Title: Dave Vignette

Summary: I felt that Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic wasn't ended right. So I did something about it and wrote this small vignette. It takes place right after the fateful words are said by Dave Malucci to Kerry Weaver.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.


Kerry stood there stunned for a moment, and then her brain kicked into gear, maybe for the first time today and she spoke strongly. "Malucci."

He turned even though he knew that he would regret it. "What?" He tried to sound as menacing and tough as he had moments before, in the heat of anger. She stared at him, "What do you want?"

Kerry looked around at all the gaping people in the ER. She walked around the admit desk and followed him. Malucci kept walking until they got outside, in the chilly fall air he crossed his arms and faced off against Kerry. Ready for a fight. "I thought I was fired Doctor. What do you want to do now, finish the castration?"

Kerry gestured over to a bench in a secluded part of the ER ambulance bay. "Malucci..David, you want to be real. Okay, let's be real. You have, from the first time you stepped into my ER, had an attitude problem. " Malucci tried to speak, but Kerry continued. "And David, whether you like it or not, it is my ER. I do the paperwork, I attend the meetings with upstairs. And, most importantly to you, I am the one who when everything hits the fan gets blamed. Because you, and everyone else in there is my responsibility. I know you don't understand why I'm firing you. You think I'm doing it just because you play around a little, because you have fun. I'm not." Kerry stood up and grated her jaw, "Look Malucci, go be an EMT. You're good at thinking on the fly. But I will not let you in my ER to harm patients who are there to have us heal them."

Malucci also stood up and pointed a finger in Kerry's face, "You are doing this so that I can take the fall for your not being there. You are making me the stooge. What gives you the right to do that."

Kerry clenched her jaw, "No, Malucci, you definitely assured the fact that I now will take the fall for Chen and your mistake. I mean, nothing like the crippled naz... the crippled doctor to blame the worlds' ails on right? You forgot to be thorough Malucci. One of your ongoing problems."

Malucci just stood there, mute. "Malucci, go on with your life. Leave County behind. You've tried, but you need to Move. On."

Malucci finally nodded, with grim determination on his face. "You know what Chief, I'm gonna do that. And then, in five or six years. I'm gonna come back here, and I'm going to be the most successful doctor that you have ever seen. And you will kick yourself in the ass repeatedly for throwing me away like a used dishrag. And you'll still be here, lording over...your" his voice dripped with sarcasm. "ER, because you're never going to get any more than that in life." He spun around towards the ER, "Take a look at your legacy. Nothing, except for bricks and pain." He spun back towards Kerry, "You will eat every one of the words that you spoke today, I guarantee it."

With that, he spun around and stormed towards the El station. She mumbled to herself, "I hope you do Dave, I hope you do." With that she straightened her purple blouse. Squared her shoulders, and started walking back to the doors of the ER.


Fin - October 12th, 2001