Lingering Pain

"Susan knows."

"Everyone's gonna know soon. People are gonna wonder why this happened. And people are probably gonna notice we're together, aren't they?"

"Not if you don't want them to. Listen, I messed up. And I'm so sorry."
"Luka. I told you. It wasn't your fault."

He dragged his fingers through the front strands of her dark brown, silky hair.

"Only a week until my cast comes off."

"You sure you'll be ready that fast? I mean, it might hurt still when the cast comes off. And your face will probably still hurt some too. Not to mention your ribs. How do your ribs feel now?"

"I'll be ready. I've been waiting long enough."

Luka smiled at Abby's small grin. He leaned down towards her face and their lips met. Abby's face scrunched up in pain.

"Cheek hurt?"

"Just a little bit. I can take it."

"Are you sure?" Abby let out a laugh.

"Would you stop asking me that!" She picked her head up off of the pillow and pulled Luka's face towards hers.

Jake erased another name off of the board. "When are we getting Carter back? We really need a few more doctors."

"I don't know. Quite frankly, I don't think he's what we need right now."
"Oh, Susan, you can't be serious! You honestly think she didn't do something to deserve it!"

"What do you think she did?"

"I don't know what she did, but it must've been something. The little bitch could've come up with anything. She deserved it, I'm sure."

"You know, you put on this big show like you're trying to prove to everyone that you hate her after what happened, but you know what I think? I don't think you hate her at all. I think you're still upset about losing her more than you're upset about what she did to you."

Jake tried to come up with something witty to respond with. "Oh, is that so? Well, I think you're wrong. And I also think we're down 2 doctors and flooded with patients and somebody should be working on them." Jake grabbed a chart and proceeded to exam 2 with a scowl across his face.

Susan looked into triage and scanned the rows upon rows of injured and aching people. She walked over to the desk phone and contemplated picking it up. Finally she grabbed the handle and punched in a few numbers.

Luka could hear his pager going off in his coat pocket out in the living room. He lifted his head and looked into Abby's eyes. He could tell she didn't want him to leave.

"One second." Luka swung his feet onto the floor and started walking towards the living room, but still threw one smiling glance towards Abby.

From the bedroom, Abby could hear Luka on the phone in her kitchen.

"I'm off today… No, I can't come in… Can't you find anyone else?... Come on, Susan, I worked all night… No, I--… Fine, fine. I'll be in in 20 minutes."

The phone slammed against the hook. Abby put her hands to her forehead and pressed on her face as she rubbed her fingers back and forth across her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry."

With her hands still covering her eyes, she responded. "No, it's ok. It's not your fault… I can come in later. I'll just grab a shower and a coffee and I can come in."

"No, I don't want you to do that. You shouldn't be working."

"I need to work. I've been sitting around here for over a month. I'm bored. You go ahead in now and I'll be in soon."

Luka knew he couldn't change her mind, so he let out a sigh and replied "Ok. See you then."

He walked over to the bed where Abby was still laying and kissed her, then smiled and turned around and, coat in hand, left the apartment.

Abby watched him walk away until the door was shut, then she sat up in her bed and walked towards the kitchen. She pulled open a drawer and slid a Ziploc bag out of a cardboard box. Then she took a step to the freezer, opened the door, reached in, and put a few ice cubes into her bag. Gently holding the bag to her face, she proceeded to the bathroom where she slipped out of the pajamas she didn't have time to change out of before Luka got home (because she was still asleep) and stepped into the practically empty bath tub, careful not to get her cast wet. Once the mirror was sufficiently steamed, the phone began to ring. Abby stood up out of the bath and grabbed the towel sitting nearby then started speed-walking towards the phone while still wrapping her towel around her torso. It only took a few steps across the tile floor with her dripping wet feet for her to slip and fall smack on her back.

After falling, Abby just lay there while the phone continued to ring. A few seconds later, a beep rang through the room and the voice followed.

"Abby? Are you there? Ok, so I either missed you or you're in the bath… anyway, I was thinking that after work we could go over to my place. So if you want to, and you need anything tonight, bring it with you when you come… unless you've already left in which case you'll be getting this message when you get home from my place… and I'm gonna stop wasting your answering machine tape now… I'll see you soon, I guess… I love you…"

Another beep was proof that the message was over. Abby still lay unable to move from her uncomfortable sprawl across the kitchen floor. Tears now subtly meshing with shower droplets on her face, she prayed that she could either get up when the pain subsided soon or that Luka would come home when he noticed she hadn't shown up at work yet. Either way, she was going to have to wait for some time, and while she waited all she could do was cry in pain.