The Ransom of Dr. Dave
Part 24
Kerry: That is so wonderful, Jing-Mei.
Carter: It's about time.
Kerry: When will they do the transplant?
Jing-Mei: Well, they have the family's permission and they are removing the kidney now. It has to be flown in from California.
Carter: If they put it on med-copter, it should be here within the next couple hours.
Kerry: Have they started to prep, Dave?
Jing-Mei: No. They want to wait to the kidney is en route. They don't want to keep Dave open on an OR table very long. Excuse me, I want to go and tell Dave the good news.
Kerry: Go ahead and give him our love.
Jing-Mei: I will. Thank you.
Jing-Mei runs off to the ICU as everyone else keeps their fingers cross.
An hour later, Jing-Mei grabs a chart for her next patient.
Jing-Mei: Mark, is it alright if I take my dinner break a little early today?
Mark: So you can be with Dave? I heard about the transplant and I'm very happy for both of you.
Jing-Mei: Thank you but no I'm just not feeling too well right now, so I was able to make an appointment with Dr. Evans in OB/GYN but only if I can get up there before 5 pm.
Mark: Sure. What's wrong, Jing-Mei?
Jing-Mei: I'm just tired probably from running up and downstairs so much but I want to make sure everything is alright.
Mark: If you need to cut back on your shifts...
Jing-Mei: That won't be necessary.
Mark: By the way, have you been up to see Dave lately?
Jing-Mei: Yes, right after I heard about the transplant. I had to tell him. He was so excited.
Mark looks at her very doubtful.
Mark: Really?
Jing-Mei: I know you all think I'm crazy to be talking to him now and that he doesn't even know what's going on but he does. He understands me. He just can't express it like we can. But he hears me, he knows.
Mark(smiling): I'm sure he does.
Kerry, Carter and Abby come over to Mark and Jing-Mei.
Kerry: Any news on Dave?
Jing-Mei: No, but I'm going to call upstairs and find out what's going on.
Jing-Mei picks up the phone and calls ICU. They put her on hold.
Jing-Mei(talking to her co-workers): I think it would be quicker if I ran upstairs...(on the phone)Oh, hello. This is Dr. Chen in the ER. Is there any word on Dr. Malucci's surgery.(pause) No, don't put me back on hold. Damn it.
Carter: Here comes Dr. Anspaugh. Maybe he knows something.
Jing-Mei hangs up the phone.
Jing-Mei: Dr. Anspaugh, what is going on with Dr. Malucci's surgery?
Dr. Anspaugh(wiping his head): That's what I came down to tell you.
Abby: Is the kidney here?
Dr. Anspaugh: No. Not exactly.
Kerry: Then what?
Dr. Anspaugh: There's a problem with the kidney.
Jing-Mei(disappointed): What problem? It's not the right type. Or the kidney isn't healthy.
Dr. Anspaugh: No. It's the right type and healthy, it's just that...
Mark: Dr. Anspaugh, don't stall just tell us what the problem is maybe we can fix it.
Dr. Anspaugh: I doubt it. Unless you can change people's prejudices.
Carter: What's that suppose to mean?
Dr. Anspaugh: Dr. Malucci will not be receiving the kidney because the family asked the doctors in California some questions and they weren't happy with the answers.
Jing-Mei: What questions. The doctors couldn't have told them that Dave was Italian. That's a violation of patient confidentiality.
Dr. Anspaugh: No. Nothing like that. They wanted to know if the recipient was a drinker, smoker or did drugs that's why he needed the kidney. Since the family asked the doctors were obligated to tell the family the patient's health. Once they found out that the young man getting the kidney was already in poor health and not expected to survive, they refused to sign off the kidney to him.
Jing-Mei(hysterical): They can't do that! It's not fair!
Mark, Kerry and Dr. Anspaugh look at each other, each feeling her pain and anger.
Mark: I'm afraid that they can and they have. It's their right. We warned you something like this may happen.
Dr. Anspaugh: I am very sorry, Dr. Chen.
Jing-Mei nods in response as Dr. Anspaugh leaves. The others try to comfort an obviously upset Jing-Mei.
Kerry: Jing-Mei, I hope you don't think that this is over with. We will still keep looking for Malucci.
Jing-Mei: Thank you everyone. I just don't know how I'm going to tell Dave.
Abby: Would you like me to go up with you when you tell him?
Jing-Mei: Not necessary. I think I'll wait to tell Dave until after my doctor's appointment. Maybe by then I'll have some good news to tell him.
Mark: Abby, why don't you walk Jing-Mei up to her doctor's appointment.
Abby: Be glad to.
Jing-Mei: I said I would be fine. That isn't nec...
Mark: Doctor's orders. No arguing.
Jing-Mei and Abby head up to OB/GYN as the others go back to work.
Later that day, Jing-Mei has just returned from ICU with tears in her eyes and heads into the lounge where others are. Mark sees her and follows.
Mark: Everything okay, Jing-Mei?
Jing-Mei: With me and the baby, fine. Dr. Evans just said my blood pressure was a little high and my iron a little low. She prescribed me a new kind of prenatal vitamins. With Dave, I'm not so sure.
Mark: Why, what happened?
Jing-Mei: Nothing specific. But I know he was very upset with the news. He thinks no one cares about him, whether he lives or dies.
Luka: You know that's not true, Dr. Chen.
Jing-Mei: I know. You guys have been very good to both of us throughout all of this, I don't know how I would manage without you. It's just that Dave has a very low opinion of himself, low esteem. He thinks no one could love him. After everything he's been through in his life, I can't blame him.
Kerry: Who couldn't love him, he's like a big overstuffed teddy bear you just want to hug.
Jing-Mei: His father didn't love him. Hell, he didn't even like him.
Mark: What makes you so sure? Did Dave tell you that?
Jing-Mei: Yes. But all you had to do was look at Dave's back with all the scars on it.
Kerry: With everything they did to him in the hangar...
Jing-Mei: This goes farther back than the hangar. You've seen his medical records from Italy.
Mark: Yeah, I was thinking a lot about those medical records. Dave must have been a wild kid when he was young.
Luka: Every kid gets bumps and bruises growing up, especially boys.
Kerry: I read Malucci's records and no kid gets hurt that much by himself and some of those injuries required a lot of force to get. Jing-Mei, do you know anything about this.
Jing-Mei: It's Dave's secret. He'd never forgive me if I tell. (pause) What am I thinking? You guys are doctors. You should be able to see the signs.
Kerry: Signs? What signs?
Jing-Mei: That Dave didn't get those injuries by himself. HIS FATHER ABUSED HIM!!
The three doctors sit in shock, wondering how they missed it.
Mark: Well, that explains Malucci's sensitivity towards abuse cases.
Kerry: Why wasn't this caught earlier on? Why hasn't someone done something about. Like child welfare.
Jing-Mei: You are forgetting that Dave grew up in Italy. There rules are different. When I asked Dave how they could let this go on, he told me everyone in his village knew what was happening and turned a blind eye and deaf ear to it.
Luka: Did Dave say why no one did anything?
Jing-Mei: Yes. He said in Italy, people kept to themselves. He said if you stuck your nose in the wrong person's business you were promptly given a brand, new pair of cement shoes and sent to sleep with the fishes, and his father was one of the people who you don't mess with.
Kerry: So, whatever happened with his father?
Jing-Mei: Dave doesn't know whether his father is alive or dead and doesn't give a damn. Just as long as he stays as far away from him as possible.
Mark: His father is responsible for the steel rod in Dave's back and the metal plate in his head.
Jing-Mei nods.
Luka: I don't know how Dave put up with him?
Jing-Mei: I asked Dave the same thing and he said he's been dealing with it since he was born. After awhile he got use to the physical abuse but never to the sex...(realizing she hadn't told them that part of Dave's story, she quiets down)
Mark: But never the sex... what was that?
Jing-Mei(trying to change the subject): I better get back to work.
Kerry: You have a few minutes, and don't try to change the subject. There's something about Dave that needs to be said and you know what it is. Please anything you say won't get any further then this room. If you want us to help Dave, we have to know everything. Now, please tell us the truth.
Jing-Mei(extremely angry at this point, blurts out): The truth is Dave's father not only physically abused him but abused him sexually. DAMN IT!! DAVE'S FATHER RAPED!!!
To be Continued. Please read and review.