So sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted. I thought that I had posted all of them but I missed one… so sorry please enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10:

It was the following morning and Carter had started to somewhat become used to the routine behind bars. He was expecting a visit from his attorney today to talk with him about what kind of a plea bargain that the DA was willing to make with him. He was heartbroken that it had come to this but he was boxed in and there just didn't seem to be any other option for them right now.

"Carter," he heard a voice calling to him. "You have a visitor."

"Yeah," Carter sat up on the small narrow bunk that he had been sleeping on. He wasn't expecting the attorney to be there this early. He had been showing up after breakfast. It had taken some getting used to but he had finally managed to come to terms with the fact that he was taking the fall for something that he hadn't done. He climbed down and walked over to where the guard was standing now, one of many who he had come to know by sight now, "who is it Randal?"

"Some lady doctor." He said as he started to walk with Carter towards the visitor's area.

Carter had to admit that not many people had come to see him while he had been here. It wasn't sure though when he said a lady doctor who it might have been, for even Susan hadn't come to see him while he had been locked up. Carter never thought that he would see the day where he had to wear a bright orange jumpsuit and be escorted everywhere. During the day though they were pretty much allowed to wander freely through the locked facility. Watch TV, read, work out, it wasn't all that bad, not a place that he would chose to be but for now it was all that he had.

As they walked into the room full of steel chairs attached to the floor around metal benches, Carter couldn't believe his eyes. For sitting at the table was indeed Susan and she had this small hint of a smile on her face. He crossed over the room and sat down at the table next to her.

"How you holding up Carter?" Susan asked looking at him.

Carter had dark circles under his eyes and he was thinner than he had been, while they might have been getting three square meals a day the food left something to be desired. He didn't sleep all that well at times almost afraid to close his eyes. The sounds that were there at night gave him chills. "I'm okay."

"You don't look okay." She said back to him as she leaned over to hug him. "I thought you might like some news about things."

"Yeah," Carter said his tone rather flat with her, "I'm sure any news that you have will be better than the news my attorney is bringing me later today. As much as he didn't want to think about it, it had been all that he had been able to think about.

"Don't be too sure, I think that your attorney when he gets here will have some pretty damn good news for you." She paused for a minute, knowing that Carter probably didn't have access to the same information she had, "they are working on getting you out of here."

"What you are so full of shit." Carter said giving her a look of disbelief.

"They found Paul last night." Susan wasn't sure how to tell him about this. While catching Paul was good news she didn't want to upset him with the fact that he had gone after Abby a second time. "Abby remembered who stabbed her, and Paul made an appearance last night, I guess he thought he was going to finish what he had started."

Carter didn't know what to say when she said that "is Abby," he paused for a minute trying not to choke on his words, "is she okay?"

"Abby is fine, a little shaken up but she should be going home if Pratt hasn't already taken her there." Susan said touching his arm now, "she is starting to get her memory back Carter, and she knows that it wasn't you who did this, the police now know that it wasn't you who did this."

"Does it really matter that anyone knows that I am innocent?" Carter said looking down.

"Yes it does Carter, why would you say something like that?" Susan was worried about him now too.

"I have spent two weeks in a County Jail Susan. I have been locked behind these doors, treated like a common criminal and no matter what I said no one believed that I was innocent, everyone thought that I had hurt Abby. Do I have anything to go back to? Weaver, give my job away thinking that I would be going up the river?" His voice was different than Susan had ever heard from him right now.

"No you still have a job, you still have Abby. I wish to god that this hadn't happened to you but it did Carter. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry Susan." Carter said unable to look his friend in the eyes right now. "I'm sorry too."

"Things will get better Carter." Susan said, "We'll get you out of here and back home so that you can move on with your life. You still want to be with Abby don't you?"

"Of course I do." Carter said, "I love that woman she's everything to me."

"She needs you right now. She might not have been able to come down here and tell you that, or be here when you get to walk out of here a free man, but she does need you."

Carter didn't say anything back to Susan. He didn't have anything else to say. He just didn't want to believe that he would be leaving this place until they led him out themselves. He wanted nothing more than to be back home with Abby. Carter didn't want to get his hopes up that it was really going to happen. Especially with everything that his attorney had said to him. He had more questions than answers.

Later that day, Carter was led out of the Jail and back outside. He wasn't overly shocked when Susan was there waiting for him. He crossed over to where she was standing and then over to her car.

"You ready to go Carter." Susan asked him.

"Yeah I am more than ready to go." He replied as he got into her car.

Susan got in and started to drive them back towards the apartment. "Does she really want to see me?"

"Yes Carter she does. She was very relieved to hear that you would be home later today and she's been asked me every hour on the hour since this morning about when I was going to get you." Susan said as she negotiated them through the streets of Chicago.

He didn't know what to say, he really didn't have much to say, he was nervous, very nervous to see Abby. The car ride seemed shorter than he thought it would be and it wasn't very long at all before they were parked in front of the apartment once again.

He slowly climbed out of the car and made the walk up the stairs to the apartment, Susan right behind him the entire way. He reached for the doorknob but just couldn't turn it. He was too scared to actually go in there.

Susan put her hand on his back. "Go on ahead Carter. It is okay." She said her voice soft and gentle with him.

Carter took a deep breath and then opened the door taking a few steps into the apartment. He watched as Abby emerged from the bedroom upon hearing the door open. She didn't say anything she just looked at him. Both of them standing as if they were frozen in time. After a minute Abby took off into a run throwing her arms around Carter's neck hugging him tightly to her. She was so happy to see him, to know that he had come back to her after everything.

"I love you." Abby whispered as she clung to him.

"I love you too." He replied as he held the woman of his dreams in his arms now. He never wanted to be separated from her ever again. He knew that she was it, she was the only one that he ever wanted to be with.