Carter had the biggest smile on his face! Everything was going so great with Wendall. She was pretty, smart, athletic, and best of all she had no idea what his past had been like. It was like a fresh breeze was carrying him off his feet. "Hey Susan!" He called out. But he changed his tone when he saw the stressed look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"The creep who abducted Abby came into the ER."

"Oh" Carter didn't know what to say. "Is he still here? Did she see him?"

"Yes and yes. Except he's down in the morgue. Abby's pretty shook up, but I sent her home and gave her time off."

Carter just nodded. He could remember when the psycho who had stabbed him rolled through the ER again. It was one of the worst days ever. "Well, I'm off now. I just have vomiting in curtain 1 if you could take care of it for me. Wendall and I have dinner reservations."

"Sorry Carter. I have a meeting with Weaver now."

Carter scanned the ER for another unsuspecting victim..er..doctor. He smiled to himself as he thought about the great time he was in for that night.

"Luka! Help me out here, I have a dinner reservation and one patient that needs a good healing hand."

"Sorry Carter but…" Carter gave him a puppy look " Fine, but you're going to have to explain to Alex why I'm not home to play x-box."

"Thank you Luka!" Carter yelled out as he ran toward the lounge and into the arms of his newest love.

"Ready to go?" Wendall asked.

"Ready and grumbling! I haven't eaten hardly anything all day"

AT A BAR…

"I'm really sorry Abby. No one told me how…" Jake said

"No it's alright. The fewer people that know about that night and give me sympathy looks the better. Still just seeing…"

Jake stopped her. "Maybe we should talk about something else. Want another drink?"

"No I really shouldn't. I was, well I guess I am, a recovering alcoholic." Abby replied

"Oh. Wow I'm really hitting all the wrong buttons here."

Abby just rolled her eyes and smiled. It was nice to start on a clean slate. Some one who knew nothing about her. It was like. . .no. She wasn't ready for love again...was she? No, it must be that double cranberry vodka talking. 'Better not lead him on,' she thought to herself.

"So…is there anything else I should know about you before I stick my foot in my mouth again?" Jake asked.

'Bingo!' Abby thought to herself 'This'll scare him off' She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes. "Well lets see. I have a bi polar mother who was neglectful and pretty much left me to raise my baby brother who about two years ago became bi polar and drove away the man of my dreams who I loved even more than my ex husband who screwed me over during my first round of med school by not paying the tuition." She decided not to add in the abortion. There's only so much you should share over a drink.

Jake just stared at her.

Abby smiled to herself. Another one bites the dust. She finished her drink and gathered her purse and scarf to leave.

But as she turned to get off the bar stool Jake caught her in a kiss. It was soft and just right. How long had it been since she'd felt like this? He stopped just before she had the chance to kiss back.

"Sorry…It's just. It seems like you're so hurt, and I don't want to rush you into anything, but maybe you need some one to help you carry all that baggage you have walled up inside."

"I don't want help…"

"I know. I just don't want you to have to deal with all that alone. I'm here if you ever need a shoulder to cry on."

"Thanks…" was all Abby could get out. Then her cell phone went off. It was Susan.

"Hey" Susan said from the other end "You had me worried I called your apartment and you weren't there. Where are you?"

"Sorry Suz. I was just…um…talking with a new…friend." Jake smiled at her "Go on home to Chuck and Cosmo."

"Abby…are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm going be fine." She smiled at Jake