Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Chapter One: Afternoon Turns To Evening

Friday 4:45 PM

"How long did Luka say he was going to be? Susan asked.

"He didn't say." Jerry replied.

"There goes my evening." Susan complained as she wiped another patient's name off of the board.

"Hot date?" Haleh asked.

"Oh yeah, some take out, a hot bath and The Breakfast Club." Susan sarcastically replied as she grabbed a chart and headed towards exam three.

The day had been long and crazy. Susan's shift started at eight, and the gang-bangers started rolling in half an hour later. Followed by the food poisoning at a Young At Heart meeting. Thirty five senior citizens total came in between one and two in the afternoon. Needless to say the day had been a little more stressful and hectic than usual. Susan ran seven of the eleven traumas they had received in the last nine hours. Not to mention the exhausting task of caring for lonely elderly people. Hopefully Luka wouldn't be long. Hopefully Luka would show up. Susan inhaled a deep breathe as she reached the door of exam three.

"Mr. Palatino what seems to be the problem?" She asked as she sat down the chart and put on a pair of gloves.

"I have a headache." He replied. "From the worms."

Clearing her throat. "The worms?" She asked.

"Yes," Abby replied, "some worms crawled into his head last night."

"I can't get them out, and they are starting to get hungry." He said matter of fact.

"Right, well I'm sure we can take care of those for you." Susan said, throwing a glance at Abby. Who returned it with a tell me about it look of her own.

"How did you cut your head sir?" Susan asked as she lifted a bandage to see the wound.

"I had to try to get the worms out." He simply stated.

"Ok, I'll be right back to suture your head, and take care of those worms." She warmly said as she tore off the gloves and motioned for Abby to follow her outside.

"Lets get a tox screen, chem7, and a blood gas. Call psych, and put Mr. Palatino is soft restraints. By the time psych gets down here we'll have him sutured and have his labs back."

"You got it. I thought Luka was on tonight?"

"Me too." Susan retorted as she began to walk down the hall.

Friday 6:23 PM

"Glad you could make it." Susan yelled as Luka entered the ER.

"Glad to be here." He replied as he entered the lounge. Susan was ready and waiting for him when he reemerged with his stethoscope and coat.

"Thanks for covering Susan."

"You owe me one." She stated.

"I figured that."

"Ok, In curtain area one we've got…"

"You sure are in a hurry. Hot date?" He coyly asked.

"Of course…Ok not really, but I've spent enough of my day here." She said innocently.

"Okay, curtain area one."

"Yes, there is…"

*County, come in County.*

Susan sighed as Luka walked over and answered the radio.

*This is county go ahead dispatch.*

*We've got a 17 car pile up. As of now there's 11 critical and 27 minors. What can you handle?*

Luka looks at the board and then looks at Susan.

*We can take 5 critical and 11 minor*

*Copy that county. ETA starts at five minutes. Dispatch over and out.*

It was only a second until Susan's instincts took over as the staff gathered around the admit desk.

"Ok, Haleh prep trauma one and two. Jerry, Chen and Pratt are in the cafeteria, page them as well as sugery. Gallant you take two of the residents and run one of the traumas. Abby your with them. Luka, Chen, Pratt and I will run the other four. Haleh, Malik, Chuny, and whoever else is on spread out. Wait, Chuny you and one of the residents triage. Then find a trauma."

Silence filled the room, and Susan took a deep breathe. "Ok, Lets go to work."

Author's note: The title comes from the Third Eye Blind song "Forget Myself."