WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
VUKOVAR, CROATIA—1991
"Luka, you need to get up," the feminine voice said softly.
Dr. Luka Kovac was asleep on the couch in the small apartment where he and his family lived. Sleepily, he mumbled, "Just five more minutes, Mother"
"Luka!" the voice came again more insistently.
He rolled over and opened his eyes to see his wife staring down at him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Luka, I'm sorry to wake you up but I need you to go to the market for me. There's nothing to fix for supper. I just need some bread and cheese," Danijela told him.
"All right," Luka said. He got up and reached for his shoes. 'I'll just be a little while."
As soon as he stood up, he was ambushed by his two children. Marko was standing on the couch, vainly trying to reach his father's shoulders. Jasna had wrapped her arms tightly around his knees. "Please let me come…Let me come…" they begged.
Luka began prying his children loose as he started to tell him it wasn't safe. Abruptly, he changed his mind about leaving them home. He was so tired of seeing their disappointed faces every time he walked out the door. This time he decided to throw caution to the wind and take them with him. *If anything happens, at least we'll be together,* he thought grimly.
"All right. You can come with me. You too, Danijela. We'll all go to the market," Luka decided. He set Marko on his shoulders and took Jasna by the hand. "But we must all stay together." Danijela took Jasna's other hand.
They had only gotten a short distance from the apartment when they heard the shrill whistle. Almost as one, they turned and stared as the artillery shell fell from the sky to land on the building they'd just left.
Danijela was the first to react. "Oh, my God! Luka, if you had told the children…" her voice trailed off as she began weeping.
Luka stared at the devastation of his home and silently thanked God for his impulsive decision. Gathering his family in his arms, there were tears in his eyes as he said, "I came so close to losing you."
ZAGREB, CROATIA—2001
"Luka, you need to get up," the feminine voice said softly.
Dr. Luka Kovac wrapped himself tighter in the blankets. Sleepily, he mumbled, "Just five more minutes, Mother."
"Luka!" the voice came again more insistently.
He rolled over and opened his eyes to see his wife staring down at him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Luka, time for you to get up and go to work," Danijela said. She shook his shoulder for emphasis.
He unrolled himself from the blankets and reached up a hand to pull her down beside him. He lightly stroked her bulging stomach as he asked, "Can't I stay in bed with you?"
She playfully slapped his hand away. "No thinking about number seven until this baby is at least two years old," Danijela scolded. "You need to get up, the children will be awake soon."
As if on cue, the sound of Brittany Spears came from their oldest child's room. Luka frowned, lazily stretched and swung his feet to the floor. "It sound like Jasna is awake," he observed.
"I'd say so," Danijela agreed.
"At least it's better than when she was listening to Ricky Martin. I heard Livin' La Vida Loca so many times I was beginning to think that song should be renamed Driving Luka Loco," he said with a smile.
"What were you dreaming about?" she asked.
"About what happened ten years ago," Luka answered, running his hands through his hair.
A moment later, their youngest, three-year-old Sanja, came toddling into the bedroom. She attempted to climb up between her parents, saying, "Papa, I had a bad dream."
"Did you, Angel?" Luka asked, as he took her in his arms. "Tell Papa all about it."
"I dreamed you ran over Furby," she sniffled.
"Now why would I go and do that, Angel?" he asked as he handed her a tissue. "Come on and we'll see that Furby is all right." Still wearing his shorts and T-shirt, he carried her off in search of their gray and white cat.
After assuring Sanja that the cat was indeed all right, Luka got ready for work. He'd managed to beat Jasna to the bathroom. That meant there'd be time for him to read his newspaper before breakfast.
The other children, Marko and the twins Katelin and Stepjan were already at the breakfast table. Danijela had just finished cleaning up Sanja's spilled milk. She smiled and said, "Good morning, Luka, we'll eat as soon as Jasna here."
"That child seems to take more and more time getting ready for school," Luka commented as he poured himself a glass of juice.
"Good morning," Jasna announced as she nonchalantly strolled into the dining room and took a seat beside Katelin.
"So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Luka asked. He peered closely at her face. "Is that lipstick? You know the rules"
"Daddy, it's not like I'm a little girl," she protested. But she obediently took a napkin and scrubbed at her lips. She knew that she'd put more on as soon as she got to school.
"That's better," Luka said. He knew she'd probably borrow more lipstick from one of her friends. But as long as she didn't leave the house wearing it. He turned to Danijela. "Sit down so we can have the prayer."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—2001
"Luka, you need to get up," the feminine voice said softly.
Dr. Luka Kovac sighed and tried to curl up on his side. Sleepily, he mumbled, "Just five more minutes," Mother."
"Luka!" the voice came again more insistently.
He rolled over and opened his eyes to see "Dr. Kerry Weaver staring down at him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Luka, I hate to wake you up but we have an MVA with multiple victims ten minutes out," Kerry said. She suppressed as mile as she looked at him. He looked just like a sleepy little boy.
"I'm up, Kerry," Luka said. He swung his feet to the floor and sat rubbing sleepy eyes. "Just give me a minute."
"All right. Meet me outside," Kerry told him. She paused at the door. "You look like you were enjoying your dream."
"I was. I was dreaming about my life would be if my family hadn't been killed," he said as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Was it a good dream?" Kerry asked.
"Very good dream. We had five children and Danijela was pregnant again," Luka told her. He got to his feet and grabbed his lab coat and stethoscope. Reluctantly, he set aside the dream to return to the reality of the ER and his life.