Chapter 3 – England
"John," Barbara gave her brother a stern yet loving glace. "You can't stay hidden here forever." Her long slender arms were crossed over her chest.
"I'm not hiding from anyone." Carter answered. "What are you trying to get rid of me?"
Barbara shook her head, a soft laugh escaped from her. "No Scooter, I'm not. You are always welcome here. I just thought that with as hard as it was to get you to leave Chicago that you'd be wanting to return home."
"Chicago isn't home." Carter replied his arms now crossed over his chest. His stubborn side was coming out. "There's nothing in Chicago for me and you know that."
"Perhaps Paris, I'm…"
"Kem and I are over. There's no salvaging our marriage or that relationship. We are better for each other this way." John tried his best to believe what he was saying but even for him it wasn't easy.
Africa, Sudan, neither of those two places were they together. John had traveled to Darfur himself, Kem choosing to stay in Paris both times. They had started to drift apart shortly after their rather hasty wedding and neither of them recovering from Joshua's premature death. John wanted them to return to the land of the living. Kem had been unable to let go of the pain of their loss. The baby that brought them together in his death it tore them completely apart in the end.
"You could practice medicine in Chicago John. You love your job, I know that you do. There's no reason that you should let the accident stop you."
"Barb please, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, motivate me in your own special way but no." John was trying to be patient with her. "I'm not going to Chicago."
"Dr. Weaver sent you this." Barb said. "I called her a couple of weeks ago." She extended her hand now. A stamped envelope was there. "I knew that I needed to go behind your back."
"I wish you hadn't done that." John said snapping the envelope from his sister's extended hand. There was a look of distain upon his face, clearing showing now the frustration that to her.
"Yes dear, but I did it for your own good." She ignored his look and turned to talk out of the room. "But I knew you would never do it yourself."
John knew she was right. He failed in his marriage, getting hurt in Africa had knocked his confidence down a notch or two. A job offer from Kerry Weaver, John wasn't sure if that would be enough to turn things around. He hadn't been the same since the mortar had exploded so close to where he'd been laying on the ground that night. The scars were still visible and the limp now that would never go away. His knee had been shattered and the tibia as well. A piece of bone blown from his leg leaving it deformed and Carter with a visible limp but he could only hope that his friends would be able to look past it.