nonetheless. She reached up and pushed the hair from her face as she tried to get a better grip on her surroundings. The sterile room with a few other patients scattered about, people in various states of waking up from surgeries that they all for one reason or another needed to have. Carter said that he would see her soon and she knew that he was probably with Abby right now. Max had tried to kill them both. She did not know if she could stay around Carter right now knowing that she was putting both he and Abby in danger. Seattle seemed like it would be a safe place to go, but thru the grapevine she had heard that Doug now had kids and the thought of putting someone else's family in danger did not sit well in her stomach.

"Hey you're awake," Anna heard a familiar voice say to her. She turned her head to see both Abby and Carter there now.

"Yeah I think I am," She replied softly now, as she looked at Abby, "are you okay?" Putting other people before herself was something that Anna just did out of instinct rather than anything else, especially when she knew she was the reason that person had been hurt.

"Yeah I'm fine just a scratch." Abby said back, she looked at Anna now too, concern for the woman showing in her eyes. "You gave me a bit of a scare there, glad to see those eyes of yours open right now."

"Sorry Abby," Anna said looking away now more at the ceiling than anything, "I should have known that he would find me, and that you weren't safe around me. I shouldn't have let my guard down."

"Don't blame yourself for this one." Abby said now, "it's okay you didn't know he was going to do that."

"I knew." Anna responded, "He said he would and it was just a matter of time before he tried. It is really just a matter of time before he tries again and we might not be so lucky to get away alive again. I can't ask you guys to keep putting your necks out on the line when I know that you could get hurt or even killed because of me and my maniac husband."

Carter stepped forward now, as he gently touched her hand, "Anna, you are my friend, you will always be my friend, we will do what we need to do to get you out of Chicago right now in one piece."

"Carter, John," Anna started to speak again after a moment of silence, "I appreciate it, I really do, everything that you have done for me, no one could ask for more. However, it is just too much for me to ask you to keep putting yourself in danger just to keep me safe. You two are the most kind, caring, compassionate people I know. You both are real friends that anyone would be happy to have but this is not a game anymore. This time, Max is playing with fire this time and he is intent on winning, at any cost."

"Anna we are not going to walk away from you when you need your friends the most." Abby said she could swear there was a hint of shock on Carter's face when she spoke up before he did. "You can't do this alone and we are not going to let you. Carter and I will do whatever we can to help you get to somewhere safe. Max can try all he wants but we won't give up until we get you to that safe place."

Anna did not know what to say now; she was almost floored that these two would be willing to go so far for a friend, a friend that they hadn't seen in a long time. And it wasn't like Anna and Abby were close friends they had only known each other for a little while, the only connection that they had to each other was Carter right now. Anna had known him for a long time and Abby had been with him for a few years now.

"Abby's right Anna," he said speaking up now. "We will help you that is the least that I can do. I promised that I would get you thru this and not let anything happen to you, well I'm still going to do that."

Anna sighed now, "thank you, thank you both." Was all that she could think to say, "You will never know how much I appreciate this. You have both been wonderful to me and I mean it."

Carter just patted her hand now, "I know you do Anna." He said smiling at her, "you'll be up on your feet and practicing medicine in a brand new city with new friends and a new shot at life here before you know it. You will be safe there. Doug will help get you on your feet and I am sure that is the last place that he will look for you there. I doubt Max remembers Doug that much they didn't speak a lot and it's not like you spent a lot of time around Doug back then."

"I know but I don't even know what Max is fully capable of." She said now with a sad look crossing her face, "I never thought that he would actually try and kill me. I never thought that the person I loved who swore he loved me to would do something like this." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Anna was not sure if it was the fact that he had tried to kill her, kill her friends, or a combination of both, but this really hurt this time, more than he had ever hurt her before.

Abby could see how upset she was now, "Anna it is going to be okay. We will get this all worked out again. I know it hurt honey." She lowered her voice as she sat down on the edge of the bed, "walking away from the life that you have worked so hard to build to start over again can be both scary and painful but I know you can do it. You are a very strong woman, it is just going to take some time for you to get back on your feet and you won't be alone."

"I know." Anna said keeping her voice soft and quiet now. "It is scary and to be honest I don't know if I want to put Doug and his family in any danger. There is always that chance that Max could still find me even if I move all the way to the coast. Doctor's are not that hard to find and if he really wanted to, I am sure that he could still find a way to get to me. He seems so determined to end this the way that he wants it to end."

"Anna you have to not think about that." Abby told her, "you need to think positive that this is a step in the right direction for you that it will all work out in the end you have to have some faith that what we are doing will work. Doug knows the risks that he is taking. He knows about men like Max and if he thought that, there was any chance that something could happen he would not have offered to help you. He is doing this cause he wants to no other reason."

"I know but there are so many what ifs right now, what if Max does find me, what if this doesn't work, what if after all of this I somehow end up dead anyway no matter what we do." She did not hold the tears back now, "I mean look at how close he came this time."

Carter gave Abby a sympathetic look knowing that this was hard on all of them, but especially hard on Anna right now. She was the one who was going to have to give everything up not them. She was faced with leaving her home, her friends and most of all her close-knit family. He pulled Anna into a very soft and gently hug, giving her a shoulder to cry on yet being fully aware of her injuries. "It is going to be okay. I can't promise you that Max won't try anything else, that's out of my hands but just know that you have friends that will do anything they can to help keep you safe."

Anna cried on his shoulder for a minute before she was able to say anything. "Thank you John, Abby it means a lot to me." She said between sniffles now.

"Don't mention it Anna." Abby said trying to reassure her that everything that they were doing they were doing because they wanted to not because they had too.

"She's right you know." Carter said softly to her, "you are my friend Anna and I am more than happy and willing to go that extra mile for the people I care about and who mean something to me. Granted we might not be more than friends, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you and your well being."

Anna closed her eyes feeling sleepy again from the medication and the pain in her arm. Her tears slowed down and her breathing became steadier as she drifted off to sleep again.

Carter put his fingers to his lips when he felt her nod off in his hug. He gently laid her back down on the bed pulling the covers up over her tired and worn out body. He put his arm around Abby backing them slowly up from the bed. When he had gotten them a few feet away as so that not to wake her, he kissed the top of Abby's head, "thank you for everything Abby."

"I was just doing what I could honey." Abby said softly, "She's a good person and doesn't deserve to have this happening to her. But you are right we need to get her away from here as soon as we can. She's not safe here in Chicago and we need to get her to Doug as soon."

"I know baby." Carter said hugging onto Abby as they made their way towards the exit to the hospital, "I don't think she's even safe here right now. It would be too easy for Max to find her. Not that he would be stupid enough to try anything when they are looking for him. That might be our break to get her away. He might go into hiding for a little bit here until he thinks it's safe for him to make his next move."

"Carter you make this sound like we are in some action movie." Abby said looking at him funny, "but I know we need to get her out of here soon. Just let me know what I need to do to help and I will do it."

"We'll get it figured out." Carter said as they now headed out into the warm Chicago weather. "We'll get it all together." He opened up the jeep, letting her inside, "we just need Anna to heal from this and then we can figure out where to go from here."