Angel In The ER
Part 9: Dr. Kovac
Notes : Song by Jon Bon Jovi. Otec = father - lijecnik = doctor - lijec = medicine Send feedback to: mara_ditullio@hotmail.com
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Luka Kovac walked into Exam five. He was halfway through his shift, and anxious to finish and get on to his date with Abby. He had bought her a necklace for her birthday about three weeks ago, and tonight he was finally able to give it to her. He was excited to see what her reaction would be.
Luka fumbled around to close the door. The room was dark, the only lighting coming from a reading lamp sitting next to one of the beds. Luka saw a little girl, sleeping, clutching a stuffed elephant. She had an IV trailing from her arm, and she looked peaceful, for the moment. Then there was a noise. Luka strained his ears, and then was able to make out musical lyrics, floating out of oblivion.
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It's hard for me to say the things
I want to say sometimes
There's no one here but you and me
And that broken old streetlight
Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words when I
Thank you for loving me...
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Luka looked over on the bedside and saw Dave Malucci sitting on a chair. He had fallen asleep listening to headphones; that's where the music was coming from.
' He doesn't look good.' Luka decided. Dave's forehead was creased and he was pale. He was moving slightly in his restless sleep, and mumbling quietly. Luka considered taking off the headphones, but he was afraid of disturbing him. From what he had heard, Dave needed as much sleep as he could get.
When Luka started his shift earlier in the day, he heard all about Dave and his kids. Randi had informed him ( not by his own request ) while he was looking over the board. She had said Dave wasn't acting himself, but she didn't prepare him for the way he looked. First of all, he was sleeping at 5:00 p.m. Yeah, Dave slept a lot, but at 5:00? This told Luka that he was probably up at odd hours with his daughter. Luka had experience in this. There being little in the way of medical care in Croatian during the war, his children had fallen ill often. He was up at all hours, whenever they called 'otec'. Luka smiled. His children used to brag at school that their father was a lijecnik, and could give them lijec to make them feel better. Of course, he had scolded them for bragging, but he was secretly glad that his children were proud of him. If the parents are kind, children are proud of them for almost any little thing they accomplish. Luka looked over at Dave. How could someone possibly be proud of him? He was a goof off, a terrible doctor. What did he ever accomplish?
There had to be something. Luka would have to ask Dave's children. No matter how small, children always found something.
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Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
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The second thing Luka noticed wrong with Dave was the music coming from the headphones. Dave was a lot of thing, but a Bon Jovi fan wasn't one of them. Well, maybe some of the old songs, but 'Thank You For Loving Me' was a sappy love song, not Dave's taste.
Luka had heard ( from Randi) that Dave's wife had died only five months before he had started working at County. It was hard for Luka to comprehend that someone might be going through the same thing that he was. He was used to having no one to talk to about his problems, no one that could understand. Dave might have have been able to understand, he might have been able to talk. And if Dave could understand Luka, if he tried, Luka could understand Dave. Luka started to compare Dave to himself.
The only love song Luka had ever listened to was that American song that his wife had loved, Bryan Adam's 'Everything You Do' . It was his wife's favorite song, right up until the day she passed on. Wife... Dave's wife had passed on too. Even more recently than his had. Maybe this was her favorite song, or their special song. Then again, it could be just coinsidence that he was listening to a love song. People listen to them all the time. But Dave... listening to a love song? No, it was probally her favorite song, whoever she was.
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I never knew I had a dream
Until that dream was you
When I look into your eyes
The sky's a different blue
Cross my heart
I wear no disguise
And if I did you'd make believe
That you believe my lies
Thank you for loving me
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The door to the exam room opened, and a woman walked in. She had long, straight, dark brown hair and brown eyes. The woman was carrying a cup of coffee, and she had a messanger bag slung over one shoulder. She flicked on the lights, then finally noticed Luka.
" Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want these off?" She gestured towards the lights.
" No, it's allright. Are you related to the patient?" Luka asked her. The woman took a few steps forward and stuck out her right hand.
" Claudia Ciccone. I'm Dave's sister." Luka took her hand in his and shook it.
" Oh right. He talks about you sometimes. My name is Luka Kovac."
" That sounds European."
" It is. I'm Croctian."
" Well you're the first person I've met from there. Did he fall asleep again?" Claudia walked over to her brother and lifted his hand. She let go, and it fell back into his lap with a dull thud. " Deadhead. You'd think he doesn't ge enough sleep."
" Maybe he doesn't."
" No, I live with him. I know when he sleeps because I get stuck watching his kids." She laughed. " He sleeps. The quality of his sleep though, I can't comment on. He wakes up from nightmares all the time, poor kid." Luka nodded in agreement.
" You are older than he is?" She shrugged.
" Sort of. We're twins. I was born four hours earlier than he was." Claudia sighed. "Sometimes it feels more like four years."
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Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
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" How can he sleep with those headphones on?" Luka asked her. She laughed.
" How does he do anything?" She took a sip of her coffee, then caught a glimpse of the time on her watch. " Damn, I have to get back to work." She put the bag back over her shoulder and walked towards the door.
" It was nice to meet you Mrs. Ciccone."
" You too Dr. Kovac." She left the exam room. Luka turned back towards Dave. He could hear the music all the way on the other side of the room! How was Dave sleeping through it?
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You pick me up when I fall down
You ring the bell befor they count me out
If I was drowning you would part the sea
And risk your own lifr to rescue me
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Luka walked over to the girl and took her vitals. He saw that she was normal, and noted that in the chart.
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Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words when I
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
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Just then, Jing-Mei Chen walked into the room. She saw Luka and smiled.
" Have you seen my patient's chart? The one with the broken radius?"
" No sorry." Jing-Mei sighrd and turned to Skye Malucci, still sleeping.
" That's Dave's daughter?"
" Yeah. Cute huh?"
" Yeah... Wha's that noise?" Luka pointed to Dave sleeping, with the headphones still running.
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Thank you for loving me
When I couldn't fly
You gave me wings
You parted my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for lov-
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Jing-Mei walked over to Dave and turned off the headphones. Then she got ready to leave the room.
" Well, I'd better keep looking for the chart. Goodbye Dr. Kovac."
" Goodbye Dr. Chen."
Part 10 comming soon.