These Questions
Chapter 11 - a Date With Luka
When he awoke, the sun was shining. It was a change form the last few days.
His mind flew back to the day before. There had been a lot of ice cream. Tons. He had carried her to her room when she fell asleep. He kissed her head, as he had been doing a lot lately, and let her go. Really, he did kiss her because she meant so much to him. At first, he thought this being Luka's baby would bring some kind of anger or some crazed form of hate onto either her or Luka.
Really, he could never hate Abby. No matter what he said, nothing would ever be true in that sense. He knew it would never be. But he felt something for Luka. Whether it was hate, or a strong disliking, he didn't want anything to do with Luka as long as he lived. He didn't want Luka to have anything to do with Abby, neither.
Abby had chosen to stay home that day. It was Luka's second to last day in the hospital and everyone was selling their best wishes. Everyone except Carter. He had asked Abby if he could perhaps confront him, but she had insisted he didn't. He knew her condition emotionally was a bit critical, and he didn't intend on pushing it too far. He gave her his vow not to say anything about the issue to Luka.
"Are we throwing Kovac a party or anything?" Lydia asked Haleh.
"I don't know," Haleh answered, her eyes focused intently on the computer. "Do we still do that?"
"Do what?"
"The party thing?"
"I got married here," she joked.
"How long ago was that?" Haleh said with a laugh.
Lydia shrugged. "Do you think we should give him a party for going away?"
"No one ever gave Greene one," Romano said, passing by in full scrubs.
"Well, that's uncalled for," Haleh said, shrugging it off with a groan.
"Dr. Carter," Lily said, "do you think there's a surprise bash-type thing going on for Kovac?"
Carter began, but Chuny interrupted him, "Like Carter would know. He wouldn't even want to be invited."
Carter smiled. It was the truth, in a way, but he didn't add to Chuny's comment. He just shook his head a little differently from anything and walked off to gather a chart in Haleh's hands. Malik patted his back.
"You're free, man," he said. "Abby's yours."
"I like her better with you anyway," Chuny said with a smile.
"Are you saying that Carter can't have Abby over Luka or something - "
"Hey," Carter called into the conversation. "Could you stop, stop with all of this?"
They all watched him. The entire desk stood, looking at him with a waiting glance.
"Did you notice that Abby's not here today?" he asked. "And the fact that Abby's a person, and not a piece of something that there's a war over to own?"
"Carter," Malik said.
"Just stay out of everything for once, please," Carter said. "You don't really know her, me, or Luka anyhow."
He hadn't stuck up for Luka. But in a way, he knew that he wasn't all terrible. Ninety-nine percent, perhaps, but he was still a good guy. Somewhere.
He had started out of the lobby area and into the lounge. He collapsed onto the couch after throwing the door open and storming across the room. The comfort of his palms weren't enough.
Abby was having a baby that wasn't his. Everyone in the ER seemed to think that Carter was less than Luka. But even more, everyone thought that Carter was "winning" in some way because Luka was leaving. Like he had had an advancement in points and finally claimed victory.
The door glided to an entrance, bringing Luka inside. His scent filled the room instantly, and it didn't take anyone to bring their head up to know that it was Luka. He slid next to Carter on the couch, much to his surprise, and began to speak. Slowly at first, then picking up speed and a bit of volume.
"I take it you're glad that I'm leaving," he said.
Carter didn't look up at this. He didn't move.
"It was a rotten thing, Carter," he said. "I'm glad I'm leaving, too."
"Dr. Kovac," he said, "I don't want to have any hard feelings about anything." He didn't know what he had done to make Luka upset. He was the one who had angered Carter. Right?
"I loved her," he said.
No you didn't, he wanted to say, and she doesn't love you either. But he refrained almost uneasily, knowing that Abby had to come first here.
"Then why aren't you staying?"
"What are you talking about?"
"She needs you right now and you're leaving, Luka!" he shouted, rising from his seat.
"Why should I stay?" he demanded, remaining in his seat.
Carter couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You aren't serious, are you?"
"You ruined everything."
" *I* ruined everything?" he said, holding a finger to his chest. He reversed it towards Luka and cried, "You ruined her!"
He threw down his coat, which he had already begun to take off. He smacked Carter's hand out of the way and pointed his at him. " *You* ruined any chance of her and I together."
"You did that!" he screamed. "Not me! You bastard. Why is this about you? You never cared!"
"Believe me," he said. "I cared."
"Like hell you did, Luka!" His finger returned to his face. Luka went to hit it again, preparing to shout back, but he took his hand. "No, I don't think so. Not this time."
"This time?" he asked, standing up. "This time?"
"Come on," he said, motioning for him to come towards him. "Beat the hell outta me. Kill your problems with your fist once again."
Luka's lips were pursed together. He was angry. "You hated me because I was with Abby."
He shook his head. "I never hated you until you hurt her."
"I'd never hurt her," he said.
"Because you're the calm and sensitive one?"
Luka threw a punch at his face. It hit him square in his nose, knocking him slightly out of the way. Carter's hands were drawn to it immediately, holding it in effort to shield the pain. Glass shattered behind him, but his eyes were squeezed shut in another attempt to scare the pain away.
"Son of a bitch," Carter yelled.
Luka beat his face once more, knocking him to his back. His head fell to the side, to the point where his eyesight was narrowed, allowing him to see just Luka's feet stomping out the door in rage.
"Luka?" someone called.
Glass was around his face. Blood was on the floor, wet on his shirt. He felt pain in his side and on his face.
"Oh, my God," a voice said above him. "Someone get in here!"
"Carter?" another voice sounded. This one was a male, unlike the other's.
The feet were around him now. The lights flickered, and finally drew to a black.
[Part 12]