*** This part is a little short. It more of an explaintion of everthing- a bridge fic thing-o. ***
Part 4
Mark and Elizabeth sat on a bench near the water. Elizabeth played nervously with the engagement ring that sat sparkling on her right hand.
"After I tell you this you would probably want to end it and I don't blame you." she said looking at Mark's deep brown eye's.
"End what?" asked Mark. He knew what she was trying to say but deep inside he hoped that it would never even be suggested.
"Our relationship." whispered Elizabeth.
"You know I wouldn't leave you especially now."
"But after this... Mark I should have just told you from the beginning. I'll tell you now and you can make your decision." said Elizabeth looking out over the water. From the corner of her eye she saw Mark nod encouragingly and she proceeded as best as she could.
"When I was about twenty, I was walking down a street in London with my best friend....
***Flashback***
"Hey Elizabeth!" called a girl in a distinctly British voice. The girl might as well have been Elizabeth but instead of the rich bronze curls that Elizabeth had, she had chestnut ones and her eye's were a piercing blue colour.
"Natalie?" called another girl. But this time there was no mistake. This was Elizabeth herself quiet a few years younger and a much stronger accent than the one she had now.
"Yes it's me you dofus. I've been looking for you everywhere. Tom said he's got a few friends that want to meet you on Court Street tonight." said Natalie suggestively.
"I don't know what you mean." said Elizabeth innocently as the two walked down a quiet and dark street. There was the occasional car passing by but the street lamps had poor lighting and the sky was over cast with clouds.
"Oh don't you put that on! I know you have the hot's for him. Come on Elizabeth own up there's more to life than university."
"Yeah, well I've got Jeremy."
"He doesn't treat you right girl. Trust me Tom's friends are exactly what you ne-"
"Natalie?" asked Elizabeth reaching out towards her left to see where her friend was. She gasped as a strong hand grabbed her from behind and a sharp blade was put to her neck. "Move once centimeter and I'll cut your head off you understand?" whispered the male voice behind her ear.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Ok. On the floor. Get on the floor ya little whore!" yelled the attacker. Elizabeth fell to her knees straight away but not before questioning the man.
"Where's my friend?"
"Shut up and in a bit I'll tell you." he growled back. "Ok off with your coat and everything else you got on." Elizabeth hesitated. Little did she know that it was a bad move. "All right. Fine. Don't take your clothes off. I'll take them off for you....
***End flashback***
"He, he was so rough. My mouth was gagged and my friend gone. I couldn't see anything, but I felt everything. His touch made me feel as though he was drowning me. I couldn't breathe properly and every move he made hurt. After that I don't really know what happened." said Elizabeth. There were no tears on her face and she wasn't even wavering. But her face was stone cold.
"He raped you?" asked Mark incrediously.
"No. Almost, though. Thank God he didn't. The next morning I woke up in a hospital bed, my father by my side. Jeremy had left me. After all we'd been through he'd thrown it all away." Elizabeth took a deep breath and paused to give Mark some time to digest all that she had told him. "If, if you want to you know, leave I under-"
"Elizabeth, what makes you think that I would just walk away from it all. We have so much going for us now- there's the baby and Charlotte..." said Mark, taking Elizabeth's hand in his. "I forgive you, but next time you shouldn't keep secrets from me."
Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You really mean that?" she whispered back.
"Yes I do. Elizabeth I love you and I would do anything for you. I was just hurt because you wouldn't let me help you." explained Mark further. "I still want to know why you didn't just tell me in the first place."
"I had already been through all the shrinks and sorry looks, I came to America to escape it all. I suppose I just thought that I would never really have to explain it again because it was in the past."
"Well, as long as you know that I will love you no matter what you have to tell me and next time don't wait so long to let me know, ok?"
Elizabeth didn't answer, instead she reached over and wrapped Mark in a huge hug.They stayed like that for a long time as Elizabeth began to sob, Mark gently rubbing her back and rocking her backwards and forwards over and over again.
~*~*~*~
"Cathy?" called Elizabeth as she came up to the floor that Charlotte was staying. Mrs Garrison was sitting patiently outside in a few chairs waiting for Elizabeth.
"Dr Corday." said Cathy getting up.
"Have you found someone?" asked Elizabeth quickly.
"Unfortunately, no." said Cathy. "But the department has extended our deadline to one more day."
"I think you've already found a home for her." said Elizabeth. Cathy looked at her suspiciously but allowed Elizabeth to lead her to an empty room.
"Mark and I are thinking of fostering possibly adopting Charlotte."
"Are you dead serious?" questioned Cathy cautiously.
"Yes." said Elizabeth cofindently.
"Well, in that case we'll have to do a full investigation. Another case worker will be calling you soon to see when you will be available to talk to someone. Forms and etc. will be given at that home visit. You do understand that this might require a day in court?" explained Cathy, making sure that Elizabeth wouldn't back down.
"Yeah. I'm currently taking a few day's off on the order that I can't have more than five months of un-used sick days."
"Great! Well, in that case I better get everything set up. You shouldn't tell Charlotte anything because if this doesn't go through...."
"Yeah." answered Elizabeth. "I know. But I'm curios. What happened to her mother?"
"Murdered. Police found Frank and her in their apartment two days ago." answered Cathy as if she had seen it everyday.
"Does Charlotte know?" asked Elizabeth, worridly.
"I was hoping you'd tell her." said Cathy, shrugging her shoulders.
Elizabeth knew now that she was the only person that Charlotte had left in the world.
~*~*~*~
"So, I get to finally meet Charlotte?" asked Mark as him and Elizabeth turned a corner to face the eleavators. "I was begining to think that she didn't exist."
Elizabeth didn't say anything and instead puched Mark lighty in the arm.
"What's wrong? Your unusually quiet."
"I'm fine. I've just got to break the news to Char." said Elizabeth worridly as they borded the elavator.
"About her mother?" confirmed Mark.
"Umhum." said Elizabeth folding her arms and leaning against Mark's chest as the elavators went up on it's way to the wards.
"Here we go." whispered Elizabeth in Marks ear as the two entered the room.
It seemed as though Charlotte was resting but as soon as she saw Elizabeth, she disgarded the puzzel she was completeing under the blanket and sat up. "Hey! You came to visit. I was getting so bored."
"Yes, I came and I bought a visitor. Chatlotte this is Mark, Mark, Charlotte." said Elizabeth making the introductions.
"Hi Charlotte, I've heard a lot about you." said Mark.
"Hi. I've heard a lot about you too. Do you think Elizabeth is the best person in the world?" asked Charlotte seriously.
"I sure do." answered Mark just as seriously.
"And when are you getting married?"
"A couple of months, maybe earlier."
Charlotte looked up at Elizabeth and smiled. "He's just as special as you said he was." she proclaimed.
"I told you that he was my specal man and that you were my special girl." said Elizabeth prowdly as she gave Charlotte a bit of a tickel.
"Well, if only everybody thought of me like that." said Mark with a chuckel.
Elizabeth looked up at him and silently signaled with her eye's that she had to let Charlotte know her fate.
"Charlotte, it was great to meet you but I've got to be going now." said Mark.
"But you'll be back to visit with Elizabeth- right?"
"You bet I'll be back." He promised Before leaving the room.
Mark did not go far. In fact he stayed within the room and watched as Elizabeth took Charlotte's pink hands and looked in her vibrant eyes. Crossing his arms across his chest he watched as the inevitable happened before putting his head down in wonder of how so much could just happen to such a young girl in just a week.
Mark looked up just in time to see tears fall down Charlottes face and Elizabeth pull her into a tight hug.
~*~*~*~
Elizabeth watched as Kim Lagaspi was talking to Charlotte. This had been her third visit that day to the ped's ward and it was getting harder and harder every minuet. Cathy said that the answer would come today- that the fate of Charlotte would be decided.
"Thought I might find you here." said Mark gently weaving his hands around Elizabeth's growing waist.
"Surgery's been quiet this morning." Elizabeth answered, wrapping Mark's arm around her tighter.
"Want to get some lunch?" suggested Mark as they borded the eleavator
"Yeah, but I'm not really hungry." said Elizabeth softly.
"Something wrong?" asked Mark, conserned as they arrived on the floor of the cafeteria.
"No." sighed Elizabeth. "Just no apitite. Oh God..." a dull throb had setteled in her lower abdomen and she began to rub it.
"Elizabeth?" asked Mark alarmed.
"I'm... fine. Just another small cramp that I've been getting lately. It's almost gone already." said Elizabeth, still rubbing the sore spot.
"Maybe you should make an apointment with Mc Lucas."
"Yeah, I alredy have for next week." said Elizabeth as they entered the cafertia.
"Can I come?" asked Mark.
"Of course you can." she answered with a smile. The beeper on her lab coat suddenly started beeping. Un-clipping it, she saw the number she had been waiting for.
"Who is it?"
"Cathy." answered Elizabeth nervously as the two left County's cafeteria.
~*~*~*~
"Well I should congratiulate you." said Cathy happily, a huge smile on her face.
"Are we getting foster care?" asked Mark anxiously, Elizabeth was frozen on the spot.
"You sure are. You are the soul care takers of Charlotte untill she is adopted." said Cathy leading them to the front of Charlotte's room.
Elizabeth finally defrosted and wanted more information. "So when can home with us?"
"As soon as she's ready." declaired Cathy. "I think a little someone needs some good news."
Indeed she did. Charlotte had been depressed when she heard about her mothers death and had been talking to Kim Legaspi quite a few times in the past few days. Elizabeth and Mark peeked into the room and saw Charlotte on her stomach looking out the low window that was just beside her bed.
"Charlotte." whispered Elizabeth softly, Mark holding onto her hand squeezing it tightly. Elizabeth squeezed it back.
"Hi Elizabeth." whispered back Charlotte, not as vibrant as she had been a few days ago. She sat up and noticed that Mark was standing behind her. "Mark, did your plans work out?"
"What plans?" questioned Elizabeth, her eye brows furrowed as she looked suspisiously at Mark who was looking pretty nervous.
"You'll find out later." he promised, nodding his head. "I just had to talk to Charlotte for some, you know, information."
Elizabeth looked at him for a minuet and then turned away, the 'surprise' almost forgotten for the mnoment.
"We've found out where you'll be going once you get out of hospital." said Elizabeth a smile on her face that was as big as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
"Where?" asked Charlotte, finally interested in the conversation.
"To Mark's and my house."
"Really? I get to stay at YOUR house?" asked Chzralotte, eye's as large and round as plates.
"Yes, you do." said Elizabeth sitting on Charlottes bed, her smile growing from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Uluru.
"And do I get to stay there for how long?" asked Charlotte, half of her body which was much healthier and her hair much shinier and 'fuller'.
"I don't know. Maybe forever." answered Mark sitting down behind Elizabeth.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!" yelled Charlotte leaning in and giving both Elizabeth and Mark as big a bear hug as she possibly could.
Cathy watched from her window into Charlotte's room and smiled to herself. Her job was done- for the time being.
~*~*~*~
Part 4
Mark and Elizabeth sat on a bench near the water. Elizabeth played nervously with the engagement ring that sat sparkling on her right hand.
"After I tell you this you would probably want to end it and I don't blame you." she said looking at Mark's deep brown eye's.
"End what?" asked Mark. He knew what she was trying to say but deep inside he hoped that it would never even be suggested.
"Our relationship." whispered Elizabeth.
"You know I wouldn't leave you especially now."
"But after this... Mark I should have just told you from the beginning. I'll tell you now and you can make your decision." said Elizabeth looking out over the water. From the corner of her eye she saw Mark nod encouragingly and she proceeded as best as she could.
"When I was about twenty, I was walking down a street in London with my best friend....
***Flashback***
"Hey Elizabeth!" called a girl in a distinctly British voice. The girl might as well have been Elizabeth but instead of the rich bronze curls that Elizabeth had, she had chestnut ones and her eye's were a piercing blue colour.
"Natalie?" called another girl. But this time there was no mistake. This was Elizabeth herself quiet a few years younger and a much stronger accent than the one she had now.
"Yes it's me you dofus. I've been looking for you everywhere. Tom said he's got a few friends that want to meet you on Court Street tonight." said Natalie suggestively.
"I don't know what you mean." said Elizabeth innocently as the two walked down a quiet and dark street. There was the occasional car passing by but the street lamps had poor lighting and the sky was over cast with clouds.
"Oh don't you put that on! I know you have the hot's for him. Come on Elizabeth own up there's more to life than university."
"Yeah, well I've got Jeremy."
"He doesn't treat you right girl. Trust me Tom's friends are exactly what you ne-"
"Natalie?" asked Elizabeth reaching out towards her left to see where her friend was. She gasped as a strong hand grabbed her from behind and a sharp blade was put to her neck. "Move once centimeter and I'll cut your head off you understand?" whispered the male voice behind her ear.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Ok. On the floor. Get on the floor ya little whore!" yelled the attacker. Elizabeth fell to her knees straight away but not before questioning the man.
"Where's my friend?"
"Shut up and in a bit I'll tell you." he growled back. "Ok off with your coat and everything else you got on." Elizabeth hesitated. Little did she know that it was a bad move. "All right. Fine. Don't take your clothes off. I'll take them off for you....
***End flashback***
"He, he was so rough. My mouth was gagged and my friend gone. I couldn't see anything, but I felt everything. His touch made me feel as though he was drowning me. I couldn't breathe properly and every move he made hurt. After that I don't really know what happened." said Elizabeth. There were no tears on her face and she wasn't even wavering. But her face was stone cold.
"He raped you?" asked Mark incrediously.
"No. Almost, though. Thank God he didn't. The next morning I woke up in a hospital bed, my father by my side. Jeremy had left me. After all we'd been through he'd thrown it all away." Elizabeth took a deep breath and paused to give Mark some time to digest all that she had told him. "If, if you want to you know, leave I under-"
"Elizabeth, what makes you think that I would just walk away from it all. We have so much going for us now- there's the baby and Charlotte..." said Mark, taking Elizabeth's hand in his. "I forgive you, but next time you shouldn't keep secrets from me."
Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You really mean that?" she whispered back.
"Yes I do. Elizabeth I love you and I would do anything for you. I was just hurt because you wouldn't let me help you." explained Mark further. "I still want to know why you didn't just tell me in the first place."
"I had already been through all the shrinks and sorry looks, I came to America to escape it all. I suppose I just thought that I would never really have to explain it again because it was in the past."
"Well, as long as you know that I will love you no matter what you have to tell me and next time don't wait so long to let me know, ok?"
Elizabeth didn't answer, instead she reached over and wrapped Mark in a huge hug.They stayed like that for a long time as Elizabeth began to sob, Mark gently rubbing her back and rocking her backwards and forwards over and over again.
~*~*~*~
"Cathy?" called Elizabeth as she came up to the floor that Charlotte was staying. Mrs Garrison was sitting patiently outside in a few chairs waiting for Elizabeth.
"Dr Corday." said Cathy getting up.
"Have you found someone?" asked Elizabeth quickly.
"Unfortunately, no." said Cathy. "But the department has extended our deadline to one more day."
"I think you've already found a home for her." said Elizabeth. Cathy looked at her suspiciously but allowed Elizabeth to lead her to an empty room.
"Mark and I are thinking of fostering possibly adopting Charlotte."
"Are you dead serious?" questioned Cathy cautiously.
"Yes." said Elizabeth cofindently.
"Well, in that case we'll have to do a full investigation. Another case worker will be calling you soon to see when you will be available to talk to someone. Forms and etc. will be given at that home visit. You do understand that this might require a day in court?" explained Cathy, making sure that Elizabeth wouldn't back down.
"Yeah. I'm currently taking a few day's off on the order that I can't have more than five months of un-used sick days."
"Great! Well, in that case I better get everything set up. You shouldn't tell Charlotte anything because if this doesn't go through...."
"Yeah." answered Elizabeth. "I know. But I'm curios. What happened to her mother?"
"Murdered. Police found Frank and her in their apartment two days ago." answered Cathy as if she had seen it everyday.
"Does Charlotte know?" asked Elizabeth, worridly.
"I was hoping you'd tell her." said Cathy, shrugging her shoulders.
Elizabeth knew now that she was the only person that Charlotte had left in the world.
~*~*~*~
"So, I get to finally meet Charlotte?" asked Mark as him and Elizabeth turned a corner to face the eleavators. "I was begining to think that she didn't exist."
Elizabeth didn't say anything and instead puched Mark lighty in the arm.
"What's wrong? Your unusually quiet."
"I'm fine. I've just got to break the news to Char." said Elizabeth worridly as they borded the elavator.
"About her mother?" confirmed Mark.
"Umhum." said Elizabeth folding her arms and leaning against Mark's chest as the elavators went up on it's way to the wards.
"Here we go." whispered Elizabeth in Marks ear as the two entered the room.
It seemed as though Charlotte was resting but as soon as she saw Elizabeth, she disgarded the puzzel she was completeing under the blanket and sat up. "Hey! You came to visit. I was getting so bored."
"Yes, I came and I bought a visitor. Chatlotte this is Mark, Mark, Charlotte." said Elizabeth making the introductions.
"Hi Charlotte, I've heard a lot about you." said Mark.
"Hi. I've heard a lot about you too. Do you think Elizabeth is the best person in the world?" asked Charlotte seriously.
"I sure do." answered Mark just as seriously.
"And when are you getting married?"
"A couple of months, maybe earlier."
Charlotte looked up at Elizabeth and smiled. "He's just as special as you said he was." she proclaimed.
"I told you that he was my specal man and that you were my special girl." said Elizabeth prowdly as she gave Charlotte a bit of a tickel.
"Well, if only everybody thought of me like that." said Mark with a chuckel.
Elizabeth looked up at him and silently signaled with her eye's that she had to let Charlotte know her fate.
"Charlotte, it was great to meet you but I've got to be going now." said Mark.
"But you'll be back to visit with Elizabeth- right?"
"You bet I'll be back." He promised Before leaving the room.
Mark did not go far. In fact he stayed within the room and watched as Elizabeth took Charlotte's pink hands and looked in her vibrant eyes. Crossing his arms across his chest he watched as the inevitable happened before putting his head down in wonder of how so much could just happen to such a young girl in just a week.
Mark looked up just in time to see tears fall down Charlottes face and Elizabeth pull her into a tight hug.
~*~*~*~
Elizabeth watched as Kim Lagaspi was talking to Charlotte. This had been her third visit that day to the ped's ward and it was getting harder and harder every minuet. Cathy said that the answer would come today- that the fate of Charlotte would be decided.
"Thought I might find you here." said Mark gently weaving his hands around Elizabeth's growing waist.
"Surgery's been quiet this morning." Elizabeth answered, wrapping Mark's arm around her tighter.
"Want to get some lunch?" suggested Mark as they borded the eleavator
"Yeah, but I'm not really hungry." said Elizabeth softly.
"Something wrong?" asked Mark, conserned as they arrived on the floor of the cafeteria.
"No." sighed Elizabeth. "Just no apitite. Oh God..." a dull throb had setteled in her lower abdomen and she began to rub it.
"Elizabeth?" asked Mark alarmed.
"I'm... fine. Just another small cramp that I've been getting lately. It's almost gone already." said Elizabeth, still rubbing the sore spot.
"Maybe you should make an apointment with Mc Lucas."
"Yeah, I alredy have for next week." said Elizabeth as they entered the cafertia.
"Can I come?" asked Mark.
"Of course you can." she answered with a smile. The beeper on her lab coat suddenly started beeping. Un-clipping it, she saw the number she had been waiting for.
"Who is it?"
"Cathy." answered Elizabeth nervously as the two left County's cafeteria.
~*~*~*~
"Well I should congratiulate you." said Cathy happily, a huge smile on her face.
"Are we getting foster care?" asked Mark anxiously, Elizabeth was frozen on the spot.
"You sure are. You are the soul care takers of Charlotte untill she is adopted." said Cathy leading them to the front of Charlotte's room.
Elizabeth finally defrosted and wanted more information. "So when can home with us?"
"As soon as she's ready." declaired Cathy. "I think a little someone needs some good news."
Indeed she did. Charlotte had been depressed when she heard about her mothers death and had been talking to Kim Legaspi quite a few times in the past few days. Elizabeth and Mark peeked into the room and saw Charlotte on her stomach looking out the low window that was just beside her bed.
"Charlotte." whispered Elizabeth softly, Mark holding onto her hand squeezing it tightly. Elizabeth squeezed it back.
"Hi Elizabeth." whispered back Charlotte, not as vibrant as she had been a few days ago. She sat up and noticed that Mark was standing behind her. "Mark, did your plans work out?"
"What plans?" questioned Elizabeth, her eye brows furrowed as she looked suspisiously at Mark who was looking pretty nervous.
"You'll find out later." he promised, nodding his head. "I just had to talk to Charlotte for some, you know, information."
Elizabeth looked at him for a minuet and then turned away, the 'surprise' almost forgotten for the mnoment.
"We've found out where you'll be going once you get out of hospital." said Elizabeth a smile on her face that was as big as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
"Where?" asked Charlotte, finally interested in the conversation.
"To Mark's and my house."
"Really? I get to stay at YOUR house?" asked Chzralotte, eye's as large and round as plates.
"Yes, you do." said Elizabeth sitting on Charlottes bed, her smile growing from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Uluru.
"And do I get to stay there for how long?" asked Charlotte, half of her body which was much healthier and her hair much shinier and 'fuller'.
"I don't know. Maybe forever." answered Mark sitting down behind Elizabeth.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!" yelled Charlotte leaning in and giving both Elizabeth and Mark as big a bear hug as she possibly could.
Cathy watched from her window into Charlotte's room and smiled to herself. Her job was done- for the time being.
~*~*~*~