Chapter 26 - Bruised

Abby looked at herself in the mirror in the ladies room. She sees an unattractive woman today, it's Carter fault for making feel that way psychologically especially after what she went through yesterday with him. Her eyes are red and puffy, she has never cried so much in short period of time. Of course it's the pregnancy has sent her hormones all over the place. You can't help it, you could cry at something on the TV that isn't sad! Abby had a good reason to cry all night; She hoped that she could hold herself together without getting upset during her shift.

"Morning Susan" Abby said greeting her boss "Ouch!" She winced when she sat down in from of the PC, she is feeling very bruised from the incident with Carter.

"Oh morning Abby" Susan replied and noticed her friend looking uncomfortable "You ok?"

"I think so…" Abby answered, forcing a smile "You have a good day yesterday?"

"Not really, Chuck and I spent the day bickering"

"Oh I'm sorry?"

"And you?"

"Dinner with the guys went ok except Carter, he was a bastard" Abby replied. She looks around and noticed that half of the staff are looking at her "Why is everyone staring at me?"

"Maybe because what you did to Carter's face"

"Oh?" Abby shook her head in surprise "I erm… didn't realised I've hit him hard enough to mark him?"

"Abby! It's not like you?" Susan shook her head in disbelief.

"Maybe they will change their opinions after hearing my side of the story" Abby said reaching for the chart file and looked down at it "Well if you were in my position, you would do it"

"What happened?"

"His behaviour is way out of line," She said signing the chart "Can we go somewhere private?"

They both leave the admit desk and entered in one of the trauma room that is not in use at the moment. The room is a mess, stuff all over the floor, surgical gloves, pull off scrubs, protective glasses, blood, body fluids, wires and tubes.

"What a mess! Where the hell are the cleaners?" Susan muttered looking at the state of the place. She slipped her hands into her lab coat pockets "Oh sorry Abby, go ahead tell me"

"I was trying to have that talk" Abby said chewing on her bottom lip trying not to cry "and he got me pinned down on my bed, he viciously groped me by putting his hand down where he shouldn't have, so I slapped him"

"Oh my god! That's sexual harassment," Susan gasped putting her hand in front of her hand in shock "It's not like him to do that!"

"You want to know what really cut me up?" She said taking a breath, trying to stop her lips from quivering when the tears ran down her face. "He said that he has doubts that he's the father…"

"Oh Abby" Susan opened her mouth in shock and puts her arm round Abby "Look if you need to go home during this shift, let me know, I am surprised that you managed to come in at all"

"Susan, I just have to get on with life" Abby gave a painful smile "I just don't understand why he like this? There is something going on that isn't quite right, I mean Carter is the nicest guy you ever come across, sweet, caring, sensitive and now… he's turned into a monster"

"He's such a Jerk" Susan scoffed "Chuck is too… in fact all men are!"

Abby is in the drug lock up room, reaching up for some meds, for a patient. She noticed that there was a low supply of Fentanyl, only 250 cc in stock. So she looks at the inventory folder to check who authorised to prescribe them to patients. Abby pointed her finger to read along the document, last delivery yesterday 2000 cc in stock, few signatures recorded to say how much is dispensed last 24 hours – Kovac 100 cc, Carter 50 cc, Carter 100 cc, Lewis 150 cc, Weaver 150 cc and Carter 50 cc again!

So where the hell is the rest of the supply?

Abby left the drug lock up to report this problem; she strolled along the corridor and then pauses on the spot. She has just realised something…

Oh my god! Of course!

Abby remembered that not long after she first started working at ER six years ago, Carter was addicted to Fentanyl when he was coming to terms with the attack by Paul Sobriki who stabbed him and Lucy Knight. Unfortunately Lucy didn't survive. She remembered his erratic behaviour and it's quite similar to it is now.

So why is he on it now? Is he still depressed? Even though he has been for a while since the still born of his son and Kem leaving but I thought he might have moved on, how am going to confront him this time with out causing havoc, but why Fentanyl? He must remember the buzz he got from it last time…

Her heart jumped with she bumped into Carter, when she arrived at the admit desk. She raised her brows when she sees the hand mark on his face she gave him.

"I could do you for an assault"

"I could do you for sexual assault" Abby answered back blinking hard at him with her arms folded "You have absolutely no right to do that to me!"

"You wanted me"

"Huh! You're unbelievable Carter!" Abby scoffed "Yeah you keeping telling yourself that"

Carter walked away ignoring Abby, he is heading towards the triage desk. Abby scooted after him and stepped in front of him.

"Explain your behaviour?" She asked raising her eyebrows

"What the hell are you on about?"

"Your aggressiveness and arrogance"

Carter walked off shaking his head, again Abby catches up and stepped in front of him.

"Are you depressed? You can get help"

"There's nothing wrong with me" Carter said poking his finger into her chest "So back off!" he snapped at her and walked off again.

"I think you're on drugs…" She said huskily standing in the middle of the corridor with her hands on her hips feeling defiant. "Maybe on… Fentanyl?"

Carter turned round to Abby. He leaned forward to give her an intimidating eye-to-eye contact.

"Why's that then?" He asked. Abby lets out a nervous 'Ha'

"Because you are not the John Carter I know…"