Part 10.
"Okay.. Dr.Kovac.. Tilt the heart a little to the left.. Ah. Yeah.. Right there.. There's the bleeder.. Put your finger.. THERE. Don't move it." Carter whispered, his magnifying light poised on Dave's delicate ventricles. "Now if I just.." He methodically stitched up the hole and let his colleague slip the heart back into the chest.. "There.. I.. I think I got it.."
Luka's eyes widened.. "What about the hole I have my finger on!?"
Carter smiled tiredly, as Chuny wiped the sweat from his brow. "Oh yeah.. That hole.. Here.. Lemme see.."
***
Kerry Weaver, turned away from the gurney and looked at the unconscious surgeon and doctor laying on the floor, drooling on themselves and she sighed heavily.
"Get them a gurney.. Haleh.. Put them in exam one.. Watch them for me, till they come around." Weaver muttered, limping to the gurney. "Okay.. Good work Carter. He's stable. Take him upstairs."
Carter and Weaver shed their gowns and gloves tiredly, looking back into the trauma one where a janitor was cleaning up. "Weaver?"
"Huh? Yeah?" Kerry Weaver slumped into a chair beside the water cooler.
"They'll both be okay right?" Carter looked back to the elevators where the doors had slipped shut, Dave Malucci's body encased in a moving steel box. "He has to be okay, Weaver.. Won't he??"
Weaver ran a shaky hand through her sweaty hair and sighed. "I.. I don't know Carter.. I.. I guess so.. All we can do is hope.. It was direct shots.. You saw the damage it did. But I saw the work you did. You're good Carter.. Just lets hope it was good enough to save him." Biting her lip, she rocked forward onto her feet and limped away leaving Carter with his thoughts.
It was hours before Carter glanced up into exam one where Elizabeth was starting to stir.
"Dr.Corday.. Are you okay??" He entered the room slowly looking at the adjacent beds where the husband and wife were out cold. Mark lay in the recovery position, his hand underneath his cheek and laying in a puddle of his drool. Carter snickered and looked back at Dr.Corday who's eyelids had started to flutter.
"Dr.Corday??" He walked to the bed and took her slight wrist in his palm, checking her pulse. "Can you hear me Dr.Corday?"
"Yes dammit.. I'm fine.." She snapped. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at the poor, tired resident. "Wait.. What did you call me?"
"D-doctor.. C-corday.. That was some tackle.. The last time I saw something like that was Malucci last summer during the staff football game. You must have been taking notes." He stammered with a nervous smile.
Slowly she looked down and gasped.. What in the hell?? Well.. She WAS in her own body again.. But.. What in the hell did Malucci have her wearing??? It looked like he had scrounged around in the boxes in the attic. A purple fake fur jacket with a pink tie-dyed t-shirt and orange and green striped skirt. Elizabeth shuddered, when she got her hands on him...
"How is he??" Elizabeth said shakily, remembering the force of the bullet knocking her backwards. The burning, unbelievable pain in her chest as everything became foggy and time slowed to a crawl. As the blood ebbed out of her onto Dave's kitchen floor.
"Well it looks like Danny's going to be okay, what Dave did in the apartment, stopping the bleeding. That's what saved his life.. As for Dave... I did all I could, let's hope that I gave enough for Romano to work with."
"I'm sure it was John.. You're a good trauma doctor. They're both still upstairs in surgery?" Elizabeth pulled herself off the gurney and stood shakily on her feet.
"Danny's in recovery.. Dave's still in surgery."
Two Maluccis in danger because of her. Danny, she fixed.. but it was her fault that Dave was on the verge of death. She had to go upstairs and fix what she had done.
"Dr.Corday.. You have to lie down.."
"No.. I don't. I'm fine.. I'm okay. I'm going upstairs to assist on Dave.." Elizabeth muttered stubbornly.
"Dr.Corday.." Carter called after her weakly as she left the exam room.
Elizabeth leaned against a wall, catching her breath when somebody tapped her on the shoulder. "Elizabeth.. Should you be out of bed?"
She turned to see Kerry Weaver smiling concernedly. "You're going up to see Dave?? Perhaps you should sit.. Haleh or one of the girls would be happy to wheel you up. I have a feeling you've been through a lot lately."
Elizabeth sighed as a nurse coaxed her backward into a wheelchair. "Okay.." She said resignedly as Wendy wheeled her to the elevators.
"Elizabeth.." Kerry crutched after the chair, meeting the pair at the opening doors.
She craned her neck around and looked at the ER chief. "Yes?"
"That was some move in the ER, just like-" Kerry started kindly but Elizabeth cut her off.
"Like Malucci in the football game last year.. I know.." She replied wearily as Wendy pushed the chair into the elevator and the doors slid shut.
Weaver cocked a brow watching the numbers change, ticking up to the OR.. What on earth had Elizabeth been wearing? It looked like some sort of cruel April Fool's joke.
**
Danny awoke first, a tube down his throat, laying on his side as his wound drained. His fingers curled slightly into a fist as he awoke, the pulse-ox cable slipping off and sounding the alarm on the monitor.
Startling awake, he glanced around with frightened terror, his eyes filling with tears. A recovery nurse jogged to his bedside, glancing quickly at the monitors and down at the cable which had fallen to the floor. Gillian smiled comfortingly, slipping it back onto his finger and straightening his blankets. "It's okay Mr.Malucci.. Everything is going to be okay now." She squeezed his hand reassuringly and turned away from the hospital bed. "I'm going to go get Dr.Saunders and Benton now.. They asked me to retrieve them when you awoke.
**
Dave lay in his bed, bruised, sore and unconscious, the ventilator fluttered like dying bird as it breathed for the doctor. Elizabeth wheeled herself into the room, Andrew in her arms. "Dave.." She said, her voice hushed, strained with tears that had already fallen.
Mark walked slowly behind her, guiding the chair with a shaking hand.
His wife hugged his only son close as the alarms sounded. Filling the room
with the horribly familiar noise of death. Elizabeth broke down into tears
in Mark's arms, looking away as the ICU doctors and nurses rushed to his
aid and started life saving measures.
Or are you not much of an angst fan? Go to HAPPY ENDING instead.