Author's Note: Please see part one for disclaimer and other relevant information. Thanks so much for all the kind reviews! Enjoy part 3…
Blood and Water – Part 3
Abby smiled brightly as Luka approached admit, charts in hand. "Good morning!"
The doctor slapped the charts down on the desk and leaned on his elbows. "You," he said sternly, ignoring her greeting, "are in trouble."
Raising her eyebrows innocently, Abby leaned forward slightly. "And whatever did I do?" She took the stack of charts from Luka and began placing them in the correct files on the desk.
"The Magnificent Mile? Shopping?" He acknowledged her help with the charts by nodding in thanks before continuing. "You said it would be a good idea," he accused.
Amused, Abby gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "You took her? I didn't think you'd actually go."
"Oh, we went. Yesterday." Luka shook his head. "Jasna loved it. I have never been so tired." As if to emphasize his point, he sagged his body lower and closer to the desktop, giving an exaggerated sigh.
Abby chuckled and hit him lightly on the arm with a chart. "I feel so sorry for you."
Luka gave one more sigh for good measure as Weaver walked up to admit. "I don't know if you've noticed," she commented sarcastically, "but the board is filling up. Keep your personal lives on your own time." She crutched away, throwing a backwards glance at the two standing at the desk.
Abby rolled her eyes as Malucci smirked at them. "I don't care if you're screwing each other on your own time," the other doctor mimicked in a perfect imitation of Weaver's voice, "but just don't do it in my ER." He ignored Abby's embarrassed grimace and chose instead to smirk at Luka's confused expression.
"Screwing each other?" Luka whispered to Abby as they walked together to the board.
"Oh, God," Abby mumbled, "Never mind." As far as she knew, Luka had so far been spared knowing what the rest of the ER gossips had been saying about the two of them for the past couple weeks. She wasn't about to enlighten him herself.
~*~
Frank stuck his head into exam one. "Abby, your husband is here."
A vision of Richard lying on a gurney flashed before her mind's eye. "Richard's here? What happened?"
"I don't know," Frank said, shrugging uninterestedly, "He's waiting for you in the lounge."
Abby sighed. So much for the satisfaction of seeing Richard helpless and in pain. She looked at Dr. Greene, who nodded towards the door. "Go. We've got this covered." She walked out into the hallway and towards the lounge, dreading this confrontation. She had no idea what Richard wanted, but she was guessing it wasn't a friendly visit he was making. No, she and Richard were not exactly on friendly terms lately. She pushed open the door to the lounge and, with a cursory glance at her soon-to-be ex-husband, headed to the coffee pot. "Richard, I'm working. You can't just come in here and expect me to drop everything," she complained, pouring herself a cup of the lukewarm coffee. She needed a cigarette, badly.
"Oh, excuse me." Richard rose from his seat at the table and joined her at the counter. "But what am I supposed to do when you don't even return my calls?"
Abby tapped her foot against the tile floor and sipped her coffee exasperatedly. She could feel the tension start to build at the base of her neck and wondered if she'd bought more Excedrin at her last trip to the store. "You've called me once, Richard. You left a message yesterday. I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about that, since I was planning on calling you back today." She set the cup down on the counter. "After work," she added pointedly and walked across the room to her locker. Anything to keep her moving, to keep her mind at least partly off of this conversation. "What's so urgent?" Distracted, she opened her locker and peered inside. For what, she had no idea. Slamming the door, she turned around to face him again. "Well?"
Richard jiggled his keys in his pocket, a sure sign that he was annoyed. "I can't make it to the meeting tomorrow."
"What? Richard!" Abby just stared at him, trembling inside. "Is this fun for you? Damn it, Richard, this is the last meeting with the lawyers." She looked away, not knowing whether to kick the locker or Richard's shin. Or his groin. She let herself relish that thought for a moment. She needed to kick something, that was for sure. Where was a punching bag when you needed one? "The last one," she repeated angrily. "You can't even be there for that?"
"Will you stop for a minute?" he shot back. "Listen. All we had to discuss was the apartment, right?"
Abby nodded warily. She could smell his set-ups from a mile away.
"Well, I'll make it easy. You take the apartment." Abby shot him a look, not willing to believe that there was no catch. Richard smirked, obviously pleased that he'd caught her off-guard. "I'll call the lawyers and tell them that's what we decided. This way we won't have to deal with any more meetings; it'll all be finished. Plus, I don't need the apartment."
Of course. She'd known there was some reason he'd suddenly decided to be so benevolent. I don't need the apartment. A nice reminder of the house he'd bought for his girlfriend with their savings. It had happened a year ago and Abby was surprised at the hurt that still came from remembering. "Don't do me any favors, Richard."
Richard made a sarcastic noise in his throat. "No, heaven forbid you accept anything from anyone. God, Abby. You want the apartment or not? Take it or leave it, but I'm not going to be at the meeting."
"Okay." Abby looked at the floor, not able to meet his eyes. She took a deep breath. "Thank you." It hurt to say those words to him, of all people. Her pride screamed at her to reject his offer, or to at least insist he come to the meeting, but she did need a place to live after this was all over. She scuffed her toe on the tile floor, almost embarrassed.
"Okay," Richard nodded. "So that's it? I'll call the lawyers, get you the lease papers."
He turned to leave the lounge and Abby panicked, not willing to trust Richard, given his track record that she knew all too well. "If you screw me over on this, Richard…" Immediately she regretted saying it – maybe he would actually follow through this time. But then again…
Richard turned back around with his mouth open, poised to say something, but just shook his head, leaving the room. As he left, he held the door open for Luka, who glanced at the other man before joining Abby by the coffee maker. "Who was that?" he asked, inclining his head towards the door.
Abby moved over to the couch, sinking down and trying to let her body relax. "That was Richard," she answered dully.
Luka raised his eyebrows as the name and the tone of her voice left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Your husband." he confirmed, sitting down next to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck where the tension was building. "Yeah, I'm fine…" Needing a change of topic, she smiled brightly, perhaps a bit too brightly, at Luka. "You want some lunch?"
He looked closely at her before standing up. "Lunch sounds good," he hesitated, not able to keep from worrying about her. Without noticing he was doing it, Luka kept his hand lightly on the small of Abby's back as they walked out of the lounge.
As had become their custom over the past few weeks when they worked the same shift, Luka and Abby got their lunches from the cafeteria and took them outside along the river to eat. Sitting on a bench, Abby drew her jacket around her and watched the leaves on the sidewalk being blown about by the early fall wind. "It'll be getting cold soon," she commented absently, picking at her chicken salad sandwich.
"Mmhm," Luka agreed as he spread cream cheese on his bagel. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he recognized her tired, defeated expression as she fumbled with a cigarette.
She noticed him looking and, knowing he disapproved of her smoking, sighed and put the pack of cigarettes back in her purse. "Sorry," she mumbled and for the first time since she and Luka started eating together, wished she was eating alone. She needed that cigarette like nothing else.
"Abby," he began, and she lifted her head to look at him. He hesitated, not knowing if or how he should approach the subject. "Did he hurt you, Abby?"
She paused for a long moment. "Not physically," she finally answered softly and then turned away, already having said too much. Suddenly feeling as if she should defend Richard, she added slowly, "We both did the hurting in that relationship. It wasn't just him." Abby bit her lip, wondering why she was sticking up for the man.
Luka coughed into his fist, knowing he was stepping onto thin ice by prying. Abby liked to keep her private life just that – private. "Do you need a place to stay? I mean, we have a spare room…if you need to be away from him…" The offer hung suspended in the air, and Luka could only guess where it would land.
She laughed. Not a real laugh, but a pained, sarcastic laugh. "No…no. We haven't lived together for a year now. You know, that's why he was here?" She stuffed the uneaten sandwich back into its bag. "He's letting me have our apartment. Going to get me the lease papers. Of course," – she laughed again – "of course, he doesn't need the apartment." The pain was evident in Abby's voice as she continued. "He has a house. He and his girlfriend have a house. He bought it for her last year. With our savings." She grinned sardonically. "So you see, he's such the gentleman, letting me have the apartment. Don't you think?" Abby looked down, suddenly embarrassed that she'd said so much. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "You don't need to sit here and listen to me bitch about Richard." She fairly spat the name out and then fell silent, picking at a stray thread on the sleeve of her jacket.
Luka shifted closer to her on the bench, wishing he could take her pain. "Abby," he whispered, and she turned again to look at him. They stared at each other for a long moment, Abby's expression softening as she realized what Luka was about to do. Leaning closer, she closed her eyes lightly as Luka's lips met hers. She brought her hands up to his face, feeling everything very clearly. The taste of bagel and coffee in his mouth, the warmth of his lips, the slight stubble on his cheeks, the pressure of his hand on her thigh and her hair…Abby kissed him, surprised that Luka seemed to want this as much as she did.
And suddenly, it was over. He pulled away and moved farther from her on the bench. "Luka?" she murmured, disappointed and puzzled, still feeling her lips tingle from his touch.
Luka ran his hand through his hair, not meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry, Abby. I shouldn't have…I'm sorry. You're still married…it's not…" He settled his hands awkwardly in his lap.
Understanding came to Abby and she softened, awed by his deep sense of honor. He was so unlike Richard, who had thought nothing about bringing another woman to their bed. Abby shook her head, not wanting to think of Richard while Luka was right there. She looked at him, the worried expression on his face, and smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said softly, and it was Luka's turn to be puzzled.
"For what?"
She shrugged lightly. "For caring enough to not…for…for waiting?" She made her last words a request and looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
At that, Luka chuckled, touching her arm gently. "Yes, I'll wait. I'll wait, Abby." He smiled, feeling a weight lift despite his still very real desire to kiss her again.
Abby leaned back on the bench, feeling strangely content despite the events of the day. She glanced at her watch, not wanting to leave but knowing they'd already been gone from the ER for longer than usual. "We'd better get back or Weaver will be sending out search and rescue."
Luka sighed, collecting their trash and placing it in a nearby can. "I suppose we have to go back to work, right?" He held his hand out and pulled Abby to her feet. They walked back to the hospital in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. When they approached the ambulance bay, Luka paused. "Thank you for lunch." Abby smiled, laughing when he winked at her. She turned to walk into the ER, enjoying the feeling of being watched by Luka.
~*~
Late that night, Luka sat in the kitchen of his darkened apartment, unable to sleep. He hadn't planned on kissing Abby that afternoon, that was certain. But he couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it greatly. He smiled as he remembered her sly request that he wait until her divorce was final. Apparently, she had enjoyed their time together as much as he had. Touching his lips, he recalled the feeling of kissing her, of touching her hair, the warmth that had coursed through him at her touch. It had been a long time since he'd felt this way about a woman – since Danijela, in fact – and he was surprised to find that he had missed the feeling. He had been attracted to other women in the nine years since his wife had died – he supposed he wouldn't be a normal man if he didn't – but this feeling of connection, of longing, was new.
He leaned back in his chair, almost getting drowsy. He was just considering going to bed when he heard it – the sound that had become all too familiar to him, the sound of Jasna crying in her sleep. He moved quickly to her room, turning on the light and coaxing his thrashing daughter from sleep. "Jasna, wake up, honey." He stroked her forehead as she continued to cry, slowly waking up from her nightmare.
Jasna gasped as she tried to slow her breathing. "I couldn't see her…" she mumbled in between breaths, "Her face…"
Luka frowned. Jasna had never wanted to talk about her dreams before. "Who, Jas? Who couldn't you see?"
His daughter seemed not to hear as she continued. "She was leaving and I wanted her to stay and she turned…and her face was gone. She was gone…" Jasna covered her wet eyes with a hand as if to block out the vision of her dream.
A lump formed in the pit of Luka's stomach. He had had a similar nightmare many times, years ago. "Your mother, Jas? Is that who was in your dream?"
She nodded, finally acknowledging her father's presence. "What if I forget them, Tata?"
"Oh, Jasna," Luka murmured, gathering his daughter into his arms. "You won't forget them. We won't forget them. We will always have our memories."
Jasna's crying seemed to subside as she sat up in bed next to Luka. "I remember…" she began in a small voice, "I remember dancing. She put on her records and we'd dance in the living room. She always laughed because you couldn't dance. But she taught me, and we danced." She looked up at Luka. "Right?"
"Right," he replied, smiling softly. "And Marko?" he prodded gently.
Wiping the last of her tears, Jasna giggled. "I remember chocolate ice cream. He always got it all over his face." She touched her chin and cheeks, demonstrating as Luka laughed with her. Then, leaning back against her father, she asked, "What do you remember?"
Luka sighed, holding his daughter close. "I remember bringing Marko home from the hospital. You were so disappointed that you hadn't gotten a sister."
"I was not!" Jasna protested indignantly.
He smiled. "Sure you were. You wanted a little baby girl who you could dress up like your dolls. But then when we brought him home and you saw him, I think you forgot all about wanting a sister. You followed us all around the house, trying to help feed him, change his diaper…Your mother was so proud of you. She told me…" Luka paused for a moment as emotion blocked his throat. "She told me she had all she had ever wanted. You, me, Marko…our family." He stroked his daughter's hair, so much like Danijela's, and noticed that Jasna had drifted back to sleep. Easing himself off the bed, he placed her back on her pillow and drew the blankets up to cover her. "It was all I had ever wanted, too," he whispered before leaving the room.
to be continued…
