Dirty Little Secret

Everyone assumed everything was fine. Carter would walk into work each day holding Abby's hand, and her smile seemed real. But no one ever noticed her fast glances towards Luka and his glares back at her. Carter certainly didn't notice. After 3 months of what seemed like pure glee, the couple walked in through the automatic doors holding hands, as always. They were on their way into the lounge, like every day, when Luka called out to Abby.

"Abby I need your help. Can you come to Curtain 2?"

A slight smile escaped through her lips, but she covered it quickly. "I'll be right there!" she answered and headed towards Luka. Carter took her snowy jacket, hat, and scarf set into the lounge for her with only happiness running through his mind.

Susan ran her finger down the admit board searching for her patient. No one was around, so, for an instant, there was silence. From behind the curtain, she could hear Luka quietly yelling at whoever was in the closed curtain with him. She stepped a little closer to hear what he was saying.

"I told you you have to stop this!"

Then the voice that was too quite for Susan to recognize only replied with "Luka!"

"I don't want this to be a secret! I'm sick of hiding it, ok?"

"Luka, let go! I told you I'll tell him!"

"When?"

"It's hard--"

"Why? Do you love him? What are you doing, Abby!"

Susan was shocked and hurried back into the admit area to make sure no one knew she was listening. The curtain opened and Abby walked out holding her forearm and doing a good job of covering up the tears welling up in her eyes. Susan played along in her game and just let her walk away.

A few hours later, Susan saw Carter call to Abby who was down the hall a little way. She turned around and put on her good impression of a smile, the one she had been wearing a lot recently when talking to Carter. Susan flashed a little grin then looked behind Abby in the hallway. She saw Luka standing as if waiting to continue his conversation with Abby. He wasn't mad now, he was quite the opposite. He appeared as if he couldn't be happier. Something was up, Susan knew it.

Abby spun around, told Luka good night, then headed down the hallway towards Carter. He had her jacket, hat, and scarf in hand and was ready to leave. She dressed up in her winter assortment then took Carter's hand and left the hospital. A step before the doors could close behind her, she dashed her head around and sent a guilty look towards Luka, then continued on her way with Carter.

Susan walked into the restroom the next day and found Abby standing in front of the mirror applying her make up.

"Make up at work? That's a new one!"

"Not now, Susan, please!"

Susan was stunned and jolted her head towards Abby only to notice her panicked expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Abby stopped applying her make up and pretended to do something else, but Susan wouldn't leave.

"Abby, what's up?"

Abby let out a fake sigh of laughter and repeated "No really, it's nothing big." She continued putting on her foundation. Susan looked over and let out a similar laugh.

"Ha! Nice hickey! Good job, Carter!"

Abby's fake smile almost dropped, but she caught herself before it was too late. "Ha! Yeah!"

Abby put her make up back into her lab coat pocket and left the bathroom in a second. Susan watched her back leave so quickly and could only wonder, again, what was going on?

When she left the restroom, she could hear Luka and Abby talking down the hallway.

"You need to tell him today. This is going to be hard to hide for a long time."

"But today? I mean, Luka --"

"Today!"'

Abby sighed and walked away where she saw Susan quickly turning around to hide that she had been listening.

"What are you doing?"

"Just coming out of the bathroom, why?"

"Were you listening to us!"

"No, why? Is there some kind of SECRET between you two?"

She said it with such an angry tone that Abby knew Susan knew something was up. Abby was hesitant to answer, but after grinding her teeth for a few seconds, replied "Not for long. It'll be resolved soon." She stormed past Susan down the hallway, pissed that Susan had the nerve to listen in on her conversations. Susan grabbed her arm as she passed.

"Abby that's not from Carter is it?"

"Let go of my arm!"

"And he doesn't know, does he?"

Abby didn't respond.

"Abby, what's going on! Why do you have to keep some dirty secret! Why can't you tell someone? Carter? Or me!"

"You have no idea if I have a "dirty secret" and if I did, I wouldn't tell anyone! Hence the word SECRET!"

She dashed off again, and when she got to admit she yelled towards Frank that she was taking her break. She stepped into the lounge and, a few seconds later, walked out again with Carter.

They were only gone for about 15 minutes, but she said all she needed to for Carter to get the picture. Carter came back into work, but Abby wasn't with him. Luka looked over at the door opening and could tell by how mad Carter was that Abby told him. He was kind of happy. In his pocket, his cell phone started ringing. He took it out and read the name across the screen. "Abby."

"Hello?"

Her voice was shallow as if her mouth wasn't moving much, but he could still faintly hear her words. "Luka?"

"Yeah? Abby? What do you need? Where are you?"

"Doc Magoo's"

"What do you need?"

She hung up. Luka walked across the snowy street to the little café. He went inside, but she wasn't at any table or the bar. He walked up to the counter and asked the lady if she had seen a short girl, long, brown hair, and a tall man, short brown come in here. She said she had, but they had left about 10 minutes ago, and he had seemed pretty mad. He ran out of the front doors and around the restaurant before finding Abby laying in the snow in the back.