A/N: Hey everyone. First Dave angst ever. I know I have other stories I have been neglecting. But I had sooo much inspiration to write this that I had to jot it down right away. My other stories should have more chapters, very soon.
Disclaimer: Man! It gets annoying to keep writing this. Everyone knows they are not ours but they're the ER writer's characters. Don't we all wish they were though? Think of all the things we could do to them! *Laugh evilly* Sorry, (clears throat) Um, on with the story... *mumbles* In my world they're mine...
Chapter 1: The Little Mysteries of Life
The memories still haunted him. Even as he sat here thinking, they still echoed in his mind. He remembered learning as a kid what a baseball bat could do to a person. How much it could hurt, inside and out. He remembered all the scratches and bruises. Remembered the sound of bones breaking because of an object being swung or a fist coming in contact. Wanting to cry but being told you couldn't. Wanting to yell but being terrified. He remembered one man. The object of his nightmares. The reason he learned how to smile. The reason why he can't cry, he won't cry. Crying shows weakness. Crying pleases him. Pleases who? Someone who he thought had loved him. His dad.
That's why now that he's away from him and everything he tries to constantly smile and laugh. It's a new feeling to him. A wonderful, terrifying, new feeling. Terrifying knowing it will have to end. He remembered seeing the other children doing, what was it again? Ah yes, playing and smiling. Smiling was new to him also. He had done it once, but his father had quickly stopped that. Smiling was amazing. His father had hid the astonishing sensation for many years from him. To him it was like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eve. Everything on smiling still amazed him. Amazed at how that one upward movement could express so much. Amazed at just that small action could get you so much. From friends to, very rarely, something free.
When he was alone though, it was hard for him to smile at all, if any. When he was alone all of these memories would return. Now they would come at work. If he was drinking coffee, or daydreaming they find a way to sneak in. He would be daydreaming about a girl, he would then think of ways to hit on the girl, and then he would revise his plans. 'What if she asked me to meet her parents?' 'Wow, meeting her mom and dad.' 'Wonder if they are nice' 'What if her parents ask me to meet my...' Somehow all his thoughts recently would end up going back to him remembering. Maybe he should now get back to doing something, anything that won't involve him being quiet and thinking.
"Malucci!"
'Yes! Saved by the chief!'
"Malucci!"
"Yes chief?"
"What are you doing?"
"Just thinking about the little mysteries of life."
"Well do that on your own time and not on the patients' time."
'It's always on my own time'
"Sure chief! What should I do?" He flashed her the classic Malucci smile. She eased up a bit.
"Okay, there's a boy in curtain two with a black eye and in need of stitches on the outside of his eye. Go!"
"All right, all right. I'm going." She walked away and he grabbed the boy's chart and headed for curtain two.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Dave. David is it? Hey small world."
"Why is it a small world?"
"Your name, my name, uh never mind. So how did this happen David?"
"Well, is in it obvious? Something hit my eye genius," the boy said sourly.
"Well, what hit your eye?"
"Huh?"
"What hit your eye?" Dave started to prepare all the instruments to clean and close the wound.
"My coach is out there." David pointed to a man waiting outside that was leaving for the lobby. "We were practicing for the championship next week. My best friend hit me because he went too far back. I'm the umpire."
"Well what did he hit you with?" Dave shined a light in David's left eye.
"I was taking off my mask at the exact time it happened. I was just trying to clean off some sweat."
"What hit your eye, David?" Dave shut the light off and began preparing the instruments to close the wound, which was just barely next to his eye.
"A baseball bat." Dave's eyes grew large.
"Ex- excuse me?" Dave stammered.
"A baseball bat," David answered, seeing something was wrong with the doctor. Dave looked at the boy; some blood was coming out of the wound. It slowly dripped to his cheek. Then to his chin. The boy wiped it off. Dave got a flashback of something and felt a sharp pain in his side and immediately a throbbing headache.
"Um, listen. I'll be right back David. Okay?" He quickly stepped out of the room with the chart. He closed the door and leaned against the wall. He was breathing heavily and closed his eyes.
'No, get a hold of your self!' The imaginary pain hurt even more. He began to lean over forward, grabbing his side. He looked around. He saw Luka.
"Luka!" Dave ran over to him. The pain was escalating, both in his side and head.
"Yes Dave?"
"Are you busy?" He was trying with all his strength to hide his pain.
"No, not really, I just finished with a patient. Why?"
"Please take the boy in curtain two." His voice was threatening to crack.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing, but please can you take him?" Luka looked at the desperation in his eyes. Something was wrong.
"Sure Dave."
"Thanks, I owe you one." He handed Luka the chart, well almost threw it to him, then quickly left for the roof.
He bolted threw the doors of the roof and leaned over the side. The pain was excruciating. He immediately collapsed on the floor and was waiting for the pain to leave. He put his back against the wall, and leaned his head against the wall also. He was starting to see double. He closed his eyes. That made things worse. Flashbacks of something. He wasn't sure of what though, he prayed it wasn't what he most feared. It looked like he was in a fight of some kind. A hand, a man's, was pushing, no, grabbing him. He was the one that was pushing away. The man managed to get a strong hold of him. Dave could hear himself in protest.
"It won't happen again! Please! I'm sorry!" Dave knew it was himself but the voice was that of a thirteen-year-old. It was crying. And frightened to death. Dave wanted to open his eyes to stop everything. Something was commanding him to stay. Dave wanted to help the boy, forgetting it was himself. Everything began to move faster. He could now hear a radio on in the background. It seemed to be loud on purpose to cover the boy's yells.
"No, leave him alone!" Dave yelled. He could hear the boy, yelling for some mercy. Dave covered his ears. The radio was growing louder and louder. "No! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" He could barely hear the boy anymore. "Turn that MUSIC OFF!"
"No, not the bat! Please, not the bat! I'll never contradict you again! I-I won't even think about it! I'm sorry dad! But not the bat! Not the BAT!!!!!!!!!!!"
The music grew softer. A bat fell to the floor.
Well, that's all, for now. Please, E-mail me and tell me what you think. More to come.
Disclaimer: Man! It gets annoying to keep writing this. Everyone knows they are not ours but they're the ER writer's characters. Don't we all wish they were though? Think of all the things we could do to them! *Laugh evilly* Sorry, (clears throat) Um, on with the story... *mumbles* In my world they're mine...
Chapter 1: The Little Mysteries of Life
The memories still haunted him. Even as he sat here thinking, they still echoed in his mind. He remembered learning as a kid what a baseball bat could do to a person. How much it could hurt, inside and out. He remembered all the scratches and bruises. Remembered the sound of bones breaking because of an object being swung or a fist coming in contact. Wanting to cry but being told you couldn't. Wanting to yell but being terrified. He remembered one man. The object of his nightmares. The reason he learned how to smile. The reason why he can't cry, he won't cry. Crying shows weakness. Crying pleases him. Pleases who? Someone who he thought had loved him. His dad.
That's why now that he's away from him and everything he tries to constantly smile and laugh. It's a new feeling to him. A wonderful, terrifying, new feeling. Terrifying knowing it will have to end. He remembered seeing the other children doing, what was it again? Ah yes, playing and smiling. Smiling was new to him also. He had done it once, but his father had quickly stopped that. Smiling was amazing. His father had hid the astonishing sensation for many years from him. To him it was like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eve. Everything on smiling still amazed him. Amazed at how that one upward movement could express so much. Amazed at just that small action could get you so much. From friends to, very rarely, something free.
When he was alone though, it was hard for him to smile at all, if any. When he was alone all of these memories would return. Now they would come at work. If he was drinking coffee, or daydreaming they find a way to sneak in. He would be daydreaming about a girl, he would then think of ways to hit on the girl, and then he would revise his plans. 'What if she asked me to meet her parents?' 'Wow, meeting her mom and dad.' 'Wonder if they are nice' 'What if her parents ask me to meet my...' Somehow all his thoughts recently would end up going back to him remembering. Maybe he should now get back to doing something, anything that won't involve him being quiet and thinking.
"Malucci!"
'Yes! Saved by the chief!'
"Malucci!"
"Yes chief?"
"What are you doing?"
"Just thinking about the little mysteries of life."
"Well do that on your own time and not on the patients' time."
'It's always on my own time'
"Sure chief! What should I do?" He flashed her the classic Malucci smile. She eased up a bit.
"Okay, there's a boy in curtain two with a black eye and in need of stitches on the outside of his eye. Go!"
"All right, all right. I'm going." She walked away and he grabbed the boy's chart and headed for curtain two.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Dave. David is it? Hey small world."
"Why is it a small world?"
"Your name, my name, uh never mind. So how did this happen David?"
"Well, is in it obvious? Something hit my eye genius," the boy said sourly.
"Well, what hit your eye?"
"Huh?"
"What hit your eye?" Dave started to prepare all the instruments to clean and close the wound.
"My coach is out there." David pointed to a man waiting outside that was leaving for the lobby. "We were practicing for the championship next week. My best friend hit me because he went too far back. I'm the umpire."
"Well what did he hit you with?" Dave shined a light in David's left eye.
"I was taking off my mask at the exact time it happened. I was just trying to clean off some sweat."
"What hit your eye, David?" Dave shut the light off and began preparing the instruments to close the wound, which was just barely next to his eye.
"A baseball bat." Dave's eyes grew large.
"Ex- excuse me?" Dave stammered.
"A baseball bat," David answered, seeing something was wrong with the doctor. Dave looked at the boy; some blood was coming out of the wound. It slowly dripped to his cheek. Then to his chin. The boy wiped it off. Dave got a flashback of something and felt a sharp pain in his side and immediately a throbbing headache.
"Um, listen. I'll be right back David. Okay?" He quickly stepped out of the room with the chart. He closed the door and leaned against the wall. He was breathing heavily and closed his eyes.
'No, get a hold of your self!' The imaginary pain hurt even more. He began to lean over forward, grabbing his side. He looked around. He saw Luka.
"Luka!" Dave ran over to him. The pain was escalating, both in his side and head.
"Yes Dave?"
"Are you busy?" He was trying with all his strength to hide his pain.
"No, not really, I just finished with a patient. Why?"
"Please take the boy in curtain two." His voice was threatening to crack.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing, but please can you take him?" Luka looked at the desperation in his eyes. Something was wrong.
"Sure Dave."
"Thanks, I owe you one." He handed Luka the chart, well almost threw it to him, then quickly left for the roof.
He bolted threw the doors of the roof and leaned over the side. The pain was excruciating. He immediately collapsed on the floor and was waiting for the pain to leave. He put his back against the wall, and leaned his head against the wall also. He was starting to see double. He closed his eyes. That made things worse. Flashbacks of something. He wasn't sure of what though, he prayed it wasn't what he most feared. It looked like he was in a fight of some kind. A hand, a man's, was pushing, no, grabbing him. He was the one that was pushing away. The man managed to get a strong hold of him. Dave could hear himself in protest.
"It won't happen again! Please! I'm sorry!" Dave knew it was himself but the voice was that of a thirteen-year-old. It was crying. And frightened to death. Dave wanted to open his eyes to stop everything. Something was commanding him to stay. Dave wanted to help the boy, forgetting it was himself. Everything began to move faster. He could now hear a radio on in the background. It seemed to be loud on purpose to cover the boy's yells.
"No, leave him alone!" Dave yelled. He could hear the boy, yelling for some mercy. Dave covered his ears. The radio was growing louder and louder. "No! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" He could barely hear the boy anymore. "Turn that MUSIC OFF!"
"No, not the bat! Please, not the bat! I'll never contradict you again! I-I won't even think about it! I'm sorry dad! But not the bat! Not the BAT!!!!!!!!!!!"
The music grew softer. A bat fell to the floor.
Well, that's all, for now. Please, E-mail me and tell me what you think. More to come.