Chapter 8

Abby and Carter had walked across the street and into the diner. Luka had watched them from the ambulance bay as he waited for the next run to arrive.

Anna had crossed through the parking lot and was making her way through the bay. "Are you going to need another set of hands?" She asked as she neared.

"Nah, Dr. Del Amico. I think that I have this one, are you on tonight?"

"Yeah I'm over night tonight." She didn't break her stride as she answered.

"I'll get you if this turns out to be pediatric."

"Thanks Luka." Anna's Philadelphia accent came across almost as think as Luka's Croatian accent.

Luka approached the back of the rig that had just pulled up, "whoa Anna wait." He called out seeing that his patient was not what he thought he was going to be getting. "I'm going need that pediatrician after all." In the back of the ambulance there was a very pregnant woman.

"29 year-old female, 38 weeks pregnant, paragravida," Doris a familiar EMT face began to rattle off for the bullet for the ER doctor that was there. "BP is one twenty over eighty, pulse is sixty-eight and her respirations are sixteen."

So far everything seemed pretty run of the mill and not out of the ordinary for a delivery, other than the fact that the woman was in the back of an ambulance. Anna had fallen now in step with the gurney after handing off her things to the nurse that she had run into first. She slid her arms into a trauma gown and prepared to help with the delivery of the arriving infant.

"Dr. Del Amico." Luka's deep voice was calm. The look on the physician's face told you otherwise. He waited for her to move into position so he could have an extra set of hands for the baby.

This baby however was not going to be a run of the mill delivery. The paramedics had done their job and clearly this was becoming more difficult.

"Breech presentation," Luka said keeping that same tone in his voice. Anna had moved to his side ready to take over the infants care. Luka and Anna momentarily caught each others looks as if they could read the mind of the other are they very carefully and diligently worked to bring the infant into the world. While Luka tended to the mother's post delivery needs Anna took care of the newborn. A small, tiny and a little blue at first baby girl she soon pinked up and even after the traumatic entrance into the world appeared healthy.

"Nice delivery Dr. Kovac." Anna said as they stood now filling out the charts.

He looked her direction and nodded. He was friends, good friends with the pediatrician that had just come on staff at County to help with the physician crunch that County had been feeling. He watched her face for a moment as what appeared to be a puzzled expression crossed it, "something wrong?"

She looked up at him, "Dr. Carter is that really John Carter?"

Luka shrugged his shoulders as he closed and tossed the chart with the others from the day. "Yes," a very simple answer for a question that she wasn't sure why she was asking it.

Anna shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that he's working here after all this time."

"You know Carter?"

Anna laughed softly. "Oh yes, we were medical interns here together back in 1997. Did I not mention that in all the times that we have talked?"

Luka could see the smile upon her facing saying that she had some fond memories from back then of Carter. "He's on tonight. Actually he's on a break right now with Abby over at Ike's. You know Abby she's always starving now."

Anna just softly shook her head, "yeah I know she has been eating like a horse. Baby is due soon right?"

"Yeah just another eight weeks and the little one should arrive."

"You both must be so proud." Anna said.

"What about you and your Max." Luka asked her. He knew that Anna had been married and that they were having problems, part of the reason that she was back in Chicago. They had become friends and talked a lot. He knew quite a bit of what was going on in her life, more so than anyone else there. He'd given her a shoulder to cry on and as much advice as a friend could give.

The smile faded from Anna's face at the mention of her husband's name. "Ah we are now divorced." She sadly answered. Anna and Max's split had been anything but good or even clean. It was nasty and Max had been extremely cut throat. Nothing about it was simple and Anna had barely managed to walk away from it with her sanity in tact. "He's still in Philadelphia."

"Good old Max." A voice from behind her said, "things pleasant in Annaville?"

She spun around to see Carter standing there. She didn't know what to make of him making that statement but they hadn't left each other on the best of terms. "John," Anna said with a surprised tone to her voice. "How good it is to see you." She was pleasant towards him. She had no reason to be anything less. "All is well."

She watched his posture change. Although she wasn't sure what to make of it, it was somewhere between defensive and not nearly friendly like she thought he would have been. After all they had worked closely together.

"It's good to see you Dr. Del Amico." You could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice. There might have been some touch of distain to it as well.

Anna shook her head; she really didn't know what else to say to him. It was starting to feel like a long shift was about to commence. She nodded for him again, "of course Carter." She didn't want to upset him, at least not anymore than he appeared to be.

Anna was avoiding bringing Max into the conversation. She knew it wouldn't do either of them any good. "So Max is still in Philadelphia, will he be joining you here in Chicago?"

She shook her head. "No, John, Max will not be joining me here in Chicago." Anna didn't make eye contact with Carter right now. She hated how talking about Max made her feel.

Carter's head dropped a little now as he realized what she was saying and that she was no longer looking at him. He brought his hand up to rest on her shoulder. "If you need to talk I'm here." Maybe they had more in common now that he thought.

Anna wasn't sure what had suddenly changed his attitude with her. Something seemed to have caused him to soften up with her. Anna's voice softened with Carter in response to his change. "It's okay. It's over and I'm just trying to move on." That was the plain and simple truth. She had no reason to hide what was or rather what had happened between her and her ex-husband. "Its better things are this way." She pulled away from him. The conversation had gotten to difficult for Anna to continue it willingly. But it almost appeared like Carter did not want to let it go.

"We should get some coffee later." Carter said picking up a chart. "Since we are both going to be here overnight."

Anna wasn't sure what to say to that. She really didn't want to do that because she'd feel trapped there and feel gilded into doing nothing but having to talk with him. Now granted Anna did want to know what had been going on with John since she'd left to go back to Philadelphia. "Yeah John, if there's time tonight that would be great. I'm the only pediatrician on tonight."

"Ah, I didn't know that we still had a pediatric doctor on staff again." Carter stated. "Well not since Dr. Finch left us."

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Weaver was kind enough to bring me on staff again about six months ago." Anna explained. "Since I'm doubled boarded she figured that she might as well use what expertise I could bring to the time. Gives her another grant opportunity I suppose."

"Leave it to Weaver to spot a potential money source in her midst." Carter said rather quickly, "and she also knows a good doctor when she sees one."

"Save that one huh." Ann smiled softly, "no I'm also on staff for now over at Northwestern for the time since I am not getting the hours that I really need."

"Sorry to hear that Anna," Carter said. "Working at two hospitals can't be easy."

"Yeah but it's got to be done you know." Anna responded. "That and Northwestern being private no only pays better but they treat their doctors a little better than Weaver can."

"That's still a lot of time that you have to put in getting back and forth between the two hospitals and home." Carter said. "Where are you staying these days?"

"Not on Michigan Avenue if that's what you are thinking. Even I can't afford an apartment in that neighborhood as an attending at a county facility." Anna answered. "I'm living up near Hyde Park."

"That's no a bad area of town to be living in." Carter answered.

"I should get back to work here." Anna said looking at the board containing the evening starting collection of patients that were going to be needing their attention. "I can take some of the adults that are starting to fill your board and baby sit residents and medical students to help you out."

"Ah, only if you are up for it otherwise I think that I can handle it. There are really no pediatric cases right now." Carter said.

"Don't worry about it. I just came on so I am ready to go." Anna said. "Catch you later Carter." And with that Anna was off and running to start the night shift.