Disclaimer: So continues the story of me not owning Dave. He belongs to
NBC, as does ER and all the other characters. That really sucks.
AN: Hey, folks! It's been awhile since I last updated. I've been busy working on other stories, namely Back Home, which is about Dave, and Suck It Up, starring none other than John Carter and Abby Lockhart. I would appreciate if you R/R them, but you know, I think I should get to the story now. Oh, and the burn victim Dave treats is in reference to the burn victim he treated in "Truth and Consequences," although they are different girls.
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It was two weeks after Dave's attack. He had been going through a lot of visits from co-workers and friends, he had been pushed to go to counseling, and he was sick of it all. He was sitting on his couch in his apartment, itching to get back to work. He had convinced Dr. Weaver to let him start the next day.
He smiled up at Anna as she handed him a drink. He tilted his head back and took a sip of it. "Thanks," he told her.
"No problem," she replied.
A silence appeared between the siblings. Anna sat still for a moment. She cleared her throat.
"Uh, listen, Dave…" she started.
"Just tell me the bad news," Dave interrupted.
Anna smiled to herself. "Well, it's not really that bad. See, I've been uh, trying to get into medical school…"
Dave looked up in surprise. "What? Since when have you been trying to do that? Why didn't you tell me?"
Anna laughed. "I…I don't know. It's just…I guess saving peoples' lives appeal to me, you know? I mean, I've finished college, obviously. Why shouldn't I follow the footsteps of my big brother?"
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"I'm absolutely positive."
"Then I'm happy for you. Uh, what were you saying? About the medical school?"
"Well, I just called my answering machine to check for messages, and I got one from the school I've been trying to get into. I called them back and they told me that I got in! Apparently they've been trying to reach me for weeks, but since I wasn't home to get their acceptance letter or answer the phone…"
"Anna! That's…that's fantastic! I'm so excited for you!" Dave exclaimed.
Anna squealed. "I know! But there's bad news."
"I knew it," Dave said, his face falling.
"Yeah, dad and I are going to have to leave by this weekend…"
Dave nodded in understanding. "Uh, yeah, of course you do."
"Dave, I'd really like to stay longer…but I think we've overstayed our welcome anyway."
"No, of course you haven't. But I get it, Anna. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just going to miss my brother."
"Well, I'll be sure to keep in touch this time."
"Hey, we're not leaving yet. Save the pre-good byes for later."
"When are you leaving?"
"I was thinking maybe we should book the plane tickets for Friday."
"Two days," Dave mused.
"I know it's fast, but Dave…it's med school!"
"I know, Anna, I know! You don't have to keep reminding me," Dave laughed.
Anna took a deep breath. "It's just…this is so huge! One minute, I'm in Chicago, hanging out with my brother and the next…well, next I'm back home going training to be a doctor."
"It's a big step," Dave agreed.
"You're telling me," Anna replied.
Dave looked at his watch. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I've got get up early for my shift tomorrow."
"Oh, that's right, you start again tomorrow! Good luck, big bro."
"Thanks. Hey, you should call the airport and book those tickets, huh?"
"Yeah, I think I'm going to do that. Sweet dreams!"
"Ditto," Dave replied as he got up and walked to his room.
Dave flopped onto his bed and turned on his side to set his alarm clock. As he did so, he groaned in pain. He grabbed his ribs and let them heal for a moment. He carefully turned on his side again and set the clock. He lay back down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He felt himself drifting off to sleep and finally fell into a deep slumber…
…Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Dave groaned and slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock. He lifted his head, but let it drop back down onto his pillow. He started to go back to sleep, but five minutes later, the beeping started again. He mock sobbed and sat up.
"Shut up," he said quietly to the clock. He hit the off button and walked to his bathroom. He did his usual routine: brushed his teeth, used the toilet, took a shower, combed his hair, and put on his clothes. He crept out of his room, making sure the doors to his dad and sister's rooms were closed, and went to the kitchen. He grabbed some Pop Tarts and stuck them in his toaster. As they toasted, he opened the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of orange juice. He took a long sip and savored the taste. The pop of the toaster caught his attention and he pulled out a plate to put his breakfast on. He ate his food standing up, finished his OJ, and walked into his bedroom to grab his backpack. He walked into the living room and exited his apartment. He walked down the stairs and got his bike. He hopped on it and made a smooth ride to Cook County. He locked his bike to the rack and walked into the ER.
"Dr. Malucci, welcome back!" Michael greeted the returning. He gave him a quick smile before rushing off to see a patient.
"Thanks, Gallant," Dave called to him.
"Hey, Dave, you're back! How are you?" Carter asked, coming up to him.
"Hey, Carter, I'm cool," he replied. "I take it we're busy this morning?"
"Unusually busy," Carter confirmed.
"Figures," Dave muttered.
"Uh, listen, I have to go help Pratt with something," Carter said, distracted.
"Who?"
"He's a new intern," Carter explained. "I really have to go, but it's nice to see you back!"
"Yeah, great," Dave said, sarcastically.
"Dave, hey!" Randi called.
Dave inadvertently smiled and walked over to the desk clerk.
"Hi, Randi, how's it going?"
"Oh, it's going okay. It's really crazy this morning, though."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Are you doing okay?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Uh, my sister and my dad are leaving this Friday."
"What? Why?"
"Anna got into med school."
"No way! Are you serious? I didn't know she applied!"
"Neither did I. It came as a complete surprise. I had no idea she wanted to be a doctor."
"Huh. Well, good for her, right?"
"Yeah, of course, definitely. It's just…"
"Malucci! Welcome back," Kerry's voice boomed.
"Hey, Chief," Dave greeted.
"We're swamped today, so get ready and meet some patients," Kerry suggested.
"Sure thing, Chief," Dave agreed. He gave a quick smile to Randi, who returned one, and walked to the Lounge. He put his bag and jacket in his locker and shut it. He walked back out and grabbed a random chart (which was a first) and took a look at it. A female with burn lacerations.
"Crap, not one of these again. I can't handle this right now," Dave moaned to himself.
He walked into Exam 2 and saw a teenage girl sitting there with a bandage wrapped around her face.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Dave and I'll be treating you today. What's your name?"
"Kristine," the teen replied.
"Well, Kristine, can you tell me what happened?"
"Our apartment complex was set on fire," she told him.
"Do you have any idea how?"
"Nope," she replied, shaking her head.
Dave nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to take a look at your injuries. Just lean back…"
"No, Mr. Scantlin, you can't do that! Please, sir, just sit back and stay still!" Jing-Mei pleaded with the elderly man. He was a victim of the fire and he was trying to pull off his oxygen mask and IV.
"Young lady, I don't want all this, I just want to go home!" the man told her.
"I understand that, Mr. Scantlin, but I have a priority to protect my patients and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Mr. Scantlin looked up at her and smiled. "You know, you're a good girl."
Jing-Mei chuckled. "Well, thank you Mr. Scantlin."
Suddenly, she heard a loud scream and she quickly turned her head to see what the commotion was.
"No! Leave me alone! Somebody help me!" a girl's voice screamed.
"Please, calm down! Come on, calm down!" the doctor yelled back.
Dave ran into the room, followed by Jing-Mei. "What's going on?" he asked.
"He's touching me!" the girl screamed.
"She's freaking out because I'm trying to do a…" Carter started.
"He shouldn't do that!" the girl screamed.
Abby stood at the side of the room, laughing.
"It's not funny!" Carter chastised.
"Yes it is!" Abby countered, still laughing.
Dave stifled a chuckle. "Uh, listen…what's your name?"
"Kelly," the girl replied, pouting.
"Kelly," Dave started, "Dr. Carter isn't going to hurt you. He's just doing his job."
"Yeah, well, why can't someone else do that? Like a woman, maybe?" the girl demanded.
"Uh, Carter, maybe you should have Abby do this," Jing-Mei offered.
"Thank you for the advice, Deb," Carter said, sarcastically.
Jing-Mei smiled and shrugged.
"Excuse me, I have a patient," Dave said, exiting the room.
As he walked back to Exam 2, he laughed out loud. He walked into the room, where Kristine looked at him expectantly.
"Well?" she asked when he didn't say anything.
"Well what?" Dave questioned.
She rolled her eyes. "What happened?"
"Oh, just a little incident with another patient," Dave explained.
"Was it important?"
"Oh, no, just a minor mishap."
She nodded. "So, what about my face?"
"Well, the burns will heal, obviously. But they're going to leave scars."
"Scars? I'm going to be scarred for life?"
"No, no, the scars will fade, eventually, but it'll take some time."
"How much time, exactly?"
"Well, everyone heals differently. It could take up to a year, but you might be able to heal faster than that."
"I can deal with that, I guess."
Dave smiled. This girl was much better than the one he had handled before. "Uh, another doctor will be in here to talk to you about it, but I'm sure you're going to turn out just fine."
The girl beamed at him. "Thanks, Dr. Dave."
"No problem, Kristine. I'm glad I could help."
AN: Hey, folks! It's been awhile since I last updated. I've been busy working on other stories, namely Back Home, which is about Dave, and Suck It Up, starring none other than John Carter and Abby Lockhart. I would appreciate if you R/R them, but you know, I think I should get to the story now. Oh, and the burn victim Dave treats is in reference to the burn victim he treated in "Truth and Consequences," although they are different girls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was two weeks after Dave's attack. He had been going through a lot of visits from co-workers and friends, he had been pushed to go to counseling, and he was sick of it all. He was sitting on his couch in his apartment, itching to get back to work. He had convinced Dr. Weaver to let him start the next day.
He smiled up at Anna as she handed him a drink. He tilted his head back and took a sip of it. "Thanks," he told her.
"No problem," she replied.
A silence appeared between the siblings. Anna sat still for a moment. She cleared her throat.
"Uh, listen, Dave…" she started.
"Just tell me the bad news," Dave interrupted.
Anna smiled to herself. "Well, it's not really that bad. See, I've been uh, trying to get into medical school…"
Dave looked up in surprise. "What? Since when have you been trying to do that? Why didn't you tell me?"
Anna laughed. "I…I don't know. It's just…I guess saving peoples' lives appeal to me, you know? I mean, I've finished college, obviously. Why shouldn't I follow the footsteps of my big brother?"
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"I'm absolutely positive."
"Then I'm happy for you. Uh, what were you saying? About the medical school?"
"Well, I just called my answering machine to check for messages, and I got one from the school I've been trying to get into. I called them back and they told me that I got in! Apparently they've been trying to reach me for weeks, but since I wasn't home to get their acceptance letter or answer the phone…"
"Anna! That's…that's fantastic! I'm so excited for you!" Dave exclaimed.
Anna squealed. "I know! But there's bad news."
"I knew it," Dave said, his face falling.
"Yeah, dad and I are going to have to leave by this weekend…"
Dave nodded in understanding. "Uh, yeah, of course you do."
"Dave, I'd really like to stay longer…but I think we've overstayed our welcome anyway."
"No, of course you haven't. But I get it, Anna. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just going to miss my brother."
"Well, I'll be sure to keep in touch this time."
"Hey, we're not leaving yet. Save the pre-good byes for later."
"When are you leaving?"
"I was thinking maybe we should book the plane tickets for Friday."
"Two days," Dave mused.
"I know it's fast, but Dave…it's med school!"
"I know, Anna, I know! You don't have to keep reminding me," Dave laughed.
Anna took a deep breath. "It's just…this is so huge! One minute, I'm in Chicago, hanging out with my brother and the next…well, next I'm back home going training to be a doctor."
"It's a big step," Dave agreed.
"You're telling me," Anna replied.
Dave looked at his watch. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I've got get up early for my shift tomorrow."
"Oh, that's right, you start again tomorrow! Good luck, big bro."
"Thanks. Hey, you should call the airport and book those tickets, huh?"
"Yeah, I think I'm going to do that. Sweet dreams!"
"Ditto," Dave replied as he got up and walked to his room.
Dave flopped onto his bed and turned on his side to set his alarm clock. As he did so, he groaned in pain. He grabbed his ribs and let them heal for a moment. He carefully turned on his side again and set the clock. He lay back down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He felt himself drifting off to sleep and finally fell into a deep slumber…
…Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Dave groaned and slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock. He lifted his head, but let it drop back down onto his pillow. He started to go back to sleep, but five minutes later, the beeping started again. He mock sobbed and sat up.
"Shut up," he said quietly to the clock. He hit the off button and walked to his bathroom. He did his usual routine: brushed his teeth, used the toilet, took a shower, combed his hair, and put on his clothes. He crept out of his room, making sure the doors to his dad and sister's rooms were closed, and went to the kitchen. He grabbed some Pop Tarts and stuck them in his toaster. As they toasted, he opened the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of orange juice. He took a long sip and savored the taste. The pop of the toaster caught his attention and he pulled out a plate to put his breakfast on. He ate his food standing up, finished his OJ, and walked into his bedroom to grab his backpack. He walked into the living room and exited his apartment. He walked down the stairs and got his bike. He hopped on it and made a smooth ride to Cook County. He locked his bike to the rack and walked into the ER.
"Dr. Malucci, welcome back!" Michael greeted the returning. He gave him a quick smile before rushing off to see a patient.
"Thanks, Gallant," Dave called to him.
"Hey, Dave, you're back! How are you?" Carter asked, coming up to him.
"Hey, Carter, I'm cool," he replied. "I take it we're busy this morning?"
"Unusually busy," Carter confirmed.
"Figures," Dave muttered.
"Uh, listen, I have to go help Pratt with something," Carter said, distracted.
"Who?"
"He's a new intern," Carter explained. "I really have to go, but it's nice to see you back!"
"Yeah, great," Dave said, sarcastically.
"Dave, hey!" Randi called.
Dave inadvertently smiled and walked over to the desk clerk.
"Hi, Randi, how's it going?"
"Oh, it's going okay. It's really crazy this morning, though."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Are you doing okay?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Uh, my sister and my dad are leaving this Friday."
"What? Why?"
"Anna got into med school."
"No way! Are you serious? I didn't know she applied!"
"Neither did I. It came as a complete surprise. I had no idea she wanted to be a doctor."
"Huh. Well, good for her, right?"
"Yeah, of course, definitely. It's just…"
"Malucci! Welcome back," Kerry's voice boomed.
"Hey, Chief," Dave greeted.
"We're swamped today, so get ready and meet some patients," Kerry suggested.
"Sure thing, Chief," Dave agreed. He gave a quick smile to Randi, who returned one, and walked to the Lounge. He put his bag and jacket in his locker and shut it. He walked back out and grabbed a random chart (which was a first) and took a look at it. A female with burn lacerations.
"Crap, not one of these again. I can't handle this right now," Dave moaned to himself.
He walked into Exam 2 and saw a teenage girl sitting there with a bandage wrapped around her face.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Dave and I'll be treating you today. What's your name?"
"Kristine," the teen replied.
"Well, Kristine, can you tell me what happened?"
"Our apartment complex was set on fire," she told him.
"Do you have any idea how?"
"Nope," she replied, shaking her head.
Dave nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to take a look at your injuries. Just lean back…"
"No, Mr. Scantlin, you can't do that! Please, sir, just sit back and stay still!" Jing-Mei pleaded with the elderly man. He was a victim of the fire and he was trying to pull off his oxygen mask and IV.
"Young lady, I don't want all this, I just want to go home!" the man told her.
"I understand that, Mr. Scantlin, but I have a priority to protect my patients and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Mr. Scantlin looked up at her and smiled. "You know, you're a good girl."
Jing-Mei chuckled. "Well, thank you Mr. Scantlin."
Suddenly, she heard a loud scream and she quickly turned her head to see what the commotion was.
"No! Leave me alone! Somebody help me!" a girl's voice screamed.
"Please, calm down! Come on, calm down!" the doctor yelled back.
Dave ran into the room, followed by Jing-Mei. "What's going on?" he asked.
"He's touching me!" the girl screamed.
"She's freaking out because I'm trying to do a…" Carter started.
"He shouldn't do that!" the girl screamed.
Abby stood at the side of the room, laughing.
"It's not funny!" Carter chastised.
"Yes it is!" Abby countered, still laughing.
Dave stifled a chuckle. "Uh, listen…what's your name?"
"Kelly," the girl replied, pouting.
"Kelly," Dave started, "Dr. Carter isn't going to hurt you. He's just doing his job."
"Yeah, well, why can't someone else do that? Like a woman, maybe?" the girl demanded.
"Uh, Carter, maybe you should have Abby do this," Jing-Mei offered.
"Thank you for the advice, Deb," Carter said, sarcastically.
Jing-Mei smiled and shrugged.
"Excuse me, I have a patient," Dave said, exiting the room.
As he walked back to Exam 2, he laughed out loud. He walked into the room, where Kristine looked at him expectantly.
"Well?" she asked when he didn't say anything.
"Well what?" Dave questioned.
She rolled her eyes. "What happened?"
"Oh, just a little incident with another patient," Dave explained.
"Was it important?"
"Oh, no, just a minor mishap."
She nodded. "So, what about my face?"
"Well, the burns will heal, obviously. But they're going to leave scars."
"Scars? I'm going to be scarred for life?"
"No, no, the scars will fade, eventually, but it'll take some time."
"How much time, exactly?"
"Well, everyone heals differently. It could take up to a year, but you might be able to heal faster than that."
"I can deal with that, I guess."
Dave smiled. This girl was much better than the one he had handled before. "Uh, another doctor will be in here to talk to you about it, but I'm sure you're going to turn out just fine."
The girl beamed at him. "Thanks, Dr. Dave."
"No problem, Kristine. I'm glad I could help."