Title: Giving Thanks: Banter

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other info is in the first chapter.

Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Here ya go here's your episode for tomorrow -- lol -- since TPTB aren't bringing him back. Not looking forward to seeing Carter in the Congo -- haven't we done that storyline before??? Well anyways from the previews I'll prolly flip the channel. Ooops…there I go again -- complaining about the show. Haha…well here's more to the story. Enjoy!

*****

County General

December 4, 2003

9:01 a.m.

After another week of sitting in the hospital watching the world go by as he recovered he decided enough was enough. He couldn't deal with sitting and thinking. Too many thoughts would go through his head. About her, about his apparent magnetic force towards helicopters or them to him -- after the accident two weeks ago Robert Romano will not even attempt to go up to the roof. No matter who goads him to do so.

"Robert, what a surprise," Kerry Weaver replies shocked to see him.

"Yeah, it's like seeing a ghost, isn't it?" Robert bites.

"It's good to have you back," Weaver responds through clenched lips.

"Right," Romano says sarcastically.

"Oh and Robert you're late," Weaver adds smirking.

"Two weeks ago you all thought I was dead. Now you're concerned that I'm a minute late?"

"We've got an ER to run," Kerry responds coldly.

Romano walks towards the admit desk, muttering a few obscenities under his breath and glaring at the crowd starting to appear around the desk. All surprised to actually see him back.

"Well back, Dr. Romano," Susan says.

"Dr. Lewis, how has the hell hole been?"

"Not the same without the chief."

"Don't think you're getting to leave early for that comment."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"All right boys and girls we've got a sess-pool of disease to cure, quit staring. I'm alive. Get over it!"

"Wouldn't be too hard," Pratt mutters under his breath.

"And you, Dr. Pratt, I believe we have a meeting with Anspaugh and Weaver since I seemed to be unavailable for the one two weeks ago."

"I'm off in an hour."

"You'll have to wait until the end of this shift," Romano replies grinning wickedly.

"But I'm on again at eight tomorrow."

"That's just too bad," Romano bites grabbing a pile of charts and heading off towards the curtains.

A head lac, three little kids with the flu, and an MVA later Robert tiredly sits down at admit. It's only noon and he's already ready to fall asleep -- not at all like the days of old where he'd be able to stand for six or so hours in surgery.

He puts his head into this hand to fight off a headache that is starting to form in the base of his skull. The ER has slowed down enough where he handed off a bunch of minor cases to the med students and could take a break.

Hearing footsteps behind him he rolls his eyes, ready for another crack about the walking dead, or ghosts, or anything about the 'Christmas Carol.' Bracing himself he turns around, delighted to see Elizabeth Corday walking towards him.

"Lizzie! Did the leeches call you down here for a consult?"

"No, actually," she responds.

"Oh well, you'd better run before they suck you in down here."

"How are you doing?"

"Aside from the wise cracks about seeing dead people, and the pounding in the base of my skull, I'm as good as anyone could be."

"Are you hungry?" Elizabeth questions trying to brighten his spirits.

Robert eyes her suspiciously, "Elizabeth are you asking me on a date?"

She grins, "No, I'm merely asking if you'd like to go over to Ike's and have lunch. We wouldn't want you to get food poisoning from cafeteria food your first day back."

"Sounds like a date to me," Robert smugly replies.

"Call it whatever you want, but I'm hungry and you must be too."

She heads for the door, but turns back when she realizes that he's not following her.

"Are you coming?"

"I'm just trying to relish this moment."

"Well, don't. You look like a damn fool -- I'm leaving. Are you coming or not?"

Robert grabs his coat and grins at her, actually genuinely happy for once in the last month or so.

"Lizzie, where ever did you learn to be so blunt?"

"Only from the best."

"Ahh -- well I've heard rumors that my shoes have been filled quite nicely up in the OR in more ways than one," he pauses, smirking, "Shirley, tells me you've inherited a sharp tongue with razor remarks from a certain ex-Chief of Surgery."

"Wonder who that can be," she responds sarcastically.

"Yeah, I wonder," Romano says laughing to himself that Elizabeth has taken over his attitude in the OR. He always knew that she had it in her. That was one of things that made her such a great jousting partner. They were of matched intelligences, skills, and verbal harshness.

Upon reaching the door to Ike's, Robert opens it as easily as possible and Elizabeth is shocked at such a chivalrous gesture coming from Robert Romano.

"What, Lizzie, didn't think I could be a gentleman?"

"Well -- I'm just surprised."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"Like?"

"Well like the fact that I failed chemistry while I was in high school."

Elizabeth laughs, as Robert heads towards a table and pulls out her chair for her. They both sit.

"What it's true!" Robert protests, "I was very smart--"

Elizabeth snorts.

"I didn't fail because I didn't know what I was doing. I failed because my lab partner and I nearly blew up the science wing at my high school."

"Now that would be something I would believe," she laughs.

"Don't tell me that you never did anything like blowing up the science lab," Robert replies playfully.

"I can't say that I've ever tried to blow the science room up."

"You must have done something --"

"When I was sixteen I snuck out of the boarding school dorm and met up with my eighteen year old boyfriend --"

"Ooh -- sounds dangerous," Robert replies, in his best mood in ages.

"It was. I would have been kicked out of the school -- and my mother -- oh God, I can't even imagine dealing with her. I had a hard enough time telling her I was having Ella."

Robert laughs at the thought of Elizabeth and her mother Isabella -- the two women were always at each other's throats.

"It's not funny at all," Elizabeth pouts playfully.

"I'm just trying to picture what your mother's reaction would have been."

"I'm glad I never had to find out."

The waitress comes over to their table and they order their food, making small talk as they waited for their food. Once the food arrived, they had both become particularly comfortable in each other's presence.

"Robert, I have a confession to make."

Robert gasps, putting his hand over his mouth, feigning shock.

"I can't remember a time when I had this interesting of a lunch."

"You know, Lizzie, neither can I."

She smiles at him genuinely, "I'm glad you're back."

"I think you're the only one," Robert laughs, "The ER is still in shock."

"Don't let them get to you."

"Them get to me? This is the reason I wanted to come back to work -- so I could maliciously rip them apart."

"Robert, that's mean."

"It gets me through the day."

"Still regretting the comment?"

"The one about you being back?"

"Yeah."

"Ehh -- I've missed this."

"What? The banter?"

She nods her head.

"Me too."

"Robert, we should do this again."

"The lunch or the banter?"

"Both."

TBC

******

More to come! Please R&R

~Jen