Altered Expectations - 02
Malucci gets a mentor
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Chapter 2 -
Previously on ER - Kerry found out that she couldn't fire Dave until he'd been given a 'written warning'. She had to be content with having him suspended for 2 months and put on probation for a further 6. To avoid any accusations of bias, it was 'suggested' that she assign his supervision and evaluations to another attending, so she picked Luka (denying that this was revenge for the April Fools day prank with the tin cans)
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Dave dumped the handful of coins on the table and cursed under his breath. Half an hour spent rummaging down the back of the couch had yielded three bucks in loose change, a half empty pack of condoms, a broken comb and most worrying of all, half a set of false teeth. Dave didn't even want to think about how *they'd* gotten there. He was pretty sure that none of his dates had been into 'falsies'…well, at least not of the dental variety. Maybe the previous tenants of his apartment had lost them there. Anyway, they were now in a box of old junk waiting to be brought to the pawnbroker if things got really desperate…which might not be too long now, the way things were going.
He debated phoning the clinic again to remind them that he'd be available for as many shifts as they needed for the next two months. But the last time he'd phoned, Carla the shift manager had assured him that his name was on the top of their list, and that she'd personally do her best to see that he got as much as they could give him. And since he hadn't done his usual date/sex/split routine with her, he was pretty sure that she'd do what she could.
Dave slumped back into his chair and sighed. Okay, things could have been worse, right? True, he was facing a two-month suspension without pay…but thank God, he at least had a job to go back to. Man, for a few days after Weaver had 'fired' him, he had been convinced that this was it…that he had finally blown his chances. The phone call from Dr. Marsh, the head of the residents review board had come just as he had been contemplating where he'd be least likely to die of boredom while working…MacDonald's or Burger King.
Granted, it was going to be a bit of a bummer having to report his every move to one of the Attendings…and not being able to run Trauma's on his own was going to suck…but it sure beat the alternative. Now his only worry was how he was going to fund his two-month 'vacation'. Fortunately, he'd paid the current months rent a few days before the 'firing', so at least he had a roof over his head. And he was sure he could sweet talk the landlord into giving him a few weeks extension on next month's payment. Then all he had to do was avoid the guy until he got back to work at County…oh, and grovel to payroll long enough for an advance on his salary. No problem. Now all he had to figure out was how he was going to *eat* for the next eight weeks.
Dave considered his options. The blood bank would be good for a few bucks, but they'd only take him once every two months or so, and he'd been - for free - only three weeks earlier. There was the old reliable sperm donation…that had kept his head above water for a while in college, but the trouble with that was that he wouldn't see any cash for at least six months, and he didn't think his bank manager would appreciate being asked for a loan 'just until his wanking money came through'. Nope, he was going to have to think of something else.
Jamming his hands into his pockets, Dave felt a piece of paper and fished it out, hoping it might be a thousand dollar bill that someone had kindly hidden there for him. Unfortunately it was just a piece of paper. Dave frowned as he read what was written on it 'Merrontex Laboratories' followed by a phone number and address. Now he remembered what it was. One of his drinking buddies had given him the name of this company that was always looking for human guinea pigs to test drugs on and was supposed to pay handsomely. Only the fact that they required most of their 'pigs' to be resident on the premises for varying periods of time had dissuaded Dave from checking them out before. Well, that and the fact that you never knew just what you might end up having to test.
While Dave didn't really believe any of those rumors he'd heard about guys ending up with extra ears or finding certain parts of their anatomy growing beyond recognition, he knew there was always a risk associated with new drugs.
When working in Grenada he had treated a young man who'd had an adverse reaction to a drug he'd been testing. The guy had been paid a fair amount of compensation…but he'd told Dave he'd give it all away to be able to 'get it up' again.
Dave stuck the note back in his pocket. He'd do something about it tomorrow. Tonight he had a few cans of beer in the fridge, enough cash between his wallet and the table to order a pizza, and best of all, the monthly wet t-shirt contest was showing his local porn channel. He sighed regretfully as he remembered that the subscription was due in the next few weeks. Oh well, maybe he could sell those false teeth to help raise the money for it. After all, if he was going to spend two months in his apartment, he was going to *need* some entertainment. And food…apart from the cans of beer, his fridge contained a carton of what claimed to be milk…but looked more like yogurt, a block of cheese…well, that would be okay once he cut the mould off it, and a half tin of beans, left over from his last breakfast at home.
After phoning for his pizza, Dave settled back on the couch and started surfing through the channels, finally finding something interesting, just as the doorbell rang.
"Hey, that was quick," he started to say as he pulled open the door. His grin died away as he saw Luka standing there glowering. "Um…hello Dr. Kovac," said Dave.
Luka pushed his way past Dave into the apartment. "Come in, why don't you," muttered Dave under his breath, shutting the door and then following Luka.
"If I'd known you were coming, I'd have ordered a larger pizza," said Dave, a note of mild sarcasm in his voice. Shit, what did the guy want anyhow?
"Shut up, Doctor Malucci," snapped Luka. "This is not a social call. I…" He was momentarily distracted by an image on the TV screen. "My God, are those things real? I have never seen a pair as big as *those* before!"
Dave blushed as he scrambled for the remote control, and switched off 'Dish of the day' just as the presenter was about to slice into one of the enormous watermelons that had caught Luka's eye. Turning to the older man, he said, "So? What are you doing here?"
Luka pulled his thoughts back together. "Dr. Weaver has informed me that I am to responsible for you once you return to County," he told Dave.
"Oh fu…sh…crap," said Dave. "She picked *you*?" He looked at Luka in horror. Not that he disliked the guy…heck, Kovac was one of the few doc's that hadn't made any snide comments about Dave's non-US medical qualifications. But he was still one of the more intimidating doc's in the ER, and when Dave had found out that he was going to be strictly supervised, he had hoped to get someone who *hadn't* deliberately killed someone. Mark would have been his first choice; after all, the guy was a bit of a wuss by all accounts…pretty easy going most of the time. Plus, he *had* tried to get Weaver to change her mind about firing him.
"Believe me, I am no more happy about it than you are," snapped Luka. "I do not want to be your supervisor any more than you want me looking over your shoulder. But that is the way it has to be, and I have agreed to it. If you screw up again, you will not have to worry about Dr. Weaver 'firing your ass'; you will have to worry about me kicking it. You will do what I say, when I say it. If you have questions, you ask me. If you have disagreements with my diagnoses or my methods then I expect you to tell me them in an articulate and educated manner. I will not settle for "trust me" as a diagnosis. Do you understand?"
Dave swallowed nervously, feeling glad that he wasn't a mugger. "Yes Dr. Kovac," he gulped.
"Good. Then we understand each other," said Luka. "Since you're going to have some free time, I would advice you to start catching up on your text books, as I shall be testing you at frequent intervals to prepare you for your in-service exams."
"Wait a minute, Weaver's getting you to do this, isn't she?" asked Dave. "Man, isn't my suspension punishment enough?"
Luka looked at him in surprise. "You feel that this is meant to be a *punishment*?" He shook his head, "No…this is intended purely for your benefit…and that of your patients. Dr. Weaver did not order or suggest that I do this for you. It is all my own idea. I have agreed to take on the responsibility of supervising you, and I take my duties seriously."
Dave's jaw *could* have dropped further, but it would have required major orthopedic work. "You're doing this stuff when you don't have to?"
Luka noted his shocked expression and commented. "Believe me Dr. Malucci, by the time you are finished your six months probation, you *will* be a competent doctor. In fact by the time *I* am done with you, you will have published in the annals, so start thinking of a topic to write about. Either you will be a shining star or you will be not be working at County." He patted Dave on the shoulder and smiled.
Somehow the smile made Dave even more nervous.
"I will see that you are sent a copy of all the latest ER manuals and guides," added Luka. "You will see to it that you are familiar with every single ER protocol that is in use at County before you walk back into the ER."
Dave nodded silently.
"I will see you in two months," said Luka, before walking away.
"Oh boy," thought Dave as he heard the door shut behind Luka. "This is going to be interesting."
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To be continued
Malucci gets a mentor
--------------------------------
Chapter 2 -
Previously on ER - Kerry found out that she couldn't fire Dave until he'd been given a 'written warning'. She had to be content with having him suspended for 2 months and put on probation for a further 6. To avoid any accusations of bias, it was 'suggested' that she assign his supervision and evaluations to another attending, so she picked Luka (denying that this was revenge for the April Fools day prank with the tin cans)
---------------------------------
Dave dumped the handful of coins on the table and cursed under his breath. Half an hour spent rummaging down the back of the couch had yielded three bucks in loose change, a half empty pack of condoms, a broken comb and most worrying of all, half a set of false teeth. Dave didn't even want to think about how *they'd* gotten there. He was pretty sure that none of his dates had been into 'falsies'…well, at least not of the dental variety. Maybe the previous tenants of his apartment had lost them there. Anyway, they were now in a box of old junk waiting to be brought to the pawnbroker if things got really desperate…which might not be too long now, the way things were going.
He debated phoning the clinic again to remind them that he'd be available for as many shifts as they needed for the next two months. But the last time he'd phoned, Carla the shift manager had assured him that his name was on the top of their list, and that she'd personally do her best to see that he got as much as they could give him. And since he hadn't done his usual date/sex/split routine with her, he was pretty sure that she'd do what she could.
Dave slumped back into his chair and sighed. Okay, things could have been worse, right? True, he was facing a two-month suspension without pay…but thank God, he at least had a job to go back to. Man, for a few days after Weaver had 'fired' him, he had been convinced that this was it…that he had finally blown his chances. The phone call from Dr. Marsh, the head of the residents review board had come just as he had been contemplating where he'd be least likely to die of boredom while working…MacDonald's or Burger King.
Granted, it was going to be a bit of a bummer having to report his every move to one of the Attendings…and not being able to run Trauma's on his own was going to suck…but it sure beat the alternative. Now his only worry was how he was going to fund his two-month 'vacation'. Fortunately, he'd paid the current months rent a few days before the 'firing', so at least he had a roof over his head. And he was sure he could sweet talk the landlord into giving him a few weeks extension on next month's payment. Then all he had to do was avoid the guy until he got back to work at County…oh, and grovel to payroll long enough for an advance on his salary. No problem. Now all he had to figure out was how he was going to *eat* for the next eight weeks.
Dave considered his options. The blood bank would be good for a few bucks, but they'd only take him once every two months or so, and he'd been - for free - only three weeks earlier. There was the old reliable sperm donation…that had kept his head above water for a while in college, but the trouble with that was that he wouldn't see any cash for at least six months, and he didn't think his bank manager would appreciate being asked for a loan 'just until his wanking money came through'. Nope, he was going to have to think of something else.
Jamming his hands into his pockets, Dave felt a piece of paper and fished it out, hoping it might be a thousand dollar bill that someone had kindly hidden there for him. Unfortunately it was just a piece of paper. Dave frowned as he read what was written on it 'Merrontex Laboratories' followed by a phone number and address. Now he remembered what it was. One of his drinking buddies had given him the name of this company that was always looking for human guinea pigs to test drugs on and was supposed to pay handsomely. Only the fact that they required most of their 'pigs' to be resident on the premises for varying periods of time had dissuaded Dave from checking them out before. Well, that and the fact that you never knew just what you might end up having to test.
While Dave didn't really believe any of those rumors he'd heard about guys ending up with extra ears or finding certain parts of their anatomy growing beyond recognition, he knew there was always a risk associated with new drugs.
When working in Grenada he had treated a young man who'd had an adverse reaction to a drug he'd been testing. The guy had been paid a fair amount of compensation…but he'd told Dave he'd give it all away to be able to 'get it up' again.
Dave stuck the note back in his pocket. He'd do something about it tomorrow. Tonight he had a few cans of beer in the fridge, enough cash between his wallet and the table to order a pizza, and best of all, the monthly wet t-shirt contest was showing his local porn channel. He sighed regretfully as he remembered that the subscription was due in the next few weeks. Oh well, maybe he could sell those false teeth to help raise the money for it. After all, if he was going to spend two months in his apartment, he was going to *need* some entertainment. And food…apart from the cans of beer, his fridge contained a carton of what claimed to be milk…but looked more like yogurt, a block of cheese…well, that would be okay once he cut the mould off it, and a half tin of beans, left over from his last breakfast at home.
After phoning for his pizza, Dave settled back on the couch and started surfing through the channels, finally finding something interesting, just as the doorbell rang.
"Hey, that was quick," he started to say as he pulled open the door. His grin died away as he saw Luka standing there glowering. "Um…hello Dr. Kovac," said Dave.
Luka pushed his way past Dave into the apartment. "Come in, why don't you," muttered Dave under his breath, shutting the door and then following Luka.
"If I'd known you were coming, I'd have ordered a larger pizza," said Dave, a note of mild sarcasm in his voice. Shit, what did the guy want anyhow?
"Shut up, Doctor Malucci," snapped Luka. "This is not a social call. I…" He was momentarily distracted by an image on the TV screen. "My God, are those things real? I have never seen a pair as big as *those* before!"
Dave blushed as he scrambled for the remote control, and switched off 'Dish of the day' just as the presenter was about to slice into one of the enormous watermelons that had caught Luka's eye. Turning to the older man, he said, "So? What are you doing here?"
Luka pulled his thoughts back together. "Dr. Weaver has informed me that I am to responsible for you once you return to County," he told Dave.
"Oh fu…sh…crap," said Dave. "She picked *you*?" He looked at Luka in horror. Not that he disliked the guy…heck, Kovac was one of the few doc's that hadn't made any snide comments about Dave's non-US medical qualifications. But he was still one of the more intimidating doc's in the ER, and when Dave had found out that he was going to be strictly supervised, he had hoped to get someone who *hadn't* deliberately killed someone. Mark would have been his first choice; after all, the guy was a bit of a wuss by all accounts…pretty easy going most of the time. Plus, he *had* tried to get Weaver to change her mind about firing him.
"Believe me, I am no more happy about it than you are," snapped Luka. "I do not want to be your supervisor any more than you want me looking over your shoulder. But that is the way it has to be, and I have agreed to it. If you screw up again, you will not have to worry about Dr. Weaver 'firing your ass'; you will have to worry about me kicking it. You will do what I say, when I say it. If you have questions, you ask me. If you have disagreements with my diagnoses or my methods then I expect you to tell me them in an articulate and educated manner. I will not settle for "trust me" as a diagnosis. Do you understand?"
Dave swallowed nervously, feeling glad that he wasn't a mugger. "Yes Dr. Kovac," he gulped.
"Good. Then we understand each other," said Luka. "Since you're going to have some free time, I would advice you to start catching up on your text books, as I shall be testing you at frequent intervals to prepare you for your in-service exams."
"Wait a minute, Weaver's getting you to do this, isn't she?" asked Dave. "Man, isn't my suspension punishment enough?"
Luka looked at him in surprise. "You feel that this is meant to be a *punishment*?" He shook his head, "No…this is intended purely for your benefit…and that of your patients. Dr. Weaver did not order or suggest that I do this for you. It is all my own idea. I have agreed to take on the responsibility of supervising you, and I take my duties seriously."
Dave's jaw *could* have dropped further, but it would have required major orthopedic work. "You're doing this stuff when you don't have to?"
Luka noted his shocked expression and commented. "Believe me Dr. Malucci, by the time you are finished your six months probation, you *will* be a competent doctor. In fact by the time *I* am done with you, you will have published in the annals, so start thinking of a topic to write about. Either you will be a shining star or you will be not be working at County." He patted Dave on the shoulder and smiled.
Somehow the smile made Dave even more nervous.
"I will see that you are sent a copy of all the latest ER manuals and guides," added Luka. "You will see to it that you are familiar with every single ER protocol that is in use at County before you walk back into the ER."
Dave nodded silently.
"I will see you in two months," said Luka, before walking away.
"Oh boy," thought Dave as he heard the door shut behind Luka. "This is going to be interesting."
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To be continued