Sorry the chapter are so short. They are reflecting my attention at the moment. It's the start of term and everything's all confusing because I'm just starting year 10 and all the important exams and stuff happen in the next two years. Hey once I'm 16 I'm off to college, then university... damn. I have no idea what time this is set. It's kinda AU-ish but not really, I'm just bending the timeline a bit. Abby's not a doctor yet, Luka and John went to Africa and John's not still out there but he's been there longer than he was in the show. Sam doesn't exist (whoo hoo), but Abby and Luka are getting on great as friends. They bonded while Luka was recovering from Africa because the evil Gillian (boo hiss) didn't come back with him. Okay is that enough information. I think so.

Abby pushed open the door of the café, and saw Luka already sitting at a table. She made her way between the other customers and pulled out the chair opposite him.

'Not late am I? She asked, looking at the half drunken cup of coffee in his hands. It wasn't her fault. A huge MVA had come in. It had backed up the trauma rooms for four hours straight.

'No I was early.' Luka smiled. Abby stopped a passing waitress and asked her for a cup of coffee and a tuna sandwich.

'Do you want anything to eat?' She asked before the waitress left.

'No I'm good.' He replied then returned his attention to his coffee. They didn't talk until Abby's food arrived.

'Are you alright?' Abby asked with a mouthful of tuna. 'You look kinda distracted.' Luka met her gaze momentarily then his eyes dropped back to his coffee. Come on, he thought, you've got to do this. He felt his stomach writhe as he looked back up at her.

'How was your morning?' Luka asked.

'Oh you know the usual. Hey guess what the DIY accident was?' Luka smiled. Every day they had at least two patients who had injured themselves doing DIY.

'I don't know, what?'

'There were two. The first one was a guy who had super-glued his fingers together while putting a shelf on the wall,' Luka raised his eyebrow in confusion. 'Yeah I know,' she continued. 'Apparently, the screw wouldn't hold it up so he tried to glue the shelf to the wall.' Luka smiled again. Sometimes, he just couldn't understand why people were so stupid.

'Anyway, the second guy came in with a two and a half inch nail through his foot which he'd had in for a day and a half.' Luka choked into his coffee. This wasn't the weirdest patient he'd heard of by far, he treated cases stranger than that everyday, but somehow, when he wasn't actually working, the injuries some people had did seem a bit unbelievable. Abby ignored him and went on.

'Apparently, he and his mates had gotten drunk, broken into a building site and mucked around with the tools and stuff. You know, throwing paint around and shooting things with a nail gun. Well he got a nail through his foot, but he was so drunk he didn't seem to notice. I know, some people can get really hammered. Get it. Nail gun. Hammered? Oh never mind.

Well he managed to get back to his apartment, sleep for a day, and call in sick for work before he realized.' Luka smiled and drained the last of his coffee, while Abby finished her sandwich.

Do it now, Luka thought, you've got to tell her.

'Did you get your shift rota yet?' he asked.

'Oh, yeah I was guna ask you about that. Why aren't you down anywhere?' She put down her coffee and looked at him. Luka swallowed and dropped his gaze. He couldn't look at her.

'I'm going home, back to Croatia.' He said. He chanced a glance at her again, and saw a slightly puzzled look on her face.

'What, for like a holiday? I guess you haven't seen your family for ages-'

'No. I'm going home ... for good. I'm leaving Chicago.'