The Ransom of Dr. Dave
Part 14
The horror look was apparent on everyone's face at what Luka said.
Kerry: You can't be serious?
Luka: I'm very serious. I'm telling you this kind of stuff happened all the time back in Croatia.
Carter: Luka, are you talking about stealing and selling human organs on the black market?
Luka nods.
Mark: It would certainly explain Malucci's missing kidney.
Kerry: We don't even know the story behind why Malucci has only one kidney. There could be a logical explanation for it.
Mark: We've looked all through Malucci's medical records, both his recent ones and the ones his sister sent us from Italy. No where in there does it say that Malucci had a kidney removed. Besides, don't you think that is something Malucci would have mentioned at some point of his residency.
Kerry: You are forgetting one thing. Malucci spent time in Grenada. Hell, he went to medical school there so he was on the island for awhile. He could have had an accident there that resulted in the loss of the organ.
Carter: Then Dr. Weaver, how do you explain the enormous, open gap in Malucci's back that was poorly sewn back up.
Kerry: I don't know... yet, but give me some time. I'll figure it out.
Jing-Mei: You don't know, Kerry because you CAN'T explain it. You are so quick to blame Dave for doing something to himself or screwing up that you can't accept the fact that someone hurt Dave and he is actually the victim in all this. An INNOCENT VICTIM, at that!
Capt. Amos: Assuming what Dr. Kovac is saying is true, I'd better call it into the station and find out if there are any similar cases out there like this. If there's a pattern, it might be a black market ring working in the area.
Mark; Is there anything else we could do to help, Captain?
Capt. Amos: Yes, as a matter a fact, you can call around to every hospital in the area and see if they had any patients admitted with unexplained, missing organs.
As the doctors go on a citywide hunt for other possible black market victims, Abby, Haleh and Chuny comfort a shaken and stunned Jing-Mei.
Jing-Mei: If Luka's right, and I believe he is, then what kind of world is it that we live in that allows for some sick, twisted punks to do this to another human being.
Haleh: I can't believe that something like this is happening out there. You read things about this in the newspaper or hear them on the news, but when it happens in your own backyard to someone you know, it makes you think about the cruelties of the world.
Chuny: This is something out of a horror movie. This stuff just doesn't happen in real life.(pause) But it did happen.
Abby: I would never have thought something like this would happen to someone I know---especially Dr. Dave.
Jing-Mei: It's things like this that makes me NOT want to bring a child in this world. If someone could do this to someone who's tough, strong, arrogant like Dave than what's to stop them from hurting my little, defenseless baby.
Haleh: Now wait a minute, girl. You aren't thinking about ending this pregnancy, are you?
Jing-Mei: When I first told Dave I was pregnant, we were both excited but scared. I always regretted giving Michael up for adoption, even though I know he has a good life, but I always wonder what if I kept him. And Dave, well he has his own reasons for being scared. We decided that we would keep the baby because it was the right thing to do. After all the years we've known each other and we never even went out on one date than, out of the blue, we start dating, fell in love and are having a child, like it was all meant to be. Now, it doesn't seem right bringing a child into a cruel, heartless, sick world especially if it doesn't have a father. If Dave dies, I can't see raising a child alone. That's why I gave Michael up in the first place. I thought this time it would be different.
Chuny: It is different this time and Dave is not going to die he's still too damn stubborn--after all he's a man--they're all stubborn.
Abby: Dave more than most. Besides after all he's been through, technically he shouldn't have survived this long. But he did and he is still alive. That proves it.
Jing-Mei: Yeah, after all Dave's been through. You girls don't know the half of it.
Haleh: Look at it this way, girl, if you end this pregnancy you will go on the rest of your life wondering, what if.
Tired of waiting in the lounge, Jing-Mei and the nurses head to the admit desk to find out if anyone has heard anything.
Jing-Mei: Any news?
Carter: Well, if you mean from other hospitals or the police, no. But if you mean from upstairs in surgery, again no.
Jing-Mei: It's been almost 18 hours Dave has been in surgery. That's too long. I just know something is wrong.
Luka: If something was wrong, they would have come down and told us.
Carter: You know that Dave had multiple injuries that required surgery, he has a number of surgical teams working on him.
Mark: If I know Elizabeth, she's taking her time. She wants to make sure that they do a top notch job on Dave. She won't rush and neither will Peter, Romano or Anspaugh. You want the surgery slow but right rather than quick and wrong, don't you Jing-Mei?
Jing-Mei: You know I want Dave's surgery to be a success.
Mark: Then let them do their work and try to be patient.
Jing-Mei: I keep wondering why this happened? Why Dave?
Carter: Deb, I know you're upset but would you rather this have happened to me, instead of Dave, like it was so suppose to be?
Jing-Mei: John, you know I don't. This shouldn't have happened to anyone.
Mark: I think we're all wondering why this happened. I can't help but think that once we knew that Malucci, not Carter was the one kidnapped that if we would have taken it more serious, we could have done something sooner before it progressed to this level, especially me.
Lydia: Don't blame yourself, Dr. Green. We all thought it was a bad practical joke.
Kerry: Damn that Malucci!! If he didn't play so many pranks, maybe it would be easier to take him serious once in a while. Particularly, when something like this happens.
Abby: But not even Malucci would have pulled something this underhanded.
Kerry: I don't know about that, Abby. Malucci can be pretty strange and he's got the worse sense of humor.
Haleh: Yeah, Dr. Dave is like a big, overgrown child who never grew up. It amazes me that he manage to get through medical school.
Jing-Mei is getting very disgusted about the way the others are talking about their co-worker, her boyfriend while he lay up in surgery fighting for his life.
Jing-Mei: Did any of you even think that there may be a reason why Dave acts like that? Did you ever take the time to know him before you judged him? No, you didn't. You just took what you saw and made your determination on that. None of you really know Dave. Not the Dave Malucci that I got to know the last few months. Surprisingly enough, there is a real man underneath that arrogant, stubborn, childish exterior. A man with human feelings that can be hurt like anyone else. And I'm not dismissing myself. I was just as bad as the rest of you, I know that. And if I get the chance to I plan to make it all up to Dave.
Haleh: No, I guess we never really gave Dr. Dave a chance. We all have a lot to make up to him.
Jing-Mei: He tried so hard to fit in with the rest of us, but couldn't. He thought of all of us as friends no matter how many times we yelled at him, told him to shutup or go away or called him incompetent. He really wasn't a bad doctor, he just never had much experience. Now that I look back at it, Dave did everything he could to be able to work with us so he could learn from us and we just pushed him aside but he never gave up trying. He never asked anything from us except a little attention, some love and respect. He wanted to be taken seriously as a doctor. Now, when he really needed us, we did nothing.( trying to hold back her tears, but unsuccessful) He begged us to help, HIS life depended on us and we let him down.
Mark: You're absolutely right, Jing-Mei. I practically laughed in his face when he was talking to us on the phone. I thought it was a gag.
Jing-Mei: Well it looks like the gag was on Dave, literately. I hope we're all happy.
Abby: We're all very sorry, Jing-Mei.
Everyone nods their heads in agreement with Abby and starts to apologize for the shameful way they treated Dave.
Jing-Mei: I appreciate it. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Dave is. (pause) Let's just hope that Dave is around to hear your apologies.
As the hours pass, the ER nurses and doctors come and go for their shifts, while Jing-Mei takes up residency at the hospital awaiting news of Dave's surgery.
Haleh: Dr. Chen, any word on Dr. Malucci yet?
Jing-Mei: No, nothing yet. I wish they would at least give me an update. I have to know what is going on up there that is taken so long. He's been in surgery for over 25 hours.
Haleh: Have you eaten this morning?
Jing-Mei: I don't think so. Had too much on my mind.
Haleh: You go get something to eat and I'll see if I can find out any information from upstairs.
A few minutes later, Haleh finds Jing-Mei and some other doctors in the cafeteria.
Haleh: Well, I just spoke with a nurse in surgery with Dr. Dave.
Luka: And what did she say?
Haleh: The neurosurgeon is working on Dr. Dave now. The cardiologist has just left. The pulmonologist and the orthopedic surgeon still have to get in there. She said, depending on what they have to do, it could be another 6-8 hours of surgery.
Kerry: Thank you, Haleh.
Jing-Mei: Yes, thank you. I appreciate it.
As the day progresses, Jing-Mei continues to do light duty work and in between getting plenty of sleep and food but as much as she tries to take her mind off of Dave, she can't. Capt Amos enters the ER, and the staff can't help but gather to learn what is going on with the investigation.
Jing-Mei: Have you found them yet, captain?
Capt. Amos: No, but we do have some more information that may prove helpful or hurtful.
Mark: What is it?
Capt. Amos: About what Dr. Kovac said.
Carter: You mean about the black market ring.
Capt. Amos: Sort of. We got hold of some of Dr. Malucci's DNA, and we com...
Kerry(interrupting): Wait a moment. How did you get some of Dr. Malucci's DNA?
Abby: From his blood, right.
Capt. Amos: Well, as doctors and nurses you know that the best sample of DNA comes from saliva.
Kerry: Did you take a sample from Dave when you found him? That's illegal. Either Dave or a relative had to give consent and I know Malucci was in no condition to do it and his only relative is in Italy.
Capt. Amos: That's why I insisted that anything that came off of Dr. Malucci be saved and bagged as evidence.
Mark: You mean that some of Dave's clothes just happen to have some of his saliva on it.
Capt. Amos: No, we took the sample from the gag that was in Dr. Malucci's mouth. We compared that with the blood on the sternal saw blade, which incidentally my lab boys confirmed that is it was, and the driver's seat in Dr. Carter's Lexus. They matched perfectly. To a 99.99% accuracy.
Jing-Mei(trying to control her anger): So, you mean that is what happened? Those bastards tied up, blindfolded, gagged and beat Dave within an inch of his life, cut him open, stole his kidney, sewed him back up as if nothing ever happened, crushed his skull, smashed his face, ribs and spine, shot him in his heart, poured gasoline over him and were going to set him on fire.
Capt. Amos(regretfully): Yes, that's exactly what they did.
Jing-Mei no longer could keep her composure and started shaking. She fought to hide her tears in front of her peers but couldn't. (slamming her hands down on the counter)
Jing-Mei: DAMN IT!!! THOSE SON OF A BITCHES!! HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO HIM!!!
Kerry embraces Jing-Mei in a hug trying to calm her as Carter runs into the nearest bathroom where the entire ER can't help but hear him vomit and get rid of his lunch. When he emerges, he's wiping his mouth and alot greener than when he went in. Now, he has to face the stares as he walks over to Jing-Mei and gives her a comforting hug.
Abby: You alright, Carter?
Carter: No, I'm not everyone. That was suppose to be me. Not him. I was the one they wanted. If I just would have taken those damn phone calls more seriously and told someone I might have been able to prevent this. Or if I just refused to lend Malucci my car than I would have been in it and they would have had their intended victim. But no, I just let my own stupidity or generosity get the best of me and look what's happened. Here I stand, healthy, strong and alive while Dave lays up in surgery sick, ripped to pieces and fighting for his life.
Jing-Mei: It's not your fault, John. I don't blame you and neither would Dave. I know that.
Carter: Thank you, Deb. But if there is anything either you or Malucci ever needs don't hesitate to ask.
Just then the ER staff sees walking down the hall, Elizabeth, Peter and Romano. None of them are smiling.
Peter: Dr. Dave is out of surgery.
To be continued. Please read and review.