Luka stared sullenly at the letter in his hand. He sighed dejectedly and looked around the admit desk where he’d seated himself. He moaned softly, glancing about again, no-one had noticed. Luka sighed again more dramatically, throwing in a whimper and moan of despair for good measure.
Finally when he was contemplating throwing himself on the floor and screaming at the top of his lungs in an anguished fit, Abby threw down her charts with disgust and glared at him. “What is it now?! Lose your can of mousse??”
Luka listlessly handed her the letter. “My uncle, Drzislav died of liver failure last week.. I.. have to go to Croatia.. Handle the arrangements..”
She stared at the formally typed letter, turning it over in her hands, flapping it against her fingers. Her hand went up against his rough cheek brushing the tears from it. “It’s okay.. I’ll come with you.. Everything will be okay. I promise you..” Abby replied softly.
Luka grasped her hand and pulled away from her touch. “No.. I-”
Carter dashed in from the lounge where he’d been eavesdropping. “I can come too! I’ll keep you company Abby! My grandfather owns stables. I know *ALL* about farming!!” He boasted proudly, while Luka cocked a brow, suspicious. That boy sure knew how to shovel it, but that was only the proverbial bullshit, he sincerely doubted Carter had ever mucked out a horse stall.
Abby leaped out of Luka’s arms and into Carter’s. “Great! Sounds like a plan!”
****FOUR HOURS LATER****
“OW! Get your elbow out of my eye!”
“For christ sakes!”
“Bloody hell!”
“Move it people!”
“You’d think for such a big guy he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to get a compact car..”
***
Luka banged his head tiredly on the steering wheel. WHY were all these people in his car??!! His head turned slightly, still resting on the wheel. He stared sadly at Abby. If only he’d dated that deaf-mute nurse from the PICU..
A few hours later, the car was zooming down the highway. The road had seen better days and his travel-mates were in a foul mood, being jostled about like a can of sardines in a blender. .
It smells in here.. Luka thought angrily to himself. Smells like Abby invited the whole damn hospital into his little car.. It smells like too many people, and one of them does NOT wear deodorant.. He shuddered, pressing the button for his window and breathed a sigh of relief as the car was suddenly filled with breathable air.
Luka drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, the wind whipping in his hair and chilling everyone else in the car to the bone. "Dammit Luka.. Roll up the window!" Cursed Kerry, thumping the button on the door, raising his window.
Luka sighed pathetically, "I am driving.. I should be able to have my window open if I want."
He leaned in and turned up the radio as the DJ played Soft Cell's Tainted love, for what the group had figured was about the millionth time. Their quiet groaning, turned to moans of despair as Luka began to sing along, quite loudly still thumping on the steering wheel to the beat.
"Sometimes I feel I've got to... Run away I've got to.. Get away.. From the pain that you drive into the heart of me.. The love we share seems to go nowhere and I've lost my light. For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night... Once I ran to you. Now I'll run from you. This tainted love you've given. I give you all a boy could give you. Take my tears and that's not nearly all... Oh...tainted love. Tainted lo-"
Luka jumped in fright as Kerry's cane smashed into the radio, obliterating it. Everyone cheered and sighed with relief. "HEY!!!!!!! That.. You.. Hey!!!!!! You will be paying for that." He muttered, wounded.
Dave moaned dramatically from the back seat, and thumped the back of Luka's seat with a sneakered foot. "We already ARE paying for it Kovac! My ears are bleeding!!!!!!!"
Carter peered in Dave's ear and it was indeed bleeding. "Dammit Dave.. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear??!!"
Dave grunted in pain as all the doctors in the back seat crowded around. Kerry rooted out a box of Q-tips he had hidden in his jacket and shook her head in disbelief. "You were cleaning your ears in the car?? On a road like this!? You really are an idiot, Malucci.."
"What? Chicks dig clean ears.." Dave grumbled as somebody swabbed the blood.
"That is REALLY gross, Malucci.." Abby grumbled, cozying closer to Luka. "Do we have to take him to the hospital?"
Luka shook his head, pulling to the side of the dirt road. "No.. Here.." He ducked his head under his seat and brought out his medical bag. "The scope's in there.. As is a little saline and syringes.. Irrigate it.. Then we can see the damage.." He tossed it to Carter who rummaged through it as Benton held the squirming resident tightly.
"Hey!! Leggo! Ow!! Hey.. What after shave do you use?" Dave whined as
Benton squeezed a little too tight and as Carter got a little too close.
********************
"What's the name of this farm anyway!?" Mark glanced out the window as they pulled into a seedy diner for food, drinks and a quick pee.
Luka smiled. "Croatian Sunrise."
Dave snorted. "Sounds like a drink.. 'Gimme a Croatian Sunrise with a twist. Hold the olive.' Ow!!!" Elizabeth had clipped him one in his good ear and now Dave sat slinked down in his seat, hands over both ears. "Why do you have to be so mean!? Croatian Sunrise.. What sort of name is that anyhow!?"
"Malucci.. Watch it..” Benton grumbled.
Luka sighed sadly out the window as his friends exited the car and headed into the diner. “Luka.. He didn’t mean it..” Abby said softly, rubbing his back. “He’s always got his foot in his mouth.. It’s Malucci.. Pay no attention to him.”
“I.. I can’t help it.. M-my uncle dies.. You invite all th-these people.. I.. I have to. I have to go.. Let’s leave them here..” Luka said softly
Abby giggled. “All of them?? In the middle of Illinois?? How would they get home?”
He shook his head, putting the car into gear. “I don’t care. I’m taking my car to my cousin Larry’s car dealership. Then I’m selling it.. Then I’m buying a ticket to Zagreb.”
“You have a cousin named Larry??” Abby said incredulously as they squealed from the parking lot in time for her friends and co-workers to stumble from the restaurant and gawk in disbelief.
“He’s my mother’s cousin’s aunt’s uncle’s second cousin twice removed. He’s from Des Moines..” Luka muttered irritably as the car pulled onto the interstate, leaving his co-workers behind.
Carter’s eyes widened and partially chewed ‘Man-wich’ tumbled from his mouth which was open wide with shock. “Did.. Hey.. Did they just leave?” He mumbled, choking slightly.
Mark glared at Kerry. “I told you hiring that guy full time was a bad idea. Now he’s left us in the middle of nowhere..”
Doug sighed and looked at Carol who was smiling dreamily at the setting sun. “THAT was the guy you were leaving me for?! He just abandoned us on the I-90... I sure am glad I decided to move back here and keep an eye on you..” He grumbled.
Carol shook her head, smiling. “You left me Douglas.. You ran off to Seattle.. or Portland.. Or was it Peru?? You came back because you’re a jealous prick.. Besides.. His accent is..” She sighed happily. “Great...”
Doug almost choked on his hotdog. “Did you just call me Douglas?? For
chrissakes.. Not even my Mom calls me Douglas.. I’m gonna go phone Rent-A-Car...”
He turned throwing the rest of his supper into the garbage can, heading
for the pay phone.