September

Chicago, Illinois

Coughing filled the air and Dave frowned, gently rubbing Daniel's back as he covered his young son with his coat and held him close as they walked up the ambulance bay together. Even though Dave wasn't scheduled to work until later that day and he had planned to meet John, Abby, and Maggie for breakfast, Daniel had barely been able to wake up this morning due to tiredness and lethargy, which had been happening for several days and Dave had done all he could before he finally knew to take him into the ER.

"I'm so tired, Dad," Daniel spoke groggily as they entered the ER. "Why am I not feeling good today?"

Dave sighed and silently led Daniel over to an exam bed after letting them both into the ER, "Just hop up on the bed and I'll get a nurse," he said softly, sighing as Daniel climbed on to the bed. "I know it sucks."

Daniel nodded and laid down, "Doctor Malucci, it's early," Dave suddenly heard a gentle voice say.

Swallowing hard, Dave turned and saw Amy standing there in scrubs and sneakers with her belly protruding outward and her hair up, "You did an all-nighter?" he asked in a concerned voice, frowning.

"I thought I'd give Luka the chance to be at home with the kids at night for a few days," Amy replied softly, giving Dave a reassuring smile. "Besides, the babies like to kick at night and I might as well stay awake and active as much as I can as long as it's not super busy. I like that he's there to protect the children."

Dave nodded and Amy frowned as she looked at Daniel, "Are you not feeling well, Daniel?" she asked softly, smiling at Daniel as she approached the bed. "Why don't you and your dad tell me what's up?"

"Daniel's been very tired, has had a fever, and hard to wake up for the last several days," Dave explained in a concerned, but gentle voice, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I thought it was the flu or something similar, so I kept him home from school and gave him fluids, but this doesn't seem to be going away."

Amy nodded, "I'll start off by getting a nurse and getting some blood if you want to do vitals," she said in a professional voice, hoping Daniel was all right. "Do you want me to call anyone while I'm getting stuff?"

"No, I'll take care of it," Dave spoke softly. "We were gonna have breakfast with Carter and Abby today."

Amy sighed, "I know," she replied gently. "Just sit here with Daniel and I'll arrange everything, okay?"

As Amy walked off, Dave grabbed the receiver off the phone closest to the bed and tentatively dialled John's number, "Hi, John, this is Dave," he said softly. "I'm sorry, but I have to cancel on breakfast…"

Mercy Hospital

"Ray Barnett?"

Scoffing, Ray looked up from the book he was reading and was surprised to see a dark-haired woman in scrubs and a white coat standing in front of him, "I'm Doctor Banfield," the woman said in a curt voice.

Nodding, Ray got to his feet, "I'm glad you wanted to talk to me about helping me out," he spoke in a humble voice, crossing his arms. "I was afraid that after what County had to say, my chances would be…"

"I'm aware," Dr. Banfield replied calmly, cutting him off. "I had two residents go to County and because of that, I'm more than happy to take a medical student on as long as they are eager to learn something."

Ray nodded, "You'll be on probation until December and you'll work alongside Doctor Clemente, a newly minted resident who's shown great promise," Dr. Banfield said, leading Ray down the hallway to the desk.

Frowning, Ray remained silent as Dr. Clemente came to the desk with his hand extended, "I'm Doctor Clemente," he said in a cheerful voice, smiling until Dr. Banfield walked away to leave him with Ray.

"Look, Barnett, Elton Douglas is my cousin and said you had contact with Amy," Dr. Clemente hissed.

Ray's eyes widened in fear, but Dr. Clemente grabbed his wrist to keep him from running, "He told me to get as much information as I could about County, but they were full on staff so I got accepted here instead," he said in a dark voice. "Do you have to go to County for anything in the next few weeks?"

"I'm not going to County," Ray replied coldly, having no desire to share information with anyone connected to Elton after he had been injured at Amy's clinic. "I've come to Mercy to start fresh."

Quickly realizing that he would need to befriend Ray or follow him around to get information about County for Elton, Victor nodded, "Ah, it was a dumb thought anyway," he said apologetically. "I've just been on edge since Elton went to prison because I'm the only family he talks to anymore. Anyway, grab a coat…"

Ray nodded, "I'll take you on an orientation," Victor offered, determined to succeed like Elton wanted.

John sighed as Dave's message ended with an apology, "Dave cancelled on breakfast," he said in a distressed voice, pocketing his cell phone as he looked at Abby, who was holding Maggie as they walked alongside the river close to where they had agreed to meet for breakfast. "Maybe I pushed too hard."

"John, I don't think Dave backed out because he was scared," Abby replied softly. "Give him credit."

John nodded and turned briefly to view the river, "This is still a new situation for both of us, Abby, and I'm really trying hard to be patient, but I just want Dave to trust me," he spoke softly. "I'm gonna help him."

"It honestly doesn't help that your mother showed up drunk at the ER trying to talk to Dave while he was working," Abby commented in a concerned voice. "You have to understand that Dave is going through a lot right now emotionally and all you can do is just be there for him. Have you been to a counselor?"

Before John could reply, the EL stopped at a station on the platform above and the noise drowned out anything else he could say. Several people got off the platform, but John was focused on the river.

Abby, however, spotted a very familiar woman coming down the path in a pair of capris, a t-shirt, and a cream jacket with flat boots, "Doctor Chen?" she asked softly, peering at the approaching woman.

"Abby Lockhart?" Jing-Mei Chen asked softly, peering at Abby, John, and Maggie. "John…Carter?"

John's eyes widened as he turned and saw Jing-Mei there, "Hey, Jing-Mei, I'd like you to meet my wife, Abby, and our daughter, Maggie," he said calmly. "We adopted her from Africa a few months ago."

"Oh, wow," Jing-Mei replied in a pleasant voice, smiling. "I'm just back in Chicago for personal business."

John raised an eyebrow, "I was thinking of swinging by County to say hi to everyone while I was here," Jing-Mei commented pleasantly, frowning as Abby and John exchanged a look. "Don't you work there?"

"It's a bit complicated, but I was thinking of going by County later on anyway," Carter replied anxiously.

Abby smiled, "Why don't you join us for breakfast, Jing-Mei?" she offered gently. "Then we can all go."

"Sure," Jing-Mei replied softly, smiling as she walked alongside John, Abby, and Maggie. "I'd love to."

Cook County General

"You've been on all night?" Elizabeth, who had also been on surgical call all evening, asked as she spotted Amy working at the desk with a chart alongside her. "I would have thought Luka would have objected."

Amy sighed, "Luka had concerns, but I am just fine," she replied calmly. "Are you just getting off?"

Elizabeth nodded, "Mark had last night off and took Rachel and Ella to a movie last night," she replied in a tired voice. "Thankfully, the O.R. was reasonably slow last night and I got caught up on paperwork."

"I'm on until eight and then Luka will come in after he drops Erinn and Katie at school and Joe at daycare," Amy explained calmly. "Nathan has to work today and he and Lucas will work on school work together for a while. Lucas is going to start back in a few weeks and we got permission to have him do his work here."

Suddenly, Elizabeth looked concerned, "Mark and I were going to have Rachel come by after school until winter to help out, but if you're uncomfortable with her around Lucas or Nathan, I can see that she works somewhere else," she said in a concerned voice. "I understand that she caused quite a bit of problems…"

"It's fine, Elizabeth," Amy replied gently. "Luka and I talked with Lucas and he's extremely forgiving, but I am not going to speak for Nathan. However, Nathan is sensible and will also be respectful to Rachel."

Before Elizabeth could reply, Tony came into the ER looking frazzled and exhausted, "What's that smell?" Amy asked in a concerned voice, smelling a terrible odor. "Mister Gates, do I smell marijuana?"

"There was a red-haired guy in a white lab coat smoking outside by the dumpster," Tony replied quietly.

Elizabeth frowned and looked at Amy, "Exposure to marijuana could hurt the babies, so I'll go and see what doctor's smoking," she said in a calm voice. "Doctor Gates, I believe you're early this morning."

Tony nodded and Elizabeth stormed out into the bay where Morris was smoking marijuana, "Who are you and what do you think you are DOING out here?!" Elizabeth snapped angrily. "Marijuana is illegal!"

"I'm not on until eight," Morris replied, giving Elizabeth a look. "I'm doing my residency here."

Elizabeth tilted her head, "A new resident?" she asked in a concerned voice. "Who exactly are you?"

"Archie Morris," Morris replied, quickly putting the cigarette out. "I did my internship at Mercy."

Elizabeth nodded, "Greg Pratt and I are starting our ER rotations today, but Pratt's probably gonna be here closer to eight since he's got a wife who works at Northwestern," Morris replied calmly. "He's been in the States since summer, but I don't think his wife enjoys Chicago much because she rarely visits here."

"Oh," Elizabeth replied in an uncertain voice, frowning as a man and a woman came walking into the bay.

Morris smiled, "Greg, so you brought Kem to work with you this morning, huh?" he called out happily.

Pratt smiled and Kem managed a half-smile, "I'm Elizabeth Corday, a surgeon here," Elizabeth said, smiling at both Pratt and Kem. "I hear we're getting one of you as a new resident starting today, right?"

"That would be my husband," Kem replied calmly, gesturing to Pratt. "He wanted to work here."

Pratt smiled and strolled into the ER, relieved when he could let himself into the admit area with the ID card that Dr. Anspaugh had given him. He watched as a heavily pregnant female doctor came to the desk holding a chart and briefly talked to a heavyweight desk clerk before going to a curtained off area.

"Hey there, I'm Doctor Pratt," Pratt said as he approached the desk. "Is there anything I can do?"

Frank raised an eyebrow, "Wait for your supervisor to show up," he replied in a gruff voice. "Who is it?"

"I have no idea," Pratt replied calmly. "I was told to come here and ask Doctor Greene about that."

Frank nodded and frowned when the curtained area was opened up, revealing a concerned looking Dave standing next to a gurney that contained a little boy who looked scared while the pregnant doctor talked quietly to them both, "Dave Malucci?" Pratt called out as he walked over to them. "What's going on?"

"Daniel's sick," Dave replied in a stressed voice. "Amy Kovac, this is my friend, Doctor Greg Pratt."

Amy smiled and nodded as Daniel suddenly had a coughing fit, "Oh," Dave said in an anxious voice as he grabbed the oxygen mask off the wall and placed it over Daniel's face. "Take slow, deep breaths."

Daniel did so and sighed softly, "We're going to take Daniel to a private room for a spinal tap and a biopsy to check a couple of things," Amy explained softly, glancing at Dave. "If you'll excuse us, Doctor Pratt."

"Greg, could you please cover for me for a bit?" Dave asked softly. "I need to be with Daniel for now."

Pratt nodded, "Excuse me, why are you taking Daniel for procedures when he has a simple illness?" Elizabeth, who had just come inside and overheard Amy's instructions. "There's no cause for that."

"This bloodwork says there might be," Amy replied in a concerned voice, waving the chart. "Excuse us."

Elizabeth frowned and Dave sighed warily, "It's not so simple, but I don't feel the need to say any more than that," he spoke in an unusually soft voice. "If anyone asks, I'll be in Exam Two with Daniel."

As Amy and Dave rolled Daniel down the hallway, Elizabeth's scowl deepened and Pratt quickly walked over to her, "Look, I've known Dave for a long time and if he says something's wrong, it probably is," he said in a concerned, gentle voice. "I also know Dave is very protective of what happens in his family's life."

"Right," Elizabeth said in a voice of disbelief, intending to call Mark. "Excuse me, I need to get going."

The ringing of the phone brought Luka to awareness and he slowly sat up and yawned as he grabbed the phone off the stand next to the bed, "Hello?" he asked in a groggy voice. "Oh, hello there, Amy."

Luka listened intently for a few minutes as Amy told him that Daniel was sick and that she might still be there when he got on and then asked about the kids, "I'm just about to wake them all up," he replied.

Amy replied and Luka sighed, "I love you too," he said in a soft voice before the call ended. "Bye."

Sighing softly, Luka set the phone back on the stand and got out of bed, wasting no time in going down the hallway to wake each of his children up. Erinn was in Katie's room and both were nestled under the covers and working on waking up, causing Luka to wonder if Katie had a nightmare about something.

"Erinn, Katie?" Luka asked softly, knocking on the door. "It's time to get up and ready for school."

Katie immediately lifted her head, "Hi Daddy," she spoke softly. "Erinn says she doesn't feel well."

Luka frowned as Erinn lifted her head, "I think I started my period," Erinn spoke in a quiet voice.

"Okay, both of you out of bed," Luka replied in a concerned voice. "Why do you think…?"

Erinn sighed as she got out of bed, "Mommy and Doctor Dave taught lots of classes on different things to less fortunate people and I know that I have it," she said softly. "Can I borrow any of Mommy's pads?"

Luka's eyes went wide, but he nodded and watched as Erinn calmly left the room, "Daddy, I had a nightmare and Erinn heard me crying," Katie explained in a quiet voice. "Nathan and Lucas are outside."

"What did you have a nightmare about?" Luka asked softly, sitting on the end of the bed. "Africa?"

Katie shook her head, "I was dreaming about Nathan getting stabbed because I saw it," she replied softly.

"Oh," Luka replied, frowning as Katie turned and looked out the window. "What are you doing, Katie?"

Katie sighed, "Watching Nathan and Lucas," she replied softly. "They're out in the backyard."

Luka walked over to the window and saw that Nathan and Lucas were both sitting in the backyard sandbox with tools and buckets building what appeared to be a sandcastle, "Lucas was telling Nathan that he didn't get to do that at the hospital during the summer and he wanted to do it before he got cold," Katie explained softly, looking at Luka quizzically. "Nathan thought it would be a good idea to go do it."

Suddenly, Joe's cries filled the hallway, "Oh," Luka said softly. "I've got to go and see to Joe, okay?"

Katie nodded and continued looking out the window as Luka left the room and went into Joe's room, "Hey there, little Joe," Luka cooed as he lifted Joe out of his crib. "Let's say we get you all ready for the day?"

Joe smiled as Luka quickly changed his clothes and diaper before carrying him downstairs where Erinn was helping herself to some cereal, "Did you take care of it, Erinn?" Luka asked softly, setting Joe in his chair.

"Yeah, Dad, I did," Erinn replied softly. "Nathan and Lucas look like they're having a lot of fun out there."

Luka nodded and smiled as Nathan and Lucas came into the house with sand on their jeans, "Dad, Nathan helped me build a cool sandcastle," Lucas said softly. "We took a picture of it with Mom's camera."

Lucas showed Luka the picture and Luka smiled, "Cool," he replied calmly. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pop-Tarts?" Lucas asked softly, looking hopeful. "Mom said I need to fatten up a little bit."

Luka chuckled, "Pop-Tarts for everyone but Joe," he said in a pleasant voice. "Everyone to the table."

"The fluid looks clear," Amy spoke softly as she held up the vial of fluid for Dave to see. "See?"

Dave exhaled sharply, as he had held his breath while Daniel had been sedated and Amy had done the spinal tap to see what the result would be. The chart with the blood test results was on the portable table and all Dave could do was pray that it would be treatable, but he was ready to face whatever outcome.

"You should really talk to Carter and see if his family has a history of this sort of thing," Amy said softly as she cleaned and bandaged the spot on Daniel's back where she had done the tap. "I know your family…"

Dave sighed, but before he could speak, the door opened and Kerry came into the room, "Doctor Kovac, Doctor Malucci, I just heard from Doctor Corday that you were doing some tests on Daniel over a minor illness?" she asked in a concerned voice, gazing at the three of them. "What exactly are you up to?"

"Take a look at these lab results and you tell me that's a minor illness," Dave replied sharply as he thrust the chart at Kerry and sighed before sitting back in his chair. "I don't want everyone to know about this."

Raising an eyebrow at Dave's sharp tone, Kerry took the chart and frowned as she scanned it, "What are you going to do now?" she asked in a concerned voice. "Do you need any assistance, Doctor Kovac?"

"I'll turn the case over to the other Doctor Kovac when he comes in, I think," Amy replied softly, sighing as Kerry handed the chart back to Dave. "With Doctor Malucci's permission, I want to tell my father."

Dave nodded and sighed as he leaned on the gurney rail, "I'm not working for the rest of the morning at least, but you can call Abby or Carter to take my shift if you'd like," he spoke in a tired voice. "I'm sure either of them would appreciate the shift, but I can't focus on work today with Daniel in this condition."

"I'll take care of it," Kerry replied in a softer voice. "Can I get you breakfast or anything, Doctor Malucci?"

Dave shook his head, "I'll call Doctor Romano for you so you can stay with Daniel," Kerry said softly.

"Thank you," Dave murmured in a tired voice, sighing as Kerry left the room. "I'm so tired."

Amy nodded, capping the vial and putting it in the cart before she looked at him, "I'll go arrange a visit with Oncology if you'd like me to so you can be here when Daniel wakes," she spoke in a gentle voice.

Nodding, Dave rested his arms on the gurney rail and as Amy took the chart and left, he let his eyes close.

The restaurant was quiet and for that Jing-Mei was grateful, as it allowed her to enjoy the company of good friends to keep her mind off potentially selling her parents' home and everything else of value they owned since she was their sole benefactor. After working for a long time to get her parents out of China so they could be buried in Chicago, Jing-Mei was now left to decide what she wanted to do with herself.

Carter and Abby were sitting across from Jing-Mei while Maggie sat in a highchair next to her, silently waiting and watching while the three adults caught up, "…I'm really grateful that I didn't die or go to jail the night that Joe almost died," Abby, who had decided to share the past with Jing-Mei, said in a remorseful voice. "Luka's got full custody and I'm really fortunate that I got a second chance with John and with Maggie and I'm really happy that Luka was able to find someone else to share his love with."

"You mentioned Maggie was adopted?" Jing-Mei asked softly. "Can I ask how you got her?"

John smiled, "Abby and I went to Africa with Doctors Without Borders shortly after we got married at a Chicago courthouse," he explained calmly. "There was this woman in Matenda who had HIV and was pregnant and after we brought her back to the States, Dave helped us arrange it with Social Services."

"Dave?" Jing-Mei asked in a surprised voice, frowning. "I thought you hated Dave Malucci?"

Abby sighed, "It's a very long story," she replied, sighing as John's phone suddenly started vibrating.

Jing-Mei nodded as John pulled his phone out of his pocket, "Hello?" John asked in a pleasant voice.

Abby blinked, "Besides, I don't hate Dave Malucci," she replied softly. "There's a lot about him that I or anyone else didn't know. John, I, and everyone else were a lot harder on him than we should have been."

"Kerry wants one of us to come in to cover a shift since Dave's suddenly unavailable," Carter suddenly said in a confused voice as he hung up the cell-phone. "Do you want to take the shift or should I?"

Abby frowned, "Is Luka working the day shift?" she asked softly. "Because I don't want it to be awkward."

"Yes," John replied, sighing as Abby went silent and looked at her plate. "I can take the shift, okay?"

Abby's smile returned, "I'll probably take Maggie to the park today," she replied softly. "I meant to tell you that Kerry lined up interviews for me at Northwestern and Mercy. She called me about it last night."

"Wow," John replied in a pleased voice, smiling at Abby. "Do you want me to take Maggie with me?"

Abby smiled, "I can drop her off at County at lunch time," she replied softly. "You sure you don't mind?"

"Do you mind if I tag along to County?" Jing-Mei asked softly. "I'd love to see everyone again and besides, some of my folks left some money to County and I should probably talk to the powers that be about it."

John nodded just as the waitress approached the table, "That would be great," he replied calmly.

Nearly an hour later, Luka strolled into the ER with Joe in his arms while a well-dressed Nathan and a nervous Lucas walked alongside him. Erinn and Katie had gone to school without any incident and had promised to come to the ER after school while Lucas would stay close to Nathan for Luka's entire shift.

"Can I sit anywhere?" Lucas asked softly, his eyes roaming the desk where Frank was already sitting.

Frank looked up at Lucas with gentle eyes, "Sure," he replied softly. "Do you need anything?"

"No," Lucas replied softly as he took a seat at a chair behind the desk and set his backpack on the desk.

Luka sighed and gently ruffled Lucas's hair, "I've got to run Joe up to daycare, but then I'll come back and help you with your schoolwork, okay?" Luka said in a kind voice. "Nathan can help you til I get back."

"Actually, Luka, I've signed you up for a patient," Amy said, overhearing Luka as she approached the desk.

Luka smiled at seeing Amy and gave her a curious look as she took Joe from him, "The patient is in Exam Two and I think you'll be best for this one," she explained softly. "I'm off and I can take Joe and Lucas…"

"I don't have to stay?" Lucas asked softly, giving Amy a hopeful look. "I can go home with you and Joe?"

Amy nodded, "We can go for a walk in the park if you want on the way," she replied softly. "Come on."

Delighted that he didn't have to stay at the ER all day, Lucas packed up his things and ran to his mother, hugging her and Joe very carefully so he wouldn't hurt them or the babies, "I need to go baby shopping anyway and after that, you can help me with some decorating," Amy said in a gentle voice. "Come on and we'll come back a little later to make sure that Nathan eats and doesn't work himself to exhaustion."

Luka watched as Amy hugged Nathan and left with Lucas and Joe before he turned and walked down the hallway to Exam Two. He entered the room and was surprised to see Dave sitting beside a gurney that held a sleeping Daniel while Dr. Romano lingered at the end of the bed looking very concerned.

"Ah, Doctor Kovac, nice of you to join us," Dr. Romano said in a concerned voice. "I'd like you to sit with Daniel while I take Doctor Malucci on a little walk and page us if Oncology happens to show up."

Luka frowned, "Oncology?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Dave, is there something wrong?"

"Daniel's sick," Dave spoke softly, not looking up from Daniel's form. "I can't talk about it right now."

Luka nodded as Dave stood up and shakily walked over to Dr. Romano, "I think getting you something to eat should be our first priority, Doctor Malucci," Dr. Romano said kindly, quickly taking Dave's arm.

Dave handed Luka the chart as he was led from the room and as Luka silently read the chart, his face fell.

"Well, Doctor Chen, this is a very impressive amount that was bequeathed to us by your parents," Dr. Anspaugh said in a calm voice as he leaned back in his chair with a letter from Jing-Mei in his hand. "Are you sure, however, that you wish to donate such a sum? As your parents' benefactor, you have the…"

Jing-Mei sighed and nodded, "I have the right to respect their wishes or not," she replied calmly. "Doctor Anspaugh, this grant will give the hospital the ability to hire more doctors, get new equipment, and do some upgrades that I'm sure are probably long overdue. My memories from here are mostly pleasant."

"Well, on behalf of the hospital, I give my thanks and I'll talk to Administration about how this money should be allocated," Dr. Anspaugh said in a calm voice as the door suddenly opened and a teenage girl wearing dress pants, shoes, a dress shirt, and a tan jacket with her hair done up came into the room.

Dr. Anspaugh's eyes widened, "Evette, shouldn't you be in school?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"That student volunteer program starts today, Daddy, remember?" Evette asked in a pleasant voice.

Dr. Anspaugh sighed, "Oh, yes, I forgot that started today," he replied in a calm voice. "Doctor Chen, this is my daughter, Evette. Evette, this is Doctor Chen and she just made a generous donation to the hospital."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Evette replied kindly. "Dad, I got assigned to the ER. Where exactly is it?"

Dr. Anspaugh chuckled, "I'll show you," he replied as he stood up. "Nice to see you, Doctor Chen."

Jing-Mei nodded and followed the two from the office to the elevator. The door slid open and all three individuals were surprised to see Dr. Romano helping a very shaky looking Dave keep on his feet.

"What is going on here?" Dr. Anspaugh asked in a concerned voice. "Doctor Romano, Doctor Malucci?"

Dr. Romano sighed, "I will have a private conference with you later, Donald," he replied calmly as Dr. Anspaugh, Jing-Mei, and Evette boarded the elevator. "Doctor Chen, have you come back to work?" Dr. Romano asked in a curious voice, noting that the former ER doctor was dressed as if she were.

"No, I was just making a donation to the hospital per the request that was left in my parents' will," Jing-Mei replied in a calm voice, frowning as Dave suddenly closed his eyes. "Doctor Malucci, are you okay?"

Dave sighed, "I'm just feeling a little shaky," he replied softly. "I thought Daniel had the flu, so I've been doing everything I can for him for the last few days. He's downstairs with Luka keeping an eye on him."

"Dave, don't blame yourself," Dr. Romano spoke softly, frowning when Dave didn't respond. "Dave?"

A light snore escaped from Dave's lips, "Dave?" Dr. Romano asked, gently poking Dave in the arm.

"Oh, sorry, I must have drifted off," Dave spoke groggily as he woke up. "Sorry about that."

The elevator door opened at the floor where the cafeteria was and Dr. Romano sighed as he led Dave out of the elevator and towards the cafeteria, leaving Dr. Anspaugh, Jing-Mei, and Evette in the elevator.

Deeply relieved that Steve would be in jail until the hearing could actually happen, Sam silently entered the ER and let herself into the admit area with her staff ID card. She saw that Carter was at the desk, talking quietly with Kerry and Elizabeth while several nurses were gathered at another area of the desk.

"…Why did Dave take himself off the schedule?" Carter asked in a concerned voice. "It's suspicious."

Kerry sighed, "The only thing you need to know, John, is that you are covering Doctor Malucci's shift from eight to four," she replied in a sharp voice. "I know he's your half-brother, but he does have personal business that will remain personal if you've not heard about it from him. Now, please get to work."

"Malucci and Carter are half-brothers?" Elizabeth asked in a shocked voice, her eyes widening in shock.

Sam frowned as she approached the desk, "Doctor Weaver, are there any patients?" she asked softly.

"They're being taken care of," Kerry replied kindly, wanting to keep Daniel from being overwhelmed.

As Sam walked off towards the lounge to put her coat away, Kerry silently made her way down the hallway to check on Daniel and curious about the situation, Carter silently decided to follow after her.

"Doctor Luka?" Luka suddenly heard a groggy voice say as he silently made notes in Daniel's chart.

Luka looked up from the chart and was surprised to see Daniel looking barely awake and at him through very tired eyes, "Where's my dad?" Daniel asked in a groggy voice. "Did Doctor Romano make him eat?"

"I think Doctor Romano took your dad to the cafeteria," Luka replied gently. "How are you feeling?"

Daniel sighed sleepily, "Really sleepy," he replied softly. "Dad said I had something called leukemia."

"From what results we've been able to get from your tests, it looks that way," Luka replied softly, knowing Dave had struggled but had obviously managed to tell Daniel the truth about his medical condition.

Daniel blinked, "Dad said that I'll have to have some sort of medicine that will probably make me sick, but will kill the bad cells inside my body," he spoke in a tired voice. "Auntie Amy had to do a pro-…"

"A procedure," Luka replied gently, frowning as the door opened and Kerry came in. "Kerry?"

Kerry sighed, "Do you need anything, Doctor Kovac?" she asked in a concerned voice. "Where's Dave?"

"Doctor Romano took him up to the cafeteria," Luka replied, unaware that Carter was nearby and listening to their conversation about Dave. "Daniel's working on coming out of the anesthesia and I promised Dave I'd page him once Oncology got here to talk about treatment options for Daniel's leukemia."

Kerry nodded, "Just stay with Daniel for now," she replied calmly. "Carter's here covering for Malucci."

"Thanks," Luka replied, smiling as he turned back to look at Daniel and saw that Daniel was asleep.

Deeply shocked about what he had just overheard, John silently slipped through the ER and ran to the stairs to go up to the cafeteria. He wanted to talk to Dave about what he had just overheard Luka say.

"Amy's taken Lucas and Joe home," Dr. Romano explained calmly as he hung up his cell-phone and returned it to the pocket of his lab coat before looking across the table at Dave, who was having a bowl of cereal, some toast, and a tall glass of milk for breakfast. "She will tell Lucas about Daniel's cancer."

Dave nodded and continued to eat in silence, "After you talk to Oncology, I want you to go home or somewhere safe where you can get some rest," Dr. Romano spoke softly. "You need to take a break."

Again, Dave nodded and continued to eat in silence and Dr. Romano was about to speak again when he saw Carter come into the cafeteria and head straight towards them, "Dave, I overheard Luka say to Doctor Weaver that Daniel has leukemia?" John asked in a concerned voice. "I was just wondering if I could help?"

Swallowing hard, Dave shook his head, "It's just that our older brother, Bobby, died of childhood leukemia and I thought I could help you figure out what treatment would be best and what reactions might…"

"Daniel is not going to die," Dave snapped, his appetite suddenly gone. "Please, John, just back off."

Dave stood up to leave, intending to take the food and go up to the roof to eat in silence, but John blocked his way, "I've been through this and I think I can help," he said in an anxious voice. "You don't know…"

Anger crept across Dave's face and he swiftly punched John in the face, forcing John to move aside with a hand over his nose, "Just back off for a few days, Carter," Dr. Romano said as he gathered up the food and hurried to catch up with Dave, who had reached his limit of patience and wanted to get away from John.

For a moment, John stood there, deeply shocked that Dave had just punched him in the face and then, realizing that he could have approached the situation in different way, he silently went to check his nose.

"I shouldn't have punched John like that, but I couldn't listen to him talk about Daniel dying from this," Dave spoke in a hollow voice, sighing as he sat down on a chair at the desk and watched as Dr. Romano set his food down in front of him. "I won't be surprised if John reports my actions to Doctor Weaver."

Dr. Romano scowled, "John deserved it after making such a crappy comment," he replied snarkily.

Dave sighed tiredly as Nathan came over to him looking worried, "Um, Doctor Dave?" Nathan asked softly.

"Yeah, Nathan?" Dave asked kindly, gazing at the nervous teenager. "What can I do for you, kiddo?"

Nathan sighed, "Doctor Weaver said that Daniel has cancer and asked if I could spell Luka off when it got busy so that you could have a break," he spoke in a concerned voice. "Would that be okay with you?"

"That would be great, Nathan," Dave replied in a pleasant, but tired voice. "Thank you for doing that."

Nathan nodded and silently retreated to his spot at the desk to give Dave space, "Those grandchildren of mine take after their mother," Dr. Romano commented quietly. "I want you to eat everything there."

As Dave continued to eat, Dr. Anspaugh came to the desk with Evette and an irritated looking John, who was holding his nose, "I just ran into Doctor Carter," Dr. Anspaugh said curtly. "What happened to him?"

"Doctor Carter made an inappropriate comment about my son's recent leukemia diagnosis," Dave spoke up in a tired voice, fully expecting to be fired for his angry outburst. "I just found out about it today."

Dr. Anspaugh looked somewhat horrified, "I'm very sorry to hear that your son is ill, Doctor Malucci," he said in a calm voice, giving Dave a calm look. "However, that does not mean you need to hit colleagues just because they say something inappropriate concerning the situation. You're much better than that."

"You're right, Doctor Anspaugh, it won't happen again," Dave replied in a tired, repentant voice.

Nodding, Dr. Anspaugh looked at Frank, "Frank, Nathan, this is my daughter, Evette, and she's going to volunteer here for a while as part of a volunteer program at her school," he said calmly. "I have a lot of work to do today and she's been assigned to the ER, so could someone give her an orientation please?"

"Nathan, give the young lady a tour," Frank said in a calm voice. "I'll train her on the computer in a bit."

Even though Nathan looked surprised he nodded, "Um, this way, Miss Anspaugh," he said calmly.

"Um, I'm going to check my nose," John said as the small crowd dispersed. "Dave, if you want to talk…"

Dave sighed as he continued to eat, "I know," he replied in a tired voice. "Just give me time to think."

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