Author's Note: Just to say thanks for the new reviews, J. Here is the next instalment.

Chapter 4

A couple of days later

"Well that's what I heard" said Frank to Haleh, Wendy, Yosh and Sam, as Abby came up to the desk.

"What did you hear?" Abby asked putting a pile of charts down and fixing her attention on the computer screen.

"Some piece of rubbish" Susan said changing the subject and then she gave the other staff a look which had them hurrying back to their respective jobs.

"Oh" Abby replied only half listening to which Susan was grateful, but in another way uneasy.

"Abby" said Susan

"Mmmmm"

"We need to talk"

This grabbed Abby's attention and she turned to Susan and said "We do?"

Susan nodded "It's very important and it needs to be said"

Abby bit her lip wondering what it could be and decided that it must have been something that she had done.

"I'll catch you before your shift ends, okay?"

"Sure" Abby said and nodded.

O0O

Later after an exhausting trauma Pratt and Abby were pulling off their gloves and gowns when Greg said "I expect you've heard the news……."

"Dr's Pratt and Lockhart multiple MVA, five minutes" yelled Frank

Abby rolled her eyes and looked at Greg who said "I'll finish telling you later"

Abby had the distinct impression that she was missing something, something big.

O0O

"Abby!" called Susan "Before you go and get Michael, I need that word I mentioned earlier"

"Okay" said Abby looking at her watch

"It'll only take a moment"

"Okay, sure" replied Abby following Susan into the doctor's lounge which was empty.

"Let's sit down" suggested Susan pulling out a chair and sitting and indicating for Abby to follow suit. Abby after glancing at the clock did as Susan requested.

"Okay what have I done?" Abby asked somewhat impatiently, partly as she was running late and wanted to pick up Michael from day care and partly because she couldn't think of anything she had done wrong recently.

"Nothing" answered Susan

"Then what's with the chat?" Abby asked confused then realising that it might not be professional she asked "Is something wrong with Cosmo, Chuck?"

Susan shook her head and said "No they're fine. Actually it's to do with work and it affects you, all of us"

"Oh"

"We have….." Susan paused and started again "There's been a doctor appointed to the attending post, here in the ER"

"And?" Abby said shrugging. They always seemed to be appointing new attendings, the turnover was often quite rapid.

Susan sat there searching for the right words whilst looking at Abby's expectant expression. "It's somebody you know" she finally said and inside was thinking that she sounded pathetic.

"Oh" said Abby thinking of who it could possibly be, finally she said with a shake of her head "Not Richard?"

"No" Susan said "he's not Richard"

"Who then?" Abby asked baffled

Susan swallowed hard before replying "Carter"

"What did you just say?" Abby asked incredulously. "Tell me you just didn't say Carter?" she added with an unbelieving laugh of shock and was glad then that Susan had insisted she sit down. "Carter?"

"Mmmmm, you know John Carter MD, Michaels's father"

"I know who he is Susan without you reminding me"

"Sorry, bad example" Susan replied inwardly cringing at her own lack of tact. "He's starting back on Monday"

"So, soon?"

"Abby, we are short staffed you know" explained Susan "Are you okay Abby? He was the best candidate for the job"

"I don't understand, nothing makes sense" Abby whispered more to herself than Susan

"Look this might sound unprofessional of me but I know that it'll go no further. He came back alone Abby. Kem's madly in love with someone else apparently. Oh and he's been back a few weeks already…" Susan stopped as she realised that the last piece of information wasn't very helpful either. "Sorry. I'm sorry, go get Michael. I'll see you tomorrow"

"Yeah" Abby bit her bottom lip as she stood up, then said "This is what everyone was talking about earlier isn't it?"

"What?"

"Carter, coming back?"

"Yeah. Look Abby if there's anything I can do…"

Abby cut her off mid sentence saying "Night Susan" and she left leaving Susan sitting there wondering what on earth was going to happen with the pair of them now. One thing was for sure John Carter and Abby Lockhart never ceased to amaze her whether it was something they did together or individually.

O0O

That evening Abby sat on the sofa, Michael asleep lay nestled into the crook of her neck. She really should have put him down into his cot, but she needed to hold him close, to run her cheek over his baby hair, to kiss his head softly. To stroke the perfect skin of his chubby hands, to rub his back in circular comforting motions. To listen to him breathe in and out.

Her son, well technically her and Carter's son. Carter was back, that had been a shock, that and the fact that he was going to be returning to County in a few days. But the biggest shock was that he had been back several weeks already. She was so confused about everything. John was obviously back because things hadn't worked out with Kem, but it was as though the last night he spent in Chicago with her hadn't happened. What about the letters? She had sent him three plus the one via Jack. So why if he had been back several weeks had he still not contacted her, a least a phone call. He wasn't as she once feared dead but he hadn't made contact with her either.

In fact she was so confused that she didn't know how she felt about him, him being John. It was funny, odd even saying his name after all this time. To imagine him standing in her kitchen making coffee, to be in the shower half asleep trying to wake himself up for a shift. These memories were old, old but vivid. And the sound of his voice, she could still remember the day they sat at the kitchen table and he said 'I'm not going anywhere', it was so long ago now.

To say she never thought of him would be a lie. She thought of him every time she looked at Michael. They shared so many mannerisms it was uncanny. Not that anyone else had picked up on it. Michael was dark haired like Abby's natural colouring and had brown eyes as did she, but Michaels were the same brown as Carter's. His ears were the same shape as his father's too.

Then she was also sure that Michael had inherited his sheer determination from both of them, which was obvious from the way he practised and practised until he learnt to crawl last month. Now he was moving about she dreaded to think how fast he would be when he started walking.

She sighed and rested her head on the back of the sofa, then carefully stood up with Michael in her arms. She took him to his cot and tenderly placed him in, covering him gently and kissed him goodnight.

Things change, she knew that, they never stay the same and she also knew deep in her heart that although it wasn't going to be easy she had to face this thing between herself and John Carter. Whatever lay ahead for all three of them.