CONSEQUENCES
Mark and Elizabeth were walking to the hospital when Dave zipped past them on his bike. "Hi Dr Greene, hi Dr Corday, bye Dr Greene, by Dr Corday," he called as he passed.
"Slow down Malucci," shouted Mark "Or you'll have an ...." His voice trailed off as he watched Dave slide on a patch of gravel. He tried to right himself, but failed and skidded a few metres along the ground stopping just short of a brick wall.
"Oh my god," said Elizabeth, as they both ran to Daves side. By the time they got there Dave was trying to sit up, with a grimace of pain on his face.
Elizabeth and Mark crouched down beside him.
"Try not to move Dave," said Mark. "Elizabeth go get a gurney from the hospital"
"I'm fine Dr Greene," said Dave. "Just a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing major."
He tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but let out an involuntary yelp of pain when he moved his right arm.
Mark pushed him gently but firmly back to the ground. "You just stay still until Elizabeth gets back with some help." He paused as he made a quick assessment of Dave's injuries. "You know maybe now you'll consider wearing a helmet"
"It wouldn't have helped, cause I didn't hit my head. Now shin guards and elbow pads, they would have helped."
A few minutes later Elizabeth returned with Malik and a gurney.
Dave tried not to cry out as they carefully moved him onto the gurney. It was a tie between his ankle and his arm as to which was causing him most pain. "Be gentle with me please," he said. "And hey could someone bring my bike along"
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"What have we got?" asked Luka as Dave was wheeled into Trauma one.
"Thirty year old cyclist, no helmet, skidded on a patch of gravel. Possible broken ankle and wrist, plus severe abrasions to his right arm. No head injuries or loss of consciousness. He's all yours," said Mark.
Luka did a double take when he saw who the patient was.
"So Dave. You decided to see what the E.R. was like from a different angle?"
"Yeah that's right. So far all I can see is that the ceiling needs painting."
"I can see there's nothing wrong with his mouth anyway," commented Haleh
Luka smiled and then he and the nurses went about their usual routine. They tried not to think about the last time one of their colleagues had been on that table needing their help.
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Some time later.
Luka came in with Daves x-rays. "Good news," he said indicating the films. "Your ankle is badly sprained and you've taken most of the skin off your arm, but nothing seems to be broken or permanently damaged."
"What about my bike?" asked Dave.
"Malik brought it into the lounge. It's in better shape than you are."
"Lets hope the chief doesn't see it there."
"It's ok. Kerry is in a staff meeting upstairs. She probably won't be finished for a few more hours. Now, I'm going to give you some anti-inflammatories and some antibiotics. Haleh is going to finish cleaning and dressing your arm abrasion. Yosh will strap up your ankle and then we'll see about moving you to somewhere a bit quieter until you're feeling better."
"Don't worry Doctor Dave," said Haleh with a grin. "We'll take real good care of you,"
Now where do we keep the foleys in here?"
Luka could hear Dave's groans as he left the room.
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Half an hour later Mark and Elizabeth were at the reception desk when Luka walked up.
"So how is our resident stunt rider?" asked Elizabeth.
"Dave?" said Luka. "He'll be hurting for a few days but there's no serious damage. I had Haleh move him into the lounge to free up Trauma one,"
"You've just given me a mental picture of Haleh scooping Dave up like a sack of potatoes and throwing him onto the couch," said Elizabeth.
Mark considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I've got it too."
"Wouldn't he be better off if you sent him home?" asked Elizabeth. "The lounge is hardly conducive to a relaxing atmosphere."
"I think he's more disturbed by his accident than he is showing. If I send him home he will be on his own, brooding over it. There will be enough people in and out to divert him but he will still get some rest."
"Fair enough," said Mark.
"I must be going," said Elizabeth. "By the way, Kerry's meeting must have finished early. Here she comes. Bye."
With that Elizabeth made her escape. Not that she was avoiding Kerry, but after a meeting involving Romano, Kerry was not usually happy to see anyone remotely connected to him.
"Good afternoon Dr Weaver," said Luka.
"I'm not sure there's anything good about it," replied Kerry. "I've just spent the last hour trying to explain to the board why we need an increase in our budget for next year. They say we're under budget for this year so we obviously don't need as much money."
"Maybe we should go on a spending spree and use up all our quota," suggested Mark. "That way we can show them that we'll need more for next year."
Kerry glared at him.
"I think I have patients waiting," he said and made a strategic withdrawal.
Kerry examined the board. "Anything I should know Dr Kovac?" she asked as she scanned the details. Her voice trailed off. She looked a Luka. "Tell me that's just a coincidence," she said as she pointed to D MALUCCI written in bright letters.
"No coincidence, it is our Malucci. But it's ok. He just had a minor mishap on his bicycle. He should be resting in the lounge now." As Luka spoke he quickly erased Daves name from the board.
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Dave was sprawled on the couch trying to find a position that would avoid putting any weight on either his ankle or his arm, and still be comfy when Kerry walked in.
"Dr Malucci," she said. "I heard you had an accident on your bike."
"Yeah chief. I skidded on some gravel and slid into a wall. And before you say anything, I didn't hit my head on anything, so wearing a helmet wouldn't have helped me."
"Actually I didn't know you weren't wearing a helmet. I just came to see how you were doing."
"I'm not too bad. My arm and leg are all patched up. But I'm getting blisters already from the crutch"
He held out his hand to Kerry, who could see that the skin was already starting to redden.
"You know if you pad the handle with foam or even wrap a length of bandage around it, it'll make it a lot easier."
"Why thanks. I'll try that." He paused for a few seconds. "But I notice you don't have any on your crutch?"
Kerry smiled ruefully. "That's because I've had mine so long my hands are well calloused. The skin on the palm is as hard as nails." She waved her hand in his direction.
To her surprise Dave took hold of her hand and examined it.
"Looks mighty fine to me," he said.
To her horror Kerry felt herself start to blush. As the colour suffused her face, she looked at Dave, expecting to see amusement in his face, but all that was there was genuine warmth. He held her gaze for a few seconds, before looking away, thankfully allowing her to regain control of herself.
"I...I'd better go now," she managed to stammer. "I'll check back later...see how you're doing. Ok?"
"Thanks chief. I won't be going anywhere."
She hastily limped over to the door.
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Kerry closed the door to the lounge and leaned back against it briefly. The blush had faded, but her pulse was still racing. She took a few deep breaths and moved away.
If anyone noticed her racing emotions or the way her crutch stuttered so erratically on the floor they didn't mention it.
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CONSEQUENCES part II
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As the lounge door closed Dave settled back on to the couch. "Way to get a sexual harassment suit going Malucci," he said to himself. He couldn't explain the impulse that had driven him to take hold of the chief's hand like that. And to say it looked 'mighty fine', what had come over him. Oh well maybe Dr Weaver would blame it on the drugs he'd been given.
Dave tried to relax. Dr Kovac had told him to rest for a few hours and then he could go home. Trouble was, every time he closed his eyes all he could see was his abraded arm as Haleh had been cleaning it. It wasn't the worst injury he'd had in his life, but it was definitely one of the more gruesome. He shuddered slightly.
"Hey Dave," said Carter from behind him.
Dave jerked and hit his arm on the couch. He hadn't heard John come in. He groaned as the impact send waves of pain through his body.
"Sorry," said John. "I didn't mean to startle you. Heard you took a spill on your bike."
"I suppose it's all round the ER. Daredevil Malucci strikes again."
"Something like that. I think the nurses had a bet going as to when you'd wind up on a gurney and Haleh won."
"That probably explains why she was looking so smug when she was picking gravel out of my arm."
John laughed. "I just came in to get an apple. I'll see you later." He walked away, showing only a trace of a limp.
Dave wanted to call him back but couldn't think of a good excuse. Saying he didn't want to be left alone would be the truth but he couldn't let anyone know that. He sighed and lay back on the couch. Someone else would be along soon to distract him. He could wait.
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Kerry watched as the lift doors closed on her patient. The young man lying on the gurney hadn't been as fortunate as Dave with his bicycle accident. He would be lucky if he still had both his legs this time tomorrow. At the thought of Dave she smiled to herself. By now he was probably using his blistered hand as a chat up line for all the female staff. She had probably just been the first in a long line.
Kerry pulled off her trauma gown and looked at her watch. Her shift was just over. There were no new traumas en route. For once she would be out of the hospital on time.
She hesitated momentarily before going into the lounge. Luka was there talking to Dave.
"If you want to wait another few hours, I can give you a lift home," he said. "You shouldn't have to get a bus in your condition."
"Hey Dr Kovac, that's a nice offer, but I really want to get out of here. I'll be fine," replied Dave.
"What's the problem?" asked Kerry as she pulled her coat on.
"Dr Malucci doesn't want our company any more, he insists on leaving."
"Is there any medical reason why he should stay?"
"No but,"
"Well then if he wants to go we can't stop him. Malucci where do you live?"
Dave told her his address.
"That's on my way. If you really want to go home I'll give you a lift,"
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Ok chief," said Dave.
"Right then," said Kerry. "Be at reception in five minutes or I'll leave without you."
Without looking at Luka she hurried out of the lounge.
Luka caught up with her. "Dr Weaver, I was hoping to persuade Dave to stay for a few more hours. I think he's still fairly shaken by his experience."
"He fell off his bike and scraped his arm. I don't think he needs pampering.
Look a good nights rest and he'll be back to normal. Flirting with the female staff and trying to work only on the juiciest traumas."
"You're probably right. Anyway at least he won't have to struggle on and off buses his first day with a crutch."
"It's not that difficult. Look," she indicated down the hallway to where Dave was making his way towards them. "He's already got the hang of it. Look I'll talk to him and see how he is, but I'm not going to pander to him."
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The drive to Daves home seemed all too short to Kerry. Dave had fallen asleep soon after she started driving. As she glanced over at him he shuddered and moaned in his sleep. Whatever dreams he was having didn't seem to be that enjoyable.
Kerry parked about half a block from the address Dave had given her and turned to her passenger. He looked a little bit more relaxed than he had earlier. It was a shame to have to wake him. Kerry gently shook his shoulder and said "Dave, we're here."
In spite of her efforts he woke abruptly and banged his arm on the door.
"Are you all right?" she asked him.
"Yeah yeah. I just thought I was somewhere else for a second. Somewhere without a door two inches away."
"I think I'd better see you to your door. Make sure you don't fall off your crutch."
Dave smiled ruefully. "They do take a bit of getting used to."
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Kerry and Dave limped their way to Daves flat. As they went through the hallway a couple of teenagers walked past them. One of them said something to her friend in Spanish.
Dave chuckled.
"What's so funny," said Kerry. "What did they say?"
"They said that, that couple must have been in some bad accident together"
Kerry smiled. It did look a bit unusual to see two adults limping in unison.
"You know," she said. "We do look as if we're about to enter a three-legged race or something."
Dave stopped outside his door. He hesitated for a few moments. "Say chief if you're not in a hurry, would you like to come in for a coffee,"
As soon as he said the words he regretted them. Oh great he thought to himself. First you grab her hand, and then you invite her for coffee. What is with you today?
Kerry considered the invitation briefly. It wasn't as if she had anywhere else to be and she had told Luka she'd talk to Dave. "Ok," she said. "But I can't stay long. I have some reading to catch up on."
Dave opened the door to his flat and Kerry followed him across the threshold.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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CONSEQUENCES part III
Kerry followed Dave across the threshold.
"Make yourself comfortable," he said as he headed for the kitchen. "I'll just get the coffee ready."
She made her way to the large couch that dominated the room and took in her surroundings. The furnishings were solid, if a little shabby, which didn't surprise her. (Residents dwellings were rarely the most luxurious of accommodations.) What did surprise her was how well kept the place was. That, and the amount of books on the shelves that lined the wall. She left her seat to look at Dave's reading material. It was a varied selection, ranging from medical textbooks to thrillers to science fiction. Some were even in Spanish.
Her eye was caught by a selection of framed photos on one of the shelves. There was one of Dave presumably at his high school graduation looking impossibly young in his cap and gown. She picked up a photo of a middle-aged couple. "Are these your parents?" she asked. Dave looked up and said "yeah that's Mum and Dad. How do you take your coffee chief?"
The sudden change in subject was not lost on Kerry. She replaced the photo and joined Dave in the kitchen area. "I think I'd better carry the cups," she joked. "I've had more experience of this than you."
They sat on the couch in companionable silence drinking their coffee.
Finally Kerry decided to be blunt.
"Dave, why were you so eager to leave the hospital?" she said.
Dave sighed and looked away for a moment.
Finally he said "It wasn't that I wanted to leave, it was just..," he hesitated. "I didn't want to be left alone, so I said I wanted to go, just so he'd stay and talk me out of it."
Kerry looked at him in surprise.
He continued, "it's just that people were coming and going, but I was still on my own for most of the time. And every time I tried to close my eyes and rest, all I could see was the way my arm looked while Haleh was picking gravel out of it. Pretty dumb huh? Here's me the hot shot ER resident, looking for all the goriest traumas and I can't look at a skinned arm."
"At your skinned arm," said Kerry. "Injuries always seem worse when they're your own, or one of your own.." her voice trailed off.
"That's what I mean," said Dave. "Carter was in asking how I was. How could I tell him I was upset over something like that, when he had a butcher knife stuck in his back."
They both fell silent at the recollection.
"Anyway," continued Dave. "I was just about to let him persuade me to stay longer, when you walked in."
"Haleh should have obscured it from you."
Dave looked guilty. "She tried to, but I insisted on seeing what it looked like."
"Tell me about it," said Kerry. Dave looked at her uncertainly. "Tell me exactly what happened and how it looked," she continued.
"I can show it to you,"
"No, I'll look at it later and help you change the dressings. But now I want you to describe it to me. From before the accident to when the wound was covered."
Dave looked at Kerry. "Trust me," she said.
Hesitantly he started to recount the events of the day. Beginning with his encounter with Mark and Elizabeth.
"..I heard Dr Greene yell something after me. I was going round the corner. Guess I took it too fast, and I hit a patch of gravel..."
Dave's voice faltered several times as he described the various procedures he had undergone, but he kept going.
Kerry observed him throughout his narration.
He came to the end of his narration and leaned back on the couch.
"Close your eyes," ordered Kerry. Dave obeyed.
"How does it make you feel now?"
Dave shuddered and opened his eyes. "Its still there."
"What you need to do is tell someone else about it."
"You mean like a psych guy?" Dave looked as her doubtfully.
"Not necessarily, I mean anyone who'll listen. The more you talk about this, the more you describe it, the less effect it will have on you. I guarantee you, once you've described this a dozen times it won't bother you half as much."
"Is this something I should have picked up during my Psych rotation?"
"I think it would have been under the heading 'a trouble shared'." They both smiled at that.
Kerry knew that she should go. She had found out what was bothering Dave and put him on the road to healing. But she was enjoying the feeling of camaraderie that Dave was bringing out in her.
"I just realised," said Dave. "My bikes still in the lounge. I hope the chief doesn't find out."
"Oh I'm sure she's already made plans for its disposal," laughed Kerry. "No seriously, I asked Dr Kovac to get it put away safely. It'll be waiting for you when you need it."
"That's good, I'd hate to have to replace it."
The exchange between them, though hesitant at first, gradually grew stronger. Their coffee grew cold as the topics ranged from mountain-bikes to Mozart.
Kerry couldn't remember the last time she had been able to talk to someone so easily.
Eventually, however the topic came round to Lucy.
"Poor kid," said Dave. "All I could think while she was in trauma, was that with any other patient I would have been excited to get the case, but when you started with the sternal saw, I couldn't even look at it."
"You did fine. It's just its harder having to work on someone you know, than a complete stranger."
For some reason this seemed to make Dave more troubled.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Kerry.
"My Mom died a couple of years ago," he began slowly. "She'd had heart trouble for a while, and one holiday we'd just finished dinner, when she had a heart attack. I had just started med-school, knew CPR and all that. I worked on her until the paramedics got there, but she was DOA."
"I'm so sorry," said Kerry. Instinctively she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.
"That's partly why I went into Emergency medicine. I felt that if I'd known more, maybe I could have done something differently and she would have survived."
"You've no way of knowing that. I'm sure you did all you could."
"Yeah. I know that now. I can remember everything I did, and nothing would have made any difference, but still."
They sat in silence together for a while before Kerry made a move.
"I really should be going," she said. "But I'll take a look at your arm before I leave."
Kerry deftly reapplied the antibiotic ointment and redressed the wound. Although she was as gentle as possible, she could see that the procedure was causing Dave some pain.
"There," she said as she replaced the bandages. "That'll keep it for a while."
"Thanks chief," said Dave. "I should be able to manage it myself tomorrow."
Kerry hesitated before saying offhandedly "I could always come by after work and do it for you. I mean it is a bit awkward for you to do yourself."
A part of her hoped he would decline her offer. Another part of her was hoping to spend another evening with him.
"I'd like that chief,"
"You can call me Kerry when we're not working."
"I'd like that Kerry."
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