Title: Remember
Rating: PG
Spoilers: No
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.
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Dave sat at the head of the table and looked around, rather uncomfortably. For his birthday, his sister and Brooke had gotten reservations at some restaurant he'd never even heard of before. Seated around him were his father, Anna, Brooke, Dylan, Jing-Mei, Randi, Abby, and Carter. He had invited others, but they had claimed to have other plans. Of course, he figured they just didn't want to have anything to do with him outside of the ER. He looked up as a pretty brunette waitress came up to them.
"Hi, I'm Shannon and I'll be your waitress for this evening. Can I get you some drinks or appetizers?"
Dave watched her as she took the drink orders. When she looked at him, she smiled.
"And you, birthday boy?" she said, teasingly.
Dave looked at her, confused.
She gave a small laugh. "She told me," she explained, motioning to Anna.
He smiled and nodded in understanding. "Uh, well, I'll just have a Coke, please?"
"Sure thing," she said, writing down his order. "Do you guys want any appetizers?"
The group shook their heads. "Okay, well, I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and then I'll take your food orders," she said as she walked away.
Dave sighed. He had a horrible feeling that this night wouldn't go right. His birthdays never had.
"So, Dave, how does it feel to be a year older?" Abby asked.
He looked up at her and gave a small smile. "I don't know…I don't feel any different."
Abby smiled back at him. "Yeah, well, don't worry, it'll kick in."
"Gee, thanks," Dave said, sarcastically. The group laughed. At that moment, Shannon walked up with a tray full of drinks. She set each drink down in front of the person who ordered it.
"Thanks," Dave said, as she set his down.
"So, do you all have your orders ready?" Shannon asked.
"Yeah, I'll have the…" Sam started. Dave drowned the voices out and sighed. He shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again, surprised to find that everybody at the table but him had already ordered.
"And you?" Shannon asked.
Dave gave her his order.
"Right, well, I'll be back with your food in just a bit."
Dave leaned back in his seat. There was a silence at the table.
"Uh, so Dave, how's your shoulder doing?" Brooke asked, breaking the silence.
Dave looked at her. "Oh, it's, uh, it's doing fine."
"It doesn't hurt anymore?" she asked, skeptically.
Dave paused, thinking about his answer. "Nope," he lied.
Brooke gave a small nod. She knew he was lying.
Dave drummed his fingers on his table.
"David, don't do that, it's rude," Sam said to him, quietly. Dave immediately stopped. The last time he had defied his father, it hadn't gone well.
"So, Dave, I hear there's something going on with you and Deb?" Carter asked, in attempts to start a conversation. He had chosen a bad topic.
Randi rolled her eyes and Jing-Mei smiled a little.
"Uh, well, I…" Dave started.
"John, that's none of your business," Jing-Mei said, teasing her close friend.
"So…is that a yes or a no?" Carter prodded.
"Well, that depends. I'd like the answer to be yes," Jing-Mei hinted. Dave looked at her, slightly surprised.
"Bitch," Randi whispered, under her breath.
Jing-Mei turned her head sharply toward her. "Excuse me, Randi? What was that?"
"I said bitch," Randi said, loudly, causing a few heads to turn their direction.
Dave ran his hands through his hair and groaned to himself. He didn't need this on his birthday.
"Oh, bitch, is it? What, are you jealous that I can get Dave and you can't?" Jing-Mei challenged.
"Jealous? Of you? Ha, that's a good one," Randi retorted, "besides, you couldn't get Dave if your life depended on it."
"You can stop talking about me like I'm not here now," Dave offered, but the ladies ignored him.
"You know what," Jing-Mei continued, "I could wrap Dave around my finger if I wanted to."
"Yeah, right, whatever," Randi replied.
Dave rolled his eyes, but became alarmed as the two women pushed their chairs back and stood up. Dylan stood up as well. "Ladies, please, calm down…" he began.
Jing-Mei and Randi looked at him. "Shut up," Randi ordered. He obeyed and took his seat.
"Maybe that's your problem, Randi. Your ordering men around scares them away."
Randi's eyes blazed and she threw a punch at Jing-Mei, missing, as the others stood up and jumped away from the table. Randi crawled under the table to get to Jing-Mei.
"Randi, stop," Dave tried to call to her, but she had already gotten to Jing-Mei. The two began to engage in a hair-pulling fight, just as Shannon came walking up, carrying their food. They walked into Shannon, sending the food flying everywhere. The two women ignored it and continued their match as Shannon was knocked to the floor.
Dave shook his head. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the restaurant, hearing his name being called by his father and Carter, but he didn't stop. He kept running until he was completely out of breath. He stopped in an alley and leaned against the brick wall, panting. His birthday never failed to disappoint. A fight always broke out in his honor and he was sick of it. He felt the tears running down his cheek and he rubbed his eyes to stop them. He hated to cry. He stood up straight and took a deep breath. He turned and came face-to-face with another wall. He was at the end of the alley. He didn't even remember how he had gotten in an alley. All he knew was that he felt extremely tired. Suddenly, he felt a hand on the shoulder that had been shot and he gave a groan of pain. He felt himself being turned around to see a guy. He was little shorter than Dave, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties, and was dressed very raggedly.
"Gimme your wallet," the kid said, roughly.
Dave closed his eyes and bit his lip. "Look, I only have a few dollars…"
"Then give it to me," the kid replied.
"Listen, kid, I…" Dave started.
"You don't want to mess with me, man, I'm warning you," the boy told him, nodding toward his other hand. Dave looked down at it to see a metal bat.
~Oh, great, another baseball bat~ Dave thought.
"Please, just leave me alone," Dave begged.
"You wanna do this the hard way? Fine," the boy replied. He jabbed the bat into Dave's stomach and he doubled over. The boy frisked Dave when he dropped to the ground and grabbed his wallet, along with his gloves, jacket, watch, and rings. He didn't stop there, though. He looked as though he was about to leave, but he took another glance at Dave and began kicking at him. He used the bat again, slamming it over the fallen doctor over and over again, while Dave groaned at every kick and hit. Finally, Dave began to fall into the deep sleep and the boy decided it was time to leave before he got caught. He ran out of the alley, leaving Dave in the cold.
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I know this chapter was bland, and the Randi vs. Jing-Mei thing took place simply as a reason for Dave to leave. I know it's not their actual character, and I just wanted to clear that up before I get flamed for it.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: No
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.
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Dave sat at the head of the table and looked around, rather uncomfortably. For his birthday, his sister and Brooke had gotten reservations at some restaurant he'd never even heard of before. Seated around him were his father, Anna, Brooke, Dylan, Jing-Mei, Randi, Abby, and Carter. He had invited others, but they had claimed to have other plans. Of course, he figured they just didn't want to have anything to do with him outside of the ER. He looked up as a pretty brunette waitress came up to them.
"Hi, I'm Shannon and I'll be your waitress for this evening. Can I get you some drinks or appetizers?"
Dave watched her as she took the drink orders. When she looked at him, she smiled.
"And you, birthday boy?" she said, teasingly.
Dave looked at her, confused.
She gave a small laugh. "She told me," she explained, motioning to Anna.
He smiled and nodded in understanding. "Uh, well, I'll just have a Coke, please?"
"Sure thing," she said, writing down his order. "Do you guys want any appetizers?"
The group shook their heads. "Okay, well, I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and then I'll take your food orders," she said as she walked away.
Dave sighed. He had a horrible feeling that this night wouldn't go right. His birthdays never had.
"So, Dave, how does it feel to be a year older?" Abby asked.
He looked up at her and gave a small smile. "I don't know…I don't feel any different."
Abby smiled back at him. "Yeah, well, don't worry, it'll kick in."
"Gee, thanks," Dave said, sarcastically. The group laughed. At that moment, Shannon walked up with a tray full of drinks. She set each drink down in front of the person who ordered it.
"Thanks," Dave said, as she set his down.
"So, do you all have your orders ready?" Shannon asked.
"Yeah, I'll have the…" Sam started. Dave drowned the voices out and sighed. He shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again, surprised to find that everybody at the table but him had already ordered.
"And you?" Shannon asked.
Dave gave her his order.
"Right, well, I'll be back with your food in just a bit."
Dave leaned back in his seat. There was a silence at the table.
"Uh, so Dave, how's your shoulder doing?" Brooke asked, breaking the silence.
Dave looked at her. "Oh, it's, uh, it's doing fine."
"It doesn't hurt anymore?" she asked, skeptically.
Dave paused, thinking about his answer. "Nope," he lied.
Brooke gave a small nod. She knew he was lying.
Dave drummed his fingers on his table.
"David, don't do that, it's rude," Sam said to him, quietly. Dave immediately stopped. The last time he had defied his father, it hadn't gone well.
"So, Dave, I hear there's something going on with you and Deb?" Carter asked, in attempts to start a conversation. He had chosen a bad topic.
Randi rolled her eyes and Jing-Mei smiled a little.
"Uh, well, I…" Dave started.
"John, that's none of your business," Jing-Mei said, teasing her close friend.
"So…is that a yes or a no?" Carter prodded.
"Well, that depends. I'd like the answer to be yes," Jing-Mei hinted. Dave looked at her, slightly surprised.
"Bitch," Randi whispered, under her breath.
Jing-Mei turned her head sharply toward her. "Excuse me, Randi? What was that?"
"I said bitch," Randi said, loudly, causing a few heads to turn their direction.
Dave ran his hands through his hair and groaned to himself. He didn't need this on his birthday.
"Oh, bitch, is it? What, are you jealous that I can get Dave and you can't?" Jing-Mei challenged.
"Jealous? Of you? Ha, that's a good one," Randi retorted, "besides, you couldn't get Dave if your life depended on it."
"You can stop talking about me like I'm not here now," Dave offered, but the ladies ignored him.
"You know what," Jing-Mei continued, "I could wrap Dave around my finger if I wanted to."
"Yeah, right, whatever," Randi replied.
Dave rolled his eyes, but became alarmed as the two women pushed their chairs back and stood up. Dylan stood up as well. "Ladies, please, calm down…" he began.
Jing-Mei and Randi looked at him. "Shut up," Randi ordered. He obeyed and took his seat.
"Maybe that's your problem, Randi. Your ordering men around scares them away."
Randi's eyes blazed and she threw a punch at Jing-Mei, missing, as the others stood up and jumped away from the table. Randi crawled under the table to get to Jing-Mei.
"Randi, stop," Dave tried to call to her, but she had already gotten to Jing-Mei. The two began to engage in a hair-pulling fight, just as Shannon came walking up, carrying their food. They walked into Shannon, sending the food flying everywhere. The two women ignored it and continued their match as Shannon was knocked to the floor.
Dave shook his head. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the restaurant, hearing his name being called by his father and Carter, but he didn't stop. He kept running until he was completely out of breath. He stopped in an alley and leaned against the brick wall, panting. His birthday never failed to disappoint. A fight always broke out in his honor and he was sick of it. He felt the tears running down his cheek and he rubbed his eyes to stop them. He hated to cry. He stood up straight and took a deep breath. He turned and came face-to-face with another wall. He was at the end of the alley. He didn't even remember how he had gotten in an alley. All he knew was that he felt extremely tired. Suddenly, he felt a hand on the shoulder that had been shot and he gave a groan of pain. He felt himself being turned around to see a guy. He was little shorter than Dave, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties, and was dressed very raggedly.
"Gimme your wallet," the kid said, roughly.
Dave closed his eyes and bit his lip. "Look, I only have a few dollars…"
"Then give it to me," the kid replied.
"Listen, kid, I…" Dave started.
"You don't want to mess with me, man, I'm warning you," the boy told him, nodding toward his other hand. Dave looked down at it to see a metal bat.
~Oh, great, another baseball bat~ Dave thought.
"Please, just leave me alone," Dave begged.
"You wanna do this the hard way? Fine," the boy replied. He jabbed the bat into Dave's stomach and he doubled over. The boy frisked Dave when he dropped to the ground and grabbed his wallet, along with his gloves, jacket, watch, and rings. He didn't stop there, though. He looked as though he was about to leave, but he took another glance at Dave and began kicking at him. He used the bat again, slamming it over the fallen doctor over and over again, while Dave groaned at every kick and hit. Finally, Dave began to fall into the deep sleep and the boy decided it was time to leave before he got caught. He ran out of the alley, leaving Dave in the cold.
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I know this chapter was bland, and the Randi vs. Jing-Mei thing took place simply as a reason for Dave to leave. I know it's not their actual character, and I just wanted to clear that up before I get flamed for it.