Laurentis shifted to his side on the exam table and pulled his knees to his chest as he'd been instructed. He felt the hospital gown moved aside and a warm blanket placed over his legs and lower hip. He tried to still the panic in his chest as he listened to the exchange of English words around him. It was a bit bewildering.
"Halo, Tata," she said gently as she moved a stool to the spot in front of him and sat down. Laurentis glanced up into Abby's warm brown eyes as she picked up his hand and he squeezed her's gratefully.
"Luka is stuck with a patient," she said. He nodded and flinched as he felt the prick of a needle in his hip.
"How do you like this exam table, Tata?" she asked. "It goes up and down. Did Luka ever tell you the story about the baby I helped deliver on one of these?" Laurentis shook his head. Abby glanced over his head at the doctor working to retrieve a marrow sample from her father in law's pelvic bone and then back at Laurentis' face.
"Well," she said brightly. "It happened when I was still a nurse but I was working in the ER. We had a pregnant patient whose water broke and shorted out this….pedal….that raises the table. It kept going up and up!" Laurentis kept his eyes on his daughter in law and couldn't help smiling. He couldn't keep up with half of what she was saying. He would have to ask Luka about the story later. But he loved her so much for telling it to him…for being there with him. He grimaced at the sudden sharp discomfort of the biopsy needle. Abby frowned as she squeezed his hand tighter and kept on with her story until the procedure was finished.
She waited until he was dressed again and they walked down to the ER together. He nixed the idea of waiting in Luka's office and chose to sit in a chair in the admit area. He enjoyed watching the people there. He exchanged smiles and nods with their co-workers he'd met on earlier visits and with the patients who were waiting for care. His son was in charge here. His eldest son was the ER Chief. Laurentis shook his head. There was a time when Luka actually slept with his soccer ball and was constantly being chastised in school for being a prankster. Who would have thought that he would end up here? Laurentis smiled to himself as he was lost in remembering when his sons were small. He looked up as Luka approached. He eased himself carefully up from the chair and stood tall.
"Are you ready to go home now, Tata?" Luka asked. Laurentis thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"I think I would like to walk with you a bit," he said. "Do you have a park nearby?" Luka nodded and they headed out of the ambulance bay doors. He hailed a cab at the sidewalk and the two of them headed for Grant Park.
Luka paid the cab driver and turned to his father. Laurentis had already started down the sidewalk toward the massive Buckingham Fountain. Luka watched him limp gingerly for a long moment and then sauntered down the path to catch up to him. Laurentis stopped in front of the fountain and looked up to study it.
"I've never tried sculpting in granite," he said when Luka stood beside him. The familiar Croatian words spilled out. "I never thought I could capture the heart of something in stone. But now, I wonder…" Luka looked up at the still fountain and was silent.
"This is a beautiful city, Luka," Laurentis said finally. "I can see why you love it. You would miss it if you left."
"I miss Croatia too, Tata," Luka replied. "My family is there." Laurentis nodded.
"You have a good life here though. Your mother was right to tell you to come. I can see that now."
"You've been angry at me….all these years?"
"Not angry," Laurentis shook his head. "Maybe….disappointed. I knew how much she loved you. I thought having you near would have made her happier. But, she was happy knowing that you were forging a new life for yourself. That gave her peace." He turned to look at his eldest son.
"I should have come sooner," he said. "I'm sorry." Luka smiled.
"I'm glad that you're here now." Laurentis nodded and clasped his gloved hands behind his back and looked up at the gray sky.
"Seeing you and your beautiful Abby together…." Laurentis sighed. "I miss her a great deal, Luka. I never got to share this success with her. I never got to buy her nice things with the money that I have now."
"Mati didn't want for a single thing," Luka insisted. "We always had enough." Laurentis shook his head.
"You boys never knew how much we struggled to keep food on the table and clothes on your backs," he scoffed. "But what child ever does?"
"We were happy, " Luka shrugged. "And proud of you. We still are." Laurentis smiled softly and turned toward the Lake Michigan shoreline.
"This….is what you exchanged the Adriatic Sea for?" he chuckled in disbelief. Luka laughed and shook his head.