Disclaimer: Let's screw the disclaimer! I want Erik!
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Kerry sat at the table in the Lounge, thinking about the pros and cons of hiring Dave back. What were the cons? He was cocky, he was disrespectful, he had a big mouth, he could hardly contain his anger…he was quite simply a pain in the ass. The pros? He could spot certain diseases, the Marfan's syndrome not included, such as the JVS call. Even Carter wasn't able to figure that one out. He could be a damn good doctor at times. And he had fixed her car at one point. He could be caring and gentle, but he could also be incredibly rude and unprofessional. Kerry sighed and rubbed her temples. She looked up in surprise when she heard the door open.
"Carter, I'm glad you're in here," Kerry said to the Chief Resident.
"Uh, why? Am I in trouble?" Carter asked, slowing down.
"Did you do something wrong?" Kerry inquired.
"No…" Carter replied, slowly.
"Then you're not in trouble," Kerry said.
"Oh…okay, good," Carter said happily, wearing a smile of relief.
"I wanted to talk to you about Dr. Malucci," Kerry told him.
"Dave? What about him?"
"Well, I had a meeting up in Dr. Romano's office today and it was concerning his reinstatement."
"Are you serious? Wow."
"Yes, I know. I was wondering…what would you think if I rehired Dave?"
"Uh, well…I guess I wouldn't be too surprised."
"Why not?" Kerry asked, becoming confused.
"Because…well, I don't know. Dave can be…difficult at times," Carter replied as he strained to find the right words. "But I suppose even as difficult a person is, everyone deserves a second chance. Even Dave."
"I've given him enough chances," Kerry muttered.
Carter shrugged. "Listen, Dr. Weaver, if you don't want him back, it's your decision. But I wouldn't mind Dave working here again. Sometimes, he can actually be useful."
"What if I hire him back and he continues to wreak havoc?"
Carter shrugged again. "A cat's got nine lives. Let Dave live his last one. Kerry, if there's one thing I've learned about you in all the years we've worked together, it's that even though you can be a complete hard-ass, you have a heart of gold. We all know you've got a soft spot for Malucci somewhere."
With that last comment, Carter walked out of the Lounge, forgetting whatever it was he had gone in for in the first place, and left Kerry to once again ponder the idea of rehiring her former co-worker.
"Gwen…Gwen grab he's right there…aw, damn," Dave laughed as his little boy ran around the house, running away from the babysitter, Gwen Reynolds, and himself, to avoid a bath. "Jeremy, get over here! Come on, it's just a…no! No, don't knock that over! Oh, no…" Gwen groaned as Jeremy Malucci crashed into a table knocking it down, along with an old lamp. "I'm sorry, Dave!"
"It's okay, Gwen don't worry about it, it's just a lamp," Dave assured, still laughing.
"He's running toward you!" Gwen warned as Jeremy suddenly changed direction.
"Aha! I got you!" Dave exclaimed as he scooped his giggling son into his arms.
"Daddy!" he yelled.
"That's right, little man. Now, let's get you in that bath!"
"No, no bath!"
"You wanna bet? You've been playing out in the dirt all day!"
Jeremy pouted. "Please, Daddy? No bath?"
"Sorry, kid, you need one," Dave replied. He walked over to Gwen and put Jeremy into her arms. "You should go get him in there before he starts going crazy again."
A grin spread across Gwen's face and she nodded. "No problem," she told him. As she walked toward the bathroom, the phone rang. Dave ran to the table the phone was sitting on and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" he asked, out of breath.
"Dr. Malucci? Have I got you at a bad time?" the voice asked.
"No, sir," Dave assured.
"Good, because quite frankly, I wouldn't have cared anyway," Romano replied.
Dave rolled his eyes. "Can I ask why you've called?"
"Isn't it obvious? Weaver's agreed to give you your job back."
"Are…are you serious? She's letting me come back?"
"Isn't that what you wanted, or am I missing something?"
"No…no, not at all, of course it's what I wanted, it's just…she's really letting me come back?"
"Malucci, if I wanted to play 20 Questions, I would've asked Dr. Corday."
Dave gave a small smirk. "Sorry. So, uh, when do I start?"
"Tomorrow."
Dave blinked. "That soon?"
"Is that inconvenient for you?" Romano asked, sarcastically.
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Dave replied.
"So I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yes, sir."
"Make sure to stop by my office in the morning so I can make sure you showed up."
"I will do that, Dr. Romano."
"Very good. Well, I must be off to open up another patient. Have a nice day, Malucci."
"Thank you," Dave replied. "Good-bye."
He hung up the phone after hearing the ring tone on the other end and smiled. The Chief was actually letting him come back.
"Dave, can I get some help in here?" Gwen called from the bathroom.
Dave laughed. "Sure, Gwen, I'll be right there."
He took a deep breath and shook his head. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and yelped when he did so. He rolled his eyes at his silliness and went to join Gwen in the impossible, yet inevitable, task of giving his son a bath.
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Kerry sat at the table in the Lounge, thinking about the pros and cons of hiring Dave back. What were the cons? He was cocky, he was disrespectful, he had a big mouth, he could hardly contain his anger…he was quite simply a pain in the ass. The pros? He could spot certain diseases, the Marfan's syndrome not included, such as the JVS call. Even Carter wasn't able to figure that one out. He could be a damn good doctor at times. And he had fixed her car at one point. He could be caring and gentle, but he could also be incredibly rude and unprofessional. Kerry sighed and rubbed her temples. She looked up in surprise when she heard the door open.
"Carter, I'm glad you're in here," Kerry said to the Chief Resident.
"Uh, why? Am I in trouble?" Carter asked, slowing down.
"Did you do something wrong?" Kerry inquired.
"No…" Carter replied, slowly.
"Then you're not in trouble," Kerry said.
"Oh…okay, good," Carter said happily, wearing a smile of relief.
"I wanted to talk to you about Dr. Malucci," Kerry told him.
"Dave? What about him?"
"Well, I had a meeting up in Dr. Romano's office today and it was concerning his reinstatement."
"Are you serious? Wow."
"Yes, I know. I was wondering…what would you think if I rehired Dave?"
"Uh, well…I guess I wouldn't be too surprised."
"Why not?" Kerry asked, becoming confused.
"Because…well, I don't know. Dave can be…difficult at times," Carter replied as he strained to find the right words. "But I suppose even as difficult a person is, everyone deserves a second chance. Even Dave."
"I've given him enough chances," Kerry muttered.
Carter shrugged. "Listen, Dr. Weaver, if you don't want him back, it's your decision. But I wouldn't mind Dave working here again. Sometimes, he can actually be useful."
"What if I hire him back and he continues to wreak havoc?"
Carter shrugged again. "A cat's got nine lives. Let Dave live his last one. Kerry, if there's one thing I've learned about you in all the years we've worked together, it's that even though you can be a complete hard-ass, you have a heart of gold. We all know you've got a soft spot for Malucci somewhere."
With that last comment, Carter walked out of the Lounge, forgetting whatever it was he had gone in for in the first place, and left Kerry to once again ponder the idea of rehiring her former co-worker.
"Gwen…Gwen grab he's right there…aw, damn," Dave laughed as his little boy ran around the house, running away from the babysitter, Gwen Reynolds, and himself, to avoid a bath. "Jeremy, get over here! Come on, it's just a…no! No, don't knock that over! Oh, no…" Gwen groaned as Jeremy Malucci crashed into a table knocking it down, along with an old lamp. "I'm sorry, Dave!"
"It's okay, Gwen don't worry about it, it's just a lamp," Dave assured, still laughing.
"He's running toward you!" Gwen warned as Jeremy suddenly changed direction.
"Aha! I got you!" Dave exclaimed as he scooped his giggling son into his arms.
"Daddy!" he yelled.
"That's right, little man. Now, let's get you in that bath!"
"No, no bath!"
"You wanna bet? You've been playing out in the dirt all day!"
Jeremy pouted. "Please, Daddy? No bath?"
"Sorry, kid, you need one," Dave replied. He walked over to Gwen and put Jeremy into her arms. "You should go get him in there before he starts going crazy again."
A grin spread across Gwen's face and she nodded. "No problem," she told him. As she walked toward the bathroom, the phone rang. Dave ran to the table the phone was sitting on and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" he asked, out of breath.
"Dr. Malucci? Have I got you at a bad time?" the voice asked.
"No, sir," Dave assured.
"Good, because quite frankly, I wouldn't have cared anyway," Romano replied.
Dave rolled his eyes. "Can I ask why you've called?"
"Isn't it obvious? Weaver's agreed to give you your job back."
"Are…are you serious? She's letting me come back?"
"Isn't that what you wanted, or am I missing something?"
"No…no, not at all, of course it's what I wanted, it's just…she's really letting me come back?"
"Malucci, if I wanted to play 20 Questions, I would've asked Dr. Corday."
Dave gave a small smirk. "Sorry. So, uh, when do I start?"
"Tomorrow."
Dave blinked. "That soon?"
"Is that inconvenient for you?" Romano asked, sarcastically.
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Dave replied.
"So I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yes, sir."
"Make sure to stop by my office in the morning so I can make sure you showed up."
"I will do that, Dr. Romano."
"Very good. Well, I must be off to open up another patient. Have a nice day, Malucci."
"Thank you," Dave replied. "Good-bye."
He hung up the phone after hearing the ring tone on the other end and smiled. The Chief was actually letting him come back.
"Dave, can I get some help in here?" Gwen called from the bathroom.
Dave laughed. "Sure, Gwen, I'll be right there."
He took a deep breath and shook his head. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and yelped when he did so. He rolled his eyes at his silliness and went to join Gwen in the impossible, yet inevitable, task of giving his son a bath.