Part 4.
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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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****
"Where DID you get these CDs Malik? I've never heard of any of these bands." Luka remarked as Dave plucked one from his hands and stuck it in the stereo. "They're American most of them..." Malik replied as the music cued up.
"We wrote this song, it's not too short, not too long
It's got back-up voc's in just the right places
It's got a few oohs and ahhs
It takes a little pause
Just before I sing the anthem
Please play this song on the radio
Almost every line is sung on time
Almost every verse ends in a rhyme
The only problem we had was writing enough words
But that's okay, because the chorus is
Coming up again now
Please play this song on the radio
Please play this song on the radio
Right about this time
Some shithead will be drawin a fat fucking line
Over the title on the back sleeve, what an asshole
So Mr. DJ, I hope you already made your segway
Or the FCC is gonna take a shit right on your head
Can't play this song on the radio..."
(copyright. NOFX)
Dave walked into the lounge and double checked the schedule. He had been right after all, Lucy was off an hour ago. She was probably home right now, boinking some lucky guy and getting fed strawberries and champagne.. Champagne.. Maybe he'd buy her a bottle after all. Dave sighed with relief and left the lounge, picking up a chart from the rack on his way by. "I'm gonna see a few patients." He yelled over the din and a few hands raised from the fray in a wave as he walked down the hall.
"Happy Valentine's Day Dave!" Somebody yelled after him.
His pace slowed as he reached the exam three and as he passed it, he
stopped short, his sneakers squeaking on the freshly mopped
floor.
Abby caught up to him, the Valentine in hand. "Randi WAS right! You DO have the hots for Lucy!" She laughed turning the card over and shaking her head.
"Where did you get that!?" Dave glared at her and stuck it in the pocket of his scrub top.
"It was on the floor.. I picked it up." Abby grumbled. "You're welcome."
"Thank you.." Dave sighed, rubbing his face with his bandaged hand. I've got some for the other staff too.. It's just.. I made a mess of things with Lucy earlier. I wanted to apologize, I got her some cinnamon hearts too."
"Cards and candy.. You really know the way to a woman's heart Dave." Abby said sarcastically.
"I know.. Wine them, dine them, then *BAM* I'm in their pants." Dave grinned as Abby stomped off, disgusted.
*****
Carefully Dave tucked the bag of hearts and the card into his breast pocket and his hand slid down the door opening it as Randi turned up the music.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Listen up everybody if you wanna take a chance. Just get on the floor and do the New Kids Dance! Don't worry 'bout me cuz it won't take long! We're gonna put you in a trance with the funky song! Cuz you gotta be... Hangin' Tough.. Oh yeah.. Hangin' Tough.. Hangin' Tough.. That's right.. Ha-"
Dave slid across the floor with surprising agility, knocking the boom box off the desk and slipping the CD out, his hands shaking with fright. "NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK ARE EVIL!" He muttered, tossing iton the desk and flipping through the box of CDs. "Whose ARE these?!" Dave exclaimed with disbelief, holding up a 'Joey Lawrence Rappin' Love' Album.
Yosh stepped forward blushing. "Mine, Malucci.." He said meekly.
Dave sighed, "Sorry Yosh.. Here ya go.." He said handing him back his box and putting NKOTB back in the case."
Malik tossed Dave a CD and he plugged it into the player.
"Your construction
Smells of corruption
I manipulate to recreate
This air to ground saga
Gotta launder my karma
I said hallelujah to the sixteen loyal fans
You’ll get down on your muthafuckin' knees
And it's time for your sickness again
Come on and tell me what you need
Tell me what is making you bleed
We got two more minutes and
We gonna cut to what you need
So one of six so tell me
One do you want to live
And one of seven tell me
Is it time for your muthafuckin' ass to give
Tell me is it time to get down on your muthafuckin' knees
Tell me is it time to get down-"
The crowd of doctors began to dance and cheer as Malik spun out onto the floor.
"Great taste in music Malucci." Somebody yelled over the din. Dave smiled, grabbing his charts and walking to exam 4 again when he stopped outside exam 3.
It had been hours.. The poor bastard. Hadn't DeRaad gotten his fat ass downstairs to check on him yet?
He opened the darkened exam room door, his hand flailing blindly along
the wall for the switch. It clicked hollowly and produced
nothing, but a flickering of the lightboard outside the room as it
popped and blew out. Dave cursed under his breath and stepped in
the room.
"Lucy?" He muttered nervously as he saw the rumpled sheets and blankets of the empty bed. Lucy's stethascope lay on the floor at his feet and as he stepped forward to pick it up, the door swung shut behind him. "Shit! Lucy y-"
The knife gleamed in the light that filtered through the window as it
came into Dave's peripheral vision and he stumbled forward to
avoid it's first blow as Paul grabbed him roughly by the arms and slid
the long blade into his back.
If Dave had been able to, he would have laughed. He would have laughed hysterically. Why was this happening to him?? It was surreal, unbelievable. What had he done to deserve this? He was coming to make it up to Lucy. What had he done wrong?
Before Dave could contemplate this any longer, Paul advanced on him
again, digging the blade deeper for a third time. I should be
stopping this! I should be kicking his ass.. Dave screamed in his thoughts
as his knees began to weaken.
The blood shimmered wet on Dave's navy scrubs. It was warm and trickled down his thigh, tickling him and sending mixed signals of pleasure and pain through his leg.
His hands groped blindly in front of him, knocking over instrument trays, crashing to the ground as he fell.
Paul smiled in the shadows and slowly shed his gown.
Dave moaned softly on the floor, his eyes focusing and his vision clearing
to see the body of 'the lost medstudent' bleeding on the
floor. "Awww shit Luce.." He groaned feebly, using his quickly ebbing
strength to turn onto his back and stare his attacker in the
eye.
"You bastard... You fucking crazy asshole!" Dave licked his lips, tasting blood. Except this time it wasn't warm or comforting. It was cold and wet and salty and it told him that his wounds weren't superficial.. If there was blood in his mouth....
Dave lunged at Sobriki, crawling on his belly, yelling his head off. "They can't hear you Dr.Malucci.." Paul said softly. "They're all off having fun without you. They don't care about you. But.. Be careful, Dr.Dave.. If you're too loud.. I'll slit your throat too.. I'm quite good at it actually.."
With the last bit of strength in his rubbery limbs, Dave made a break for it. Commando crawling across the floor to the doorway, he crawled on his forearms, dragging his useless legs and leaving a trail of red.
His hand strained to reach the door, striking the wood with a wet smack, his bandaged hand now saturated with his own blood as his good hand planted a red print in the open doorway.
Paul wrapped his hands around Dave's ankles and began slowly pulling
him backward, letting the door swing shut.
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