The Found :
Note: Simon Cowell’s mentioning in this story will be explained in a next fic which I’m working on, about when Zoran here is born and a little earlier in time.
Abby paced back and forward outside. Every car that approached, every child’s cry, she tensed up. It had been five minutes, not more, though for her it felt far more like five hours and she couldn’t stand this waiting any longer.
A car came racing down the streets and she smiled up. Her son, she could feel it.
The car barely stopped and the back opened and in a flash he came out straight for her arms. “Mummy”
Abby hugged him tight, as tight as she could. She couldn’t help the tears from running down her eyes. She couldn’t seem to get the panic feeling from inside. It had been troubling her, the fear, the sense of loss, like when he was born, like when she thought she’d loose him the first time; She kneeled before him taking in every line of his ace, God, he was beautiful.
“Where did you go, kiddo? Mummy thought she lost you”
“Sorry. My bike wasn’t there”
Abby put a hand on his forehead, he was burning up. She took her boy in her arms just as Luka walked outside.
“Hey, there’s my boy! My beautiful boy” He embraced Abby having his entire family in his arms. He leaned down and kissed Zoran’s head caressing his hair, just like he always did every morning before going to work. There were tears in his eyes and Abby could hear as he sighed with relief.
Luka saw the man smiling at them, a man who had come to be familiar to him now, the man who had given him back this, his family, his life and everything he ever needed to be happy.
“Abby, you should take him upstairs, the room is ready”
“I want to go home” Zoran complained
“You’re sick baby, and you need to feel better and for that to happen you need to stay here for a couple of days” Abby explained kissing his head.
“Like a patient”
“My patient. My favorite patient in the world” Abby smiled.
“Scruffy” Zoran announced thinking of his fuzzy dog, a toy his grandfather had given him when he was born and which he kept next to him every night or every time he felt sick.
“It’s all upstairs, love, Tata made a special room for you” Luka winked at him.
“I like being sick” He suddenly said and Abby had to laugh. “As if you weren’t’ spoiled at home”
Haley, helped Abby inside with Zoran “You’re father called, Abby, he’s on his way. Pissed that no one told him what happened” Chunny told her.
Abby shook her head, same old Simon, he can be the meanest man alive, but when it comes to his family… … … he’s a puppy.
“Officer, Martin, officer Malone. What happened to Carter?” Luka questioned, looking at two men. He still couldn’t believe Carter had anything to do with kidnapping his son, but apparently … … …
“He claims he found Zoran in the airport. And had taken the kid home to feed him and than call you but,”
“May I talk to him?”
“We still have to talk to him first, but we’ll call you as soon as we’re done” Malone informed.
“Mr Malone, May I?” Luka took out his wallet
“Sir, this is our job, we’re just happy to see you have your son back”
“yes, but you gave me my happiness back, there must be something I can do?”
“I’ll tell you what Dr Kovac, if we ever need medical service, we’ll come to you and than we can call it even”
Luka smiled “Id save your lives anytime”
“You should go to your son” Malone smiled
“Thank you” Luka smiled sincerely.
“Gorgeous family, hum?” Martin smiled.
“Yeah, a man who knows what happiness really means. Now, let’s deal with the scumbag who tried to ruin them.”
“Look, I told you, he was in the airport. I just found him there”
“Why didn’t you call his parents then, right when you found him?”
“He was hungry, he was sick, I just figured … … …”
“His parents are doctors, they work in an ER, you know that, you dated his mother” Malone’s voice was stronger, angrier. Why couldn’t the jerk just confess, it was obvious. But maybe, maybe… … … no he had done I, there was something inside Malone saying that this guy wanted a sort of revenge, a way to get Abby back.
“True, that’s why I wanted to help”
“So, you fed him, you medicated him, why didn’t you call the mother, or the father? What were you waiting for?”
Carter was tired, exhausted. He was hungry, cold, thirsty. This was ridiculous, what was this guy doing? Why, he had saved Zoran’s life, why couldn’t they just understand this?
“You didn’t answer my question”
“I need water”
“Later”
“This is ridiculous”
Luka watched form the window. Carter couldn’t see him, but he could see John and Malone was right, there was something fishy about this, something that didn’t add up, a weird feeling came over Luka, was Carter trying to get Abby back? Why? After so many years? His best friend? The man who once saved his life? This was ridiculous, Carter was right.
Luka was about to turn to martin when :
“Why didn’t you call them… …” Malone was facing John so close now, so dam close.
“I was waiting” John finally confessed suddenly realizing himself what he had almost done, or had actually been doing for a few hours
Luka froze in his place.
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for her to come to me. She always did. Oh, God!” Tears ran down John’s face.
“What if she didn’t come to you?”
“I hadn’t thought that part through. But I did find him, I did just find Zoran, I hadn’t intended to… … … I had intended to call them, but when he was with me, I thought, I figured that’d be my chance to have her back.”
“You’re under arrest Dr Carter for kidnapping. That means 5 to 10 years If you don’t sign this piece of paper it could mean 15 to 20 years “ Carter signed the paper. The officers walked inside and handcuffed him.
But as he walked outside, the look on Luka’s face was the knowledge that he had lost a friend and that Abby would soon find out what he had done was by far worse than every minute inside the jail he was now about to face.
“I’m sorry, Luka” Carter hung his head. The look, that death silence from him was much more painful than any word Luka could have said.
“So?” Abby laid her hands on Luka’s chest and looked up at him. Love filled her eyes. Happiness had taken over again, and she became his adorable wild spirit again.
He smiled down kissing her hand with adoration.
“He was keeping him, so you’d go to him.”
“Wait, I don’t get it did he do it or not?”
“He didn’t take Zoran from here, but when he did find Zoran he was keeping him in the house so you’d come to him.”
“And what would make him think I’d come to him?”
Luka shook his head taking a seat on the armchair on the other side of the room where he could see his son’s face.
“I don’t know. Maybe because you always came to him with your mom’s stuff, you’d come to him now.”
Abby too the seat on Luka’s lap facing him, unbuttoning the first three buttons from his shirt she laid her hand on his skin and smiled. She loved this contact and she knew he loved it to. He closed his eyes and smiled a the feeling.
“Well I hope he rots in jail”
“5 to 10 years” Luka announced
“that’s it?” Abby complained
“Involuntary kidnapping. It wasn’t planed, Abby” He sighed.
“You ok?”
“I just lost a friend. I just realized that my friendship meant nothing to him, I’m not exactly perfect”
“You have other friends here” She laid her head on his chest. It wasn’t like Carter hadn’t been a friend to her either. But she was actually glad he was paying for what he did.
“Your father lives in LA Abby, my brothers live in LA and New York, … …”
“You and Pratt seem to have gotten closer”
“It’s not the same.”
“Maybe if we moved?”
Luka stared at her “Moved?”
“Yeah, to LA take the job offer in that clinic. We’d have more time with Zo, with each other and you and my father, who seems to have become your best friend can do your stuff together … … … as long as you don’t go to a strip club with him.”
“Are you sure?”
Abby nodded “Zoran loves the beach, spending time with my dad and we’d be closer to your brother, it’s perfect both families would be much more tight together”
“I’ll make the phone calls in the morning.”
“Sounds great”
“Hey?” Abby looked up at him “I love you”
“I love you” They kissed soft, long. Leaving a feeling of need for more and more to come.