Chapter 3
Abby sipped on a tepid cup of coffee she found in the lounge. She glanced at her watch, 8:01am. She closed her eyes and sighed in exhaustion. Luka had been stabilized in the ICU, his temperature down near 100. Dr. Romano and Weaver had put him on a large dose of anti-virals and so far, they seemed to be doing the trick.
Abby sank down onto the lounge couch right before Carter entered the room. He looked at her tired face and sat down beside her. "How is Luka?"
Abby wiped her nose on a Kleenex, "Ok. His temperature has come down but he is still unconscious. The doctors in the ICU think that once his body has rested, he will regain consciousness. Right now, it looks good."
Carter nodded absently. "You there all night?" his tone was flat.
"Yeah. Carter, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Abby looked down at her hands.
"Me too. I'm sorry that we couldn't work it out. Maybe you'd be happier with Luka anyway. I don't want to get in the middle of it." He smirked.
Abby suddenly felt a crushing weight on her chest. "Carter that isn't fair! You and I didn't work out for reasons unknown but it certainly wasn't Luka's fault. We just have too many differences. God, I can't even talk to you about this now." Abby rose and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair. "I have to go home, have a shower and get into some jeans."
"Wait!" Carter jumped up from the old brown couch, "I'm sorry. I'm just upset right now. I really hope Luka is okay. You should go get some rest before coming back."
Abby just nodded. "I'll see you later. Get someone to call if there is any change in his condition."
"I will."
Tears sprung into Abby's eyes, "Thanks Carter."
Carter covered the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm here for you Abby. And I hope you are able to find happiness with Luka."
Abby hugged him back, "Nothing has happened between me and Luka. It's not the reason you and I broke up and I can't say that Luka and I will get back together. I still care deeply for him but I don't know if he feels the same. And Carter, you will always hold a place in my heart as my friend, my best friend."
He smiled, "Don't worry Abby, I've seen the look in Luka's eyes when he is with you. I wish you two the best." Without saying anything, Abby squeezed Carter's hand and left him in the lounge. Carter rubbed his brow thinking about Abby being happy with Luka and where that left him. After a few minutes, it felt all right. He knew that he and Abby had to move on and that she was safe with Luka.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
10:05am
Abby re-entered the ICU and looked toward Luka's bed. She hoped to see him sitting up, awake and smiling at her. She didn't get her wish.
Luka was there but it didn't look like him. There were IV's running into both his arms and an oxygen mask covering his bristly face. Abby realized that he had grown a beard while he was away and it cast an eerie shadow on his features. Choking back tears for the second time that morning, she approached his quiet figure and took his hand in hers.
Sitting in the hard, metal chair placed at his bedside, she rested her forehead wearily on his arm. She didn't even feel the tears coming until they were streaming down her face and landing on the white sheet below Luka's arm. She was shocked by force of the sobs wracking her petite figure.
She cried for the danger he was in while in Africa and the danger he was presently facing laid up in the ICU. She cried for the time they had lost together and the hateful things that they spat at each other while in the heat of an argument. Regret at their parting haunted Abby's mind as she hastily wiped her tears on her sweater.
"I'm sorry Luka." Abby whispered in his ear. I didn't mean anything I said. Please hang on so we can work this out, please." Abby brushed a dark lock of hair out of his eyes.
She jumped when an ICU nurse popped her head around the curtain that separated Luka's bed from the rest of the ICU. She smiled sympathetically when she saw Abby's tear-streaked face. "Miss Lockhart, you look absolutely exhausted. There is no way you had any sleep when you went home to get changed. You were here all night and you need your rest. Dr. Kovac needs you to have your rest so you can be here with him when he wakes up."
Abby knew what the nurse was implying, "I'm not leaving. I'll be fine I just need another cup of coffee."
"No more coffee for you. If you wont leave then I'm going to get a cot brought in here and a warm blanket. I'll be right back."
Minutes later she appeared with an orderly carrying a cot. He set it up close to Luka's bed and handed her a pillow.
Abby thanked him and took the blanket the nurse held out to her. "Thank you." She smiled at the ICU nurse whose tag read, "Deborah Williams, R.N."
"Get some rest." Deborah closed the curtain leaving Abby and Luka alone.
Abby sighed and lay down on the narrow cot. Despite it's rigidity, lying down felt marvellous. She hadn't realized the extent of her exhaustion until she closed her eyes and brought the blue hospital blanket up to her chin. As she was drifting off, Abby felt a sudden calmness wash over her. She knew that Luka would be okay and they would be able to work out any lingering problems. She fell asleep looking forward to his waking up.
Abby sipped on a tepid cup of coffee she found in the lounge. She glanced at her watch, 8:01am. She closed her eyes and sighed in exhaustion. Luka had been stabilized in the ICU, his temperature down near 100. Dr. Romano and Weaver had put him on a large dose of anti-virals and so far, they seemed to be doing the trick.
Abby sank down onto the lounge couch right before Carter entered the room. He looked at her tired face and sat down beside her. "How is Luka?"
Abby wiped her nose on a Kleenex, "Ok. His temperature has come down but he is still unconscious. The doctors in the ICU think that once his body has rested, he will regain consciousness. Right now, it looks good."
Carter nodded absently. "You there all night?" his tone was flat.
"Yeah. Carter, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Abby looked down at her hands.
"Me too. I'm sorry that we couldn't work it out. Maybe you'd be happier with Luka anyway. I don't want to get in the middle of it." He smirked.
Abby suddenly felt a crushing weight on her chest. "Carter that isn't fair! You and I didn't work out for reasons unknown but it certainly wasn't Luka's fault. We just have too many differences. God, I can't even talk to you about this now." Abby rose and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair. "I have to go home, have a shower and get into some jeans."
"Wait!" Carter jumped up from the old brown couch, "I'm sorry. I'm just upset right now. I really hope Luka is okay. You should go get some rest before coming back."
Abby just nodded. "I'll see you later. Get someone to call if there is any change in his condition."
"I will."
Tears sprung into Abby's eyes, "Thanks Carter."
Carter covered the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm here for you Abby. And I hope you are able to find happiness with Luka."
Abby hugged him back, "Nothing has happened between me and Luka. It's not the reason you and I broke up and I can't say that Luka and I will get back together. I still care deeply for him but I don't know if he feels the same. And Carter, you will always hold a place in my heart as my friend, my best friend."
He smiled, "Don't worry Abby, I've seen the look in Luka's eyes when he is with you. I wish you two the best." Without saying anything, Abby squeezed Carter's hand and left him in the lounge. Carter rubbed his brow thinking about Abby being happy with Luka and where that left him. After a few minutes, it felt all right. He knew that he and Abby had to move on and that she was safe with Luka.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
10:05am
Abby re-entered the ICU and looked toward Luka's bed. She hoped to see him sitting up, awake and smiling at her. She didn't get her wish.
Luka was there but it didn't look like him. There were IV's running into both his arms and an oxygen mask covering his bristly face. Abby realized that he had grown a beard while he was away and it cast an eerie shadow on his features. Choking back tears for the second time that morning, she approached his quiet figure and took his hand in hers.
Sitting in the hard, metal chair placed at his bedside, she rested her forehead wearily on his arm. She didn't even feel the tears coming until they were streaming down her face and landing on the white sheet below Luka's arm. She was shocked by force of the sobs wracking her petite figure.
She cried for the danger he was in while in Africa and the danger he was presently facing laid up in the ICU. She cried for the time they had lost together and the hateful things that they spat at each other while in the heat of an argument. Regret at their parting haunted Abby's mind as she hastily wiped her tears on her sweater.
"I'm sorry Luka." Abby whispered in his ear. I didn't mean anything I said. Please hang on so we can work this out, please." Abby brushed a dark lock of hair out of his eyes.
She jumped when an ICU nurse popped her head around the curtain that separated Luka's bed from the rest of the ICU. She smiled sympathetically when she saw Abby's tear-streaked face. "Miss Lockhart, you look absolutely exhausted. There is no way you had any sleep when you went home to get changed. You were here all night and you need your rest. Dr. Kovac needs you to have your rest so you can be here with him when he wakes up."
Abby knew what the nurse was implying, "I'm not leaving. I'll be fine I just need another cup of coffee."
"No more coffee for you. If you wont leave then I'm going to get a cot brought in here and a warm blanket. I'll be right back."
Minutes later she appeared with an orderly carrying a cot. He set it up close to Luka's bed and handed her a pillow.
Abby thanked him and took the blanket the nurse held out to her. "Thank you." She smiled at the ICU nurse whose tag read, "Deborah Williams, R.N."
"Get some rest." Deborah closed the curtain leaving Abby and Luka alone.
Abby sighed and lay down on the narrow cot. Despite it's rigidity, lying down felt marvellous. She hadn't realized the extent of her exhaustion until she closed her eyes and brought the blue hospital blanket up to her chin. As she was drifting off, Abby felt a sudden calmness wash over her. She knew that Luka would be okay and they would be able to work out any lingering problems. She fell asleep looking forward to his waking up.