When they left her appartment and headed for the elevator, Brian's door opened. Luka instinctively pushed Abby aside and stood before her.
"So you're leaving, huh! Smart girl you are, " Brian slurred his words. "How long will you be gone for? I must say, I never thought you were this type of girl… sticking your nose in someone else's business and then be too much of a coward to deal with the consequences."
"Leave her alone, you bastard," Luka replied firmly. "Now get back inside."
"She ruined my life, man!" Brian approached Abby as if he didn't realise he had to pass by Luka First. Luka pushed Brian back and looked down on him. "Get back in."
Abby grabbed Luka's upperarm. "Don't, Luka. It will be him calling the police for violence…"
Luka hesitated for a moment but eventually let Brian go. "I'm warning you, " he whispered.
He couldn't stand the clear threat Brian was towards Abby. Thank god she made the right decision of moving in with him for while. Luka led Abby back to the elevator, leaving a shouting Brian behind. Normally Abby would have some catchy replies, but this time she had none. Luka almost didn't recognize her. "He really got to you, didn't he?" Luka asked.
She nodded. "I never thought it would affect me this much. He really lost it and there was nothing I could do. There won't be anything I can do if he loses it again."
"This time the situation has changed," Luka replied. It was the only thing he could do. Make sure she felt safe and that he wouldn't lay a finger on her again. It tore him up that he couldn't change the past.
Why did he feel so responsible for her? She was a nurse he worked close with a lot, but there hadn't been any flirting whatsoever. Sure they always had nice conversations, whether serious ones in the lounge of easy small talk in the ambulance bay. Knowing they would share a shift made it easier to go to work.
But he knew Carter had a thing for her. He told him once. Then again, Luka wondered why Carter hadn't stood up for her since the whole Brian-thing started. The day Abby was brought in the ER, something changed for Luka. He knew Abby was difficult to mess with, she could easily handle drunken patients or calm them down. Brian however was a different story and that made Luka realise she did to be looked after. He felt it was his thing to give it to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked again. "Glad I wasn't the punch ball today," she smiled. He lay his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to pull her close but he didn't. "Let's get you home, my place I mean."
Not the end yet