24 Hours Later

OB/GYN Floor - County General Hospital - Chicago, Illinois

A soft knock on the door caused Amy to open her eyes, "How are you feeling?" Kerry asked as she came into the small hospital room with Henry in her arms. "I'm off today, but Luka called me from the ER and said that you all had gotten back to Chicago just before dawn and that you had to be hospitalized?"

Amy sighed and gestured to a chair beside the bed, "Come sit for a moment," she replied in a tired voice as Kerry gazed at the IV in her arm and the pulse-ox clip on her finger. "Apparently, I'm pregnant and severe dehydration and exhaustion did a number on me, but fortunately, the baby's okay."

Her eyes widening, Kerry walked over and sat down on the chair, moving Henry to her shoulder, "I offer my congratulations," Kerry replied in a gentle voice. "Did you find out while you were in Africa?"

At the mention of Africa, tears pooled in Amy's eyes, "Kerry, I left Africa with Luka and Katie because I was forced to," Amy replied in a trembling voice. "Dave's still in Matenda with Doctor Rogers, Abby, and Doctor Carter….When the soldiers came; they made me go with Doctor Pratt and Doctor Rasgotra…"

"Just relax, Amy, you have to think of your baby," Kerry said in a reassuring tone. "Where's Luka now?"

Amy took a deep breath to relax, "Luka's at my father's house, helping him look after the kids and making sure that Katie takes it easy," she replied softly. "My father's also making Luka take it easy."

"It's good that Luka was able to find Katie alive," Kerry replied. "Now we can focus on the others…"

Amy silently gave Kerry a confused look, "The hospital administrators can contact the Doctors Without Borders liaison, Dr. Kem Pratt, by a private telephone connection and they can explain the situation to her," Kerry explained as she placed a reassuring hand on Amy's arm. "I'm sure Doctor Malucci is fine."

"I hope so," Amy replied softly. "It would be horrible for Daniel to lose his only parent."

Kerry patted Amy's arm, "When was the last time you had sleep?" Kerry asked in a concerned voice, noting Amy's pale face, sandbagged eyes, and quiet demeanor. "You look exhausted, in all honesty."

"I think I had a nap during our brief layover in London," Amy replied softly. "It was about a three hour layover and I didn't really sleep for long, as I had to take care of Katie and Luka's needs."

Shifting Henry to her arms, Kerry rose from the chair, "Why don't you sleep for a little while and I'll go talk to the administrators about getting in touch with the liaison?" she suggested in a gentle, yet very firm manner. "You did what Doctor Romano asked you and Doctor Malucci to do and now that Doctor Pratt and Doctor Rasgotra are safe in Chicago, you need to start taking care of yourself and the baby."

Amy nodded and yawned, "Come and wake me if you hear anything at all on Dave, Abby, or Doctor Carter," she said in a sleepy voice. "I'm under observation here for at least 24 hours, so I'll be here. Kerry, please promise me….Carter and Abby are my friends and Dave is like my brother."

"Get some sleep," Kerry said, nodding. "I'll keep you informed of any developments."

Amy nodded and sighed as she fell asleep. Kerry turned and silently left the room with Henry.

Hopefully, Kerry thought as she carried Henry down the hallway to the elevators, Dave, Abby and Carter would be located soon and safely brought from Matenda back to Chicago…where they belonged.

Kisangani Clinic– Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Blue sky and silence greeted Carter as his eyes slowly opened; he was immediately confused.

"…Abby?" Carter asked in a weak voice as he lifted a shaking hand and moved an oxygen mask attached to a bag away from his mouth. "Abby…..where are you? Where are you?"

There was silence and then the whirr of airplane engines could be heard, "Plane's almost ready," a gruff male voice said in a concerned tone. "Doctor Malucci, I think Doctor Carter's awake."

Carter suddenly saw Dave hovering over him, "Just relax, Carter, Abby's already on the plane," Dave said in a gentle, but very tired voice. "Doctor Gallant and I are gonna load your stretcher on to the plane and get you settled. Before we leave, I have to talk with Doctor Pratt about the connection…"

"Doctor Pratt didn't go back to Chicago?" Carter asked in a weak voice, his head aching and spinning.

For a moment, Dave was silent as he lifted a small notepad that he got from the clinic and wrote down a few notes about Carter's status, "Doctor Kem Pratt is the liaison that arranged for us to go back to Kinshasa," Dave patiently explained. "Hopefully, she'll be able to arrange travel from Kinshasa back to Chicago as soon as possible. Doctor Rogers is coming to Kinshasa with us to head up a clinic there."

"…You like her?" Carter asked weakly, a small grin on his face as he looked up at Dave's battered face.

Dave sighed, "The memory of my time with Dana is still so fresh," he replied softly. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready to really find another woman to love in that way…Anyway, we need to load you now."

"Did you ever get treated?" Carter asked weakly, concerned that Dave's injuries would cause him major problems on the journey home. "You should get Doctor Gallant to look at you…"

Suddenly, Carter felt himself being lifted upwards, "All the vitals and patient observations I could get are on the notepad and I'm going to take them back to Chicago," Dave said as he helped Dr. Gallant carry Carter's stretcher over to the plane steps. "Abby, is the area for Carter ready yet?"

"Yeah, it's only a space on the floor, but it should be comfortable enough," Abby's strained voice replied out the door. "If you and Doctor Gallant are ready to load him, go ahead."

Dave and Dr. Gallant carefully boarded the plane with the stretcher and settled him in the small cabin that was not far from the cockpit. Abby shuffled over to the stretcher and took Carter's hand in hers.

Feeling sharp pain in his ribs, Dave bit his lip, "I'm going to see if there's a blanket for John in the transport truck," Abby suddenly said as she stood up. "John, Dave will look after you."

As Abby left the plane, Carter nodded and Dave replaced the mask on Carter's face and sighed.

Outside, Abby walked back over to the tent that was being used to house the overflow of patients from the old Kisangani clinic that couldn't fit in the new one. Dr. Rogers was standing outside the tent with Kem and Dr. Rogers held Dalynia's baby in her arms, swaddled in a worn blanket.

"Abby, I just got off the phone with the MSF head office and we are to take the baby to Kinshasa with us," Dr. Rogers explained in a calm voice. "I hate to ask, but can you look after the little one?"

Swallowing hard, Abby nodded and gently took the baby from Dr. Rogers; the baby cooed and smiled up at Abby, which caused Kem and Dr. Rogers to smile. However, Abby felt slightly unsettled.

"I see that Doctor Gallant and Doctor Malucci loaded Carter on the plane," Dr. Rogers said in a calm voice. "If you're ready to go, Doctor Pratt, we should get a move on before sundown."

Kem nodded and as Dr. Rogers and Kem boarded the plane, Abby sighed and held the baby close to her as if it were her own; despite her past mistakes, her desire to raise a child was still very strong.

With another sigh, Abby boarded the plane with the baby; it wasn't about her own wants right now.

County General Hospital - Administration Office

Dr. Romano sighed and massaged his forehead with his good hand as he leaned back in his padded chair away from his cluttered desk. Dr. Anspaugh sat in the visitor's chair looking very concerned.

Suddenly, the door opened and Mark came into the room, "Daniel is at my house with Ella and Elizabeth," he said as he took a seat in one of the empty chairs. "He knows nothing about this."

"I just got off the phone with Kerry," Dr. Anspaugh stated. "She paid a visit to Doctor Faith on the OB floor and now she's in the process of contacting the Doctors Without Borders liaison. Now that Doctor Rasgotra and Doctor Pratt are in Chicago and preparing for their time at Chicago hospitals, we can focus on getting our own staff safely back home…I can't believe Doctor Malucci…honestly."

Dr. Romano glared at Dr. Anspaugh, "Don't you go blaming Doctor Malucci for this mess!" Dr. Romano snapped in an aggravated tone. "He placed himself in a life-threatening situation thinking only of others and we should now focus on getting him, Doctor Carter, and Carter's wife home safely."

Dr. Anspaugh and Mark nodded, but before they could reply, the door opened and Kerry came into the room with Henry in her arms and hurried over to the phone, "Doctor Kem Pratt, the liaison, is on Line Three," she said breathlessly. "Robert, just press it and the speaker button…don't argue."

Dr. Romano nodded and silently thanking God that Doctor Kovac was looking after Amy's kids while Amy was under hospital observation, he pressed the Line Three and speaker buttons and waited.

"…Doctor Pratt, this is Doctor Weaver from County Hospital," Kerry said. "Do you copy?"

Kinshasa Airport

The sound of the plane's engine's firing up was a comfort to all those who were wanting to get back to the comforts of Chicago; however, the plane had not yet been deemed ready for takeoff.

The flight from Kisangani had been short and uneventful...stress was not needed at that period in time.

"C'mon Carter, just a few bites," Dave said in a soothing tone as he offered Carter a spoonful of mushy stuff from a small jar that had been in one of the plane's supply packs. "At least try to eat."

Carter winced, "I don't know if I can," he replied in a faint voice. "I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Look, Carter, I know from experience that it's hard to want to do anything when in a position where you're not in control," Dave said in a gentle voice. "However, you have to focus on what you CAN do."

From her seat, Abby gave Dave a thoughtful look, but said nothing…she didn't know what to say.

"Pretty good words," Carter said in a weak voice, fighting back a cough. "Where'd you hear it from?"

Dave was silent for a moment and swallowed hard, "It's something that Doctor Romano told me not long after I was nearly killed in Grenada," he replied in a tight voice. "I was having trouble recovering and possibly having to deal with the fact that I might never be able to walk again and raise Daniel. I was feeling sorry for myself while in the hospital and Doctor Romano visited me and taught me that."

"Oh," Carter weakly replied. "Uh, Dave, maybe I can try to eat a little if that's still okay?"

Dave nodded and carefully fed Carter a spoonful of the mushy stuff, "There you go," Dave said in a calming tone as Carter swallowed and sighed. "Do you want to try any more food right now?"

"It's cold in here," Carter whispered. "I hate to ask, but can you get another blanket for me?"

Dave made to move, but winced, "Abby, can you help me up, please?" he asked, not wanting to say that he was still in pain. "Carter's cold and would like another blanket to help him be comfortable."

"Dave, I can get it for you," Abby volunteered as she got up from her seat; she could see that Dave was in a lot of pain and didn't want him overdoing it. "Just stay there and keep helping John, okay?"

Dave nodded and Abby hurried off the plane, nearly running into Dr. Rogers, who had a backpack slung over one shoulder while she held Dalynia's baby in her arms. Dr. Rogers gave Abby a look.

"Carter asked if he could have another blanket," Abby said in a tired voice. "Doctor Rogers, I'm also worried about Doctor Malucci…his breathing and color have been off since we left Matenda…"

Dr. Rogers sighed, "…Doctor Pratt, this is Doctor Weaver from County Hospital," Kerry's static-filled voice suddenly said over radio that was on a table near the terminal entry door. "Do you copy?"

Kem, who had been talking with the pilot near the terminal, ran over to the radio, "This is Doctor Pratt," Kem said in a calm tone as she picked up the worn receiver. "How are you, Doctor Weaver?"

"…heard that Doctor Malucci was still in Matenda with Abby and Doctor Carter," the static-filled voice of Kerry replied through the radio. "…the hospital administrators are worried about the situation…"

Abby sighed, "Let me talk to Kerry," she said, holding her hand out for the radio receiver. "Please."

Kem nodded and handed the receiver to Abby, "Kerry, this is Abby," Abby said in a clear voice.

County General Hospital - Administration Office

Hearing Abby's voice on the line, Mark and Kerry exchanged a look, "…Yes, Abby, I can hear you," Kerry said in a relieved tone. "How are you doing? Are you still in Matenda?"

"…No, we're in Kinshasa waiting to leave," Abby's voice filtered through the radio. "John's sick."

"…How's Doctor Malucci?" Dr. Romano suddenly interrupted, frowning. "Is he all right?"

"…He's taking care of John on the plane," Abby's voice replied. "…have to save the power…"

Kerry nodded, "Contact the hospital when you arrive back in the States," she said, nodding to Dr. Romano, Dr. Anspaugh, and Mark. "…We'll have everything ready when you arrive in Chicago."

There was static, followed by silence. Kerry sighed and promptly left the office in silence; she, along with Anspaugh, Mark, and Romano were all relieved that Abby, Carter, and Dave would soon be home.

Kinshasa Airport

Abby hung up the receiver and gazed at Kem, "They know we're coming," Abby stated softly.

Kem nodded, "Doctor Rogers just went on board to talk with Doctor Malucci for a moment and she took the baby with her," she explained in a gentle voice. "The pilot's almost ready to take off."

Abby nodded, "Thank you for helping us, Doctor Pratt," she replied in a gentle voice. "I hope when we get back to Chicago that John will be all right. Thank you for arranging the transportation so quickly."

"Best hurry so you don't miss the plane," Kem replied, relieved that John had been able to find someone that cared about him so even in dire circumstances. "It was lovely meeting you."

Swallowing hard, Abby quickly boarded the plane and saw Dr. Rogers kneeling next to Dave while holding the baby in her arms, "…If you won't rest or take any pain meds here, I want you to talk to someone you trust back in Chicago," Dr. Rogers was saying in a quiet voice. "All right, Dave?"

"Magdalynn, I haven't been honest with you," Dave whispered as he held the bowl of mushy stuff in his hand with the spoon in it. "I am attracted to you and would like to get to know you better."

Dr. Rogers was silent for a moment and gave a gentle smile, "Well, for right now, I have to stay in Kinshasa and help Doctor Pratt set up a new clinic since Doctor Gallant has to go back to Iraq very soon," she replied in a gentle voice. "Once it's settled, I would love to come to Chicago and get to know both you and your son better…only if you want that, however…I can't replace your wife."

Dave was silent for a moment, "Oh, Abby, if you wouldn't mind taking Dalynia's baby back to the States for a complete examination, HIV testing, and possible adoption," Dr. Rogers requested in a calm voice. "Doctor Pratt acquired a temporary visa for the baby…the papers are right here."

Dr. Rogers quickly passed Abby the baby and then, reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a binder stuffed with official-looking papers, "I named you and Doctor Carter the baby's temporary guardians until Social Services can provide assistance," Dr. Rogers stated as she placed the binder on the floor next to Carter's 'bed'. "I hope that was all right to do, considering the circumstances."

Even though she felt unsettled, Abby nodded; she knew that she had to pretend that everything was all right so not to stress Carter out and cause his already fragile condition to worsen.

"Magdalynn, phone me when you can," Dave replied as Dr. Rogers moved back towards the airplane door. "I look forward to arranging for you to come see me and Daniel in Chicago…is that okay?

Dr. Rogers nodded, "I'll find a way to get a hold of you," she said gently. "Have a safe trip home."

As Dr. Rogers left the plane, the engines fired up and Dave sighed; Carter and Abby were fine and looking forward to being home in Chicago, but Dave knew he was leaving a part of his heart behind in Africa with Dr. Rogers…he hoped to see her again, but for now looked forward to going home.

Despite his heart's desires, Dave knew that his heart belonged to Chicago. As the plane door was slammed shut, he turned his attention back to feeding Carter and making sure that he was comfortable so that Abby could take care of Dalynia's baby…all of them had their part to play now.

Can I have some appreciation for this chapter please?