Chapter 28 – Another Head Aches, Another Heart Breaks

The next two weeks seem to fly by. Aside from work, Grace was kept busy with OB appointments and preparations for the baby's arrival. Romano seemed to embrace the hectic pace as it helped keep his mind from wandering into dangerous territory.

He was called in early one day to assist Corday with an emergency surgical procedure. As they worked feverishly to save the patient, everything that could go wrong did, igniting already smoldering tensions between the two surgeons. Romano's tone was particularly hostile and his sarcasm relentless as their tireless efforts were simply no match for such a severe injury. After pronouncing the patient and scrubbing out, Corday was intent on challenging Romano about his treatment of her in the OR and followed him into his office to pursue the matter.

"Robert! Robert! Don't you dare walk away from me!" She yelled, stomping down the hallway and into his office, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm not in the mood, Elizabeth. Take your contrived indignance elsewhere."

"No! It's time you face me, Robert. I won't stand for you treating me this way and then ignoring me."

"Look, this isn't some royal palace! I'm not going to kowtow to you just because you're the second best surgeon to ever walk these halls."

She glared at him "How dare you! You undermined my judgment in the OR by completely taking over, not to mention nearly knocking me down in the process!"

"Are you questioning my commitment to the patient's best interests? 'Cause that is not something you want to be doing."

"I'm simply saying that you had no right to treat me with such a complete lack of respect, regardless of the situation."

"I had every right. I run this place, or have you forgotten already? Look, he was dying, Lizzie, what would you have me do, wait for rigor mortis to set in?"

"You're going out of your way to be vindictive and don't think I don't know exactly where this is coming from."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend your malevolent behavior hasn't escalated since that day in the coffee shop. You're trying to push me away because you're afraid to admit I still get to you."

"You don't know anything about me." He scoffed and turned away from her.

Brazenly pulling him back around to face her, Corday completely shocked Romano by plunging her lips firmly against his with burning intensity.

Romano pushed her away quickly and forcibly. "What the hell are you doing?"

She stepped towards him more slowly and seductively, realizing the need to soften her approach. She looked deeply into his eyes with desperate craving, realizing a mere taste of the forbidden had ignited her desires. Determined to see the moment through, her blatant lust coupled with somewhat fearful anticipation, she embraced him once more. She was completely seductive and alluring, pushing herself against him as she could feel his willpower wearing down.

Romano responded briefly, but soon pulled away, angry for allowing her to take him off guard. "I'm not doing this, Lizzie."

"But you want to, I can feel it." She whispered breathlessly.

He did, he couldn't deny it. He had thought about little else for years, wondering what it would be like to finally have this fantasy fulfilled. "No, I don't." He lied. "Now get out of my office!" He barked.

She pressed up against him and sensually ran her hands down past the waistline of his scrub pants. "You're body isn't in complete agreement with your lips, Robert." She said grinning, as indeed, the room temperature wasn't the only thing beginning to rise.

"I will call security, Corday." He said, moving away from her.

"You can't deny…"

Suddenly the door opened and Grace walked in, and it was clear she had interrupted something, as Corday's face was flushed and the conversation had stopped mid sentence. Romano, cool as the proverbial cucumber, didn't even flinch while Grace quickly apologized for not bothering to knock.

"Sorry for barging in, but Brenda wasn't at her desk."

"Dr. Corday and I were done here anyway." He said determinedly, with his hands on his hips, prompting Corday to shoot back a fiery glare. "You're right on time for our meeting, Grace. Have a seat." He added, lying to cover up the reason for Grace's unexpected entrance.

"We can finish this later, Robert."

"No, actually I'm done discussing this with you, Elizabeth." Corday stormed off leaving Grace bewildered and wondering what exactly she had stumbled upon.

"You two seemed to be in the midst of something pretty heated?" Grace asked.

He shook his head. "Just a disagreement about a patient. Your timing couldn't be better. I was just thinking how desperately I needed to see you." His demeanor brightened immediately and he pulled Grace towards him, enveloping her lips with his own. As he continued to deepen the kiss, he held her tight, as though reluctant to let go of the moment.

"Well, I'm glad to see you too, but you just saw me a couple of hours ago."

"Seems like forever." He said quietly. "And since then it's been a lousy day. We lost a patient and…never mind. So what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know I'll have to meet you at home later. They asked me to stay a couple of extra hours today."

"Tell them the answer is no! Can't they find someone else to work overtime?" He stopped to answer his ringing phone and spent the next several minutes talking to an insurance agent, discussing an impending lawsuit against the hospital. He slammed the phone down as the call ended and rubbed his eyes. "I wish we could just get away from this shit." He sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Get the hell away from this hospital, this city. Just take a break from everything and leave the chaos behind." He said, looking wistfully out the window.

"You thrive on the turmoil. Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know." He said, shaking his head, looking somewhat defeated.

"You just need a good rest. Why don't I give you a back rub when I get home later?"

"And that's another thing. Why do you insist on working so close to your due date? Tell them you're starting mat leave at the end of this week."

"I'm okay, I feel fine. Besides if anything happens at least I'm in good hands down in the ER."

"That's debatable." He scoffed.

"Well I have to stay late tonight, they're trying to keep me here for my surprise baby shower." She grinned.

"So they can't even manage to get that right?"

"They mean well. Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to it. Anyway, when I get home I was thinking you could help me put the crib together."

"I thought we paid the store to do that? I do not aspire to be a Toys R Us flunky."

"I don't know, you've always been good with your hands." She cooed. "Come on, it'll be fun. It won't belong before your offspring makes a grand entrance and I don't want to be caught unprepared."

He just stared at her, feeling frustrated over the encounter with Corday and his mind raced off in a million different directions. "I don't know if I can do this, Grace."

"I promise I won't hold it against you if you can't assemble a crib. Lucky for you, you do have other redeeming qualities." She grinned.

"No, I mean…I don't know if I'm cut out for all this…Daddy duty."

Grace stared at him intently and folded her arms across her chest. "You're not just talking about baby furniture are you?" His hesitation caused Grace to pounce. "It's a bit late in the game to spring this on me, don't you think?" Grace looked towards the door and then back at Romano. "Wait a minute, all this is about her, isn't it? You see the baby's impending arrival as the door closing on any chance of being with your precious 'Lizzie'."

"No…" He said shaking his head emphatically and placing his hands on his hips. "That is not what this is about, Grace. Why on earth do you insist on dredging this up again?"

"Don't patronize me, Robert. I think it's pretty obvious. What did I walk in on, exactly? From the expression on her face, it looked as though I'd almost caught you both doing something inappropriate."

"Well, if yelling at a disagreeable, petulant surgeon is inappropriate, then my behavior is certainly not news to you."

"Fine. You want to be in denial, go right ahead." She said, making way for the door. "I on the other hand don't have that luxury since I have a constant reminder of what my future holds. But do me a favor, if I can't count on you then just say the word!"

"You're blowing this way out of proportion. Look, I admit this is becoming a little overwhelming, thinking about how our entire lives are going to change. I thought you would understand what I'm talking about, but I guess I made the mistake of trying to be honest with you about it."

"Oh, so now it's my fault for not being understanding? How inconsiderate of me to ignore your feelings, seeing as you're the only one affected by this. You can be such a jackass, Robert. You think I'm not scared? You think I don't worry that neither one of us has a clue about being a parent and that we're probably both insane for bringing a child into this world? Every time Social Services deals with another delinquent, dysfunctional kid in the ER, I pray I won't let my child down the way so many parents do. I thought at the very least, we could feel our way around in the dark together." As she glanced up at the clock she added, "Great, now I'm late. I've got to get back downstairs."

"Gracie, don't." He softened, taking her hand and gently stroking it. He tried to pull her towards him to offer a reassuring embrace, but she held her ground. He smiled as he tried once again unsuccessfully to move her closer to him, which prompted Grace to concede a small grin as well.

"Good luck, Romano. I probably outweigh you two to one these days."

He relented and stepped towards her, and kissed her softly on the lips. She conceded a smile and he pulled her into a more sensuous kiss that immediately ignited her carnal appetite. He ran his hands through her hair and she moaned audibly as he increased his intensity, causing her to take hold of him firmly and possessively.

"You know how I feel about you, Grace." He said, closing his eyes briefly as he was reminded of just how much she meant to him and how easily it might be for him to lose it all. "You do know, don't you? Jesus, it's all I can do not to take you right here and now…and I admit, I'm feeling a bit selfish. I want you all to myself, without any distractions. Is that too much to ask?"

"I'd hardly call a child a distraction. Look, I don't blame you for having cold feet. If mine weren't so swollen these days, they'd be paralyzed with fear too. But you've never mentioned anything like this before and I can't help wonder if it's more than just a slight coincidence that you're suddenly voicing doubts now, since she came back."

"I just don't want us to become like all those other people. You know, the kid shows up and the next thing they know they turn into a couple of babbling idiots."

"That won't happen to us, Robert. We won't let it."

"How can you be sure?"

"Hey, look at me." She said, cupping his cheek and turning him to face her. "It's just you and me, right here and right now, and the rest of the world can go to hell for all I care. Nothing can change what we have, Robert. Not if we don't let it."

He smiled at Grace and relaxed a little. "You always know exactly what to say, and what I need."

"Not always." She winked. "Look, you've been burning the candle at both ends lately, but you finally have a new surgeon to help with some of the workload. Hard to believe, but this place can run without you. You need to let go of a few things, stop trying to micro manage this place and take some time off to recharge your battery."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Physician heal thyself. Do you want me to hang around and drive you home after your big surprise party?"

"No, I think you should go home and try to relax and get your mind off this place. I'm sure Haleh or Lydia can give me a ride. I'll see you later, okay?" She grinned seductively as she walked out of his office.

After Grace left, Romano was alone with his thoughts, processing both the intense guilt of having Grace nearly catching him with Corday and the pure undeniable excitement of how it felt to finally kiss her.

Son of a bitch! He thought. With Grace ready to give birth nearly any day, Corday had absolutely brutal timing showing up here, finally admitting she had feelings for him. He was angry at Corday and furious with himself for letting things become so complicated.


After finishing the rest of the day without having to endure another encounter with Corday, he looked forward to going home more than ever before. Home to his penthouse suite where he could wash away the stresses of the day and be alone with Grace.

When he arrived home, the apartment was dark, but laced with the glow from a few candles. Soft music played and he smiled, realizing Grace must have come home early after all. She always knew just what he needed.

Near the window, he could see a figure, silhouetted by the moonlight and candles and suddenly realized this was not his Grace, nine months pregnant, but someone taller and much slimmer.

"Elizabeth?"

"In the flesh." She said as she approached.

"How the hell did you get in here and more importantly, why are you here?"

"You know why. We both want this – you've always wanted this and you know I won't take no for an answer this time."

"Well, you'll just have to."

"I don't think so." She said.

"This is unfucking believable, Elizabeth!"

As she pushed up against him, he could feel the warmth from her soft skin and the caress of the silky negligee that left very little to the imagination. As she kissed him impetuously, he tried to fight it, but he momentarily ignored his inner voice and continued to oblige her seduction. The softness of her touch and the smell of her hair reminded him of a time when he wanted nothing else in this world. And then as though he'd been hit with a bolt of lightning, he realized this was not what he wanted now. In his heart of hearts, he knew it was Grace whom he loved and that what he felt for Corday was just what it has always been…a fantasy relationship that he'd built up in his mind. What he had with Grace was real and powerful and much more fulfilling than anything he'd ever imagined with Corday.

As he took hold of her by the arms and pushed her away, he said determinedly, "You have to go. I won't do this to Grace."

"Grace? She's the one you're in love with? I was sure you'd made that whole thing up, just to protect your pride." After pausing for a moment she added, "Well it doesn't matter, because I know you want me more. Whatever you think you feel for Grace is just your way of settling for second best, because you didn't think I was available, until now."

"You couldn't be more wrong. Grace is so beautiful. She's giving, she's smart and sexy, and if all that wasn't enough, she loves me…for all my extremes. I'm the luckiest man alive to have her in my life and for Christ sakes Lizzie, she's about to have my baby!"

That bombshell seemed to stop Corday dead in her tracks. "You're the father? I don't believe it!"

"Well, just goes to show you what the love of a good woman can do. Now, can you please put some clothes on and leave before you humiliate yourself further?"

As the door opened and the lights flicked on, Grace came face to face with a quite an eyeful.

"So it's true. I fucking knew it. I was right all along."

"No, you're not. Elizabeth was just leaving."

"Looks to me like you're just getting started. Would you like me to go out and come back later?" She said icily. This déjà vu experience was nearly identical to the scene she'd walked in on not so many years ago. But this time the crushing blow was much more devastating and unmistakably tearing apart her very soul.

"This is not what it looks like, Grace. This is all just a big misunderstanding." Romano added as Corday ran to put her clothes on.

"I knew you were never really over her." Grace said as the tears began to flow. "I ignored my instincts and I kept telling myself I could trust you not to let me down."

As Romano approached her, Grace dropped her gifts from the baby shower and raised her arms to push him away.

"How could you? You son of a bitch!" She yelled, now pounding her arms into his chest as tears poured down her face. "You even pretended to be concerned that I was working late when all along it just played into your sordid little plan!" As she continued to break down, letting weeks of pent up emotion pour out, she suddenly doubled over with a sharp pain. "Oh, God!"

"Gracie, are you okay?" Robert said.

"Don't touch me! I don't ever want you touching me again!"

Corday emerged from the bathroom looking completely mortified and started to leave when another wave hit Grace.

"Oh my God! Ohhhh!" Grace yelled as she slumped down on the floor.

"How long has this been going on?" Corday asked as she placed her hand on Grace's abdomen to feel the strength of the contraction.

"Not long. My back's been sore all day, but it's been like that a lot lately. These pains just started to intensify since…Oh Jesus Christ!" She screamed and her water broke, all over the immaculate white carpet.

"We should get her to the hospital, Robert. She's definitely in active labor." Corday said.

Her tear-stained face could not hide the inner fury boiling inside. "Oh this cute. My boyfriend and his lover sharing a ride with me to the hospital. This will make a great story for the baby book." Corday tried to help her focus on her breathing while Romano frantically drove them all to the ER.