Malucci and the Minor part 3
Previously on ER.
Dave was looking after his daughter Lily, while her mother was in
hospital recovering from a car accident. Lily was complaining of
pain in her arm after the accident, so Dave brought her to the ER.
Dave had only found out about Lily a little over a year ago, and
she was the reason he was doing his residency in Chicago.
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Kerry stopped Cleo as she was heading back to exam one. "Have
Lily Malucci's test results come back yet?" she asked.
Cleo nodded. "It's a minor infection. I'm giving her a
script for some higher strength antibiotics and a topical cream.
That should clear it up."
"Good," nodded Kerry. She was about to say something
more when they heard the familiar sounds of an incoming trauma.
"Cleo," called Carter, as he ran alongside the gurney.
"We've got a ten year old, hit by a car."
"I'll take care of Dave and Lily," said Kerry, "you
take this one."
Cleo nodded and handed the script to Kerry before running after
the gurney. Kerry carefully checked what was on the script. She
knew that Cleo was unlikely to make a mistake, but she wasn't
taking any chances.
Pushing open the door to exam one, she was greeted by a 'shh'
from Lily, who was sitting up on the end of the bed reading her
book. Dave was fast asleep at the other end.
Kerry walked quietly up to the bed. Lily looked up at her and
said, "Daddy fell asleep."
Kerry nodded. She knew how hard Dave had been working over the
last week taking care of Lily, visiting Mel in hospital
<and> doing a full days work.
"Would you like to take a walk around the ER while your
Daddy's asleep?" she asked.
Lily considered the offer. Her Mommy and Daddy had both warned
her about strangers, but this was Daddy's boss and she had been
introduced to her.
"Okay," she said, scrambling down off the bed. "But
what if Daddy wakes up and I'm not here?"
"I'll leave him a note to let him know you're with me,"
said Kerry. Taking out her note-pad, she quickly scribbled a note.
'Dave, I'm giving Lily a tour of the ER. Be back soon. Dr Kerry
Weaver, Chief of Emergency Medicine'.
"There," said Kerry as she left the note beside Dave.
"Now he won't be worried when he wakes up."
Lily walked over to the door. Kerry was about to open it when
Lily ran back to the bed and carefully tucked her teddy bear into
Dave's folded arms. With an impish grin, she returned to the door.
"Now Daddy won't be lonely when he wakes up."
Kerry stifled a laugh as she followed Lily out the door.
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"And this is the suture room," said Kerry. "When
people get cut in accidents, this is where we put their stitches
in."
"I've got stitches in my arm," volunteered Lily.
"How many stitches?" asked Kerry. She was enjoying
their little tour of the ER.
Lily thought for a moment, "Ten," she replied. "My
Daddy said that when they come out, I can keep them as a reminder."
"That sounds like your Daddy all right."
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The lounge was the next stop. Kerry opened the fridge. "There's
not much of a choice, I'm afraid. But we have milk and fruit
juice. Which would you prefer?"
"Hmm, I'd like a cup of coffee please."
Kerry looked up suspiciously. "Do your parents allow you to
drink coffee?" she asked, thinking that if the answer was
yes, then Dave was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
Lily wrestled with her conscience. "No," she said
reluctantly. "But my Daddy says I should always try new
things when I get the chance." Her face had the same
apparently innocent expression that Kerry had seen so often on
Dave.
"Nice try, Lily, but no chance," said Kerry with a
smile.
"Okay then I'll have milk."
"Good," said Kerry, as she poured out a glass. "It'll
make your bones nice and strong."
Lily took the glass of milk and sat on the couch sipping it
thoughtfully. Kerry poured herself a mug of coffee and sat down
beside her.
"Did you not drink your milk?" asked Lily suddenly.
"What?" asked Kerry, puzzled.
Lily pointed to Kerry's crutch. "Is that why you have that?
Because you didn't drink your milk and your bones aren't strong?"
"Did your father tell you to ask me this?" asked Kerry,
suspiciously
Lily shook her head. This time the expression of innocence on her
face seemed legitimate. "He told me if I wanted to know
something, I should ask."
Kerry nodded, "The reason I use a crutch isn't because I
didn't drink enough milk. When I was in high school, I broke my
leg very badly. The doctors did their best but they weren't able
to fix it properly, so I have to use the crutch."
"My Mommy broke her leg," said Lily, thoughtfully.
"Will she have to use a crutch?"
"Probably for a little while when she gets out of hospital,"
replied Kerry, trying to remember what Dave had told her about
Mel's injuries. "She'll have a cast on her leg until the
bones heal. And when the cast is taken off, her leg will be very
weak for a while. But once she gets the strength back in it, she
won't have to use crutches."
Lily nodded. "She has a big cast on her leg. She let me
write on it. Daddy wrote something on it as well, but Mom made
him scribble it out, before I could see it."
Kerry looked at her watch. "It's getting late, we'd better
get back to exam one, so you can go home."
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Dave slowly opened his eyes. Hmm, exam one, he thought as he took
in his surroundings. Must be a slow shift if no one's woken me.
Yawning, he stretched, knocking the both the teddy bear and the
note onto the floor.
Seeing the toy, he suddenly remembered what he was doing in Exam
one.
"Lily!" he exclaimed, sitting up on the bed. "C'mon
kid, where are you?" asked Dave, as he looked around the
room. "Oh crap," he thought, as he surveyed the empty
room.
"Don't panic, Dave," he told himself. "She's got
to be around here somewhere. Probably just exploring," he
said, while trying to suppress the rising feeling of dread.
He cursed himself for falling asleep. He had promised Mel from
day one that he would take care of Lily, and now she had
disappeared on him.
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A year earlier.
Dave looked Mel straight in the eye, "Did you really think
that I'd just walk away? Did you honestly imagine that I'd
abandon you?"
Dave took Mel's hands in his. "You should have told me about
Lily when she was born. I would have stood by you, helped you
raise her. You shouldn't have had to do it alone."
"You'd have come back from Grenada? Given up Med School?"
"Yes," said Dave, without hesitation.
"That's why I couldn't tell you. Dave, ever since I've known
you, you've wanted to be a doctor. Going to Grenada was your only
chance. I couldn't let you throw it all away."
Dave started to speak, but Mel silenced him with a finger on his
lips.
"I know I should have told you; given you the chance to
decide for yourself. I was wrong not to tell you."
"So what's changed? I mean, you've had all this time to tell
me, why pick now? Is it because I'm back in the States?"
Mel was silent, not meeting Dave's eyes. "Mel?"
"About a month ago, I was examining myself... and I found a
lump."
"Oh Mel, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, it turned out to be benign, but it started me
thinking. I suddenly realized how unfair I was being to Lily. I
know that if anything happened to me, that my father would take
care of Lily, but he's not going to be around forever. I felt
that Lily deserved to know her father."
Mel looked Dave straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry Dave; I had
no right to keep her from you. I just hope you can forgive me."
"What's done is done. You made the decision you believed was
right for you and Lily. I wish you'd told me earlier, but I'm
glad you've decided to tell me now. I promise, I'll take care of
her."
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"I promise I'll take care of her." The words echoed in
Dave's head as he hurried over to the door. Lily was wandering
around the ER, with an infected arm. God knows what sort of
trouble she could be in.
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To be continued.
Part
2