24 Hours Later
Rooftop Helipad – County General Hospital – Chicago, Illinois - Midnight
The blades went silent and still as a gurney approached the weathered airport chopper; there was a long silence and then a gurney manned by several of County's finest quickly approached the door.
"John Carter, advanced stage of malaria," Dave replied in a weak voice as he helped the others move the semi-conscious Carter, who was now intubated and covered in blankets, to the gurney. "He was fine until we got to the airport and then he passed out. I had to intubate and keep him from getting shocky."
Peter gazed down at his pale friend for a moment and then back up at Dave, "I've been keeping notes on Carter's condition ever since we made contact in Africa," Dave explained, placing the filled notepad on the gurney. "Based on my observations, there's a strong possibility of renal failure from the malaria."
"All right, let's move him!" Peter shouted to the rest of the team. "We need to get him help NOW!"
As the team hurried Carter into the warm hospital, Dave moved away from the chopper and over to a section of the roof that was away from the blade; he watched as the chopper powered up again and took off into the night sky. It was over; Carter was home safely and hopefully would be fine.
Tears came to Dave's eyes as all the pain and fatigue he had been ignoring for days finally came rushing back to him; he had given his jacket to Abby and his t-shirt and khakis didn't offer much warmth.
"…talk to someone you trust back in Chicago…" Magdalynn's voice sounded out in his head; she knew of the injuries and fatigue he had been struggling with since Matenda and her words made sense; it was if Dr. Rogers knew that he wouldn't talk to just anyone about his injuries and experiences.
Swallowing hard, Dave moved inside the hospital to seek out a person he trusted for needed help.
Emergency Room
Relieved that Dave had given her a coat to combat the unexpected spring cold, Abby held the swaddled baby close and walked into the ER, carefully balancing the binder of legal papers under one arm.
The ER was quiet, Abby surmised as she walked past chairs and over to the admit desk where Jerry was doing something on the computer while a stack of unfinished paperwork sat in his inbox tray.
"Jerry, is anyone around that could help me?" Abby asked in a low voice, not wanting to raise her voice and attract the entire staff's attention. "Before we left Africa, Doctor Pratt authorized me to bring this motherless baby to Chicago for an examination and any long-term care that could be needed…."
Jerry nodded and, quickly dialing a number, he picked up the phone, "….Doctor Weaver, Abby's here with the baby and is at the desk," he said into the phone. "….All right, I'll send them back right away."
"Doctor Weaver says to go on back to Curtain Area Three," Jerry replied as he hung up the phone.
Abby nodded and held the baby close as she walked down the long hallway; as she passed the Trauma Room, the night that she almost killed Joe came back to her very quickly…it was overwhelming.
Fortunately, Abby managed to calm herself and focus on the present; since Carter was medically incapable of doing anything, she was the sole temporary guardian to a little girl who had lost her mother in Africa due to the combined stress of childbirth and AIDS….she had to worry about the baby now.
"Abby?"
Abby turned and saw Kerry standing in the doorway of Curtain Area Three, "Doctor Pratt called while you were in transit and said that she arranged everything," Kerry explained. "Come in."
Nodding, Abby entered the exam room and gently placed the baby on one of the beds; she raised the rails and unwrapped the baby's coverings so that Kerry could have a look at the little one herself.
"The mother's name was Dalynia," Abby said in a soft voice as she gently stroked the baby's fingers to keep her calm. "She wanted Doctor Rogers to keep her baby safe…I guess Doctor Rogers did that."
Kerry nodded and quickly listened to the baby's chest with her stethoscope, "Breathing sounds very good," she commented. "However, I still want to do a complete examination and an HIV test."
"John and I were named temporary guardians until Social Services can assess the situation," Abby explained as she showed the binder full of legal papers to Kerry. "John's not in any condition-"
Kerry nodded and covered the baby back up, "I'll help you, Abby, don't worry," she promised as she took the binder. "I'll go run photocopies of these papers for hospital records and get Haleh to take some blood for tests. By the way, has the chopper with Doctor Malucci and John arrived at the hospital, yet?"
"It took off before I left the terminal," Abby replied. "I had to spend some time at Customs to verify that the baby's visa was accurate. I thought that they would have gotten to County by now…"
Kerry shook her head, "Doctor Malucci said that he would call down to the ER after they arrived," she stated in a concerned tone. "I hope he didn't just dump Carter and go home as fast as he could…"
"Doctor Weaver, Dave's not like he used to be," Abby quietly replied as she gazed at Kerry. "I'm pretty sure he and John are already here, but maybe Dave didn't call because he's not feeling up to it?"
Kerry raised her eyebrow, totally confused by Abby's words, "While we were in Matenda, some soldiers beat Dave up and knocked him out," Abby explained in a worried tone. "He never said anything, but I know that he's in a lot of pain and very tired from spending all his time and energy looking after John…"
Kerry's beeper suddenly went off, "Hang on a sec," she said as she moved over to the phone.
Abby nodded and kept an eye on the baby while Kerry got on the phone and dialed, "This is Kerry," Kerry said into the phone. "Doctor Romano?...Oh, he is? Okay, I'll get Mark to come to your office..."
Swallowing hard, Kerry hung up the phone, "That was Doctor Romano," she explained, gazing back at Abby. "Apparently, Doctor Malucci went to his office after Doctor Benton came and took over Carter's care. Doctor Malucci wanted to go somewhere he felt safe enough to express his feelings."
Abby nodded, "After I get Haleh, I'll phone upstairs to Doctor Anspaugh's office," Kerry said in a gentle, reassuring voice. "He and Mark are up there discussing this situation and some other things."
Abby nodded and turned her attention back to the baby as Kerry quickly left the exam room.
County General Hospital - Administration Office
Dr. Anspaugh yawned as he leaned back in his padded chair, "It's late, Doctor Greene, why in the world did you feel the need to discuss Ray Barnett with me?" he asked, gazing at Mark from across the desk.
Mark sighed, "I know it's late and I'm sure Elizabeth would like me home to help her with Ella, Rachel, and Daniel," he replied in a stressed voice. "However, I got an alarming email from Doctor Romano two days ago requesting that Ray Barnett do his internship at County under strict supervision…"
"I thought Ray Barnett disliked this hospital and its staff," Dr. Anspaugh replied cooly, remembering that Ray had sent him several negative comments about the fact that Dr. Malucci was a useless loser.
Mark sighed, "I can't figure out Doctor Romano's logic any more than you can," he stated. "I just know that with Doctor Pratt and Doctor Rasgotra coming to County for a while, we have a full staff roster."
"Well, Doctor Romano sent me the same email yesterday and I've been doing some thinking," Dr. Anspaugh replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "We could send Doctor Pratt over to Mercy for the time being, as he's worked there before. Doctor Rasgotra could do per diem surgery all over Chicago."
Mark nodded, "Should we give Ray and Dave a second chance to work together?" he asked.
Before Dr. Anspaugh could reply, the phone rang, "This is Doctor Anspaugh," Dr. Anspaugh said as he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. "…..Doctor Malucci is where?...I'll send Mark right now."
Dr. Anspaugh listened for a few more minutes and finally hung up the phone, "That was Doctor Weaver calling from the ER," he explained in a concerned voice. "Apparently, when Doctor Malucci arrived and turned Doctor Carter over to the proper caretakers, he went and hid himself in Doctor Romano's office."
Mark nodded, but remained silent, "Doctor Carter's wife said that Doctor Malucci was injured by soldiers in Matenda and hasn't sought medical treatment yet," Dr. Anspaugh explained. "Kerry says that you should go to Doctor Romano's office with supplies to talk with Doctor Malucci about that."
"All right, I'll check it out," Mark said as he stood up. "We can talk more about Ray Barnett later."
Dr. Anspaugh nodded and was silent as Mark left the office; things were slowly changing with time and all that could be hoped for was that a sense of equilibrium be maintained with the changing seasons.
Dr. Romano's Office
Fighting the urge to fall asleep, Dave slouched and sighed, "I appreciate you letting me hide out in here, Doctor Romano," he said in a tired voice. "I don't feel like going all the way down to the ER right now."
From behind his desk, Dr. Romano nodded, "I'm surprised you're still standing, Dave," he replied in a soft, unusually gentle tone as he looked at the younger doctor. "You've always played the tough guy, though, so I shouldn't come to expect any less from you. However, I am still very concerned—"
"I know," Dave replied softly as he rubbed his aching forehead. "Thank you for caring about me."
Dr. Romano nodded and pressed a button on his phone, "Dad?" Daniel's voice filtered out of the phone speaker. "Dad, are you there? Doctor Corday says I have to go to bed soon, but I heard you were back."
"Yeah kiddo, I'm back," Dave replied in a toneless voice. "Were you a good boy while I was away?"
There was some whispering, "Yeah, Dad, I was good," Daniel's voice replied. "That was just Doctor Corday telling me that it's bedtime. I love you so much and am happy you're home from Africa."
"I love you too," Dave replied in a tired voice. "Go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow after school."
A click signaled that Daniel had hung up, "I've got a headache and my chest hurts," Dave whispered faintly as he slouched further. "I could really use a shower and a long sleep…I'm really tired."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and it opened, "Doctor Weaver phoned Anspaugh's office from the ER and asked me to come check on you," Mark said, immediately concerned by the fact that Dave looked like absolute crap. "Do you feel like going down to the ER for a quick check-up, Dave?"
Gritting his teeth, Dave slowly rose from the couch and slowly moved into the hallway without so much as a word, "Greene, make sure he's all right," Dr. Romano ordered in a gruff tone. "Report back later."
Mark nodded and closed Dr. Romano's office door; he then turned and hurried to catch up to Dave, who, despite his exhaustion and pain, was nearly at the elevators and breathing very heavily.
For a moment, Mark wanted to offer Dave a wheelchair, but one look at the overexhausted doctor told Mark to keep his mouth shut for now; he would offer Dave a bed to rest on once they got to the ER.
Emergency Room – 3 A.M.
Fighting back a yawn, Luka entered the ER and went over to the desk where Jerry was working, "Amy got a call from Doctor Romano that Dave had gotten back a few hours ago," Luka explained in a concerned tone. "Amy's supposed to rest as much as possible, so she asked me to come…"
"I think Doctor Greene's working Doctor Malucci up in Exam One," Jerry replied in a serious tone.
Luka nodded and silently moved down the hallway, looking for the room where Dave was; along the way, he passed by Curtain Area Three and saw Kerry, Haleh, and Abby surrounding a gurney that held a small baby dressed in an oversized hospital gown with several IV's in its arms and legs.
There was no mistaking it; Luka and Abby gazed at each other silently, as if studying each other.
Unable to face his ex-wife just now, Luka averted his gaze and silently continued to Exam One.
Concerned by the silence, Luka pushed open the door to Exam One and was shocked to see Dave laying on a gurney with a fluffy pillow behind his back, bandages underneath a low-cut hospital gown, IV's in both arms, and a bruised and bandaged forehead; his hair was wet and he looked unusually clean.
"Doctor Greene says I should rest here overnight and take a few days off after that," Dave said in a faint voice as Luka approached the bed. "I got beat up and knocked out by some soldiers back in Matenda and I now have a concussion and broken ribs…At least everyone got back to Chicago safe and sound."
Luka frowned, "Don't worry, Doctor Greene worked me up completely," Dave stated in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "He went off duty half an hour ago, but left orders with Doctor Weaver."
"Do you want me to keep you company while you sleep?" Luka offered. "So you don't feel alone?"
Dave nodded and mumbled something incoherent as he finally allowed his eyes to close. Luka sighed and, moving over to the shelf, he grabbed a blanket. In silence, he tossed it over Dave's body.
Without making so much as a sound, Dave continued to sleep. Luka sighed…a moment of peace.
All the rapid tests and scans that had been run pointed to the same diagnosis…now it was time to act.
The malaria had advanced so much that Carter was now in renal trouble with one of his kidneys already dead and the other one quickly failing; Peter's plan was to remove they dead kidney and then start Carter on a rapid-dialysis series to perhaps buy some time for a new, functioning kidney to be found.
Every bit of preparation had been done and Abby had quickly signed consent forms for the surgery to happen immediately. The dead kidney was no use to Carter anymore and it had to be removed.
Equally concerned over Carter, Dr. Anspaugh had insisted on scrubbing in and assisting Peter in removing the dead organ and completing a colostomy; the colostomy and a foley catheter were necessary in case the post-surgery dialysis worked…Carter would also be bedridden for a while.
As they scrubbed in, Peter and Dr. Anspaugh watched the nurses roll the unconscious and intubated Carter into the operating theatre with only a clean gown to cover his freshly cleaned body; all of the IV lines that Dave had inserted were still intact, only bags of blood and a pulse-ox clip were added.
"All right, people, let's get a move on," Peter said as he entered the operating theatre, ready to work; even if it took all of their capabilities and time, he was determined that Carter survive.
Okay, so "Journeys of Faith" is officially wrapped. Can I have detailed thoughts on it?
Also, I am planning a sequel called "The Trials Shall Come Forth" and it addresses unanswered questions, hopes and dreams, old secrets come to light, new friends and the continued battle of good vs. evil as everyone just tries to keep living and working towards better tomorrows...