Cowboys and Angels
Dave Malucci - Ignorance Is Kind
By Triggersaurus
triggersaurus@hotmail.com 

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, I don’t make any money from this, yadda yadda yadda, you know the deal.

Rating: PG, for what may be distressing to some

Notes: These fics are written to deliberately ignore the ‘events’ of Season 6, primarily because I haven’t yet seen beyond Abby Road, and also because what I want to do with these fics would not happen now. Actually, it is probably wise for me to tell you that these fics are not trying to replicate ER (which is what I normally try to do) but this time they are serving to tell the stories of the characters in a different form. Look, it’s hard to explain without you having read them, okay?! All I can say is that this is all a figment of my imagination, and pure speculation.

Thanks: I want to really thank Lori for her constant and invaluable help with everything I write, and also many thanks to Amanda, Denise, and Jess who have been excellent in aiding my characterisation. I think I should stop before I do a Gwyneth Paltrow…sob, sob.

“Carter, I had no idea.”

“Well, no, not many do. I don’t really talk about it much.”

“Thank you.” Luka looked at him.

“No problem Dr. Kovac, I’m going to have to hear your story sometime, sounds like I missed out.”

“Please, call me Luka.”

“Okay, Luka.”

They are interrupted once again by the door opening, and Dave coming in this time. He peers around the door, sees Carter and grins broadly.

“Gotcha, doc.”

“Yeah, ha ha Malucci. Very funny.”

“C’mon, it was just a joke.”

“Sure. Let’s wake you up after a 18 hour shift with a fake page and see how you feel about it.”

Dave keeps grinning, and comes into the room. He goes to his locker and pulls a bag of candy from the top shelf. Carter, Carol and Luka exchange looks. Carol smiles at them, and turns to Dave, who is now on his way to the cupboards above the sink.

“Dave?”

“Yeah?”

“How about you tell us your reason for being a doctor?”

“What? Not THAT game again.”

“C’mon. We know you want to!”

“I told you already, the money.”

“No, I mean, the REAL reason”

“That is my reason. No others, I didn’t want to save humanity from the next plague or anything, none of this protection stuff either, just the money.”

He continues digging in the cupboard, looking for something. Carter jumps in.

“Okay Dave, let’s put it this way. There must have been something that happened in your life, some point where you realised this is what you wanted to do. What was that point?”

“Like, my life history? I don’t think that’s something you want to know.”

“I do. We do.” Carol says, and Luka nods behind her.

“Well maybe I don’t want to tell it.”

There is a silence as Dave starts to make some hot chocolate and everyone else looks at the floor, wondering what it was they said. Luka breaks the silence.

“Hey, Dave. Sorry. If you do not want to say, that’s fine.”

Dave cocks his head and spoons out chocolate powder.

“We were just in a sharing sort of mood, just sharing our stories.” Carol continued.

“Carter was just telling us about himself, and Luka too. If you want the real reason I became a nurse…”

Dave pours the water, and takes a seat, bending forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He looks up at them.

“Okay, I’m trusting you guys. This goes no further, okay?”

“Okay, sure.”

“Of course”

Dave sighs.

“My mom was an employee in what you might call the oldest profession in the world. And anyway, I was one of a few accidents that happened along they way, except I was the only one she kept if you get my meaning. I watched her abort more than six other pregnancies that could have been my brothers or sisters and I was mad. She was well paid, so I could stay with her, and I went to school all that stuff. I liked science, did it at college, well, in between all the partying and the girls. Then I did a pre-med course, went to med-school, came here. If you want to get all shrinky on me, then I guess I became a doctor because I didn’t want to see other kids loose their lives and I wanted to help kids like me. Other than that, I swear to you, it was the money.”

©Triggersaurus 2000