Notes:
Right, here's the third part of 'Where do we go from here', I don't really have much to warn you about in this chapter, so I won't beat about the bush, let's get on with Chapter three!
Disclaimer:
Once again, I don't own ER or any of the characters and yes, I am very sad about that.
Where do we go from here?
Chapter Three - Drinks and Dave
Luka couldn't help but gaze around the room with awe. He knew that Carter was rich, but not this rich. The Carter mansion was extremely large and elaborately decorated with regal reds and golds. The room the staff had gathered in was some kind of dining area with a large, oak table at one end of the room, surrounded by countless chairs and two large red velvet sofas at the other. To Luka this room looked more like a king or queen's dining room than one of his co-worker's. He was almost afraid to touch anything just in case he broke any of the beautifully crafted furniture and objects d'art that were dotted around the place. The room smelled of a mixture of brandy and perfume, in short, the room smelled rich. It looked rich, it felt rich and Luka was not at home in these surroundings. "Yes, we had these shipped in especially from Europe" Carter was saying as he indicated the ornate crystal decanters in the middle of the table. "Personally I don't really rate them, it's what's in them that's more important" He joked. All but Luka laughed, he still felt pretty uncomfortable here, like he didn't really belong.
"Abby, have you seen Dave since this morning"? He asked, turning to the nurse.
"I saw him leave work on his bike, but I couldn't really tell you where he was going" Abby replied.
"So where is the infamous Dr Dave"? Carter questioned with a mocking tone.
"He's probably picking up some girl in one of those cheap bars he likes to frequent" Mark Greene joked.
"He doesn't do that all the time you know" Luka snapped.
"What is with you Luka? Why are you always so defensive when we talk about Dave"? Abby asked with a frown.
"Because you all seem to think that you know him so well. In truth, I'm the only one who's actually making an effort with Dave. You act like you're all better than him because he's always getting into trouble with Dr Weaver; you seem to think that you can treat him like dirt because of the way he acts. Sure, he might be a jerk at times but that's not all there is too him, you're all just too blind to see that there might be a really nice guy under that act, because that's all it is you know, an act, I bet none of you considered that now did you"? Luka answered, fighting to keep from yelling at all of his colleagues.
"Luka...just chill out ok? We didn't mean anything" Abby replied gently.
"No, I will not 'chill out' I'm disgusting with the way you all treat Dave, I think you should be too" Luka said angrily. He rose quickly from his seat, turned on his heel and left the room. The others looked at each other sheepishly; all feeling that there was some element of truth in Dr Kovac's words.
~*~
The worn out jukebox pumped out some tune that Dave had heard a million times before. The smell of cheap beer and cigarette smoke hung in the air. The lights advertising various brands of beer flashed annoyingly. There was the usual jumble of thirty or so voices, all talking at once. Dave was used to this bar. He'd been here a few times. This was his usual haunt for when he was feeling low, which was more than he let on. Dave turned his glass around in his hands, watching the light brown liquid slosh against the sides. He stared at the chipped bar top. This place really was a depressing place to be, but Dave didn't care, this place matched his current mood. "Well hello there sir" A sultry voice greeted. Dave looked at the owner of the voice who had slid onto the bar stool next to him. A tall blonde woman with, from what Dave could see, a figure to die for. If Dave was in his usual frame of mind, he'd have no problem flirting with this girl. However at the moment her sexy sounding voice annoyed him and the over-powering stench of her cheap perfume seemed to be choking. All Dave wanted was to be left alone. "What's a nice looking guy like you doing in a place like this"? The woman asked, not-so-subtly sliding closer to him. "Look lady, just leave me alone ok"? Dave spat, he didn't really care for manners right now. "Your loss" The woman replied angrily as she stomped off, her outrageously high heels clicking rhythmically as she did so. Dave sighed deeply and got back to nursing his beer.
~*~
Luka didn't really care for this part of Chicago. It seemed pretty run down and although he'd only been walking for a few minutes he'd been offered sex for money twice. This part of the city was depressing, full of sleazy bars and seedy clubs. This was the place to be when you were in need of a cheap route to temporary happiness. Or so he'd heard from Dave. As he walked along, Luka thought about the junior resident. He seemed to becoming progressively closer to his co-worker as time went on. Ever since Dave's emotional outburst on the roof of County, Luka had realised there was certainly more to Dave than first met the eye. Luka felt a small stab of guilt as he thought about what had transpired back at Carter's. He didn't really have much right to preach to the others about how they had treated Dave. After all, Luka himself hadn't always been warm to him. He too had conformed to the idea that Dave was just an arrogant jerk lacking somewhat in medical skills. However, Luka could seek comfort in the fact that he was ready and willing to change those ideas. Luka dodged a drunk who stumbled into his path. This definitely wasn't his ideal place to be right now, but he had a mission. He had to find Dave, he hadn't been at his apartment, and knowing what he knew about Dave, Luka knew he would be in one of these seedy bars. As he trudged along the streets, he stared in the large windows of the bars, searching for his friend. So far, he hadn't had much luck. Luka was beginning to think that Dave had found a new place to go. For a second, Luka even considered going back to County, in the hopes of finding Dave there. Luka sighed, just about ready to give up. He looked through the window of the next bar and let out a small gasp. He could clearly see a figure sat at the bar. The figure had his back to the window, but Luka could clearly make him out to be Dave. Luka smiled to himself as he pushed open the door.
~*~
"You know that you've been nursing that for over an hour" The barman said, sounding annoyed. He was hoping to make some more money out of this guy. "So what"? Dave growled, he certainly wasn't in the mood. He took another sip of the beer and winced slightly at the taste. He wasn't trying to get drunk, he just wanted to ease the pain a little bit. Getting drunk would be irresponsible, especially since he had to go home to Michael and Mrs Hinton. No, he just wanted something to numb his feelings. "May I sit here"? A male voice asked. If Dave had been more alert and in tune with reality, he would've easily recognised the distinctive Croatian accent the owner of the voice possessed. "It's a free country" Dave replied, not taking his eyes off the glass, now smudged with his fingerprints where he had been lazily spinning it round. Luka took a seat next to his colleague. He couldn't help but notice the terrible smell emitting from the room, a mixture of cheap beer and nasty cigarettes. "What's wrong Dave"? He asked directly. As much as he cared for Dave, he wanted to get out of here as soon as he could. Dave turned his head and glanced at Luka, now realising who it was. He gave a little nod and sighed deeply. "Nothing" He answered in a monotone voice.
"I know I don't exactly know you Dave, but give me some credit, I *do* know you better than that" Luka replied.
"That's the thing Luka..you don't know me. No-one at County does" Dave said, sounding a little sad. He couldn't actually believe how much this was getting to him. "I'd like to get to know you Dave" The Croatian attending said gently. Dave let out a little laugh. "What's so funny"? Luka demanded.
"It's the first time I've heard that in a while" Dave admitted.
"Fancy another drink"? Luka asked with a smile.
"Go on then" Dave replied, returning the smile. He had always silently regretted his outburst on the roof that time. It wasn't him at all to just spill his guts like that, but the closer he and Luka were becoming, and the more they got to know each other, the less Dave was regretting his actions. As he watched his co-worker order the drinks, he allowed himself to let out a genuine smile, maybe he had finally found a friend at County.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
Right, here's the third part of 'Where do we go from here', I don't really have much to warn you about in this chapter, so I won't beat about the bush, let's get on with Chapter three!
Disclaimer:
Once again, I don't own ER or any of the characters and yes, I am very sad about that.
Where do we go from here?
Chapter Three - Drinks and Dave
Luka couldn't help but gaze around the room with awe. He knew that Carter was rich, but not this rich. The Carter mansion was extremely large and elaborately decorated with regal reds and golds. The room the staff had gathered in was some kind of dining area with a large, oak table at one end of the room, surrounded by countless chairs and two large red velvet sofas at the other. To Luka this room looked more like a king or queen's dining room than one of his co-worker's. He was almost afraid to touch anything just in case he broke any of the beautifully crafted furniture and objects d'art that were dotted around the place. The room smelled of a mixture of brandy and perfume, in short, the room smelled rich. It looked rich, it felt rich and Luka was not at home in these surroundings. "Yes, we had these shipped in especially from Europe" Carter was saying as he indicated the ornate crystal decanters in the middle of the table. "Personally I don't really rate them, it's what's in them that's more important" He joked. All but Luka laughed, he still felt pretty uncomfortable here, like he didn't really belong.
"Abby, have you seen Dave since this morning"? He asked, turning to the nurse.
"I saw him leave work on his bike, but I couldn't really tell you where he was going" Abby replied.
"So where is the infamous Dr Dave"? Carter questioned with a mocking tone.
"He's probably picking up some girl in one of those cheap bars he likes to frequent" Mark Greene joked.
"He doesn't do that all the time you know" Luka snapped.
"What is with you Luka? Why are you always so defensive when we talk about Dave"? Abby asked with a frown.
"Because you all seem to think that you know him so well. In truth, I'm the only one who's actually making an effort with Dave. You act like you're all better than him because he's always getting into trouble with Dr Weaver; you seem to think that you can treat him like dirt because of the way he acts. Sure, he might be a jerk at times but that's not all there is too him, you're all just too blind to see that there might be a really nice guy under that act, because that's all it is you know, an act, I bet none of you considered that now did you"? Luka answered, fighting to keep from yelling at all of his colleagues.
"Luka...just chill out ok? We didn't mean anything" Abby replied gently.
"No, I will not 'chill out' I'm disgusting with the way you all treat Dave, I think you should be too" Luka said angrily. He rose quickly from his seat, turned on his heel and left the room. The others looked at each other sheepishly; all feeling that there was some element of truth in Dr Kovac's words.
~*~
The worn out jukebox pumped out some tune that Dave had heard a million times before. The smell of cheap beer and cigarette smoke hung in the air. The lights advertising various brands of beer flashed annoyingly. There was the usual jumble of thirty or so voices, all talking at once. Dave was used to this bar. He'd been here a few times. This was his usual haunt for when he was feeling low, which was more than he let on. Dave turned his glass around in his hands, watching the light brown liquid slosh against the sides. He stared at the chipped bar top. This place really was a depressing place to be, but Dave didn't care, this place matched his current mood. "Well hello there sir" A sultry voice greeted. Dave looked at the owner of the voice who had slid onto the bar stool next to him. A tall blonde woman with, from what Dave could see, a figure to die for. If Dave was in his usual frame of mind, he'd have no problem flirting with this girl. However at the moment her sexy sounding voice annoyed him and the over-powering stench of her cheap perfume seemed to be choking. All Dave wanted was to be left alone. "What's a nice looking guy like you doing in a place like this"? The woman asked, not-so-subtly sliding closer to him. "Look lady, just leave me alone ok"? Dave spat, he didn't really care for manners right now. "Your loss" The woman replied angrily as she stomped off, her outrageously high heels clicking rhythmically as she did so. Dave sighed deeply and got back to nursing his beer.
~*~
Luka didn't really care for this part of Chicago. It seemed pretty run down and although he'd only been walking for a few minutes he'd been offered sex for money twice. This part of the city was depressing, full of sleazy bars and seedy clubs. This was the place to be when you were in need of a cheap route to temporary happiness. Or so he'd heard from Dave. As he walked along, Luka thought about the junior resident. He seemed to becoming progressively closer to his co-worker as time went on. Ever since Dave's emotional outburst on the roof of County, Luka had realised there was certainly more to Dave than first met the eye. Luka felt a small stab of guilt as he thought about what had transpired back at Carter's. He didn't really have much right to preach to the others about how they had treated Dave. After all, Luka himself hadn't always been warm to him. He too had conformed to the idea that Dave was just an arrogant jerk lacking somewhat in medical skills. However, Luka could seek comfort in the fact that he was ready and willing to change those ideas. Luka dodged a drunk who stumbled into his path. This definitely wasn't his ideal place to be right now, but he had a mission. He had to find Dave, he hadn't been at his apartment, and knowing what he knew about Dave, Luka knew he would be in one of these seedy bars. As he trudged along the streets, he stared in the large windows of the bars, searching for his friend. So far, he hadn't had much luck. Luka was beginning to think that Dave had found a new place to go. For a second, Luka even considered going back to County, in the hopes of finding Dave there. Luka sighed, just about ready to give up. He looked through the window of the next bar and let out a small gasp. He could clearly see a figure sat at the bar. The figure had his back to the window, but Luka could clearly make him out to be Dave. Luka smiled to himself as he pushed open the door.
~*~
"You know that you've been nursing that for over an hour" The barman said, sounding annoyed. He was hoping to make some more money out of this guy. "So what"? Dave growled, he certainly wasn't in the mood. He took another sip of the beer and winced slightly at the taste. He wasn't trying to get drunk, he just wanted to ease the pain a little bit. Getting drunk would be irresponsible, especially since he had to go home to Michael and Mrs Hinton. No, he just wanted something to numb his feelings. "May I sit here"? A male voice asked. If Dave had been more alert and in tune with reality, he would've easily recognised the distinctive Croatian accent the owner of the voice possessed. "It's a free country" Dave replied, not taking his eyes off the glass, now smudged with his fingerprints where he had been lazily spinning it round. Luka took a seat next to his colleague. He couldn't help but notice the terrible smell emitting from the room, a mixture of cheap beer and nasty cigarettes. "What's wrong Dave"? He asked directly. As much as he cared for Dave, he wanted to get out of here as soon as he could. Dave turned his head and glanced at Luka, now realising who it was. He gave a little nod and sighed deeply. "Nothing" He answered in a monotone voice.
"I know I don't exactly know you Dave, but give me some credit, I *do* know you better than that" Luka replied.
"That's the thing Luka..you don't know me. No-one at County does" Dave said, sounding a little sad. He couldn't actually believe how much this was getting to him. "I'd like to get to know you Dave" The Croatian attending said gently. Dave let out a little laugh. "What's so funny"? Luka demanded.
"It's the first time I've heard that in a while" Dave admitted.
"Fancy another drink"? Luka asked with a smile.
"Go on then" Dave replied, returning the smile. He had always silently regretted his outburst on the roof that time. It wasn't him at all to just spill his guts like that, but the closer he and Luka were becoming, and the more they got to know each other, the less Dave was regretting his actions. As he watched his co-worker order the drinks, he allowed himself to let out a genuine smile, maybe he had finally found a friend at County.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
