Title: A very odd couple - part 19
Author/pseudonym: ceindreadh
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Fall 2000

Keywords: Dave & Luka friendship, hurt/comfort and a little romance

Last episode seen: Rampage
Last relevent episode: Mayday
Spoilers: Season 7?  What season 7? <g>

Disclaimer: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner
Bros.  No infringement of their copyright is intended.  This story
was written for the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and
may be downloaded for your own pleasure.
Thanks to the ERFFCC for comments & critiques.

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A Very Odd Couple 19

--------------------

Previously on ER.
The day after Dave was released from the hospital, Kerry paid a visit to the
house, soon after Dave, Luka and Chris had been involved in a water fight.
On the pretence of needing to prepare dinner, Luka and Chris left Dave and
Kerry alone to talk.

Kerry found out that Dave was still very frail emotionally, and did her best
to help him.  Chris helped Luka prepare dinner...and after a minor accident
in the kitchen, they kissed.

Dave later told Luka that he was starting to accept what had happened to him
and that he was dealing the after effects - both physical and psychological.

Note: This fic was started in June 2000, so season 7 'never happened',
okay?.

--------------------------

Chris sat on the edge of her chair, elbows on her knees, chin resting on her
hands.  She stared gloomily into the empty fireplace.  What had she been
thinking earlier, she wondered...she should never have kissed Luka...or
rather; she should never have manipulated him into kissing her.

This was Luka...her brother's close friend...and getting involved with your
sibling's friends was a really really bad idea.  Chris knew this from bitter
experience.  She still remembered the fiasco years ago when Dave had taken
an interest in Emma, one of her closest friends in High School.  For a few
weeks they had been inseparable, and Chris had been pushed to one side.  It
hadn't lasted of course...Dave had moved on to the next pretty face to catch
his eye and Chris had been left in the unenviable position of trying to
comfort Emma as she ranted on about how all boys were bastards.  Their
friendship had never been the same afterwards, and the last thing Chris
wanted was for the same thing to happen with Luka and Dave.

No, she decided.  When Luka comes back down, I'll tell him it was a
mistake...we'll stay friends...and so will he and Dave...it's the best thing
all round.  Even to her own mind it didn't sound very convincing...but Chris
knew it was the right thing to do.  No matter that Luka was one of the
nicest men she'd met in a long time...no matter that he had been so caring
and considerate to her over the past few weeks...no matter that her heart
raced a little faster whenever he walked into the room...

"Chris?" said Luka, who had entered the room unobtrusively.

Chris jumped in surprise and knocked her coffee cup off the arm of her
chair.

"Shit," she swore, dropping to her knees and trying to pick up the pieces.
"I'm sorry Luka..."

"Shh, it is all right," said Luka, crouching down beside her and helping her
pick up the pieces.  "It is just a mug...I can easily replace it.  And see?
It was empty, so there will be no stain to remove."

"It's not that," said Chris gloomily.  She sat back and wrapped her arms
around her knees.

"Then what is troubling you?" asked Luka, slightly puzzled.  He dropped the
pieces of the shattered mug in the bin and returned to sit on the floor
beside Chris.

Chris blew away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and
sighed heavily.
"You...me...the whole idea of us," she waved her hand in the air.   "Maybe
this isn't such a good idea..."

"You seemed to be of the opposite opinion a few hours ago," observed Luka.

"A few hours ago, I hadn't had a chance to think about it...you're Dave's
friend...and that's what he needs most of all now...you've been there for
him...and he's going to need you...and I don't want to ruin your
friendship...I don't want to hurt him..."

Luka put his arm around Chris.  She didn't resist as he pulled her in
against him.
"Do you seriously believe that I would ever do anything to hurt Dave?  He
has become very dear to me in his own way, over the past few months.  I care
a great deal about him...but I have also found myself growing to care for
you a great deal over the past few weeks."

He slowly stroked her hair as he continued.  "If you truly believe that Dave
would be adversely affected by our becoming involved, then I will not push
you into it...we have become friends, I think...and we can remain as such,
if that is what you want."

"I'm not worried that Dave will be affected by us being involved," blurted
out Chris.  "I'm worried about what would happen if we broke up.  I mean,
suppose we had a big fight and split up and hated each other and everything.
He'd be stuck in the middle, and I don't want to do that to him...I don't
want him to get hurt..."

"And neither do I," said Luka softly.  "But I do not wish to lose you
either...yes, there is a risk that if we get involved that things will not
end happily...but life rarely comes with nice neat happy endings.  You and I
both know that."  Chris curled in closer to Luka as he continued.   "One
thing I have learned is that life is short...too short to be afraid of
taking chances with happiness."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained?"

"Something like that," agreed Luka.  Turning to Chris, he kissed the top of
her head.  "We can make this work...but only if you want to."

"I want to," whispered Chris.  "God, how I want to..."
Turning her head, she kissed Luka on the lips.

"Then we *will* make it work," whispered Luka in between kisses.

------------------------

As Kerry had predicted, Dave's convalescence did pass quickly.  By mutual
agreement, neither Chris nor Luka had mentioned their growing relationship
to him, but it hadn't escaped his notice that most of the time Chris came to
Chicago - ostensibly to visit him - Luka seemed to have a lot of free time
as well.  Dave wasn't sure if he was reading too much into it...hell, maybe
they just liked each other's company...a lot.  Assuming that he wasn't
mistaken, he wasn't sure how he felt about his sister and his friend being
together.  On the one hand Luka was a great guy and all...but on the other
hand he had to be at least ten years older than Chris...and with a ton of
emotional baggage as well...but then, he was waaay better than some of the
jerks that Chris had dated in past years.

Dave had had a lot of time for speculation in between his psych sessions and
bouts of light exercise.  At least he told Luka it was only light
exercise...and it was...at least compared to what he used to do.  But he
could see that it was working.  Two days after he had been discharged from
the hospital, he had barely been able to make it down the street to the
shop.  And he had been so exhausted looking that the cashier had wanted to
call a cab for him.  But that had been almost two weeks ago, and now he was
able to make it there and back under his own steam.  Granted he was still
tired by the time he returned to the house, but it was a vast improvement
over the way he had been feeling.  And besides, he rationalized it to
himself...he needed to be *doing* something to bring about his recovery.  He
couldn't just lie about on a couch all day.  Oh sure, he had a whole stack
of medical journals to read that Kerry had given to him, but while they were
interesting, reading all day was not his style.

To that end, he had persuaded John to come over one evening to try and teach
him to suture one-handed.

"I really don't think that Dr. Weaver is going to let you do any suturing
until you have that cast removed," said John as he placed a bag on the table
in front of Dave.

"You don't know that," said Dave, grinning.  "There may come a day when
everyone else is tied up with traumas and if I'm able to do sutures, she's
not gonna pass up on the help.  Besides, even if she doesn't let me...it's a
good skill to have, right?"

"I suppose so," conceded John.

"Yeah...I'm sure Chen would be impressed."

John rolled his eyes, "Do you ever do anything that doesn't have an ulterior
motive?"

Dave shrugged, "Just show me your feet Carter."

John pulled a pair of pig's feet from the bag, together with a suture kit.

"Perfect," said Dave, picking up one and running an appraising eye over it.
"There'll be loads of room for sutures, and when we're finished with them,
I'm sure Luka can find a use for them in the kitchen."

John looked at him aghast.  "You don't mean you're going to eat them after
you've put sutures in them?"  His stomach churned slightly at the thought.

"Of course not," replied Dave.  "What d'you take me for?"

John breathed a sigh of relief.

Dave continued, "We'll take the sutures out first."

--------------------------

A few hours later, both feet were cris-crossed with rows of sutures.

John noticed how Dave's hand was shaking as he pulled on the thread.

"I think that's enough for today," he said, not wishing to tire Dave out too
much.  "You've done pretty well for a beginner."

"Just a few more," said Dave.  "I want to get it perfect."

"I think you've done enough," said John firmly as he took the needle and
thread from Dave's trembling fingers.

"I guess so," said Dave, sitting back in his chair.  He winced at the cramp
in his shoulders.

John noticed Dave's sudden grimace of pain.  "I shouldn't have let you keep
going for so long."

"I'm okay," said Dave.  "Besides, I wanted to do this."

John looked at him carefully.  "Why is it so important to you?" he asked
quietly.

"I told you...it's something to impress the ladies...they always like men
who are good with their hands."  Dave grinned.

"I'm not just taking about the sutures.  Kerry said that you might be back
at work in a few days if you pass your physical."

"So?"

"Don't you think you should take a bit more time to recover?  I mean, I'm
sure Kerry isn't pushing you to come back so soon."

Dave remained silent for a while before saying, "The sooner I get back to
work...the sooner I can get my life back to normal.  Oh don't get me wrong
Carter...I know that being back at work isn't going to make everything all
right...I know it's gonna take more than just pulling on my scrubs
again...but I can't just sit around at home all day waiting for things to go
back the way they were...I have to *do* something to put things back the way
they were...or at least as close as I can get.  And going back to
work...being a doctor again...that's the best way I know how."

John could see from Dave's clenched fist that he was serious about it.  The
next day, he said as much to Kerry.

"I'm aware that Dave is eager to get back to work," said Kerry as she worked
on a pile of charts in the Lounge.  "And I did say that if Dr. Corday gave
him the 'all-clear' that I would allow him to return to light duties."

"Just because he's physically fit, doesn't mean he's ready to come back,"
said John quietly.

Kerry looked up at him.  "I know that you pushed yourself too hard from the
beginning," she said, with compassion in her voice.  "And I know *why* you
pushed yourself.  I should never have let you come back so soon...but Dave's
circumstances are different...and if he's able to take on even a half shift
in the ER...then I'm not going to stand in his way."

"Maybe you're right," said John.

"I hope I am."

-----------------------------

To be continued

ceindreadh
"i have never understood why it is necessary to become irrational in order
to prove that you care,
or why it should be necessary to prove it at all"
Kerr Avon
http://homepage.eircom.net/~ceindreadh/index.htm