The Ransom of Dr. Dave
Part 28
A/N: Anything in bold italic is being spoken in Italian.
Everyone in the ER: DAVE'S SON!!
Kerry: Jing-Mei, you knew about him?
Jing-Mei: It's a long story.
Jing-Mei starts introducing Dave's sister and son around.
Jing-Mei: He's the medicine that I was telling you about. Sophie, I'm glad my parents were able to use their influence to get you guys your passports.
Sophie: Actually, we were only able to get temporary visas so we can only stay for a month.
Jing-Mei: Let's hope one month is enough time.
Abby starts waving at Rusty, who is standing shyly behind his aunt Sophie.
Kerry: He's definitely not like Dave. He's too quiet.
Abby: Hello Rusty, aren't you just the cutest little boy.
Sophie: Save your breath, he doesn't speak a word of English. We've just started to teach him. (Sophie translates for Rusty)
Rusty(in an Italian accent): I'm not cute. I'm down right handsome.
Sophie translates what Rusty said.
Mark: Now I see the family resemblance between him and Dave.
Jing-Mei: Speaking of him, what are they doing to him in surgery.
Kerry: Angiography, inserting a greenfielder filter in and reversing the heparin. Dave will probably need another transfusion. (pause) Sophie, are you the same type as Dave.
Sophie: Yes. Is this surgery dangerous?
Kerry: There's a potential danger with any surgery, but I'm afraid in your brother's delicate condition the risk is greater. I want to assure you that everything that can be done for Dave is being done. (pause) Sophie, would you mind giving some blood for Dave?
Sophie: You're kidding, right. If it will help Davey, you can drain me.
Luka: I'll take the blood and in the meantime we can fill you in on Dave's condition.
Sophie: I know some of it. Dr. Green has informed me via phone.
As Sophie, Jing-Mei and Luka head into Exam 2, Rusty runs to keep up with them.
Sophie(to Rusty): What's the matter, Rusty.
Rusty pulls closer to Sophie.
Sophie: I think he's just scared being around a bunch of strangers in a strange country.
Rusty lets out a big yawn.
Kerry: Abby, maybe we can find a place for Rusty to lay down.
Abby: Sure, come on Rusty. (waving to Rusty for him to come)
Rusty looks at Sophie and she nods that it is okay. Abby takes Rusty to Exam 1 and sits with him while he falls fast asleep.
In Exam 2, Luka preps Sophie for the blood withdraw, while Jing-Mei gets to know her boyfriend's sister.
Jing-Mei: How long has it been since you've seen Dave?
Sophie: A long time. Not since he left Italy almost seven years ago.
Luka: Wow! That is a long time. How come so long?
Sophie: Davey loves Italy after all it's his home. After he finished med school in Grenada he came back and intended to be a doctor over in Sicily. That's where he met Jada, Rusty's mom. They got serious, she got pregnant and Davey got lost. He left Italy and headed to America.
Both Jing-Mei and Luka looked at each other.
Sophie: I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. Davey isn't a deadbeat father. At least once a week during Jada's pregnancy he called me to find out about her and the baby. Once Rusty, was born he started sending the child support checks. I would occasionally send him pictures of them.
Luka: Why didn't he hang around for his child?
Sophie: As I said, Davey loves Italy, but Italy doesn't hold very good memories for him. He seemed alright once he came back from Grenada but as soon as he found out that Jada was pregnant he got scared. I guess all the bad memories started flooding back.
Jing-Mei: That's strange too because he's so good with the kids in the ER.
Sophie: That's his problem. He's great with other kids but when it comes to his own son, he won't go anywhere near him. I think he's afraid that if he loses his temper he'll start acting...
Jing-Mei: Like your father.
Sophie: How did you know?
Jing-Mei: Dave told me some things and then I read his medical records that you sent and figured out the rest.
Sophie: How much did he tell you?
Jing-Mei: More than enough.
Sophie: Oh(knowing exactly what Jing-Mei is talking about). So is there anything else I should know about Davey's injuries?
Luka: I don't know how much Dr. Green filled you in...
Sophie: I know that Davey was kidnapped by mistake and ruffed up. He didn't go into alot of the details but he said it was serious and there's the chance he might not make it.
Luka: Your brother was (rubbing his head)severely beaten, shot through his heart, multiple stab wounds to the back, countless fractures throughout his body and crushed skull just for starters.
Sophie: OH GOD! I had no idea it was that bad. He was shot and stabbed?
Luka and Jing-Mei nodded.
Sophie(trying to keep her composure): Go on. What else is wrong with him?
Luka: Sophie, this isn't easy. (pause) Some of Dave's injuries are really serious... vicious.
Sophie: Vicious? I don't understand.
Jing-Mei: The doctor that was the intended victim, Dr. Carter, he's a very rich man and I guess once they found out they had the wrong doctor that they knew they weren't going to get the same money for Dave as they would Carter.
Luka: So, best as we could figure, they decided they were going to make money off Dave in another way.
Sophie: What other way? What are you talking about?
Jing-Mei: They kinda (gulp) stole his kidney from him.
Sophie: They stole his kidney?!
Luka: People do that and sell them on the black market.
Sophie: Yeah I know that. They did it back on the harsh streets of Italy but I never thought they do it over here. Thank god he still he had another kidney.
Jing-Mei: Well that's another problem. Dave was so badly beaten that his other kidney was completely destroyed. They couldn't save it.
Sophie: Do you mean Dave hasn't gotten any kidneys?
Jing-Mei: Yes some very nice people, The Petersons donated their dying son's kidney to him and saved his life.
Luka finishes taking Sophie's blood. He hands the blood to Yosh and has him run it to the lab to be tested before it is given to Dave.
Luka: Alright, Sophie you're done. Just sit up slowly and I'll get you some juice and a doughnut. You may feel a little dizzy so just relax for a few minutes.
Sophie: Thank you Luka. I'd like to meet the Petersons sometime.
Jing-Mei: Well they come by regularly. I'm sure you'll see them sooner or later.
Luka comes back with the juice and doughnut for Sophie and Jing-Mei helps her sit up.
Jing-Mei: Are you okay? You don't feel dizzy or nauseous?
Sophie: No, I'm fine.
As Sophie finishes up the last of her juice and doughnut, Abby enters Exam 2.
Abby: Dr. Romano, is coming.
Sophie, Jing-Mei and Luka head out to meet Dr. Romano.
Jing-Mei: Dr. Romano, how is Dave?
Dr. Romano looks at Sophie and every sexual, dirty thought he ever had came to mind. It becomes obvious that he is attracted to her.
Jing-Mei: Dr. Romano, this is Sophie Pancamo. She's Dave's sister---his happily married sister.
Dr. Romano(disappointed): Too bad.
Sophie: Yeah, well how's my brother?
Dr. Romano: We need to talk.
Sophie: What happened?
Dr. Romano: Please step over here.
Dr. Romano directs her over to a light board and hangs up an x-ray. The other ER staffers follow curious to find out the details of their co-workers latest surgery.
Dr. Romano: Ms. Pancamo, there was a complication with your brother's surgery.
Jing-Mei: What?!
Dr. Romano: During surgery he threw another clot. He stopped breathing.
Sophie: OH NO!
Dr. Romano: Relax. We got him breathing again with the help of the ventilator but some of the oxygen to his brain was cut off resulting in swelling in the brain.
Mark: But you still have the shunt there, right?
Dr. Romano: Yeah, but it's not working as well as we had hoped. We may have to operate again and put a second shunt in if we see no improvement soon.
Sophie: He's still in the coma?
Dr. Romano: Yes.
Carter: But that's good because the coma is the only way he could withstand the pain and trauma from his injuries and surgeries.
Dr. Romano: Yeah, but it opens him up for a lot of complications.
Sophie: How?
Dr. Romano: With your brother in the coma, his body is helpless, his immune system is shutting down. He can't fight off everything he needs to in order to stay alive. He's very susceptible to staph infections?
Sophie: But you have antibiotics to treat them, right?
Dr. Romano: Sure, and we could probably keep your brother alive for a long time on antibiotics and machines. BUT...(pause) you may want to decide just how heroic you want us to be with Dr. Malatucci.
Sophie and Jing-Mei(crying): No, no, no.
Kerry: Robert, what exactly are we looking at here?
Dr. Romano(turning on the light on the lightboard revealing Dave's CT scan): It's all right here. (pointing to the CT scan) The medulla oblongata. As near as we can tell that is where the majority of the damage is. Neurologically speaking, that is the worst place to be injured. It's the beginning of the central nervous system. Everything the body does, feels, acts is controlled there. So to some extent, Dr. Malat... Dr. Dave's entire brain has suffered damage.
Sophie: Damage. What kind of damage? How much damage?
Dr. Romano: Permanent impairment of his eyesight, hearing, speech, organ function, mobility, comprehension, and communication. His memory will be deeply affected. Of course, that may come back to him someday, but no promises.
Luka: Prognosis?
Dr. Romano: Well for starters, there's no guarantee that Dr. Dave will ever come out of his coma and if he does... he probably won't be able to see, hear, speak, move, remember any of you or anything before his attack, communicate, comprehend what's going on around him, breathe on his own, eat on his own or carry on any other functions of a normal life. Basically he'll be a....
Sophie: A vegetable.
Dr. Romano: We prefer to call them irreversibly brain damaged but in layman's terms... yes...a permanent vegetative state.
Thimking about what Dr. Romano has just told her about Malucci's condition, Sophie takes in a deep breath and exhales.
Sophie: I would like to visit my brother now.
Dr. Romano: Of course, he should be out of recovery and back in his room now.
Jing-Mei: I'll take you up.
As Jing-Mei and Sophie head upstairs, they run into a groggy Rusty.
Sophie: Rusty, what are you doing up?
Rusty: I want to see my papa?
Jing-Mei: What did he say, Sophie?
Sophie looks around at the doctors and translates.
Sophie: He wants to see his papa?
To be continued. Please read and review.