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?
Time slowed as the body fell. A crazy wild look was frozen on Laila's face, even as what was left of the innards of her head stained his floor. Luka's hands were shaking and for a split second all he could do was stare. Caroline and Frederic were shouting in Croatian, and Ailleen was still shrieking her head off.
"Caroline! Call 911, Frederic, help me with your Aunt!" he ordered them in their native tounge. He could hear Caroline shouting into the phone, sure that the person on the other end would never be able to understand her.
"English, Caroline, English!" he shouted at her, even as a shaky and pale Frederic helped him tie a band around Ria's shoulder to halt the bleeding. The door to the apartment stood open and the neighbors were crowding around it. One of them, an older man who lived across the hall, rushed in and knelt next to Luka.
"Hey, there, boy, is she alright?" he asked. Luka nodded.
"I need to get her to the hospital" he said.
"Well, I'll stay here with the kids and wait for the police" the man told him. Luka nodded. A younger man came in and helped him with Ria, down the stairs and into the car. Caroline and Frederic, holding Ailleen, followed down the steps.
"Stay with Mr. Person!" Luka told them, and the older man stepped up behind them so that they would know who that was, "Call the ER, tell them I'm coming!" He slid into the car and put it in gear. Blood was seeping through onto the seat, but he didn't care. He kept glancing at Ria as she was slumped in the seat next to him. He could tell she had a large bump on the back of her head, and probably a cut too. He didn't know how fast he was going, but he knew it wasn't fast enough.
"Stay with me Ria" he whispered to her, noticing she was paler than she should be. He rounded a corner and sped into the Ambulence bay at the ER. Mr. Person must've called them because Carter and Abby and Kerry were all standing outside waiting for him with a bed.
"What happened?" Abby wanted to know as they lifted Ria onto the bed.
"One of her paitents shot her" he answered, rushing through halls, "She may have a concusion!" he told them as they slid her onto the table. Luka took a tool from Abby and dropped it.
"Get out of here, Luka" Kerry told him, taking a new tool from Abby.
"No, I want to help" he objected.
"There's nothing you can do when your hands are shaking that much!" Kerry told him. He looked down to see his hands visibly trembling, but he couldn't bring himself to leave.
"Abby!" Kerry yelled and Luka found himself being pushed out by Abby. He stood in the hall, just watching as his friends worked over his wife, not really being able to see what they were doing. As he watched, everything seemed to slow down and the sounds of the ER disappeared. All he could hear was the sound of his own ragged breathing and his heart beating in his chest.
"Dr. Kovak!" he turned his head to see Frank standing beside him. Suddenly time sped up and noise filled his ears.
"You're family's here" Frank told him, and pointed behind him. Mr. Person stood there with Caroline and Frederic, who was still clinging to Ailleen. They were both ashen and Caroline looked sick to her stomach. He was used to seeing blood and human insides, but they were not, and none of them were used to the sight being so violently displayed. He walked to them and englufed them in a hug, careful of the infant in Frederic's arms.
"Is she alright?" Caroline asked tearfully in Croatian.
"She will be" Luka answered. He took Ailleen from Frederic and rubbed his head.
"The police are at your apartment now" Mr. Person told him, "They wanted the kids to stay but none of us could understand what they were saying. They're too shook up to speak good English."
"Thank you" Luka said, glancing at the kids, "Thank you for bringing them"
"Well, I wasn't sure that's what they wanted, but they kept sayin' Uncle Luka' so I figured we'd come find you" The old man looked sincerely worried and somewhat nervous.
"Thank you. You've been a lot of help" Luka added.
"Well, if there's anything else you need, you let me know" he said and walked off.
"Where's Aunt Ria?" Frederic asked.
"She's in the operating room, with some of the best doctors here" Luka told them as he ushered them to the waiting room. He never thought he would be the one waiting out here, but there's a first time for everything he thought to himself. No sooner had he got the two teens settled then he saw the cops come in. They were looking for him of course.
"Dr. Kovak?" one of them asked. Luka nodded.
"We need to ask some questions" Luka led them away from Caroline and Frederic and told them what he'd seen. They asked if they'd be able to talk to the two kids. Luka was about to tell them he'd have to translate when Kerry popped out of the operating room.
"Luka! She's awake!" she told him and Luka hurried into the room. They were moving Ria onto another roll away bed, but her eyes were open and her shoulder was patched up. They'd had to cut away her shirt and bra to get to the area and Carter was draping a sheet over her.
"Luka" she moaned, "Laila?"
"Not now" Luka said. Abby took Ailleen from him so he could lean over his wife.
"You just rest now, okay? Everything's going to be alright"
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?
Time slowed as the body fell. A crazy wild look was frozen on Laila's face, even as what was left of the innards of her head stained his floor. Luka's hands were shaking and for a split second all he could do was stare. Caroline and Frederic were shouting in Croatian, and Ailleen was still shrieking her head off.
"Caroline! Call 911, Frederic, help me with your Aunt!" he ordered them in their native tounge. He could hear Caroline shouting into the phone, sure that the person on the other end would never be able to understand her.
"English, Caroline, English!" he shouted at her, even as a shaky and pale Frederic helped him tie a band around Ria's shoulder to halt the bleeding. The door to the apartment stood open and the neighbors were crowding around it. One of them, an older man who lived across the hall, rushed in and knelt next to Luka.
"Hey, there, boy, is she alright?" he asked. Luka nodded.
"I need to get her to the hospital" he said.
"Well, I'll stay here with the kids and wait for the police" the man told him. Luka nodded. A younger man came in and helped him with Ria, down the stairs and into the car. Caroline and Frederic, holding Ailleen, followed down the steps.
"Stay with Mr. Person!" Luka told them, and the older man stepped up behind them so that they would know who that was, "Call the ER, tell them I'm coming!" He slid into the car and put it in gear. Blood was seeping through onto the seat, but he didn't care. He kept glancing at Ria as she was slumped in the seat next to him. He could tell she had a large bump on the back of her head, and probably a cut too. He didn't know how fast he was going, but he knew it wasn't fast enough.
"Stay with me Ria" he whispered to her, noticing she was paler than she should be. He rounded a corner and sped into the Ambulence bay at the ER. Mr. Person must've called them because Carter and Abby and Kerry were all standing outside waiting for him with a bed.
"What happened?" Abby wanted to know as they lifted Ria onto the bed.
"One of her paitents shot her" he answered, rushing through halls, "She may have a concusion!" he told them as they slid her onto the table. Luka took a tool from Abby and dropped it.
"Get out of here, Luka" Kerry told him, taking a new tool from Abby.
"No, I want to help" he objected.
"There's nothing you can do when your hands are shaking that much!" Kerry told him. He looked down to see his hands visibly trembling, but he couldn't bring himself to leave.
"Abby!" Kerry yelled and Luka found himself being pushed out by Abby. He stood in the hall, just watching as his friends worked over his wife, not really being able to see what they were doing. As he watched, everything seemed to slow down and the sounds of the ER disappeared. All he could hear was the sound of his own ragged breathing and his heart beating in his chest.
"Dr. Kovak!" he turned his head to see Frank standing beside him. Suddenly time sped up and noise filled his ears.
"You're family's here" Frank told him, and pointed behind him. Mr. Person stood there with Caroline and Frederic, who was still clinging to Ailleen. They were both ashen and Caroline looked sick to her stomach. He was used to seeing blood and human insides, but they were not, and none of them were used to the sight being so violently displayed. He walked to them and englufed them in a hug, careful of the infant in Frederic's arms.
"Is she alright?" Caroline asked tearfully in Croatian.
"She will be" Luka answered. He took Ailleen from Frederic and rubbed his head.
"The police are at your apartment now" Mr. Person told him, "They wanted the kids to stay but none of us could understand what they were saying. They're too shook up to speak good English."
"Thank you" Luka said, glancing at the kids, "Thank you for bringing them"
"Well, I wasn't sure that's what they wanted, but they kept sayin' Uncle Luka' so I figured we'd come find you" The old man looked sincerely worried and somewhat nervous.
"Thank you. You've been a lot of help" Luka added.
"Well, if there's anything else you need, you let me know" he said and walked off.
"Where's Aunt Ria?" Frederic asked.
"She's in the operating room, with some of the best doctors here" Luka told them as he ushered them to the waiting room. He never thought he would be the one waiting out here, but there's a first time for everything he thought to himself. No sooner had he got the two teens settled then he saw the cops come in. They were looking for him of course.
"Dr. Kovak?" one of them asked. Luka nodded.
"We need to ask some questions" Luka led them away from Caroline and Frederic and told them what he'd seen. They asked if they'd be able to talk to the two kids. Luka was about to tell them he'd have to translate when Kerry popped out of the operating room.
"Luka! She's awake!" she told him and Luka hurried into the room. They were moving Ria onto another roll away bed, but her eyes were open and her shoulder was patched up. They'd had to cut away her shirt and bra to get to the area and Carter was draping a sheet over her.
"Luka" she moaned, "Laila?"
"Not now" Luka said. Abby took Ailleen from him so he could lean over his wife.
"You just rest now, okay? Everything's going to be alright"