Chapter 2: "The Truth Comes Out"
Author's Note: Elizabeth NEVER married Mark. Ella, therefore, does not exist. Mark still works in the ER, but he and Elizabeth never had a relationship or got married...
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Elizabeth stood in front of the trauma room in shock. It was Robert lying there. She assumed it was just another patient that she would brush off as soon as she returned home. But this was different. It was Robert. She had no idea what had even happened to him, but the shock of it all hit her so hard that it was hard to even comprehend that it was him lying there. As much as she, Kerry, and pretty much the whole staff despised him, she could see that everyone in that trauma room was trying their best. She told a nurse that walked by to call Dr. Benton for the consult. She couldn't bear to go in there. She just stood there, watching them shock him over and over. Soon she heard footsteps approaching her, and then someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall man looking down at her.
"Hi. My name is Sergeant Muller from the Chicago Police Department. We were wondering if we could ask you some questions."
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Okay, Dr. Corday, has Dr. Romano been showing any dramatic attitude changes lately?"
"Well, he's been much more friendly in the past few days, but nothing that would suggest anything."
"Okay. Did he ever talk about giving his things away, or saying goodbye to anyone?"
"No, he said nothing of the sort. He went about his job like he usually would, and we thought nothing of it. Nobody really knows much about Robert's personal life, and no one cares to. We let him go about his business as he pleases, no questions asked. But, if I may ask, what are you getting at?"
"Well, it isn't for certain, but we just needed to ask you a few questions about Robert's attitude. Everything else is still under investigation."
"Oh, bullshit! I know that your lying to me! Tell me exactly why you are here and why you are asking me all these questions about his behavior, right now!!!!!" Elizabeth exclaimed in a huff.
"Alright. But just don't say that I didn't warn you. When we responded to the call, we found a note on the floor where Robert had been found. It appears that he injected himself with 3 different drugs. Between the note and the overdose, it would be suggested that he was trying to commit suicide."
Suicide. The word rang in Elizabeth's ears. Why would Robert do such a thing? Why? Why? Why? This was TOO much to hear. She wasn't comprehending this. This wasn't happening. Never before had she felt so strongly for Robert Romano. The man that everybody loved to hate, the man that had sexually discriminated her and all the other women on the staff, the reason why she sometimes hated to go to work. She slowly came to the realization that she had been so busy hating him for no apparent reason, that she had never really taken the time to ask him why he acted this way. Infact nobody on the staff had ever asked him. They all assumed that he was such a terrible guy that they never bothered to get to know him any further. The tears started streaming down her cheeks, as this horrible realization came to her.
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday, I have to take a phone call. I'll be right back." Sergeant Muller said.
After he excused himself, Elizabeth turned to look into the Trauma room where he lay. They had finally gotten a rythmn back. Kerry layed the paddles back on the crash cart, looking up to meet Elizabeth's eyes. Kerry looked tired as hell, and yet the look of sheer horror and shock was apparent in her face. Kerry started to walk out the trauma room door, giving the nurses orders on her way out.
"How's he...will he...?" Elizabeth stuttered out.
"We got a rythmn back. It's weak, but it's there. His heart is extremely weak. All the narcotics really hit him. Not only that but he's got a very serious case of Alcohol Poisoning. His BAL is potentially fatal." Kerry said in a daze.
"Do you think he'll.......pull through?" Elizabeth said, wanting a second opinion, knowing the diagnosis already.
Tears stung Kerry's face. "I don't see him making it...through the....night...." Kerry said, stiffling back sobs.
Elizabeth nodded as Kerry acknowledged her before disappearing back into the Trauma room.
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday? Um, could I talk to you in the lounge for a moment?" Sergeant Muller said, as he reappeared in front of her.
Elizabeth nodded, following him down the hall to the lounge. As she passed the admit desk, she saw the looks on the faces of everyone. The looks were mixes of sympathy, guilt, and shock. Elizabeth once again had to contain herself from breaking down. Entering the lounge, she and Sergeant Muller sat down.
"What I'm about to tell you may not be the best news. Are you sure you can handle this right now?" Sergeant Muller asked.
"Yes, please tell me everything."
Sergeant Muller sighed before beginning. " Alright, after we got the apparent reasoning that it was an attempted suicide, we sent marked units over to his house. There's where it was apparent that this is indeed a suicide attempt. There are notes left all over the house. His will was lying out on the kitchen table when we got there. There are notes for each one of the staff members lying around his house too. All of his things had been packed into boxes. Apparently he had gone to some extent to attempt this. I'm sorry."
The fact that Robert had actually planned this out horrified Elizabeth. Why would he do such a terrible thing? What would drive a skilled, if not brilliant, surgeon to something like this?
"Are you okay, Dr. Corday?" Sergeant Muller asked.
"Yea. I just need time to digest this. Thanks for filling me in on the details."
"No problem. If you don't mind, I need to get back to the crime scene." He said before getting up and walking out the door, leaving Elizabeth to sort her emotions out.
Everything was so confusing. Why had he done this? What would drive him to this?
She got up and walked down the hall. She stood infront of the trauma room doors, not exactly remembering how she got there. She walked in, while the nurses were giving him fluids and carrying out duties that had been assigned by Dr. Weaver. At that moment, Dr. Weaver was out talking to Sergeant Muller in the hallway. That left her virtually along with Robert for a minute. She pulled up a chair, and sat down next to him. She took his hand in hers. He felt so warm. But his face was pale, he looked extremely sick. Of course he looks sick, she thought. He's going to die. Tears streamed down her face, despite efforts to hold them back. Not sure if he could hear her, she began to whisper a prayer. He had to make it through the night. She couldn't let him go like this. Not now...
Elizabeth sat, holding his hand, tears streaming down her face, listening to the steady beep of the monitor.
Author's Note: Elizabeth NEVER married Mark. Ella, therefore, does not exist. Mark still works in the ER, but he and Elizabeth never had a relationship or got married...
___________________________________________________________
Elizabeth stood in front of the trauma room in shock. It was Robert lying there. She assumed it was just another patient that she would brush off as soon as she returned home. But this was different. It was Robert. She had no idea what had even happened to him, but the shock of it all hit her so hard that it was hard to even comprehend that it was him lying there. As much as she, Kerry, and pretty much the whole staff despised him, she could see that everyone in that trauma room was trying their best. She told a nurse that walked by to call Dr. Benton for the consult. She couldn't bear to go in there. She just stood there, watching them shock him over and over. Soon she heard footsteps approaching her, and then someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall man looking down at her.
"Hi. My name is Sergeant Muller from the Chicago Police Department. We were wondering if we could ask you some questions."
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Okay, Dr. Corday, has Dr. Romano been showing any dramatic attitude changes lately?"
"Well, he's been much more friendly in the past few days, but nothing that would suggest anything."
"Okay. Did he ever talk about giving his things away, or saying goodbye to anyone?"
"No, he said nothing of the sort. He went about his job like he usually would, and we thought nothing of it. Nobody really knows much about Robert's personal life, and no one cares to. We let him go about his business as he pleases, no questions asked. But, if I may ask, what are you getting at?"
"Well, it isn't for certain, but we just needed to ask you a few questions about Robert's attitude. Everything else is still under investigation."
"Oh, bullshit! I know that your lying to me! Tell me exactly why you are here and why you are asking me all these questions about his behavior, right now!!!!!" Elizabeth exclaimed in a huff.
"Alright. But just don't say that I didn't warn you. When we responded to the call, we found a note on the floor where Robert had been found. It appears that he injected himself with 3 different drugs. Between the note and the overdose, it would be suggested that he was trying to commit suicide."
Suicide. The word rang in Elizabeth's ears. Why would Robert do such a thing? Why? Why? Why? This was TOO much to hear. She wasn't comprehending this. This wasn't happening. Never before had she felt so strongly for Robert Romano. The man that everybody loved to hate, the man that had sexually discriminated her and all the other women on the staff, the reason why she sometimes hated to go to work. She slowly came to the realization that she had been so busy hating him for no apparent reason, that she had never really taken the time to ask him why he acted this way. Infact nobody on the staff had ever asked him. They all assumed that he was such a terrible guy that they never bothered to get to know him any further. The tears started streaming down her cheeks, as this horrible realization came to her.
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday, I have to take a phone call. I'll be right back." Sergeant Muller said.
After he excused himself, Elizabeth turned to look into the Trauma room where he lay. They had finally gotten a rythmn back. Kerry layed the paddles back on the crash cart, looking up to meet Elizabeth's eyes. Kerry looked tired as hell, and yet the look of sheer horror and shock was apparent in her face. Kerry started to walk out the trauma room door, giving the nurses orders on her way out.
"How's he...will he...?" Elizabeth stuttered out.
"We got a rythmn back. It's weak, but it's there. His heart is extremely weak. All the narcotics really hit him. Not only that but he's got a very serious case of Alcohol Poisoning. His BAL is potentially fatal." Kerry said in a daze.
"Do you think he'll.......pull through?" Elizabeth said, wanting a second opinion, knowing the diagnosis already.
Tears stung Kerry's face. "I don't see him making it...through the....night...." Kerry said, stiffling back sobs.
Elizabeth nodded as Kerry acknowledged her before disappearing back into the Trauma room.
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday? Um, could I talk to you in the lounge for a moment?" Sergeant Muller said, as he reappeared in front of her.
Elizabeth nodded, following him down the hall to the lounge. As she passed the admit desk, she saw the looks on the faces of everyone. The looks were mixes of sympathy, guilt, and shock. Elizabeth once again had to contain herself from breaking down. Entering the lounge, she and Sergeant Muller sat down.
"What I'm about to tell you may not be the best news. Are you sure you can handle this right now?" Sergeant Muller asked.
"Yes, please tell me everything."
Sergeant Muller sighed before beginning. " Alright, after we got the apparent reasoning that it was an attempted suicide, we sent marked units over to his house. There's where it was apparent that this is indeed a suicide attempt. There are notes left all over the house. His will was lying out on the kitchen table when we got there. There are notes for each one of the staff members lying around his house too. All of his things had been packed into boxes. Apparently he had gone to some extent to attempt this. I'm sorry."
The fact that Robert had actually planned this out horrified Elizabeth. Why would he do such a terrible thing? What would drive a skilled, if not brilliant, surgeon to something like this?
"Are you okay, Dr. Corday?" Sergeant Muller asked.
"Yea. I just need time to digest this. Thanks for filling me in on the details."
"No problem. If you don't mind, I need to get back to the crime scene." He said before getting up and walking out the door, leaving Elizabeth to sort her emotions out.
Everything was so confusing. Why had he done this? What would drive him to this?
She got up and walked down the hall. She stood infront of the trauma room doors, not exactly remembering how she got there. She walked in, while the nurses were giving him fluids and carrying out duties that had been assigned by Dr. Weaver. At that moment, Dr. Weaver was out talking to Sergeant Muller in the hallway. That left her virtually along with Robert for a minute. She pulled up a chair, and sat down next to him. She took his hand in hers. He felt so warm. But his face was pale, he looked extremely sick. Of course he looks sick, she thought. He's going to die. Tears streamed down her face, despite efforts to hold them back. Not sure if he could hear her, she began to whisper a prayer. He had to make it through the night. She couldn't let him go like this. Not now...
Elizabeth sat, holding his hand, tears streaming down her face, listening to the steady beep of the monitor.