Authors Note Thank you for you kind reviews. As before the writing in italics is flashbacks.

Chapter 19

Carter couldn't believe he was back to work this morning. He'd been in the previous day for a medical exam and they had passed him. In his opinion he had been fit two weeks ago, but still, it had meant that he had spent loads of time with Michael going places when normally he Carter would be stuck in the ER and Michael stuck in day care.

They were still living with him despite the fact that he had been fine for these past few weeks. He didn't want them to leave, that was the bottom line and he didn't know if he wanted to bring the subject up either. He wondered if Abby would, somehow he thought she might, eventually.

She was still sleeping in her own room for the most part. Sometimes they spent the night together and occasionally he would feel her slip into bed beside him when she thought he was sleeping. He knew without her telling why, that was. For some reason she felt comforted he guessed after a nightmare. And he too had had one or two of those after the accident himself and talked it through with her.

She had been so patient with him, especially when he was such a pain in the butt, grumpy, miserable and in pain. Then when Michael had gotten a heavy cold and he was grumpy and miserable too, he thought that it might have been too much. Having said that she did yell at him a couple of times during that week for being a jerk, which if he was honest with himself he had been.

"Carter, what are you doing?" she said glaring at him. Michael coughing chestily into her shoulder and wiping his constant running nose into her blouse.

"Nothing"

"I could use some help here" she said her tolerance level low

"You said I was supposed to be resting this morning" he protested

"You want to eat tonight?" she asked

He muttered something unintelligible.

And she added "I know you ache John, but Michael's ill and I can't do it all"

It amazed him at that moment that Abby was actually asking for help, but she was.

"It's only a cold" he muttered. Every bit of his body was aching as though he had run a marathon. Though the most he had done was walk down the street for a newspaper .And he was feeling very sad and sorry for himself, despite the worry bubbling up inside of him that Michael was not well.

"They called me from day care. I had to go get him early and we were swamped. Sam, Haleh and the other nurses had to juggle caring for Michael 'til my shift ended"

"You could have called me" he replied feeling slightly guilty all of a sudden.

"Frank did, the machine kept picking it up"

"I must have been sleeping"

"Humph" was her only verbal reply as she left the room to deal with Michael her first priority.

Cater groaned putting his head against the back of the sofa before summoning the energy and inclination to rise. He walked into the kitchen raided the freezer, turned the oven on and stuck a chicken pie inside, before following Abby upstairs.

"Has he got a temperature?"

"What do you think?" she snapped

"Given him anything?" he asked. This time she just glared as a response. "Sorry, stupid question. I put some dinner on okay?"

She nodded and he knew that that was the most he was going to get from her right now.

"You better go, sit back down then" she said flatly

He walked to the doorway, stopped and turned round to look at her, thought better of it and went back downstairs once more.

They ended up spending the evening with Michael attached to one or the other of them,

he refused to be left in his cot and would only settle in their arms. This led the pair of them going to bed together with him so at least they could take turns in holding him.

It had been a couple of days before he has really started to perk up and was his normal active self and he had stayed home with Carter. Carter ached more than he imagined he would after each long day with him, but seeing Michael ill, was something he didn't like at all.

0o0

"You ready?" Abby asked him as she stood in front of him her arms laden with bags and Michael. "You okay?" she added when Carter didn't respond.

"Yeah" he mumbled then added "Abby?"

"What? What's wrong John? Is it important 'cause we're going to be late" she opened the front door somehow and he watched her struggle with everything, which was totally out of character for him.

"Abby?"

"What?" she replied impatient this time

"Why, why d'you stay?"

"What?" she asked confused

"With me? You, and Michael?"

"Don't you know?"

"No. I haven't been the easiest patient and it can't have been easy for you. So why?"

"You need to know right now?" she asked somehow knowing that he did.

"Yeah, I do"

She frowned and paused, it was now or never she supposed and why should she waste another opportunity which might not rise again anyway.

"Because I love you" she said as casually as she could and walked out the door to the car and strapped Michael in. "You coming to work today?" she asked as he stood on the top step with the door still open

"Yeah, yeah" he said locking the door and following her into the car.

They sat there in companionable silence despite her sudden revelation to him, while Michael babbled happily in the background on their journey to County. On arrival Abby swiftly went upstairs with Michael and Carter made his way to the doctor's lounge, where he made himself a coffee and sipped it slowly, savouring each mouthful and contemplating Abby words.

He received a good reception from the staff at the desk, all saying that they had missed him and hugging him. All of the hugs and welcomes did nothing for him compared to the smile Abby gave him from the far side of the desk, before a pair of paramedics and a patient stole her away.