Author's Note: Thanks you for your reviews, you all make my day. In reply to Breakthefloor22's questions: Carter is in the Congo. Timeline it is set after S11, although I have only seen Ep: 1 & 2. I have however read most of the spoilers for the rest, so it is sort of following on from there with a couple of changes that I have made to suit my story. Mala was a character that I invented. Hope that information helps. As I have written chapter three earlier that I thought I would I am posting it now.

Chapter 3

Five months later October 2006

There was a chill to the wind as Carter walked along the shore of Lake Michigan. He drew his coat more snugly around his body. It was amazing that after four weeks he had still not fully acclimatized back to the Chicago weather. Fall was now in full swing and the days were only going to become shorter and colder. Which was exactly how he felt his life was, cold and dark and dismal.

Carter had been out all day when he finally stopped and propped his body up against a lamppost almost opposite the emergency entrance to County. He stood there for over an hour, watching people come and go from the hospital.

He saw the hustle and bustle as ambulances drew up, unloaded patients, reloaded other patients and drove off. He watched and a small smile graced his lips when Weaver came hobbling out on her crutch, yelling at Ray and Morris for slacking and not getting on with their jobs properly, when they were more likely on a well earned break or Ray was anyway. In addition he saw Luka and Haleh, Sam, Luka and what looked like a med student come out to meet the ambulances while he stood there.

If they had looked up and distanced themselves from their work it would have been unlikely that they would have recognised him as he stood there in scruffily and fairly dirty clothes. His hair and beard were longer than he had ever grown them before and he carried an air of indifference about him.

The sky was dark the air was cold when Carter finally sighed and walked away. If he has stayed a few moments longer he would have seen Abby running down the stairs from the El and into the ambulance bay, late as usual and tonight awaiting the wrath of Weaver.

Carter put the key in the lock and opened the front door. Wondering why he had never sold this house he had bought a couple of years earlier. Looking back on it however he was pleased. Pleased that he now had somewhere to come back to, somewhere his heart knew as home. The other decision that he was glad he had made was to come back here to Chicago, to come back home.

He walked through the still house from bottom to top and gazed out of his bedroom window out on to a view of part of the city, the only city he had ever called home. He wasn't sure when he had made the conscious decision to come back. Maybe really he hadn't meant to leave, but it had seemed the best thing at the time.

His thoughts went back to almost eighteen months previously, to his last night in Chicago. He had never meant to spend the night with Abby. It had brought so many unthought, unsaid emotions back into his heart and mind and he really wished that he had said something meaningful, from his soul as he said goodbye to her in the doorway of her apartment. Even though they both knew that he was leaving to be with someone else, but there was still so much between them.

He sighed, something that he did a lot of these days and stripped and went to have a long hot shower. Dressed and feeling somewhat refreshed he made his way downstairs, without bothering to switch the light on. Consequently he stubbed his toe on a box in the hall, cursing loudly he headed for the light so that he could inspect the damage to his foot, which turned out to be fine. However he did take the time to move the box out of the way and in the bottom of the box laid the still unopened letters from Abby.

0o0

It was two days later when Susan looked through the spy hole on her front door and saw a distraught looking Abby the other side.

"Abby" she said, "I told you not to worry, its okay" Seeing that Abby wasn't convinced Susan added "Everyone's sitter goes sick or cancels at some time, it's no big deal. Here let me take this stuff off you" and she off loaded Abby from her bags of baby things.

"Thanks I owe you one" Abby said to Susan as they stood there on the threshold of Susan's apartment, a pyjama clad Cosmo hugging Susan's leg.

"Hi Cosmo" Abby said to the small boy and after giving her a shy smile hid his face behind his mother's leg.

"I think I put everything you'll need in the bag. Don't forget to call me if there's a problem or anything or…" Abby said

"Abby, just go, I've got this covered" Susan said smiling at a stressed looking Abby.

Abby smiled then turned and had only walked a few steps when Susan called out "Abby!"

"What?" Abby replied turning back to Susan

"Michael"

"Michael?"

"You're still holding him"

Abby looked down with a tenderness that Susan noted Abby reserved only for her son Michael. Abby kissed the top of his dark downy hair and his big brown eyes gazed up at her as he tried to put his fingers in her mouth.

"Michael" Abby whispered nodding and headed back to Susan. "Bye sweetheart, Mommy has to work tonight, but you get to stay with 'Auntie Susan'" as Abby finished talking she met Susan's eye.

Susan gave her an encouraging smile back knowing how hard it felt for herself sometimes to say good bye to Cosmo, having to leave him in the care of someone else. Abby turned her attention back to Michael kissing him on the forehead then she passed her now 8 month old son into Susan's waiting arms. Abby never thought that she would feel this way about a child of her own. She turned and walked away quickly so that Susan did not see the real tears in her eyes. Only when she reached her car did she wipe them away and blow her nose.

Susan with Michael in her arms and still with Cosmo attached to her leg walked awkwardly into the lounge and said "Chuck, I need a hand"

0o0

It was a week later when a short haired, clean shaved and smartly dressed man walked into County, in the hope of attaining the attending position available in the ER. Nobody would have recognised him as the scruffy individual standing watching the hospital seven days earlier.