I wrote this as a one shot for a fan fiction challenge at at a site called 'The Dance We Do'. Given the snippets of information we have been given about Abby's childhood, her mother Maggie, and now her father Eddie, I am curious about the kind of life they had in the beginning. I felt this was a good jumping off spot for that story. Hopefully in writing this, I will be able to answer my own questions…and give you something to enjoy reading. As always…..I do not own the characters of 'ER'…some other lucky ducks do. I just borrow them on occasion.
The Pavilion
Maggie Wyczenski grinned and adjusted the neck of the tiny red tee shirt and nuzzled the sweet folds of skin on her grandson's neck. Joe giggled and tried to shake her head away as he stood in her lap. Maggie kissed the end of his upturned nose and turned him around so he could see the baseball field in front of them.
"See Daddy out there?" she said. Joe bounced on her knees and crowed.
"Yeah…" she laughed as Luka missed a baseball that bounced up from the ground in front of him. He scrambled after it and tossed it to the dismayed first baseman as a runner crossed home plate. "That's him. First time I saw him on this field he had no clue what he was doing. I don't think that has changed too much."
She smiled and sighed as she remembered that night…what? Five or six years ago? She and Abby had had a horrendous conversation that night. A healing conversation. And then they had come to the softball game. Luka had been delighted to see them….or Abby at least. She paused in her thoughts to hug the baby to her for a long moment and then sat him on her knees. Her eyes swept the baseball field and rested on her daughter. Abby had her glove on her hand and was leaning forward at second base anticipating the hit from the next batter. She had a determined set to her lips and was oblivious to the lecherous grin from Luka as he surveyed her blue jeaned clad behind in his position as short stop. Maggie shook her head and rolled her eyes. They were so happy and had been through so much. It was good to see them this way. So very good. And they looked good. The whole ER team did. They were decked out in jeans and red tee shirts with a huge ER emblazoned on the front. Joe's shirt matched. He even had his name on the back…just as they all did. And it was a good thing they did. She still remembered some of the faces from her last visit, but not all the names. 'Archie' was on third base watching over the field as it's 'unofficial' captain. 'Tony' stood guard at first base. 'Dr. Pratt' was pitching to the catcher, 'Hope'. 'Malik' was positioned behind Luka in center field tonight and Ray was a little too close to him in left field. She chuckled a little as she realized they were both backing up their occasionally inept short stop. Chuny, Sam and a couple of others she didn't recognize filled out the field. And the bleachers seemed to be crowded this evening with other faces that she recognized. They were all watching the field intently. This game against the surgical team, in scrub tops for their uniform, seemed to be an important one. Maggie shook her head. It was just a game…..
"Luka…." Morris scolded as they all moved in from the field after the third strike out. "We gotta move you from that position, man. You're a little…um… distracted?" Luka's face fell and then he grinned sheepishly as he pulled the mitt from his hand and found a place on the bench to sit. Morris scowled as Abby tossed her glove to Luka and picked up a bat from the back stop fence. She caught Morris' scowl and shrugged.
"What?!" she cried as she noticed his face and took a swing with the bat. Morris glanced back at Luka and shook his head again. Abby advanced to the plate and stopped just short of the batter's box. She took another practice swing and then stepped into the box. She scuffed her feet in the dirt, settled the bat at her shoulder and leaned forward. Her eyes trailed across the dirt to the pitcher's mound and her eyes drilled into Crenshaw's. He smirked and slapped the ball into his mitt as he readied his pitch.
"Nice going, Abby," came a soft British accent from behind the catcher's mask. "You've got him plenty scared." Abby didn't crack a smile and waited for the pitch. Too high. She let it go and then settled back into her stance. The next two were outside. And the fourth was too low and bounced into Neela's hands. Abby dropped her bat in disbelief as she glared at the little weasel on the pitcher's mound. He was smiling in satisfaction. He walked her! An intentional walk! She turned and threw her bat back to the on deck circle and loped to first base. Lucien Dubenko tipped his head and smiled as she settled her heel on the bag at first base.
"It's okay, Abby," Haleh reassured her from the first base coach's box. "Gates will get you in." Abby nodded as she watched Chuny approach the batter's box. Abby shook her head as Crenshaw intentionally walked his second batter. Was he really so stupid? He was setting up loaded bases with Gates coming up fourth. She shook her head as she and Chuny met glances from first and second base. She heard Crenshaw's cackling chuckle as Luka approached the batter's box. She heard Maggie admonishing him not to stand too close to the plate from the bleachers. She shook her head. What was it with these people? He knew what he was doing. He'd played every summer for the ER. She winced as he swung at the a little too low first pitch. Strike. Poor guy. With his long torso the strike zone was fairly easy to pitch to. Not like her's. He stepped out of the batter's box and grinned good naturedly as he took a practice swing. He jokingly did the Babe Ruth stance and pointed way out to the center field. She chuckled and shook her head again as she settled her heel on the second base bag and prepared to run.
Luka sighed and smiled as he positioned the bat on his shoulder. Softball. It never ceased to frustrate him. All that 'wait time' on the field with nothing happening. Why couldn't they be playing a more interesting game…like soccer? Now there was a ball easier to deal with. If he had anything to do with it, Joe was going to be a soccer player. Going to be? He already had a tiny soccer ball in his toy basket at home. But then he also had a tiny American football…..and a baseball mitt…..and a plastic remote control that made sounds when you pushed the buttons. Damn. Why did Abby have to be on second base? She was right in his line of sight. That tee shirt pulled at her hips and was stretched a tiny bit snug over her chest. Morris was right. He was…um….distracted tonight.
Maggie was grinning as she watched the game. She jostled Joe in her lap again and then something in her throat caught as her eyes swept through the bleachers. She should have been prepared. Abby had told her he might be coming. He was leaning against the rail at the end of the bleachers watching the game. A bit of a smile tugged at his lips as his eyes rested on his daughter at second base. His eyes shifted to the bleachers as if he had felt her watching him. Their eyes met. He was startled. Maggie gazed at him with an unwavering stare. Jim….Jed….Eddie…..whatever he called himself these days…hesitated and then tipped his head a little in recognition. Maggie smiled and lifted her hand with Joe's fingers wrapped around her's in a slight wave. Eddie sighed and then turned his head back to the game.
My god but she was gorgeous. Still. Tiny. Compact and beautiful. Abby had said she was managing things nicely. Taking medications for her disease. His life most recently had been filled with so much regret. But never as much as he was dealing with now.
Suddenly there was a crack. Not from the bat, but from the skies. A drenching, early summer rain began to pour and there were yelps as players raced in from the field to gather up equipment. Luka still stood on the field watching them with dismay. Where were they going? Wimps. If this had of been soccer the game would have gone on. Sheesh.
"Luka!" Abby hollered as rain pelted her head. "The pavilion!" Luka nodded and followed his team mates to the bleachers.
Eddie took the bleacher benches two at a time when the rain began to fall. His hand touched Maggie's as he took the umbrella she struggled with and opened it for her. Their eyes met and he smiled slightly. She responded in kind as he bent his head to press a kiss to the top of Joe's red baseball cap.
They were among the last to step under the picnic pavilion not far from the baseball field. Ray was working at the gas grill and the smell of charring burgers and hot dogs swirled all around them. Neela handed him an open beer can and he grinned as he handed her a cook's apron. Neela grimaced and slipped it over her head and took a pair of tongs from him.
People were laughing as they set out dishes of salads and vegetables and opened bags of corn chips and potato chips. Abby took Joe from her mother and turned his baseball cap backwards so she could kiss his cheeks. Maggie set about arranging the various kinds of buns and rolls on the table and wordlessly Eddie joined her and opened ketchup bottles and mustard containers. Beer and soda cans opened with hissing pops as Abby wove her way through the picnic tables and laughing co-workers to Luka's side. He grinned and pressed a kiss to his son's head and then to her lips. His fingers caressed her cheek for a short, very private, moment as they shared a fleeting remembrance of where they had been only a year ago. He looked back at the crowd under the pavilion. The rain continued to pour over the pavilion but it didn't dampen the spirits of the people in front of him. The ER team, the team from surgery, Raab, Coburn, Jerry, Maggie…..they were all there. Only one face was missing and she had called that morning from a Florida beach. It was a very special gathering.
The talking tapered off as Gates interrupted them with a shrill whistle. Luka waved in thanks and then cleared his throat.
"As you know this has been a very tumultuous year for our ER team," he said. His eyes met Abby's. "And for my family…" She smiled and settled Joe on her hip and turned her attention to straightening his tee shirt.
"We thank you for your skills," he went on as his eyes swept to Drs. Raab and Coburn who lifted their soda cans in a toast as they nodded happily.
"We thank you for your support…" and his eyes met Maggie's. She smiled.
"And we thank you for your friendship….." Luka lifted his drink high. "Here's to the first baseball game of the season…which was a washout….."
"Ah, we'll get you at the next one!" Dubenko shouted. There were cheers and whistles from the players surrounding him. Luka laughed and then grinned as he pulled Abby and Joe under his arm.
"And here's to our son's very first birthday……." People clapped as Chuny lit the single candle in the middle of the huge cake on the table in front of them.
Joseph Kovac stuck a finger shyly into his mouth and looked around at the smiling faces that surrounded him. He turned his attention to the candle in the middle of the cake. He knew what he was supposed to do. His mommy had been practicing with him for weeks. He'd had to show Grandma what he could do just that morning.
"Haaappppyyyy Birrrthdaaaay, dear Joooooe," they sang around him. "Happy Birrrrrthday to yooouuuuuuuu." Abby tipped the little boy forward and he plopped both hands into the middle of the sweet frosting on the cake to support himself and blew the candle out.