Part 15.
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"Courage, my word, it didn't come, it doesn't matter. Courage, it
couldn't come at a worse time" -Courage. THE TRAGICALLY HIP.
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"I don't know why you felt you had to do that right now. We had just told the woman that her daughter was dead and you hit her with something like that! You saw the mess in the operating room. I sincerely doubt we could salvage any viable organs anyway. Why burden her with anything else to deal with?" Elizabeth sighed, pushing away from the table, and glaring at Romano who had seated himself across from her as he sipped his coffee.
"So maybe she's not a heart donor, or a spleen donor or a..." Romano trailed off with a bitter smile. "It doesn't matter, Lucy would have wanted us to try."
"Try? All you've done is manipulate the emotions of a very upset mother. There is no way in hell that Lucy could ever really donate and you bloody well know that. I've got to go Robert.." Elizabeth stood, walking to the wastebin and dumping her coffee before stomping from the cafeteria.
***
"You mean? Oh Mark!" Lydia's eyes filled with tears.
"They're doing it now?? Pulling the plug?" Luka sighed and ran a shaky hand through his dark greasy mop.
Mark glanced at his watch. "Kerry said that it'd be after they'd told Lucy's mother.. and she's been here for awhile now.. They've told her by now I'm sure of it."
**
"N-No! You can't!" Barbara's voice cracked as she burst into tears. "Get away.. Get away from her..." Her hands pushed at the bodies surrounding her daughter, surrounding the bed. It was the code team.. But this time.. "You can't kill her! She's in a coma.. You said she was in a coma.. People wake up from comas! You can't do this!"
"Mrs.Knight.. She won't wake up.. It isn't the sort of coma you wake up from." The nurse comforted softly, before turning her attention on the woman who hid in the shadows near Dave's bed. "Please. We need to do our jobs.. Dr.Weaver.. If you'd come over here, please.."
"You kill people for a living!? How heartless and cruel are you!!??" The mother sobbed pulling at the doctors and technicians surrounding Lucy's body.
"Ms.Knight.." Kerry pleaded softly as she watched her struggle with a rather large ICU doctor.
"Barbara!" Dave said hoarsely, the woman stopping suddenly, as she'd started to lunge at a nurse. "Please... Lucy wouldn't want this.. Just.. Let her go... Let Lucy go." He closed his eyes, leaning back in the bed, catching his breath.
"Dave you shouldn't be working yourself up like this. Bonnie maybe it's time we moved him upstairs now." Kerry said worriedly as she glanced between Ms.Knight and Dave's nurse.
"No.. I.. I wanted to stay.. I want to stay with Lucy.. P-please.." Dave groaned softly as something was inserted into his IV and he fell asleep.
Barbara walked to the bed, distracted by Dave as Kerry disconnected the life-support.
**
"Dave? Dr.Malucci?? Your PT appointment is here.. Dr.Malucci?"
Dave opened his eyes groggily to find Anspaugh, Benton and a doctor he didn't recognize, standing over his bed. "What's up?"
"We'd like to test your range of motion and whether you've gained sensation yet." The strange doctor announced, nearing the bed.
Anspaugh and Benton nodded. "We just want to know how you're doing." Don turned, looking at the door as a gaggle of med-students entered with their notebooks.
"Who in the hell are they? Where in the hell am I?" Dave yelled angrily as he tried to pull himself up in bed.
"You're at County General. There was an accident.. Those are my med-students.. They are observing us as we assess you." The PT doctor smiled phonily as Benton and Anspaugh rolled their eyes.
"I know where I am, you arrogant moron! I want to know what they are doing here!? Don't want medstudents gawking at me." Dave growled.
"Doctor... Surely you can appreciate that this IS a teaching hospital..
You're a patient here.. and a viable teaching case. I'm sure you went
on rounds as a med-student." The doctor clasped his hands together and
looked at his colleagues for support.
"I want them out, Dr.Pete. I want them to go. I want them to leave. Make them leave." Dave pleaded tiredly.
Benton nodded to the door. "Go O'Connor. Take the medstudents with you."
"But.."
"We don't need you for this. You can go." Anspaugh said softly. He didn't want Malucci any more worked up and upset than he needed to be.
Dr.O'Connor stomped from the room, trailing medstudents behind him like a mother duck and babies.
"Okay Dave..." Anspaugh murmured as he rolled up the blankets at the foot of the bed and revealed Dave's feet.
"You ready Dr.Malucci?" He said as his palm pressed up against Dave's foot. "Push against my hand when I say go."
***
"She was admitted for shock? Poor woman." Chen murmured sadly as she watched Carter strap himself into his new rollerblades in the lounge. "You're going to split your head open with those things, John.."
"Nuh-uh. I have protection." He mumbled as he pulled on the helmet and rapped on it with his knuckles.
"Oh yeah Carter.. Very stylish.. Hip, cool and slammin'... Very 'you'." Chen laughed.
"Oh yes.. Just you wait woman.. I'll skate circles around you." Carter chuckled and sighed. "Yeah.. Ms.Knight was admitted for shock.. I mean.. I feel horrible. I didn't know who she was. I was so rude to her and Randi just came up and saved the day." He sighed pitifully and slipped on the elbow pads.
"She knew though John.. She knew it was Lucy's Mom.. You don't have to feel bad." Deb sighed and patted her friend on the back.
"Yeah! But how!? Am I blind? How come I didn't clue in? Am I that stupid?!"
"Stupid? Carter.. No.."
"Deb.. I should go apologize.." Carter said, scrambling to get up and then grabbing onto the armrest to stay up-right. "How could she have known?? Is she psychic or something??"
"Pictures.. Photos of Lucy's trip to SF last summer with her mom. Her mom was in every shot, John.. Lucy was showing them at the desk.. That's how she knew.. You're not stupid Carter.."
Carter shook his head disgustedly. "Yeah.. Well.. I'm gonna go try these out.. I'll see you later.." He grumbled sadly, flailing his arms as he rolled out the doors.
***
"Did it hurt?" Ms.Knight wiped away a tear.. "Did it hurt when y-" She sighed, blowing her nose. "Did it hurt when you fell?"
Carter sat at her bedside, his leg encased in slowly drying plaster, his newfound rollerblades donated to Malik who was currently wheeling figure-eights around the ER. "No.. Not really.. I've got a high pain-threshold I guess.." He murmured.
**
He sat dejectedly on the toilet as Yosh rolled his eyes. "Carter.. I told you rollerblades weren't a good idea."
"I.. I had to tell that woman.. I had to tell her it didn't hurt.. I had to tell her that falling down 4 flights of concrete steps at the park and breaking your leg in two places didn't hurt! Am I nuts?" Carter sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair.
"No.. you just wanted to spare her the pain.. She's going through enough right now. It'll be alright.." He murmured softly, zipping up and walking to the sink.
"No.. No it won't.. Lucy's dead.. Dave's in ICU and I forgot my crutches
beside the hand dryer. I've fallen and can't get up!" Carter sobbed.
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