A Very Odd Couple
Part Seven B
By Céindreadh
ceindreadh@eircom.net

Rating: PG - 13 (some scenes of violence, but none worse than we've seen on ER)

Timeline: some months after Mayday

Disclaimer: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner Bros. No infringement of their copyright is intended. This story was written for the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your own pleasure.

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.

to be continued
--
céindreadh
"i have never understood why it is necessary to become irrational in order
to prove that you care,
or why it should be necessary to prove it at all"
Kerr Avon

--
http://homepage.eircom.net/~ceindreadh/index.htm