Thank you for all the encouraging reviews. You've all spurred me on to write
another chapter.

So here goes - it's moving along slowly, but I promise to add new chapters
regularly.

........................................................

Carter stepped onto the roof. He knew she'd be here.

He caught the faint smell of cigarette smoke before he caught sight of her.
He didn't want to disturb her, she was such a vision - arms wrapped tightly
around her small frame, hair blowing in the wind.
He'd never seen her look so alone, so fragile.
He wondered what she was thinking

.................................

Abby knew Carter was behind her. She heard the door go - anyone else would
have spoken by now. She pretended she didn't hear him, and she wasn't even
sure why. She wondered what he was thinking, wondered when he was going to
speak to her.
She stayed like this because she wanted him to see how alone she was. She
didn't want to have to pretend that she was something she wasn't - not with
him.
She wanted him to know that this was her.
She wanted him to know she needed him.

................................

Carter spoke quietly, not wanting to startle her.
"There you are ..."
He moved so that he was standing next to her, took the cigarette from her
fingers, and took a long drawn-out drag, breathing the smoke out slowly,
feeling it warm his lungs. He turned around, leaning back against the wall
so that he could face her, and handing her the cigarette back, smiled as he
said
"you know that's a nasty habit you've got there" still exhaling a small
stream of smoke.
Abby smiled at the irony of it, and threw the cigarette on the floor.
"can't stop drinking and not smoke" she said matter-of-factly.

So, she still wasn't drinking. That was a good sign Carter thought. As he
watched her looking into space, he thought there was such a sadness about
her, like she constantly carried a hidden grief around inside her.
Right now, he found it magnetic.

"Have you eaten?"
She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows, giving him her characteristic
smile
"No...."
He answered all too quickly
"you wanna get some lunch, I mean my treat, we could could go to Doc Magoos,
or maybe go eat by the river?"
Abby couldn't help but smile at the sweetness of the expectation in his
eyes. She wondered if he had any idea how much he could make her melt
inside.
No one had any idea.
"well only cause you're paying"
"well why else?" he said, taking advantage of the light-hearted moment to
place his hand on her shoulder as they walked off the roof.

...................................................

"Has any one ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Susan winced as the drunk flashed her a yellow smile and patted her ass.
"You do that again, and I'll replace that ..... with this" she said pointing
at his catheter, and then at some tubing the size of a hose pipe.
"You just want me to get it out for you, don't you hot-stuff?"
Susan rolled her eyes and stormed out of curtain three alongside a very
amused looking Malik.

"Is that the golden rule Dr. Lewis?" he said cheekily
"is what the golden rule, Malik?" she asked, visibly trying to contain
herself.
"I mean, one warning, and then it's attack of the killer catheter?" Malik
couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.
"It's not funny"
Malik gathered himself together, adopted a husky flirtatious tone and said
"so technically, I've got a "warning" to use" pretending to whip her on the
ass, and then scurrying out of danger.
"Don't make me get the hose Malik"

Susan quickly pretended to be busy as Kerry Weaver stalked up to admin.
"Hey, Susan have you seen Carter around"
"Uuugh, yeah, he's just taken a lunch break"
Both women looked back down at the charts in front of them. Susan, keeping
her head down, shifted her eyes to look at Weaver, quickly looking back down
as Weaver did the same.
Keeping her head down, Kerry flatly asked
"Is Abby not here"
"Busted" thought Susan in her mind
"Yes she's here"
Kerry wasn't letting her off that easily. She looked up holding Susan's
gaze, clearly wanting more explanation
"hmm, she's on a break...too, Kerry" Susan didn't even bother to hide the
implications in her voice.
"I see" said Weaver curtly, and stalked off to where ever it was Susan
imagined she stalked off to.

Just as Susan was starting to feel guilty for landing her friends in it, she
sensed a commotion in chairs.....turning around, her eyes widened in
astonishment.
Was that her drunk from curtain 3 ???

"Hey, Hot-stuff, put it away before I call security!"

.................................................

END OF PART 4

I thought I just had to get some Susan and some Kerry in cause they are
great.
I hope I managed to stay true to the characters

I'd really appreciate some reviews - just to make sure I'm headed in the
right direction!