Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews and support so far, glad you liked the Carby bit in the last chapter. Sorry that the updates are not very regular, I have a couple of things going on at the moment, please bear with me.

Chapter 14

Carter pulled Abby by the elbow into an empty room. "I can't believe you told everyone" he whispered.

"What?" she asked confused

"About me and Michael" he clarified

"Oh" she mouthed, "I was spontaneous" she added

He gave her a look which said 'You!'

She shrugged and said "What! They were gossiping and speculating and I thought what the hell" she paused, waiting for his reaction, then stated "You're mad"

He shook his head and said "No, mildly amused, very surprised, not mad" and smiled.

Suddenly Morris came bursting into the room "What are you two doing in here?"

"Talking" said Abby

As at the same time Carter said "Having a private conversation"

"Sorry" he said

"That will start the gossip again" said Abby watching as Morris headed for the desk after leaving them in the room together and started talking to Frank and Pratt.

Carter followed her gaze as they looked between the slats of the venetian blind together. When they turned back to face each other they banged heads.

"Sorry" said Carter and Abby smiled before he added. "Michael and I want to cook you dinner next Wednesday"

"Really?"

"What do you say?"

"I don't know I might like to go on a date or go out for the night, it's my birthday after all, you could have Michael stay with you" she teased

"You're going to get better offers than this? You usually work all day on your birthday, go home and do what?"

"Nothing, vegetate, clear up after Michael"

"Exactly, you've nothing better to do. So?" he asked looking expectantly at her

"Yeah well, it's the best offer I've had"

"It's the only offer you had, face it"

"Okay, you win"

"So it's a date then?"

"I didn't say it was a date" she said with a wry grin

"You said you wanted a date"

"With you? Michael will be there, hardly date circumstances"

He shook his head from side to side "True, but we could put him to bed first, he can sleep the night if you want, then we can have the meal together"

"You never give up do you?"

"No"

0o0

"Whoa, Michael, yay!" said Abby clapping as he took his first steps across Carter's lounge.

"Hey! What am I missing?" Carter asked entering the room aptly dressed for the task he was immersed in. With an apron around his waist, an oven glove on his right hand and a wooden spoon in his left.

"Michael, walking" she explained with a grin.

"Really!" Cater replied looking at Michael who by this time was sitting down in the middle of the room.

"Let's see if he'll do it again" suggested Abby who sensed Carter's disappointment. She lifted Michael up and stood him facing Carter a few feet apart.

Instinctively Carter bent down and said encouragingly "Come on Michael, walk to me" and then he opened out his arms.

Michael started tottering towards his father but lost his balance after a few steps. Carter however was thrilled anyway and stepped forward sweeping Michael up into the air and the baby squealed with delight. Carter then settled Michael in to the crook of his arm and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Wow little fellow, are you clever?" Carter said and Michael laughed "You are, yes you are" as Abby watched them both fondly.

0o0

"Happy birthday" said Carter raising his glass of orange juice to Abby's as if toasting her.

She sighed thinking about being one year older and said "Thanks"

Carter yawned and stretched as he longed back in the chair, the meal was over and Carter had impressed even himself with his culinary skills. He thought back to the evening and had had the best time ever with Michael and Abby here together with him, sharing his home even if it was only for a few short hours. It felt like they were a family, and in a way they were but not a together family and he did not know how to unite them to become a family unit.

"It late" Abby stated "I have to go; you want Michael to say the night with you. Yes?"

Carter looked up from his thoughts and said "Mmmm Sure, that's what we agreed right?"

Abby pushed the chair back and said "thanks for dinner it was great, better than take out pizza. And you made me laugh too"

"So did it constitute a date?"

She took a minute to think about this and said "No" and then grinned to which he grinned back. "Hope Michael's good for you"

"Doesn't matter if he's not" Carter said standing and walking Abby to the door.

"It was really great he walked today" she said feeling awkward and thinking that talking about Michael meant not having to talk about them.

"Yeah" Carter said softly. "It was"

She grabbed her coat and outdoor things from the bottom of the banister and put them on before turning to face Carter and taking a step towards him so that they were close.

"Thanks for everything" she repeated and reached up on her tip toes and planted a small kiss on his mouth.

The kiss took him by surprise; Abby was not one for initiating such things if he remembered correctly. His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her so that their bodies were touching. He gazed directly into her eyes before shutting his and lowering his mouth to hers.

0o0

"Are you and Carter an item?" asked Frank as Abby walked swiftly into the ER with Michael the next morning.

"What?" she asked partially breathless and taken aback at this random question

"You and Carter, an item?" he repeated

"Morning to you too Frank" she replied ignoring his question "I'm going up to day care be back in five"

"That will make you late" stated Frank

"You want to take Michael up to day care?"

"He's your kid, no I don't. You should get here on time" he said purposely winding her up.

She gritted her teeth and muttered some obscenity under her breath

"You should watch your language" Frank added "Kids pick up on the bad stuff fast"

"He's eleven months old Frank" she said exasperated leaving him there before she said something she'd regret and making towards the elevator with Michael.

"Have a good night last night?" asked Ray as she walked past

"What?" she asked.

"Your birthday, it was yesterday wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah, I had a great time thanks" she replied hoping that she didn't bump into anyone else before she got to day care.

Ray watched her blush as she replied and he turned away and said to himself with a small laugh and a smirk on his face "She had a very good night"

0o0

As he reached the desk Carter said jovially to Ray, Frank and Sam, "Good morning"

"What's good about it?" mumbled Frank "It's snowing, again, and it's freezing in here"

"Nothing" Carter replied casually flicking through the charts "Nice selection here" he commented.

"Nice selection?" echoed Ray then added "It's full of geriatric and homeless patients, what's good about that?"

"There's something good in everything" Carter told him then to Frank he said "Right anyone wants me I'll be back in five"

"Have you seen Abby today?" asked Frank

"Why?" asked Carter

"You're beginning to sound like her" he said

Carter grinned and without responding walked off, leaving Frank muttering under his breath, Sam complaining that she was overworked and underpaid and Ray grinning knowingly at Carter's retreating form, putting two and two together and correctly coming up with four.