Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Chapter 8: The Party
Lu glanced at herself in the mirror, finally deciding that she was ready to go out for the evening. She sighed. She didn't really feel much like going out, but because it was a surprise birthday party for her boss, she felt obligated. She looked at her watch. 6:30pm. She inspected herself one last time, then went across the hall to Marc's room, knocking on the door before opening it and going in. "Marc, I'm leaving now. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Marc answered. Marc had spent much of the day alone in his room, making it clear to his mother that he needed time alone. Lu sat down on the edge of the bed. "Look, Marc. I know something is bothering you. What is it?"
"It's nothing, Mom." Marc lied. "I'm fine. Tony brought over my homework assignments. I'll do it while you're gone."
"That's fine, Marc. But you've been moping around here since last night. Now if there is something you need to talk about, I'm here to listen." Marc glared at her for a moment, but remained silent. Lu leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I won't be late. I don't want to go at all, but since Dr. Jackson is my boss, I really do need to be there, at least for a little while. You understand that, don't you?" Marc nodded, but still remained silent. "Call my pager if you need anything." Lu said with a sigh. Marc nodded again.
"Night, Marc." Lu left the room, puzzled by her son's strange behavior.
A short time later Lu pulled into the parking lot at the Philadelphia Plaza. As she was getting out of her car, Dana pulled up beside her. "Hey, Lu." Dana said as she got out of the car. "Hey Dana." Lu replied. Dana couldn't help but notice that her partner appeared to be a bit nervous. "You okay, Lu? You seem a bit nervous."
"I'm fine, Dana. It's just that this is my first real night out since...well, you know."
"Just remember that you are among friends. You will know just about everyone here. How is Marc?" Lu shrugged.
"He says he's fine, but I think something is bothering him. He won't talk to me about it. In fact, he won't hardly talk to me at all. It's like he is giving me the cold shoulder treatment. And I have no idea why."
"I'm sure he will snap out of it. He's a teenager. You know how moody they can be." Lu nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe when I get home tonight I can try to talk to him."
"Well, let's go join the party, shall we?" Dana asked. The two women hurried into the Plaza. As they were walking down the hall towards the banquet room, Lu suddenly stopped, staring at a group of people standing in the lobby.
"Lu, what's the..." Dana stopped and followed Lu's gaze across the room.
"Oh Lu." Dana gasped, knowing now why Lu had stopped to suddenly. Across the room was a group of people, and among them was Dr. Randolph Kilner, the man who had brutally raped Lu months earlier. Dana quickly glanced at Lu, seeing the familiar scared look in her eyes that she had seen in the emergency room that night as she had performed the rape exam on her. Lu quickly grabbed Dana's arm for support, suddenly feeling weak She took a deep breath, then managed to speak around the lump in her throat.
"Come on, Dana. Let's go."
"You okay, Lu." Lu nodded quickly as she pulled Dana towards the banquet room, not wanting Kilner to see her there. Dana glanced back at the former RWHC Chief of Surgery, wondering why he was back in Philadelphia, as he had accepted a position at Manhatten General.
Later that evening, Lu stood among a group of her co-workers. During the evening she had been unable to relax enough to enjoy the party, knowing that Kilner was in the same building. Only Dana knew why Lu had been on edge all evening.
"So tell me, Dr. Jackson. How does it feel to be old?" Lana asked with a smile.
"For your information, Ms. Hawkins, 40 does not make me a senior citizen." Bob replied. "And I would like to thank you all for being here tonight."
"Our pleasure," Lana said. "We would never miss a chance to wish happy birthday to an old guy." Lana, Dana, Bob, Nick and Peter laughed at Lana's words, but Lu remained silent, glancing at the door nervously. Lana suddenly noticed her friend's strange behavior. "Hey Lu, what's bugging you? You're awful quiet tonight."
"I...I'm fine, Lana." Lu answered. Peter started to speak, then stopped suddenly when he saw Rand Kilner come into the room. "What is he doing here?" Peter asked, his tone angry. They all turned towards the door. Rand smiled as he approached the group, his former co-workers. "Hi everyone. Bob, I hear congratulations are in order."
"Hello Rand. What brings you back to Philadelphia?" Bob questioned.
"Conference. I saw all you people from RWHC and thought I would drop in and say hello to everyone." Rand glanced around the group, ignoring the glares. His eyes came to rest on Lu, who stood beside Dana. "Dr. Delgado." Dana opened her mouth to speak, but paused as Lu suddenly pushed through the group, standing in front of Kilner.
"What's the matter, Kilner? Couldn't find a victim at MG so came back to Philadelphia?" Lu's tone was loud and angry, gaining the attention of everyone else in the room. Rand was taken aback by Lu's sudden outburst, but before he could reply, Lu turned her attention to the young woman standing beside him.
"You'd better be careful with this one. He doesn't know the meaning of the word no." With that, Lu stormed out of the room, disappearing into the nearest bathroom. Rand glanced around the room, feeling the stares of everyone in the room. The room had suddenly become quiet during Lu's outburst.
"Bob, can't you do something about..." Rand started, but Bob interrupted.
"Rand, I think you'd better leave."
"But Bob..." Bob held up his hand to stop him.
"Rand, I'd like you to leave now." Rand took one last look around the room, than turned to leave. As he was leaving, everyone in the room broke out in cheers and applause. Because most everyone there worked at RWHC, they were well aware of what had happened between Lu and Rand Kilner that awful night months earlier. After he had gone, Bob turned to Dana. "I think you'd better go find Lu. I don't want her to come face to face with him when she is by herself." Dana nodded as she hurried from the room. She found Lu in the bathroom, leaning against the wall, her face streaked with tears. Dana gently touched her arm. "You okay?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah, I think so. Seeing him here was bad enough, but when he had the nerve to speak to me...I just lost it." Lu took a deep breath, than splashed cold water on her face.
"I guess I'd better go back in there and suffer the wrath of Bob." Lu said, knowing how upset her boss must be at her unprofessional display of anger. She decided that facing him now would be better than facing him at work the next morning. As she started to walk away, Dana grabbed her arm. "Lu, wait." Lu turned to look at her. Dana smiled..
"I don't think Robert is upset with you for what you said to Kilner."
"Are you kidding? He's bound to be." Dana shook her head.
"Lu, Bob asked Kilner to leave. When Kilner started to protest, Bob asked him to leave again. As he was leaving, everyone in the room cheered...including Robert. He asked me to find you because he didn't want you to come face to face with Kilner alone."
"He really asked Kilner to leave?" Lu asked in disbelief. Dana nodded.
"He sure did. Now how about we go back to the party?"
Lu was exhausted as she unlocked her apartment door a short time later, going in quietly as to not wake Marc. She was surprised to find him sitting on the couch, his back pack on his lap. "Mind if I ask you why you're still up? And what's with the pack?"
"I called Dad. I'm spending the weekend at his place."
"What? But you're not supposed to be with him until next Wednesday. You and I were going to go roller blading this weekend, remember?" Marc nodded.
"Yeah, I remember. But I want to stay with Dad for awhile. He said it's okay."
"Marc, please tell me what is going on. You have been acting a bit strange since last night. What's bugging you?"
"Nothing. I just want to go with Dad. Is that okay?" Lu was startled by the defiant tone of his voice. "Yeah, sure. I guess." She answered. Just then there was a knock on the door. Marc quickly opened the door, allowing Bill to step inside.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah. I'll be downstairs." As Marc quickly left the apartment, Bill glanced at Lu, who was still seated on the couch. "Hi, Lu. I'll bring him back Sunday night, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." Lu replied, still stunned that her son had made arrangements to stay with his dad without even talking to her first. This was a definite sign that something was bothering the young boy. Lu sighed as she locked the door after Bill had gone. She knew that whatever was bothering him had something to do with her, but she had no idea what it could be. This wasn't like him at all. Oh well, she thought. She wasn't going to worry about it now. She was exhausted, and knew she had to get to bed. She had a full day ahead of her. Her son was in good hands with his dad...or was he?
Chapter 8: The Party
Lu glanced at herself in the mirror, finally deciding that she was ready to go out for the evening. She sighed. She didn't really feel much like going out, but because it was a surprise birthday party for her boss, she felt obligated. She looked at her watch. 6:30pm. She inspected herself one last time, then went across the hall to Marc's room, knocking on the door before opening it and going in. "Marc, I'm leaving now. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Marc answered. Marc had spent much of the day alone in his room, making it clear to his mother that he needed time alone. Lu sat down on the edge of the bed. "Look, Marc. I know something is bothering you. What is it?"
"It's nothing, Mom." Marc lied. "I'm fine. Tony brought over my homework assignments. I'll do it while you're gone."
"That's fine, Marc. But you've been moping around here since last night. Now if there is something you need to talk about, I'm here to listen." Marc glared at her for a moment, but remained silent. Lu leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I won't be late. I don't want to go at all, but since Dr. Jackson is my boss, I really do need to be there, at least for a little while. You understand that, don't you?" Marc nodded, but still remained silent. "Call my pager if you need anything." Lu said with a sigh. Marc nodded again.
"Night, Marc." Lu left the room, puzzled by her son's strange behavior.
A short time later Lu pulled into the parking lot at the Philadelphia Plaza. As she was getting out of her car, Dana pulled up beside her. "Hey, Lu." Dana said as she got out of the car. "Hey Dana." Lu replied. Dana couldn't help but notice that her partner appeared to be a bit nervous. "You okay, Lu? You seem a bit nervous."
"I'm fine, Dana. It's just that this is my first real night out since...well, you know."
"Just remember that you are among friends. You will know just about everyone here. How is Marc?" Lu shrugged.
"He says he's fine, but I think something is bothering him. He won't talk to me about it. In fact, he won't hardly talk to me at all. It's like he is giving me the cold shoulder treatment. And I have no idea why."
"I'm sure he will snap out of it. He's a teenager. You know how moody they can be." Lu nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe when I get home tonight I can try to talk to him."
"Well, let's go join the party, shall we?" Dana asked. The two women hurried into the Plaza. As they were walking down the hall towards the banquet room, Lu suddenly stopped, staring at a group of people standing in the lobby.
"Lu, what's the..." Dana stopped and followed Lu's gaze across the room.
"Oh Lu." Dana gasped, knowing now why Lu had stopped to suddenly. Across the room was a group of people, and among them was Dr. Randolph Kilner, the man who had brutally raped Lu months earlier. Dana quickly glanced at Lu, seeing the familiar scared look in her eyes that she had seen in the emergency room that night as she had performed the rape exam on her. Lu quickly grabbed Dana's arm for support, suddenly feeling weak She took a deep breath, then managed to speak around the lump in her throat.
"Come on, Dana. Let's go."
"You okay, Lu." Lu nodded quickly as she pulled Dana towards the banquet room, not wanting Kilner to see her there. Dana glanced back at the former RWHC Chief of Surgery, wondering why he was back in Philadelphia, as he had accepted a position at Manhatten General.
Later that evening, Lu stood among a group of her co-workers. During the evening she had been unable to relax enough to enjoy the party, knowing that Kilner was in the same building. Only Dana knew why Lu had been on edge all evening.
"So tell me, Dr. Jackson. How does it feel to be old?" Lana asked with a smile.
"For your information, Ms. Hawkins, 40 does not make me a senior citizen." Bob replied. "And I would like to thank you all for being here tonight."
"Our pleasure," Lana said. "We would never miss a chance to wish happy birthday to an old guy." Lana, Dana, Bob, Nick and Peter laughed at Lana's words, but Lu remained silent, glancing at the door nervously. Lana suddenly noticed her friend's strange behavior. "Hey Lu, what's bugging you? You're awful quiet tonight."
"I...I'm fine, Lana." Lu answered. Peter started to speak, then stopped suddenly when he saw Rand Kilner come into the room. "What is he doing here?" Peter asked, his tone angry. They all turned towards the door. Rand smiled as he approached the group, his former co-workers. "Hi everyone. Bob, I hear congratulations are in order."
"Hello Rand. What brings you back to Philadelphia?" Bob questioned.
"Conference. I saw all you people from RWHC and thought I would drop in and say hello to everyone." Rand glanced around the group, ignoring the glares. His eyes came to rest on Lu, who stood beside Dana. "Dr. Delgado." Dana opened her mouth to speak, but paused as Lu suddenly pushed through the group, standing in front of Kilner.
"What's the matter, Kilner? Couldn't find a victim at MG so came back to Philadelphia?" Lu's tone was loud and angry, gaining the attention of everyone else in the room. Rand was taken aback by Lu's sudden outburst, but before he could reply, Lu turned her attention to the young woman standing beside him.
"You'd better be careful with this one. He doesn't know the meaning of the word no." With that, Lu stormed out of the room, disappearing into the nearest bathroom. Rand glanced around the room, feeling the stares of everyone in the room. The room had suddenly become quiet during Lu's outburst.
"Bob, can't you do something about..." Rand started, but Bob interrupted.
"Rand, I think you'd better leave."
"But Bob..." Bob held up his hand to stop him.
"Rand, I'd like you to leave now." Rand took one last look around the room, than turned to leave. As he was leaving, everyone in the room broke out in cheers and applause. Because most everyone there worked at RWHC, they were well aware of what had happened between Lu and Rand Kilner that awful night months earlier. After he had gone, Bob turned to Dana. "I think you'd better go find Lu. I don't want her to come face to face with him when she is by herself." Dana nodded as she hurried from the room. She found Lu in the bathroom, leaning against the wall, her face streaked with tears. Dana gently touched her arm. "You okay?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah, I think so. Seeing him here was bad enough, but when he had the nerve to speak to me...I just lost it." Lu took a deep breath, than splashed cold water on her face.
"I guess I'd better go back in there and suffer the wrath of Bob." Lu said, knowing how upset her boss must be at her unprofessional display of anger. She decided that facing him now would be better than facing him at work the next morning. As she started to walk away, Dana grabbed her arm. "Lu, wait." Lu turned to look at her. Dana smiled..
"I don't think Robert is upset with you for what you said to Kilner."
"Are you kidding? He's bound to be." Dana shook her head.
"Lu, Bob asked Kilner to leave. When Kilner started to protest, Bob asked him to leave again. As he was leaving, everyone in the room cheered...including Robert. He asked me to find you because he didn't want you to come face to face with Kilner alone."
"He really asked Kilner to leave?" Lu asked in disbelief. Dana nodded.
"He sure did. Now how about we go back to the party?"
Lu was exhausted as she unlocked her apartment door a short time later, going in quietly as to not wake Marc. She was surprised to find him sitting on the couch, his back pack on his lap. "Mind if I ask you why you're still up? And what's with the pack?"
"I called Dad. I'm spending the weekend at his place."
"What? But you're not supposed to be with him until next Wednesday. You and I were going to go roller blading this weekend, remember?" Marc nodded.
"Yeah, I remember. But I want to stay with Dad for awhile. He said it's okay."
"Marc, please tell me what is going on. You have been acting a bit strange since last night. What's bugging you?"
"Nothing. I just want to go with Dad. Is that okay?" Lu was startled by the defiant tone of his voice. "Yeah, sure. I guess." She answered. Just then there was a knock on the door. Marc quickly opened the door, allowing Bill to step inside.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah. I'll be downstairs." As Marc quickly left the apartment, Bill glanced at Lu, who was still seated on the couch. "Hi, Lu. I'll bring him back Sunday night, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." Lu replied, still stunned that her son had made arrangements to stay with his dad without even talking to her first. This was a definite sign that something was bothering the young boy. Lu sighed as she locked the door after Bill had gone. She knew that whatever was bothering him had something to do with her, but she had no idea what it could be. This wasn't like him at all. Oh well, she thought. She wasn't going to worry about it now. She was exhausted, and knew she had to get to bed. She had a full day ahead of her. Her son was in good hands with his dad...or was he?