"I can't release you Dr.Malucci. I've told you before the conditions of your release from this hospital." Peter Benton glanced down at his watch, if Dave didn't settle down soon, he'd have to get out the restraints.
"That's bullshit! I don't need anyone wiping my butt. I can take care of myself!" Dave yelled redfaced at the surgeon who sighed and shook his head sadly.
Wordlessly, Benton slipped from the room, Dave cursing his departure as the door slid shut. "You can't do this to me! Get back here! I know you can still hear me!" He yelped tremulously.
Benton stood outside the room, his back pressed up against the door. "Peter... Why won't you give the poor man a break?"
Kerry crutched up the hall, a bouquet of flowers and a bag of goodies grasped in her slender hand. Benton looked in the bag, an assortment of dirty magazines, a pornographic join-the-dots book and a few medical journals to round out the mix. He raised an eyebrow. "Late night reading material, Kerry?" He said with a smirk.
"Why won't you release him, Peter? Hasn't the man suffered enough without us running up needless medical bills?" She glared at him. "And don't change the subject on me!" Kerry growled angrily, clutching the bag to her side and spoiling Peter's view of the naked models.
"He wants out, but he lacks a support system. Nobody to take care of him, no spouse, no brothers or sisters.. He has no family, Kerry and Dave refuses homecare.." Peter grumbled, crossing his arms and peering into the plastic bag.
"What about the girlfriend? His parents?" Kerry prodded as she peered into Dave's room.
"There isn't a steady girlfriend willing to care for him in that capacity. His mother is suffering from early onset of Alzheimer's and arthritis, at the age of fifty-five.. She's barely able to care for herself. Dave's only aunt is her full time nurse and is hitting sixty herself.. Believe me Kerry, I've looked into this. Even his father.. His father, by all accounts has dropped off the face of the earth. We won't be getting any assistance from him."
"So there's no family to care for him at all? You're certain of this?" She groaned sadly as Peter shook his head. A lump formed in her throat as she gazed into the hospital room and watched Dave laying in bed, turned away from the door.
"I told you.. There's no relative or girlfriend that's living, willing or able to care for him in the state he's in. He's well enough to go home.. WITH ASSISTANCE.. Without that.. He's stuck here.. Simple as that." Peter looked at his watch again. He had an appendectomy to scrub into in less than thirty minutes.
"So, he's not being released until he agrees to homecare? You know he's not going to agree to that, Peter." Kerry rubbed her eyes with her hand, the bag looped over her thumb and swinging, banging against her chest with the motion.
"I can't help that. The man can barely stand up, he can barely walk and he thinks I'm going to release him home to an empty apartment? Not likely. I can't do that." He sighed, and walked away from her till he heard the low growl of a disgruntled ER Chief.
"Take him with you." Kerry said simply, her hand on her hip and her good foot tapping impatiently.
"KERRY! I can't! I.. I have Reese.. Cleo.." Peter stammered, shaking his head as he walked away muttering to himself. "Malucci?! I couldn't.. How could I? That's just..."
She rolled her eyes, watching the surgeon retreat down the hall. Looking through the window, Kerry slowly opened the door and walked to his bedside. "Malucci? I brought you some things.."
"Go away Chief." Dave whispered in response. The fight had left him, he knew he was stuck here for the long haul and there was nothing he could do to change it. Nothing he *wanted* to do anyway.
Pulling up a chair, she plunked the bag down on the side table and put the fresh flowers in the vase. As she rifled through the bag, Kerry eyed him worriedly and cut the tension with idle chatter. "I think you'll like what I brought." She could tell he'd been crying, that much was evident, but the amount of pain and hopelessness in his voice.. The crestfallen tone and sound of defeat, it was that she wasn't prepared for. "Dave.. You *CAN* go home if you'd only j-" Kerry started sadly.
"No. I'm not going home just to have somebody wipe my butt and cook my meals. I don't need anyone to do that. I can do that myself." Dave muttered angrily.
"But Dave.. You're laying in a hospital bed.. Nurses wipe your butt and change your bedpan, help you to the bathroom and bring you your meals. You're barely able to feed yourself.. How is this different from homecare?!"
He'd turned away from her again, but she could still hear the quiet sniffles. Good god.. She'd made the man cry! Kerry rubbed her hands over her face and sighed. "Dave.. Honey.. We're just trying to help you. Once you get out of this stuffy hospital room and back into your apartment.. It'll get better. You'll see." She said encouragingly, her free hand rubbing his back as she started to rifle through the bag and unpack it onto the table.
Dave heard the crackle of cellophane and slowly turned towards her. "What did you bring? He said meekly, his gaze following her hands as she slipped the magazines from their plastic.
"Get well essentials." Kerry said with a slight smile. "Light reading, flowers and an activity book to do when there's nothing on tv.."
Dave took the gifts with trembling hands and sighed. "Thanks, Chief.."
"No problem, Malucci.. That's what friends are for." She replied picking
up a PentHouse, and opening it to the centerfold.