Disclaimer: Dave is mine, but those stupid people at NBC took him and
refuse to give him back!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jing-Mei, get down!" Dave exclaimed running to his brunette co- worker. He heard the gun going off as he jumped on Jing-Mei to get her out of the line of fire.
"Dave?" Jing-Mei half-asked, the tone of her voice sounding very panicked.
"Everyone get down!" Dave ordered to the other equally panicked people in the ER. They all did immediately what they were told. Dave and Jing-Mei wondered why Shane hadn't come out of the Lounge yet, but they didn't wait for an answer. Dave grabbed her hand and they crawled behind the admit desk where a frightened Randi, a shocked Jerry, and an angry Frank were crouched. Dave heard the door to the Lounge open and peeked his head over the desktop. He saw a furious Shane walk out, gun still in hand. He watched as Shane walked to Chairs where many terrified patients were kneeling. He grabbed on of the waiting people by the shirt and forced him up.
"Okay, doc, if you don't come out, this one gets it," Shane called.
Dave's eyes widened and he immediately started to stand. Jing-Mei grabbed the end of his scrub top and pulled him back down.
"What are you doing?" she whispered incredulously.
"I'm not going to let him kill that guy," Dave whispered back. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."
Jing-Mei reluctantly let go of him and Dave stood up. He saw Shane give him an evil sneer.
"Well, hello there," he said, letting go of the man he had been holding. "Why don't you come to the center of the stage?"
Dave slowly walked toward Shane, gaining fear with every step he took. He looked to the side and saw the Chief staring up at him with complete and utter fear. He also saw Susan, Abby and Gallant, each wearing a look much like Weaver's. He gave them a small, reassuring smile, which they tried to return. He looked to his other side and saw Luka and Pratt looking at him with an expression of…dare he say it…was it admiration?
When he reached the drug seeker, he looked him straight in the eye. The two glared at each other for a few moments. Shane was the first to break the contact. He looked toward the admit desk and spotted Jing-Mei for a split second. He smiled again. He started toward the desk, but was stopped by Dave, who grabbed his arm.
"Let me go," Shane said, calmly.
"I'm not going to let you hurt them," Dave replied, quietly.
"Yeah? Well, I've got the gun," Shane retorted. "Now let go of me."
Dave tried not to lose it and this time complied. He let go of Shane's arm and instantly regretted doing so. Shane continued toward the admit desk and when he reached it, he reached over the top and pulled Jing-Mei to her feet by her hair. Dave could hear her squeal of pain and felt himself going hot with anger.
"Leave her alone or I'll hurt you," Dave threatened.
He saw Shane pause. He watched as Shane kept his grip on Jing-Mei's hair and pulled her around the desk until she was standing right next to him. He lifted his gun.
"What are you going to do about it?" Shane asked, smiling.
Dave took a step toward him.
"One more step and your little girlfriend gets it," Shane threatened, holding the gun up to Jing-Mei's head, causing her eyes to widen to their limits.
Dave stopped and pondered about what he was going to do next. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the ER doors opening. It was Timothy. Timothy walked in, saw Shane holding the gun up to Jing-Mei's head, stopped, and raised his eyebrows.
"Uh, did I miss something?" he asked, cluelessly.
Jing-Mei took this opportunity to take advantage of the distracted Shane, freed one of her arms from his grip, and elbowed him. Shane doubled over, but somehow kept his grip on the gun. Dave ran over and tackled Shane. Jing-Mei's body tensed with fear when she heard the gun go off. Dave and Shane both lay on the floor and Jing-Mei and all the other workers in the ER feared the worst. She cautiously walked toward the two men and let out a gasp when she saw a puddle of blood on the floor. She knelt down, not noticing that her co-workers were gathering around the three. She carefully tried to pull Dave off of Shane, but there was no need to. Dave pulled himself off the teenager and Jing-Mei sighed with relief. But the relief drifted away when she saw the top of Dave's shoulder covered with blood. Dave sensed her worry and he turned to her.
"I'm okay, the bullet just skimmed my arm. See?" he explained, pointing to the ceiling. Sure enough, a bullet hole was broken into the roof. They looked back down at Shane and Jing-Mei realized the blood was coming from the boy's head.
"Somebody get a gurney," she heard Kerry order. She watched as Susan and Pratt went off to find one. "Dave, get that shoulder fixed up."
"I'll do it," Jing-Mei offered. She looked up at Dave and he smiled at her.
"I'll help," Abby added.
Abby, Jing-Mei, and Dave walked to one of the free rooms. They heard somebody, probably Kerry, ordering jobs to people. Jing-Mei opened the door to Exam 4 and Dave and Abby entered. Jing-Mei followed and closed the door behind her.
"Uh, I guess you should take your shirt off," Jing-Mei said.
Dave nodded and began to lift his scrub top. He winced in pain when he lifted his arm and quickly let his shirt back down.
"Do you want help?" Abby asked.
Dave looked up at her and nodded gratefully.
Abby smiled. "Okay," she said, walking over to him with a pair of scissors.
She cut the front of his shirt and put the scissors down. She walked behind him and helped him pull it off.
Jing-Mei tried not to get too excited at the sight of Dave's firm six-pack. She looked away for a moment and then walked over to him. She took a deep breath and examined his wound.
"Is he going to be okay?" Gallant asked his boss.
Kerry let out a deep sigh. "I suppose," she replied. "Lucky bastard."
Gallant nodded. "How's Dr. Malucci?"
Kerry looked at him. "I'm sure he'll be okay. It wasn't very serious."
He nodded again. "Have you called the police?"
Kerry smiled to herself. "Yes, they're on their way."
"Excuse me," Gallant said, distracted by something.
Kerry watched as the young med student walked over to Dave, followed by Chen and Abby, who had just exited the exam room.
"Dr. Malucci, are you alright?" Gallant asked.
"Yeah, I'm cool. It figures this happens on my first day back," Dave joked, pulling down the new scrub top Abby had given him. Jing-Mei gave a small smile.
"What am I going to tell my son and babysitter," he continued.
Jing-Mei looked up. "Son?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dave replied. "Dr. Dave has a son. Scary, isn't it?"
Jing-Mei gave a forced laugh.
"Well, excuse me, I have to go find some patients," Dave said, starting to walk away.
"Wait, what? No, no, no, not yet," Jing-Mei ordered. "You go take a nap or something."
Dave narrowed his eyes. "I'm not tired," he replied.
"Oh, yeah? Tough," Jing-Mei told him sternly. She pointed to the room they had just come out of. "Go get some sleep."
Dave rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll rest for one hour and that's it."
He marched back into the exam room and Jing-Mei smiled victoriously. Abby and Michael followed her as she walked to the admit desk.
"Randi?"
She looked up. "What?"
"Make sure nobody goes into Exam 4. Dave's sleeping in there," Jing-Mei requested.
Randi smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, don't worry, I won't."
"Thanks," Jing-Mei replied.
Three hours later…
"Dave?" Jing-Mei said softly, shaking her co-worker awake.
He groaned and turned over, cringing when he lay on his shoulder. He sat straight up and looked around. He looked at his watch and his eyebrows shot up. "I've been sleeping for three hours?"
"Straight," Jing-Mei confirmed.
"Man…isn't Chief pissed?"
"Of course not, she understands."
Dave bit his lip. "So why'd you wake me up?"
"Oh, um, the police are here and they want to talk with you."
Dave sighed and nodded. "Okay," he replied.
"Okay, let's go," Jing-Mei said. She helped him off the bed, took him by the hand, and led him out the door. She headed toward the Lounge where the police were waiting.
"Dave?" she asked as they went on their way.
"Yeah?"
"How old is your son?"
"He's four. Why?"
"Just wondering…so where's his mother?"
"She took off. I don't really want to talk about it."
They both remained silent the rest of the way and when they reached the doors to the Lounge, Jing-Mei let go of Dave's hand. "Well, this is your stop," she said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Thanks," Dave replied. He looked her in the eye. "For all of your help."
"Hey, what are friends for?"
Dave averted his eyes from hers, but she could see a small smile forming.
"Well, I'll see you later," Jing-Mei told him.
"Yeah, see ya," he replied. With that, he walked into the Lounge and Jing- Mei stood in her spot, smiling.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jing-Mei, get down!" Dave exclaimed running to his brunette co- worker. He heard the gun going off as he jumped on Jing-Mei to get her out of the line of fire.
"Dave?" Jing-Mei half-asked, the tone of her voice sounding very panicked.
"Everyone get down!" Dave ordered to the other equally panicked people in the ER. They all did immediately what they were told. Dave and Jing-Mei wondered why Shane hadn't come out of the Lounge yet, but they didn't wait for an answer. Dave grabbed her hand and they crawled behind the admit desk where a frightened Randi, a shocked Jerry, and an angry Frank were crouched. Dave heard the door to the Lounge open and peeked his head over the desktop. He saw a furious Shane walk out, gun still in hand. He watched as Shane walked to Chairs where many terrified patients were kneeling. He grabbed on of the waiting people by the shirt and forced him up.
"Okay, doc, if you don't come out, this one gets it," Shane called.
Dave's eyes widened and he immediately started to stand. Jing-Mei grabbed the end of his scrub top and pulled him back down.
"What are you doing?" she whispered incredulously.
"I'm not going to let him kill that guy," Dave whispered back. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."
Jing-Mei reluctantly let go of him and Dave stood up. He saw Shane give him an evil sneer.
"Well, hello there," he said, letting go of the man he had been holding. "Why don't you come to the center of the stage?"
Dave slowly walked toward Shane, gaining fear with every step he took. He looked to the side and saw the Chief staring up at him with complete and utter fear. He also saw Susan, Abby and Gallant, each wearing a look much like Weaver's. He gave them a small, reassuring smile, which they tried to return. He looked to his other side and saw Luka and Pratt looking at him with an expression of…dare he say it…was it admiration?
When he reached the drug seeker, he looked him straight in the eye. The two glared at each other for a few moments. Shane was the first to break the contact. He looked toward the admit desk and spotted Jing-Mei for a split second. He smiled again. He started toward the desk, but was stopped by Dave, who grabbed his arm.
"Let me go," Shane said, calmly.
"I'm not going to let you hurt them," Dave replied, quietly.
"Yeah? Well, I've got the gun," Shane retorted. "Now let go of me."
Dave tried not to lose it and this time complied. He let go of Shane's arm and instantly regretted doing so. Shane continued toward the admit desk and when he reached it, he reached over the top and pulled Jing-Mei to her feet by her hair. Dave could hear her squeal of pain and felt himself going hot with anger.
"Leave her alone or I'll hurt you," Dave threatened.
He saw Shane pause. He watched as Shane kept his grip on Jing-Mei's hair and pulled her around the desk until she was standing right next to him. He lifted his gun.
"What are you going to do about it?" Shane asked, smiling.
Dave took a step toward him.
"One more step and your little girlfriend gets it," Shane threatened, holding the gun up to Jing-Mei's head, causing her eyes to widen to their limits.
Dave stopped and pondered about what he was going to do next. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the ER doors opening. It was Timothy. Timothy walked in, saw Shane holding the gun up to Jing-Mei's head, stopped, and raised his eyebrows.
"Uh, did I miss something?" he asked, cluelessly.
Jing-Mei took this opportunity to take advantage of the distracted Shane, freed one of her arms from his grip, and elbowed him. Shane doubled over, but somehow kept his grip on the gun. Dave ran over and tackled Shane. Jing-Mei's body tensed with fear when she heard the gun go off. Dave and Shane both lay on the floor and Jing-Mei and all the other workers in the ER feared the worst. She cautiously walked toward the two men and let out a gasp when she saw a puddle of blood on the floor. She knelt down, not noticing that her co-workers were gathering around the three. She carefully tried to pull Dave off of Shane, but there was no need to. Dave pulled himself off the teenager and Jing-Mei sighed with relief. But the relief drifted away when she saw the top of Dave's shoulder covered with blood. Dave sensed her worry and he turned to her.
"I'm okay, the bullet just skimmed my arm. See?" he explained, pointing to the ceiling. Sure enough, a bullet hole was broken into the roof. They looked back down at Shane and Jing-Mei realized the blood was coming from the boy's head.
"Somebody get a gurney," she heard Kerry order. She watched as Susan and Pratt went off to find one. "Dave, get that shoulder fixed up."
"I'll do it," Jing-Mei offered. She looked up at Dave and he smiled at her.
"I'll help," Abby added.
Abby, Jing-Mei, and Dave walked to one of the free rooms. They heard somebody, probably Kerry, ordering jobs to people. Jing-Mei opened the door to Exam 4 and Dave and Abby entered. Jing-Mei followed and closed the door behind her.
"Uh, I guess you should take your shirt off," Jing-Mei said.
Dave nodded and began to lift his scrub top. He winced in pain when he lifted his arm and quickly let his shirt back down.
"Do you want help?" Abby asked.
Dave looked up at her and nodded gratefully.
Abby smiled. "Okay," she said, walking over to him with a pair of scissors.
She cut the front of his shirt and put the scissors down. She walked behind him and helped him pull it off.
Jing-Mei tried not to get too excited at the sight of Dave's firm six-pack. She looked away for a moment and then walked over to him. She took a deep breath and examined his wound.
"Is he going to be okay?" Gallant asked his boss.
Kerry let out a deep sigh. "I suppose," she replied. "Lucky bastard."
Gallant nodded. "How's Dr. Malucci?"
Kerry looked at him. "I'm sure he'll be okay. It wasn't very serious."
He nodded again. "Have you called the police?"
Kerry smiled to herself. "Yes, they're on their way."
"Excuse me," Gallant said, distracted by something.
Kerry watched as the young med student walked over to Dave, followed by Chen and Abby, who had just exited the exam room.
"Dr. Malucci, are you alright?" Gallant asked.
"Yeah, I'm cool. It figures this happens on my first day back," Dave joked, pulling down the new scrub top Abby had given him. Jing-Mei gave a small smile.
"What am I going to tell my son and babysitter," he continued.
Jing-Mei looked up. "Son?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dave replied. "Dr. Dave has a son. Scary, isn't it?"
Jing-Mei gave a forced laugh.
"Well, excuse me, I have to go find some patients," Dave said, starting to walk away.
"Wait, what? No, no, no, not yet," Jing-Mei ordered. "You go take a nap or something."
Dave narrowed his eyes. "I'm not tired," he replied.
"Oh, yeah? Tough," Jing-Mei told him sternly. She pointed to the room they had just come out of. "Go get some sleep."
Dave rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll rest for one hour and that's it."
He marched back into the exam room and Jing-Mei smiled victoriously. Abby and Michael followed her as she walked to the admit desk.
"Randi?"
She looked up. "What?"
"Make sure nobody goes into Exam 4. Dave's sleeping in there," Jing-Mei requested.
Randi smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, don't worry, I won't."
"Thanks," Jing-Mei replied.
Three hours later…
"Dave?" Jing-Mei said softly, shaking her co-worker awake.
He groaned and turned over, cringing when he lay on his shoulder. He sat straight up and looked around. He looked at his watch and his eyebrows shot up. "I've been sleeping for three hours?"
"Straight," Jing-Mei confirmed.
"Man…isn't Chief pissed?"
"Of course not, she understands."
Dave bit his lip. "So why'd you wake me up?"
"Oh, um, the police are here and they want to talk with you."
Dave sighed and nodded. "Okay," he replied.
"Okay, let's go," Jing-Mei said. She helped him off the bed, took him by the hand, and led him out the door. She headed toward the Lounge where the police were waiting.
"Dave?" she asked as they went on their way.
"Yeah?"
"How old is your son?"
"He's four. Why?"
"Just wondering…so where's his mother?"
"She took off. I don't really want to talk about it."
They both remained silent the rest of the way and when they reached the doors to the Lounge, Jing-Mei let go of Dave's hand. "Well, this is your stop," she said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Thanks," Dave replied. He looked her in the eye. "For all of your help."
"Hey, what are friends for?"
Dave averted his eyes from hers, but she could see a small smile forming.
"Well, I'll see you later," Jing-Mei told him.
"Yeah, see ya," he replied. With that, he walked into the Lounge and Jing- Mei stood in her spot, smiling.