Disclaimer: Must we go through this again?
AN: This chapter contains spoilers from the letter that Dr. Greene sends out from the upcoming episode "The Letter".
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"Malucci," Dr. Greg Pratt called, running up to the resident.
Dave stopped in his tracks and turned to Pratt. "Dude, don't even do that," he said.
Pratt narrowed his eyes. "Do what?"
"Call me just Malucci," Dave replied.
"Why not? Dr. Weaver does it," Pratt replied.
Dave fought the urge to roll his eyes. This guy really got on his nerves. "Are you Dr. Weaver?"
"No…do I look like her?" Pratt retorted.
"You know, that smart-ass act isn't going to get you anywhere," Dave told him. "I should know."
"That's right, you got fired from here, right?" Pratt asked, almost mockingly.
Dave took a deep, but unnoticeable, breath. "Did you need something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I need you to sign off on my patient," Pratt said, showing him the chart he was holding.
Dave looked at it and back at Pratt. "Aren't you supposed to get Carter to do that?"
"He's not here, his shift ended."
"Fine," Dave sighed, grabbing his pen from his scrub top pocket and scribbling his name on the line.
"Thank you," Pratt said, starting to walk away. He paused and turned back to Dave. "What's up with him anyway? Dr. Carter, I mean."
"What are you talking about?" Dave asked, rubbing his forehead. He was starting to get a little tired of the newcomer.
"Well, what's his deal? It's like he doesn't know how to lay back. Everything has to be done exactly as the rulebook says," Pratt explained.
"Look, man, Carter…he's had a rough time, okay?" Dave replied.
"Why, what happened to him?"
"That's none of your business," Dave chastised. "And I'd advise you to stay out of peoples' business, but if I did tell you that, I'd be a hypocrite. Excuse me."
Dave turned in the other direction and walked away from the surprised intern.
He spotted Dr. Weaver walking into the Lounge and he ran to follow her in.
"Dr. Weaver, can I talk to you," Dave asked the redhead doctor.
"Sure," she replied, fixing herself a cup of coffee.
"Well, I wanted to apologize to you," Dave started.
"About what?"
"About what I said to you the day you fired me," Dave replied. He saw Weaver pause.
"It's fine, Dave," she replied, pouring water into the Mr. Coffee machine. After she switched the machine on, she turned to Dave. "Really."
Dave shook his head. "No, it's not. I was completely out of line. I was confused, I was pissed, I was surprised, I was upset…and I was out of control. I shouldn't have said those things to you, you didn't deserve them," Dave said, quickly. He took a deep breath. "So I'm sorry. And I hope that maybe you'll forgive me and we can start over."
Kerry stared at him for a moment. She averted his eyes from him. "I wanted to apologize as well."
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," Dave replied, surprised.
"No, I shouldn't have said what I said either. Dave, it's not that I don't like you. You're a good doctor and you're a good man. But you can be very difficult at times," she started, her last comment making Dave chuckle. She smiled. "And my involvement with the Marfan's case…"
She made eye contact with him and he furrowed his brow. "What involvement?"
Kerry blinked. "Uh…Dr. Chen or Dr. Romano hasn't informed you yet?"
"Informed me about what?" Dave asked, very confused.
She was silent for a moment. "Nothing," she said, finally, "it's not important."
Dave gave her an odd look, but shrugged it off. "Uh, I wanted to talk to you about Pratt."
"Oh, yes, he's very headstrong, isn't he?" Kerry said, turning to find the coffee done. "Do you want a cup?"
"Oh, no thanks. Yeah, he isn't staying here, is he?" Dave asked.
"Actually, he is. I was told a few days ago that he was being assigned to this hospital."
Dave grimaced. "If he keeps up that attitude I used to have, he's going to end up like I did."
"Used to have?" Kerry asked, giving Dave a curious look.
"Chief, I'm going to change. I swear to you. It might take awhile to do that, and I'll probably still be very cocky at times, but…I'm going to change. I'm going to respect the people I work with, I won't freak out on abusive parents…" Dave said, trailing off. He was lingering in an area he didn't want to be now.
"You know, nobody here knows why you do that," Kerry said.
"Yeah, well, I figured nobody cared. It doesn't matter anymore anyway," Dave offered. He sighed and looked around. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, is Dr. Greene starting his shift soon? You know, because I haven't seen him around and I figure that I need to apologize to him, too."
Kerry looked at him in silence, a look of sadness overwhelming her entire face.
"Chief, what's wrong?" Dave asked, concerned with her sudden change of expression.
"Dave, Mark's tumor came back," she said, sadly.
Dave's eyes widened. He shook his head, thinking he heard wrong. "What?"
"His tumor came back," she repeated, this time continuing. "He started his chemo, but decided to stop. That same day was his last day at County. He took one of his daughters, Rachael, to Hawaii and he passed away."
Dave was in shock. He looked down. All those times he had mocked Dr. Greene about his tumor, about the scar on his head…now he was full of guilt and remorse.
"We, uh, we got a letter from him," Kerry continued. "Carter pinned it up, but it's been awhile, so we took it down. Do you want to read it?"
Dave looked back at Kerry. After a moment or so, he nodded. "Yeah," he said, hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Kerry nodded back and walked to her locker. She opened it, rifled around, and pulled out a couple pieces of paper. She walked back to Dave and handed the papers to him. "I'll give you a few minutes alone, okay?"
Dave nodded, walked over to the couch, and sat down. He waited until Kerry left the room, then looked down at the writing and started reading.
Dear ER gang,
So here I am, out on the beach. Since I've been gone, I realize that staying at County all those years…doing what we do on a daily basis, was the best choice I made. You're an incredible group of doctors and nurses. When it comes to patient care, I know my absence will hardly be felt…
As Dave continued to read the letter, he felt tears begin to cloud his eyes. He finished the first page and turned to the next. As he finished it, tears were falling from his face freely. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, saying a silent good-bye to his former co-worker.
AN: This chapter contains spoilers from the letter that Dr. Greene sends out from the upcoming episode "The Letter".
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Malucci," Dr. Greg Pratt called, running up to the resident.
Dave stopped in his tracks and turned to Pratt. "Dude, don't even do that," he said.
Pratt narrowed his eyes. "Do what?"
"Call me just Malucci," Dave replied.
"Why not? Dr. Weaver does it," Pratt replied.
Dave fought the urge to roll his eyes. This guy really got on his nerves. "Are you Dr. Weaver?"
"No…do I look like her?" Pratt retorted.
"You know, that smart-ass act isn't going to get you anywhere," Dave told him. "I should know."
"That's right, you got fired from here, right?" Pratt asked, almost mockingly.
Dave took a deep, but unnoticeable, breath. "Did you need something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I need you to sign off on my patient," Pratt said, showing him the chart he was holding.
Dave looked at it and back at Pratt. "Aren't you supposed to get Carter to do that?"
"He's not here, his shift ended."
"Fine," Dave sighed, grabbing his pen from his scrub top pocket and scribbling his name on the line.
"Thank you," Pratt said, starting to walk away. He paused and turned back to Dave. "What's up with him anyway? Dr. Carter, I mean."
"What are you talking about?" Dave asked, rubbing his forehead. He was starting to get a little tired of the newcomer.
"Well, what's his deal? It's like he doesn't know how to lay back. Everything has to be done exactly as the rulebook says," Pratt explained.
"Look, man, Carter…he's had a rough time, okay?" Dave replied.
"Why, what happened to him?"
"That's none of your business," Dave chastised. "And I'd advise you to stay out of peoples' business, but if I did tell you that, I'd be a hypocrite. Excuse me."
Dave turned in the other direction and walked away from the surprised intern.
He spotted Dr. Weaver walking into the Lounge and he ran to follow her in.
"Dr. Weaver, can I talk to you," Dave asked the redhead doctor.
"Sure," she replied, fixing herself a cup of coffee.
"Well, I wanted to apologize to you," Dave started.
"About what?"
"About what I said to you the day you fired me," Dave replied. He saw Weaver pause.
"It's fine, Dave," she replied, pouring water into the Mr. Coffee machine. After she switched the machine on, she turned to Dave. "Really."
Dave shook his head. "No, it's not. I was completely out of line. I was confused, I was pissed, I was surprised, I was upset…and I was out of control. I shouldn't have said those things to you, you didn't deserve them," Dave said, quickly. He took a deep breath. "So I'm sorry. And I hope that maybe you'll forgive me and we can start over."
Kerry stared at him for a moment. She averted his eyes from him. "I wanted to apologize as well."
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," Dave replied, surprised.
"No, I shouldn't have said what I said either. Dave, it's not that I don't like you. You're a good doctor and you're a good man. But you can be very difficult at times," she started, her last comment making Dave chuckle. She smiled. "And my involvement with the Marfan's case…"
She made eye contact with him and he furrowed his brow. "What involvement?"
Kerry blinked. "Uh…Dr. Chen or Dr. Romano hasn't informed you yet?"
"Informed me about what?" Dave asked, very confused.
She was silent for a moment. "Nothing," she said, finally, "it's not important."
Dave gave her an odd look, but shrugged it off. "Uh, I wanted to talk to you about Pratt."
"Oh, yes, he's very headstrong, isn't he?" Kerry said, turning to find the coffee done. "Do you want a cup?"
"Oh, no thanks. Yeah, he isn't staying here, is he?" Dave asked.
"Actually, he is. I was told a few days ago that he was being assigned to this hospital."
Dave grimaced. "If he keeps up that attitude I used to have, he's going to end up like I did."
"Used to have?" Kerry asked, giving Dave a curious look.
"Chief, I'm going to change. I swear to you. It might take awhile to do that, and I'll probably still be very cocky at times, but…I'm going to change. I'm going to respect the people I work with, I won't freak out on abusive parents…" Dave said, trailing off. He was lingering in an area he didn't want to be now.
"You know, nobody here knows why you do that," Kerry said.
"Yeah, well, I figured nobody cared. It doesn't matter anymore anyway," Dave offered. He sighed and looked around. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, is Dr. Greene starting his shift soon? You know, because I haven't seen him around and I figure that I need to apologize to him, too."
Kerry looked at him in silence, a look of sadness overwhelming her entire face.
"Chief, what's wrong?" Dave asked, concerned with her sudden change of expression.
"Dave, Mark's tumor came back," she said, sadly.
Dave's eyes widened. He shook his head, thinking he heard wrong. "What?"
"His tumor came back," she repeated, this time continuing. "He started his chemo, but decided to stop. That same day was his last day at County. He took one of his daughters, Rachael, to Hawaii and he passed away."
Dave was in shock. He looked down. All those times he had mocked Dr. Greene about his tumor, about the scar on his head…now he was full of guilt and remorse.
"We, uh, we got a letter from him," Kerry continued. "Carter pinned it up, but it's been awhile, so we took it down. Do you want to read it?"
Dave looked back at Kerry. After a moment or so, he nodded. "Yeah," he said, hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Kerry nodded back and walked to her locker. She opened it, rifled around, and pulled out a couple pieces of paper. She walked back to Dave and handed the papers to him. "I'll give you a few minutes alone, okay?"
Dave nodded, walked over to the couch, and sat down. He waited until Kerry left the room, then looked down at the writing and started reading.
Dear ER gang,
So here I am, out on the beach. Since I've been gone, I realize that staying at County all those years…doing what we do on a daily basis, was the best choice I made. You're an incredible group of doctors and nurses. When it comes to patient care, I know my absence will hardly be felt…
As Dave continued to read the letter, he felt tears begin to cloud his eyes. He finished the first page and turned to the next. As he finished it, tears were falling from his face freely. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, saying a silent good-bye to his former co-worker.