Chapter 3
"Mmm Luka that lobster was sooo good! Thank you for taking me for dinner, I had a great time." Abby took his hand in hers as they walked along the river under the clear November sky. They had had a lovely evening, Luka acting like a gentleman pulling her seat back for her to sit in and complimenting her attire. Abby was both excited and petrified by the attraction she was feeling towards him. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He didn't flinch when she entwined her fingers in his and squeezed her hand back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You are welcome Abby. I loved spending some time with you and I have to say, you looked fantastic tonight." Luka glanced over at the woman holding his hand, not quite believing that she was there with him at that very moment.
Abby blushed, "Thank you Luka, but this is Susan's dress, she thought it would look nice on me."
"It isn't the dress that makes you look beautiful Abby, its you. You have a glow about you right now, a happiness that I've wanted to see you have for so long." Luka caressed the palm of her hand with his thumb.
They walked a little ways and stopped to sit near the fountain in the middle of the park. Abby met Luka's eyes and was trapped in their warm, hazel gaze. "You know Luka, I think that I am finally almost happy. I'm doing something in life for myself, not worrying what others will think, what others want me to do. I'm doing it for me and I like it. My mom is happy and doing well and Eric is still on his meds."
"I'm so pleased for you Abby. You deserve some happiness in life." Luka didn't know what it was, if it was the wine he had with dinner or the way the lantern light hit her face, but all he could think about was kissing her. He felt as if he had left his body as he leaned over to her, his eyes burrowing into hers. He heard her breath catch and then she leaned into him. Their lips met in the softest and gentlest of kisses starting slowly then growing fiercer.
Luka pushed his hands into her soft, shimmering hair and parted his lips ever so slightly. He felt her respond by bringing her hands up his back to the base of his neck. She parted her lips and he wasted no time slipping his tongue into her warm mouth. They kissed until out of breath and when they parted, Luka felt his head grow light in both contentment and fear. He searched her flushed face uncertainly, trying to read her features. His heart skipped a beat when she saw the small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.
Abby stepped into Luka and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back strongly, crushing her to his chest. He pushed his lips into her hair, kissing her head. She leaned back and he kissed her forehead then pulled her back into his embrace. "I missed you Abby, I really did." Abby smiled as she heard his whispered words, "I missed you too Luka, so much." She gave him a squeeze then stepped out of their embrace, once again entwining their fingers together. "Why don't we go back to my place and watch a movie?"
"Oh Abby, I'd love to, but I'm so tired. I'm not completely back to normal and I wouldn't be good company. I'm sorry, I would really like to come."
Abby smiled, "Its okay Luka, I totally understand. My shift starts at 6am but I'll be out of there by four. Why don't you come to my house and I'll make some Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner?"
"I'd love to Abby, what could I bring?" Luka smiled at her, overjoyed that she wanted to see him again so soon.
Abby leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips, "Just yourself Luka, that's all I could ever want."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Coming!" Abby yelled as she pulled her oven mitts off. She sprinted to the door and looked through the peephole. On the step she made out the tall, handsome figure of Luka Kovac and opened the door with a smile. "Hi! Sorry, I was just putting the chicken in the oven. Come in, come in."
"That's ok. I was just saying hi to Mrs. Goldstein across the hall. She was telling me that I needed some good food to fatten me up." He laughed, "I don't think she realized that I haven't been here in a long time. Its like I never left."
Abby smiled, "I know. Every day for the last year she has been asking me where my "Euro" boyfriend has gone. I think she is getting a little senile so finally I just told her that you had gone away for a long trip and that you were coming back at an unspecified date."
Luka laughed, "Who did she think Carter was then?"
"My brother. I didn't even bother to explain it to her. She is a very nosy neighbour."
Luka smelled the air in Abby's apartment appreciatively, "Wow, something smells good."
"Well it isn't the chicken yet because I just put it in, but I did make some rosemary-garlic potatoes that have been cooking for about fifteen minutes."
"Ah, that is it. I've fasted all day Abby, for tonight."
Abby laughed, "Oh now the pressure is really on. I haven't cooked a meal like this in a while, I hope we have take-out on the speed dial."
"Nah. We won't need it. It smells too good to not turn out."
Luka walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I bought some sparkling apple cider, I'll put it in here for now."
"Mmm Luka I love apple cider. That is fantastic." Abby turned to stir the carrots simmering on the stove.
"I know. I remember that Christmas where all we drank for five days was apple cider." Luka laughed at the memory, "I swore I'd never drip a drop of it again but suddenly I've been having a craving for it.
"Well you brought it to the right place." Abby turned away from the stove and took Luka's hand. "Come on, lets go sit in the living room while the chicken cooks."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well," Luka groaned pulling at the waistband of his pants, "I'm officially full. That was a wonderful meal. Thank you Abby."
Abby smiled at him, scraping the last of the béarnaise sauce on her fork and licking it off. "You are more than welcome, and I must say, I enjoyed that too. I can't eat another bite."
"You don't have another bite to eat." Luka laughed, motioning to her empty plate.
"Shut up," Abby teased, "I've been hungry lately. At least it wasn't ice- cream because I'd probably eat more of it."
Luka smiled and got up, stacking her plate on his and pulling the cutlery together.
"Luka, what are you doing?" Abby protested. "I'll clean up, I invited you over here as a guest. Sit down."
Luka kissed her forehead, "You have a dishwasher, its no big deal, really. Besides, you sit and rest. You've been cooking all afternoon."
Abby sighed in contentment and took another sip of her apple cider, "Thank you Luka. I'm always tired after a big meal."
Abby and Luka spent the rest of the evening watching a comedy that was airing on the television. Abby sat snuggled up to Luka as he rubbed her back absentmindedly. Abby felt so warm and at ease being in Luka's presence that she drifted into sleep, his breathing lulling her to absolute relaxation.
What seemed like only a second later, Abby woke to find herself being carried into her bedroom, her face pressed into Luka's sweater. He set her down gently on the bed and carefully removed her shoes. As he pulled back the covers and tucked her in, he noticed her eyes were half open. "Hey Abby, thank you so much for tonight. I had a wonderful time and dinner was excellent." He kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered a quiet goodnight into her ear. "I'll talk to you soon Abby, have a good sleep. I'll lock the door on the way out; I stole a key off your chain. I'll give it back to you tomorrow."
Abby, who was only half awake smiled sleepily at him, "Keep it Luka. Goodnight, thank you for bringing me in here." She squeezed his hand ever so slightly and closed her eyes, sleep taking over once again.
She felt another soft kiss on her brow and his hand on her shoulder; then he was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Abby awoke the next morning, her head was pounding. She pried her eyes open and alarmingly noticed that the room was spinning before her. She slammed her eyes shut and groaned. All of a sudden, a strong wave of nausea crashed over her and she leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom where she expelled the entire contents of her stomach into the toilet.
When she had finished, Abby gripped the edge of her sink and pulled herself up looking into the mirror above the sink. "Shit," she muttered as she saw her reflection. Her face was white except for the two red blotches on her cheeks: an after effect of intense vomiting. Her hair hung around her face, casting a dark shadow on her pale features and her tongue was white. She turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on her face. Rinsing her mouth out, Abby grabbed a towel of the ring and pushed it against her wet face, brushing damp tendrils of hair back. She couldn't believe that she had to phone in sick for her fourth shift as a medical student.
After she had called Kerry who ordered her to stay in bed and drink lots of fluids, Abby returned to her bed and slept the day away. When she awoke at 5pm she was feeling considerably better and attempted to eat half a bowl of chicken soup. She sat down on the couch and flipped the cartoon network on. Despite her best efforts not to, Abby fell asleep and awoke three hours later to a pounding on her door.
Groggily, she rose to answer it and wrapped a blanket around her shivering figure. She opened the door to a concerned looking Susan Lewis who held a steaming casserole dish full of homemade soup.
"Hey sweetie, Kerry said you weren't feeling to good. God, you look terrible!" Susan pressed her hand against Abby's forehead, "You don't have a fever. Come on, go sit on the couch."
Abby followed her instructions without comment and watched as Susan pour some of the soup into a mug. She cracked in a few soda crackers and returned to sit beside Abby on the couch.
"So, how are you feeling right now?"
"Alright, I'm just so tired. And this morning, I felt like I was on a ship, the ground was moving around so much."
Susan studied Abby intently, "Well it is probably just the stomach flu but if you still feel awful in a few days, come into the hospital and get checked out."
"Ok, I think I'll be fine by then. But Susan," Abby fidgeted nervously with her blanket, "Can I ask you a favour and have you promise you won't tell anyone?"
Susan became serious, "Of course Abby, you are my friend. What can I do for you?"
Abby took a deep breath, "Can you go to the pharmacy and get me a pregnancy test?"
"Mmm Luka that lobster was sooo good! Thank you for taking me for dinner, I had a great time." Abby took his hand in hers as they walked along the river under the clear November sky. They had had a lovely evening, Luka acting like a gentleman pulling her seat back for her to sit in and complimenting her attire. Abby was both excited and petrified by the attraction she was feeling towards him. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He didn't flinch when she entwined her fingers in his and squeezed her hand back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You are welcome Abby. I loved spending some time with you and I have to say, you looked fantastic tonight." Luka glanced over at the woman holding his hand, not quite believing that she was there with him at that very moment.
Abby blushed, "Thank you Luka, but this is Susan's dress, she thought it would look nice on me."
"It isn't the dress that makes you look beautiful Abby, its you. You have a glow about you right now, a happiness that I've wanted to see you have for so long." Luka caressed the palm of her hand with his thumb.
They walked a little ways and stopped to sit near the fountain in the middle of the park. Abby met Luka's eyes and was trapped in their warm, hazel gaze. "You know Luka, I think that I am finally almost happy. I'm doing something in life for myself, not worrying what others will think, what others want me to do. I'm doing it for me and I like it. My mom is happy and doing well and Eric is still on his meds."
"I'm so pleased for you Abby. You deserve some happiness in life." Luka didn't know what it was, if it was the wine he had with dinner or the way the lantern light hit her face, but all he could think about was kissing her. He felt as if he had left his body as he leaned over to her, his eyes burrowing into hers. He heard her breath catch and then she leaned into him. Their lips met in the softest and gentlest of kisses starting slowly then growing fiercer.
Luka pushed his hands into her soft, shimmering hair and parted his lips ever so slightly. He felt her respond by bringing her hands up his back to the base of his neck. She parted her lips and he wasted no time slipping his tongue into her warm mouth. They kissed until out of breath and when they parted, Luka felt his head grow light in both contentment and fear. He searched her flushed face uncertainly, trying to read her features. His heart skipped a beat when she saw the small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.
Abby stepped into Luka and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back strongly, crushing her to his chest. He pushed his lips into her hair, kissing her head. She leaned back and he kissed her forehead then pulled her back into his embrace. "I missed you Abby, I really did." Abby smiled as she heard his whispered words, "I missed you too Luka, so much." She gave him a squeeze then stepped out of their embrace, once again entwining their fingers together. "Why don't we go back to my place and watch a movie?"
"Oh Abby, I'd love to, but I'm so tired. I'm not completely back to normal and I wouldn't be good company. I'm sorry, I would really like to come."
Abby smiled, "Its okay Luka, I totally understand. My shift starts at 6am but I'll be out of there by four. Why don't you come to my house and I'll make some Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner?"
"I'd love to Abby, what could I bring?" Luka smiled at her, overjoyed that she wanted to see him again so soon.
Abby leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips, "Just yourself Luka, that's all I could ever want."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Coming!" Abby yelled as she pulled her oven mitts off. She sprinted to the door and looked through the peephole. On the step she made out the tall, handsome figure of Luka Kovac and opened the door with a smile. "Hi! Sorry, I was just putting the chicken in the oven. Come in, come in."
"That's ok. I was just saying hi to Mrs. Goldstein across the hall. She was telling me that I needed some good food to fatten me up." He laughed, "I don't think she realized that I haven't been here in a long time. Its like I never left."
Abby smiled, "I know. Every day for the last year she has been asking me where my "Euro" boyfriend has gone. I think she is getting a little senile so finally I just told her that you had gone away for a long trip and that you were coming back at an unspecified date."
Luka laughed, "Who did she think Carter was then?"
"My brother. I didn't even bother to explain it to her. She is a very nosy neighbour."
Luka smelled the air in Abby's apartment appreciatively, "Wow, something smells good."
"Well it isn't the chicken yet because I just put it in, but I did make some rosemary-garlic potatoes that have been cooking for about fifteen minutes."
"Ah, that is it. I've fasted all day Abby, for tonight."
Abby laughed, "Oh now the pressure is really on. I haven't cooked a meal like this in a while, I hope we have take-out on the speed dial."
"Nah. We won't need it. It smells too good to not turn out."
Luka walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I bought some sparkling apple cider, I'll put it in here for now."
"Mmm Luka I love apple cider. That is fantastic." Abby turned to stir the carrots simmering on the stove.
"I know. I remember that Christmas where all we drank for five days was apple cider." Luka laughed at the memory, "I swore I'd never drip a drop of it again but suddenly I've been having a craving for it.
"Well you brought it to the right place." Abby turned away from the stove and took Luka's hand. "Come on, lets go sit in the living room while the chicken cooks."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well," Luka groaned pulling at the waistband of his pants, "I'm officially full. That was a wonderful meal. Thank you Abby."
Abby smiled at him, scraping the last of the béarnaise sauce on her fork and licking it off. "You are more than welcome, and I must say, I enjoyed that too. I can't eat another bite."
"You don't have another bite to eat." Luka laughed, motioning to her empty plate.
"Shut up," Abby teased, "I've been hungry lately. At least it wasn't ice- cream because I'd probably eat more of it."
Luka smiled and got up, stacking her plate on his and pulling the cutlery together.
"Luka, what are you doing?" Abby protested. "I'll clean up, I invited you over here as a guest. Sit down."
Luka kissed her forehead, "You have a dishwasher, its no big deal, really. Besides, you sit and rest. You've been cooking all afternoon."
Abby sighed in contentment and took another sip of her apple cider, "Thank you Luka. I'm always tired after a big meal."
Abby and Luka spent the rest of the evening watching a comedy that was airing on the television. Abby sat snuggled up to Luka as he rubbed her back absentmindedly. Abby felt so warm and at ease being in Luka's presence that she drifted into sleep, his breathing lulling her to absolute relaxation.
What seemed like only a second later, Abby woke to find herself being carried into her bedroom, her face pressed into Luka's sweater. He set her down gently on the bed and carefully removed her shoes. As he pulled back the covers and tucked her in, he noticed her eyes were half open. "Hey Abby, thank you so much for tonight. I had a wonderful time and dinner was excellent." He kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered a quiet goodnight into her ear. "I'll talk to you soon Abby, have a good sleep. I'll lock the door on the way out; I stole a key off your chain. I'll give it back to you tomorrow."
Abby, who was only half awake smiled sleepily at him, "Keep it Luka. Goodnight, thank you for bringing me in here." She squeezed his hand ever so slightly and closed her eyes, sleep taking over once again.
She felt another soft kiss on her brow and his hand on her shoulder; then he was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Abby awoke the next morning, her head was pounding. She pried her eyes open and alarmingly noticed that the room was spinning before her. She slammed her eyes shut and groaned. All of a sudden, a strong wave of nausea crashed over her and she leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom where she expelled the entire contents of her stomach into the toilet.
When she had finished, Abby gripped the edge of her sink and pulled herself up looking into the mirror above the sink. "Shit," she muttered as she saw her reflection. Her face was white except for the two red blotches on her cheeks: an after effect of intense vomiting. Her hair hung around her face, casting a dark shadow on her pale features and her tongue was white. She turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on her face. Rinsing her mouth out, Abby grabbed a towel of the ring and pushed it against her wet face, brushing damp tendrils of hair back. She couldn't believe that she had to phone in sick for her fourth shift as a medical student.
After she had called Kerry who ordered her to stay in bed and drink lots of fluids, Abby returned to her bed and slept the day away. When she awoke at 5pm she was feeling considerably better and attempted to eat half a bowl of chicken soup. She sat down on the couch and flipped the cartoon network on. Despite her best efforts not to, Abby fell asleep and awoke three hours later to a pounding on her door.
Groggily, she rose to answer it and wrapped a blanket around her shivering figure. She opened the door to a concerned looking Susan Lewis who held a steaming casserole dish full of homemade soup.
"Hey sweetie, Kerry said you weren't feeling to good. God, you look terrible!" Susan pressed her hand against Abby's forehead, "You don't have a fever. Come on, go sit on the couch."
Abby followed her instructions without comment and watched as Susan pour some of the soup into a mug. She cracked in a few soda crackers and returned to sit beside Abby on the couch.
"So, how are you feeling right now?"
"Alright, I'm just so tired. And this morning, I felt like I was on a ship, the ground was moving around so much."
Susan studied Abby intently, "Well it is probably just the stomach flu but if you still feel awful in a few days, come into the hospital and get checked out."
"Ok, I think I'll be fine by then. But Susan," Abby fidgeted nervously with her blanket, "Can I ask you a favour and have you promise you won't tell anyone?"
Susan became serious, "Of course Abby, you are my friend. What can I do for you?"
Abby took a deep breath, "Can you go to the pharmacy and get me a pregnancy test?"