Elizabeth found him a few hours later in his office, leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, reading a medical journal. She knocked and entered with a smile. « Kris is awake, » she announced. « I know, » he smiled a reply, « Marsh was in here earlier. »

« Uh-oh, » Elizabeth mumbled. « Uh-oh is right, » Robert countered. « He laid into me for that early-morning wake up call. And for getting over- involved in patient care in the first place. I'm here primarily in a research capacity, after all. »

« But he did mention that the operation was a success, » she continued, laughing off Robert's mention of the reprimand. She knew he loved to challenge authority, to remind the boss that he was boss.

« Well, he did brag about the technique he used to reopen the incision, » Robert paused. « My technique, » he finished somewhere between regret and pride.

Elizabeth wasn't sure how to leave this, but she wanted to remind Robert that no matter who the surgeon was, the patient would recover in large part because of him. « She's going to be fine, » Elizabeth said gently, adding « The Dunns told me that you stayed with them all night. » « I should have been in the OR, » he interrupted a bit bitterly.

« You were there for that family, » she insisted.

« And I let them down. And then I lied to them. »

« And then you made decisions that saved their daughter, » Elizabeth concluded firmly.

Robert looked at his lap and responded in a shaky voice. « They almost lost her. »

« Hey. Hey, » Elizabeth reminded him, « But she's okay, » and as she murmured these words, she walked around the dek to put a hand on Robert's shoulder.

He was still breathing shakily, and she left her hand there to steady him until he leaned away from her touch to look at her with a slightly sarcastic smile. « So you think I'm going all soft on you ? » he asked in answer to her attempt at closeness.

Elizabeth's lips curved into a slightly wicked little smile. Normally, that last comment would have led to innuendo, but they were still almost touching so she decided to sidestep the temptation. « Well, at least this time I didn't come in to find you playing on the floor with a toddler. » She paused, « But it's not as if I don't like seeing the softer side of you. »

She met his eyes and felt drawn into those dark depths. The warmth between them was engulfing her, making her breathe a little faster, making her cheeks flush and her heart bump.

Then the half-open door swung in and a nurse appeared. « Dr Romano, » the labs are back on the Nelson boy, » the nurse announced. « Oh, sorry ! » she interrupted herself seeing Elizabeth there. But before Robert could introduce her, Elizabeth made some excuse to leave and walked briskly out the door.

**

On the night shift, Elizabeth took more than her share of coffee breaks. It was slow anyway, even in the ER, and she was tired. She looked into her cup of black coffee and then half closed her eyes, remembering that last glance she'd had of Robert that morning, talking to the young, blond nurse as Elizabeth looked back through the glass panel next to his office door. He was wearing one of his more colorful dress shirts, a jade green one with French cuffs and flashy cufflinks that must have posed a good challenge to his prosthesis. Straining against his suspenders, his shoulders looked quite broad. He must be lifting to work up to maximum control of the device, Elizabeth thought. His jaw was as strong and determinedly set as usual, but shaved very close. He must have shaven sometime during the night on a break from watching Kris in recovery, she thought. Elizabeth kind of missed the beard he'd grown during his own recovery, but she also liked the smoothness of his pale but rosy skin. When he'd first seen her enter the room and smiled, she'd noticed how pink and sweet his lips were. Like a child's she thought. He must have been a mischievous and charming little boy. A red-headed prankster she thought, remembering how red his sideburns looked next to his ears, all delicate and pink. She let a little sigh escape her lips at the thought of how soft his earlobe would feel if she'd just stroked it with her fingertip when Luka startled her with a laugh.

« Imagining yourself someplace else ? » He asked. « Anywhere but here, » she joked. « I know the feeling, » he responded with understanding. Then more maliciously, « Want to share the fantasy ? »

Elizabeth started, wondering just what sort of expression her features had formed when Luka had caught her thinking.of Robert ! Oh, God. She had to cover up fast. « Just planning a little birthday get-away with my daughter, » Elizabeth replied, trying to regain her composure. « Ella's birthday ? » Luka asked. « Well, no actually, » Elizabeth confessed, « mine. »

**

That Thursday evening, Robert was in his office at County writing up a summary of the first five successful procedures for the grant steering committee when Chen poked her head in through the open door. « Dr Romano ? » she asked carefully. « Yes ? » he answered without looking up. « Well, we're having a party in the lounge and.. » He looked up and stared at her, disguising his surprise at being invited to one of those silly lounge parties for the first time in his career at County. "Bring me some cake, » he ordered and looked back down at his draft. « Umm.., » Chen continued, « It's for Dr Corday. It's her 40th, and.. » Romano swallowed, controlling his response , « Wish her well for me then, » he replied.

**

When Elizabeth got home that evening after the surprise party that was of course not such a surprise (the tradition at County was there to stay despite any rules that Robert or Kerry had tried to put in place), she opened the front door and sighed. Ella was asleep and the new sitter was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. « Thanks Grace, » Elizabeth said with another sigh. The girl handed Elizabeth her mail, smiled, and left, looking back over her shoulder to add, « Happy birthday. » It must have been all of the cards thought Elizabeth, noticing two : one from her father and one from her dentist's office. She laughed. Mother's would be a month late as usual.

Then, in the center of a table she noticed a small velvet box. She opened it to find a tiny card inside just covering the coil of a long, delicate gold chain. « Happy 40th » the card was signed, « R. »

**

That day in the hospital with Ella on the floor, Robert had seen Elizabeth lean over and a silver chain slip out from the collar of her soft blouse. On the end dangled a gold band. She'd tucked the ring and the chain back into her blouse in an unconscious gesture and without noticing that her movement had attracted Robert's attention. He immediately realized that she was no longer wearing her wedding ring on her left hand. He also noticed that the silver chain (that held the ring safe around her neck and suspended just over her heart) and the gold ring didn't match.