A VERY ODD COUPLE
Part VII
Previously on ER:
Dave needed a place to stay and moved in with Luka.
One night, on his way home he was attacked,
and ended up in the ER seriously injured.
Luka treated him, and Elizabeth operated.
Dave's sister, Chris, traveled to Chicago to be with him.
Luka offered her a place to stay while she was in Chicago
---------------------
Downstairs in the E.R. Dave was one of the topics of conversation.
"So if Dave was already upstairs in the O.R." said
Haleh. "Then who was Dr Weaver working on?"
"According to Al, it may have been the guy who beat up and
robbed Dave," said Lydia. "I mean he did have his
wallet and when they checked out the bike, or what was left of
it, it was the same one Malucci rides."
"But how could Weaver have mistaken him for Malucci?"
asked Chuny. "I mean, I know his face was a mess, but I
helped clean him up afterwards, and there's no way anyone could
think that scrawny body belonged to Dave."
"And you would know that how, exactly?" asked Haleh
with a wicked grin.
"I'd say Weaver was just so freaked out when she found
Malucci's I.D. that she just wasn't thinking straight," said
Lydia. "I mean we all know she has a soft-spot for him."
"Catch her ever admitting it," said Chuny.
"Have all the patients in this hospital suddenly gotten
better and gone home?" asked Kerry with a frown as she came
up to the reception desk and saw the nurses hanging around.
"Not that I know of," said Haleh.
"Then why are you all standing around gossiping?"
"We're going," said Lydia as they dispersed.
--------------------------
Luka looked over at Dave, surprised by the lack of reaction to
his last comment. He smiled as he realized that Dave had fallen
asleep. He knew that this would probably be the pattern for the
next few days. With all the drugs that had been pumped into
Dave's body in the past twenty-four hours it was surprising that
he had managed to stay awake and alert as long as he had. Luka
settled himself more comfortably in the chair. Dave was not the
only one feeling tired. Knowing that yet another person that he
cared about was lying in a hospital bed had made it impossible
for him to get much rest back at the house.
He jumped in alarm as he felt a hand touching him on his shoulder.
Chris took a hasty step back.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to startle
you." She was taken aback by the wary look in his eyes.
"It is all right," said Luka, shaking his head to clear
it. "I was just not expecting your return so quickly."
Chris checked her watch. "I've been gone over an hour. I
took a quick tour of the hospital" She took a closer look at
Luka. "You look exhausted. Did you get <any> sleep
back at the house?"
"Not really," admitted Luka trying to stifle a yawn. He
also looked at his watch. "I must go. It is nearly time for
my shift in the ER."
"Well it didn't look too busy when I was there. Maybe you
can catch a few hours sleep."
--------------------
When he was gone, Chris settled herself on the chair. Pulling a
book from her bag she started to read, keeping an eye on Dave to
see if he had woken.
--------------------
Dave balanced precariously on his bike, and punched his pin
number into the ATM.
"Let's see," he thought to himself. "Fifty bucks
should be enough for beer, pizza, <and> videos."
Retrieving his money and card, he replaced his wallet and turned
to go. Blocking his path were two youths, one carrying a baseball
bat.
"Give us your watch and wallet," ordered the bigger of
the two.
----------------------
Chris glanced up as Dave's heart monitor started beeping more
rapidly. Dave's eyelids were flickering, his right hand was
clenched in a fist, and his respiration was becoming more ragged.
Concerned, she stood up for a closer look.
----------------------
"Give us your watch and wallet," ordered the bigger of
the two.
"Hell no," said Dave as he suddenly rode straight
towards them. The baseball bat connected with his arm with a
sickening thud. Dave found himself on the ground unable to move
as the pair closed in.
----------------------
Chris was getting worried by now. Dave was shuddering violently,
and his whole body was coated in sweat. She grabbed his right arm
and put her other hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.
"Dave wake up," she said.
-----------------------
Dave could feel someone holding him down as he was kicked in the
back. He lashed out frantically trying to free himself.
----------------------
Chris stumbled back as Dave caught her a glancing blow in the
cheek with his casted arm. Recovering quickly she grabbed Dave's
arms and forced them down to the mattress. "Dave, it's all
right," she said reassuringly. "You're safe now."
----------------------
Dave could hear the words, but all he could see was a figure with
a bat, bringing it crashing down on his body again and again.
"No," he screamed trying to curl into a ball to protect
himself.
---------------------
"What's going on?" asked Iris, the nurse in charge of
the ICU.
"He's having some kind of nightmare, but I can't wake him."
Chris thought quickly.
"Get me .5 of Haldol," she instructed the nurse as she
struggled with Dave. In spite of his injuries, he still had
sufficient strength and determination to resist her effort to
calm him.
"You don't have the authority to give him that."
"Then page someone who does," snapped back Chris
impatiently. In spite of her efforts, Dave had already ripped out
his IV and was in real danger of dislodging the chest tube.
Finally after what seemed like hours, but was really only a
couple of minutes, Elizabeth arrived in the ICU. Quickly
assessing the situation, she administered the Haldol and assisted
Chris in restraining Dave until it took effect.
----------------
Dave tried to continue struggling but it was no use. With a final
moan, he gave in to the blackness that engulfed him.
----------------
Once she was sure that Dave was safely sedated, Chris stepped
back from the bed, shaking.
"Iris, get a portable x-ray up here," ordered Elizabeth.
"I need to see if the chest tube has been displaced."
Wordlessly Chris stepped back to the bed and attempted to
reinsert Dave's IV.
"The nurse will do that," said Elizabeth, noticing her
actions.
"I can manage," replied Chris quietly as she deftly
found a vein.
Once the chest film was taken Elizabeth turned to Iris, "get
some soft restraints, please."
"You can't tie him up like an animal," objected Chris.
"Hasn't he been through enough already?"
"I don't see that there is any alternative," replied
Elizabeth quietly. "This time he was fortunate not to cause
himself any major damage. The next time he may not be so lucky."
"There may not be a next time."
Elizabeth sighed, "Doctor Malucci," she said,
emphasizing the word 'doctor'. "We have a patient here, who
is recovering from major surgery, and need to be kept relatively
immobile, to prevent aggravating his injuries. He's just had a
psychotic incident, which required the two of us to restrain him,
and he's assaulted you during the course of that incident."
"It was an accident. He didn't know who I was."
"Precisely. If this was a patient in <your> care, what
would you do?"
Chris sighed. "I'd order restraints," she said
dejectedly.
Elizabeth put her hand on Chris's shoulder. "I would rather
not have to order this, but it <is> for his own good."
Chris knew that medically speaking Elizabeth was correct, but the
thought of Dave being tied up... "Can't you wait a while, at
least until the sedation wears off? Maybe he'll be less agitated
when he comes round."
Elizabeth considered the possibility. All Malucci's tests had
shown no organic reason for an incident of this nature. As Chris
had suggested, a nightmare, was a possible cause. Finally she
said, "all right. I won't have him restrained. But if he has
another episode, if he shows the slightest trace of panic, I want
him in restraints immediately. Do you understand?"
"I understand. And thank you Dr Corday."
Elizabeth left and Chris was left alone to watch and wait,
praying that Dave would wake up his normal self, and not the
panic-stricken, disoriented person he had been earlier. The touch
of a hand on her shoulder startled her out of her reverie. "Luka,"
she said in surprise.
"Dr Corday told me what happened. Why didn't you page me?"
he asked almost accusingly. "I should have been here."
"I didn't think, it all happened so fast, I'm sorry,"
said Chris.
Luka pulled up a chair and sat down next to Chris. "How is
he?"
"Still under from the drugs. With all the stuff in his
system, there's no way of knowing when he'll come to. All we can
do is wait and see what happens." Standing abruptly, she
began to pace back and forth. "I just can't stand it,"
she said.
"It is never easy to just watch and wait over someone you
care about."
Something in his voice made Chris stop her pacing. "You've
been here before," she said with a sudden flash of insight.
"I mean not <here>, but you've sat in vigil in an ICU
before."
Luka nodded sadly as Chris sat down beside him. "Who was it,"
she asked.
Luka sighed, "It was my wife."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"No, no. It was during the war. I had left my wife and
children in our apartment while I went out to get food. I heard
the shells, and by the time I returned the building was a pile of
rubble. Maria had tried to shield Marko and Jasna from the blast.
They were barely scratched, but she..." Luka's voice trailed
off as he remembered the scene that had greeted him on his
arrival.
Chris gently squeezed his hand, "I am so sorry," she
said.
Luka pulled himself together and continued as if she hadn't
spoken, "She was taken to the hospital. I sat with her for
hours, but there was nothing the doctors could do. She...she died
without ever regaining consciousness. When I took Marko and Jasna
in to say goodbye, she looked so beautiful. As if she was
sleeping."
This confused Chris. Dave had told her that Luka had lost his
family in the war, but she had assumed that they were all killed
in the one incident. But Luka hadn't finished with the horror.
"Afterwards, my children, the doctors said it would be best
if they were taken to the children's home on the edge of the town.
They said they would be safer there. I had no home to take them
to, so I agreed. It was only supposed to be for a few days, a
week at most until I found somewhere for us to live. Then.... a
few days later, the children's home was attacked. My children, my
beautiful children were killed."
"Oh my God," said Chris; shocked that anyone could have
been put through such an ordeal. It made her own troubles seem
miniscule by comparison.
"I should never have let them be taken," said Luka
"You had no way of knowing. You did what you could to ensure
your safety, what any father would have done."
"It does not make it any easier when I lie awake at night."
There were no words that Chris could say to ease his torment. She
settled for taking his hands in hers and holding them gently.
They sat like that for a while until a low moan alerted them to
the fact that Dave was regaining consciousness.
Dave moaned softly. His head was aching, and his chest felt like
someone was sitting on it. His eyes flickered open and he saw
Chris and Luka standing over him looking concerned. "What's
happening," he slurred. He tried again. "What's-going-on,"
he articulated slowly. His eyes widened as he saw the bruise
starting to form on Chris's face. "You're hurt?" he
managed to say.
"You should see the other guy," said Chris
automatically, smiling at Dave. He frowned in confusion. "It's
all right. How do you feel?"
"Ugh, terrible," groaned Dave.
"Dave, what's the last thing you remember?" asked Luka.
"Talking to you, and then I was at the ATM...." Dave
stopped in shock as he realized what he had said. He tried to
concentrate, but his mind was all fuzzy. "There were two
guys...." His voice trailed off as he remembered their
faces, cold and hard staring at him. He shuddered. "I'm
sorry, it's all blurred."
"It doesn't matter," said Chris taking his hand in hers.
"What matters is that you're safe now, and I'm going to take
good care of you."
Luka put his hand on top of Chris's, "We're going to take
good care of you."
Dave wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he knew that with
Chris and Luka watching over him, that things were going to be
all right.
---------------------
It was a few days later. Dave had been moved out of the ICU.
Chris had decided reluctantly, that it was time she returned to
Milwaukee.
She sat on the side of Dave's bed idly fiddling with her backpack.
"I hate having to leave you like this."
"I'll be fine," assured Dave. "I mean the chest
tube is out, there's no sign of any complications, I'm going to
be all right."
"I know," sighed Chris. "I know that medically
speaking, my being here is having no effect, but still."
Dave reached out and took her hand. "Hey, you being here
<has> made a difference. Without you and Luka, I'd have
gone crazy being stuck in the ICU."
"You mean crazier than usual?" asked Chris with a smile.
"Yeah, Luka's been a good friend to you, to both of us,
these past few days."
"Anyway," she continued, looking at her watch. "It's
time I was going, if I'm going to catch my train." Leaning
forward, she gave Dave a warm hug. "You take care of
yourself, and I'll be back in a few days."
"I'll be here."
With a smile Chris was gone. Once she was out of the room, Dave
lay back against the pillows, the smile fading from his face. In
spite of his assurances to Chris, and to Luka, he was not feeling
all right. Physically, he still tired easily. Dr Corday had
assured him that this was perfectly normal, and that given time
he would recover his strength. But sometimes, especially when he
was alone at night, he wondered if she was telling him the whole
truth. And as for emotionally, well, he hadn't had any more
incidents like the one in the ICU, but his sleep was still being
disturbed by unsettling dreams. He supposed that he should talk
to the shrink like the chief had suggested, but there was
something about trying to explain his feelings to someone, that
he just didn't like. He sighed heavily. And now Chris was going
back to Milwaukee. He knew that she had a job to go to, but even
though it was selfish of him, he wished that she'd been able to
stay longer. Still, at least she'd be back in a couple of days,
and Corday had said that he could be released by next week. Once
he was back in his own home, things would be better. They had to
be.
----------------------
Chris stood at the train station, Luka by her side.
"You have everything?" he asked her. "Ticket,
handbag?"
"Keys, cell phone, your phone numbers, your pager number.
You have mine?"
"Of course. And I will let you know if anything happens."
"Thank-you Luka. I really appreciate all you've done for
Dave."
"I am just glad that he appears to be recovering so well."
Luka paused for a minute. "I would have wished that the
circumstances be otherwise, but I am glad to have met you."
"And I you." Chris listened for a moment as an almost
unintelligible announcement was made over the speakers. "That's
me. I'd better go." Impulsively she reached up and put her
arms around Luka. Giving him a warm hug, she whispered in his
ear, "Goodbye, and thank you for everything."
Taken aback by her sudden gesture, Luka was unsure how to respond.
Returning her hug, he said, "I will take care of Dave for
you until you return."
"I know you will."
Chris grabbed her bag and headed for the platform without a
backwards glance. Luka watched her until she had vanished into
the crowd. Suddenly he felt a lot better than he had for a while.
----------------------------
Part VI