Abby was humming to herself on Saturday morning as she walked through the ambulance bay doors. Luka's party was tonight but because of the schedule she hadn't seen him for the last couple of days so she hadn't had a chance to congratulate him on his impending fatherhood.
"What are you so smiley about?" Dave asked her when she walked into the lounge.
"Birds are singing, sun is shining, and it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Abby told him.
Dave gave her an odd look but let it go. "What time should I be there tonight?"
"When are you off?"
"In about four hours."
Abby gave him the keys. "Do me a favor and relieve my sitter? She had to sleep there last night 'cause I had such a late shift last night and an early one today."
"You got it. I'll watch the munchkins."
"Hey. Hope's a munchkin. Faith is Funny Face."
"Got it." Dave said with his trademark grin.
"Hey Luka, you and Susan are still coming for dinner tonight, right?" Abby asked casually as she took some lab results off the rack for Cleo.
"Yep. Can I get a ride?"
"My car wouldn't start this morning so I took the El. You can take that with me after work."
"Okay. Susan said she'd meet us there."
"Yeah. She's got a key to the house."
"Great." Luka smiled.
"By the way," Abby looked around, "Congratulations, Dad." She said softly.
"Thank you Aunt Abby." Luka said just as quietly. He laughed at the face she made. "What?"
"It sounds too weird. Maybe I'll teach the baby to say 'aunt' in Korean."
"Or in Croatian. Besides I thought all the Korean you knew was medical related."
"Not all of it." Abby smiled. "See you later Luka."
"John I wish you had told me about this before." Ava said as she filed away a chart.
"Does it matter?" John asked as he followed Ava down the hall.
"Yeah. I said I'd cover for Simpson."
"Again?"
"John, his parents are in town."
"You've covered for him twice in the last month."
"And he covered for me when I was in the hospital and he'll do it again when I go on maternity leave."
"Look can't you trade with someone? I'd really like it if you came with me."
"To a party at Abby's house for Luka Kovac? Why? Luka and I don't get along that well. Come to think of it neither do you and Luka, so why are you going?"
"I'm friends with Susan."
"Susan. Right. Abby's best friend, right?"
"This isn't about Abby."
"Sure it is. You wouldn't be so hot to go to this party if Abby had nothing to do with it."
"That's not true."
Ava gave him a 'what do you take me for?' look before she spoke. "You and Luka have never gotten along since I've known you. Being Susan's friend didn't get you to go to the wedding party they threw after they got married. You are going because it's at Abby's house."
"No I am not." John said firmly.
"Well I am not going and to tell you the truth, I don't think you should either."
"Well I am."
Ava smiled without a hint of humor. "Of course you are. Have a good time."
"I will." John said turning and walking away.
Ava looked down and twisted her wedding ring around her finger.
"You could not have been that loud."
"Oh are you kidding? I screamed my head off in labor and I sprained my coach's hand in three places."
"You're just trying to scare me." Luka told Abby.
"No, I'm trying to warn you." She said as they walked up her driveway and through the door of her gate. She made a point of looking towards the window. "That's odd."
"What?"
"The house is dark."
"Maybe Susan went to the store." Luka said unconcernedly.
"Yeah but you'd think she would have left a light on." Abby said as she unlocked the door. She let Luka go in first. "Hit the lights, will you? I'm just gonna grab the mail."
"Alright." Luka found the switch and turned it on.
"SURPRISE!"
Luka gaped at all the people as Susan came forward. "Gotcha." She whispered into his ear.
He nodded with a smile. "Your idea?" He asked teasingly.
"Uh-huh but Abby helped." Susan motioned to her friend who was trying to sneak around the two and join the party.
"Well thank you. Both of you." He smiled.
"Happy Birthday Luka." Abby said with a smile before she left the two alone. She found Carol and Cleo at the kitchen counter with Dave. "Hey."
"Hey." They answered.
"How were the girls?" She asked Dave.
"Good. They helped."
"I'll bet. Where are they?"
"All the kids darted off for the girls' room after yelling surprise." Cleo said.
"Even Reese?"
"He didn't come. He's at some school thing tonight."
Abby nodded before she looked around. "Peter couldn't make it?"
"He had a last minute surgery. Said he'd try to make it later."
Abby nodded. "By the way, next time you see your brother-in-law thank him for the job he did on my car."
"Belts are okay?"
"They are great and the price was very reasonable."
"Walter is very reasonable." Cleo smiled. "'Cept when it comes to Joanie's boyfriend."
"Say no more. I don't need a sneak preview."
"Me neither." Carol agreed. "Better get these to Doug." She picked up a tray of hotdogs and headed for the door.
Abby was looking around again. "Randy didn't make it?"
"Said she was waiting on Frank. He was late." Jing-Mei said as she walked up. "Looks like I missed the surprise. Where is the birthday boy?"
"Probably making out with his wife." Dave said as he munched on a carrot.
"I'm glad you could make it but if we're all here, who's at work?"
"Med students, residents, and Weaver." Jing-Mei smiled. "Is John here?"
"He said he was coming. I haven't seen him yet." Abby said. "If you want you can put your bag in my room. In fact, let me do it. I have to change."
"Okay." Jing-Mei handed her the bag she had and Abby headed for her bedroom. She put Jing-Mei's bag down on the bed and grabbed a change of clothes from her dresser. Mindful of the windows that let you see from the rest of the house into her room she changed in the bathroom. She headed back out into the house and just as she passed the hall bathroom John came out of it.
"Abby."
She turned. "Hi you did make it."
"Yeah, about ten seconds before you guys got here."
Abby smiled. "Ava make it?"
"No she had to cover for someone."
"Too bad."
"Abby?" Chuni said coming up.
"Yeah?"
"Carol can't find where you keep the pepper."
"Tell her I'm coming." She said. "Have a good time." She told John before she was gone again.
"Right." John said.
A few hours later the partygoers had been fed food and birthday cake. Abby, Cleo, and Carol had done a little cleaning before being coaxed out into the front courtyard for dancing.
"Why are you dancing with me?" Abby asked Dave.
"'Cause you said yes." He smiled.
"What I mean is why aren't you dancing with Jing-Mei?"
"'Cause she's dancing with Carter."
"You're being difficult."
"It's what I do best."
Abby rolled her eyes. "Have you ever seriously asked her out? I mean without all the hinting and crap. Have you ever flat out said, Jing-Mei would you like to go out with me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Fear."
"Of?"
"Rejection."
"So you're letting fear get in the way of doing something you really want to?"
"Yes."
"Well if I did that, I wouldn't have the girls."
"What did you have to be afraid of with them?"
"Mental disorders, addiction, and cancer, to name a few."
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay. Look, fear is a very sad excuse for not doing something you know you want to do." She said with a smile. "Just one word of advice."
"What's that?"
"If and when you ask her out, don't do what you did when you attempted to hit on me."
"Why? What did I do?"
"You don't remember? I'm hurt." Abby smiled. "Think back. I was a third-year and it was my first day in the E.R. It was the end of the day and you were trying to tell me it was a tradition for the residents to take the students out for a drink at the end of their first day. I said something about you being sick and you started to say something about my nursing you back to health when who should appear-"
"But Jing-Mei and in a tiny black dress."
"Exactly." Abby smiled. "You were a fool for her even then." She looked around and spotted the Asian beauty standing alone leaning against the wall of the house. "She's alone. Make your move." Abby released Dave and wandered away into the house.
Dave sighed. How was it that Abby kept putting him in these positions?
John sat down in a wooden chair in an area outside of Abby's living dining room. The other set of windows looked into a room that he presumed was Abby's bedroom.
It was quiet back here, he thought to himself as he leaned back and closed his eyes.
He had been that way for a few moments when he heard a tiny whisper.
"Are you asleep?"
He opened one eye and saw a pair of brown eyes looking at him. He smiled a little before opening them both. "Hello Hope."
"Hi." She smiled.
He took a moment to study his daughter. She was wearing a pair of light blue pajamas with white polka dots on them. Her light brown hair, which was the same shade as his own, was pulled back into a ponytail. At her side she held a bedraggled teddy bear by an arm. She had a small smile on her face as she looked back at him.
"So what are you doing out here?" He asked. "I thought your mom put you and your sister to bed."
"She did but I couldn't sleep. Neither could Renfro."
"Who's Renfro?"
She held up the teddy bear. "Aunt Susan gave him to me before she left Bosnia. She gave Faith a stuffed rabbit. She named him Peanut Butter."
John nodded, remembering his own bear when he was little. What had been its name?
While he was thinking Hope leaned closer. "I know a secret." She whispered softly.
"Really? What kind?"
"The kind that I'm not supposed to know." Hope smiled mischievously.
John smiled back.
Abby frowned when she noticed that Hope's bed only had Kate Ross in it. A check of Faith's bed told her that both Faith and Tess Ross were still asleep. She pulled back into the hall and looked down and up it. She saw the door to the little courtyard in back open and as she went closer she heard voices.
"-that I'm not supposed to know." Hope was saying.
"Really?" A voice she recognized as John's said. "Is it a good secret?"
"Uh-huh."
Abby leaned back against the hallway wall and listened.
"Can you tell me what it is?"
A pause and then, "Okay, but you can't tell anyone."
"Okay I promise."
"Aunt Susan's gonna have a baby." Hope said excitedly. "I heard Mommy and her talking about it before Uncle Luka came to get her the other night."
"Really?" Abby could hear the smile in John's voice.
"Uh-huh but no one knows yet."
"Okay well I'll keep the secret. But I think you should get back in bed. I'm sure it's well past your bed time."
"Okay. Goodnight."
Abby hid in the bathroom while Hope darted down the hall and into her room. She looked back toward where her daughter had been and saw that John had exited through another door into the house. She could see him talking to Cleo and Peter while he poured himself something to drink.
"Hey." Susan said from next to her. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"I was just thinking that maybe I shouldn't have panicked the way I did."
Susan nodded silently but she didn't say a word till Abby looked at her.
"Maybe it's time you started thinking about what you want for them."
"That's the problem. I thought I already knew."