#Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ER cast just Ashleigh, DJ, Nancy, Marianna and the idea for the story.

A/N: A.L.S- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(Lou Gehrig's Disease)- a progressive wasting away of certain nerve cells of the brain and the spinal column. It is a debilitating disease that affects movement, swallowing, speaking, breathing, and sometimes vision. There is no cure and the prognosis is death.

This story is dedicated to the memory of one of my favorite actors who passed away from the disease. Michael Zaslow, I miss you.

Any talking that is being done by Dave is via a talking computer.

Part 4

Everyone just looked at each other and shook their heads. Then in unison they said, "No, couldn't be."

Carter: Did you say what I thought you said? Yours and Dave's grandson?

Ashleigh: Yes, that's exactly what I said.

Mark: That's what we thought.

Ashleigh: Didn't Dave ever tell you about his family?

Jing-Mei: Dave was always very good at meddling into everyone else's business, but when it came to talking about himself, forget it. Except when it came to bragging about his many wome... Oh, I guess I shouldn't say anything about Dave's sex life.

Ashleigh: No, that's okay. Dave and I only recently got serious and I know all about his past and I mean ALL ABOUT it , since we obviously have a past together.

Haleh: So Dr. Dave is a grandfather.(snickering) Ain't that a kick. He's so young. You both are. How?

Ashleigh: We started parenthood early in life. Dave was 14 and I was 13 when our son was born. But, believe me, it is a story in itself. Maybe, I'll tell you sometime, but for now Dr. Kovac is it, what is wrong with Dave?

Luka: He has a serious kidney infection and is starting to go into renal failure. He is very dehydrated, probably from the high fever. I started a central line and have him on a saline drip to re-hydrate him and antibiotics for the kidney infection. But, if there's no change we may have to put him on dialysis. He also has a consolidation in both lungs which is what brought on the respiratory distress. I've increased his steroids to make his breathing easier but I feel his lungs are close to collapse and am preparing to insert two chest tubes. Amazingly, his blood work came back fine.

Ashleigh: Does he have pneumonia?

Luka: Yes, how did you know?

Ashleigh: He gets it every few months. Last time he had it, he was at his sister's house and we took him into Mercy. Both his lungs did collapse and they inserted the chest tubes. The doctor told him his only hope of buying time was to go on a ventilator, but he refused. DJ's fifth birthday was coming up and Dave felt he already disappointed him once for his last birthday, he didn't want to not be there for this one and hurt DJ again. So he agreed to the ventilator. One week after DJ turned five, Dave insisted he be extubated. Dave's lungs were healing, he was starting to breathe on his own and he was very clear that this is what he wanted. Against the doctor's better judgment, he removed Dave from the breathing machine. Dave said he would never go on a ventilator again. Can I please see him now?

Mark: Yes, we will take you in.

Kerry: Ashleigh, is Dave having trouble eating? He's very thin. Too thin.

Ashleigh: Yes, he can't swallow very well. What food he does get down doesn't stay down. He's been on a soup and ice cream diet for the last few months, if he eats at all.

Kerry: What about IVs?

Ashleigh: His doctor said all his veins have collapsed from all the IVs he's already gotten.

Kerry: Have you discussed a feeding tube with him?

Ashleigh: Oh yes, we have had many a night's fight over that one. He refused. I love him but he is so damn stubborn.

Kerry: If you don't mind maybe I could suggest to him that we try a Hickman Catheter.

Ashleigh: What is that?

Kerry: A shunt connected to catheter would be surgically implanted into his chest and healthy nutrients would be fed directly into his bloodstream. He wouldn't put on any weight but at least he wouldn't starve to death either. Unfortunately, there is a risk with any surgery, especially with Dave's fragile condition.

Ashleigh: What about the anesthetic?

Kerry: Yes, he will have to be put to sleep but that is part of the risk. Why?

Ashleigh: Never mind. I doubt he will agree to it but you are welcome to try. I don't know what else to do. He is so determined to die and I'm just not ready to let him go yet and neither is DJ.

Mark and Kerry escort Ashleigh into Dave's room. Dave is sleeping very peacefully when the sound of the door awakens him. He has a central line connected to his neck, an oxygen mask on, heart monitor wires on his chest, IVs in both arms and a pulse ox on his left finger. Ashleigh finds a table and pulls it over to him. She puts his laptop on it. She raised the bed to a sitting position as Dave struggles to pull his hands up to it and Ashleigh places a strap-like device on one of his hands. The device has a sort of prong attached to it. Dave moves that hand over the keyboard and starts to type.

Dave: Hi Ashleigh. It took you long enough to get here.

Ashleigh: I had to stop by the house and pick up your computer.

Seeing how badly Dave is squinting at her and the computer she pulls something else out her purse.

Ashleigh: I also thought you would probably need these too.

Ashleigh placed a pair of glasses on Dave. They were pretty thick and they helped him a little but everything was still very blurry for him.

Dave: Thank you, where is DJ?

Ashleigh: I'm getting ready to call Nancy and have her bring him over. While I make this phone call, I think Dr. Weaver has something to discuss with you.

Ashleigh stepped outside the hospital doors to use her cell phone.

Kerry: I was talking to Ashleigh about the Hickman catheter.

Dave: That's great, but I don't think Ashleigh would sit still long enough to have it put into her.

Kerry: Ha, ha. I can see you haven't lost that sense of humor of yours. I mean to give you the Hickman, and you knew that. Ashleigh is all for it but the final decision is yours.

After about 20 minutes, Ashleigh returned to Dave's room to find Mark on the phone with surgery.

Ashleigh: Dave, I spoke with Nancy and she's bringing DJ over and I was also able to reach Marianna. She's on her way back. Well, how did everything go?

Kerry: Unbelievable, but, Dave agreed without putting up much of a fight. He said he would get the catheter if we promised to keep him off a ventilator. He knows I'm not a bargainer, but he got me backed in a corner. I said I would do the best I could but no promises. That seemed to satisfy him.

Ashleigh: Does he know the risk?(Pause) Of course he does, he's still a doctor, after all.

Dave: Ashleigh, I wish you wouldn't have called Marianna. it's going to spoil her vacation.

Ashleigh: Nonsense, you're her brother. Of course, she'd want to be here besides I sort of promised her before she left if there was any change in your condition I would call her.

Mark hung up the phone and turned to the others.

Mark: I just spoke with Peter. He and Elizabeth will do the surgery. They are arranging for an OR now and said we should get the patient up to be prepped.

Kerry: Abby, will you get me the consent forms. Dave, are you going to be able to sign them.

Dave: I'll try.

Dave tried to raise his hands as Abby came back with the necessary forms, but his hands were shaking to much.

Ashleigh: Do you have a piece of medical tape and a pen?

Haleh went over to a supply drawer and took out a pen and a roll of tape and ripped off a piece of tape, per Ashleigh's instructions. Then she handed it to Ashleigh and she took the tape and wrapped it around the end of the pen. Everyone was wondering what she was doing. Dave knew and feeling their stares on him he started to blush, embarrassed to do this in front of his former co-workers.

Ashleigh: Sometimes Dave has better control of the pen if he holds it in his teeth.

She then lifted up his oxygen mask and placed the taped end of the pen in Dave's mouth and held the consent form up. He touched the pen to the signature line and maneuvered it across the page. When he was finished, Kerry took the pen and form from Dave, put his mask back on him and inspected the signature as Dave let his head fall back on to the pillow and left out a tired sigh.

Kerry: That wasn't bad. It should pass ,but just in case, I want Ashleigh, Abby and Haleh all to sign on it, too, that they witnessed his signature. That should suffice the federal laws that might question it. After all, it was acceptable for most quadriplegic patients to do it that way.

Mark called Malik in to Dave's room and he and Haleh wheeled Dave up to surgery. Dave and Ashleigh bid a goodbye, knowing that there was a chance Dave wouldn't make it through surgery.

Dave: If I don't make it, tell DJ I love him and you too

Ashleigh: I will and I love you too.

Then Ashleigh removed Dave's glasses and the leather prong device from his hand and grabbed the computer. She watched as he was pushed into the elevator

Kerry: Mark, you said that you told Peter we were going to bring the patient up to be prepped. Did you not say who the patient was?

Mark: No, won't they be surprised.

To be continue. Please read and review and limit your reviews to the story itself. After all this is a review board not a debate. That's what emails are for. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed the story so far.