Authors Note: Thanks so much for the reviews :) I have fixed the settings so anyone can leave a review no problem. So please feel free to go ahead and tell me what you think.

The next couple of chapters include some Abby friendship scenes with Ray/Neela, so enjoy!

Chapter 3

Three days later, Abby approached Ray as they were wrapping up for the day and signing out the remainder of their patients.

"Hey, Ray, can we talk for a bit?"

Looking over at Abby as he put on his jacket, Ray responded, "Sure."

Walking out into the evening air together, Abby was quiet for a minute and then asked casually, "What's going on Ray?"

"Going on? With what?" Ray questioned her, not sure what she was getting at.

"Not what…who," Abby stated, stopping and waiting. When he looked at her blankly, she continued, " With Neela, what's going on with you and Neela?"

"Nothing," he responded simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Now, don't say that. There's definitely something going on; you two have been avoiding each other like the plague the last couple of days. You walk into one room, she turns and walks out. Instead of talking to each other, you two pass on messages through Jerry, Frank, me, or whoever is nearby. Did something happen?" She asked quietly.

Not really wanting to get into it, Ray just shrugged again. "There's nothing to say, Abby. Maybe you should go talk to Neela."

"I've tried," Abby sighed, realizing that something big must have happened for them to be this unresponsive. "Usually I can get Neela to open up about stuff that's bothering her, but with this, she's pretty much put up a wall.

"I mean, just yesterday I asked her what her plans were for the evening after her shift was over and she told me she was planning on attending a lecture given by Morris." She looked at him sardonically. "A lecture given by….our dear Chief, just to make that clear."

Ray took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, "What do you want me to say, Abby? Yes, we had a fight." She waited for him to continue, but he just stood there looking at his feet with an expression she couldn't quite place.

Sadness? Regret? Longing?

"Want to go get some coffee?" She asked, sensing that he was struggling with some feelings.

"What are the chances you'd let this drop if I said, no?" He asked eyeing her.

"No chance, Barnett, " Abby replied smirking at him.

"Fine," Ray sighed in resignation, "let's go." Then they headed towards the diner at the end of the street.

Once they were seated with their coffees, Abby looked at Ray, again waiting for him to say something. Ray took his time stirring his coffee, then took a sip and started, "It all began the day my van broke down on the corner of Oak Street. I was in a pretty bad mood………" He continued to relay the events of that night.

"She told my to go soak my head, I slammed the door, and that was that." He finished his coffee, surprisingly feeling lighter for getting everything off his chest.

Abby was quiet for a while, taking in everything that he had told her. "So the anger you felt that night was because you were scared she had been hurt?" She asked solemnly.

"Yeah, I was worried that someone had broken in, and went to check on her - only to find her making out with one my band mates!" He exploded, obviously still angry.

"Hey, Ray, its ok," Abby responded calmly. "I just have one more question; why did you ask Bret to leave?"

"Because he shouldn't have been there…because he was…he was…" Ray stopped, picturing Bret passionately kissing Neela and the way his hands had been roaming her body. "Kissing her?" Abby finished for Ray, gazing at him expectantly.

"No…" he denied, trying to come to terms with what Abby was saying, "I was just worried about her and wanted to talk to her…alone," he finished lamely.

"Uh-huh," Abby responded, grinning and rolling her eyes at him. "Looks like somebody's been bitten by the green-eyed monster!" she teased.

"You think I'm jealous of Neela and Bret?" Ray snorted leaning back in his chair, all the while getting a distinct sinking feeling in his stomach. Abby just looked at him, trying not to laugh.

"No way! Me and Neela are just roommates and colleagues, nothing else," he said rather forcefully as if trying to convince himself.

"If you say so," Abby replied, putting her coat on. "Incidentally, I got to run; thanks for the coffee!" She said smirking, leaving him to sit there and figure out what just happened.

Stepping out of the diner, Abby's thoughts switched to Ray's roomie. "Things are going to get interesting," she whispered to herself as she headed to the train station to catch the El. "Very interesting!"