Author's Note: OK, I really meant for these last two chapters to be one, but it was getting long, and I wanted to update (sorry for the delay, I've been busy with work and vacation), so this is Conclusion Part One. It takes place a few days after "When Night Meets Day," and it's the way I hope the writers and producers of ER will handle this storyline (though, of course, they probably won't mention it ever again). Anyway, I'll try to get the second part up very soon, but until then, enjoy!

***

Elizabeth woke earlier than she should have that morning. She hadn't been getting much sleep at all lately. Since Robert's surgery, he was all she could think about. How he looked so small and helpless lying in the recovery room with nothing but a stump for an arm. How he had tried to hold on to his last shred of surgical dignity by telling her how to take care of his arm. How…well, how he had told her, however groggily, that he loved her.

That was the part she couldn't seem to forget.

For days Elizabeth had been agonizing over the four words that had suddenly changed their relationship- even if Robert didn't know it. Now, at least, she was sure of her feelings for Robert. She knew that she was falling in love with him. She just wasn't sure if he was falling in love with her.

 Of course, she knew that once upon a time, he had feelings for her, but that was five years ago. So much had changed since then. She had gotten married, had a baby, been widowed. He had risen up the promotion ladder to the top, only to get suddenly thrown off by a freak accident. How could she hope for the fairy-tale ending now?

Elizabeth slid out of bed and stepped into the shower. She knew that she should go see him today. It had been five days since she had seen him last. He needed her, and she needed to find out what he remembered from the day of the surgery- even if she didn't want to.

***

Robert was sitting up in his private hospital room, picking at his breakfast. 'I should have paid more attention to the meal budget while I was Chief of Staff…' he thought to himself as he forced the so-called eggs down his throat.

He was finally feeling better. Though he knew it would take time –and lots of it- to get used to his new handicapped status, he was slowly learning to function with only one arm. The IVs were out, and he wasn't in a hospital gown anymore. Though he knew he'd be in the hospital for a few more weeks, he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Of course, there were a few questions nagging in the back of his mind. How would he be able to work? Would he get a prosthetic arm? A hook? Would anybody trust a one-armed doctor? And foremost, why hadn't Elizabeth come to see him?

Robert kept trying to think back to the day of the surgery. He couldn't remember much at all- the drugs blurred his memory. The nurses had told him that Elizabeth had scrubbed in on the surgery, and that she had taken care of him that day in recovery. One of the nurses on the ward said that Elizabeth had been there a few nights before, but had been avoiding the ward for the most part.

Robert couldn't help but wonder if he had done something stupid while he was groggy. Or was it something else? Something he had said before he went under? Was Elizabeth avoiding him? Did she not care? Or was she too scared of what she might find if she came to visit him?

The more he thought about it, the more he wasn't sure that he wanted to know.

***

Just past noon, Elizabeth, bearing sandwiches, knocked on the door of Robert's hospital room. Her shift started at three, and she had decided that morning that she couldn't avoid him anymore. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that she had to find out if he remembered what he had said the last time they spoke.

"Come in," came the call from inside. Elizabeth turned the handle and put an overly enthusiastic smile on her face.

"Lizzie!" Robert said, the glee noticeable in his voice. "You've finally come to visit. I was beginning to think you didn't care enough to come and wish me well."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm sorry, Robert, I've been very busy lately. I never realized how demanding the Chief of Surgery position really was. You always made it seem so easy."

"Well, according to some of my colleagues, that's because I don't care enough about the patients," Robert quipped. Elizabeth chuckled.

"That's not true, Robert." There were a few seconds of comfortable silence. "I figured you'd be sick of the hospital food, so I brought some sandwiches," Elizabeth began.

"Oh, thank you Elizabeth, you're an angel," Robert said, eagerly reaching into the bag Elizabeth held open for him. "I was starting to regret ignoring the meal budget all those years."

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, I hope you don't mind having some company for lunch."

"Not at all. None of the nurses ever have anything interesting to say to me. I had more intelligent conversations with Ella last weekend."

"Well, considering the limited vocabulary of my two-year-old, I'd say the nurses are pretty boring up here."

"I'm beginning to wonder how they got through elementary school, never mind nursing school," Robert said, taking a large bite of his sub. They both laughed, and began to eat.

***

A/N: I think the next chapter will be up within the week, but I'm not making any promises, since I always seem to break them anyway. Please review, I love feedback!