For a while he kept pushing the button of Auntie Katya’s doorbell. He could hear it ringing inside, but no other noise came through. He knew Katya was old, and had a heart attack this summer, he had seen her really ill in bed. Anything could have happened, but Lidka was there, she surely would have come up to the door.
He looked around desperately trying to think of an explanation, and then rang the neighbor’s doorbell. The neighbor, a short, plump woman, who always had a smell of garlic round her, opened the door.
- Ah, Ivan. How are you?
- Have you seen Aunt Katya?
He tried to stop his voice from trembling.
- Isn’t she home? – she asked, only seconds later realizing that in this case Ivan wouldn’t be here, - Last time I spoke to her she was taking Lidka to go to drugstore at the corner. She must have been back by now.
He didn’t listen any more. He turned on his heels and ran down the stairs. He knew the drugstore on the corner. He ran straight into it, startling the woman behind the counter.
*
By the time Kerry returned he had worked out that Lida was five, her mother’s name was Yelena, and that she also had a brother. Now he was sure she was Russian. She obviously wanted to be comforted – she had slid down into Luka’s arms to find place on his knees, fortunately he caught her before she landed on his right tight and placed he safely on the left one. Now she played with the buttons of his white jacket, saying something in her native tongue, not realizing he understood only some words out of it.
- How’s she doing? Oh, I see she’s fine, - Kerry said, giving the girl a most reassuring professional smile. But her face was grave.
- What is it? –he asked.
- Apparently, she was brought in with her Granny, who collapsed. Malucci’s now trying to track down the paramedics to find out where they’ve found the woman.
- Has she…
- Yes. The old lady Elizabeth couldn’t bring back. She was over seventy-five.
- How could they lose track of the girl?!
- Don’t ask me. Corday doesn’t remember seeing her. Well, now, I guess she might be starving. How about having a look in the Lounge? – Kerry suggested. – Luka, you don’t have to carry her! – She added seeing Luka take the girl in his arms again. - Isn’t she old enough to walk? You need to give your leg a rest. If you think I don’t see….
- I’m fine, Kerry.
*
He never stopped running since he heard from the woman in the drugstore that Katya had collapsed and was taken to hospital, Lidka with her, as no one knew what to do with her.
He ran into County doors when it was completely dark and finally stopped to catch his breath. He’d never been in a hospital in this country before. It was quiet in the ER; half the lights were out. He came up to the desk where a man was sleeping with his face on his hands.
- Excuse me.
The man raised his head; his eyes little and narrow after sleep. Ivan didn’t want to go into long explanations.
- My Granny was brought in here. Can I find her?
- What’s her name?
- Nazaryuk, Yekaterina. My sister was with her. She’s five. She must have been scared.
- Wait a sec. I’ll find out.
*
There wasn’t much food left by the end of the day in the Doctor’s Lounge but Kerry managed to find a couple of doughnuts and an apple. Lida ate at the table where Kerry watched her closely, then said something that they could guess mean ‘thank you’ and returned to Luka, who sat on the couch. She climbed on beside him and took his hand.
- She likes you, - said Kerry.
- I guess she just feels safe. Perhaps she thinks I understand her.
- Do you?
- Nah, a couple of words. I never learned Russian. I know it is sort of close to Croatian. I wasn’t good at languages at school.
- You’ve mastered English.
- As far as being able to pronounce ‘pericardiosintesis’. But aren’t you guys laughing at my accent behind my back?
He saw Kerry trying to hide a smile. Well, he knew they did.
- Not me, Luka, - she said with a chuckle. - Only occasionally.
Kerry left the room smiling. Yes, she knew the staff did make a bit of fun at his thick accent sometimes. He’s never mistaken a medical term or hesitated giving an order, but on the other hand, in the most ordinary conversation he would look for a word or manage to pronounce it in the weirdest fashion. She well remembered Carol Hathaway explaining him what a pumpkin is. And yet she wondered what would he say if he ever learned that at least half of the ER staff found his accent irresistibly sexy? Not that the nurses would discuss such things with her, but the walls have ears, don’t they? And as a Chief, isn’t she supposed to know everything?..
When she poked her head in the Lounge again in a couple of minutes, she saw them both asleep: a tired doctor and a little lost girl – his hand round her shoulders, her head on his lap. Kerry quietly closed the door. There seemed to be something common about them. He too was lost. Lost in a foreign land, so lonely, so alone; lost his memories and in his pain. She wished she could help, but she never knew how. If there was a way, any way at all.
She wondered sometimes what could have happened, if anything would have changed, in case he gave away her feelings that time when she had fallen for him, the year when Carol left. She hadn’t remembered anything like that happening to her, not since her college years. Pretty pathetic it was indeed. Chief Weaver blushing at the sound of his voice. Alpha bitch Weaver waking up at night just to realize that the heartmelting sensation of being held in his strong arms was only a dream and starting to weep quietly in her pillow. It was all gone now. So many things have happened. She managed to pull herself together and shut herself in a shell, as she had done so many times before. Luka was still special. She still enjoyed hearing his voice, watching him, but the way he ran his fingers through his hair now wouldn’t make her crave to do it with her own hand. It was long gone by now. Although she couldn’t deny the memories were sweet.
- Dr Weaver!
It was Frank quickly striding towards her.
- There’s a boy, says his Granny and kid sister were brought in. I just thought it might be…
- Where is he? – she asked and then gestured to Frank that she didn’t need an answer any more as she saw him. He stood at the admit desk, rather tall and broad shouldered teenager dressed in jeans and dark green sweatshirt with a school logo on it.
His name was Ivan. He spoke with hardly any accent at all, and he looked really concerned. He said he was thirteen but the way he behaved would make her think he was older. He seemed to realize the full amount of his responsibly not only for the sister, but amazingly for the old woman as well.
- Ivan, we’ve done what he could, but your Granny has died.
She had already told him that Lida was fine, fast asleep actually. Hearing about the old woman he looked as thought he had expected just this answer.
-Can I see her?
- Are you sure? You don’t want to come back with your parents?
- Mum’s working night shift. She won’t come. I want to see her.
- Ok.
She was impressed by his seriousness and his calm self-confidence. He knew what had to be done and he was not being misled.
- May I have a look at my sister first?
- Sure. Follow me.
She opened the door of the Doctors’ Lounge for him to see Lida sleeping with her head on a doctor’s lap. Ivan nodded and she closed the door. She could bet there was a warm smile on his lips when he looked at his sister, but in a second it was gone.
He didn’t stay long in the morgue. Another female doctor led him to the table where Katya lay as the one with a crutch watched him from near the door. He kissed Katya’s cold forehead and crossed her. He had seen the dead before; he said that to doctor Weaver when she asked him. He had considered for a moment to bring Lidka there to say farewell to auntie Katya, but then decided not to. It wasn’t that Katya looked different and Lidka might have been scared. It was the place that he didn’t want her to see.
Then he came up to the doctor from ER, and said he’d be taking his sister home. They went up the elevator back to the ER and walked up to the room where Lidka was sleeping. She must have been really exhausted to fall asleep on a stranger’s lap. He knew how untrusting she was. Jesus, it took her ages to get used to Katya! What spell did that dark haired doctor put on her?