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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on Apr 13, 2006 7:54:00 GMT 10
Great update!
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Post by dancergurl18 on Apr 13, 2006 8:19:49 GMT 10
That was great as usual. You capture everything so perfectly. I can't wait for more!
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Post by larue on Apr 13, 2006 8:54:56 GMT 10
Sorry....but I pulled chapter 7. I posted it but wasn't totally comfortable with what it had to say. I'll work on it a bit more and repost it later.
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on Apr 13, 2006 9:33:00 GMT 10
Can't wait!
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Post by strausser on Apr 13, 2006 10:50:52 GMT 10
please please post it asap! i love your story
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Post by larue on Apr 13, 2006 12:47:28 GMT 10
Luka sighed and shifted in the airplane seat uncomfortably. After so many weeks away you would think he’d be glad for the soft cushioning but instead it made him sore. He glanced over at Abby in the seat next to him. He smiled a little to himself remembering the scene at the hospital when they’d said their good byes to Carter. Abby had been deep in a discussion with Debbie. They’d found a boarding school in Chad with room for one of Abby’s patients. Abby had arranged for tuition for the school year and Debbie was going to transport her there as soon as the machete wounds had healed sufficiently. Luka glanced at her slyly and gave Carter a gentle shove.
“Ah...go on, Carter,” he said as Abby looked up. “She won’t bite you.” John hadn’t looked so sure. Abby hugged Debbie and then looked up in confusion as John approached her. He just shrugged and tipped his head toward Luka. Luka grinned as Carter kissed her quickly on the cheek. Abby looked angry and Luka was enjoying every second of the picture before him. He especially enjoyed it because he knew now that John Carter would never come between the two of them ever again. He snickered again now just remembering.
“What are you laughing about?” Abby asked. Luka shrugged. He just leaned over and kissed her lightly and threaded his fingers through her’s.
“Would you do this again?” he asked her. Abby’s eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.
“Yes,” she said. “I think I would.” Luka sighed happily and settled back in his seat.
“But, I think I’d like to somewhere else,” she continued. “Some place with working showers. Maybe a nice refugee camp in, oh, St. Thomas...or how about Switzerland? Aspen, Colorado? We could treat all those ski injuries.” He laughed and turned his head to look at her again. She was smiling and it was so good to see the mischievious twinkle back in her eyes. They sat quietly together for the rest of the flight, enjoying the feel of their hands clasped, heads touching and lost in their separate thoughts.
They were all waiting for them at the airport when they disembarked. Laurentis, Zoran, Andro, Valerija, Jelena and Natasya. What a scene they made! Luka had roared when his brothers picked him up and deposited him in a waiting wheelchair. Laurentis tapped his eldest son’s shoulder stubbornly and pushed him back again when Luka tried to stand. He knelt as he examined the bandages on his son’s sandaled feet. He looked up at Abby as she was being hugged all around.
“He’s fine, Tata,” she said. “Believe me. I’ve checked everything and it’s all in good working order.” Laurentis looked up at her in surprise and then smiled as he shook his finger at her. He opened his arms and drew her in for a hug. Abby sighed happily and hugged him.
“I think they’re happier to see you than me,” Luka moaned playfully as he put on the jacket Jelena held out for him. Zoran took Abby’s knapsack, which was the only piece of luggage they had and laughed as Luka cried out again. Andro was tearing down the tarmac pushing the wheelchair at a breakneck speed toward the street and their waiting cars. People were scattering in their path. Valerija and Jelena just shook their heads and followed. Abby sighed happily and put her coat on. She and clung to her father in law’s hand on one side and her niece’s on the other as they followed the others. Natasya was skipping to keep up with them. It was good to be home.
It was wonderful to be back in Tata’s wide bed together. Abby was still as Luka crawled under the thick winter comforter and pulled her close to him. She was smiling as she thought about the evening with his family. She hadn’t been able to keep up with the language but had enjoyed the laughter and the good food. Everything tasted so good. They had outdone themselves filling the table with fruits and fresh vegetables.
“I think our niece has a new heroine,” Luka said quietly. “She didn’t leave your side all evening.” Abby smiled as she thought about Natasya’s attempts to translate everything for her. She was proud of her school girl English skills.
“She wants to be a doctor,” Abby mused. “She wants to work in Africa some day too.”
“She’ll probably do it,” Luka sighed softly. His hand caressed Abby’s waist and slipped down on to her belly. His finger tips gently traced the scar from her hysterectomy and he felt her tense. Luka lifted his hand to her chin and tipped her face toward him. She turned so she was flat on her back and looked at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m scared, Luka,” she said. “I don’t want to go home.” His eyes searched her’s and he frowned slightly.
“Do you want to leave County...now?” he asked. She nodded as her eyes filled and then shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I just don’t want to go home.” Luka lay back against the pillows and gathered her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and just held her.
“We have to face it sometime, Abby,” he said finally. “I won’t let you do anything alone. I promise. But we need to go back so you can finish your residency. ” She sighed and nodded against his chest. Luka smiled softly and brushed the dark hair off her face. He bent his head to her’s to kiss her. Abby closed her eyes and lifted her hands to his face. She squealed suddenly as he tickled her ribs.
“Luka!” she cried. “Tata...”
“He’s dead asleep in his studio,” Luka muttered as he nibbled playfully on her shoulder and neck. She laughed and drew his face back to her’s.
Out on the sofa Laurentis smiled softly as he drew another drag on his cigarette. He listened for a moment to the muffled laughter coming from his bedroom and picked up the water lily sculpture from his table. He smiled remembering the lover he had had in his own wife. He’d worried for Luka when Danijela died. It was good not to worry any more. He crushed out the cigarette and smiled again as stood up and headed for the couch in his studio.
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Post by dancergurl18 on Apr 13, 2006 13:41:39 GMT 10
Sorry....but I pulled chapter 7. I posted it but wasn't totally comfortable with what it had to say. I'll work on it a bit more and repost it later. God... I'm glad I read that. I thought I was going crazy for a minute there. I really like this version better. I think it flowed better. Also, bringing in Abby's uneasiness about going back to Chicago was a good addition. Before when Luka did that whole thing about going over her scar, it just seemed kinda pointless. Now, it seems as if if has meaning... as if that scar links them back to Chicago. Franny XX
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Post by larue on Apr 13, 2006 14:31:44 GMT 10
Oh...exactly!!! Thank you.
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on Apr 13, 2006 21:39:26 GMT 10
Wonderful update, I loved it. Hope you update again soon.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on Apr 14, 2006 3:18:49 GMT 10
Great update!
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Post by zelda on Apr 14, 2006 8:08:11 GMT 10
This story is very well structured and I am really impressed.Carter's character is settled,we see that there is a line he'll never cross. Abby is really wonderful.There is a very moving moment when she expresses her feelings.In Africa, things are so simple, you die or you survive, and she feels so close to these Africans who never complain,only try so hard to survive, that she wants to stay in a place where she is NEEDED.Her own sufferings are not "easier" to cope with, but she feels she belongs to these people who accept their fate with an impressive dignity.The communication with them is beyond words. I have never liked and admired Abby so much in any fanfic. And the return to Croatia was so sweet and natural.Life can also be full of laughter,of friends and family drinking and being simply happy. Another great chapter,Larue! the transition to County may be painful.
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Post by danielle on Apr 15, 2006 12:01:41 GMT 10
:'(O My god your fic is great really ... in the first part I was a little mad about death of the baby, but I just couldn't help myself from reading ... and I love it because you put Luka and Abby working together to move on keep writing
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on Apr 17, 2006 9:33:03 GMT 10
PLZ, PLZ PLZZZZZZZZZ update soon!
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Post by larue on Apr 18, 2006 22:23:51 GMT 10
The door to Tata’s studio stood open. That was a first. She wandered to the doorway and peeked inside. The room stretched the entire length of the apartment. One wall at the end was devoted to window glass that allowed the afternoon sun to flood the room with light. There were several large easels standing in front of the window. On the other end was a counter with a clay block covered with wet gauze and then plastic. There were bottles and jars with tight fitting lids on shelves over the counter and several containers with carving tools, brushes and other implements. She also recognized a potter’s wheel. While the art in the rest of the apartment was tastefully displayed, it was all over, covering every spare inch of space, in this room. There were unframed canvases, finished and unfinished, hanging on, and stacked against the walls on the floor. She meandered quietly to one stack and smiled as she carefully pulled them forward to look at them.
“You like them?” Tata’s voice startled her and Abby jumped. He chuckled and motioned her to the easel in front of him with his paint brush.
“Come and see,” he said with a smile. Abby circled the wooden easel curiously and caught her breath as she saw what he was working on. It was an acrylic portrait of them - she and Luka. He’d painted her face in the middle, looking slightly off to the side with a smile teasing her lips and eyes. Luka’s face was behind her’s, a huge smile on his lips as he looked off in the other direction. His hand was on her shoulder and her fingers clutching his.
“It’s...beautiful," she said as she studied the painting...and it was.
“For your home,” Tata said with a satisfied smile. Abby looked at him in surprise.
“Thank you, Tata,” she said softly as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. She turned back to the portrait as he wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her.
“It’s hard to go back,” she said. Laurentis nodded. He squeezed her closer for a moment.
“You will be together,” he said. ‘...you and my son.” Abby nodded.
“He was alone always when he left me again,” Laurentis went on. “I ...worry? Now, not so much.” He took his arm from her and put the brush back in his tray and picked up another one.
“My Luka was like his mother...always laughing...always playing tricks...so...so...ometanje...as a little boy and a young man. I have missed that.” He cast a sly grin at her.
“Now maybe that comes back? And it will be...your problem?” Abby chuckled and kissed her father in law’s cheek again.
“Hey,” Luka called as they heard the apartment door open and close again. “Where are you?”
“In here, “ Abby called. Luka stuck his head through the doorway into the studio.
“He let you come in while he was working?” Laurentis frowned and threw his hands up. Abby laughed and moved to kiss Luka. He held up a travel folder.
“I got our tickets,” he said. Abby nodded slowly and her smile faded. Luka caressed her cheek for a second and looked around the studio.
“Tata,” he said with a grin. “You have nothing on the wheel.” Laurentis shrugged and went back to finishing the painting before him. Luka took Abby’s hand and pulled her toward the counter where the clay was kept.
“Have you ever done a pot on a wheel?” Abby shook her head. Luka grinned and slipped his feet out of his canvas shoes and smiled as he took a lump of wet clay from the air tight container under the counter. He plopped it in the center of the wheel and filled a cup with water from the small sink. He sat on the stool in front of the wheel and set it in motion with his feet.
“Come on,” he said as he pulled her reluctantly into his lap.
“Luka,” she protested. “I took PE so I wouldn’t have to take Art class.”
“Come on,” he pleaded. It’s easy...like in that movie...”
“Okay...Okay,” she said. Luka took her hands and placed them under his on the clay. She giggled as he nuzzled her ear.
“Pour some more water on the clay,” he directed softly. “It will make slip...easier to work with.”
“Like this?” She dribbled water onto the turning clay and he nodded as his feet kept the wheel moving. He took her hands again and worked the clay with her, whispering and nuzzling as shenestled happily in his lap.
Laurentis finished his work on the portrait and set about cleaning the brushes he’d been using. He pulled his stool slightly to the side so he could watch them. Bah! Luka had no skill as a potter. It was a good thing he had found his niche in medicine. The poor misshapen bowl was nothing to sniff at, but Laurentis knew he would fire it...and glaze it...and keep it in a special place. He would hold the memory of them making it forever. He smiled and shook his head.
A week later, Abby looked at the portrait on the shelf in the middle of their apartment wall and smiled. It still needed a frame but she didn’t care. It brought a little bit of Croatia to the room. Luka watched her for a moment and then set the fruit bowl and muffin on the table.
“Come and have some breakfast,” he said. She shook her head.
“I can’t eat,” she said quietly.
“It’s going to be a long day for both of us,” Luka said. “Please? I’ll feel better if you eat something.” Abby rolled her eyes and sat at the table with him. Luka poured her a cup of coffee and waited for her to take a bite of the muffin. Abby obliged him and frowned slightly as he watched her eat.
“Are you calculating my calories again?” she asked. Luka shrugged and grinned.
“Busted!” he said. “You’re losing weight.” Abby rolled her eyes and ate a spoonful of fruit pieces.
“What did Kerry say when you told her to put us on the schedule again?” she asked. Luka shrugged.
“She was happy to have us back and a little worried that we’ll have a hard time getting back into the swing of things, I think she said.” Abby shook her head.
“County has nothing on Darfur,” she sighed. She looked at him and smiled. It had only been a few weeks and yet it seemed like a life time ago. Luka grinned softly and they finished their meal in silence.
“I’m going to change my shoes,” she said as she took a last sip of coffee. He nodded and sighed as he went through the papers in his bag. He didn’t see her stop in front of the closed door and then slip inside.
Abby looked around the room they had designated as the nursery. The box with the crib leaned against the wall. They hadn’t even had a chance to set it up. Her hand tipped the wooden rocker they had gotten and she smiled as it rocked slowly. Luka pushed open the door.
“Are you ready?” he asked grimly.
“Why did you marry me, Luka?” she asked quietly without looking at him.
“What?’ he said with a low chuckle as he studied her back, the set of her shoulders.
“Why would you want to be with me and not someone that could give you a child again? Is it guilt? Because if it is...” Luka stopped her as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her gently to him.
“Abby,” he said quietly. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. She met his gaze and then looked away. He smiled and brushed the dark hair away from her face.
“The day that Josip was born I was faced with two things...life without a child and life without you.” He kissed her gently.
“I was much more frightened about spending my life without you.”. Abby looked up at him sadly and sighed.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“No,” she said. Luka smiled and drew her close into a hug.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ll be late.” She sighed again and wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked out of the room together.
She was quiet as they sat together on the El. Luka held her hand firmly and she smiled. It was just a short walk to the ambulance bay but her feet felt like lead. How many times had they taken this walk together? How many times had she taken it with Neela...and alone? Had she never dreaded seeing those doors as much as she did today? Abby stopped in her tracks as they passed the coffee truck. The smell, usually a comforting, delicious one overwhelmed her this morning. A wave of nausea swept over her and she pulled her hand from Luka’s and stepped closer to the wall inside the bay area. She leaned over and vomited. Luka stepped in front of her, shielding her from the gaze of passerbys and shook his head.
“Maybe today isn’t the right time,” he said quietly and handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket.
“No,” she said. “I made it this far. I need to go inside, Luka.” She wiped her mouth on his handkerchief and slipped it into the pocket of her coat.
“Abby,” he said worriedly.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Come on.” She took his hand again and pulled him toward the ambulance bay doors.
“Abby!” Chuny was the first to see them. “Welcome home! You have no idea how good it is to have you two back again!” She hugged Abby and then headed hurriedly down the hall with a saline bag and clipboard in her hands.
“Dr. Kovac!” Jerry high fived Luka and reached out to hug Abby. “Good to see you back!’
‘You too, Jerry,” Luka grinned. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, well, nothing like a little gunshot to help you see how many friends you have,” he smiled. “Everything is fine.”
“Well, it’s about time you two decided to grace our halls again,” Kerry Weaver said as she took her glasses off and approached the admit counter. “I send you off to Croatia and eight weeks later you decide to return?”
“I told you what was happening,” Luka said flatly as he looked up at the patient board.
‘Yeah, well all the letters of appreciation and commendations from your L’Alliance aren’t really helpful when I am understaffed here at County, “ she continued.
“It was something we needed to do, Kerry,” Luka said evenly as he sifted through the papers in a basket on the counter. “We’re here now.” Kerry glared at him and then turned to Abby. She smiled and hugged her.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said. “We’ve missed you...I’ve missed you.” Abby nodded and forced a smile.
“I’m going to go change,” she said. “Do you still keep toothpaste in your locker?” Luka nodded.
“I’ll bring you a jacket,” she said. Luka took his coat off and gave it to her. Abby smiled and turned toward the call room and lockers.
“How is she doing?” Kerry asked Luka quietly.
“She lost what little breakfast she did eat outside in the ambulance bay,” he said grimly. “But she’ll be fine. One step at a time, right?” Kerry nodded.
“Go a little easy on her for a while,” she said. “Eight weeks is a long time.”
“She did fine in Darfur,” Luka said.
“Don’t remind me about that,” Kerry groaned as she walked off. Jerry snickered and Luka grinned.
Abby turned the combination on Luka’s locker and opened the door. She hung his jacket inside and tossed a clean lab coat over her shoulder. She searched the shelf for his toothpaste and then turned to shut the door again. Her eyes landed on the polaroid picture he had taped to the door with surgical tape. Abby smiled slightly and touched it with her finger tips. It must have been taken by the NICU staff when Josip first arrived there. He was so tiny. So helpless. She sighed and shut the locker again. She slipped into the bathroom to rinse the taste of vomit from her mouth.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on Apr 18, 2006 23:36:10 GMT 10
Great update! I love it!
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