Chapter Nine

Luka's plane was landing in an hour and she was still trying to escape the bathroom. The wonders of pregnancy. It didn't matter that it was nearing midnight; morning sickness was having its way with her. Finally the nausea subsided. She had to leave for the airport soon...

He was home finally home. The plane ride had been impossibly long and tiring. Even in a business class seat, he felt claustrophobic. It was 1:17 am. Luka was ready for a shower and his bed. He and Abby had agreed that he would take a cab home, so it was nothing short of a surprise to find her waiting for him at baggage claim.

She looked amazing, even at such a late hour. She smiled at him and he smiled back tiredly. He found his bag and walked over to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"Welcome back. Can I take a bag for you?" He shook his head.

"I can manage, there are only two." They walked silently for a little bit before Abby spoke again, answering his unvoiced question.

"I know we agreed I wasn't going to pick you up, but I had the night shift. I slept all day and figured I might as well." She was lying, but he didn't need to know that. She'd taken the day off so she could spend some time with him, tell him her news.

The sweltering humidity of a Chicago summer hit them as they left the air conditioned airport. The temperatures stayed high, even at night, so it was a relief to climb back in the car. The ride home was full of tales from the Congo. As he told her of the horrors and the miracles he'd witnessed, she could sense how much they had affected him. She filled him in on news from County. Not much really. Eventually they reached his apartment. She turned the car off.

"Well, here you are." She looked over at him, not sure what to say next. He helped her out.

"Listen, I know it's late, but would you like to come up for some coffee?"

"You mean Turkish mud? No thanks." His face fell a little. "But I'd love some tea." She felt her heart melt as he smiled. They were soon laughing at one of Luka's stories.

"So he sat there in the mud, watching the ball fly to the other end of the field." He loved listening to her laugh.

"That's typical Carter for you. So he's staying over there?" Luka nodded.

"He met a woman there, Kem. They hooked up a few weeks ago. She's starting an AIDS program over there and he's helping her out financially."

"Who would've thought? Carter falling in love with Africa and in Africa." She shook her head. "Amazing." She looked down at her hands, nervously twiddling her thumbs. How in the world was she going to do this?

"It's almost three; I should let you go home." He stood up, and then offered her a hand and helped her up. They stayed there for a moment, her hands on his chest. She looked up and their eyes met.

"Luka." As she spoke his name, he leaned down, capturing her lips with his ever so softly. His hands took hold of her hips, bringing her even closer to him. Eventually she pulled back, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

She stood there, just enjoying the feel of his arms around her. God, it was good to have him home again. Something was still off; she needed to fix it… now. Abby sighed, leaning back to look up at him.

"This 'friends' thing is getting very old, very fast. I want you back in my life as more than just a friend, Luka." He chuckled.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that, but… are you ready for that yet?" He asked, rubbing her arm. She was touched by his concern.

"I think I can handle a relationship again, and besides that- I've really missed you."

"You're sure?" She laughed.

"I'm beginning to doubt you want me back at all. Did you find someone in Africa like Carter did?" She teased. He growled playfully then kissed her.

"You're the only one for me, Abby." She reached up to brush a dark lock of hair out of his eyes.

"You don't have to worry about me, Luka. Alcohol doesn't have much of a hold on me these days." She dropped her hand, almost shyly. "You know, the whole 'don't drink while you're pregnant' thing." He almost couldn't believe his ears; then he remembered his dream.

"Pregnant." He clarified. She nodded.

"Yeah." He blinked slowly, letting the words sink in. He wanted so much to kiss her and celebrate, but he didn't know how Abby felt. He took her hands in his own.

"Do you want to…?"

"Keep it?" She finished for him. "Yes. I do. I wasn't sure… at first. You know, scarring childhood memories… with Maggie. And then the way things were with Richard." She shook her head as if to chase away bad memories. "But I realize that things would be different this time around- because I'm with you. I want to have this baby with you, Luka. I want to do this." She stared down at their hands, ending her impassioned speech with a whispered fear. "I just hope I'll do this child right."

"You'll be a great mom, Abby." He said, confidently. "I know you will." He wrapped her in his arms again, kissing her temple. "We can do this… together."

Some time after they'd gone to bed, Abby was still wide awake. The insomnia and morning sickness were apart of the same deal. Mercifully, the latter was kept at bay for the moment. She had no way to escape even if she needed to. Luka's arms were wrapped around her much the same way they were earlier; with one small exception. One large hand was splayed across her abdomen, over their baby. A small smile found its way to her lips.

The whole thing felt so… surreal. Up until she'd said it, Abby hadn't a clue what she was going do about the baby- or what she was going to say to Luka. Afterwards though, she knew that's what she wanted. A baby with him. As for being together again- the words had simply fallen out of her mouth, almost without her help. She snuggled closer to him, content. This is what I want.

A/N: Yay!! They're back together! This one of my favorite chapter, I hope you like it as much as I do. One more thing, I made a small change to Susan and Abby's conversation on the El in the previous chapter. I had to check my dates with Abby's pregnancy. Just for clarification- she's about three months pregnant by the time Luka comes back. :

Just want to say thanks to my reviewers: MauraFan228, LubyForeverx711, Strizzy, and x-xTwisted Nightmarex-x. And, as always, thanks to Jenny and Ella for all their fantastic help.