Title: Medical Wonders: Humid Hope

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other information is in first chapter

Author's Note: I'm back! Did ya miss me?…lol… well this is short, but I thought it'd be important for this story. Thanks for all of the feedback and there will be another update either tomorrow or Thursday…I'm shooting for tomorrow though. Well…enjoy. Please R&R…thanks.

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July 1, 2003

6:02 a.m.

The sweltering Chicago, July heat seeps though the windows of Lizzie's home. Robert Romano lays next to her tangled in the sheets without his shirt on snoring lightly with his right arm around her protectively. It's already hot with the temperatures already flirting with eighty degrees and it wasn't even seven o'clock yet.

Elizabeth, on the other hand is already awake, uncomfortable. She rolls onto her other side trying to find some position that is comfortable as she tries to go back to sleep. She closes her eyes trying to make her breathing even and deep, trying to put herself to sleep, but her eyes pop open and she excitedly places her hand onto her 18 week swollen stomach.

"Robert," she whispers excited.

He doesn't open his eyes.

"Robert," she whispers again.

Robert Romano groans and rolls away from her muttering a few choice words under his breath. He's not awake yet and has no intention of being woken up when he still has at least another hour of sleep.

"Robert," she says sharply.

He rolls back to face her with his eyes still closed -- trying to stay in the state of sleep that he was just in.

"This better be good, Lizzie, because its hotter than hell in this house and I have to be at work at nine."

She grins at the way he looks talking to her with his eyes closed, obviously annoyed and angry. She can just see his dark brown eyes that would normally glare at her in such a situation, but she continues on.

"The baby just kicked."

Robert's eyes fly open and he looks into her face, questioning. He places his hand on her abdomen.

But there's nothing.

Robert looks at Elizabeth annoyed.

"I swear to you I felt the baby kick. A nice strong kick."

"Lizzie, I'm tired and cranky --"

"Tell me something that isn't new," she snarks.

"Oh shut up!" he replies not even trying to find something witty to say -- it's too early for him, especially since he was reading medical texts early into the morning. Robert turns back over, "Why do you insist on having the windows open when you have perfectly good central air?"

"I like the fresh air."

"I thought pregnant women were supposed to be overheated and in desperate need of air conditioning, not having the humid air of July seeping through their windows."

"My aren't we cranky this morning," Elizabeth responds.

"The air is getting turned on when we leave this morning," Robert tells her closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep.

Elizabeth's eyes light up.

"The baby kicked again!"

Robert rolls back over -- looking at her with one of his very patent pissed off expressions.

Elizabeth guides his hand over her abdomen. He rubs her stomach loving the touch of the swollen belly and knowing that he helped to create the child that dwells there.

"I still don't feel anything," Robert finally says.

Elizabeth looks down at her abdomen and places her hand over Robert's.

"The little shit stops when you try and feel it kicking," Elizabeth tries to explain.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well you can tell who it'll take after."

Robert rubs her stomach again, just loving the feel of her abdomen. Who would have thought that Robert Romano would be having a baby with Elizabeth Corday? Obviously there has always been a spark, an attraction, and eventually a fascination coming more from his end, but still after awhile she started to share the sparks. She started to enjoy their daily sparring of wit versus wit. After both of them had to deal with their own personal tragedies, she her husband, him his arm, they realized that as much as they wanted to fight it they were meant for on another.

Romano continues to rub her stomach in a circular motion.

"You'll probably put the kid to sleep," Elizabeth says.

"I wish that's all I needed to fall asleep," Romano responds already awake probably for the rest of the day.

The baby kicks again. This time both Romano and Elizabeth feels it. Robert's eyes widen at the feeling of the small life kicking fiercely against his hand.

"Lizzie, I guess this time you were right."

"With this, Robert, I'd better be right."

"But I'm always so used to being right."

"Sure you are," Elizabeth replies rolling over away from him, "Until the day you met me."

Robert spoons up behind her whispering in her ear, "Now, now Lizzie, I've always been right, some days it just looked like I was wrong."

Elizabeth laughs, becoming drowsy, much to her surprise. She falls asleep with Robert behind her. He on the other hand is awake now. Completely awake with his no good left hand placed over the small hump. And for the first time in nearly ten months he can feel sensation with his left hand. He can feel the child kicking.

So much hope. Hope for both father and child.

TBC

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More to come! Please R&R

~Jen