*Sorry it took so long. Thanks for your patience!
~
"Abby?" Luka said to her softly. "We need to talk."
"Sure," she replied, either not sensing the tone in his voice, or not caring about it. "But I really don't have time right now."
"That's alright. When do you get off work?"
"Another three hours."
"I don't get off for another four."
"Do you want me to wait for you?"
"Yeah, if you would. If I find time I'll come talk to you before then."
He looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand before walking off.
Abby had lied to him. She did have time, she just didn't want to talk to him. Ever since she had told him not to fall in love with her, he had been relentless with his questions. 'Why can't I love you?' 'Why do you think you'll disappoint me?' 'Why won't you open up to me?'
Abby was sick of questions.
~
"Hey Carter," said Randi as he passed by. She held up a piece of paper, but she never took her eyes off the magazine she was reading. "Dr. Hopkins from New York said he's interested in a face to face interview."
"Thank you Randi," Carter said as he snatched the paper from her hands. It had her message on it, along with Dr. Hopkins' phone number.
"Great," Carter thought to himself. "A face to face interview means he's interested in me." He decided to call him right away to set up an appointment. The sooner he got out of County, the better.
~
Abby flicked her cigarette butt off the roof of the hospital. A pregant woman had come in earlier after being injured in a car accident. The baby died, and the woman became hysterical at the news. Abby was there when Dr. Greene told her. For some reason, it really hit Abby hard. It always broke her heart when a child died, but this case in particular had tugged at her insides.
"I figured I'd find you up here," said a thickly accented voice.
"Why'd you figure that?" she asked him.
"Because I looked everywhere else and didn't find you," Luka replied. "Have you had a bad day?"
"Just a bad case. A woman lost her baby in a car wreck."
"I'm sorry," he said. "It's always the worst when children die."
Abby looked up in his eyes and saw a world of hurt. She knew his mind was wandering back to Croatia, to Marco and Jasna. She decided to change the subject for him.
"It's a nice day out, isn't it? A little cold, but nice," she commented.
"Yeah it is," he replied after his mind came back to Chicago. "I wish we would get some hot weather for a change."
"That's not possible with the wind here."
"Abby," Luka began, "I think we need to spend some time apart."
"Excuse me?"
"I think it would be best if we took a break from each other. I think you need time to think about what you really want in life."
"I don't understand Luka."
"Look, I want you to be happy, and right now you don't seem to be very happy in this relationship. All we seem to do anymore is fight. I can't sense what you want from me and I'm running out of ideas. You won't even talk to me."
Abby looked down at her feet. She knew he was right, she just never thought he'd be the one to say it.
"I think it would be best for the both of us if we just gave it a rest for a while. Once you decide what you want out of life, once you decide what will make you happy, then we'll go from there."
Luka lifted up her face with his fingers before bending down to kiss her on her lips.
"I'm so sorry," she whimpered.
"It's alright," he replied sweetly.
He kissed her once more on the forehead before leaving her alone on the roof.
~
Abby called in sick the next two days. She actually didn't feel too good, but her main reason was because she couldn't bring herself to face Luka. She felt terrible for putting him through what she had, but there's was nothing she could do about it now but hope that he moved on. Deep down in her heart she knew they wouldn't get back together. Luka needed to be with someone who would make him happy, and she wasn't the one to do it.
It was still hard for Abby though. She really had wanted to make him happy, and she had tried really hard. But her own problems had become overwhelming and she wasn't able to do the job she had wanted. She decided she was selfish, and that's what had ruined everything.
When Abby returned to work, everyone asked her if she was feeling better, and she smiled and said she was. Luka was there, but he didn't treat her any different as far as their jobs went.
"Hey where's Carter?" Mallucci asked Dr. Chen as they were gathered around the front desk.
"He went to New York for a job interview," Chen replied.
"New York?" Abby asked, having heard the whole thing.
"Mm-hm," Chen replied with a nod before walking off to tend to a patient.
"That's it," Abby thought to herself. "Cater's gone. First my boyfriend and now my best friend's moving away." Then she reminded herself that Carter had ended the friendship several weeks ago.
Even though they were no longer friends, the thought of Carter moving away really bothered her. She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay close to her.
Abby sighed. She was alone again.
~
"Well, Dr. Carter, this is a very nice resume," commented Dr. Bruce Hopkins as he once again looked over the paper in front of him. "However there's seems to be an extra year in here."
"Yes," Carter replied. "I was a surgical intern before I decided I wanted to do emergency medicine. So I had to do that year over again when I switched."
"I see. Well, all that's left is to talk to one of your supervisors, but otherwise. everything looks great. You'd make a fine addition to our hospital, Dr. Carter. Now, may I have the name of who I should talk to back at Cook County?"
Carter thought for a moment.
"If he talks to Weaver, she's bound to tell him about the drug problem and then I'll be screwed out of a job."
"Dr. Mark Greene," Carter finally said. He figured Dr. Greene would speak good of him, and maybe even forget to mention the drugs. He watched as Dr. Hopkins wrote down the name.
"All right," he said as he stood up and extended his hand. Carter stood as well and accepted the hand shake. "Everything seems to be in order and you'll be hearing from us very soon. Thanks for taking the trouble to come up here and meet us."
"No trouble at all," Carter replied.
Dr. Carter left the New York hospital with a smile.
"Finally," he thought. "I can get out of County and start over. No more people stereotyping because of the drugs, and no more Abby."
~
"Abby?" Luka said to her softly. "We need to talk."
"Sure," she replied, either not sensing the tone in his voice, or not caring about it. "But I really don't have time right now."
"That's alright. When do you get off work?"
"Another three hours."
"I don't get off for another four."
"Do you want me to wait for you?"
"Yeah, if you would. If I find time I'll come talk to you before then."
He looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand before walking off.
Abby had lied to him. She did have time, she just didn't want to talk to him. Ever since she had told him not to fall in love with her, he had been relentless with his questions. 'Why can't I love you?' 'Why do you think you'll disappoint me?' 'Why won't you open up to me?'
Abby was sick of questions.
~
"Hey Carter," said Randi as he passed by. She held up a piece of paper, but she never took her eyes off the magazine she was reading. "Dr. Hopkins from New York said he's interested in a face to face interview."
"Thank you Randi," Carter said as he snatched the paper from her hands. It had her message on it, along with Dr. Hopkins' phone number.
"Great," Carter thought to himself. "A face to face interview means he's interested in me." He decided to call him right away to set up an appointment. The sooner he got out of County, the better.
~
Abby flicked her cigarette butt off the roof of the hospital. A pregant woman had come in earlier after being injured in a car accident. The baby died, and the woman became hysterical at the news. Abby was there when Dr. Greene told her. For some reason, it really hit Abby hard. It always broke her heart when a child died, but this case in particular had tugged at her insides.
"I figured I'd find you up here," said a thickly accented voice.
"Why'd you figure that?" she asked him.
"Because I looked everywhere else and didn't find you," Luka replied. "Have you had a bad day?"
"Just a bad case. A woman lost her baby in a car wreck."
"I'm sorry," he said. "It's always the worst when children die."
Abby looked up in his eyes and saw a world of hurt. She knew his mind was wandering back to Croatia, to Marco and Jasna. She decided to change the subject for him.
"It's a nice day out, isn't it? A little cold, but nice," she commented.
"Yeah it is," he replied after his mind came back to Chicago. "I wish we would get some hot weather for a change."
"That's not possible with the wind here."
"Abby," Luka began, "I think we need to spend some time apart."
"Excuse me?"
"I think it would be best if we took a break from each other. I think you need time to think about what you really want in life."
"I don't understand Luka."
"Look, I want you to be happy, and right now you don't seem to be very happy in this relationship. All we seem to do anymore is fight. I can't sense what you want from me and I'm running out of ideas. You won't even talk to me."
Abby looked down at her feet. She knew he was right, she just never thought he'd be the one to say it.
"I think it would be best for the both of us if we just gave it a rest for a while. Once you decide what you want out of life, once you decide what will make you happy, then we'll go from there."
Luka lifted up her face with his fingers before bending down to kiss her on her lips.
"I'm so sorry," she whimpered.
"It's alright," he replied sweetly.
He kissed her once more on the forehead before leaving her alone on the roof.
~
Abby called in sick the next two days. She actually didn't feel too good, but her main reason was because she couldn't bring herself to face Luka. She felt terrible for putting him through what she had, but there's was nothing she could do about it now but hope that he moved on. Deep down in her heart she knew they wouldn't get back together. Luka needed to be with someone who would make him happy, and she wasn't the one to do it.
It was still hard for Abby though. She really had wanted to make him happy, and she had tried really hard. But her own problems had become overwhelming and she wasn't able to do the job she had wanted. She decided she was selfish, and that's what had ruined everything.
When Abby returned to work, everyone asked her if she was feeling better, and she smiled and said she was. Luka was there, but he didn't treat her any different as far as their jobs went.
"Hey where's Carter?" Mallucci asked Dr. Chen as they were gathered around the front desk.
"He went to New York for a job interview," Chen replied.
"New York?" Abby asked, having heard the whole thing.
"Mm-hm," Chen replied with a nod before walking off to tend to a patient.
"That's it," Abby thought to herself. "Cater's gone. First my boyfriend and now my best friend's moving away." Then she reminded herself that Carter had ended the friendship several weeks ago.
Even though they were no longer friends, the thought of Carter moving away really bothered her. She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay close to her.
Abby sighed. She was alone again.
~
"Well, Dr. Carter, this is a very nice resume," commented Dr. Bruce Hopkins as he once again looked over the paper in front of him. "However there's seems to be an extra year in here."
"Yes," Carter replied. "I was a surgical intern before I decided I wanted to do emergency medicine. So I had to do that year over again when I switched."
"I see. Well, all that's left is to talk to one of your supervisors, but otherwise. everything looks great. You'd make a fine addition to our hospital, Dr. Carter. Now, may I have the name of who I should talk to back at Cook County?"
Carter thought for a moment.
"If he talks to Weaver, she's bound to tell him about the drug problem and then I'll be screwed out of a job."
"Dr. Mark Greene," Carter finally said. He figured Dr. Greene would speak good of him, and maybe even forget to mention the drugs. He watched as Dr. Hopkins wrote down the name.
"All right," he said as he stood up and extended his hand. Carter stood as well and accepted the hand shake. "Everything seems to be in order and you'll be hearing from us very soon. Thanks for taking the trouble to come up here and meet us."
"No trouble at all," Carter replied.
Dr. Carter left the New York hospital with a smile.
"Finally," he thought. "I can get out of County and start over. No more people stereotyping because of the drugs, and no more Abby."