Disclaimer: I do not own Elizabeth Corday or Robert Romano. Elizabeth
belongs to Robert and Robert belongs to Elizabeth and they are both owned
by WB etc...
-This is my first ER fic ever so be gentle and bear with me. It's taking place somewhere during season 9. Mark's still dead and Robert's still "un- armed".
Rated PG for mild swearing.
**************************************************************************** *
Elizabeth sighed. Another hectic day at the ER was turning into a night and she was on her way out. She was longing to get back home where her daughter would be waiting for her. Her shift had ended two hours ago, but an uncommonly large number of patients had kept her at the hospital for the extra hours. Now she finally stood by the elevator, ready to go home, hoping that no more interruptions would occur.
The elevator came and the doors opened, but just as Elizabeth was going to step in, she heard a familiar voice calling her name:
"Lizzie!"
'Oh please, not now, not him!' Elizabeth sighed as she turned around to face Robert Romano.
"Yes, Robert?" She asked warily.
"Thanks for holding the elevator", he replied with a little smirk.
Elizabeth sighed. "Anything else?"
"Nope" Romano replied curtly as he entered the elevator. Then, as Elizabeth seemed to hesitate, he continued: "Are you coming or not? I haven't got all day."
Elizabeth could see no reason to retreat and so she stepped in and soon found herself standing close to Romano, uncomfortably close. She could almost feel his breath.and smell him, and feel the warmth of his body.'What the hell are you thinking?' Elizabeth heard an inner voice shouting at her and it quickly brought her back to her senses. She stepped further away from Robert who was leaning on the wall, and the disturbing sense of proximity was gone. Elizabeth released her breath and began to wonder why she was suddenly feeling so uncomfortable in his presence.
Then she heard Robert's voice again. It seemed to be coming form miles away:
"You're going down?"
"Huh?" Elizabeth was caught off her guard.
"You know, the elevator? It takes you either up or down. Which way are you going?" Romano asked in a casual, playful tone, but Elizabeth could see he was not feeling exactly comfortable either.
"Um.I'm going down." She replied as she realized he was waiting for her answer. "I'm going home."
"Right. Down it is then." Romano said, pressing the right button and then, fixing his gaze on the floor, he continued under breath: "That seems to be the general direction I've been heading for several months now."
Elizabeth shot a glance at Robert, but he was avoiding her gaze. Had she heard him correctly?
"Robert? Did you say something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Romano looked up, his face now emotionless. "No", he replied curtly.
"Robert, if." Elizabeth started, but was brought to a halt as the elevator suddenly stopped with a jolt. Elizabeth, standing in the middle of the floor, lost balance and soon found herself falling towards Romano, who quickly caught her with his good arm.
For an awkward minute they stood still, Romano still holding Elizabeth in his arms. Then she pulled away, blushing slightly and mumbling words of apology. Robert said nothing, but he was looking at her in a way she could not misinterpret. She had seen it before, that look of mingled sadness and desire in his dark eyes. Elizabeth quickly looked away and started to examine her hands. She could hear as Robert let out a deep breath. It sounded like a sigh.
For a moment they both stood in silence, then it finally began to dawn on Elizabeth that they weren't moving. The elevator had stopped, but the doors had not opened. They seemed to be stuck somewhere between the floors.
"Robert." she said quietly, almost fearing to break the silence. "I think we're stuck."
The haunting look on Romano's face suddenly disappeared and his lips curved up a little as he replied: "You really think so, Lizzie? My, the sharpness of your wit never ceases to amaze me."
He was mocking her again. Well, at least it was better than the silence. It was something Elizabeth was familiar with and knew how to respond to.
"Oh, shut up, Robert" she said. "If you are as smart as you seem to fancy yourself, then why don't you get us out of here?"
"And what makes you think I'd want to get out?" He replied, folding his arms on his chest. "I'm not needed at the ER and." he lowered his voice and lifted his dark brown eyes to meet Elizabeth's blue ones, ".I think I have all I want right here with me."
Elizabeth found herself unable to hold his gaze. She looked down at her hands again and felt her cheeks flushing. She was suddenly feeling very hot. Then she remember she was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf. She had been on her way out.
Elizabeth quickly removed the coat in order to cool down, but as she was doing so, her eyes met Robert's again and she noticed that he was still looking at her, in a way only he could manage. Whatever coolness she had just gained was lost.
Another silence fell between them and Elizabeth started staring at the walls, trying to avoid another disturbing eye contact with Robert.
'Oh, this is ridiculous!' she heard the inner voice barking. 'Say something! Who knows how long this is going to take. You can't just stand there like an idiot for the rest of the evening.!' That was true. She had to act.
"How long do you think we'll be here?" Elizabeth finally asked, trying to sound very casual.
Robert seemed to be deep in his thoughts for he started at Elizabeth's question.
"Huh?"
"Never mind." Elizabeth said, sitting down on the floor, having decided that sitting on the floor like an idiot couldn't possibly be any worse than standing. Besides, it was more comfortable. If she had to make a fool of herself, she could do so with dignity.
Romano soon followed her suit and sat down, a bit too close for Elizabeth's liking. So much about the sitting being more comfortable. She shifted a bit uneasily, trying to find an easy subject they could talk about.
"Um.how is you arm?" she then asked, soon wondering if she could have picked a worse topic even if she had tried. This could get emotional, and emotional was not something she wanted right now.or was it? She glanced at Robert, but averted her eyes before he could lock her gaze again.
"What does it matter?" he replied quietly.
"It matters a great deal." Elizabeth replied. "It's you arm, for God's sake."
"It's a useless arm and will probably remain so. And I'll soon be as useless as the arm, but that's probably just for the best..."
"Robert-"
".I will be gone and everyone will be cheering for such good riddance."
"Robert." Elizabeth turned to look at him again, but now it was his turn to avoid her gaze.
"Say it, Lizzie." he said, staring at the floor in front of him
"Say what?"
"That I'm a useless wreck of a man."
Were her eyes deceiving her, or did she just see something wet at the corner of his eye? Elizabeth felt a sudden urge to take him in her arms and.. 'What the hell has gotten into you?' she heard the voice inside of her head again, but this time the voice sounded muffled and she hardly paid any heed to it as she slowly moved closer to Robert on the floor.
Romano looked up at the sound of her movement, a look of surprise in his eyes. Then the eyes seemed to deepen as Elizabeth gently brought her hand to his cheek. Her heart was racing and she hardly knew what she was doing. All she knew was that she couldn't bear to watch Robert in such a state.
"Robert." she said quietly. "You are not a wreck of a man and you would be very much missed if you had to go."
He swallowed, his eyes burning into hers. "Who would miss me?" he asked hoarsely.
There was a short silence as Elizabeth looked down. Then she looked up again to meet Robert's eyes with a level gaze before she replied, her voice barely above a whisper: "I would."
There was another silence during which Elizabeth could hear the beat of her own heart. Then she noticed that Robert was leaning forward. Their lips were only inches away from each other and Elizabeth hadn't yet decided if she wanted to be kissed or if she should respond to it, when she suddenly felt the elevator moving again. She jumped up, startled, almost expecting the doors to flow open to reveal their current position to the entire ER. She felt her cheeks burning. She could not, and would not, look down to Robert, who still lingered on the floor. . Finally the elevator reached the ground floor and Elizabeth turned to look at Robert once more before stepping out. He was still sitting down, now with an unreadable expression on his face. The mask that had fallen for a while seemed to be back on its usual place.
"Robert?" she asked.
He looked up, but did not reply.
"Are you not coming?" she asked.
"I - I think I'll have to pick up some stuff from my office before I leave for tonight."
"Ah.I see." Elizabeth replied. Was that a feeling of disappointment creeping in to her heart? For some reason she didn't feel like parting from Robert. "I guess we'll see tomorrow then?" She asked, trying to push all the strange feelings out of her head. This was not a good time. She needed to get out and cool down. She needed a better moment to sort out her thoughts and feelings about what had just happened.
Romano stood up and seemed to be a bit unsure of himself for a while. For a moment Elizabeth thought he would reach out to caress her cheek, but then he finally turned to press the button in the elevator instead. He would go back up, alone.
"See you tomorrow", he said. "Good night."
"Good night." Elizabeth replied before heading out. The cool breeze of winter air on her face as she stepped out had never felt so wonderful and refreshing before.
-This is my first ER fic ever so be gentle and bear with me. It's taking place somewhere during season 9. Mark's still dead and Robert's still "un- armed".
Rated PG for mild swearing.
**************************************************************************** *
Elizabeth sighed. Another hectic day at the ER was turning into a night and she was on her way out. She was longing to get back home where her daughter would be waiting for her. Her shift had ended two hours ago, but an uncommonly large number of patients had kept her at the hospital for the extra hours. Now she finally stood by the elevator, ready to go home, hoping that no more interruptions would occur.
The elevator came and the doors opened, but just as Elizabeth was going to step in, she heard a familiar voice calling her name:
"Lizzie!"
'Oh please, not now, not him!' Elizabeth sighed as she turned around to face Robert Romano.
"Yes, Robert?" She asked warily.
"Thanks for holding the elevator", he replied with a little smirk.
Elizabeth sighed. "Anything else?"
"Nope" Romano replied curtly as he entered the elevator. Then, as Elizabeth seemed to hesitate, he continued: "Are you coming or not? I haven't got all day."
Elizabeth could see no reason to retreat and so she stepped in and soon found herself standing close to Romano, uncomfortably close. She could almost feel his breath.and smell him, and feel the warmth of his body.'What the hell are you thinking?' Elizabeth heard an inner voice shouting at her and it quickly brought her back to her senses. She stepped further away from Robert who was leaning on the wall, and the disturbing sense of proximity was gone. Elizabeth released her breath and began to wonder why she was suddenly feeling so uncomfortable in his presence.
Then she heard Robert's voice again. It seemed to be coming form miles away:
"You're going down?"
"Huh?" Elizabeth was caught off her guard.
"You know, the elevator? It takes you either up or down. Which way are you going?" Romano asked in a casual, playful tone, but Elizabeth could see he was not feeling exactly comfortable either.
"Um.I'm going down." She replied as she realized he was waiting for her answer. "I'm going home."
"Right. Down it is then." Romano said, pressing the right button and then, fixing his gaze on the floor, he continued under breath: "That seems to be the general direction I've been heading for several months now."
Elizabeth shot a glance at Robert, but he was avoiding her gaze. Had she heard him correctly?
"Robert? Did you say something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Romano looked up, his face now emotionless. "No", he replied curtly.
"Robert, if." Elizabeth started, but was brought to a halt as the elevator suddenly stopped with a jolt. Elizabeth, standing in the middle of the floor, lost balance and soon found herself falling towards Romano, who quickly caught her with his good arm.
For an awkward minute they stood still, Romano still holding Elizabeth in his arms. Then she pulled away, blushing slightly and mumbling words of apology. Robert said nothing, but he was looking at her in a way she could not misinterpret. She had seen it before, that look of mingled sadness and desire in his dark eyes. Elizabeth quickly looked away and started to examine her hands. She could hear as Robert let out a deep breath. It sounded like a sigh.
For a moment they both stood in silence, then it finally began to dawn on Elizabeth that they weren't moving. The elevator had stopped, but the doors had not opened. They seemed to be stuck somewhere between the floors.
"Robert." she said quietly, almost fearing to break the silence. "I think we're stuck."
The haunting look on Romano's face suddenly disappeared and his lips curved up a little as he replied: "You really think so, Lizzie? My, the sharpness of your wit never ceases to amaze me."
He was mocking her again. Well, at least it was better than the silence. It was something Elizabeth was familiar with and knew how to respond to.
"Oh, shut up, Robert" she said. "If you are as smart as you seem to fancy yourself, then why don't you get us out of here?"
"And what makes you think I'd want to get out?" He replied, folding his arms on his chest. "I'm not needed at the ER and." he lowered his voice and lifted his dark brown eyes to meet Elizabeth's blue ones, ".I think I have all I want right here with me."
Elizabeth found herself unable to hold his gaze. She looked down at her hands again and felt her cheeks flushing. She was suddenly feeling very hot. Then she remember she was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf. She had been on her way out.
Elizabeth quickly removed the coat in order to cool down, but as she was doing so, her eyes met Robert's again and she noticed that he was still looking at her, in a way only he could manage. Whatever coolness she had just gained was lost.
Another silence fell between them and Elizabeth started staring at the walls, trying to avoid another disturbing eye contact with Robert.
'Oh, this is ridiculous!' she heard the inner voice barking. 'Say something! Who knows how long this is going to take. You can't just stand there like an idiot for the rest of the evening.!' That was true. She had to act.
"How long do you think we'll be here?" Elizabeth finally asked, trying to sound very casual.
Robert seemed to be deep in his thoughts for he started at Elizabeth's question.
"Huh?"
"Never mind." Elizabeth said, sitting down on the floor, having decided that sitting on the floor like an idiot couldn't possibly be any worse than standing. Besides, it was more comfortable. If she had to make a fool of herself, she could do so with dignity.
Romano soon followed her suit and sat down, a bit too close for Elizabeth's liking. So much about the sitting being more comfortable. She shifted a bit uneasily, trying to find an easy subject they could talk about.
"Um.how is you arm?" she then asked, soon wondering if she could have picked a worse topic even if she had tried. This could get emotional, and emotional was not something she wanted right now.or was it? She glanced at Robert, but averted her eyes before he could lock her gaze again.
"What does it matter?" he replied quietly.
"It matters a great deal." Elizabeth replied. "It's you arm, for God's sake."
"It's a useless arm and will probably remain so. And I'll soon be as useless as the arm, but that's probably just for the best..."
"Robert-"
".I will be gone and everyone will be cheering for such good riddance."
"Robert." Elizabeth turned to look at him again, but now it was his turn to avoid her gaze.
"Say it, Lizzie." he said, staring at the floor in front of him
"Say what?"
"That I'm a useless wreck of a man."
Were her eyes deceiving her, or did she just see something wet at the corner of his eye? Elizabeth felt a sudden urge to take him in her arms and.. 'What the hell has gotten into you?' she heard the voice inside of her head again, but this time the voice sounded muffled and she hardly paid any heed to it as she slowly moved closer to Robert on the floor.
Romano looked up at the sound of her movement, a look of surprise in his eyes. Then the eyes seemed to deepen as Elizabeth gently brought her hand to his cheek. Her heart was racing and she hardly knew what she was doing. All she knew was that she couldn't bear to watch Robert in such a state.
"Robert." she said quietly. "You are not a wreck of a man and you would be very much missed if you had to go."
He swallowed, his eyes burning into hers. "Who would miss me?" he asked hoarsely.
There was a short silence as Elizabeth looked down. Then she looked up again to meet Robert's eyes with a level gaze before she replied, her voice barely above a whisper: "I would."
There was another silence during which Elizabeth could hear the beat of her own heart. Then she noticed that Robert was leaning forward. Their lips were only inches away from each other and Elizabeth hadn't yet decided if she wanted to be kissed or if she should respond to it, when she suddenly felt the elevator moving again. She jumped up, startled, almost expecting the doors to flow open to reveal their current position to the entire ER. She felt her cheeks burning. She could not, and would not, look down to Robert, who still lingered on the floor. . Finally the elevator reached the ground floor and Elizabeth turned to look at Robert once more before stepping out. He was still sitting down, now with an unreadable expression on his face. The mask that had fallen for a while seemed to be back on its usual place.
"Robert?" she asked.
He looked up, but did not reply.
"Are you not coming?" she asked.
"I - I think I'll have to pick up some stuff from my office before I leave for tonight."
"Ah.I see." Elizabeth replied. Was that a feeling of disappointment creeping in to her heart? For some reason she didn't feel like parting from Robert. "I guess we'll see tomorrow then?" She asked, trying to push all the strange feelings out of her head. This was not a good time. She needed to get out and cool down. She needed a better moment to sort out her thoughts and feelings about what had just happened.
Romano stood up and seemed to be a bit unsure of himself for a while. For a moment Elizabeth thought he would reach out to caress her cheek, but then he finally turned to press the button in the elevator instead. He would go back up, alone.
"See you tomorrow", he said. "Good night."
"Good night." Elizabeth replied before heading out. The cool breeze of winter air on her face as she stepped out had never felt so wonderful and refreshing before.
