As usual, I don't own ER or the characters from the show. This takes place soon after the season 9 Halloween episode "A Hopeless Wound".
Work In Progress
Dr. Romano's day had been horrible. It started off with five hours of meetings that had run three hours late. When he made it back to his office, he got to deal with a stack of phone messages an inch thick left to him by his secretary. Later on in the evening, he went to his physical therapy appointment and endured excruciating pain for what felt like an eternity. Even though he'd received the bad news that he'd probably never be able to operate again, he hadn't given up.
Robert "Rocket" Romano was a fighter. He'd known all along he would never fully recover, but the more he had thrown himself into his recovery efforts, the less he thought about it. That day had been like a slap in the face to him.
Ever since then, he'd been even harder to deal with by the people who worked for him. Somehow, he felt less miserable when those around him felt more. This was his attitude as he walked down the stairs into the ER. He looked around for Kerry Weaver or Elizabeth Corday, or somebody else, anybody else, to lift his spirits. As he glanced around, people's faces darted in and out of his field of vision. He headed toward the Admit desk to see who was there when he came across a small group of people huddled in the middle of the hall.
"Fresh meat," he thought, "The new med students, perfect!". As he looked at them, none really caught his attention until he came to the last person, her. She had an angry, defiant look on her face as she made eye contact with him. He was intrigued. She had the aura of a woman who'd never been told "no" in her life. She was the type of person born to rule over others and he sensed that in her.
In a bold move, she walked right up to him, planted her hands on her hips, threw her head back and looked directly into his eyes. "Are you the man in charge here?" She asked, obviously annoyed.
"Yes, in fact, I run this entire hospital," replied Robert. He returned her gaze, she never blinked.
"My entire day has been completely wasted, and the other students' day as well. We've been standing here for hours waiting for instructions." She maintained his gaze as she shared this with him.
Robert, not used to not being feared by people, wasn't quite certain how to respond to her. She was very annoying and yet he felt a certain need to be around her for some inexplicable reason. In a way, he wanted to laugh at her, but was actually worried that he might insult her. This was very unlike him, which he found even more annoying.
"Well, I'm sorry you've had to wait all day doing nothing, if I'd have known you were here, I'd have let you go to my meetings for me." She did not appreciate his amused look and scowled at him. Something about that angry look on her face seemed familiar to him. He couldn't place her face, but she looked like somebody he once knew. He decided on another tactic, of appeasement, in order to find out who she reminded him of. "I'm sorry, Ms.."
"Miss," she corrected him, "Knight, Anne Knight".
"Knight?" He repeated. Now he could see it. She looked like Lucy, only younger. "You weren't related to a Lucy Knight, were you?"
"Were?" She said, startled out of her scowl. "She was my cousin, but she was killed. How did you know?" She asked him.
"I was here when it happened. I tried to save her..." his voice faded as they both knew how that story had ended. Suddenly, he felt the urge to continue his conversation with Anne more privately. "Listen, why don't we go up to my office and talk about your horrible day. I'd like to hear more about it."
She nodded and followed him as he led her up the stairs, leaving the other students behind to fend for themselves. It was during this ascent that she noticed his left arm in the sling for the first time. "What happened to your arm?" She asked quietly.
"Helicopter accident," He replied just as quietly.
As they entered his office, something about this young woman made him want to tell her about himself. He hated this, when others had power over him. He hated feeling helpless and vulnerable. Mostly, he hated that it happened so often. "I'm also a surgeon here, or at least I was." He automatically placed his hand where his arm had been cut off; rubbing it like it ached.
"So now you focus on running the hospital?" She asked. He nodded his reply. Looking at his tense face, his haunted eyes, she could see his soul. "You're not happy doing that. I can see it; it kills you not to be able to perform surgery anymore."
Intimidated by her intense gaze, he broke away from her eyes and stared at the ground, his hand gripping tightly to the edge of his desk. She took the opportunity to look around his office. It was cold, with dark colors, a mirror into his personality. She saw the vast amount of weapons he had decorated his office with: a sword, a machete, a bow and quiver of arrows, among other things. She wondered what this fascination with weaponry meant. "What will you do now?" She asked him.
"I don't know," he replied, his eyes still on the ground, a grim look upon his face.
"You need something to throw yourself into. Something to devote yourself to. Why not teach? You can pass on your vast knowledge to the next generation. That would be some legacy to leave behind. Maybe you could take on a med student. For two years you teach that student all you know. Live and breathe for that student."
"I'm not a resident. And I'm not exactly the teacher type."
"As Chief of Staff, you could do what you want, if you wanted to..." Anne's voice trailed off.
Finally looking up, Robert peered into Anne's eyes. They offered a challenge that he had to accept. "Are you volunteering to be that student?"
Meeting his gaze, Anne tried to suppress a small smile growing on her face. She liked this man and could see herself working for him. "You may not want to work with me; I've been told I can be quite...difficult." With the last word, she tilted her head slightly and grinned at him.
"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle, besides, you couldn't possibly be more difficult than I am," he responded, folding his good arm over his other and standing at his full height.
Looking up at him, Anne saw the gleam in his eyes. At once she decided, "Yes, I'll be your student." She held out her hand, which Robert took in his own and shook vigorously.
"I'm sure we're going to get along just fine, you and I." Together they walked to the door of his office and left.
Work In Progress
Dr. Romano's day had been horrible. It started off with five hours of meetings that had run three hours late. When he made it back to his office, he got to deal with a stack of phone messages an inch thick left to him by his secretary. Later on in the evening, he went to his physical therapy appointment and endured excruciating pain for what felt like an eternity. Even though he'd received the bad news that he'd probably never be able to operate again, he hadn't given up.
Robert "Rocket" Romano was a fighter. He'd known all along he would never fully recover, but the more he had thrown himself into his recovery efforts, the less he thought about it. That day had been like a slap in the face to him.
Ever since then, he'd been even harder to deal with by the people who worked for him. Somehow, he felt less miserable when those around him felt more. This was his attitude as he walked down the stairs into the ER. He looked around for Kerry Weaver or Elizabeth Corday, or somebody else, anybody else, to lift his spirits. As he glanced around, people's faces darted in and out of his field of vision. He headed toward the Admit desk to see who was there when he came across a small group of people huddled in the middle of the hall.
"Fresh meat," he thought, "The new med students, perfect!". As he looked at them, none really caught his attention until he came to the last person, her. She had an angry, defiant look on her face as she made eye contact with him. He was intrigued. She had the aura of a woman who'd never been told "no" in her life. She was the type of person born to rule over others and he sensed that in her.
In a bold move, she walked right up to him, planted her hands on her hips, threw her head back and looked directly into his eyes. "Are you the man in charge here?" She asked, obviously annoyed.
"Yes, in fact, I run this entire hospital," replied Robert. He returned her gaze, she never blinked.
"My entire day has been completely wasted, and the other students' day as well. We've been standing here for hours waiting for instructions." She maintained his gaze as she shared this with him.
Robert, not used to not being feared by people, wasn't quite certain how to respond to her. She was very annoying and yet he felt a certain need to be around her for some inexplicable reason. In a way, he wanted to laugh at her, but was actually worried that he might insult her. This was very unlike him, which he found even more annoying.
"Well, I'm sorry you've had to wait all day doing nothing, if I'd have known you were here, I'd have let you go to my meetings for me." She did not appreciate his amused look and scowled at him. Something about that angry look on her face seemed familiar to him. He couldn't place her face, but she looked like somebody he once knew. He decided on another tactic, of appeasement, in order to find out who she reminded him of. "I'm sorry, Ms.."
"Miss," she corrected him, "Knight, Anne Knight".
"Knight?" He repeated. Now he could see it. She looked like Lucy, only younger. "You weren't related to a Lucy Knight, were you?"
"Were?" She said, startled out of her scowl. "She was my cousin, but she was killed. How did you know?" She asked him.
"I was here when it happened. I tried to save her..." his voice faded as they both knew how that story had ended. Suddenly, he felt the urge to continue his conversation with Anne more privately. "Listen, why don't we go up to my office and talk about your horrible day. I'd like to hear more about it."
She nodded and followed him as he led her up the stairs, leaving the other students behind to fend for themselves. It was during this ascent that she noticed his left arm in the sling for the first time. "What happened to your arm?" She asked quietly.
"Helicopter accident," He replied just as quietly.
As they entered his office, something about this young woman made him want to tell her about himself. He hated this, when others had power over him. He hated feeling helpless and vulnerable. Mostly, he hated that it happened so often. "I'm also a surgeon here, or at least I was." He automatically placed his hand where his arm had been cut off; rubbing it like it ached.
"So now you focus on running the hospital?" She asked. He nodded his reply. Looking at his tense face, his haunted eyes, she could see his soul. "You're not happy doing that. I can see it; it kills you not to be able to perform surgery anymore."
Intimidated by her intense gaze, he broke away from her eyes and stared at the ground, his hand gripping tightly to the edge of his desk. She took the opportunity to look around his office. It was cold, with dark colors, a mirror into his personality. She saw the vast amount of weapons he had decorated his office with: a sword, a machete, a bow and quiver of arrows, among other things. She wondered what this fascination with weaponry meant. "What will you do now?" She asked him.
"I don't know," he replied, his eyes still on the ground, a grim look upon his face.
"You need something to throw yourself into. Something to devote yourself to. Why not teach? You can pass on your vast knowledge to the next generation. That would be some legacy to leave behind. Maybe you could take on a med student. For two years you teach that student all you know. Live and breathe for that student."
"I'm not a resident. And I'm not exactly the teacher type."
"As Chief of Staff, you could do what you want, if you wanted to..." Anne's voice trailed off.
Finally looking up, Robert peered into Anne's eyes. They offered a challenge that he had to accept. "Are you volunteering to be that student?"
Meeting his gaze, Anne tried to suppress a small smile growing on her face. She liked this man and could see herself working for him. "You may not want to work with me; I've been told I can be quite...difficult." With the last word, she tilted her head slightly and grinned at him.
"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle, besides, you couldn't possibly be more difficult than I am," he responded, folding his good arm over his other and standing at his full height.
Looking up at him, Anne saw the gleam in his eyes. At once she decided, "Yes, I'll be your student." She held out her hand, which Robert took in his own and shook vigorously.
"I'm sure we're going to get along just fine, you and I." Together they walked to the door of his office and left.