Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Chapter 4: A Friend Returns
By Wednesday of that week, Lu had become a bundle of nerves. To her friends she appeared to be edgy, and often distant, spending much of her free time alone in her office.
For the second time that week, she had been late for work, something that was highly unusual for Lu. When she had finally arrived, she rattled off a quick explanation to Lana as she rushed past the reception desk towards her office, not giving Lana a chance to reply.
Lana carried her lunch tray across the cafeteria, joining Dana, Robert, Peter and Nick at their table.
"Hey, has anyone talked to Lu today?" she asked as she sat down.
"Talk to Lu? Are you kidding?" Nick asked. "I haven't hardly seen Lu at all today."
"I saw her for a few minutes earlier this morning," Peter said. "But she seemed to be in a hurry."
"Is there something going on with Dr. Delgado that I should know about?" Robert asked.
"I don't think so, Bob." Dana answered.
"I just think that coming back to all of this after what she's been through has been very overwhelming for her."
"Well, in any case, maybe I should talk to her." Dana shook her head.
"I don't think that will be necessary. I'm sure she will be fine." Dana defended her friend, knowing that a confrontation with Dr. Jackson was probably not something that Lu needed right now.
"Just give her some time. This is her first week back." Dana concluded. Robert glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I will see all of you later."
Lu sighed as she sat down at her desk later that afternoon. She glanced at her watch. 4:40pm.
All afternoon she had managed to avoid much contact with her friends. When she wasn't with a patient or working in the ER, she had locked herself in her office, afraid that if she spent much time with her co-workers, she would somehow let it slip about her suspicion, a secret she wasn't ready to share with anyone...not yet.
Lu reached into her desk drawer and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol, then threw it back, quickly realizing that if she were pregnant, she couldn't take any medications.
A sudden knock on the door made her jump. She groaned. She really didn't feel like talking to anyone. Maybe if she didn't answer, they would leave her alone. The knock came again.
"What?" She asked, her tone impatient. The door opened and a man stepped inside. "Hi Lu." Lu raised her head at the sound of the familiar voice. She was silent for a moment as she stared at him, almost not believing that he was really there. She slowly pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Harry? Wh...what are you doing here?" She asked softly.
"I've missed you, Lu. I wanted to see you again." Harry Burr answered. "It seems like it's been forever since we broke up." Lu wanted nothing more than to run to her friend and be held in his arms, just like old times. He could make her forget about that awful night weeks earlier.
But still, she held back, suddenly griped with a fear she didn't realize she had. As Harry began to move closer to her, she slowly backed away from him.
Harry immediately noticed her strange behavior and stopped. "Lu, what's wrong? Why are you backing away from me?"
"I'm...I'm sorry, Harry. It's just that...well..." Lu paused, suddenly realizing that Harry probably didn't know about the rape.
"Lu, something's wrong, isn't there? Are you seeing someone? Is that why you won't come near me?" Lu slowly shook her head. "No, Harry. I'm not seeing anyone."
"Then can I at least have a hug?" Lu slowly walked over to Harry, and allowed him to embrace her in a hug. And even though she returned the hug, her body was stiff and tense.
"Lu, I was hoping maybe you would join me for supper. But I can see that you don't want me here, so I will leave you alone. Tell Marc I said hello." As Harry walked out of her office, Lu watched in silence.
Several months ago they had been very close. But problems with Harry's ex-wife had forced them apart. And now once again she was watching him walk out of her life. And she knew that she couldn't let him go again...at least not without telling him what had caused her to pull away from him.
Lu ran from her office, hoping to stop Harry before he left the clinic.
"Harry, wait!" Harry had reached the reception desk, and turned at the sound of her voice. "What?" He asked. Lu glanced at Lana, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Harry. I guess maybe we should talk." Harry looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read her mind.
"Yeah, okay." Harry followed Lu back into her office. Lu closed the office door and motioned for him to sit down. She began pacing the floor in front of him.
"Lu, did you call me back in here to watch you pace?"
"Uh...no, Harry. I...there is something that I need to tell you. I just don't know how to start."
"Lu, if you're trying to tell me that you're seeing someone else, it's okay. I mean, we did break up." Lu shook her head. "No, it's not that. But it's not good, either."
"Lu, please tell me what is going on. Why did you back away from me like that? I thought maybe you would at least give me a hug when I came back after these long months. I thought you'd be glad to see me." Lu suddenly realized how she must have come across to him. She sat down on the couch beside him, and turned to face him, taking a deep breath. "Harry, six weeks ago I was here at the hospital when my car wouldn't start. I had planned on calling triple A, but I was in a hurry to get home before Marc, so when I was offered a ride home by our new chief of surgery, I accepted. When we got up to my place, he walked me upstairs to make sure that I got there okay. He asked if he could come in to use the bathroom. So he did. He had a bottle of champagne with him because Dana had given him a party earlier in the evening. When he asked if I would have a drink with him, I said yes because I appreciated him driving me home." Lu paused, wishing she didn't have to talk about that awful night, the night she was trying so hard to forget. Lu took a deep breath, than continued. "After we had a drink, I told him he had to go because Marc would be home any minute. But...but he wouldn't leave." Lu stood up and began pacing again. Harry watched her in silence, waiting for her to continue.
"He pushed me down on the couch and...and he got on top of me. I told him no. And stop. And get off. But he wouldn't. I tried so hard...but he was so much stronger than me."
"Oh my god, Lu." Harry said when the realization of what she was telling him hit him. "He raped you." Lu nodded.
"Yeah. In only 5 minutes he..." Lu paused, unable to continue. Harry got up and pulled her into his arms, again noticing how tense she was. But this time, he understood. "Oh Lu. Why didn't you tell me?" Lu shrugged.
"I don't know." She said softly. "I didn't tell anyone, just the staff that was here that night when I came into the ER. Dana did the rape exam. I didn't even tell Marc for a week."
"So what happened to the guy that did it?" Harry asked, with unmistakable anger in his voice.
"He was arrested, then released and returned to work."
"Was there a trial or anything?" Harry questioned. Lu nodded.
"Yeah. He was acquitted because the jury said there was insufficient evidence."
"I sure hope he's not still here at Rittenhouse."
"No. He is at Manhatten General now." As Harry held her, Lu leaned against him, finally allowing her body to relax and enjoy being close to him once again.
"Lu, lets go out for dinner tonight. For old times sake?" Lu pulled away from him. "No, Harry. I...I can't." With that, Lu ran out of her office, leaving Harry staring after her.
Chapter 4: A Friend Returns
By Wednesday of that week, Lu had become a bundle of nerves. To her friends she appeared to be edgy, and often distant, spending much of her free time alone in her office.
For the second time that week, she had been late for work, something that was highly unusual for Lu. When she had finally arrived, she rattled off a quick explanation to Lana as she rushed past the reception desk towards her office, not giving Lana a chance to reply.
Lana carried her lunch tray across the cafeteria, joining Dana, Robert, Peter and Nick at their table.
"Hey, has anyone talked to Lu today?" she asked as she sat down.
"Talk to Lu? Are you kidding?" Nick asked. "I haven't hardly seen Lu at all today."
"I saw her for a few minutes earlier this morning," Peter said. "But she seemed to be in a hurry."
"Is there something going on with Dr. Delgado that I should know about?" Robert asked.
"I don't think so, Bob." Dana answered.
"I just think that coming back to all of this after what she's been through has been very overwhelming for her."
"Well, in any case, maybe I should talk to her." Dana shook her head.
"I don't think that will be necessary. I'm sure she will be fine." Dana defended her friend, knowing that a confrontation with Dr. Jackson was probably not something that Lu needed right now.
"Just give her some time. This is her first week back." Dana concluded. Robert glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I will see all of you later."
Lu sighed as she sat down at her desk later that afternoon. She glanced at her watch. 4:40pm.
All afternoon she had managed to avoid much contact with her friends. When she wasn't with a patient or working in the ER, she had locked herself in her office, afraid that if she spent much time with her co-workers, she would somehow let it slip about her suspicion, a secret she wasn't ready to share with anyone...not yet.
Lu reached into her desk drawer and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol, then threw it back, quickly realizing that if she were pregnant, she couldn't take any medications.
A sudden knock on the door made her jump. She groaned. She really didn't feel like talking to anyone. Maybe if she didn't answer, they would leave her alone. The knock came again.
"What?" She asked, her tone impatient. The door opened and a man stepped inside. "Hi Lu." Lu raised her head at the sound of the familiar voice. She was silent for a moment as she stared at him, almost not believing that he was really there. She slowly pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Harry? Wh...what are you doing here?" She asked softly.
"I've missed you, Lu. I wanted to see you again." Harry Burr answered. "It seems like it's been forever since we broke up." Lu wanted nothing more than to run to her friend and be held in his arms, just like old times. He could make her forget about that awful night weeks earlier.
But still, she held back, suddenly griped with a fear she didn't realize she had. As Harry began to move closer to her, she slowly backed away from him.
Harry immediately noticed her strange behavior and stopped. "Lu, what's wrong? Why are you backing away from me?"
"I'm...I'm sorry, Harry. It's just that...well..." Lu paused, suddenly realizing that Harry probably didn't know about the rape.
"Lu, something's wrong, isn't there? Are you seeing someone? Is that why you won't come near me?" Lu slowly shook her head. "No, Harry. I'm not seeing anyone."
"Then can I at least have a hug?" Lu slowly walked over to Harry, and allowed him to embrace her in a hug. And even though she returned the hug, her body was stiff and tense.
"Lu, I was hoping maybe you would join me for supper. But I can see that you don't want me here, so I will leave you alone. Tell Marc I said hello." As Harry walked out of her office, Lu watched in silence.
Several months ago they had been very close. But problems with Harry's ex-wife had forced them apart. And now once again she was watching him walk out of her life. And she knew that she couldn't let him go again...at least not without telling him what had caused her to pull away from him.
Lu ran from her office, hoping to stop Harry before he left the clinic.
"Harry, wait!" Harry had reached the reception desk, and turned at the sound of her voice. "What?" He asked. Lu glanced at Lana, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Harry. I guess maybe we should talk." Harry looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read her mind.
"Yeah, okay." Harry followed Lu back into her office. Lu closed the office door and motioned for him to sit down. She began pacing the floor in front of him.
"Lu, did you call me back in here to watch you pace?"
"Uh...no, Harry. I...there is something that I need to tell you. I just don't know how to start."
"Lu, if you're trying to tell me that you're seeing someone else, it's okay. I mean, we did break up." Lu shook her head. "No, it's not that. But it's not good, either."
"Lu, please tell me what is going on. Why did you back away from me like that? I thought maybe you would at least give me a hug when I came back after these long months. I thought you'd be glad to see me." Lu suddenly realized how she must have come across to him. She sat down on the couch beside him, and turned to face him, taking a deep breath. "Harry, six weeks ago I was here at the hospital when my car wouldn't start. I had planned on calling triple A, but I was in a hurry to get home before Marc, so when I was offered a ride home by our new chief of surgery, I accepted. When we got up to my place, he walked me upstairs to make sure that I got there okay. He asked if he could come in to use the bathroom. So he did. He had a bottle of champagne with him because Dana had given him a party earlier in the evening. When he asked if I would have a drink with him, I said yes because I appreciated him driving me home." Lu paused, wishing she didn't have to talk about that awful night, the night she was trying so hard to forget. Lu took a deep breath, than continued. "After we had a drink, I told him he had to go because Marc would be home any minute. But...but he wouldn't leave." Lu stood up and began pacing again. Harry watched her in silence, waiting for her to continue.
"He pushed me down on the couch and...and he got on top of me. I told him no. And stop. And get off. But he wouldn't. I tried so hard...but he was so much stronger than me."
"Oh my god, Lu." Harry said when the realization of what she was telling him hit him. "He raped you." Lu nodded.
"Yeah. In only 5 minutes he..." Lu paused, unable to continue. Harry got up and pulled her into his arms, again noticing how tense she was. But this time, he understood. "Oh Lu. Why didn't you tell me?" Lu shrugged.
"I don't know." She said softly. "I didn't tell anyone, just the staff that was here that night when I came into the ER. Dana did the rape exam. I didn't even tell Marc for a week."
"So what happened to the guy that did it?" Harry asked, with unmistakable anger in his voice.
"He was arrested, then released and returned to work."
"Was there a trial or anything?" Harry questioned. Lu nodded.
"Yeah. He was acquitted because the jury said there was insufficient evidence."
"I sure hope he's not still here at Rittenhouse."
"No. He is at Manhatten General now." As Harry held her, Lu leaned against him, finally allowing her body to relax and enjoy being close to him once again.
"Lu, lets go out for dinner tonight. For old times sake?" Lu pulled away from him. "No, Harry. I...I can't." With that, Lu ran out of her office, leaving Harry staring after her.