Coming Home
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 7
She didn't sleep for a long time, and eventually she gave up on the idea of it at all. His breaths were deep and regular, and she easily slipped out from under his arms. Her feet dragged the familiar path to the bathroom, she went in and closed the door.
She sat on the floor with his knees drawn up to her chest. She couldn't shake the image of him, of them, in the jungles of Africa with rebel soldiers and guns pointed at their heads. He could have been killed! If he hadn't tried to save the brother in Kisangani, they probably would have been killed.
What if the rebels went back to the clinic after Carter left? Luka would get himself killed for sure. He would probably mouth off, and the soldiers would put a bullet in his head just to shut him up.
But, on the other hand, Luka had survived war in his own country, even after the senseless death of his wife and children.
Sometime later, the bathroom door opened. His hair stuck up at the top, jutting out wildly in every direction. She looked up and smiled at him. "You're going back, aren't you?"
He nodded and held his hand out to her. "I have to. I have to know he's all right."
She reached for his hand and let him pull her up. Standing toe to toe with him, she looked into his eyes. "I don't want you to go."
"I know."
"It's not safe."
"I know."
"I need you to stay here with me."
He pushed his fingers against his eyes. "I know." He sighed and brought a hand up to caress her cheek. "Yesterday when I left here, I went for a walk. I just started walking. I went to the lake. Drowning is supposed to be a peaceful death. I wanted to sink into the water. I thought about Bobby and Luka and Lucy and you."
"Carter…"
He shook his head. "I wanted to die, Abby, and it was so easy. I just kept walking out. I could feel Bobby and Lucy near me. They were waiting for me. But then a woman screamed for help and she was carrying a little boy. He was limp and she was frantic and I went back to help her. He wasn't breathing. I gave him CPR and I think he's going to be okay."
She reached up to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes. He brought his hands up to catch her wrists in his fingers. He pulled her knuckles to his lips and kissed them.
"I love you so much, Carter."
He looked into her eyes, his hands on her face. He licked his lips then leaned forward and pressed them to hers. She titled her head back and licked her own lips in anticipation of the kiss.
Her hands went up to his hair, combing through it, trying to smooth it down. His hands slid down her back, and around her waist. He lifted her off her feet and carried her back to the bedroom, to the bed.
His kisses turned more demanding as he pushed her onto her back. His hands caught the bottom of her T-shirt and jerked it over her head. His mouth trailed down her chin, her throat, to her chest. Her back arched, offering herself to him, and he took her with a hunger that threatened to crush both of them.
* * * * * * * * *
Later, she lay sleeping in his arms. Images of a far-away African jungle and rebel soldiers with big guns filled her mind. Luka and Carter on their knees, and her beside them, facing the soldiers, and their guns.
Luka glared at the soldiers, and shouted at them in a tangled mess of words she couldn't understand. The soldier whacked him upside the head with the butt of his gun. Luka righted himself and spat at the soldier.
"Luka no!" she screamed.
She felt hands on her, caressing her jaw, stroking he cheek. She jerked her head away from the unwelcome touch.
She dared to look to her left, to Luka. The soldier held his gun against Luka's forehead. Luka had his hands in the air, staring straight at the soldier.
"Luka!"
"Be quiet, Abby," Luka whispered without moving a muscle.
"Luka!" She screamed and lunged up, her hands around her throat.
"Abby?" Carter sat up beside her. She looked at him, then slowly turned her head to look around. Her bedroom. Her apartment in Chicago. Her eyes shifted back to Carter, in the darkness she could only see a dense outline of his face, the curve of his shoulder.
He put his hand out to her, and she jumped involuntarily from his touch.
"Abby?"
"Just hold me, Carter." She scooted close to him and he put his arms around her. They lay back together and he freed one hand to draw circles on her shoulder.
The silence felt like a blanket between them, and she knew she must have called out in her sleep. "I dreamed they were killing him."
"Luka?"
"In the jungle. I could see it so clearly, John. I thought it was real."
His given name sent a shock through him, tingling every nerve in his body, like drinking a hot drink that burned all the way down and settled finally in the pit of his stomach. The nerves twisted in his gut, tumbling over themselves, rolling like thunder gaining strength in the distance.
* * * * * * * * *
Please use the review button to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Chapter 7
She didn't sleep for a long time, and eventually she gave up on the idea of it at all. His breaths were deep and regular, and she easily slipped out from under his arms. Her feet dragged the familiar path to the bathroom, she went in and closed the door.
She sat on the floor with his knees drawn up to her chest. She couldn't shake the image of him, of them, in the jungles of Africa with rebel soldiers and guns pointed at their heads. He could have been killed! If he hadn't tried to save the brother in Kisangani, they probably would have been killed.
What if the rebels went back to the clinic after Carter left? Luka would get himself killed for sure. He would probably mouth off, and the soldiers would put a bullet in his head just to shut him up.
But, on the other hand, Luka had survived war in his own country, even after the senseless death of his wife and children.
Sometime later, the bathroom door opened. His hair stuck up at the top, jutting out wildly in every direction. She looked up and smiled at him. "You're going back, aren't you?"
He nodded and held his hand out to her. "I have to. I have to know he's all right."
She reached for his hand and let him pull her up. Standing toe to toe with him, she looked into his eyes. "I don't want you to go."
"I know."
"It's not safe."
"I know."
"I need you to stay here with me."
He pushed his fingers against his eyes. "I know." He sighed and brought a hand up to caress her cheek. "Yesterday when I left here, I went for a walk. I just started walking. I went to the lake. Drowning is supposed to be a peaceful death. I wanted to sink into the water. I thought about Bobby and Luka and Lucy and you."
"Carter…"
He shook his head. "I wanted to die, Abby, and it was so easy. I just kept walking out. I could feel Bobby and Lucy near me. They were waiting for me. But then a woman screamed for help and she was carrying a little boy. He was limp and she was frantic and I went back to help her. He wasn't breathing. I gave him CPR and I think he's going to be okay."
She reached up to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes. He brought his hands up to catch her wrists in his fingers. He pulled her knuckles to his lips and kissed them.
"I love you so much, Carter."
He looked into her eyes, his hands on her face. He licked his lips then leaned forward and pressed them to hers. She titled her head back and licked her own lips in anticipation of the kiss.
Her hands went up to his hair, combing through it, trying to smooth it down. His hands slid down her back, and around her waist. He lifted her off her feet and carried her back to the bedroom, to the bed.
His kisses turned more demanding as he pushed her onto her back. His hands caught the bottom of her T-shirt and jerked it over her head. His mouth trailed down her chin, her throat, to her chest. Her back arched, offering herself to him, and he took her with a hunger that threatened to crush both of them.
* * * * * * * * *
Later, she lay sleeping in his arms. Images of a far-away African jungle and rebel soldiers with big guns filled her mind. Luka and Carter on their knees, and her beside them, facing the soldiers, and their guns.
Luka glared at the soldiers, and shouted at them in a tangled mess of words she couldn't understand. The soldier whacked him upside the head with the butt of his gun. Luka righted himself and spat at the soldier.
"Luka no!" she screamed.
She felt hands on her, caressing her jaw, stroking he cheek. She jerked her head away from the unwelcome touch.
She dared to look to her left, to Luka. The soldier held his gun against Luka's forehead. Luka had his hands in the air, staring straight at the soldier.
"Luka!"
"Be quiet, Abby," Luka whispered without moving a muscle.
"Luka!" She screamed and lunged up, her hands around her throat.
"Abby?" Carter sat up beside her. She looked at him, then slowly turned her head to look around. Her bedroom. Her apartment in Chicago. Her eyes shifted back to Carter, in the darkness she could only see a dense outline of his face, the curve of his shoulder.
He put his hand out to her, and she jumped involuntarily from his touch.
"Abby?"
"Just hold me, Carter." She scooted close to him and he put his arms around her. They lay back together and he freed one hand to draw circles on her shoulder.
The silence felt like a blanket between them, and she knew she must have called out in her sleep. "I dreamed they were killing him."
"Luka?"
"In the jungle. I could see it so clearly, John. I thought it was real."
His given name sent a shock through him, tingling every nerve in his body, like drinking a hot drink that burned all the way down and settled finally in the pit of his stomach. The nerves twisted in his gut, tumbling over themselves, rolling like thunder gaining strength in the distance.
* * * * * * * * *
Please use the review button to let me know what you think. Thanks so much!