By Ginny
Thanks for the reviewers, keep them coming
A/N-When I first started this series with At the End of the Day, I hadn't really decided whether or not to link Abby and Lucien romantically. Some reviewers have asked when I'm going to put them "together". The answer is...not in this story as it is a prequel to a story in which they are not together. That said, I plan to continue this saga past At the End of the Day. I still haven't decided what to do, say close to canon and endure Abby and Luka, Take Two or go off in an alternate universe direction. Whichever one I pick, I definitely plan on continuing with the story.
"Now what?" Lucien asked as the Today Show ended and he reached for remote.
"Doesn't matter to me," Abby answered as she got up off the couch, cleared away the empty plates and cups and headed for the kitchen. Lucien flipped through the channels, finding nothing to hold his attention.
"I'm going to take a shower," he called over his shoulder.
"You steady enough, or do you need me to come with you?" Abby called back.
"I think I'm okay, but if you want to sneak a peek, I'll leave the door unlocked," he teased.
Abby shook her head and rolled her eyes, even though Lucien couldn't see her. She rummaged through the freezer, pulling out something that looked like beef stew to have later for dinner. While Lucien showered, she finished reading the paper, keeping an ear out for him.
"Abby," Lucien called as he stuck his head out the bathroom door.
"You okay?" she yelled back as she headed down the hall.
"Forgot my clothes. Just grab something out of the dresser in the guest room."
Abby found him a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved Chicago Bears t-shirt in the top drawer. From the other drawer she pulled out a pair of underwear and some socks. "Here," she said as she opened the door to the bathroom and held the clothes out for him. She stood in the hallway to make sure he didn't need any help.
"Shit," Abby heard him mutter from behind the door.
"Lucien, do you need help?" she asked, one hand on the doorknob, ready to go in.
"Yeah," he muttered as he reached to pull the door open all the way. He was sitting on the closed toilet lid, socks in his hand, unable to lean over far enough to put them on. Abby took the socks from him and wordlessly knelt down to put them on. She straightened out the legs of his pants before grabbing the towel off the bar and drying his hair a little. She combed her fingers through the curls and handed him his glasses before leaving him alone to brush his teeth and do whatever else he needed to do.
"I think I feel almost human," Lucien announced as he came into the kitchen to get a drink. He pushed aside the cranberry juice and reached for the iced tea instead. "It's decaf," Lucien said as Abby eyed the bottle of Snapple.
"Good. You look a heck of a lot better," Abby said with a smile. "What do you feel like doing?" Abby asked with a look of warning in her eyes for him to be serious.
"I think I'll go through my email, maybe look at the paperwork I brought home. If you want to get out of here for a while, I'll be fine."
"You sure?" Abby asked as she eyed him warily.
"I'm sure."
Abby helped Lucien get settled in his office with his paperwork, two bottles of water, his cell phone, the regular phone, his pills and some snacks.
"You need anything else?" Abby asked as set the water bottles on his desk.
"I'm fine," Lucien said with an edge of annoyance to his voice. He was very much craving a little time alone.
"Good. Don't sit in the chair too long; call me if you need anything. I'll be back in a few hours," Abby said as she left the room. Lucien gave a little grunt in her direction and turned his attention towards the papers in front of him.
It was a little over an hour later when Lucien started to wonder if he'd been sitting in one spot for too long. As he pushed the chair back and started to stand, he was sure he'd been sitting upright too long. He grabbed a bottle of water and the phone before shuffling towards the recliner. As he settled down he realized he hadn't brought over any of the paperwork but he also realized he lacked the ambition and energy to get up again so he just flicked on the television. Settling on the Food Network, he watched as Paula Deen made some concoction with two sticks of butter, lots of chocolate and not much else.
"Lucien," Abby called as she opened the front door almost exactly two hours after she had headed out.
"Office," he called back as he started to put the recliner in the upright position to go meet her. He hadn't quite gotten to his feet when Abby came into the room, cheeks flushed and hair going in all directions.
"Windy out there," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair and sat down on the couch. "You get some work done?"
"Yeah and I sat too long in the chair," he admitted with a sigh.
"Ah, can't say I'm surprised," Abby teased. "How much did you drink?"
"Uh, not enough," Lucien said sheepishly as he pointed to the half full bottle on the table next to him and the full one still sitting on the desk.
"Not good, Dr. Dubenko," Abby warned. Lucien reached for the water bottle while Abby grabbed the other one and put it next to him. "If it doesn't go in, it doesn't come out," she said in a voice laced with a little frustration. Lucien bit back whatever smart ass comment was forming in his head and finished the one bottle of water instead. "Did you eat lunch?"
"Nope. You?"
"Not yet. You hungry?"
"A little, I guess."
"Well, come out to the kitchen; I'll make you something," Abby offered as she held out her hand to help him out of the recliner.
"Where did you go?" Lucien asked as he slumped down in one of the kitchen chairs.
"Drove around for a while. Stopped by my place to pick up a few things," Abby said as she buttered the bread for grilled cheese sandwiches.
"Planning on staying tonight?" Lucien asked with a wink.
"Yeah, I don't trust you to be left alone yet," she said returning the wink.
"Good. I'd rather not spend the night alone," Lucien said honestly. His honesty seemed to catch both of them by surprise; Abby turned around to look at him to make sure she'd heard him correctly. Lucien smiled with that boyish smile he so rarely shared. It was the first real smile Abby had seen from him in almost a week. She smiled back and before things could get strange, she turned her attention back to the sandwiches.
Lunch was lighthearted as they gossiped about people at the hospital. Lucien's appetite seemed to have waned a little but he did finish the bottle of water, which was what Abby was more worried about. Abby sent him out to the front porch to get a little fresh air while she cleaned up. She set the tea kettle on the stove before washing up the few dishes they'd used for their lunch.
Out on the porch, Lucien breathed deeply, inhaling the crisp, clean scent that was unique to autumn. The leaves had just about finished falling from the trees in the front yard and he'd spent a few hours raking them the weekend before he'd entered the hospital. The yard was covered again and he'd already made a deal with the 13 year old boy across the street to finish the job as it would be weeks before he was up to doing yard work.
He checked to see if Abby was coming before gingerly walking down the front steps to meet the mailman who was coming down the street. The trip down the stairs wasn't too bad, but the trip back us was more difficult than he had anticipated. His feet hit the top step as Abby was coming out the door with two mugs of tea. He tossed the mail on the little table next to the swing and gratefully took the tea from Abby. They settled on the porch swing, enjoying the fresh air and the green tea.
"Since when do I have anything but plain old tea bags?" Lucien teased as he inhaled the scent of the tea.
"Since I stopped by my house. You need to branch out a little, try new things," Abby teased.
"Yeah, that's not me," Lucien teased right back. "But I'm sure after two days in my house you've pretty much learned that," he added with a grin.
"Yeah, I got that pretty quickly," Abby smirked.
By the time Lucien's tea was gone, he was starting to fidget, alerting Abby to the fact he hadn't taken anything for pain recently.
"OK, this stoic thing you've got going...not the best idea."
"But the Percocet knocks me out," Lucien whined, knowing he was about to engage in a losing battle.
"God, pain medication that causes you to rest, what will medical science think of next?" Abby deadpanned.
"OK Dr. Lockhart, this sarcastic thing isn't all that attractive on you," Lucien shot back with an ineffective glare. He leaned forward to gain a little momentum to get himself to his feet. He shuffled back into the house, took a pill and settled down on the couch in the family room with his iPod, a bottle of water and his quilt.
Abby left him alone, hoping he would just fall asleep.
Forty-five minutes later, she realized that wasn't going to happen.
She stood in the archway between the kitchen and family room, watching Lucien for a minute. He was clearly uncomfortable, trying his best to curl up into a ball under the quilt. With the distinct feeling he was being watched, he glanced in Abby's direction and gave a sad little smile as he pulled his hand out from under the quilt and held it out towards her.
"What can I do for you?" she asked as she pulled the ear buds out of his ears and knelt down next to the couch. Lucien just shrugged his shoulders. She pressed her hand to his forehead to check his temperature. "Not running a fever."
"Can't get comfortable," he said, cringing at how whiny he sounded.
"Need some more pillows, the heating pad, some company?" Abby asked as she brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Heating pad and some company," Lucien said after a little contemplating. Abby found the heating pad in the bedroom and brought it out. She plugged it in, handed it to him and went to sit down at the end of the couch by his feet. Lucien shook his head and sat up a little, giving her room to sit at the other end. Abby hesitated a little but something in Lucien's eyes let her know that he just wanted some contact, that he wasn't going to take her comforting him as anything more. She kicked off her shoes and sat down, propping her feet on the coffee table. She set the throw pillow in her lap and motioned for Lucien to put his head back down.
"Thank you," he whispered as he sniffed a little. Abby looked down and saw little tears of pain and/or frustration starting to pool in the corners of his eyes.
"You're welcome," she assured him as she wiped away the tears.
Lucien but the ear buds back in his ears, closed his eyes again and after another few minutes of squirming around to get comfortable he started to drift off under Abby's gentle touch as she brushed back his hair. When she was sure he was asleep she turned off the heating pad and tossed it aside. She pulled the quilt back over him, settling her arm over his chest.
Since Abby hadn't really planned on ending up the in position she currently found herself in, she hadn't thought ahead to grab a magazine, a book or the television remote. And as Lucien had only been completely asleep for about 20 minutes, she didn't want to disturb him by trying to sneak off the couch. So that left her with a little time to think.
Lucien moaned in his sleep a little and she rubbed his shoulder to soothe him a little. He settled back down within a minute or so. She watched him as he fell back to sleep. His features evened out and he was finally peaceful, or as peaceful as he could get given his current circumstances. Abby had to admit he was kind of cute, in a non conventional way. The hair could be a bit much but he had beautiful eyes and the boyish smile thing he had going for him worked like a charm, on the rare occasion that he used it.
But the more she watched him sleep, the more she came to realize one thing. Her decision to turn down his unusual offer had been the right one. While she enjoyed his company and didn't want to be anywhere else at the moment, she felt no romantic attraction to him at all.
She saw them becoming close friends, the kind of friend you could tell anything to without the risk of feeling foolish. Someone to hang out with at the end of a hard day. Someone to fall back on when your date to a formal function stands you up. The only thing she worried about was if Lucien hadn't quite let go of the notion of being more than friends. While he hadn't made any gestures or serious comments that led Abby to believe otherwise, he had been alternately in pain and drugged for the better part of a week. But she didn't want him to get the wrong idea every time she reached out to him as a friend, brushed back his curls or kissed his forehead.
Abby alternately stared out the window or dozed herself for the better part of an hour. The sound of the wind picking up woke her fully a little before 3:00. She glanced out the window; the sky was the color of dull steel as a storm was brewing in the distance. She looked down to find Lucien still sound asleep. With a little calculating of how long he'd been asleep and how much he'd had to drink over the day she realized she should probably wake him soon.
"Lucien," she said softly after turning off the iPod. She rubbed his shoulder a little to wake him. He stretched a little, pulling his hands out from under the quilt and rubbing at his eyes a bit to gain a little sense of time and space. "It's after 3:00 and since you actually drank enough this morning, I think you might be living on borrowed time."
"Ah, yeah, thanks," Lucien muttered as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position. He sat for a minute until he got his bearings and was able to go into the bathroom. Abby stayed within earshot but Lucien didn't need any help with anything and emerged looking pretty good considering, about 20 minutes later.
"You know, this whole catheter thing could come in handy during long surgeries," Lucien mused as he leaned against the counter next to the refrigerator. Abby just looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a goofy smile before turning to open the refrigerator to look for a snack.
Abby used Lucien's computer to check her own email and to do a little mindless web surfing while he flipped through some surgical journals.
"I can't do this," Lucien muttered as he tossed aside the journal and pulled off his glasses in frustration.
"What?" Abby asked, pretty much not really paying attention to him.
"Sit around and do nothing for weeks," he whined as he walked behind the desk and sat in the window seat. Abby didn't bother turning around to face him as she continued to surf around EBay.
"Don't you have any hobbies or anything," she asked, using her best disinterested voice.
"I'm a surgeon, I don't exactly have a lot of free time," Lucien pointed out as he dropped his head back, letting it bounce a bit against the wall in boredom and frustration.
"Is this how it's going to be every night?" Abby asked as she finally turned the chair around to face him. She propped her feet on the window seat, resting them against his leg.
"What are you talking about?" Lucien asked, without bothering to look at her.
"The pity party," Abby said as she nudged him with her foot to get him to look at her. He grudgingly looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. His mood both grated on Abby's nerves and made her feel sorry for him. She pushed aside her annoyed feelings and tried to put herself in his shoes. Facing a cancer diagnosis was something she had obviously never experienced and even as a doctor she couldn't really form a point of reference for the situation.
Abby stood up and sat down next to Lucien on the window seat. With a sigh he dropped his head to her shoulder as he had done many times in the previous week. Abby put her arm around him without a second thought. They watched as the rain beat against the windows and the sky grew darker.
"I have to work tomorrow. You think you'll be okay by yourself?" Abby asked as she pulled her arm out from around his shoulders.
"Yeah. I talked to a few neighbors today; they'll stop by and check on me."
"You could always call your little friend," Abby teased. "Wait, not a good idea, you're supposed to rest."
"Cute," Lucien snorted as he lifted his head up. "I have an appointment with the surgeon at 4:30; I'll just call a cab."
"Sounds good. I'm supposed to be off at 7:00 so if you want to hang out after your appointment, I'll bring you home."
"Okay."
"How about we eat an early dinner and watch a movie tonight. You can pick, just no alien movies," Abby said as she patted his shoulder one last time before standing up to help him to his feet.
"Guess that would be okay," Lucien muttered sounding entirely unenthusiastic about the idea in general. Abby didn't take it personally, she was sure he wasn't going to find any of her ideas exciting.
"Field of Dreams?" Abby whined. "A baseball movie?"
"It's not a 'baseball' movie," Lucien protested. "It's about dreams, magic and second chances."
"And baseball," Abby said with a resigned sigh as she settled down on the end of the couch. She'd already put on her pajamas even though it was only a little after 7:00 PM.
"Give it a chance, you'll like it," Lucien assured her as he gave her a nice little patronizing smile.
It turned out Abby did indeed like the movie. By the end when Ray and his father were playing catch out on the field she was sure Lucien would make fun of her for crying, but as she glanced over she saw he was a little misty too. She didn't say anything, figuring he would just blame it on the meds anyway.
Lucien went to get changed for bed while Abby cleared away the dishes from their snack. He shuffled into the kitchen to take his pills a few minutes later. Clearly not ready to settle down for the night, he paced around the kitchen for a few minutes, not sure what he wanted to do. Abby watched him for a minute but found it hard to keep quiet and not nag him about settling down. She went to brush her own teeth and to give him a little time and space for him to decide what he needed or wanted.
He didn't really want to get into bed yet but Lucien realized that pacing was just going to make him more uncomfortable in the long run. With two bottles of water and the bottle of plain Advil, he headed for the bedroom. Ten minutes later he'd taken care of all the personal things he didn't want Abby to have to deal with and he was trying to vain to get comfortable. He wanted to be able to do it himself as he was pretty sure the next night he would be on his own. Finally he gave in to the frustration and called out for Abby. She was there in a few seconds as she had been lurking in the hallway, waiting to see if he would ask for the help she was sure he needed.
"Need a hand?" she asked from the doorway.
"I don't know what the hell I need, but I can't get comfortable," Lucien admitted with a sigh.
"OK, you ready to sleep or do you want to read or something for a while?"
"How about the crossword puzzle?" Lucien suggested as he motioned towards the puzzle book on the night stand.
"Is that an offer to let me write while you supply all the answers," Abby teased.
"Something like that," he smirked back.
Abby got him settled with a few strategically placed pillows and his quilt. She grabbed the puzzle book and a pen and curled up next to him so he could read the clues. Lucien made it about halfway through the puzzle before the Percocet kicked in and he basically fell asleep mid sentence. Abby carefully pulled off his glasses and turned out the light on his side of the bed.
On a roll with the puzzle, Abby just moved over a little and continued to plug away at it. She stopped and glanced over in Lucien's direction whenever he moved a little or moaned in his sleep. A few times she reached out to pat his shoulder or run her fingers through his hair to settle him back down. When her progress on the puzzle came to a screeching halt, Abby tossed the book and pen aside.
Lucien was restless, tossing and turning a little in his sleep like he couldn't get comfortable. He rolled onto his back for a minute, only to roll back onto his side again. Even in sleep the look on his face showed how uncomfortable he was. Abby crawled out of bed and walked around to the other side to make sure there wasn't a problem with the catheter tubing. She glanced under the quilt and determined everything was in order.
"Sneaking a peek?" Lucien muttered, still half asleep. Abby jumped a little, falling backwards as she had been balanced on the balls of her feet. Lucien chuckled for second before pressing a hand to the incision site as he remembered just how painful laughing was. Abby got back up and knelt next to him, rubbing his back for a minute.
"You okay?" Abby asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucien assured her, for once sounding almost convincing.
"Good, then go back to sleep," Abby teased as she pulled the quilt back up and over him. She stood up, clearly planning on leaving the room so he could sleep. But as Abby caught his eye, she saw he wasn't thrilled with the idea of being left alone.
"Fine, I'll stay," she sighed in mock exasperation. She sat back on the bed resting against the headboard. Wordlessly, Lucien managed to maneuver his pillow onto her lap, curling up contentedly on his side. It just took a few minutes of Abby rubbing his back for him to settle back down and fall asleep.
After she was sure he was out for the foreseeable future, Abby carefully extracted herself and headed for the couch in the family room. She left the door open so she could hear him and the light on in the hallway. A quick check of the alarm on her cell phone and she was ready to sleep herself. She sent up a silent prayer for a peaceful night as she needed some sleep before returning to work.
TBC-probably another part or two to wrap this one up.