Nephrology Floor – Cook County General Hospital

Gazing through the rain spattered window, Dave let out a sigh; it hadn't taken a long time to clean Victor up and get him some clean clothes, but something about the whole encounter made Dave uneasy.

Instead of focusing on the negatives, however, Dave had returned his white coat to his locker for safekeeping and had decided to pay a visit to Carter to calm his frayed nerves over Elton's call.

"Dave?"

Dave turned and saw Abby standing outside the door to Carter's room with a coffee cup in her hand and a small smile on her face, "I'm just on break and I thought I'd come up to visit Carter," he explained, smiling at Abby. "Where's the baby? Did Adele already find a placement for her?"

"The baby's in with John," Abby replied in a gentle tone. "Having her nearby helps him to feel better."

Dave nodded and moved over to the door; through the glass window, he could see Carter in bed with a dialysis access in one arm and IV lines in the other, chest tubes underneath a clean gown, and a blanket covering him from the waist down while pillows supported his back. The baby was in a carrier on a chair that had been placed beside the bed and she was awake, dressed in a sleeper, and smiling at Carter.

"Carter doesn't look well," Dave stated in a low voice, seeing that Carter was trying hard to stay awake so that he could watch the baby look at him. "Is the baby healthy enough to be in there with him?"

Abby nodded, "She tested negative for HIV and only had a little dehydration," she replied softly. "It would mean so much to Carter, I think, if you came in for a moment and visited him."

Even though he figured Carter would want to see anyone other than him, Dave nodded and followed Abby into the hospital room. For a moment, Carter didn't even realize that Dave and Abby were there.

"Carter, Dave came by to visit," Abby stated in a gentle voice. "How are you feeling?"

Carter looked away from the baby at Dave and Abby, "Hey Dave," Carter said in weak voice. "Nice of you to come by and visit…how are you and Daniel doing these days?"

"We're okay," Dave replied, giving Carter a reassuring smile. "How are you feeling?"

Carter sighed, "The dialysis keeps me alive," he replied faintly. "I just don't know for how much longer…"

There was silence as tears filled Carter's eyes, "Abby, I need to tell you something," he said in a tired voice. "Back when I was first well enough to have visitors, I had a lawyer come by while you were out-"

"John, don't," Abby interrupted, not wanting to deal with the fact that Carter was in danger of dying.

Carter cleared his throat, "—I had a lawyer come by and draft up a new will," he continued, ignoring the looks of discomfort on both Abby and Dave's faces. "I left everything to you, so you'll be okay."

Dave bit his lip and said nothing, but he was cringing about Carter's words inside, "John, thank you," Abby replied in a strained voice. "I just don't know what I'd do, though, if you-"

"I'll write reference letters so you can find work if you want to," Dave quietly offered, swallowing hard.

Carter blinked tiredly and smiled; he was beginning to wish he were asleep, but he didn't want to be rude in sending his visitors away. After all, they did take time out of their days to visit with him.

"Well, Carter, I should really get back to the ER," Dave said, seeing the tiredness in Carter's eyes. "I'm technically finished my break and I'm sure there are plenty of patients to see. Nice seeing you."

Carter managed a weak nod, "Abby will walk you out, if you want," he said. "She could probably use a break and some time to spend with the baby anyway. Give my love to everyone in the ER, Dave."

Swallowing hard, Abby nodded and gently kissed Carter. She then carefully picked up the carrier and moved towards the door, amused that the baby was gurgling happily. Dave moved over to the door.

Everything became quiet as Carter drifted back to sleep; a tear suddenly slid down his pale face.

Not wanting to wake Carter up, Dave held the door for Abby as she carried the baby out of the room and then followed her into the hall, carefully closing the door behind him. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Excuse me, Doctor Malucci?" a concerned voice suddenly piped up from behind Dave.

Dave turned and saw a young nurse standing behind him holding a piece of paper, "The ER called and said that Doctor Corday is bringing Daniel from the school in an ambulance," she said in a worried tone.

All the color drained from Dave's face, "Did they say why?" he asked, imagining the worst.

The nurse shook her head and Dave looked at Abby apologetically, "Dave, we'll be fine," Abby said, knowing how much Daniel meant to Dave. "Go take care of your son. I hope he's okay."

Dave nodded and took off towards the elevator at a run. Abby sighed and looked down at the baby.

Maybe some food, rest, and a little time outside of the hospital would do them both some good.

Ever since Carter had been admitted, Abby hadn't spent a lot of time away from the hospital because she was either worrying about Carter or doing what she could for the baby; she loved them both.

O.R. # 3

The sound of nurses talking and starting up machines were somewhat relaxing, Nathan thought as he lay there, his back touching the cold operating table while a gown was draped loosely over his front. His casted arm was still in its sling and, he didn't want to say anything, but it hurt and the cast itched a lot.

Letting out a tired sigh, Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to relax, "…Nathan Romano?" a feminine British accent suddenly said as Nathan suddenly felt a warm hand touch his own.

Nathan opened his eyes and saw a dark-skinned woman dressed in surgical scrubs, a cap, and a mask hovering over him, "Doctor Benton got paged to cover the ER so I was assigned to do your takedown," Neela explained. "I'm Doctor Rasgotra-Gallant and you're going to be fine. Just relax, all right?"

"Doctor Rasgotra, anesthesia's ready," a voice suddenly said. "We'll give him a little sedative."

Nathan sighed, "Okay," he said, suddenly feeling a prick in his good arm. "I'm ready."

As Nathan fell asleep, Neela sighed and watched the nurses prepare a tray and give her a surgical gown, goggles, and gloves. Nathan looked so young to have to deal with this, but here he was on the table.

The phone suddenly rang and a nurse promptly answered it with a traditional hospital greeting, "…Doctor Rasgotra, it's your husband calling long-distance from Iraq," the nurse stated.

"Put it on speaker," Neela stated in a relieved voice. "I'll talk while I do the takedown."

Nodding, the nurse promptly activated the speaker phone and as the surgery began, Neela focused on operating while responding to her husband's voice; it had been a while since they had spoken.

Emergency Room – Trauma One

"…Lucas did this?" Dave asked as he examined Ella's swollen and bruised arm. "Ella, does this hurt?"

Ella nodded and tried not to cry, "Lucas was acting really weird and he was really angry," she said in a quiet voice. "Is Daniel okay? He threw up while we were on the swings."

Dave sighed and briefly gazed over into the next trauma room where Elizabeth had settled Daniel on a gurney and was taking care of him with Lydia's help. When Dave had arrived downstairs, he had been given the responsibility of caring for Ella while Elizabeth offered to look after Daniel. Dave had checked Ella's vitals, given her an IV, and had now determined that Ella's arm might be broken.

With a sigh, Dave looked back at Ella; she was obviously scared, but trying to be very brave for him.

"Well, Ella, you need to have a picture taken of your arm," Dave said as he wrote an order for pain meds and an x-ray on the chart and handed it to Haleh. "It might be broken, but I'm not quite sure."

Ella cringed and looked over at the other room, "Doctor Dave, I want my mom and dad," she said in a quiet voice as she tried hard not to cry. "My arm really hurts and I don't know why Lucas hurt me."

"I don't know why he did either," Dave replied slowly, remembering some of the odd behavior he had been seeing from Lucas for the past couple of weeks. "Your mom is gonna come over here as soon as she can and I think someone is trying to find your dad. Do you want some juice or anything?"

Ella was quiet for a moment, "Can I have a book?" she asked quietly. "I really like to read."

Before Dave could reply, the door opened and Mark hurried in, "Ella, oh man," Mark said in a frantic voice as he came over to the gurney. "How are you doing? What happened?"

"Lucas shoved me off the swing," Ella stated quietly. "Doctor Dave's gonna get me a book to read."

Mark's eyes widened, but he didn't want to scare Ella, "Daddy, can you go see if Daniel's okay?" she asked, gazing over at the other trauma room. "He threw up at the school and he's really scared."

Mark frowned and looked over into the other room; Daniel was now in a gown and Elizabeth was doing an abdominal ultrasound on him. Daniel looked very pale and had a bedpan in his hands.

"Doctor Corday wanted me to look after Ella," Dave replied as he gently set Ella's ankle on a pillow that had been placed there by Haleh. "She said that it would be too stressful for me to treat Daniel."

Haleh hung up the phone, "X-ray's ready for her," she stated in a gentle tone. "Want me to take her?"

There was silence and Mark saw that Dave was looking over at the other trauma room again, "Dave, if you want to go sit with Daniel, I can take Ella to x-ray," Mark said in a reassuring tone.

Dave nodded and silently moved to the next trauma room in silence with his eyes focused on Daniel.

Daniel smiled weakly as Dave approached the gurney, "Hey kiddo, I heard you got sick," Dave said in a gentle voice as he took Daniel's hand in his own and gazed at his son. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts," Daniel replied in a soft voice. "I wasn't feeling good when I woke up today."

Dave nodded and gently stroked Daniel's bangs back from his forehead, "What tests have been done already?" he asked, not paying attention to whom all was in the room. "I want to stay with him."

"The bloodwork was done and it's not back from the lab yet," Elizabeth stated; she hadn't left the room yet and wanted Dave to have peace of mind. "I did an ultrasound too, but the bloodwork—"

"—will confirm the diagnosis," Dave replied in a soft voice as he gazed down at Daniel. "I know."

There was silence for a moment and then Kerry suddenly entered the room, "Doctor Malucci, I heard at the desk that Daniel had been brought in," she said as she approached the bed. "I understand that you want to tend to your son, but did you happen to take care of Victor Clemente before you came here?"

"Yep, it wasn't hard to patch Victor up," Dave replied softly. "He left right away and I was upstairs visiting Carter when I was told about Daniel by one of the nurses. Victor's chart is at the desk, but—"

Kerry nodded, "I'll take care of it," she replied gently, frowning at Daniel. "How are you doing, Daniel?"

"My stomach hurts," Daniel whispered as he looked at her. "Having my dad here with me helps."

Kerry sighed, "Haleh, would you get Doctor Malucci a chair?" she asked, gazing at Haleh, who was nearby. "Doctor Malucci, I'm going to call in Doctor Faith to cover the rest of your shift, all right?"

Haleh brought a small stool over to the gurney and set it down near Dave, "Thanks Haleh," Dave said in a soft voice as he sat down on the stool. "Doctor Weaver, don't tell Amy about Lucas, okay?"

"Lucas?" Kerry asked, a frown on her face. "How was Lucas Romano involved in all of this?"

Elizabeth scoffed, "Ella said that Lucas was the one that pushed her off the swing," she said as she looked into the other trauma room to check on Ella. "Another boy, Alex Taggart, was also there."

"Why would Lucas do something like that?" Kerry asked in a concerned tone. "It's strange-"

Without warning, Daniel threw up all over his gown and on Dave, "My stomach is really bugging me now, Dad," Daniel whispered as Dave rose and moved the chair away. "I'm sorry for puking on you."

"Could be appendicitis," Kerry replied gently. "What did the bloodwork and ultrasound indicate?"

Dave shrugged, "Doctor Corday did an ultrasound, but the lab results aren't back yet," he stated as he moved towards the door. "Daniel, I need to go clean up, but I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Daniel nodded and Dave left, "I'm just glad my dad wasn't wearing his cool doctor's coat," Daniel said in a tired voice as he looked at the vomit on the floor and then at Kerry. "I love my dad so much."

"I know you do, Daniel," Kerry replied softly. "Your dad seems to love you a lot too."

Elizabeth came over to the gurney, "I'm sorry that your stomach is hurting worse, Daniel," she said in an apologetic voice. "I'll go check on those labs right away. I don't want your appendix to burst."

"I'll stay with him, Elizabeth, don't worry," Kerry promised as Elizabeth moved towards the doors.

As Elizabeth left, Kerry gently stroked Daniel's hair to reassure the young child that he wasn't alone.

Relieved that nobody could recognize him in the janitor uniform that he had borrowed from the hospital laundry room, Victor watched as Dave, who had puke on his scrubs, disappear into the shower room.

Victor grinned; Elton would enjoy hearing that Dave Malucci was still working at County General and seemed to be balancing work and fatherhood like a pro. It was disgusting that Malucci was doing well.

"…Aw Mom, I only freaked out because the puke was gross," Victor suddenly heard as a blonde-haired woman in scrubs led a little boy over to the admit area. "My blood sugar's fine."

Sam sighed and lifted Alex on to an empty chair, "Yeah right, kiddo, I know that you didn't eat much breakfast this morning and low blood sugar can cause irritability," she said in a soft voice.

"Hey, I wasn't the meanest one there," Alex replied as he watched his mother rummage under the desk for some food. "That Lucas Romano kid scared the crap out of me. I thought he was gonna hurt me."

Sam nodded and smiled when she unearthed a granola bar, "Here, I want you to eat this and then go make friends with Daniel," she said in a stern voice as she handed him the granola bar. "He's sick and in the trauma room right now with Doctor Weaver. I'm sure he'd like a visit to cheer him up."

Alex nodded, "Okay," he replied in a kind voice as he unwrapped the granola bar. "Love you mom."

"Love you too, kiddo," Sam said, smiling at Alex. "Where's Jerry at? He's supposed to be here."

Alex shrugged and began eating just as Mark came over to the desk with a pair of clean blue scrubs and a white coat under his arm, "Where's Doctor Malucci at?" he asked. "I heard Daniel threw up on him."

"I saw some guy with puke on him go into the shower room," Alex said, his mouth full of granola bar.

Sam sighed, "That answers your question, Doctor Greene," she stated. "How's his son doing?"

"Doctor Weaver's keeping him company while Elizabeth goes and looks for the lab results," Mark replied in a gentle tone. "I grabbed him some clean scrubs from the supply closet and his coat from his locker."

Alex swallowed a mouthful of granola bar, "Why does Daniel's dad wear a coat and scrubs?" he asked, gazing at Sam curiously. "Hey Mom, why don't you go into the shower room and see Doctor Malucci?"

"Uh, Doctor Malucci prefers his privacy," Mark lied, not wanting Dave to suffer any humiliation that would come from Sam possibly seeing Dave's scarred back. "I can take the clothes to him."

Sam nodded and turned her attention back to Alex. Mark sighed and moved towards the shower room.

Silence greeted Mark as he entered the large shower room and Dave was nowhere in sight either.

"Dave?" Mark asked as he set the clothes on one of the benches. "Dave, are you okay in here?"

There was silence, so Mark moved further in and suddenly came upon Dave standing in front of a mirror with a towel around his waist; he was staring into the mirror at older scars all over his torso and arms.

"Dave?" Mark asked, frowning at the amount of scarring on Dave that indicated past abuse.

Suddenly realizing that he wasn't alone, Dave turned a deep shade of red, grabbed the clothes from Mark's hands and retreated into a changing cubicle, locking the door behind him.

"Thanks for the clothes, Doctor Greene," Dave said in a quiet voice. "Could you grab my shoes from near the shower before you go? I think I left them over there. I don't have any clean socks, but that's okay."

Mark sighed and moved around to the shower area; he could see Dave's shoes, which were wrapped with duct tape, on the floor next to one of the showers and they looked frayed and dirty.

"You should think about investing in a new pair of shoes," Mark stated as he picked up the shoes.

There was silence and then a sigh, "Shoes aren't in the budget right now," Dave replied quietly.

The cubicle door opened, there were footsteps, and then Dave appeared, clad in the clean scrubs with his coat covering them; he carefully took the shoes from Mark and slipped them over his bare feet.

"I've got important expenses which I put a lot of my salary towards," Dave lied in a tired voice. "Nice shoes and new clothes for me are low on my priority list. "I save what I can in case of a rainy day."

There was an awkward silence and then Dave sighed, "I should get back to Daniel," he said in a tired voice. "Doctor Weaver said she was going to call Amy in to cover the rest of my shift today."

Mark nodded and was quiet as Dave left the shower room. Why was Dave so uncomfortable about the extra scarring on his body? Mark sighed; maybe he should do a little detective work on Dave's past and see what had happened to him.

"…the blood test confirms what the ultrasound showed," Dave heard Elizabeth tell Kerry as he came back into the room and saw Kerry and Elizabeth standing on either side of Daniel's gurney.

Dave immediately saw Daniel frown, "Did you find out why my stomach hurts?" he asked quietly.

"Well, Daniel, it seems that your appendix needs to come out," Elizabeth stated in a gentle tone as she gazed into the next room and saw Mark putting a cast on Ella's arm. "It's a simple operation."

Realizing that Elizabeth was concerned about Ella, Kerry moved towards the other door, "Elizabeth, I can help Mark with Ella," Kerry promised. "I think you and Doctor Malucci can take care of Daniel."

"I don't want you missing work because of me, Dad," Daniel said as he gazed at Dave worriedly.

Dave sighed and took Daniel's hand as Kerry moved into the other room, "It's okay, someone else is going to cover for me so I can be here for you," he said in a soft voice. "I would do anything for you."

"We should really get Daniel upstairs, Doctor Malucci," Elizabeth stated, giving Dave a calm smile.

Dave nodded and helped Elizabeth move the gurney out of the room and down the hall towards the elevator, "Uh, Doctor Corday, could you see if someone could tell Doctor Romano about this? He put his neck out for me to be an ER Attending and I don't want him to think that I'm slacking off."

"I'm sure somebody can let him know," Elizabeth replied as they rolled Daniel's gurney up to the elevator and she pressed the button to go up. "He won't think anything badly of you for this."

Dave nodded just as Sam and Alex came over to the elevators, "I took Alex to the trauma room, but Doctor Weaver said that you were taking Daniel upstairs," she said. "Is everything okay?"

"Daniel has appendicitis," Dave replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable about the concerned look Sam was giving him. "He needs surgery right away to take it out. I'm going to wait upstairs."

Sam nodded, "Do you want some company?" she asked. "Alex and I could come wait with you."

Dave winced as the elevator door opened, "Uh, no sense in two of us missing our shifts and losing pay," he lied, trying to keep his voice gentle. "Maybe Alex can visit Daniel once he's in a patient room, okay?"

With a sigh, Dave quickly helped Elizabeth roll Daniel into the elevator, "I hope Daniel does okay," Sam said, secretly relieved that Dave wasn't the flirtatious doctor type. "See you later, Doctor Malucci."

The doors slid shut and Sam put an arm around Alex, "Why don't I get you settled in the lounge and you can do your homework that you didn't do last night?" she said as she led him off towards the lounge.

Unknown to anyone, Victor had come back and was posing as a janitor so that he could get information for Elton; he had seen Dave's interactions with everyone, including the discussion with Sam.

Now, armed with information that Malucci was possibly involved in a new relationship, Victor ditched the janitor's shirt in a laundry bin and escaped the ER on another elevator before anyone saw him.

The sound of video game beeping greeted Amy as she opened the door to her family home and led Jeanie inside the foyer; there were three pairs of boots near the door, but the floor was very clean.

"Luka?" Amy asked as she and Jeanie walked into the living room and saw Katie playing Nintendo while Erinn sat on the couch reading a book. "Erinn, what are you doing home from school early and Katie, what are you doing playing Nintendo? I thought I left you schoolwork to do this morning."

Katie paused the game and smiled at Amy, "Daddy Luka let me have a break from the work," Katie said.

"Erinn, why are you home already?" Amy asked again, nodding at Katie's explanation. "Are you okay?"

Erinn sighed, "I wasn't feeling good this morning," she lied, not wanting to tell her mother or Luka that she had not wanted to go to school with Lucas because he had been acting semi-abusive lately.

Amy frowned and moved over to the couch, "Does Luka even know you're home?" she asked as she sat down next to her oldest daughter. "He or I could have come to the school if you had called."

Erinn shook her head and scooted closer to Amy, but before Amy could reply, the phone rang from the other room. As she pulled Erin into a cuddle, Amy heard Luka answer it and Joe's tiny gurgles.

"Amy, it's Kerry on the phone," Luka said as he came into the living room. "She needs to talk to you."

Amy nodded and, taking the phone, she watched as Luka frowned at Erinn and silently moved back into the kitchen. "Hi Kerry, how are you?" Amy asked in a gentle voice. "…..Really? Oh man, oh man."

There was silence for a few moments, "Yes, I can come in and cover the rest of Dave's shift," Amy said in a gentle voice as she gazed at Jeanie. "I'll come in right away…..Okay, Kerry, see you soon. Bye."

Amy clicked the cordless phone off and set it on the end table next to the couchjust as Luka came back into the living room with Joe in his arms, "I have to go cover the rest of Dave's shift," she said in a tired tone. "Daniel came into the ER with appendicitis and has to have surgery. Kerry asked me to work so that Dave can stay with Daniel."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Luka asked in a concerned voice. "You already took Nathan to the hospital this morning on the El. Are you sure you won't get too tired or stressed from ER work?"

Jeanie smiled and Amy chuckled, "Luka, I'm perfectly fine," Amy replied gently. "I just need someone to look after Erinn, Katie, and Joe for a while. I want you to go and be with Nathan tonight, okay?"

"I can stay with the kids for a while," Jeanie offered. "I'll even go get Lucas at school for you."

Amy smiled, "That would be excellent," she said as she took Joe from Luka and handed him to Jeanie. "I trust you with my kids, don't worry. I think Lucas plans to play basketball after school, though."

Jeanie nodded and smiled as Joe touched her face, "There's a box of surgical gloves in the kitchen if Joe ends up needing to be changed," Amy explained gently as she stood up. "Or Erinn can change him."

"I'll drive us both to the hospital," Luka stated in a firm voice. "You'll need lots of energy for work."

Amy nodded, gently stroked Erinn and Katie's hair, and kissed Joe's cheek, "Be good for Jeanie," Amy stated in a gentle voice as Luka went to get the keys. "Jeanie, when Lucas comes home, tell him to do his homework, all right?"

Luka returned with the keys and put an arm around Amy, "Let's go," he said in a gentle tone.

Amy nodded and allowed Luka to lead her out of the house. As the door closed, Jeanie smiled and sat down next to Erinn. She was about to remind Katie to turn the Nintendo off when the phone rang.

With a sigh, Jeanie reached for the phone and turned it on, only to hear a dial tone; she sighed and clicked the phone off, "Katie, your mom said to turn off the Nintendo," she said in a gentle tone.

Katie nodded and turned the machine off, "My schoolwork's in the kitchen," she said, standing up and smiling at Jeanie. "Erinn, can you help me with it? I wanna get it done quickly so I can have fun."

"I'm gonna have a nap for a little while," Erinn softly replied. "Can you have Jeanie help you?"

Katie nodded and grabbed Jeanie's free hand; she gently dragged both her and Joe into the kitchen.

Erinn sighed and laid back; she felt absolutely terrible and anxious, but didn't want to bother Luka, her mother, or anyone else with her worries. She could handle the stress of Lucas and her personal life on her own, hopefully.

Shivering anxiously, Lucas hung up the receiver and moved away from the pay phone; the Speed was starting to wear off again, but he had used up the whole bottle and needed more to calm down.

Now that his mind was clearer, Lucas realized that he could have seriously hurt Ella by pushing her off the swing and that the school would most likely contact his mother about the incident. He had become dependent on the pills from Sarah's bag and found that without them, he was starting to lose focus.

As he moved into a quiet cemetery to calm himself, Lucas sighed; he knew he was in big trouble and that if he didn't talk to someone about it, his problems would only get worse and he could end up dead.

Swallowing hard, Lucas sank to his knees behind a tree and buried his face in his hands; all he wanted to do was make the pain and anxiety go away. Even if death was the only solution, he would embrace it.

Getting to his feet, Lucas was about to leave when he saw Dr. Benton enter the cemetery dressed in a suit and greatcoat with a nice bouquet of flowers in his hand; he looked relaxed, but very somber.

Lucas watched as Dr. Benton walked over to a nice tombstone near the middle of the cemetery and placed the bouquet on it; tears fell down Dr. Benton's face like rain, but Lucas didn't see them.

Not wanting to deal with any more stress, Lucas quietly slipped out of the cemetery; maybe he would visit the hospital and fake a medical problem severe enough that the docs would give him something.

Little did he know that Victor, who had been walking to catch a bus to the penitentiary to visit Elton with the information he garnered, had seen the entire scenario and was planning to tell Elton everything.

Swallowing hard, Dave hugged himself as he looked through the O.R. observation window; Elizabeth and the nurses appeared to be dealing with the anesthetized Daniel very gently and taking their time.

Panic rose in Dave's chest; he had been through a lot of surgeries as a child and teenager and he didn't want Daniel to go through surgery at all. At least the appendicitis wasn't something he caused.

"Doctor Malucci?" a concerned, yet very familiar voice asked as Dave began to rock back and forth.

Swallowing hard, Dave turned and saw Dr. Romano lingering in the doorway, "Kerry called my office and told me about Daniel having appendicitis," Dr. Romano stated in a soft voice as he walked over to Dave.

Dave nodded and bit his lip, "I spent enough time in hospitals as a kid," he stated in a toneless voice as he fought to keep from crying. "I didn't want Daniel to have to spend time in the hospital at ALL."

"I will say again what I said back when you first came into my care," Dr. Romano stated firmly as he gave Dave a gentle, yet very determined look. "Not everything is always within your control and that is NOT your fault; things just happen. You are not your father; you have a good heart and are very kind."

A tear slid down Dave's cheek, "After what I went through as a kid, seeing the hospital as a patient makes me uneasy," he stated softly, unaware that he was tensing up. "Ever since Dana was killed, I've always worried that I wasn't being a good enough father. I hate seeing Daniel undergo surgery like this."

"Well, Dave, I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue watching the surgery," Dr. Romano stated in a gentle, yet very firm voice. "I talked to Doctor Corday and she'll page me when the surgery's done."

Dave was silent, so Dr. Romano put an arm around him, "Let's go sit in the cafeteria and you can eat something decent while we wait," Dr. Romano stated in a no-nonsense tone. "I know Kerry called Amy in to cover the rest of your shift and that's fine. You're too stressed out to see patients anyway."

"Can we go to the hospital chapel where it's a little quieter?" Dave asked in a quiet voice. "I've never been much of a religious person, but the noise in the cafeteria would be a little too noisy right now."

Dr. Romano sighed, "Look, I'm willing to walk you over to the Jumbo Mart instead of the cafeteria for some food, but you WILL eat a proper meal," he said in a stern tone. "Either we go over there now and don't come back until Daniel is in a room, or I admit you for a stress test and observation."

"All right, we'll go," Dave replied, letting out a deep sigh of resignation. "Thank you for caring about me."

Dr. Romano nodded and gently led Dave out of the observation area to calm him down; as they moved towards the elevator, Dave sighed and tried to focus on relaxing and thinking that all would be well.

Little did they know, however, that the coming days, both the patience and faith of many would be tested heavily.