Till Death Us Do Part

Chapter 3



Author: Lockhart

E-mail: Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk

Category: Mark Greene/Elizabeth Corday

Rating: PG13

Spoilers: Just some minor ones for season 7

Archive: Archive my fic on your site if you want but please let me know first

Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the characters but I sure wish I did ( especially Carter and Dave ). I am also not a real doctor so any medical information could be innacurate.

Authors Notes: See end of fic

Summary: Continuation of Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 2

Elizabeth leaned forward and kissed her husband gently on the forehead as he lay sleeping peacefully. It was hard to believe that these mornings spent together would never come again. Last night Mark told her the painful truth of his condition. She felt so incredibly guilty now, spending those precious hours hating him while he sat alone knowing he was going to die. Those hours could have been spent together enjoying each others company, instead she had left him to cope with his terrible secret all by himself. "Forgive me Mark" she whispered into his ear as she cuddled into the side of his warm body. "Please don't leave me" As the snow started to fall outside, the couple huddled together in the comfort and safety of each others arms. It could very well be their last morning together.

********

"How about scrambled eggs and toast?" Elizabeth suggested as she walked through to the sitting area from the kitchen. "Or waffles, strawberries and cream? Anything you want Mark I'll make it"

"I'm not an invalid" Mark replied as he stood up from his position on the comfy couch. "I am able to cook my own breakfast" As he took a step forward he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen which for a second caused him to lose his balance.

"Mark!" she exclaimed as she rushed over and steadied the man. "Mark are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little pain that was all"

"Come on sit down" she instructed as she helped her husband take a seat on the nearby couch. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"I've come to expect the pain now" he said sadly to her. "It gets worse as every day goes past"

"Mark........" she called his name, almost close to tears

"It's okay Elizabeth" he told her in a quiet soothing tone whilst stroking her long, curly hair. "You don't have to say anything at all"

"I'll always be here for you my love" she promised, wrapping her arms around the dying man. "I'll never leave your side" It had been months now since Elizabeth had found out she would soon lose the man she loved. Every day that passed she wondered if this was his last. The last time she would be able to watch him brush his teeth, the last time they would kiss, the last time they would wake up in each others arms. She hoped and prayed that that day would never come. Mark too woke up every morning in dread of what the day might hold. He wanted to spend every minute possible with his wonderful wife but the thought that this could be the day he died never left his head. It had been two momths now since he had stopped working at Cook County General hospital. He missed the place though - the familiar surroundings, his friends and collegues, the pride and satisfaction of saving another human's life. He had seen so many miracles at that hospital that he prayed he would be another one. That maybe the doctors were wrong and he did stand a chance a of surviving the illness. It was such a terrible feeling knowing you were going to die. A feeling of dread and upmost fear. Would it be painful when he passed away? Would there be life after death? Or was that it, after you die there is nothing beyond that boundary? Mark wondered if this was how his mother and father felt when they lost their own battles of survival. I love you Mark, his father had struggled to say to him. Was that what awaited Dr Greene in the next few weeks? Hooked up to machines, barely able to speak, relying on others to look after him. I don't want to end up like that, he shook his head. I don't want Elizabeth to have to watch me suffer in pain. "I'll always be there for you too" he promised his wife, kissing her on the forehead. "Even when I'm gone, look to the stars and I'll be waiting there for you. I'll never leave your side, never"

********

Mark walked through the grand doors of the hospital to meet familiar faces and surroundings. It felt as though he had never been away from the place.

"Mark what are you doing here?" Kerry asked as she limped over to there the man stood.

"Well hello Kerry, nice to see you too" the male physician replied sarcastically

"How are you Mark?"

"I'm doing okay I guess, as well as can be expected. Elizabeth's having her scan this morning so I'm here to be with her"

"I want to apologise" Kerry said suddenly as she sadly looked down to the floor. "I was so cruel to you after Elizabeth turned up on my doorstep. I jumped to the conclusion that you didn't want your child, and I shouted at you when I had no right to. I am so sorry Mark, from the bottom of my heart I apologise to you"

"You're a good friend Kerry" Mark replied, feeling touched by the Chief's heartwarming apology. "Never forget that you're a good person. Don't waste time reflecting on the past, make the most of your life while you still can. Look forward to the future bacause you'll never know when it might be snatched from you"

********

Mark clasped Elizabeth's hand tight as they watched in anticipation for the picture of their unborn child to appear on the monitor.

"Don't worry Mr and Mrs Greene, you are expecting a normal, healthy child" Janet Coburn smiled with delight. "Would you like to know the sex?"

Mark's heart sank as he studied the picture of the tiny baby. He was overjoyed of course that Elizabeth was pregnant but he knew he wouldn't be around to watch it grow up. He wouldn't be able to witness it's birth, watch it's first steps or hear it mutter his or her's first words. Tears formed at the corner of Mark's eyes as he suddenly realised that this was probably the last time he would see his kid.

"Mark" Elizabeth called out his name, breaking him out of his deep thoughts. "Do you want to know the sex?"

"Yeh" he nodded in reply.

"Looks to me like you are expecting a bouncing baby boy" Janet informed them. "Congratulations"

"A boy" Mark uttered happily. "We're going to have a son Elizabeth"

"I know" shw whispered lovingly. "And we're going to call him Mark, after his wonderful father" Mark held her in his warm embrace, never wishing to let go of the woman in his arms. He then placed his hand on top of her growing bump, on top of his son.

********

"Congratulations" a deep Croatian voice laughed behind Elizabeth who was looking at a picture all by herself.

"Thank you Luka" the female surgeon replied as she showed him the ultrasound photo. "It's a boy"

"How are you and Mark?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Mark's putting on a brave face. Me........I'm..........I'm scared" she answered tearfully. "I'm scared to death of losing him Luka. I can't imagine life without him, I don't want to think about a world where he doesn't exist anymore. I don't think I can wake up every morning if he's not lying by my side. I don't see a point"

"Stop right there Elizabeth" Luka ordered. "You have to be strong now, for Mark and for the baby. You do have something to live for, you are carrying a child"

"You lost your wife and children in the war didn't you?" she inquired.

"Yes" the tall, brooding doctor answered sadly. "Not a day goes by where I don't miss them. Time is a great healer though, I've come now to accept I have lost them. All I can do is hope that someday we will all be reunited. Sometimes I still wake up in the mornings expecting them to be sitting around the table eating breakfast. You have to move on though, you have to carry on living your life. Anything I do now I do for them. Even though they are dead, my family are still with me. They will always be with me"

"Thank you Luka" Elizabeth smiled, grateful for his kind, helpful advice. "Thank you"

********

Mark sat alone in the reception chairs waiting for Elizabeth to finish her shift. They were planning on having dinner at one of his favourite Italian restaurants. At that moment he glance up to see a panic stricken Abby dashing towards him.

"Dr Greene have you seen Carter?" she asked him, a little out of breath from running so fast. "His patient is going south and I can't seem to find Luka, Weaver or Malucci either" Mark paused for a brief moment before standing up.

"What did the patient present with?" he asked, grabbing a pair of latex gloves and following Abby's lead to Curtain Three.

"17 year old male, stab wound to the chest and upper left quadrant"

"How much blood already lost?"

"200 cc's from the chest tube" Chuny informed him of the patient's critical condition.

"Okay 100 of lidocaine, 10 of morphine and start a round of 5cc's bolus every minute"

"Pressure's 90 systolic" Yosh told the doctor worringly.

"Weak breath sounds" Mark noted as he listened to the teenager's breathing through Chuny's stethoscope. "Lets get a CBC, blood gas and urine analysis"

"Lost the pulse!" Abby yelled. "Starting chest compressions!"

"Thoracotomy tray now!" Mark ordered.

"We're in PA" Chuny shook her head in worry. The nurses stood back as they watched Mark skillfully guide the sternal saw down the young man's chest.

"Okay rib spreader" Mark asked for the particular piece of equipment.

"Dr Greene there's a large infusion here" Abby pointed out.

"She's hemorrhaging!" Yosh panicked as he closely watched the monitors that the patient was hooked up to.

"Scalpel" Mark ordered as he tried his best to suture the large wound.

"Give us a little suction" Chuny requested as she helped him try to control the massive internal bleeding.

"V-Fib!" Yosh shouted as the machines around the team started to bleep wildly.

"Charge the paddles to 100" Abby instructed.

"Okay, charging, clear!" Mark called out as he placed the paddles into the depths of the teenager's cracked chest.

"We're still in V-Fib" she shook her head worringly as she resumed compressions.

"Another round of atrophine and charge the paddles to 200, clear!"

"Back in sinus tach" Yosh noted. "I've got a weak radio pulse as well"

"Okay page surgery and make sure they have an OR ready" Mark spoke to Chuny as he suddenly felt an extremely, sharp, shooting pain in his abdomen. It felt as though somebody was stabbing him with a very sharp butcher knife. As the pain increased and became less bearable, the room started to spin around the frightened physician. The figures of the nurses became colourful blurs against the white walls of the room.

"Dr Greene are you okay?" Abby asked in fear. "Dr Greene speak to us!" Suddenly everything turned black as Mark slumped to the cold, concrete floor............

********

Kerry walked through the doors of the Intensive care Unit and headed towards the bed where Mark lay resting. "Where's Elizabeth?" she asked, taking a seat beside the dying man.

"She went to fetch a cup of coffee" he answered weakly. His eyes were dark and gloomy and his body was thin like a skeleton. It was hard to recognise the man was the same Mark Greene who a few months ago was saving lives in the Emergency Room. "Listen Kerry, I need to ask you something of great importance"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I know I'm not going to be alive for much longer..........."

"Mark don't speak like that" she pleaded with him sadly.

"It's the truth though, what's the point in lying? I know I'm not going to be there for Elizabeth when she gives birth but I want you to be there for her. I'm asking you to look after her for me when I'm not there. Please take good care of Elizabeth and our son"

"Of course" Kerry nodded with tears in her eyes. "I'll make sure they're both alright"

"Thank you" he whispered.

"Kerry?" a surprised Elizabeth exclaimed as she walked into the room clutching her coffee.

"I'll leave you two alone" Weaver smiled as she exited through the door. "Take care Mark" were her parting words as she left.

"Rachel's plane has been delayed due to bad weather" Liz told her husband. "She might not arrive in Chicago till late tonight"

"There's a letter.......in my jacket pocket" he replied, struggling to sit upright in the bed. "Could you make sure she gets it?"

"Certainly" the English woman agreed. She held his hand tightly, sliding her long slender fingers around his, and resting their hands on her large bump.

Sometimes late at night

I lie awake and watch her sleep

She's lost in peaceful dreams

So I turn out the lights and lie there in the dark

And the thought never crosses my mind

If I never wake up in the morning

Would she ever doubt the way I feel

About her in my heart

"Elizabeth, I love you" Mark spoke straight from the heart. "I will always love you. One of the hardest things in life is to find true happiness. I was lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, kind, wonderful wife. You never realise what a good life you have until it's too late. I wish.....I wish we had more time together, I wish I didn't have to leave you"

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day

That she's my only one

And if my time on earth were through

And ahe must face the world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past

Gonna be enough to last

If tomorrow never comes

"Even though I'm not here, I'll always be watching over you" he continued. "If you need help, guidance or an answer just look to the stars and I'll be waiting for you. But be brave, be strong, and live........for me"

Cause I've lost loved ones in my life

Who never knew how much I loved them

Now I live with the regret

That my true feelings for them never were revealed

So I made a promise to myself

To say each day how much she means to me

And avoid the circumstance

Where there's no second chance to tell her hwo I feel

"I will never forget you Mark" Elizabeth replied. "Our baby will grow up to know what a good man his father was. You will always be the man that holds my heart. You're my soulmate Mark Greene, and I can't believe I'm not going to be spending the rest of my life with you" Elizabeth burst into a flood of tears as she felt his hand beginning to loosen from hers. "Someday we'll be reunited" she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips for the very last time. "We shall always be together no matter what happens" Mark swallowed his pain and cast his eyes upon Elizabeth one last time. His vision blurred as his eyes closed slowly until they were completely shut. "Sweet dreams my love" she whispered as sorrow sunk in. The tears fell down her cheeks like a river, and she knew then that they would never stop flowing.

So tell that someone that you love

Just what you're thinking of

If tomorrow never comes

Authors Notes: Okay it was a sad end to this chapter, a very tearful one. The song used was called "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks. Thanks for the song Starkidtw!! So how will Elizabeth cope now that Mark has gone? How will his friends and collegues take the news? What about his daughter Rachel? And how will Elizabeth cope throughout the birth of her son without her husband by her side? Find out in the final chapter of Till Death Us Do Part!!