Still On Your Side
Part Nine - Since I Don't Have You
By Kitchen_Sink5 and LovelyLuka24
kitchen_sink5@yahoo.com and run-away-bride24@hotmail.com

CATEGORY: Dave Malucci and a made up character
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: None that we can think of!
ARCHIVE: Please ask us first
DISCLAIMER: Neither one of us own the characters from the television show ER. Don't believe us? Come on, would we really spend our time writing this if we owned the ER characters. Puhlease.......
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Early last summer, both LovelyLuka24 and I came to know each other at Doug and Carol's ER RPG. We started rping, with her playing Alyson Delgado (the made up character), and I playing Dave Malucci. Since then, this story has grown bigger and bigger and longer and longer, filled with the story of Ally and Dave. We decided that we ought to preserve this, so with a little bit of copying and pasting, and a little (well, a lot, actually!) of editing, we created out series:"Still On Your Side". We hope you enjoy!
SUMMARY: With Dave in Chicago, and Ally in Paris, they each find out what it's like to be apart.

Previously in the series: We see the return of Hannah (Dave's ex-girlfriend), who is convinced that Dave is still in love with her. Ally begins to feel pangs of jealousy, even though she's leaving for Paris, but leaves Dave a letter explaining her departure. Dave reads it and chases after her at the airport, telling her that there's nothing between him and Hannah. At the end of the conversation, Dave tells Ally that he's in love with her, but is willing to wait for her (Ally). Ally gets on the plane for Paris, leaving Dave behind.

"We're still short a nurse, Chuny - You're just going
to have to deal with being a little overworked." Kerry
declared as she crutched around the admit desk.

"Easy for you to say - You won't have to cover 15
patients at a time." Chuny pouted, folding her arms,
"It's not my fault that Ally flew the coop to Paris."

"Look, it's only been three weeks since she left - we
haven't had enough time to replace her, okay? As soon
as..."

Kerry and Chuny instantly stopped talking when they
realized that Dave was right behind them, and had
heard every word that they had said.

"I better go if I have 15 patients to cover...." Chuny
said, shuffling away as fast as she could, while Kerry
lowered her eyes and walked away from Dave's glare.

Dave hated the sympathetic looks, the "I'm sorries,"
the whispers behind his back:
"That Ally girl left him to go back to Paris...."
".....Maybe she loved somebody else...."
"No, I heard he cheated on her - that's why she
left...."

Well, Dave hadn't cheated on her - It wasn't like he
hadn't had the opportunity. Hannah seemed to be at
every turn, eager to return to Dave's life. But Dave
didn't want Hannah - He wanted Ally. When Dave was in
Grenada, he often had to go for months without seeing
Hannah at all. But the longing for Hannah back then
was nothing compared to how much he longed for Ally
right now.

 Why did it hurt so much more from three weeks without
Ally than any three months without Hannah? He
couldn't answer it. He didn't know why it hurt so
much. He didn't know why everything seemed lifeless
and dull. He didn't know why he needed her so much.

There was only one thing Dave was sure of:

He missed Ally.....



Ally was sitting at her parent's house in Paris,
moping. Of course, she would never admit that she was
moping, but it was certainly what she was doing. *Why
would I mope?* Ally thought as she flipped through a
magazine, *It's not like I miss him - It's not like I
was forced to leave him*.

Ally's thoughts were interrupted by her mother's
voice, "Ally - I was looking in the paper, and there's
a fine apartment a couple streets over.....Of course,
I'm not kicking you out or anything - You can stay
with your father and I for as long as you like."

"Thanks Mom - I've looked, but there isn't anything I
like...." Ally paused, flipping another page, "Maybe
I've been looking in the wrong neighborhood....."

"Maybe you've been looking in the wrong country."

"What?" Ally slammed the magazine close, looking up at
her mother.

"I think you know what I'm talking about, Ally.
You've been depressed from the moment you got off the
plane. It's clear to see that you're in love with
him..."

Ally sprang up. "I am NOT in love with him!"

"Don't kid yourself, Ally." Her mother paused. "Don't
run away from love - It can be the best thing that
comes your way...and I'd hate to see you throw it all
away because of your stubbornness"

"Look mother, I appreciate your concern, and I'm glad
you care. But I am not in love with Dave Malucci - I
don't miss Dave Malucci." Ally grabbed the car keys
off the table, "I'm going to pick up the mail - I'll
be back in a bit."

Ally got into the car, and drove down to the post
office. She pulled the mail out of the box, leafing
through it....Bills, bills - No letters for her.
Ally's heart immediately sank as she left the
building. She climbed back into her car, but didn't
turn on the engine.

Why didn't he write he? And why did she care? Why
couldn't she stop thinking about him? And why
wouldn't she listen to her heart? Ally was so
confused - she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

As Ally leaned back, she realized that she was sure of
one thing:

She missed Dave.....

END OF PART 9