John Carter sipped on his bottle of Bud as he watched the clock on the wall as it ticked its way closer and closer to another year. He sighed as his eyes glanced casually around the room. His eyes came to rest on two of his best friends: Luka Kovac and Abby Lockhart. They stood beside each other but didn't touch. They were both standing angled to him, making him only able to see the left hand side of their faces. Luka was wearing a dark blue shirt and a pair of jeans, while Abby wore her hair loose, a pair of dark jeans and a brown halter top.

Luka, feeling someone watching him, turned towards Carter and nodded. John couldn't help but notice that something was missing from Luka's smile.

He knew - not through being told, but just by knowing - that Luka Kovac was very much attracted to Sam Taggert, the new nurse at the E.R. Not only had he overheard everyone in the E.R. talking about it, he had also seen the way that Luka was when he was around her. He was a completely different person. His shoulders were straight, his head held high, his smile genuine, his laughter loud - hell, even his accent was heavier. He knew that Abby had noticed it because she had asked him if he saw it and asked what she should do about it. He had politely declined any involvement but told her to trust Luka, he was a good man.

But after today, John wasn't so sure.

He had saw the way that Sam's lips had been swollen when he walked into the lounge and found her casually leaning against a locker next to Luka's while Luka stood with his shirt hanging open, his hair awry. He had tried to reason, telling himself that they both had to change since they were absolutely saturated with blood, much like he had been, but he knew he had to speak with Luka to actually make sure.

He wanted so badly to be imagining things, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Hey John," Luka said from beside him as he reached out and lifted a bottle of beer from the table.

"Luka, what's going on?" He asked bluntly, not looking to his friends face but could feel the frown on his face. "You're attracted to her, aren't you?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Luka turn to wear Abby was standing and then they both turned their eyes to the other, and John saw Luka's amused half smile.

"Of course I am," he said lightly.

"Not Abby, Luka. I'm talking about Sam, and you know that." John looked away again and heard Luka sigh.

"Yeah, I am. But she's an attractive woman. She's my friend and she's Abby's friend. Nothing more."

John didn't say anything, instead kept his head forward and bit down on his lip.

"I've seen the way you look at her - hell, everyone has seen the way you look at her."

Luka pulled his face into a grimace and shook his head, his eyes looking in the opposite direction from Carter.

"You're imagining things, Carter," Luka said eventually, his voice strained.

"You only call me Carter when you're annoyed at me. Now either I've hit a nerve, or I am really way off, which I don't think I am. So what is it Luka?" Luka remained stubbornly quiet. "So, you're trying to tell me that every time she walks into a room, you aren't the first one to notice, that you're eyes don't light up-"

"I don't know, I can't exactly see my eyes," Luka said abruptly.

"That you don't mutter in Croatian under your breath? When do you ever speak Croatian? I've certainly never heard it, unless it's when you're mumbling in your dreams about Danijela and Marko and Jasna."

Luka's head snapped around at the mention of his families names and he glared at Carter.

"What does what happened to them have to do with anything?" He snapped as he thumped his beer bottle onto the table.

"Luka?"

Luka spun around when he heard her voice and he felt the tension in his muscles drain away.

"Sam? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Steve and his parents tonight?" Luka asked as he attempted to put his hand on her arm, but she pulled away and wouldn't meet his eyes.

He frowned and cocked his head.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

He nodded and turned to Carter, who was watching the whole scene unfold with a raised eyebrow. He glared at the younger man before walking away and following Sam, who kept a distance between the two of them.

When they reached the entrance to the hall, Sam abruptly stopped and turned towards Luka and stared at his chest, and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.

"We can't do this anymore. We shouldn't have done it in the first place. Abby's my friend," she rushed out in one breath and Luka could feel his chest tighten with every word she spoke.

"Sam, what..?" he tried to reach out to her but, again, she resisted and took a step back, her eyes glancing around his body to where Carter was standing watching them.

"No, Luka. I've changed my shifts at the hospital too. We won't have to work together for at least a month. I just... I can't do this anymore."

It was when she flicked a strand of her hair out of her face that Luka could see a fresh bruise forming on her left cheek. Instinctively, he reached his hand up to it but she again pulled back.

"Sam, what happened?" He asked as he stepped closer to her, his eyes boring into hers.

"Nothing, I just... Abby's my friend. You're both still welcome to come tomorrow, ask Carter too. But I just... I have to go," she said and left before Luka had a chance to say anything else.

He stood for a second and then pivoted on his hell and marched back into the hall, where the countdown had began, indicating that the New Year was arriving.

Abby wrapped her arms around Luka's waist and she smiled brightly up to him. Luka could only manage a weak smile but before she could ask any questions, he crushed his lips to hers and tried to drown out any thoughts of Sam Taggert.

"Happy New Year," Abby whispered into his ear when they pulled back minutes later and he smiled at her.

"Happy New Year," he murmured as he pulled her body to his and began to sway to the 'Auld Lang Syne' that was playing in the background.

TBC