Title: In the End
Author: Girl with Issues
E-Mail: Buffy38841@aol.com or AngieMcKendrick@aol.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own the trauma victim…his name is Bob…::Nods solemnly::
Timeline: After "Rampage"
Summary: Dave goes too far in avenging the abused.
Author's Notes: Now that Dave's fired…what's an ex-doc to do? Well…first find out that he's-::Shuts up:: You must read to find out. And a special prize will be given to anyone who reviews. Oh, also…about the medical terms, I'm not a doctor (yet), so bear with me.
*~*
Chapter 5: Exeunt
The following Monday found Dave back at Cook County, eager to find out what Romano had decided. Well, maybe eager isn't the right way to put it, he thought. He had a bad feeling about what Kerry was going to tell him.
However, that didn't stop Dave from searching for Kerry immediately after he entered work that morning. Unfortunately for him, Kerry was nowhere in sight.
Just as Dave was about to ask if Kerry had come in, the ambulance bay doors slammed open and a gurney was rolled into the ER. Also on the gurney was Carter, on top of the patient, frantically doing chest compressions. As the gurney whizzed by, Carter called to Dave, "A little help here?"
Momentarily abandoning the search for Weaver, Dave caught up to Carter, "What've we got?"
As the gurney was being wheeled, Doris the paramedic filled Dave in, "Male, around 35 years of age. MVA, car vs. pedestrian, this is the driver of the car, no seatbelt. He apparently tried to serve around the other man, a jogger, and slammed into a telephone pole."
Carter continued chest compressions, "And the jogger?"
"DOA at the scene," Doris replied, as they went into Trauma 2. Carter hopped off the gurney and grabbed the backboard, "On my count, 1..2..3!" Dave, Carter, and Doris lifted the patient onto the table and Doris wheeled the gurney out as a couple nurses hurried in.
After putting gowns and gloves on, Carter resumed compressions and he, Dave, and the nurses went through the motions to try and save the driver. All of a sudden…*Eeep!*
"V-Fib!" Dave called, looking over at the monitor. Carter grabbed the paddles, "Charging…CLEAR!"
Everyone working on the man briefly leapt back as Carter shocked him, then quickly returned to his or her work. Dave looked the monitor, which failed to show any change in the man's condition. "Still in V-Fib!" he reported.
Again, Carter charged the paddles, ("CLEAR!") and shocked the driver a second time. The monitor's sound switched to a loud, high-pitched, continuous whine.
"Asystoli." Dave muttered to Carter, "Call it."
Carter stripped off his gloves as he looked at the clock, "Time of death: 8:19 a.m."
The nurses slowly started to drift from the room, dropping their gloves and gowns in the trash as they went. But, Dave and Carter remained, quietly looking down at the patient they both so disparately tried to save.
Carter finally broke the silence as he said, "Well, you can't save them all, no matter how hard you try."
Dave looked up and glanced at Carter, "I know."
Cater thought back to something he'd said awhile before…to Lucy. Quietly, he spoke to Dave, quoting himself, "'When you do everything, sometimes even more than you thought you could, you have to walk away knowing you fought the good fight.'"
As Dave mulled this over in mind, he knew that Carter wasn't just talking about this particular trauma. However, before Dave could press Carter about what he'd said, Kerry hobbled into the room. Carter gave Dave a final look (of what? Pity..?), almost apologetic, and quietly left the trauma room.
Kerry broke the news gently, and gave Dave the option of just cleaning his locker and leaving early, or finishing his shift. Staying calm, Dave chose the latter of the two.
*~*
After his shift had ended, Dave found a cardboard box and quietly brought it into the empty lounge, where he began to empty his locker.
A little while later, the door to the lounge opened and Jing-Mei entered. Dave was still at his locker, but it was almost empty. He was sitting on the floor, flipping idly through a pile of photographs, with an amused expression on his face.
Dave started as Jing-Mei shut the door to the lounge, and she noticed, quickly stuffed the pictures into the box, under a pile of papers. She walked over and he stood up and turned back to the locker.
Jing-Mei watched him for a couple minutes, before saying, "Dave, I heard what happened. I came to apologize."
Dave continued his work, but asked, "What for? Giving me the charts?"
"Those were my charts, and my responsibility." She answered.
Dave simply shrugged, then frowned, because he'd just pulled Mr. Whiskers from his locker. With another shrug from Dave, the puppet was deposited into the box, and Dave went back to his conversation, "I offered to help, it could've happened to anybody. Forget it."
Jing-Mei started to say something, but Dave slammed the locker door shut, "I said, forget it." Then he sighed, "I'm sorry…it's still not you're fault though."
Jing-Mei just nodded, then spoke, "I guess I'll see you around?"
"Maybe, some day," Dave answered, picking up his box. Jing-Mei nodded again, then left the lounge, leaving Dave alone. Leaving Dave there, wanting to desperately crack a joke, make a snide remark, hell, even make a sleazy comment. But nothing came, no joke, no remark, and no comment.
Just Dave, a box, and a shattered dream.
*~*
A/N: Chapter 5. For my sister: Told ya there'd be Carter! Everyone else, I hope you like. Very angsty, a bit fluffy, all that good stuff. REVIEW! Oh and, exeunt means "exit." Shakespeare used it to end acts in his plays.