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#Disclaimer: I own Cheryl, Maria and Allison. I don' t own the rest of the ER cast but I wish I owned Dave Malucci. My days would be more fulfilled and less boring.
The Heart of a Colleague
PART 1
The day started at 8 am. Alarm clocks were going off in two different rooms. Breakfast was late getting started as Cheryl, Dr. Dave's girlfriend and mother of his five year old daughter, had locked herself in the bathroom. After banging on the door repeatedly and only getting a 'Be out in a moment" response ,Dave started breakfast himself. In the background we hear Allison yelling because she can't find the dress she wanted to wear to kindergarten. Dave starts shouting for Cheryl to help her because he couldn't leave the kitchen. Finally, Cheryl emerges from the bathroom asking what the trouble was. While Cheryl helped Allison, Dave finished the eggs and bacon and put breakfast on the table and made a beeline to the free bathroom.
About forty-five minutes later ,Dave was starting up the car to take Allison to kindergarten and drive himself and Cheryl to the hospital. Cheryl confronted him and told him she needed to tell him something but it wasn't the right time. She said they would discuss it later on tonight but Dave reminded her they were having guests that night. They had invited some of the ER staffers, and Dave's sister, Maria and her family over for a small party. He told her he would leave Allison with Maria the following night and the two of them would go out for dinner. She agreed and maybe that would work out for the better anyway. So he loaded Allison and Cheryl into the car. Just a regular day . After he dropped Allison off at school, they drove to the hospital where they both worked. Cheryl was a registered nurse in the pediatrics ward.
Once Dave entered the ER he was met with the usual "MALUCCI, You're late again" from Kerry. Dave was in too good a mood to let even Kerry bother him today. After he changed into his blue scrubs, he grabbed a chart and started working right away. Jing- Mei, Mark, Chuny , Haleh and Malik were all standing at the admit desk and couldn't believe Dave had started working so quickly and efficiently without being lectured or hounded by Kerry. As the day progressed, Dave had already treated numerous bumps, bruises , and broken bones. He did more than his fair share of sutures and even helped on two major traumas. Even when he walked out into the hall after being vomitted on by a number of children with the flu bug, he didn't do is usual bitching and complaining. He just went into the supply room and put on fresh scrubs. Finally, having enough of Malucci's sickening good mood, Mark approached him and asked him what the hell has gotten in to him. Dave said," For the first time in my life, I really am in love!" Mark had wondered, as did the rest of the ER, if that had anything to do with the party he was throwing that night. Before anyone could ask, as if by mental telepathy, Dave said he knows everyone thinks of him as the hospital clown, a jerk, an underachiever, not a real doctor. This was his chance to prove that he was just a regular guy who had a regular life and that everything wasn' t a big joke to him.