In the Shadows
By Ginny (www.gkinneman.com)
Sequel to Darkness Falling
Pairing-Robert/Elizabeth
Spoiler warning for everything up to, but not including, The Advocate
Feedback is greatly appreciated
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The next two weeks passed by fairly smoothly, all things considered. Robert reluctantly settled into a schedule of teaching and advising. He was outwardly calm about his situation, something that both surprised and worried Elizabeth. For the most part he was quiet and almost pleasant at the hospital, a welcome change for his long suffering secretary, Margaret. Spending time with Elizabeth and Ella was the high point of his day. The relationship between Elizabeth and Robert still toed the line between platonic and romantic and that worked for them. Neither was looking for romance at that particular time in their lives. It had been less than a year since Mark's death and Elizabeth wasn't ready to move on just yet. Robert was still emotionally fragile and more in need of a friend than anything else. So they had spent a few nights together each week, mostly just hanging out at one of their houses. Ella and Robert had a budding relationship much to Elizabeth's delight. Ella took to him as she had never taken to anyone, except her father. The feeling was mutual; Robert adored her and looked forward to spending time with her. It was clear Ella had him wrapped around one chubby little finger.
At the end of a long week Robert was in his office waiting for Elizabeth and Ella to arrive. He'd promised them pizza for dinner. He absently flexed his fingers to ward off the stiffness that settled in after a long day. As much as he tried to ignore the fact, his sensory function was still declining. But he held on to the slim hope that things would improve. He walked to his desk, grabbed the ever present bottle of Advil and shook 4 out. He took a bottle of water from the fridge and sat back down on the couch. A small knock on the door and a sweet little voice calling his name brought a smile to his face a minute later.
"Wob, Wob," called Ella, who at not quite two hadn't mastered the R sound just yet.
"Hey sweetie," he said, "Come on in."
Ella pushed the door opened and launched herself at Robert. Over the previous few weeks he'd become rather adept at maneuvering his left arm out of the way in the nick of time so she didn't land right on it. Once in a while he wasn't quick enough and he had to bite back a scream of pain. This time he had enough time to turn. He scooped her up with his right arm and set her down on his lap. He planted a kiss on her blond curls and she ran her hand over his bald head. Elizabeth had tried to discourage that habit but Robert assured her that it was fine.
"Where's Mommy?" he asked as he glanced out towards Margaret's desk. Ella pointed towards the door. Ella slid from his lap and toddled over to the basket of toys that was in the corner of the room. The basket that seemed to hold more and more toys with each passing day.
Robert walked to the doorway and leaned out. Margaret and Elizabeth were talking over coffee. "And where's mine?" he smirked as he leaned casually against the door frame, arms folded over his chest.
"You've had enough caffeine today," said Elizabeth.
"You haven't seen me all day," he pointed out.
"I don't need to, I know you," she smirked.
He was about to start whining when Ella appeared and tugged on the leg of his pants. He leaned down enough to pick her up in his right arm. She happily snuggled against his chest as he beamed. Margaret smiled as her normally arrogant, sarcastic boss stood there before her completely enthralled by a not quite two year old little girl. She smiled at Elizabeth and started to get ready to go home.
"Good night Dr. Romano, Dr. Corday, Ella."
"Good night," the trio chorused as the older woman headed down the hall.
"So, are you ready to go?" asked Elizabeth as she tossed the coffee cups in the trash. Robert and Ella both nodded.
A little before nine the three of them were heading towards Robert's house. Elizabeth was driving his car while Robert dozed in the passenger's seat. Ella had fallen asleep in the car seat, one that had magically appeared in the back seat of Robert's BMW a few days earlier. Robert had complained that he was tired of moving the seat back and forth from Elizabeth's minivan to his own car. Along with the car seat, Robert had picked up some other things too, some more toys for his house, some of Ella's favorite foods, apple juice, extra diapers and some Disney videos. It was just as important to him that Ella feel as welcomed as Elizabeth did at his house.
Elizabeth hit the remote on the garage door opener as Robert yawned and stretched. He gathered up the diaper bag, his briefcase and Elizabeth's tote bag while Elizabeth unstrapped Ella and took her out of the car. With Gretel at her heels she took the sleeping toddler upstairs and got her settled in the crib. Ella's arms went around the teddy bear she'd grown quite fond of as Elizabeth spread the blanket over her.
Downstairs Robert toed off his shoes, pulled out the tails of his dress shirt and unbuttoned it. He put on some water for tea and wandered around aimlessly while he waited for Elizabeth to come back down. Fifteen minutes later she found him sitting in the nearly dark kitchen, his hands wrapped around cup of tea, staring into space. It was in these unguarded moments that Elizabeth doubted his repeated declarations that he was "fine". She knew he wasn't "fine", he was lurking somewhere in the shadows between "fine" and "hanging on by a thread". She saw him wipe away a lone tear as she softly called his name so she wouldn't startle him when she came into the room.
"Hey," he said as he plastered a smile on his face and looked over his shoulder, "Ella's asleep?"
Elizabeth nodded and walked into the room.
"Do you want some tea?" he asked.
"No thank you, I'm fine," she said as she walked towards him. Robert turned his attention back to his tea as she came to stand behind him. As she put her hands on his shoulders he unconsciously flinched but Elizabeth didn't give up. She rubbed his shoulders for a minute as he finished his tea. "It's been a long week, why don't you go take a hot shower, relax a bit," suggested Elizabeth when she realized her hands weren't doing much to ease the tension she could feel coursing through his body.
"OK," sighed Robert as he slid off the stool and walked wearily out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Elizabeth frowned as she watched him go. She was glad he had the weekend off, he needed time to relax and more importantly, he needed time away from the hospital. Unfortunately he hadn't taken Elizabeth's suggestion that he take some time off. He was worried, and maybe rightly so, that taking time off would not go over well in the eyes of Donald Anspaugh. And so he was pushing himself too hard.
The hot shower did little to relax Robert. He was still restless when he went back downstairs to look for Elizabeth.
"Lizzie?" he called as he reached the landing.
"In the library," she called.
He found her curled up on the couch reading a magazine. She had her hair pulled off her face and the sleeves of her sweater pushed up. She looks adorable, he thought to himself as he entered the room and joined her on the couch.
"Feel better?" she asked.
Robert shrugged his shoulders and pulled the afghan off the back of the couch. He tossed it in his lap and held up a corner for Elizabeth. She took the offer and turned sideways to face him. Resting his head against the back of the couch he closed his eyes and tried to relax. Elizabeth ran her hand across his cheek as the flames from the fireplace cast shadows over his angular face. He smiled a little and leaned into her touch. "Do you want anything? More tea? Advil?"
Robert took a deep breath and turned his head a little to face her. "I think I'll take a sleeping pill," he said quietly. A look of surprise crossed Elizabeth's face, followed quickly by one of worry. "I'm fine. I just haven't slept well lately and I'd kind of like to get a decent night sleep so we can do something tomorrow," he explained. Elizabeth was on call the following day but they hoped to be able to take Ella out to do something at least for a while.
"OK. Are they in the bathroom upstairs?"
"Yeah, in the cabinet. I'm going to let Gretel out; I'll be up in a minute."
Elizabeth checked on Ella who was sleeping restlessly. She covered her back up and patted her back for a minute before grabbing her pajamas out of the dresser drawer. Robert had insisted that she bring some things over; he even cleared out a few drawers for her in the guest room. By the time she'd brushed her teeth and found the pills Robert was coming up the stairs. She put the pills and a glass of water on the nightstand on his side of the bed.
His side of the bed---a concept she was having trouble wrapping her mind around.
Robert sat down heavily and took the pill. He kicked off his slippers and pulled his legs up onto the bed. Elizabeth rubbed his back for a minute, trying to decide what to do. It was still pretty early and she wasn't exactly tired but Robert seemed to crave the company. As Robert was sitting in the middle of the bed she crawled up closer to the head of the bed to sit behind him. Tugging him by the shoulders a little she settled him against her chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Better?" she whispered.
"Much," sighed Robert.
They stayed that way for a good half an hour, neither saying much. As the sound of his breathing evened out and he dozed off Elizabeth carefully rolled him onto his pillow, gently propping up his left arm. She stayed for a few more minutes, watching him sleep. He did look exhausted and she really hoped he'd be able to get some sleep over the next few days.
Elizabeth went downstairs and logged onto Robert's computer, read and answered some email and did some mindless web surfing until just after midnight. She went back upstairs and climbed into bed with Robert, pulling the plaid comforter around both of them. He never stirred, thanks to the sleeping pill. Sleep came quickly to her and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
A little after 3 Elizabeth woke up to the sound of Ella crying. She went up to check on her, assuming Ella had just woken up in a strange crib and was a little upset. When she got to the guest room and turn on the small light on the dresser she found Ella sitting up and pulling at her ear, her curls damp and plastered to her head. Elizabeth plucked her from the crib and kissed her forehead. "Oh sweetie, you're running a nice fever," she whispered as she patted her back. Elizabeth walked into Robert's bathroom and sat Ella down on the counter, holding her there with one hand as she looked through the medicine cabinet, hoping for something other than an old fashioned mercury thermometer. Luck was on her side and she found an ear thermometer just as Robert came into the room.
"What's the matter?" he asked as he squinted against the harsh light.
"She's pretty warm and judging by the fact that she's pulling on her ear, I'd say a lovely ear infection."
Ella squirmed and held her arms out to Robert. He scooped her up and sat down on the edge of the tub. She whimpered as Elizabeth gently put the probe in her ear. "It's ok, sweetie," he whispered. "How high?" he asked as the thermometer beeped.
"100.8," sighed Elizabeth. "I have Advil in the backpack, you ok with her for a moment?"
"Of course."
While Elizabeth went to get the medicine Robert got Ella a drink of water and wiped her face with a cool damp washcloth. He carried her out to the bedroom and sat down in the overstuffed chair in the corner. She curled up against his chest and he put his feet up on the ottoman.
Elizabeth smiled at them when she came into the room. Ella took the Advil with a minimum of fussing. And didn't protest too much when Elizabeth used the otoscope to take a quick look in her ear.
"Well?" asked Robert.
"Looks like garden variety otitis media. I'll fill a prescription in the morning," she said as she put the otoscope on the dresser.
"Poor baby," whispered Robert as he brushed his lips over the top of Ella's head.
He waved Elizabeth off when she tried to take Ella from him. "Are you sure? You must be exhausted Robert, you took a sleeping pill," she said as she sat down on the ottoman, next to his feet.
"We're fine. She'll be out in a few minutes."
"OK, do you need anything?"
"How about a blanket and a glass of water."
Elizabeth nodded as she got up and grabbed the blanket of the end of the bed and tossed it over the two of them. She went into the bathroom and got him a drink. By the time he'd finished the water Ella was asleep and a few minutes later he wasn't far behind.
"Put her down on the bed," Robert mumbled as Elizabeth carefully lifted the sleeping toddler from his arms.
"I can sleep with her in the guest room," offered Elizabeth.
Robert shook his head and pointed towards the bed. With a shrug of her shoulders she settled Ella down in the middle of the big bed. Robert collapsed onto his side of the bed. Ella rolled towards him and snuggled into his side. With a grin Elizabeth got into bed. She kissed the back of Ella's head and wrapped her right arm over her daughter, resting her hand on Robert's hip.
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Much to Elizabeth's surprise Ella was still asleep when she woke up a little before 7 the next morning. She pressed her hand to her daughter's forehead. Ella was still warm, not a surprise to her. Robert was still out cold, snoring softly. She left the nice warm bed and went to take a shower in peace and quiet.
By the time she came out of the bathroom dressed in Robert's robe he was starting to stir. Elizabeth sat down next to him and ran her hand over his cheek. "Morning," she said with a smile.
"Morning. How's Ella?" he asked as he looked over his right shoulder at where she was sleeping.
"Asleep. Still pretty warm. I'll call the pharmacy when they open. You still look tired. It's only 7:30, why don't you go back to sleep?"
"And leave you running loose through my house?" he smirked as he settled back down on the pillow.
"I'll try to control myself," she said dryly as she tucked him back in.
As Elizabeth sat down in the kitchen with her tea and cereal she clicked on the small television that was tucked under the upper cabinets. She turned on the local news and her stomach dropped as she saw the camera pass over a massive pile up on the interstate. On cue her pager went off. She called the hospital back. She ran back up the stairs with the phone in one hand as she attempted to contact Kris, her nanny.
"What's up," asked Robert as he cracked one eye open as Elizabeth entered the room. She held up one finger to silence him as she waited for Kris to pick up. When she didn't answer Elizabeth tossed the phone on the bed. "Damn," she muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair and tied it up and out of the way.
"Lizzie, what is wrong," he asked as he sat up.
"Pile up on the freeway. I just got paged. Kris isn't home and I don't know what to do with Ella."
"Leave her here. She's perfectly fine. Call in a prescription, have it delivered and the two of us will hang out in our pajamas for the day."
Elizabeth just stared at him like he had three heads. Two weeks ago she wouldn't have imagined that she would be leaving her only child in the care of "Rocket" Romano. But now, she didn't have to give it much thought. "Robert are you sure?"
"Yes."
She tried to run through the other options in her head and came up with nothing. Since Ella was running a fever she couldn't go to daycare at the hospital. "Ok, then. Everything you'll need is in the guest room. You do know how to change a diaper don't you?" He rolled his eyes at her. "OK, she can have Advil when she wakes up. What's the nearest pharmacy?"
"Uh, Boyd's, the number in on a magnet on the fridge downstairs."
"I'll call and have it delivered. I'll call you when I get a chance. Page me if you need anything."
"Lizzie," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her down next to him, "I am not the 14 year old babysitter from next door," he teased. "I am an adult and no matter what certain people at the hospital think I am still a doctor. I can handle a sick toddler. We'll be fine, trust me." he said as he squeezed her hand.
"I know, I will," replied Elizabeth after taking a deep breath.
"Now, my car keys are on the table in the hall," said Robert as Elizabeth stood up.
"Car keys?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, car keys. You took the El to work yesterday, we drove here after dinner. There's no El station around here."
"Yes, right," said Elizabeth with a groan.
Robert laughed, "Yeah, I know, you driving up in my BMW with the "ROCKET" license plate is going to be quite a sight."
"That's not funny," she said, trying not to laugh herself. She dissolved into giggles and gave Robert a big hug. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Now go, I'll call you later."
Elizabeth stood up and kissed them both goodbye. She took one last glance at them before heading down the stairs.
As she pulled into the hospital lot Elizabeth automatically went to her own parking space. She got out of the car and started to walk to the door when she looked up to find Abby Lockhart standing there smiling at her.
"Good morning, Dr. Corday," she said, her eyebrows raised, as she glanced from the Elizabeth, to the car and back again.
"Uh, Dr. Romano's babysitting for Ella. And I didn't have my car with me because he drove last....." Elizabeth stopped short and instantly turned red.
"Dr. Corday, take a deep breath. It's none of my business," said Abby with a laugh.
"Abby, we're just friends. He's going through a lot and....."
"Dr. Corday, you don't have to explain anything to me." said Abby as they reached the door.
Elizabeth chuckled a little, "We're enjoying each others company and Ella adores him. For the first time in months I'm looking forward to things."
"That's nice," said Abby with a smile.
"It is," agreed Elizabeth as they entered the hospital. Abby headed for the ER and Elizabeth headed up to surgery.
Robert went back to sleep after Elizabeth left. He slept until almost 9 when Ella's whimpering and patting him on the head woke him up. She was feverish and miserable. He changed her and put on a pair of little pink sweats and a t-shirt. The Advil went down without a fuss and as they were coming down the stairs the delivery guy was at the door. Getting the antibiotics into Ella proved to be a little more difficult but Robert managed to find some popsicles in the freezer and he bribed her with an orange one. He got her to eat a half a banana and drink a cup of juice, in addition to the Popsicle.
He made himself a pot of coffee and poured a bowl of cereal. He ate while reading the headlines of the morning paper. Ella was content to play with the rest of the banana, mashing it into the tray of the highchair. When she began to fuss he washed her up and set her down. She toddled over to Gretel and patted her on the head. Robert cleaned up the kitchen and the three of them went into the library. Putting on a Disney video Robert got Ella settled down on the couch with a sippy cup of apple juice and the teddy bear. Gretel curled up next to the couch, keeping an eye on her new little friend.
The morning passed quickly for everyone. Ella dozed off and on. Robert got some reading done and took the opportunity to catch up on his rest too. Elizabeth spent the better part of 5 hours in surgery, trying to put back together the victims of the pile up on the freeway. When she finally got out of the recovery room she went up to the roof to get a breath of fresh air and call to check up on Ella.
"Hello."
"Hi, it's me," said Elizabeth. "How's Ella?"
"She's sleeping. Fever's still up around 100. Hasn't eaten too much, half a banana. Drank some juice and watched Beauty and the Beast."
"OK. Did she take the antibiotic?"
"With a little bribery," he chuckled. "A popsicle did the trick."
"OK. I'm being paged to recovery," she said, glancing down at the pager clipped to her scrub pants. "I will check in later. Bye."
"Bye."
Robert hung the phone up and peeked at Ella one more time. She was sound asleep on the couch. He wandered into the kitchen, not really hungry, more bored and restless than anything else. Dorothy had been to the food store a few days earlier but still there was nothing that caught Robert's eye in the refrigerator or the cabinets. He popped open a can of ginger ale and pushed the refrigerator closed with his hip. A few more minutes of wandering around the house did nothing to take the edge off his restless feelings. Had he been home alone it would probably be about time for a glass of scotch or two or three. But with Ella sleeping in the other room that wasn't an option. He opened the front door and walked out to get the mail. It was fairly warm, a nice change from the normally cold March weather. There was a hint of spring in the air, one that reminded Robert of little league games when he was a boy. He knew his days of playing baseball were more than likely over. And, although, except for an odd hospital softball game he hadn't played in years the realization hit him harder than he had anticipated. The arrival of Sports Illustrated magazine with its spring training feature didn't do much to help his mood. Flipping through the mail yielded nothing to get excited about, a few bills, a couple of store ads and something from his insurance company.
Robert went back in the house, pitching the soda can into the recycling bin in the corner of the kitchen. He tossed the junk mail in the trash and took the bills and the insurance thing to the library. As much as he didn't want to even look at the stack of stuff from the insurance company he decided now was as good a time as any to wade through some of it. The amount of paperwork that he'd amassed since the accident was staggering. Luckily for him, Margaret had offered to handle some of the filing and phone calls. But he still spent enough time on the phone, fighting with the insurance company. It had given him a glimpse into that part of the medical world he had never experienced before. And what he'd encountered didn't impress him at all.
After organizing the latest of the correspondence and paying some bills Robert heard Ella starting to stir. He got up and perched on the edge of the couch next to her. As he brushed back her curls her big eyes opened and she smiled at him. She crawled into his lap and snuggled against his chest. Her fever was up again and he knew it was time to try and get another dose of Advil and antibiotics into her. "OK, Miss Ella, here's the deal. It's time for more medicine."
"No," she cried and buried her face in his sweatshirt.
Robert took a deep breath, determined not to let a 2 year old get the best of him. "Yes, come on," he said as he stood up carefully. "How about a popsicle?" Ella just shook her head. Gretel followed them into the kitchen, curious to see what was going on. Robert set Ella in the high chair, figuring that containing her was the first step in successfully getting the job done.
Fifteen minutes later Robert had children's Advil and pink amoxicillin down the front of his sweatshirt and Popsicle dripping on his jeans but Ella had taken everything she needed and was picking at a peanut butter sandwich. With Ella in the high chair he took the opportunity to go find something clean to put on. Gretel stayed in the kitchen, keeping an eye on her friend. Dorothy had just done the laundry so he found a clean pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt.
Robert cleaned up Ella and set her free from the high chair. With each passing minute he found the house more and more confining. His options were limited as to where to go. He had his Jeep in the garage but no car seat so going out for a drive wasn't an option. "Ella, how about a walk?" he asked as he crouched down next to her. She headed for the front door so he took that as a "yes". Grabbing their coats and Gretel's leash they headed out the front door. Robert quickly realized that holding onto both the leash and Ella's hand was going to be a challenge. He put the loop of the leash around his right wrist and took Ella by the left hand. They walked around the block, stopping along the way to admire mailboxes, cars and anything else that caught the attention of Ella or Gretel. When they got back to the house Ella drank some juice and curled back up on the couch. Robert took the opportunity to quickly take her temperature and check her ear. Her fever was gone for the moment and her ear was still red.
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While Ella dozed Robert went to the kitchen to find something to make for dinner. When they'd gotten home from their walk there was a message from Elizabeth saying she was pretty sure she would get out of the hospital in time for dinner. Few people knew that Robert could actually cook very well. Every once in a while he got in the mood to cook up a storm and as a result of a recent cooking jag the freezer was full. After considering his options he took out some beef stew and thawed it in the microwave. When it was thawed he put it on the stove to simmer and made a salad. Cooking had become obviously more difficult with minimal dexterity in his hand but it was something he could do at his own speed, on his own time. Gretel wandered in and nosed at the cabinet that held the dog biscuits. "Just a minute," he said to her as he washed his hands. He got Gretel a biscuit and spent a few minutes petting her.
While Robert was getting dinner ready and Ella was resting Elizabeth was finishing up seeing patients in Recovery. She gathered her things together and headed for Robert's car. During the day she had experienced the giggles and whispers that she had expected when she showed up for work driving Robert's car. She didn't really know how that information got out as she was pretty sure Abby hadn't spread it around. But more than the teasing there was something else in the air in the hospital. She'd run into Donald and Kerry having what looked like a serious conversation in the cafeteria. A conversation that was obviously cut short when she entered the room. She tried to shake off the feeling but later found Kerry walking past Robert's office. Margaret wasn't at her desk at the time. His door was open, the cleaning staff was in there, and she saw Kerry go in and take quick look around. She came out and almost ran into Elizabeth. When Elizabeth asked Kerry if she wanted her to give a message to Robert Kerry all but bolted down the hall, crutch in hand. Elizabeth waited until the cleaning staff was gone and went back to Robert's office. Margaret was back at her desk and didn't blink an eye when Elizabeth asked to go in to his office. A quick glance at the desk offered no clues as to why Kerry had been there. She didn't leave a note about anything and she wasn't in there long enough to rifle through things. Not that Elizabeth could see any reason for Kerry to be snooping around Robert's office. Elizabeth tried to brush off the incident and saw no reason to mention it to Robert, at least not yet.
When she got to Robert's house she grabbed her things out of the car and walked to the front door. She froze when she put her hand on the knob. Should she knock, go right in? She laughed to herself, pushed open the door and called out as she stepped over the threshold. "I'm home," she yelled, the word home just coming out as naturally as could be.
Robert had been looking out the kitchen window and saw her pull into the driveway. The sound of her voice, as well as what she said, brought a smile to his face. He put the tray of rolls into the oven and quickly wiped his hands on a towel as he headed to greet her. As he hit the foyer a little streak of blond curls went flying by him, followed quickly by a mass of black fur. He wisely decided to let the "girls" bond for a moment as he leaned against the wall and smiled at the scene in front of him. It was one he could very quickly get used to seeing.
"Hello," said Elizabeth as she stood up after giving Ella a hug and patting Gretel on the head. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Elizabeth leaned in and gave him a slightly awkward kiss on the cheek. "Something smells wonderful," she said as she took off her coat.
"Beef stew, salad and rolls," replied Robert as he took her coat and hung it up on the hook in the closet. She dropped her tote bag on the landing of the stairs, picked up Ella and headed into the kitchen. "It'll be ready in about 10 minutes," said Robert as he walked alongside her, his right hand on the small of her back, "You want some wine?"
"Sounds lovely," she sighed as she toed off her shoes and kicked them into the corner.
Robert got a bottle of wine and the corkscrew. He put it down on the island and gave Elizabeth a weak smile. "Can you, uh..." he said motioning towards the bottle. It took Elizabeth a little longer than it should have to realize that he couldn't open it by himself.
"Oh, certainly," she said as she reached to picked up the corkscrew. Robert turned his attention back to the stove, tasting the stew one last time before turned it off. He got the rolls out of the oven and put them in a basket. He handed Ella the spoons and she put them on the table and then tried to push the high chair up to the table. Elizabeth poured the wine and put her daughter up into the chair. Robert put some milk in a sippy cup and brought the stew to the table, one bowl at a time.
Dinner was a little awkward. The conversation between Robert and Elizabeth didn't flow as easily as it had recently. Ella was cranky and just picked at her food. The only one who was enjoying the meal was Gretel, as Ella was tossing food from her tray. When he was done eating Robert cleared the table while Elizabeth loaded the dishwasher. The silence was becoming overwhelming. "Robert, is something wrong?"
asked Elizabeth as she put the last plate in the dishwasher and closed the door.
"No. I'm fine, I was going to ask you the same thing," he answered as poured himself another glass of wine. "Did something happen at work? Too much teasing about driving my car?"
"No. I mean, yes, there was teasing of course but nothing I couldn't handle." she said, clearly having more on her mind that she wasn't ready to say aloud.
"Lizzie?" he said quietly, prompting for her to continue.
She took a deep breath and contemplated how to put her feeling into words when Ella pulled on her hand, wanting to be picked up. "I'm going to take her up and get her ready for bed. Do you mind if I give her a bath?"
"Of course not. Use my bathtub." he offered as he handed Elizabeth her wine glass.
"I'll be down in a little while. We can talk then," she said as she reached out and cupped his cheek gently. Robert smiled a little and nodded.
While Elizabeth and Ella were upstairs Robert let Gretel out, locked the front door and poured another glass of wine for himself. He headed upstairs and into his room. The sound of Ella's laughing floated down the hall, bringing a weary smile to his face. He knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Come in," answered Elizabeth as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. Robert pushed the door open and snuck in. Ella was in her glory, splashing around the oversized tub surrounded by bubbles.
"Found the bubbles I see," he said as he sat on the edge of the vanity.
"Yes and I'm not even going to ask why you have bubbles for fussy babies." smirked Elizabeth.
"Well, apparently they work on fussy surgeons too," he said as he blushed a nice shade of pink. "Dorothy bought them a few months ago when I was having a really rough week. It was a joke but actually, I kind of like them," he said with a laugh.
Elizabeth turned her attention back to Ella and finished washing her hair. Robert stayed where he was on the counter, sipping his wine and absently kicking his feet against the door. When Ella was done with her bath he slid off the vanity and grabbed a big, fluffy blue towel for her. He wrapped her up and carried her into the bedroom while Elizabeth went to get her pajamas. Elizabeth found the two of them curled up in the chair. Ella was patting the top of Robert's bald head and giggling; Robert was trying to dry her off with one hand. Elizabeth rescued him and took Ella to get her changed. Robert grabbed his wine out of the bathroom and drained the glass. THe phone rang and he went to grab it as Elizabeth and Ella headed downstairs for some medicine.
Elizabeth didn't have better luck with the medicine than Robert had earlier. She put Ella to bed and grabbed some pajamas to change into as she had amoxicillin down the front of her shirt.
"Didn't have any luck either?" he teased as she entered the room as she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled away her hand, making a face. "YOu have it in your hair too?" he smirked.
"Yes," she sighed as she flopped down on the bed next to where Robert was sitting.
"WHy don't you go take a shower, get cleaned up a little," he teased. "I'll make something for dessert. Brownies?"
"Sounds lovely. I'll be down in a little while."
Robert smiled and stood up as Elizabeth headed for the bathroom.
Forty five minutes later they were sitting at the island in the kitchen, attempting to cut hot brownies, not an easy task. "So what really happened at the hospital today? Besides the teasing about driving my car?" asked Robert as he gave up and handed the knife to Elizabeth.
"NOthing else really happened, exactly. It's more like what stopped. I stopped whole conversations just by stepping into a room today."
"Between who?"
"Kerry and Donald, a few times actually," she answered, not ready to admit she'd seen Kerry snooping around his office.
"Things are in the air, things are lurking in the shadows," he said quietly, turning his head to look away. "I expect something big will happen in the next few weeks."
"What?"
"I don't know. But something's coming."
Elizabeth gave up on the cutting, put down the knife and got up to grab a pair of spoons. She opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream. "You think we need to bother with bowls?" she asked with a big smile of her face.
"Nah, just grab the ice cream scoop."
They polished off a good portion of the brownies with the ice cream and the remainder of the wine while they mused about what changes could be on the horizon. Their guesses ranged from the absurd, Robert getting sent to work the admit desk in the ER to the slightly more realistic, Robert being banned from setting foot in an OR, and about a dozen scenarios somewhere in the middle.
"So what are we doing tomorrow?" asked Robert as he put the bowls in the dishwasher and turned it on.
"I don't know. We'll have to see how Ella's doing in the morning. Why, you have any brilliant ideas?"
"How about dinner? I mean dinner, out...just you and me?" he stuttered as he sat back down on his stool.
Elizabeth just looked at him. For some reason an actual date with Robert seemed strange. She knew it shouldn't, after all they'd spent many nights together during the past few weeks. But they were still toeing that line. And to her, a date signaled a big shift in there relationship. Robert sensed her hesitation right away. "Look, it doesn't have to be some big thing. What I mean is, it doesn't have to be a big date. I'm not pushing you. I just thought a night out would be nice. I understand if you don't want to..."
She silenced him with a finger against his lips. "Dinner sounds lovely. I'll call Kris in the morning and see if she can watch Ella."
"I have a better idea. Why don't I call Dorothy? She'd love to watch her."
"Are you sure Robert. I don't want to impose on your housekeeper."
"She adores Ella, you've seen the two of them. They'll have fun. Dorothy usually comes over Sunday night for a few hours anyway, to get things ready for the week."
"You mean, clean up the mess you've made over the weekend?" teased Elizabeth.
"Something like that," he admitted.
"Well, it's not too bad around here at the moment," mused Elizabeth with a yawn as she glanced around the room and down the hall.
"Why don't you go to bed? You've had a long day and you're exhausted," suggested Robert sweetly.
"I think I will. Are you going to stay up for a while?"
"Probably. I'll check on Ella before I come to bed."
"Thank you. Good night," she said as she kissed his cheek.
Robert wandered around the house for a while until he got tired of holding his arm up. By the end of the day it just ached if he let it swing freely. He was wearing sweatpants so he couldn't just tuck his hand in his pocket like he usually did and he was too lazy to find a sling. So he ended up in the chair in the library in front of the fire. The scenarios that he and Elizabeth had joked about over dessert ran through his head. He knew there were one or two likely versions somewhere in that list. He contemplated his options as he sat in the shadows. Finally, a little after midnight he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He went upstairs, downed three Advil and brushed his teeth before crawling into bed.
**************
All four inhabitants of Robert's house slept until 8 the next morning. Gretel was the first one up. She got up and went to check on Ella. She stuck her nose through the bars of the crib much to the delight of Ella who'd woken up when she heard the door creak open. She reached out and patted Gretel. "Doggy, doggy," she giggled as Gretel licked her hand.
Robert woke up to the sound of Ella's laughter. He crept out of bed, leaving Elizabeth to sleep a while longer. After quickly using the bathroom he went to release her from the confines of the crib. "Wob, Wob," she called as she saw him come into the room. Reaching in and scooping her up out of the crib Robert was rewarded with a big hug and kiss.
"Come on Miss Ella. How about breakfast?" he said as he reached to grab a diaper. She nodded her head. Robert managed to change the diaper quickly before she had a chance to protest. They headed downstairs, followed by Gretel.
Elizabeth found her daughter and her....her...whatever Robert was, eating scrambled eggs and drinking juice at the kitchen table when she wandered down the stairs a little before 9. She stood in the doorway and observed the two of them unnoticed for a few minutes. Ella was eating the eggs and toast; obviously she'd gotten her appetite back. Robert had his feet propped up on the chair opposite the one he was sitting in and he was reading the paper as he ate. It was quite the domestic scene, complete with a dog curled up in the corner of the room. Elizabeth looked down at her left hand as the light streaming in the window caught her engagement and wedding rings, sending sparkles on the nearby wall. She unconsciously covered the ring with her right hand as she walked into the room. "Good morning you two," she said with a grin. She walked to kiss the top of Ella's head. Ella handed her a rather mangled piece of toast, "No sweetie, you eat it," said Elizabeth as she handed the toast back to her.
"Where's mine?" teased Robert as he point to the top of his head. Elizabeth grinned and took a few steps towards him and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "There are more eggs on the stove. They should still be hot. Let me get it for you." he said as he pulled his feet off the chair.
"Sit," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Relax. I can get it."
She got herself a plate of food and pulled out the chair opposite Robert, causing his feet to hit the floor with a thud. "Sorry," she said with a grin as she sat down. She read the front page highlights while she ate. Robert read the sports section and Ella tossed the remains of her breakfast piece by piece to a waiting Gretel. "More coffee?" she asked as he stood up with her own mug.
"Sure, thanks," Robert answered without looking up from what he was reading. Elizabeth poured two more mugs of coffee and cleaned up Ella. She set her down and Ella and Gretel headed off down the hall. Robert looked up from the paper long enough to smile at Elizabeth as she put his coffee down on the table. She grabbed another section of the paper and sat back down pulling Robert's feet up into her lap as she sat.
With the sounds of Ella and Gretel playing in the hallway they read the paper and sipped their coffee. Elizabeth absently rubbed his feet as her mind wandered away from the newspaper in front of her. She looked across the table to where Robert sat. He had his head down, arms resting on the table. With his right hand he was absently curling and uncurling the fingers of his left, something he did unconsciously with more and more frequency. As he became aware of Elizabeth's gaze he looked up and gave a weary smile as he stilled his fingers. "Let me," she said as she reached across the table and patted his hand. She got up and sat down in the chair next to him. Robert pushed the sleeve of his shirt up and held out his hand to her. Gently she picked up his hand and turned it over so it was palm down, frowning a little as she did. "Let me see the other one," she said as she motioned towards his right hand. Robert held it out to her, knowing what was coming next. Elizabeth ran her thumbs lightly over the backs of his hands, noting the difference between the two. "It's a little swollen this morning," she noted as she let go of his right hand.
"I had on sweats yesterday, no pockets. It swells if I don't elevate it a little during the day. I usually just tuck it into the pocket of my lab coat and I try to sit with it up for a while in the afternoon. But Ella had other ideas when I tried to do that yesterday," he explained. "It's no big deal," he added as he tried to take his hand back. But Elizabeth had a firm grip on it and rather than hurt himself he resigned to having her fuss over him for a while. As she gently manipulated his fingers he tried to act annoyed, but didn't even come close. Her touch distracted him from his reading so he pushed the paper away and propped his chin up in his right hand as he gazed out the window behind Elizabeth. With the gentle touch that came from being both a doctor and a mother Elizabeth's fingers moved over his hand and arm, relaxing the muscles. A small sigh escaped Robert lips much to the surprise of both of them. They chuckled for a few seconds. Their laughter brought Ella into the kitchen to investigate. She climbed up into Robert's lap and snuggled against his chest. Elizabeth patted his hand one last time and stood up to clear the table.
The three of them took Gretel for a long walk after they'd gotten dressed. Elizabeth pushed the stroller and Robert took a hold of the leash. He had put up a small protest when Elizabeth suggested that he use the sling but as they walked at a fairly brisk pace he was glad he'd agreed. Taking advantage of the unusually warm March temperatures they ended up at the park near Robert's house. It was crowded with other families doing to same. Gretel attracted a crowd and it was clear to Elizabeth that Robert and Gretel were not strangers to the park scene. It lead her to believe his soft spot for children extended far beyond her own daughter.
Ella dozed off in the stroller as the circled the lake in the middle of the park. As they completed their lap Elizabeth spied a coffee shop across the street. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked as she pointed towards the shop.
"Sounds good," said Robert as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out some money. "Here, hazelnut with milk and sugar, real sugar not that fake crap you like," he teased. Elizabeth headed across the street while he pushed the stroller towards a bench and sat down to wait. Gretel lay at his feet, watching the ducks that were wandering down by the lake.
As Elizabeth waited for the light to change she watched Robert as he sat on the bench. He was slumped down a little, legs stretched out in front of him, left arm resting against his chest. There was a general air of contentment to his posture, for the first time in a long time. Elizabeth approached the bench as he turned his attention towards Ella who had started to stir a bit. Robert rocked the stroller a bit with his foot and she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. "Here," she said as she handed him one of the styrofoam cups, "I got some cookies too," she added as she motioned for him to grab the bag she had tucked under her arm. "So about dinner tonight, where are we going?" she asked as she took a small sip, trying not to burn her tongue.
"Anywhere you want. Doesn't matter to me," replied Robert as he peeked in the bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. "If you want to get all dressed up and stay out all night dancing fine with me," he teased, knowing that wouldn't be her first choice. Not that the idea of getting all dressed up and escorting Elizabeth to one of Chicago's finest eateries was all that bad, it just wasn't what either of them wanted at the moment.
"I don't think so," she said with a grin. "How about dinner at that nice Italian place by the hospital? Not too fancy, then we can, I don't know, walk by the lake, if the weather stays nice."
"Sounds perfect," said Robert quietly as he shyly looked away from Elizabeth.
They finished their coffee and cookies in silence, just enjoying the nice weather and each others company.
When they got back to Robert's house Elizabeth packed up her things and got ready to head home for a few hours. She put a dozing Ella in her seat while Robert let Gretel out in the backyard. He drove them home, declining Elizabeth's offer to come in for a little while. He knew she'd only asked out of courtesy. Deep down they knew that they needed a few hours away from each other. So he backed out the driveway and headed towards the hospital instead of just heading home.
While Ella napped Elizabeth wandered around the house, more than a little confused. At the beginning of the weekend she had been sure of what she wanted from Robert, a friendship, perhaps an unconventional friendship but friendship nonetheless. Someone who would hold her and not expect more, someone she could hold and not feel like she was leading him on. But somewhere between motor vehicle accidents, amoxicillin and walks in the park she was afraid her feelings were changing. And that terrified her.
As she wandered from room to room she came face to face with reminders of Mark at every turn, photos, his diplomas on the wall in the family room, some clothes that were still in the closet. She decided to take a long hot bubble bath, hoping to clear her mind and relax her body. Her mind didn't clear; instead it wandered in a direction that caused her to take a good look at her wedding ring. She tried to convince herself that taking it off was no big deal. It wasn't like she never took it off; she took it off everyday to perform surgery. And sometimes she took it off when she cooked or when she cleaned. But taking it off for dinner with Robert just seemed...slightly wrong. Yet she knew that hiding behind a thin gold band wasn't fair, to herself or to Robert.
Ella woke up as Elizabeth was getting out of the tub. She threw on her robe and got Ella out of the crib.
She got Ella a cup of juice and some toys to occupy her while she rummaged through the closet trying to decide what to wear to dinner. She tried on a few outfits and tossed them aside. The first two seemed too dressy, that last two made her look too....too uninterested, which she wasn't. But she didn't want to seem too interested. "This used to be easy," she muttered to herself as the reality of the situation hit her.
She was about to go on a date.
She was about to go on a date with Robert Romano.
She tossed aside the outfit she was currently holding and collapsed on the bed.
"Mommy sad?" asked Ella as she climbed up on the bed and patted Elizabeth on the cheek.
"No, honey, Mommy's not sad. Mommy's happy....I think," she sighed.
She settled on a long floral skirt and a sweater. She hunted through the closet for a pair of flats. She'd become a little self conscious of the height difference between herself and Robert. Yet another realization that freaked her out a little. "Why should I care if I tower over him," she mused under her breath. Why do I have to notice these little things, she thought to herself. Things like, the beautiful brown eyes, the perfect white teeth, the well-sculpted arms, the way his face lights up when he's with Ella, the vulnerable side he shows without hesitation, the way he accepts their relationship for what it is. "The list could go on and on," sighed Elizabeth.
While she sat down to do her makeup she felt a new sense of calm. It was a date and she could handle it. After she was satisfied with her makeup and hair she took a deep breath and pulled off her wedding and engagement rings. Mark's wedding ring was in the porcelain box on her dresser and she carefully placed her gold rings along side his.
Across town Robert was having a similar conversation with himself as he soaked in the tub, surrounded by the fussy baby bubbles, glass of wine in hand. Gretel was wandering in and out of the bathroom keeping watch on Robert and listening for the sounds of Ella. When his glass was empty and the bubbles were disappearing he got out of the tub and threw on his bathrobe. He ran his hand over his chin and pulled the electric razor out of the charger. Freshly shaved and wearing nothing but boxers he stood in the walk in closet having the same clothing crisis as Elizabeth.
He settled on khaki pants, dark blue sweater and his dark brown suede jacket. Out of all of the pieces of the outfit the one thing that caused the most difficulty was the shoes. He had nice boots he liked to wear with jeans and khakis but wasn't about to ask Elizabeth to tie his shoes for him. He put on a pair of dark brown slip on shoes he'd ordered from Lands End. They were nice, comfortable and a glaring reminder that he only had one good arm. After fighting with the buckle on his belt for 5 minutes he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he looked up after spitting in the sink he caught his reflection in the mirror, groaning slightly. The time he'd spent at the park, coupled with the hour he'd spent in the backyard tossing a ball with Gretel had caused the curse of nearly every red-head, freckles. Not much he could do about it, he mused as he smoothed down what little hair he had left and flicked off the light.
Dorothy let herself in the door as he stepped onto the landing. They bantered for a few minutes, she teased him about how nice he looked, he teased her about her new haircut. She went to put her bag in the kitchen while Robert paced around the foyer, more nervous than he thought possible.
He saw Elizabeth's car pull in the driveway and had to restrain himself from opening the door until she rang the bell. As he reached for the doorknob he heard Dorothy laughing from the kitchen.
********************
Robert tried to control the goofy grin that spread across his face as he opened the door. But there was no need to try and hide it; Elizabeth had the same look on her face. "Hi," they said at the same time. Robert knelt down and Ella launched herself towards him. She effectively trapped his left arm against his chest as she flung her little arms around his neck. He hardly flinched. His reaction did not slip by Elizabeth's radar. What feeling he did have in the arm was diminishing even more as the days went by. She hid her concern as she entered the foyer and kissed his cheek.
"Nice freckles," she teased.
"The red-headed curse. And by the way, how come you don't have them?" he smirked as he took her coat and tossed it over the banister.
Elizabeth just shrugged her shoulders as she followed Ella towards the kitchen. By the time she got there Ella was already eating cookies Dorothy had put out on the table. "Hello Dr. Corday," said Dorothy with a smile.
"Dorothy, please call me Elizabeth. I get enough of Dr. Corday at work. And thank you for watching Ella tonight. I'm sure entertaining 2 year olds is not in you job description." she teased.
"Two year olds, forty something surgeons, not much difference," teased Dorothy as she smirked at Robert who was leaning against the fridge.
"You're just hysterical Dorothy," remarked Robert dryly as a smile threatened at the corners of his mouth. "Are you ready Lizzie?"
"Yes. Dorothy, Ella's backpack is in the foyer. There are pajamas in there and some toys although I suspect she'd be content to play with Gretel."
"Dog, dog," called Ella when she heard Gretel's name. Elizabeth managed to kiss her daughter good-bye before she took off to find the dog.
Robert and Elizabeth left on their first real date as Gretel barked happily and Ella giggled from the hall. The drive to the restaurant was spent in comfortable silence with Elizabeth driving Robert's car. He hadn't put up a fuss when she'd held out her hand for the keys. Ever since they'd started spending lot of time together he drove very little, except to go to work. And even then he went to work with Elizabeth half the time. He'd thought about selling his Jeep. It was a stick shift and although he'd driven it once or twice since the accident, just around his neighborhood, he knew it wasn't the safest thing he could be doing. As the months wore on and the healing of his arm stalled he realized that driving it was quickly becoming unrealistic. As were many other things in Robert's life.
"Robert...Robert, we're here," said Elizabeth as she put the car into park. Robert rubbed his eyes ad broke free from the fog he'd been in during the drive. "Are you ok?" asked Elizabeth as she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek before she reach over to release his seatbelt.
"I'm fine," he said in a tone that was almost convincing.
They walked from the parking lot hand in hand. Dinner was very nice; a big chance from pizza with Ella or cold coffee in the hospital cafeteria. They split a bottle of wine, or more precisely, Elizabeth had a glass and a half while Robert finished the rest. His appetite, which for the last few weeks had been sporadic at best, returned for the evening Elizabeth noted. They lingered over coffee and chocolate cake for almost an hour, finally deciding to leave when they received the evil eye from their waiter who was clearly wanting to leave himself. They took the not so subtle hint and Robert tossed the money on the table. They left as they had entered, hand in hand.
The unseasonably warm weather had been lingering around Chicago for a few days now and like many other couples Robert and Elizabeth took advantage and headed towards the lake.
"Are you ok to walk or would you rather sit? asked Elizabeth as she pointed towards his arm, which was hanging limply at his side.
"I'm fine to walk," he assured her as he tucked his left hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed her left hand.
They walked for a while, dodging the bike riders and roller bladers who were also enjoying the break in the weather. Eventually Robert steered them in the direction of a vacant bench. They settled down side by side, facing the water. Neither felt the need to talk for a good five minutes.
Elizabeth shifted sideways to face Robert, tucking one leg under her and placing a hand on his shoulder. He sighed, the content sigh of a man full of good food and good wine as he stretched out his legs in front of him. He turned his head towards Elizabeth and she smiled at him as she gently cupped his chin in her hand. Like in the movies they were both so fond of, time stood still as they both licked their lips nervously. Robert held back on the urge to make the first move. He wanted their first real kiss to be something she initiated.
And two seconds later she did.
Contrary to all those movie scenes there were no big fireworks as their lips met. What there was was a complete sense that something in both their lives was right; something that was once lost was now found. By the time the kiss ended and reality set in they were both breathless and Elizabeth was quite teary eyed. "Don't cry, Lizzie," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.
"I can't help it," she said, through her tears. The shadows across her face hid her small smile and Robert began to fear the worst.
"We can forget this ever happened," he offered, silently hoping that wouldn't be the case.
She shook her head and pulled him into a hug. Closing her eyes against more tears she held him tightly. Robert ran his hand up and down her back as he lost himself in her embrace.
By the time Elizabeth pulled into Robert's driveway the wine had caught up with him and he was dozing even though it wasn't quite 10. "Robert...Robert, wake up," she said softly as she cut the engine and undid their seatbelts.
"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep on you. Not the most polite thing to do on a first date," he smirked as he leaned over to kiss her again.
"You are forgiven," she whispered as the kiss ended and she grabbed her purse.
A little tinge of disappointment went through Robert as he realized she didn't have her overnight bag and obviously wasn't planning on spending the night. But deep down he knew that was probably for the best. He didn't want to pressure her into anything. Not that he would ever consciously pressure her in any way, it was just that their relationship had taken a few steps forward that night and that was good. There was no need for things to progress by leaps and bounds; there was plenty of time for that.
Once in the house Elizabeth steered Robert towards the stairs and headed to the kitchen to look for Dorothy. She found the housekeeper sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a romance novel. "We're back. Is Ella asleep?" asked Elizabeth as she grabbed a glass and got a drink of water.
"Sure is. She is really adorable. Played with Gretel most of the night. Did you have a nice time?"
"Yes, dinner was very nice."
"Uh, Dr...Elizabeth, did you bring Dr. Romano home with you or did you have enough and throw him in the lake?" teased Dorothy as she rinsed out her mug.
Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "He polished off over half a bottle of wine so I steered him upstairs," she responded with a laugh.
"Ah, I see," Dorothy said as she moved towards the refrigerator. "Speaking from experience, here's a can of ginger ale and make sure he takes some Advil before he falls asleep," she explained with a smile.
"Just how much experience are we talking about?" asked Elizabeth curiously.
"Nothing to worry about. He has his moments, as you can imagine."
"I know," said Elizabeth. "So how long have you worked for Robert?"
"Almost 5 years. I've seen him at his best and at his worst. He's a very...he's a very complex individual," explained Dorothy, choosing her words carefully. "He keeps too much inside, for way too long. Eventually things come out, sometimes in ways that aren't always the healthiest. Hence my experience with a hung-over Robert Romano. Let me tell you, it's not a pretty sight," she said with a laugh. "But seriously, these last few weeks I've seen a change in him. And it's because of you and because of Ella. You're good for him, both of you."
"Thank you," said Elizabeth. "Things are somewhat complicated between us. I don't know what I want from him and he seems to be fine with that. I don't think he knows what he wants either. So I guess we're good for each other in some strange way. I have no idea where this is leading but I am enjoying it for what it is. Does that make sense?" asked Elizabeth, happy for someone to confide in about the situation with Robert.
"It makes sense to me. You're all happy at the moment so go with it. You never know what's lurking in the shadows."
"I know. I try not to think about that." sighed Elizabeth.
"You think something is about to happen?" asked Dorothy, her face showing concern for Robert.
"I do. But I have no idea what," admitted Elizabeth as she fingered the can of ginger ale, absently wiping off the condensation.
"Well, no matter what happens, he has you and Ella to help him through it." said Dorothy as she patted her hand.
"And you too," added Elizabeth with a smile.
Dorothy nodded and gave a weary smile. "I'm going to go home. You'd better get up there and get some Advil into him. I'll see you some time during the week, I'm sure. Call me if you need anything."
"Thanks," replied Elizabeth as she headed up the stairs with the can of soda.
Robert had managed to stumble into his room without turning one any lights. Elizabeth nearing tripped over his shoes on her way into the room. There was enough light coming in the windows for her to see him sprawled out on the bed. He was flat on his back, snoring softly. He'd somehow managed to get undressed, obviously letting things just fall to the floor as he did. Elizabeth tossed his jacket, sweater and pants on the chair and put his shoes in the closet. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. Opening the bottle of Advil she shook 3 into her hand and replaced the cap. "This should be interesting," she muttered to herself as she gently shook his shoulder. "Robert, wake up for a minute." He didn't flinch. Elizabeth resorted to turning on the light and shaking him again. "Robert," she repeated a little louder. He moaned a little and cracked his eyes open. "Come on, sit up for a minute."
"Why?" he whined.
"You need to take some Advil," she said as she took his right hand and pulled him up a little. "Here," she said as she handed him the pills and the can of soda. He got the pills into his mouth on the second try and washed them down with the ginger ale.
"Why are you still here? I thought you were heading home."
"It's 10:30, you've been asleep for 20 minutes," she teased as she pointed to the clock.
"Oh," muttered Robert as he handed the can back to her and crawled under the blankets.
"I had a really nice time tonight," she said as she pulled the comforter up under his chin.
"Me too," he said with a smile.
Elizabeth bent down and kissed him softly. She patted his left hand and turned out the light. "Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
As Elizabeth carried a sleeping Ella to the car she couldn't help but feel the chill in the air. Winter in Chicago wasn't over yet. As the trees cast shadows on the lawn she turned back towards the house and glanced up at Robert's window. Even after all that had happened over the weekend she was still no closer to knowing what she wanted. And that was fine with her. Apparently it was fine with everyone involved.
THE END
By Ginny (www.gkinneman.com)
Sequel to Darkness Falling
Pairing-Robert/Elizabeth
Spoiler warning for everything up to, but not including, The Advocate
Feedback is greatly appreciated
*********************
The next two weeks passed by fairly smoothly, all things considered. Robert reluctantly settled into a schedule of teaching and advising. He was outwardly calm about his situation, something that both surprised and worried Elizabeth. For the most part he was quiet and almost pleasant at the hospital, a welcome change for his long suffering secretary, Margaret. Spending time with Elizabeth and Ella was the high point of his day. The relationship between Elizabeth and Robert still toed the line between platonic and romantic and that worked for them. Neither was looking for romance at that particular time in their lives. It had been less than a year since Mark's death and Elizabeth wasn't ready to move on just yet. Robert was still emotionally fragile and more in need of a friend than anything else. So they had spent a few nights together each week, mostly just hanging out at one of their houses. Ella and Robert had a budding relationship much to Elizabeth's delight. Ella took to him as she had never taken to anyone, except her father. The feeling was mutual; Robert adored her and looked forward to spending time with her. It was clear Ella had him wrapped around one chubby little finger.
At the end of a long week Robert was in his office waiting for Elizabeth and Ella to arrive. He'd promised them pizza for dinner. He absently flexed his fingers to ward off the stiffness that settled in after a long day. As much as he tried to ignore the fact, his sensory function was still declining. But he held on to the slim hope that things would improve. He walked to his desk, grabbed the ever present bottle of Advil and shook 4 out. He took a bottle of water from the fridge and sat back down on the couch. A small knock on the door and a sweet little voice calling his name brought a smile to his face a minute later.
"Wob, Wob," called Ella, who at not quite two hadn't mastered the R sound just yet.
"Hey sweetie," he said, "Come on in."
Ella pushed the door opened and launched herself at Robert. Over the previous few weeks he'd become rather adept at maneuvering his left arm out of the way in the nick of time so she didn't land right on it. Once in a while he wasn't quick enough and he had to bite back a scream of pain. This time he had enough time to turn. He scooped her up with his right arm and set her down on his lap. He planted a kiss on her blond curls and she ran her hand over his bald head. Elizabeth had tried to discourage that habit but Robert assured her that it was fine.
"Where's Mommy?" he asked as he glanced out towards Margaret's desk. Ella pointed towards the door. Ella slid from his lap and toddled over to the basket of toys that was in the corner of the room. The basket that seemed to hold more and more toys with each passing day.
Robert walked to the doorway and leaned out. Margaret and Elizabeth were talking over coffee. "And where's mine?" he smirked as he leaned casually against the door frame, arms folded over his chest.
"You've had enough caffeine today," said Elizabeth.
"You haven't seen me all day," he pointed out.
"I don't need to, I know you," she smirked.
He was about to start whining when Ella appeared and tugged on the leg of his pants. He leaned down enough to pick her up in his right arm. She happily snuggled against his chest as he beamed. Margaret smiled as her normally arrogant, sarcastic boss stood there before her completely enthralled by a not quite two year old little girl. She smiled at Elizabeth and started to get ready to go home.
"Good night Dr. Romano, Dr. Corday, Ella."
"Good night," the trio chorused as the older woman headed down the hall.
"So, are you ready to go?" asked Elizabeth as she tossed the coffee cups in the trash. Robert and Ella both nodded.
A little before nine the three of them were heading towards Robert's house. Elizabeth was driving his car while Robert dozed in the passenger's seat. Ella had fallen asleep in the car seat, one that had magically appeared in the back seat of Robert's BMW a few days earlier. Robert had complained that he was tired of moving the seat back and forth from Elizabeth's minivan to his own car. Along with the car seat, Robert had picked up some other things too, some more toys for his house, some of Ella's favorite foods, apple juice, extra diapers and some Disney videos. It was just as important to him that Ella feel as welcomed as Elizabeth did at his house.
Elizabeth hit the remote on the garage door opener as Robert yawned and stretched. He gathered up the diaper bag, his briefcase and Elizabeth's tote bag while Elizabeth unstrapped Ella and took her out of the car. With Gretel at her heels she took the sleeping toddler upstairs and got her settled in the crib. Ella's arms went around the teddy bear she'd grown quite fond of as Elizabeth spread the blanket over her.
Downstairs Robert toed off his shoes, pulled out the tails of his dress shirt and unbuttoned it. He put on some water for tea and wandered around aimlessly while he waited for Elizabeth to come back down. Fifteen minutes later she found him sitting in the nearly dark kitchen, his hands wrapped around cup of tea, staring into space. It was in these unguarded moments that Elizabeth doubted his repeated declarations that he was "fine". She knew he wasn't "fine", he was lurking somewhere in the shadows between "fine" and "hanging on by a thread". She saw him wipe away a lone tear as she softly called his name so she wouldn't startle him when she came into the room.
"Hey," he said as he plastered a smile on his face and looked over his shoulder, "Ella's asleep?"
Elizabeth nodded and walked into the room.
"Do you want some tea?" he asked.
"No thank you, I'm fine," she said as she walked towards him. Robert turned his attention back to his tea as she came to stand behind him. As she put her hands on his shoulders he unconsciously flinched but Elizabeth didn't give up. She rubbed his shoulders for a minute as he finished his tea. "It's been a long week, why don't you go take a hot shower, relax a bit," suggested Elizabeth when she realized her hands weren't doing much to ease the tension she could feel coursing through his body.
"OK," sighed Robert as he slid off the stool and walked wearily out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Elizabeth frowned as she watched him go. She was glad he had the weekend off, he needed time to relax and more importantly, he needed time away from the hospital. Unfortunately he hadn't taken Elizabeth's suggestion that he take some time off. He was worried, and maybe rightly so, that taking time off would not go over well in the eyes of Donald Anspaugh. And so he was pushing himself too hard.
The hot shower did little to relax Robert. He was still restless when he went back downstairs to look for Elizabeth.
"Lizzie?" he called as he reached the landing.
"In the library," she called.
He found her curled up on the couch reading a magazine. She had her hair pulled off her face and the sleeves of her sweater pushed up. She looks adorable, he thought to himself as he entered the room and joined her on the couch.
"Feel better?" she asked.
Robert shrugged his shoulders and pulled the afghan off the back of the couch. He tossed it in his lap and held up a corner for Elizabeth. She took the offer and turned sideways to face him. Resting his head against the back of the couch he closed his eyes and tried to relax. Elizabeth ran her hand across his cheek as the flames from the fireplace cast shadows over his angular face. He smiled a little and leaned into her touch. "Do you want anything? More tea? Advil?"
Robert took a deep breath and turned his head a little to face her. "I think I'll take a sleeping pill," he said quietly. A look of surprise crossed Elizabeth's face, followed quickly by one of worry. "I'm fine. I just haven't slept well lately and I'd kind of like to get a decent night sleep so we can do something tomorrow," he explained. Elizabeth was on call the following day but they hoped to be able to take Ella out to do something at least for a while.
"OK. Are they in the bathroom upstairs?"
"Yeah, in the cabinet. I'm going to let Gretel out; I'll be up in a minute."
Elizabeth checked on Ella who was sleeping restlessly. She covered her back up and patted her back for a minute before grabbing her pajamas out of the dresser drawer. Robert had insisted that she bring some things over; he even cleared out a few drawers for her in the guest room. By the time she'd brushed her teeth and found the pills Robert was coming up the stairs. She put the pills and a glass of water on the nightstand on his side of the bed.
His side of the bed---a concept she was having trouble wrapping her mind around.
Robert sat down heavily and took the pill. He kicked off his slippers and pulled his legs up onto the bed. Elizabeth rubbed his back for a minute, trying to decide what to do. It was still pretty early and she wasn't exactly tired but Robert seemed to crave the company. As Robert was sitting in the middle of the bed she crawled up closer to the head of the bed to sit behind him. Tugging him by the shoulders a little she settled him against her chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Better?" she whispered.
"Much," sighed Robert.
They stayed that way for a good half an hour, neither saying much. As the sound of his breathing evened out and he dozed off Elizabeth carefully rolled him onto his pillow, gently propping up his left arm. She stayed for a few more minutes, watching him sleep. He did look exhausted and she really hoped he'd be able to get some sleep over the next few days.
Elizabeth went downstairs and logged onto Robert's computer, read and answered some email and did some mindless web surfing until just after midnight. She went back upstairs and climbed into bed with Robert, pulling the plaid comforter around both of them. He never stirred, thanks to the sleeping pill. Sleep came quickly to her and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
A little after 3 Elizabeth woke up to the sound of Ella crying. She went up to check on her, assuming Ella had just woken up in a strange crib and was a little upset. When she got to the guest room and turn on the small light on the dresser she found Ella sitting up and pulling at her ear, her curls damp and plastered to her head. Elizabeth plucked her from the crib and kissed her forehead. "Oh sweetie, you're running a nice fever," she whispered as she patted her back. Elizabeth walked into Robert's bathroom and sat Ella down on the counter, holding her there with one hand as she looked through the medicine cabinet, hoping for something other than an old fashioned mercury thermometer. Luck was on her side and she found an ear thermometer just as Robert came into the room.
"What's the matter?" he asked as he squinted against the harsh light.
"She's pretty warm and judging by the fact that she's pulling on her ear, I'd say a lovely ear infection."
Ella squirmed and held her arms out to Robert. He scooped her up and sat down on the edge of the tub. She whimpered as Elizabeth gently put the probe in her ear. "It's ok, sweetie," he whispered. "How high?" he asked as the thermometer beeped.
"100.8," sighed Elizabeth. "I have Advil in the backpack, you ok with her for a moment?"
"Of course."
While Elizabeth went to get the medicine Robert got Ella a drink of water and wiped her face with a cool damp washcloth. He carried her out to the bedroom and sat down in the overstuffed chair in the corner. She curled up against his chest and he put his feet up on the ottoman.
Elizabeth smiled at them when she came into the room. Ella took the Advil with a minimum of fussing. And didn't protest too much when Elizabeth used the otoscope to take a quick look in her ear.
"Well?" asked Robert.
"Looks like garden variety otitis media. I'll fill a prescription in the morning," she said as she put the otoscope on the dresser.
"Poor baby," whispered Robert as he brushed his lips over the top of Ella's head.
He waved Elizabeth off when she tried to take Ella from him. "Are you sure? You must be exhausted Robert, you took a sleeping pill," she said as she sat down on the ottoman, next to his feet.
"We're fine. She'll be out in a few minutes."
"OK, do you need anything?"
"How about a blanket and a glass of water."
Elizabeth nodded as she got up and grabbed the blanket of the end of the bed and tossed it over the two of them. She went into the bathroom and got him a drink. By the time he'd finished the water Ella was asleep and a few minutes later he wasn't far behind.
"Put her down on the bed," Robert mumbled as Elizabeth carefully lifted the sleeping toddler from his arms.
"I can sleep with her in the guest room," offered Elizabeth.
Robert shook his head and pointed towards the bed. With a shrug of her shoulders she settled Ella down in the middle of the big bed. Robert collapsed onto his side of the bed. Ella rolled towards him and snuggled into his side. With a grin Elizabeth got into bed. She kissed the back of Ella's head and wrapped her right arm over her daughter, resting her hand on Robert's hip.
************************
Much to Elizabeth's surprise Ella was still asleep when she woke up a little before 7 the next morning. She pressed her hand to her daughter's forehead. Ella was still warm, not a surprise to her. Robert was still out cold, snoring softly. She left the nice warm bed and went to take a shower in peace and quiet.
By the time she came out of the bathroom dressed in Robert's robe he was starting to stir. Elizabeth sat down next to him and ran her hand over his cheek. "Morning," she said with a smile.
"Morning. How's Ella?" he asked as he looked over his right shoulder at where she was sleeping.
"Asleep. Still pretty warm. I'll call the pharmacy when they open. You still look tired. It's only 7:30, why don't you go back to sleep?"
"And leave you running loose through my house?" he smirked as he settled back down on the pillow.
"I'll try to control myself," she said dryly as she tucked him back in.
As Elizabeth sat down in the kitchen with her tea and cereal she clicked on the small television that was tucked under the upper cabinets. She turned on the local news and her stomach dropped as she saw the camera pass over a massive pile up on the interstate. On cue her pager went off. She called the hospital back. She ran back up the stairs with the phone in one hand as she attempted to contact Kris, her nanny.
"What's up," asked Robert as he cracked one eye open as Elizabeth entered the room. She held up one finger to silence him as she waited for Kris to pick up. When she didn't answer Elizabeth tossed the phone on the bed. "Damn," she muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair and tied it up and out of the way.
"Lizzie, what is wrong," he asked as he sat up.
"Pile up on the freeway. I just got paged. Kris isn't home and I don't know what to do with Ella."
"Leave her here. She's perfectly fine. Call in a prescription, have it delivered and the two of us will hang out in our pajamas for the day."
Elizabeth just stared at him like he had three heads. Two weeks ago she wouldn't have imagined that she would be leaving her only child in the care of "Rocket" Romano. But now, she didn't have to give it much thought. "Robert are you sure?"
"Yes."
She tried to run through the other options in her head and came up with nothing. Since Ella was running a fever she couldn't go to daycare at the hospital. "Ok, then. Everything you'll need is in the guest room. You do know how to change a diaper don't you?" He rolled his eyes at her. "OK, she can have Advil when she wakes up. What's the nearest pharmacy?"
"Uh, Boyd's, the number in on a magnet on the fridge downstairs."
"I'll call and have it delivered. I'll call you when I get a chance. Page me if you need anything."
"Lizzie," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her down next to him, "I am not the 14 year old babysitter from next door," he teased. "I am an adult and no matter what certain people at the hospital think I am still a doctor. I can handle a sick toddler. We'll be fine, trust me." he said as he squeezed her hand.
"I know, I will," replied Elizabeth after taking a deep breath.
"Now, my car keys are on the table in the hall," said Robert as Elizabeth stood up.
"Car keys?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, car keys. You took the El to work yesterday, we drove here after dinner. There's no El station around here."
"Yes, right," said Elizabeth with a groan.
Robert laughed, "Yeah, I know, you driving up in my BMW with the "ROCKET" license plate is going to be quite a sight."
"That's not funny," she said, trying not to laugh herself. She dissolved into giggles and gave Robert a big hug. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Now go, I'll call you later."
Elizabeth stood up and kissed them both goodbye. She took one last glance at them before heading down the stairs.
As she pulled into the hospital lot Elizabeth automatically went to her own parking space. She got out of the car and started to walk to the door when she looked up to find Abby Lockhart standing there smiling at her.
"Good morning, Dr. Corday," she said, her eyebrows raised, as she glanced from the Elizabeth, to the car and back again.
"Uh, Dr. Romano's babysitting for Ella. And I didn't have my car with me because he drove last....." Elizabeth stopped short and instantly turned red.
"Dr. Corday, take a deep breath. It's none of my business," said Abby with a laugh.
"Abby, we're just friends. He's going through a lot and....."
"Dr. Corday, you don't have to explain anything to me." said Abby as they reached the door.
Elizabeth chuckled a little, "We're enjoying each others company and Ella adores him. For the first time in months I'm looking forward to things."
"That's nice," said Abby with a smile.
"It is," agreed Elizabeth as they entered the hospital. Abby headed for the ER and Elizabeth headed up to surgery.
Robert went back to sleep after Elizabeth left. He slept until almost 9 when Ella's whimpering and patting him on the head woke him up. She was feverish and miserable. He changed her and put on a pair of little pink sweats and a t-shirt. The Advil went down without a fuss and as they were coming down the stairs the delivery guy was at the door. Getting the antibiotics into Ella proved to be a little more difficult but Robert managed to find some popsicles in the freezer and he bribed her with an orange one. He got her to eat a half a banana and drink a cup of juice, in addition to the Popsicle.
He made himself a pot of coffee and poured a bowl of cereal. He ate while reading the headlines of the morning paper. Ella was content to play with the rest of the banana, mashing it into the tray of the highchair. When she began to fuss he washed her up and set her down. She toddled over to Gretel and patted her on the head. Robert cleaned up the kitchen and the three of them went into the library. Putting on a Disney video Robert got Ella settled down on the couch with a sippy cup of apple juice and the teddy bear. Gretel curled up next to the couch, keeping an eye on her new little friend.
The morning passed quickly for everyone. Ella dozed off and on. Robert got some reading done and took the opportunity to catch up on his rest too. Elizabeth spent the better part of 5 hours in surgery, trying to put back together the victims of the pile up on the freeway. When she finally got out of the recovery room she went up to the roof to get a breath of fresh air and call to check up on Ella.
"Hello."
"Hi, it's me," said Elizabeth. "How's Ella?"
"She's sleeping. Fever's still up around 100. Hasn't eaten too much, half a banana. Drank some juice and watched Beauty and the Beast."
"OK. Did she take the antibiotic?"
"With a little bribery," he chuckled. "A popsicle did the trick."
"OK. I'm being paged to recovery," she said, glancing down at the pager clipped to her scrub pants. "I will check in later. Bye."
"Bye."
Robert hung the phone up and peeked at Ella one more time. She was sound asleep on the couch. He wandered into the kitchen, not really hungry, more bored and restless than anything else. Dorothy had been to the food store a few days earlier but still there was nothing that caught Robert's eye in the refrigerator or the cabinets. He popped open a can of ginger ale and pushed the refrigerator closed with his hip. A few more minutes of wandering around the house did nothing to take the edge off his restless feelings. Had he been home alone it would probably be about time for a glass of scotch or two or three. But with Ella sleeping in the other room that wasn't an option. He opened the front door and walked out to get the mail. It was fairly warm, a nice change from the normally cold March weather. There was a hint of spring in the air, one that reminded Robert of little league games when he was a boy. He knew his days of playing baseball were more than likely over. And, although, except for an odd hospital softball game he hadn't played in years the realization hit him harder than he had anticipated. The arrival of Sports Illustrated magazine with its spring training feature didn't do much to help his mood. Flipping through the mail yielded nothing to get excited about, a few bills, a couple of store ads and something from his insurance company.
Robert went back in the house, pitching the soda can into the recycling bin in the corner of the kitchen. He tossed the junk mail in the trash and took the bills and the insurance thing to the library. As much as he didn't want to even look at the stack of stuff from the insurance company he decided now was as good a time as any to wade through some of it. The amount of paperwork that he'd amassed since the accident was staggering. Luckily for him, Margaret had offered to handle some of the filing and phone calls. But he still spent enough time on the phone, fighting with the insurance company. It had given him a glimpse into that part of the medical world he had never experienced before. And what he'd encountered didn't impress him at all.
After organizing the latest of the correspondence and paying some bills Robert heard Ella starting to stir. He got up and perched on the edge of the couch next to her. As he brushed back her curls her big eyes opened and she smiled at him. She crawled into his lap and snuggled against his chest. Her fever was up again and he knew it was time to try and get another dose of Advil and antibiotics into her. "OK, Miss Ella, here's the deal. It's time for more medicine."
"No," she cried and buried her face in his sweatshirt.
Robert took a deep breath, determined not to let a 2 year old get the best of him. "Yes, come on," he said as he stood up carefully. "How about a popsicle?" Ella just shook her head. Gretel followed them into the kitchen, curious to see what was going on. Robert set Ella in the high chair, figuring that containing her was the first step in successfully getting the job done.
Fifteen minutes later Robert had children's Advil and pink amoxicillin down the front of his sweatshirt and Popsicle dripping on his jeans but Ella had taken everything she needed and was picking at a peanut butter sandwich. With Ella in the high chair he took the opportunity to go find something clean to put on. Gretel stayed in the kitchen, keeping an eye on her friend. Dorothy had just done the laundry so he found a clean pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt.
Robert cleaned up Ella and set her free from the high chair. With each passing minute he found the house more and more confining. His options were limited as to where to go. He had his Jeep in the garage but no car seat so going out for a drive wasn't an option. "Ella, how about a walk?" he asked as he crouched down next to her. She headed for the front door so he took that as a "yes". Grabbing their coats and Gretel's leash they headed out the front door. Robert quickly realized that holding onto both the leash and Ella's hand was going to be a challenge. He put the loop of the leash around his right wrist and took Ella by the left hand. They walked around the block, stopping along the way to admire mailboxes, cars and anything else that caught the attention of Ella or Gretel. When they got back to the house Ella drank some juice and curled back up on the couch. Robert took the opportunity to quickly take her temperature and check her ear. Her fever was gone for the moment and her ear was still red.
*********************
While Ella dozed Robert went to the kitchen to find something to make for dinner. When they'd gotten home from their walk there was a message from Elizabeth saying she was pretty sure she would get out of the hospital in time for dinner. Few people knew that Robert could actually cook very well. Every once in a while he got in the mood to cook up a storm and as a result of a recent cooking jag the freezer was full. After considering his options he took out some beef stew and thawed it in the microwave. When it was thawed he put it on the stove to simmer and made a salad. Cooking had become obviously more difficult with minimal dexterity in his hand but it was something he could do at his own speed, on his own time. Gretel wandered in and nosed at the cabinet that held the dog biscuits. "Just a minute," he said to her as he washed his hands. He got Gretel a biscuit and spent a few minutes petting her.
While Robert was getting dinner ready and Ella was resting Elizabeth was finishing up seeing patients in Recovery. She gathered her things together and headed for Robert's car. During the day she had experienced the giggles and whispers that she had expected when she showed up for work driving Robert's car. She didn't really know how that information got out as she was pretty sure Abby hadn't spread it around. But more than the teasing there was something else in the air in the hospital. She'd run into Donald and Kerry having what looked like a serious conversation in the cafeteria. A conversation that was obviously cut short when she entered the room. She tried to shake off the feeling but later found Kerry walking past Robert's office. Margaret wasn't at her desk at the time. His door was open, the cleaning staff was in there, and she saw Kerry go in and take quick look around. She came out and almost ran into Elizabeth. When Elizabeth asked Kerry if she wanted her to give a message to Robert Kerry all but bolted down the hall, crutch in hand. Elizabeth waited until the cleaning staff was gone and went back to Robert's office. Margaret was back at her desk and didn't blink an eye when Elizabeth asked to go in to his office. A quick glance at the desk offered no clues as to why Kerry had been there. She didn't leave a note about anything and she wasn't in there long enough to rifle through things. Not that Elizabeth could see any reason for Kerry to be snooping around Robert's office. Elizabeth tried to brush off the incident and saw no reason to mention it to Robert, at least not yet.
When she got to Robert's house she grabbed her things out of the car and walked to the front door. She froze when she put her hand on the knob. Should she knock, go right in? She laughed to herself, pushed open the door and called out as she stepped over the threshold. "I'm home," she yelled, the word home just coming out as naturally as could be.
Robert had been looking out the kitchen window and saw her pull into the driveway. The sound of her voice, as well as what she said, brought a smile to his face. He put the tray of rolls into the oven and quickly wiped his hands on a towel as he headed to greet her. As he hit the foyer a little streak of blond curls went flying by him, followed quickly by a mass of black fur. He wisely decided to let the "girls" bond for a moment as he leaned against the wall and smiled at the scene in front of him. It was one he could very quickly get used to seeing.
"Hello," said Elizabeth as she stood up after giving Ella a hug and patting Gretel on the head. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Elizabeth leaned in and gave him a slightly awkward kiss on the cheek. "Something smells wonderful," she said as she took off her coat.
"Beef stew, salad and rolls," replied Robert as he took her coat and hung it up on the hook in the closet. She dropped her tote bag on the landing of the stairs, picked up Ella and headed into the kitchen. "It'll be ready in about 10 minutes," said Robert as he walked alongside her, his right hand on the small of her back, "You want some wine?"
"Sounds lovely," she sighed as she toed off her shoes and kicked them into the corner.
Robert got a bottle of wine and the corkscrew. He put it down on the island and gave Elizabeth a weak smile. "Can you, uh..." he said motioning towards the bottle. It took Elizabeth a little longer than it should have to realize that he couldn't open it by himself.
"Oh, certainly," she said as she reached to picked up the corkscrew. Robert turned his attention back to the stove, tasting the stew one last time before turned it off. He got the rolls out of the oven and put them in a basket. He handed Ella the spoons and she put them on the table and then tried to push the high chair up to the table. Elizabeth poured the wine and put her daughter up into the chair. Robert put some milk in a sippy cup and brought the stew to the table, one bowl at a time.
Dinner was a little awkward. The conversation between Robert and Elizabeth didn't flow as easily as it had recently. Ella was cranky and just picked at her food. The only one who was enjoying the meal was Gretel, as Ella was tossing food from her tray. When he was done eating Robert cleared the table while Elizabeth loaded the dishwasher. The silence was becoming overwhelming. "Robert, is something wrong?"
asked Elizabeth as she put the last plate in the dishwasher and closed the door.
"No. I'm fine, I was going to ask you the same thing," he answered as poured himself another glass of wine. "Did something happen at work? Too much teasing about driving my car?"
"No. I mean, yes, there was teasing of course but nothing I couldn't handle." she said, clearly having more on her mind that she wasn't ready to say aloud.
"Lizzie?" he said quietly, prompting for her to continue.
She took a deep breath and contemplated how to put her feeling into words when Ella pulled on her hand, wanting to be picked up. "I'm going to take her up and get her ready for bed. Do you mind if I give her a bath?"
"Of course not. Use my bathtub." he offered as he handed Elizabeth her wine glass.
"I'll be down in a little while. We can talk then," she said as she reached out and cupped his cheek gently. Robert smiled a little and nodded.
While Elizabeth and Ella were upstairs Robert let Gretel out, locked the front door and poured another glass of wine for himself. He headed upstairs and into his room. The sound of Ella's laughing floated down the hall, bringing a weary smile to his face. He knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Come in," answered Elizabeth as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. Robert pushed the door open and snuck in. Ella was in her glory, splashing around the oversized tub surrounded by bubbles.
"Found the bubbles I see," he said as he sat on the edge of the vanity.
"Yes and I'm not even going to ask why you have bubbles for fussy babies." smirked Elizabeth.
"Well, apparently they work on fussy surgeons too," he said as he blushed a nice shade of pink. "Dorothy bought them a few months ago when I was having a really rough week. It was a joke but actually, I kind of like them," he said with a laugh.
Elizabeth turned her attention back to Ella and finished washing her hair. Robert stayed where he was on the counter, sipping his wine and absently kicking his feet against the door. When Ella was done with her bath he slid off the vanity and grabbed a big, fluffy blue towel for her. He wrapped her up and carried her into the bedroom while Elizabeth went to get her pajamas. Elizabeth found the two of them curled up in the chair. Ella was patting the top of Robert's bald head and giggling; Robert was trying to dry her off with one hand. Elizabeth rescued him and took Ella to get her changed. Robert grabbed his wine out of the bathroom and drained the glass. THe phone rang and he went to grab it as Elizabeth and Ella headed downstairs for some medicine.
Elizabeth didn't have better luck with the medicine than Robert had earlier. She put Ella to bed and grabbed some pajamas to change into as she had amoxicillin down the front of her shirt.
"Didn't have any luck either?" he teased as she entered the room as she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled away her hand, making a face. "YOu have it in your hair too?" he smirked.
"Yes," she sighed as she flopped down on the bed next to where Robert was sitting.
"WHy don't you go take a shower, get cleaned up a little," he teased. "I'll make something for dessert. Brownies?"
"Sounds lovely. I'll be down in a little while."
Robert smiled and stood up as Elizabeth headed for the bathroom.
Forty five minutes later they were sitting at the island in the kitchen, attempting to cut hot brownies, not an easy task. "So what really happened at the hospital today? Besides the teasing about driving my car?" asked Robert as he gave up and handed the knife to Elizabeth.
"NOthing else really happened, exactly. It's more like what stopped. I stopped whole conversations just by stepping into a room today."
"Between who?"
"Kerry and Donald, a few times actually," she answered, not ready to admit she'd seen Kerry snooping around his office.
"Things are in the air, things are lurking in the shadows," he said quietly, turning his head to look away. "I expect something big will happen in the next few weeks."
"What?"
"I don't know. But something's coming."
Elizabeth gave up on the cutting, put down the knife and got up to grab a pair of spoons. She opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream. "You think we need to bother with bowls?" she asked with a big smile of her face.
"Nah, just grab the ice cream scoop."
They polished off a good portion of the brownies with the ice cream and the remainder of the wine while they mused about what changes could be on the horizon. Their guesses ranged from the absurd, Robert getting sent to work the admit desk in the ER to the slightly more realistic, Robert being banned from setting foot in an OR, and about a dozen scenarios somewhere in the middle.
"So what are we doing tomorrow?" asked Robert as he put the bowls in the dishwasher and turned it on.
"I don't know. We'll have to see how Ella's doing in the morning. Why, you have any brilliant ideas?"
"How about dinner? I mean dinner, out...just you and me?" he stuttered as he sat back down on his stool.
Elizabeth just looked at him. For some reason an actual date with Robert seemed strange. She knew it shouldn't, after all they'd spent many nights together during the past few weeks. But they were still toeing that line. And to her, a date signaled a big shift in there relationship. Robert sensed her hesitation right away. "Look, it doesn't have to be some big thing. What I mean is, it doesn't have to be a big date. I'm not pushing you. I just thought a night out would be nice. I understand if you don't want to..."
She silenced him with a finger against his lips. "Dinner sounds lovely. I'll call Kris in the morning and see if she can watch Ella."
"I have a better idea. Why don't I call Dorothy? She'd love to watch her."
"Are you sure Robert. I don't want to impose on your housekeeper."
"She adores Ella, you've seen the two of them. They'll have fun. Dorothy usually comes over Sunday night for a few hours anyway, to get things ready for the week."
"You mean, clean up the mess you've made over the weekend?" teased Elizabeth.
"Something like that," he admitted.
"Well, it's not too bad around here at the moment," mused Elizabeth with a yawn as she glanced around the room and down the hall.
"Why don't you go to bed? You've had a long day and you're exhausted," suggested Robert sweetly.
"I think I will. Are you going to stay up for a while?"
"Probably. I'll check on Ella before I come to bed."
"Thank you. Good night," she said as she kissed his cheek.
Robert wandered around the house for a while until he got tired of holding his arm up. By the end of the day it just ached if he let it swing freely. He was wearing sweatpants so he couldn't just tuck his hand in his pocket like he usually did and he was too lazy to find a sling. So he ended up in the chair in the library in front of the fire. The scenarios that he and Elizabeth had joked about over dessert ran through his head. He knew there were one or two likely versions somewhere in that list. He contemplated his options as he sat in the shadows. Finally, a little after midnight he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He went upstairs, downed three Advil and brushed his teeth before crawling into bed.
**************
All four inhabitants of Robert's house slept until 8 the next morning. Gretel was the first one up. She got up and went to check on Ella. She stuck her nose through the bars of the crib much to the delight of Ella who'd woken up when she heard the door creak open. She reached out and patted Gretel. "Doggy, doggy," she giggled as Gretel licked her hand.
Robert woke up to the sound of Ella's laughter. He crept out of bed, leaving Elizabeth to sleep a while longer. After quickly using the bathroom he went to release her from the confines of the crib. "Wob, Wob," she called as she saw him come into the room. Reaching in and scooping her up out of the crib Robert was rewarded with a big hug and kiss.
"Come on Miss Ella. How about breakfast?" he said as he reached to grab a diaper. She nodded her head. Robert managed to change the diaper quickly before she had a chance to protest. They headed downstairs, followed by Gretel.
Elizabeth found her daughter and her....her...whatever Robert was, eating scrambled eggs and drinking juice at the kitchen table when she wandered down the stairs a little before 9. She stood in the doorway and observed the two of them unnoticed for a few minutes. Ella was eating the eggs and toast; obviously she'd gotten her appetite back. Robert had his feet propped up on the chair opposite the one he was sitting in and he was reading the paper as he ate. It was quite the domestic scene, complete with a dog curled up in the corner of the room. Elizabeth looked down at her left hand as the light streaming in the window caught her engagement and wedding rings, sending sparkles on the nearby wall. She unconsciously covered the ring with her right hand as she walked into the room. "Good morning you two," she said with a grin. She walked to kiss the top of Ella's head. Ella handed her a rather mangled piece of toast, "No sweetie, you eat it," said Elizabeth as she handed the toast back to her.
"Where's mine?" teased Robert as he point to the top of his head. Elizabeth grinned and took a few steps towards him and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "There are more eggs on the stove. They should still be hot. Let me get it for you." he said as he pulled his feet off the chair.
"Sit," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Relax. I can get it."
She got herself a plate of food and pulled out the chair opposite Robert, causing his feet to hit the floor with a thud. "Sorry," she said with a grin as she sat down. She read the front page highlights while she ate. Robert read the sports section and Ella tossed the remains of her breakfast piece by piece to a waiting Gretel. "More coffee?" she asked as he stood up with her own mug.
"Sure, thanks," Robert answered without looking up from what he was reading. Elizabeth poured two more mugs of coffee and cleaned up Ella. She set her down and Ella and Gretel headed off down the hall. Robert looked up from the paper long enough to smile at Elizabeth as she put his coffee down on the table. She grabbed another section of the paper and sat back down pulling Robert's feet up into her lap as she sat.
With the sounds of Ella and Gretel playing in the hallway they read the paper and sipped their coffee. Elizabeth absently rubbed his feet as her mind wandered away from the newspaper in front of her. She looked across the table to where Robert sat. He had his head down, arms resting on the table. With his right hand he was absently curling and uncurling the fingers of his left, something he did unconsciously with more and more frequency. As he became aware of Elizabeth's gaze he looked up and gave a weary smile as he stilled his fingers. "Let me," she said as she reached across the table and patted his hand. She got up and sat down in the chair next to him. Robert pushed the sleeve of his shirt up and held out his hand to her. Gently she picked up his hand and turned it over so it was palm down, frowning a little as she did. "Let me see the other one," she said as she motioned towards his right hand. Robert held it out to her, knowing what was coming next. Elizabeth ran her thumbs lightly over the backs of his hands, noting the difference between the two. "It's a little swollen this morning," she noted as she let go of his right hand.
"I had on sweats yesterday, no pockets. It swells if I don't elevate it a little during the day. I usually just tuck it into the pocket of my lab coat and I try to sit with it up for a while in the afternoon. But Ella had other ideas when I tried to do that yesterday," he explained. "It's no big deal," he added as he tried to take his hand back. But Elizabeth had a firm grip on it and rather than hurt himself he resigned to having her fuss over him for a while. As she gently manipulated his fingers he tried to act annoyed, but didn't even come close. Her touch distracted him from his reading so he pushed the paper away and propped his chin up in his right hand as he gazed out the window behind Elizabeth. With the gentle touch that came from being both a doctor and a mother Elizabeth's fingers moved over his hand and arm, relaxing the muscles. A small sigh escaped Robert lips much to the surprise of both of them. They chuckled for a few seconds. Their laughter brought Ella into the kitchen to investigate. She climbed up into Robert's lap and snuggled against his chest. Elizabeth patted his hand one last time and stood up to clear the table.
The three of them took Gretel for a long walk after they'd gotten dressed. Elizabeth pushed the stroller and Robert took a hold of the leash. He had put up a small protest when Elizabeth suggested that he use the sling but as they walked at a fairly brisk pace he was glad he'd agreed. Taking advantage of the unusually warm March temperatures they ended up at the park near Robert's house. It was crowded with other families doing to same. Gretel attracted a crowd and it was clear to Elizabeth that Robert and Gretel were not strangers to the park scene. It lead her to believe his soft spot for children extended far beyond her own daughter.
Ella dozed off in the stroller as the circled the lake in the middle of the park. As they completed their lap Elizabeth spied a coffee shop across the street. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked as she pointed towards the shop.
"Sounds good," said Robert as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out some money. "Here, hazelnut with milk and sugar, real sugar not that fake crap you like," he teased. Elizabeth headed across the street while he pushed the stroller towards a bench and sat down to wait. Gretel lay at his feet, watching the ducks that were wandering down by the lake.
As Elizabeth waited for the light to change she watched Robert as he sat on the bench. He was slumped down a little, legs stretched out in front of him, left arm resting against his chest. There was a general air of contentment to his posture, for the first time in a long time. Elizabeth approached the bench as he turned his attention towards Ella who had started to stir a bit. Robert rocked the stroller a bit with his foot and she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. "Here," she said as she handed him one of the styrofoam cups, "I got some cookies too," she added as she motioned for him to grab the bag she had tucked under her arm. "So about dinner tonight, where are we going?" she asked as she took a small sip, trying not to burn her tongue.
"Anywhere you want. Doesn't matter to me," replied Robert as he peeked in the bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. "If you want to get all dressed up and stay out all night dancing fine with me," he teased, knowing that wouldn't be her first choice. Not that the idea of getting all dressed up and escorting Elizabeth to one of Chicago's finest eateries was all that bad, it just wasn't what either of them wanted at the moment.
"I don't think so," she said with a grin. "How about dinner at that nice Italian place by the hospital? Not too fancy, then we can, I don't know, walk by the lake, if the weather stays nice."
"Sounds perfect," said Robert quietly as he shyly looked away from Elizabeth.
They finished their coffee and cookies in silence, just enjoying the nice weather and each others company.
When they got back to Robert's house Elizabeth packed up her things and got ready to head home for a few hours. She put a dozing Ella in her seat while Robert let Gretel out in the backyard. He drove them home, declining Elizabeth's offer to come in for a little while. He knew she'd only asked out of courtesy. Deep down they knew that they needed a few hours away from each other. So he backed out the driveway and headed towards the hospital instead of just heading home.
While Ella napped Elizabeth wandered around the house, more than a little confused. At the beginning of the weekend she had been sure of what she wanted from Robert, a friendship, perhaps an unconventional friendship but friendship nonetheless. Someone who would hold her and not expect more, someone she could hold and not feel like she was leading him on. But somewhere between motor vehicle accidents, amoxicillin and walks in the park she was afraid her feelings were changing. And that terrified her.
As she wandered from room to room she came face to face with reminders of Mark at every turn, photos, his diplomas on the wall in the family room, some clothes that were still in the closet. She decided to take a long hot bubble bath, hoping to clear her mind and relax her body. Her mind didn't clear; instead it wandered in a direction that caused her to take a good look at her wedding ring. She tried to convince herself that taking it off was no big deal. It wasn't like she never took it off; she took it off everyday to perform surgery. And sometimes she took it off when she cooked or when she cleaned. But taking it off for dinner with Robert just seemed...slightly wrong. Yet she knew that hiding behind a thin gold band wasn't fair, to herself or to Robert.
Ella woke up as Elizabeth was getting out of the tub. She threw on her robe and got Ella out of the crib.
She got Ella a cup of juice and some toys to occupy her while she rummaged through the closet trying to decide what to wear to dinner. She tried on a few outfits and tossed them aside. The first two seemed too dressy, that last two made her look too....too uninterested, which she wasn't. But she didn't want to seem too interested. "This used to be easy," she muttered to herself as the reality of the situation hit her.
She was about to go on a date.
She was about to go on a date with Robert Romano.
She tossed aside the outfit she was currently holding and collapsed on the bed.
"Mommy sad?" asked Ella as she climbed up on the bed and patted Elizabeth on the cheek.
"No, honey, Mommy's not sad. Mommy's happy....I think," she sighed.
She settled on a long floral skirt and a sweater. She hunted through the closet for a pair of flats. She'd become a little self conscious of the height difference between herself and Robert. Yet another realization that freaked her out a little. "Why should I care if I tower over him," she mused under her breath. Why do I have to notice these little things, she thought to herself. Things like, the beautiful brown eyes, the perfect white teeth, the well-sculpted arms, the way his face lights up when he's with Ella, the vulnerable side he shows without hesitation, the way he accepts their relationship for what it is. "The list could go on and on," sighed Elizabeth.
While she sat down to do her makeup she felt a new sense of calm. It was a date and she could handle it. After she was satisfied with her makeup and hair she took a deep breath and pulled off her wedding and engagement rings. Mark's wedding ring was in the porcelain box on her dresser and she carefully placed her gold rings along side his.
Across town Robert was having a similar conversation with himself as he soaked in the tub, surrounded by the fussy baby bubbles, glass of wine in hand. Gretel was wandering in and out of the bathroom keeping watch on Robert and listening for the sounds of Ella. When his glass was empty and the bubbles were disappearing he got out of the tub and threw on his bathrobe. He ran his hand over his chin and pulled the electric razor out of the charger. Freshly shaved and wearing nothing but boxers he stood in the walk in closet having the same clothing crisis as Elizabeth.
He settled on khaki pants, dark blue sweater and his dark brown suede jacket. Out of all of the pieces of the outfit the one thing that caused the most difficulty was the shoes. He had nice boots he liked to wear with jeans and khakis but wasn't about to ask Elizabeth to tie his shoes for him. He put on a pair of dark brown slip on shoes he'd ordered from Lands End. They were nice, comfortable and a glaring reminder that he only had one good arm. After fighting with the buckle on his belt for 5 minutes he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he looked up after spitting in the sink he caught his reflection in the mirror, groaning slightly. The time he'd spent at the park, coupled with the hour he'd spent in the backyard tossing a ball with Gretel had caused the curse of nearly every red-head, freckles. Not much he could do about it, he mused as he smoothed down what little hair he had left and flicked off the light.
Dorothy let herself in the door as he stepped onto the landing. They bantered for a few minutes, she teased him about how nice he looked, he teased her about her new haircut. She went to put her bag in the kitchen while Robert paced around the foyer, more nervous than he thought possible.
He saw Elizabeth's car pull in the driveway and had to restrain himself from opening the door until she rang the bell. As he reached for the doorknob he heard Dorothy laughing from the kitchen.
********************
Robert tried to control the goofy grin that spread across his face as he opened the door. But there was no need to try and hide it; Elizabeth had the same look on her face. "Hi," they said at the same time. Robert knelt down and Ella launched herself towards him. She effectively trapped his left arm against his chest as she flung her little arms around his neck. He hardly flinched. His reaction did not slip by Elizabeth's radar. What feeling he did have in the arm was diminishing even more as the days went by. She hid her concern as she entered the foyer and kissed his cheek.
"Nice freckles," she teased.
"The red-headed curse. And by the way, how come you don't have them?" he smirked as he took her coat and tossed it over the banister.
Elizabeth just shrugged her shoulders as she followed Ella towards the kitchen. By the time she got there Ella was already eating cookies Dorothy had put out on the table. "Hello Dr. Corday," said Dorothy with a smile.
"Dorothy, please call me Elizabeth. I get enough of Dr. Corday at work. And thank you for watching Ella tonight. I'm sure entertaining 2 year olds is not in you job description." she teased.
"Two year olds, forty something surgeons, not much difference," teased Dorothy as she smirked at Robert who was leaning against the fridge.
"You're just hysterical Dorothy," remarked Robert dryly as a smile threatened at the corners of his mouth. "Are you ready Lizzie?"
"Yes. Dorothy, Ella's backpack is in the foyer. There are pajamas in there and some toys although I suspect she'd be content to play with Gretel."
"Dog, dog," called Ella when she heard Gretel's name. Elizabeth managed to kiss her daughter good-bye before she took off to find the dog.
Robert and Elizabeth left on their first real date as Gretel barked happily and Ella giggled from the hall. The drive to the restaurant was spent in comfortable silence with Elizabeth driving Robert's car. He hadn't put up a fuss when she'd held out her hand for the keys. Ever since they'd started spending lot of time together he drove very little, except to go to work. And even then he went to work with Elizabeth half the time. He'd thought about selling his Jeep. It was a stick shift and although he'd driven it once or twice since the accident, just around his neighborhood, he knew it wasn't the safest thing he could be doing. As the months wore on and the healing of his arm stalled he realized that driving it was quickly becoming unrealistic. As were many other things in Robert's life.
"Robert...Robert, we're here," said Elizabeth as she put the car into park. Robert rubbed his eyes ad broke free from the fog he'd been in during the drive. "Are you ok?" asked Elizabeth as she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek before she reach over to release his seatbelt.
"I'm fine," he said in a tone that was almost convincing.
They walked from the parking lot hand in hand. Dinner was very nice; a big chance from pizza with Ella or cold coffee in the hospital cafeteria. They split a bottle of wine, or more precisely, Elizabeth had a glass and a half while Robert finished the rest. His appetite, which for the last few weeks had been sporadic at best, returned for the evening Elizabeth noted. They lingered over coffee and chocolate cake for almost an hour, finally deciding to leave when they received the evil eye from their waiter who was clearly wanting to leave himself. They took the not so subtle hint and Robert tossed the money on the table. They left as they had entered, hand in hand.
The unseasonably warm weather had been lingering around Chicago for a few days now and like many other couples Robert and Elizabeth took advantage and headed towards the lake.
"Are you ok to walk or would you rather sit? asked Elizabeth as she pointed towards his arm, which was hanging limply at his side.
"I'm fine to walk," he assured her as he tucked his left hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed her left hand.
They walked for a while, dodging the bike riders and roller bladers who were also enjoying the break in the weather. Eventually Robert steered them in the direction of a vacant bench. They settled down side by side, facing the water. Neither felt the need to talk for a good five minutes.
Elizabeth shifted sideways to face Robert, tucking one leg under her and placing a hand on his shoulder. He sighed, the content sigh of a man full of good food and good wine as he stretched out his legs in front of him. He turned his head towards Elizabeth and she smiled at him as she gently cupped his chin in her hand. Like in the movies they were both so fond of, time stood still as they both licked their lips nervously. Robert held back on the urge to make the first move. He wanted their first real kiss to be something she initiated.
And two seconds later she did.
Contrary to all those movie scenes there were no big fireworks as their lips met. What there was was a complete sense that something in both their lives was right; something that was once lost was now found. By the time the kiss ended and reality set in they were both breathless and Elizabeth was quite teary eyed. "Don't cry, Lizzie," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.
"I can't help it," she said, through her tears. The shadows across her face hid her small smile and Robert began to fear the worst.
"We can forget this ever happened," he offered, silently hoping that wouldn't be the case.
She shook her head and pulled him into a hug. Closing her eyes against more tears she held him tightly. Robert ran his hand up and down her back as he lost himself in her embrace.
By the time Elizabeth pulled into Robert's driveway the wine had caught up with him and he was dozing even though it wasn't quite 10. "Robert...Robert, wake up," she said softly as she cut the engine and undid their seatbelts.
"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep on you. Not the most polite thing to do on a first date," he smirked as he leaned over to kiss her again.
"You are forgiven," she whispered as the kiss ended and she grabbed her purse.
A little tinge of disappointment went through Robert as he realized she didn't have her overnight bag and obviously wasn't planning on spending the night. But deep down he knew that was probably for the best. He didn't want to pressure her into anything. Not that he would ever consciously pressure her in any way, it was just that their relationship had taken a few steps forward that night and that was good. There was no need for things to progress by leaps and bounds; there was plenty of time for that.
Once in the house Elizabeth steered Robert towards the stairs and headed to the kitchen to look for Dorothy. She found the housekeeper sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a romance novel. "We're back. Is Ella asleep?" asked Elizabeth as she grabbed a glass and got a drink of water.
"Sure is. She is really adorable. Played with Gretel most of the night. Did you have a nice time?"
"Yes, dinner was very nice."
"Uh, Dr...Elizabeth, did you bring Dr. Romano home with you or did you have enough and throw him in the lake?" teased Dorothy as she rinsed out her mug.
Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "He polished off over half a bottle of wine so I steered him upstairs," she responded with a laugh.
"Ah, I see," Dorothy said as she moved towards the refrigerator. "Speaking from experience, here's a can of ginger ale and make sure he takes some Advil before he falls asleep," she explained with a smile.
"Just how much experience are we talking about?" asked Elizabeth curiously.
"Nothing to worry about. He has his moments, as you can imagine."
"I know," said Elizabeth. "So how long have you worked for Robert?"
"Almost 5 years. I've seen him at his best and at his worst. He's a very...he's a very complex individual," explained Dorothy, choosing her words carefully. "He keeps too much inside, for way too long. Eventually things come out, sometimes in ways that aren't always the healthiest. Hence my experience with a hung-over Robert Romano. Let me tell you, it's not a pretty sight," she said with a laugh. "But seriously, these last few weeks I've seen a change in him. And it's because of you and because of Ella. You're good for him, both of you."
"Thank you," said Elizabeth. "Things are somewhat complicated between us. I don't know what I want from him and he seems to be fine with that. I don't think he knows what he wants either. So I guess we're good for each other in some strange way. I have no idea where this is leading but I am enjoying it for what it is. Does that make sense?" asked Elizabeth, happy for someone to confide in about the situation with Robert.
"It makes sense to me. You're all happy at the moment so go with it. You never know what's lurking in the shadows."
"I know. I try not to think about that." sighed Elizabeth.
"You think something is about to happen?" asked Dorothy, her face showing concern for Robert.
"I do. But I have no idea what," admitted Elizabeth as she fingered the can of ginger ale, absently wiping off the condensation.
"Well, no matter what happens, he has you and Ella to help him through it." said Dorothy as she patted her hand.
"And you too," added Elizabeth with a smile.
Dorothy nodded and gave a weary smile. "I'm going to go home. You'd better get up there and get some Advil into him. I'll see you some time during the week, I'm sure. Call me if you need anything."
"Thanks," replied Elizabeth as she headed up the stairs with the can of soda.
Robert had managed to stumble into his room without turning one any lights. Elizabeth nearing tripped over his shoes on her way into the room. There was enough light coming in the windows for her to see him sprawled out on the bed. He was flat on his back, snoring softly. He'd somehow managed to get undressed, obviously letting things just fall to the floor as he did. Elizabeth tossed his jacket, sweater and pants on the chair and put his shoes in the closet. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. Opening the bottle of Advil she shook 3 into her hand and replaced the cap. "This should be interesting," she muttered to herself as she gently shook his shoulder. "Robert, wake up for a minute." He didn't flinch. Elizabeth resorted to turning on the light and shaking him again. "Robert," she repeated a little louder. He moaned a little and cracked his eyes open. "Come on, sit up for a minute."
"Why?" he whined.
"You need to take some Advil," she said as she took his right hand and pulled him up a little. "Here," she said as she handed him the pills and the can of soda. He got the pills into his mouth on the second try and washed them down with the ginger ale.
"Why are you still here? I thought you were heading home."
"It's 10:30, you've been asleep for 20 minutes," she teased as she pointed to the clock.
"Oh," muttered Robert as he handed the can back to her and crawled under the blankets.
"I had a really nice time tonight," she said as she pulled the comforter up under his chin.
"Me too," he said with a smile.
Elizabeth bent down and kissed him softly. She patted his left hand and turned out the light. "Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
As Elizabeth carried a sleeping Ella to the car she couldn't help but feel the chill in the air. Winter in Chicago wasn't over yet. As the trees cast shadows on the lawn she turned back towards the house and glanced up at Robert's window. Even after all that had happened over the weekend she was still no closer to knowing what she wanted. And that was fine with her. Apparently it was fine with everyone involved.
THE END