Luka, who was as of last week one late-arrival short of being demoted, arrived to work thirty seconds before he could technically be considered late. He looked rumpled and his hair was sticking up. He was also wearing the clothes he wore yesterday. His head throbbed gently from a mild hang over. He had spied Kerry heading down the hall toward the desk just as he got there, so he grabbed a chart and pretended to be studying it intently.
"Cutting it close again, Dr. Kovac," She said when she arrived, scowling at him.
"Excuse me?"He asked innocently, batting he lashes at her. She rolled her eyes and walked off towards the elevators.
He had a good reason. He always did, and this morning her name was Lyla. She came in with her sister four or five days ago. Her sister had injured herself on a bike ride, and Lyla had been sweaty and wearing spandex, but still obviously beautiful. Luka worked his magic on patient and sibling simultaneously, ending up with many heartfelt thank you's, and a phone number.
So he picked her up at 8 last night and took her to his favorite summer seafood joint, Half Shell. The ambience was mellow and laid back. It was perfect for beer and crab legs. Turned out she was a vegetarian, but they had some good vegetarian choices on the menu.
They got along great at dinner, Luka at his best, or so he liked to think. She was charming and funny, if not openly flirtatious, but tthat was OK. He liked a challenge. They went to a bar after a long leisurely dinner, and Luka, having won the lust if not the heart of the lady, ended up at her place.
Luka put down the chart and grabbed another one. An eight year old with diarrhea and chicken pox was not the way to start the day. His stomache winced at the thought. He looked up and saw Sam walking by in the direction of the med room.
"Hey Sam, are you going to the med room? Can you grab some ibuprofen?" He asked.
She glared at him and kept walking. "Get it yoursel," She called back.
Luka grimaced. If he wanted to be an asshole, he could have her written up for that. But he wasn't. He didn't want Sam to hate him, and it would efficiently eliminate any chance there was of having a mature discussion about the situation. Her coldness hurt his feelings and puzzled him a little, too. And she was the one that had dumped him. He would never understand women.
"Ouch," quipped Frank, always a casual observer of everyone else's business. Luka gave him a reproachful look and headed after Sam towards the med room. She was sorting through bottles of pills when he walked in. He tried to tip-toe around her and grab the ibuprofen. He emptied a couple into his hand and stood there for a moment, watching her.
"How's Alex?" he asked.
"He's fine," she replied, not looking away from what she was doing.
"He's really a great kid, you know. If you ever need a babysitter or something..." He really did miss the kid. They had gotten along great, and Luka was sure Alex missed him too.
She wheeled around and glared at him. "Really, are you going to get one of your bimbos to watch him?" Luka was a little stunned at her anger. He didn't know why she would be so jealous. Women, he thought to himself. He looked guiltily at the floor and said "Look Sam, Alex and I are friends. It's not fair that we shouldn't get to see each other anymore. He needs a man in his life."
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, and turned around and walked out of the room.
He sighed and went back out to the desk. Hopefully she would calm down and come to her senses. He'd give her some time. She was young and hotheaded, he knew, and beneath her tough responsible exterior, a little immature emotionally. This wasn't high school, after all, and petty grudges didn't get anyone anywhere, especially when children were involved.
The rest of the day was rough, busy and humid, and Luka was exhausted. He dug around in the fridge for his bottle of water and drank the whole thing. He refilled it in the sink to the left of the fridge and splashed some cold water on his face. My God, he thought, This is almost as bad as Africa on a good day. As he was drying himself off with some paper towels, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around with a start. It was Sam. He was surprised and then a little embarassed, and instinctively his eyes darted around the room looking for an escape route.
"Look, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you. It's really none of my business anymore, what you do, I mean who am I to judge, right? I don't know what i was expecting when i came back. I just kind of hoped nothing would have changed. But...time doesn't stop just because I'm not around, I guess."
Luka didn't know what to say. He was getting used to the idea of not being attached again. He had just been getting to remember what it was like to be happy, more than he'd dared let himself be in a while Then it was so rudely interrupted, first by her ex-husband, then by her running off. So he started dating again. He didn't see thepoint in practicing abstinence for nothing. So for a while, he was rebounding and screwing like crazy. He needed to froget the whole thing, and what better way to do it than with a near-endless supply of beautiful woman? Sometimes being a handsome doctor had it's perks.
But she came back, after three months. Just in time to enroll Alex in school for the fall. She had gone to Weaver and asked for her job back. She hadn't given notice of quitting, and didn't even leave a forwarding address. But it was Sam's lucky day. The E.R. had been short on nurses, one out on maternity leave, one took another job to be closer to home, and Sam MIA. So out of sheer desperation, and because she knew that despite her apparent flakiness Sam was a good nurse and they needed her, Weaver relented and gave her her job back.
It was fairly common knowledge that Luka was a ladies' man, and it didn't take long for Sam to hear about it. The day after she got her job back, she had come to Luka's apartment. A gorgeous, tall, raven haired model-type had answered the door--in Luka's bathrobe, the same one Sam had worn three months before. Luka came to the door, pushied the woman aside and came into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
"Sam, what are you doing here? Where have you been?"
"Who's that?" she asked him.
"A friend," He had said, feeling embarassed and refusing to look at her.
"I should have called. We got back into town three days ago. Weaver gave me my job back, can you believe that?"
Luka was surprised. When Sam quit, Weaver had gone off on a long, angry rant, directed partialy towards Luka, whom she blamed for scaring off all the nurses, leaving the ER shortstaffed.
They had the same shift the next day, and she had been cold and distant to Luka from then on.
"Well, you were gone for a long time. No one knew if y¿u were coming back, or even where you went." To Luka, it sounded lame as soon as he said it.
"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldnt' have left. Alex hates me because I drag him all over the country. I don't even know what I'm running from anymore. His father...is not my favcrite person, but there's still this connection there, you know? We have a child together. I don't trust myself to make intelilgent decisions when he's around.And sometimes i just need to leave. It didnt' have anything to do with you."
Luka had been standing there, jaw slightly agape, taken totally off guard by this sudden display of emotion. He composed himself, and managed an understanding nod.
"I understand. No hard feelings. " It was all he could think of to say.
Sam smiled. "Good. Thanks, you're really great Luka. Still want to babysit?"
"Cutting it close again, Dr. Kovac," She said when she arrived, scowling at him.
"Excuse me?"He asked innocently, batting he lashes at her. She rolled her eyes and walked off towards the elevators.
He had a good reason. He always did, and this morning her name was Lyla. She came in with her sister four or five days ago. Her sister had injured herself on a bike ride, and Lyla had been sweaty and wearing spandex, but still obviously beautiful. Luka worked his magic on patient and sibling simultaneously, ending up with many heartfelt thank you's, and a phone number.
So he picked her up at 8 last night and took her to his favorite summer seafood joint, Half Shell. The ambience was mellow and laid back. It was perfect for beer and crab legs. Turned out she was a vegetarian, but they had some good vegetarian choices on the menu.
They got along great at dinner, Luka at his best, or so he liked to think. She was charming and funny, if not openly flirtatious, but tthat was OK. He liked a challenge. They went to a bar after a long leisurely dinner, and Luka, having won the lust if not the heart of the lady, ended up at her place.
Luka put down the chart and grabbed another one. An eight year old with diarrhea and chicken pox was not the way to start the day. His stomache winced at the thought. He looked up and saw Sam walking by in the direction of the med room.
"Hey Sam, are you going to the med room? Can you grab some ibuprofen?" He asked.
She glared at him and kept walking. "Get it yoursel," She called back.
Luka grimaced. If he wanted to be an asshole, he could have her written up for that. But he wasn't. He didn't want Sam to hate him, and it would efficiently eliminate any chance there was of having a mature discussion about the situation. Her coldness hurt his feelings and puzzled him a little, too. And she was the one that had dumped him. He would never understand women.
"Ouch," quipped Frank, always a casual observer of everyone else's business. Luka gave him a reproachful look and headed after Sam towards the med room. She was sorting through bottles of pills when he walked in. He tried to tip-toe around her and grab the ibuprofen. He emptied a couple into his hand and stood there for a moment, watching her.
"How's Alex?" he asked.
"He's fine," she replied, not looking away from what she was doing.
"He's really a great kid, you know. If you ever need a babysitter or something..." He really did miss the kid. They had gotten along great, and Luka was sure Alex missed him too.
She wheeled around and glared at him. "Really, are you going to get one of your bimbos to watch him?" Luka was a little stunned at her anger. He didn't know why she would be so jealous. Women, he thought to himself. He looked guiltily at the floor and said "Look Sam, Alex and I are friends. It's not fair that we shouldn't get to see each other anymore. He needs a man in his life."
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, and turned around and walked out of the room.
He sighed and went back out to the desk. Hopefully she would calm down and come to her senses. He'd give her some time. She was young and hotheaded, he knew, and beneath her tough responsible exterior, a little immature emotionally. This wasn't high school, after all, and petty grudges didn't get anyone anywhere, especially when children were involved.
The rest of the day was rough, busy and humid, and Luka was exhausted. He dug around in the fridge for his bottle of water and drank the whole thing. He refilled it in the sink to the left of the fridge and splashed some cold water on his face. My God, he thought, This is almost as bad as Africa on a good day. As he was drying himself off with some paper towels, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around with a start. It was Sam. He was surprised and then a little embarassed, and instinctively his eyes darted around the room looking for an escape route.
"Look, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you. It's really none of my business anymore, what you do, I mean who am I to judge, right? I don't know what i was expecting when i came back. I just kind of hoped nothing would have changed. But...time doesn't stop just because I'm not around, I guess."
Luka didn't know what to say. He was getting used to the idea of not being attached again. He had just been getting to remember what it was like to be happy, more than he'd dared let himself be in a while Then it was so rudely interrupted, first by her ex-husband, then by her running off. So he started dating again. He didn't see thepoint in practicing abstinence for nothing. So for a while, he was rebounding and screwing like crazy. He needed to froget the whole thing, and what better way to do it than with a near-endless supply of beautiful woman? Sometimes being a handsome doctor had it's perks.
But she came back, after three months. Just in time to enroll Alex in school for the fall. She had gone to Weaver and asked for her job back. She hadn't given notice of quitting, and didn't even leave a forwarding address. But it was Sam's lucky day. The E.R. had been short on nurses, one out on maternity leave, one took another job to be closer to home, and Sam MIA. So out of sheer desperation, and because she knew that despite her apparent flakiness Sam was a good nurse and they needed her, Weaver relented and gave her her job back.
It was fairly common knowledge that Luka was a ladies' man, and it didn't take long for Sam to hear about it. The day after she got her job back, she had come to Luka's apartment. A gorgeous, tall, raven haired model-type had answered the door--in Luka's bathrobe, the same one Sam had worn three months before. Luka came to the door, pushied the woman aside and came into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
"Sam, what are you doing here? Where have you been?"
"Who's that?" she asked him.
"A friend," He had said, feeling embarassed and refusing to look at her.
"I should have called. We got back into town three days ago. Weaver gave me my job back, can you believe that?"
Luka was surprised. When Sam quit, Weaver had gone off on a long, angry rant, directed partialy towards Luka, whom she blamed for scaring off all the nurses, leaving the ER shortstaffed.
They had the same shift the next day, and she had been cold and distant to Luka from then on.
"Well, you were gone for a long time. No one knew if y¿u were coming back, or even where you went." To Luka, it sounded lame as soon as he said it.
"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldnt' have left. Alex hates me because I drag him all over the country. I don't even know what I'm running from anymore. His father...is not my favcrite person, but there's still this connection there, you know? We have a child together. I don't trust myself to make intelilgent decisions when he's around.And sometimes i just need to leave. It didnt' have anything to do with you."
Luka had been standing there, jaw slightly agape, taken totally off guard by this sudden display of emotion. He composed himself, and managed an understanding nod.
"I understand. No hard feelings. " It was all he could think of to say.
Sam smiled. "Good. Thanks, you're really great Luka. Still want to babysit?"