1
1.1.1 Chapter 23 "Old Scars,New Wounds."
1.1.2
Great... Thought Luka as he followed her onto the train. 'Don't talk about work.' What then? Sports? The weather?? "Luka.." She called out to him, patting the seat and shaking him out of his thoughts. He nodded, seating himself beside her. "Did you want to come over and have sex? I brought some condoms home from the clinic.."
He looked at her goggle eyed, his brows arched in surprise. "WHAT!?" Luka squeaked, his face flushing red.
Kerry looked at him oddly and repeated herself. "Luka... Did you want to come over for dinner? I bought some steaks from the butcher."
"D-dinner?? Sure, sounds great. What time?" He stammered, looking away from her and staring out the dirt marred windows of the subway car. The world rushed by so fast, and yet he was stuck in a time warp. Stuck in a moving box with a woman who was his boss, who he had spent the night with. A woman who obviously cared about him, while his own wife still held onto him by the woven threads of wool. Luka fingered the scarf, breaking the foggy gaze from the rushing stone columns in the subway tunnels. "I would like dinner very much, that sounds nice. Did you want me to bring wine?"
Kerry bit her lip as tears burned her eyes. He was doing it again, thinking about her. She didn't know why it bothered her so much. What was Luka to her, but a friend... But the way he seemed still attached to Danijela, it wasn't like the two of them had divorced, the relationship never had a time to end, a time to heal the wounds left. Kerry recalled the teamwork that had occurred those weeks ago in the adjoining trauma rooms working on the two doctors feverishly as they attempted to put their lives back together. Life really hadn't been the same since.
Life hadn't been the same since she'd found Malucci face down in a puddle of his own blood. She was only grateful that Luka had been there at least one of the nights she'd awoken from the horrific nightmares stemming from that day. He'd held her, obviously confused, obviously slowly cluing in to what the dream had been about. They never mentioned the nightmares the two of them had that night. Neither of them did. Not even the loud mutterings that Luka did in his sleep, moaning, soft muffled screaming into his pillow, as his knuckles whitened around the bedclothes, a sweaty mess of pain. Kerry never questioned it in the morning, over the hot black coffee that he brewed, dark hollows under his eyes from lack of sleep, his jittery hands snug around the large cup. "Wine would be good.. I'll see you around eight." She said softly, pulling herself up and grasping the sticky metal pole as the El creaked to a stop.
***
"Dr.Romano, there's two women here to see you." Shirley announced, sticking her head into his office, the surgeon raising his head from the papers on his desk and looking at her pointedly.
"Who are they and what do they want, Shirley? Make it quick, I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork. The lawyers are all over this thing. Do you know how much they want me to sign so we cover our asses?! A doctor died because we can't get our patients under control." He muttered angrily, slamming down his pen. "Who is it dammit!?"
"It's Samantha Sobriki and Barbara Knight, Dr.Romano." Shirley said, her head disappearing from view. Robert "Rocket" Romano sighed heavily, his finger flicking the pen on the blotter, it rolling away slowly as he slipped his head into his hands and groaned. "Send them in." He muttered.
***
Barb Knight had stared at the woman out of the corner of her eye, the old tattered Cosmo just a mere attempt at focusing her attention on something else. She seemed so young, yet so aged. What could have happened to such a beautiful young girl to make her seem so weary? "She looks the way I feel.." Barb thought to herself, "Poor girl." She muttered softly, flipping the pages of the magazine.
Shirley walked to the waiting room, biting her lip. Did the two women know? Did they know who each other were? What was she walking into? What would she find when she walked into that room? The wife of a murderer and the mother of the victim. The odds weren't good. "Ms.Knight?" She said, opening the door and smiling weakly at the mother before turning to the other woman. "Ms.Sobriki? Dr.Romano will see you now."
Slowly the two women exchanged glances, swallowing, colour dropping from their cheeks as they averted their eyes and stood. In such an enclosed space and they thought they were worlds away. Barb shuddered, she never fathomed one could be so closely related to a stranger. She stood mechanically. Did she hate this woman? For marrying a sick man? Did she hate the man for being sick? Did she hate the doctor behind that door who was going to try to convince her not to sue the hospital for killing her daughter? She wondered if Samantha was going to sue the hospital for not taking care of her husband, for letting him walk free, wandering the hospital, carrying a butcher knife.
****
"Forty-nine bottles of beer on the wall.. Forty-nine bottles of beer.." Dave muttered as he leaned back in the chair, slowly spinning and staring at the ceiling. The day had been exceptionally slow and Mark had shoved him into the suture room with a pile of charts.
"Do these.." He had growled, slamming the clipboards down on the counter with a metallic thump. "And once you're done those. I'm sure Haleh can find you something to do." Mark exited the room, letting the door slam behind him.
"But I.." Dave sighed, grabbing the pen and thrusting it angrily across the room, before pulling himself onto the examining table and falling asleep.
"Malucci.. You shouldn't be sleeping. What if Greene catches you?" Randi had stood in the doorway with an amused smirk.
He glared at her, staring up at the ceiling. "So let him catch me." Dave grumbled. "Like I give a shit anymore."
"Get up off the table, get into that chair, and I'll bring you some lunch." Randi sighed watching his eyebrows shoot up. "I'm not going to make a habit of this, so watch it. Get up. When I get back, you'll be pretending you're doing some work and I'll have a sandwich for you. Deal?"
Dave nodded, crawling painfully off the table and plopping into the chair, "Deal.. Anything but anchovies or liverwurst."
An hour later, he was busy with charts and picking at his sandwich, the half with liverwurst and anchovies had been shoved aside and he nibbled on the peanut butter and jelly. This was more boring than watching grass grow, but at least he'd gotten a lunch out of it. Lazily he spun, staring at the ceiling and humming the last few bars of the song. "Nineteen bottles of beer on the wall.. Nineteen bottles of beer.. Take one down.. Pass it a-"
The door crashed open and Haleh looked at him. "Malucci get out here.. We need all the hands we can get. Multiple MVA. Four major, six minor. Get your ass in gear, Dr.Dave." She said frantically, waving her hands and motioning for him to move.
"But.."
"NOW!"
Silently, Dave stooped beside the chair and struggled to grab his crutches. His body trembling with exertion, he slipped them under himself and crutched out the door and past Haleh. "I'm going.. My ass is in gear.." He muttered angrily, as he limped past the nurse.
Haleh followed up the rear and pointed for him to sit on the small stool in front of the small child. "You can do sutures?" She muttered kindly, shoving a kit in front of him.
"I can." He whispered back, staring at the kit and down at the young boy who had lost interest in Dr.Dave and struggled to see where they'd shipped his parents off to.
"Where'd my Mummy go?" The kid stared at him, the lower lip quivering and Dave wincing as he heard the sounds wafting from the trauma rooms. Where- ever his mother was, it didn't sound so good.
"My friends are taking care of your Mom." Dave said softly, as he opened the kit with a shaking hand. Taking care of her, like they took care of me. Like they took care of Lucy. "Let me get a look at that cut on your forehe- " As he reached for the boy, the child bolted, making a beeline for the trauma room doors.
"KID! Hey... Get away from there." Dave warned, limping towards him as he managed to get one crutch under his arm. "Kid.. Come on.." Painfully, he made his way to the trauma rooms and attempted to scoop the child under his arm, pinning him to his side. "S-stop kid.." Dave groaned, dropping the crutch as the kid squirmed and kicked. Crashing to his knees, he groped for a hold on him as the boy slipped from his grasp and ran into the room.
Closing his eyes, and gasping in pain, Dave put his hands out to push himself up, limping to the room without the aid of his crutches, and crashing through the door.
Mark's head snapped up and looked at the doctor who'd come stumbling through the entrance. "Malucci.. What in the hell?!"
"Just getting a run away patient, Dr.Greene." Dave grunted in pain, his arms swinging wildly, trying to get his hands on the kid that dodged in front of him. His hands finally connected, grabbing the kid around the middle and stumbling backwards as the kid screamed.
"Mommmmmmmmy!!" The kid wailed as Dave's insides liquefied with pain. He couldn't look up, he wouldn't look up. A wayward sneaker connected with Dave's midsection and the young doctor paled, his eyes goggling, and his head snapping up to lock gaze with the doctors at the trauma gurney.
Suddenly the squirming child didn't seem like an issue anymore as the woman, slick with her own blood began to code and Mark was handed the sternal saw. Mark looked at Malucci, the man quivery and pale, almost stunned, his eyes glassy. "Haleh. Get them out of here." He barked, starting up the saw.
"Lucy.." He croaked, as Haleh lead him from the room.
"It's not Lucy, hon.." She informed him kindly, seating both the boy and the doctor in an exam room. "Lucy's gone. Let me get a look at where the kid kicked you, lift up your shirt." Dave stared at the floor, shaking, as Haleh lifted his scrub top.
*****
"Dr.Romano, I would just like you to know. I'm not going to pursue legal action." Barb Knight smiled sadly and stared at her hands. "I've spoken with my family.. With the Malucci family. We don't think it's in our best interest to pursue this any further. It's been painful enough."
Romano let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded. "It's settled then. As you know, our lawyers are working on a sum of compensation for all the parties involved and I assure you it will be a-"
Samantha Sobriki, who had been silent up to that moment, staring off into space and chewing absently on her lip, moved her hands over her midsection and murmured. Both Barb and Romano exchanged glances before the glassy eyed young woman met their gaze. "I'm suing. I'm suing this hospital. I'm suing Dr.Malucci.. I have talked to my lawyers." She whispered defiantly. "You took my husband away f-from me!" Samantha said angrily. "You caused this. You are going to pay for my baby's welfare and well-being. My husband was training to be a lawyer. We would have lived comfortably if it hadn't been for your irresponsible staff who obviously don't know what they're doing. You're going to pay Dr.Romano. County General is going to pay for what it did to my husband."
Her chin dropped to her chest and her small frail hands covered her face as she burst into tears and began to shake.
1.1.3 Chapter 24 – "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This."
1.1.4 "Dave. Would you mind if I sent you upstairs for an CT?" Haleh said softly, as she probed the scarred midsection of the resident. "Dave?"
1.1.5
Dave sat, staring off into space, biting down on his lip and attempting to ignore the shooting pains as the nurse poked at him. His head felt like a numb blob upon his shoulders and he turned it slowly, looking at her with a glazed expression. "Yuhh huh?"
Haleh pursed her lips and sighed. "Okay... Lay down..." She ordered.
"But..." He replied weakly, allowing her to help him onto the gurney, lying down in a semi-fetal position. He trembled slightly, his skin suddenly clammy and cold, and his forehead beaded with sweat. Dave's eyes drooped closed as the tired doctor fell asleep.
"No buts." She said kindly, walking briskly from the room.
****
"He's dead..." Haleh announced to the ER as they all looked up, disinterested.
"Enough of that. He was supposed to be dead twenty chapters ago. Stop fucking with our heads." Mark snapped angrily as he walked from the trauma room, pitching his gown into the bin.
Dejectedly the nurse sighed. "Fine. He's not dead. He needs a consult and a CT. You guys aren't any fun." She muttered stubbornly and stomped back into the exam room.
****
"What did you say to them?" Dave whispered softly, his hands wrapped around his midsection.
"I told them you were dead." Haleh said solemnly, bowing her head.
"You WHAT!?"
"Nothing.. Here." The nurse walked to the gurney, inserting something into the man's IV.
"Ha-?" Dave moaned as the room began to spin and he woke up in a white room.
****
This wasn't the first time Dave had met her. But, this was the first time they ever worked this closely together. What was she doing anyway? Painting his toenails?? This wasn't right. Why couldn't he move?
"HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAVE!!" They cheered around the gurney causing his drooping lids to widen with surprise.
"Wha?! It's like March.. What in the fuck?" He growled angrily, the tranquilizer wearing off and Dave started having feeling back in his limbs.
"We figured we make you think you're dead!!!!" Luka grinned. "Pretty funny, eh?? Eh?? Pretty funny!!!!!!! She's the mortician. She's painting your toe nails.. Just like if you were dead! Pretty funny eh!? Dave? You think that's funny Dr.Dave?? Ehh?? You think it's funny Dave?? Dave?"
***
"Dave? Wake up... Dave... Yo... Dr.Dave..." Carter shook the man slightly, and smiled as he awoke. "You okay man?? You look like you're havin' nightmares. Haleh sent me in here to check you out.. You feelin' okay? I heard that kid gave you a real whack to the gut!" He whispered kindly.
"I... Mark... I remember something about a chapter, or me dying, or something? Do you know what's going on? Haleh said I was dead.. and then..." Dave murmured softly, his skin pale and warm.
"What do you mean exactly? You were stabbed over a month ago, you've been in and out of hospital for check-ups. You're living with Mark Greene... What's this about Chapters? Did you want me to go down and get you a book? I don't have to go to Chapters to get a book you know, they have books in the gift shop."
Carter said kindly, wondering if the man was trying to take advantage of him or something. Yeah he had money, but he wasn't going to go out to Chapters and buy this guy a book out of the blue.
"I guess it was a nightmare." Dave breathed softly. "Sorry." Slowly his eyes slid shut and his breathing slowed.
"Dave?" Carter sighed. Poor bastard.. That little brat must have really booted him one. "I'm gonna examine you, okay?" The man winced, nodding slightly as Carter began to carefully palpate the abdomen while assessing the Dave's pained expression. "I'm going to order a CT and an ultrasound and a couple tests? You okay?" He said worriedly, looking back outside as gurneys rolled by, white sheets draped over them. The brat was an orphan.
Leaving the trembling mass on the gurney, Carter grabbed a chart, writing down a few med orders and tests, walking outside to find a nurse. "Chuny.. Could you-"
She waved him off, rushing past as another ambulance pulled up. "I'm busy Carter!"
"Wendy?" He pleaded.
"Nope.. Sorry.." The diminutive nurse replied, running out into the ambulance bay.
With a sigh, he walked to the drug locker and grabbed the supplies himself. It was going to be a very long day. Banging into the room, his arms full, Dave's body was slack, a greyish hue. "Oooh shit!" Stumbling, Carter grabbed the gurney awkwardly, bashing it into the equipment in the room as he tried to maneuver it out the door. "GUYS!!! GUYS! I need a doctor here.. Somebody.. I need some help.. Dave... I.. He's..."
*****
"Okay.. CT, Ultrasound, DPT.. Order HCT, WBC, serum amylase and lipase, urinalysis Peter growled, glaring at Carter, as he gowned up in the trauma room. "Why in the fuck were you doing this yourself?"
"I.. He was okay a minute ago.." Carter stammered weakly, staring at Dave on the gurney.
"You said you found him passed out." The surgeon barked angrily grabbing the
ultrasound machine and running it over Dave's abdomen. "Shit!" He looked up at Carter, staring at him. "Well?"
"He was sleeping.. I-I woke him up. He was having nightmares about being dead or something." Carter said, gowning up.
"What are you doing.. Get out.. I don't need you in here.." Benton snapped angrily, pointing to the doors.
"But."
"OUT! And get Kovac in here to assist!"
"He's off.."
"Weaver.."
"Off."
"Dammit! Page them.. Page somebody.."
***
"Inject 100cc of lidocaine and epi.. Good.. Now you have to insert the NG tube and Foley.. Yeah intra-umbilical.. Careful of the scarring.." Benton said with a low growl, talking the young student through the procedure as Carter stood outside.
Morgana looked up at the man and the surgeon corrected her sharply. "Keep your eyes on your work dammit! Careful of the scar tissue.. You'll tear something.. Dammit.. Give it to me.. I'll show you.."
Benton wrenched the equipment from her trembling hands and pushed her out of the way. "Here.. Watch.." he said gruffly. "You make incisions at the rectus abdominus, and the linea alba, midline. Enter the peritoneum, and insert the dialysis catheter. Direct the catheter into the pelvic and aspirate."
Lily Marquez looked up. "It's positive Dr.Benton.. 500 White Blood Count.."
Morgana Stern wrinkled her nose at all the blood. "Yuck.."
Benton sighed. "Positive.. Shit!! We gotta get him upstairs.. Haleh, call for a room.."
1.1.1 Chapter 23 "Old Scars,New Wounds."
1.1.2
Great... Thought Luka as he followed her onto the train. 'Don't talk about work.' What then? Sports? The weather?? "Luka.." She called out to him, patting the seat and shaking him out of his thoughts. He nodded, seating himself beside her. "Did you want to come over and have sex? I brought some condoms home from the clinic.."
He looked at her goggle eyed, his brows arched in surprise. "WHAT!?" Luka squeaked, his face flushing red.
Kerry looked at him oddly and repeated herself. "Luka... Did you want to come over for dinner? I bought some steaks from the butcher."
"D-dinner?? Sure, sounds great. What time?" He stammered, looking away from her and staring out the dirt marred windows of the subway car. The world rushed by so fast, and yet he was stuck in a time warp. Stuck in a moving box with a woman who was his boss, who he had spent the night with. A woman who obviously cared about him, while his own wife still held onto him by the woven threads of wool. Luka fingered the scarf, breaking the foggy gaze from the rushing stone columns in the subway tunnels. "I would like dinner very much, that sounds nice. Did you want me to bring wine?"
Kerry bit her lip as tears burned her eyes. He was doing it again, thinking about her. She didn't know why it bothered her so much. What was Luka to her, but a friend... But the way he seemed still attached to Danijela, it wasn't like the two of them had divorced, the relationship never had a time to end, a time to heal the wounds left. Kerry recalled the teamwork that had occurred those weeks ago in the adjoining trauma rooms working on the two doctors feverishly as they attempted to put their lives back together. Life really hadn't been the same since.
Life hadn't been the same since she'd found Malucci face down in a puddle of his own blood. She was only grateful that Luka had been there at least one of the nights she'd awoken from the horrific nightmares stemming from that day. He'd held her, obviously confused, obviously slowly cluing in to what the dream had been about. They never mentioned the nightmares the two of them had that night. Neither of them did. Not even the loud mutterings that Luka did in his sleep, moaning, soft muffled screaming into his pillow, as his knuckles whitened around the bedclothes, a sweaty mess of pain. Kerry never questioned it in the morning, over the hot black coffee that he brewed, dark hollows under his eyes from lack of sleep, his jittery hands snug around the large cup. "Wine would be good.. I'll see you around eight." She said softly, pulling herself up and grasping the sticky metal pole as the El creaked to a stop.
***
"Dr.Romano, there's two women here to see you." Shirley announced, sticking her head into his office, the surgeon raising his head from the papers on his desk and looking at her pointedly.
"Who are they and what do they want, Shirley? Make it quick, I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork. The lawyers are all over this thing. Do you know how much they want me to sign so we cover our asses?! A doctor died because we can't get our patients under control." He muttered angrily, slamming down his pen. "Who is it dammit!?"
"It's Samantha Sobriki and Barbara Knight, Dr.Romano." Shirley said, her head disappearing from view. Robert "Rocket" Romano sighed heavily, his finger flicking the pen on the blotter, it rolling away slowly as he slipped his head into his hands and groaned. "Send them in." He muttered.
***
Barb Knight had stared at the woman out of the corner of her eye, the old tattered Cosmo just a mere attempt at focusing her attention on something else. She seemed so young, yet so aged. What could have happened to such a beautiful young girl to make her seem so weary? "She looks the way I feel.." Barb thought to herself, "Poor girl." She muttered softly, flipping the pages of the magazine.
Shirley walked to the waiting room, biting her lip. Did the two women know? Did they know who each other were? What was she walking into? What would she find when she walked into that room? The wife of a murderer and the mother of the victim. The odds weren't good. "Ms.Knight?" She said, opening the door and smiling weakly at the mother before turning to the other woman. "Ms.Sobriki? Dr.Romano will see you now."
Slowly the two women exchanged glances, swallowing, colour dropping from their cheeks as they averted their eyes and stood. In such an enclosed space and they thought they were worlds away. Barb shuddered, she never fathomed one could be so closely related to a stranger. She stood mechanically. Did she hate this woman? For marrying a sick man? Did she hate the man for being sick? Did she hate the doctor behind that door who was going to try to convince her not to sue the hospital for killing her daughter? She wondered if Samantha was going to sue the hospital for not taking care of her husband, for letting him walk free, wandering the hospital, carrying a butcher knife.
****
"Forty-nine bottles of beer on the wall.. Forty-nine bottles of beer.." Dave muttered as he leaned back in the chair, slowly spinning and staring at the ceiling. The day had been exceptionally slow and Mark had shoved him into the suture room with a pile of charts.
"Do these.." He had growled, slamming the clipboards down on the counter with a metallic thump. "And once you're done those. I'm sure Haleh can find you something to do." Mark exited the room, letting the door slam behind him.
"But I.." Dave sighed, grabbing the pen and thrusting it angrily across the room, before pulling himself onto the examining table and falling asleep.
"Malucci.. You shouldn't be sleeping. What if Greene catches you?" Randi had stood in the doorway with an amused smirk.
He glared at her, staring up at the ceiling. "So let him catch me." Dave grumbled. "Like I give a shit anymore."
"Get up off the table, get into that chair, and I'll bring you some lunch." Randi sighed watching his eyebrows shoot up. "I'm not going to make a habit of this, so watch it. Get up. When I get back, you'll be pretending you're doing some work and I'll have a sandwich for you. Deal?"
Dave nodded, crawling painfully off the table and plopping into the chair, "Deal.. Anything but anchovies or liverwurst."
An hour later, he was busy with charts and picking at his sandwich, the half with liverwurst and anchovies had been shoved aside and he nibbled on the peanut butter and jelly. This was more boring than watching grass grow, but at least he'd gotten a lunch out of it. Lazily he spun, staring at the ceiling and humming the last few bars of the song. "Nineteen bottles of beer on the wall.. Nineteen bottles of beer.. Take one down.. Pass it a-"
The door crashed open and Haleh looked at him. "Malucci get out here.. We need all the hands we can get. Multiple MVA. Four major, six minor. Get your ass in gear, Dr.Dave." She said frantically, waving her hands and motioning for him to move.
"But.."
"NOW!"
Silently, Dave stooped beside the chair and struggled to grab his crutches. His body trembling with exertion, he slipped them under himself and crutched out the door and past Haleh. "I'm going.. My ass is in gear.." He muttered angrily, as he limped past the nurse.
Haleh followed up the rear and pointed for him to sit on the small stool in front of the small child. "You can do sutures?" She muttered kindly, shoving a kit in front of him.
"I can." He whispered back, staring at the kit and down at the young boy who had lost interest in Dr.Dave and struggled to see where they'd shipped his parents off to.
"Where'd my Mummy go?" The kid stared at him, the lower lip quivering and Dave wincing as he heard the sounds wafting from the trauma rooms. Where- ever his mother was, it didn't sound so good.
"My friends are taking care of your Mom." Dave said softly, as he opened the kit with a shaking hand. Taking care of her, like they took care of me. Like they took care of Lucy. "Let me get a look at that cut on your forehe- " As he reached for the boy, the child bolted, making a beeline for the trauma room doors.
"KID! Hey... Get away from there." Dave warned, limping towards him as he managed to get one crutch under his arm. "Kid.. Come on.." Painfully, he made his way to the trauma rooms and attempted to scoop the child under his arm, pinning him to his side. "S-stop kid.." Dave groaned, dropping the crutch as the kid squirmed and kicked. Crashing to his knees, he groped for a hold on him as the boy slipped from his grasp and ran into the room.
Closing his eyes, and gasping in pain, Dave put his hands out to push himself up, limping to the room without the aid of his crutches, and crashing through the door.
Mark's head snapped up and looked at the doctor who'd come stumbling through the entrance. "Malucci.. What in the hell?!"
"Just getting a run away patient, Dr.Greene." Dave grunted in pain, his arms swinging wildly, trying to get his hands on the kid that dodged in front of him. His hands finally connected, grabbing the kid around the middle and stumbling backwards as the kid screamed.
"Mommmmmmmmy!!" The kid wailed as Dave's insides liquefied with pain. He couldn't look up, he wouldn't look up. A wayward sneaker connected with Dave's midsection and the young doctor paled, his eyes goggling, and his head snapping up to lock gaze with the doctors at the trauma gurney.
Suddenly the squirming child didn't seem like an issue anymore as the woman, slick with her own blood began to code and Mark was handed the sternal saw. Mark looked at Malucci, the man quivery and pale, almost stunned, his eyes glassy. "Haleh. Get them out of here." He barked, starting up the saw.
"Lucy.." He croaked, as Haleh lead him from the room.
"It's not Lucy, hon.." She informed him kindly, seating both the boy and the doctor in an exam room. "Lucy's gone. Let me get a look at where the kid kicked you, lift up your shirt." Dave stared at the floor, shaking, as Haleh lifted his scrub top.
*****
"Dr.Romano, I would just like you to know. I'm not going to pursue legal action." Barb Knight smiled sadly and stared at her hands. "I've spoken with my family.. With the Malucci family. We don't think it's in our best interest to pursue this any further. It's been painful enough."
Romano let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded. "It's settled then. As you know, our lawyers are working on a sum of compensation for all the parties involved and I assure you it will be a-"
Samantha Sobriki, who had been silent up to that moment, staring off into space and chewing absently on her lip, moved her hands over her midsection and murmured. Both Barb and Romano exchanged glances before the glassy eyed young woman met their gaze. "I'm suing. I'm suing this hospital. I'm suing Dr.Malucci.. I have talked to my lawyers." She whispered defiantly. "You took my husband away f-from me!" Samantha said angrily. "You caused this. You are going to pay for my baby's welfare and well-being. My husband was training to be a lawyer. We would have lived comfortably if it hadn't been for your irresponsible staff who obviously don't know what they're doing. You're going to pay Dr.Romano. County General is going to pay for what it did to my husband."
Her chin dropped to her chest and her small frail hands covered her face as she burst into tears and began to shake.
1.1.3 Chapter 24 – "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This."
1.1.4 "Dave. Would you mind if I sent you upstairs for an CT?" Haleh said softly, as she probed the scarred midsection of the resident. "Dave?"
1.1.5
Dave sat, staring off into space, biting down on his lip and attempting to ignore the shooting pains as the nurse poked at him. His head felt like a numb blob upon his shoulders and he turned it slowly, looking at her with a glazed expression. "Yuhh huh?"
Haleh pursed her lips and sighed. "Okay... Lay down..." She ordered.
"But..." He replied weakly, allowing her to help him onto the gurney, lying down in a semi-fetal position. He trembled slightly, his skin suddenly clammy and cold, and his forehead beaded with sweat. Dave's eyes drooped closed as the tired doctor fell asleep.
"No buts." She said kindly, walking briskly from the room.
****
"He's dead..." Haleh announced to the ER as they all looked up, disinterested.
"Enough of that. He was supposed to be dead twenty chapters ago. Stop fucking with our heads." Mark snapped angrily as he walked from the trauma room, pitching his gown into the bin.
Dejectedly the nurse sighed. "Fine. He's not dead. He needs a consult and a CT. You guys aren't any fun." She muttered stubbornly and stomped back into the exam room.
****
"What did you say to them?" Dave whispered softly, his hands wrapped around his midsection.
"I told them you were dead." Haleh said solemnly, bowing her head.
"You WHAT!?"
"Nothing.. Here." The nurse walked to the gurney, inserting something into the man's IV.
"Ha-?" Dave moaned as the room began to spin and he woke up in a white room.
****
This wasn't the first time Dave had met her. But, this was the first time they ever worked this closely together. What was she doing anyway? Painting his toenails?? This wasn't right. Why couldn't he move?
"HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAVE!!" They cheered around the gurney causing his drooping lids to widen with surprise.
"Wha?! It's like March.. What in the fuck?" He growled angrily, the tranquilizer wearing off and Dave started having feeling back in his limbs.
"We figured we make you think you're dead!!!!" Luka grinned. "Pretty funny, eh?? Eh?? Pretty funny!!!!!!! She's the mortician. She's painting your toe nails.. Just like if you were dead! Pretty funny eh!? Dave? You think that's funny Dr.Dave?? Ehh?? You think it's funny Dave?? Dave?"
***
"Dave? Wake up... Dave... Yo... Dr.Dave..." Carter shook the man slightly, and smiled as he awoke. "You okay man?? You look like you're havin' nightmares. Haleh sent me in here to check you out.. You feelin' okay? I heard that kid gave you a real whack to the gut!" He whispered kindly.
"I... Mark... I remember something about a chapter, or me dying, or something? Do you know what's going on? Haleh said I was dead.. and then..." Dave murmured softly, his skin pale and warm.
"What do you mean exactly? You were stabbed over a month ago, you've been in and out of hospital for check-ups. You're living with Mark Greene... What's this about Chapters? Did you want me to go down and get you a book? I don't have to go to Chapters to get a book you know, they have books in the gift shop."
Carter said kindly, wondering if the man was trying to take advantage of him or something. Yeah he had money, but he wasn't going to go out to Chapters and buy this guy a book out of the blue.
"I guess it was a nightmare." Dave breathed softly. "Sorry." Slowly his eyes slid shut and his breathing slowed.
"Dave?" Carter sighed. Poor bastard.. That little brat must have really booted him one. "I'm gonna examine you, okay?" The man winced, nodding slightly as Carter began to carefully palpate the abdomen while assessing the Dave's pained expression. "I'm going to order a CT and an ultrasound and a couple tests? You okay?" He said worriedly, looking back outside as gurneys rolled by, white sheets draped over them. The brat was an orphan.
Leaving the trembling mass on the gurney, Carter grabbed a chart, writing down a few med orders and tests, walking outside to find a nurse. "Chuny.. Could you-"
She waved him off, rushing past as another ambulance pulled up. "I'm busy Carter!"
"Wendy?" He pleaded.
"Nope.. Sorry.." The diminutive nurse replied, running out into the ambulance bay.
With a sigh, he walked to the drug locker and grabbed the supplies himself. It was going to be a very long day. Banging into the room, his arms full, Dave's body was slack, a greyish hue. "Oooh shit!" Stumbling, Carter grabbed the gurney awkwardly, bashing it into the equipment in the room as he tried to maneuver it out the door. "GUYS!!! GUYS! I need a doctor here.. Somebody.. I need some help.. Dave... I.. He's..."
*****
"Okay.. CT, Ultrasound, DPT.. Order HCT, WBC, serum amylase and lipase, urinalysis Peter growled, glaring at Carter, as he gowned up in the trauma room. "Why in the fuck were you doing this yourself?"
"I.. He was okay a minute ago.." Carter stammered weakly, staring at Dave on the gurney.
"You said you found him passed out." The surgeon barked angrily grabbing the
ultrasound machine and running it over Dave's abdomen. "Shit!" He looked up at Carter, staring at him. "Well?"
"He was sleeping.. I-I woke him up. He was having nightmares about being dead or something." Carter said, gowning up.
"What are you doing.. Get out.. I don't need you in here.." Benton snapped angrily, pointing to the doors.
"But."
"OUT! And get Kovac in here to assist!"
"He's off.."
"Weaver.."
"Off."
"Dammit! Page them.. Page somebody.."
***
"Inject 100cc of lidocaine and epi.. Good.. Now you have to insert the NG tube and Foley.. Yeah intra-umbilical.. Careful of the scarring.." Benton said with a low growl, talking the young student through the procedure as Carter stood outside.
Morgana looked up at the man and the surgeon corrected her sharply. "Keep your eyes on your work dammit! Careful of the scar tissue.. You'll tear something.. Dammit.. Give it to me.. I'll show you.."
Benton wrenched the equipment from her trembling hands and pushed her out of the way. "Here.. Watch.." he said gruffly. "You make incisions at the rectus abdominus, and the linea alba, midline. Enter the peritoneum, and insert the dialysis catheter. Direct the catheter into the pelvic and aspirate."
Lily Marquez looked up. "It's positive Dr.Benton.. 500 White Blood Count.."
Morgana Stern wrinkled her nose at all the blood. "Yuck.."
Benton sighed. "Positive.. Shit!! We gotta get him upstairs.. Haleh, call for a room.."