A Step Further
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"I didn't know you even had a brother" Carter said, sitting down next to him, "I'm so sorry. What happened?"
"Plane crash" Luka answered. He couldn't even fathom his brother being dead. It seemed like an eternity since he'd talked to the man, and really he was still sort of angry with him, but his sudden absence from eternity had thrown him completely off balance. He'd always meant to call one day, to patch things up, but he'd never seemed to get around to it. And now he'd lost whatever chances he'd had. His brother had proabably died hating him. A unforseen ball of grief crept up Luka's throat, and he swallowed hard against it.
"Are you going to be okay?" Carter asked. Luka stood up.
"Yeah. I've got to get home, Ria's worried" he answered, putting his coat on, "I don't know if I'll be able to come in tomorrow"
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it" Carter replied, waving a hand in front of him.
"Thanks" Luka said and left. His drive home seemed to take forever, and the rain drizzling down matched his mood perfectly. He started going over everything in his mind; childhood memories, the fight, his brother's face. He couldn't even bring himself to say his name, even in his head. Ria was waiting up for him when he walked in the apartment. She could tell right away something was very wrong, as she always could. Luka didn't even say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could, trying to open himself to her healing warmth, but nothing could ease the pain he was feeling.
"What happened Luka?" his wife asked slowly and seriously. She pulled back from him to look into his eyes.
"I got a call at work" he started, shedding his coat and flopping on the couch, "It was from a man in Croatia. My brother is dead" The words sounded so heavy and final. He still couldn't believe they were true.
"You're brother?" Ria asked calmly.
"Dominic. I haven't spoken to him in years. Not since before Danjela died" Somewhere beyond the pain Luka realized it no longer hurt to talk about her anymore, at least.
"Why?" Ria wanted to know in that soft, soothing voice of hers. She never sounded harsh, never thought anything anyone did was stupid or pigheaded. She just took it all in, and tried to help. She was the perfect psychatrist.
"We fought. I wanted to become a doctor, he thought I should join the family business. We fought for years, as long as it took to get my license. I guess he thought I would change my mind, and when I didn't, he decided not to talk to me, thinking that might get me to change my mind"
"But you're a bit more stubborn than most people give you credit for" Ria continued, brushing stray hairs back from his forehead, "And you never did speak to him again?"
"No. I always meant to, but I just never did" Luka felt like crying, but he didn't. Ria sat there, waiting for him to make the next move. She was eternally paitent.
"He had two children" Luka added, trying to think practically now, "The lawyer said I'm their only living relative"
"Does that mean we get them?" Ria asked. Luka couldn't tell if she was excited or annoyed.
"Yes. I have to go to Croatia to sign the papers" he said.
"How old are they?"
"The oldest, Caroline, is 14 I think. Frederic should be about 12 then. Maybe 11, I can't remember." He could hear Ailleen crying from the bedroom. Even when she cried she sounded beautiful to him. Her cry was soft, more of a "excuse me, but could you help me?" sort of cry than a "Hey, I need you!" type of cry, like other babies had. He was sure she sounded just like her mother had at that age. He got up and went to get her, Ria trailing behind him. He scooped her out of her basinett and she immediately stopped crying. Her face was still red from the effort, but her eyes were calm, just like her mothers.
"It's alright, Papa's here" he whispered at her, starting to rock her gently as he took a seat in the rocking chair he'd bought for Ria. As he rocked her, a pained sort of calm came over him. He was still in turmoil about his brother's death, but he knew he could cope with it now. After all, he had Ailleen, and Ria.
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"I didn't know you even had a brother" Carter said, sitting down next to him, "I'm so sorry. What happened?"
"Plane crash" Luka answered. He couldn't even fathom his brother being dead. It seemed like an eternity since he'd talked to the man, and really he was still sort of angry with him, but his sudden absence from eternity had thrown him completely off balance. He'd always meant to call one day, to patch things up, but he'd never seemed to get around to it. And now he'd lost whatever chances he'd had. His brother had proabably died hating him. A unforseen ball of grief crept up Luka's throat, and he swallowed hard against it.
"Are you going to be okay?" Carter asked. Luka stood up.
"Yeah. I've got to get home, Ria's worried" he answered, putting his coat on, "I don't know if I'll be able to come in tomorrow"
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it" Carter replied, waving a hand in front of him.
"Thanks" Luka said and left. His drive home seemed to take forever, and the rain drizzling down matched his mood perfectly. He started going over everything in his mind; childhood memories, the fight, his brother's face. He couldn't even bring himself to say his name, even in his head. Ria was waiting up for him when he walked in the apartment. She could tell right away something was very wrong, as she always could. Luka didn't even say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could, trying to open himself to her healing warmth, but nothing could ease the pain he was feeling.
"What happened Luka?" his wife asked slowly and seriously. She pulled back from him to look into his eyes.
"I got a call at work" he started, shedding his coat and flopping on the couch, "It was from a man in Croatia. My brother is dead" The words sounded so heavy and final. He still couldn't believe they were true.
"You're brother?" Ria asked calmly.
"Dominic. I haven't spoken to him in years. Not since before Danjela died" Somewhere beyond the pain Luka realized it no longer hurt to talk about her anymore, at least.
"Why?" Ria wanted to know in that soft, soothing voice of hers. She never sounded harsh, never thought anything anyone did was stupid or pigheaded. She just took it all in, and tried to help. She was the perfect psychatrist.
"We fought. I wanted to become a doctor, he thought I should join the family business. We fought for years, as long as it took to get my license. I guess he thought I would change my mind, and when I didn't, he decided not to talk to me, thinking that might get me to change my mind"
"But you're a bit more stubborn than most people give you credit for" Ria continued, brushing stray hairs back from his forehead, "And you never did speak to him again?"
"No. I always meant to, but I just never did" Luka felt like crying, but he didn't. Ria sat there, waiting for him to make the next move. She was eternally paitent.
"He had two children" Luka added, trying to think practically now, "The lawyer said I'm their only living relative"
"Does that mean we get them?" Ria asked. Luka couldn't tell if she was excited or annoyed.
"Yes. I have to go to Croatia to sign the papers" he said.
"How old are they?"
"The oldest, Caroline, is 14 I think. Frederic should be about 12 then. Maybe 11, I can't remember." He could hear Ailleen crying from the bedroom. Even when she cried she sounded beautiful to him. Her cry was soft, more of a "excuse me, but could you help me?" sort of cry than a "Hey, I need you!" type of cry, like other babies had. He was sure she sounded just like her mother had at that age. He got up and went to get her, Ria trailing behind him. He scooped her out of her basinett and she immediately stopped crying. Her face was still red from the effort, but her eyes were calm, just like her mothers.
"It's alright, Papa's here" he whispered at her, starting to rock her gently as he took a seat in the rocking chair he'd bought for Ria. As he rocked her, a pained sort of calm came over him. He was still in turmoil about his brother's death, but he knew he could cope with it now. After all, he had Ailleen, and Ria.