Disclaimer: The only character in this story that belongs to me is Amanda.
Dave/Erik is simply one of the objects of my affections and the star of a
few of my many fantasies. I don't own ER either, but if I did, I'd give
Dave a hell of a lot more screen time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was just another normal day. Well, as normal as a day could get in the ER. Dr. Dave Malucci was sitting on the couch in the lounge, trying to catch popcorn in his mouth, while Drs. Jing-Mei Chen and John Carter and Nurse Abby Lockhart looked on. Abby sighed.
"It's slow in here today, isn't it?" she commented.
"You're telling me," John replied, aimlessly.
"Yeah, we must be bored if we're watching Dave catch popcorn in his mouth," Jing-Mei said.
"Hey, it's more entertaining than watching Randi read her magazines," Dave retorted.
John cocked his head in agreement. "He has a point."
"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Abby joked.
"I take offense to that," Dave said, pouting.
"Good," Abby shot back.
"I need all of you out here, we've got traumas coming in," the Chief of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Kerry Weaver, called to the four.
"We're on break," Jing-Mei called.
"I don't care, we've got a major MVA coming in and we need all the doctors we can get. Now get out here!" Kerry ordered.
"We're coming, Chief, we're coming," Dave groaned, putting down his bowl of popcorn and slowly getting up.
"Well come faster, we don't have all day!" Kerry yelled as she ran to the ambulance bay.
The four staff members ran out of the lounge to follow her and were greeted with five ambulances in the bay.
"Okay, Dave, Abby, and Carter, you've got this one, Jing-Mei and Haleh, get the next one, Mark and Lydia, the next, Susan and Chuny, the next, and Gallant, you're with me!" Kerry called out, rushing to the last ambulance with Michael Gallant at her feet. The doctors rushed their respected patients into the trauma rooms.
Dave was looking at the heart monitor when he noticed a girl standing at the door of the trauma room.
"Hey, Carter, you got this?" he asked, distractedly.
"Yeah, I got it…why?" Carter replied.
"I'm going to go see what's up with that girl," Dave told him.
He left the room without waiting for a reply. The girl looked at him. She was breathing very heavily.
"Hey, it's okay," Dave told her, trying to help her to calm down. "I'm Dr. Dave…what's your name?"
"Amanda," the girl replied in between her breaths.
"Okay, Amanda, you have some cuts on your face, how about we go and take a look at them?"
She nodded and followed Dave to Exam 2. He sat her on a bed and began to examine her.
"Do you have any allergies?" Dave asked, as her breathing came under control.
"No, but I have asthma attacks sometimes," she told him.
"Oh," Dave said, nodding. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"We…we were driving," she started.
"Who's we?" Dave asked.
"My parents and me," she told him.
Dave nodded.
"We were driving and this huge truck was coming right toward us…Dad, he tried to turn to avoid hitting it, but we hit another car and the truck crashed into another and another," Amanda continued. "There was a huge pile- up."
"How did you get out without getting seriously hurt?" Dave asked.
She shrugged. "I guess it was a miracle."
"Huh." It was all Dave could say.
"What? You don't believe in miracles?" she asked.
"Well, I…I don't know, I've never really thought about it," he replied.
"I didn't either. I'm 15 years old, you know? Most kids my age don't think about that stuff, but…I don't know. My parents would always tell me that miracles happen. But I didn't think it was true…but all I needed was to believe that something amazing could happen."
Dave smiled. "You've been watching A Beautiful Mind, haven't you?"
She chuckled. "I have. But it's true, though. This is what I needed to believe."
There was silence between the doctor and the patient for a moment.
"Can you find out how my parents are?" she asked, suddenly.
"Oh, yeah, sure I can. Uh, just stay here…don't move and I'll be right back," he told her, getting up. "Wait, what are your parents' names?"
"Natalie and Vince Cole," she replied.
"Okay, I'll be right back," he said again. He walked to the admit desk where Carter, Abby, Gallant, and Jing-Mei were standing.
"Hey, did any of you have Natalie or Vince Cole?" he asked.
"Yeah, we had Natalie Cole," Carter said, quietly.
"And Dr. Weaver and I had Mr. Cole," Gallant added, sounding a little depressed.
"Are they okay?" Dave questioned.
"Uh, Mrs. Cole passed away," Carter told him.
"Yeah, so did Mr. Cole," Gallant said.
Dave looked at the ground. "Damn," he whispered.
"Why?" Jing-Mei asked.
"Uh, the daughter…" Dave said, not needing to elaborate.
The doctors and nurse stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Uh, I should get back to her," Dave said. His co-workers nodded and he walked back to Exam 2.
"What's the matter?" Amanda asked, when she saw Dave's grim face. A look of realization spread across her face.
"Amanda, I'm sorry, but…" Dave started.
"Oh, God," she whispered. "No, they can't be dead."
"Amanda, their injuries were very severe and…"
"No!" she yelled, cutting him off. She stood up and rushed out of the room.
"Amanda…" Dave called to her. He got up and followed her.
She was running from room to room, looking for her parents.
"Mom! Dad!" she called. She reached Trauma 2 and stopped, recognizing it as the room she had been standing in front of before. She paused before pushing the door open.
"Mom?" she whispered, slowly walking to the woman on the gurney. She was covered with a blanket. "Mom?" she whispered again.
She pulled down the sheet and saw her mother's pale face. Dave stood outside, watching as his patient looked at her dead mother.
"Oh, mom," Amanda whispered.
She began to sob quietly. She stroked her mother's hair and gripped her hand before letting go for the last time. She put the sheet back over her mother's face before moving to Trauma 3, where she thought her father would be. Nobody was in there, for the patient had survived and had been sent to the OR. She moved to the next room. There, her father lay on another gurney, covered with a white sheet, just like her mother. Amanda pulled the sheet off her father's face as well. She began to sob again when she saw her father's face. She bent down and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before standing up and putting the sheet back on his face again. She walked out of the Trauma room and saw Dave standing there.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
"I think so," she whispered. "I know they're in a better place."
Dave nodded. He put an arm around her and led her back to Exam 2 again.
Dave looked at Amanda's tear-stained face and felt horrible. He felt something for her…it wasn't guilt or pity, but something more…something deeper…he didn't know what it was quite yet, but he knew the feeling was there.
"Amanda, do you have any relatives to call? Someone you can stay with?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "Mom and dad didn't have any brothers or sisters," she said.
"So you have nowhere to stay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she confirmed.
He thought this over for a moment. "Do you want to stay with me for a little while?"
She looked up at him in surprise. "Wouldn't you get busted?"
He shrugged. "I'll work something out."
She stared at him with a look of admiration mixed with confusion. "I…I'd appreciate that very much."
He nodded and smiled. "Listen, my shift doesn't end for a few hours…do you want me to take you to my apartment?"
She shook her head. "I'd rather stay here, if that's okay with you?"
"Yeah, sure, that'd be okay, too…I'll go get you some scrubs and you can change."
She nodded.
"Are you hungry?"
She nodded again. "Just a little."
"Okay, I'll give you some money and you can get something to eat."
She gave him grateful smile. He stood up, ruffled her hair and left to get the scrubs and money. He took a deep breath when he reached the closet. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was just another normal day. Well, as normal as a day could get in the ER. Dr. Dave Malucci was sitting on the couch in the lounge, trying to catch popcorn in his mouth, while Drs. Jing-Mei Chen and John Carter and Nurse Abby Lockhart looked on. Abby sighed.
"It's slow in here today, isn't it?" she commented.
"You're telling me," John replied, aimlessly.
"Yeah, we must be bored if we're watching Dave catch popcorn in his mouth," Jing-Mei said.
"Hey, it's more entertaining than watching Randi read her magazines," Dave retorted.
John cocked his head in agreement. "He has a point."
"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Abby joked.
"I take offense to that," Dave said, pouting.
"Good," Abby shot back.
"I need all of you out here, we've got traumas coming in," the Chief of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Kerry Weaver, called to the four.
"We're on break," Jing-Mei called.
"I don't care, we've got a major MVA coming in and we need all the doctors we can get. Now get out here!" Kerry ordered.
"We're coming, Chief, we're coming," Dave groaned, putting down his bowl of popcorn and slowly getting up.
"Well come faster, we don't have all day!" Kerry yelled as she ran to the ambulance bay.
The four staff members ran out of the lounge to follow her and were greeted with five ambulances in the bay.
"Okay, Dave, Abby, and Carter, you've got this one, Jing-Mei and Haleh, get the next one, Mark and Lydia, the next, Susan and Chuny, the next, and Gallant, you're with me!" Kerry called out, rushing to the last ambulance with Michael Gallant at her feet. The doctors rushed their respected patients into the trauma rooms.
Dave was looking at the heart monitor when he noticed a girl standing at the door of the trauma room.
"Hey, Carter, you got this?" he asked, distractedly.
"Yeah, I got it…why?" Carter replied.
"I'm going to go see what's up with that girl," Dave told him.
He left the room without waiting for a reply. The girl looked at him. She was breathing very heavily.
"Hey, it's okay," Dave told her, trying to help her to calm down. "I'm Dr. Dave…what's your name?"
"Amanda," the girl replied in between her breaths.
"Okay, Amanda, you have some cuts on your face, how about we go and take a look at them?"
She nodded and followed Dave to Exam 2. He sat her on a bed and began to examine her.
"Do you have any allergies?" Dave asked, as her breathing came under control.
"No, but I have asthma attacks sometimes," she told him.
"Oh," Dave said, nodding. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"We…we were driving," she started.
"Who's we?" Dave asked.
"My parents and me," she told him.
Dave nodded.
"We were driving and this huge truck was coming right toward us…Dad, he tried to turn to avoid hitting it, but we hit another car and the truck crashed into another and another," Amanda continued. "There was a huge pile- up."
"How did you get out without getting seriously hurt?" Dave asked.
She shrugged. "I guess it was a miracle."
"Huh." It was all Dave could say.
"What? You don't believe in miracles?" she asked.
"Well, I…I don't know, I've never really thought about it," he replied.
"I didn't either. I'm 15 years old, you know? Most kids my age don't think about that stuff, but…I don't know. My parents would always tell me that miracles happen. But I didn't think it was true…but all I needed was to believe that something amazing could happen."
Dave smiled. "You've been watching A Beautiful Mind, haven't you?"
She chuckled. "I have. But it's true, though. This is what I needed to believe."
There was silence between the doctor and the patient for a moment.
"Can you find out how my parents are?" she asked, suddenly.
"Oh, yeah, sure I can. Uh, just stay here…don't move and I'll be right back," he told her, getting up. "Wait, what are your parents' names?"
"Natalie and Vince Cole," she replied.
"Okay, I'll be right back," he said again. He walked to the admit desk where Carter, Abby, Gallant, and Jing-Mei were standing.
"Hey, did any of you have Natalie or Vince Cole?" he asked.
"Yeah, we had Natalie Cole," Carter said, quietly.
"And Dr. Weaver and I had Mr. Cole," Gallant added, sounding a little depressed.
"Are they okay?" Dave questioned.
"Uh, Mrs. Cole passed away," Carter told him.
"Yeah, so did Mr. Cole," Gallant said.
Dave looked at the ground. "Damn," he whispered.
"Why?" Jing-Mei asked.
"Uh, the daughter…" Dave said, not needing to elaborate.
The doctors and nurse stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Uh, I should get back to her," Dave said. His co-workers nodded and he walked back to Exam 2.
"What's the matter?" Amanda asked, when she saw Dave's grim face. A look of realization spread across her face.
"Amanda, I'm sorry, but…" Dave started.
"Oh, God," she whispered. "No, they can't be dead."
"Amanda, their injuries were very severe and…"
"No!" she yelled, cutting him off. She stood up and rushed out of the room.
"Amanda…" Dave called to her. He got up and followed her.
She was running from room to room, looking for her parents.
"Mom! Dad!" she called. She reached Trauma 2 and stopped, recognizing it as the room she had been standing in front of before. She paused before pushing the door open.
"Mom?" she whispered, slowly walking to the woman on the gurney. She was covered with a blanket. "Mom?" she whispered again.
She pulled down the sheet and saw her mother's pale face. Dave stood outside, watching as his patient looked at her dead mother.
"Oh, mom," Amanda whispered.
She began to sob quietly. She stroked her mother's hair and gripped her hand before letting go for the last time. She put the sheet back over her mother's face before moving to Trauma 3, where she thought her father would be. Nobody was in there, for the patient had survived and had been sent to the OR. She moved to the next room. There, her father lay on another gurney, covered with a white sheet, just like her mother. Amanda pulled the sheet off her father's face as well. She began to sob again when she saw her father's face. She bent down and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before standing up and putting the sheet back on his face again. She walked out of the Trauma room and saw Dave standing there.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
"I think so," she whispered. "I know they're in a better place."
Dave nodded. He put an arm around her and led her back to Exam 2 again.
Dave looked at Amanda's tear-stained face and felt horrible. He felt something for her…it wasn't guilt or pity, but something more…something deeper…he didn't know what it was quite yet, but he knew the feeling was there.
"Amanda, do you have any relatives to call? Someone you can stay with?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "Mom and dad didn't have any brothers or sisters," she said.
"So you have nowhere to stay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she confirmed.
He thought this over for a moment. "Do you want to stay with me for a little while?"
She looked up at him in surprise. "Wouldn't you get busted?"
He shrugged. "I'll work something out."
She stared at him with a look of admiration mixed with confusion. "I…I'd appreciate that very much."
He nodded and smiled. "Listen, my shift doesn't end for a few hours…do you want me to take you to my apartment?"
She shook her head. "I'd rather stay here, if that's okay with you?"
"Yeah, sure, that'd be okay, too…I'll go get you some scrubs and you can change."
She nodded.
"Are you hungry?"
She nodded again. "Just a little."
"Okay, I'll give you some money and you can get something to eat."
She gave him grateful smile. He stood up, ruffled her hair and left to get the scrubs and money. He took a deep breath when he reached the closet. What the hell had he gotten himself into?