A Luka/Abby/Joe story. Weaver is still ER chief. Joe is 9 months old now.

Life's Never That Easy

Chapter One - Rough Day At Work

"Come on Joe, eat some breakfast baby, Mummy's got to go to work and they won't be very happy if she's late again this week" Abby pleaded with her son as he sat in his high chair with his mouth clamped shut.

"Whats the matter Joe? Do you not like it? You normally do, it's yummy banana porridge and its a big aeroplane coming in to land" Abby tried to play the aeroplane game which Joe normally loved, but nothing, not even a smile.

"Everything ok?" Abby jumped as Luka's voice came from behind her.

"Just the usual breakfast fight we've been having all week. Mind you yesterday it was breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think he might be coming down with something"

Luka felt Joes forehead. Ever since he had fought for his life in the NICU, Abby and Luka were very protective of their son.

"Feels ok. Just tell the nursery to keep an eye on him. Are you nearly ready to leave?"

"Yeah. I just have to change my trousers. Apparently they enjoyed the banana porridge!"

Luka smiled in sympathy and picked Joe out of his high chair.

"Hey buddy, you not feeling well? Luka threw him up into the air, but instead of the usual giggling that came with this game, Luka's shirt ended up covered in banana porridge.

"LUKA! How many more times do i have to tell you not to throw him like that after meals? Now he's thrown up the small amount of breakfast I'd got down him" Luka looked at Abby and saw how mad she was.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to cheer him up. We'll go change quickly, go and start the car"

"Be quick though, I can't afford another telling off from Weaver"

The rest of the journey to work was uneventful and Abby managed to drop Joe in daycare and be back down in the ER just in time, or so she thought.

"Abby, good to see you. We are getting slammed down here already, and you are five minutes late. Do you realise you could have discharged a patient in that time?" Weaver said.

"Sorry Kerry, Joe's being a nightmare in the mornings, I'll stay late tonight. Now what have we got?"

The morning passed quite quickly. There had been a big crash on the freeway which had brought in several trauma patients, and then there was the steady stream of cuts, vomiting, broken bones and other illnesses which kept the ER very busy.

"Oh man, I need a coffee" Abby groaned as she waved goodbye to a little boy from whose ear she had just removed a bead.

But there was no time for coffee as Abby heard a commotion in the waiting room. A man was throwing around chairs and shouting at Chuny and Haleh.

"Whats going on here?" Abby whispered to Chuny

"Guys gone crazy, he's been waiting for his head to be sutured but he keeps shouting for pain meds. Think he's a drug seeker"

"Wonderful. Hey Sir! Do you want to put that chair down and I'll suture your head?"

The man turned round and snarled at Abby. But he put the chair down and followed her into an exam room.

"So, Mr Davis, how did you cut your head?"

"None of your business lady, just get on with it"

"Ok, so not in the mood for small talk then? Alright, you're going to feel a few sharp scratches whilst I inject some anaesthetic around the cut"

Abby drew up some lidocaine and started to numb the area around the cut.

"Sir, you need to keep still or I might slip"

"You try having it done"

"You try having contractions, having a caesarian and losing a ton of blood. Now please, SIT STILL"

"Alright you crazy bitch, just get me something for the pain"

"I'm sorry sir, I won't tolerate this, you're going to have to wait until someone else is free"

Abby got up to leave the room but felt a hand around her neck.

"No bitch, you are going to stay here and deal with this NOW!"

Luka was walking down the corridor towards admin when he heard a commotion coming from one of the exam rooms. He stopped and knocked on the door.

"Is everything alright in here?"

Mr Davis let go of Abby and she ran to the door.

"Abby! Whats going on in here?" Luka said as Abby stood trembling beside him.

"Guy went crazy, wouldn't sit still, then when I refused to treat him until he calmed down he got me round the neck" Abby said quietly, whilst feeling her neck at the same time.

At that moment Mr Davis saw his escape route and ran down the corridor and out of the ER, shouting "This ain't over bitch! You'll regret this".

Luka watched as the security men took chase, and then looked back at Abby who looked quite pale.

"Here, come and sit down, let me take a look at your neck"

He led Abby over to the exam couch and examined her neck.

"Ow!"

"Sorry darling, it's a bit bruised, but not too bad. Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

"No, I'm fine, just a little shaken"

"I'm going to talk to Weaver, let you go home for the afternoon, spend some time with Joe"

"Honestly Luka, I'm fine"

"Let me be the prison guard of that"

"Judge, Luka. Let me be the judge of that" Abby had trouble hiding a smile.

"Whatever, stay here. I'll be right back"

Luka went and found Dr Weaver who at once agreed it was fine for Abby to go home. Abby went up to the nursery and picked up Joe, who was pleased to see him mummy.

"How's he been?"

"A little subdued, couldn't get any food into him, but he drank some water" Lola the nursery assistant told Abby.

"Ok, thanks. Come on then Joe, lets go home shall we?"

Abby decided as it was a nice afternoon, she would take a walk through the park with Joe. It was quiet there, nobody around which was unusual.

"What do they know that we don't Joe?" Abby chatted to her son as she pushed him in his pram.

All of a sudden, Abby felt a prescence behind her. She turned around and gasped.

"Mr Davis"

"Yeah, thats me bitch. You never finished stitching me up. You're going to finish the job right now"

"You're crazy, you need to go to an ER, I can't help you, I'm not at work anymore. Now please, leave us alone" Abby started to walk faster, wishing that she had taken the El.

Relieved that the guy had decided not to follow them, Abby began to relax again and started to sing to Joe. They reached the end of the park and Abby pushed Joe up the ramp onto the pavement next to the road.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round, all day long. Oh listen Joe, that sounds like a bus coming now! Oh, silly mummy, it's just a van"

The van pulled over and two men rushed out. Before she could react, Abby and Joe were thrown in the back of the van and the doors sealed behind them. Joe was crying in his push chair and Abby started to panic.

"Why us?" She cried out.

"I told you bitch, you need to fix me up"

It was that moment that Abby knew they were not alone, and that she and Joe were in grave danger.