Chapter 4:
"Did you hear the news?"
"No, I didn't what news?"
"Dr. Carter, Dr. Weaver hired him back on as an attending again."
Abby heard those words and had to stop nearly dead in her tracks as she had been traveling down the hallway. Surely she had to have heard them wrong, they couldn't have been talking about John Carter.
"I didn't even know he was back in Chicago." Both of the gossiping nurses now looked at Abby, "did you know?"
Abby shook her head now. "No, I didn't know." That was the truth. This was the first that she had heard of it.
"Wonder what brought him and Kem back to the States. Carter told me before they left that she hated being in Chicago."
Abby cringed when she heard that woman's name. She couldn't help it. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know but I'm sure that Carter brought his wife." She swallowed hard although she was with Luka, she didn't know why. She was happy with Luka and they were expecting a baby. After all that she shouldn't care about Carter, she why all of the sudden did she have that pang of jealousy? Abby wasn't the jealous kind was she? No, she wasn't, it wasn't jealousy, she was just protective of Carter. Abby always would be that way towards him because of everything that they had been through. Yet how ironic it was that she had been dating Luka and broke it off for Carter and when she and Carter couldn't hold it together she ended up back with Luka. Perhaps a comfort zone or just meant to be. Carter had married Kem and he was happy with her. Abby was happy with Luka and she was anticipating nervously the birth of her son or daughter. She wouldn't trade that for the world. She moved to retrieve a chart from the rack when something told her to look up.
There was John Carter making his way through those double glass sliding doors of the ambulance bay. But there was something different with his stance. He didn't seem to be carrying himself the same. Maybe it was just the distance but when the entire ER grew silent Abby knew that there was something wrong with Carter. The silence gave everything away. Abby stayed where she was watching him cross the room.
He really was back. Walking into the ER once again and Abby watched Haleh walk up and hug Carter. While she couldn't make out what she was saying to him but she did see the small smile cross his face.
In seeing that small smile she couldn't help but softly smile herself. It was a good sight for her eyes. Abby's eyes then for a brief two seconds caught Carter's eyes and she felt her cheeks redden. She moved from behind the desk over to where he was standing. Abby smiled for him a little more.
"Welcome back Carter." Abby said in a soft voice. "It's good to see you back. We've all missed you." She embraced him in a soft hug it was the least that she could do, but what was a small hug turned into a little more. "We are all glad to see you here."