Luka stumbled out of bed at the sound of the first birds of the morning perching outside his window and twittering their damn brains out.
He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and groaned softly. FIVE-THIRTY!!!!! Luka had just gotten a little over an hour's sleep.
While Luka contemplated crawling back into bed he heard the muffled braying tones of the disgruntled, hungry cattle. He grumbled and pulled his cover-alls overtop of his pyjamas, ready to do the farm chores.
*************
He crept quietly down the hall, pausing on the squeaky floorboard as it let out a high-pitched whine, muffled by the carpeting.
Luka tip-toed past the living-room where Kerry lay sleeping on the couch and Dave sat awkwardly by hers side, on the floor; his head resting on the edge of a couch cushion and Kerry's arm flopped protectively across his back and around his shoulders.
The attending sighed in relief that Kerry was still alive and Dave had fallen asleep WITH his clothes on, and continued into the kitchen. Carefully he gathered up all the soiled, bloody towels, blankets and linens, and carried them in armloads down to the furnace in the basement. Stuffing the bloodied rags into the furnace, he turned it on to incinerate them.
Luka suddenly realized that it was foolish to have the furnace on in the house at this time of year, but, he rationalized, he was going to put his poor, dreadfully hung-over friends to work in the fields, there wouldn't BE anyone in the house.
He'd seen the clouds and read the weather in the newspaper. He knew from experience that he'd better get that hay cut and left to dry in the fields, while there was still sun out. No lounging around in the house today.
The cattle mooed softly in greeting as Luka stumbled sleepily in the barn and began mechanically doing the chores by rote. Throwing down the bales from the loft, filling their feedbin with grain, and the trough with water.
He opened the back door to the stalls and herded them out into the pasture as he began to scrape the muck into the trench so he could turn on the barn cleaner. One of the older beasts, bucked in her stall and mooed lowly, Luka walked to the old cow and scratched her on the muzzle. "Hey old girl.." He said smiling.
It was very peaceful this morning. That was something he missed dearly. Peace and quiet. He hadn't had any true peace and quiet for years now.. The sort where time stood still and the air sort of drifted, thick with, no particular place to be. The only time he'd ever felt truly at peace, was here... On Drizislav's farm, with the animals in the barn, away from everyone.. Peace.. Hiding out here in the hayloft all those years ago as a boy, unaware with ignorant bliss that one day his world explode around him.
*********
"Come on you guys.. Get up.." Luka ordered cheerfully as he marched up and down the upstairs hallway, banging on doors and whistling tunelessly. "Come on.. Can't sleep the day away.. It's ten-o'clock already! Come on.. Get your clothes on, get downstairs.. Into the truck.. We're going haying.."
Mark groggily stuck his head out the door. "We're going what?"
Carol pouted. "This isn't much of a vacation, Lockhart!!" She grumbled. "You said a Ranch in an exotic locale! You said NOTHING about cleaning up poop and doing hot, gross farm work!"
"Carol! You never complained about having to do disempactions or anything else like that.." Doug said, surprised.
"That's because I never had to DO disempactions.. I handed them off to the nurses.. and when Malucci came on the scene.. I handed them off to him.." She grinned evilly.
Kovac rolled his eyes and marched his troops down the stairs. As they lined up at the bottom step he handed them each a pair of workgloves and a hat. "Don't move.. Don't try to escape.. Tonto is trained in the art of kill and destroy." He said solemnly, nodding to the senile bassett hound that was asleep on the doormat.
Tonto cocked a canine brow and snuffled uninterested as he fell asleep again.
"Attack dog my ass.." Carter scoffed, causing Luka to turn on his heel as he'd been entering the kitchen.
"Carter.. Don't hurt the dog's feelings.. Or I will have to hurt your feelings.. I know you wear St.Elsewhere monogrammed scrubs to bed.. Howie Mandell fan are you?!"
Carter reddened and shook his head.. "No..." He mumbled quietly.
"Pardon me??" Luka grinned.. "I didn't quite catch that last bit.."
"I said... Mark Harmon.."
The doctors snickered loudly and began playing keep-away with Carter's big floppy straw hat as Luka walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. "What's wrong with Harmon!?" Carter protested, trying to wrestle his hat away. "Can't a guy like another guy and say he's good looking without being gay??"
The men went into hysterical laughter, collapsing in tears as they heard Luka scrounging in the kitchen.
"Waffles sound good to you?? EGGOs is all I have.." Luka mumbled, rifling through the freezer as the rest of them whipped up strawberries and cream to go with their breakfast.
*******
"What are they doing Dave?? Why is it so hot in here?" Kerry murmured sleepily.
"I think they're making breakfast.. I don't know why it's so hot.." Dave reached out and put his hand over a heating vent in the floor. "The furnace is on. I think Luka must be burning all those sheets and blankets from last night... It's okay.. Maybe we could go outside for awhile, get some fresh air."
She nodded, tiredly patting Dave's hair with a leaden hand. "Sounds good to me. Where are they going in those outfits?"
Carol poked her head in the livingroom, her hair braided back and a floppy hat pulled down over her brow. She grinned and carried a couple plates of waffles and placed them on the coffee table. Morning you two... How are you feeling, Kerry?" She asked concernedly.
"Much better than last night.." Kerry said honestly. "Is Luka burning all those sheets?"
Carol nodded, "Yeah.. They were ruined. We have to go cut and rake the hay before it rains. If you like we could drop you off down at the cottage.."
Dave cocked a brow. "Cottage? Is there anything this guy DOESN'T have?!"
"Central air.." Kerry murmured softly, wiping her forehead.
"It's okay, Dr.Weaver.. We can go down to the cottage.. It'll be cooler there.." Dave said comfortingly.
Doug entered the kitchen, wiping his fingers on his pants. "That's right, but why do you get to skive off work, Dave?"
"Do YOU want to watch Weaver?" Dave glared at the paediatrician. "I have to make sure she's okay.. We can't exactly leave her alone down there, can we!?"
Doug reddened, and shoved his hands forcefully into his pockets, grumbling under his breath as he stomped off into the kitchen.
*********
As Dave cleared the breakfast dishes, Carter and Benton helped Kerry into the front seat of the pick-up. "Okay Dave.. We're all loaded up. The kitchen's all cleaned??" Mark cocked a brow and looked around the spotless kitchen.
"Yeah.. All clean.. Do you think I should bring anything special for Chief?? I mean.. Her crutch was blown up.. I don't think she'd be very thrilled about being carried everywhere.." Dave muttered.
The senior attending nodded. "You're right. I think you could take the station wagon into town to the hospital, if you're careful.. Stay to to the main roads and highways. Don't make the same mistake that Doug made. Get her a pair of crutches. Don't worry about loading her into the car.. Get dressed, we'll do the rest.." Mark cocked a brow and looked at Dave's bruised noggin.
"How is your head by the way?" He said with a slight smirk.
"It's okay.. Only a slight concussion I think.." Dave sighed.
"Well.. Take care of Weaver.. If you screw up, we will all be hearing about it at work for years to come." Mark exited the house, walking down to the truck, leaving Dave to get dressed.
**********
"Seventy-two bottles of beer on the wall.. Seventy-two bottles of beer!! Take one down, pass it around... Seventy-one bottles of beer on the wall.." Elizabeth sang tunelessly as the truck bumped and creaked down the trails to the fields.
"Shut UP!!!!!!!" Carol finally screamed. "Mark... I love you like a brother.. But your wife!!! Elizabeth, honey... You're tone-deaf.."
Elizabeth glared at her and sang louder. "Seventy-one bottles of beer on the wall.. Seventy-one bottles of beer. Take one down.. Pass it around, Seventy bottles of beer on the wall.. Seventy bottles of beer. Take one down.. Pass it around, Sixty-nine bottles of beer on the wall."
The ER nurse's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms before sticking her tongue out at the surgeon and plugging her ears with her fingers.
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