Declaration of Carby Certainty

Written by the folks over at Mal's ER Forum!

When in the course of 'shipper events, it becomes necessary for one group to validate its couple and the inevitability of their being together, the Internet Laws of ER fans demand that that group proves its point. We hold these truths to be self evident, that Carter and Abby will get together, and that they will live happily as one of ER's greatest couples, second only to the illustrious Doug and Carol. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid internet.

They have a song.

Throughout season seven, the Carter and Abby relationship was built up to a point where it was clear that the writers intended it to pair them up as more than just friends. This devotion to showing Carter and Abby's intense relationship was so great on the writers' parts that the love triangle among Abby, Luka and Carter was Carter's only major story arc (aside from the drugs, which ties into Abby anyway) that season.

Carter fell in love with Abby throughout season seven, and this love was presented to her in a culmination of Carter's entire story arc in "Rampage." This growth of love in Carter is made evident in the following ways throughout season seven:

In "Rescue Me," Carter saves Abby after an explosion and takes care of her, while her purported boyfriend, Luka, only asks if her airway is clear. Carter's dedication to Abby is evident!

In "Sand and Water," Carter asks Abby to be his sponsor.

In "Thy Will Be Done," Carter clearly has a great time with Abby at the Carter Family charity event, and his love grows.

In "Rock, Paper, Scissors," Carter tells Weaver of his slight drug relapse because Abby urges him to and threatens to revoke her sponsorship if he does not. He also asks her to a blue's club this episode, but is turned down once again for not having told Weaver of the relapse.

In "Sailing Away," Carter goes with Abby to collect her mother from Oklahoma, thus showing he understands her and is willing to help her in ways that she wants far more than her purported boyfriend.

Abby had an underlying yet initially latent attraction to Carter which now has been around far too long to simply brush off. An attraction could be inferred in "Be Still My Heart," was palpable with the whimsical feeling in Abby of being back at her prom in "Thy Will Be Done," and was admitted to in "Supplies and Demands." In fact it is even plausible to say that she was attracted to Carter just as much as she was to the purported boyfriend, but was afraid that Carter's resentment for the drug situation would be a barrier to a healthy relationship. After "Rampage," however, Abby knows the attraction is reciprocated, and it could be said that she sabotages her relationship with Luka to head to Carter. (Thanks in very large part to Northern Dancer for this analysis.)

Carter said that he would never touch Luka's cookies in "Never Say Never," but when given permission did eat the cookies and exclaimed that they were the best that he had ever tasted: he later told Abby that he would not move forward with her because he thought she was not over Luka. By the logical following of the aforementioned foreshadowing, Carter will later be reassured that she is over Luka, and she will accompany him into the most fulfilling relationship he's ever had.
The writers and directors have made it a point to emphasize Abby's jealousy in "Start All Over Again," and "Supplies and Demands." When Carter and Susan were seen holding hands in the ambulance bay, the camera made a point of showing Abby's obviously shocked face. Abby also shows a face of jealousy upon discovering that Carter and Susan went to yoga class together. Finally, Abby's jealousy is yet again put on display through the camera's pan to show her witnessing Susan in the act of rubbing Carter's back. In drama, every scene is put in for a reason. This is especially true in a television drama where everything must seamlessly fit into one hour. Ergo, Abby's clear signs of jealousy are extremely relevant.

There is a clear cut pattern dictated by the writers in "Rampage" and "Supplies and Demands," which emphasizes that their conversations are indeed relevant: both times the conversation takes place at the river; both times the conversation is near the episode's end; both times one of the two reveals his or her romantic feelings for the other; both times one does not apparently reciprocate those feelings; both times one of the two pretends to be clueless about what the other is saying; both times Abby talks about another man. The parallels of these conversations highlight the importance of their sharing of romantic feelings, and now that each has had his or her turn at not reciprocating romantic feelings, it stands to reason that the next revealing of feelings between these two will be that of mutual love.

Rather than simply state that he was no longer interested in Abby romantically in "Supplies and Demands," Carter told Abby that he wanted her undivided love; he could not share it with Luka. This goes to prove that Carter has not lost interest in her like he typically does with his "annual blondes."

Once again in "Supplies and Demands," we are given a hint that Carter is still interested in Abby through his evasive conversation with Susan at the yoga course, and his shaking when Susan mentions Abby, which could be interpreted as nervousness on his part, showing a physically undeniable evidence of his attraction to Abby. This nervousness when asked about Abby is incredibly reassuring.

The very fact that the Carter and Abby relationship is still being dealt with shows that the writers have something in store for them romantically. If the writers wanted us to forget about the couple in this way, they would most likely put some scene of finality into an episode. As it stands, Carter and Abby are attracted to each other, but neither is at the stage emotionally or mentally to dive into such a serious relationship with their friendship as a foundation. That the Carter and Abby relationship was not just dropped is proof that their relationship will grow into a romantic one.

Carter and Abby consistently show signs of mutual dependency. Abby told Weaver and Mark about his drug addiction, thus saving his life, and followed up through her sponsorship and emotional support. She accompanied him to the charity ball when he needed a date. She tried to talk him into staying at County. She accompanied him to the charity ball when he needed a date. She even ran to his side when his "boys" were hurt. Carter has been there for Abby as well. He reassured her when she was feeling doubtful in "Be Still My Heart." He saved her from a fire in the ER. He supported her in her struggles with her mother, even going to Oklahoma with her. He helped replace Luka's broken fish tanks. They have shown they are able to support one another as friends and are ready to take it to a romantic level as soon as they are both on the same page.

Carter and Abby's relationship parallels that of Doug and Carol in many ways. First of all, it is taking a long time for the relationship to come to fruition. "Be Still My Heart" was the first interaction between Carter and Abby and they still are not together. Likewise, it took Doug and Carol almost four years to get together, during which time both Carol and Doug had relationships with other people while still continuing their own friendship. So far we have seen Abby in a relationship with Luka and Carter in a relationship with Rena, while still maintaining their friendships, and now we shall see Carter in a relationship with Susan. On a more specific level, the scene between Carter and Abby from "Supplies and Demands" resembled a Doug and Carol scene from many seasons ago. Doug comes to Carol drunk and with flowers, ready to profess his love, but it results in a fight. Carol tells Doug that she isn't interested because he isn't entirely interested in her considering his habit of womanizing. The scene from "Supplies and Demands" parallels this scene. Abby confessed her feelings for Carter, but Carter proceeded to confront her about still having feelings for the once-purported boyfriend. Here we have Carter telling Abby that he isn't interested right now, because she isn't totally interested right now just as Carol told Doug. Carol and Doug sort out their feelings and begin the greatest romance in ER history. Abby and Carter will clearly follow in their footsteps.

Maura and Noah have have amazing chemistry that countless ER fans notice and that even Laura Innes has commented on. The writers seem to be aware of this and won't let it go to waste.

In every one of these statements, there is an undeniable truth which many people in 'shipper groups refuse to acknowledge. They consistently deny their validity and affirm their "truths" which rarely have such evidence as is present with the Carby 'shipper group. To those who say Carby cannot happen, we say "Stand up and take notice! Carter and Abby will happen!" Thus, we affirm this truth with all aforementioned proofs.