Luka was waiting in the ambulance bay when Abby hurried toward the E.R. to report for work on Friday. He tossed her a gown.

"Carbon monoxide poisoning," he said. "Seven family members. ETA is less than a minute." Abby nodded, removed her jacket and pulled the gown over her scrubs. Their eyes met for a brief second as Chuny fastened the gown and shoved Abby's jacket under the gurney. A hint of a smile crossed Luka's face just for her. Then an ambulance careened into the bay, followed by a second one.

"What's the story?" Luka called over the sirens as the ambulance doors plunged open.

"It's a bad one. A kerosene heater caught a family at the dinner table. We have one DOA. Six others on 100 oxygen push." the paramedic said as the crew pulled out two stretchers from the back of each ambulance. The E.R. team kicked into gear as each patient was transferred to a waiting gurney and pushed to an expectant exam room.

Abby did a rapid visual exam of her patient. She was elderly, Asian, approximately 120 pounds and breathing hard and fast with the oxygen mask. Her hands were clutching the worn house dress over her chest.

"'Hurts..." she was muttering as she tossed from side to side.

"Ma'am, do you know where you are?" Abby asked as she used her stethoscope. Sam looked up and gave her a blood pressure reading. She began to hook the heart monitor to the woman and the rapid beeping of the machine filled the room.

"Hurts..." the woman moaned again.

"What's your name?" Sam asked her gently. The woman's eyes opened and she looked from Sam to Abby.

"Lily..." she gasped.

"Lily, I know that your chest hurts and we're going to find out why," Abby said quietly as she leaned close to the woman. "You need to be calm and breathe as slowly and as deeply as you can through the mask. Can you do that for me please?" Lily nodded slowly. She grabbed at Sam's hand.

"Family?" she asked.

"They're being taken care of ," Sam said and pointed into the next exam room where Neela and Chuny were working on a little girl. "See? You are lucky they brought you to County. We're the best at this sort of thing." The woman nodded and relaxed. She closed her eyes and began to breathe slowly and deeply. The heart monitor's beeps slowed as well. Abby grinned at Sam and gave her a thumbs up sign.

Ray and Morris were not so lucky. There were just four surviving family members to transfer to medical beds. Nearly half of the family was wiped out by simple carbon monoxide poisoning. The loss of so many lives so quickly put a pallor on the departing shift as they left for the day. The rest of the evening was busy with the usual Friday night patient traffic. Abby wasn't aware that Luka was still there until she found him sleeping on the couch in the lounge.

She knelt next to him and smiled. Who was watching who for a change? She leaned over and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. Luka's dark eyes flew open. He saw her and smiled. His arm snaked around her waist and he brought her closer for another kiss.

"I've missed you," she said quietly when they separated. He nodded and turned on his side to face her. Abby glanced down at his long legs curled to fit on the vinyl covered sofa.

"Your bed at home is not comfortable enough?" she asked. Luka shrugged.

"I wanted to talk to you before I left," he said quietly.

"Well, I'm here," she said. "So...talk." Luka looked at her a second and chuckled. He sat up on the couch and gently pulled her next to him. He laced the fingers of one hand with her's and sighed. Abby watched his face expectantly.

"Well?" she said. Luka took a deep breath.

"I have asked Kerry for some time off," he said. "I need to go to Montreal with Gillian for a while." Abby's brown eyes widened a bit.

"Because?" she asked slowly.

"I can't say," Luka said. Abby pulled her hand from his slowly and stood up.

"Fine," she said and headed toward the door. "Does Kerry know the reason?" He shook his head.

"Abby," he pleaded as he stood up and caught her. He turned her around and smiled softly as he toyed with the strand of hair that had escaped her pony tail. She looked up at him.

"Soon I will be able to tell you," he said and put his hands on her shoulders. "Right now, I can't. But it's important."

"Of course!" she said as a fire began to burn in her eyes. "Go right a head and prance off to Montreal with your old...paramour! Who am I to stop you? I don't need any explanations. I never have." She pulled away from him.

"Send me a postcard this time," she added darkly. "Did I just say paramour? Geez..." Luka sighed heavily as the door closed behind her. What was he going to do?

Abby was looking at the information on the board and ignored Luka as he headed out the ambulance bay doors into he night. Sam eyed Abby's angry face and Luka's retreating form as she picked up the ringing telephone..

"Uh oh...trouble in paradise?" Frank asked.

"Shut up, Frank," Abby said sharply. She jerked a chart from the stand and headed toward the waiting area.