Part 6.

"John, are you ok?" asked Millicent as she noticed her favorite Grandson trying to sneak through the door.

"Yeah, Gamma, I’m fine." said Carter quietly as he gave Millicent a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for the stairs.

"Just tired."

"John, come here." said Millicent. ‘I know something’s wrong, and I also know that it must have to do with that Australian girl that he brought round for lunch today.’ "Yes, Gamma?" asked John as innocently as he could.

"Everything alright with you and that Australian girl- Kate?" "Yes, Gamma, everything’s fine. Nothing’s wrong."

"You didn’t have a disagreement, did you dear?" "No, Gamma, look, nothing happened, Ok? I just want to go to my room and sleep." spat out Carter before immediately regretting his words. Millicent was shocked to say the least that John had even spoken to her in that tone.

"I’m sorry-"

"No, John you are right. It’s none of my business." apologized Milliecent. Carter opened his mouth to say something, but realized that he had nothing to say. Finally deciding to just leave it there,

"Goodnight Gamma, sleep well."

"Goodnight dear. Sleep tight." said Millicent as she watched Carter walk haggardly up the stairs to his room.

~*~*~*~

Kate woke to find herself in the dark. Looking at her glow-in-the-dark watch, she realized that it was four-thirty in the morning. Deciding that even if she tried, she would never make it back to sleep. Kate thought that she would go to the all-night supermarket and get her grocery’s done. Kicking up her blanket, she padded her way to the bathroom and purposefully did not look in the mirror for she knew that she looked like crap. The bathroom was silent and the only sound that Kate should hear was the water splashing against the sides of sink as she washed her face. Sick of the silence, Kate turned on a portable radio which was sitting on her bedside table. A rock song filled the silence. Kate couldn’t help but sing along with the song. You might as well be walking on the sun...humm..............mmmm,mmmm" sang Kate as she reached into her closet and pulled our another pair of jeans and a top which said- ‘Watch out, Aussie coming through’. Grabbing her bag and plugging a ! pair of head-phones into Her radio, Kate walked out of her apartment. Trying to blast out her thoughts of sadness with music. "Please don’t turn me on.... stop playing with my mind it’s not fair....mmmmmm."

~*~*~*~

Carter walked into the ER of Cook County, head down and shoulders slumped. He signed into the computer and before Mark could ask any questions, he was heading toward the Lounge.

"Something wrong with Carter?" asked Chunney dumping a chart back into the rack. "Beats me." answered Mark as he continued his way to curtain three.

John pushed the door to the Lounge open only to spot Kate putting away her things into her locker. Not wanting to jump into an awkward situation, but knowing that there was no way out of it, Carter walked into the room to face the music.

Kate didn’t hear the door open as Carter hesitated at the entrance to the Lounge. She was listening to her radio, which had it speakers still plugged into her ears.

"Hi." said Carter as he walked toward his locker, which was right next to Kate’s and spun the dial to open it.

"Oh John, I didn’t hear you come in! Hi." said Kate blankly, finally removing the ear-phones. Not knowing what to say, Kate reached into her locker, pulled out a green scrub top which had somehow gotten in there and pulled it on. John watched. ‘God she’s beautiful.’ thought Carter to himself. ‘I wonder what she would say if I asked her out?’ but before Carter could contemplate how he would ask Kate out, she turned to him.

"John, do you want to go out after our shifts to, you know, chat?" ‘I said that?’ thought Kate to herself. Both Kate and Carter just stood there and stared at each other in surprisement. Before Kate could take her words back, John answered for her. "Yeah, that would be great. Seven?"

"Yeah, seven." said Kate glad that she didn’t have to eat her words.

"Uhuh. Great, um see you,"

"Yeah, see you." said Kate, her feet glued to the ground. She felt as though she couldn’t move. Forcing her body to do something, anything, she grabbed her stereoscope and ran out of the Lounge giving Carter a small wave. John stood there, waving back. As soon as Kate left, he let out a huge gulp of air which he was unintentionally holding. Brushing his hands through his hair, Carter grabbed his lab coat and scope, then left the Lounge, slamming his locker door; not bothering to lock it properly.

~*~*~*~

"Hey." said Kate as she approached Carter from behind in the ambulance bay.

"Oh, hey. You ready?"

"Yeah. Where are we going, Magoos?"

"Uhuh. Unless you want to go somewhere else-" suggested Carter

"No, Magoo’s is fine." said Kate. ‘Boy does he look good...’

"Ok." Said Carter, finally agreeing as the pair walk across the road to the greasy dinner.

"Um, about last night..." dragged of Kate as she and Carter finished off their meal. The dinner had gone well, but both had been ‘beating round the bush’ on the subject. "Yeah, I really like you Kate, but it’s really your choice." said John looking down at the table and playing nervously with the edge of the table cloth. ‘I know that she’ll say no. Will she just hurry up and say it?’

"I like you too." admitted Kate blushing slightly as she noticed that Carter was nervous.

"You do?" said John looking up.

"Of course I do, I’m just you know uh..." said Kate trying her best to explain. "Confused?" suggested Carter.

"Yeah!"

"Well, you should know that your not alone." he said. Seeing Kate’s blank expression, John continued.

"I’m just as confused as you are." at hearing this, Kate looked up, a smile slowly growing on her face.

~*~*~*~