The Ransom of Dr. Dave

Part 50

A/N: Anything in bold italic is being spoken in Italian

Sophie: Okay, where do you know him from?

Rusty: The hospital. He was the man who was taking pictures when we visited Antonio. Remember?

Sophie: Barely. That was so long ago, I hardly remember the incident let alone the man behind the camera. How do you remember that?

Rusty: I don't know. But it's him. I know it.

Sophie: Now that would be too much of a coincidence, wouldn't it?

Rusty: I don't know. What's a coencidints?

Sophie: Never mind. Is Jing-Mei there?

Rusty: Yes.

Sophie: Put her on please.

Rusty: Yes Aunt Sophie. Please come bring me home. I'm scared.

Sophie: We had a deal, remember?

Rusty: Yeah but...

Sophie: Rusty, put Jing-Mei on?

Rusty: I love you, Aunt Sophie.

Sophie: I love you, too.

Rusty hands Jing-Mei the phone and goes into the nursery to visit Antonio while Mrs. Peterson fixes him a snack.

Sophie: Jing-Mei, how are you?

Jing-Mei: Fine. And yourself?

Sophie: Taking it day by day.

Jing-Mei: Is Rusty okay? He seemed very upset when he left out of the room.

Sophie: I wasn't going to say anything to you because I didn't see any point but I need your help to calm Rusty down.

Jing-Mei: Calm him down? What is going on?

Sophie: The last time I spoke with Rusty he said he remembered seeing his tutor...uh, what's his name...

Jing-Mei: Frankie.

Sophie: Right Frankie. Anyway, he said he remembered seeing Frankie before. I told him that was nonsense but he sounded serious. Now he just told me where he remembers seeing Frankie at.

Jing-Mei: Where?

Sophie: One day when Rusty and I were visiting Antonio at the NICU, a man was standing behind us and as we turned around he nearly blinded us with the flash of the camera. He said he was taken a picture of his newborn child. I didn't think much about it at the time but it did seem strange.

Jing-Mei: How so?

Sophie: From where he was standing there was really no way he could have gotten a clear picture of a baby at that angle.

Jing-Mei: I'm sure it's all in his imagination. For some reason, everyone seems to dislike Frankie: Rusty, Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Santini and Dave.

Sophie: Davey!

Jing-Mei: Yes, I thought it would be nice if Dave had a chance to meet his son's tutor.

Sophie: How did Davey react?

Jing-Mei: He was very jumpy but that's nothing new. Mr. Santini said Dave was fine while he sat in the room but when Frankie came in it seemed to upset Dave. Incidentally, I met with the director of the Chicago East Rehab Center. He is going to consider taking Dave on as a patient there as soon as he is able to be transferred.

Sophie: That's good, right?

Jing-Mei: Yeah, it is. But Dave may never see the inside of the Rehab Center.

Sophie: Why not? What's going on? What are you talking about?

Jing-Mei: I don't want to worry you.

Sophie: You aren't worrying me...you're scaring the hell out of me. What is wrong?

Jing-Mei: Mr. Santini dropped off some of Dave's mail that came to his old apartment and one of the letters was from INS.

Sophie: Rusty?

Jing-Mei: That's what I thought but it wasn't about him. It was about Dave. I didn't know he wasn't a citizen.

Sophie: Neither did I. Shows how much about my own brother I know. What did they say?

Jing-Mei: They are giving him 30 days to renew his visa or they are going to deport him.

Sophie: They can't do that as sick as he is.

Jing-Mei: I agree but what can we do....

Antonio starts screaming. Mrs. Peterson enters the doorway holding the baby in her arms and nonchalantly trying to get Jing-Mei's attention.

Jing-Mei: Well, I got to go. It's feeding time.

Sophie: Alright, goodbye. Give my nephews a big hug and kiss from me.

Jing-Mei: I will. Goodbye.

Jing-Mei took the baby from Mrs. Peterson and as Jing-Mei entered the nursery to feed Antonio, Mrs. Peterson left for the day.

Two days later, Jing-Mei headed over to the hospital to meet with Dr. Jackson. After Dr. Vasquez said there was no drastic change in Malucci's brain scan or MRI to have caused the seizure, she reschedule Dr. Jackson's evaluation of Dave. Frankie and Mrs. Peterson came over to assume their duties with their respected child.

At the hospital, Jing-Mei waited with Dave inside his room for Dr. Jackson to arrive. About half an hour later he showed up accompanied by Kerry and Mark.

Dr. Jackson: How do you do, Dr. Chen?

Jing-Mei: I'm fine. This is Dr. Dave Malucci. (pause) Dave, this is the doctor that is going to change your life for the better. This is Dr. Jackson, director of the Chicago East Rehab Center.

Dr. Jackson: Well, let's see what he can do?

Kerry: What are you looking for?

Dr. Jackson: Before I can consider Dr. Malucci's application for admittance, I need to know about his limits: what he can and can't do. His ability to control certain muscles on command.

Mark: Dr. Malucci has very limited movement. That's why he needs to be admitted into your center.

Jing-Mei: Well, his eyes are starting to focus; he opens his mouth to talk although nothing ever comes out, and every once in awhile he'll get this intense look on his face and some of the nurses have noticed it too, when his catheter is blocked and needs to be changed. Now, that's muscle control, right?

Dr. Jackson: Maybe, it could be considered that... but that is not exactly what I am looking for in a perspective patient.

Mark: He can blink his eyes on command. If you ask him a question he can blink yes and no answers.

Jing-Mei: Let's show him Dave. Alright Dave, blink once for no and twice for yes. Okay.


Dave blinks twice(yes).

Jing-Mei: See he said yes. Dave, do you remember me?

Dave blinks once(no).

Jing-Mei: Do you know where you are?

Dave blinks once(no).

Jing-Mei: Dave, do you understand what is happening here?

Dave blinks twice(yes).

Jing-Mei: See he understands what is going on.

Kerry: What do you think, Dr. Jackson?

Dr. Jackson: Well, you've done a great job of parroting to him.

Jing-Mei: Dave, is not a parrot.

Dr. Jackson: I'm sorry Dr. Chen, but from what I am seeing here all Dr. Malucci is doing is reacting to your facial expressions and nothing more.

Aggravated, Jing-Mei stands up and turns her back on Dave facing the wall.

Jing-Mei: Dave, lift up your arm.

After a few moments, Jing-Mei turns around and looks at Dave to see that he hasn't moved. She turns back facing the wall.

Jing-Mei: Alright Dave, don't make me look like a fool. I said "Lift up your arm".

Kerry, Mark and Dr. Jackson look at each other with discouraging looks. Again Jing-Mei turns to Dave and still no reaction. She tries one last time getting more frustrated at each try.

Jing-Mei: Dave, I'm not playing with you now. Show the doctors what you can do. I said " get your arm up off that bed" (pause). That's it Dave, if you don't lift your arm up then I'm not going to buy you those season tickets to the Blackhawks Games.

To everyone's amazement, Dave shakingly lifts up his left arm inches off the bed for a few seconds before it drops back down. They all look at his face. There are tears forming in his eyes and slowly making their way down his face.

Jing-Mei: Dr. Jackson, he hasn't moved his left arm since before the attack. That should tell you that he is rehabilitation material.

Kerry: And he's crying. That's the first time he's shown some kind of emotion, except fear since he came out of his coma. That's got to be encouraging.

Mark: That was great Dave. Where did you learn to do that?

Jing-Mei: What do you think now, doctor?

Dr. Jackson: There's still more evaluating I want to do on him before I can give you my final answer. I would like to chat with his other doctors about his progress.

Jing-Mei: No objection, here.

Dr. Jackson: Nice job, Dr. Malucci.

Dr. Jackson leaves Dave's room and arranges to meet with his other doctors. Jing-Mei turns to Dave and gives him a big kiss on his lips. He smiles back at her.

Jing-Mei: You liked that, didn't you? That's my Dave. I am so proud of you.

Kerry: We all are, Malucci.

Mark: Definitely. It looks like you are well on your way to rehabilitation.

Jing-Mei holds her right hand up in the air in front of Dave inches from his eyes and Dave lifts his right arm and gives her a high five.

Jing-Mei: Alright Dave!!!

After Dave's evaluation he started to drift off to sleep so Jing-Mei, Kerry and Mark left and went down to the ER. Downstairs, some of the ER staffers were gathered around the admit desk. They saw the three doctors come off the elevator.

Carter: Well, how did it go?

Jing-Mei gives them the thumbs up and they all smiled.

Kerry: I have to admit it but Dave actually did real good today. He put a lump in my throat.

Luka: Don't tell me Kerry, that you are getting emotional over Malucci. Are you going soft on us?

Kerry: Not on your life. I guess it...

Mark: It was when he knew he did good and showed it.

Abby: How?

Jing-Mei: He was crying.

Haleh: Dr. Malucci was crying.

Jing-Mei: Yes. Yes, he was.

Carter: Who would guess that Malucci could have real human feelings. I guess anything is possible.

A phone rings and Jing-Mei realizes it is her cell phone. She excuses herself outside while she answers it. The ER continues to discuss Dave's progress. Twenty minutes later, Jing-Mei returns with an entirely different look on her face then the big smile she had across it minutes ago. The others look at her puzzled.

Elizabeth: Jing-Mei, is something wrong?

Jing-Mei: Yes. Dave's sister, Sophie, died during the night.

To be continued. Please read and review.