Title : The Puppeteer
Author: John Daily
Archive : Please ask first.
Rating : PG-13 for language and violence
Main Characters: John Carter, Dave Malucci

Disclaimer: ER and its characters and trademarks are owned by Warner Bros, NBC and Constant C Productions. Chicago Hope is a trademark of David E. Kelley Productions (No, this is not a crossover). However, the characters of Tareyja Gonçallvez and Rui and Costança Nunez are mine. This is a not-for-profit story. I was just bored and had nothing better to do with my time. Summary: Dave Malucci is abducted. Beyond that, I don't want to give anything away! :-)

Author's Comments: Ok...here it is. My first full length actual honest-to-god-has-a-plot-and-everything ER FanFic, featuring the cast from season 7. Please read and review, but be gentle with me. I can take (in fact, I invite) any comments or criticisms you may have - except flames. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to Cathy Roberts for being a most patient and tolerant editor. Also, Thanks go to my friend and brother, Tim Atkins, for double checking my medical terms and usage. If there's a mistake here, it's mine. If it all works, thank him. :-)

Oh...and please forgive my Portuguese. It's from a web translation service, so I'm sure it's not accurate.

"The Puppeteer"

Chapter One - Into The Cold

"You're kidding me - is that snow?" Dave Malucci looked wide eyed as he watched John Carter shake off in the lounge.

"Sure is," the doctor replied. "Just started about a half hour ago, but it's coming down pretty hard." He walked across the room and poured a cup of coffee, then sat down at the table next to Malucci, who was busy tying on a boot. "Good thing you came prepared."

"Yeah, well, I figured it'd start soon; I was just hoping it wouldn't. Just once I'd like to have a green Christmas." Dave tucked in his pants leg and begin pulling on the other boot. "You're pulling a late shift?"

Carter sighed. "Yep. I don't like 'em, but Kerry says we all have to start doing them once a month. How was the action today?"

Dave grew excited at the question. "You're never gonna believe this! Here it is late October and we got this wacko today who decided to mow his lawn, right? The grass hasn't grown in weeks! Anyway, he's mowing his lawn and he accidentally slices off a finger."

Carter smiled to himself as Malucci became animated while telling the story. "Ok...so?"

"It wasn't his."

Carter had to keep from spitting coffee back out. "What - do you...you mean, it wasn't his finger?"

"That's right. He said he was pushing his lawn mower around and all of a sudden he hears this slight grinding sound and little chunks of meat start flying out from under the guard, you know, and..."

"All right, all right, I get the picture." It was hard to make an ER doctor queasy, but Malucci could do it. "So if he didn't cut off his own finger, then why'd he come here?"

"Well, apparently his neighbor's dog started going bonkers. I mean, totally apeshit. The guy shuts down the mower and hears this incredible barking, looks up and BAM!" Malucci slammed a fist into his palm for effect. "This freakin' Doberman from next door leaps over the fence and lands right on his chest."

Carter looked incredulous. "It attacked him? How badly?"

"Chewed off part of his face. It must have picked up the scent of blood, you know? From the finger. At least, that's what I figure." Malucci sat back in his chair, and stared off into space for a moment. "Sometimes, you just can't control what life is gonna hand you."

John Carter stood up and began removing his coat. "Is he still here?"

Dave stood up as well, and began putting on his own jacket. "Yeah, they admitted him overnight. You'll probably see him on your rounds. Name's Lennon."

"As in John Lennon? Cool."

Malucci grabbed a black duffel bag from the floor and headed out of the room. "Well, I'm late for a date with a hot bath and a porn flick. 'Debbie Does Everyone'. Catch you in the morning."

"Will do," Carter chuckled. He rinsed out his cup and walked out onto the floor. At the front desk he found Mr. Lennon's room number, and headed there.

When he walked in the lights were dim, giving the room and Lennon's bandages an ethereal glow. Carter flipped open his chart, and Lennon stirred.

"Well, Mr. Lennon. Nice to meet you. My name is Dr. Carter. I hear somebody gave you the finger today."

"Not funny, Doc," Lennon replied.

…...

Dave Malucci stepped out into the cold Chicago night. It was surprisingly quiet out here. Maybe he wasn't the only one who felt the serenity of winter's first snow fall; maybe the whole city felt it, too. It calmed a person, made him humble. He pulled his coat tighter around him and walked over to his bicycle. Hopefully he'd be able to ride it most of the way home with no problem. The snow was fine, not thick or wet yet, and the roads looked pretty clear. He leaned over, unlocked the chain and unthreaded it from his spokes. When he stood back up he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and then everything went black.

One hour later, the snow plow came to County General Hospital's ambulance bay, and pushed a foot and a half of new fallen snow over the bike rack, forever erasing the foot prints there and completely covering the blood of David Malucci.