The Hurting Time Has Come
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Thanks so much for all the great reviews of the first chapter! Hopefully you'll like this chappy too.
Chapter Two
We're dancing, in some kind of ballroom. One of his family charity events I think. I don't remember. It doesn't matter. We're together, he's holding me against him, I can feel his heart beating against my chest. He smells like lavender and caviar. He looks like a million bucks.
The music lulls and he steps back. He's holding m hands, both of them, and looking into my eyes. He smiles, that crooked, impish grin of his. I can't believe he's mine. All mine.
I can't believe how much I love him.
"I love you, Mrs. Carter," he says softly. That voice of his, I could lose myself in it.
"I love you, Mr. Carter." Mr. Carter? Did I just say…I look down. I'm wearing a wedding dress. I bring my eyes back up to his beautiful face. He looks…shocked. His eyes are dark, clouded. He's struggling to breathe.
"Carter!" I reach out to him. He teeters. I see blood. He's falling and I can't stop him. I can't catch him. I'm moving away from him. "Carter! Carter!" I scream. I try to run, but I'm stuck in place and he's getting farther away.
"Shhhh, shhhh, honey." I recognize Susan's voice. I open my eyes and she's there, holding me, stroking my hair. And I remember what happened. Carter and Luka are upstairs. In surgery. Attacked in the men's room. Stabbed. Fighting for their lives.
"Carter…" I moan.
* * * * * * * * * * *
I look up instinctively when the door opens. For a moment, I think it's him. Carter. My beautiful Carter. Surrounded by a soft white light. He looks radiant, glowing. I stand, I want to go to him, but my feet won't move. He takes a step toward me, arms out, smiling.
I blink and the vision fades. Elizabeth is there, her eyes downcast and weary. "Luka is out of surgery," she tells us. Kerry and some of the others have gone back to work. The ER can't run itself, but some of us, like me, would be no good on the floor. Not until I know. Not until I see him. Them. "He's holding on strong."
Susan is standing beside me, holding my hand. I want to ask about Carter, how is Carter? Dear God, please tell me Carter is holding on strong too. Please tell me he's going to be all right. But I don't ask, I don't want to seem rude or uncaring. I'm desperately worried about Luka too.
"Can we see him?" Susan asks. Elizabeth nods. I meet her eyes, she nods. I nod. Susan holds my hand all the way upstairs. We take the staff elevator.
The walk up the hall to recovery seems endless. I don't know if I'm relieved or not that we don't have to walk past the surgical rooms. I don't know if I could handle that. Carter is still in there, under the knife, with Romano and Benton. No one had to tell me he was hurt worse than Luka.
"Breathe, Abby."
I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. Susan squeezed my hand and pushed the door open. The nurse looked up and nodded us on. I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of people laid out after surgery, flat on their backs on stiff hospital beds. I never imagined Luka Kovac would be one of them.
He looks…pale. Deathly pale. But relaxed. Peaceful. Like he is sleeping.
Susan lets go of my hand and we move to opposite sides of his bed. We each take one of his hands. I want to say something, but don't know what to say, and I don't trust my voice anyway. I feel like I'm going to cry. I know I will probably cry before I leave him.
"Hey, Luka. It's Susan and Abby," Susan says. She's on the edge of tears too. "We just wanted to come up and see you. You're doing great, Luka. You're going to be just fine."
I brought his hand up to my face, kissed the knuckles. Luka had lived through war, through the death of his wife and children. He had seen his home destroyed, his homeland torn apart. A few stab wounds were nothing compared to all that. He would be fine, and Carter would be fine, everyone would be fine and in a few weeks we'll all forget about the whole mess…
Who am I kidding? No one will ever be the same, no one will every forget what has happened today. I suddenly don't have the strength to hold Luka's arm up, and I fall down with it, burying my face in his sheets.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
So? What do you think? Use the review option and let me know! Thanks!
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa
Thanks so much for all the great reviews of the first chapter! Hopefully you'll like this chappy too.
Chapter Two
We're dancing, in some kind of ballroom. One of his family charity events I think. I don't remember. It doesn't matter. We're together, he's holding me against him, I can feel his heart beating against my chest. He smells like lavender and caviar. He looks like a million bucks.
The music lulls and he steps back. He's holding m hands, both of them, and looking into my eyes. He smiles, that crooked, impish grin of his. I can't believe he's mine. All mine.
I can't believe how much I love him.
"I love you, Mrs. Carter," he says softly. That voice of his, I could lose myself in it.
"I love you, Mr. Carter." Mr. Carter? Did I just say…I look down. I'm wearing a wedding dress. I bring my eyes back up to his beautiful face. He looks…shocked. His eyes are dark, clouded. He's struggling to breathe.
"Carter!" I reach out to him. He teeters. I see blood. He's falling and I can't stop him. I can't catch him. I'm moving away from him. "Carter! Carter!" I scream. I try to run, but I'm stuck in place and he's getting farther away.
"Shhhh, shhhh, honey." I recognize Susan's voice. I open my eyes and she's there, holding me, stroking my hair. And I remember what happened. Carter and Luka are upstairs. In surgery. Attacked in the men's room. Stabbed. Fighting for their lives.
"Carter…" I moan.
* * * * * * * * * * *
I look up instinctively when the door opens. For a moment, I think it's him. Carter. My beautiful Carter. Surrounded by a soft white light. He looks radiant, glowing. I stand, I want to go to him, but my feet won't move. He takes a step toward me, arms out, smiling.
I blink and the vision fades. Elizabeth is there, her eyes downcast and weary. "Luka is out of surgery," she tells us. Kerry and some of the others have gone back to work. The ER can't run itself, but some of us, like me, would be no good on the floor. Not until I know. Not until I see him. Them. "He's holding on strong."
Susan is standing beside me, holding my hand. I want to ask about Carter, how is Carter? Dear God, please tell me Carter is holding on strong too. Please tell me he's going to be all right. But I don't ask, I don't want to seem rude or uncaring. I'm desperately worried about Luka too.
"Can we see him?" Susan asks. Elizabeth nods. I meet her eyes, she nods. I nod. Susan holds my hand all the way upstairs. We take the staff elevator.
The walk up the hall to recovery seems endless. I don't know if I'm relieved or not that we don't have to walk past the surgical rooms. I don't know if I could handle that. Carter is still in there, under the knife, with Romano and Benton. No one had to tell me he was hurt worse than Luka.
"Breathe, Abby."
I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. Susan squeezed my hand and pushed the door open. The nurse looked up and nodded us on. I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of people laid out after surgery, flat on their backs on stiff hospital beds. I never imagined Luka Kovac would be one of them.
He looks…pale. Deathly pale. But relaxed. Peaceful. Like he is sleeping.
Susan lets go of my hand and we move to opposite sides of his bed. We each take one of his hands. I want to say something, but don't know what to say, and I don't trust my voice anyway. I feel like I'm going to cry. I know I will probably cry before I leave him.
"Hey, Luka. It's Susan and Abby," Susan says. She's on the edge of tears too. "We just wanted to come up and see you. You're doing great, Luka. You're going to be just fine."
I brought his hand up to my face, kissed the knuckles. Luka had lived through war, through the death of his wife and children. He had seen his home destroyed, his homeland torn apart. A few stab wounds were nothing compared to all that. He would be fine, and Carter would be fine, everyone would be fine and in a few weeks we'll all forget about the whole mess…
Who am I kidding? No one will ever be the same, no one will every forget what has happened today. I suddenly don't have the strength to hold Luka's arm up, and I fall down with it, burying my face in his sheets.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
So? What do you think? Use the review option and let me know! Thanks!