I have no idea how to spell Abby's maiden name and I can't be bothered to
look it up. So there.
Anyway - a Luby wedding; hearts and flowers, big dress, white doves, red carpet, single tear. Yeah, right.
Part 3
For a while there it looks like Kerry might screw the whole thing up when she turns down Luka's request for leave in the same 2 weeks I've already booked. She's gone into bureau-speak now.
"I appreciate that you want to vacation together Luka, but logistically it isn't always possible to accommodate personal preferences and, since Susan will be away then, your own preferences will have to be subordinate to the requirements of the rosta so - "
"It's not a vacation." he says tersely. I know that tone of voice and I know that if Kerry wants a fight she'll get one.
"I don't understand."
"It's a honeymoon." Kerry blinks a couple of times and looks over to where I'm hovering by the door. I give her a tight little smile by way of confirmation and she nearly smiles back before nodding at him and telling him she'll see what she can do. She'd better.
We buy a ring for him but I don't need one because the night I took the test he slid Rosa's from his finger and onto mine and it fitted, so I just nodded and that was that. And a couple of weeks later, with Carter and Chen as witnesses we sign on the dotted line. I've bought a little dress but I don't wear it because when I put it on I don't recognise myself. Luka shrugs and says I can wear a wet suit and snow shoes if I want and anyway it would give his dad a laugh when he sees the photographs. My hands shake when I sign my name as they did when I struggled to get the ring onto his finger, although his hands are steady on both counts. I don't know why mine shook; I've never been so sure of anything in my whole life as I am doing this and I remember the last time I had to scrub mascara from under my eyes and manage to confine myself to just a few tears. His hands might be steady but he cries a little too and rolls his eyes at his own sentimentality. Carter takes some photographs at City Hall and later at the obscenely expensive restaurant where the four of us eat lunch paid for by Carter who says it's a wedding present although Jing-Mei doesn't think it counts as they get to eat it too. I make up my mind that Luka will have champagne that night even if I can't. If ever a man deserved champagne it's him today.
Carter takes me aside as we leave and looks at me sort of sad and happy all at the same time, then he rolls his eyes too and hugs me harder than he ever did when we were together. And then we go to work, me clinging to Luka's arm so that he can hardly walk, no, don't laugh at me, I do, and he looks down at me and smiles.
It's while Luka is examining the woman who has stuck a 6" kitchen knife through her palm - and it's still through her palm - and a split second after he's told me to get a surgical consult down here that Susan reaches across the sedated patient and grabs Luka's newly un-gloved hand.
"Is that a wedding ring?"
"Yes."
"You got married?" He doesn't bother to answer that one. She looks at me and I hold up my own left hand before she can ask who the bride is.
"Wow. Isn't this a little sudden?"
"It was marry her or be deported" he murmurs.
"Actually I only did it for the sake of my unborn child." He's shocked, wide eyed, because we agreed not to tell anyone yet but come on, this is the biggest thing I ever did and besides I'm having fun here.
"You're kidding."
I pick up the patient's coat and purse from the floor where they've been dropped and, leaning in real close I say to Susan "Yeah, I'm kidding. The truth is I married him for his money." I go to make the call but go back to her and whisper in her ear. "And the sex." She doesn't know what to believe. As I pick up the 'phone I hear him say to her
"I think you can close your mouth now Susan."
Kerry drops by to say congratulations and to ask if I've informed HR of a change of name. I hadn't even thought about that. I've been married 4 hours and I don't know what my name is. I hunt down one of the options and he's non committal and says not to change anything on his account.
"You don't want me to be Abby Kovac?"
"Not particularly. You want me to be Luka Lockhart?" and he's laughing because it sounds like something out of very bad Disney feature.
"God, no, it's terrible," I giggle. No, I do, I giggle.
"It's a hassle, changing your name - driver's licence, bank, credit cards, HR. You could always take back your maiden name - I mean if you don't want to be Lockhart now you're married to someone else."
Married to someone else; I'm married to someone else, and look who it turns out to be.
"Just as much hassle."
"More logical though."
"I kinda like the sound of Mrs Kovac."
He sighs. "Makes me think of my mother."
His mother; not Danijela.
"Well, hey, I get to be your mother sometimes, don't I?" He's clearly not convinced.
"So - Wyczinski then? You think?"
"Like I said - up to you. Whatever you feel right with." I'm vaguely disappointed but I don't let him see it.
A few minutes later I've sent up written notification to HR and sent a circular around the ER. Jerry is the first to ask me why.
"I got married."
"To . . . " He's turning this over in his head, trying to figure out what happened to me and Luka.
"To Dr Kovac."
"Then . . . "
"My maiden name."
"That's your maiden name? And you chose it over Lockhart or Kovac? Weird."
He's right. I haven't been Abby Wyczinski since I was 20 years old. I feel like I just got 15 years of my life back.
As the clock inches toward midnight and the end of our shifts I take up position by the board; there's no way he's taking on anything else tonight, and if I have to I'll drag him away from whatever case is keeping him. We have a marriage to consummate.
Anyway - a Luby wedding; hearts and flowers, big dress, white doves, red carpet, single tear. Yeah, right.
Part 3
For a while there it looks like Kerry might screw the whole thing up when she turns down Luka's request for leave in the same 2 weeks I've already booked. She's gone into bureau-speak now.
"I appreciate that you want to vacation together Luka, but logistically it isn't always possible to accommodate personal preferences and, since Susan will be away then, your own preferences will have to be subordinate to the requirements of the rosta so - "
"It's not a vacation." he says tersely. I know that tone of voice and I know that if Kerry wants a fight she'll get one.
"I don't understand."
"It's a honeymoon." Kerry blinks a couple of times and looks over to where I'm hovering by the door. I give her a tight little smile by way of confirmation and she nearly smiles back before nodding at him and telling him she'll see what she can do. She'd better.
We buy a ring for him but I don't need one because the night I took the test he slid Rosa's from his finger and onto mine and it fitted, so I just nodded and that was that. And a couple of weeks later, with Carter and Chen as witnesses we sign on the dotted line. I've bought a little dress but I don't wear it because when I put it on I don't recognise myself. Luka shrugs and says I can wear a wet suit and snow shoes if I want and anyway it would give his dad a laugh when he sees the photographs. My hands shake when I sign my name as they did when I struggled to get the ring onto his finger, although his hands are steady on both counts. I don't know why mine shook; I've never been so sure of anything in my whole life as I am doing this and I remember the last time I had to scrub mascara from under my eyes and manage to confine myself to just a few tears. His hands might be steady but he cries a little too and rolls his eyes at his own sentimentality. Carter takes some photographs at City Hall and later at the obscenely expensive restaurant where the four of us eat lunch paid for by Carter who says it's a wedding present although Jing-Mei doesn't think it counts as they get to eat it too. I make up my mind that Luka will have champagne that night even if I can't. If ever a man deserved champagne it's him today.
Carter takes me aside as we leave and looks at me sort of sad and happy all at the same time, then he rolls his eyes too and hugs me harder than he ever did when we were together. And then we go to work, me clinging to Luka's arm so that he can hardly walk, no, don't laugh at me, I do, and he looks down at me and smiles.
It's while Luka is examining the woman who has stuck a 6" kitchen knife through her palm - and it's still through her palm - and a split second after he's told me to get a surgical consult down here that Susan reaches across the sedated patient and grabs Luka's newly un-gloved hand.
"Is that a wedding ring?"
"Yes."
"You got married?" He doesn't bother to answer that one. She looks at me and I hold up my own left hand before she can ask who the bride is.
"Wow. Isn't this a little sudden?"
"It was marry her or be deported" he murmurs.
"Actually I only did it for the sake of my unborn child." He's shocked, wide eyed, because we agreed not to tell anyone yet but come on, this is the biggest thing I ever did and besides I'm having fun here.
"You're kidding."
I pick up the patient's coat and purse from the floor where they've been dropped and, leaning in real close I say to Susan "Yeah, I'm kidding. The truth is I married him for his money." I go to make the call but go back to her and whisper in her ear. "And the sex." She doesn't know what to believe. As I pick up the 'phone I hear him say to her
"I think you can close your mouth now Susan."
Kerry drops by to say congratulations and to ask if I've informed HR of a change of name. I hadn't even thought about that. I've been married 4 hours and I don't know what my name is. I hunt down one of the options and he's non committal and says not to change anything on his account.
"You don't want me to be Abby Kovac?"
"Not particularly. You want me to be Luka Lockhart?" and he's laughing because it sounds like something out of very bad Disney feature.
"God, no, it's terrible," I giggle. No, I do, I giggle.
"It's a hassle, changing your name - driver's licence, bank, credit cards, HR. You could always take back your maiden name - I mean if you don't want to be Lockhart now you're married to someone else."
Married to someone else; I'm married to someone else, and look who it turns out to be.
"Just as much hassle."
"More logical though."
"I kinda like the sound of Mrs Kovac."
He sighs. "Makes me think of my mother."
His mother; not Danijela.
"Well, hey, I get to be your mother sometimes, don't I?" He's clearly not convinced.
"So - Wyczinski then? You think?"
"Like I said - up to you. Whatever you feel right with." I'm vaguely disappointed but I don't let him see it.
A few minutes later I've sent up written notification to HR and sent a circular around the ER. Jerry is the first to ask me why.
"I got married."
"To . . . " He's turning this over in his head, trying to figure out what happened to me and Luka.
"To Dr Kovac."
"Then . . . "
"My maiden name."
"That's your maiden name? And you chose it over Lockhart or Kovac? Weird."
He's right. I haven't been Abby Wyczinski since I was 20 years old. I feel like I just got 15 years of my life back.
As the clock inches toward midnight and the end of our shifts I take up position by the board; there's no way he's taking on anything else tonight, and if I have to I'll drag him away from whatever case is keeping him. We have a marriage to consummate.