Authors note: Hi, I'm back… hope you like and thanks for the reviews

Part 3:

The next several days John and Abby managed to avoid each other completely. Well as much as possible when they were working in the same hospital. Abby did her best to present her patients to any other attending than John, but it was almost impossible.

"Lucy, would you please stick your tongue out for me one more time," Abby asked the frightened, little, blond-haired girl.

"OK, Dr. Lockhart," Lucy answered in a quiet voice, and poked out her tongue for the third time that day, for Abby to look at.

"It hurts, mummy," the little girl whispered when Abby touched the hard red aria.

"Well, Lucy. You are very brave," Abby told the girl, "could you just stay here for a few minutes and I'll go and get another doctor to look at you, OK?"

"OK," Lucy said, "but will the other doctor have to look at my tongue too?"

"I'm afraid so, but hopefully that's gonna be the last time," Abby said comfortingly.

'What sort of disease can this possibly be?' Abby thought, while walking down through the ER, trying to find an attending to look at her patient. Luckily she ran just into Susan.

"Susan, could I get you to look at a patient for me?" Abby asked.

"Um…I'm really backed up with these charts. Can't you ask Carter?"

Abby wend blank as Susan said that. "Er…who else is on?" she asked as casually as she could.

"No one. Luka is down with the flu, and Chen is on vacation. Is that a problem" she asked curiously.

"No, I'm just gonna go find Carter and get him to help me," Abby said, not believing her own words.

Ten minutes later Abby finally managed to find Carter, who seemed to have disappeared in a mysterious way instead of constantly bumping into her, like he usually did, in the moment she actually needed him. He was having a break in the lounge; witch certainly didn't make it much easier for Abby to take contact.

Pull yourself together, Abby thought, it isn't that hard, just go and talk to him, dammit. It's just a patient for Heavens sake. But she knew that it wasn't. It was the first time she had to talk to him – in any way – since the incident in her apartment two weeks ago.

Abby was ripped out of her thoughts when the lounge door slammed into her face.

"Oh, Abby, I'm sorry," John said, sounding like he didn't really mean it.

"Carter… I… uh… Ineedyourhelpwithapatient." Abby said so fast that it was totally impossible to understand.

Oh, no. I really screwed up there, Abby thought to herself as John gave her a puzzled look.

Abby tried to pull herself together, and said again, slower this time: "Carter, I need your help with a patient."

John walked after Abby into the exam room, where the little girl was waiting.

"Hi, Lucy, here is the other doctor. He's gonna have a look at your tongue too, OK?" Abby said, trying to sound calm, even though the love of her life was standing only a few feet behind her.

Lucy made a face, and opened her mouth so that Carter could look at her tongue.

"Hmm," he said after taking a quick look, "Abby, tell the nurses to order a culture."

"Ok, we'll talk to you to when we have the results," Abby said to the mother.

"Carter, can I speak to you about that patient? You know, the little girl with the tongue?" Abby asked. Luckily I'm not speed-talking anymore, she thought to herself.

"Sure, what is it?" the reply came.

"The tests are back. She's got tongue-cancer," Abby said quietly. She'd never thought that it would be anything like that, and secretly she feared that she had to break the news.

Once again, John Truman Carter III came to her rescue. "I'll tell her," he said, with his soft and caring voice.

Man, why did I ever break up with him Abby thought to herself.

Two hours later Abbys shift was over, and she just wanted to go home and take a nice long shower.