"Incoming trauma.. Pedestrian versus automobile.." Randi said, turning off the two-way radio.
"When are they coming in?" Abby exited the lounge with Chen and sighed. "I don't think I could take much more of this.." She murmured softly.
"Right now actually.. They found him wandering the street and bleeding.. Something about a car chasing him down and running him over.." Randi rolled her eyes. "Christine's Revenge."
Abby and Deb ran to the doors and fished out their wallets, showing
their IDs before they ran out into the ambulance bay. "What do we got?"
Deb wrinkled her nose. "Aww gross... That's so gross!"
Abby held her hand over her mouth and nose and backed up. "Yuck... He's covered in-"
Morales grinned. "Yeah.. Covered in chunks.. He says that some guy in a car chased him down and barfed all over him. Some big conspiracy. We tried to clean him up, but he started screamin' so we figured you guys could have a go.. There's no head-trauma that we could see, but the guy's nuts anyway."
"Why?" Abby cocked a brow.
"Well.. Let's see.. Running around in the streets covered in puke and
blood.. Running around in the streets covered in puke and blood and
wearing no clothes in the middle of February. Not to mention the fact that
he started going on about how Bill Gates wanted you guys to harvest his
organs so he could sell them on EBay." Obles snickered.
"Stop it! Bill can't have my organs!! I'm saving them for Oprah!!"
Paul screamed as Malik and the gang pinned him down.
"Oprah?" Malik grinned at the paramedics.
"Yeah.. Apparently Oprah is selling organs of psychos on the black
market." Morales laughed.
"Diminished breath sounds on the left.. Get a portable chest in here..
Probably a collapsed lung.. Add a Trauma panel, C-spine, chest and pelvis
to that too.." Chen's pen light flitted over Paul's wild eyes.
"Pupils four millimetres, equal and reactive."
"STOP!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!! I NEED MY ORGANS! I WAS GOING TO PHONE UP THAT COOKING SHOW... CANNIBALS COOK! THEN THEY CAN MAKE A TASTY DISH WITH MY KIDNEYS!! STOP THIS!! PLEASE!" Paul lunged off the table. "STOP!"
"Haldol, Dr.Weaver??" Yosh said leaping back from the gurney as Paul's arm flew by inches from his head.
Kerry nodded, grabbing the syringe and jabbing it hard into Sobriki's
leg and depressing the plunger.
"AUGH!!!!!!!!! YOU STABBED ME!!!" Paul screamed as Kerry stomped from the room.
"That's right you bastard.." Kerry muttered angrily before letting the
doors slip close. She walked to the ambulance bay, the cool air rushing
over her and pimpling her arms with goosebumps. "I wish this day would
end.. I don't think I can take much more of this." She
murmured to herself.
*****
"Kerrrry?" Mark slurred as he leaned up against the building.. "Rough night?" His hands went to his face and rubbed his tired eyes, bloodshot from too much alcohol and not enough sleep.
"Rough night? Mark.. That's putting it mildly.." Kerry grumbled, slumping down beside him.
"Yeah.. I heard Dave was killed.. That's..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't any other word to describe it, but weird.. He's dead.. That's weird.. I mean.. He was there.. Yesterday.. Shooting hoops.. Being a general asshole.. He.. He took my coffee mug.. He actually asked for last night off.. Made a bunch of dates apparently.. But we were too busy.. God.. You think I killed him, Kerry??!" Mark shuddered, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Sobriki's not a murderer, and neither are you Mark.. Not yet.." Kerry murmured, staring into her hands. "Dave's upstairs.. They just took him off life-support, took him off the vent.. If he survives the apnea.. Then.. Then Sobriki's locked in a mental institution, if he doesn't? He's still locked in a looney bin." Kerry sighed. "No matter what.. Sobriki wins.. He deserves to be scraped raw with a cheese grater, dipped in vinegar, have jumper cables attached to his genitals and be electrocuted as he's getting beaten with barbed wire."
Mark nodded solemnly. "Yeah.. I think that about sums it up pretty well."
*****
"How are you feeling, Malucci??" Ginny murmured, as she wheeled the linen cart past his bed and started stripping the gurney next to him. Ginny pulled fresh sheets from the cart and started to pull them on when Dave tapped her on the back.
He swallowed painfully, motioning for water glass on the night stand
and the ICU nurse smiled at him, pouring her patient a fresh glass from
the pitcher. "I guess you're experiencing a little dry mouth.. That's normal
for what you've been through." She said as she wrapped his weak fingers
around the glass and directed it to his
parched lips.
"Th-thank... you Gin.." Dave whispered hoarsely. "Where.. Where is everyone?"
"They're around, Dave... Lucy's still in surgery. Benton will be in shortly. I'm sure you will get many visitors, but it's important you rest." Ginny reached over and tucked the blankets up to his chin.
"Lucy still in surgery??!!" His eyes widened and Dave shuddered. "He..
I.. Sobriki.. He laugh. Laugh. If she die?? What then? He crazy.. Lucy
right.. I.. If she die.. My fault.. I killed her, Ginny. I did not
be-lieve her." Tears slid down his cheeks and hung suspended at the
bridge of his nose before continuing on their journey and soaking into
the hem of his bedsheet.
"Oh.. David.. That's not true and you know it!" She scolded, hands on hips. "It was not your fault. Lucy was not your responsibility. She is a grown woman, and even though you were supervising her, somebody SHOULD have been supervising you. Accidents happen.. This was nobody's fault." Ginny squeezed his hand and rubbed her thumb softly over the supple skin on his palm.
"Has.. Has any-one phoned m-my parents?? Cindy?" Dave's voice strained and he lay back on the pillows, breathing heavily.
"They've been contacted, yes.. They're coming in.. I'll be sure to tell you when they get here, David.." The nurse smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You take care. I have to run."
"W-what a.." Dave sighed, furrowing his brow. "What about.. the.. b-bed?"
Ginny looked behind her and sighed. "I'll get Brenda to do it.. If she defies me.. I'll push her in front of a bus." There was a playful gleam in the nurse's eye and Dave smiled.
"Y-you w-wouldn't do th-that?!" He struggled to make a coherent sentence and the blipping of his heart-monitor had quickened.
She smiled comfortingly as she walked from the room. "No.. Brenda's so scattered, she'd probably walk in front of it.. I'll see you later, Duck.."
Dave nodded, pulling the O2 mask down over his face again and took deep breaths as he fell asleep.
*****
"Endstage lung cancer, that must have sucked, Deb. Did he have any family?" Carter patted her hand comfortingly as they sipped their coffee.
"No. He came in regularly for treatment, radiation, chemo.. B-but he refused to quit smoking. I-I told him. No.. He w-wouldn't.. He refused.. B-but no.. Clarence h-had no family. I.. I was the only one who cared. He came in.. His oxygen tank was out.. He was in respiratory failure.. He couldn't breathe.." Deb burst into tears. "There wasn't anything I could do! I couldn't do anything to h-help.. I.. I've done the speech so many times, John.. I could do it in my sleep. 'We used all our capabilities, all the methods and treatments available to resuscitate your loved one, but we were unable to save his life. I'm very sorry for your loss. But.. Now.. Now.. I have to basically give the speech to myself.. I was the only one who cared about t-the bastard.. Now it sounds wrong in my head.. Like it's a lie.. I mean... There must have been SOMETHING I could have done, John.. Something I missed.. Something I didn't do and should have.." Tears rolled down her face and Carter sighed sadly, his own eyes tearing up.
"Deb.. You said it yourself.. There was nothing you could do." He started to tear up a napkin into little bits, like Lucy had been doing to her Kleenex only a few hours previous. "He was in pain.. He was suffering. It's good that he's at peace now."
"OH? PEACE?! HE'S NOT AT PEACE!!! HE'S *DEAD* JOHN! D-E-A-D! HE'S DEAD.. HE'S DEAD AND I KILLED HIM!!!!!!!!!" Deb screamed at him. People looked up from their coffees and stared at her.
"Come on Deb.. You're just a little stressed about Malucci and Lucy.. Everything will be okay.." Carter said soothingly, pulling her back into her seat and holding her hand.
"Will it John? Will it? Can you promise me that?"
*******