A Twin's Promise Broken.
By: Jules
DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME. THEY BELONG TO NBC AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAKE "ER." I AM NOT RECEIVING A PROFIT FOR THESE STORIES, THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR ME AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO READ.
Luka was walking to the admitting desk to start his shift when he bumped into Kerry.
"Hi Kerri," he greeted her. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes. There's a stabbing victim coming in. Abby's there." Kerry hurriedly told him and ran off.
"It's been busy." Randi said, looking up from her computer.
"I gathered that." Luka replied as he walked to the doors of the ambulance bay.
He stepped outside and walked over to Abby as the screaming ambulance pulled up.
"Hi Abby," Luka greeted her. "How are you?"
"Fine." She answered. "You?"
"Good." He said as they walked to the ambulance and opened the doors.
"Abby and Luka helped the EMT take the stretcher out of the ambulance and opened the doors.
"The victim is a sixteen-year-old girl. She was stabbed in the diaphragm. Her name is Mariana Watkins. Her sister, Alexandria, said that she was her father rushing out of the apartment and is pretty sure that he's the one that did it." The EMT hurriedly informed them. By the time she finished talking they were in Trauma Room 1, and the double doors were swinging back into place, blocking out the victims bewildered sister.
Alexandria was pacing around in front of the room, where the foreign doctor was working on her sister.
Please, let Ana be okay, Alexandria silently prayed.
It felt like forty years later when the doors to the room opened and the doctor came out.
"Miss Watkins." He said, softly. Alexandria hurried over.
"Yeah?"
"I'm Dr. Kovac. I worked on your sister. We have her stabilized, but she's still in critical condition. She got stabbed in the diaphragm. It's affecting her breathing. We have her on a respirator. We stitched up the wound. I need to talk to you before you go see her." Dr. Kovac told her.
"What?" she asked, impatient to see her sister.
"You said you think your father did this?" Dr. Kovac asked her. Alexandria nodded. "What makes you think that?"
"When I walked into the apartment he was rushing out. He didn't see me. When I got up she was drifting out. She was conscious long enough to call out Al." Alexandria told him.
"Are there any past cases of abuse?" Dr. Kovac asked her.
"Yes. He beat my mother a lot. That's why she committed suicide twelve years ago. Ever since then he's been beating Ana. She's been too scared to file any reports against him. She made me promise not to, and she's my twin, I'm not about to go back on my promise," Alexandria told the surprised doctor. But she cut him off as he started to protest. "But he almost killed her today. And I have to protect her over keeping her secrets."
After a long silence Dr. Kovac decided she had finished talking. "So, are you ready to file a report?" he asked.
"Yes." was her reply.
"I'll get the police and social services here." Dr. Kovac said, making a note on the file he was carrying.
"Dr. Kovac?"
The nurse, who had helped with saving Alexandria's sister, was poking her head out the door. Dr. Kovac turned around.
"Yes, Abby?" he asked.
"She's waking up." Abby said and closed the door again.
"You can come see her, but wait to come up to her until I say you can." Dr. Kovac said.
They walked into the room and Alexandria gasped. Her sister was lying on the bed in a hospital gown looking around. She had a tube coming out of her mouth.
Dr. Kovac walked up to her. "Mariana?" Do you know where you are?" he asked in a kind, soothing voice. Ana shook her head. "You're in a hospital. Your sister brought you in. You were stabbed. "I'm Dr. Kovac, your doctor and this is your nurse, Abby." He said nodding towards Abby who looked up from the file she was writing in and smiled. Mariana motioned to the tube protruding from her mouth. "You were stabbed in the diaphragm, you're having trouble breathing on your own. We can take the respirator off and put you on a ventilator, if you want."
Mariana nodded and Abby came forward and helped slowly pull the tube out of her throat. When it was out, she coughed a little. Abby quickly put the ventilator on, this time it flowed into her nose.
"Mariana?" Dr. Kovac was bending over her after they were done. "Your sisters here, would you like to see her?" Ana nodded and Dr. Kovac left patting Alexandria on the shoulder as he walked past. Abby followed.
"Ana?" Alexandria asked when she was by her twin's side.
"Hi Al." Mariana said in a rough voice. Mariana always called Alexandria 'Al' in times of distress, and it brought tears to Alexandria's eyes.
"Ana, I'm so sorry!" Alexandria hated to tell her twin that she had broken a promise now, but the words came flooding from her mouth before she could stop them. "I told Dr. Kovac that dad stabbed you, and that he's beat you since we were five. I'm sorry I broke a promise, but if I didn't I knew that he'd pick you up, take you home and continue to beat you! He almost killed you now, next time he may actually do it!"
By the time Alexandria was done talking she was sobbing.
"Mariana reached up and stroked her sisters hair. "Thank you."
Dr. Kovac knocked and entered. "Hi Mariana, Alexandria. We need to move you out. We're moving you up to ICU. I will continue checking on you, and I will be involved in your case. The police and the social workers would like to give you time to get settled in."
Mariana woke up to a nurse checking her vitals.
"What time is it?" Mariana asked.
"Shhh." The nurse hushed her.
"What time is it?" Mariana asked again.
"6:45 AM. Now, be quiet. You'll wake your sister up." The nurse said. She finished her work in silence and left.
Mariana settled back in, upset about the interruption in her sleeping time. She tossed and turned for awhile, but couldn't get back to sleep. She considered turning on the lamp and reading. But turning on the lamp would wake up her sister and she didn't have anything to read. Turning on the TV would wake Alexandria up as well, so she opted for lying and staring at the ceiling.
Mariana moved around uncomfortably. She longed to reach up and pull the tubes from her nose. She was tired of lying on her back and found the buttons that allowed her to move the bed into a different position, and moved it so she was sitting up. The pillows were terrible. They were so small.
She heard some movement and looked over. Alexandria had turned over on her side. The police are coming today, Mariana thought. They'll want to know what happened yesterday.
As Mariana tried to remember, she was transported back:
She had been doing her homework at the table when her father came home.
"Hi Mari," he had greeted her. Most people called her Ana, but her dad called her Mari.
"Hi, dad." She had said.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a leftover chunk of roast beef and heated it up. The phone rang and he answered it. He spoke in gruff tones, and was yelling at the end. He slammed the phone down without saying goodbye.
"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong? I was yelling! Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" he shouted at her.
"Why were you yelling?" she asked him.
"I'm mad!" he answered.
Well, of course you're mad. If you weren't mad you wouldn't have yelled, she thought.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm mad?" he yelled.
"Why are you mad?" she asked. He was cutting the roast beef now.
"Because - " he looked at her. "Why are you in the sun? Get away from the window now!" she stepped into the shade and he started rambling incoherently when she started to stare into space. But his loud, "Are you paying attention to me?" brought her back.
He started to yell at her for not paying attention to him. She stood, waiting for it to happen. Waiting for stinging slap across her face. For the jab at her stomach that would make her double over and for whatever came next.
But what she felt was a sharp poke and her breath leaving her. Dizziness coming over her and her knees growing weak. The slam of the door met her ears.
Snapping back to the hospital bed she thought, How was I supposed to know he would stab me? How was I supposed to know that instead of his hand he'd use a knife? Mariana started crying as the pain of it all took over her.
Alexandria was instantly off the creaking cot and by her side. "Are you all right Ana? What's wrong?"
Mariana tried to form the words to tell her twin what was wrong. Luckily for her, twin telepathy came through.
"It's ok." Alexandria said, hugging her sister, stroking her hair. "It's not your fault."
There was a knock on the door. Dr. Kovac entered.
"Hi. How are your feeling today Mariana?" he asked.
"Not good." Was her hoarse reply.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"My throat is sore, my stomach hurts, I can't breathe, and I feel like I'm going to throw up." She answered.
"Do you have a basin in case you do throw up?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. Let me listen to your lungs." He came over, put his stethoscope on and put the other end on her back, under the shirt.
He moved it around, pausing to listen. When he was done he took it off and put it back to its place around his neck. "All right. Your still having a lot of trouble," he picked up her file and held it while writing in it. "I'm going to send you up for x-rays. There may be some damage we'll have to fix with surgery."
"Surgery?" Mariana asked with a tremor in her voice.
"Yes. There may be a need for it. If there is I'll assign you to Dr. Benton. The police and the social worker will be here at four. My shift gets done then. Would you like me to be with you then?"
"Yeah." Mariana said.
"All right. I'll be up here at four."
Luka went down to the ER again. He was at the desk when Abby came up to him.
"Hi Luka." Abby said.
"Hi Abby."
When does your shift end?" she asked.
"Four."
"Mine too," she said. "Let's go out to dinner."
"I can't."
"Why not?" she asked him.
"I told Mariana I'd be there when the police and social services come."
"That's not part of your job description, Luka." Abby reminded him.
"I know. I'm doing it on my time off."
"It's not normal for a doctor to sit with a patient when police are there!" she pointed out.
"It's not normal for a doctor to run to the church of a bishop who's dying with lupus to bring him back to the hospital! And you never scolded me about that!"
"We're not talking about an old bishop dying of lupus, Luka!" Abby yelled exasperated. "We're talking about a teenage girl with an abusive father!"
"We're talking about a scared teenage girl!"
"Yes! A scared teenage girl who's been abused by her father, who was nearly killed by him, and is going through a difficult time right now!" Abby yelled. "She's vulnerable right now and may misinterpret any actions you make!"
"Misinterpret?"
"Yes! I'm not trying to scold you, Luka! I'm trying to protect you!" Abby yelled with tears filling her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt!" and with that she ran off crying.
Luka stood there, stunned.
"Way to go, Luka." A voice behind him said. He turned around. "You had to stir up the emergency room in some lovers spat, huh?" Kerri said and walked off disappointed in him.
After that everyone resumed what they had been doing.
"If you need help getting over this, ask me." Dave Malucci offered.
"Thanks, Dave. But I can handle this." Luka thanked him.
"Malucci!" Weaver's high-pitched yell called out.
"All right. But if you need me, ask." Dave said and ran off.
Luka sat down on a chair by the desk wearily. He had loudly discussed a patient's case, disturbed the whole ER, yelled at Abby, and made her cry.
"Go talk to her." Randi said, rubbing back.
"Do you think I should?" he asked her, worried that Abby needed more time alone.
"Don't wait for her to bawl her eyes out any longer thinking that you hate her." Randi said.
Luka got up right away and ran off in the direction Abby had gone. He didn't want her thinking he hated her.
He found her silently crying in the supply room. He was mad at himself for making this scene happen. He knocked.
"Abby, I'm so sorry. I don't hate you." He said right away.
"What?" she asked looking up obviously confused.
"I'm sorry I made you mad. And I don't want you to think I hate you, because I don't." Luka clarified.
"I didn't think you hated me. Why would you think that?" Abby asked.
"Randi said - " Luka began, but Abby cut him off.
"Randi! You listened to Randi" Abby exclaimed and they both laughed. "At least she eased the tension."
Luka grew serious. "I understand that your concerned Abby, but, I have to do this, and you have to understand that."
"I understand, Luka. I do. I just don't want to see anything bad happen to you. And I want to spend more time with you," she said. And then, more quietly, "I-I love you Luka."
"I love you, too, Abby." He said surprised. "I love you." He thought awhile, and then came up with an idea. "How about, after the police and social services leave, I pick you up and take you out to dinner?"
"Yeah," Abby whispered. "That would be good."
"Okay." Luka whispered. Then a little louder he said, "Let's dry your tears now." And with that he lifted his tie and wiped her face dry.
They walked arm in arm out of the supply room. Randi saw them and started clapping. Other people looked up and clapped as well.
Luka rode the elevator up to ICU. He looked around the man at the counter and saw the people he was looking for.
"Hi. I'm Dr. Kovac, Mariana Watkin's doctor." He introduced himself when he got up to them.
"Hi Dr. Kovac. I'm Officer Inglebrit and this is Detective Morris." The female officer introduced herself and the female detective next to her.
"I'm Tanya Carter, the social worker." The other woman said.
They asked him about Mariana's condition when she came in, and he answered them as they took notes.
Luka heard the elevator doors open and close behind him. Then a loud splashing noise reached his ears. He turned around to see what was wrong. A girl was standing, staring at the elevator, her hand outstretched, its former occupant gone and all over the floor.
It was Alexandria! Luka ran over to her, careful not to slip on the water.
"Alexandria! What's happened?" he asked her, worried.
"That was my dad." She replied, dazed.
Luka was scared. Had he heard her right? The police and social worker were right by them now.
"My dad just left Ana's room and went into the elevator!" Alexandria said again.
Luka left Alexandria standing there and with everyone else ran to Mariana's room. She was lying in bed, her eyes were closed.
"Mariana!" Luka yelled and rushed over to her.
Mariana's eyes snapped open. What?!"
"You're ok!" Luka exclaimed.
"Of course I am! What happened?"
"Your dad was in here. Alexandria's out in the hall freaking out." Dr. Kovac told her.
"Oh!" Mariana said. Then she moved her arms under the covers. Luka saw her grab something and pull, but couldn't make out the shape. Mariana produced a white square envelope from under the covers. The name Mari was written in big black letters across the front.
A nurse was walking Alexandria into the room. When she was that her sister was ok, she snapped out of her daze and ran over to Mariana throwing her arms around her.
"You're ok!" Alexandria squealed. Then she noticed the envelope in Mariana's hands. "Dad left you that."
"Yeah." Mariana said and opened it up. It was a Get Well card with a letter inside. Mariana unfolded the letter, read it silently and put it back in.
The nurse who had escorted Alexandria to the room was still standing there. "Would you like anything Mariana?" the nurse asked her.
"No." Mariana replied.
"Ok." The nurse left the room.
"Are you ready to start, Miss Watkins?" the police asked her.
"Yes I am." She answered.
"We need your full name." The police officer started, pulling out a piece of paper."
"Mariana Elisabeth Watkins."
The police officer started to copy down her name. Mariana watched her, waiting for the usual mistake. She was on her middle name. E, L, I, Z -
"Officer, it's E, L, I, S, A, B, E, T, H." she spelled out for her.
"Oh! Sorry." She corrected her mistake.
Luka moved beside Mariana and rubbed her back as the officers and social worker asked her numerous questions about her father's abuse and the day of the stabbing.
By: Jules
DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME. THEY BELONG TO NBC AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAKE "ER." I AM NOT RECEIVING A PROFIT FOR THESE STORIES, THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR ME AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO READ.
Luka was walking to the admitting desk to start his shift when he bumped into Kerry.
"Hi Kerri," he greeted her. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes. There's a stabbing victim coming in. Abby's there." Kerry hurriedly told him and ran off.
"It's been busy." Randi said, looking up from her computer.
"I gathered that." Luka replied as he walked to the doors of the ambulance bay.
He stepped outside and walked over to Abby as the screaming ambulance pulled up.
"Hi Abby," Luka greeted her. "How are you?"
"Fine." She answered. "You?"
"Good." He said as they walked to the ambulance and opened the doors.
"Abby and Luka helped the EMT take the stretcher out of the ambulance and opened the doors.
"The victim is a sixteen-year-old girl. She was stabbed in the diaphragm. Her name is Mariana Watkins. Her sister, Alexandria, said that she was her father rushing out of the apartment and is pretty sure that he's the one that did it." The EMT hurriedly informed them. By the time she finished talking they were in Trauma Room 1, and the double doors were swinging back into place, blocking out the victims bewildered sister.
Alexandria was pacing around in front of the room, where the foreign doctor was working on her sister.
Please, let Ana be okay, Alexandria silently prayed.
It felt like forty years later when the doors to the room opened and the doctor came out.
"Miss Watkins." He said, softly. Alexandria hurried over.
"Yeah?"
"I'm Dr. Kovac. I worked on your sister. We have her stabilized, but she's still in critical condition. She got stabbed in the diaphragm. It's affecting her breathing. We have her on a respirator. We stitched up the wound. I need to talk to you before you go see her." Dr. Kovac told her.
"What?" she asked, impatient to see her sister.
"You said you think your father did this?" Dr. Kovac asked her. Alexandria nodded. "What makes you think that?"
"When I walked into the apartment he was rushing out. He didn't see me. When I got up she was drifting out. She was conscious long enough to call out Al." Alexandria told him.
"Are there any past cases of abuse?" Dr. Kovac asked her.
"Yes. He beat my mother a lot. That's why she committed suicide twelve years ago. Ever since then he's been beating Ana. She's been too scared to file any reports against him. She made me promise not to, and she's my twin, I'm not about to go back on my promise," Alexandria told the surprised doctor. But she cut him off as he started to protest. "But he almost killed her today. And I have to protect her over keeping her secrets."
After a long silence Dr. Kovac decided she had finished talking. "So, are you ready to file a report?" he asked.
"Yes." was her reply.
"I'll get the police and social services here." Dr. Kovac said, making a note on the file he was carrying.
"Dr. Kovac?"
The nurse, who had helped with saving Alexandria's sister, was poking her head out the door. Dr. Kovac turned around.
"Yes, Abby?" he asked.
"She's waking up." Abby said and closed the door again.
"You can come see her, but wait to come up to her until I say you can." Dr. Kovac said.
They walked into the room and Alexandria gasped. Her sister was lying on the bed in a hospital gown looking around. She had a tube coming out of her mouth.
Dr. Kovac walked up to her. "Mariana?" Do you know where you are?" he asked in a kind, soothing voice. Ana shook her head. "You're in a hospital. Your sister brought you in. You were stabbed. "I'm Dr. Kovac, your doctor and this is your nurse, Abby." He said nodding towards Abby who looked up from the file she was writing in and smiled. Mariana motioned to the tube protruding from her mouth. "You were stabbed in the diaphragm, you're having trouble breathing on your own. We can take the respirator off and put you on a ventilator, if you want."
Mariana nodded and Abby came forward and helped slowly pull the tube out of her throat. When it was out, she coughed a little. Abby quickly put the ventilator on, this time it flowed into her nose.
"Mariana?" Dr. Kovac was bending over her after they were done. "Your sisters here, would you like to see her?" Ana nodded and Dr. Kovac left patting Alexandria on the shoulder as he walked past. Abby followed.
"Ana?" Alexandria asked when she was by her twin's side.
"Hi Al." Mariana said in a rough voice. Mariana always called Alexandria 'Al' in times of distress, and it brought tears to Alexandria's eyes.
"Ana, I'm so sorry!" Alexandria hated to tell her twin that she had broken a promise now, but the words came flooding from her mouth before she could stop them. "I told Dr. Kovac that dad stabbed you, and that he's beat you since we were five. I'm sorry I broke a promise, but if I didn't I knew that he'd pick you up, take you home and continue to beat you! He almost killed you now, next time he may actually do it!"
By the time Alexandria was done talking she was sobbing.
"Mariana reached up and stroked her sisters hair. "Thank you."
Dr. Kovac knocked and entered. "Hi Mariana, Alexandria. We need to move you out. We're moving you up to ICU. I will continue checking on you, and I will be involved in your case. The police and the social workers would like to give you time to get settled in."
Mariana woke up to a nurse checking her vitals.
"What time is it?" Mariana asked.
"Shhh." The nurse hushed her.
"What time is it?" Mariana asked again.
"6:45 AM. Now, be quiet. You'll wake your sister up." The nurse said. She finished her work in silence and left.
Mariana settled back in, upset about the interruption in her sleeping time. She tossed and turned for awhile, but couldn't get back to sleep. She considered turning on the lamp and reading. But turning on the lamp would wake up her sister and she didn't have anything to read. Turning on the TV would wake Alexandria up as well, so she opted for lying and staring at the ceiling.
Mariana moved around uncomfortably. She longed to reach up and pull the tubes from her nose. She was tired of lying on her back and found the buttons that allowed her to move the bed into a different position, and moved it so she was sitting up. The pillows were terrible. They were so small.
She heard some movement and looked over. Alexandria had turned over on her side. The police are coming today, Mariana thought. They'll want to know what happened yesterday.
As Mariana tried to remember, she was transported back:
She had been doing her homework at the table when her father came home.
"Hi Mari," he had greeted her. Most people called her Ana, but her dad called her Mari.
"Hi, dad." She had said.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a leftover chunk of roast beef and heated it up. The phone rang and he answered it. He spoke in gruff tones, and was yelling at the end. He slammed the phone down without saying goodbye.
"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong? I was yelling! Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" he shouted at her.
"Why were you yelling?" she asked him.
"I'm mad!" he answered.
Well, of course you're mad. If you weren't mad you wouldn't have yelled, she thought.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm mad?" he yelled.
"Why are you mad?" she asked. He was cutting the roast beef now.
"Because - " he looked at her. "Why are you in the sun? Get away from the window now!" she stepped into the shade and he started rambling incoherently when she started to stare into space. But his loud, "Are you paying attention to me?" brought her back.
He started to yell at her for not paying attention to him. She stood, waiting for it to happen. Waiting for stinging slap across her face. For the jab at her stomach that would make her double over and for whatever came next.
But what she felt was a sharp poke and her breath leaving her. Dizziness coming over her and her knees growing weak. The slam of the door met her ears.
Snapping back to the hospital bed she thought, How was I supposed to know he would stab me? How was I supposed to know that instead of his hand he'd use a knife? Mariana started crying as the pain of it all took over her.
Alexandria was instantly off the creaking cot and by her side. "Are you all right Ana? What's wrong?"
Mariana tried to form the words to tell her twin what was wrong. Luckily for her, twin telepathy came through.
"It's ok." Alexandria said, hugging her sister, stroking her hair. "It's not your fault."
There was a knock on the door. Dr. Kovac entered.
"Hi. How are your feeling today Mariana?" he asked.
"Not good." Was her hoarse reply.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"My throat is sore, my stomach hurts, I can't breathe, and I feel like I'm going to throw up." She answered.
"Do you have a basin in case you do throw up?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. Let me listen to your lungs." He came over, put his stethoscope on and put the other end on her back, under the shirt.
He moved it around, pausing to listen. When he was done he took it off and put it back to its place around his neck. "All right. Your still having a lot of trouble," he picked up her file and held it while writing in it. "I'm going to send you up for x-rays. There may be some damage we'll have to fix with surgery."
"Surgery?" Mariana asked with a tremor in her voice.
"Yes. There may be a need for it. If there is I'll assign you to Dr. Benton. The police and the social worker will be here at four. My shift gets done then. Would you like me to be with you then?"
"Yeah." Mariana said.
"All right. I'll be up here at four."
Luka went down to the ER again. He was at the desk when Abby came up to him.
"Hi Luka." Abby said.
"Hi Abby."
When does your shift end?" she asked.
"Four."
"Mine too," she said. "Let's go out to dinner."
"I can't."
"Why not?" she asked him.
"I told Mariana I'd be there when the police and social services come."
"That's not part of your job description, Luka." Abby reminded him.
"I know. I'm doing it on my time off."
"It's not normal for a doctor to sit with a patient when police are there!" she pointed out.
"It's not normal for a doctor to run to the church of a bishop who's dying with lupus to bring him back to the hospital! And you never scolded me about that!"
"We're not talking about an old bishop dying of lupus, Luka!" Abby yelled exasperated. "We're talking about a teenage girl with an abusive father!"
"We're talking about a scared teenage girl!"
"Yes! A scared teenage girl who's been abused by her father, who was nearly killed by him, and is going through a difficult time right now!" Abby yelled. "She's vulnerable right now and may misinterpret any actions you make!"
"Misinterpret?"
"Yes! I'm not trying to scold you, Luka! I'm trying to protect you!" Abby yelled with tears filling her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt!" and with that she ran off crying.
Luka stood there, stunned.
"Way to go, Luka." A voice behind him said. He turned around. "You had to stir up the emergency room in some lovers spat, huh?" Kerri said and walked off disappointed in him.
After that everyone resumed what they had been doing.
"If you need help getting over this, ask me." Dave Malucci offered.
"Thanks, Dave. But I can handle this." Luka thanked him.
"Malucci!" Weaver's high-pitched yell called out.
"All right. But if you need me, ask." Dave said and ran off.
Luka sat down on a chair by the desk wearily. He had loudly discussed a patient's case, disturbed the whole ER, yelled at Abby, and made her cry.
"Go talk to her." Randi said, rubbing back.
"Do you think I should?" he asked her, worried that Abby needed more time alone.
"Don't wait for her to bawl her eyes out any longer thinking that you hate her." Randi said.
Luka got up right away and ran off in the direction Abby had gone. He didn't want her thinking he hated her.
He found her silently crying in the supply room. He was mad at himself for making this scene happen. He knocked.
"Abby, I'm so sorry. I don't hate you." He said right away.
"What?" she asked looking up obviously confused.
"I'm sorry I made you mad. And I don't want you to think I hate you, because I don't." Luka clarified.
"I didn't think you hated me. Why would you think that?" Abby asked.
"Randi said - " Luka began, but Abby cut him off.
"Randi! You listened to Randi" Abby exclaimed and they both laughed. "At least she eased the tension."
Luka grew serious. "I understand that your concerned Abby, but, I have to do this, and you have to understand that."
"I understand, Luka. I do. I just don't want to see anything bad happen to you. And I want to spend more time with you," she said. And then, more quietly, "I-I love you Luka."
"I love you, too, Abby." He said surprised. "I love you." He thought awhile, and then came up with an idea. "How about, after the police and social services leave, I pick you up and take you out to dinner?"
"Yeah," Abby whispered. "That would be good."
"Okay." Luka whispered. Then a little louder he said, "Let's dry your tears now." And with that he lifted his tie and wiped her face dry.
They walked arm in arm out of the supply room. Randi saw them and started clapping. Other people looked up and clapped as well.
Luka rode the elevator up to ICU. He looked around the man at the counter and saw the people he was looking for.
"Hi. I'm Dr. Kovac, Mariana Watkin's doctor." He introduced himself when he got up to them.
"Hi Dr. Kovac. I'm Officer Inglebrit and this is Detective Morris." The female officer introduced herself and the female detective next to her.
"I'm Tanya Carter, the social worker." The other woman said.
They asked him about Mariana's condition when she came in, and he answered them as they took notes.
Luka heard the elevator doors open and close behind him. Then a loud splashing noise reached his ears. He turned around to see what was wrong. A girl was standing, staring at the elevator, her hand outstretched, its former occupant gone and all over the floor.
It was Alexandria! Luka ran over to her, careful not to slip on the water.
"Alexandria! What's happened?" he asked her, worried.
"That was my dad." She replied, dazed.
Luka was scared. Had he heard her right? The police and social worker were right by them now.
"My dad just left Ana's room and went into the elevator!" Alexandria said again.
Luka left Alexandria standing there and with everyone else ran to Mariana's room. She was lying in bed, her eyes were closed.
"Mariana!" Luka yelled and rushed over to her.
Mariana's eyes snapped open. What?!"
"You're ok!" Luka exclaimed.
"Of course I am! What happened?"
"Your dad was in here. Alexandria's out in the hall freaking out." Dr. Kovac told her.
"Oh!" Mariana said. Then she moved her arms under the covers. Luka saw her grab something and pull, but couldn't make out the shape. Mariana produced a white square envelope from under the covers. The name Mari was written in big black letters across the front.
A nurse was walking Alexandria into the room. When she was that her sister was ok, she snapped out of her daze and ran over to Mariana throwing her arms around her.
"You're ok!" Alexandria squealed. Then she noticed the envelope in Mariana's hands. "Dad left you that."
"Yeah." Mariana said and opened it up. It was a Get Well card with a letter inside. Mariana unfolded the letter, read it silently and put it back in.
The nurse who had escorted Alexandria to the room was still standing there. "Would you like anything Mariana?" the nurse asked her.
"No." Mariana replied.
"Ok." The nurse left the room.
"Are you ready to start, Miss Watkins?" the police asked her.
"Yes I am." She answered.
"We need your full name." The police officer started, pulling out a piece of paper."
"Mariana Elisabeth Watkins."
The police officer started to copy down her name. Mariana watched her, waiting for the usual mistake. She was on her middle name. E, L, I, Z -
"Officer, it's E, L, I, S, A, B, E, T, H." she spelled out for her.
"Oh! Sorry." She corrected her mistake.
Luka moved beside Mariana and rubbed her back as the officers and social worker asked her numerous questions about her father's abuse and the day of the stabbing.