Disclaimer: All characters in this story are the property of NBC, Warner Brothers, John Wells, and whoever else. I just borrow them and promise to return them. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt them. I make no money off these fics, I write them for fun.

The music in this story is “All My Life” by K-Ci & Jo Jo

Feedback is always appreciated- DougandCarol@hotmail.com

Writer's Note: This story is set *about* 3 months after part 1. I had wanted to make it longer, but me being the idiot I am, calculated wrong. lol :) So it's set late June. Also, Abby & Luka have bought a house, which you'll read, but I didn't want to bore you all with *house hunting* so I skipped that whole part.

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I will never find another lover
Sweeter than you, sweeter than you
And I will never find another lover
More precious than you,
More precious than you.
*********************************************

What are we all doing here? Why were *we* chosen to be here. To be together? Why, when I was born in Croatia, and she born in Minnesota? How did we both end up in Illinois, in the same city of Chicago? How did we end up working in the same hospital, in the same department? And how, did I manage to fall so in love with her, and she so in love with me?

As Luka sat and pondered why all of this had happened, he realized he didn’t care why. But it had happened, and all he cared about was the fact that he was more in love with her than he ever could have imagined, and knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

“Dr. Kovac?” Lily called into the lounge, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Huh?” he said, blinking his eyes to look at her. As they came into focus, he saw her standing in the doorway, her arms full of charts.

“You told me to get you at 5:30, it’s 5:35.” She replied, stepping back to allow the door to close.

“Oh yes, thank you Lily.” He said, getting up from the chair he was sitting in and going out to admit where he signed off on his last few charts. As he did so, he turned his head to look at the clock; it was now 5:45. “Goodnight Kerry.” He called, as he gathered his things to leave. “I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

“Have a good time.” Kerry called back, her back to him as she entered information into the computer.

Pushing through the ambulance entrance doors, the warm June air hit Luka as he walked across the pavement and up to the EL platform, where he took his seat on the train. As the train began to move, he watched all of the buildings and people go by, all doing their own things. Children outside playing, celebrating that summer vacation was only days away. Adults, returning home from a hard days work.

As the train pulled to a stop, Luka stepped off, and began to walk the short distance to their new house. *Their house*. It wasn’t huge, but it was big enough. There were three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, living room, and a small den and dinging room. She had worried about the money, but he had insisted that they could afford it. He had been living on a boat and in a hotel for two years. It hadn’t exactly been expensive. Plus, he wanted the extra room, the extra bedrooms, for later. He wanted to fill them with children, *their children*. He wanted to hear them run to each other’s rooms during the night to tell secrets, play games. The house was in a safe neighborhood. That was his number one priority when they had been looking for a house. He wanted to allow their children to play outdoors safely. Something he could never allow Marko nor Jasna to do. He wanted to watch them run and hear them laugh as they had fun. He wanted himself and Abby to play with them. Teach them how to play basketball, build forts, make snowmen, and take them to the playground. He wanted the chance to do it again, to be a father. He wanted Abby to be a mother; he knew what a great one she would be.

Opening the front door and dropping his belongings on the floor, he walked up the flight of stairs toward their bedroom where he could hear noise.

“Abby?” he called, seeing an open suitcase on the bed, with about 20 articles of clothing all over the bed and floor.

“Hold on.” She called from the bathroom, as she appeared, holding a toiletries bag with their toothbrushes, toothpaste, and anything else they may have needed.

“How much are you bringing?” he laughed, as he picked a white blouse up off the floor and placed it on the bed.

“I’m not bringing it all.” she replied, dropping the toiletries bad into the suitcase. “But I don’t know what to bring.” she said, as she looked through a pile of clothes.

“You could bring this.” he joked, holding up a hot pink mini skirt against his waist. “When did you get this?”

Making a face as she looked at it, she grabbed it from him and laughed. Rolling it into a ball, she threw it up against the wall.

“I didn’t even know I did still have it,” she mumbled, as she finally decided on the clothing to bring.

“So it is yours?” he asked, as he tried to picture her wearing it.

“It was mine.” she replied, emphasizing the word was. “I wore it back in college.”

“Oh.” was all he said. “You packed your dress right?”

“Yes, I packed the dress.” she replied, zipping the suitcase closed. “But where are we going that I’ll need a dress?”

“It’s a surprise.” Luka replied, “I can’t tell you.”

“I hate surprises.” Abby replied, lifting the suitcase. “Come on, help me with this would you?”

“You will like this one. I promise.” He swore as he took the suitcase from her. “You packed my clothes right?”

“Everything is in there.” she assured him. “When do you want to leave?”

“Just let me change and we can go.” Luka replied, as he flopped down onto the bed. “Maybe sleep for awhile.”

“Yeah, can I go to sleep with you?” Abby asked, as she flopped down next to Luka and he wrapped his arms around her.

“We could always forget the trip and stay here all weekend.” He said, as he kissed her.

“Yeah, but then Dr. Weaver would call, looking for us to come in.” Abby whispered, as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Go get changed fast, so we can leave.”

*********************

And all my life I've prayed for someone like you
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you
All my life I've prayed for someone like you
And I hope that you feel the same way too
Yes, I pray that you do love me too

**********************

It’s funny how life works out. One minute you can be a miserable pain in the ass, and the next, so happy and in love that people think you’re a different person. That seems how my life has been forever. All of my childhood I had been quiet. Before my dad left, I thought life had been bad. Him and my mother would fight endlessly; he would drink, get drunk and pass out. Maybe that’s where I picked up the habit. This went on until he finally left one day. I don’t know where he went, and I don’t care either. He slipped out one day when Eric and I were at school, and we never heard from him again, though I lied and said he’d call every so often and talk to me when no one else was home. What a shit load of good that did for mom. She decided she’d be a better mother if she went off her medication. That was a load of fun. A manic mother who ran through our neighborhood naked, and chased me with a knife when I lied and said I’d gone to visit dad.

School wasn’t any better. Most kids knew what my home life was like, they knew I was pretty poor. They knew my mom was crazy, so they thought I was crazy. They looked at me like I had antenna’s growing from my head or something. Nobody wanted to sit near me at lunch, or sit next to me in class. If I were at my locker, kids would run past and slam the door shut. One time they shut it with my fingers still in it. I ended up having to go to the hospital for stitches and a splint. Did anyone ever say they were sorry? No. But I didn’t expect them to either.

Then one day during sixth grade, a new girl suddenly appeared in school. She too like me, was quiet and from the start it seemed nobody would accept her. That first day, she took the seat in the back of the classroom next to me. I could remember greeting her with a small smile, and before long a friendship had grown. The girl who’s name was Hannah, seemed just like me. Soon we became inseparable. We fought the bullies together, and for me, it felt great to have someone to talk to and play with. But then one day Hannah didn’t show up for school, and she was absent the next day, and the next. Finally, after a week, during class, our teacher had gotten hold of everyone’s attention and told everyone that Hannah wouldn’t be coming back. But I later found out why. Hannah’s father was a drunk, like my own father. But he had hit Hannah as well as her mother, and he hit her too hard that last time, and Hannah had died. I felt like my whole world was crashing in around me again. I could remember sitting in class and crying, while everyone around me daunted me, and pulled my hair.

The drinking and smoking began in 11th grade. My mom had become worse, going to bed for weeks at a time, leaving me to care for Eric. I would go to school in the morning, come home, make sure there was something to eat, and then I’d wander off. Most of the time, to an empty parking lot near our apartment where I would drink and smoke, alone.

This continued all through college, and I met Richard. When he first came along, he was a great guy. He took me to nice places, bought me nice things, treated me like he cared. We got married and within months things got ugly. I started drinking again when he’d get angry. He’d get mad, smack me around for a few minutes, and he’d leave. Alone, like I’d always been. Finally, I filed for divorce after I found him in bed with another woman. By that time, I’d been in AA for 5 years. I’d been married for 7.

But that night, as she drove along, she peered over at Luka, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat, and she smiled. For one time in her life, she was happy. She didn’t feel alone, she wasn’t mad, and she didn’t have an urge to drink. He made her feel complete, like she was worth something.

It was nearly 10 pm as she pulled off the exit they wanted and began down the winding roads needed to arrive at their destination. As she stopped at a red light, Luka began to mumble as he opened his eyes and stared up at her.

“Where are we?” he asked, stretching his neck out. “Do you want me to drive?”

“No, we’ll be there in a little while.” Abby replied, turning the car onto another road, following the street signs to the bed & breakfast they were heading for. As she drove along, Luka began fiddling with the radio, finally settling on a station playing some sort of techno music. “How can you listen to that?” Abby asked, as they passed a sign, which read there was only one mile left.

“What’s wrong with it?” Luka asked, turning the dial. “I’ll change it.”

“No, leave it. It’s just… loud.” she replied.

Turning the radio off, Luka leaned over and pulled his shoes back on. He had taken them off about 20 minutes into the ride. As he tied them, Abby turned the car into the small parking lot at the bed and breakfast and parked.

After grabbing their suitcase, Luka grabbed Abby’s hand with his free hand and they walked up the short path to the entrance. Opening the door, the smell of fresh flowers and hot coffee overwhelmed them. Looking around, Abby looked through the doorways into the living room area where a huge fireplace made of rock was, a fire lit inside.

“Well hello you two.” An elderly woman called from behind a small desk that stood about 15 feet from the door. “Welcome to ‘The Harpole’s Heartland Lodge’. How can I help you?”

“Hello, we have a reservation.” Luka said, as he and Abby moved toward the desk. “Under Kovac.”

“Oh yes.” The woman mumbled, looking through a book that sat on the counter. “Here we go.” She bent down to fumble under the desk for a moment before standing back up with a key in her hand. “Here you two go. It’s the second room on the right, right up the stairs. The Whitetail Room.” she said sweetly.

“Thank you.” Abby replied, as she continued to gaze at the surroundings. It was like the home she’d always wanted when she was younger. It smelled of food being cooked, flowers set out on tables, and it was warm.

“You ready?” Luka asked, as he took the room key into his hand and thanked the elderly woman again.

“Yup.” Abby replied, as they walked up the short flight of stairs. Reaching the second floor, they found the door said to be their room and unlocked it. Stepping in, they found a huge king sized canopy bed. The room smelled of cinnamon, and in the corner, sat another small fireplace. “Luka, it’s beautiful.” Abby managed to say, as he walked over toward the bed.

“There’s a Jacuzzi.” Luka told her, as he walked toward the window. He looked out to the small porch that overlooked the countryside.

“Where did you find this place?” Abby asked incredulously.

“From a patient.” Luka lied, with a grin. He stuck his hand in his pocket, and fiddled with its contents, as his heart began to beat fast. Less than 24 hours left… and they would be Mr. And Mrs. Luka Kovac. He almost let the secret slip then, but saved himself. Little did Abby know what was happening.

**********************

Said, I promise to never fall in love with a stranger,
You're all I'm thinking of, I praise the Lord above,
For sending me your love, I cherish every hug,
I really love you

**********************

Very early that next morning as Abby slept, Luka stared at her, and watched as her chest moved up and down ever so slightly as she breathed. He smiled as he thought to himself everything he had planned for the next day. Carefully, being sure not to wake Abby, he climbed out of bed and grabbed his robe. As he pulled it on, he tip toed to the door and made his way downstairs, to where the owners of the bed and breakfast were busy getting ready for breakfast.

“Hello.” Luka said, catching their attention. He had forgotten their names, and felt to embarrassed to ask again.

“Dr. Kovac, hello.” The older man greeted him as he set out plates on a table. “What are you doing up so early?”

Luka nodded and smiled. “I was actually wondering, about what I discussed with you on the telephone the other night.”

“Oh yes! I spoke with Father Costa yesterday. We discussed it and he said it would be no problem for tonight. You had mentioned about 4;30 right?”

Luka again nodded and sighed a sigh of relief. “Yes, 4;30 was great.”

“You’re a lucky man. You’ve got a wonderful girl there.” The man again said, as his wife wandered into the kitchen. “I’m guessing she doesn’t know what you’re planning?”

“No, it’s a surprise.” Luka replied, as he walked closer to the table. “Would you like some help?”

“Nonsense, this is your special day. I can handle this.”

Luka smiled. “I don’t mind.”

“No, you don’t do it. Now, where did you want to hold this ceremony? We could hold it outdoors in the front yard, over by that large tree and all the flower bushes. Or we could have it in the living room area. My wife, Karen has already taken care of the food and cake. And the decorations will be easy. She enjoys doing that sort of stuff.”

“Outdoors sounds good. I think she would enjoy that, surrounded by the flowers and trees.” Luka replied, as he ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Don’t worry!” the man assured him. “She’s a great girl, I can tell. She reminds me of Karen. Sweet and stubborn. She’s stubborn isn’t she?”

Luka laughed at the last part. “Yes, but in a good way.”

The man laughed with him as he finished setting the table. “Then it’s set. 4:30 in the front yard.”

“Yes….. 4:30.”

**********************

And all my life, baby, baby, I've prayed for someone like you,
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you, baby
All my life I've prayed for someone like you
And I hope that you feel the same way too
Yes, I pray that you do, love me

**********************

Later that afternoon, Luka’s stomach was flopping as they drove back to the bed and breakfast. They had just spent the whole day shopping in town at small shops, and walking around, enjoying each other’s company.

“That was fun.” Abby said to him, as he drove along the long road near the bed and breakfast.

“Yeah, I had fun too.” Luka replied, smiling at her. His eyes fixed on the road, he was thinking about everything he had written the night before when Abby was asleep.

“I still don’t understand why I had to get dressed up for it though.” She said.

“You never dress up. I thought you might enjoy doing it.” he replied.

Abby smiled and nodded. “Do you want to go out later tonight, or stay in?” Abby asked, as she looked through a bag or odds and ends she had purchased at one of the shops.

Luka swallowed the lump in his throat and he saw the lodge in the distance, suddenly becoming very aware of what he was about to do. “Umm.. I was thinking we could stay in, you know, spend some time together.”

Abby nodded as she watched him. “Luka, are you ok? You’re sweating.”

“What? Oh, yes. I’m ok. It’s just hot.” He lied, as he pulled into the parking lot of the lodge. “You ready?”

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Abby grabbed the bags and attempted to leave the car.

“Leave those here for now, we can get them later.” Luka instructed her, and he slammed his door and walked around to her side of the car. She looked at him oddly but did as he instructed. Taking his hand, he shut her door and began walking up the path with him. He looked down at his watch as they walked and took a deep breath.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Abby asked, as they walked up the path. As they turned the corner, the front lawn of the lodge came into view. And by the large tree and flower bushes, dozens of white balloons were tied down, and a small group of people stood near them.

“I’m ok.” He again assured her as he looked across the grass.

“Someone’s getting married.” Abby commented, as they came closer to the lawn. “They sure did choose a nice day.”

As she said that, Luka turned to her and took her hand in his. As he did, she watched him carefully, as he again swallowed and took another deep breath. He seemed to be shaking as he did, and was sweating more than before.

“Abby.” He began, looking right into her eyes. Those dark brown eyes, they put him in a trance every time he looked at them. “I love you more than life itself.” He began, as he quickly glanced over to the small crowd of people, who were now watching him. “And I don’t want to spend another day knowing we aren’t married. I want you to be Mrs. Kovac, I want you to be my wife.”

“Luka.” Abby whispered, as she began to realize what was happening.

“And I want that to happen today.” He managed to get out. “I want to know we’ll be together forever, from today on. Please Abby, will you marry me… today?”

“Oh my god.” She managed to whisper as he guided her over to the small area decorated. “Luka, I…”

“Will you marry me today?”

Abby looked up at him and took a deep breath. Nodding, she leaned up to kiss him and wrapped her arms around him. “Yes.” She whispered, as she clung to him tight.

He held her in his arms for a moment before he set her down. “Thank you.” He whispered to her. Gripping her hand, they walked the few short feet left before they reached the owners of the lodge, Father Costa, and two witnesses Luka had asked.

“Carter.. how did you know?” Abby cried, as she hugged him.

“Congratulations.” He whispered to her and he hugged her. “Luka asked me to come.”

“Hey Luka.” The other witness greeted him as he shook his hand. “Congratulations man.”

“Mike, you made it!” Luka replied. “Thanks.”

As Abby turned, she looked at the man Luka seemed to know so well.

“Abby, this is Mike. He works at the hotel.” He said, as Mike shook Abby’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” Abby said, as she let go and took grip of Luka’s hand again.

“Is everyone ready?” Father Costa asked, and Luka and Abby took their places in front of him.

Both Abby and Luka nodded; as Abby squeezed Luka’s hand again as her stomach tied itself in knots.

“Then let us begin.”

**********************

You're all that I ever known, when you smile, on my face, all I see is a glow.
You turned my life around, you picked me up when I was down,
Yes I pray that you do love me too

**********************

“And now for the vows.” Father Costa said, toward the middle of the ceremony. “Luka.”

Taking a deep breath, Luka looked straight at Abby, and could see the tears welding in her eyes. Smiling at her, he began.

“Abby, from the day I saw you… I thought that you were beautiful. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have made me happier than I ever thought that I could be. And that day back in October when you kissed me, I knew you were going to be the one. You were there for me when I needed you, and I want to be there for you whenever you need me. I want to go to sleep with you every night, and wake up with me every morning. I want to come home to see you everyday, and see you smile. I want you to have my babies, and I want to know I always have someone to talk to. You’re my best friend, and I know I can always go to you. I know the beginning of our relationship was tough, but we made it. And I know I want to be with you until the day I die.”

As Luka spoke all the words he was saying, the tears that had begun to weld in Abby’s eyes were now falling. She smiled at his as he spoke, and it hit her harder than it ever had how much she loved this man.

“And now, Abby. Obviously you had nothing prepared, so you can use the standard vows, or if you know what you would like to say, go ahead.” The priest instructed her.

Sniffling, she took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. Looking up at Luka, she knew exactly what she wanted to say.

“Luka, I remember my first day being assigned in the ER, how I asked if you were single, and commented on how cute you were. But never did I think I would be standing here, marrying you. I was so unhappy for so long, I never thought I would meet a guy like you. I had given up hope of their even being a man like you. But I found you, and I thank god everyday that I did. I look forward to every moment I see you, seeing you smile. Your dimples like a 5 year olds. I love listening to you tell your stories, and watching you fool around with the kids in our neighborhood. I just hope one day you’ll be a father, and that we’ll have children of our own. I love waking up in the middle of the night, and feeling you next to me, knowing that I’m not alone. I love everything about you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

Carter smiled back at both of them as Abby finished. She hadn’t taken her eyes off of Luka since the ceremony began. As she finished, Luka lifted his hand and wiped her eyes for her as she continued to cry.

“And now the rings.” The priest said, signaling Carter who reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, which held two rings. Handing them to the priest, he handed a ring to Luka, who took it into his hands and one to Abby.

“Do you Luka, take Abigail, to be your lawful wedded wife. To love and to cherish, through sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Luka whispered, as Abby slipped the ring onto his finger.

“Do you Abigail, take Luka, to be your lawful wedded husband. To love and to cherish, through sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

Abby nodded and smiled. “I do.”

As he slipped the ring onto Abby’s delicate fingers, the priest announced. “I know pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride.”

And with those few words, Luka wrapped his arms around Abby and kissed her. He kissed her for what seemed like an eternity to those watching. As he did, the very small crowd clapped and cheered.

“I love you.” Luka whispered, as he finally let go and looked at her.

“I love you too,” she whispered back as she continued to cry. He had just made her the happiest woman on Earth.

**********************

All my life, I've prayed for someone like you,
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you
All my life I've prayed for someone like you
Yes, I pray that you do love me too

**********************

Later that night, after a big celebration dinner in the dining area, Luka and Abby snuck up to their room, and closed the door. As soon as they did, Luka had his arms wrapped around her and began to unzip the back of her dress. He did so slowly, as he kissed her, wanting to taste every square inch of her.

As he slowly slid her dress off, she began to pull his shirt out of his pants and over his head. As she got it off, she began to work her way down his chest, kissing him everywhere as she made her way down. She felt her dress fall to the floor and quickly kicked it out of the way, as she fell back onto the bed, Luka under her. She ran her hands through his hair, as he went ahead and unclipped her bra, and proceeded to remove it. As he did, she moved back to his mouth, where she kissed him. Coming up for just a second, he looked her straight in the eye.

“I love you, Mrs. Kovac.”

Smiling, realizing what he had just said, she leaned down to kiss him again. “I love you too Luka.”

And with that, they continued to make love, on their first night as husband and wife.

**********************

All my life I've prayed for someone like you
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you
All my life I've prayed for someone like you
Yes, I pray that you do love me too

**********************

3/20/01