TITLE:  Peace of My Heart
AUTHOR: Ellen Hursh
RATING:  PG-13
KEYWORDS: KW/LKo romance; a little bit of country and a little bit of
rock'n'roll
LAST EPISODE SEEN:  "No Strings Attached"
TIMELINE:  Valentine's Day, 2001
CROATIAN:  "Neopomeni punoglavaca!" = "Don't warn the tadpoles!";
"Seronja" = "asshole"
ARCHIVE:  If you must.
DISCLAIMER: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner Bros.  No
infringement of their copyright is intended.  This story was written for
the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your
own pleasure.
SUMMARY:  Metaphorical wedding bells are in the air for our intrepid
duo. Other stuff happens, too.
SPOILERS:  None, alas.
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS: Home and Dry; And Miles To Go Before I Sleep;
Through the Hourglass; Jupiter Aligns with Mars; Shopworn; Come As You
Aren't; Out and About; Up in the Air; Serpent's Tooth; Thanks a Lot!;
Shall We Dance?; Yes, Sir, That's My Baby!; Yule-Tied; Should Auld
Acquaintance; Running With Scissors; Six White Flags Over Chicago; Sea
Change; My Time Coming; Can't See the Forest for the Trees; Boys' Night
Out/Girls' Night In
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  What the heck... I'm only two years behind! As always,
thanks to Miesque for input and feedback.
PREVIOUSLY, ON MY ER:  Luka and some of the other doctors from County
went out for an impromptu bachelor party while Randi threw a surprise
bachelorette party for Kerry at her apartment... where Kerry turned out
not to be the only one who got a surprise.



Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
	--Janis Joplin, "Piece of My Heart"

  I got a peaceful easy feeling and I know you won't let me down
	--The Eagles, "Peaceful Easy Feeling"


Kerry had given Carter today off, and he hadn't protested. She'd also
called her mother - Carter's grandmother - and asked her if she could
try to keep him occupied for the day. It was, she thought, the best
thing for everybody if he didn't spend the first anniversary of his
brush with death in the place where it had happened - traumatic for him,
which would most likely affect his care of patients. As it was, *she*
was less than thrilled by the idea of being there, but she also knew
that *somebody* had to do it.

Besides, she was getting married later today. She glanced across the
room at Luka, who was still sound asleep... seemingly unaffected by the
nerves that had awakened her early. He mumbled something in his sleep
and rolled over onto his back, sighing in his sleep. Oh, she just
*couldn't* resist... she crawled across the bed to him and licked his
neck, and jumped back as he sat up and shouted "Neopomeni punoglavaca!"
She stared at him incredulously for a moment, then began to laugh.

"'Don't... warn... the *tadpoles*'?" He shook his head and lay back
down, propping his head lazily on one hand to stare at her. There was
plenty to see... she'd shed her-- *his* t-shirt (the one that she'd
stolen from him shortly before they went to bed), presumably in
preparation for her morning shower, and her breasts were *magnificent*.
Her belly was beginning to show, and she looked absolutely radiant.

"Heh. Don't ask." She leaned over him again to kiss him, and stayed
there with her hand resting lightly on his shoulder so she could easily
murmur suggestions into his ear.

"I wasn't going to. On the other hand, we can try for that 'last sinful
time as single people' that you suggested last night before we both
found ourselves too tired."

"Mmh. I'm *sleepy*," he complained amiably. "And technically, that was
earlier this morning." She lazily traced a pattern on his shoulder.

"Picky. I'd be on top, though."

"Yeah. I can't believe *you're* not sleepy, too."

"I'm too nervous to sleep," she admitted. He had closed his eyes again,
but opened them halfway.

"Hrm?"

"You're not nervous about today?"

"Hmh? Yeah, I am. C'mon, you should try to get a little more sleep,
okay?" He patted the mattress next to him invitingly.

"You know perfectly well what would put me back to sleep." His eyes
widened slightly as her hand moved from his shoulder... down his flank,
and into the area he didn't let her touch when they were at work because
it was too distracting, and he smiled sleepily.

"Mm-hmm. Okay." He pushed her off him and onto her back. "I know what
*I* want for breakfast," he told her with a little leer as he jumped
her.

* * *

Kerry yawned as they walked in the door at County together. "I think you
were a little *too* thorough about making me sleepy," she joked. Luka
simply looked smug, and kissed her hand; they halted in confusion at the
sight of the workmen who were assembling something in the public
entrance, and Kerry accosted one of them. "What's going on here?"

"New metal detectors for the ER," he replied, barely looking at her.
"Who're you, press?"

"She's chief of the department," Luka told him, spotting Kerry's shocked
look out of the corner of his eye. The workman grunted, and called out
an order to one of the others before turning to face them, hands on his
hips.

"Oh, you're chief of the department, and you didn't even know about
this?" That was the cue for Romano to come strolling by.

"Kerry! You're right on time. How do ya like this?" He gestured
expansively at the metal detectors.

"I, uh, don't know what to say," she replied carefully. "I'm surprised
that nobody told me that it had been planned."

"Really? Could've sworn I told you about it. Oh well. We got a big fat
wad out of the blue for our security budget, and since your department
has, by far, the *worst* track record when it comes to security, your
department got the lion's share. I expect to see a prompt reduction in
the number of incident reports from the ER, of course."

"Of course," she echoed, a little dazedly. She knew perfectly well that
Romano had *never* said a word to her about the metal detectors.

* * *

Dave was almost alarmingly chipper when he came in, considering how
drunk he'd been the night before. After enduring some scrutiny from the
others who'd been at that bar with him (Benton was feeling some pain
himself - although not quite enough to make him call in 'sick' - and
Romano had been amusing himself by finding excuses to make noise around
him), he huffed at them indignantly. "I've always found that the very
best hangover cure involves lots of water before going to bed, plenty of
vitamin B-complex and tomato juice the next morning, and a good blo--"
The rest of his cure was, mercifully, cut off by the arrival of the
latest trauma.

* * *

It began to snow - heavily - in the middle of the afternoon. Snow in the
middle of February, in Chicago, was far from an unusual event, but the
timing of this snow was *awful*. "We're never going to be able to make
it to the courthouse in time, the way the snow's coming down," she said
gloomily, as she stared out the window at the fat clumps of snowflakes
spiralling out of the sky. Pretty, but trying to drive in it would be
*terrible*!

"No, probably not." He picked up the phone and called up to ICU. A few
minutes and several conversations later, he hung up, looking much
happier. "How long will it take you to change into your dress?"

"Maybe ten minutes with help, fifteen without. Why?"

"I'll get Randi to help you change into it, and get up to ICU. Bishop
Stewart has agreed to perform the ceremony." He hurried into the lounge
to retrieve their rings from his locker, and fetched Randi to help Kerry
change in Exam 2.

* * *

Randi finished braiding a colorful scarf into Kerry's hair. "There you
are. And the finishing touch..." Randi leaned forward and kissed Kerry
full on the lips, much to the latter's surprise. "I may not believe in
marriage, but I do think a bride looks her most beautiful when she's
blushing. Or you do, anyway," she joked uneasily. She hadn't really
*intended* to kiss Kerry, but the woman was *hot*. "Uhm, I'm sorry. I'm
sure it's poor etiquette to give another woman her first kiss right
before her wedding."

Kerry wondered what Randi would say if she knew that today wasn't the
first time she'd ever been kissed by a woman. She had no intention,
however, of saying *anything* about that kiss, let alone the
circumstances. Instead, she held still as Randi finished clipping the
veil - an colorfully exotic, semi-MidEastern beaded number - over
Kerry's face and stepped back to admire the final results.

"Dr Kovac is *so* gonna blow a gasket when he sees you in this! I mean,
you've always been pretty, but you don't always *try* to look your best,
you know?"

"Thank you, Randi... I think. And thank you for designing this. It's
beautiful!" Randi gave her a Cheshire cat grin.

"The time and effort was worth it, to see you dressing *sexy* in public,
for a change! C'mon." They hurried for the elevator, drawing stares the
entire way - Kerry for her unusual outfit, and Randi for her *usual*
outfit.

  * * *

Luka had been mildly surprised to enter the ICU room and find Dave, of
all people, already there and deep in conversation with the bishop.
"Stay," he'd told his young colleague when Dave got up to leave, "we
need another witness." So, Dave stayed.

"Maybe I should've brought something with me, to work on while we wait."

"She'll be here any minute now," Luka insisted, then turned to the
bishop. "I really appreciate you agreeing to do this for us." Stewart
smiled, a little wearily.

"Needless to say, I don't approve of the fact that the two of you have
been living together for the last year, or that you've conceived a child
out of wedlock. But, I thoroughly approve of the fact that you're
*finally* going make your bond official in the eyes of God and the law."

"We were going to do it today anyway," Luka half-protested, then rolled
his eyes at the bishop's playful grin. "Seronja," he muttered, shaking
his head and smiling a little himself.

There was a knock on the door, then Randi poked her head in. "Everybody
ready?" she asked, then opened the door further so Kerry could follow
her in. Luka's eyes widened when he saw Kerry enter the room; he
wouldn't have described his reaction as "blowing a gasket", but he *was*
glad he'd insisted that she wear something special for their wedding
day.

Before he could go to her side, though, Randi pulled him aside to talk
to him briefly and quietly. "You're a great guy, and you two make a
wonderful couple. But if you make her unhappy or hurt her, you're gonna
have to answer to *me*. Got it?" He was too surprised by her aggression
to reply immediately, but he finally nodded slowly.

"I have no intention of hurting her or making her unhappy anyway, but
you're the *last* person I want pissed off at me." She beamed at him,
and startled him even more when she stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the
cheek.

"Good. Now go get married."

* * *

"Before I perform the ceremony, I'd like to begin with a joke. There
once was a very religious man, and one day there was a flood. The water
got so high that he had to climb up onto the roof of his house. After a
while, somebody came by with a rowboat and said 'Jump in!', but the man
said 'No, God will provide', and the rowboat went on. Then a helicopter
flew overhead and a rope ladder came down. 'Climb up the ladder!' But
once more the man said 'No, God will provide'. Finally, the water got so
high that the man fell off and drowned, and he went to heaven. When he
got there, he confronted God - he said 'I believed in you all these
years, believed that you'd provide, and you let me die!' But God just
looked at him and said 'What, you didn't get the rowboat and the
helicopter I sent?'" Stewart paused for a moment. "The two of you were
my rowboat and helicopter, and I didn't have the sense to accept your
help until it was too late."

* * *

There were quite a few moments in Kerry's life before now that she would
have classified as a "best time of my life" - graduating med school,
becoming chief of the department... the night she and Luka had first
become lovers - but this one easily topped them all. She ignored the
pain in her hip as she knelt next to the bishop's ICU bed and promised
to love, honor, and cherish Luka until they were parted by death. When
she saw the muscle twitch in his jaw, at that last part, she wondered if
he was thinking about the last woman to whom he'd made that promise.

* * *

On the morning of his first wedding, years ago, Luka had been so nervous
that he'd been very, very sick (although, he supposed, it probably
hadn't helped that his buddies had got him disgracefully drunk the night
before). He'd been nervous this morning, too, with butterflies
performing wild maneuvers in his stomach, and pleasuring Kerry had been
as much to settle his own nerves as to put her back to sleep - he was
terrified of making the same kinds of mistakes he'd made before, and
losing both Kerry and their baby.

* * *

Randi whooped, in a rather unladylike fashion, as Dr Weaver and Dr Kovac
kissed, then sprang up and spontaneously threw her arms around the two
of them... then hurried over to plant a quick smooch on the bishop's
cheek before he could duck away. She grinned as he blushed and smiled.

* * *

Luka noticed Dave standing off to the side and looking thoughtful.
"Thinking about getting married yourself? It doesn't hurt *too* much."

"Mm. I've thought about commitment a time or two." Randi smirked at him;
she'd been eavesdropping, waiting for Dave to leave an opening like the
one he'd just left.

"Really? That's ironic - we've all thought about having you committed,
too."

"You're all heart, Betsy." She gave him a glare that - Luka suspected -
meant that he'd be lucky to get his messages for the next week or so.

* * *

"You're quiet," Luka commented when they were on their way home. Kerry
hadn't said much to anyone after the ceremony. The four of them - Randi,
Dave, Kerry and himself - had gone back downstairs and finished up their
respective shifts with little fanfare. A few patients had noticed his
new wedding ring... one woman had made him a rather adulterous offer
that shocked him (especially when she'd pointed out that adultery wasn't
really *that* big a deal, since she was married herself).

"Just a little tired. Even pregnancy energy only goes so far." She
leaned back in the seat with her eyes closed; Luka could see that she
seemed to be pretty worn out.

"I keep telling you to slow down, take it easy."

"I know. I just want to make sure there's nothing that my successor can
complain about."

"So they've picked a new department chief?"

"I've heard that they're hashing out a contract with the new chief, but
I haven't heard *who* got the job. The nurses will probably find that
out first - they always know everything before anybody else does."

He carefully edged the Volvo into its usual spot in front of the house,
and she made a face at the snow on the front steps once they'd got out
of the car. "Here. I'll help you in, and then get some of that snow
pushed out of the way." He thought for a moment, then picked her up and
slung her over his shoulder in a basic fireman's carry to haul her up
the steps.

"Hey! You're going to *drop* me!"

"No, you're still pretty light. Besides, I want to do this right." She
squirmed slightly, trying to see what he was doing.

"What? Oh," she said, as he fished his key out of his pocket to open the
door, and stepped inside with her. Only then did he let her down. "Warn
me next time you do that, will you?"

"I know, you don't like surprises. But sometimes surprises are nice,
hm?" She shrugged noncommittally, trying to cover that she was shivering
a little. She hadn't noticed the chill so much in the car for some
reason, but - paradoxically - she felt a little cold now that they were
inside. Maybe, she supposed, they should have the furnace checked out.

"Would you like some cocoa?" she asked as she took off her coat and hung
it up.

"Please. And marshmallows, if there are any left." He hesitated a
moment. "On second thought, never mind the cocoa and never mind the
snow. Come here, I think I know of a better way than cocoa for us to get
warmed up."

"Uh huh. Would this 'better way' involve a tub full of hot water, or--"

"You know how you asked me to warn you? Well, I'm warning you," he said
quickly as he scooped her up again suddenly and charged up the stairs,
her squeal trailing after them.

* * *

He woke briefly in the middle of the night, unsure why he was awake...
perhaps, he supposed, he'd had another disturbing dream. Kerry was
snuggled in his arms, snoring softly, and he took a moment to stare at
the ring on his finger - the slim gold band gleamed softly in the dim
light of the bedroom. Then he shook his head and put his arm back around
his new wife, and closed his eyes again; a few minutes later he had
fallen back asleep.

* * *

"Mmmm... this is nice." Dave turned to look at his lover quizzically.

"Hm?"

"Just having somebody to do nothing in bed with."

"Hey!"

"I didn't mean *that*. It's just... you know... nice, lying next to
someone, and feeling comfortable just lying there." Dave continued to
look unconvinced. "The 'something' is good, too, of course..." Dave
grinned.

"I would *hope* so. Lois can't keep a straight face around me anymore,
with all the noise we make."

"Well... maybe we could look for a place of our own. Nothing fancy, just
somewhere that doesn't have a bunch of other roommates around."

"Cool. And maybe a window or shelf where I can set up my beer can
collection?"

"No way! I am *not* going to have that shit cluttering up the place."
Dave sighed melodramatically.

"You're no fun," he pretended to pout, and got swatted for his efforts.

"Uh huh. That's not what you said this morning when I was going down on
you."

"Okay, okay. You're *heaps* of fun. Gimme a kiss and turn out the light.
We can look at rentals in the paper tomorrow."

* * *

Kerry stirred and slowly opened her eyes... then smiled when she saw
Luka watching her intently. "Mmmmmmm..." she purred softly. "Wha's up?"
He grinned meaningfully at her, and she blushed.

"Good morning, Mrs Kovac."

"Morning. Wanna play 'doctor'?" She frowned when he stared blankly at
her. "You *must* have that in Croatia."

"We have doctors, of course." She sat up half-way, propping herself up
on her elbows to stare at him incredulously.

"You're kidding. You've *never* heard the term 'playing doctor'?"

"I've been accused of *pretending* to be a doctor."

"Not the same thing. Here, let me show you." She reached over and
grabbed his arm, pulling him to her. "This won't hurt a bit," she
promised mischievously....


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