Two weeks had passed since Dr. Faith had gone missing and there had been so sign of her.
Yet, as time didn't stop, life went on and it was easier to keep going than it was for others.
Desperate to hide his traumatic past from his colleagues, Dave had forced himself into a routine and behind a mask that made it seem like everything was okay. He was very good at pretending.
There had been no more sessions with Dr. DeRaad because of his full schedule, yet there had been a private agreement that once a slot opened up, another meeting would take place. If no slot opened up, Dave had agreed to return to hypnosis counselling in the new year.
In the meantime, both Dr. Romano and DeRaad had encouraged Dave to come to a balance between work, raising Daniel, and emotionally sorting out his past, which he had promised to do.
However, with Christmas drawing nearer, Dave found himself under even more pressure to save up money so that he could buy Daniel some half-decent Christmas presents. He had confided in Nathan and made him swear not to tell anyone and Nathan had given his word, despite him and his siblings living with Dr. Romano and being forbidden from lying about anything.
Since he and Daniel still lived with Luka and Joe, food and shelter was no longer a problem, yet Dave wanted to be able to provide at least one decent present for his son. He was still working in the ER to pay off his medical bill and not getting paid, nor did he want to borrow any more money.
With some quick talking, Dave had managed to get shifts from seven to three, afterwards taking the EL to Daniel's school and picking him up. He and Daniel would then play together on the playground equipment until it started to get dark, as it was one of the few inexpensive activities that they could do together, as money was very tight.
From there, Dave and Daniel would take the EL back to Luka's and, thanks to Luka giving him a spare key, Dave was able to get them into the apartment and use Luka's food to make them dinner. After dinner, Dave would either help Daniel with homework or read to him until it was time for Daniel to go to bed. He would put Daniel to bed and then sleep while he waited for Luka.
When Luka and Joe did get home, it would usually be nearly 10. While Luka put Joe to bed, Dave would wake up and sneak out with another set of keys that he kept secret from everyone.
With what money he could spare, Dave would take the EL back to Daniel's school and, despite his stitched up hand, he would do janitorial work until about three a.m. After locking the school back up, he would walk to County and sleep in the lounge, depending on whether or not it was busy.
Luka didn't mind taking Daniel to school, as Joe liked the car rides and although he secretly knew that Dave kept sneaking out to hold down a night job, he wasn't sure what to do about it.
Once the stitches had been taken out of his hand, Dave was then able to take care of shovelling the playground paths, sidewalks, and cleaning the equipment off despite the continual cold.
Unfortunately, because of the continued cold spell and strange sleeping hours, Dave found that the continued stress was taking a toll on his health. Yet, he couldn't stop working so hard: he had to keep trying to prove to himself that he was competent.
The digital clock over the lounge door switched to 0400 as Dave walked into the ER wearing scrubs that he had again borrowed from Luka and his special white coat.
"Morning Doctor Malucci," Frank, who was at the desk doing paperwork, said, as Dave walked approached the desk. "You're in early today."
Dave nodded and coughed, "Are there any patients to see, Frank?" he asked, as he moved around the desk to look at the board.
"Last one was discharged around two," Frank replied, concerned by the dark circles under Dr. Malucci's eyes and his strange cough. "Carter's sleeping in the lounge and Doctor Greene is upstairs in the cafeteria...If you could use a little more sleep, I think Exam One is open."
Giving Frank a grateful smile, Dave signed in and walked off in the direction of Exam One.
Unfortunately, what Dave didn't realize is that the day would soon turn into proverbial chaos.
The clock read 0600 when Carter, who had been able to catch up on sleep that he had missed the other night while talking with Abby at his house, strode out of the lounge.
At his insistence, Abby was still at the mansion and just relaxing until he was able to get off later and they could talk some more. They were slowly falling back in love with eachother.
"Any patients, Frank?" Carter asked, as he strode over to the desk.
Frank shook his head, "Malik's sleeping in Curtain Area One, Doctor Greene's still upstairs in the cafeteria, and Doctor Malucci is sleeping in Exam One...Weaver's not on until nine...Doctor Benton and Doctor Finch are on at eight."
"Malucci's here already?" Carter asked, suddenly curious. "I thought he wasn't on until seven."
Not wanting to start gossiping about Dr. Malucci and get the wrath of Dr. Weaver, Frank shrugged and turned away. Carter scoffed, Malucci had been getting a lot of special treatment lately, as if he were suddenly made of glass. Everyone was acting as if they suddenly cared about Malucci.
An idea suddenly came to mind, causing Carter to grin maliciously. He could play a little prank on Malucci to remind him that he still had respect to earn and that he was still the "low man."
However, he would need help to pull the prank off. He went off to wake Malik up so he could help.
"I'm almost done with the restraints, Malik," Carter whispered, so not to wake Dave until the prank was completely set up. "Just wheel that surgical light over...There, he's tied up tight."
Carter had woken up Malik and after telling him the idea and sending him to Exam One to make sure that Dr. Malucci was still asleep, he had gotten some restraints and a surgical light.
"All right, flip the light on," Carter whispered, as he stepped quietly away from the gurney.
Light suddenly hit Dave's face and as Dave woke up gasping, Carter and Malik turned away laughing at the effectiveness of their prank. They weren't unaware that Dave was quietly panicking on the gurney, whispering that he didn't want to die as he trembled violently, as if he were trapped.
"Sorry about that, Dave," Carter said, as he flipped the regular light on. "Just having a little fun."
Concerned that Dr. Malucci wasn't saying anything, Malik moved back over to the gurney and was horrified to see that he was laying motionless on the gurney.
"Doctor Malucci's not breathing, Carter," Malik said, as he placed his ear on Dave's chest and didn't hear any breath sounds and then started checking other vitals. "Skin is cold and clammy..."
Carter ran over and shook Dave's shoulders, wondering if Dave was faking, "Dave?" he asked, concerned when there was no response. "Malik, I'm getting Doctor Greene."
As Carter ran from the room, Malik swore and began doing mouth-to-mouth.
Although the prank had originally sounded like a good idea, as it would be something to do to pass the time until patients came in. Now, however, Malik regretted having any part of it.
A few minutes passed and suddenly, the door opened, "What happened?" Mark asked, as he rushed into the room and saw Malik doing chest compressions on Dave.
"Uh, I kind of played a little prank on Dave while he was sleeping," Carter replied, as he came into the room. "I put him in restraints and flashed a surgical light in his face. When I turned on the lights to apologize, Malik noticed that Dave was unresponsive and not breathing..."
Suddenly, Dave sputtered and began gasping for air, but his eyes didn't open, "Malik, stop compressions and check his blood pressure," Mark ordered, as he pulled an oxygen mask from the wall and placed it over Dave's face.
"BP's low, 90/60," Malik stated, as he pulled the cuff from Dave's arm.
Mark nodded as he adjusted the oxygen output, "Carter, start an IV of saline," he ordered, as he moved towards the door. "I'm going to phone upstairs to Anspaugh and then I'll be back. Malik, if Malucci wakes up, keep him lying down and tell him to relax..."
Realizing that he could end up suspended for his little prank, Carter gulped and moved over to the medical cabinet to grab an IV bag. As Mark left the room, Carter moved back over to the gurney.
"What...What are you sticking in my arm, Carter?" Dave suddenly asked as he opened his eyes, only to find a mask on his face and something being stuck in his arm. "Why am I restrained?"
Carter's eyes widened and, finishing the IV, he began to quickly untie the restraints, "You were sleeping and I thought it would be funny to tie you to the bed and shine a surgical light in your face to wake you up," he confessed, throwing the restraints on the floor. "I am so sorry, Dave."
Dave was silent for a moment and then sat up, "Woah, Doctor Greene says that you're supposed to stay laying down and relax," Malik said in an alarmed tone. "He'll be back in a minute."
"Well, if Doctor Greene has a problem with it, he can fire me himself or get Doctor Weaver to do it," Dave replied, as he swung his legs over the bed and tossed the mask away. "I'll keep the IV in until it runs dry, but I am not going to lay in here like a helpless patient."
Glaring at Carter, Dave rose and used the IV pole to support himself, "Does anyone know if Doctor DeRaad or Doctor Romano are on yet?" he asked, as he moved towards the door.
"Dave, maybe you should wait for Doctor Greene to come back.." Carter started to say, only to have Dave walk out of the room. "Dave..."
Having just reported Carter's actions to Dr. Anspaugh on the phone, Dr. Greene hung up the phone just in time to see Dave storm into the lounge holding the IV pole with the IV still in his arm.
"Doctor Greene, both Malik and I tried to get Malucci to rest," Carter said, as he stopped to rest from running after Dave. "I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't even listen..."
Mark sighed, "Carter, I think you'd better give Malucci some space," he recommended.
"Why is everyone suddenly so nice to Malucci all of a sudden?" Carter snapped in frustration before he could stop himself. "He's been acting weird and you all treat him like glass...Wait, has Malucci got a drug problem or something? Everyone around here...is Malucci an addict?"
Shaking his head, Mark glared at Carter, "No, Malucci is not an addict," he replied. "He's just got a lot of responsibility on his shoulders with working here and raising a son."
"Why isn't Malucci's wife helping him raise Daniel?" Carter snapped, annoyed that Mark seemed to be sidestepping his question about Malucci being a drug addict. "From what I know about him, Malucci could hardly take care of himself, let alone raise a child responsibly without help."
The lounge door suddenly swung open and shut, "My wife has been dead since Daniel was nearly a month old," a familiar voice said. "He was about two or so when I was fired from County.."
Mark and Carter turned to see Dave standing behind them with a bottle of apple juice in one hand while he held on to the IV pole with the other, "Dave, I-." Carter said, suddenly embarrassed.
"I was a third-year medical student when it happened, my wife was an LPN at the same hospital in Grenada," Dave continued, holding up his hand to silence Carter. "Daniel had just been born a month earlier and Amy was a big help with him, despite being a single mother to three kids already...Anyway, we decided to take a little drive after work and we end up crashing because some person cut the brakes on my car...I got out and tried to save my wife, but I was stabbed."
Mark's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything, as he wanted Dave to start getting stress out of his system in a healthy fashion and talking about it was the healthiest way to heal. As long as Dave didn't hit Carter, things were under control.
Carter's mouth dropped open, "Stabbed?" he asked, wondering if Dave was joking about it or not, as he had been stabbed years before and had suffered some nasty after effects from it. "Why?"
"Well, Carter, I beat up a guy for hurting his ex and he wasn't too thrilled about it," Dave replied, his voice calm as he looked Carter in the eye. "He somehow found out who I was, stalked me while I was on rounds, and found out where I parked my car during the daytime...Apparently, he then followed my car on a motorcycle and stabbed me as I tried to save my wife from dying."
Dave suddenly broke off coughing and stumbled back into the lounge with a hand on his chest.
"Malucci?" Mark asked, concerned that another panic attack was going to happen.
There was another cough and a sigh, "I'm all right, just a little dry mouth from talking too much," Mark heard Dave's voice say. "It's still a half hour before my shift, so I'm gonna crash on the couch for a bit...Wake me if we get busy...The IV will be done by seven, I think."
Carter looked at the clock above the door and was shocked to see that it was six-thirty already.
An ambulance with sirens wailing suddenly pulled up. Mark looked at Carter expectantly.
"Let Doctor Malucci sleep until his shift starts," Mark said. "Carter, go and handle it. I'll get Malik and we'll join you in Trauma One."
Carter nodded and walked out into the ambulance bay. Mark sighed and moved off to find Malik.
It was 7:01 and Kerry Weaver came into the ER with a sobbing Henry on one shoulder and a fully stocked diaper bag on the other shoulder. Frank raised an eyebrow as she approached the desk.
"My usual babysitter called in sick and a temp's not coming by for another hour," Kerry complained, as she gave Frank a look that told him not to ask questions. "How come there isn't anything going on in the ER right now? Where are all the doctors?"
"Malucci's sleeping in the lounge, been here since four," Frank stated, as he worked on the computer. "Carter and Greene are upstairs in Doctor Anspaugh's office with Doctor Romano."
Kerry blinked in surprise, "Malucci's been here since four?" she asked, as she gently began to bounce Henry in an attempt to calm him down. "Why was Malucci in so early this morning?"
"I have no idea, he's in the lounge if you want to ask him," Frank, who had been sworn to secrecy by Dr. Greene about earlier events. "There's a lot of paperwork I have to do yet."
As she was used to Frank's mannerisms, Kerry nodded and carried Henry off towards the lounge.
The slam of a locker and a baby's cry woke Dave from his slumber on the couch just in time to see Dr. Weaver standing at her locker with a sobbing baby in her arms.
"Oh, hey Doctor Weaver," Dave said, fighting off a yawn. "What time is it?"
Kerry walked over to the couch, "Just after seven, but from what Frank tells me, you were here at four," she said, as she tried to calm Henry down by bouncing him. "Have a good sleep?"
Blinking, Dave sat up and nodded, "Who's the kid?" he asked, suddenly noticing the sobbing baby in Dr. Weaver's arms.
"I was in this marriage-like relationship with a firefighter named Sandy Lopez a while ago," Kerry explained, as she took a seat on the couch beside him. "She passed away and after a huge custody battle, I was able to keep Henry...I usually have a babysitter for him while I'm at work, but she called in sick today and a temporary one isn't coming until eight.."
The sound of sirens could suddenly be heard outside. Kerry groaned, she didn't need this today.
"Hey, Chief, if you want, I could look after Henry until the temp gets here," Dave offered, holding out his arms.
Kerry gave Dave a questioning look and then carefully handed Henry over to him. Dave studied Henry for a moment and then carefully removed his jacket, hat, gloves, and boots. He also undid the top button of Henry's shirt. Almost immediately, Henry stopped crying and looked up at Dave.
"If a baby gets too warm, they start to feel smothered and will cry until they're cooled down a bit," Dave explained. "At least, that's what I remember from when Daniel was a baby. If I dressed him too warmly, he used to scream his head off. I couldn't even take him outside sometimes in the summer, as it would be too hot. We'd sit inside and he'd sleep while I studied."
Intrigued, Kerry pulled the diaper bag off her shoulder and opened it, "Was this in Grenada?" she asked, as she handed Dave a prepped bottle to give to Henry. "If I remember correctly, didn't you go to medical school in Grenada?"
As he offered the bottle to Henry and Henry began to suck on it, Dave nodded, "Yeah, Daniel was born when I was barely into my third year of medical school," he replied. "It was a struggle trying to balance finishing school with raising him, but I had Amy as a good friend. She helped me out a lot...even though she had three kids already..She would watch Daniel when I was at the hospital."
"What about Daniel's mother?" Kerry asked, noticing that Dave had not yet mentioned his wife.
Dave was quiet for a moment, "Dana was an LPN at the hospital where I did my field work," he stated in a gentle voice of reminiscence. "She passed away when Daniel was a month old."
Henry finished the bottle and suddenly burped. Smiling, Dave set the empty bottle on the couch and gently lifted Henry to his shoulder, "You've got quite a son here, Doctor Weaver," he said, as he gently burped Henry. "He seems like he also sees you as quite a good mother."
Kerry smiled and seemed like she wanted to talk to Malucci more about his dead wife, but, before she could, the door opened and Malik poked his head into the room, "Doctor Weaver, Doctor Malucci, we have a multiple MVA coming in...ETA is five minutes." he reported.
"You go ahead, Chief, I'll keep an eye on Henry until the other babysitter gets here," Dave said, as he gently shifted Henry down into his arms. "I think Carter and Doctor Greene are around to help."
Grateful that Malucci was willing to help her out, Kerry nodded and rose from the couch, "Thank you," she replied, as she left the lounge.
Dave nodded and began quietly talking to Henry, who quickly fell asleep in Dave's arms.
Across town, in a suburban neighborhood, Peter and Cleo walked out of a house followed by Jackie, Peter's very kind sister. Reese was sick and would be staying home from school that day.
Unfortunately, even though they wanted to stay home with Reese, both Peter and Cleo had to go work at County. Cleo had just gotten back from a pediatric conference in New York the night before and although she was tired, walking to the EL with Peter would wake her up.
Reese was in bed, but Cleo and Peter had reassured him that they would be back that night.
Peter had given Jackie detailed instructions and after Jackie reassured him that Reese would be just fine, he and Cleo had begun the walk to the station discussing their Christmas plans.
"...Peter, you are NOT singing at the ER party!" Cleo exclaimed as they walked down the street.
Peter gave Cleo a look and then started to laugh, "I guess glass would break if I started to sing, huh?" he replied, stepping closer to Cleo, as he wanted to kiss her.
As their lips met, a piercing scream sounded and a shot was fired.
Pulling apart, Cleo and Peter suddenly saw a battered woman running away from an enraged looking man whose face was covered in pepper spray and had a gun aimed at her. Peter released Cleo and they ran to the woman. Cleo and Peter grabbed hold of the frightened woman.
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE TRAMP!" the man shouted, as he cocked the gun.
"I-I need Dave, I need to get to County," Amy, who recognized Peter, gasped, as she struggled to stay on her feet. "Doctor Benton, I need to get to County...I need Doctor Malucci..."
Before Peter could reply, the gun went off several times. He turned just in time to see Cleo fall to the ground and he suddenly felt intense pain. Amy swore, but the gunman was running off.
"I've been shot...Cleo," Peter gasped, as he sank to the ground.
Immediately forgetting that she had endured two weeks of intense suffering at the hands of Elton, who she had just escaped from by spraying him and running, Amy swung into doctor mode.
Amy immediately saw that Dr. Benton had been shot in the abdomen and the wound was bleeding badly. She took off her tattered jacket, put it in a ball, and placed it over the wound. She then grabbed Peter's gloved hand and pressed it down on the jacket. Peter gasped in pain.
"It hurts...Cleo," Peter gasped, as he gazed up at the woman. "Doctor Faith?"
Nodding, Amy felt around Peter's jacket and extracted a cell phone from one of the pockets, "I am going to call for an ambulance and I want you to press down on that wound," she instructed. "Stay awake and keep pressing down on that wound, all right?"
Peter nodded and fought to stay awake, "Cleo, she's hurt," he gasped. "You look hurt too..."
"Don't worry about that," Amy replied, as she phoned 9-1-1, "Dispatch, this is Doctor Amy Romano and I need an ambulance...I have two GSW's here and they're both critical..."
As Peter lay there, pressing down on his abdomen, he wondered if itoday was his day to die.
A few moments later, Amy had placed the phone on the sidewalk, "You still awake, Doctor Benton?" she asked, as she turned her attention to Cleo.
"Yeah, I'm still awake," Peter replied, as he kept pressure on the gunshot wound.
Amy nodded and, realizing that Cleo wasn't breathing, she checked Cleo's airway and was horrified to see blood in her throat. She pulled a pen from Cleo's jacket and extracted a small knife that she had hidden from Elton in her sock. A tracheotomy had do be done right away. She was hurt, yes, but Cleo and Peter were hurt a lot worse.
"I'm so sorry that I have to do this," Amy whispered, as she undid Cleo's coat and her collar buttons, exposing her neck. "It's the only way to save your life..."
On the ground, Peter heard Amy and tears came to his eyes, but he remained awake as ordered. Dr. Faith was crazy, but as he was hurt a lot worse, he was going to obey.
In silence, Amy opened the knife and began the trach. She could hear sirens in the distance.
