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Post by lubylove on May 23, 2006 8:47:17 GMT 10
wow, great fic! Can't wait to read some more
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Post by elsj on May 24, 2006 6:50:00 GMT 10
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rnintraining513
Duchess of Luby
"I don't need a ring or a white dress to tell you how much I love you."
Posts: 322
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Post by rnintraining513 on May 25, 2006 14:54:19 GMT 10
Chapter Six: “Facing Our Fears”
Neela tapped her fingers impatiently on the arm of the leather love seat. Normally, she was a patient person, but enough was enough. They were already a half hour late and Abby was still standing at the bathroom mirror, playing with the same loose strand of shoulder-length hair. “Your hair looks fine, Abby” Neela called out, frustrated. Abby sighed as she dropped her tired arms reluctantly. “What does it matter anyway?” Abby said as she slowly plopped herself onto the couch opposite of Neela. “Who cares if my hair looks like crap? I already look like a beached whale!” Abby covered her face, exhausted. Neela got up and moved onto the couch next to Abby. “It’s a good day for self-pity, but we’re already 40 minutes late,” Neela said. Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s my baby shower, and I’ll be late if I want to!” Neela laughed as she got up and held out her hand. “I don’t know where you are getting this idea about a baby shower,” Neela said. “Now before you break out into song, let’s go!” Abby reluctantly took Neela’s hand and groaned as she got up from the couch. “Is there cake?” Abby asked with a smile. Neela shook her head. “All of I have to say is, there better be one, huge freakin’ cake!” The two walked along the familiar city streets in the cool night air. “Where is summer?” Neela asked as she hugged herself, shivering. “Don’t change the subject!” Abby laughed. “Who did you invite?” Neela picked up her pace, and Abby held on to her stomach and attempted to keep up. “I’m not saying a word!” She said as she kept walking. “You know this is going to be torture for me!” Abby moaned and Neela laughed in response. “That’s the best part,” she said as she jokingly patted Abby’s arm. “Now I know it’s for me,” Abby said. “Why is that?” Neela questioned. “Well, for one, who else would be having a baby shower at Doc Magoo’s?” Neela glanced up and saw Morris standing in front of Doc Magoo’s, so she ran in front of Abby to block her view as Morris ducked behind a car. “And secondly,” Abby started. “Morris ducking behind a car with blue and pink balloons kind of gives me the whole ‘baby shower’ vibe.” Abby waved at Morris as he poked his head around the side of the car. He stood up and attempted to hide the balloons behind his back. Abby glared at Neela and she shrugged in response. “You invited Morris to my baby shower?” Abby asked, still looking over at him. “He is in charge of decorating,” Neela laughed. Abby grabbed Neela’s arm and quickly walked towards the door. “Go Morris!” Abby groaned. “If you promise not to make me wear any hats or bows, I didn’t see a thing.” Morris sighed. “Well, there goes pin the bow on the belly!” He said as he swung open the door. Abby glared at Neela and the two began to laugh. “Well, this should be fun!” Abby laughed. “Come on!” Neela yelled, pulling Abby by the arm. “Well, nobody’s pinning anything on me!” Abby yelled as Neela pushed her through the door. Time seemed to stand still as Abby opened present after present. Morris kept his word by keeping all bows away from Abby. It seemed like everyone from the hospital was there. All of the girls crowded around Abby as she opened her gifts, while the guys huddled together by the bar. Abby watched Luka as he stood with Pratt and Ray. Even in the dark light of the room, Abby saw the kind eyes and gentle smile that she fell in love with. How did she get so lucky? A guy like Luka could have had anyone in the entire world, yet he chose her, boring and difficult Abby Lockhart. For a second his eyes met hers, and he smiled. She smiled back. Words didn’t come easy for them, but she knew that he understood. The trip back to Luka’s apartment was all a blur. Abby groggily held Luka’s hand as they walked up the stairs together. He opened the door for her, and she marched right over to the couch and slowly collapsed. “I’ll go get the rest,” Luka said as he bent over and kissed Abby’s forehead. Abby looked around the apartment as she lay on the couch. Her head and back ached from a long night. Somehow, she’d survived. The room was filled with boxes and bags filled with pink and blue tissue paper. She couldn’t believe that in only three months, they wouldn’t be just “Abby and Luka” anymore. She would never just be Dr. Abigail Lockhart again. She would be transformed, almost instantly into not only a mother, but a member of a real, committed, and expected to be functional family. Would she be able to do it? Abby blinked her eyes hard and attempted to escape the sudden and overwhelming flood of emotions about to derail her. The front door slammed shut behind Luka, his hands full of the remaining shower gifts. He smiled at Abby as he caught a present just before it hit the ground. “Is that everything?” Abby asked as Luka piled the remaining bags in the unfinished nursery. “Let’s hope,” he said, exhausted. “I think we have enough diaper bags for every doctor in the hospital.” Abby laughed as she picked up two diaper bags from the floor. “We can give them out as Christmas gifts,” she said as she opened one of the bags. “The cheetah print is good for Pratt. And this one with all the monkeys has Morris written all over it!” Luka patted his lap, and Abby slowly laid her head onto Luka’s legs and he ran his fingers through her hair. “Is this really happening?” Abby asked, turning her head to face Luka. He nodded. “It’s crazy. I can’t believe it.” They were silent for a few minutes, deep in thought. “Luka?” “Hmm?” “Luka, I’m scared,” Abby said. He opened his eyes and sat up. “Me too,” Luka said. Abby looked at him confused. “Why are you scared? You’ve done this before….twice.” Luka sighed as he put his hand on Abby’s belly. She put her hand on top of his. “It’s been so long,” Luka started. “With each day that passes, it gets harder and harder to remember.” Abby gave Luka’s hand a gently squeeze. “When they are babies, you learn their cry. In a room of 100 crying babies, you’d be able the find them. Then you learn their laugh, their smell. Then they grow, and the crying turns into words, and you learn their voice. Soon enough, you forget their cry. It’s all just a memory.” Luka paused and put his hand to his face. “Now….now I don’t even remember their voice, their laugh, their smell. I try so hard not to forget, but with each day it seems…I remember less and less.” Abby sat up and looked into Luka’s eyes and then gently kissed his lips. “I promise you won’t ever forget them Luka,” Abby said. “They’ll always be with you.” Luka nodded. Abby’s heart ached for him. She never took the time to realize just how hard this all was for him. She searched for the right words, something to reach him. “Luka, no one can ever replace what you lost, and no one wants to. They are you family, and this baby is their family too, a sister or brother. And maybe when you hear our baby cry and walk and talk, something will come back and they’ll be that much closer to you.” Luka raised his eyes to meet Abby’s and she could see that they were filled with tears. He opened his mouth, but no words left his mouth. Abby brushed her finger over his lips, and then, he kissed her.
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rnintraining513
Duchess of Luby
"I don't need a ring or a white dress to tell you how much I love you."
Posts: 322
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Post by rnintraining513 on May 25, 2006 15:50:43 GMT 10
Chapter Seven: “Grub and Gossip”
The restaurant was crowded and stuffy, and the food was terrible, but neither Abby or Neela seemed to care much. “It is so nice to have a day off!” Neela exclaimed! “I was about ready to go mad!” Abby nodded as she took a sip of her lemonade. “A day off is great, as long as I am out of the house,” Abby said. “Luka watches my every move and every thing that I eat!” Neela laughed. “At least you have someone there to watch you,” Neela replied as she lowered her eyes. Abby put her chin into her hand. “I give you a lot of credit, Neela,” she said. “Sometimes Luka makes me crazy, but I’d be lost without him.”
Neela played with her untouched slice of pizza. “It’s harder than you think,” Neela said with her eyes still downcast. “Especially living with someone else.” Abby raised her eyebrows. “You mean Ray? Are you sleeping with him?” Neela’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “Are you serious? Does everyone in the whole bloody hospital think that?” Abby shrugged. “Well….yeah.” Neela rolled her eyes. “Well, we’re not. We won’t. I have a husband. Doesn’t that mean anything anymore?” Abby tried to lighten up the conversation. “So, you haven’t had sex in that long?” Neela laughed. “Is it that hard to believe?” “Yeah!” Abby laughed back. Neela swallowed her soda. “You mean, you still have sex with Luka, even though your….” “Pregnant?” Abby laughed. “Did I tell you we had sex in the baby store?” Neela put down her glass and shook her head. “Neela, you should have seen his face! Like a kid in a candy store!” Neela groaned. “What?” Abby questioned. “Nothing, other than the fact that I’ll never be able to look at Luka the same way ever again knowing that his favorite place the have sex is the baby store!”
The check came and the girls continued to talk. “Are you and Michael going to have a baby any time soon?” Abby asked. Neela turned pale in response. “We haven’t really talked about it much,” Neela responded. Abby continued to eat her third slice of pizza. “This tastes like crap,” she said. “I don’t even know why I am eating it.” Neela continued to stare. “Are you okay?” Abby asked as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I thought I was pregnant once,” Neela answered. Abby was silent. “I was late, right before Michael decided to go back to Iraq. I was almost positive I was, and you know what? I was happy. I thought maybe, maybe if I was having his baby, Michael would have a reason to stay.” They were silent for a few minutes. “So, when are you and Luka going to get married?” Neela asked with a laugh. Abby laughed too. “I think it’s time to get out of here!” She said, getting up from her chair. “And yes, I’m changing the subject!”
After walking for a few blocks, Abby grabbed Neela’s hand and pulled her into a furniture store. “I need to ask you something,” Abby said. Neela looked at Abby confused. “I’ve never been good at this stuff. I still think that black and blue match.” Abby laughed. “No, no,” she started. “I just want to sit down. I want to ask you something different.” Neela sat across from Abby in a floral print chair. Abby paused for a minute, and then started. “Okay, Luka has been bugging the crap out of me about getting the baby baptized. I know it means a lot to him, and just because I grew up in a dysfunctional and non-religious family doesn’t mean I should deny him what he wants.” Neela nodded. “But anyway, I have been reading about it and everything. And the baby needs two godparents.” “Godparents?” Neela questioned. Abby laughed. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t know much about it either until I read about it. Basically, a godparent is someone trustworthy and dependable, that the baby can turn to for advice and if anything happens to the parents….” Neela nodded. “So, I was wondering if you would be the baby’s godmother?” Abby asked. “I know it all sounds kind of silly, but you’re my best friend Neela, and…” Of course I will,” Neela interrupted, smiling at Abby. “I’d be honored to.” Abby got up and hugged Neela. “Thank you,” she whispered to her. “Now we just have to get the baptism gown,” Abby added. “The what? A gown? What if it’s a boy?” Abby shrugged. “I really don’t think that matters this once.” Neela shrugged too. “Well, whatever you say.”
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rnintraining513
Duchess of Luby
"I don't need a ring or a white dress to tell you how much I love you."
Posts: 322
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Post by rnintraining513 on May 25, 2006 16:25:11 GMT 10
Chapter Eight: “Those Three Little Words”
The trip to work was awkward and silent, which gave Abby a lot of time to think. Their three days off had been restless and quiet, but with good reason. A week or so after the baby shower, news reached County that Neela’s husband, Michael had been killed while serving in Iraq. Abby wished Luka’s promise of a warm, relaxing vacation were realistic. Right now she wanted nothing more than to get away from everyone and everything. Abby glanced at Luka sitting next to her on the park bench. He was drinking coffee and glancing quickly at the newspaper. He looked tired and sad. The news of Michael’s death hit him harder than she had expected. He hadn’t slept in almost three days and planted himself almost permanently in the baby’s nursery. “It’s not finished yet,” was the response she got each time that she entered the room. “Everything has to be perfect.” Abby knew that their inability to say those three, simple words was the reason for this silence. Abby was furious with herself for being such a coward. Why was it so hard for her to say “I love you?” She loved Luka with all of her heart. What was she so afraid of? “I hope you know how much I love….this….all of this.” Who says that? “I do!” Abby thought to herself. “I do because I’m afraid of love.” A definition of their relationship was all she was really after, but sometimes, things are better left unsaid. “Your right, let’s get married,” Luka had said. Let’s get married? Abby’s opinion of marriage was not one you would consider normal. Her first marriage had failed, along with all of her other relationships, and her parent’s certainly didn’t set a very good example. Everything was so perfect right now. Why risk messing that up? “I won’t lose you, Luka,” Abby thought to herself. “I can’t lose you.” Abby thought about Michael and Neela constantly throughout the day. Neela was burying Michael right now. Her attempts to console Neela seemed hopeless, but Abby understood that she needed her space. She remembered the conversation and shopping trip that had had only about a week earlier. Oh how quickly things can change. Abby looked down at her stomach and thought about the baby Neela had wanted so desperately to have with Michael. Now she would never get that chance. “I’m lucky,” Abby said to herself as she sat in the lounge. “We are lucky,” she said as she gently patted her stomach and the baby kicked back. “I have you, and your daddy and that’s all I need.” Abby surprised herself at her first conversation with her unborn baby. “I love you,” she said, still patting her belly. “It’s time I tell someone else that too.” Abby smiled proudly to herself as she got up. What had she been so afraid of? She was lucky, she could tell Luka she loved him any time that she wanted. Tonight, she was going to do just that. Abby’s hand was still placed gently on her belly and she smiled every few minutes when she felt her baby kick. Two security guards came over to the nurse’s station. They began asking a question when Sam walked by. “Have you seen Luka?” Abby called to Sam. “There is a patient in sutures that might need to be looked at. Okay Abigail?” Sam said. The look on Sam’s face struck Abby hard. She saw fear and panic in her eyes. And why had she called her Abigail? “Something isn’t right,” Abby said to the security guards. “Something isn’t right!” The officers turned towards the door Sam had just stepped through. “Hey, officer, step back here for a minute.” In an instant, everything happened. Guns, bullets, shattering glass, blood. In one single moment, Abby’s life, her hopes and dreams, came crashing to the ground.
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rnintraining513
Duchess of Luby
"I don't need a ring or a white dress to tell you how much I love you."
Posts: 322
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Post by rnintraining513 on May 25, 2006 16:29:51 GMT 10
Time for bed...Ill post the dramatic scenes tomorrow...
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Post by elsj on May 25, 2006 19:26:38 GMT 10
well done!!!
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Post by zelda on May 25, 2006 20:45:48 GMT 10
Hi, Mary Kate! I had some catching up to do coz I was overloaded with work and I have read your chapters without interruption, it 's so good! I like the way you describe Abby's ambivalence: she can be so undecided, sometimes confused about her own feelings, and on the other hand, she behaves like a little girl, having great banter with Luka and bashing poor ole Morris! Welcome to a new talented writer! We're going to have a great summer with you, guys!Keep writing! My fav part: In the changing room:"this kind of wild behaviour explains why we're having a baby"! I laughed my ass off!
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Post by zelda on May 25, 2006 20:59:34 GMT 10
wwhhaaoouuww! I was posting and I missed the 3 last chapters! No bantering and laughing here! But such great stuff,I liked how you focused on Neela, from happiness at being a godmother to dealing with the shock of Gallant's death! And the end is so emotional! I can't put out of my mind the song "open your eyes" by Snow Patrol, it fits so well with the last images of Luka and Abby and with your words! No smileys here, but thank you so much!
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Post by Tannii on May 25, 2006 21:24:11 GMT 10
Loved the update!! More soon please
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Post by lubyfan on May 26, 2006 1:22:02 GMT 10
I love it !
Can't wait for the next part.
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Post by ERFanRach on May 26, 2006 3:01:31 GMT 10
Great story
Please update soon i want to find out what happens next.
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 26, 2006 4:07:52 GMT 10
Wow! Great story. I can't wait for the next part. Update soon.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 26, 2006 4:24:06 GMT 10
Great Update!
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rnintraining513
Duchess of Luby
"I don't need a ring or a white dress to tell you how much I love you."
Posts: 322
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Post by rnintraining513 on May 26, 2006 4:31:13 GMT 10
Chapter Nine: “From Point A to Point B”
Abby felt a sharp stab of pain as she hit the cart and then quickly fell to the ground. Glass and debris fell all around her. She grabbed her head and her stomach as she lay on the floor. The pain was intense, but she was too scared to care. As the bullets continued to fly, Abby found herself having a conversation with someone, yes, it had to be God. “Please let them be okay,” she was saying in her cloudy mind. “Where is Luka? I need him. I need this baby too. I love them both so much.” Abby tried to shield herself as a huge pain of glass came crashing down beside her. “Just let them be okay and I’ll tell Luka I love him. I won’t waste any more of my time.” Suddenly, the shots stopped and for an instant, there was silence.
Snow Patrol: “Set Fire to the Third Bar”
I find the map and draw a straight line Over rivers, farms, and state lines The distance from here to where you'd be It's only finger-lengths that I see I touch the place where I'd find your face My finger in creases of distant dark places
I hang my coat up in the first bar There is no peace that I've found so far The laughter penetrates my silence As drunken men find flaws in science
Their words mostly noises Ghosts with just voices Your words in my memory Are like music to me
I'm miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground I, I pray that something picks me up And sets me down in your warm arms
After I have traveled so far We'd set the fire to the third bar We'd share each other like an island Until exhausted, close our eyelids And dreaming, pick up from The last place we left off Your soft skin is weeping A joy you can't keep in
I'm miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground And I, I pray that something picks me up and sets me down in your warm arms
And miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground and I, I pray that something picks me up and sets me down in your warm arms
The room around Luka was fuzzy and dark. Slowly, he tried to sit up, but he couldn’t, his muscles still somewhat paralyzed and his arms and legs pinned to the gurney. He would have yelled, but he couldn’t. The tube in his throat was irritating and if he had use of his hands, he would have taken it out himself. Through a hollow haze, he’d heard it, those sounds, gun shots. It all made sense now, but here he was, powerless and alone. He thought about Abby and of the baby. He needed to know if they were okay. They had to be okay. He tried desperately to free his arms and legs, both they wouldn’t budge. He rocked the bed and tried to slide himself towards the door. “I have to find Abby,” he thought to himself. “I need Abby.” He became frustrated and angry. He thought about their conversation earlier that morning. He wanted to marry Abby, that he knew. But why did he do it that way? She deserved so much better. He remembered how close she had come to saying those three words. He had fought the urge to say them many times before. He knew that Abby needed to do it first. They were so close. He began to thrash once again, tirelessly. “I have to find her,” he thought to himself. “I have to find her and tell her how much I love her.”
Snow Patrol: “You’re All I have”
Strain this chaos turn it into light I've got to see you one last night Before the lions take their share Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere
Just give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Just give me something to hold onto
It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear cos you are all that I have It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear cos you are all that I have
You're cinematic razor sharp A welcome arrow through the heart Under your skin feels like home Electric shocks on aching bones
Give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Just give me something to hold onto
It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear cos you are all that I have It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear cos you are all that I have
There is a darkness deep in you A frightening magic I cling to
Give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Give me a chance to hold on Just give me something to hold onto
It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear now you are all that I have It's so clear now that you are all that I have I have no fear now you are all that I have
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