Disclaimer : I own nothing, guys at WB and NBC do. I just borrow to have fun…

"Damn flowers!" Luka took the card and read it for the tenth time. He turned as he heard the door open. Abby walked in, looking around. She froze as she saw him. He quickly put the little card in his pocket, hoping she hadn't seen him take it.

"Hey!" Well he certainly wasn't the person she had expected to find here.

"Hey..." Luka pushed his hand deeper in his pocket. Could she see the card from where she stood? He looked down and decided it was unlikely.

"Nasty shooting this morning." She observed him completely entranced by the contemplation of lab coat. Was it his way of telling her he didn't want to talk to her? He had been behaving quite strangely since last night. She was about to give up, when he suddenly answered.

"Yeah. I'm happy we pulled them through."

"Yeah..." Good at least it had been a complete sentence. Was he mad at her for some reason?

"Nice flowers." Luka pointed at the twelve roses

"Yeah. Vic went a little over the edge with them, I'm afraid." She quickly checked the bouquet. Good! The card wasn't there anymore. With a little luck Luka hadn't seen it. He looked at her, wondering when she had started calling Clemente Vic. Maybe during dinner, or dancing, or else. He shook his head, as to get rid of the thought. He didn't want to go there. She would never have invited him in. No, not Abby. That was ridiculous. The silence between them was becoming uneasy. He needed to say something, anything...

"So you enjoyed your evening, that's good." What? Where had that come from? That had to be the most stupid thing, he had ever said. It sounded almost as if he wanted to encourage her. Yeah great! He made a mental note to buy beer before going home. He probably would need another six-pack tonight .

"Yeah, it was fun. I'm just hoping that he doesn't read more into it than there is." She wasn't too happy that Frank, Chuny and Haleh had apparently decided that Clemente and her were the new, hot couple around. But if Clemente started to think he had a go, her life here could quickly turn into a nightmare.

"Oh, I thought you liked your date."

"That wasn't a date. I mean, that's not the way it was supposed to be. He felt lonely and made me feel bad about it. So I accepted to join him for dinner. He is a nice guy, but..." She just shook her head. Apparently the little episode with Dubenko hadn't been lesson enough. She absolutely needed to steel herself. Reaching out to her male peers had only put her in uncomfortable situations.

"Oh! I think he might be disappointed." He tried to suppress the smile that formed naturally on his lips.

"Really? I don't think so. Did he say something to you?" She looked at Luka genuinely surprised. Abby wondered if his strange behavior was the result of something Clemente had said.

"No, I just know I would be disappointed if I were him."

"You mean I should let him down gently? Maybe accept another date?" Puzzled, she wondered what his last sentence had meant. Was he concerned for Clemente? It seemed hard to believe as they weren't exactly on friendly terms.

"No, of course not. You have to be honest with him. You wouldn't want him to have false hopes, if you don't feel that way. Honesty always works best." He could have slapped himself. If he was going on like that, she probably would give Clemente another chance. Communication wasn't his strength but lately he seemed to get everything wrong with Abby.

"Yeah, it does." She couldn't help remembering their conversation. He had been honest enough about his feelings. She sighed and waited for him to say something more.

"So was 'La Bohême' any good?"

"Yeah, it's a great place. Perfect for a date. The lightening was very... intimate." Abby made a face which brought a smile on Luka's face.

"Maybe a little too intimate?"

"A little. I could barely see what I was eating. But the pianist was very good."

"A pianist? Wow! So do you have a song with Clemente now?" He smiled at his little jest, suddenly feeling far more at ease.

"Very funny! Well I don't know, let me think..." She pretended to think for a second. "What about 'Songe d'Automne'?"

"I don't know that song..."

"That's the last song they played when the Titanic sunk."

"Oh!" He hardly could keep his face straight. "Then it's appropriate, the perfect song." He started laughing.

"Well I need to find Clemente before he announces our engagement all over the hospital."

"Yeah do that. See you later." He winked at her as she left. Well maybe he didn't need another six-pack tonight. He took the card out of his pocket. With satisfaction he tore it apart. Okay, now the situation with the other doctor was clear. He simply had to make sure that no one would step in. As he walked to the door, he pondered his options. Taking it slow had proved dangerous. He needed to be more aggressive. He just needed a good opportunity.

"What happened? Spit it out!" Chuny hadn't even reached Admit, that Haleh was already questioning her.

"I didn't hear everything, but she sure looked happier when she went out." The young nurse smiled. "And just look at Luka. I haven't seen him smile like that in a very long time. I guess he was happy with what she told him."

"Yeah, but what did you hear? Come on!" Haleh was getting impatient. She knew she should gone herself. Chuny was far too cool and less used to those situations that she was. With a little smile, she remembered all the times she had sneaked on Doug and Carol. Those were times.

"Well she told him that it hadn't been a date-date. He advised her not to go out with him again and then they joked about a song, which was played on the Titanic. Not sure I got that one right." She couldn't help laughing as she recalled the little exchange. They had sounded very playful at the end.

"Good, very good!" Frank nodded with satisfaction. As he slightly turned his head, he caught Luka coming their way. "Dr Kovac, Dr Clemente is in Exam 4 if you're still looking for him."

"Thanks Frank, but I won't need him afterall. The situation is under control now." Still smiling, he took a chart and went whistling to Exam 1.

"Damn, I shouldn't have listened to you." Frank gazed disbelievingly at the closed door. "We just missed a major confrontation between those two. Now Kovac is all happy and shiny and doesn't want to tear Clemente apart."

"Do you actually remember that Victor is on our side in this story?" Haleh chastised him. "How you could you possibly want Luka to beat him up?"

"Yeah whatever... So what now?" The older man wondered. "Are we back at observing things between them?"

"I guess so, but I don't think we'll have long to wait." As Haleh finished her sentence, Neela walked to Admit.

"Anything else for me?" Neela wondered. "I'm finished with the woman with an infected ear, the little boy with the measles and the guy would needed suturing after opening a beer can with his head. How he ever got that idea is beyond me."

"No, I'm afraid not. It's pretty quiet. Ray is with an old lady who fainted at the Jumbo Market, Clemente is with the broken wrist and Kovac has the pleasure to deal with a puking 5 year-old."

"Yeah well, then I have time to get rid of some paperwork. I don't want to go home too late. Michael and I are going to the movies."

"Nice." Haleh looked at the petite doctor and tried her luck. "Have you heard the latest rumors about ER?" Neela smiled, she had wondered how long it would take for one of the staff to ask around.

"You mean the one about Inez and Ray or the one about Abby and Luka?" She looked at them as innocently as she could.

"There is a rumor about Abby and Luka? When did that one start?" Chuny came closer.

"You should know, you started it!" Neela crossed her arms as her eyes moved to the three people present. Frank quickly retreated, leaving both nurses with the petite doctor.

"What me? You have to be kidding me, I'd..." The young nurse feigned ignorance.

"Look, I'm neither stupid nor deaf. Do you think I haven't noticed all your plotting and spying around here?"

"We have never said that it was Luka and Abby..." Haleh countered.

"Yeah but the timing was perfect..."

"The timing?" Interest lit in Haleh's eyes.

"Yeah, the rumor started 2 days after..."

"Abby told you? You knew all along..." Both nurses closed the distance with Neela. Second-hand knowledge was more than welcome.

"It just slipped out, she didn't mean to say it." Neela could have slapped herself for blurting that information out. "And I wasn't sure at the time."

"Do you have details?" Chuny whispered the last sentence

"Chuny, even if I had details, I wouldn't share them. They're private. Abby is my friend, what she told me is not for general knowledge. I already told you far too much. So forget it."

"What should Chuny forget? Is this a little girls'club?" Funnily shaking his head in amusement, Morris had surprised them by his sudden appearance.

"Nothing!" They shouted out at the same time.

"Hey, I want to know." The smile disappeared from his face. "Why am I always the last one to know things around here?"

"Maybe because you are slow?" Neela rolled her eyes and took several charts, ready to flee Admit.

"I'm not slow! Hey I'm not slow." He stressed the last word as he saw the nurses disbelieving looks. As he turned around, he realized that Neela was already near Trauma 1." Neela? Where are you going? Was it about me? You can tell me! I can take it! Hey wait!"

"So now we have at least certainties. It happened." Chuny happily stated.

"Who doubted it? After what happened yesterday and today, it was pretty obvious, that this wasn't about friendship." Haleh winked at her friend and walked to the waiting room.