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any profit by using them.
Thank you all for your great feedback! Please, keep the reviews coming, it always gives me more inspiration to write.
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The rest of the day was a nightmare for Elizabeth. At least half of all the residents in the Chicago area seemed to have developed some sort of trauma that day and Elizabeth had barely time to breath while running from one patient to another. It would have been exhausting enough even if she had managed to sleep well the previous night, but as she hadn't, the day proved to be almost unbearable.
'Well,' Elizabeth sighed to herself while changing her clothes after the day's last surgery. 'At least I haven't had any time to think about Robert for the last..'
Elizabeth paused, and then cursed silently under her breath:
'Damn Robert'
The mention of Romano's name had brought it to her mind that there were some files in his office that she needed to get before the weekend. She wouldn't be on call on either Saturday or Sunday, but Robert had piled some paperwork for her that she had resolved to take home with her.
But Elizabeth knew it wasn't the work that bothered her, for she would have plenty of time to get it all done over the weekend. It was the fact that she would have to venture to Romano's office to get the damn papers that made her uncomfortable. She had been successfully avoiding him all day and now it seemed it would all come to nothing.
'What a perfect ending for a perfect day', Elizabeth muttered to herself sarcastically, taking a deep resigned breath as she left the women's locker room.
On her way to the dreaded office, Elizabeth's mind was working furiously on a plan of action: She would go in.No, she would knock, then she would go in, meet his gaze levelly and explain quickly that she had come for the files they had been talking about. Then she would take the papers, avoiding his glance, and excuse herself. If he tried to talk, she would say she was busy to get home. No awkward silences or lingering looks.
Outside of the office Elizabeth came to a halt. She noticed that the door looked somehow different this time. Robert's name that had still stood there the last time she had been in his office had been removed. For some unexplainable reason the sight saddened Elizabeth, but she quickly told herself off of getting too emotional. She was about to enter Robert's office and the last thing she wanted was to get all emotional again.
Elizabeth was just about to knock on the door, when it finally dawned to her that the room seemed to be dark. It hadn't even occurred to her before that Robert might already have left. It was an unexpected relief, or it should have been, but for some reason Elizabeth began to wonder if she was actually feeling a bit disappointed.
Ridiculous. She was just tired and if she was disappointed, it was because she now wouldn't be able to carry out the plan she been working on, on her way there.
After a moment of deliberation, Elizabeth decided to knock on the door nevertheless. 'Better safe than sorry', she told herself.
There was no answer. Slowly, Elizabeth opened the door, as if still fearing Robert would be hiding behind it, ready to give her a good scare. For some reason this thought brought a smile to her lips, the first genuine one of the day. But the room was empty. Or at least it was empty of people. There were, however, numerous boxes lying around the floor, and it looked like most of the books and items in the had been packed in them. Another reminder of the fact that Robert had indeed been demoted and was moving out of his office. The smile died on her lips.
Elizabeth began to wonder if she would ever find the necessary files from the mess she was facing, but to her great relief she soon noticed a neat pile of papers on one corner of Romano's desk. They were the very files she needed, Robert had not forgotten about them. Elizabeth quickly crossed the room and was just about to reach for the papers when she heard Romano's husky voice whispering in her ear:
"Came to investigate my private belongings, Lizzie?"
Elizabeth jumped and almost screamed out loud at the unexpected arrival of her boss. 'Former boss', she mentally corrected herself as soon as she was able to breath again. He must have sneaked in right behind her and she had been too preoccupied to notice anything.
"W-What are you doing in here?" Elizabeth managed to stammer after taking a few more breaths, turning to face Robert.
A small smile played on his lips.
"I believe this is still my office." He said. "Unless, of course, I have been misinformed." he added, leaning on the desk with his good arm, getting much closer to Elizabeth than what she could be comfortable with in her present state of mind.
Elizabeth blushed. She took a little step away from Robert, but found her way being blocked by a huge box on the floor.
"I didn't scare you, did I?" Romano continued playfully, leaving his position and moving behind his desk, taking a seat.
"No", Elizabeth replied curtly and, getting back her composure, seized the pile of papers she had come to get in the first place. "I just came to get these files", she mumbled, and started browsing them through to get her mind elsewhere. Robert didn't say anything.
After a while, Elizabeth finally lifted her eyes from the files. "Right...", she started. "I - I guess this is it, then."
Romano was contemplating her with an unreadable expression, but said nothing. He certainly seemed know how to make her uncomfortable.
"I think I'll be heading home now." Elizabeth added, when there was no reply. "Good night!"
She turned to leave, but Robert's voice caught her before she could exit the room.
"Leaving so soon?", he asked, as if Elizabeth hadn't just been talking about leaving.
With a sigh, Elizabeth turned to face him once more. This was getting frustrating.
"Look", she said. "This has been a long day and I'm exhausted. I really need to get home." She didn't want to get into yet another awkward conversation with Robert. One per day was more than enough for her.
Romano didn't seem to be paying much attention to her words. Instead, he lifted up a bottle of scotch from his drawer and continued:
"I was hoping you'd join me for a drink." He paused, then continued, looking down. "For the old times' sake."
Elizabeth looked at him, not sure of how to answer. She felt she could indeed use a drink after the hectic day, but she was hesitant to stay with Robert for any longer than she had to. It clearly wasn't good for her. Yet, a part of her also hated the thought of leaving him all alone, knowing full well that if she had had a bad day, Romano's day had probably been even worse.
"Look." she began, but was interrupted by Robert:
"Come on, Lizzie. This is your last change! Next time you come to this office you'll find yourself sipping orange juice with Weaver."
Elizabeth snorted and finally gave in. Robert seemed to be in a playful mood and that was something she could deal with. Besides, she had recently called home and she had been told that Ella was fine, so there was no real reason to hurry home immediately.
"Fine, Robert." She replied with a small smile. "But don't expect me to stay for long."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Robert replied, but seemed satisfied as he pulled out two glasses and filled them with the whisky. In the meanwhile, Elizabeth took a seat opposite Romano, wondering what she had gotten herself into and suddenly remembering the many times she had sat on the very chair feeling far less uncomfortable than now. She was, however, soon brought back to present, when Romano handed her the drink with a quick "Here you go, Lizzie".
Their fingers met briefly as Elizabeth took the glass from Robert's hand. The short touch sent a shiver down her spine and the shock made her draw her hand away as soon as she could do it without dropping the glass. Damn Robert. Elizabeth leaned back on her chair, putting as much distance between herself and Robert as possible, and then fixed her eyes on her drink, trying to avoid his gaze.
"You don't have to look at it like it was poisoned", Romano spoke after a short silence, nodding towards Elizabeth's drink. If the touch had made him feel anything, he was hiding it well. "I thought you'd know you're not on the top of my 'to poison' -list."
With that, he gave a little grin and drained his own glass with one big swig, then put it back on the table.
"See?"
"How very relieving," Elizabeth snorted, but gave a little half smile and ventured to look up again before taking a sip of her own drink. A mistake. The strength and taste of the liquid made her cringe as she swallowed it. This seemed to amuse Robert.
"That bad, huh?", he asked, refilling his own glass.
"Never trust a surgeon," Elizabeth breathed, setting the rest of her drink on the desk. "If this isn't poison, I wonder what is!"
"It's the first sip that always tastes the worst", Robert replied meekly. "I'm sure you can do better than that."
"Is that a challenge?" Elizabeth asked, loosening up a little.
"If you're up for it."
"Robert, you should know by now that I'm always up for a challenge.", Elizabeth retorted, taking another sip of her drink to prove her point. This time she made sure she wouldn't cringe.
"You're learning." Robert said teasingly as he watched Elizabeth put down her glass and take a deep breath. "Will you let me refill this for you?" he then asked, taking the glass and refilling it before Elizabeth could say anything.
"If I didn't know better, Robert, I'd say you are trying to." Elizabeth started, but was cut short by Romano.
"You need a full glass so that we can have toast."
"A toast?" Elizabeth asked. "For what?"
"Anything." Romano replied lightly. "Does there always have to be a reason?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Well, if you put it like that.", she said, reaching out for her glass.
It didn't seem like she would be able to escape anytime soon, so Elizabeth resolved to try to enjoy herself instead.
TBC
Thank you all for your great feedback! Please, keep the reviews coming, it always gives me more inspiration to write.
**************************************************************************** *
The rest of the day was a nightmare for Elizabeth. At least half of all the residents in the Chicago area seemed to have developed some sort of trauma that day and Elizabeth had barely time to breath while running from one patient to another. It would have been exhausting enough even if she had managed to sleep well the previous night, but as she hadn't, the day proved to be almost unbearable.
'Well,' Elizabeth sighed to herself while changing her clothes after the day's last surgery. 'At least I haven't had any time to think about Robert for the last..'
Elizabeth paused, and then cursed silently under her breath:
'Damn Robert'
The mention of Romano's name had brought it to her mind that there were some files in his office that she needed to get before the weekend. She wouldn't be on call on either Saturday or Sunday, but Robert had piled some paperwork for her that she had resolved to take home with her.
But Elizabeth knew it wasn't the work that bothered her, for she would have plenty of time to get it all done over the weekend. It was the fact that she would have to venture to Romano's office to get the damn papers that made her uncomfortable. She had been successfully avoiding him all day and now it seemed it would all come to nothing.
'What a perfect ending for a perfect day', Elizabeth muttered to herself sarcastically, taking a deep resigned breath as she left the women's locker room.
On her way to the dreaded office, Elizabeth's mind was working furiously on a plan of action: She would go in.No, she would knock, then she would go in, meet his gaze levelly and explain quickly that she had come for the files they had been talking about. Then she would take the papers, avoiding his glance, and excuse herself. If he tried to talk, she would say she was busy to get home. No awkward silences or lingering looks.
Outside of the office Elizabeth came to a halt. She noticed that the door looked somehow different this time. Robert's name that had still stood there the last time she had been in his office had been removed. For some unexplainable reason the sight saddened Elizabeth, but she quickly told herself off of getting too emotional. She was about to enter Robert's office and the last thing she wanted was to get all emotional again.
Elizabeth was just about to knock on the door, when it finally dawned to her that the room seemed to be dark. It hadn't even occurred to her before that Robert might already have left. It was an unexpected relief, or it should have been, but for some reason Elizabeth began to wonder if she was actually feeling a bit disappointed.
Ridiculous. She was just tired and if she was disappointed, it was because she now wouldn't be able to carry out the plan she been working on, on her way there.
After a moment of deliberation, Elizabeth decided to knock on the door nevertheless. 'Better safe than sorry', she told herself.
There was no answer. Slowly, Elizabeth opened the door, as if still fearing Robert would be hiding behind it, ready to give her a good scare. For some reason this thought brought a smile to her lips, the first genuine one of the day. But the room was empty. Or at least it was empty of people. There were, however, numerous boxes lying around the floor, and it looked like most of the books and items in the had been packed in them. Another reminder of the fact that Robert had indeed been demoted and was moving out of his office. The smile died on her lips.
Elizabeth began to wonder if she would ever find the necessary files from the mess she was facing, but to her great relief she soon noticed a neat pile of papers on one corner of Romano's desk. They were the very files she needed, Robert had not forgotten about them. Elizabeth quickly crossed the room and was just about to reach for the papers when she heard Romano's husky voice whispering in her ear:
"Came to investigate my private belongings, Lizzie?"
Elizabeth jumped and almost screamed out loud at the unexpected arrival of her boss. 'Former boss', she mentally corrected herself as soon as she was able to breath again. He must have sneaked in right behind her and she had been too preoccupied to notice anything.
"W-What are you doing in here?" Elizabeth managed to stammer after taking a few more breaths, turning to face Robert.
A small smile played on his lips.
"I believe this is still my office." He said. "Unless, of course, I have been misinformed." he added, leaning on the desk with his good arm, getting much closer to Elizabeth than what she could be comfortable with in her present state of mind.
Elizabeth blushed. She took a little step away from Robert, but found her way being blocked by a huge box on the floor.
"I didn't scare you, did I?" Romano continued playfully, leaving his position and moving behind his desk, taking a seat.
"No", Elizabeth replied curtly and, getting back her composure, seized the pile of papers she had come to get in the first place. "I just came to get these files", she mumbled, and started browsing them through to get her mind elsewhere. Robert didn't say anything.
After a while, Elizabeth finally lifted her eyes from the files. "Right...", she started. "I - I guess this is it, then."
Romano was contemplating her with an unreadable expression, but said nothing. He certainly seemed know how to make her uncomfortable.
"I think I'll be heading home now." Elizabeth added, when there was no reply. "Good night!"
She turned to leave, but Robert's voice caught her before she could exit the room.
"Leaving so soon?", he asked, as if Elizabeth hadn't just been talking about leaving.
With a sigh, Elizabeth turned to face him once more. This was getting frustrating.
"Look", she said. "This has been a long day and I'm exhausted. I really need to get home." She didn't want to get into yet another awkward conversation with Robert. One per day was more than enough for her.
Romano didn't seem to be paying much attention to her words. Instead, he lifted up a bottle of scotch from his drawer and continued:
"I was hoping you'd join me for a drink." He paused, then continued, looking down. "For the old times' sake."
Elizabeth looked at him, not sure of how to answer. She felt she could indeed use a drink after the hectic day, but she was hesitant to stay with Robert for any longer than she had to. It clearly wasn't good for her. Yet, a part of her also hated the thought of leaving him all alone, knowing full well that if she had had a bad day, Romano's day had probably been even worse.
"Look." she began, but was interrupted by Robert:
"Come on, Lizzie. This is your last change! Next time you come to this office you'll find yourself sipping orange juice with Weaver."
Elizabeth snorted and finally gave in. Robert seemed to be in a playful mood and that was something she could deal with. Besides, she had recently called home and she had been told that Ella was fine, so there was no real reason to hurry home immediately.
"Fine, Robert." She replied with a small smile. "But don't expect me to stay for long."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Robert replied, but seemed satisfied as he pulled out two glasses and filled them with the whisky. In the meanwhile, Elizabeth took a seat opposite Romano, wondering what she had gotten herself into and suddenly remembering the many times she had sat on the very chair feeling far less uncomfortable than now. She was, however, soon brought back to present, when Romano handed her the drink with a quick "Here you go, Lizzie".
Their fingers met briefly as Elizabeth took the glass from Robert's hand. The short touch sent a shiver down her spine and the shock made her draw her hand away as soon as she could do it without dropping the glass. Damn Robert. Elizabeth leaned back on her chair, putting as much distance between herself and Robert as possible, and then fixed her eyes on her drink, trying to avoid his gaze.
"You don't have to look at it like it was poisoned", Romano spoke after a short silence, nodding towards Elizabeth's drink. If the touch had made him feel anything, he was hiding it well. "I thought you'd know you're not on the top of my 'to poison' -list."
With that, he gave a little grin and drained his own glass with one big swig, then put it back on the table.
"See?"
"How very relieving," Elizabeth snorted, but gave a little half smile and ventured to look up again before taking a sip of her own drink. A mistake. The strength and taste of the liquid made her cringe as she swallowed it. This seemed to amuse Robert.
"That bad, huh?", he asked, refilling his own glass.
"Never trust a surgeon," Elizabeth breathed, setting the rest of her drink on the desk. "If this isn't poison, I wonder what is!"
"It's the first sip that always tastes the worst", Robert replied meekly. "I'm sure you can do better than that."
"Is that a challenge?" Elizabeth asked, loosening up a little.
"If you're up for it."
"Robert, you should know by now that I'm always up for a challenge.", Elizabeth retorted, taking another sip of her drink to prove her point. This time she made sure she wouldn't cringe.
"You're learning." Robert said teasingly as he watched Elizabeth put down her glass and take a deep breath. "Will you let me refill this for you?" he then asked, taking the glass and refilling it before Elizabeth could say anything.
"If I didn't know better, Robert, I'd say you are trying to." Elizabeth started, but was cut short by Romano.
"You need a full glass so that we can have toast."
"A toast?" Elizabeth asked. "For what?"
"Anything." Romano replied lightly. "Does there always have to be a reason?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Well, if you put it like that.", she said, reaching out for her glass.
It didn't seem like she would be able to escape anytime soon, so Elizabeth resolved to try to enjoy herself instead.
TBC
