TOGETHER
By Jo
Part 6 Finale
The weeks leading up to Christmas had been
crazy. Both Luka and M.E. were working extra shifts, covering for
co-workers who had families. But they still found time for each
other. Almost every morning they met in the hall and walked
together to the hospital, stopping for breakfast on the way. Luka
loved these early-morning walks- he always felt so fresh, so
clear-headed despite the early hour. Seeing M.E. energized him,
he could face anything the day sent him as long as he'd heard her
voice, seen her smile. And he could tell that she enjoyed being
with him; her face lit up when she caught sight of him, and she
would take his arm as they walked on the slippery morning
sidewalks, staying as close to him as she could. They just felt
so comfortable together; it was like they had known each other
for years rather than weeks.
The buzz was all over the hospital about them- the handsome
foreign ER doctor and M.E., who had worked in the hospital for
eight years. Everyone knew her, it seemed, many had worked with
her husband, had been there for her when Bobby had died. Whenever
Luka went up to peds to meet M.E. he found himself on review. The
nurses would ask carefully worded questions about where he was
from, his training, what he did in the ER, his plans for the
future. Always they warned him that he'd better be good to M.E.,
that she was still fragile- things he knew all too well, but he
listened to them politely, responding graciously. It was good to
see that so many people cared about her so much, that they saw
what he saw. They quickly came to accept him; Luka felt like he'd
passed an all-important test.
Whenever they could, they met for lunch, braving the hospital
cafeteria for a chance to be together for even a half-hour. The
staff in the ER would talk among themselves about the changes in
Luka, about how much happier he seemed, about the woman he was
seeing, but they never asked him about it- they never seemed to
ask him anything at all. In the evenings M.E. would come down to
met him and they'd leave together; there would be polite
good-byes and even some giggles, but that was all. He and M.E.
would go to dinner somewhere; always out- they didn't trust
themselves in each other's apartment, not yet. Luka longed to be
with M.E. again, but he respected her wish to wait, to take
things more slowly. He had to be content with their talks, their
closeness. There was time. For now, they were finding each other
through what they said, finding shared thoughts, shared ideals,
shared ground.
Before they knew it, it was Christmas Eve. Luka had long ago
volunteered for a double-shift, not realizing that he would have
someone to spend the time with. M.E. stopped by on her way home
to leave him some Mars bars- his greatest vice. They lingered in
the lounge; Luka regretting his decision to work extra, he wanted
to leave now, with M.E.
"I'm pulling my regular shift, " M.E. told him,
"So I'll stop by on my way in to wish you a Merry
Christmas." Luka smiled.
"By then I think I'll need that, just to make sure I don't
crash in the on-call room."
M.E. took a deep breath. "Why don't you come to my place for
dinner tomorrow? I've got a couple of salmon steaks. And I need
to give you your gift."
"That sounds great." Luka thought of his gift for her-
an angel pin, made of diamonds and rubies, the colors of Croatia
to remind her of him. It had cost too much but he didn't care- it
was perfect for her.
"Good- I'll see you around six, ok? That'll give you a
chance to sleep, and me a chance to get ready." They kissed
good-bye in the privacy of the lounge, then they reluctantly
walked to the exit. An MVA case was just coming in.
"See you tomorrow. Be careful going home." he called
after her.
"Try to have a good night, "M.E. answered, "Merry
Christmas."
The night was crazy- ridiculously busy- like the malls the day
after Thanksgiving, as Yosh said. Luka was thankful he had caught
a catnap that afternoon- there was no chance of a rest tonight.
He went from one case to another, with barely a break for coffee
or his Mars bar.
Then Carol Hathaway showed up with her twins, looking more like
Irina than ever. He almost had to do a double take when he saw
them. Carol was really worried about Kate, just like Irina would
have been. He'd talked Carol into some tests that weren't really
necessary, knowing that the results would give her peace of mind.
He'd found out that Carol was alone; she needed all the
reassurance she could get. Luka couldn't fathom how a father
could stay away from his children- he would have moved heaven and
earth to be there- he would give anything to see his children
just one more time...
Later, when Kate's tests had come back ok, he'd been able to sit
and hold Tess, remembering his own daughter. She had been just
this old... Carol was so exhausted that she hadn't noticed the
rasp in his voice, the moistness in his eyes as he cuddled the
baby, flooded with memories both good and bad, thinking of how
his life might have been. He was sorry, but in a way relieved,
when Yosh came in, looking for his chance to hold the babies,
sending Luka back to the safety of work.
M.E. stopped in just before six while he was busy cleaning up
paperwork.
"Merry Christmas, " she told him brightly. Luka was so
exhausted he could only manage a weak smile. "You look
really beat," she continued, concerned. "I brought you
some breakfast- that way you can go right to bed when you get
home." She handed him an egg sandwich and orange juice, and
gave him a quick kiss.
"Thank you- for everything." Luka answered gratefully.
Just having M.E. near him gave him some extra energy- that and
the food just might get him home.
"I've gotta get upstairs- see you at six, OK?"
"I'm looking forward to it," he told her honestly,
"Have a good day, ok?" They kissed again, and she was
gone.
It was finally six am. The whole night shift was heading home.
Carol emerged from a well-deserved nap just as Yosh appeared with
the twins. Luka had his coat on, but he couldn't resist holding
Tess one more time. He was glad Haleh was giving them a ride
home- he couldn't imagine how Carol managed with two babies on
the el. He handed Tess back to her mother.
"Enjoy you're first Christmas together, " he told her,
and headed for his walk home.
Luka was glad he'd set his alarm for five. He had slept like the
dead from the time he'd gotten home. He hadn't even bothered to
undress, he'd just taken off his shoes and collapsed into bed.
Now he slowly returned to life, staggering into the shower and
letting the pounding water wash away the last vestiges of sleep.
His thoughts turned to M.E., he couldn't wait to see her. He
shaved carefully, then went to dress.
Luka was never sure what to wear. He had no feel for colors;
Irina had showed him how to dress simply but tastefully; he
stayed with dark colors for the ease of things- that and to match
his mood the last few years. But tonight he wanted to wear
something brighter, to show how his feelings had lightened. He
dug to the bottom of his sweaters and found his crimson
turtleneck. It had been a gift from a nurse at the hospital in
Stylus. She had teased him about always wearing black, not
realizing how dark his soul felt then. He had worn it only once,
to placate her. But tonight Luka wanted to wear it, to celebrate
Christmas, to celebrate his lightness, to celebrate his love.
Slowly the clock ticked to six. Luka picked up M.E.'s gift; the
jeweler had wrapped it for him, with hearts and flowers and more
angels. He felt like he should bring something else, flowers or
wine, but there had been no time to get anything. He checked
himself in the mirror and headed across the hall.
"Welcome, Dr. Kovac," M.E. greeted him with mock
formality. She was wearing a bright blue sweater that brought out
the color of her eyes, making them sparkle more than usual.
Golden angels dangled from her ears.
"You look wonderful, Miss Robertson." he told her. She
smiled and pointed above his head. Luka looked up and saw
mistletoe hung there.
"You know what mistletoe means, don't you?" she asked,
coming to him.
"Of course," he answered, taking her in his arms. They
kissed for a long time, reveling in their closeness. Finally M.E.
pulled away.
"I have to get dinner before it burns," she whispered.
He watched as she went to work in the kitchen. He hadn't been in
her apartment since that first time. It was bigger than his, a
whole side rather than one split in half. M.E. had set up a small
Christmas tree, decorated with angels of course. She'd left her
opened gifts underneath, things her family had sent her. Luka
took his present and placed it under the tree, next to the one
unopened package- the one with his name on it.
"Dinner's ready, " M.E. called, and he joined her at
the table. She turned out the lights and they ate by the glow of
candles and the Christmas tree lights. They hardly spoke as they
ate, instead they gazed at each other across the table, Luka
almost swimming in the blue of M.E.'s eyes.
"I love you, you know." he told her. He had thought it
a million times, but this was the first time he'd said it to her.
It came straight from his heart.
M.E. smiled back at him "I know, "she answered softly.
"I love you, too." His heart was singing; nothing else
needed to be said, not for now; they finished eating in silence,
cherishing what they had told each other.
Luka poured more wine as M.E. took the dishes to the sink, then
joined him by the tree. She curled into his side , content, just
being together, looking at the tree. He felt his heart pounding;
her mere presence drove him wild.
"We have to open our presents." M.E. murmured, not
moving. Luka reached a long arm over and handed his present to
her.
"No-no- you have to open yours first, " M.E. protested,
"It's a tradition in my family for the younger person to
open their gift first." Luka smiled- he liked the idea of
being a part of her family.
"I want you to remember that you're impossible to buy for,
" she warned him as he carefully removed the paper. She had
gotten him a gold watch, with a heavy bracelet and white face
with a large, dark second hand- perfect for him. "Check the
back," she whispered, excited. He turned it over and saw
that she'd had it engraved. "To Luka, Love Always,
M.E."
"I love it," he told her, putting it on right away.
"Now you'll always be with me." He kissed her deeply.
"Now it's time for yours." He handed her the box.
M.E.'s hands trembled as she opened the gift. She gasped when she
saw it. "Oh, Luka! You shouldn't have!" She took the
angel from its box, the jewels sparkling in the soft light.
"It's lovely."
"A beautiful angel for my beautiful angel, he whispered,
kissing her forehead. He helped her pin it to her sweater.
"Right over my heart, " she told him. They embraced,
overcome by a feeling of bliss, thoroughly contented.
"We should do this more often," Luka whispered.
"We should do this forever," M.E. answered quietly.
"Is New Year's too soon?" he asked. She turned to kiss
him.
"No, it's not too soon." M.E. sighed. "There's no
need to wait any more." They kissed again, for a long time.
Luka held her to him, knowing that now they could start their
lives together, that they'd never be apart again.
The End