Ok, the story is jumping ahead a little here. I'm getting a little bored with nothing happening, so here comes something. I just thought the story was moving kind of slow. Thank you for all your reviews!! Sorry it's been a while. I've had a bunch of school stuff.
Also, this story will continue as if the events of Thursday night NEVER happened. And if this chapter is a little medically incorrect then I apologize. I've never been pregnant, and don't know very much about it, besides the basics, so sorry in advance for any gross errors. Though I did look up the ultrasound stuff, so that is correct.
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
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Eight weeks later…
Elizabeth rolled over in her bed and yawned. It was Monday morning and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She was not looking forward to another long shift today at County.
As she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, her bedroom door swung open and Robert came in holding two mugs of tea.
Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth and Robert had grown incredibly close. They had been spending a great deal of time together, and Robert sometimes spent the night.
He was being true to his promise that Elizabeth would not be alone during this pregnancy, and she was surprised to find herself enjoying his company. He was different when they were alone together. At work he still kept up his sarcastic, witty, and usually rude behavior, but during those moments when they were alone together, she had gotten to see the real Robert Romano. Sarcastic, yet funny, caring and even sometimes sensitive, though she knew he would never admit to that.
Of course they still had their moments when they would disagree and snark like they used to, but their relationship had grown far beyond just that. Robert felt an overwhelming need to take care of her.
"You're up early," Elizabeth said sleepily.
"Not by choice. Ella was up early, and you are impossible to wake up," he said, smiling at her. He crossed the room and handed her the mug of tea.
"Is she watching TV?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yup, and now I'm going to go take a shower," he replied, setting his mug down on the nightstand.
"Ok, I'll go make breakfast," she said. She climbed out of bed and quickly kissed him on the cheek before making her way down the stairs.
After they were both showered, and fed, and the babysitter showed up, Robert drove the two of them to work. They quickly parted ways in the parking lot to avoid any unnecessary gossip from the other staff members, and because Elizabeth was running a little late for an 8:30 procedure.
The ER was slammed with a mass casualty from a construction accident, and Robert found himself completely swamped for the entire morning. It was one patient, after another, after another. It was never ending.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was still stuck in her 8:30 procedure due to enormous complications, and she thought she would never get out of the OR.
When it looked like the procedure was finally coming to an end, Elizabeth let out an exhausted sigh of relief. As they were getting ready to close though, she began to feel a cramping pain in her lower abdomen. Asking Jensen to close for her, she stripped off her gloves and gown, and stepped out into the hall, leaning against the wall and holding her stomach.
After a few seconds, the pain subsided and she decided it was probably just from standing so long during the procedure, and shrugged it off as nothing. Her pager went off, she was needed in the ICU for a post op assessment. She continued on with her day, until early afternoon when the pain returned, only this time the pain was worse, and wasn't going away like the first time.
Making her way to the restroom, she went into a stall, locking the door behind her, and crouched down, holding her stomach in pain. She knew she needed to check to see if she was bleeding. She could be having a miscarriage. With her heart racing, she stood up to check. Tears formed in her eyes when she realized that she was spotting.
Even though she knew that some spotting was not unusual early in a pregnancy, she was still worried. This had never happened with Ella, so she wasn't really sure what to do. Her mind was reeling, as a million different ideas went through her head. Should she call her OB and try to get an appointment for today, or maybe just try to wait it out? After all, it might just go away on it's own. She decided to take it one step at a time, deciding first that she needed to find a panty liner or a pad.
Quickly heading down to the surgical admit desk, she found Shirley behind the desk and approached her. After making sure no one else was in earshot, she quietly asked Shirley if she had a panty liner or pad.
Immediately Shirley picked up on the worry in her voice. "Dr. Corday, are you spotting?" she asked, gently.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Follow me," Shirley said, and they made their way into the women's locker room. Shirley pulled open an empty locker at the end of the row, and pulled out a box of panty liners, handing two to Elizabeth. "We keep a stash in this empty locker for emergencies," she said, referring to her and the other nurses on the floor.
"Thank you so much," Elizabeth said.
"Are you going to be ok Dr. Corday?" Shirley asked.
"I hope so," she replied.
Elizabeth headed back to the bathroom, the pain having gone away for the time being.
After going to the bathroom, Elizabeth returned to her office to sit down and relax for a few minutes, and contemplate her options. Thinking it over, she decided to page Robert and see what he thought. He would want to know about it anyway. She sent him the message: "I need you now! My office, E." and then waited for him to come.
The cramping was coming and going, and when Robert came running into her office, she doubled over in the chair with pain.
"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" he asked, as he dropped to his knees in front of her, breathing heavily.
She lifted her head to reveal tear stained cheeks.
"What's wrong, Elizabeth?"
She gasped as another pain struck and held her stomach. "I started cramping earlier, and now I'm spotting a little. I didn't know what to do, so I paged you. I know it's probably nothing, but…. I'm scared." She choked on the last part, and then started crying.
He took her hand in his, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Shhh, it's going to be okay, but you have to calm down, Elizabeth, ok? First, we're going to get you downstairs. I'll get Dr. Coburn to come down and do an ultrasound, all right. Now, how much are you bleeding?"
"Um… not much, just a little. Shirley gave me a panty liner," she said, wiping her eyes.
"Are you all right to walk, or do we need to get a wheelchair?"
"No I can walk," she told him. He grabbed her hand and helped her out of the chair, and they made their way down to the ER.
Robert got Elizabeth settled in an exam room in the far corner of the ER, as far away from all the commotion as he could get. Then he stepped out to use the phone in the hallway to call Dr. Coburn, and get her down to the ER.
Twenty minutes later, Robert sat in a chair next to Elizabeth's bed as they waited for the doctor. Finally, Dr. Coburn showed up, breezing through the door, carefree.
"Ok, Elizabeth. Robert tells me that you're about ten weeks pregnant, and you're having some cramping and spotting."
"Yes," Elizabeth said, warily.
"Ok, well ten weeks is a little too early for a transabdominal ultrasound, I'm afraid we'll have to do a transvaginal ultrasound, it might be a little uncomfortable, but we'll be able to tell what's going on in there better. Robert, do you want to step out now, I don't think Elizabeth needs an audience."
He was about to do as she said, but then Elizabeth stopped him by grabbing his hand. "Stay. Please?" she asked.
He nodded and sat back down, still keeping a tight grasp on her hand. Dr. Coburn prepared all the instruments for the exam.
She had Elizabeth put her legs up in the stirrups to begin the ultrasound. Elizabeth knew the best way to get through the discomfort was to just relax, so she concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. Dr. Coburn showed them the baby on the ultrasound. It was so small.
"You're lucky, Elizabeth. Everything looks normal. Your baby is just fine. It's not uncommon to have some bleeding during the first trimester, as long as there's no extremely heavy bleeding. It will eventually go away on it's own. If it doesn't, come back and see me. But I do want you to take it easy for the rest of the day. Go home, and relax. I don't want you stressing out over this, stress isn't good for the baby. And if you're still having cramps, you can take some ibuprofen."
"Ok, thank you," Elizabeth said, putting her legs back down on the bed. Then Coburn left, leaving Robert and Elizabeth alone in the room.
Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief.
"See, I told you everything would be fine. You really should learn to listen to me," Robert said, smiling.
Robert handed Elizabeth a clean pair of scrubs, "You get dressed, and then I'll take you home, where you are going to relax for the rest of the day. Doctors orders."
"Well I guess I have to obey the doctors orders," she said, getting out of the bed.
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They enjoyed a quiet evening with Ella, eating macaroni and cheese, and watching a movie. Robert put Ella to bed at eight, and at nine, Elizabeth decided it was time for her to go to bed as well.
Getting up from the couch, she pulled Robert up too. "You're staying tonight, right?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"Good, let's go to bed," she said, and they both climbed the stairs to the bedroom.
Too sappy? How is the character of Romano? Is my portrayal of him unrealistic? Tell me what you think!
Also, this story will continue as if the events of Thursday night NEVER happened. And if this chapter is a little medically incorrect then I apologize. I've never been pregnant, and don't know very much about it, besides the basics, so sorry in advance for any gross errors. Though I did look up the ultrasound stuff, so that is correct.
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
**************************************************************
Eight weeks later…
Elizabeth rolled over in her bed and yawned. It was Monday morning and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She was not looking forward to another long shift today at County.
As she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, her bedroom door swung open and Robert came in holding two mugs of tea.
Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth and Robert had grown incredibly close. They had been spending a great deal of time together, and Robert sometimes spent the night.
He was being true to his promise that Elizabeth would not be alone during this pregnancy, and she was surprised to find herself enjoying his company. He was different when they were alone together. At work he still kept up his sarcastic, witty, and usually rude behavior, but during those moments when they were alone together, she had gotten to see the real Robert Romano. Sarcastic, yet funny, caring and even sometimes sensitive, though she knew he would never admit to that.
Of course they still had their moments when they would disagree and snark like they used to, but their relationship had grown far beyond just that. Robert felt an overwhelming need to take care of her.
"You're up early," Elizabeth said sleepily.
"Not by choice. Ella was up early, and you are impossible to wake up," he said, smiling at her. He crossed the room and handed her the mug of tea.
"Is she watching TV?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yup, and now I'm going to go take a shower," he replied, setting his mug down on the nightstand.
"Ok, I'll go make breakfast," she said. She climbed out of bed and quickly kissed him on the cheek before making her way down the stairs.
After they were both showered, and fed, and the babysitter showed up, Robert drove the two of them to work. They quickly parted ways in the parking lot to avoid any unnecessary gossip from the other staff members, and because Elizabeth was running a little late for an 8:30 procedure.
The ER was slammed with a mass casualty from a construction accident, and Robert found himself completely swamped for the entire morning. It was one patient, after another, after another. It was never ending.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was still stuck in her 8:30 procedure due to enormous complications, and she thought she would never get out of the OR.
When it looked like the procedure was finally coming to an end, Elizabeth let out an exhausted sigh of relief. As they were getting ready to close though, she began to feel a cramping pain in her lower abdomen. Asking Jensen to close for her, she stripped off her gloves and gown, and stepped out into the hall, leaning against the wall and holding her stomach.
After a few seconds, the pain subsided and she decided it was probably just from standing so long during the procedure, and shrugged it off as nothing. Her pager went off, she was needed in the ICU for a post op assessment. She continued on with her day, until early afternoon when the pain returned, only this time the pain was worse, and wasn't going away like the first time.
Making her way to the restroom, she went into a stall, locking the door behind her, and crouched down, holding her stomach in pain. She knew she needed to check to see if she was bleeding. She could be having a miscarriage. With her heart racing, she stood up to check. Tears formed in her eyes when she realized that she was spotting.
Even though she knew that some spotting was not unusual early in a pregnancy, she was still worried. This had never happened with Ella, so she wasn't really sure what to do. Her mind was reeling, as a million different ideas went through her head. Should she call her OB and try to get an appointment for today, or maybe just try to wait it out? After all, it might just go away on it's own. She decided to take it one step at a time, deciding first that she needed to find a panty liner or a pad.
Quickly heading down to the surgical admit desk, she found Shirley behind the desk and approached her. After making sure no one else was in earshot, she quietly asked Shirley if she had a panty liner or pad.
Immediately Shirley picked up on the worry in her voice. "Dr. Corday, are you spotting?" she asked, gently.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Follow me," Shirley said, and they made their way into the women's locker room. Shirley pulled open an empty locker at the end of the row, and pulled out a box of panty liners, handing two to Elizabeth. "We keep a stash in this empty locker for emergencies," she said, referring to her and the other nurses on the floor.
"Thank you so much," Elizabeth said.
"Are you going to be ok Dr. Corday?" Shirley asked.
"I hope so," she replied.
Elizabeth headed back to the bathroom, the pain having gone away for the time being.
After going to the bathroom, Elizabeth returned to her office to sit down and relax for a few minutes, and contemplate her options. Thinking it over, she decided to page Robert and see what he thought. He would want to know about it anyway. She sent him the message: "I need you now! My office, E." and then waited for him to come.
The cramping was coming and going, and when Robert came running into her office, she doubled over in the chair with pain.
"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" he asked, as he dropped to his knees in front of her, breathing heavily.
She lifted her head to reveal tear stained cheeks.
"What's wrong, Elizabeth?"
She gasped as another pain struck and held her stomach. "I started cramping earlier, and now I'm spotting a little. I didn't know what to do, so I paged you. I know it's probably nothing, but…. I'm scared." She choked on the last part, and then started crying.
He took her hand in his, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Shhh, it's going to be okay, but you have to calm down, Elizabeth, ok? First, we're going to get you downstairs. I'll get Dr. Coburn to come down and do an ultrasound, all right. Now, how much are you bleeding?"
"Um… not much, just a little. Shirley gave me a panty liner," she said, wiping her eyes.
"Are you all right to walk, or do we need to get a wheelchair?"
"No I can walk," she told him. He grabbed her hand and helped her out of the chair, and they made their way down to the ER.
Robert got Elizabeth settled in an exam room in the far corner of the ER, as far away from all the commotion as he could get. Then he stepped out to use the phone in the hallway to call Dr. Coburn, and get her down to the ER.
Twenty minutes later, Robert sat in a chair next to Elizabeth's bed as they waited for the doctor. Finally, Dr. Coburn showed up, breezing through the door, carefree.
"Ok, Elizabeth. Robert tells me that you're about ten weeks pregnant, and you're having some cramping and spotting."
"Yes," Elizabeth said, warily.
"Ok, well ten weeks is a little too early for a transabdominal ultrasound, I'm afraid we'll have to do a transvaginal ultrasound, it might be a little uncomfortable, but we'll be able to tell what's going on in there better. Robert, do you want to step out now, I don't think Elizabeth needs an audience."
He was about to do as she said, but then Elizabeth stopped him by grabbing his hand. "Stay. Please?" she asked.
He nodded and sat back down, still keeping a tight grasp on her hand. Dr. Coburn prepared all the instruments for the exam.
She had Elizabeth put her legs up in the stirrups to begin the ultrasound. Elizabeth knew the best way to get through the discomfort was to just relax, so she concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. Dr. Coburn showed them the baby on the ultrasound. It was so small.
"You're lucky, Elizabeth. Everything looks normal. Your baby is just fine. It's not uncommon to have some bleeding during the first trimester, as long as there's no extremely heavy bleeding. It will eventually go away on it's own. If it doesn't, come back and see me. But I do want you to take it easy for the rest of the day. Go home, and relax. I don't want you stressing out over this, stress isn't good for the baby. And if you're still having cramps, you can take some ibuprofen."
"Ok, thank you," Elizabeth said, putting her legs back down on the bed. Then Coburn left, leaving Robert and Elizabeth alone in the room.
Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief.
"See, I told you everything would be fine. You really should learn to listen to me," Robert said, smiling.
Robert handed Elizabeth a clean pair of scrubs, "You get dressed, and then I'll take you home, where you are going to relax for the rest of the day. Doctors orders."
"Well I guess I have to obey the doctors orders," she said, getting out of the bed.
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They enjoyed a quiet evening with Ella, eating macaroni and cheese, and watching a movie. Robert put Ella to bed at eight, and at nine, Elizabeth decided it was time for her to go to bed as well.
Getting up from the couch, she pulled Robert up too. "You're staying tonight, right?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"Good, let's go to bed," she said, and they both climbed the stairs to the bedroom.
Too sappy? How is the character of Romano? Is my portrayal of him unrealistic? Tell me what you think!
