24 Steps
Part Six
By Carolina
super_carolina1@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: None of the ER characters belong to me.

Author's notes: Sorry it took me so long to get this one out, I'm moving away and all of a sudden I'm having a lot of personal problems. Soo... I don't know when the next part will be out, I'm very sorry about that.



With a very long and deep breath, Abby went to open the doors that led to the ER, but then when they came open automatically, she remembered she didn't have to, so she walked in and went straight into the lounge.

"Abby," Kerry greeted as the nurse walked in.

"Morning, Dr. Weaver," Abby said with a smile, and looking at the big cup of coffee her boss was pouring herself. She walked to her locker and began to get her things ready.

"Are you feeling better?" Kerry asked and leaned on the counter.

Abby turned around to face her for a brief moment, and then turned back to her locker, "Yeah, must have been one of those 24 hour bugs," she said.

"Huh," Kerry said casually. There was something about that which smelled a little fishy. Abby didn't even look sick when she left, she didn't look sick now, and Luka took the day off too? She hated her when her employees took her for an idiot. If they wanted to go on a trip they should have just asked. "Well," she said and eased herself off the counter, "Welcome back, we have a year's worth of patients today."

"Yeah, I'll be right out," Abby said and saw her walk out. She shook her head, and all of a sudden heard Malik saying something about a trauma, so she closed her locker and walked outside, and followed Kerry. The ambulances came quickly, and the first one was opened.

"16 year old male, no LOC, possible fractures to the right leg and left wrist, has a small laceration to the right temple, BP is normal. His dad is on the other ambulance, he's more critical," Doris said.

"Ok, Abby take this one and find a doctor inside, I'll take the father," Kerry said.

"Ok," Abby said and her and Doris took the rig inside. "Dave? I need you here," Abby said once she spotted the young doctor.

"Dr. Dave, always here to help the beautiful nurses," Dave said and grabbed the chart as they walked into trauma one. "Ok, Bruce, are you feeling any pain?"

"Just my wrist and leg," the 16 year old boy said.

"Vitals are normal," Abby said once she hooked him to the monitors.

"Ok, call radiology," Dave said and looked through the doors to the other room. "Looks like Weaver has a good one there."

"It's his dad," Abby said suggestively.

"Oh," Dave said and looked at the boy, "Don't worry, Bruce, I'm sure your dad will be ok."

"I don't care," Bruce said.

Dave looked at Abby and raised his eyebrows, "Ok, why don't you get everything ready to suture that temple and I'll be back in a second," he said and walked out.

Abby shook her head and turned to Bruce, "Are you sure you're not in any pain?"

"I said no already," Bruce said. "We hit the wall on his side."

"Ok," Abby said casually. "What happened?" she asked and Bruce just rolled his eyes, "You can tell me, you know."

"Nothing. Freak comes home after a night on the town and picks up a fight with my mom. Then he forces her to let him take me to school, and the asshole smashed the car against a wall," Bruce said, obviously mad.

"Was he drunk?" Abby asked.

"What do you think?" Bruce said. "He can die in there for all I care."

"That's not a very nice thing to say about your dad," Abby said as she got the suture kit ready.

"What do you know about living with a drunk?" Bruce asked.

Abby raised her eyebrows and smiled, "You'd be surprised."

"He does it every night too, and my mom is too stupid to leave him." He looked at his father on the other room, and how all the doctors were working hard to save him, "They should let him die."

Abby looked at the other trauma room, "I think you'd miss him if he dies."

"Guess again," Bruce said.

Abby smiled, "You should give him a change. Did you know that alcoholism was considered a sort of disease?"

"I don't think so. He chose to be that way, it's not like he was born drunk," Bruce said.

"Yeah, maybe," Abby said. "I was an alcoholic," she added as she put on his IV.

"It doesn't matter what everyone tells you to your face, behind you everyone thinks you're a scum. You drink and drink so you don't have to face your problems, but all that causes is to ruin someone else's life. If he really cared about mom and I he would stop drinking, now he's just a selfish son of a bitch," Bruce said, still mad.

Abby looked at him and then continued to do her job. Dave walked back into the room and she turned to him, "You got this?" she said.

"Yeah," Dave said and sat down to suture Bruce's head.

Abby walked out and went to the lounge to get herself some coffee. Bruce's words hadn't done much to her. She had been called worse on her days, a selfish bitch was nothing compared to the names other people had called her. What bothered her a little was the ruining other people's lives part. She hadn't thought of that. Was she being selfish now and not thinking about Kerry, or Carter, and especially Luka? Probably. She always assumed, though, that somewhere down the line they would get tired of her and cut the ties. That she would get fired, dumped, and found herself friendless.

"Hey, Abby, what are you doing here?" Carter asked as he walked into the lounge.

"Hm?" Abby said as she looked at him suddenly, "Oh, just taking a coffee break."

"I didn't think you'd come back for a while. Are you sure you're up to working?" he asked as he took his coat out of the locker.

"Yeah, I feel great," Abby said.

"Really?" Carter asked, a little suspicious about her jolly good mood.

"Yeah, I wasn't that into it," she said and put her coffee on the counter. "I better get back out there," she added with a smile and walked out.

Carter frowned and walked to the counter and taste her coffee. Just coffee. But still, there was something a little weird about her mood. It seemed a little force. Even when he had been 24 hours without drugs, he wasn't that happy about it. Well, he made a mental note to talk to her after work or when they got a break. If he tried to approach her at work, he knew she'd deny it. Not that he was absolutely sure she was still drinking, he had more faith in her than that. But he wanted to let her know he was there if she needed to talk.

Abby walked out of the lounge and back into the trauma room, where she heard a turmoil going on.

"Abby, call security!" Dave said as him and the other doctors tried to keep a man off Bruce; she assumed that was his dad. She froze for a moment, and then ran out and came back with some guards.

"I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!" the man screamed, his face bloody. The two security guards came and took the guy out.

"Watch out, he still needs medical attention," Kerry said as she walked out.

Dave turned to Abby, "Can you stay here for a second?" he asked and didn't wait for her answer before he walked out.

Abby frowned and turned to Bruce, "What was that about?"

"I told him I was gonna press charges," Bruce said. "So you were an alcoholic, huh?"

"Yeah, I was never like that though," Abby said as she looked towards the door.

"That's what he says every time he sobers up," Bruce said.

Abby looked at him and bit her lip. She sat down on a stool to wait until Dave came back, and looked at all the mess Bruce's dad had caused. She looked at him and felt nothing. She didn't care. She hadn't cared a long time ago and that is when she had come to hate herself, even more. She didn't care if Bruce's dad came back, she walked out of the room and picked up another chart to keep working.

That afternoon she walked out of the ER and got in her car. She was supposed to meet Carter at Magoo's for coffee, but she wasn't in the mood for mind games or to take his pity. She just couldn't talk to him, actually. She felt ashamed because she had been his sponsor and the one person who would have to stay on top of things and she had failed him. How was she going to sit across from him to tell him everything he needed to do to be a better person? She would have to hear that from him now, and she couldn't. He always looked up to her and now he would look down at her, that bothered her the most.

She reached her apartment in the blink of an eye and threw her keys on the table, since the dish had been broken. She looked around her apartment, and still couldn't get rid of this feeling inside. It wasn't a feeling per se, it was more like a void. Like her stomach was empty but it wasn't her stomach, it was something else. Well, nothing a little hair of the dog that bit you couldn't cure. She found the bottle of Vodka she had hid the night Luka was there and drank nearly all of it down, but she still had that awful feeling inside of her. She wasn't drunk, she knew what she was like when she was drunk, and it took more than a sip of Vodka. Maybe she actually was hungry? Not that either. She had barely eaten anything since she began drinking again, but she
had gotten used to it already, and her stomach wasn't growling. Actually she just had a big urge to get out of there. She had felt this way before exactly five and a half years ago, and back then she just went to her best friend and the day after that she started going to AA.

She looked at the bottle she was still holding in her hand and dumped it on the trash can. Her best friend back then was living in New Orleans now, so she grabbed her keys and went out for a walk, to think or just wait until the morning came, and see if it could take away this, well, whatever it was she was feeling inside.



Luka sat on his bed, reviewing charts but not really concentrating on any of them. He put them down and began to play with his pen. The last three days had gone in a second, yet they had been so significant. He couldn't stop thinking about the idea of Abby being a drunk. Why did people insist on using that word? Or alcoholic? Wasn't she a recovering alcoholic? There's a difference. It's not like she would go bar flying every night and then had to be brought into the ER, like the drunks he had always known. She didn't cause any trouble or make any scenes. Well, he didn't know that, be he couldn't picture it either. Still that word bothered him the most, drunk. He was in a relationship with a... well, a woman who drank. He couldn't bring himself to calling her that. He compared her with all of the other girlfriends he had had, and with his wife. She had always been so innocent and pure. They grew up together and even though he had gone through some things like smoking at an early age, she always remained that way. He fell in love with her, but mostly he grew into her. They had known each other since childhood and after adolescence, it just made sense to marry her. He didn't chose her, she came with him.

Maybe that was the reason why he hadn't found someone again, because now he had the luxury of choosing a woman. He could open her eyes, point his fingers and say, "That one." He hadn't known how hard that was. Dating was the most excruciating thing he had ever had to go through, the reason why he had stayed away from it as far as possible. Even if it was someone he liked as much as he liked Abby, it felt awkward. It was like going through adolescence all over again. He had never gone through that, so he wondered if this feeling of doubt was a part of it.

He heard a knock at the door and stood up to answer it. He must have called Abby with his mind, because she stood in front of him, with a serious expression on her face.

"We... need to talk," Abby said

Luka didn't like the sound of that. She wasn't smiling, so he didn't smile either. "Is there something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

Abby only made a sudden move with her head, indicating she didn't want to talk in his room.

Luka grabbed his jacket and closed the door, and a couple of minutes later, they were at a park near the hotel. He looked at her in confusion, "What's wrong?" he asked again, getting very hesitant about her own trepidation.

Abby cleared her throat and sat on a bench, and Luka sat beside her. She scratched her brow but didn't look at him. "I, lied to you again," she said, her voice stronger than she actually thought it would be.

Luka wrinkled his forehead in ignorance, "About what?" he asked.

Abby took a moment, staring at a whirlwind of leaves right in front of them. Her fingers played with the other, and she looked down at her hand to scold them. "I, um," she let out a sigh, "When you were at my apartment and you threw out all the bottles, you didn't find some I had hidden," she finished.

Luka closed his eyes and was careful not to let out a sigh of disappointment, but a little of it did come out. "Did you drink that night?"

Abby just nodded.

Luka rolled his eyes and shifted on his seat, he was furious. "Abby..."

"Before you say anything," she interrupted his obvious upcoming reprimand with the raise of her hand, "Just listen to what I have to say, ok?"

Luka exhaled and shook his head, breathing an, "Ok."

"I..." she looked at him now, "Really appreciate what you did, and no one has ever done something like that for me before. But, you were the one putting all the effort, Luka, not me. That's not how it's supposed to go. I, just, wasn't ready to quit," she said with a mirthless laugh. "I know I have a problem, but I just wasn't ready to solve it, and that's not your fault, or my mother's, or Carter's... it's mine," she stressed.

"I, uh, I don't know if you've noticed, but I really don't have much for me or anyone. I failed as a daughter, I failed as a wife, I failed as a student, as a nurse, as a sponsor... this was the only thing I could be proud of. And although being an alcoholic is not a fancy title, having the luxury to say, 'I have been sober for five years,'... it felt great," she said with a smile. "Well, I can't say that anymore, that's another thing I failed at. And now, I failed as a girlfriend also," she added, the smile vanished.

Luka, who had been ready to preach it down to her, looked at Abby with weary eyes. He felt bad, actually. For what? He didn't know, because she was right, it wasn't his fault. But her words hit home. Whether she was consciously trying to make him feel bad or not, he didn't know, but it was working.

Abby cleared her throat again. "I don't know what's gonna happen now, but I wanted to let you know first. I don't want to drag you down with me, and whether you want to help me or not, I think you should know that it takes a lot to be with a drunk; a lot of guts, a lot of patience, and a lot of love. You may have the guts and the patience, Luka, but you don't love me," she said. "So I don't think it's fair for you to keep going out with an alcoholic."

Luka bit his lip, "That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, it's the truth," Abby said quickly. "I know somewhere down the road you would have realized that and dumped me."

Luka nodded, "Are you breaking up with me because you don't want me to break up with you?" he asked.

Abby raised her eyebrows, "I hit rock bottom today, Luka. Having you break up with me would have finished me," she admitted.

Luka was surprised that she wasn't crying, or whimpering; her voice was very calmed. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Do you want to stop drinking now?"

Abby played with her lips and looked around the park, and then at him. "I don't wanna be a drunk anymore," she said with a sigh.

Luka was relieved to hear that, "There's a detox center Rockford," he said and waited for her reaction, which was to look at him quickly. "I send some of my patients there. It's a 30 day program and one of the bests. If I arrange everything, will you go?" he asked cautiously.

Abby wrinkled her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. A detox center; she loathed those places. It had been one of the options 5 years ago, but she had turned it down for that same reason. It was like being punished and sent off to jail for refinement. She felt awful, because she didn't want Luka to be further involved in this. She knew what would come, and she knew it wasn't fun in the sun, running through a field of roses. If she let him get closer, he would run away screaming in the future, and that was exactly what she didn't want.

Luka detected her hesitation, but he didn't want to push her; that had gotten him nowhere the first time. He removed a strand of hair from her face, "What are you thinking?" he asked.

Abby inhaled, "I... I don't think you should do that for me. Luka you have no idea how much this is going to destroy us..."

"Abby, can you forget about us for a moment? It's not about us, or me. Forget about me doing this because you're my girlfriend, this is none of that. This is about me helping you because I care about what happens to you. We're friends, right?" he asked and didn't wait for her response. "Whatever happens or doesn't happen between us, I can't just turn my back on you and walk away. If you want me to do that, I guess I can. But if there's something I can do, I will do it. And if you are willing to go to that detox center, then I'll arrange everything and be here for you when you come back." He paused for a moment and then continued, "If I arrange everything tonight, will you go?"

Abby looked at him, "Tonight?"

"Do you really want to stop drinking?" he asked her.

Abby nodded, "Yeah."

"Then why wait?" he said as he raised his eyebrows.

Abby thought of all the shifts she'd be missing and her rent, utilities. She guessed it was normal to think of those things, but it made her a little apprehensive. But then she thought of what happened earlier that day, and there was no doubt in her mind that this was what she needed, and if it didn't work, well, she would just have to be a drunk forever.

She looked at Luka and nodded again, "Yeah," she said and felt immediately as if she had signed a pact with the devil.

"Ok," Luka said and let out a breath of relief. He was also nervous about what she would have to go through. If it had been hell two nights before, it would be the apocalypse in that center. But he figured nothing could be worse than what was happening now, so he tried to have a little faith in her. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, "Let's go."



When I was younger I believed, that dreams came true,
Now I wonder.
Cause I've seen much more dark skies, than blue,
Now I wonder.

I keep on praying for a blue sky,
I keep on searching through the rain.
I keep on thinking of the good times,
Will they ever come again?
Now I wonder.

When I was younger I believed, that I could win,
Now I wonder.
There was a time when you and I, walked hand in hand,
Now I wonder.

I keep on searching for the old days,
I keep on thinking I can change.
I keep on hoping for a new day,
Will I ever feel the same?
Now I wonder.

Oh, I wonder.

Luka turned off the radio, "I don't want to listen to any sad songs," he said. They had been driving for a long time, yet Abby didn't show any signs of being tired. Actually, he had been the only one talking through the ride. He figured if he turned off the radio, she would say something.

She looked out the window, having no idea where they were going or where Rockford was. Wherever they were heading, north, south, east, or west, it was mostly just nature. This must be one of those places where they built a center in the middle of nowhere so patients couldn't escape, or they would be one with nature, or both. She turned to Luka all of a sudden, "30 days?"

Luka nodded and looked at her briefly, "Do you want to turn back?"

Abby stared at the road ahead, "No."

Some 30 minutes later, Luka pulled over into a big center, which had big crystal windows and the walls were made of gray cement, or it was painted that way. The sun was out now, and Luka turned off the engine and turned to her.

"Ok, this is it," he said.

Abby nodded and opened her door. Luka did the same and opened the trunk to take out her bag. Abby looked at the tall edifice and let out a sigh, she only felt when Luka took her hand and she was suddenly walking in. Luka felt her hand trembling and sweating, but he didn't know if she was withdrawing or nervous, or both. They reached the front desk and he put her bag down. An old, sweet woman looked up. "I called a couple of hours ago," he said.

"Who's the patient?" the woman asked.

"She is," Luka said and pulled Abby out from behind him.

"Ok," the woman said. "Honey, I need you to fill these out and I need the permission from your physician. Do you have that?"

"I can do it," Luka said.

"Are you a doctor?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Luka said.

"Are *her* doctor?" she asked again.

Luka nodded, "Yeah."

"Ok, before you sign anything, I need you to both fill these," she handed them both some papers, "And one of our doctors will be out to evaluate her."

"I need to be evaluated?" Abby asked hesitantly.

"We need to know if you are qualified to be admitted," the woman said.

"Thank you," Luka said and took some pens from a cup. He followed Abby to a table and sat down. He didn't know why he had to fill these out, but his papers had less questions than hers. 'Has your patient ever gone to the hospital or your office with problems regarding her addiction?' he figured that was a yes. Questions like that kept going on. He tried to answer them as truthfully as he could, but his judgment was a little biased, since he was being her doctor and friend. After all, he wanted her to be admitted more than anything.

Abby scratched her forehead and began to fill the papers out. Name, age, address, race, kind of addiction. They kept getting more and more personal, with physical, behavioral, and emotional state, social background, legal problems, employment... she filled each one of the questions and put the papers down. Luka had already finished, but she just remained quiet until a man in a white coat came out.

"Abby Lockhart?" he asked and Abby stood up.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I'm Dr. Spencer. Why don't you come with me," he said with a smile.

Abby looked at Luka, who gave her a reassuring look, and she followed the man into a small office. He took her papers and examined them thoroughly. "Take a seat."

"Thanks," Abby said, cleared her throat and sat down.

"Says here you have an alcohol problem," he read and looked up, "How long have you been an alcoholic?"

Abby took a breath and thought for a moment, looking at some of the toys he had on his desk. "I, have been drinking since I was a teenager, and then five years ago I quit. And around a month ago I started drinking again," she said.

"And you can't control it?"

"No," Abby said.

"Any feelings of sadness, guilt?" he asked.

"Yeah, I... get depressed a lot," Abby said.

"Any weight loss?"

Abby nodded.

"Blackouts?"

"When I drink," Abby said. "But sometimes when I'm working I hear people far away, and then a long time goes by and I don't even notice."

"How about your family? Do you try to avoid them? Are you constantly fighting with them?"

"I don't see my family very much. My, mom is bipolar and both her and my brother live in Florida. I'm not married but I have a boyfriend and I get irritated sometimes and take it out on him," she said.

"How about your friends? Do you avoid them and talking about your problem?"

Abby swiped her hair from her face, "I don't have many friends either, but I haven't talked to them much."

"Any personality changes such as becoming more passive, withdrawn or irritable?"

"Yeah," Abby said.

"Any suicide attempts?"

Abby shook her head, "I've... thought about it though."

"Do you drive under the influence of alcohol, or have had legal problems associated with alcohol abuse?"

Abby looked at the man, who was merely just reading some questions and writing down the answers, "I have a car, and I live alone, so yeah, I drive when I get drunk, and I get pulled over sometimes, but I know how to hide it, so I've never been arrested."

"Any increase in social isolation? Loss of outside interest?"

"Yeah," Abby said.

"Do others disapprove of your drinking? Or have withdrawn from you?"

"Only two people know about my problem, but they don't approve of it," she answered.

"Do you drink to feel comfortable in social situations? Have you been intoxicated at work or feel like you can't perform some tasks?"

Abby scratched her forehead, "I'm a nurse, and when I don't drink I can't do my work very well, and I can't talk to patients the way I used to."

"Have you had to quit work, or be absent from it because of your alcohol abuse?"

"I had to stay at home for a couple of days, but never more than one day," Abby said.

"When was the last time you had a drink?"

Abby thought for a while, "Last night, around 7."

Dr. Spencer looked at her now, "Have you recognized that you have a problem and are willing to live with the rules and regulations of this program for as long as we think it's necessary?" he asked.

Abby took a deep breath, "Yeah."

Spencer seemed pleased with her truthful answers, and he gave her the papers back, "Ok, you can sign at the bottom now."

Abby took the papers and signed them quickly.

"Marci said your doctor came with you?" he asked.

"Yeah," Abby said. "He's outside."

"Can you ask him to come see me?"

Abby stood up and nodded. She walked out of the room to find Luka sitting in the same place, looking up at the ceiling. When he saw her, he stood up and she walked up to him, "He wants to talk to you now," she said.

Luka nodded and squeezed her arm before walking into the doctor's office. Spencer stood up when he walked in and shook his hand.

"Dr. Kovac? I'm Dr. Spencer. You are Abby's physician?" he asked.

"Yeah, we work in the same hospital," Luka said and sat down.

"Ok, I'm just going to ask you some questions about her personal health, and how it has been changed due to her alcoholism," he said.

"Ok," Luka nodded.

"Have you noticed any changes in her behavior?"

"She has been very depressed, and very quiet. Sometimes she's fine and then all of a sudden starts crying, but she rarely smiles or is happy," Luka said, trying to think back.

"Has she gone to you with any physical problems that happened due to her alcoholism?"

Luka tried to think of that, "She hasn't been in an accident if that's what you mean. But I had to take her to my room once because she had passed out on a bar."

"Any weight loss?"

"Yeah, she's lost around ten or fifteen pounds," Luka said.

"Has her blood pressure changed? Sugar and Iron levels?"

"She's not eating as much as she used to, but no serious malnourishment problems," Luka said, trying to divert that question. He should have checked all that before coming here, but he didn't know they were so thorough about this.

"Is she allergic to any kind of medication? Or suffers from any conditions we should know about?"

"No, I don't think so," Luka said vaguely.

"Ok," Spencer said. "If you think that she needs to be admitted in order to get better, then sign here, and since you're her doctor, we can call you if there's a problem regarding her health."

"Thanks," Luka said, relieved about the fact they could keep him in contact. He signed the paper and gave it back, "Can I call to check up on her?"

"No, we'll call you if there's a problem or we need her medical history," Spencer said and stood up.

"Is that all?" Luka asked, standing up as well.

"Yeah, we're ready to take her in now," Spencer said as they walked out. "I'll send a nurse back for her," he said, shook Luka's hand and walked back into the hallway he came from.

"Thank you," Luka said and turned to the table, where Abby was sitting. He approached her and pulled her up by her hand. "A nurse is coming for you now."

Abby nodded.

"Are you ok?" Luka asked, knowing what that silence was about.

Abby raised her eyebrows and looked down. She played with her fingers and started to feel very scared, so some tears jumped from her eyes.

"Hey," Luka said and wiped them immediately with his thumbs. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "They're not gonna let anything happen to you, ok?" he said and felt her nod. Her felt like a father again, taking his daughter to get a shot.

"I'm sorry I lied to you and that I hurt you," Abby whimpered against the nape of his neck.

"Don't worry about that now," Luka said.

A nurse came in and stood in front of them. "Is this your bag?" she asked Abby and immediately put it on the table to check everything that was inside.

Luka looked at her, but Abby didn't even move. He pushed her off him gently, making her look at him through teary eyes, "You might not believe this, but I'm proud of you. And I'm going to call you when I can."

"Sorry, there's no phone calls," the nurse said. Both Luka and Abby looked at her, "We have a pay phone, and when we think she can call you, she can, but we monitor all the calls."

Luka nodded and turned to Abby, still holding her hand. He pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket, but the nurse shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, she can't take those," she said.

"She can't smoke?" Luka asked.

"She can, but when and if we think it's necessary, we'll provide the cigarettes," the nurse said.

Luka raised his eyebrows, this was like a convent. "Ok," he said and put the cigarettes back on his pocket. He looked at Abby, "Just hang in there, ok?"

Abby nodded and squeezed his hand. Luka gave her a kiss on the lips, and then on her forehead. He didn't think this was going to be so difficult, but there was a possibility he wouldn't see her again for 30 days or even more. "I'm going to tell Kerry..."

"Just tell her the truth," Abby said. "And if anyone else asks, don't lie."

Luka smiled, "I won't." He kissed her again and the nurse gave Abby her bag.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Abby took the bag and nodded, and began to walk with the nurse. She turned around to look at Luka for a second, and then kept walking.

Luka shook his head and like a baby, felt his eyes a little moist, so he pressed his hands against them. He looked at the front desk and approached it. Marci the receptionist looked up and he smiled. "Can I come see her?" he asked.

"We have a family day every two weeks. If she wants you to come then she'll sign your name on a sheet, and we'll call you. If she doesn't, then I'm afraid you can't. Don't worry, we'll take good care of her," she said sweetly.

Luka nodded, "Ok," he said and looked towards the hallway, where he could still see Abby and the nurse walking away. He tapped on the counter once or twice, and smiled at Marci. Without looking back towards the hallway, he walked out and drove back to Chicago.

To be continued...