A/N: Ah thanks for the review, I'll try not to be so sensitive. I just enjoy the challenge of mixing up the characters and getting out of the normal molds that so many stories seem to take these days. Personally I think it lends more to the imagination if you get away from the same ole same old. We all have characters we love and mine are from the older days, not that I don't like the newer episodes... just like to add a little what if? But alas I will not resurrect the dead even though it's tempting sometimes. Okay enough of the jibber jabber and on with the story...

Chapter 11

He gave Abby a soft hug, wished her a good day before heading into the lounge to gather up his things from the day before. He threw his bag over his shoulder and slid his sunglasses down to cover his eyes. It was cold outside but the sun was bright. He was getting acclimated once again to Chicago winters once again after being in the warmer African climate. When he stayed with Barbara he'd had a little bit of a chance to desentize in the colder northern climate. He pulled his coat a little tighter around himself as he walked down the street toward the house. The streets of Chicago were still familiar to him feeling almost as if he had never left. Carter knew better though to much had changed both here and with him. He walked up the stairs putting the key in the door lock. As the door opened he could feel the warmth yet it wasn't as homey as he would have like it. The house was nothing more than a place to sleep. He closed the door behind him tossing his keys and sunglasses down onto the table by the door. The place just seemed empty. He climbed the stairs as the fatigue started to set in even more now. He pulled the drapes shut. Carter always slept better in a dark room. Slowly he slid between the sheets and closed his eyes sinking down into the bed he drifted into a deep sleep.

Carter slept soundly for several hours when the ringing of the phone pulled him from his sleep. He rolled over and reached from the bed across the night stand to answer it.

"Hello," his voice was groggy and held the sound of someone who had just woken up.

Abby's voice came across the line. "Hey I am sorry to wake you up Carter."

"No worries." Carter replied as he sat up on the bed rubbing his eyes now. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Anna."

Hearing that snapped any remaining sleep from his body as he feared the worse, "is everything okay?"

"She's spiked a fever," Abby said.

Carter pushed the blankets all the way off him as he jumped out of bed. That was more than enough to get him moving. "I'll be right there Abby." Carter didn't wait for Abby to answer before he hung up the phone. He wanted to get there as soon as he could. She wasn't doing well. Spiking a fever this soon after surgery wasn't a good sign.

He threw on some sweats that were laying next to the bed and a sweatshirt since he thought it was probably still cold outside. He locked up the house and picked up a rather hurried pace because now he was dead worried about Anna.

He got to the ER and practically ran up to the SICU. Abby was standing outside with Neela. Short of breath he rapidly approached the two doctors.

"Is everything okay?"

"We're taking her back into surgery." Neela answered, "we are going to explore the abdomen again."

"Anything particular that you are looking for with her having a fever now," Carter asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

Neela reached out and touched his arm. "Everything will be okay." She said. "Dukenko is going to be on the case."

That didn't reassure Carter all that much. But then nothing probably would have. By now they would have probably called Max too. Carter didn't know how Anna would feel about that one. He didn't know how he felt about the whole ordeal but then Carter had heard only one side of the story and that wasn't the whole story either.

"Have you contacted any of her family?" The tone of his voice was rather cold and distant.

"The only person listed on her next of kin was her husband." Neela said, "I tried calling but no one answered."

Carter let out a sigh but he had no idea how to get in contact with any of her seven brothers. "Ex-husband," Carter corrected. "You might want to hold off on that one." Carter knew that Neela probably would hold off and that Anna would not like it but only time would tell. For now he was stuck playing the waiting game. Not fun for anyone. Fever usually meant an infection of some kind and an even longer stay in the SICU.

Abby actually looked exhausted and Carter knew that Anna would probably be in surgery for awhile. "Abby, why don't' you go and get some sleep you look exhausted."

"I'm okay." Abby answered.

"No, really you should get some sleep or eat. She's going to be in there awhile." That was the truth and he didn't want her stressed out with being pregnant and having shifts of her own to work.

Abby sighed, "you know that I know that you are right but that doesn't mean that I want to listen to you."

Carter cocked his head to one side and screwed on one of those looks to which Abby reached up and patted the side of his face. "How could I say no to this face?"

Hearing her say that made Carter, even in his rather worried state laugh. It was needed to relieve some of the built up tension that Carter had going. "GO on then and get out of here, before they find some reason to suck you into the ER vortex."

"Call me if anything changes." Abby said softly to him, "or if you need some company."

"You know that I will." Carter replied. He watched as she got ready to leave and headed down the hallway towards the elevators to get off the SICU floor.

Carter sighed now and walked down the other way to get some coffee. A short night of rest and now he was going to be sitting at the hospital again tonight. He walked back the way he had come taking in the sights of the old tile floor and sterile white walls. Nothing on this floor had changed and Carter didn't think that this floor would ever change. It was probably for the most part standard across the county.

This was the start of a very long waiting game. Pacing wasn't the best of ways to kill time. He kept walking until he found himself standing at the door to the OR observation deck. But now he found himself not wanting to go inside. That wasn't a stranger there on the table that was a friend. He wasn't there trying to reassure a family, in a way she was family. His hand went up to push the door open but he couldn't get his foot to move. That pause lasted for what felt like an eternity, but in all reality only a few seconds had passed.

He wanted to see how she was doing but at the same time he was scared of seeing something go horribly wrong and that was the part of the nasty reality they were in. The door even more slowly opened and with heavy steps as if he was standing in concrete shoes. Slowly he moved in and his eyes drifted down towards the center of the OR where he could see Anna laying there. Her eyes were closed and a breathing tube was once again down her throat. Several people were around the bed. Carter only recognized a few faces. Not that you could make out much of a face from behind the blue colored masks that the surgeons wore.

The atmosphere in the room appeared to be fairly relaxed for surgery. Usually the tension would have been a lot higher if something had been going wrong. Not that you could have seen the looks on their faces if something had been wrong. He just stood there now, just concentrating on her face and how peaceful she looked.

Carter watched the surgical team as they worked to save his friend. He had this horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach but he wasn't sure what was causing it. The time still seemed to be standing still but with everyone moving around he knew that it wasn't.

Someone looked up and made eye contact with Carter and a few moments later, someone that Carter assumed was Dubenko gave him thumbs up. Carter knew it would be a little while longer before he'd be able to see her in the recovery room. He would feel much better when he could touch her warm skin and see her breath again.

Slowly he made his way down from the observation area. He would have to find out what room they were going to be putting her back into. He still planned on taking her home and helping her out around her apartment so that she could go home again. Carter couldn't help but wonder if Max would take the time to show up for her. That's what preoccupied his mind. He reached the nurses station and with a little finagling got the information as to where he could find Anna.

With slow movements, his feet dragging along the cold tile floor he made his way down the hallway. The surgical resident was still in the room taking care of the post-op orders. She didn't look any worse for wear right at the moment as Carter patiently waited for the resident to finish before crossing the rest of the way into the room and sat down next to the head of the bed.

He reached down and carefully picked up her hand holding it ever so carefully as if she was made of porcelain and would break. Her hand was warm to the touch. A good sign as Carter brushed a stand of her hair back behind her ear. Smiling as he thought back to the first time that they had met something back then had made him decide that he wanted to be more than just friends. Those same feelings were coming back in seeing her lying there being so vulnerable and helpless in need of protection. Carter knew that he could do all of that.

There he sat as patient as he could have been. He wanted to watch her, to make sure that nothing else happened to her. Carter her held hand still softly in his as he watched Anna's eyes flutter a little now as she started to wake up from the medication that had pulled her under. Carter rubbed her hand still tenderly.

"Wake up for me Anna."

He heard her moan and move a little. She really was trying to come back to the land of the living. "Max."

That shocked Carter to hear. It almost cut him to the bone. He didn't think after all that he had heard her mutter his name. "No Anna." He said keeping his voice soft, "it's John."

Anna tried a couple more times to get her eyes open, "sleepy."

"Rest Anna, you had surgery again but you are going to be okay."

She softly nodded from behind those still closed eyes. So much on her mind but she didn't have the energy to form the words to express any of it right now.

"I'll be right here if you need me." Carter made sure that she was tucked in, warm and as comfortable as she could be given the circumstances. Carter would be true to those words too. She deserved to be taken care of and to have friends there who could be there when she needed someone.