Chapter 16: "Two Choices"
"No…they all died" Luka put his head back in his hands and Carter and Greene stared at each other in shock.
Carter and Greene didn't know what to say; they only realized now how little they actually knew about Luka Kovac. They had been sitting in the rain in silence for about 2 minutes when Luka got up, letting the coat fall off his shoulders,
"Where are you going?" Greene asked as he got up of the ground and picked up his coat; he had to jog slightly to catch up with Luka before he grabbed his arm to stop him,
"Back to work" Luka said as he turned around to face him, Mark let go of his arm and Luka walked back inside the hospital. Carter had walked over to Mark and was standing beside him,
"Mark, I need to talk to you" Greene looked at Carter and saw the seriousness on his face,
"Sure, let's get dried first" Mark said as they walked back inside the hospital letting the door close with a dull thud. Once they were inside Carter turned to Mark, and couldn't wait any longer knowing what the consequences would be,
"I think Luka is using" Carter said and Greene turned to face him with an even more shocked expression on his face than he had only a few minutes ago,
"Have you got any proof?"
"I saw what I think are track-marks on his arm" Carter told him and Greene took a deep breath,
"We'll have to talk to Kerry, but I think that we would need something more than that, they could be from anytime and anything" Greene and Carter then decided to meet Kerry in about 30 minutes were they would talk everything over and decide what was going to be done.
30 minutes Later
Luka was in exam 3 with Mrs. Simmons' treating her for bruises to her face and a sprained wrist. Her husband had been put in restraints in the trauma room and Luka was trying to get Carl DeRaad from Psychology to talk to him, get him help because Luka was almost certain that the husband was beating her; he had looked at her chart and had discovered injuries related to abuse but she once again said that she fell.
Luka was sitting in the empty exam room next door waiting for Carl to come when the door opened.
"Why are you holding Mr. Simmons? There is nothing wrong with him; it is his wife you are treating right?" Carl said as he walked over to Luka and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for an answer,
"I believe that he has something wrong with him, that he can't control his anger, that he is a danger to himself and other's" Carl started to shake his head, "Just go talk to him, and if I'm wrong then we can let him go" Luka said and he then followed Carl out of the exam room and into trauma 2.
The two men entered the room; Mr. Rodney Simmons was restrained on the gurney with his wife by his side, her arm in a sling, and there were 2 security guards,
"Look, the foreign doc, I think they should put you in these1" Rodney said while indicating to the restraints, Luka walked closer to the end of the gurney while Carl stayed by the door,
"Why, I'm the not the one hitting your wife" Luka said while walking further along the gurney,
"You think I hit her" Rodney said with a shocked tone in his voice. Carl was fed up with this and told the guards to remove the restraints,
"Your wife came to the hospital with fractured ribs here," Luka indicated to the area on his own ribs, "That didn't happen from falling from a ladder, or down the stairs," Luka was face to face with Rodney now, "You would have to have pushed her down and stomped on her chest…what a man" Luka said with his voice low. Mr. Simmons was fuming now, "Screw you!" he shouted before he pulled his fist back and punched Luka in the face, the impact sending him sprawling to the trauma room floor,
"See I told you he was a danger to others" Luka said as he got up off the ground and the security guards grabbed Mr. Simmons and put him back in the restraints. Unnoticed to Luka Kerry Weaver had entered the room,
"Is everything okay in here?" he asked Carl,
"Yes, one of your residents just wanted a consult," He looked at Luka who was wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and looking at the floor before looking up at Carl and Kerry,
"I should go" Luka said while walking past Carl and Kerry,
"Actually, I need to talk to you" Kerry said and Luka followed him to the hall outside,
"Yeah?" Luka said wondering what this was all about,
"Not here, let's go in here" Kerry said as she walked over to exam 4, her hand on Luka's lower back. Luka opened the door and saw Mark Greene, Peter Benton, John Carter and Donald Anspaugh standing inside the room, he turned to walk out but Kerry had shut the door and was standing in front of it,
"What is this?" Luka said as he crossed his arms over his chest,
"We're all concerned about you" Anspaugh said and Luka started to shake his head slightly, "Well, I'm fine thanks" He said as he turned to open the door before Benton shut it,
"We've seen some changes in you lately," Mark said and continued at the confused look Luka gave him, "One moment you are depressed and the next your elated"
"Show us your arms" Kerry said with a firm tone but not shouting,
"What? Why do you need to see my arms?" Luka said, knowing exactly why,
"Luka, we have noticed some changes in you lately…becoming more distant and today you evoked a patient until they punch you" Kerry said and her eyes unconsciously drifted to the cut on his lip,
"So I can't have a bad day?" Luka said knowing he was fighting a losing battle, but not giving up,
"You need help" Kerry said as she placed her hand on Luka's arm, "We're your friends, we'll help you in any way that we can, there is a rehab clinic in Atlanta that is for doctors", Luka shook his head and took of his stethoscope and threw it on the bed before he opened the door,
"And if I don't go what, I'm fired?",
"It doesn't have to come to that" John Carter spoke for the first time, Luka just shook is head and was about to leave when Benton spoke,
"So what you're just gonna throw your life away?" Luka just walked out the door.
What will happen, will Benton go after him, Tune in next time to find out : )
