A/N: I have done some research and yes I did write that Abby matched at County. But in response once you Match and you do your intern year you do not have to stay any longer with that program. You can if they have slots and you have an agreement with the facility. But from history we know that residents transfer in and out of County from time to time. And to clarify I said that she had been offered a position at another hospital… didn't say when though and I have not been specific about how much time has passed either. On another note thanks to everyone whose reviewed and has enjoyed the story. Now that I have my rant out of the way… enjoy another chapter

Chapter Six: Fate has it.

They sat there in silence as Carter tried to take in what Abby had just told him. Surely she didn't take it. "Did you take it?"

"Yeah I did." Abby replied rather softly now.

"Where at?" Carter asked, he didn't think that much of it thinking that it was probably another hospital in the Chicago area, but then he didn't know that Abby had been looking to move out of County. She had been there for several years working first as a nurse then student then nurse; he had just assumed that Abby was happy there.

"Huston Medical Center." Abby said looking down, "they offered me a residency slot there starting as soon as my internship finishes in May."

Carter was shocked he didn't expect her to be going to Texas of all places. "You… you're…" he was definitely at a loss for words, "Texas."

"Yeah." She said simply.

"Texas." Carter was repeating himself but he didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. He didn't know where that was going to leave them. He knew long distance relationships didn't work out all that well, granted his last one had an ocean between them, they would at least still be in the same time zone, but it just didn't make sense as to why she would even want to make that move.

"Huston is in Texas." She said looking at Carter. Abby didn't know what to make of Carter's reaction to the news but she was getting the feeling that it wasn't good whatever it was.

"Yeah I know that." He said looking down, "I didn't know you were looking to relocate to another hospital. I thought that you were happy at County."

"I am happy at County, but this was an opportunity that I didn't think I should turn down. I wanted, well I guess what I wanted was to experience something other than what Chicago has to offer."

"You could have talked to me before you took it." He said giving her this look of disbelief.

"You didn't talk to me before you decided to up go to the jungle."

She had a very valid point with that one. And he was left momentarily speechless with it. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why Texas Abby? I don't understand this; I thought that things were going well with us. And now you are telling me that you are upping and moving not across town or to another part of the state but to a completely different state all together."

"This has nothing to do with you Carter." She said pausing only long enough to put her thoughts together so this didn't come across wrong, not that there was a right way for it to come across. "I'm doing this for my career. They have more opportunities for me there and well it felt pretty damn good when someone approached me for a job not the other way around."

He just shook his head for a minute. "I can understand that part of it all, but I just don't understand why now, why did you take it now?"

"Because now is when it was offered. I couldn't say hey would you hold that offer on the table for a few more years while I get my love life straightened out. This was one of those opportunities that only knock once." Abby said. He was taking this about as well as she thought that he would.

"Yeah okay that's all great, good for you Abby I am really happy for you." Oh there was so much sarcasm in his voice that you could have bathed in it.

"Don't Carter." She said giving him that look, "why can't you just be happy for me. I have worked hard and it's finally starting to pay off in more ways than I thought it would. This is something that just shows me that it has."

"You didn't have to take it."

"Yes I did have to take it Carter. I wanted to take it." Abby was defending her decision even though she really didn't have to, "and you can either chose to be happy for me and wish me well knowing that when it's over I will be back, or you can sit there and pout like a little kid who just had their favorite toy taken away."

"Just because I am not happy that you are upping and leaving doesn't mean that I am not happy for you." He crossed his arms over his chest now trying not to glare at her at task that he found extremely difficult right now.

"Well then bloody act like it. You don't look happy you are not smiling like people do when they are happy for someone else." She said leaning back in her chair.

"I'm not that happy about it Abby. Where does this leave us?" He asked.

"I don't know, honestly I don't know." She said, "You could come with me." That was one option, "you could stay here and we could fly back and forth."

"Long distance relationships don't work." He said point blank.

"They can if you want them too."

"You are not leaving for a week Abby, hell you are not even leaving for a month; you are leaving to do a residency that lasts for years. And you have four more left to do." Carter was fighting now not to yell.

"So what, is this how it's going to end?" She asked looking at him, "you with your panties in a knot because I wanted to do something that means something, to give myself an opportunity that only comes along once in a great while."

"Yeah I guess so." He said, "I can't do another long distance relationship. There are too many temptations and it's too much work."

"Any relationship takes work to make it work." Abby said, "But I am not going to twist your arm to make this one work. I have decided to take the residency in Texas and I am going to go whether or not you like it."

"I know and I am not going to try and talk you out of it either. If this is what you want then this is what you want and who am I to try and take that away." Carter fought the urge to just up and leave.

Abby sighed heavily unsure of what to say anymore this wasn't going to end the way that she thought it would. "You know what I thought that you would be happy for me to do this, that you would realize how beneficial it would be to me, what it would mean to me to be able to do something like this. That maybe you would be proud of the skills that I have achieved, that you would honestly wish me luck and work something out so that we could continue to see each other. But I guess I was wrong." Abby stood up from the table frustrated by his reaction now more than anything else. "I'm sorry if this wasn't in your grand plan for life, but it happened and I am doing it." She turned now to walk away from the table. "I guess I will see you at work tomorrow."

He didn't say anything nor did he try and stop her from walking away. Somewhere deep inside him he was happy for her but yet at the same time the desire for her not to leave was stronger than the happy feelings that he had for her. He would try to find someway between now and when she left to smooth things over with her.