The helicopter landed and the door was opened. Two men in blue suits
got out. The orderlies suddenly remembered an urgent need to be
somewhere else and ran off. John stepped forward slowly, his hand
shading his eyes from the prop wash which had blown his would-be
signal pyre to hell and gone. The next person to emerge from the air
craft was Luka. He smiled and waved at John who waved back. Both men
were aware that they had an audience. In unspoken agreement, they did
not wish to add any more melodrama to the nightmare which was finally
drawing to a close. John stepped into Luka's arms and stood still,
revelling in the smell and feel of his lover. The noise from
the 'copter made speech impossible, so they said nothing.
Laurencia, Roland, the agents, and the flight crew watched as Luka
held John close to him, resting his cheek on the top of John's head.
Then, John looked up and softly wiped Luka's cheeks, he was smiling
though his face too, was wet. Luka gave a shout and lifted John into
the air, his arms clasping John's legs below the waist. Both men were
now laughing as John flung his outstretched arms around Luka's
shoulders.*
Laurencia Carlton, cynical, sophisticated, pragmatic; also had tears
in her eyes. She wasn't alone. The Federal agents were wiping their
eyes mumbling something about all the dust flying around. The pilot
and another member of the crew, who hadn't been asked and therefore
hadn't told, glanced at each other and nodded their approval.
Standing inside the air craft, Roland knew he'd never forget the
sight of John's face as Luka had lifted him. "Joyful" didn't even
come close to describing the beatific glow emanating from his younger
son. Roland swore that he would do whatever he could to atone for his
parental failures. In all of John's life, he'd never seen his child
this happy.
As the engine noises died away. Luka took John's face in his hands
and kissed him. To John, the feel of Luka's lips on his was like rain
on parched earth. He no longer cared about the fact that his
rescuers, many of the inmates, and a few of the staff were staring.
He put his arms around Luka's neck and returned the kiss with all he
had.
"I missed you." Luka said softly when he could speak.
"What took you so long?" John asked, mirth shining in his eyes.
Luka hugged him tighter, thanking God that John's spirit hadn't been
broken by this experience. The waiting, the uncertainty, the grief
and despair of the past months, washed over his soul and he began to
cry.
"Shhh. I'm here. I'm real. I'm going home with you. Oh my beloved,
Luka... You were never out of my thoughts. I wasn't treated too badly
apart from not being able to be with you. Shhh. It's over now,
beloved. I'm here." John murmured cradling Luka against his chest.
When Luka finally looked up, there it was. The smile that was his
alone. He kissed John's forehead and stood back. The administrator of
the facility and two subordinates had appeared.
"What is the meaning of this? This is private property. Who are you
people?"
Before the FBI agents could reply, John took Luka's hand in his and
in a loud voice said, "I would like to introduce you to Dr. Luka
Aleksandr Kovac. I love him very much. In fact, I am the happiest man
who ever lived." He looked up at Luka. "You're a citizen aren't you?"
Luka nodded. "So, I kept my promise.", John said solemnly as the
watching immates cheered.
"Are you really all right?" Luka asked as the FBI showed their badges
to the senior staff then escorted them back to the main building.
"I'm fine, Sascha. A little hungry though..." John's grin was back.
"They have some sandwiches and coffee on the helicopter." Luka dead-
panned anticipating John's next request.
"I think I'll wait until we get home and have some of that Croatian
sausage."
"You can have all you want." Luka was grinning now.
"You've lost weight. I see I'm going to have to fill you up." John
said wickedly as they headed hand-in-hand to the air craft. Just as
they reached the steps, John stopped. "Oh shit! I almost forgot!
Cyril!" Dragging Luka along with him, he raced across the lawn after
the Feds.
Two hours later, the helicopter took off. Luka thought the flight
home seemed to be five times longer than his outward journey. Prior
to take-off, he'd enveloped Laurencia in a bear hug, lifting her feet
from the deck. "Thank you for returning the favor on John's behalf.
You've given me my life back."
Gazing over to where John was helping to get Cyril strapped in,
Laurencia grinned. "Let's just say, I'm a sucker for pretty faces."
She winked and went to her seat.
John had obtained temporary custody of Cyril as his physician. He
would be admitted to County for tests and observation as the effects
of the Thorazine wore off. John was concerned. Reputable physicians
rarely prescribed the drug, knowing the potential for permanent
damage to the nervous system. When John and Luka had examined Cyril's
chart, both of them were extremely angry. The young man had been
given maximum dosage levels daily.
When John had finished attending to his friend, he straightened up
and saw his father. Roland came over and stood looking down at
Cyril's vacant features. "Dear God," he thought, "that
could have been John."
"Will he be Ok?"
"I think so. Luka and I checked his involuntary reflexes. They're
impaired somewhat, but he should recover."
"Son, I'm not going to try to apologize for what my father inflicted
on you and Dr. Kovac. When we get back to Chicago, I plan to have him
arrested on kidnapping charges. What he did was evil, vindictive, and
I hope I never see him again." Roland paused; he couldn't bring
himself to look his son in the face. "John, I am extremely proud of
you and I'm sorry that I took so long to say this. I'm also deeply
ashamed of the way I neglected you and your sister. Don't worry, I
won't place either of you in the awkward position of trying to
forgive me, because I'll never ask for it. All I do ask, is that you
put up with me as I attempt to do better." Roland said, his eyes on
the floor.
"You're here now aren't you?" John asked smiling. "Well, that's all
that matters. When I needed you the most, you came."
For the second time that day, Carter held a crying man in his arms.
That his father should cry, in front of other people, moved him
deeply, but his eyes remained dry. Looking over his father's head he
saw Luka watching them. Their smiles said all that was needed.
* * * * *
Laurencia had been busy with her cell' phone. When the helicopter
landed at Midway, an ambulance was waiting. The flight crew nearly
came to blows vying to be the first to help John and Luka get Cyril
off of the air craft and placed comfortably in the emergency vehicle.
Television reporters stood at a respectful distance, the camera
persons grinning. There'd be good news at six o' clock. John and Luka
hopped in the back of the vehicle; the EMTs riding up front. It was
their first private moment.
"Are you ready for the fuss they're going to make at County?" Luka
asked.
"More than ready." John's smile made Luka's heart turn over. So it
was, when the ambulance pulled into the bay at the hospital and the
EMTs opened the rear doors, Kerry and the entire ER staff were
treated to the sight of Luka kissing John.
The sound of cheering brought them back to reality. Blushing, John
jumped down and proceeded to give Cyril's bullet to Kerry, who
couldn't stop grinning. Everyone's professionalism returned however
as the still form was wheeled inside. When Cyril had been examined
and taken upstairs to a private room, the round of cheers began
again. Jerry and Malik hoisted John to their shoulders. He was
gratified but more than a little embarrased at the outpouring of
emotion from his friends.
"Hey guys! Put me down!" His voice was lost in the noise. Hospital
decorum was forgotten. Anyone trying to get sleep could forget it.
Finally, the uproar died down. Carter was released from his lopsided
human palanquin. Taking Luka's hand, he cleared his throat. "I'm
home.", he said simply. Then the hugs began. Through it all, Luka
never released John's hand. He was afraid to. When it was his turn to
speak, his voice was thick. "Thank all of you, for everything... was
all he could manage before he lost his voice. John embraced him as
the cheers began again.
"OK people, let's get back to work." Kerry yelled, still
grinning. "And as for *you*", she turned to John. "Into Exam 3, right
now."
"Dr. Weaver, I'm fine."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"It turned out that John's health was not all it could be thanks to
the stress he'd been under. His electrolyte balance was somewhat off
as a result of his frequent nervous vomiting. Taking no chances,
Kerry called upstairs to arrange for him to be admitted for 24 hours
of observation and tests. While John protested, his eyes never left
Luka's face.
Discerning the real reason for his reluctance, Kerry raised her hand,
calling a halt to Carter's objections. "Listen, you two. This will
probably be all over the media tonight. I'm admitting *both* of you.
Dr. Kovac is under-weight and could use some down-time. Besides," she
grinned mischieviously. "It's a semi-private room, with no phone and
a lock on the door. Just how much 'rest' do you two think you'd get
with your phone ringing off the hook and reporters camped outside
your apartment?"
John and Luka looked at each other. "Sorry, Dr. Weaver, I should have
known better than to question your medical judgement." Carter said
meekly, his eyes shining. "I *do* feel a little weak in the knees."
"I thought you'd see it my way." Kerry's grin had returned full
force. She nodded to Yoshi who'd come in with two pairs of
scrubs. "I'm sure Yoshi wouldn't mind picking up a few toiletries for
you from the pharmacy. Her parting shot had John blushing as the
other two grinned.
* * * * *
The room was quiet. Luka shut the door and locked it. Yoshi had been
on a shopping spree. A large fruit basket stood on the night stand.
Next to it was a tray containing sandwiches from Doc Magoo's. John
grinned when saw that the two beds had been pushed together and
attached to each other by the simple means of restraining straps
interlaced through their frames. Luka shut all of the blinds.
John began removing his clothing. "I could use a shower." He observed
quietly.
"Me too." Luka came over, catching John's hands in his own. He raised
the long fingers to his lips and kissed them one by one. He leaned in
to kiss John's waiting mouth then finished removing his clothes.
John, in turn, ripped Luka's shirt open, the buttons flying
everywhere. He placed his lips on Luka's chest inhaling deeply before
licking and teasing the nipples. He slid the shirt from Luka's
shoulders, his mouth once more covering his lover's. All the while
his hands were busy; undoing Luka's belt and trousers.
He knelt and removed Luka's shoes, socks, and trousers. When he
stood, Luka picked him up and carried him into the bathroom. John
exhaled, *now* he was home. How could those bastards at the
sanitorium ever think he would have given this up? Still held by
Luka, John reached into the shower and turned on the faucet. Luka
stepped into the warm water and slowly lowered John to his feet,
shivering slightly as his beloved rubbed against his erect penis.
Neither of them had said a word since shortly after entering the room.
They washed each other and not bothering to dry, returned to the
beds. Understanding Luka's need, John happily yielded, letting Luka
set the pace. Interspersed with the fruit were condoms and five tubes
of lubricant. Yoshi was a mind-reader. Silently, Luka prepared them
both. Placing a pillow under John's hips, he caressed his chest and
face before slowly entering. John sighed again. He felt completed,
the other half of himself had been restored. As Luka began to thrust
gently, John never took his eyes off his lover who was gazing back at
him.
After what seemed like hours of feeling Luka's hard penis slowly
moving inside him, John could no longer keep silent. Raising his hips
to meet Luka's slow powerful lunges, he moaned softly. Ohh, sweet
heavens... Faster Luka... His eyes fluttered closed as his orgasm
began building from the base of his spine. "Put your hands on me,
beloved. Make me come with you.", he whispered. Luka reached out and
began to stroke John's penis, pumping it in time with the increased
pace of his love-making.
John got his wish. Their climaxes shook them simultaneously. "JA
ljubav te, Janaskja." Luka said softly as he covered John's body with
his own. "JA ljubav te..." was the last thing John heard before
falling asleep wrapped in Luka's arms; warmed and fed by Luka's love.
Author's Notes:
* Thank you to the producers, directors, writers, and actors of the
film, "Ladyhawke". This beautiful, fanciful love story includes a
very romantic reunion scene. Rent the video, nuke some popcorn, and
prepare to enjoy yourselves thoroughly.
Copyright Footer', 'This site is not affiliated in any way with "ER", its writers or production company, or NBC, and makes no profit from the show. The ERROS skin is by Brihana. The script is eFiction version 3.4.2© Tammy Keefer, http://efiction.org\r\n