AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi, remember me? I know it's been extremely long, but I didn't drop off the face of the earth. I am still around, and still trying to hold on to my Carby faith, and still slowly plodding along with this story. I hope someone out there remembers it. Here's a re-cap just in case:

Abby found out that Kem was lying to Carter about the baby being his, and she told him. Carter being the dumb jerk that he is didn't believe her. Abby went to the Congo. Carter found out the truth and followed her. He apologized and they got trapped in the woods, which gave them time to talk and work things out. They just recently came back to the US and the last chapter was just some witty half-asleep conversation at the mansion.

That's an extremely abridged version. Feel free to go back and refresh your memory if you want. I hope you enjoy the next installment. They still have a little way to go before they get to happily ever after...

Chapter 10: Things Left Unsaid

"Abby?"

"What?" Abby snapped. She was juggling fifteen patients, the lab and x-ray were backed up, and she hadn't sat down in over eight hours. If she heard one more complaint about how long a patient has been waiting or how she wasn't doing something correctly, she might scream.

Abby finally turned to see who had called for her, and Luka's concerned face stared back in her direction.

"I'm sorry," Abby apologized. "What is it, Luka?"

"Are you all right, Abby?" Luka asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little on edge today. I'll be okay."

"Well, someone in exam one is asking for you," Luka added with a smile before he walked off.

Great, just what I need, thought Abby, another cranky patient to add to my list...

Slowly entering exam one, she was confused by the darkness. There was no one around. What was Luka trying to pull? "Hello?" Abby called hesitantly. "Hello?"

A hand on her back, gentle though it was, caused her to gasp in fright. She spun around quickly to see Carter's face in the darkness.

"You scared the crap out of me," she whispered as he began to encircle her waist with his arms, and she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you mad?" he asked.

"Nope," she answered before he leaned in for a kiss.

"Rough shift?" he asked, his arms still holding her close.

"Awful," she replied.

"Only a few hours to go. How about I cook dinner for us tonight? Meet me at my place around eight?"

Abby hesitated. "Can't we go out to eat?"

"But we haven't had a night in for a while. Can't we just stay home? Please..." he gave her his best puppy dog eyes and pouty lip.

"All right," she rolled her eyes at him. "As long as you behave yourself."

"I'll try my best," he replied before leaning down to kiss her neck. Abby pulled away sharply.

Carter looked confused, so she awkwardly said, "I, uh, have to get back to work. She leaned in to quickly peck him on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight," she added before she left the room hurriedly.

Carter was left wondering what he had done wrong.

"Try and aim for the emesis basin, Mr. Tansey," Abby shouted to her patient in exam two. She looked down at her watch to make sure that it was true. Her shift was officially over, and nothing anyone could say or do would make her stay a moment longer.

"The projectile vomiting in two is all yours, Dr. Lewis," Abby said with a smile as she passed her chart along to Susan.

"Thanks," Susan replied with a fake smile.

"What are friends for? Also, I have a case of crabs in curtain one, and an explosive, watery diarrhea in curtain three for you."

"Yuck, don't you have any patients who aren't totally disgusting?"

"Nope, only the vile and revolting visited Dr. Lockhart today."

"At least your shift is over. My fun has just begun."

Abby smiled as she placed her stethoscope on her locker shelf, and traded her lab coat for her sweater and purse.

"So, you and Carter have any big plans for tonight?" Susan asked.

"He's cooking me dinner."

"Ooh, that sounds romantic..."

Abby half-smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she buttoned up her sweater.

"That's not romantic?" Susan asked.

"No, it's great. It's just...I don't know..." Abby sighed as she plopped herself down on the couch in the lounge.

"What's wrong? You two are okay, aren't you? 'Cause it seemed like you were..."

"No, no. We're fine; it's just..."

"What?"

Abby motioned for Susan to come closer so that she wouldn't have to speak so loudly. Susan quickly came over to sit next to Abby.

"Carter's been wanting to...you know...have..."

"Sex?"

"Yeah, and..."

"You're not in the mood, right?" Susan cut in. "I know exactly how you feel. Chuck's been that way lately, too. I mean, between work and the baby, I'm exhausted by the end of the day, but he's still all over me. Sometimes I have to be like, lay off, buddy—'"

"That's not it. We, uh, haven't actually slept together since we got back together..."

"Really? Wow. I mean, that's fine. It's just...why not? It's been a couple of months, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And things are going okay, right?"

"Yeah, things are good," Abby answered sincerely.

"Then what's the problem?"

Abby sighed. "It's complicated. At first, I said that I wanted to take things slow, and Carter was fine with that. But, really, there is something else, and I think Carter's beginning to realize that."

"What is it?"

"I, uh, should probably talk to Carter about it first. Sorry..."

"No, you're right. You should. Tonight. You've gone through too much this time to start drifting apart again because of more things left unsaid."

"You're right." Abby nodded her head. "I'll talk to him tonight," she assured her as she got up. "Thanks for listening," she added before she moved towards the door.

"Abby?" Susan called after her friend. Abby turned back to face her. "He loves you. Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Thanks, Susan," Abby said as she walked out the door.

"Hello, Dr. Lockhart," Henry greeted Abby at the door to the Carter home. "May I take your sweater?"

"Um, yes, thank you," Abby answered. She wasn't used to being waited on like this. "Where is John?"

"Dr. Carter asked that you wait here in the foyer while he finishes up with the dinner. He should only be a few minutes."

"Okay, thank you." Abby was wondering what all of this was about. She wasn't really in the mood for something fancy after the long day that she'd just had. She just wanted to have a quiet, relaxing dinner.

Abby slowly circled the foyer of the Carter mansion with her eyes. Although his family's wealth never mattered to her, she still never quite got over how much money one family could actually have. A portrait of Millicent Carter adorned one of the walls. She moved closer to get a better look. She had an almost regal look about her. And yet, Abby remembered a soft gentle side of her as well. The last time Abby had seen her, at a charity fundraiser for a new symphony hall, she was like any old woman, asking her grandson to help her with things that were becoming too much for her in her old age.

She moved on to see the next portrait. It was of two young boys, one of which was almost unmistakably Carter. The other must be Bobby, she guessed. How awful it must have been for him to lose a brother at such a young age. Abby wasn't sure what she'd do if something happened to Eric, although she had gotten an awful taste of that feeling about a year and a half ago.

Still walking, now down a hallway that led to she-wasn't-quite-sure-where, she spotted a portrait of John Carter, Sr. She had only met Carter's grandfather once, but she often wished that she had gotten to know him better before he died. She only had one short conversation with him, but through that small exchange, she'd gotten the sense that he had been a very kind and down-to-earth man.

Amidst her thoughts, she heard footsteps, but she didn't turn around. She knew who they belonged to. Carter came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and planted a kiss on her right cheek.

"I thought maybe you got lost," he said while still holding on to her. He buried his face in her hair to breathe in her beautiful scent.

She brought her hand up to stroke his arm. "Nope, I was just strolling through your art gallery here."

"Hmm," he replied. "I think he would have liked you..."

"Who?" Abby replied, turning around and feeling relieved that he was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and that he wasn't dressed formally.

"My grandfather," he replied as he nodded toward the portrait.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling....Shall we?" He offered his arm to escort her to the dinner that he had prepared. She graciously accepted.

"Close your eyes," Carter whispered in Abby's ear as they rounded the corner to the living room.

"Okay..." she replied and did as he requested. He guided her with his arm around the corner and into the room. It felt warm to Abby and she could smell the dinner, too.

"It doesn't smell too bad. Are you sure you cooked?" she asked with a smile.

"Ha, ha," Carter fake-laughed. "Might I remind you that you have your eyes closed, and I could lead you into a wall at any moment?"

"Sorry," she said while trying to hide her smile.

"Okay," said Carter. "Open your eyes."

Carter had planned the most romantic dinner that Abby had ever seen. The food was all set up like an indoor picnic in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace. It wasn't exactly gourmet cuisine, but it tasted wonderful and the setting couldn't have been more perfect. After they had both eaten, Carter cleaned the plates away so that they could spread out on the blanket. Carter lay down with his head propped up on some large, soft throw pillows, and Abby curled up next to him, laying her head on his chest. It was the most wonderful way to end a very long and stressful day.

"Thank you so much. I really needed this," Abby said as she lifted her head to face him.

"You're welcome," Carter replied as he leaned in to give her a short, sweet kiss. Then he pushed some hair behind her ear to get a better look at her face. "I would do anything for you..." He leaned in to give her another kiss—this one a little longer and more passionate than the last. As the kiss deepened, he moved his hand around her back and started to caress the soft skin under her shirt. Abby abruptly pulled away from his touch.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I know you wanted to take things slow, and I thought we were. We haven't done much more than kiss in the past few months. But, Abby," he took her hand and gently caressed the back of it with his thumb, "I miss you." Looking in his eyes, she knew what he meant by this.

"I know," Abby replied slowly. "I miss you too, but..."

"But, what, Abby? Do you still not trust me?"

"It's not that, it's just..."

"What?"

"I want you to get tested."