"Dave? Dr.Malucci?? Your PT appointment is here.. Dr.Malucci?"
Dave opened his eyes groggily to find Anspaugh, Benton and a doctor he didn't recognize, standing over his bed. "What's up?"
"We'd like to test your range of motion and whether you've gained sensation yet." The strange doctor announced, nearing the bed.
Anspaugh and Benton nodded. "We just want to know how you're doing." Don turned, looking at the door as a gaggle of med-students entered with their notebooks.
"Who in the hell are they? Where in the hell am I?" Dave yelled angrily as he tried to pull himself up in bed.
"You're at County General. There was an accident.. Those are my med-students.. They are observing us as we assess you." The PT doctor smiled phonily as Benton and Anspaugh rolled their eyes.
"I know where I am, you arrogant moron! I want to know what they are doing here!? Don't want medstudents gawking at me." Dave growled.
"Doctor... Surely you can appreciate that this IS a teaching hospital..
You're a patient here.. and a viable teaching case. I'm sure you went
on rounds as a med-student." The doctor clasped his hands together and
looked at his colleagues for support.
"I want them out, Dr.Pete. I want them to go. I want them to leave. Make them leave." Dave pleaded tiredly.
Benton nodded to the door. "Go O'Connor. Take the medstudents with you."
"But.."
"We don't need you for this. You can go." Anspaugh said softly. He didn't want Malucci any more worked up and upset than he needed to be.
Dr.O'Connor stomped from the room, trailing medstudents behind him like a mother duck and babies.
"Okay Dave..." Anspaugh murmured as he rolled up the blankets at the foot of the bed and revealed Dave's feet.
"You ready Dr.Malucci?" He said as his palm pressed up against Dave's foot. "Push against my hand when I say go."
***
"She was admitted for shock? Poor woman." Chen murmured sadly as she watched Carter strap himself into his new rollerblades in the lounge. "You're going to split your head open with those things, John.."
"Nuh-uh. I have protection." He mumbled as he pulled on the helmet and rapped on it with his knuckles.
"Oh yeah Carter.. Very stylish.. Hip, cool and slammin'... Very 'you'." Chen laughed.
"Oh yes.. Just you wait woman.. I'll skate circles around you." Carter chuckled and sighed. "Yeah.. Ms.Knight was admitted for shock.. I mean.. I feel horrible. I didn't know who she was. I was so rude to her and Randi just came up and saved the day." He sighed pitifully and slipped on the elbow pads.
"She knew though John.. She knew it was Lucy's Mom.. You don't have to feel bad." Deb sighed and patted her friend on the back.
"Yeah! But how!? Am I blind? How come I didn't clue in? Am I that stupid?!"
"Stupid? Carter.. No.."
"Deb.. I should go apologize.." Carter said, scrambling to get up and then grabbing onto the armrest to stay up-right. "How could she have known?? Is she psychic or something??"
"Pictures.. Photos of Lucy's trip to SF last summer with her mom. Her mom was in every shot, John.. Lucy was showing them at the desk.. That's how she knew.. You're not stupid Carter.."
Carter shook his head disgustedly. "Yeah.. Well.. I'm gonna go try these out.. I'll see you later.." He grumbled sadly, flailing his arms as he rolled out the doors.
***
"Did it hurt?" Ms.Knight wiped away a tear.. "Did it hurt when y-" She sighed, blowing her nose. "Did it hurt when you fell?"
Carter sat at her bedside, his leg encased in slowly drying plaster, his newfound rollerblades donated to Malik who was currently wheeling figure-eights around the ER. "No.. Not really.. I've got a high pain-threshold I guess.." He murmured.
**
He sat dejectedly on the toilet as Yosh rolled his eyes. "Carter.. I told you rollerblades weren't a good idea."
"I.. I had to tell that woman.. I had to tell her it didn't hurt.. I had to tell her that falling down 4 flights of concrete steps at the park and breaking your leg in two places didn't hurt! Am I nuts?" Carter sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair.
"No.. you just wanted to spare her the pain.. She's going through enough right now. It'll be alright.." He murmured softly, zipping up and walking to the sink.
"No.. No it won't.. Lucy's dead.. Dave's in ICU and I forgot my crutches beside the hand dryer. I've fallen and can't get up!" Carter sobbed.
****
"I.. I can't do this.. I.. I think I'll go.." Dave winced as he grabbed onto the handholds of his wheelchair and attempted to wheel away.
"Malucci... You should stay. Ms.Knight would want you to stay.. She would want you to be here.." Kerry murmured, catching onto one of the handles and holding the chair still.
"I.. I can't Chief.. I can't do this.. I can't sit here and have everyone staring.. Staring at me.. Feeling sorry for me. Feeling mad at me for living while Lucy died.. I can't do this right now. I can't handle this!" Dave trembled and dropped his head into his hands.
"You can and you will Malucci.. Stay. I will sit with you." She sighed, awkwardly wheeling the chair to the front of the pews and sitting beside him. "We'll both get through this Malucci.."
"I want to go back to the hospital.. Please, Chief.." Dave looked away from Kerry, from the casket and burst into tears.
"Ohhhh.. Oh Dave.. Oh.. Okay Dave.. Okay.. We'll go.. I'll take you back.. It's going to be okay, Malucci.. It's going to be okay.." Kerry whispered hoarsely, her hand moving protectively to his back and rubbing it comfortingly. "It's going to be okay.." She looked over at Deb and nodded.
"Time to go back, Dave?" Chen said concerned.
Dave nodded mutely and hung his head, as she stood and pushed the chair down the aisle and past Barbara. She grasped his hand, stopping the chair.
"T-thank you for coming, Dave.. I really app..." She sniffled and blew her nose. "I appreciated that you came.. I'll never forget this.." Barbara looked up at Kerry and Chen. "Can I speak to him alone for a moment?"
Dave nodded to his friends, his eyes glassy and red with tears. "It's okay guys.."
"You sure Dave? I thought you wanted-" Chen replied softly, but Dave's hoarse whisper cut her off.
"It's okay.. Just a second.. I'll meet you back at the car." He waved them off as Barbara pushed the chair into the kitchenette and closed the door.
"What's u-" The chair tilted backwards with the sudden forceful jolt of Barbara leaping on Dave, her hands closing and tightening around his neck and throttling him.
"N-no.. p-ple-" He gasped as the chair flipped, landing the two on the ground and rolling on the cold tile flooring. The lack of oxygen hazed his senses as the crazed mother beat his head repeatedly against the ground.
"You killed her! You bastard! You killed my baby! You left her with a maniac! You killed my little girl!" Barbara screamed at him, her voice cracking as her hot tears hit him in the face, blinding him. "You k-"
*****
Dave startled himself awake with a guttural anguished scream.
He sat forward, his head in his hands as he started to weep and gasp for breath. Everything ached. Everything hurt. Everything hurt sooo much...
"Dave are you okay?" Ginny appeared at his bedside.
He shook his head. "I.. I killed her.." Dave sniffled tearfully. "H-her.. Her mom hates me..."
"Dave.. Honey... You had a nightmare. Everything is okay.. You want me to go get Cindy or your aunt?" Ginny looked outside at the worried faces of his family.
"S-send in Cindy in." Dave murmured, laying back on the pillows and his breathing slightly winded.
"Dave... Honey? Are you okay?" She walked into the room and melted with concern. "Awww.. Sweetie.."
He closed his eyes as Cindy bent over the gurney and kissed him on the lips. "I wish I could get in there with you and make you feel better, Davey.."
"I don't think there's any harm in laying beside me if you're careful." He smiled, gritting his teeth with the pain and patting a spot beside him on the blanket.
Cindy laughed sadly and nodded, pulling down the rail and climbing in beside Dave. "I.. I'm really sorry I left that nasty message on your answering machine about Valentine's Day.. I.. If I'd known.. I never would have wished you dead.." She sniffled, wiping her eyes.
Dave laughed nervously. "Ahh.. The message.. Yeah.. That was the most interesting out of all the 'get well soon's and 'oh my god!'s I had on my machine.. Certainly a keeper.."
Cindy shook her head softly, her blonde hair shifting on the pillow and tickling his cheek. "No.. You're a keeper.. I missed you Dave.. I nearly killed that weird little bald guy.. He was making nasty remarks.. I almost punched him in the nose.."
Dave smirked. "Almost right? I hope just almost... Cuz.. The guy's sort
of Chief of Staff... Don't worry though.. Just about everyone wants to
punch the guy in the nose.."
"Good.. So it's not just me.." She laughed, nuzzling into his neck.
"Nope.. Not just you.. Just about all of County wants his head on a stick.." He sighed, laying back in the pillows as she lazily tickled his forearm with her fingers.
***
"Mark... Mark we have to talk.." Elizabeth sat in the booth across from her fiancee and sighed. "Mark.. Please..."
He looked up from his coffee and shook his head. "She's dead.. What is there to talk about?"
"Could you be sued.. Could she sue us? I mean.. It was negligence on our part.. Not closely supervising Malucci and Knight.. If we hadn't skipped out early to go to dinner.. Mark.. If we had stayed our full shift.. Malucci would be okay.." Elizabeth burst into tears.
"Elizabeth... Listen to me.. Yes.. I kept Malucci on.. We were busy.. I had reason to. As for Lucy.. It's nobody's fault.." He pulled off his glasses, grasping an arm and chewing absently on the end. His hand went to temple as he winced.
"But.. If we were so busy.. We shouldn't have left.. Mark... We killed her.."
"Shhh! Elizabeth.. Don't... Don't put this on us. We didn't do anything
wrong."
TO BE CONTINUED...........