Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  Here's part two – and see part one for disclaimer, background, and other relevant information.  Enjoy, and reviews are always appreciated! J

Blood and Water – Part 2

by Kate

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she stood at admit.  He had always intrigued her, ever since she first met him.  Luka the doctor intrigued her – he was talented and compassionate, if a bit unorthodox with his treatment of anyone who'd inflicted pain on another.  Luka the co-worker intrigued her – he was one of the few doctors who bothered to greet her each day and actually wait for a response, and if he wasn't busy, he never had a problem doing his own scut work.  Luka the man – well, she wouldn't be a heterosexual female if Luka the man didn't make her a bit weak in the knees.

But this was a new dimension to Luka Kovac that had never crossed Abby's mind – Luka the father.  She had never considered the possibility; then, she shouldn't have been surprised.  She'd seen how he was with young patients.  Always quick to put them at ease, and fiercely protective.  Like a father.  Like the father he apparently was.  Abby had heard the rumors around the ER, rumors of Luka's family being killed in the war, but she should have known better than to believe ER rumors. Obviously, his family was very much alive.
This new dimension to this man made her uneasy. She had always thought him out of her league, not that she was looking. The accent, the looks, the genuine politeness…He was just too good to be true, she and Chuny had decided. But now – now, Abby found herself feeling even more inadequate around him. She had always been uncomfortable around people her age who were parents. At the back of her mind was always the question: what if they knew? What if they knew how close she had come to being one of them – a parent herself?

"Abby?"  His voice pulled her out of her reverie and she looked up at him, slightly flustered.  "Would you start an IV in curtain one please?"

She placed the charts she'd been flipping through back on the counter.  "Sure," she said as she headed towards curtain one.  She glanced at her watch.  Just one more hour and she could leave.

~*~

Luka paused at the doorway to the supply room, watching Abby stock new packages of gloves on the shelves.  He normally would have kept walking to the lounge so he could get out of the hospital before another trauma came in and he was recruited to stay longer, but today something – someone, more accurately – made him take that chance.  He had been surprised to discover he was attracted to this woman, this woman he barely knew and who was so unlike his wife.  He leaned against the doorframe, smiling to himself as she checked her watch.  He knew her shift was over too, and sure enough, she placed the last box on the shelf and sighed, turning around.

Abby started in surprise to see him standing in the doorway.  "Dr. Kovac," she nodded in greeting.

He tipped his head, smiling again.  "Please.  Call me Luka."  He moved aside to let her out of the room and fell into step beside her.

"Okay, Luka," she complied, "can I do anything for you?"

Pushing the door to the lounge open, he protested.  "No, no, of course not.  Your shift is over."

She glanced at him, amused.  "You're right.  But that doesn't usually stop someone from wanting something else before I leave."  She dropped her eyes, embarrassed at being caught complaining.

Luka chuckled.  "Well, then, we'd better get out of here before the big bad doctors come looking for you."

Twirling the lock on her locker, Abby groaned.  "I didn't mean…"  She sighed, pulling her belongings out and closing the locker door.

"I know," he laughed good-naturedly, taking her coat and opening it.  "Here, let me."  He held the garment for her and guided her arms into the sleeves as Abby looked up at him, surprised.

"Thank you," she responded, a bit baffled.  She wasn't used to men opening doors and holding coats for her.  European chivalry, she supposed.  And she wasn't about to complain.

As they walked together out of the hospital, Luka casually motioned in the direction of Doc Magoo's.  "Do you want some coffee?"  She looked at him, surprised again, as he hurried to explain.  "You brought me coffee Wednesday; it's the least I can do."

"Oh, God, that coffee Wednesday was made by Randi.  In the coffee pot in the lounge.  In other words, no human should have to drink it.  You don't owe me anything."

"No, really," he insisted, "It saved my life.  I would never have been able to finish my shift if you didn't give me that coffee."  He took her arm lightly, guiding her towards the restaurant.  "Please, let me treat you.  It's just coffee."

Abby smiled.  He was right – it was just coffee.  "Well, when you put it that way…If I saved your life…"  She let him lead her into Doc Magoo's, where they took a booth near the window.

After ordering, Abby sat uncomfortably under Luka's gaze.  Why wasn't he saying anything?  She searched for some safe topic of conversation.  "Slow day today, wasn't it?"

Luka nodded in agreement.  "It's Friday.  I think people do not want to come to the hospital on their weekend.  They'd rather wait until Monday so they can miss work."

Abby chuckled.  "Hey, if that's what it takes, why not?"  She shook her head.  "I wonder what it's like, never having to work weekends."

He gave an exaggerated gasp.  "How do they live?  Aren't their lives boring?  I wouldn't know what to do with two days off in a row."

"I really hope you're being facetious," Abby groaned, "because I can think of plenty of things to do with two free days."  They both leaned back as the waitress brought two steaming mugs of coffee to the table.  Abby shook two sugar packets into her mug and smiled her thanks to the waitress.

Luka, sipping his black coffee, leaned forward again.  "So, tell me.  What would you do if you had two free days?"

Abby closed her eyes, thinking.  "I'd go to Florida."  She opened her eyes to find Luka with a surprised look on his face.

"Florida?" he repeated, "Isn't that a bit far for a weekend trip?"

She tipped her head, agreeing with him.  "I guess I'd need more than a weekend for Florida.  So, for my weekend away, I'd go…I don't know, I'd stay home and sleep, I guess."

Luka held a hand up to stop her.  "Wait, wait.  You can't say Florida and not explain.  What's in Florida that you would go all the way there and back in two days?  What's there that Chicago can't offer?  The beach?  Come on, it can't be that exciting, can it?"

"My brother, Eric," Abby explained, laughing.  "He's in the Air Force, stationed in Florida.  I haven't seen him in a couple years.  Haven't even met his fiancé yet."  She paused.  "And the beach is there too, of course."  She stirred her spoon in her coffee absently.  "So, what would you do with a weekend off?"

"I would take my daughter to see Chicago," he answered matter-of-factly.

Abby raised her eyebrows, puzzled.  "You live in Chicago.  Doesn't she see it every day?"

Luka shrugged.  "She sees our apartment.  She sees her school, her friends' houses, the grocery store…It's not really Chicago, you know?  I would take her to the museums, to Navy Pier…"

"Ah, I see.  The tourist bit."  Abby nodded.  "How old is she?"

"Fourteen.  She just started high school," he added proudly, taking another sip of his coffee.

Abby slapped her hand on the tabletop as if a revelation had just come to her.  "She's fourteen?  You can't show her Chicago without taking her to the Magnificent Mile."

Luka looked puzzled.  "The Magnificent Mile?"

"Michigan Avenue.  Shopping," Abby explained.  "Lots of high-end stores for her to window-shop at.  And if she's a fourteen-year-old girl whose father is buying, she'll be in heaven."

He grimaced.  "Please don't give her any ideas.  My wife loved shopping.  I'm hoping Jasna didn't inherit that from her."

Abby laughed.  "Not a shopper, Dr. Kovac?  I'm shocked."  Luka chuckled with her, and she continued.  "Well, I'm sure she'd love it just as much if her mother was buying."

A pained look crossed Luka's face.  "My wife…she's not…ah, the war, you know…"  He looked down, tracing the pattern in the tablecloth distractedly.

So the rumors were true.  A knot settled in Abby's stomach as she wondered what she'd done by bringing it up.  "Luka…I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching her hands towards his.  She had second thoughts, though, and settled her hands awkwardly on the table in front of her.  "I'm sorry," she repeated again softly.

Luka snapped himself out of his melancholy thoughts and lifted his head.  "It's okay," he assured her, smiling weakly.  He stirred his coffee and placed the spoon on the table.  "So…" he began, wanting to take the focus off of himself, "What about you?  Marriage?  Children?"

Abby wondered momentarily if she should pursue the talk of Luka's family, but decided to drop it. He obviously didn't want to discuss it further.  "That's an interesting question," she hedged, smiling wryly.  "Yes.  No.  No.  That's the short answer."

He grinned.  "It certainly was short.  But you gave three answers."

"A very astute observation," Abby agreed, nodding.  "Yes and no to marriage.  My divorce will be final in..." She glanced at the calendar on the wall behind the counter.  "…three weeks.  Three weeks exactly."  She looked almost surprised by the realization.

Luka wondered how he was supposed to respond to that comment.  Congratulations?  Condolences?  "I'm sorry," he tried.

Smiling softly again, Abby shook her head.  "It's okay; I'm not that sorry.  It's been over for a long time."  She sighed, setting her empty coffee mug on the edge of the table.  "Three weeks is just a formality, making it legal.  I think maybe it was over before it even began, you know?"

He nodded.  "And the last 'no' was for children?" he wondered.

Abby looked down at the table as a strange look came over her features.  It passed quickly, though, and Luka dismissed it as his imagination.  "No, no children," she confirmed.  "I'm glad, you know?  Richard – my husband – and I had no business being married to each other, and to force children to be a part of that…" She shook her head.  "It hasn't been pretty.  And kids…well, it's hard enough on them when their parents don't get along.  To drag them through a divorce on top of that…So it's good.  I'll just be glad when this is over."  She ran her right hand through her hair, and for the first time Luka noticed how tired she looked.

The two sat silently for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.  Finally, Luka glanced at his watch and cleared his throat.  "I'm sorry, I should get going.  Jasna will be home from school soon, and..."

"Oh!  Of course," Abby said quickly.  "I should get going too."

They stood up and Abby started to open her purse.  Luka stopped her with a hand on her arm.  "My treat, remember?"  He placed money on the table as he spoke.

Sensing it would be futile to argue, Abby dropped her hand.  "Thank you.  Very much.  I had a good time."  And suddenly, she felt as if she had been on a date.  She tried to block that thought from her mind.

"I had a good time, too," Luka smiled, leading her out the door.  "Can I give you a ride?"

The offer sounded tempting.  A little too tempting, perhaps.  "No thanks, I usually take the El."  She began walking towards the El stop with Luka following behind her.

"If you change your mind…" he called after her.

She turned to look at him again.  "You'll be the first to know."  She paused as they both looked at each other, wondering what to say.  "Goodbye, Luka."

He merely tipped his head towards her, turned, and walked away with a smile.

~*~

"Tata, are you home?" came Jasna's voice through the apartment.

Luka set down the charts he was working on.  "In the living room, Jas."  His daughter ambled into the living room, threw her bag down on the floor, and flopped onto the couch beside him with a great sigh.  He chuckled at her overly dramatic entrance.  "Rough day?"

She groaned.  "Mrs. Jacoby gave us a pop quiz in geometry.  A pop quiz!  Can you believe it?"

"Not at all," Luka joked.  "Where is the justice in that?  She should be fired, don't you think?"

Jasna threw up her hands.  "Exactly!  That's exactly what Brad said, and then he got kicked out of class.  Can you believe it?"

Luka just laughed, patting her shoulder as she continued to mutter under her breath about the injustices of high school.  "I need a vacation," was her next declaration.

Getting an idea, Luka turned to face his daughter.  "The next time I have a weekend off, how would you like to go to the Magnificent Mile?"

"The Magnificent Mile?" Jasna repeated.

"Sure, do you know what that is?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Of course I know what it is.  Michigan Avenue.  Shopping.  But, Tata, you hate shopping!"

Luka placed his hand on his forehead and gave a long-suffering sigh.  "I know.  But I suppose I could handle it for one day…that is, if you want to."

He got his answer from the grin that crossed his daughter's face.  "Yes!  I'd love to."  She leaned up against him, her head on his shoulder.

Kissing the top of her head, Luka smiled.  "Thank you," he whispered.

Jasna frowned, shifting her body a bit.  "For what?"

"For being my daughter," he responded simply.

to be continued…