1 Title: Remember
Rating for Chapter 2: PG-13
Disclaimer: I still don't own Dave or Carter, darn it.
The ER staff was still shocked at Dave's outburst. Nobody had had any clue whatsoever that Dave had been abused as a child, even though he had dropped numerous hints that he had. Now they knew why he was so involved in the apparent abuse cases that came into the ER. Dr. Weaver was the first to break the silence.
"Alright, people, we still have patients to see. Get to work," she ordered. They looked at her incredulously, wondering how she could expect them to work when one of their co-workers had just told them that he had such a horrible childhood. "NOW!" she screamed. Everyone scrambled back to work. Abby joined Carter to see a patient, Luka and Chen scrambling to see their patients as well, as Haleh and Chuny went with each doctor while Randi continued chewing her gum and reading her magazines. Kerry and Mark walked into the lounge once again to find Dave sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
"Dave?" Mark said.
"Just leave me alone, please," Dave replied, quietly.
"But…" Mark started, but Kerry touched his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head. Mark nodded back.
"We'll talk to you later, Dave, you can take a break," Weaver said. Dave just nodded, still holding his head. When they left, Dave looked up. He took a deep breath and stood up. He walked to his locker and opened it. He pulled out a picture. It was a picture of a man, a woman, a young girl, and a young boy.
"Why, dad? Why did you have to do what you did?" Dave asked the picture. He touched the image of the woman. "I love you, mom," he whispered, "I always will." He touched the image of the young girl. "I love you, too, my little sister," he said. That left the image of the little boy. "You, you're a failure. Everybody thinks you're a joke. Now, you've gone and told them about your past. Smooth move, Dr. Dave," he said, with a small chuckle at the word "doctor". He put the picture back in his locker and took another deep breath. "Well, Dave, when you talk to yourself, that's when you know you've gone crazy. Now there are patients to see so go be a man about it and take care of them," he told himself. He walked out of the lounge, walked past Randi, walked past Chen, walked past Carter and Abby, walked past all of them. And all of them gave them the same look of pity. Pity that he didn't want. Pity that he didn't need. He walked into Exam 3, only to find that Lana, Cassidy, and Mrs. Davis had left.
That bastard probably got away with it. He probably got to take them home.
"Dave?" a voice said, breaking Dave from his thoughts. He turned around and saw Randi standing in the doorway.
"Randi, hey, how you doin?" he said, hoping she wouldn't bring up what he had said earlier.
"Me? I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about."
"There's no need to worry about me, Randi, I'm doing fine."
"Dave, do you want to talk about it?" she said, concerned.
"Talk about what?" he asked, innocently.
"Don't play dumb with me," she said, firmly.
Dave sighed. "No, not right now," he replied, grimacing.
"Come on, you probably have to vent anyway. You can talk to me."
"I don't want to do this right now, Randi, OK?" he said, getting annoyed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Randi glared at him.
"No, Dave, it's not OK. You were abused! You didn't tell us. Why not?" she exclaimed. Dave tried to fight back tears.
Men don't cry, Dave, men don't cry.
"I didn't want you to know! OK? I didn't want you to know about my past! I just wanted to keep it a secret. Make it all go away. If you didn't know, I wouldn't have to think about it as often and the less I think about it, better I am. Is that good enough for you? Huh? Are you satisfied now?" Dave burst out.
Randi looked hard at him. A tear slid down Dave's cheek. Her expression softened. "Oh, Dave," she whispered. She walked over to him as he began to sob. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his head.
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok, it'll be ok," she said, soothingly. She pulled his head up to make him face her. "Do you want to talk about it now?" she asked. Dave nodded. She smiled and led him out of the room, holding his hand. She saw Dr. Weaver and she ran over to her, with Dave trailing behind.
"Dr. Weaver," Randi yelled. Kerry turned at the sound of her name.
"Yes, Randi?" she saw Dave behind her, who had obviously been crying.
"Um, Dr. Weaver, would you mind if we, Dave and I, took a break? Like, a lunch break? Like, go across the street to Doc Magoo's?"
"Oh, um, of course, that would be fine," Kerry replied, curious about Randi's request. Randi smiled and she led Dave out of the ER.
After they slid into a booth at Doc's and had both ordered a coffee, Randi looked at Dave expectantly. "Well?" she pushed.
"Well what?"
"We came here to talk, so you gonna talk or what?" she said, impatiently.
"It's not that easy, Randi, OK?"
Randi sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. You know I just love to eat up all the gossip."
Dave looked at her.
"Oh, no, I…I didn't mean it like that Dave, I'm not going to go around and tell everyone what you said or anything, I just meant…"
"Randi, it's OK, calm down. This is hard for me, I never really talked about it with anyone before."
"Well, why not?"
"I just don't like to talk about it."
Randi paused. The waitress came up to the booth and put their coffees down. They thanked her as she sauntered off. Randi turned back to Dave without saying anything.
"I understand if you don't want to talk right now. You don't have to."
Dave looked at her. "No, it's OK." He took a deep breath.
"Well, here it goes…when I was eight, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was a smoker. Anyway, the doctor told us she didn't have much time left, so my dad, my little sister, Anna, and I spent as much time with her as we could. One day, she had taken me to this playground and she was watching me swing when all of a sudden, I saw her collapse. A bunch of other adults ran over to her to see what was the matter and I raced over. Somebody called the ambulance and we went to the hospital. She, uh, she didn't make it. My dad loved her so much that…I don't know, it set him off. He didn't want to accept that she had died. He started drinking. He would get so out of control. Then, when I was ten, he decided that since I had only gotten a B on my math test, he would have to "punish" me. That's when it started. He hit me every single day. Thank God he didn't touch Anna. She's four years younger than me, you know. Then I turned 18 and I went to college. I knew Anna wouldn't have a problem with dad because she reminded him of mom and he loved her. I didn't look like her or anything, so I was useless to him. Anyway, I got into college, decided I wanted to be a doctor, got low scores on my MSATs, and well…you know the rest."
Randi hadn't spoken while Dave talked and she remained silent. She was at a loss for words. She had no idea that Dave had a sister or that his mother died…she felt horrible for him.
"Dave, I'm so sorry," she said.
"Yeah, you and everyone else in the ER."
"Did you ever tell anyone else?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you know, the doctors all assumed that my stories about 'walking into doors' and 'getting into fights' were all legit. I told the police once and they showed up at the house, but my dad won that, obviously. After they left he gave me one hell of a beating and locked me in the closet for a few days. I promised never to tell another soul."
Randi didn't speak. Dave looked down at his watch.
"Hey, we should be getting back to the hospital," he said, glancing at Randi.
"Uh, yeah, we should," she replied. They got up and Dave paid the check. They walked back through the ER doors, Randi heading toward her spot at the admit desk.
"Hey, Randi?"
"Yeah, Dave?" she stopped and looked back.
"Thanks," he said.
"For what?" she asked.
"Listening."
Randi smiled. "Anytime, Dave. If you ever need me to listen again, you know where to find me."
Dave smiled back. He walked off to find another patient, leaving Randi to look after him.
**************************************************************************** *******
Should I continue, or should I stop there?
Rating for Chapter 2: PG-13
Disclaimer: I still don't own Dave or Carter, darn it.
The ER staff was still shocked at Dave's outburst. Nobody had had any clue whatsoever that Dave had been abused as a child, even though he had dropped numerous hints that he had. Now they knew why he was so involved in the apparent abuse cases that came into the ER. Dr. Weaver was the first to break the silence.
"Alright, people, we still have patients to see. Get to work," she ordered. They looked at her incredulously, wondering how she could expect them to work when one of their co-workers had just told them that he had such a horrible childhood. "NOW!" she screamed. Everyone scrambled back to work. Abby joined Carter to see a patient, Luka and Chen scrambling to see their patients as well, as Haleh and Chuny went with each doctor while Randi continued chewing her gum and reading her magazines. Kerry and Mark walked into the lounge once again to find Dave sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
"Dave?" Mark said.
"Just leave me alone, please," Dave replied, quietly.
"But…" Mark started, but Kerry touched his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head. Mark nodded back.
"We'll talk to you later, Dave, you can take a break," Weaver said. Dave just nodded, still holding his head. When they left, Dave looked up. He took a deep breath and stood up. He walked to his locker and opened it. He pulled out a picture. It was a picture of a man, a woman, a young girl, and a young boy.
"Why, dad? Why did you have to do what you did?" Dave asked the picture. He touched the image of the woman. "I love you, mom," he whispered, "I always will." He touched the image of the young girl. "I love you, too, my little sister," he said. That left the image of the little boy. "You, you're a failure. Everybody thinks you're a joke. Now, you've gone and told them about your past. Smooth move, Dr. Dave," he said, with a small chuckle at the word "doctor". He put the picture back in his locker and took another deep breath. "Well, Dave, when you talk to yourself, that's when you know you've gone crazy. Now there are patients to see so go be a man about it and take care of them," he told himself. He walked out of the lounge, walked past Randi, walked past Chen, walked past Carter and Abby, walked past all of them. And all of them gave them the same look of pity. Pity that he didn't want. Pity that he didn't need. He walked into Exam 3, only to find that Lana, Cassidy, and Mrs. Davis had left.
That bastard probably got away with it. He probably got to take them home.
"Dave?" a voice said, breaking Dave from his thoughts. He turned around and saw Randi standing in the doorway.
"Randi, hey, how you doin?" he said, hoping she wouldn't bring up what he had said earlier.
"Me? I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about."
"There's no need to worry about me, Randi, I'm doing fine."
"Dave, do you want to talk about it?" she said, concerned.
"Talk about what?" he asked, innocently.
"Don't play dumb with me," she said, firmly.
Dave sighed. "No, not right now," he replied, grimacing.
"Come on, you probably have to vent anyway. You can talk to me."
"I don't want to do this right now, Randi, OK?" he said, getting annoyed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Randi glared at him.
"No, Dave, it's not OK. You were abused! You didn't tell us. Why not?" she exclaimed. Dave tried to fight back tears.
Men don't cry, Dave, men don't cry.
"I didn't want you to know! OK? I didn't want you to know about my past! I just wanted to keep it a secret. Make it all go away. If you didn't know, I wouldn't have to think about it as often and the less I think about it, better I am. Is that good enough for you? Huh? Are you satisfied now?" Dave burst out.
Randi looked hard at him. A tear slid down Dave's cheek. Her expression softened. "Oh, Dave," she whispered. She walked over to him as he began to sob. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his head.
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok, it'll be ok," she said, soothingly. She pulled his head up to make him face her. "Do you want to talk about it now?" she asked. Dave nodded. She smiled and led him out of the room, holding his hand. She saw Dr. Weaver and she ran over to her, with Dave trailing behind.
"Dr. Weaver," Randi yelled. Kerry turned at the sound of her name.
"Yes, Randi?" she saw Dave behind her, who had obviously been crying.
"Um, Dr. Weaver, would you mind if we, Dave and I, took a break? Like, a lunch break? Like, go across the street to Doc Magoo's?"
"Oh, um, of course, that would be fine," Kerry replied, curious about Randi's request. Randi smiled and she led Dave out of the ER.
After they slid into a booth at Doc's and had both ordered a coffee, Randi looked at Dave expectantly. "Well?" she pushed.
"Well what?"
"We came here to talk, so you gonna talk or what?" she said, impatiently.
"It's not that easy, Randi, OK?"
Randi sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. You know I just love to eat up all the gossip."
Dave looked at her.
"Oh, no, I…I didn't mean it like that Dave, I'm not going to go around and tell everyone what you said or anything, I just meant…"
"Randi, it's OK, calm down. This is hard for me, I never really talked about it with anyone before."
"Well, why not?"
"I just don't like to talk about it."
Randi paused. The waitress came up to the booth and put their coffees down. They thanked her as she sauntered off. Randi turned back to Dave without saying anything.
"I understand if you don't want to talk right now. You don't have to."
Dave looked at her. "No, it's OK." He took a deep breath.
"Well, here it goes…when I was eight, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was a smoker. Anyway, the doctor told us she didn't have much time left, so my dad, my little sister, Anna, and I spent as much time with her as we could. One day, she had taken me to this playground and she was watching me swing when all of a sudden, I saw her collapse. A bunch of other adults ran over to her to see what was the matter and I raced over. Somebody called the ambulance and we went to the hospital. She, uh, she didn't make it. My dad loved her so much that…I don't know, it set him off. He didn't want to accept that she had died. He started drinking. He would get so out of control. Then, when I was ten, he decided that since I had only gotten a B on my math test, he would have to "punish" me. That's when it started. He hit me every single day. Thank God he didn't touch Anna. She's four years younger than me, you know. Then I turned 18 and I went to college. I knew Anna wouldn't have a problem with dad because she reminded him of mom and he loved her. I didn't look like her or anything, so I was useless to him. Anyway, I got into college, decided I wanted to be a doctor, got low scores on my MSATs, and well…you know the rest."
Randi hadn't spoken while Dave talked and she remained silent. She was at a loss for words. She had no idea that Dave had a sister or that his mother died…she felt horrible for him.
"Dave, I'm so sorry," she said.
"Yeah, you and everyone else in the ER."
"Did you ever tell anyone else?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you know, the doctors all assumed that my stories about 'walking into doors' and 'getting into fights' were all legit. I told the police once and they showed up at the house, but my dad won that, obviously. After they left he gave me one hell of a beating and locked me in the closet for a few days. I promised never to tell another soul."
Randi didn't speak. Dave looked down at his watch.
"Hey, we should be getting back to the hospital," he said, glancing at Randi.
"Uh, yeah, we should," she replied. They got up and Dave paid the check. They walked back through the ER doors, Randi heading toward her spot at the admit desk.
"Hey, Randi?"
"Yeah, Dave?" she stopped and looked back.
"Thanks," he said.
"For what?" she asked.
"Listening."
Randi smiled. "Anytime, Dave. If you ever need me to listen again, you know where to find me."
Dave smiled back. He walked off to find another patient, leaving Randi to look after him.
**************************************************************************** *******
Should I continue, or should I stop there?