Forging the Bonds of Friendship

Abby glanced around to see who was lurking about the ADMIT desk as she logged onto the computer and pulled up the surgical schedule for the day. She quickly scanned it looking for Dr. Dubenko's name. She felt sort of foolish doing it. After all, why should she care about someone who had propositioned her in the ambulance bay because he was afraid of what lie ahead of him.

But she did care. Before their awkward moment in the rain they'd started to forge some sort of strange combination of friendship and mentor/student relationship. Which of course was strange because Abby wasn't a student anymore, but as every doctor knows, there is always more to learn. They had gone out for a bite to eat a few times after work and were known to grab a cup of coffee when they had a few moments.

"Frank, I'll be back in a little while," she called over her shoulder as she logged off.

"Going upstairs to see if you can catch Dubenko before he goes under, grant him his final wish," Frank snorted.

"God, is nothing a secret around here?" Abby muttered to herself as he hit the elevator button.

She exited the elevator on the 4th floor as she tried in vain to do something with her hair, but lacking a brush she settled on letting it down and shaking it out a little before putting the scrunchie around her wrist.

"Lucien Dubenko," she inquired at the desk. She was pointed towards the holding room at the end of the hall, the last stop before the OR.

Abby headed for his room, knocking once but not getting a response. As she opened the door she found out why. Lucien had clearly been given a pre-op sedative and was not exactly what one would call lucid. "Hey," she said softly as she closed the door behind her. He lolled his head in her direction and gave her a drunken grin when he recognized her voice.

"Dr. Lockhart, nice of you to come see me off," he slurred as he reached blindly towards the side table for his glasses. Abby helped him put them on and pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Had a little Versed," he announced unnecessarily.

"A little?" Abby asked with a smirk.

"OK, a double dose," he admitted. "I was a little freaked."

"And now?"

"Still freaked but I don't care all that much," he whispered as he struggled to stay part of the conversation.

"Dr. Dubenko, time to go," the orderly announced from the door.

"Yeah, give me a minute," he said sleepily. "You'll stop by later?" he asked Abby.

"Uh, sure, I guess," she said, a little surprised at his request.

"Good," Lucien whispered as he gave Abby's hand a quick squeeze. The gesture caught her a little off guard and she pulled away faster than she had intended. He handed her his glasses and called for the orderly. Abby held the door and watched until the stretcher rounded the corner. She put his glasses in his bin and headed back to work. She thought about asking the nurse to call her when he was out of surgery but she didn't feel like incurring the inevitable teasing and strange looks if someone had to relay the information to her via Frank.

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

The ER got slammed by an overturned school bus and a gang fight on the EL. Abby and the rest of the staff bounced from patient to patient for hours. By the time the last kid had been sent to the OR, Abby was in dire need of some coffee. Her shift had ended almost an hour earlier. She went into the lounge poured a cup of coffee and called up to check on Lucien. She found out he was already out of recovery and settling into a private room.

"Frank, I'm leaving," she yelled as she headed for the elevator.

"Door's the other way," he yelled back.

"Shut up," she called over her shoulder.

The secretary at the unit desk directed Abby to his room. The shades were closed and the overhead light off. Dr. Dubenko was doing his best to curl up into a ball on the bed, not an easy feat for someone a few hours post surgery. His glasses were on the rolling table next to the bed and he had a small pink basin on the bed next to him.

"Let me guess, you're wishing you took the epidural," Abby teased gently as she walked into the room.

"Shut up," he muttered as he blindly reached for his glasses. Abby brushed back his wild curls and put his glasses on for him. She straightened the pillow behind his head as he carefully rolled onto his back. "God that hurts," he groaned as he pressed his hand against the bandage. "Guess you don't have to ask which kind of incision," he teased.

"I wasn't going to ask," Abby assured him as she pulled up a chair. "I could have always just taken a peek at your chart," she teased. "You want some ice chips, ginger ale?" she offered.

"Ice chips, I guess," he whispered as his eyes slid closed and he tried to keep his stomach under control. He swallowed hard and tried to will back the inevitable.

"Deep breaths," Abby coached as she slipped a folded towel under his head. "Do you want the bed up a little more?" He just nodded without opening his eyes. Abby put the head of the bed up just a little and he turned back on his side as best he could. She rubbed his back with one hand and held the basin with the other as he got sick. Having eaten nothing all day the painful dry heaving kicked in quickly. He eventually calmed down enough to wipe his mouth on the towel.

Abby slipped the towel out from under his head and tossed it in the bin in the hall. She exchanged the basin for a fresh one and got a cup of ice. "Do you want to try to get some down?" she asked as she held up the spoon. Lucien shook his head and curled up miserably. "Did they given you antiemetic?" Lucien nodded. "Whatever it was, it's not working," she smirked as she brushed back his hair a bit.

"That your professional opinion, Dr. Lockhart?" he gasped as he motioned for the basin once again.

"Take it easy," Abby whispered as he coughed and gagged again. Abby reached over him and hit the call button.

"Compazine not working, Dr. Dubenko?" the nurse asked unnecessarily.

"Good guess," he groaned.

"Does he have an order for anything else?" Abby asked as he pushed away the basin and reached for the cup of water.

"I think so, let me check," the nurse said as she got out of the room as fast as possible.

"Already making friends with the nursing staff, I see," smirked Abby as she handed him the cup of water. "Rinse and spit," she suggested as she handed him a second empty cup.

The nurse came back with a dose of Kytril and something for pain. She quickly checked his vitals and pulled the sheet back a little to check the incision. Abby went into the bathroom to get a damp wash cloth to wipe Lucien's face as the nurse did that. With a nod in Abby's direction, the nurse left them alone, closing the door behind her.

"You always have this reaction to general anesthesia?" Abby asked as she sat down next to the bed and wiped his face with one of the damp cloths. She folded the other one, brushed back his unruly curls and set it on his forehead.

"Never had it before," he said. "I have all my original parts, thank you very much," he teased with a small smile. "Let me try a little of that," he motioned towards the can of ginger ale on the table.

"Ice?"

"Yeah."

Abby got a cup of ice and poured a little of the soda for him. He managed to get down a few sips before his stomach began to protest. He curled up again and reached to flip through the television channels.

"You should go home," he said a little while later as Abby tried in vain to keep from yawning.

"You'll be ok?" she asked.

"I don't know about 'ok' but I'm going to be out in about 5 minutes. Things are getting a little fuzzy," he admitted as he turned off the television.

"Yeah, everything should kick in pretty soon. Don't be stubborn about the pain meds," Abby said with a little edge of warning in her voice. Lucien gave her a little "who me?" smirk to which she responded with a glare of her own as she stood up to leave.

"Cold," Lucien muttered as he struggled to pull the covers up a little.

"How about a blanket from the warmer?" Abby offered.

"Sounds good," he whispered. "Hey Abby," he called when she was almost out the door.

"What, you need something else?"

"No. In case I'm asleep when you get back, thanks for coming up," he said tiredly.

"You're welcome. I'll check on you tomorrow," she assured him. Lucien waved a little and closed his eyes.

True to his prediction, he was sound asleep when she got back. Abby tucked the warm blanket around him, straightened the IV line and left a full cup of ginger ale and ice with a straw on the rolling table. She went out to the nurses' station to grab a piece of paper and a pen, so she could leave her home, cell and pager numbers by his phone.

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

Abby didn't hear from Lucien that night and she hoped he'd just fallen asleep. She wasn't on the next day and didn't bother setting her alarm but she was still up with the sun anyway. After a leisurely breakfast and a trip to the food store to stock her bare cabinets, she called to check on Lucien. He sounded better than he had the night before but still had a drugged edge to his voice. Abby said she would come by in a while and bring some lunch for him, to save him from the hospital fare.

A little before noon she got to the hospital. She pulled into a parking space and went around to use the front entrance to the hospital, not wanting to run into Frank in the ER, or anyone else for that matter. Not that she had anything to hide or defend; she was simply going to visit a sick friend. A socially inept, slightly strange, surgeon who suddenly found himself on the other end of the scalpel.

She found Lucien awake and reading the newspaper when she arrived.

"Well, you look about ten times better than last night," Abby announced from the doorway.

"Well, I only feel about 5 times better," he smirked. "But I haven't puked in hours and I think everything else is flowing well," he said as he pointed towards the foley bag hanging from the side of the bed.

"Yeah, that sort of falls into the "too much information" category," Abby teased as she took off her coat and threw it over the chair. "Here," she said as she handed him a brown bag.

"Contraband solid food, I hope," he said as he opened the bag.

"You're less than 24 hours post-op, don't expect a burger and fries," Abby warned.

"Well, it's slightly better than hospital food and I suppose it is the thought that counts," he muttered as he pulled out a bottle of Snapple, some chicken soup and a cup of chocolate pudding.

"I'll take that as a 'thank you'," Abby smirked as she opened the iced tea for him. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Took Percocet and an Ambien, I slept just fine," Lucien said as he opened the soup. He ate about half of it and drank a little iced tea while Abby worked on the crossword puzzle from the newspaper. She read the clues aloud, giving him a chance to help.

"Not as hungry as you thought?" Abby asked as she pointed to the half finish meal. He just shook his head a little and pushed the rolling table away. "You ok?"

"I think so. Just a little stiff....and not in a good way," he muttered. Abby just rolled her eyes at him.

"Been out of bed yet?"

"No, tried earlier this morning but I almost passed out."

"Ah, well, how about you sit with your legs hanging over the side. Take it slow, see what happens," Abby suggested.

With a little help from Abby, Lucien managed to sit up straight and dangle his legs over the side.

"Doing ok?" Abby asked as she took in his slightly pale face. Lucien shrugged his shoulders and took a few deeps breaths. "Here, drink a little," she said a she handed him a can of ginger ale.

"I'm ok," he said with more conviction in his voice than he'd had in two days.

"Good. How about I track down a wheelchair and we'll bust out of here for a little while?"

"Best offer I've had all day. Actually the only offer I've had all day," he teased.

Abby found a wheelchair down the hall and brought it in. By the time she got back to his room, Lucien was already trying to stand on his own. "Whoa, slow down," Abby warned as she reached to steady him. "Uh, do you...are you wearing..?"

"Yes, Abby, I'm wearing underwear. Wouldn't want you to get a glimpse of what you're missing," he smirked.

"Good God," Abby rolled her eyes at him. She got him settled in the chair with all the tubes and lines tucked safely away and a blanket in his lap. "Ready?"

"Yeah," he said with a grin as he ran his hand through his hair.

"The hair's pretty much a lost cause there," Abby teased as she did what she could to tame it a little.

"Maybe I'll cut it," Lucien mused.

"I kind of like it," Abby said as she opened the door as pushed the chair out into the hall.

They took a few laps around the unit and sat in the lounge at the end of the hall for a while. After a shorter period of time than he had hoped, Lucien realized sitting upright was getting a little painful.

"How about we get you back in bed?" Abby suggested when she realized he was fading fast.

"See, I knew you really wanted to get me into bed," Lucien teased. His voice, however, was rather flat, alerting Abby to the fact he was indeed in more pain than he let on. So she ignored his comment and pushed him back towards his room.

"You look rather miserable," Abby commented as she got him tucked back into bed.

"More bored than anything else," he muttered as he picked up the newspaper, even though he'd already read the entire thing.

"You want me to leave?" Abby asked as she motioned towards the door.

"No," he replied quickly as he tossed the paper aside. "I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Abby asked with eyebrows raised and a smirk planted on her face.

"Nothing like that," Lucien said with a little smile that didn't quite ring true. "I have a pile of paperwork sitting on my desk in my office."

"Work? Are you sure you're up for that?" Abby asked.

"I'm not 'up' for anything else," he muttered under his breath.

"Lucien," Abby warned, making it clear she wasn't going to sit by and watch him throw himself a little pity party.

"Fine, can you get the paperwork?" he asked as he took off his glasses and rubbed tiredly at his eyes.

"I will, if you promise to rest a little before trying to tackle it," Abby negotiated.

"Not tired," he said, protesting her offer. He folded his arms across his chest and lowered his chin down a little, both effectively pouting and avoiding Abby's eyes. Abby carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to avoid jostling it too much. Lucien still stubbornly avoided looking at her. Abby quickly realized there was probably something more to his mood than boredom. She reached out to tip his chin up and get him to look at her. Doing so gave her a big clue.

"You're a little warm," she said softly as she moved her hand from his chin and pressed her palm against his cheek and then his forehead. Lucien just nodded and swiped at his eyes. Before Abby could reach for the call button, the nurse came in for a scheduled check of his vitals. "He's running a fever," Abby announced as she stood up.

"I think she would have figured that out," Lucien muttered as he turned his head to allow the nurse, who looked like she would rather be undergoing root canal, to take his temperature.

"100.7," she announced to the room in general. She took the rest of his vitals, checked the incision and basically left the room as quickly as she could. She returned a minute later with his meds, again leaving as quickly as possible.

"You're getting quite the reputation around here," Abby teased, hoping that teasing was the way to go. It was as Lucien laughed a little before collapsing against the pillow.

"OK," he said with a sigh.

"OK, what?"

"OK, I'm ready to admit I could use some rest," Lucien said as he took off his glasses and put the head of the bed down a little. "But you're still getting the paperwork," he added as Abby set the glasses aside.

"Where is it?" Abby asked with a sigh, knowing he wasn't going to drop the subject.

"Right in the middle of the desk, can't miss it," he said as he reached into the drawer of the bedside table to find his office key.

"OK, I'll be back. I'm going to go run down to the ER. I'm sure I have paperwork I could be doing too."

"And you're going to hang out and do paperwork while I sleep?" Lucien teased.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you," she teased right back.

"Fair enough. Hit the light on the way out," he said with a grin.

Abby turned off the light and closed the door behind her while Lucien did his best to curl up a little. She made her way to his office, unlocked the door and stepped inside. It took her a few seconds to find the light switch. As the light flooded the room she just shook her head. She was quickly realizing that although Lucien was a brilliant surgeon, he was a complete pack rat, in addition to quite possibly the most socially inept guy she'd met in a long, long time. Both traits gave clues to why he was single.

The stack of files was right in the middle of his desk, between a stack of video tapes and a full sized model of the human heart. Abby cleared the pile of 'stuff' off his chair and sat down for a minute, feeling a bit voyeuristic as she did. She looked around at all of the things in the room. The room was a testament to how Lucien seemed to go through life, barely in control, on the edge of chaos. Abby was sure there was some order to the room, probably known only to him and possibly his long time secretary but she just wasn't seeing it.

With a sigh she pushed herself to her feet, put the files in a file box she found on the floor in the corner and started to leave the room. Her eyes landed on his iPod on the little table by the door and she tossed that into the box too. She set the box back down and took another look around the room to see if there was anything else he might like to have with him. There was a plaid, patchwork quilt tossed over the couch and she picked it up and added it to the box. It was old and obviously well used, threadbare in a few places but it looked like the sort of thing that might provide a little comfort. Abby added a sweatshirt she found hanging on the hook by the door before picking up the box and heading back to his room. She dropped the box just inside the door, made sure he was sleeping and headed down to the ER.

She managed to grab what she needed without being stopped by any nosy co-workers, or Frank. After a quick stop for a cup of coffee she headed back to Lucien's room. He was sound asleep, curled up facing away from the door. She covered him with the quilt, put a cool damp cloth on his forehead and settled into the chair with her coffee and her paperwork.

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

Lucien woke up just about the time the sun was starting to set over the Chicago skyline. He smiled when he realized he was covered in the old quilt he kept in his office. His mother had made it when he was young and he'd carried it around for years, from college, to medical school, to residency and throughout his surgical career. It was soft, worn and made up of completely mismatched, random squares of fabric. He used to keep it at home but when he realized he needed it more at work, he brought it in to his office. He used it when he curled up on the worn couch in his office to do paperwork, when he caught a few hours of sleep when he was on call and whenever he just needed a little comforting.

He put on his glasses and let his eyes adjust to the fading daylight. Glancing around, he was happy to see he wasn't alone. Abby was curled up in the chair, sound asleep. She had a standard issue white cotton hospital blanket thrown over her legs and a stack of paperwork on the floor next to her.

Abby opened her eyes with the distinct feeling that she was being watched. "Hey," she muttered as she quickly wiped her hand over her mouth and tossed the blanket aside. "Feeling better?" she asked as she pushed herself to her feet.

"A little, maybe. Just woke up, kind of hard to tell," Lucien answered, being completely honest. Abby turned on the light over his bed and carefully sat down next to him. "You're doing it wrong," he teased as Abby pressed her hand to his forehead. "You're supposed to kiss me," he teased.

"Not much cooler," Abby announced, effectively ignoring his teasing.

"Did you get any work done, or did you just nap?" he asked as he pointed towards her stack of files.

"I got some done," Abby said as she pulled the quilt up a little, straightening it unnecessarily.

"Thanks for grabbing this out of my office," Lucien said as he ran his hand over the worn plaid fabric.

"Looked like something you might want to have with you," Abby said with a small smile.

"My mom made it, a long time ago. She's been gone a few years now."

"You were close?"

"We were," Lucien said quietly as he picked at a loose thread on the quilt. "Maybe I should try to tackle some of that," he said as he motioned towards the box on his files sitting on the wide window sill.

"If you want to. Or you could just relax."

"I'll do a little work," Lucien decided with a sigh. Abby realized there wasn't any talking him out of it. She also figured maybe it would be a good distraction for him. She put the box on the chair and pulled the chair next to the bed so he could reach the files.

"I'm going to go get a cup of coffee, stretch my legs a little. Do you want anything?"

"You don't have to stay. I mean, I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything but if you have somewhere you need to be, I'll be fine," Lucien said in a tone that was almost convincing.

"You sure?" Lucien just nodded as he slipped his glasses on. "OK, then I'm going to get going. I'm on tomorrow; I'll try to stop by for lunch."

"Good. Bring me some real food."

"Sure. Give me a call later if you get bored."

"If I get bored?" Lucien smirked.

"Yeah, so I'll talk to you later," Abby said as she pulled on her coat. She sat down next to the bed, starting to feel a little awkward. She wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from and tried to press it back down.

"Well," Lucien started, obviously feeling just as awkward as he fidgeted with the edge of the quilt. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said quietly as he reached for Abby's hand, squeezing it gently. "I don't know how I would have made it through these past two days without you. And I just wanted you to know that. Thank you," he said. Abby squeezed his hand back before he pulled away awkwardly.

"You're welcome. And don't take this the wrong way either," Abby said with a smile as she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

"I won't," Lucien assured her as she stood up.

"By the way, I did it right that time. And you're still running a fever."

Lucien just chuckled and waved as Abby flashed a weary smile.

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

With a torrential rain storm, 2 nurses who called out sick, and a pile up on the freeway, the next day kept Abby busier than she'd been in a long time. It was well after 2 by the time she ever got a chance to duck into the ladies' room. She finished up, splashed some water on her face and attempted to do something with her hair.

"Lunch date?" Frank asked as she went back out to the ADMIT desk to complete a chart before going up to see Lucien. Abby just stared at him for a second, not quite sure if he was being nice or not.

"Yes, I have a lunch date," Abby said as he tossed the chart in the rack and tucked her pen in her pocket.

"Go easy on him, he's still recovering," Frank yelled as Abby headed for the cafeteria.

"I hope that's better than a soggy tuna sandwich and cold soup," Lucien said as Abby entered his room 10 minutes later. He was sitting in the chair next to the bed, facing the window with his untouched lunch on the tray table next to him. He looked much better than he had the night before. The IV pole was gone, although he still had the port in his hand.

"Hey Abby, how's your day, thanks for taking time out of you busy day to visit me," she snorted as she handed him the sytrofoam container with his lunch.

"Sorry," he said with a smile as he took his lunch. "Hi, how are you? How's your day? What did you bring me?"

"Chicken fingers and fries, there wasn't much of a lunch selection left."

"Sounds great," he said as he slid his finger between the lid and the bottom to pop it open.

"You look a lot better," Abby commented as she pulled up the other chair, turning it to prop her feet up on the edge of the window sill. "Fever gone?"

Lucien nodded with a mouth full of chicken. "Yeah, wanna check?" he teased after swallowing.

"Not particularly," Abby deadpanned. She reached for a few of his fries as they settled into a comfortable silence while Lucien ate and Abby enjoyed some peace and quiet. "Any idea when they're letting you out of here?" Abby eventually asked.

"I tried to convince the surgeon I'd be ready to go tomorrow."

"And after he stopped laughing, what did he say?" Abby smirked.

"At least another 48 hours. Would like to see me, you know, walk unassisted before I leave."

"Good idea. Have you tried walking yet?"

"I shuffled over here," he said as he motioned towards the chair he was sitting in.

"Great, you managed to cover the distance of about 6 feet. And unless your house is the size of this room, you should probably stick around here for a while."

"Cute. But seriously, I want OUT OF HERE," he said, a little louder than he probably should have.

"Calm down," Abby warned with a roll of her eyes. "How about we try a walk down the hall and back before I head back down to the ER."

"Yeah, I think I'm ready to try. Let me just shuffle to the bathroom and do something with my hair," he teased as he slowly pushed himself to standing.

"I suggest a hat if you have one," Abby teased right back as he slowly made his way across the room.

"Hey, Abby, there's a pair of pants and a clean shirt in the drawer, can you hand them to me?"

"Sure." Abby got the clothes and stuck her hand in the bathroom to give them to Lucien. "Ready?" she asked when he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. Dressed in plaid flannel pants, t-shirt and slippers, he looked pretty good, all things considered.

"No tubes or anything hanging?" he asked as he turned to one side and then the other.

"Nope, you're good. You want this on?" she asked as she held up the sweatshirt she'd brought from his office the day before.

"Yeah," Lucien said as he handed Abby his glasses and took the navy blue sweatshirt from her. He pulled it on over his head and smoothed down his hair while Abby threw away the remains of his lunch.

Abby offered him her arm and the two of them took off down the hall. Taking it slower than he would have liked, Lucien managed to walk down to the lounge. It wasn't a fast pace but he was happy to have made it without having to stop for a rest. Unfortunately, Abby was paged back to the ER before he'd regained enough energy for the return trip to his room. He assured Abby he would be fine; he'd just rest for a few more minutes and then slowly head back.

With Frank occupied by a phone call, Abby was able to return to work without undergoing any further teasing.

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

By the next afternoon Lucien was going stir crazy. He pulled the "I'm a doctor here and I can do anything I want" card and took off for the ER in a wheelchair. He wanted to share with Abby the good news of his returning nerve function and to thank her for her "gift". He didn't stay long, the ER was pretty busy but it was nice to get off the floor for a little while.

Abby got stuck late and didn't get a chance to make it to Lucien's room before she left for home. Lucien was disappointed but the truth was, by the time he'd eaten dinner and taken a lap around the floor on his own two feet, he was ready to crash. But as exhausted as he was, he had a hard time settling down enough to fall asleep and ended up taking Ambien after talking to Abby on the phone for a few minutes.

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

Two days later the nurses were begging Lucien's surgeon to release him as he was driving them nuts.

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

"Get in the wheelchair," Abby said with an edge of frustration in her voice. As she had worked the night before, she was working on only a few hours sleep. She was cranky, Lucien was cranky and the nursing staff was more than happy to see him be discharged. Lucien looked at her face and knew she wasn't kidding. He sat in the chair without further complaint.

After a trip to the Dunkin' Donuts drive through for hazelnut coffee their moods improved greatly. Ten minutes later Abby pulled into Lucien's driveway. She'd been to his house once or twice to pick him up or drop him off, but she'd never been inside. It was a small, two story Cape Cod, not extravagant at all.

One step inside and Abby realized the house suited him perfectly. Well lived in with enough clutter to be bordering on chaos. Lucien led Abby past the sparsely furnished living room, through the kitchen, to the family room in the back of the house. It was clearly where Lucien hung out, books, medical journals, CDs and DVDs littered every available surface.

"Sit," Abby said as she tossed his duffle bag on the steps heading upstairs. She dropped his backpack next to him on the couch and sank into easy chair, kicking off her shoes and propping her feet on the coffee table.

"Comfortable?" Lucien teased.

"Don't start with me; I've had four hours sleep," Abby whined. As she closed her eyes, Lucien picked up the remote and turned on the television. After quickly scanning the channels he settled on ESPN. Abby cracked her eyes open to see if he'd stopped on anything worth watching. Deciding she didn't really care what was going on in the world of sports she closed her eyes again, figuring if Lucien needed anything he would wake her.

About an hour later, Abby woke with a start. It took her a minute to gain some sense of time and space. The television was off and she glanced towards the couch to find it empty.

"Lucien," she called out as she stood up to find him.

"In here," his voice floated down the hall, from the back of the house. Abby followed the sound of his voice to his home office. She found him sitting on the small window seat that looked out over the backyard. He'd obviously showered and shaved while she had been asleep. His hair was still damp and his curls a little more in control than usual. Although he looked better, all cleaned up, there was something in his eyes that worried Abby.

"You ok?" she asked as she walked across the room. She took a seat on the opposite end of the window seat, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I don't know," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around himself and leaned his head back, letting his eyes fall closed. "Not really looking forward to being bored to tears for the next few weeks."

"It'll fly by, you'll be back to work before you know it," Abby assured him, even though she cringed at how lame her words sounded.

"Nice try," Lucien said as he nudged her with his foot.

"Yeah. Look, uh, are you going to be okay by yourself tonight?"

"I guess. I'm not going to try the stairs. I'll just sleep in the guest room down here."

"Good idea. Do you need me to get anything from upstairs, make up the bed...anything?" Abby asked suddenly feeling and sounding a little awkward.

"I'm good. Actually planned ahead. Everything I need is already in the guest room," Lucien replied, completely oblivious to the fact that Abby seemed like she wanted to stay and give him a hand.

"Oh, okay," Abby said with a little edge to her voice. She turned her attention towards the window overlooking the backyard. Lucien watched her as he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to ward off the returning pain.

"If you want to stay and keep me company, I promise I won't take it the wrong way," Lucien said a minute later when the light bulb finally went on. He shifted uncomfortably as the pain meds were really starting to wear off.

"I think I'll stick around a while, see how you do by yourself. Do you want to take something?" Abby asked as she glanced at her watch.

"Do I want to...no. Am I going to...yes," Lucien said with a weary sigh as he brushed his hair back a bit.

"I'll get it," Abby said as she waved him back down. While she was gone, Lucien got up off the window seat and shuffled to the leather recliner on the other side of the room. He did his best to curl up into a ball, which was still no easy feat for him.

Abby came back a few minutes later with the pill, a bottle of water and the plaid quilt they'd brought home from the hospital. "Why don't you close your eyes for a while. I'll just snoop around your house and make myself at home," Abby teased as she covered him up with the quilt and brushed back his hair in a not so subtle attempt to check his temperature. She turned off the light but left the door open so she could hear him.

While Lucien slept, Abby walked around the house for a bit. While she did look around she didn't snoop around. She didn't go upstairs and she didn't peek in all the cabinets, although she did look in the fridge for something to drink. The fridge was full, Lucien really had planned ahead. A quick peek at the freezer revealed half a dozen frozen casseroles, apparently Lucien knew how to cook. Abby peeked into the top pan, finding baked ziti. She set it on the counter to thaw before pouring herself a glass of iced tea.

Lucien slept for almost 3 hours, surprising both himself and Abby. When he woke up he wandered into the family room, still wrapped up in the quilt. He sat down next to Abby on the couch, where she had been flipping through his medical journals. "Not to be mean, but you look like crap," she teased as Lucien dropped his head to her shoulder, taking her by surprise. But she'd come to realize over the past few days, that when he sought her out physically, he wasn't doing well, emotionally, physically or both. "Nap didn't help?" she asked softly as she pressed her hand to his forehead.

"Not really," he sighed as he sat up a little staighter. "What's that smell?"

"Baked ziti, I raided the freezer. Hope you don't mind."

"Not a problem," Lucien said as he pushed himself to his feet. He paced around the room for a minute, finally heading down the hall. "Where's my duffle bag?"

"Bottom of the stairs," Abby called from where she was still sitting on the couch.

Lucien grabbed the bag and took it into the laundry room. He started the washer and shoved the dirty clothes in without waiting for the washer to fill. The top to the washer slammed down as he pushed it with much more force than necessary. He tossed the bag in the corner as Abby came into the room. She hopped up to sit on the washer and to get out of Lucien's way as he was starting to pace. She watched him walk out of the room, down the hall to the back door and then back. Her repeated his trip a few times until Abby finally grabbed his hand during one trip past the washer.

"Lucien," she whispered as he stubbornly stopped, resisting the urge to pull his hand away. He stared at his socks until Abby reached out to tip up his chin. "What's wrong?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Lucien didn't say anything. Abby was at a loss about how to help him. It was obvious he didn't really know what was wrong, or what he needed. She did the only thing she could think of; she grabbed his other hand and pulled him into her arms. His chin dropped to her shoulder and he allowed Abby to comfort him, to the surprise of both of them. Abby rubbed his back a little but gave up on trying to think of something helpful to say. After a minute it was clear that Lucien wasn't going to remain upright for much longer. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "You need to sit down," Abby said before lightly kissing his cheek. She slid off the washer as Lucien shuffled towards the kitchen.

The sun was beginning to set so Lucien pulled the shades in the kitchen down before taking a seat at table. He glanced through the pile of mail he'd tossed there when they got home, skimmed the newspaper and flipped through a magazine while Abby put the garlic bread in the oven and make a salad.

"Do you have any tea bags?" Abby asked as she rubbed her hands over her arms as she was a bit chilly.

"Over the stove. There should be a sweatshirt hanging by the back door if you're cold," he said as he got up to nudge up the thermostat a little.

Dinner was delicious but a little on the awkward side. Lucien wasn't real talkative but he did eat, which Abby was glad to see as his appetite hadn't been the greatest since the surgery. He waved off Abby's efforts to help with the dishes. She sat down at the kitchen table with a magazine and another cup of tea while Lucien loaded the dishwasher. Abby snuck glances at him as he cleaned up. She could tell he was in a fair amount of pain but he was doing his best to hide it. She turned her attention back to the magazine as Lucien reached into the cabinet over the stove to grab himself a tea bag. He turned too quickly, or stretched too far and end up all but doubled over in pain. Abby jumped out of the chair and was at his side in a second.

"Breath through it," she said as she crouched next to him, one hand on his back. "Turned the wrong way?"

"I think, or stretched, I don't know," Lucien replied as he took a deep shaky breath and stood up straight. "This sucks, Dr. Lockhart," he groaned as he walked to the family room and dropped gingerly to the couch.

"Give it time, you just had major surgery. Your body needs time to...."

"Abby please," he whined as he cut her off.

"Sorry," Abby said, a little more harshly that she had intended. She walked back to the kitchen to pour Lucien's tea.

"Sorry," he muttered when she came back and handed him the tea.

"How about a little time alone?" Abby offered. "I need to go home to get a few things."

"OK."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine," Lucien said as he turned his attention to the television. Abby took a calming breath, grabbed her coat and headed for her car.

While Abby was gone Lucien drank his tea, finished reading the mail and carefully moved the laundry over to the dryer. He wandered around the house, feeling a little strange, being truly alone for the first time in days. As the walls began to feel like they were closing in, he put on a jacket, slipped on his sneakers and went out to sit on the front porch swing. The fresh air felt nice, although it was cold, even for a November evening in Chicago. He went back inside, got the quilt and the portable phone just in case Abby called. The night was clear and the stars out in full force. He looked at them for a while, trying in vain to remember the names of the constellations he'd learned as a boy.

The sight of Abby pulling in the driveway brought a smile to his face. He thought about getting up and going to greet her, but he wasn't up to the stairs and he really wasn't supposed to be lifting anything so helping her with her bag was out of the question. So he stayed on the swing, waving as she got out of the car.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked as she climbed the stairs.

"A little, but I needed some fresh air," he said with a sigh as he stopped the swing, giving Abby a chance to sit with him. He offered her the end of the quilt, which she took gratefully. "About before....in the laundry room, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Abby asked as she turned a little on the swing to face him.

"Falling apart."

Abby chuckled and shook her head. "Lucien, you have nothing to apologize for. And that wasn't exactly falling apart."

"True, but then again, the night's not over yet," he chuckled as he kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

They stayed outside for a while longer, until Lucien starting yawning uncontrollably, much to his dismay. "Well, awake for 4 hours and I need another rest," he muttered and sighed. "Don't say it, don't remind me it's perfectly normal," he teased as he pulled the quilt back to stand. What he didn't count on way the fact that he'd gotten rather stiff from being in one position for so long. He silently and grudgingly took the hand Abby held out to him.

Once in the house things were only slightly awkward. Abby set her things in the family room and Lucien went to the guest room to get changed. He wandered back into the kitchen as Abby was putting away the dishes from the dishwasher. While Abby changed and used the bathroom, Lucien took his pills and poured a glass of water to take into the guest room with him. He was halfway down the hall when Abby came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a pair of scrub pants and a faded t-shirt with her hair hanging loose.

"Uh, let me get you some blankets and a pillow," Lucien said as he set the water on the dresser in the guest room. He found the spare bedding in the top of the closet but asked Abby to get it, he didn't want a repeat of what had happened earlier when he tried to reach something.

Abby put the blankets on the chair in the family room and went back to say goodnight to Lucien. She found him staring out the window. Abby pulled back the blankets and turned off the overhead light, leaving the room lit by the lamp on the bedside table.

"Tucking me in?" he teased as he moved away from the window and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Just wanted to make sure you actually got in bed, instead of being stubborn about getting some rest," Abby smirked.

"Fair enough," Lucien said, returning the smirk. He sat down on the edge of the bed, took off his glasses and rubbed wearily at his eyes.

"You need anything, did you take a pill?" Abby asked as she stood next to the bed feeling completely uneasy.

"Abby, I'm fine. I took my pills, I brushed my teeth and I took care of things we're not going to discuss," Lucien teased.

"Sorry, it's just that.....I don't know, things are a little..." she stuttered.

"I know," Lucien said quietly as he crawled under the covers. He patted the spot next to him and Abby sat down as casually as possible, but failing miserable. She straightened the covers a little, essentially tucking him in, but he didn't tease. In fact he thought it was rather sweet. Abby took his glasses from him and set them on the table.

"I'll be up for a while. Yell if you need anything," Abby said as she patted his shoulder. She turned off the light as Lucien rolled over on his side.

"Good night," he called as she turned to leave."

"Get some sleep," Abby whispered as she headed down the hall.

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

Abby watched television for a while, not really finding anything to hold her attention. She got herself a glass of water and had just turned out the light when she heard Lucien calling her. She headed down the hall. "You ok?" she asked as she stopped in the doorway. In the dim light she could see he looked miserable.

"Too quiet in here. Nobody's stopping by for a vital check," he said lamely, not really wanted to admit anything serious, like the fact he lacked the energy to get out of the bed. Abby just gave him a little glare to start talking. "Feel like crap," he muttered as he scooted over a little to give her room to sit down. Abby sat down without a second thought as she turned on the bedside lamp.

"That's not a real helpful complaint," she teased lightly as she pressed her hand to his forehead. "You're a little warm. Pain?"

Lucien nodded. "Incision hurts, head hurts, I can't get comfortable with this damn thing," he muttered as he pointed in the general direction of the catheter tubing.

"Does the incision look okay?"

"Yeah, no sign of infection, just sore. Dissolving stitches by the way," Lucien said as he blew out a frustrated breath. "Everything is just sore...sore, swollen and annoying the hell out of me."

"Bleeding?" Abby asked, trying her best to toe the line between friend and doctor and not lean over the side of the bed to check for herself.

"Some, nothing to worry about, I don't think. You can look if you want," he said, feeling miserable enough at that point that he didn't really care what she did or didn't see. Abby nodded a little and walked around to the other side of the bed. She took a quick glance at the bag. There were a few very small clots. Lucien was right, nothing to really worry about. While she wasn't worried about bleeding any longer, she was worried about how he wasn't embarrassed at all at having her ask personal questions.

Abby sat back down in the bed next to him. "Honestly, I think you overdid it a little today and you're just tired. You spent way too much time on your feet. How about a heating pad or hot water bottle, something to drink and I'll stay and keep you company for a little while?" Abby offered as she gently brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"There's a heating pad in the cabinet over the washer," Lucien said as he tried to lever himself up a little more. He gave up as Abby left the room, figuring she could help him when she returned.

Abby got him the heating pad and a glass of cranberry juice, which he drank with a minimal amount of complaining. She helped him get comfortable on his side with the heating pad and a few extra pillows for support. She threw the quilt over herself and turned out the light. Lucien was on his side, facing away from her, arms wrapped around an extra pillow.

They were silent and still for a few minutes. Abby didn't know quite what to say or how to help him and Lucien was beyond the point of caring if he held up his end of a conversation.

"Doing okay?" Abby finally asked softly as she tentatively reached out to rub his back a little. He just shook his head against the pillow as he leaned into her touch, clearly craving a little contact and comforting. Abby scooted a little closer, wrapping her arm around him, pressing a kiss to the back of his head. She heard him take a shaky, halting breath as his hand sought out hers. "It's okay, just let it out," she whispered. She held him as he cried silent tears of frustration, pain and fear. No words seemed helpful, she just let him cry.

"Can we just blame that on the Percocet?" Lucien teased after he blew his nose and wiped his face a bit.

"Sure, not a problem," Abby said as she helped Lucien roll over onto his back. "Want to go back on your side?" she asked as he groaned in pain and utter frustration.

"I don't know what the hell I want," he sighed as he wiped away a few remaining tears with the back of his hand. "I can't get comfortable. I miss the adjustable bed," he muttered.

"How about the recliner? You might be more comfortable there. You slept well there this afternoon, right?"

"Yeah. Okay, help me up," he sighed after weighing his dwindling options.

Abby got him upright and had him sit there for a minute to get his bearings before he stood up. It wasn't easy but they slowly made their way to his office, Abby holding him by the arm with the quilt thrown over her other arm and Lucien carrying the bag and trying his best to remain upright. Abby got him settled in the recliner, where he seemed to be much more comfortable. She put a cool, damp washcloth on his forehead and tucked the quilt around him.

"Let me get my blanket and stuff and I'll be right back, okay," she asked as she checked to make sure the bag and the tubing were intact.

By the time Abby had used the bathroom, gotten the bottle of Percocet and some water and gathered up her bedding, Lucien was starting to doze. She knelt next to the chair for a minute, brushing back his hair. After a quick kiss to his cheek, she unfolded her blankets and was about to curl up herself when she realized his glasses were in the bedroom.

With his glasses and a bottle of water on the table next to him, Abby finally crawled onto the couch and promptly fell asleep.

Lucien woke up with the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. It took a minute for him to realize exactly where he was. He turned as he far as he could to the side to see if Abby was on the couch. She was curled up, sound asleep.

"Abby," he whispered. Almost no sound came out and he cleared his throat to try again. The second attempt wasn't much better. He managed to reach for the bottle of water, luckily for him, Abby had taken the cap off and he didn't have to struggle to get it off. A few sips was all it took for his voice to get a little stronger. "Abby."

"What?" was her only reply, before reality took hold and she completely woke up. She threw the covers back, propelled herself off the couch and was at his side in a matter of seconds. "What's wrong?" she asked as she put her hand on his forehead. He was still a little warm but no warmer than he had been before.

"Something's not right," he muttered as he blindly reached for his glasses. Abby turned on the light on the end table, bathing the room in a nice soft light that wasn't going to be any help at all. She turned on the overhead light, blinking against the harsh intrusion of brightness.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she knelt next to Lucien.

"I don't know," Lucien muttered as he closed his eyes and concentrated on figuring out just what he was feeling. Abby went into doctor mode, pushing aside any feelings of embarrassment either of them were about to feel. She pulled the quilt back, settling it over his legs. Lucien's hand rested over the incision site and she moved it away before pulling down the waistband of his flannel pajama pants. There was nothing obviously wrong with the incision at first glance but when she pressed lightly on the general area Lucien squirmed in pain.

Abby glanced up at Lucien, silently asking permission to check everything else. With tears of frustration and embarrassment he nodded his permission. As detached and as clinically as possible, Abby took a quick look at the catheter, quickly finding the source of the problem.

"Tubing's kinked," she said as she untwisted it. "Bladder's full and pressing on well, everything," she said with a smile as she straightened his pants and pulled the quilt back over him. She checked to make sure the bag was filling and that it had enough space in it.

"Bleeding?" Lucien looked as he struggled to see.

"A little, nothing to worry about," Abby assured him as she stood up. "I'll be back in a minute. Drink some water," she said as she pointed towards the bottle on the table next to him.

Abby went into the kitchen, washed her hands and got herself a drink of water. She took a minute to take a few deep breaths, calm herself down and to give Lucien a few minutes to himself. She half hoped he was just fall back to sleep but knew that deep down, that wasn't very likely. She was pretty sure she would find him brooding and withdrawn.

And she was right.

Lucien went out of his way to avoid making eye contact and said nothing as Abby replaced his now empty water bottle with a full one. "Do you need anything else?" she asked as she put a fresh cool cloth on his forehead. His response was only a shake of his head, just what Abby had expected. She didn't take his actions and lack of response personally, she knew he had to be mortified. "I'll be here if you need anything," she whispered as she reached to pat his hand. He pulled away, tucking his hand under the quilt.

Much to the surprise of both of them, Lucien slept through the rest of the night. Abby woke a little before 7:00, made coffee and pulled the newspaper off the front porch. She settled down on the couch in the family room with her coffee and the Today Show. A little before 8:00 she heard Lucien cursing and muttering under his breath but she resisted the urge to run and check on him. She hoped that if he really needed help, he would ask for it. She heard him go into the bedroom and then the bathroom.

A long 30 minutes later, Lucien emerged from the bathroom, looking as bad as one would expect, given the circumstances. He walked to the kitchen and reached for the coffee.

"That's regular," Abby called over her shoulder. With a few choice words, muttered under his breath, Lucien went to the refrigerator and got out the bottle of cranberry juice. He poured himself a glass, downed it too quickly and ended up heaving over the kitchen sink.

Abby was at his side at the first sound of him gagging. "Take it easy, relax," she said as she held his head.

"Hurts," he cried as he swiped at his eyes.

"What hurts, Lucien?" she asked as she put a hand on his back.

"Incision," he gasped as he did his best not to throw up.

Abby pressed one hand against the incision and rubbed his back with the other. "Don't fight it, don't hold your breath," she coached as she put a damp paper towel on the back of his neck. Lucien stood at the sink, head in his hands, elbows on the counter for a good ten minutes before he felt able to lift his head. When Abby felt safe enough to step away from him, she found a plastic cup in the cabinet and got him a drink of water. "Rinse and spit," she said as he took the cup with a shaky hand. He rinsed his mouth and spit as he was told before letting Abby lead him to the nearest chair.

With a completely frustated sigh he folded his arms on the table and dropped his head down. Abby knelt next to him, gently rubbing his back and threading her fingers through his hopelessly out of control curls. "What do you want to do?" she asked quietly.

"Curl up and die," he snorted as he turned his head a little to look at her. "Do you have to work today?"

"I'm scheduled for a short shift, starting at noon. Unless you have someone coming over to sit with you, I'm calling out."

"I don't. I thought I'd be fine to be left alone," he sighed as he sat up a little, managing to lift his head up without getting dizzy or sick to his stomach.

"Kind of unrealistic of you," Abby said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not the most realistic guy around," he muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. Abby watched to make sure he was going to sit somewhere and not push himself. He settled on the couch to watch Katie Couric so Abby made him some toast.

"Thanks," he said as she handed him the toast and set a cup of decaf tea on the table next to him. "And thanks for...you know... the middle of the night..." he said softly as his voice trailed off.

"You're welcome."

"You know, now that you've seen the worst of me, maybe someday you'd like to see my better side."

"Lucien, I've seen all sides," she teased. "And we've had this conversation before," she added with just a little hint of warning in her voice.

He nodded and took a bite of the toast. Abby went into the kitchen to call out of work. She talked to Kerry, who, while not thrilled about losing her for the day, was uncharacteristically understanding about the situation, which she'd managed to pry out of Abby.

"OK, I'm all yours for the day," Abby announced as she returned to the family room.

"Gee and I'm afraid I'm not up to doing much," Lucien smirked as he set aside the empty plate and reached for the tea. Abby sat down next to him, settling in for what would likely be a long, long day.

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

"Now what?" Lucien asked as the Today Show ended and he reached for remote.

"Doesn't matter to me," Abby answered as she got up off the couch, cleared away the empty plates and cups and headed for the kitchen. Lucien flipped through the channels, finding nothing to hold his attention.

"I'm going to take a shower," he called over his shoulder.

"You steady enough, or do you need me to come with you?" Abby called back.

"I think I'm okay, but if you want to sneak a peek, I'll leave the door unlocked," he teased.

Abby shook her head and rolled her eyes, even though Lucien couldn't see her. She rummaged through the freezer, pulling out something that looked like beef stew to have later for dinner. While Lucien showered, she finished reading the paper, keeping an ear out for him.

"Abby," Lucien called as he stuck his head out the bathroom door.

"You okay?" she yelled back as she headed down the hall.

"Forgot my clothes. Just grab something out of the dresser in the guest room."

Abby found him a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved Chicago Bears t-shirt in the top drawer. From the other drawer she pulled out a pair of underwear and some socks. "Here," she said as she opened the door to the bathroom and held the clothes out for him. She stood in the hallway to make sure he didn't need any help.

"Shit," Abby heard him mutter from behind the door.

"Lucien, do you need help?" she asked, one hand on the doorknob, ready to go in.

"Yeah," he muttered as he reached to pull the door open all the way. He was sitting on the closed toilet lid, socks in his hand, unable to lean over far enough to put them on. Abby took the socks from him and wordlessly knelt down to put them on. She straightened out the legs of his pants before grabbing the towel off the bar and drying his hair a little. She combed her fingers through the curls and handed him his glasses before leaving him alone to brush his teeth and do whatever else he needed to do.

"I think I feel almost human," Lucien announced as he came into the kitchen to get a drink. He pushed aside the cranberry juice and reached for the iced tea instead. "It's decaf," Lucien said as Abby eyed the bottle of Snapple.

"Good. You look a heck of a lot better," Abby said with a smile. "What do you feel like doing?" Abby asked with a look of warning in her eyes for him to be serious.

"I think I'll go through my email, maybe look at the paperwork I brought home. If you want to get out of here for a while, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Abby asked as she eyed him warily.

"I'm sure."

Abby helped Lucien get settled in his office with his paperwork, two bottles of water, his cell phone, the regular phone, his pills and some snacks.

"You need anything else?" Abby asked as set the water bottles on his desk.

"I'm fine," Lucien said with an edge of annoyance to his voice. He was very much craving a little time alone.

"Good. Don't sit in the chair too long; call me if you need anything. I'll be back in a few hours," Abby said as she left the room. Lucien gave a little grunt in her direction and turned his attention towards the papers in front of him.

It was a little over an hour later when Lucien started to wonder if he'd been sitting in one spot for too long. As he pushed the chair back and started to stand, he was sure he'd been sitting upright too long. He grabbed a bottle of water and the phone before shuffling towards the recliner. As he settled down he realized he hadn't brought over any of the paperwork but he also realized he lacked the ambition and energy to get up again so he just flicked on the television. Settling on the Food Network, he watched as Paula Deen made some concoction with two sticks of butter, lots of chocolate and not much else.

"Lucien," Abby called as she opened the front door almost exactly two hours after she had headed out.

"Office," he called back as he started to put the recliner in the upright position to go meet her. He hadn't quite gotten to his feet when Abby came into the room, cheeks flushed and hair going in all directions.

"Windy out there," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair and sat down on the couch. "You get some work done?"

"Yeah and I sat too long in the chair," he admitted with a sigh.

"Ah, can't say I'm surprised," Abby teased. "How much did you drink?"

"Uh, not enough," Lucien said sheepishly as he pointed to the half full bottle on the table next to him and the full one still sitting on the desk.

"Not good, Dr. Dubenko," Abby warned. Lucien reached for the water bottle while Abby grabbed the other one and put it next to him. "If it doesn't go in, it doesn't come out," she said in a voice laced with a little frustration. Lucien bit back whatever smart ass comment was forming in his head and finished the one bottle of water instead. "Did you eat lunch?"

"Nope. You?"

"Not yet. You hungry?"

"A little, I guess."

"Well, come out to the kitchen; I'll make you something," Abby offered as she held out her hand to help him out of the recliner.

"Where did you go?" Lucien asked as he slumped down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"Drove around for a while. Stopped by my place to pick up a few things," Abby said as she buttered the bread for grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Planning on staying tonight?" Lucien asked with a wink.

"Yeah, I don't trust you to be left alone yet," she said returning the wink.

"Good. I'd rather not spend the night alone," Lucien said honestly. His honesty seemed to catch both of them by surprise; Abby turned around to look at him to make sure she'd heard him correctly. Lucien smiled with that boyish smile he so rarely shared. It was the first real smile Abby had seen from him in almost a week. She smiled back and before things could get strange, she turned her attention back to the sandwiches.

Lunch was lighthearted as they gossiped about people at the hospital. Lucien's appetite seemed to have waned a little but he did finish the bottle of water, which was what Abby was more worried about. Abby sent him out to the front porch to get a little fresh air while she cleaned up. She set the tea kettle on the stove before washing up the few dishes they'd used for their lunch.

Out on the porch, Lucien breathed deeply, inhaling the crisp, clean scent that was unique to autumn. The leaves had just about finished falling from the trees in the front yard and he'd spent a few hours raking them the weekend before he'd entered the hospital. The yard was covered again and he'd already made a deal with the 13 year old boy across the street to finish the job as it would be weeks before he was up to doing yard work.

He checked to see if Abby was coming before gingerly walking down the front steps to meet the mailman who was coming down the street. The trip down the stairs wasn't too bad, but the trip back us was more difficult than he had anticipated. His feet hit the top step as Abby was coming out the door with two mugs of tea. He tossed the mail on the little table next to the swing and gratefully took the tea from Abby. They settled on the porch swing, enjoying the fresh air and the green tea.

"Since when do I have anything but plain old tea bags?" Lucien teased as he inhaled the scent of the tea.

"Since I stopped by my house. You need to branch out a little, try new things," Abby teased.

"Yeah, that's not me," Lucien teased right back. "But I'm sure after two days in my house you've pretty much learned that," he added with a grin.

"Yeah, I got that pretty quickly," Abby smirked.

By the time Lucien's tea was gone, he was starting to fidget, alerting Abby to the fact he hadn't taken anything for pain recently.

"OK, this stoic thing you've got going...not the best idea."

"But the Percocet knocks me out," Lucien whined, knowing he was about to engage in a losing battle.

"God, pain medication that causes you to rest, what will medical science think of next?" Abby deadpanned.

"OK Dr. Lockhart, this sarcastic thing isn't all that attractive on you," Lucien shot back with an ineffective glare. He leaned forward to gain a little momentum to get himself to his feet. He shuffled back into the house, took a pill and settled down on the couch in the family room with his iPod, a bottle of water and his quilt.

Abby left him alone, hoping he would just fall asleep.

Forty-five minutes later, she realized that wasn't going to happen.

She stood in the archway between the kitchen and family room, watching Lucien for a minute. He was clearly uncomfortable, trying his best to curl up into a ball under the quilt. With the distinct feeling he was being watched, he glanced in Abby's direction and gave a sad little smile as he pulled his hand out from under the quilt and held it out towards her.

"What can I do for you?" she asked as she pulled the ear buds out of his ears and knelt down next to the couch. Lucien just shrugged his shoulders. She pressed her hand to his forehead to check his temperature. "Not running a fever."

"Can't get comfortable," he said, cringing at how whiny he sounded.

"Need some more pillows, the heating pad, some company?" Abby asked as she brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Heating pad and some company," Lucien said after a little contemplating. Abby found the heating pad in the bedroom and brought it out. She plugged it in, handed it to him and went to sit down at the end of the couch by his feet. Lucien shook his head and sat up a little, giving her room to sit at the other end. Abby hesitated a little but something in Lucien's eyes let her know that he just wanted some contact, that he wasn't going to take her comforting him as anything more. She kicked off her shoes and sat down, propping her feet on the coffee table. She set the throw pillow in her lap and motioned for Lucien to put his head back down.

"Thank you," he whispered as he sniffed a little. Abby looked down and saw little tears of pain and/or frustration starting to pool in the corners of his eyes.

"You're welcome," she assured him as she wiped away the tears.

Lucien put the ear buds back in his ears, closed his eyes again and after another few minutes of squirming around to get comfortable he started to drift off under Abby's gentle touch as she brushed back his hair. When she was sure he was asleep she turned off the heating pad and tossed it aside. She pulled the quilt back over him, settling her arm over his chest.

Since Abby hadn't really planned on ending up the in position she currently found herself in, she hadn't thought ahead to grab a magazine, a book or the television remote. And as Lucien had only been completely asleep for about 20 minutes, she didn't want to disturb him by trying to sneak off the couch. So that left her with a little time to think.

Lucien moaned in his sleep a little and she rubbed his shoulder to soothe him a little. He settled back down within a minute or so. She watched him as he fell back to sleep. His features evened out and he was finally peaceful, or as peaceful as he could get given his current circumstances. Abby had to admit he was kind of cute, in a non conventional way. The hair could be a bit much but he had beautiful eyes and the boyish smile thing he had going for him worked like a charm, on the rare occasion that he used it.

But the more she watched him sleep, the more she came to realize one thing. Her decision to turn down his unusual offer had been the right one. While she enjoyed his company and didn't want to be anywhere else at the moment, she felt no romantic attraction to him at all.

She saw them becoming close friends, the kind of friend you could tell anything to without the risk of feeling foolish. Someone to hang out with at the end of a hard day. Someone to fall back on when your date to a formal function stands you up. The only thing she worried about was if Lucien hadn't quite let go of the notion of being more than friends. While he hadn't made any gestures or serious comments that led Abby to believe otherwise, he had been alternately in pain and drugged for the better part of a week. But she didn't want him to get the wrong idea every time she reached out to him as a friend, brushed back his curls or kissed his forehead.

Abby alternately stared out the window or dozed herself for the better part of an hour. The sound of the wind picking up woke her fully a little before 3:00. She glanced out the window; the sky was the color of dull steel as a storm was brewing in the distance. She looked down to find Lucien still sound asleep. With a little calculating of how long he'd been asleep and how much he'd had to drink over the day she realized she should probably wake him soon.

"Lucien," she said softly after turning off the iPod. She rubbed his shoulder a little to wake him. He stretched a little, pulling his hands out from under the quilt and rubbing at his eyes a bit to gain a little sense of time and space. "It's after 3:00 and since you actually drank enough this morning, I think you might be living on borrowed time."

"Ah, yeah, thanks," Lucien muttered as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position. He sat for a minute until he got his bearings and was able to go into the bathroom. Abby stayed within earshot but Lucien didn't need any help with anything and emerged looking pretty good considering, about 20 minutes later.

"You know, this whole catheter thing could come in handy during long surgeries," Lucien mused as he leaned against the counter next to the refrigerator. Abby just looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a goofy smile before turning to open the refrigerator to look for a snack.

Abby used Lucien's computer to check her own email and to do a little mindless web surfing while he flipped through some surgical journals.

"I can't do this," Lucien muttered as he tossed aside the journal and pulled off his glasses in frustration.

"What?" Abby asked, pretty much not really paying attention to him.

"Sit around and do nothing for weeks," he whined as he walked behind the desk and sat in the window seat. Abby didn't bother turning around to face him as she continued to surf around EBay.

"Don't you have any hobbies or anything," she asked, using her best disinterested voice.

"I'm a surgeon, I don't exactly have a lot of free time," Lucien pointed out as he dropped his head back, letting it bounce a bit against the wall in boredom and frustration.

"Is this how it's going to be every night?" Abby asked as she finally turned the chair around to face him. She propped her feet on the window seat, resting them against his leg.

"What are you talking about?" Lucien asked, without bothering to look at her.

"The pity party," Abby said as she nudged him with her foot to get him to look at her. He grudgingly looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. His mood both grated on Abby's nerves and made her feel sorry for him. She pushed aside her annoyed feelings and tried to put herself in his shoes. Facing a cancer diagnosis was something she had obviously never experienced and even as a doctor she couldn't really form a point of reference for the situation.

Abby stood up and sat down next to Lucien on the window seat. With a sigh he dropped his head to her shoulder as he had done many times in the previous week. Abby put her arm around him without a second thought. They watched as the rain beat against the windows and the sky grew darker.

"I have to work tomorrow. You think you'll be okay by yourself?" Abby asked as she pulled her arm out from around his shoulders.

"Yeah. I talked to a few neighbors today; they'll stop by and check on me."

"You could always call your little friend," Abby teased. "Wait, not a good idea, you're supposed to rest."

"Cute," Lucien snorted as he lifted his head up. "I have an appointment with the surgeon at 4:30; I'll just call a cab."

"Sounds good. I'm supposed to be off at 7:00 so if you want to hang out after your appointment, I'll bring you home."

"Okay."

"How about we eat an early dinner and watch a movie tonight. You can pick, just no alien movies," Abby said as she patted his shoulder one last time before standing up to help him to his feet.

"Guess that would be okay," Lucien muttered sounding entirely unenthusiastic about the idea in general. Abby didn't take it personally, she was sure he wasn't going to find any of her ideas exciting.

"Field of Dreams?" Abby whined. "A baseball movie?"

"It's not a 'baseball' movie," Lucien protested. "It's about dreams, magic and second chances."

"And baseball," Abby said with a resigned sigh as she settled down on the end of the couch. She'd already put on her pajamas even though it was only a little after 7:00 PM.

"Give it a chance, you'll like it," Lucien assured her as he gave her a nice little patronizing smile.

It turned out Abby did indeed like the movie. By the end when Ray and his father were playing catch out on the field she was sure Lucien would make fun of her for crying, but as she glanced over she saw he was a little misty too. She didn't say anything, figuring he would just blame it on the meds anyway.

Lucien went to get changed for bed while Abby cleared away the dishes from their snack. He shuffled into the kitchen to take his pills a few minutes later. Clearly not ready to settle down for the night, he paced around the kitchen for a few minutes, not sure what he wanted to do. Abby watched him for a minute but found it hard to keep quiet and not nag him about settling down. She went to brush her own teeth and to give him a little time and space for him to decide what he needed or wanted.

He didn't really want to get into bed yet but Lucien realized that pacing was just going to make him more uncomfortable in the long run. With two bottles of water and the bottle of plain Advil, he headed for the bedroom. Ten minutes later he'd taken care of all the personal things he didn't want Abby to have to deal with and he was trying to vain to get comfortable. He wanted to be able to do it himself as he was pretty sure the next night he would be on his own. Finally he gave in to the frustration and called out for Abby. She was there in a few seconds as she had been lurking in the hallway, waiting to see if he would ask for the help she was sure he needed.

"Need a hand?" she asked from the doorway.

"I don't know what the hell I need, but I can't get comfortable," Lucien admitted with a sigh.

"OK, you ready to sleep or do you want to read or something for a while?"

"How about the crossword puzzle?" Lucien suggested as he motioned towards the puzzle book on the night stand.

"Is that an offer to let me write while you supply all the answers," Abby teased.

"Something like that," he smirked back.

Abby got him settled with a few strategically placed pillows and his quilt. She grabbed the puzzle book and a pen and curled up next to him so he could read the clues. Lucien made it about halfway through the puzzle before the Percocet kicked in and he basically fell asleep mid sentence. Abby carefully pulled off his glasses and turned out the light on his side of the bed.

On a roll with the puzzle, Abby just moved over a little and continued to plug away at it. She stopped and glanced over in Lucien's direction whenever he moved a little or moaned in his sleep. A few times she reached out to pat his shoulder or run her fingers through his hair to settle him back down. When her progress on the puzzle came to a screeching halt, Abby tossed the book and pen aside.

Lucien was restless, tossing and turning a little in his sleep like he couldn't get comfortable. He rolled onto his back for a minute, only to roll back onto his side again. Even in sleep the look on his face showed how uncomfortable he was. Abby crawled out of bed and walked around to the other side to make sure there wasn't a problem with the catheter tubing. She glanced under the quilt and determined everything was in order.

"Sneaking a peek?" Lucien muttered, still half asleep. Abby jumped a little, falling backwards as she had been balanced on the balls of her feet. Lucien chuckled for second before pressing a hand to the incision site as he remembered just how painful laughing was. Abby got back up and knelt next to him, rubbing his back for a minute.

"You okay?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucien assured her, for once sounding almost convincing.

"Good, then go back to sleep," Abby teased as she pulled the quilt back up and over him. She stood up, clearly planning on leaving the room so he could sleep. But as Abby caught his eye, she saw he wasn't thrilled with the idea of being left alone.

"Fine, I'll stay," she sighed in mock exasperation. She sat back on the bed resting against the headboard. Wordlessly, Lucien managed to maneuver his pillow onto her lap, curling up contentedly on his side. It just took a few minutes of Abby rubbing his back for him to settle back down and fall asleep.

After she was sure he was out for the foreseeable future, Abby carefully extracted herself and headed for the couch in the family room. She left the door open so she could hear him and the light on in the hallway. A quick check of the alarm on her cell phone and she was ready to sleep herself. She sent up a silent prayer for a peaceful night as she needed some sleep before returning to work.

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

Abby snuck her hand out from under the blankets to blindly feel for the cell phone to stop the relentless, obnoxious sound of Flight of the Bumblebee. It took a few seconds for her to sit up and realize it was indeed morning and Lucien had either sleep through the night or had gotten up and hadn't felt the urge to share his restlessness with her.

As Abby glanced out the window she saw that the first actual snowfall had come to the Chicago area. It was only an inch or two but it was sure to bring chaos to the ER as it always did. She tossed aside the blankets, grabbed her overnight bag and headed for the shower. A quick glance into the guest room told her Lucien was still sound asleep.

"Lucien....Lucien," Abby whispered as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She was showered, dressed and had just started the coffee maker. Her shift didn't start for another hour and a half and she wanted to make sure Lucien was up and around before she left him alone. Getting no response from him she reached out to rub his back a bit hoping to wake him gently. "Lucien, I need you to wake up."

"You 'need' me?" he smirked as he rolled over to face her.

"Shut up. Seriously," Abby started as she turned on the light and handed him his glasses, "I want you to get up before I leave, make sure you're up to being left alone."

"Fair enough," Lucien muttered as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"I'm going to make some eggs, want any?" Abby asked as she stood up and offered him her hand.

The mere thought of food turned Lucien's stomach a little. "No, just tea and toast I think." Abby took full notice of the vaguely green look about him but decided not to call him on it.

While Lucien used the bathroom Abby set the kettle on the stove and dropped some bread in the toaster. Lucien shuffled into the kitchen a little while later looking pretty good. The hair was completely out of control but his color was good and he was getting around fairly normally. As he sat down at the table, Abby pushed the toaster button down and poured him some tea.

Lucien read the paper and picked at the toast while Abby inhaled her eggs and two cups of coffee. She packed up her things and tossed them in her car while he went to the family room to watch the Today Show.

"I have time; do you want to shower before I leave?" Abby asked as she poured herself a final cup of coffee.

Lucien thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I probably should," he muttered as he headed for the bathroom.

"OK, you need to drink enough today," Abby said as she waved in the general direction of the refrigerator. "And don't spend too much time on your feet," she warned as Lucien walked back into the kitchen. He gave her a vaguely amused look as he let her ramble on about what he should and shouldn't do during the day. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in thinly veiled amusement.

"Abby, stop, please," he eventually said as he held up his hand in mock protest. Abby chuckled and stop short.

"Sorry," she said with a sigh.

"I'll be fine. And if I'm not, I swear I'll call you. I'll come down to the ER after my appointment," Lucien said as he sat back down at the kitchen table to finish the paper. A gesture that told Abby it was time to go.

"You have my cell and pager numbers, right?" Abby asked as she pulled on her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. She had one hand on the door knob when she turned to go back into the kitchen when she didn't get an answer.

"On the fridge," Lucien called over his shoulder when he noticed Abby was standing behind him.

Abby took a deep breath and put her hands on Lucien's shoulders. "Bet you'll be glad to get rid of me," she laughed as she rubbed his shoulders for a minute.

"I think I'll enjoy a little time alone," Lucien admitted as he patted her hand. Abby leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. "I'll check in every hour."

"Two or three times is fine," Abby teased.

With the sound of the door closing behind Abby, Lucien relaxed a little, actually happy to be alone.

The much anticipated time alone wore pretty thin by lunch time. During the morning, Lucien puttered around, did a load of laundry, read for a while and caught up on his email. He made sure he drank enough and didn't sit in one place too long. After eating the leftovers from the night before for lunch, he found himself a little unsure of what to do. A nap sounded good but the truth was he was pretty much used to having someone look after him while he slept. It was silly, he thought to himself, the fact that he felt uneasy being alone.

Had there not been snow on the ground, he would have walked to the mailbox to get the mail, but he didn't want to risk the chance of falling so he left the mail for later. But fresh air seemed pretty appealing so he bundled up and sat on the porch swing for a little while with a cup of tea and a book. Abby checked in with him during her lunch break and he did his best to sound upbeat and natural but she pretty much wasn't buying it. She didn't call him on it though, she didn't have the time, the weather was causing the ER to be rather hectic. Lucien clicked off the phone, picked his tea back up and stared out over the front yard. His neighbor across the street stopped by for a few minutes, grabbing the mail on the way up the driveway.

At 3:00 Lucien got dressed to go to his appointment, called for a cab and went to wait outside.

It was almost 5:30 by the time Lucien was done with his appointment. He went down to the ER to let Abby know he was done and was going to his office for a while. Now he certainly could have called her or had her paged but he wanted to see her. The ER was busy and he could only catch her eye for a second as she was in Trauma One, tending to the victims of a car accident. He vaguely pointed upstairs and she nodded, not really sure what he meant by the gesture but figured she could page him or call his cell phone if she needed to find him when she was off.

A little after 7:00 Abby passed on her last patient to Ray and headed to find Lucien. She checked the lounge on the off chance he was in there, but she found it empty. Ducking past Frank at the ADMIT desk, she headed for the elevator. Had she turned around she would have seen a small smile on the grumpy clerk's face.

The door to Lucien's office was open a little. Abby knocked once and stuck her head in. Not surprisingly, she found him sound asleep on the couch. Since the quilt was at home, he had procured a white hospital blanket and had it tucked up around his chin. There was a bottle of water, almost empty, on the floor next to him, something Abby was glad to see.

"Hey," she whispered as she sat down in front of the couch. She brushed the stray curls off his face.

"Hey," he muttered back as he struggled to open his eyes and focus. He wiped his hand over his mouth just in case he'd been drooling. "Didn't think I'd fall asleep," he muttered as he sat up.

"How was your appointment?" Abby asked as she folded the blanket and picked up the bottle of water.

"Fine. Can't get rid of the damn catheter yet. Maybe in a few days."

"Better to just keep it in than to have to have it reinserted," Abby said.

"Stop sounding like a doctor," Lucien teased. "Ready to go?" he asked as he slipped his sneakers back on. Abby nodded, held out his jacket for him and they headed for the elevator.

"Do you want me to drop you home? Are you ready to stay alone tonight? Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?" Abby asked as she pulled the car out of the parking garage.

"Slow down Abby," Lucien teased as he squirmed in his seat. He was quickly realizing that riding in a car wasn't not the most comfortable thing to do.

"Sorry," she said with little smile.

"Yes, I'm a little hungry. I'm probably fine to spend the night alone but if you'd feel better staying, I'd like that too. But I'm warning you, I'm getting a big case of cabin fever and I can't promise I'm going to be decent company."

"You've been decent company so far?" Abby shot back with a smirk.

"What?" Lucien cried in mock disbelief. "You weren't charmed by the puking, crying, whining and complaining?" he teased right back.

"Not so much," Abby replied as she patted his hand. "How about we stop by my place so I can grab some clothes, order a pizza and head back to your place?"

"Best offer I've had all day," Lucien.

"Only offer?" Abby asked with a wink. Lucien just nodded.

An hour and a half later, Abby realized Lucien had been right when he said he wasn't going to be the best of company. Dinner had been fine, they ate pizza while watching television but then Lucien got a second wind, emotional second wind, physically he was exhausted but there was no way he was going to settle down without a fight...or a nice sleeping pill.

Abby decided to just let him be, hoping he would eventually just wear himself out. Lucien paced around as Abby cleaned up the few dishes from dinner and made herself a cup of tea. She stayed in the kitchen, hoping Lucien would decide to pace in the other rooms of the house.

Luck was not on her side.

While Lucien clearly did not want to talk and did not want to be comforted, he also didn't want to be alone. So he basically followed Abby from room to room, trying her patience. She did her best to try and ignore him, but when she came out of the bathroom and nearly knocked him to the ground, she lost it.

"Lucien, you need to find something to do," she said as they stood in the hallway, facing each other in some strange sort of stand off.

"Like what?" he all but yelled.

"Taking an Ativan sounds good to me," Abby muttered under her breath. Apparently she didn't mutter as quietly as she thought. The look on Lucien's face was a combination Abby couldn't quite get a handle on. He banged his fist against the wall in utter frustration before turning quickly and heading for his office, muttering a few choice words. Abby ran her hands through her hair and leaned against the wall, wondering what to do next. She was about to take a deep breath and go into the office when the phone rang. Lucien answered it on the second ring so she headed back for the solitude of the family room.

Her nice silence was broken about a minute later by the sound of Lucien's end of the conversation. She couldn't tell exactly was he was saying and she didn't get up and stand outside the office door to hear. But she could tell he was getting rather upset and was torn between giving him privacy and going in to make sure he was okay. The sound of him slamming the phone down got her up off the couch to go check in with him.

Abby knocked once and waited for an answer before barging in.

"Come in," he sighed, knowing there was no way to stop her.

Abby went quietly into the room, not sure what she was going to find. Lucien was pacing around, running his hands through his hair, making it even wilder than usual. Abby gave a little smile in his direction and crossed the room to sit on the window seat. She stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back against the wall to wait.

Wait for what? She wasn't too sure.

Lucien eventually ran out of steam in the pacing department but as predicted, conversation wasn't exactly forthcoming. He leaned against the desk. Although he was facing Abby's direction, he was more interested in his socks at the moment. "That was my ex-wife," he eventually said with a sigh as he picked his head up just a little to peer at her over the tops of his glasses which had slid down his nose a bit. He'd only mentioned his ex-wife to Abby once or twice in passing, all she knew was that he had been married once and that it obviously hadn't worked out well. "I emailed her this morning, to fill her in on what was going on. Not sure why. I guess because if something like this happened to her, I would want to know...I think," he explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway she was calling to check in, or more precisely to see how she could 'help'."

"And I'm guessing her 'help' wouldn't be helpful?" Abby said with a small smirk.

"Her idea of helping would be packing four enormous suitcases, hopping the next flight and moving in to take care of me. And by moving in, I mean moving into this house, my room and every part of my life. Not my idea of helping."

"How long were you married?" Abby asked.

"Almost ten years. We got divorced almost 5 years ago. She loved being married to a surgeon, attending black tie dinners, bragging to her friends, spending my money. But she didn't love me."

"Yet she wants to help now?" Abby asked, a little confused.

"Let's just say she doesn’t live the life she'd grown accustomed to when we were married. Don't get me wrong, she's not living a life of poverty, she got plenty in the divorce settlement, but she actually has to work now, something she didn't really do when we were married."

"Ah so she sees this as an opportunity for her?"

"Yeah."

"I assume you didn't have kids?"

"No, we tried but it just didn't happen. I wanted them more than she did. She was never really interested in finding out why we were having trouble conceiving. And now, well, I guess that just a moot point for me," he said quietly.

Lucien pushed himself away from the desk. He was going to sit on the opposite end of the window seat but Abby was effectively taking up the whole thing with her legs stretched out in front of her. Lucien tapped Abby's knee, getting her to give him room to sit. Taking Abby by surprise, he moved her leg off the window seat so he could sit down in front of her. Abby tentatively reached to rub his back, feeling the tension radiating off of him. He flinched at the contact at first, but eventually started to relax a little. When Abby felt him let go of some of anger or frustration or whatever he was feeling, she pulled him back against her chest, holding him close. "Don't take this the wrong way," she teased.

"I won't," he whispered, suddenly finding his voice thick with unexpected tears. He turned a little, facing the window, Abby's chin resting on the top of his head. They sat and looked out the window at the snow that just started to fall again. Abby wiped away his silent tears. He wasn't exactly sure what the tears were for, but that didn't really matter. Since the surgery his emotions were always close to the surface. The doctor in him knew it was perfectly normal, but that didn't make it any easier.

When his tears stopped and he relaxed a little more, Abby kissed his forehead. "Better?" she asked. His response was the expected shrug of his shoulders. "Let's get you to bed," she whispered as she unwrapped her arms.

Abby got him some water, something for pain and a sleeping pill, which she planned on insisting he take. Much to her surprise, he did take it without complaint. She tucked the quilt around him, kissed his forehead and turned out the light.

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

Much to Abby's surprise, she woke to the smell of coffee, meaning she'd either over slept or Lucien was up early. I quite glance at her cell phone showed she still had 15 minutes to sleep. She sat up, sent up a little prayer that he was just up early and hadn't been up for hours, brooding, in pain or whatever. She peered over the back of the couch into the kitchen and saw him hunched over the table, reading the newspaper. The sight of him didn't give any clues as to why he was up early. There was no sense in stalling, she got up and headed into the kitchen to check on him. "Morning," she said as she reached for a coffee mug. He turned and smiled but said nothing. "Regular?" Abby asked as she pointed in the general direction of the coffee maker.

"Yeah. I've been cleared for caffeine," Lucien teased as he raised his mug in a mock toast.

"You're up early. Everything okay?" she asked as she sat down in the chair across from him.

"I'm fine. I actually slept pretty well. Before all this, I only slept 4 or 5 hours a night, so I guess I'm getting back to normal," Lucien said matter of factly.

"Good to hear. You hungry?" Abby asked as she glanced at the front page of the paper.

"Yeah, I think so. How about eggs?"

"Sounds good," Abby replied as Lucien started to stand. "I'll get it, you relax," she said as she headed for the refrigerator. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Other than trying not to die of boredom," Lucien teased as he got up to pour himself another cup of coffee. Abby just glared a little as handed him two pieces of bread and pointed towards the toaster. "My housekeeper is coming by, that'll give me someone to talk to for a while. What time are you on today?"

"I'm on at 8:00. Do you want me to come back later?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm sure you could use a little time alone, or at least away from me," he teased as he pulled the toast out and buttered it.

"OK, but call if you need anything," Abby said as she poured the eggs into the pan.

They ate in comfortable silence, while they read the paper together. Lucien waved off Abby's efforts to clean up and she headed for the shower, leaving him to wash the few dishes from breakfast. He threw on his coat and went out to get a little fresh air while Abby got ready for work. She packed up all the stray things she had around his house, figuring her days of spending the night were over. She had amassed more than she realized and had to hunt down a shopping bag to put the last of her things in. When she finished, she put everything by the front door and went to look for Lucien, figuring he was in his office. When she found the office dark and empty, she pulled on her jacket, realizing he had to be outside.

Abby found Lucien on the swing with his coffee, his quilt and a hard to read look on his face. She put her things on the top step and checked her watch. The sun was nowhere to be seen behind a thick layer of clouds and it was rather cold.

"Feels like snow," Abby said as she leaned against the railing, facing Lucien. He stopped the swing with his foot, wincing as he did. Abby took his silent invitation and sat down next to him. Lucien smiled and offered her one end of the quilt.

"You okay? You're rather quiet," Abby said as she turned a little on the swing, tucking her foot underneath her.

"I'll be fine," Lucien answered in a tone that would have been convincing had it not been for the big sigh after his declaration. But it was half an hour before she was due at work and Abby wasn't in the mood for a pity party so she didn't press the issue.

"Thanks," Lucien whispered a minute later as he held out a gloved hand to Abby. "For everything," he clarified.

"This is not 'goodbye' forever Lucien," Abby replied, teasing him a little so she didn't have to face the fact that she was indeed going to miss his company. "I think I'll run into you sometime at the hospital," she said as she nudged him with her shoulder. Lucien flashed a big smile, the one Abby had come to find rather endearing. "Okay, I have to go, so no time for a big weepy 'goodbye'," she smirked as she stood up. She helped Lucien to his feet and pulled him in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you later," she promised as she carried her things out to her car.

Lucien sat back down on the swing and watched as Abby pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street. He wiped away a few stray tears, blaming them entirely on the increasing wind. When the first flakes of snow started to make their way to the ground he gathered up the quilt and the empty mug to head inside.

A quick check of the guest room dresser told him it was time to do laundry or time to try and tackle the stairs for the first time since his discharge. He figured he'd try the stairs. While it took longer than he would have liked and he had to sit for a few minutes after making it upstairs, he did just fine. Recovering on target was what his surgeon had said during his appointment. Deep down he agreed with that assessment but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

After a nice relaxing shower, Lucien dressed and settled down in the chair by the window for a few minutes, flipping through a surgical journal and trying his best to relax.

It wasn't working.

The thought of being alone for any length of time was getting to him more than he liked to admit. He'd gotten used to having Abby around and he missed her, more than he thought he should. In all the time they'd spent together, during all the teary conversations and his less than stellar moments, she had never given any indication she wanted more than friendship from him. And so he didn't think he should really miss her as much as he did. "Get a grip," he muttered to himself as the phone rang. The Caller ID showed his ex-wife's number and he let it go to the machine as he wallowed in whatever it was he was knee deep in.

He heard a knock at the front door and the voice of his housekeeper. "Dr. Dubenko, are you here?" she called from the foyer.

"Upstairs, I'll be down in a minute," he yelled back as he eased himself out of the chair. By the time he'd made it down the stair, his housekeeper had started a load of laundry and was starting a shopping list.

"Looking much better," Eleanor Murphy said as she gave him a quick once over. She hadn't seen him since he'd been released, although she visited him once in the hospital.

"I feel better," Lucien said as he crossed the room and kissed her cheek, "Thanks for the flowers."

"You're welcome. So has your little friend been around?" she asked. Lucien choked a little on the water he'd just poured for himself.

"Friend?" he said, trying to wrack his brain trying to think when he would have mentioned the "facilitator" to her. And more importantly....why.

"Your friend, the doctor. Long brown hair, cute, puts you in your place," she teased as she opened the refrigerator to look around.

"Abby," Lucien muttered as he realized who she was talking about.

"Yeah, her," Eleanor said as she looked at him like he'd just lost his mind. A look she had given him on more than one occasion. She'd been with Lucien for a few years and had a pretty good handle on what made him tick and how to read his many, ever changing moods. She and her husband, Pat, lived a few miles away. He was retired from something to do with computers and video, Lucien never quite understood what it was he did. At 68, Eleanor had given up all her other housekeeping clients one by one over the past few years but she wasn't quite ready to give up her last one.

Lucien reached over and added a few items to the list on the counter. Eleanor looked at what he'd written and then added a few more things. "Are you going to the drug store?"

"I can go any where you want me to, just make a list."

"I'll call in and have them get a few things together that I need," Lucien said as he headed for the guest room to check some supplies.

He came out a little while later, having called the pharmacy and ordered some supplies. He found Eleanor dusting in the office. "Pat sent this stuff over," she said as she pointed to a stack of brochures, computer printouts and magazines. "Thought maybe it might help you keep in touch with the hospital," she explained as she picked up the furniture spray and headed for the family room.

Lucien sat down on the couch with the papers. He flipped through them, finding the answer to his "how do I keep from getting bored out of my mind" problem. A two way video hook up, allowing him, or at least as disembodied version of himself, to troll the hallways of the hospital, consulting, advising and in general keeping himself in the game. Pat had put a Post It Note on the top of the stack, telling him to call with any questions. Lucien couldn't find a pen and paper fast enough.

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

By the time Eleanor arrived back from running the errands, Lucien and her husband were sitting at the kitchen table with papers and pizza spread out all over. Pat hopped up to help her with the bags but she waved Lucien back down as he wasn't supposed to be lifting anything. Eleanor put the groceries away, leaving the guys to discuss what exactly Lucien needed to hook everything up. Eleanor could email her grandchildren, surf the web and order things online, but that was the extent of her computer expertise.

After running the vacuum, folding the laundry and carrying it upstairs Eleanor was about done for the day and Lucien was fading fast as Pat was trying to explain a few more things.

"Pat, he needs a break," Eleanor pointed out when she came into the kitchen to find Pat pacing around and thinking while Lucien was sitting at the table, chin propped up on one hand, the other hand rubbing at his eyes.

"Sorry, Lucien. I'll get the stuff ordered and come over to help you get it set up. Call if you have any more questions."

"Thanks for all your help Pat," Lucien said as he wearily pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll see you later at home," Pat said as he kissed his wife on the cheek and reached for his coat.

"Okay, the refrigerator's stocked, the laundry is done, and I left meatballs and sauce in the crock-pot, enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. There's a case of water in the pantry and I made another pitcher of iced tea. Call if you need anything."

"Sounds good. Thanks for everything," Lucien said sincerely as he held out her coat for her.

"Get some rest," Eleanor said as she patted his cheek before heading out the door.

Lucien grabbed a bottle of water and curled up on the couch. He called Abby but she was unable to come to the phone and he didn't leave a message with Frank. After trying to get comfortable for almost half an hour, he got up, took a pain pill and curled back up.

He was out within 10 minutes.

When Abby came out of a major trauma and asked Frank if she had any messages, she was surprised there weren't any.

"But some guy did call, didn't leave his name. Sounded like Dubenko though," Frank said when he realized Abby looked disappointed. Abby headed for the lounge and was about to call but when she checked her watch she realized it was about the time of the afternoon Lucien usually tried to rest. She grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel leftover from breakfast as she lacked the energy to run down to the cafeteria for a more substantial, and very late, lunch.

When Lucien woke at a little after 3:00 the snow that had been threatening all day was falling steadily. He nudged the heat up a little and put on some water for tea. After catching up on his email, he called Abby, who actually had a few minutes to talk. Lucien told her about the video hook up idea and she was happy to hear him excited about something, even if she wasn't quite sure what he was trying to describe. When Frank announced a big weather related car accident, Abby quickly got off the phone and headed for what looked to be the biggest trauma of the day.

And she was right. Three hours after her shift was supposed to have ended, she stepped out into the snow to head home. Lucien had left a message on her cell phone a little before 9:00 PM saying he was heading for bed.

***********

The snow fell steadily through the night, leaving Chicago covered in about 8 inches of snow, way too much snow for early November Abby thought to herself as she pulled the covers back over her head a little before 8:00. She had the day off and other than going over to check on Lucien some time; she had no other plans for the day.

A few miles away, Lucien woke up with much the same reaction, to pull the quilt back up and roll over to get some more sleep. But more sleep wasn't quick in coming, thanks to the sound of the kid from across the street who was starting to shovel the sidewalk. But Lucien couldn't really complain as he wasn't ready to walk around the block, let alone shovel snow. He padded down the stairs, grabbed the paper off the front porch, talked to Eric, his young neighbor for a few minutes before going back in and settling down on the couch in the family room. He was still tired and found it hard to concentrate so he found his iPod, put on some soothing music and tried to go back to sleep.

The ringing phone woke Lucien an indeterminate amount of time later. He blindly reached for the phone. "Yeah," he muttered as he hunted for his glasses.

"Hey Lucien, it's me," Abby said as she started to pace around her kitchen. "You okay?"

"Phone woke me. I'm fine, I think," he answered as he tried to gain a little sense of time and space. He pulled the iPod headphones completely off before he strangled himself with the cords.

"You think?" Abby teased. Lucien laughed a little. "I have a few errands to run, after I dig out the car. Do you want some company?"

"Sure, can't promise I'll be the best company though."

"I'm pretty much used to that by now," Abby teased.

"Cute. Be careful driving. I'll leave the door unlocked."

"See you in a while. Call me if you want me to bring anything. Bye."

"Bye." Lucien hung up and rubbed at his eyes. He pushed back the quilt and shivered as he padded towards the thermostat. It was set at 69 degrees, a few degrees warmer than he usually kept it. He decided on a warm shower instead of bumping up the temperature. Hearing the voices of both Eleanor and Abby in his head, he went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before heading to take a shower.

After showering and shaving he wandered around for a little while, finding nothing to hold his attention. Ending up in his office, he checked his email and pushed some paperwork around in his desk. He finally put his feet on window seat, staring out at the snow for a while. But the glare of the sun on the white snow just added to his slight headache so he closed his eyes for a few minutes.

"Lucien....Lucien," Abby called from the front door. It took him a few seconds to realize she was calling him and yet another few before he responded.

"Back here," he yelled over his shoulder as he reached behind him for his bottle of water and quickly drained it so Abby wouldn't nag him about drinking enough, or more precisely, not drinking enough. He left the empty bottle on the desk, in plain sight.

Abby kicked her boots off and shook the snow from her hair before heading down the hall to find him. She found him in the office, still sitting and looking out the window. Sneaking up behind him, she pressed her chilly hands against his cheeks. "Hey," he yelled as he squirmed to get away from her cold hands. Abby laughed and pulled her hands away before he squirmed too much and hurt himself.

"You okay?" Abby asked when he turned the chair around to face her. He looked a little pale and some of the spark in his eyes that he'd regained over the previous days was missing.

"Just a little...I don't know, headache I guess," Lucien muttered, honestly unable to describe what was going on.

"Did you take anything?" Abby asked as she sat on his desk. Lucien just shook his head.

"Interesting reading?" she asked as she pointed to the magazine in his lap. It was clear he wasn't interested in discussing how he felt.

"Very. Pat came over yesterday with the answer to my boredom problems."

"Pat?"

"Eleanor's husband," Lucien said as he launched into description of the video hook up as he started to pace around a bit.

"Wait, back up. Who the heck is Eleanor?" Abby asked in an amused tone as she took a seat on the couch to avoid being trampled as he paced.

"Sorry. Eleanor is my housekeeper, Pat is her husband. He's a retired computer geek. Look at this stuff," he said as he sat down next to her on the couch.

Lucien spent the next half an hour excitedly telling Abby about the system, how it worked, what he would be able to do. She listened closely but in all honesty, computers weren't really her strong point. She could email and shop but that was about it. But Lucien getting excited about something was certainly nice to see even if his excitement was a little clouded by the fact he just wasn't feeling well.

At the end of his rather long and involved explanation, the doorbell rang. It was Eric, announcing he was done the shoveling. Abby invited him in for hot chocolate but he declined, he had more sidewalks on the block to clear. Lucien grabbed some money out of his wallet which Eric took with a big smile and a promise to come back the next time it snowed.

Lucien flipped through the mail Eric had handed him, tossing aside the bills and throwing away the junk mail. Abby hopped up onto the counter to read the paper while Lucien started pacing around. He was restless and Abby knew the best thing to do was to just stay out of his way.

"Are you hungry?" Abby asked without looking up about 10 minutes later.

"I don't know," came Lucien's answer as he leaned against the counter wearily. Something in his tone made Abby put down the newspaper and really look at him. He was looking very pale and tired.

"You okay?" she asked as she put the paper down and motioned for him to come a little closer.

"I don't know. Is it me or is it freezing in here?" he asked as he shoved him hands into the front pocket of the faded red sweatshirt he was wearing.

"It's you," Abby said simply. Lucien just gave her a pathetic look as he tried to check his own temperature by pressing his hand against his cheek. "Yeah, like that's going to work," Abby teased. She started to reach out with her hand but stopped short and motioned for him to lean closer so she could press her lips to his forehead.

"Hey, you did it right," he teased without the usual little smile.

"You're a little warm. What's up?" Abby asked as she slid off the counter and steered him in the direction of the family room.

"I don't know. Headache, just don't feel well," he whined as he curled up on the couch. "Probably picked up something during my visit to the germ infested hospital," he muttered.

"Could be. Where's the thermometer?"

"Bathroom counter."

"Blood pressure cuff?"

Lucien just gave her a little glare, he wanted a friend who would comfort him, not a doctor who was going to poke and prod him. But he also knew that fighting her would not be in his best interest if he actually hoped to get a little comforting. "Fine, under the sink in the bathroom."

Abby got everything she needed out of the bathroom and then sat down on the coffee table in front of him. Lucien sat up with a sigh and turned his head a little so Abby could use the ear thermometer on him. "99.9," she announced as she set the thermometer down and picked up the blood pressure cuff. "Sweatshirt off," she said. The fact that Lucien didn't make some comment about his taking off his clothes almost worried her more than his slight fever. He winced as she pumped up the cuff. "100/72, normal for you?"

"Really low for me," Lucien admitted.

"Have you eaten today, had enough to drink?"

"No and probably not." Abby gave a little glare of her own as she set aside the blood pressure cuff. She slid off the coffee table and sat next to him, pulling up the edge of his t-shirt. With as much clinical detachment as she could muster up, she slid the end of the stethoscope under his shirt and took a quick listen to his heart and lungs. Lucien didn't make it easy as he wouldn't stop talking and fidgeting. "Would you please sit still. Take a deep breath," Abby sighed as she banged her head against his shoulder in frustration. He eventually cooperated and sat still long enough for her to get a good listen and take a quick look at his throat and ears.

"Well, what's the diagnosis?" he muttered.

"You're a pain in the..."

"Besides that," Lucien muttered as he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes a bit before letting them slide closed.

"A little dehydrated, a little feverish. Incision and catheter are okay?" Lucien nodded without bothering to open his eyes. "Did you take anything for pain this morning?"

"No, nothing since bedtime."

"Okay, so let's try some Advil and some fluids. What do you want to drink?"

"Cranberry juice is fine. I'm sort of getting used to it," he teased.

"Here, drink this," Abby said when she returned a minute later with a bottle of cranberry juice. Lucien drank a little while Abby went to get some Advil out of the bathroom. As she passed by the office she noticed the quilt on the couch so she grabbed that too. When she made it back to the family room, Lucien was about to stretch out on the couch and relax. "Whoa, take these first," she said as she held out the Advil. He sat up just enough to swallow them without choking before he curled up under the quilt. "Anything I can do for you?" Abby asked as she knelt down next to the couch and rubbed his shoulders for a minute. Lucien shook his head and rolled over, facing the back of the couch.

For the next few hours, Abby alternately read a book she'd brought along with her and kept a close eye on Lucien. Although he did stay asleep, he was restless and in general just seemed uncomfortable.

After he'd been asleep for a couple of hours Abby felt she really needed to wake him and check on a few things. It didn't take much to wake him, his eyes shot open as soon as she knelt down next to him and reached to brush back his hair. She pressed her hand against his forehead, checking his temperature. "Cooler," she said with smile. "Feel any better?"

"No," he answered miserably.

"Head hurts?" Abby asked as she noticed he was squinting against the sunlight streaming in the window. Lucien just nodded as he ran his hands over his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"About 2 hours. You need to check a few things?"

"Probably."

Abby handed him his glasses and helped him to his feet, steering him in the direction of the bathroom. She didn't hover but didn't get out of earshot either. After a good half an hour she gave up on not hovering and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," Lucien muttered. Abby found him sitting on the edge of the tub looking seconds away from passing out or throwing up. She put a cool, damp washcloth on the back of his neck and sat next to him to rub his back.

"Migraine?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think my briefcase is in the office. In the inside pocket is a dose of Imitrex," Lucien whispered.

Abby found the cartridge in his briefcase and grabbed a can of ginger ale out of the fridge to help settle his stomach and a Tupperware bowl, just in case. As she pushed open the door to the bathroom, Lucien gratefully reached for the bowl as kneeling in front of the toilet wasn't something he was looking forward to. Abby opened the soda and set is on the counter. She helped him pull his arm out of his sweatshirt sleeve so she could inject the Imitrex.

Lucien didn't end up needing the bowl and the Imitrex did work fairly quickly and 20 minutes later he felt it was safe to move out of the bathroom. He crashed on the couch in the family room. "I swear I'll make this up to you," he whispered as Abby tucked the quilt around him.

"You don't have anything to 'make up'. But I wouldn't be opposed to a nice dinner out when you're feeling better," Abby said with a smile as he put the cool, damp cloth back on his forehead. "You want me to stay?"

"Please," he said, cringing at how pathetic his voice sounded.

"No problem, let me find the soda and the remote. You need anything else?"

"I don't think so." Abby returned a minute later with the soda, the remote she found under a stack of magazines on the coffee table and the bowl...just in case. She didn't even bother trying to settle down on the chair or sitting down my Lucien's feet. With a little tap on his shoulder he sat up enough to let her squeeze into the corner of the couch.

"Better?" she asked as she settled him back down. He nodded wearily and closed his eyes. He was starting to regain a little color in his face as the Imitrex kicked in. She brushed back his hair as he drifted off to sleep.

By late afternoon Lucien's migraine was gone and lucky for Abby, so was his grouchy mood. They played poker for a while, with Lucien losing, by Abby's account, well over $5000 to her. He gave her an IOU, written on a yellow Post-It note. She put it on the fridge so he would see it each time he went to get something to drink.

"What do you want for dinner?" Abby asked a little before 5:00 as she was scanning the contents of his refrigerator.

"I don't know," Lucien muttered from where he was sitting at the kitchen table working on a crossword puzzle.

"Here drink this while you think," Abby said as she tossed him a bottle of water. He took it with a roll of his eyes. "It's the water or an IV, take your pick," Abby warned as he really hadn't had enough to drink during the day. She leaned over his shoulder to read some clues and provide a few answers.

"So when do you go back to the surgeon?" Abby asked as she crossed the room and pulled a package of chicken out of the fridge.

"Day after tomorrow. And there's Alfredo Sauce in the cabinet," he said as he motioned towards the chicken still in her hand.

Lucien helped Abby get dinner ready; he made a salad and whipped up a batch of brownies for dessert. His appetite made an appearance and his grumpiness did not, making dinner a rather pleasant experience all around.

"Stay," Lucien said as Abby sat down on the bottom step and pulled on her boots.

"The roads are clear, it's above freezing and you need some sleep," she pointed out.

"I'll sleep, I promise," Lucien said as he stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. Abby chuckled and shook her head. She felt perfectly comfortable leaving him on his own. He'd been fine since the Imitrex had kicked in hours earlier, his temperature was normal and Abby had made sure he'd had enough water. If she stayed, he'd be up for hours, like a little kid, he'd negotiate for another movie, another snack and for her to sit with him for just another minute.

"I'm working tomorrow. Call me if you're bored," she said as she wound her scarf around her neck.

"OK. I'm sure I'll see you in the halls in a few days."

"Halls?"

"Video monitor, robotic me," Lucien said, jogging her memory.

"Yeah," she chuckled as she zipped up her coat. "Get some sleep," she said as she kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, for everything," Lucien said sincerely as he caught the tail of her scarf and pulled her in to give her a quick hug. Abby smiled and returned the friendly hug before patting his cheek with her gloved hand.

Lucien stood in the doorway and watched as her car pulled away. He couldn't help but feeling it was the end of...of something. His life was slowly but surely returning to normal and he didn't see them spending a whole lot of time hanging out at his place in the near future. But he hoped they wouldn't backtrack and lose what ground they'd covered, the bonds they'd made. Standing there he realized it was Abby's friendship he treasured the most. Whatever feelings he may have had, or thought he had, were pushed aside. It wasn't what either of them wanted or needed at the time.

Lucien shut the front door and padded into the kitchen to get something to drink. He spotted the IOU on the door to the fridge and he raised his Snapple bottle in a mock salute... to friendship.

THE END

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