The Ransom of Dr. Dave

Previously on ER: As Dr. Dave lays in a coma, his ER colleagues hold vigil while trying to figure out what happened to him. Four months ago, Carter sets Dave and Jing-Mei up on a blind date. Meanwhile, Carter is receiving mysterious calls.

Part 3

Later that day, Carter is at his locker when Jing-Mei walks in.

Jing-Mei: Are you off now, Carter?

Carter(tired): Yeah, finally.

Jing-Mei: Rough night?

Carter: Slumber party fire. Two girls and one parent died.

Jing-Mei: Sorry, can't save them all. I know you did your best.

Carter: You are trying to avoid the subject.

Jing-Mei: What subject would that be?

Carter: You know very well what I'm talking about. The blind date.

Jing-Mei: Oh, you mean the one with Malucci.

Carter: This was not meant to be a joke. I really thought you two would be good together so don't hate me too much.

Jing-Mei: Relax John, everything's alright. Actually we had a nice time.

Carter: No way. I think I'll hear a different story from Malucci when he gets here.

Just then Dave walks into the lounge.

Malucci: Did I hear my name mentioned?

Carter: Yeah, we were talking about your night together.

Dave walks over to Jing-Mei and gives her a kiss and she kisses him back. Carter does a double-take.

Carter: What is going on here? OK, Never mind. I get it. Ha ha, the joke's on me. You two can quit the act now.

Both Dave and Jing-Mei look at each other then at Carter confused.

Malucci: What is your problem, Carter? Isn't this what you wanted to happen? You set us up on a blind date with each other and now you're upset because we had a good time. Sorry to disappoint you Carter, but we really had fun.

Carter looks at Jing-Mei because he knows she can't carry a practical joke very far. When she doesn't break up laughing, Carter realizes that his matchmaking did work.

Jing-Mei: Sorry John. But thank you for everything you've done.

As she exits the lounge, she gives Carter a little peck on the cheek. But her kiss with Malucci is on the lips and much longer and more sincere. They finally break apart.

Jing-Mei: Dave, if you're not doing anything after work today, let's go out again.

Malucci: You got it. See you later, honey.

Jing-Mei: Goodbye sweetheart. Bye John.

She blows Malucci another kiss and he pretends to catch it. Carter is dumb-founded trying to make sense of it all as Jing-Mei walks out into the hall. Before Dave can leave, Carter grabs his arm.

Carter: Congratulations. I'm glad you two had a wonderful time. But there's one thing I don't understand. If you're not mad at me, what were all those phone calls about this morning?

Malucci: What phone calls are you talking about?

Carter: The ones you made to me here all night long and into the morning telling me you were going to get me.

Malucci: Not me. Had to be someone else playing with your head. Well, I better get to work before Festus comes looking for me. Thanks for last night. I owe you one.

Carter is left alone in the lounge still pondering the phone calls, convinced that it was Malucci's handywork and reasoning that Malucci's only denying it because he caught on to him so soon. As Carter removes his jacket from his locker a note falls out. He picks it up and deciphers the bad handwriting and reads it.

The note says "I'm waiting for you, Carter"

Carter( thinking to himself): Just try to deny this one, Malucci.

Carter places the note back in his locker, slams the door, yawns and leaves the hospital until his shift begins at 8am the next morning.

All through the day, whenever Malucci and Jing-Mei met they would flirt with each other. By now, everyone in the ER knew Carter set them up and their constant flirting with each other was making everyone else nauseous.

Malik(watching the love struck doctors): Is anyone else getting ready to puke?

Kerry: I know this is sick, but if it keeps Malucci's mind off practical jokes then I think I can deal with it. Besides, Jing-Mei is a good doctor and maybe some of that talent will rub off onto her new boyfriend.

Over the next couple of weeks, Dave and Jing-Mei spend all their free time together. She takes him to the art museum and the opera and he takes her to the drag races, bowling, his hockey games. Even though they obviously have different interests, they manage to have fun wherever they go.

On this one particular stormy night, they decide to stay in at Dave's apartment. They order pizza, drink beer and watch videos that Dave forgot to return.

Jing-Mei: Well that was interesting. I really don't enjoy war movies but there was just something about that U-571 that I liked. Maybe it was just that sailor named Anthony Mazzolla that I just couldn't get enough of. He was sooooo good looking. Too bad he had to die in it.

Malucci: Don't you think he looked a little like me?

Jing-Mei (thinking for a moment): No way. Not at all. He was so much more built then you are.

Malucci: Is not.

Jing-Mei: Is too.

They start to wrestle on the couch and in the process some beer in the can that Dave is holding gets spilled on his shirt.

Malucci: Sticky. I guess I'm going to have to change.

Jing-Mei: I guess so.

Dave heads to his bedroom and shuts the door. Jing-Mei, curious about what Malucci actually hides under his famous blue scrub shirt heads over to Dave's bedroom and swings the door open, not prepared for what she is about to see.

Jing-Mei: Dave, you suddenly so modest....Oh, my god!!

She sees numerous scars on his back as he whips around trying to hide them.

Malucci: What the hell do you think you're doing?!

Jing-Mei: I'm so sorry, Dave. I guess I should have knocked. I'm sorry. I think I better leave now.

Before Dave has a chance to put on another shirt, Jing-Mei runs to the door. Knowing this is the best relationship he's been in for a long time he heads after her and stops her from leaving.

Malucci: I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Please stay.

Jing-Mei: I'd like to stay. I didn't mean to barge into your room and invade your privacy.

Malucci: That's alright. You were bound to find out my little secret eventually if we were going to take this relationship any further: to the next step.

Jing-Mei: What happened to you?

Malucci: Dad was sick both physically and mentally for a long time.

Jing-Mei: Your father did this to you?

Malucci (blushing and with tears in his eyes, he nods): Yes, he did. I was a bad kid growing up. Always getting into trouble.

Jing-Mei: Just like you do now?

Malucci: Worse. Much, much worse.

Jing-Mei: I doubt that. But even still, you didn't deserve to be hurt. What did he do to you exactly?

Malucci (shaking his head constantly): You don't want to know. Because if you do you won't love me anymore. Besides, I don't want your pity.

Jing-Mei: I do want to know and I won't pity you. As far as not loving you, it's too late because I'm already madly in love with you. So please, open up to me.

Malucci: Well, my dad had bad kidneys as far back as I can remember. That didn't stop him from drinking all the time or fraternizing with his mob connections. When he came in from being on dialysis or sitting at a bar or hanging with his friends he would be in a lousy mood. We knew this. My mom, sister and I knew just to keep our distance. But I still got into trouble, knowing what waited for me at home. One day when I was six, I got suspended from the first grade for putting a cherry bomb in the toilet. Dad, who worked as a forman in a sheet metal warehouse, came home and heard about my suspension. He went down to the basement and sent me to my room without dinner. Going to bed on an empty stomach was nothing, compared to what I knew was going to happen to me when I saw dad go into the basement. After about an hour, he came into my room and he beat me with his belt buckle and kicked me. Then he turned me on my stomach and pulled my shirt up and then came ultimate punishment. He took his soldering iron and placed it on my back. I screamed my lungs out and my mom, who was sitting with my little sister in her bedroom, couldn't take it anymore. She came into my room and tried to stop him, but he grabbed her and threw her down the steps. Her neck broke. She died instantly. She laid on the floor all night. Finally, in the morning when dad sobered up he called an ambulance and told them she fell down the steps. They believed him and the abuse continued on for years. I hated my old man. He not only took my mother away from me but he took my childhood and innocence away too.

Jing-Mei: Your innocence? How?

Malucci: When I was 8 years old he came home in the middle of the night, drunk as usual, knocking anything in his way down. I heard him coming up the steps and into my room. I was preparing for my beating or the soldering iron, but they didn't come. Instead, I got something worse. Something I never expected. He grabbed me by my throat, threw me on my bed faced down, pulled my pajama pants and underwear down and just when I thought I was going to get a spanking he....(nearly hysterical at this point and not wanting to go on)

Jing-Mei: He what? Please Dave. It's alright. Go on. I'm here to help.

Malucci: HE RAPED ME!!!! OVER AND OVER THAT ENTIRE NIGHT.

Jing-Mei (with tears in her eyes and almost as hysterical as Dave was): Dear God. (without thinking she blurted out) and you let him.

Malucci, who was totally hysterical at this point, ran into his bedroom. Jing-Mei, realizing what she had said went after him.

Malucci: Let him. Let him. He was 6ft tall, 195 lbs and I was 8 years old, barely 3ft tall and about 65lbs. You tell me, WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSE TO DO TO STOP HIM?!

Jing-Mei: I'm so sorry, Dave. I don't know why I said that. Of course, there was nothing you could do to prevent him from.... you know.

Jing-Mei took Dave's tear-stained face into her hands and started wiping it dry. He pulled away.

Malucci: Please don't. I'm Italian trash. You deserve better. You shouldn't be here. Go home, please.

Jing-Mei: I am right where I belong and there's no way I'm going to leave you now. You are just as good or as bad as anyone else, Italian or not. You are not trash.

He took her into his arms and fell with her back on his bed. As he undid the buttons to her blouse and her bra, she went to work on his pants. He lifted himself off the bed so she could remove his pants fully. She pulled down his underwear and he rolled her over on her back and placed his fully hard and erect cock in her, while they continued to kiss she could feel him push himself completely into her and she started to moan with great and total pleasure. Once Dave started to come, Jing-Mei took his wet penis into her mouth and started to lick it. Dave grabbed at her breasts and started sucking on her nipples. Taking a break from the activities, they laid on the bed, with Jing-Mei's head on Dave's muscular chest.

Malucci: Well, did I meet your expectations?

Jing-Mei: That and much more. And you were right. You are built like that sailor, Anthony Mazzola in the movie.

They both laughed.

Malucci: I do love you so much. I never told anyone about my childhood before.

Jing-Mei: And I love you, too. Dr. Dave. And you can trust me to keep your secret as well.

With the thunder and lightning outside, Dave and Jing-Mei were just as content to be on the inside doing what they were doing.

Malucci: Ready to go another round?

Jing-Mei: You bet. My Italian Stallion.

To be continued. Please read and review.