TITLE: Two's Company 3/?
AUTHOR: Ceindreadh
EMAIL: cein@eircom.net
CATEGORY: drama/angst/romance

RATING: PG-15
SPOILERS: last episode seen 'I'll be home for Christmas'
last relevent episode 'Mayday'

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.

Two's Company - part 3
Sequel to 'A Very Odd Couple'

Cast of Characters - Dave Malucci, Luka Kovac, Chris Malucci, Real Kerry.

Previously on ER.
Dave moved in with Luka and they became good friends.
After Dave was attacked, his sister Chris met Luka and they became even
better friends
;-)
Chris came to visit Luka after being attacked by a patient at work.  Dave -
at Chris's request - made the excuse that he had to return some journals to
Kerry and left them alone together.  Chris told Luka that she was pregnant.
Luka was delighted, but his happiness faded when Chris told him that she
didn't think she wanted to have the baby.  Meanwhile, Dave was looking for
something to do to keep him occupied until it was safe to return home, and
ended up going grocery shopping with Kerry.

Notes - I had called Luka's wife 'Maria' in the previous series before we
found out her real name.  I'm not changing it *now* <g>

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

Chris's eyes were swimming in tears as she allowed Luka to pull her towards
him.  Letting her head rest against his chest, she whispered, "I...I'm
scared."

Luka wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair.  "I know," he
said softly, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.  "I know."

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

Luka gently steered Chris into the living room and sat down on the couch
with her.  Pulling her close to him, he held her gently in his arms.
Feeling how tense she was, he carefully started massaging her back.

Chris sighed heavily as she leaned against Luka.  It felt so good knowing
that he was there.  Ever since she had found out that she was pregnant, she
hadn't been able to relax as she had been dreading this confrontation.  She
knew that he wouldn't easily understand her reasons for not wishing to
continue with this pregnancy...but she had to try and *make* him understand
because more than anything she didn't want to lose him.  But that could be
dealt with later.  For now, all she wanted to do was just forget about it
for a little while.

Chris was almost asleep when Luka finally spoke.  "Chris...we really need to
talk about this."

Pushing away from him, Chris slid over to the end of the couch.  Curling up
defensively, she wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them close to
her body.  "So talk then," she said quietly.

Luka was distressed by the way Chris sought to distance herself from him,
but he tried to hide it.  He knew that she was obviously in a fragile
emotional state at the moment, and the last thing he wanted to do was to say
the wrong thing and upset her to such a degree that she would make a
decision that he would be unable to talk her out of.  The one point in his
favor was that Chris was here...the fact that she hadn't simply gone ahead
and terminated her pregnancy must mean that she was still uncertain about
what she should do.

There was silence for a few minutes before Luka realized that he was going
to have to lead this discussion.  But where to begin, he wondered.

"Have you been seen by an OB yet?" he asked.  Well, that was a reasonable
enough question...after all, whether Chris was going through with this
pregnancy or not, an OB visit was going to be her first stop.

Chris nodded.  "Albert, my supervisor...he insisted that I get myself
checked out.  Managed to get one of the OB's on staff to squeeze me in."

"And?"

"And what?"

Luka felt like thumping the cushions in frustration.  "And what did he say?"

Chris shrugged, "*She* said that I was pregnant.  I told her that I didn't
think I wanted to be."  She stared at her knees, concentrating on every
detail of the material covering them, simply to avoid looking at Luka.  "She
told me to go home and think about it for twenty-four hours, and then come
back to her."

Luka reached out to take Chris's hand, but she pulled it away from him.

"Why do you not 'want this to be'?" asked Luka, slightly hurt by her
gesture.  "Did something wrong show up when the doctor examined you?"

Shaking her head, Chris said, "No...it's not that..."

"Then what?"  Luka just couldn't understand it.  Granted, he and Chris had
never discussed the idea of having children together, but surely she had
considered the option.  Unless she believed that he would abandon her when
she needed him.

"Because I'm a doctor, not a mother," snapped Chris.  There was a note of
anguish in her voice.

"You could be both."

"I'm a second year trauma resident," Chris tried to explain.  "I barely have
enough time to take care of myself...I don't have the time to be a proper
parent *and* a doctor."

"I know it would be a struggle," said Luka, trying to absorb the impact of
what she was saying.  "But I have seen many residents who *were* able to
juggle the responsibilities of medicine and a family.  I was one of them,
Chris.  You are so smart, so focused that I do not doubt your ability to do
the same."

"And how many of them were single women?" asked Chris, quietly.

"Only a few of them," admitted Luka, before realizing what she was implying.
"Surely you do not believe that I would let you fend for yourself?  This is
*my* child as well...and I am willing and eager to accept my
responsibilities as its parent.  This news...while I admit that it came as a
bit of a shock, it is wonderful news.  I want...no, I *need* to be there for
you and our child."

Luka watched the expression on Chris's face change, and he was sure that he
had hit upon the *real* reason for her fear.  But finally she spoke again.

"I don't doubt that you'd be there for me every step of the way," she said
with a note of sadness in her voice...but it's just not going to work..."
She reached out to take Luka's hand, but it was his turn to pull away.

Standing abruptly, he walked to the far wall before turning to look at
Chris.  "I cannot let you do this to me," he said, his voice heavy with
emotion.  "I will not lose another child."

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

"So, do you get 'evicted' from your home on a regular basis?" teased Kerry
as she maneuvered the car through the busy streets.

"What?" asked Dave, momentarily distracted.  "Oh...nah, not that often."  He
grinned lazily.  "Usually make myself scarce anyway when Chris shows up.   Or
I watch a DVD or something while they're in the other room.  But tonight she
specifically *asked* me to disappear."  His grin faded and he frowned.

"Is something the matter?" asked Kerry, noticing his expression change.

Dave shrugged uneasily.  "Nothing really...it's just."  He was silent for a
few seconds before continuing, "It's just that I kinda got the feeling that
Chris had something pretty important to talk to Luka about...something that
she didn't want me listening at the keyhole for."

"Do you have any idea what it is?"

Dave shifted uneasily in his seat.  "I think she may be planning to break up
with him," he said, a note of sadness in his tone.

Kerry looked at him in surprise.  "Why would you think that?  Have they been
having problems in their relationship?"  She found that hard to believe.
After all, the last time she had seen Luka and Chris together, she had been
struck by how 'right' they seemed.

Dave didn't answer her for a few seconds.  Finally he said, "There's nothing
concrete...I just thought Chris seemed...I don't know...a little edgy.  Like
she had something bad to say and wasn't sure how he was gonna take it.
Guess I figured her splitting with him was about as bad as it could get.  I
know her better than anyone...and I *know* that something's up."  He was
silent for a few seconds before smiling wryly.  "I'm probably just
overreacting.  Hell, Chris probably just wanted to jump Luka's bones in
peace."

Kerry kept her own counsel on the matter as she deftly pulled the car into a
parking lot.

Dave looked around him uneasily as he climbed out of the car.  The lot was
almost deserted, and a collection of broken lights had left large parts of
it in shadows...shadows that could have been hiding any number of dangers.

"Dave?"

He pulled himself together with a start, when he heard Kerry calling his
name.  "Yeah Chief?"

"Are you all right?" asked Kerry, a note of concern in her voice as she saw
the wary expression on Dave's face.

"Who me?"  Yeah...I'm okay."  Dave glanced quickly around him, making sure
that there was nobody else around.  Forcing a smile on his face, he said,
"C'mon, let's get your cupboards restocked...Mother Hubbard."

Kerry grimaced, "They're not quite *that* bare, Malucci," she replied.   "And
if I'm 'Mother Hubbard', then that would make *you* my dog, right?"

"Woof woof," said Dave, a real smile appearing on his face.

Kerry rolled her eyes at him. "Oh grow up," she said, smiling involuntarily.
"Behave yourself or I won't buy you an ice-cream."

"I'll be good," promised Dave with a grin.

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

"I cannot let you do this to yourself...to *us*," said Luka.

"You...you can't *stop* me...it's my decision, *mine*" replied Chris.
Standing, she stumbled towards the door, only for Luka to move quickly and
block her way.

"I...I can't do this," she said, tears forming in her eyes.   "Please...don't
stop me...it's the only way...the best way...I *have* to do this...I can't
go through with this pregnancy."

Luka grabbed her by the arms as she tried to move past him.  "I am not going
to let you just walk out of here," he said, a note of anger in his voice.
"Not until you have given me one good reason *why* you are doing this."

"I've already told you," said Chris, her voice raised.  "I can't do this...I
*won't* have my life turned upside down.  I have plans...goals...that do
*not* include children."  She tried futilely to free herself from Luka's
grip.

"I don't believe you," replied Luka, angrily, his hands squeezing Chris's
arms tightly.  "I know you love your work...but it cannot be that important
to you that you would simply throw away this *gift* for it.  Why do not want
this baby?  WHY?"

"Because of what happened last time," Chris screamed at him.

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

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