February

Cook County ER - Chicago, Illinois

Paper hearts and pink crepe paper cluttered the ceiling and walls of the ER.

Despite it being an emergency room, all in the immediate area were clad in formal attire

Romantic classical music filtered from a CD player that was on the Admit desk counter that was manned by Jerry. Beside him, Malik was holding an intercom microphone in his hand.

A crowd consisting of Dave, Haleh, Chuny, Dr. Romano, Dr. Anspaugh, Dr. Greene, Dr. Corday, and several other nurses were lingering in the hallway with rice in their hands.

Over by the vending machines, Lucas rocked Joe back and forth and beside him, Erinn, Katie, Ella, Evette Anspaugh, and several patients waiting to be seen watched with eager faces, as they were all waiting for the guests of honor to make their presence known. Nathan was lingering by the window and silently gazing out at the snow falling into the ambulance bay.

"...Now, without further ado, I present the bride and groom, Doctors Luka and Amy Kovac!" Malik crowed into the mike, gesturing towards the lounge that had been blocked by a wall of pink paper.

There was silence for a moment and suddenly, the lounge door swung open, ripping the paper.

A moment later, Luka, who was dressed in a black tux, and Amy, who was wearing a white gown with a long train, modest neckline, and elbow-length sleeves, emerged with smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad that you finally got all the snow out of your hair, Luka," Amy commented, suddenly shrieking as rice was thrown at them. "Dave, come on...not another round of rice..."

Dave laughed gleefully as Amy strode over and pulled him into a hug, "All riiiight!" Malik crowed into the mike. "Rev up the music, let's get this wedding reception started!"

As Jerry turned the music up louder, the lounge door opened again and some waiters wheeled out a portable table that contained trays of appetizers and other foods. The food table was moved to the space in front of the vending machines, forcing several people to move it to behind the desk so that there would be more room for anyone who came into chairs.

"Can I have this dance with both of my new daughters?" Luka asked, wandering over to where Erinn and Katie were standing. "I really want you two to learn to trust me."

Katie grinned, "Can I call you Daddy Luka?" she asked in an eager voice.

Luka replied by scooping Katie up into his arms and allowing her to put her arms around his neck so she could hold on. Erinn took hold of one of Luka's hands and they danced together.

"Okay, I can give this party about 15 more minutes before I have to reopen the ER to trauma and ambulances," Kerry said as she came out of the lounge with Henry in her arms.

Amy smiled and walked over to Kerry, "Doctor Weaver, thank you so much for allowing Luka and I to use the ER and ambulance bay for this special day," she stated. "I know everyone thought that we must be crazy to want to get married so soon, but we do love each other very much."

Kerry nodded in understanding, but before she could reply, Mark wandered over to them, "Amy, please don't tell me that Nathan is still upset over that phone call from Jen," he said, gazing over at Nathan, who was silently staring out the window. "It's been nearly three weeks..."

"Whatever Jen said to Nathan, he's really depressed about it," Amy replied in a worried tone. "I don't know what was said in the phone call, Mark. All I know is that after it was over, Nathan went outside and beat the crap out of that bag for nearly three hours...When he started yelling and swearing, I had to call Dave over and it took both of us to calm Nathan and get him back inside...Luka was working, so Dave had to bring both Daniel and Joe with him..."

Mark sighed, "Don't you at least have an idea of what was said?" he asked.

"From what I overheard, Jen basically called Nathan a gang-banger brat and told him not to bother contacting Rachel again," Amy replied softly. "I'm so sorry, Mark..."

"I'm going to be contacting a lawyer tomorrow and seeing what I can do about getting Rachel back to Chicago," Mark whispered. "Jen coming here and forcibly taking Rachel back with her because of what happened at the clinic is unethical and probably illegal."

Dave walked over, "Hey, I should probably be getting back to work," he said in an apologetic tone.

"Did you get another phone call from Jen last night, Dave?" Amy whispered so that only Dave could hear her. "When I called, you sounded sort of nervous on the phone..."

Dave sighed, "I didn't answer it, she left a message and said I was an irresponsible creep who does nothing but endanger children with delusions of grandeur," he whispered. "Everyone else was asleep, so I erased the message and didn't get to sleep until five."

"Go into the lounge and take a moment to relax before you go back to work," Amy whispered in a gentle, yet very firm tone. "Daniel's staying with my kids at my father's place tonight anyway."

Dave gave her a shocked look, "That was supposed to be a surprise," he whispered anxiously.

"I think it's very nice that Luka and I will have his apartment to ourselves tonight as a honeymoon gift from the ER staff," Amy whispered with a smile. "I'll try and act surprised, though, all right?"

Giving Amy a smile, Dave walked off into the lounge for a moment to himself, much to the confusion of Mark and Kerry. Amy gave them a look that told them to drop the matter.

"All right, I would like to make an announcement," Malik said as Jerry turned the music off. "As this reception wraps up, the now like Luka and Amy to come forward so that they can recieve a gift truly appropriate for this Valentine's Day wedding and reception."

Luka set Katie on the ground and moved over to join Amy at the desk, "The whole ER pitched in to give you, Luka and Amy Kovac, one whole day off from work and childcare," Malik crowed into the mike. "Your honeymoon gift is time alone at Luka's apartment with no interruptions."

As the entire crowd started applauding, Luka looked surprised and Amy smiled, "At the end of the ambulance bay is a black limo that will deliver you to your honeymoon apartment," Malik announced into the mike. "Now get out of here and enjoy your day off!"

Sharing a quick kiss, Luka and Amy pulled apart and gleefully ran out into the ambulance bay.

With the newlyweds now gone, Kerry looked at Malik, "All right, let's get this ER cleaned up so we can get back to work," she ordered. "Mark, did the cake arrive at Luka's apartment okay?"

"It's on Luka's kitchen table, along with the family photo that was taken right after they were pronounced husband and wife," Mark replied, as he picked the torn pink paper off the floor and tossed it in the wastebasket. "The whole party was nice, wasn't it?"

While Mark and Kerry continued to talk, Elizabeth left Ella to visit with Lucas, Daniel, Joe, Erinn, and Katie, and wandered over to where Nathan was gazing out the window, "Hey, Nathan, you missed a good party," she commented in a concerned tone.

"It's bad enough I had to smile and pretend I was happy when we had to take that family photo out in the ambulance bay," Nathan replied tonelessly. "I'm not much for parties."

Elizabeth nodded, "I understand," she replied. "If you ever want to talk, Nathan..."

"I appreciate the concern, Doctor Corday, but I just need to go home and use my punching bag for a few hours," Nathan replied. "Doctor Malucci bought me the bag a few years ago, told me that hitting a punching bag in frustration is a lot better than hurting myself or others when I'm mad."

Surprised that Malucci knew such effective therapeutic methods, Elizabeth was silent and looked through the chairs window just in time to see Dave emerge from the lounge and walk to the desk.

"Hey, Nathan, can we go get some food?" Daniel asked, gazing over at Nathan. "I'm hungry."

Nathan sighed and put a fake smile on his face, "Sure we can, Daniel," he replied, rising from the plastic chair that he had occupied for the last several minutes. "See you, Doctor Corday."

Elizabeth watched in silence as Nathan walked over to Lucas was holding Joe and talking with Erinn, Katie, and Ella. He talked with Daniel, Erinn, Lucas, and Katie for a moment and then, taking Joe into his arms, he led the group off towards the food cart behind the desk. Ella watched them go for a moment and then walked over to where Elizabeth was sitting and sat beside her.

"Mommy, can we go home since it's a snow day?" Ella asked, gazing at her.

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head, "I have to go back upstairs since Doctor Benton took a sick day to spend with Reese," she gently replied. "Daddy will take you home in half an hour."

Ella nodded and kissing Ella's head, Elizabeth rose and walked off down the hall to the elevators.

At the desk, Dave grabbed a chart from the rack, gave Daniel a quick hug, and went over to chairs to see yet another patient. Dr. Romano walked over to the desk to watch them eat.

Mark looked at Kerry, "Doctor Malucci seems to be setting an example and making the rest of us look bad," he commented in an amused tone. "Maybe we should get to work?"

"Jerry, call dispatch and say that we are now open to traumas and ambulances," Kerry ordered as Henry suddenly began to cry as if he were hungry. "It was good of you to come, Donald."

Dr. Anspaugh nodded, "Evie, come on, I have some work to do before we go home," he said, extending a hand to Evette, who quickly hurried over to him.

As Dr. Anspaugh and his daughter walked off, Kerry took Henry into the lounge to feed him.

Mark moved over to the rack, but before he could pick a chart, sirens could suddenly be heard.

"Even after a wedding on Valentine's Day, there's always work to be done," Mark muttered as he walked out of chairs and out to the ambulance bay to meet the incoming patient.


A figure waited in an alley as a limo pulled up in front of a nice apartment building.

Unaware that they were being watched, Luka and Amy emerged from the limo and Amy suddenly screamed as Luka lifted her into his arms. They giggled and she allowed him to carry her inside.

The figure was silent for a moment and cackling, he disappeared down the alley.

There would be extreme consequences for this undeserved joy and happiness. Guaranteed.


"Luka, we're over the threshold, can you please put me down?" Amy asked, as Luka carried her into the apartment and closed the door. "I need to get out of this dress already..."

Luka grinned mischeviously and set her gently on the couch, "I can help you with that," he replied in a sly tone. "I just need to get a drink of water from the kitchen.

Amy sighed and, getting up, she moved off into Luka's bedroom to change out of the dress.

In the kitchen, Luka had gotten a glass from the shelf and had filled it with water from the sink.

"I'm just going to hang the dress on this hanger that's on the top of your door," Amy's voice filtered out from the bedroom. "There's some pajamas of yours that I'm going to use, is that okay?"

Suddenly noticing a three-tiered wedding cake and a framed photograph on his kitchen table, Luka walked over and picked the photo up, "Just ignore the mess in my bedroom."

Luka smiled at the photo: He and Amy were holding Joe; Nathan and Lucas were on either side of them; Erinn and Katie stood in front of Luka and Amy. Everyone was dressed nicely and smiling.

"I just stole a shirt from your closet and some sleep pants out of one of your drawers," Amy said as she walked into the kitchen dressed in a pair of green scrub pants and a gray t-shirt with the veil gone and her hair out of its style and down past her shoulders.

Luka suddenly felt skinny arms wrap around his waist, "Our family is beautiful, Luka," Amy cooed as she buried her face into his back and closed her eyes in contentment.

"Do you want some lunch?" Luka asked, peering at the cake that was on the table. "I guess the ER arranged to have our wedding cake sent over to the apartment so we'd have some food."

Amy laughed and turned Luka around to face her, "Luka, just shut up and kiss me," she ordered.

Realizing that Amy was serious, Luka leaned down and obliged the request of his new wife.


Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

It had been 30 minutes since the plane landed on the airstrip, yet John and Abby found themselves standing on an empty tarmac dressed in jungle clothes and holding bags.

"Do you think we should go inside and see if anyone has seen whoever is supposed to pick us up?" Abby asked as she looked at the large blue sky. "That sky is incredible."

John smiled, "As long as they're here before dark, I think we're okay," he replied. "Although going inside and maybe finding something to eat sounds like a good idea."

Abby offered John her hand and as their hands locked, their wedding rings glistened in the sun.

"It's nice and warm here," Abby commented as she and John entered the terminal and looked around at the plastic seats, crappy vending machines, and sleepy clerks. "There's vending machines at least, are you up for having junk food for a daytime meal?"

John laughed and they walked over to the nearest vending machine, "I don't think we've eaten anything since the airport in Paris," Abby replied, suddenly noticing that the glass was broken. "Oh, looks like we can just pick something through the glass...we don't have to pay."

Before John could comment, Abby gingerly reached over the broken glass and carefully extracted a bag of chips and a candy bar from the machine. She tossed the bags of chips to John.

"Should we see if anyone will accept money for this stuff?" John asked as he opened the bag and took out some chips. "I don't want to get arrested for stealing on our first day here."

Abby laughed and, ripping open the chocolate bar, she took a bite and raised her eyebrows.

As Carter began eating the chips, he was unaware that a red-haired woman dressed in jeans, a tank top, and a checkered pullover had entered the airport and was quickly walking towards them.

"Doctors Carter?" a British voice suddenly asked, causing both John and Abby to tremble.

Worried that they were going to get into trouble for stealing food, John and Abby turned and were surprised to see the woman standing there with an ID on a rope around her neck.

"Are you John and Abby Carter?" the woman asked, her tone humorless.

John nodded, "Ah, excellent," the woman replied. "I am Doctor Magdalynn Rogers...I am the Chief of Staff and owner of the hospital...Doctor Pratt is waiting outside with the vehicle."

Immensely relieved, John and Abby followed Dr. Rogers out of the airport, only to see a military Humvee parked nearby. An African-American man in shorts, a blue shirt, and boots was leaning against the Humvee looking both surprised and amused to see John and Abby.

"Well, Doctor Rogers, it seems that you finally got some fresh blood to come," Dr. Pratt said as Dr. Rogers led John and Abby over to the vehicle. "I'm Greg Pratt...I did a stint over at Mercy for quite a few years before deciding to come here...This is where I met my wife, Doctor Kem."

At the mention of Kem, John froze and looked at Abby briefly before looking back at Greg, "Is she at the hospital?" he asked, nervous about how she would react to seeing him again.

"No, Kem is very busy in Kinshasa," Greg replied with a smile. "She's running our hospital there."

Dr. Rogers cleared her throat, "Greg, we should get going if we want to get through the roadblocks and to the hospital before dark," she stated. "It's a lot safer in the daytime."

Knowing that Dr. Rogers was right, Greg opened the back door, "Hop in," he said.

Exchanging a look, John and Abby got into the vehicle. Dr. Pratt closed the door and, opening the front door, he got into the driver's seat. With a sigh, Dr. Rogers moved around to the front passenger side and opened the front passenger door. She gave Greg a look and got in.

After the door was closed, Greg revved the engine and drove away from the airport.

In the backseat, John and Abby huddled together and sat like that, feeling totally relaxed.

Despite the lack of chaos and daily pressures, they were content...for the moment.