At ten o'clock in the morning on December twenty-seventh, Erin blinked her eyes open. She sat up in bed, yawning and stretching. There came a knock at the door. Abby's voice. "You decent?" The door swung open and she walked into the room with John at her heels. He carried a tray of eggs, bacon, toast, juice and coffee. "Now if you're too nervous just eat the toast." He began, but Erin was already digging into the food.

"The condemned woman ate heartily her last meal," Abby intoned. John laughed as he glanced around the room. "So did you sleep well?"

Erin nodded as she swallowed. "Like a baby. It was really nice of your grandmother to invite me to stay here last night."

"Well, you know Millicent. She's always had a special spot in her heart for you."

"Ha-ha," Erin replied dryly. "She hates me."

Abby looked confused, so John explained. "Gamma thinks that, if Erin and I hadn't been such good friends in med school, I never would have made it through, would never have become a doctor."

Erin nodded affirmation. "That's me, the bad influence." She realized then that John and Abby were essentially sharing pajamas, she wearing the top, he wearing the bottoms. "Oh, now isn't that cute?" She finished her breakfast and pushed the tray aside. "Well, shall we get a move on?" Her two friends nodded.



At three-thirty in the afternoon on December twenty-seventh, Robert stood before the mirror in his office, straightening the tie of his Armani suit. He fumbled in his pocket to make sure the platinum band was still tucked securely inside. Then he winked at his reflection as the door swung open. Elizabeth stood in the doorway, dressed in a simple black linen suit. The trousers were flowing and there was a simple strand of pearls at her throat. "Lizzie!" Robert greeted her with a grin. "Come for one last eyeball before I am officially a married man?"

Elizabeth smiled her usual tolerant smile. "Hello Robert. You're looking quite impressive."

"And you, in a word, are lovely." His simple compliment brought a heady flush to Elizabeth's cheeks. "Did I get this damn thing straight?" He lifted his chin. "Fingers are still a little slow; nothing two weeks of sex on the beach won't cure."

"And, for once, you might actually get more than just the drink." Dr. Corday grinned

"Oh-ho, someone brought their wit today."

A tiny voice interrupted their banter. "Mommy?"

Ella appeared from behind Elizabeth's legs. "It's all right, dear girl." Elizabeth smiled proudly down at her daughter. She knelt to pick up the child, who was a vision of precious in violet satin and lace, her blonde hair brushed to a polished shine. Robert couldn't resist gently touching the little girl's cheek.

"Tell you what, cutie. If my bride doesn't show up, how about you meet me at the altar?" He spoke in a soft comforting voice. Ella grinned shyly and buried her face in Elizabeth's neck. Both adults laughed.

"So, are you almost ready? The chaplain is already down there."

Robert dropped a confident wink. "Let's get this show on the road."

He and Elizabeth made their way to the chapel together. The doors were propped open, and there were people milling about quietly. Robert paused to exchange pleasantries with a few colleagues; Anspaugh, Alex Babcock, Carl De Raad, Janet Coburn, Mary Cain. And then, down the hall came most of the staff from the ER, led by Susan Lewis. "The bride has arrived. We all need to take our places."

Robert felt his heart twist a bit in anticipation as he made his way to the front of the crowd. Elizabeth handed Ella to Shirley and took her spot by Robert's elbow. People made their way to the pews, and soon, every seat was taken. Even then, Donald Anspaugh reported from the back: "There's a crowd back here - I don't think we're going to be able to close the doors."

"That's fine, Don," Robert called out nonchalantly. Aside to Elizabeth: "Playing to a full house today, eh Lizzie?"

"You're soooo popular, Robert." She answered dryly. Soft music began to drift from the organ, and everyone rose to their feet. John appeared in the doorway, holding Erin's hand. Robert found himself unable to breathe.

She was an absolute vision. Her glossy auburn hair was piled, unkempt, on her head. She wore a simple strapless gown of white silk. The empire cut of the dress accentuated her figure exquisitely, falling to just above her ankles. Around her throat was the sparkling platinum choker that Robert had given her just two days before. The look was simple, elegant, and breathtaking. John made his way to the altar, where he shook Robert's hand. He leaned in very close and whispered so only Robert could hear his words:

"Make her cry, and I'll make you sorry."

His tone was light but his eyes were deadly serious. Robert smiled thinly, and then John was tucking Erin's delicate hand into his elbow. "Hey gorgeous," he murmured. "Your Maid of Honor has five o'clock shadow." She giggled a little, regarding him with shining eyes. They turned their attention to the minister.

"It's a very special thing for me to be here today. For all of us to be here. We work in this hospital, day in and day out. Very few of us ever find the time to make it to this room. And when we do, we usually come from a place of pain, of fear, of heartache, of loss. But today, thanks to Erin and Robert, this room is a place of joy, of celebration. They both have asked me not too be too long-winded." There was soft laughter from the assembly. "They both prefer something short and sweet and succinct. On that note."

He proceeded into the vows. Erin and Robert spoke softly and reverently, exchanging rings with a tenderness that touched everyone in the room. When it was finally time for them to share their kiss, Robert pulled her into his arms. "I love you, " he murmured before claiming her lips with his own. She slid her arms around his shoulders, and the crowd behind them applauded.

When the kiss broke, Robert turned to face them. "All right, all right, show's over! Everybody back to work; you expect the patients to treat themselves? Go on, get outta here!" Then he turned back to Erin. "Well, gorgeous, there's a party at home and it's all in your honor. What say we go eat, drink and be married?"



Sixteen days later, Erin sauntered into the ER, her hair full of sun- kissed highlights and her skin bronzed perfectly. She made her way to the lounge, where Abby and Susan were also preparing to start their shifts. "Oh, my God, how disgusting is this? She's tanned, she's well rested." Susan groused as Erin pulled off her sunglasses. "I didn't think I could feel any worse, Windsor, thanks."

Abby eyed the large pearl hanging from the chain around her throat. "Wow! Did Romano buy that for you?"

"No," Erin grinned broadly. "He fought a three pound oyster for it."

"He actually plucked that out of the ocean?" Susan was amazed.

Erin nodded. "Want to see what else I got?"

"I don't know." Abby looked suspicious. Erin turned her back to them, pushing her shirt down and baring the top of her shoulder. The two women looked and saw a small green jalapeno pepper on her skin. "Say hello to Jose." Erin giggled.

"Oh, cute!" Abby smiled.

"Is that real?" Susan ran her fingers over the design.

Erin shook her head. "I thought about it, but I chickened out. I had another one, a little strawberry." She gestured to her bikini line, ".but, let's just say it didn't last long." Her face was flushed and her eyes were shining, and Susan groaned once more. "Tanned, well rested, and coming off of two weeks of good sex."

"Two weeks of GREAT sex," Erin corrected. "Two weeks of the best sex of my LIFE."

Abby waved her hand as if Erin was sharing too much, but Susan clicked her tongue in interest. "I knew it. Short men always have something to prove. Add to that the fact that he's bald.I knew I should have hit on him when I had the chance." The three women laughed girlishly as they moved out into the hospital.

"So does the Rocket man look as hale and hearty as you?" Abby asked.

"I don't know." Erin said, her smile faltering a bit. "You know he's upstairs with the orthopedic surgeon. Today is the day he's hoping he'll be cleared to operate again."

"Nine months already?" Susan whistled through her teeth.

"Nine months, twelve days, thirteen hours and twenty-six minutes, to be exact."

"But who's counting," interjected Randi.

"I'll tell you who's counting." Erin trailed off, trying to fight the ball of anxiety twisting in her stomach.

Upstairs, Robert was pacing his office. He glanced at his watch impatiently. "Damn it, Brenda, I thought you said eight o'clock." He hollered at his secretary through the open door.

"I did, Dr. Romano."

"Well now it's ten past! Where the hell is he?"

At that moment, Marty walked through the door. "Sorry about that Robert, I had other patients to check on. We all haven't had the luxury of lounging on a white sandy beach with a margarita in one hand and a beautiful woman in the other."

"Well, funny you should bring that up Marty. If you would be so kind as to come check out this hand of mine, I will be more than happy to get back to work." The two men sat at the table and began their work. After what seemed an eternity to Robert, Marty finally breathed a sigh. "Well?"

The man pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses. "All right, Robert."

"All right what, Marty?" Robert's voice thin, threadbare . "You can start putting yourself back on the surgical schedule."

Robert felt as if the floor had dropped out from under him. All he could hear was his own blood racing in his ears, the thudding of his heart.

"Restricted duty for now, of course. Simple procedures that rely mostly on the use of your right hand. And you'll need to have at least one more surgeon present than you usually would, in case you'd need to step out for whatever reason; fatigue, muscle spasm, you know." Marty noticed that Robert was still sitting frozen, unresponsive. "Robert? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah," Romano's voice was barely a puff of air. "Yeah, Marty. I heard you."

Understanding the weight of the information he'd just given, Marty rose from his chair. "You're to be congratulated, Robert. Even if you never have the dexterity for cardio/thoracic again, you've made a remarkable recovery. And don't worry; I'm sure you want to tell people yourself, so consider my lips sealed." He clapped Robert on the shoulder before leaving him alone in the room.

As the shock of the news began to ebb, Robert rose slowly from his seat and made his way to the door. "Brenda," he spoke in a voice that was deadly quiet. "I am going to call the ER and have them send my wife upstairs. When she gets here, you had better be gone. And you had better make sure nothing, and I mean NOTHING, interrupts us." He knew from the look on Brenda's face that she assumed Marty had given him bad news. Exactly what he wanted. He made his way to the desk and dialed the phone.

Downstairs, Erin was just picking up a chart when Randi answered the ringing phone. "Where the hell is Dr. Windsor? You tell her to march her ass up to the Chief of Staff's office and I mean NOW!"

Erin could hear Romano's screaming from where she stood, and her heart sank. "Oh, shit."

"Does that mean his arm still doesn't work?" Randi sniped, slamming down the receiver . "I don't know what it means, Randi." Erin turned and hurried to the elevator. She chewed on her fingernail as the car began its slow ascent.

Dammit! He's worked so hard! He's going to be so furious.

She stepped off onto the surgical floor and headed for his office, noticing the number of people she saw getting smaller and smaller as she drew closer. This seemed to confirm her deepest fear; Romano's pissed, everybody head for the hills. She stopped at his office door and knocked timidly.

"Robert? Robert, it's me. Can I come in?" No response. She tried the knob, and it turned easily in her hand. "Robert, I'm coming in." She swung the door open.

He was not at his desk. She stepped inside. He was not seated on the couch, or in any of the chairs, not standing by the window. She never realized he was behind her until she heard the door slam shut and lock. By then, he had already grabbed her and whirled her around, slamming her back against the wall. She gasped in shock, thinking for a terrified moment that his rage was going to drive him to hit her. But then his mouth pressed down on hers, crushing her lips against her teeth, his tongue finding tiny, acrid traces of blood. His body pinned hers, immobile; his hands were lifting her skirt, and all she could do was cling to him. His fingers were probing her skin, tearing off her panties, and then they were inside her. She gasped sharply against his mouth, a sound that seemed to satisfy him immensely.

"Can you feel that?" He purred. "That's what you call full flexion, extension, and opposition of the digits." His thumb moved languidly over her flesh as well. "How's that for radial and ulnar deviation?"

Erin's mind raced as she tried to absorb everything that was happening. But every time she edged up on some degree of clarity, that strong, insistent hand would move again, and she would be lost in another wave of agonized pleasure. "Oh, Robert," she breathed. He pressed his mouth to her ear, allowing the tip of his tongue to trace the lobe as he spoke: "When we are in this office, in this building, you will address me as Dr. Romano. I'm a surgeon, dammit, and as such, I expect a certain level of respect."

The meaning of his words finally hit home, and Erin felt her heart soar as his mouth found hers once more. Shaking off the last vestiges of shock, she moved her lips eagerly against his. She closed her eyes, and abandoned all reason, breathing only for the man who held her, and the explosions of pure love and hope he created within her.