Time Heals All Wounds

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 13/44

With the length of the flight it was easy for most people to escape the monotony of it through sleep, or reading, or in the case of children, far simpler pursuits. Maja paused in her play, her dark eyes shifting to view her parents before returning to her brother. "Mama and Tata are sleeping."

Raising his eyes from his own LEGOs, Juraj glanced across the aisle to confirm her words before replying. "Yeah."

"Tata says we won't have to stay in Croatia..." She dropped her gaze to two of the smaller pieces on her tray as she fiddled with them, her words holding the tone of a question she searched for an answer to.

"Of course we wouldn't stay..why would you think we would?" As he spoke, then took in his smaller sister's appearance and obvious worry his interest on the blocks in front of him ceased, and he shifted his full attention to her.

"Maybe Mama and Tata won't want to leave again...maybe they'll want to stay there with Neven, and Jasna and Marko." Her lip trembled slightly with the imagined fear.

"Maja, they aren't going to stay." He eased the tone of his voice before continuing in an attempt to stop the tears he thought might be coming. "The reason they wanted us to go back was so they could say good-bye, not to stay...Mama and Tata both told you that." He locked his equally dark eyes on hers firmly as she lifted her head at his words. He gave her a moment to absorb what he had said before pointing to the toys on her tray in an attempt to distract her from the concerns that he knew were beyond his handling. "What is that supposed to be?"

Wiping her hand across her nose Maja ignored the attempt, the doubts still too strong to let go. "But what if we don't?"

"You worry too much. If Mama and Tata said we were coming home then we're coming home, they wouldn't lie to you." He scooped up several of the choice LEGOs off his tray and deposited them among those she already had. "Here, you can use these too."

"Juraj..." She started to speak only to stop as he handed her a figure on a horse.

"Everything will be all right Maja, you'll see. Now, build a house for the horse." As if that settled all her concerns he grew silent, only turning back to his play when he was satisfied that she'd once more become absorbed in her own.

As the children's conversation carried across the aisle Luka cracked an eye open drowsily. Years of working emergency medicine had left him with the ability to exist at times with a half sleep, catching it wherever and whenever he found it and sleeping lightly when he did. As Juraj seemed to quell his sister's fears a half smile found him. There were times the boy seemed much older then his years, wiser then many twice his age. There were times too, he couldn't help wondering if that had come from the fact that both he and Alenka had been too honest with their children regarding their pasts. If the fact that they had chosen to share the losses of those who'd come before hadn't been more of a burden on them then they should have been forced to carry at their ages. The decision had never been an easy one, but the truth was undeniable, both he and Alenka would be forever bound to the spouses and children that they'd lost before finding each other. No matter how much time passed, the memories would remain and they owed it to these children to share the lives neither of their parents would ever forget.

Dropping his hand to his wife's he found himself toying with her wedding ring in much the same way she had earlier fingered his. She had been his anchor, holding him steady after far too many years of floating adrift, and as he watched her sleep he found his thoughts easily returning to their past.

He would always remember the stages of wakefulness that first morning, as if he was coming out of a far deeper slumber. The smell of her perfume was his first awareness, seeming to call to him even in his sleep and he found himself drifting upwards to it. The sound of running water, the quiet clinking of dishes, the rustle of a newspaper, the soft lilt of her voice as she hummed to herself. At first he resisted, afraid it was simply another dream and he would wake once more to the loneliness he had grown to know too well. He clung to the sleep, rolling to his side before drawing the blanket over his head to counter the sunlight's intrusion. The scent of fresh brewed coffee and the sound of the toaster teased at him and as his stomach rumbled in response he gave up.

As he sat he rubbed his hand over eyes still captive to the drowsiness of interrupted sleep.

"Good morning, I didn't mean to wake you." Alenka's voice drifted to him from the kitchen a moment before she appeared with a steaming cup of coffee.

"You didn't." He turned on the couch, then dropped his feet to the floor to make room for her beside him before raking his fingers through his hair. "What time is it?" The question came only seconds before he smothered a betraying yawn. "I'm sorry." He offered the apology as he took the cup from her.

"You don't have to apologize Luka, and it's almost seven." She smiled as she took a seat beside him, letting her own cup warm her hands.

"I don't suppose you would consider calling in sick." He asked the question even as he leaned towards her to give her a good morning kiss.

"Keep that up and I'll be tempted." She laughed lightly before returning it.

"That could be arranged." He sat his cup on the table then freed hers from her hands before doing the same with it so that he could draw her into his arms.

"Is this what I can expect from you every morning?" Her words were almost lost to a deepening kiss and she let her hand trail down his bare back as she returned it.

"That remains to be seen...but you won't find me complaining." He drew back, letting his eyes pass over her a moment before speaking again. "No second thoughts? It's not too late to change your mind." Even as he offered her the option of walking away from her acceptance he found his breath catching with the fear that she might take him up on it.

"Luka.." Alenka shook her head, almost not believing what she was hearing. "I've wanted this for months now, I was just afraid to say anything because I didn't want to spoil what we already had." She found herself unable to resist the urge to run her fingers through his sleep tousled hair as she spoke. It was all she could do not to add that she longed to have him in her bed, to fall asleep in his arms, to wake next to him. She offered a shy smile, sure that a blush was rising with the direction her thoughts were moving. "I should be going or I'll be late for work...will I see you tonight?" She let her hand drop before her smile deepened in response to his answering nod.

"I have to work until eleven though, if that's too late..." He paused as an unexpected yawn broke.

"It's not too late, I want to see you." She leaned over to kiss him as he dropped his hand, then rose. "I had better go now or I'm going to miss my train."

"I could drive you." Luka rose as she did, reaching for the shirt he had draped across the chair the night before.

"You don't have to, the stop isn't that far...besides, you should get some more sleep."

"I can sleep later, at least let me walk you to the stop." He was already pulling his shirt on and rather then argue Alenka simply nodded.

"If you insist..."

At the casualness of the memory Luka found the peace filling him that for so many years had been missing. This was what she had brought him and even after all the years they had been married he still found comfort in it. He looped a strand of her hair between his fingers as he held her. Would he ever tire of just being close to her?

He found his attention shifting across the aisle again as he heard Maja's giggle in response to something Juraj was saying. Would there ever be a time when he could fully explain to her what it had meant to him to become a father again?

As if sensing the direction of his thoughts Alenka woke, then tilted her head so she could see him as she offered a still drowsy smile.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He lowered his lips to hers, as he curled his fingers in her hair, letting the kiss linger a moment before drawing back.

"You didn't, did you sleep?" She found herself searching his face for the lines she knew would be there if the nightmares had come to visit him even as she asked.

"Yes, and you worry about me too much." He offered her a slight smile with the quiet comment before lowering his hand as he draped his arm around her shoulder again.

"No more then you worry about me. "She lifted her own hand to touch his cheek as her smile deepened. "You need to shave." She wrinkled her nose slightly with the observation.

"Do I now?" Luka turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand before withdrawing his arm and rolling his shoulders. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to get up and stretch before they start serving lunch anyway." He straightened, then leaned down to pull his carryon out from under the seat, when he had unzipped it and retrieved his shaving kit he pushed it back. "I won't be long." He leaned his head to kiss her again before he stood.

"I'll be here." Alenka couldn't help smiling as he had to duck to clear the luggage bin, then found it deepening as she caught at least three other woman pulling their gazes to him as he stepped into the aisle.

"Where are you going, Tata?" Maja wasted no time shifting her attention as she caught him moving.

"Just to the bathroom, I'll be back." Luka leaned down to kiss the top of her head before straightening again. "Be good, Beba."

"I am...see?" She motioned to the LEGOs as if they could answer, then allowed her attention to once more be drawn into them.

With a soft chuckle he shook his head at her then offered Juraj a smile of his own before walking towards the back of the plane.

Alenka found herself watching him as he moved down the aisle, aware still of the attention his height and dark looks drew. She couldn't help wondering sometimes if he was even aware of the way others saw him, then again, she knew too, that how others saw him left her nothing to worry about. From the day he had proposed to her it had been as if the world existed for only the two of them. In that moment it was as if the lives they had thought long over were reawakened and his loyalty to her and his vows were as sacred to him as hers were to herself, and even after so many years she had never had reason to doubt him.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 14/44

As he returned to his seat Luka saw that Alenka had once more moved across the aisle and Juraj had replaced her in the seat next to his, an arrangement which still seemed to be suffering repercussions.

"I don't want to sit here...I want to sit with Tata!" Maja's protests drifted to him and he couldn't help but notice the break that revealed accompanying tears.

"Maja...I said stop...I am warning you." Alenka's voice carried an unspoken threat that the small girl couldn't help but notice as her mother tried to silence her.

"But I don't want to stay here...I want to sit with Tata!" She forced the words out between the hiccups brought on by her crying, not quite ready to concede despite the possible consequences.

"Maja. Mama said enough." Luka reinforced his wife's warning as he reached them, then offered a smile meant to comfort in concession. "Sit with Mama now, you can switch with Juraj later."

"I don't want to wait until later. I want to sit with you now!" She lifted her tear streaked face to him, her dark eyes settling on his, unable to restrain the trembling of her lip as she choked back tears.

As he met her gaze Luka leaned down so his head was almost touching hers before shifting his words to Croatian. "You have been told twice, you know better then this, don't make me tell you again." When she sniffed and dropped her eyes he lay a hand on her hair. "You'll have plenty of time to sit with me, but now it's Juraj's turn, be a good girl and sit with Mama." He withdrew his hand as she still refused to lift her eyes to him. "Maja?" He waited for the dark head to raise, when it did he leaned back down to kiss her, his words remaining in Croatian as he spoke softly for her ears alone. "I love you, Beba."

"I love you too, Tata." That she returned the words in Croatian even amidst the sniffing back of lingering tears touched at old memories and he could almost hear another's voice shadowing them. As he straightened he offered Alenka a smile that only deepened before he shook his head at her mouthed, "Tata's girl."

"If you want the window seat go ahead and scoot over." The words came as he turned around and the smile remained as he waited for his son to do just that. Taking his seat beside him, Luka stretched one leg into the aisle as he sat then handed his shaving kit over to him. "Would you put this in my bag, please?" As he waited for him to finish he shifted his attention back across the aisle, assuring himself that things were settled down once more before looking back at his son. "Thanks for watching Maja earlier so Mama and I could sit together."

"That's okay, it wasn't a big deal." Juraj shrugged off his father's words almost too quickly.

"How are you doing with all this?" Luka found himself asking the question almost as he finished, sensing more to it then his words might imply.

"Maja thinks we'll stay in Croatia, I told her she was wrong." He shifted slightly in his seat as he avoided the direct question.

"I heard that, she's little, it makes sense it would scare her, but you didn't answer my question. How do you feel about our going back?" Luka couldn't not notice the seriousness that the boy's face took on as he debated his response.

"The war's been over a long time." He selected his words carefully.

"Yes, it has." Luka matched the quieter tone his son had adopted as he responded.

"You still miss them though, and Croatia." Juraj offered the observation as he brought his eyes to those of his father's.

"Yes, I still do, and I probably always will." Luka found himself struggling to keep the emotion in his voice under control as he answered, and action made only harder as Juraj slipped his hand into his. "Juraj...what is it?"

"Tata...will the nightmares come again when we get there?" His voice had grown even quieter as he voiced the deeper of his fears.

The question was one that Luka could not have anticipated and it caught him off guard. Dropping his eyes he found himself drawing a deep breath before rolling his tongue around the inside of his lips in preparation of answering. "I can't say for sure...I hope not." He raised his eyes again as he spoke, then patted his leg with his free hand. "Come sit with me." He made the request quietly then shifted to accommodate the boy as he unfastened his seatbelt and moved over. "Juraj." Luka found himself pausing, not sure how to proceed. "The things that I see in the nightmares..the things Mama sees, they aren't things you or Maja have to worry about."

At his father's words Juraj leaned back against his chest, needing the physical comfort more then he was ready to admit, as he began to speak Luka slid his arms around him, resting his cheek against his hair. "I remember when they were bad...before Maja was born. I would hear Mama crying...or sometimes I'd hear you before you would wake up. It scared me, Tata...but more because you would both tell me that nothing was wrong and that I should just go back to bed." He paused a moment to wet his lips before continuing, laying his hands over his father's. "I kept waiting for whatever it was to come to me in my dreams too."

"I'm sorry, Beba." Luka kissed the boy's hair softly with the apology. "We were wrong to try and hide it from you, but we wanted to protect you from it and we didn't think you would understand."

"Will we go to the places in the dreams? He couldn't help but feel the unexpected tenseness of his father at the question.

"I'm not sure...we'll go to the graves though." Luka lifted a hand to wipe his eyes then slid it around his son again.

"So you can say good-bye to them all?" Juraj found himself turning so that he could slip his arms around his father before resting his head on his chest as he asked the question quietly.

"Yes...so we can say good-bye." Luka rested his cheek against his son's hair as he answered. Realization dawning in that moment, that the boy had make the connection to the importance of the trip that they had never shared.


to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 15/44

As he sat with Juraj, Luka realized how infrequent times such as these had become between them. His son was growing up, and deep down inside of him he felt the fear he knew all parents must feel with that realization. It had been hard to allow these two children the freedom that so many of their friends knew. Hard not to feel the fear at what might happen each time they were away from their sight.

He could already feel Juraj becoming more restless under his hand and though the boy had not yet spoke he stilled his hand on his back. "Do you want to move back to your own seat?" He allowed him the option only to find himself surprised as his son shook his head.

"Not yet." At his words he did turn again though, settling himself so his back once more rested against his father's chest. "Tata?" He started the question hesitantly, then paused as if uncertain about whether he should continue.

"Yes?" Luka lowered his head so that his chin came to rest on the top of the boy's head.

"Did you and Mama always know you would have more kids?" The quietness of his inquiry left no doubt to the seriousness of the subject. "I mean...you waited a longtime and my friend Alek...his Mom is always telling him he was an accident..." He let the rest of whatever he was thinking trail off at his father's soft intake of air, then waited nervously for him to speak.

Luka found himself initially at a loss for words, this certainly was not what he had expected from his son and of all the things he might have anticipated the last he could have imagined. As he framed his response he folded his arms around his oldest child more securely then smiled as Juraj placed his hands on top.

"It wasn't an easy decision for Mama and I, but you weren't an accident. Jasna and Marko were very young when I lost them...Neven was your age when Mama lost him." He paused to draw a breath before continuing. "We both knew we could never forget them...and we waited to make sure we wouldn't be having children thinking we could replace them. That wouldn't have been fair to you or Maja." He found a smile breaking at the memory of how Alenka had told him about her pregnancy...

He had worked a double shift on top of four, twelve hour night shifts and when he had finally fallen into bed Alenka was close to waking to begin her day. "Rough shift?" She asked the question drowsily as he settled beside her, draping an arm over her as he finally stilled.

"I'm getting too old for these long shifts." He offered the complaint without bothering to open his eyes.

"You are not that old." She lay a kiss on his forehead before laying back and letting her fingers brush through his hair. "Luka?" She found herself stopping before she had really even begun.

"Hmm?" He released a soft sigh as his body slipped closer towards the sleep it was demanding, lulled by her touch. Whether it was her silence or something deeper he found his need for sleep suddenly falling away and he raised his head as he opened his eyes. "Alenka...what is it? Has something happened?" His immediate thought was that something was wrong..but that couldn't be...she would have called...he tried to read the expression on his wife's face only to fail. "Alenka?"

"No...nothing has happened...well nothing bad.." She wiped an approaching tear from her face then laughed nervously before she spoke again. "Oh, Luka...I'm not sure how to do this." She laughed again even as more tears began to wet her cheeks.

The mixture of tears and the nervous laughter left him more confused and Luka forced himself to sit..his eyes taking in her appearance carefully as he tried to make sense of what might be happening. "Alenka...do what? What are you trying to say?"

"I guess I should have realized sooner...but I was so young then." She sniffed back still more tears as she took his hand in hers, lacing her fingers between his as she raised her eyes and allowed a smile to fully find her. "I'm pregnant Luka...we're going to have a baby..."

His shock was quickly swallowed by a joy he had thought never to know again and in once move he pulled his wife to him...kissing her deeply before releasing her. "Alenka, how? When? "I mean..." He lost his questions in a confusion of thought and finally settled for simply kissing her again as she laughed in response.

"I can't believe you asked me that." She let her own laughter mingle with his, sure now that this child would be as welcome to him as it was to her.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 16/44

As she watched Luka and Juraj from across the aisle, Alenka couldn't help wondering if they asked too much of their children. They'd agonized over how much of their pasts to share with the children. Spent far too many sleepless nights discussing what details to reveal and what things were left best unspoken. In the end both she and Luka had decided to answer honestly when the questions came. Even once the decision had been made though it never quite eased the guilt over their sharing a burden that at times proved too heavy for even their parents to carry.

She'd seen some of the effects that the truth created already...the way Juraj seemed older then his friends. The seriousness that came over him when he thought no one was watching. Then too, there were those nights when she had woke to find him standing in the doorway to their room, silently watching his parents as they slept. Once caught he would confess that he thought by standing watch he might protect them from the nightmares that still came as memories of the past ventured too close..

With Maja it reflected differently, still too young to fully understand she sought the closeness, more so from her father but at times with whoever was closest. With Luka it was as if she sensed when his thoughts were drifting to his past, and in those moments she was there, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. There were moments when she thought she should feel jealousy at the bond that existed between them, but in truth it only re-enforced the closeness that they shared as a family She found a smile settling at the thought. In a time when so many families were drifting away from each other they maintained a closeness few seemed to know.

Time would tell if either child would resent their parents for placing such a heavy burden on them at such young ages, but how could they not? She and Luka could neither pretend their pasts didn't exist without denying those that had come before and been lost, something unimaginable to either. The only thing then that remained was for them to share it, to answer the questions that would come with honesty, and to finally accept the consequences of what that knowledge would bring.

"Mama...can I color now?" The small hand on her arm drew her out of her thoughts and Alenka found her concerns withdrawing.

"Of course, Beba." Alenka leaned forward to pull her bag from under the seat and unzipped it before withdrawing several books as well as a new box of crayons. "Are you done with the LEGOs?"

"Yeah.." She scooped up those that remained on her tray and passed them to her mother before taking the offered books. "Mama, how much longer before I can sit with Tata? She asked the question after a quick glance across the aisle, that prompted Alenka to look as well.

"I think they're talking, maybe when they finish Juraj will be ready to move back over." She lay the crayons on the tray after opening the box.

"He's been sitting there a long time..." She made the assessment even as she flipped through her book to find a clean page.

"Not as long as you were sitting with Tata earlier." She found her smile deepening as her daughter released an exasperated sigh before pulling a crayon from the box.

"Sleeping doesn't count." Maja defended before dropping her eyes to her book as she began to color.

At the comment Alenka couldn't help laughing then covered her mouth to silence it as she was met by the small girl's glare in return. "I'm sorry, Beba...maybe by lunch you can switch." She leaned over to give her a light kiss with the apology before straightening and allowing her to focus on her coloring.

"You have beautiful children." Alenka shifted her attention as the elderly woman to her right spoke.

"Thank you, I hope they haven't been too much of a bother to you." She turned enough so she could place her full attention on the woman as they talked.

"Not at all." The woman chuckled softly as she answered. "It's a long flight, I fly quite a bit, not much else to do at my age. They've done better then most of the children I've been seated besides. I have to say your boy seems very mature though, how old are they?"

"Thank you." She accepted the compliment on Juraj's behalf before answering the question. Maja just turned 5." She glanced to the girl a moment then looked back. "Juraj, our son, is ten."

"I'd have guessed him at older then that." The woman looked across the aisle at Luka and the boy. "He looks like his Father."

"Yes, he does." She offered a proud smile with the agreement.

"You've been inthe states on vacation? I am hearing an accent aren't I? She allowed her curiosity to get the better of her before laying her knitting aside with the question.

Alenka smiled before answering "No, we live in Chicago, but my husband and I were both born in Croatia...we're taking our vacation there."

"I'm afraid I couldn't help but hear some of the conversation between the two children when you were sitting across the aisle." She paused as if not sure whether she should continue. "Your daughter seems a little concerned."

Alenka nodded. "She is..." She found herself flicking her eyes to Maja before saying anything else. "My husband and I left not long after the war...this is my first time back and I think that probably has a lot to do with it." It surprised her that she felt comfortable enough with the woman to reveal the information and when the woman only smiled in return she found herself relieved.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, I've been watching the way both of you are with them..they're very lucky." She picked up her knitting again with the compliment.

"Thank you." Alenka found herself blushing under the praise. She was about to say more when she felt a light tug on her sleeve.

"Mama...look..." Maja drew her attention to the picture she had been working on.

"Excuse me..." She offered the apology and glanced to the book on the tray beside her.

"That's quite all right." The woman went back to her knitting without a second thought leaving Alenka to her daughter.

"That's very good, Beba." With the shift to Maja again it was easy to forget her earlier concerns...and as she listened to her daughter's animated chatter it wasn't long before they had faded completely.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 17/44

"Tata?" Juraj paused a moment, his dark eyes resting on his Father's hand as he laced his fingers with the much larger ones.

"Hmm?" A smile inched across Luka's face as he watched the simple action.

"Would you tell me about the day I was born?"

"You haven't asked for that in a longtime." Luka couldn't help wondering if his son was seeking some deeper insight in the retelling of the familiar story. Something that he hadn't been able to reason out on his own.

"I know, do you mind?" He tilted his head so he could see his Father's reaction.

"No." Luka offered a reassuring smile before continuing. "I don't mind at all, where do you want me to start?"

"You had worked all night and Mama called you about five in the morning." He stopped as his Father interrupted him with a soft laugh.

"You remember this as well as I do." He allowed another laugh to bubble up before he took over the telling. "You're right though, I was supposed to be off work at seven but Mama called me at five because she had started to have contractions."

"Which meant I was ready to be born." Juraj added helpfully.

"Close, you were letting her know that you were coming." Luka found himself easily recalling the memory as the story unfolded.

"Dr. Kovac...telephone, line 3." Adrian, the newest receptionist placed the call on hold before calling to him as he rounded the corner.

"Be right there." He finished the final notation on the chart in his hands before dropping it in the rack and entering the patient's status on the board. "Let me know when psych decides to come talk to my patient in Curtain 2 could you?" He made the request as he moved to the phone and hit the button to take the call. "This is Dr. Kovac."

"Luka, it's Alenka...sorry to bother you at work, I thought it would wait until you came home...but I don't think I can wait another two hours." Her breath caught as a contraction began.

"Alenka?" At her gasp he felt a sense of panic move into him, erasing the activity around him and making her the only thing he was aware of. "Alenka...talk to me..." He found his own breathing becoming more rapid with the request. "Tell me what's going on."

"I think I'm having contractions..." She tried not to let her own fear reflect too strongly in her words.

"How long?" Luka rubbed his head...all of his experience seeming to vanish. "Did you call anyone?"

"Luka...slow down, I called you...and they started a few hours ago. I thought they would wait until you got here but they're getting worse." She interrupted herself with a groan as the pressure deepened." I need to push..."

"Don't push...Alenka...don't push...I'll come home."

"You don't need to come home. I'll call a cab and come there. I'm sure there's time." If she didn't hurt so much Alenka was sure she would have laughed as she sensed his nervousness through the phone

"Alenka." He wanted to protest even though he realized the sense she was making. By the time he got to her she could be here already.

"I'll be fine Luka. I've been through this before, it's not that bad. She offered the words of reassurance with a brief pang of sadness.

"I can't believe you are taking this so calmly." When had he begun to pace with the phone? Luka forced himself to stop as he released as breath then ran his hand nervously through his hair. "You could call Father Joe for a ride."

"Luka...I am not calling Father Joe for a ride. Besides, he has Mass at six...I can take a cab, I have plenty of time. Now, unless you want me to have this baby here?" She left the sentence unfinished, then laughed. "I'll be fine...we'll be fine. I'll see you soon, I love you."

He let whatever else he had planned to say drop with her words. "I love you too. Call me when the cab gets there so I know you're on your way."

"I will, try not to worry so much."

"You keep twisting that cord like that and you're going to snap it...are you all right?" The sound of Susan Lewis' voice broke through the daze that still held him even after Alenka had hung up and sheepishly he dropped the cord and settled the receiver back into the cradle.

"Yeah. Well, maybe not..." He swept his tongue around the inside of his mouth prompting Susan to walk closer to him.

"Luka, what's going on?"

"Alenka...she thinks she's in labor...she's on her way in as soon as the cab gets there." He glanced to the Ambulance Bay as if by looking there he could make the cab miraculously appear.

"No kidding, that's great." Susan offered a smile before moving over to the board and erasing his name and placing hers on the attending line.

"What are you doing? I'm on for at least another hour and a half."

"No, you aren't." She shook her head. "Luka, your wife is in labor...you head is not going to be anywhere but on how she is doing. Go get some coffee, you're going to need it."

"I don't want coffee." He glanced at his watch. "I should have gone after her."

"Then go haunt the Ambulance Bay if it makes you feel better, I'm sure she'll be here as fast as she can."

Much to Susan's amusement Luke seemed to be doing that already...walking between the doors and the desk as if somehow that might help. "I have to say, this shows me a side of you I've never seen before. You need to relax though, she'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say." He rubbed his hand across his face as he reached her again.

"But she got there okay." Juraj's comment interrupted the memory and Luka smiled as he nodded.

"Yes, if you ask Mama she'll tell you she was doing better then I was when she finally got to the hospital. He couldn't help smiling at the comment knowing just how true it was.

"She was in labor a longtime." Juraj stated the known fact helpfully to move the story along.

"Yes, about 14 hours with you. I guess you weren't as ready to come out after all."

Juraj chuckled softly at the comment. "Tell me about when you first saw me." He made the request as he resettled himself then released a contented sigh when his Father's arms tightened around him in response.

"The very first time?' Luka asked the question teasingly.

"Not with the picture...when I was born." The boy glanced back at his Father, the game a familiar one between them.

"Oh...when you were born. Hmmm," Luka rested his cheek against his son's hair again. "You mean when you were all wrinkled and slimy."

"I wasn't wrinkled and slimy." Juraj emphasized his disgreement with a light jab to his Father's thigh.

"I told the Doctor's to put you back and find my son." A soft laugh broke with the teasing.

"You did not...Tata...tell it right." Juraj turned so he could glare at his Father though he knew it was all in jest.

"You're right." Luka laughed again, then let his fingers brush through the boy's long, dark locks as he turned around again.

Juraj twisted the wedding ring around his Father's finger as he waited for him to continue.

"Push Alenka." The Obstetrician coaxed the final effort from her patient as she watched the baby emerge. "Almost there, I see his head." She lifted her eyes. "He's got a full head of black hair, the girls will be all over him."

"Like Neven..." Alenka smiled to Luka, the joy radiating even through the bittersweet memory of the son she had lost, and the tears and pain of the birth.

"One more big push." The Doctor interrupted before Luka could respond.

Luka found himself blinking back his own tears with the impact of the moment. It was all coming true...he was becoming a Father again. He leaned close to his wife as he hold on his hands tightened with her final cry of pain. "I love you." He brushed his lips across her forehead. At the cry of the baby he looked to him, his cheeks now wet with tears of joy. "He's beautiful..." The smile filled his face as he returned his eyes to Alenka then broadened as they returned to his son.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 18/44

Maybe it was the timing of the flight, maybe just the little things that such a long flight brought notice to, but the closer they came to Croatia, the more her earlier fears receded. She had dreaded this trip for over twenty years...and now...was it possible that she was becoming anxious for them to arrive?

She couldn't help the smile that formed as she watched the whispering going on between Luka and Juraj. When had her baby become so old, and how was it possible that so much time had passed seemingly in the blink of an eye?

Leaning back in her seat she continued watching the two, her curiosity at their conversation forgotten as she studied the similarities of the two. The resemblance of Father to Son was immediate, both with hair so dark it might be considered almost blue to some, lean and long-legged. Those were the first things that most people noticed, then there were the subtleties, things less visible to those not close to them. The quiet reserve when they were troubled by something. The same reserve that demanded they find somewhere to be alone in order to bring resolution or clarification to it. The way they retreated into themselves was something she'd long accepted in her husband, but was all the more difficult to accept in their son.

She could feel the memories rising, remembrances of the life they had settled into. After assuring herself that Maja was content with her crayons and book she allowed herself the luxury of giving into them and with a quiet sigh she closed her eyes.

They'd only had their new son home for half a day and already she found the pleasant exhaustion of new motherhood settling over her like a warm blanket. She was tired, tired in a way she had never thought she would know again, and she wouldn't trade the feeling for anything.

For the tenth time in less than an hour she found herself standing over the crib of her newborn son. Juraj Stewart Kovac...a strong name for what she hoped would be a strong child. Her eyes seemed to take in every inch of him, from the thick lashes resting on his full cheeks as he slept, to the tiny nails on the curled fingers as his hand rested beside his head.

"Are you all right?" She hadn't realized Luka had even entered the room until he spoke, and his quiet concern was obvious in his question. Moving behind her he slid his arms around her as she nodded.

"I can't help worrying about him. I know he's real, but I've dreamed of this moment for so many years...thinking he was real and then waking to find he was only a dream. I can't help thinking if I leave him alone I'll wake up to find it's happened again." As she voiced the worry she felt his hold tighten and she lay her hand over his.

"He's real Alenka." He leaned down so he could kiss her. "He's so beautiful." The compliment came so close to her ear that she felt his lips flutter across it.

"He looks like you." Alenka smiled, feeling some of her concerns ease under his attention.

"He looks like both of us." He nuzzled her neck then planted several small kisses before looking back to the sleeping newborn.

"The doctor thinks he'll be tall like you are." She tilted her head as he continued to kiss her.

"Umm hmm..." He murmured into her neck as he held her.

Turning so she could face him Alenka cradled his face in her hands. "He'll be all right won't he? I can't help worrying that because we've both lost children before...you don't think he would ask that of us again?"

"Shh...no..Alenka...shh." He laid his finger to her lips. "What happened before...Alenka..that won't happen again."

"Luka, I want to believe that...but I couldn't bear it if something were to happen to him."

Drawing her to him he kissed her deeply before speaking. "Nothing can change what happened...but it's not fair to him...it won't be fair to him..." He offered an apologetic smile as he stumbled over what he wanted to say. "We have to give him the chance to live." He leaned his forehead against hers with the quiet comment.

As Juraj woke he broke the silence of the small room and Luka released Alenka to walk to the crib and lift the crying baby from it. "Shh...it's all right, Tata and Mama are here." He cradled the newborn carefully in his arm as he turned to his wife then dropped his eyes to meet the unfocussed ones of his new son. "Tata and Mama will protect you always."

Alenka smiled at the memory then opened her eyes, neither Luka not Juraj seemed to have moved and she could tell that whatever Luka shared with his son was meant for his ears alone. "That's very good Beba." Alenka drew her attention back to her daughter, leaning forward to watch as she colored.

"I'm staying in the lines Mama." Maja bent farther over her tray then bit the end of her tongue as she concentrated on what she was doing.

"I see that." Rather then interrupt her further Alenka leaned back again and as her eyes fell once more to her husband and son she found her memories returning to the past as well.

She'd been sure she wouldn't sleep at all that first night and in a compromise Luka had moved the crib to their room. At his first cry she came awake, slipping her husband's arm from her waist before she eased out from under the covers.

"I can get him." She smiled as Luka sleepily made the offer without even opening his eyes then touched his shoulder.

"No, I'll do it, you sleep." She leaned over to kiss him lightly before moving to the baby. "I'd better get him before he wakes the neighbors."

"He's got good lungs." Luka rolled onto his stomach with the observation, then buried his head under his pillow though he didn't stay there long. As Alenka settled into the rocker to nurse she felt his eyes on her and with a smile she raised her eyes from her son's to her husband's face. "You're so lucky." He spoke quietly as he sat, the blanket pooling around his waist as he leaned back against the headboard. "I used to tell Danijela that...when I would watch her nurse." He wet his lips before continuing. "I would watch her...first with Jasna, then with Marko...and I envied her having that one connection to them I could never have."

"Luka...you can be just as much a part of his life as I am." With her words she rose, ignoring the infant's protest to the interruption of his feeding. Reaching the bed she settled beside him before leaning against him as she resettled the baby to her breast. "Maybe you can't nurse him, but you can feed him, and teach him, and love him. Luka, he's part of us, but he's part of them too...Neven..Jasna...Marko...he has the chance to be all those things they never got the chance to be."

"Mama...is it my turn yet?" Maja's question brought her back to the present as the small girl tugged lightly on her sleeve and with a small smile she nodded.

"Yes, Beba." She found herself laughing with her response despite the lingering memory, not so much for the humor but from her persistence. "Luka, I think your daughter's patience is running out." She called across the aisle with a smile.


to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 19/44

"Were you finished talking with Tata?" Alenka asked the question quietly as she studied her son. When he lifted his eyes from the book he'd been reading and nodded, she couldn't help but smile.

"Pretty much, but it's okay." He gave her a look that she immediately recognized as one of those he shared with his Father.

"Juraj, if you have questions, or are worried about anything, you know you can talk to me about them too."

"I know, Mama." He closed the book so he could bring his full attention to her as he spoke, then hesitated with the question that he knew needed an answer.

"What is it, Beba?" Alenka found herself leaning closer as her voiced dropped, seeking some privacy for him amongst so many strangers. Noting the seriousness of his face as he still hesitated she slid her arm around him and drew him to her. "Juraj?"

The boy swiped his tongue across his lips in yet another of his actions that mirrored those of his Father, and one which usually came when he was on the verge of broaching a difficult subject.

"Mama?" He started only to stop as he rewet his lips.

"What, Beba? She reached over to brush his heavy bangs from his eyes as she waited him out.

"Mama...do you and Tata?" There was still another hesitation before he could get the entire question out. "Do you love them more then you love Maja and I?"

Alenka would swear that her heart stopped the instant the words left his mouth, how could she answer that?

"I'm sorry, Mama." Juraj was already regretting the question as he noted her reaction. "I didn't mean to ask it"

"Beba, no..." Alenka swallowed then pulled her son tightly to her, before kissing him. "It's not that, the way I feel about Neven, the way I"ll always feel, it's like how I feel about you and Maja. You don't know how your heart could love another as much as the first, but when the next baby comes you do." She kissed his hair again with the explanation.

"Do I look like him?" Juraj wet his lips, the uncertainty of how far was safe to go in his question.

"You're taller then he was, Damir, my first husband was shorter then Tata." She smiled slightly with the fond memory. "You're both dark though, I wish I had more pictures to show you of him." A touch of sadness laced her words and she knew no amount of pictures would make up for the loss of the two she loved so much.

"It must be hard for Tata not to have any pictures of Marko."

"He has pictures in his head, it's not the same of course, but it's better then nothing." Alenka offered the words as a way of easing the awkwardness of the conversation.

When Juraj grew silent she didn't press him, and instead she took advantage of the small moment of intimacy. Maybe this was what the trip was intended to do for them, maybe it wasn't just about she and Luka putting their pasts to rest, but about their children coming to terms about it as well.

"Tata....you can't make the cow blue." Maja pulled the crayon from his hand before he could place the offending color on the page in front of him then replaced it with a brown one.

"What if I want a blue cow?" He cast his eyes to her with a teasing smile.

"Tata. You have to do it right." The small girl's smile was one of mild tolerance and seeing it prompted him to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Beba." He forced the smile back at the glare he received in response. "You know you can make them whatever color you want, you don't have to do it the same every time."

"Cows aren't blue, Tata." Her tone remained serious and it was obvious that nothing he could say would sway her from her position.

"Can I make the grass blue?" He allowed the smile to form again with the gentle teasing.

"No. You can make the sky blue." Her face maintained the look of seriousness until he conceded and began to color with the brown, at which point she returned to the page she was working on.

Even as Luka complied with his daughter's wishes he found the long forgotten memory surfacing and for once he allowed it to come freely.

"Tata!" Jasna's plaintive wail carried through the small apartment clearly, forcing him to almost drop the plate he held in his hands before he could set it aside. "Tata!" When the cry repeated he was sure something terrible had happened and he abandoned the dishes to find her.

"Jasna, what is it? Are you hurt?" He stopped suddenly as instead of the imagined carnage he found the girl standing over her brother, clutching a handful of crayons and the tattered coloring book she cherished. A glance to his young son only deepened the confusion as he chewed contentedly on some snack. "What's going on in here?" He knelt beside Marko trying to identify what had him so pleased yet his sister so upset.

"Marko ate the yellow crayon! How can I color the sun without a yellow?"

"Marko..spit it out." He held his hand in front of the boy's mouth with the demand only to have to force his fingers in as he stubbornly refused and continued to chew.

"Tata...where am I going to get another one?" Jasna's distress threatened to send her into tears with the question and they were delivered as he scooped the pulpy remains of her crayons from her brother's mouth.

"Candy. The little boy reached for it again as his Father took it away.

"No, Marko, not candy...crayon." He tried to maintain the stern demeanor the situation required but found himself failing.

"Tata, don't cry, you can make the cow blue if you want." It was Maja's words that brought his thoughts back to the present and only as she wiped the wetness from his cheek did he even realize that the memory had prompted tears.

"It's not that, Beba." He offered her a smile of reassurance before he tried to explain. "I was just thinking about something from a longtime ago that I hadn't thought about until now." He wet his lips before dropping his attention to the book on the tray in front of him.

"It's okay to remember though, Tata...even the sad things." Maja's words surprised him and he lifted his eyes to her with a smile. So much wisdom for one so young.

"Yes, Beba, it's okay to remember..even the sad things."

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 20/44

By the time lunch was over the expectation of landing had replaced whatever lingering concerns the children still had. Juraj's had been easily placated by the travel book his Mother presented him with and the two had settled into an easy conversation with it open between them. If only Maja had been so easily appeased, the small girl's impatience was growing and with it came the restlessness common to many her age.

"Tata, won't we ever get there?" She knelt on her seat, alternating her attention between the window and the present view of clouds it held and her Father. Over the last twenty minutes Luka was persuaded she had begun to time her questions to those exact moments when she somehow knew he had finally fallen asleep. At he latest he cracked one eye open wearily.

"You asked me that less then five minutes ago, Maja." He smothered a yawn to punctuate the response.

"But it's taking forever." With the protest she climbed over the armrest that separated them onto his lap, ending whatever hopes he had of finding sleep again.

"Sitting upright he shifted to make the arrangement more comfortable for both of them. "Still worried, Beba?" He asked the question though he knew he dreaded the possible answer.

"A little." Maja admitted as she turned to face him, then took one of his hands so she could lace her small fingers with his larger ones. "Will we go to the graves first?"

Luka found himself unsure of how to answer...how could he tell her what even he didn't yet know? "I'm not sure, I'll have to talk to Mama, see what she feels. It's been a long time since she's been back, she may want to see other things first."

"What about you, Tata? Do you want to see other places too?" As she questioned him she laced her fingers into his other hand as well.

"I'd like you and Juraj to see more then just the cemeteries, it's very different now from how it was, so it's not the same as if nothing had changed. My family wasn't from Vukovar so I didn't know the City that well at first, we'd come here so I could go to Medical School." He found it easier to be open with the small girl then he might have been with his son at her age, the fears at revealing his weaknesses seeming to have lessened with age.

"The Captain has informed us that we are ready to begin our descent into Vukovar..." The Stewardesses words interrupted their conversation and Luka flicked his eyes to Alenka, offering her a smile of reassurance before returning his attention to his daughter.

"Time to go back to your own seat now, Beba and buckle up." He gave her a kiss before releasing her then once she was settled rebuckled her seatbelt before leaning across her as she called his attention to the sights appearing outside the window.

An hour later they were on the ground and stood just past customs. "It's so hard to believe we're finally here." Alenka spoke softly as she took in the sights and sounds around them, her own nervousness reflecting in her voice.

"It's true though." Luka slid into his native tongue at the prompting of so many others doing the same before he kissed his wife lightly. "Welcome home."

"Tata...can we go now?" Maja tugged on his sleeve, her impatience rising again.

"Croatian, Beba, can you do that?" Luka kept his tone light as he found himself reminding his daughter of the small agreement that had been made.

"I forgot." She switched her words to her second language prompting a return smile from her father.

"You know why Mama and I want you to use it?" He took the moment to squat so he could be on eye level with her at the question.

"So we can practice." Maja answered quickly.

"Why do we want you to practice though?" Luka let his eyes settle fully on his daughter as he waited for her clarification.

"So we don't forget that we're Croatian even if we were born in America...in case we ever want to move here." Luka shifted his attention to his son as the answer was supplied for his sister.

"In a way, yes. It's important that you have that choice, that's one of the reasons we wanted to do this as a family. You've heard Mama and I tell you what it was like, but it's not the same as seeing it for yourself." As he explained Luka rose, looking between both of his children. "We want you to see the good things about this country, not just know the bad things that happened to us...the things that made us leave. Does that make sense?"

When his question prompted no more then a nod of understanding from the two he found himself offering them a smile before reaching for two of their bags. "How about we find our hotel and then get something to eat...maybe even do a little sightseeing before dark?"

His suggestion seemed to please both children and once the rest of the bags were gathered up and they were busy pointing things out to each other as they walked it allowed Alenka and he a few moments alone to talk. "Doing all right?" He asked the question quietly as he walked beside her.

"Better then I thought I would be. I can't believe how good it feels to be here." She found herself smiling with the admission. "Hearing the language.." He smile deepened as she paused and shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense does it?"

"More then you know, Alenka. This is home, it's where we were born, it's where we would probably have died if we hadn't lost our families and needed to go away to survive." He wet his lips as he voiced to her the truths neither could deny. "We couldn't stay...the reminders were too many...but it's different now, and we owe it to the children to show them why."

"I can't believe I was so afraid to come back...I was sure I would feel awful if I ever did." Alenka hesitated a moment before continuing. "This will always be home...why couldn't I see that before now?"

"Because you weren't ready...just like I wasn't..not for a longtime..."

The End

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 21/44

By the time the family had settled into their hotel and had dinner it was obvious that whatever hopes they had for any sightseeing would have to wait until morning. The fact that Maja fell asleep at the table only reinforced the decision. Handing his wallet to his wife Luka rose to pick up his youngest child, then smiled as her arms automatically found their way around his neck even in sleep.

"How are you doing?" He turned his attention to Juraj as Alenka went to settle the bill and his son rose as well.

"Kind of tired, we going to go back to the room?" The boy's own fatigue reflected in his features.

"I think so, I think we could all use a good night's rest, then we can start out bright and early in the morning." As he spoke Luka started for the door with Juraj not far behind.

"Did Mama decide where she wanted to go first?" He asked the question not sure if he wanted to really know the answer.

"We haven't had much of a chance to talk about it yet, we'll do it before we go to sleep tonight I think." As he reached the restaurant entrance Luka paused to wait on his wife.

"Tata, do you think we'll have to go to the cemeteries first?"

"I'm not sure, Beba...it'll depend on Mama, does that worry you?" He dropped his eyes so they firmly settled on his son with the question.

"Not really worry...I don't want Mama to be sad on her first day is all...if we go to the other places where there are good memories maybe it will be easier for her, " Juraj locked his eyes on his Father's as well...the serious of the discussion quite clear on his face.

"You've been thinking about this a lot haven't you?"

"Some...it's like going to the place where they died...or you going where your first family died...it'll make you sad to see those places and I just thought it might be easier to see happy things first." Luka couldn't help feeling that his son's words might have been coming from one much older then ten.

"I'll talk to Mama tonight, and tell her what you think...will that work?"

Juraj nodded, allowing a small smile to form as he did. "Thanks, Tata."

An hour later found both children sound asleep and Luka and Alenka not far behind. The extra shifts and the long trip had done their jobs well and even as he lay waiting for his wife to finish in the bathroom Luka wondered if he would make it. Stifling a yawn he rolled onto his stomach before wrapping his arms around the pillow. How was it possible he could be so relaxed? He yawned again then turned his eyes to the bathroom door as the crack of light from the room briefly illuminated the dark.

"Coming to bed?" He spoke quietly so as not to wake the children in the other bed.

In lieu of a response Alenka switched the light off and padded quietly across the room before climbing into bed beside him, and as she did Luka released his pillow before shifting to lay on his back to accommodate her.

When she was settled with her head on his chest he moved his hand to stroke her hair. "Worried?"

"A little...what were you and Juraj talking about after dinner?" She found it easy to relax under his touch, and without conscious realization the layers of stress began to fall away.

"He was asking when we would go to the cemeteries...he's concerned about us going first thing in the morning." As he spoke he drew his wife closer to him.

"I worry about him sometimes...he seems so old...I wonder if we've put too much of our past on the two of them..." As Luka held her Alenka found her own hands seeking him out, needing the feel of him as much as he seemed to need her.

"What else could we have done? Neither of us could have pretended our pasts never happened...it wouldn't have been fair to these children or those..or Danijela and Damir."

"Luka...I know that...it's because of them that we're together in the first place...and maybe that was the most important thing for us to remember. If we had never lost them we would never have found each other." With her words Alenka raised up so she could kiss him. "Maybe that's another reason we have to go...to thank them for making that sacrifice."

"It won't be easy...for any of us." Luka spoke softly after returning the kiss, but didn't yet release her.

"No...I never thought it would be, but it's been 25 years...it's time we said the good-byes we couldn't say before. I need to let them go...I've held onto them for so long, but now I know it's time, coming back here has made me realize that. I want to see where we lived...where they died, and I want to finally lay it all to rest. I think you want the same." She lifted her hand to touch his cheek as she finished.

Her words were stronger then he had expected and for a moment he was unable to reply, instead he turned his head so he could kiss her palm. "I knew there was another reason I married you besides the fact you were so beautiful."

Alenka smiled to his compliment then kissed him again before returning her head to his chest. "I think you need to get some sleep..." Her words held a gentle teasing in their tone.

Luka laughed in response then brought his hand to her hair again, stroking it soothingly as they lay together in the dark. "Thank you for finally doing this."

"It's time, Luka...it's time."


to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 22/44

Someone or something was watching him, he was sure of it. Even deep within the fog shrouded rationale of half sleep his senses couldn't avoid registering it. Cracking open an eye, Luka found himself face to face with his small daughter as she knelt beside the bed, her chin propped in her palm.

"You finally woke up."Maja stated simply before wasting no time in scrambling onto the bed beside her father with a smile.

"Morning Beba." He raised a hand to wipe the remaining traces of sleep from his eyes as he spoke. "Careful though, you'll wake Mama." He added the warning quietly even as he lifted the blanket so she could slide underneath.

"I'm hungry." She voiced the complaint as she settled in beside him.

"Is Juraj awake too?"

"No, everybody is sleeping." She complained again, forcing Luka to glance at his watch to check the time.

"Mama may still have some snacks left from the plane, do you want to go check her bag?" He made the suggestion hoping it might satisfy her until a more reasonable time.

"Can't we go eat?" She toyed with her Father's crucifix while waiting for his reply.

"It's too early, Beba, nothing is open yet. Why don't you try and go back to sleep for a while, it's going to be a busy day?" Luka shifted slightly to accommodate her as his daughter snuggled closer.

"Can I stay here if I do?"

"You'll go back to sleep?" It was clear from his tone that he was willing to allow the compromise and instead of answering with words Maja let her actions speak for her as she turned onto her stomach. Sliding her arms around him she rested her head on his chest then closed her eyes.

Laying there in the dim quiet of predawn Luka felt the calm drawing him closer to sleep again. How was it possible that he felt so much peace in this visit? He let his hand make small circles on Maja's back as his own breathing slowed to match hers, all the years of fear about this day...his hand came to rest as sleep reclaimed him as well.

It was the bustle of morning activity that woke Luka the second time and with that consciousness came the realization that the weight of Maja was no longer on him. For several minutes he lay simply listening to the noises, he could have been in his own bed for the normalcy of it all. Opening his eyes he stretched, eliciting a soft groan before he sat up.

"Morning." He smothered a sleepy yawn before smiling to his son, noting that he was already dressed save for the shoes that he was tying at that moment.

"Morning, Tata." Juraj lifted his head with the greeting.

"Mama and Maja getting dressed?"

"Yeah, Mama said to let you sleep until they were finished, want me to tell her you're up?" He had already rose with the offer.

"No, that's all right. Go ahead and turn the TV on if you want to watch it until we get ready to leave." As he spoke Luka tossed the covers aside and sat fully up, then turned so he could drop his feet to the floor. He couldn't help the deepening smile when instead of taking his Father up on the offer the boy instead began to make the bed he had shared with his sister. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do, I'm not losing my allowance because I didn't. Juraj looked over to his Father, his expression one of skepticism.

"I think Mama would make an exception."

"Mama would make an exception to what?" Alenka's voice interrupted the two as she and Maja emerged from the bathroom.

"Morning, Tata.." The small girl ran over to throw her arms around him then released him before deciding that her brother might be a better target to her attentions.

"Morning, Beba..." He rose from the bed as she moved away. "His making the bed." He offered the answer to his wife's question before walking over so he could kiss her. "You should have woke me."

"You needed the sleep." She returned his kiss before brushing his bangs from his eyes. "What time did Maja join us?"

"Around five, I said it was all right...did she wake you up?" He shifted his gaze for a moment as he heard Juraj caution his sister on the consequences of rumpling his freshly made bed. "No bouncing, Maja." He offered the warning with a smile.

"I'm not. Are we going to eat soon?" She gave up on her plan and instead moved from the bed to the small couch with the question.

"As soon as Tata gets dressed, Beba, why don't we turn the TV on, you can watch something while he gets ready." Alenka stepped away to tend to her daughter, turning the set on then flipping channels until she found a children's program. "Try that one."

"Ok..." Maja turned her attention to the television as she climbed onto the couch and was soon drawn into the program, followed not too shortly by her brother.

As Alenka tended to the children Luka used the time to pull the clothing he would wear from the dresser. Through it all he found the amazement returning at how normal it all seemed. He glanced to his wife as he closed the drawer. "I won't be long, why don't you decide if we want to eat here or go out for something."

"Take your time." She glanced to the children as she spoke before returning her attention to him with a smile. "They seem pretty content for the time being."

"You doing all right?" He swept his eyes over her, looking for the telltale signs that the deeper effects of the trip might finally be hitting her.

"I'm doing fine...it's funny actually, I expected to be upset and nervous, but I'm not." As she spoke she moved over to him so the conversation would not be as noticeable to the two children.

"I've felt the same thing, maybe you were right about the timing." He shifted his clothing to one arm so he could take her hand with his free one. "I never thought it would like this." He voiced the last even more quietly as his eyes came to rest on hers.

"Neither did I, but I'm glad for it, for us, and for the children. I guess I was always afraid that when we did this that they wouldn't be able to notice the good things because of our memories or because of how upset we might be." She paused for a moment to shift her eyes to the children before returning them to him. "I'm not worried about that anymore."

As she finished Luka moved closer, lowering his head so he could touch his forehead to hers. "Neither am I." He lifted his hand to touch her face with a smile. "I think you're right too, what Juraj and Maja bring back from this will depend on us, and I want them to love it as much as we do, despite the losses we had here."

"Tata, I'm starving." Maja's voice broke the mood and Luka couldn't help laughing with the release.

"Priorities." He said quietly to Alenka before looking over to his daughter. "I'm going, and you are not starving," he shook his head before turning back to his wife. "I won't be long." He leaned in to kiss her lightly before drawing back.

"Take your time, I'll call down to the front desk and seewhat's nearby for breakfast while you're in the shower."

Luka nodded before walking towards the bathroom, the talk with Alenka having confirmed in his mind that the timing was finally right for everything they needed to do. All the years of fear, all of the worries, today they would at last be put to rest. That was the thought that lingered as he disappeared inside the bathroom and in it's own way the thought that only seemed to calm him further.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 23/44

It seemed only appropriate that the day's activities should be planned as a family and so it was that the nearby Catholic Church was discovered among the many options found in Juraj's travel book over breakfast. As it was pointed out to them both Alenka and Luka exchanged glances, was this another sign? The fact that they owed so much of their lives to their shared faith was a fact neither could deny. Their faith had brought them together, what could be more fitting then making attendance at Mass one of those experiences the children could take home with them as a reminder of the trip?


As they stepped outside the clear sky seemed an even more clear indicator of what the day might hold. "Where to Juraj?" Luka turned to his son even as he offered a hand to his daughter.

The boy studied his book for a moment then glanced up the street before returning his attention to his father. "I think we have to go that way." He dropped his eyes to the book as his mother stepped in to confirm his directions herself, when she nodded he smiled. "It looks like only about 4 streets away."

"We'd better get going then...lead on." He immediately felt the tug on his hand as Maja expressed her impatience at the delay, and as his son started off he followed.

The walk was casual, light conversation sprinkled with comments about this or that they saw along the route. When they reached the church Luka stopped, unable to halt the catch in his breathing at the sight of the massive structure... could he do this? The doubt was something he hadn't expected, he'd been attending church for close to fifteen years without a problem, why was this suddenly different? Yes, it was true he hadn't set foot in a Croatian church since the funerals of his family...he drew a deeper breath in an attempt to quell the rising anxiety before it overtook him fully

"Tata...are we going in?" Maja's voice was enough to break the spell and he looked down at her before realizing that Alenka and Juraj were already starting up the steps.

"What?" Luka pushed the doubts aside as his daughter's grip on his hand tightened, and a smile found him with her smile of reassurance. "Mama and Juraj are already going in." She offered the explanation without commenting on the distancing he had experienced.

"Then we had better catch up to them hadn't we?" How long had she waited him out? How long had she simply stood there watching as he lost himself to thoughts of the past without saying a word? He released her hand as they climbed the steps, allowing her to join her brother near the front doors.

"Are you all right?" His wife's question came quietly as he reached her, concern visible in the tone as well as on her face. When he simply nodded she frowned slightly in response. "Luka, I know you better then that, what is it?"

Glancing towards the Church itself, he released a resigned sigh before bringing his eyes back to her, experience telling him she would have an answer from him to her question. "The last time I attended church here was for the funerals..I swore I would never enter one again...I guess I didn't expect those feelings to come back to me so strongly after all this time."

Alenka took his hand as he spoke, letting him finish before offering more then her closeness. "We don't have to go in...if this is too hard for you..."

He shook his head to stop her before taking her free hand in his. "No, I have to do this." He surprised even himself as he managed a smile of reassurance for her. "If it wasn't for our faith we wouldn't even have found each other, we wouldn't have found any of this." He paused to search out the two children who were investigating the stonework of the church before he continued. "I hate to think where I would be now if it wasn't for you, and them."

"Luka, you don't have to do this for us." Alenka started to interrupt then stopped as he silenced her with a shake of his head.

"We came here to show the children where we come from, but also to put some sort of closure on our pasts, for me this is part of that."

"The music is starting..." Maja's voice silenced whatever else he had intended to say and instead of resuming the conversation he simply raised his wife's hand to his lips before kissing it.

"We should go in." He managed another smile before turning to his daughter. "We're coming, Beba."

Alenka nodded in return, her own smile matching his before she walked with him over to the door. The differences in the strength of their faiths was something she had long ago accepted. While Luka had turned from his, unable to shake the feelings of betrayal, and giving into loneliness, she had done the opposite. After losing her husband and son she had turned fully to her faith, wrapping herself in it as if it were a warm blanket, finding comfort and support among those of the congregation. In a way she still thought of those who had been with her since the first as a family, perhaps she always would, and to know Luka had never known those feelings. It was hard to imagine how empty her life would have been like had it not been for those strangers who accepted her so openly. Worse though was hearing how it had been for Luka, their faith had been a part of them since childhood, as much a part of their upbringing as their education, if not more. To have lost that feeling for all of the years he had been away from it to her was as frightening as it would be to lose a part of herself.

As they stepped inside the church the intensity of the moment flooded over her, the music, the smell of the incense, the warmth, now more then ever she knew she was home.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 24/44

If Alenka's reaction to entering the church was one of coming home, Luka's was one of the enormity of loss. As they paused in the aisle each family member genuflected before sliding into the first empty pew, Alenka first, then Juraj, followed closely by Maja, and lastly Luka, who found himself on the aisle. The uniqueness of the Mass made it easy for the children to be drawn into it and with their attention taken Luka found his thoughts drifting to the past. The words were too familiar, too painful, and as the service progressed he felt the wounds he had thought long healed begin to reopen.

He had turned from the church after his family's deaths, he had felt betrayed, had felt his own repeated survival some kind of punishment enacted by a God he no longer wanted in his life. As the congregation knelt he rested his elbows on the back of the pew before him and dropped his head in his hands. To those around him he might be lost in prayer, but in truth his hold on where he was had begun to slip, the words of the Priest faded and without preamble he found himself back in the smoky remains of his past.

He had failed them, lost them. Luka cradled his daughter in his arms, tears falling as he felt the warmth of life leave her. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He mumbled the words repeatedly to her as if she might somehow hear and lift some of the burden of grief that had wrapped itself around him.

Within the rubble of what had been their home time seemed to freeze, he no longer noticed the darkness or the dust, no longer felt the burn of the smoke from the small fires that still burned. Nothing existed for him in those minutes that became hours except the grief over the loss of his eldest child as he held her.

His eldest child...only then did it hit him, "Marko." Somewhere buried in all of the debris lay his son...the truth of what he had earlier broke to his wife returned, his son too was dead. He raised his head and looked to the ceiling. "How could you take them all!" The words ended in an anguished cry before he dropped his eyes back to Jasna...she seemed so small, so light." He brushed her hair off of her face, then leaned over her to kiss her. "I have to find Marko, Beba...Mama will watch you." He whispered the words as ifshe would somehow hear him before crawling over the debris to lay her alongside her mother. "I'll find him for you.." He touched his wife's face then leaned over her to kiss her as well before forcing himself to his feet.

Find him...the words were all he could allow himself to think of in those moments, a fuel that seemed to erase the exhaustion that was close to claiming him. He stumbled over the rubble in the darkness then dropped to his knees as he saw the shattered crib, ignoring the shards of glass and slivers of wood that pierced his skin. He had found him. Hesitantly he reached out to touch the icy fingers that reached out for someone to help him from between the rails. "Marko...Tata's here." His voice cracked under the strain before he could bring himself to release the tiny fingers.

If time had frozen as he had held Jasna, it ceased to exist as he unburied his son. He lifted each board, each piece of plaster as if it were beyond wealth, unwilling to cause the boy any more pain then he had already endured. By the time he raised the final layer his throat was raw from inhaling the stirred dust, his breathing ragged from the tears he had shed. "Marko." His cries of anguish echoed through the darkness when his son was fully revealed and as he lifted the small boy into his arms he could do little besides cradle him to his chest as he gave into the inconsolable feeling of loss that overtook him.

"Tata?" He heard the small voice from somewhere far away, and in that moment he felt the hold the memory held on him snap. Lifting his tear streaked face from his hands he searched the caller out, and for an instant it was another's face he saw in her. "Tata?" Had she not spoke again he was sure he would have given into the vision, but her words were enough and he sat back in the pew welcoming the small girl onto his lap as she sensed the importance of her comfort to him in that moment.

"Luka?" It was Alenka who spoke next, her voice deep with concern as she watched him.

After kissing his daughter's hair he lifted his eyes to his wife. "Old memories." He offered the explanation softly before resting his chin on Maja's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.

"If this is too much." Alenka made the offer gently.

"No." He shook his head. "I think they have to come to the surface...it's the only way to truly let them go." He tried to offer a smile of reassurance to both her and his watching son though he was sure it was nowhere near convincing.

Alenka watched him a moment longer before drawing Juraj closer to her, all too aware that her time was coming as well. They could do this...they would do this, together, as a family. She managed a smile herself as she watched her husband and daughter. Their children were their strength, she was sure of that, the thought caused her to hug her son tighter to her before she allowed her thoughts to return to the Mass.

"Don't cry, Tata." Maja wiped the wetness from her Father's cheek as he lifted his head at her words.

What could he say to her? Luka drew a calming breath in hopes of vanquishing the remaining hold the memories might hold on him before he spoke.

"Will all the places we go make you and Mama sad?" Maja asked the question cautiously as she fingered the silver crucifix.

"I don't know, Beba...I hope not, but I don't know." He brought one hand up to stroke her hair as he spoke. "I just know sometimes you have to be sad before you can say good-bye to something."

The words caused the small girl to remain silent for a moment as she took them in and when she spoke again her words were carefully chosen.."So, it's okay to be sad?" She asked for the clarification as her dark eyes settled on his.

"I think so, Beba...you can think about the good things, the happy things, but knowing someone is gone will always be sad, no matter how long it's been." He struggled for a way to explain what he was still struggling himself to understand.

"Mass isn't supposed to make you sad though...is it?" She continued to study him carefully as if seeing far deeper then what was visible to others.

"No, mass shouldn't make you sad, but I was remembering something else...something that the mass made me think of." He found himself skirting the full truth, unwilling to burden her with those parts of his life at such a young age,

"Can't God make it better for you, Tata? " Her question held the innocence of her youth and Luka found himself simply hugging her more tightly to him before kissing her. "I hope so, Beba...I hope so."

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 25/44

At the completion of Mass, both Alenka and Luka knew they had one final gesture to attend to before they left the church. Even at the early hour they could see that the small alcove was alive with the flickering tributes to those who had passed from this life into the next. Too many wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, taken before their time. That the two would recognize their own losses among them seemed a natural conclusion to the service. Exchanging no more then glances as they rose, Luka and Alenka each took a child by the hand and walked towards the glowing alcove.

As they entered the small room Luka withdrew his wallet, paying the tithe for the candles they would need. Too many candles...he found the thought rising as he lit first Maja's, then his own before kneeling.

There was no way to ignore the somberness on Juraj's face as the boy lit his own candles, nor the tears that wet his wife's cheeks as she too knelt at the railing. There was no way to deny the truths, especially not here...not now, despite everything the truth remained, they were forever bound by their losses. No matter how many years passed, no matter how many candles were lit in remembrance of their memories the truth would never change.

Luka forced his eyes from his family and to the flickering candles before him. Baka, Djed, Mama, Tata, Danijela, Jasna, and little Marko...how many others had he survived? Each had joined together to shape him during their lives, no matter how short that time, and each one's death had impacted him in ways he could never have imagined. Leaning forward he lit two more candles, Damir and Neven... how did he begin to thank them for making the ultimate sacrifice? That same sacrifice that was responsible for bringing he and Alenka together, for giving him a chance to live again?

Luka lifted a hand to wipe the tears he could no longer hold back from his cheeks. Never could he have imagined that so many deaths would hold the key to the door that would finally bring him happiness again. All those years...all the pain he'd inflicted not just on himself, but on those around him. Steepling his hands he touched his forehead to the tips as he willed himself to regain control.

Even as he did he found himself asking why...weren't the feelings he was acknowledging now the feelings they had hoped the trip would stir? Wasn't that the point of coming back? Yes, they had wanted to show Juraj and Maja where they had grown up...where they had fallen in love, where they had begun families and finally where they had lost them. So why now did he feel the need to conceal those same emotions the trip was uncovering?

"Tata?" He lifted his head as Maja hesitantly spoke his name, then turned as he felt her hand on his arm. As he saw the fear on her face he sat back on his heels and drew her into his arms.

"It's all right, Beba...I'm just saying good-bye." At the admission he kissed her then tightened his hold. This was what his life was about now, Alenka, Juraj, and Maja, not the ghosts of his past and not the ghosts of Alenka's.

He rested his chin on his daughter's shoulder as his eyes moved from candle to candle, the flickering of the flames almost seeming to draw him into them. If not for her touch on his arm he was sure he would lose himself in them...but she must have sensed that too and even in her youth she realized she was his hold on the present. Their hold on him was slipping, the grip the ghosts had maintained on his heart, in his thoughts was loosening. Without looking he sensed Alenka was experiencing the same realizations.

There had been a time when they had needed to hold onto the ghosts of their pasts, when those ghosts had been the only thing that kept them sane, but not anymore. He brushed a hand through Maja's hair, feeling the wetness his tears had left there. This was his strength...his wife...his children...this was the life he had once thought never to know again. He forced his gaze from the flames to find Juraj watching him as well and he offered a smile of reassurance. For the first time in more years then he wanted to admit his heart was whole...and if that was the only thing he returned from the trip with he knew it would be enough.

to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 26/44

The service had touched Alenka in a way she could never have imagined, and though it had ended she still felt the effects running through her. How could she have ever left this? It wasn't simply hearing the language or the familiar hymns that was affecting her, no, this went far deeper then that. Had she really believed that spending half her life among strangers could possible change what had happened...could make her able to forget her past and those who had been part of it?

Even now, kneeling at the small altar beside her husband and children, the truth that had lay shrouded in fog cleared. She belonged here, Luka belonged here....despite all that had happened, all they had been through, this was home. For 25 years they had been in hiding, hiding from pasts that neither would ever be able to forget no matter how many miles they put between themselves and the tragedies that had forced them both to flee those their homeland and in turn those close to them who had survived..

How many weeks had she struggled with her own decision to leave? She found her thoughts drifting backwards as she lit the small white tealights...

"Alenka, you can't just leave." How clearly the pain in her mother's voice surfaced once she allowed the memory to unfold, as vivid now as the day the conversation had taken place.

"I have to, don't you understand? Her own voice shocked her, choked with grief and tears that still spilled freely. "I can't leave the house because everything I see is just a reminder of being without them. I see old friends with their children and I want to hate them for daring to still have them when I can't have mine." Her voice broke and she buried her face in the fur of the battered bear she held tightly in her arms.

"You could move to a different part of the city, or into the country." Her mother found herself struggling to find reasonable alternatives that might sway her daughter's mind as she took a seat on the worn sofa beside her. "It was hard enough for me to lose them, don't make me grieve for the lose of my daughter as well." The woman lay her hand on her arm.

"Mama, please...don't you understand? Everyday I stay here I die a little bit more...I just can't do it anymore." Sniffing back tears she dropped her eyes to the small brown bear in her hands. "Mama, I'm sorry, but if I stay I'll lose myself completely."

How many days had they tried to talk her into changing her mind before they realized the futility of it? She had made up her mind and nothing they could say or do would sway her from that decision. Once they had finally accepted that she was serious, and regardless of what was said or done she was determined to leave Croatia it became the families goal to insure that she at least lived when someone they knew could watch over her.

Word spread quickly among first those within the city then those outside and within a month it was discovered that a cousin lived in Chicago and he was willing to become her sponsor The next month was spent completing the paperwork that would allow her to immigrate to the United States and when it was finally submitted all that was left was to wait. In total it took six months before the day came, six months of revisited memories that often left her in tears. Her final week in Croatia had been one she was sure she would always view with mixed emotions. A week of tearful good-byes to family and friends, many she knew she was seeing for the last time. Perhaps the hardest of those she would leave however were those of her husband and son and it was with them she spent her final moments before going to the airport.

Wiping the tears from her face Alenka bid those same good-byes now to those the small flames represented. As she finished she turned to first her son and then to her husband, aware that both were watching her in concern. "I'm ready to go when you are." She somehow found a smile to offer her two men before rising and taking Juraj's hand. "How about we go and find a park or playground?"

"A park? Can we?" Maja barely contained her excitement as the offer was proposed.

"If Mama wants." Luka in turn offered his hand to the small girl as she bounced on the balls of her feet beside him. "Calm down until we get outside, Beba." He offered a smile with the chastisement, his words simply a reminder to her.

"Sorry, Tata...." Maja smiled back but her anxiousness to leave left her tugging slightly on his hand.

"Then to the park we go..."Alenka found her mood lifting slightly as she took in her family...this was the result of her leaving, no matter how hard ithad been, no matter how much she had missed being here, without having left none of them would be hers now. Somehow she found that comfort enough to sustain her and with a second smile she followed her husband and daughter from the chapel, with her son at her side.


to be continued...

[FicWriter]

Time Heals All Wounds

(A companion story to Ghosts)

by JD

Chapter 27/44

As the family exited the church they were greeted by bright sunlight and the beginnings to a day that showed evidence of one that was best spent outdoors. Almost immediately the children reacted to the freedom of being away from the quiet confines of the Church, and youthful laughter accompanied them as Juraj tagged his smaller sister then took off with her in close pursuit.

"What would you say to us finding a market, then picking up some things for a picnic? We could probably find a park without too much trouble." It was Luka who made the suggestion as he walked down the steps with his wife, only to stop as he just missed a collision with his daughter.

"It does look like they could use the exercise." Alenka's agreement came amidst a broad smile as she watched the two children release some of their pent up energy.

"Do you have Juraj's book with you? There must be a park in the area." Luka came to a halt at the bottom of the steps and loosened his tie.

"I do." Alenka nodded, then opened her purse to pull the travel guide from it As she thumbed through it in search one that met their needs she was all too aware of her husband beside her. "Only a few blocks and it looks to be in a small shopping area." She raised her eyes to his, releasing a small smile as her thoughts touched on an old memory. "Before the war...when it was nice like this, Damir and I would take Neven to the park after Mass...we didn't have anywhere for him to really play where we were living."

Slipping his arm around her as she spoke Luka found himself tightening his hold in preparation for the tears he was sure would follow the telling of the story. When there were none he took it as a means of encouragement for him to allow his own memory to surface.

"It was like that for us as well....our apartment was small, almost two small for two children." Luka let his eyes shift past Alenka, seeing the past rather then the present, wetting his lips, he forced himself to continue. "We had a park a few blocks away, not too big, but a place where Jasna could run...later we took Marko there." He smiled slightly before bringing his eyes to his wife again. "There were fewer bruises when he was learning to walk there then in the apartment."

As he finished speaking Alenka found herself slipping comfortably into his arms, her eyes moist. "It's good we came back, good we can remember things besides the loss." Her words came quietly as she lay her head against his shoulder.

Leaning down so he could touch his forehead to hers he simply nodded, content for the moment to do nothing more then hold her. If not for the sudden shriek from Maja signaling her capture of her brother he would have stayed as he was but the present wouldn't wait and he released his wife with a gentle kiss.

"Tata...I caught Juraj!" The small girl was already circling her parents, her joy at the accomplishment bubbling from her.

"I saw that, Beba."

"I let you catch me." Juraj countered the comment quickly, "Can we go get something to eat?"

"Please?" Alenka added the word to her son's request.

"Please, sorry, Mama." He offered the apology with a simple nod of concession.

"Tata and I were talking about that, how would the two of you feel about a picnic?" Alenka looked between the two children with the question.

"A picnic!" Maja danced between the two before finally launching herself towards her father.

"Careful." Luka called the warning with a laugh in the same instant that he staggered backwards slightly under her weight.

"Will there be swings? Can we have hot-dogs?" Maja began tossing the questions out as she let her father shift her to his hip.

"As long as we can eat..." Juraj found himself silenced with a look from his father before the man answered the earlier questions.

"I don't know about the swings, we'll have to see when we get there...as for what there will be to eat, let's decide when we find a market okay?"

"Okay." Planting a kiss on her father's cheek Maja indicated her readiness to be released and as Luka complied she once more began to bounce around them.

"Juraj, here's the park...can you lead?" Alenka pointed to the listing in the book before turning it over to him.

Taking the responsibility seriously the ten year old studied the book then looked around for the street markers...matching them to their position on his map with a touch of the finger before locating the park as well. Planning the route they would take brought a crease to his forehead as well as a chewing of the lip, inherited from his father.

"Do you needsome help?" Even as she asked Alenka knew the boy would refuse.

"I can do it..." Juraj spent another few minutes with his dark head bowed over the book as the rest of the family waited him out When he lifted his head again a smile had replaced the earlier look. "We have to go two streets that way, then turn right." He gestured to them as he explained.

"You're the guide, Juraj, lead the way." Luka offered a hand to Maja as he spoke, then when she shook her head in refusal extended it to Alenka. "Guess that leaves me for you." He gave his wife a wink before she laughed in preface to taking it. "Stop at the curb." Luka found himself shouting the warning even as he pulled his wife closer.

"We will.." The chorus came moments before the two began to run down the sidewalk.

"They have too much energy." Luka shook his head with a laugh as he watched them.

"It's good for them though, I want them to have happy memories to take home with them." Alenka nodded with agreement.

"They will..we all will." Luka tightened his hold on his wife with the reassurance.

"If you had said that on the plane I might have argued with you, but now." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "I see now that it doesn't all have to be about the sadness here, that there's room for the happiness we knew here too." They had been walking as they talked and as she finished she stopped to kiss him. "I love you, Luka, thank you for convincing me it was time to come back."

He shook his head, dismissing her words. "I love you too, and you don't have to thank me...this is something we both have needed to do for too long."

"We're at the curb!" Maja's voice broke into their conversation and both looked towards her before turning back to each other with exchanged smiles.

"Timing...how about we pick this up later when we aren't going to be interrupted?" Luka let his voice reflect the unspoken invitation as well.

"I think maybe that could be arranged..." If she had planned to say more it was lost to the calls of the children and after sharing a kiss Alenka and Luka moved to join them..

to be continued...