CHANCES OF THE HEART (Part 4/?) (missy@ipax.com.au) Spoiler warning: This has very serious spoilers for the 5th Season right through to Point of Origin, so anyone not wanting to be spoiled, you have been warned. Kerry winced as she eased out of her top in Exam 4. She massaged her shoulder gently, inspecting the mottled red and purple mass of bruising extending down to her elbow. It was going to take on a lovely array of colours over the next few days. Kerry slipped on the green scrub top, ignoring the protest her shoulder gave at the movement. Unzipping her skirt, she let it slip over her hips to the ground, easily stepping out of it. There was only bruising to her knee where it had collected the door on impact. Examining the area, she was glad to find that there was no damage. It was the last thing she needed at this time. Two soft knocks tapped the glass of the door, "Dr. Weaver?" "Wait a moment," Kerry called out. She picked up her skirt, stockings and top from the floor, rolled them into a ball and put them in the clothing bag discreetly left by Carol with the scrubs. Quickly pulling on the scrub pants, she gave Carter permission to enter while she was doing up the ties. "Hey, Dr. Weaver. I see that head lac is still bleeding." Carter tried to keep his voice normal, treating Kerry as he would any other patient. The only difference was that she wasn't just any other patient. Kerry gave him a sharp, penetrating look. She had expected him to ask about her mother. Carter met and held her gaze. His deep brown eyes conveyed to her more than any words could; his support, his care and compassion. "Why don't you sit on the gurney and I'll suture that cut." Carter lightly cupped her arm to assist her up onto the gurney. Kerry winced at the pressure. "I can do it on my own, Carter." Carter relinquished his hold on her elbow. He pulled across the tray that Carol had set up for the suturing, idly checking the supplies while keeping an eye on Kerry as she pulled herself onto the gurney. "Did you lose consciousness at any time?" Carter cleaned the area around the wound. "No." Kerry sat still, not even flinching as he cleared the wound of any risks of infection. "Any headache or nausea?" "No." "Are you sure?" Carter inserted the syringe needle into the vial of lidocaine. "Carter!" Kerry's raised voice made herself wince. He raised his eyebrows and silently queried her last answer as he drew the lidocaine into the needle. "Yes, I've got a headache. Pulsating over the left orbital area." "I would have thought so with an injury like yours." He put down the vial and got ready to anaesthestise the area around the wound. "Hold still." Carter numbed the area around the wound ready for suturing. "You surprised me in there. I didn't realise you had located your mother." Kerry gave an ironic smile. He had caught her out twice in a couple of minutes. She had forgotten it wasn't in his nature to just blindly invade her personal space. "Yeah. The agency rang me several weeks ago. My birth mother had agreed to meet with me and they set up the meeting. I was going to tell you but things became a bit hectic around here." That was an understatement, she thought. The threat of disciplinary action had been in the forefront of her mind for weeks and then Robert Romano's appointment as 'Acting' Chief had struck a deep cord in her heart. "So, what did you discover? Carter threaded the needle and began sewing neat sutures, gradually closing the jagged cut. "What?" Kerry was confused for a moment. "We didn't get a chance to talk before the accident." She shook her head. "But Carter, that wasn't why I wanted to meet my birth mother. It hasn't bothered me that I was adopted. I accepted it as fact. My parents, that is, my adoptive parents were truthful about it and made me aware of my past but they also provided me a future. I've never regretted that. They loved me and encouraged me. Not many parents would choose to take on a child with a disability but they did. They taught me to be my own person and provided me with security and love. But since they passed away, I have felt a compulsion to find out about my past. And look where it has gotten my birth mother." Carter let her words hang in the air for a moment, finishing the last suture, tying it off and cutting the thread. He placed the needle back on the tray and placing his hand under her chin, he inspected his handiwork. Satisfied, he stripped the gloves from his hands, dropping them into the kidney dish. He pulled up the stool to his left and sat down in front of Kerry, placing his hand over her tightly clasped hands. "Dr. Weaver..... Kerry. You were not wrong to search for your mother. I think she would be upset if she even thought that you were blaming yourself for her injuries. The other driver ran a red light. And I'm sure she would not be very happy if she knew that you were feeling sorry for yourself." Kerry looked up surprised that he had hit the one thing that would definitely make a difference to her attitude. She could never abide anyone feeling sorry for her, let alone herself. "You are good at this." He shrugged his shoulders slightly, shrugging off her compliment. "Before you move off that gurney, I want to check out your arm. Any other injuries I should know about?" Kerry frowned. "How did you.....? Don't bother answering that. You were watching me as I got on the gurney. My knee also collected the door but it's only a bruise." She resigned herself to Carter's further ministrations. At least it would help keep her mind off her mother in surgery. End Part 4/?