Eye of the Storm
Aurora Chandler and Robert Romano were spooned around in each other in bed as they both thought. In less than five hours, he would have to return to Chicago and back to his responsibilities as Chief of Staff. It was already decided that Aurora wouldn't come with him, and that they would keep in touch. It would be just too impossible to do anything, though, both with separate lives and with separate worlds.
"So, you're gonna be at the airport when I leave, right?"
"Yeah… I have the day off anyway, so why not go?"
"Good. Then can say goodbye."
"Yeah."
Dressed casually and walking slowly, the two approached the terminal as his flight was called to board. It pained Robert to think of leaving Aurora, but he had to. She had her job in Seattle, and he had his in Chicago. Both were awful at corresponding, which made a long distance relationship was out of the question. So, it was back to Cook County General, back to Kerry Weaver and Elizabeth Corday and back to the piles of paperwork.
Robert leaving was no piece of cake for Aurora, either. Jim would try to make himself as available as possible, and beg for a second chance. She knew she could never love him again, but she also knew she could love anyone but Robert.
"So, I guess this is it. I guess this is goodbye."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too. I'll call you as soon as I get back, okay?"
"Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Without breaking his gaze, Robert walked down the narrow hall to the plane door. Aurora stayed there until the plane took off, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. He was gone.
Elizabeth Corday Greene stood impatiently in front of Dr. Romano's office. It clearly said on the piece of paper hastily taped to the door that he would be back that day. Of course, he failed to mention when he would be returning.
And with that thought, he appeared, smiling. Pushing his key into the lock, he opened the door and let both him and Lizzie in.
"What's the problem, Elizabeth?" he chirped.
"Well, while you were gone, one of the med students decided to get some extra work done, so he tried to perform an appendectomy. Unfortunately, he removed the man's liver and now Mr. Gifford needs dialysis and an appendectomy. Would you like to perform it or shall I?"
"I will. You need to rest. How's Ella?"
Lizzie was startled by Robert's cordial behavior. Rarely did he ever speak in a civil tone, or kindly and now he was.
"Ella's fine. How are you?"
"Pretty good. Well, I'd better scrub in. Hey, could you file this for me?" he asked, handing her a folder.
"Certainly."
He exited the room, leaving Lizzie breathless. Never before had he acted so…out of character. Gingerly, she opened the file in hopes of finding something to explain it. All that was in the folder was a letter, written in tiny, perfect script. Elizabeth quickly read before jumping up and down, squealing. Someone loved Robert!
"That's it, Mrs. Ramirez," Mark Greene smiled, "Now be careful, okay?"
The stocky woman nodded as Elizabeth opened the door in excitement, "Mark! Come here! It's important!"
"I'll be right back," he said and ran out into the hall, "What is it?"
"Robert's in love and she loves him back!"
"What? You're kidding!"
"No! Her name is Aurora Chandler and she lived in Seattle. He must have met her over the summer!"
"That's great! Does she work with Doug and Carol?"
"I think so, why?"
"Then we can ask them about it. If she knows they, they had to have seen him!"
"Had to have seen whom?" Kerry Weaver barked, hobbling towards them.
"Doug and Carol had to have seen the woman Romano is in love with!" squealed Elizabeth.
"Robert? In love? You're kidding."
"No, we're not," Mark assured Dr. Weaver, "Dr. Romano is in love and we need to call Doug and Carol to make sure it's true."
"Then call! I'll take care Mrs. Ramirez," Kerry smiled and Mark and Elizabeth ran to the lounge.
"Do you know the number?" the surgeon giggled.
"Of course I know the number! Unless Doug switched hospitals!"
Mark carefully dialed the number. Almost immediately, someone picked up.
"Hello, Seattle County Hospital, this is Dr. Kraft speaking. How may I help you?"
"Yes, this is a Dr. Greene. Is a Dr. Ross there?"
"Just a second."
Just as Mark was about to say something to Elizabeth, Doug picked up.
"Mark? Is that you?"
"Hey Doug. Hey, do you know an Aurora Chandler?"
"Right to the punch. That's what I love about you, you know that?"
"I figured you did. But do you know her?"
"Of course I know her. Her and Carol are practically sisters. Why?"
"Because we think Romano's in love with her."
"Yeah. He worked here over the summer. Didn't I tell you?"
"No, you didn't. So they are in love?"
"Yeah. And she misses him like crazy. Hey, can I tell you more tonight? Her ex-fiancé's pissed about the whole thing and I think he's eavesdropping."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
"Well?" Elizabeth asked as hung up the phone.
"They are in love."
"Should we tell anybody?"
"Naw. Let's wait until he tells everybody," Mark smiled and he and his wife left the lounge and went back to their jobs.
"Hey, Carol," Doug whispered as he entered Curtain Area 2, "Guess what?"
"What?" she whispered back, filling the IV tube of a small, sleeping child.
"Mark just called. Romano's in love with Aurora."
"But we already knew that."
"They didn't. Hey, wouldn't it be funny if we sent her to Chicago?"
"Yeah…how?"
"I don't know. Let's call Mark and Elizabeth tonight and figure out something."
"Okay."
"A trauma's coming in, wanna help?"
"Sure."
Doug and Carol left the sleeping child in the room to go attend to a patient, and later, arrange something with Mark and Elizabeth.
Aurora Chandler and Robert Romano were spooned around in each other in bed as they both thought. In less than five hours, he would have to return to Chicago and back to his responsibilities as Chief of Staff. It was already decided that Aurora wouldn't come with him, and that they would keep in touch. It would be just too impossible to do anything, though, both with separate lives and with separate worlds.
"So, you're gonna be at the airport when I leave, right?"
"Yeah… I have the day off anyway, so why not go?"
"Good. Then can say goodbye."
"Yeah."
Dressed casually and walking slowly, the two approached the terminal as his flight was called to board. It pained Robert to think of leaving Aurora, but he had to. She had her job in Seattle, and he had his in Chicago. Both were awful at corresponding, which made a long distance relationship was out of the question. So, it was back to Cook County General, back to Kerry Weaver and Elizabeth Corday and back to the piles of paperwork.
Robert leaving was no piece of cake for Aurora, either. Jim would try to make himself as available as possible, and beg for a second chance. She knew she could never love him again, but she also knew she could love anyone but Robert.
"So, I guess this is it. I guess this is goodbye."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too. I'll call you as soon as I get back, okay?"
"Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Without breaking his gaze, Robert walked down the narrow hall to the plane door. Aurora stayed there until the plane took off, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. He was gone.
Elizabeth Corday Greene stood impatiently in front of Dr. Romano's office. It clearly said on the piece of paper hastily taped to the door that he would be back that day. Of course, he failed to mention when he would be returning.
And with that thought, he appeared, smiling. Pushing his key into the lock, he opened the door and let both him and Lizzie in.
"What's the problem, Elizabeth?" he chirped.
"Well, while you were gone, one of the med students decided to get some extra work done, so he tried to perform an appendectomy. Unfortunately, he removed the man's liver and now Mr. Gifford needs dialysis and an appendectomy. Would you like to perform it or shall I?"
"I will. You need to rest. How's Ella?"
Lizzie was startled by Robert's cordial behavior. Rarely did he ever speak in a civil tone, or kindly and now he was.
"Ella's fine. How are you?"
"Pretty good. Well, I'd better scrub in. Hey, could you file this for me?" he asked, handing her a folder.
"Certainly."
He exited the room, leaving Lizzie breathless. Never before had he acted so…out of character. Gingerly, she opened the file in hopes of finding something to explain it. All that was in the folder was a letter, written in tiny, perfect script. Elizabeth quickly read before jumping up and down, squealing. Someone loved Robert!
"That's it, Mrs. Ramirez," Mark Greene smiled, "Now be careful, okay?"
The stocky woman nodded as Elizabeth opened the door in excitement, "Mark! Come here! It's important!"
"I'll be right back," he said and ran out into the hall, "What is it?"
"Robert's in love and she loves him back!"
"What? You're kidding!"
"No! Her name is Aurora Chandler and she lived in Seattle. He must have met her over the summer!"
"That's great! Does she work with Doug and Carol?"
"I think so, why?"
"Then we can ask them about it. If she knows they, they had to have seen him!"
"Had to have seen whom?" Kerry Weaver barked, hobbling towards them.
"Doug and Carol had to have seen the woman Romano is in love with!" squealed Elizabeth.
"Robert? In love? You're kidding."
"No, we're not," Mark assured Dr. Weaver, "Dr. Romano is in love and we need to call Doug and Carol to make sure it's true."
"Then call! I'll take care Mrs. Ramirez," Kerry smiled and Mark and Elizabeth ran to the lounge.
"Do you know the number?" the surgeon giggled.
"Of course I know the number! Unless Doug switched hospitals!"
Mark carefully dialed the number. Almost immediately, someone picked up.
"Hello, Seattle County Hospital, this is Dr. Kraft speaking. How may I help you?"
"Yes, this is a Dr. Greene. Is a Dr. Ross there?"
"Just a second."
Just as Mark was about to say something to Elizabeth, Doug picked up.
"Mark? Is that you?"
"Hey Doug. Hey, do you know an Aurora Chandler?"
"Right to the punch. That's what I love about you, you know that?"
"I figured you did. But do you know her?"
"Of course I know her. Her and Carol are practically sisters. Why?"
"Because we think Romano's in love with her."
"Yeah. He worked here over the summer. Didn't I tell you?"
"No, you didn't. So they are in love?"
"Yeah. And she misses him like crazy. Hey, can I tell you more tonight? Her ex-fiancé's pissed about the whole thing and I think he's eavesdropping."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
"Well?" Elizabeth asked as hung up the phone.
"They are in love."
"Should we tell anybody?"
"Naw. Let's wait until he tells everybody," Mark smiled and he and his wife left the lounge and went back to their jobs.
"Hey, Carol," Doug whispered as he entered Curtain Area 2, "Guess what?"
"What?" she whispered back, filling the IV tube of a small, sleeping child.
"Mark just called. Romano's in love with Aurora."
"But we already knew that."
"They didn't. Hey, wouldn't it be funny if we sent her to Chicago?"
"Yeah…how?"
"I don't know. Let's call Mark and Elizabeth tonight and figure out something."
"Okay."
"A trauma's coming in, wanna help?"
"Sure."
Doug and Carol left the sleeping child in the room to go attend to a patient, and later, arrange something with Mark and Elizabeth.