Author's Note: Sorry its taken me so long to post this chapter, but my sister had her first baby, so I was out of State for a while. Hope the wait was worth it.

A noise brought Abby out of her sleep, not that she shad been soundly asleep anyway. In the two weeks since Neela moved out her sleep had gotten worse instead of better. She could feel her heart racing as she lay in the semi darkness, the bathroom light illuminating the slight shaking of her hands. After tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, she got up and wandered into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. As the water slid down her throat Abby realized how much she was craving alcohol again. She looked at the clock; 3 A.M. was not the time she wanted to try to find a meeting. Not that there wouldn't be one available but it would mean going out into the dark Chicago night, something she was no longer comfortable doing. Pulling a quilt around her she sat on the couch, her cordless phone within her reach. She though about calling Dr. Lagaspi or Dr. Bailey but she hated to disturb them so late. Besides, she didn't want to admit to either of them how bad the cravings were getting. They would think she was weak. But as another half hour passed and the cravings were getting stronger Abby realized she had to do something. Picking up the phone once more she dialed a familiar number.

"Hello," a sleep voice answered.

"Carter," she said. Hesitating for a moment she then blurted out, "I feel like I need a drink."

"Hold tight, Abby, " he said, frowning as Wendell got out of the bed at the mention of Abby's name. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'm sorry, Carter," Abby said, "I shouldn't have bothered you. I'll be okay."

"It's no bother," Carter said, as he pulled his pants on, noticing that Wendell was also getting dressed. "I know you'll be fine till I get there, but call me on my cell if you need to."

"I don't have anything in the house," Abby said, softly. "So drive safe."

"I'll be there soon," Carter said as he hung up. "What?" he asked Wendell as he saw her glaring at him. "Abby needs my help. She's my friend."

"She's not your friend, she's your ex-girlfriend. And you don't understand why your jumping out of bed when she cocks her little finger makes me mad?" Wendell said, putting on her shoes.

"You have no idea how hard it is for Abby to ask for help," Carter said, as he grabbed his jacket and jeep keys. "I haven't been the best friend lately, so I am not going to fail her when she calls."

"Well," Wendell said, her arms crossed over her chest, "If you go now, then we are over. I won't play second fiddle to your ex."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm going to Abby's," Carter said, as he held the front door open.

"Then you made up your mind. Have a good life, John," she said with a sneer in her voice as she stomped off.

Carter didn't even bother to watch her leave as he got in the Jeep, and soon he was heading for Abby's. He should feel bad that Wendell dumped him, but in reality he was relieved. She had been a nice distraction, but it was time for him to get his life back on track. But he would think about that later, right now he needed to get Abby through her crisis.

Abby jumped as she heard the soft knock. She took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart rate before answering the door. She hated this feeling of jumpiness, and it wasn't getting better with time. Hand on the doorknob, she asked "Who is it?"

"Abby, its me," Carter said, hearing the slight panic in her voice. "Let me in."

Abby opened the door, fighting to keep from flinging herself into Carter's arms. Carter, however, had no such hesitation. He pulled her into a tight embrace, kicking the door shut with his foot. "Hey there, its okay," he said softly, his hand rubbing small circles on her back. He continued to hold her until her tense body began to relax just a bit, and her arms snaked around his waist. "Come on, lets sit down, then you can take your time and tell me what's going on," he said, after a few minutes. Carter led Abby over the couch, wrapping the quilt he found there around her shoulders as she wiggled herself into the corner. He sat down next to her, close enough for her to feel secure, but not so close to intrude on her personal space. He noticed how tired she looked, the dark circles under her eye and wondered how many nights before this one she hadn't been able to sleep.

As she played with the edge of the quilt, Abby could feel his eyes on her. She knew she needed to tell him something since she had hauled him out of his bed in the middle of the night, but she had no idea where to start. She sighed, then looked at him. She didn't see pity, but just true concern in his eyes. That made it a little easier for her to talk. "I've been seeing someone for the PTSD, and talking to Dr Lagaspi on the phone, but I don't feel like I'm doing any better. I've been okay at the hospital, but not at home. Its been worse since Neela moved out. I don't sleep well, and I've been having the cravings more and more. If it wasn't that I would have had to go out in the dark, I'm pretty sure I would have given in tonight."

Carter reached out to cradle her hand, he could see how much the admission had drained her and he wanted to give her what comfort he could. "I understand the wanting something, anything to help you to sleep. But you and I both know in the end, chemically induced sleep won't do you any good. It might feel like it is at first, but in a few days or weeks you would be worse off than you are now. You are making progress, you are dealing with what happened to you in a healthy way. And you asked for help when you knew you needed it. What you need most right now is some sleep. How about I stay here with you so you can try to relax?"

Abby wanted to refuse, to say she could handle it herself, but she knew better. "Thank you," she simply said. She watched Carter stretch out on her couch then hold his arms out open to her. As she settled into his embrace, pulling the quilt over them, she tried to let go of all the chaos in her mind and find comfort in the steady heartbeat under her ear. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into a deep sleep.