Robert pushed through the OR doors backwards, holding his hands in front of
him. Elizabeth glanced up at him, raising at eyebrow and casting him an
amused glance from under her surgical mask.
"Robert," she drawled, "how nice of you to join us." He could hear the smirk in her voice and he scowled.
"I had another emergency, Lizzie," he snapped, bending over the bloody patient. "Everything seems to be going well here without me, except for - "
"Yes, it was a special treat to work without your nasty little comments for once, wasn't it Shirley?" Elizabeth but him off, and he glared angrily at her.
"Shut up Elizabeth and get back to work," he barked, and the other surgeon blinked. Robert had picked up his instruments and was starting to work on the damaged leg when he realized that Elizabeth was still staring at him. "Well? This isn't a peep show," he snapped, and Elizabeth looked away in a hurry.
"I just thought you sounded - stressed. That's all," Elizabeth commented, raising her eyebrows but not looking up. "Not your usual sarcastic self."
"Sarcasm is only one of the many qualities I offer, I don't need to use it every second of the day."
"Hmm. You've never seemed to live by that motto before." Robert could hear the teasing back in her voice, and he clenched his teeth.
"Would you prefer to have a job at the end of this surgery or not, Dr. Corday?" Robert asked She heard the dangerous edge to his voice and swallowed deeply. Returning her attention to the surgery, she was trying to ease the tension between her shoulders when she heard Shirley's voice.
"So I hear Jordan woke up," the surgical nurse commented lightly, and Elizabeth looked up again. Robert had frozen momentarily in his work, his eyes closed.
"How did you hear about that so soon?" he asked quietly, opening his eyes but not looking at Shirley. The nurse, meanwhile, was busy scurrying around the OR room and did not see his expression.
"Ah, news travels quick between us nurses," she replied, and Robert shook his head. Elizabeth raised at eyebrow at him as he glanced up, and he glared at her.
"I see," he muttered simply, looking back down at the operation again. He fell silent, and Elizabeth cleared her throat.
"Jordan woke up?" she asked tentatively, and she could actually feel the annoyance flare up inside Robert.
"Isn't that what Shirley just said?" he snapped.
"Well yes - but - you hadn't confirmed it," Elizabeth explained slowly, and Robert gritted his teeth.
"I thought I had," the stress was present in his voice, and Elizabeth began to brace herself.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't feel the need to."
"I operated on her too, you know."
"No, you didn't. You observed me operate on her Lizzie, nothing else," Robert snapped. "You have done nothing for her which merits me telling you that she woke up."
"Well then," Elizabeth bit her tongue, "have you told anyone else?" she asked. Robert paused in his work, and Elizabeth frowned.
"I believe Frankie has taken care of that for me."
"Oh come on Robert!" Elizabeth exclaimed in exasperation. "Your patient just -"
"She's not my patient!" Robert roared, throwing his instrument down on the metal table with a clang. Elizabeth jumped backwards at his outburst and Shirley nearly dropped the bag of fluid she was holding. "Get with the program Lizzie. She's not my patient, hasn't been for a while. It's not my fucking duty to inform this hospital about everything that happens to her, it's her doctor's. If I thought her health was in jeopardy, then I would tell somebody. But right now I think she could do without dozens of doctors swarming around her - a lot of good they did her last time, eh?" he ranted angrily, his hands gripping the operating table. Elizabeth blinked, her ears ringing from the volume of his voice. Roberts's eyes shone with a dangerous new light, an anger that she hadn't seen before in him. He seemed almost - ferociously protective of her. "I think we're finished here," his voice broke her out of her shock, and Elizabeth looked down; their work on the leg was complete. "You started the operation, you can finish it," Robert said shortly, turning on his heel and pushing out the door before she could respond. Elizabeth watched him strip off the bloody gloves with a snap, a scowl on his face.
"I guess he's really stressed 'bout her, huh?" Shirley said in a soft voice, moving next to Elizabeth. The surgeon looked up with a start, having forgotten for a moment that she was in the room.
"It appears so," Elizabeth responded, looking away as Robert disappeared into the hall. "I don't know what all the fuss is though," she said, partially lying. "I mean, she's not even his patient anymore."
"Well, you know Dr. Romano," Shirley replied, glancing in the direction he had gone. "He never quite makes any sense," she said, and Elizabeth fought down a smile. "But you've seen him with her before," Shirley continued, her voice dropping softer. "I didn't think it was possible, but he actually cares about her - I think," Shirley furrowed her brow slightly, as if the idea of Robert having compassion towards somebody confused her.
"If he does, she's the only one he cares about," Elizabeth replied dryly. "And if this is how he gets when he cares, I never want to see that man after he's had a date."
"Oh be nice Dr. Corday," Shirley scolded, but she had an amused smirk on her face. "You know that he's just worried about her. I think it's kind of sweet," she said, and Elizabeth shot the nurse a strange look. "I also think it's a little frightening," Shirley confessed, and Elizabeth smiled.
"Well, I hope Jordan's alright," Elizabeth sighed, her expression becoming serious again. "Not only for her sake, but for his - and ours."
"What do you mean?" Shirley asked, and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"If he's like this when she comes out of a coma, can you imagine how he'd be if something else bad happened to her?"
"Point taken."
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Standing at the end of the hallway, Robert watched the nurses bustling around Jordan's room, in and out of the hallway. He saw Dr. Ross walk into the room, and silently he knew that Jordan was awake and refusing to eat. A ball formed in his throat, a combination of anxiety and an unknown emotion. If Jordan didn't eat soon, she could get sick again - and she might not get lucky again. Robert took a step forward, starting to head towards the room, but stopped. He didn't want to go in there now with all of the nurses and chaos, it wouldn't do any good.
Dr. Ross stepped back out into the hallway, writing something down on her chart. The younger doctor glanced up, saw Robert and raised his head. "Dr. Romano -" he started, but paused when he saw the surgeon's stony expression. Robert held his eye contact for a moment before blinking and turning away. Dr. Ross watched with a confused expression as Robert walked down the hallway, away from Jordan, and disappeared around a corner without of sight. " -Jordan needs you," he finished with a sigh, placing a tired hand on the back of his neck.
Robert was already out of hearing range.
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A/N - Alrighty! So another short chapter. Hopefully I can keep going like this for a couple of weeks until February break and maybe then if my arms and horse allow I can really put another dent into this story. Also, any brainstorms as to how I can maybe skip over a year or two are highly welcome! I realized that if I try and write this entire fanfiction from 1997 to current times - it'll never get finished.
Of course - I could always - hmm. Hadn't thought of that before **evil grin** Nevermind, I've got an idea! RomanoChop, here we come. Thanks for reading! Sorry again that I've disappeared for so long.
"Robert," she drawled, "how nice of you to join us." He could hear the smirk in her voice and he scowled.
"I had another emergency, Lizzie," he snapped, bending over the bloody patient. "Everything seems to be going well here without me, except for - "
"Yes, it was a special treat to work without your nasty little comments for once, wasn't it Shirley?" Elizabeth but him off, and he glared angrily at her.
"Shut up Elizabeth and get back to work," he barked, and the other surgeon blinked. Robert had picked up his instruments and was starting to work on the damaged leg when he realized that Elizabeth was still staring at him. "Well? This isn't a peep show," he snapped, and Elizabeth looked away in a hurry.
"I just thought you sounded - stressed. That's all," Elizabeth commented, raising her eyebrows but not looking up. "Not your usual sarcastic self."
"Sarcasm is only one of the many qualities I offer, I don't need to use it every second of the day."
"Hmm. You've never seemed to live by that motto before." Robert could hear the teasing back in her voice, and he clenched his teeth.
"Would you prefer to have a job at the end of this surgery or not, Dr. Corday?" Robert asked She heard the dangerous edge to his voice and swallowed deeply. Returning her attention to the surgery, she was trying to ease the tension between her shoulders when she heard Shirley's voice.
"So I hear Jordan woke up," the surgical nurse commented lightly, and Elizabeth looked up again. Robert had frozen momentarily in his work, his eyes closed.
"How did you hear about that so soon?" he asked quietly, opening his eyes but not looking at Shirley. The nurse, meanwhile, was busy scurrying around the OR room and did not see his expression.
"Ah, news travels quick between us nurses," she replied, and Robert shook his head. Elizabeth raised at eyebrow at him as he glanced up, and he glared at her.
"I see," he muttered simply, looking back down at the operation again. He fell silent, and Elizabeth cleared her throat.
"Jordan woke up?" she asked tentatively, and she could actually feel the annoyance flare up inside Robert.
"Isn't that what Shirley just said?" he snapped.
"Well yes - but - you hadn't confirmed it," Elizabeth explained slowly, and Robert gritted his teeth.
"I thought I had," the stress was present in his voice, and Elizabeth began to brace herself.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't feel the need to."
"I operated on her too, you know."
"No, you didn't. You observed me operate on her Lizzie, nothing else," Robert snapped. "You have done nothing for her which merits me telling you that she woke up."
"Well then," Elizabeth bit her tongue, "have you told anyone else?" she asked. Robert paused in his work, and Elizabeth frowned.
"I believe Frankie has taken care of that for me."
"Oh come on Robert!" Elizabeth exclaimed in exasperation. "Your patient just -"
"She's not my patient!" Robert roared, throwing his instrument down on the metal table with a clang. Elizabeth jumped backwards at his outburst and Shirley nearly dropped the bag of fluid she was holding. "Get with the program Lizzie. She's not my patient, hasn't been for a while. It's not my fucking duty to inform this hospital about everything that happens to her, it's her doctor's. If I thought her health was in jeopardy, then I would tell somebody. But right now I think she could do without dozens of doctors swarming around her - a lot of good they did her last time, eh?" he ranted angrily, his hands gripping the operating table. Elizabeth blinked, her ears ringing from the volume of his voice. Roberts's eyes shone with a dangerous new light, an anger that she hadn't seen before in him. He seemed almost - ferociously protective of her. "I think we're finished here," his voice broke her out of her shock, and Elizabeth looked down; their work on the leg was complete. "You started the operation, you can finish it," Robert said shortly, turning on his heel and pushing out the door before she could respond. Elizabeth watched him strip off the bloody gloves with a snap, a scowl on his face.
"I guess he's really stressed 'bout her, huh?" Shirley said in a soft voice, moving next to Elizabeth. The surgeon looked up with a start, having forgotten for a moment that she was in the room.
"It appears so," Elizabeth responded, looking away as Robert disappeared into the hall. "I don't know what all the fuss is though," she said, partially lying. "I mean, she's not even his patient anymore."
"Well, you know Dr. Romano," Shirley replied, glancing in the direction he had gone. "He never quite makes any sense," she said, and Elizabeth fought down a smile. "But you've seen him with her before," Shirley continued, her voice dropping softer. "I didn't think it was possible, but he actually cares about her - I think," Shirley furrowed her brow slightly, as if the idea of Robert having compassion towards somebody confused her.
"If he does, she's the only one he cares about," Elizabeth replied dryly. "And if this is how he gets when he cares, I never want to see that man after he's had a date."
"Oh be nice Dr. Corday," Shirley scolded, but she had an amused smirk on her face. "You know that he's just worried about her. I think it's kind of sweet," she said, and Elizabeth shot the nurse a strange look. "I also think it's a little frightening," Shirley confessed, and Elizabeth smiled.
"Well, I hope Jordan's alright," Elizabeth sighed, her expression becoming serious again. "Not only for her sake, but for his - and ours."
"What do you mean?" Shirley asked, and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"If he's like this when she comes out of a coma, can you imagine how he'd be if something else bad happened to her?"
"Point taken."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------
Standing at the end of the hallway, Robert watched the nurses bustling around Jordan's room, in and out of the hallway. He saw Dr. Ross walk into the room, and silently he knew that Jordan was awake and refusing to eat. A ball formed in his throat, a combination of anxiety and an unknown emotion. If Jordan didn't eat soon, she could get sick again - and she might not get lucky again. Robert took a step forward, starting to head towards the room, but stopped. He didn't want to go in there now with all of the nurses and chaos, it wouldn't do any good.
Dr. Ross stepped back out into the hallway, writing something down on her chart. The younger doctor glanced up, saw Robert and raised his head. "Dr. Romano -" he started, but paused when he saw the surgeon's stony expression. Robert held his eye contact for a moment before blinking and turning away. Dr. Ross watched with a confused expression as Robert walked down the hallway, away from Jordan, and disappeared around a corner without of sight. " -Jordan needs you," he finished with a sigh, placing a tired hand on the back of his neck.
Robert was already out of hearing range.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
A/N - Alrighty! So another short chapter. Hopefully I can keep going like this for a couple of weeks until February break and maybe then if my arms and horse allow I can really put another dent into this story. Also, any brainstorms as to how I can maybe skip over a year or two are highly welcome! I realized that if I try and write this entire fanfiction from 1997 to current times - it'll never get finished.
Of course - I could always - hmm. Hadn't thought of that before **evil grin** Nevermind, I've got an idea! RomanoChop, here we come. Thanks for reading! Sorry again that I've disappeared for so long.