House Of Cards
This ones for you Lorraine. Hope it brings some cheer when you get to read it xx
And thank you to IlikebigficsIcannotlie for the inspirational link to Paul McCrane pics that sped up this chapter by a whole day, I kid you not!
Chapter Ten -
Robert's earlier optimism about the day being a good one had quickly turned sour as soon as he'd arrived at work. The ER refurbishment was taking up almost all of his attention and Kerry seemed only too happy to have relinquished any and all responsibility regarding the project. After an hour of what he saw as avoidable chaos, he'd actually asked if she was feeling okay, only for her to burst into tears on him. Not wanting to deal with a wet Weaver on top of everything else, he'd told her to take a personal day and sort herself out.
Subsequently, his continued presence in the ER then led his minions to think he conveniently now worked there. He couldn't go more than five minutes without being asked stupid questions, or be bugged for his signature. This misguided belief was further reinforced after a gurney, on which Susan Lewis straddled a patient doing chest compressions, was pushed past him. She'd yelled out for his help and he'd found himself suddenly manhandled into the trauma room by Chuny, who had him gowned and gloved before he even knew what hit him. On reflex, he went to work, and when Anspaugh appeared minutes later, he thought he was in for it, but Donald had simply watched him at work. He'd correctly assessed the man required bypass surgery, and handed him off to Donald who signed off on the paperwork.
"Walk with me," Donald had said as Robert removed his gown and Robert felt a bollocking coming his way. Susan caught his eye, and mouthed what he supposed was a silent apology. They followed Malik, who pushed the gurney out off the trauma room towards the elevator and the elder surgeon turned to face Robert with his arms crossed.
"Thank you Malik, I can take him up from here."
Malik happily nodded and didn't look back as he quickly headed away from them.
"Look, I know I'm not cleared for consults, I just kind of got sucked into it," Robert started in his defence. "Don't worry, I don't have any delusions I'll be returning to surgery."
Donald help up a hand to stop him. "Relax Robert, that was good work in there."
"Oh. Err, thanks," he mumbled, surprised he wasn't getting a strip torn off him.
"You seem to be making excellent progress of late with your recovery. It's going well I take it?"
Robert tried to stop his eyebrows drifting upwards. "Yeah," he said and lifted his left hand up to form a fist, which he opened and closed again, wiggling the fingers. "Never going to be what is was, but I'm told 70% is a realistic outcome."
Donald nodded approvingly. "Well, while you're down here, I see no reason why you can't use your expertise, so long as you remember that fact."
The elevator doors opened and Robert helped push the gurney in. "I think we need to maybe have a chat. I'll schedule a meeting and get back to you," Donald said as the doors closed on him.
Robert stared at the closed doors and didn't move, not quite sure what to make of that. He sensed someone behind him and turned to find Susan standing there.
"Sorry," she said. "Did I land you in it?"
"You've landed me in something, I just don't know what that something is yet."
After that incident, they seemed to think he was fair game and sucked him into two more traumas. He didn't actually mind too much, secretly happy to actually do some doctoring, but he made sure to loudly communicate they were taking advantage of his good self. Upon extracting himself once again, he turned his attention back to the refurbishment and was pleasantly surprised to see Haleh had taken charge in his absence. A lot of the changes being made were a direct result of some excellent suggestions she'd made during the day he'd spent shadowing her. Obviously happy to see her vision taking shape, he figured she must see the remodel as her brainchild. He watched for another minute or so, noting how adept she was at harrying the workmen along in a more convivial manner than he himself could muster. A thin, temporary harmony had since settled over the ER.
"Haleh," he called out as he approached her, waving his hand to encompass the efficient bustle of activity going on around them. "How'd you do that?"
"I'm a mother of boys," she said, shrugging. "It's no different to getting them to tidy their rooms."
He grinned at her and swiped up a hard hat from off a nearby box. "Consider yourself deputised as my assistant," he said and placed the hat on her head.
"Ahemmm," she snorted, and crossed her arms. "And does that come with extra pay?"
"What? Where's your sense of duty?"
She smirked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine. I'll arrange a nice, fat bonus for you, but I want to see results. Deal?"
Haleh grinned and accepted his proffered hand. "Deal.
"Excellent," he said, pleased he'd now be able to steal away and meet Elizabeth. "Well in that case, I'm going for a late lunch and you're in charge."
With the day beginning to look up again he confirmed a time with Elizabeth and went to get changed. The change of heart lasted until he met her outside and realised where exactly she was taking him as they crossed the street.
"You know Lizzie, when you said you'd buy me lunch, I was hoping for a bit more than this dump," Robert whinged as he held the door open for her.
"Well, you're the one who said you could only spare me thirty minutes for lunch," she said, and he thought he detected a snippy tone.
Robert followed her in and quickly scanned the place. He spotted an empty booth and started to head over, but Elizabeth's hand tugged him back.
"No, let's sit over there," she said pointing at two free stools by the counter. He held his hand out in protest, pointing at the booth. "But, its.."
"I want to sit there," she said forcefully and made for the stools.
He pulled a childish face at the back of her head, then sat down next to her and grumpily picked up the laminated menu. Wearing a look of disgust, he put it straight back down, grabbed a napkin and proceeded to wipe away some of the stickiness from off the menu, before grabbing another napkin and wiping his hands.
He caught her watching him with barely concealed incredulity, and shrugged defensively. "What? You know just as well as I do this place is a Petrie dish."
She turned her shaking head away from him, and picked up the closest thing to her and started playing with it.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she fidgeted with a sugar shaker. She was definitely edgy, and giving off a nervous vibe which confounded him. When he'd left her earlier that morning she'd been fine and he wondered what he was missing. Had something happened? "You okay, Lizzie?" he asked.
"Yes, why?"
"You seem a bit off. Early morning exercise not agree with you?"
She shot him a look which he ignored and looked around desperately trying to get the attention of the waitress. "I mean, seriously remind me again, why we even bother to come here? The service sucks about as much as the food!"
"Robert," she chastised. "Will you please keep your voice down! If you must know I chose lunch here for a specific reason."
"Because you're cheap or you think I'm a cheap date?" he scoffed and picked up the laminated menu again.
"You know, it's kind of funny that you should use that word," she said, glancing at him.
"What word?" he said distractedly, while trying to decide what looked less likely to give him food poisoning.
She didn't answer immediately, so he glanced sideways at her only to find her glaring at him reproachfully. He duly lowered the menu and raised an eyebrow.
She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind. Look I brought you here Robert, because we need to talk."
Aaaand here we go, he thought. The words every man just loves to hear. Always listen to your inner Lizzie Spidey sense, he chastised himself...it had been going off since he'd met her outside of the ER and he prepared himself for the day to start majorly sucking again. He sat up straighter in the stool as his back stiffened and put the menu down on the counter. Refusing to look at her he stared down at his hands. His face must have reflected what he was thinking when she asked. "Why do you suddenly look worried?"
He tried to rein in the disbelief from his voice. "Probably, because at no point in my life has, 'Robert we need to talk' ended well for me."
She smiled at him, but he didn't see it. "Then your luck may be about to change."
"Why?"
"Look, do you remember sitting here six years ago? In these very stools?"
"How could I forget?" he grumbled, and went back to the menu to hide his own discomfort.
She smiled broadly at him. "So you do remember?"
Oh, she was killing him. "Gee, let me see? Do I remember sitting here, making a total ass of myself trying to ask you out? How could I ever forget?"
"Actually for all the bad timing, I thought it was rather sweet."
"Sweet? Scar the memory even more for me, why don't you," he said, placing his hand over his heart in mock hurt.
"What if I unscarred it?" she said quickly.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, distracted again as the waitress walked past them carrying two plates. "Seriously, can we not go some place else for lunch? Gretel's food looks better than that slop."
"Robert!"
"What?!"
She looked at him exasperated. "Will you shut up and listen?"
He swivelled back around on the stool to face her, placed the menu down on the counter and crossed his arms. "Okay. Fine, I'm listening."
"Thank you," she began again. "I wanted to say that a lot of time has passed us by since then, and we've both been through a lot...but together, we've got through it...and I don't think we're necessarily the same people any more than we were six years ago, and.."
"Lizzie?"
"What?"
"You're rambling. Get to the point before I die of starvation."
"You're really not making this easy for me!" she snapped at him.
"Well, it would help if I knew why we were here then, wouldn't it?" he snapped back, and made a performance of looking at his watch. "'Cause eating doesn't appear to be on the agenda anytime soon!"
She breathed in trying to calm down. This was not even remotely going anything near like when she'd rehearsed it in her head. She grabbed his hand in both of hers, and he looked down at the sudden contact, then lifted his eyes back to hers. "Robert, I need you to sit there quietly, and listen to what I have to say. Say nothing."
He opened his mouth and she shook her head. "I mean it!"
"Yesterday in the lounge...you asked me if I was ready to start dating again?"
He nodded, wondering where exactly this conversation was heading.
"So I brought you here, specifically here to tell you that I am...ready, that is...to date. Now, I know we sort of agreed to keep things strictly platonic between us, but I've developed feelings for you and well…our relationship is no longer going in the direction I want for us..."
The same flaming red tinge from earlier this morning crept up her neck colouring her cheeks, and Robert slowly realised where this conversation was indeed heading. A wide smile began to spread across his face. "Lizzie?" he said, softly. "Are you trying to ask me out?"
She blew out her nervous breath and looked him dead in the eye. "Yes," she said, watching him closely for a reaction. He was smiling and his eyes were twinkling, but she wondered what exactly was going on behind them. "Look, I know its a u-turn on my part, and that you may not feel..."
He squeezed her hand. "To be absolutely clear here," he interrupted. "Just so there's no misunderstanding. Are you telling me you want to have a relationship with me?"
She smiled and squeezed his hand back. "That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you. What do you thi…" She stopped mid-sentence and watched as he suddenly leaned forward, and carefully reached up to cup her face in his hands. She felt her breath catch in her throat as he slowly touched his lips to hers. It was soft and light and tender to the point of almost chaste – as if he still didn't quite believe her, and expected a slap in the face to follow. So she opened her mouth to him and laid her own fingers over his face, pulling him closer, inviting him in. She felt his jaw muscles tighten as she slowly spread her fingers out, and he responded in kind, increasing the pressure in his fingertips against her cheeks and intensified the kiss, probing and tasting her mouth with his tongue. It was sensuous and exquisite, but what thrilled her most was the very deliberateness of it. No hint of haste whatsoever. Just gentle, controlled indulgence affording her an insight of just how wonderful and exciting lovemaking would be.
They were interrupted by the waitress who coughed loudly and asked if they were ready to order. They broke apart ever so slightly, grinning at each other.
"So are you?" she asked, her eyes dancing. "Ready?"
"I'd say I'm oven ready."
"I meant are you ready to order?"
"No you didn't but yes I am...on both counts. I'll take the chicken salad," he said not taking his eyes off of her. Elizabeth smiled. "Make that two please."
The waitress jotted it down and left them alone again.
"So, is this now a date then?"
"Yes, I suppose it is," she grinned.
"Well then you should know for next time, I have standards that Doc Magoo's just does not meet...table linen at the very least, being one of them."
"What, you don't like Doc Magoo's, even now?"
"Lizzie, you have transformed a place of greasy cholesterol and rejection into a happy memory, but I really must insist on choosing the venue next time. Also, your timing is lousy," he laughed softly, and held her face. "How am I supposed to go back to work now and function? I'm not going to be able to concentrate on anything."
She grinned. "Well, think more of it, as you have something very wonderful to look forward to when you finish."
He leaned his head in again to hers and kissed her, the very act, the freedom with which he could do it, thrilling him.
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Once they'd parted ways at the diner, Elizabeth had spent the rest of the day wondering if the change in their relationship would translate into change at home. Would it alter the way they acted around each other? She had nervous butterflies in her stomach when she heard his knock on the door, and told herself to get a grip, feeling a bit like a nervous teenager.
When she'd opened the door to him, finding him there as promised armed with a pizza, they'd simply grinned at each other. A brief moment of awkwardness passed between them as neither moved, until Robert leaned forward and kissed her. She'd relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, kissing him back.
"Momma kissin Wobbah!"
They'd broken apart grinning and looked down at Ella who was looking up at them and the pizza in particular, with delight.
From that point on, normalcy was restored as Ella dictated the return to familiar routine. They'd sat on the floor with their backs against the couch and Ella squeezed between them, eating pizza straight from the box. Armed with a large slice of pepperoni feast and Clifford on the television she was in her element.
"So Symons was pleased with everything?" Elizabeth asked.
Robert nodded. "Yeah. He said it's all going as he'd expect. I can move the thumb without too much thought now," he said, rotating his left wrist and wiggling his fingers as evidence. "I definitely have less discomfort since the surgery, and he confirmed the circulation is better."
"That's brilliant."
"Yeah. He did say the early warmer weather we've been enjoying, will have masked how much better it is to an extent and the real test will be when it turns cold again."
"And sensation?"
"According to him, just a matter of time."
Elizabeth smiled and leaned across over Ella's head, to kiss him. He closed his eyes and leaned in to meet her. They finished up eating and Ella, who hadn't seen him in a week, completely monopolised him. He dutifully tucked her in a few hours later and came back down the stairs to find Elizabeth on the couch. She looked up at him as he appeared.
"You done playing?"
"With Ella? Yes. With you, I've not even started," he said, sitting down beside her. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Sooo," she started.
"Sooo," he echoed.
"Alone at last."
He squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?"
She smiled and squeezed his hand back reassuringly. "Never better," she said.
"You sure, 'cause you sound nervous. Not having second thoughts I hope," he said lightly, but in case of any doubt on his part she leaned in and kissed him deeply.
"I take it that's a no then," Robert sighed when they broke apart, smiling broadly.
"That is a most definite no," she purred.
"So what is bugging you?"
"I don't know. I just have this weird feeling like I'm missing something. Should I not be feeling nervous? Why am I not nervous?"
"Well, why would you be?"
She gave him a look of disbelief. "Maybe, because of the seismic shift in our relationship? You don't feel nervous at all?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't use the word nervous."
"Well, what word would you use?"
He put his head back, closed his eyes and pursed his lips in deep thought.
"Smug," he said, after a brief moment of reflection.
She burst out laughing, and he opened his eyes and fixed her with his gaze. "I mean it. I finally got the girl and I'm not going to make any apologies for feeling anything else but, one hundred percent smug. Why don't you tell me why you think we should be nervous?"
"I'm probably overthinking it," she said, shaking her head dismissively. "I guess I just thought everything would be, I don't know, somehow different? You obviously don't?"
He shook his head. "Not really. All that's different is I get to do this now," he said, and pulled her across, onto his lap. He brushed the hair away from her neck and moved his mouth towards her, nuzzling her ear. "And this." He dropped small kisses down her neck, smiling as he felt her body shiver involuntarily.
"Well, clearly you're not uncomfortable," she giggled, as he hit a ticklish spot.
He brought his head back up and found her eyes. "No, I'm not...and that's the point. Lizzie, I've never been more comfortable with anyone my whole life, as I am with you. So I guess my question for you is, are you uncomfortable?"
"No," she said. "Not in the slightest, but that's what's making me feel weird. Is it not weird that we shouldn't be nervous?"
He stroked her face and traced his thumb down her cheek bone. "What are you trying to tell me Lizzie? Are you worried we're moving too fast?"
She snorted. "Hardly! Neither of us are teenagers."
"Oh, thank God for that," he grinned. "I thought I was going to have to do the whole 'I'm a gentleman, so only when you're ready act.'"
She arched an eyebrow at him and placed her hands behind his neck. "An act?"
He gazed up at her lovingly. "The performance would have been Oscar winning, but rest assured it would have been an act," he said and went back to kissing her neck.
"Maybe it's because we've done this whole thing backwards," she said, tilting her head to the side, granting him more access.
"Backwards?" he murmured.
"Well most people date first, then move in and learn how to live together. We've just done it backwards. Some would say we've done the hard part."
He grinned, his teeth grazing against her skin and dropped his hands to her hips. "And now we get to do the fun part?"
"You're very sure of yourself there Romano."
"Don't fight it Corday; I saw you checking out the goods this morning."
She burst out laughing and he grinned triumphantly. "So now that we've established we've been on the world's longest, backwards date whatever, are you comfortable now?"
"Yes," she said, swivelling around so she sat straddling him. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth towards hers, melting against him. He let out a contended moan and she brought her hands up to tip his face back and looked down at him. He gazed up at her with doe like, smoky eyes and gave her a smile that took her breath away. It was relaxed, unguarded, unreserved and it was solely for her, laying out his face wide open and bare for her to see. He was inviting her in and in that moment she loved it, loved him for it. Her thumbs drifted across his face and pressed into the dimples she now knew how to make appear on demand, and looked down into his eyes, which were dancing by now.
"Tell me what you're thinking?" she said, her voice not more than a whisper.
He leaned his head slightly to the left, catching her thumb in the corner of his mouth before kissing it. Slowly he traced his hands back up her arms, along her collarbone, her shoulders, her neck until they rested either side of her face. "I'm thinking you talk too much," he said and pushed some stray curls away from her face. "I'm thinking that talking is overrated." He brushed his lips against hers, feeling her smile against his lips. "I'm thinking actions speak louder than words," he murmured and dropped his mouth to her neck. "And, I'm thinking I don't want to talk any more." He closed his eyes and let his fingers trace the contours of her face, her cheeks, her jaw.
She moved her mouth to the nape of his neck where it met his collarbone and nibbled at the soft flesh there. Hints of spice and sandalwood drifted up into her senses, and she slid her fingers slowly down his arms, her nails leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. When she sank her teeth into his skin she smiled triumphantly as she felt and heard him gasp.
She brought her eyes back up to his. "Tell me what you're thinking now," she teased, playfully.
He pushed his hand up into her hair, pulling her slowly down to him again. "I'm thinking, right now I'm not capable of thinking."
She smiled once more and crushed her mouth to his and rendered him speechless.
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For all the nights that Robert had stayed over at Elizabeth's they'd never once crossed the friendship line. As a result they'd mindfully never been overly tactile with each other. Only when he'd needed comfort after a nightmare, or she herself needed a hug, did they physically move together, always respecting the friendship.
So when she woke up she found everything was different. Different for one, because they were lying in her bed, in her bedroom. It had been a conscious choice she'd made as they had climbed the stairs together last night. He'd automatically headed for the guest room, and she had tugged him back, changing direction. She had joked it was because the bed was bigger, but really she wanted to convey the message to him that he was no longer a guest...that she wanted him. Wanted him in her bed, in her house, in hers and Ella's lives.
It was different because she was lying on her side as naked as the day she was born, with Robert wrapped around her like a candy wrapper. She closed her eyes and breathed in contentedly, basking in his body heat. Last night had been wonderful, proving her earlier hunch in Doc Magoo's, to be correct.
Slow, deliberate, gentle kisses from a man who'd hungered for her for years, took her pleasantly by surprise...she'd thought their first time at least, would have been rushed, frantic and more about satiating desire, but no...his kisses and hands had set the pace and he'd taken his bloody time enjoying himself, enjoying her. Impressively so in fact.
There'd been no desperate scramble, no needy rush to release pent up desire. He'd settled in for the night and taken his sweet time exploring and pleasuring her. He'd mapped out her body very precisely with his eyes, leaving no part uncharted. He'd explored all of her with his hands, his tongue, his lips. He'd touched, tasted, teased; smelled her perfume, her shampoo, her scent; he'd delicately responded to her body's needs as he listened to her moans. He pleased and pleasured, made her ache in the best possible way, until finally he'd drank as he sated her...and then and only then had he made love to her; and he'd taken his sweet time there too.
TBC
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