Matters Of The Heart

Set in 2017. When Abby and Luka travel back to Chicago for Rachel Green's wedding, a lot of feelings, past and present are put into play. Including those unfinished ones between Carter and Abby. AJ was born in 2003.

So here's the next chapter...don't be shy about reviews!

Abby sighed as her zipper got caught one more time. "Joe honey, come here a minute." She called her middle child.

"Shouldn't we be going already, we're late." He said.

"Where's your dad?" Joe shrugged. "Here, help me with the zipper will you?" Joe nodded as he focused on the task at hand. "I think that's it. Thank you, baby, now please go find your dad."

Her phone buzzed as she watched Joe stride across the hotel room in search of Luka. It was Susan.

"Hey." Abby smiled. "Are you there yet?"

"Yes. Almost everyone's here. How about you guys?"

"I don't know where Luka is." Abby huffed. "So...there's that."

"What?"

"Yesterday, after we got back from the rehearsal dinner, he was acting weird. At first, I thought he'd had too much to drink but now I'm not so sure."

"You don't think he and Carter..." Susan implied. Abby bit her lip. If anything they'd been acting very chummy with each other. "Abby?"

"No. I don't think so. They know better than that." She said.

"What does that mean?" Susan asked.

"Long story... let's just say we all have an agreement." She replied coyly, grabbing her cell as she cleaned Niko's face and fought to dress him. "Can I call you in a minute? I'm in the middle of..."

"Of course. I'll see you in a bit." Susan said. "I'll keep an eye on your boys in the meantime."

Carter wasn't... or was he? He'd told her she was part of his chaos theory. She wasn't sure if he still was anything but the father of her child, but that was quite a thing to have loom over her, especially after how things had ended with them at the beginning.

She'd considered the most awful thing back then. Not only because she was furious at him and wanted to hurt him but because she was terrified her child would turn out like Maggie and Eric. Make her life more of the mess it already was.

But she couldn't. She thought of the smallpox case and all that had implied for her. Two weeks of her and Carter and nothing else.

His being there and her too, then neither of them... it was such a mess, just like their relationship seemed to be. And then there was the sweetness of it all. The need for him and the longing and just how much she loved him.

And then there was Adam. Oh god. She remembered Carter risking himself to save that little boy. He'd come back to the hospital the week after she'd found out she was pregnant.

And she could see it all. Just how much that experience had changed her. His mom had asked for her and Carter.

And Abby was all they got because John was off with Luka.

Luka.

Just how much she and Luka had gone through too. And she really loved him. He was the father of her children and her husband.

She couldn't have chosen anyone better than Luka to marry.

Except for maybe Carter. Her head was spinning. She'd said she would never marry again after what had happened with Richard and then she'd rejected John and gone to marry Luka.

What was the difference between the two? Both her boys had been born out of wedlock anyway.

What had been better? When Carter had proposed she hadn't been pregnant but when Luka had asked her, they already had a child.

What did that say about her?

"Abby?" It was Luka. "Are you ready? The car's waiting for us."

Carter saw as Elizabeth went to Rachel's aid as AJ made his way back to where he was standing. "I just saw Dr. Benton and Reese." He told him. "Did I tell you I'm learning sign language? I'm not good at it but..."

"You hadn't actually..."

"Well, there's this kid in my class. He has an aide teacher and everything but he barely has any friends so I sit with him at lunch."

Carter smiled. "That's very sweet of you buddy.."

"Well, the whole Doctors Without Borders thing?" AJ quirked up. "It sort of rubs up on you."

"I for one I'm very proud," Carter told him as Benton, Cleo and Reese walked over. "I want to hear more about that later."

"Is he teaching you the bad ways? Let me know." Peter told AJ shooting Carter a look. AJ turned to Reese who was glad to see his language skills had improved.

"We Facetime," AJ said when Carter shot them both a look.

"Did you know about this?" John asked Peter.

"Well, looks like the Carter and Benton boys are meant to be huh?" Cleo smiled.

"Unfortunately." Benton sighed. "Have you seen anyone else yet?"

"Elizabeth was here a moment ago but was ushered due to a bride crisis."

"Oh," Cleo said. "I'll go find them then. Play nice boys." She called.

"So, how's County?" Peter asked. "You keep messing up?"

"Always," Carter smirked. "It's going well I think, I'm picking fewer and fewer shifts as the Center seems to take up most of my time."

"Right," Peter said.

"And you? Private Practice?"

"Seemed the right thing now that Reese is in college." Peter huffed.

"College?" He turned to Reese. "That's great, buddy."

Reese smiled at him. " Literature, right?"

"What about you AJ?" Benton asked.

"Right now, if I can get on with Math, that's enough for me." The teen said. "Chemistry... that's a whole mess."

Benton shared a glance with Carter. "There you are!" Susan called. "Let's go, we're about to go sit. Where's Cleo?"

"We lost her to the bride," Carter said. "I'm surprised you aren't there."

"Too many people and tears. I'm good." Susan said.

"Hey aunt Susan, I sort of miss Cosmo," AJ said. Susan and Carter had remained the best of friends since he'd returned to Chicago.

"Well, he's camping with his dad for the next few weeks or so but you'll see him soon." She told him. "Come on, let's go, before we lose the best seats."

What did you think? I'm rebuilding all the relationships I loved on the show :)