Title: Giving Thanks: Running

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other information is in the first chapter

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long. I wanted to finish my x-files fic before devoting my entire attention to this fic. Plus, I've been feeling uninspired. But anyways here's more! Enjoy!

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December 10, 2003

County General Hospital

9:19 p.m.

"Dr. Corday we have an MVA coming in. Two serious," Carter tells her as she tries to walk out of the ER.

"I was off two hours ago," she replies coolly trying to leave before getting sucked back in. At six thirty it looked like she would easily be done by seven, but with five minutes left of her shift a family of five from a house fire rolled through the doors needing direct surgical consultation. Waiting for plastics to arrive she was suckered in to doing another consult and finding out that Edson went home early.

"We've paged surgery and no one has come down."

"Give it time," Corday responds opening the door to the cold December air.

"Dr. Corday!"

The first of four stretchers wheels through the door. This one with a seven year old little girl on it.

"Oh bloody hell!" she mutters frustrated as she starts to look over the little girl. "Jerry call my nanny and tell her I'm going to be late tonight."

"Sure thing, Dr. Corday," Jerry responds.

Within minutes the trauma rooms are in a furry of action and Elizabeth runs from one trauma room to the other muttering under her breath at the idiocy of the surgical department that seems to have taken a break.

"Someone want to call up to surgery and find out where the hell all the surgeons went?" Corday barks as she examines the belly of the seven year old's little brother, "This one needs and ex-lap, now! He's internally bleeding and I can't do all these surgeries myself."

"We've got another MVA coming in!" Jerry yells into the trauma room.

"Did everyone in this damn town forget how to drive in snow?" Corday asks sarcastically.

"Plans for tonight, Elizabeth?" Susan questions quizzically.

"Well not anymore," she replies moving the gurney with the little boy out.

"Hey Dr. Corday, your nanny had to leave -- something about her sister--"

"Where's Ella?"

Jerry smirks, "You're not going to believe this, but it sounded like she said Dr. Romano is watching her."

"Big plans, huh?" Susan sneers, laughing.

Elizabeth rolls her eyes and pushes the gurney with the little boy on it. It was going to be a long night and she wasn't even supposed to be on.

1:03 a.m.

Elizabeth's Home

Elizabeth slowly opens the door to her home reveling in the warmth away from the raw wind. Silently she takes her jacket off and places her keys on the counter wondering where her newly invested babysitter was.

Exhausted from a very long day she finds Robert sleeping on her couch with the television glow illuminating the features of his face. He looks so peaceful in sleep that Elizabeth doesn't want to wake him.

Elizabeth takes a blanket from the chair next to the couch and covers him with it. He shifts his position, but doesn't awake. She watches his facial expressions -- he has been through so much, yet in sleep he appears happy. Not even before the accident was he ever completely happy. Sure he had his moments, but he more than likely enjoyed torturing others, not necessarily making his life happy.

Against her better judgment she leans in and kisses the top of his forehead. With her lips lingering longer than she intended Robert opens his eyes slowly and looks up at her.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming."

"Hi," she says meekly retreating to the chair next to his resting spot.

"First taking advantage of a man in a hospital gown, now while he's sleeping -- tsk, tsk, Lizzie -- you're going soft on me here."

"I --"

He holds up his hand, "No need for an explanation."

An awkward silence passes between them.

"I'm sorry that you had to --"

"It wasn't a problem. I figured since I didn't answer my page I might as well have made it easier for you to help them."

"They paged you?"

"Yeah a few times. Apparently Chicago drivers forget they live in the Mid West where it snows every year. I told Jerry that if he paged me once more he'd be out in the snow when I came down there and fired him."

"You have such a lovely way with words," Elizabeth replies sarcastically.

"I'm always one for the threats, but I guess I've served my purpose so I'll be on my way."

"Robert I'm sorry about the dinner."

"Rumor has it that you saved a few lives while I was playing 'daddy daycare.'"

"She wasn't any trouble for you, was she?" Elizabeth asks concerned.

"No Ella is an amazing little kid. But she does have a very stubborn temperament. Makes me wonder where that came from."

Robert stands up and stretches out the kinks in his lower back and neck from sleeping on the couch, "Can't say it was the smartest thing to fall asleep on the couch though."

"Join the club. My neck is killing me. And I'm exhausted."

Elizabeth rubs the back of her neck trying to work out the tension from the muscles. Robert places his hand on her neck and starts to massage, kneading the muscles, coaxing them to cooperate.

She closes her eyes and relaxes in the chair, releasing a small sigh.

"Don't get too comfortable," Robert replies as he rubs her neck a few more times and then stops.

"Robert, don't stop."

"I have an eight o'clock shift that I need to be coherent for." He walks for the door.

"Robert wait!"

"What?"

"Dinner."

"What about it?"

"My place tomorrow at eight."

Robert smirks, "What'd the ER say when Jerry announced that Ella was being babysat by yours truly?"

Without thinking Elizabeth walks closer to him and grins. Maybe with the adrenaline she was running on or the fact that he looked so damn cute when he was tired and his defenses down she moved closer to him.

"Lizzie?"

She takes places her hand on the back of his neck and pulls his face towards hers. Their lips brush against the other's briefly in a soft kiss. Soft and sensual and completely one sided. He doesn't kiss her back.

Robert pulls away confused. To put his doubts away she pulls him in again this time for a kiss that is full of hunger and passion with both participants. It is seven years of pent up unresolved sexual tension. Both powerful people and full of chemistry made the kiss even more worth it.

After what seemed like a lifetime they pulled away breathlessly. His expression is filled of disbelief and shock. Robert Romano knows he shouldn't have kissed her. It was too soon. But somehow it seemed right.

"Robert?"

"I've got to go."

Without further ado he leaves her home -- running from the passion he has sought after for so long. Running away from what he has always wanted: Elizabeth Corday.

Closing the door behind her, Elizabeth sinks down to the floor the lack of sleep finally hitting her. Tears brim in the corners of her eyes. She blinks as the tears start to freely flow. Elizabeth Corday wasn't crying because she had made a mistake.

She was crying because it felt right.

TBC

*****

More to come! Please R&R

~Jen