Here is chapter 8. Hope you like it. Please review.
Thank you to all who have been reviewing!!
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
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Elizabeth woke the next morning to the sun streaming in through a crack in the curtains. She glanced next to her and saw that Robert was facing the opposite way lying on his side, snoring lightly.
Sleepily climbing out of bed, Elizabeth decided to take a shower before Ella woke up. She stopped to look in the mirror before she made it to the shower, taking in her wild curls, and tired eyes. Continuing on to the shower, she stripped off the pajamas, and got in, relaxing under the warm water.
Robert rolled over in his bed and noticed the other side was empty. It was then that he heard his shower running, and relief flooded through him. She didn't leave, hadn't changed her mind about staying and left sometime during the night. She was still here, in his shower.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom wrapped only in a towel.
Realizing that he was awake she said, "Good morning," leaning against the door frame.
He moaned. "Morning," he replied back grumpily.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," she teased.
"Sorry. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not a morning person." He buried his head under a pillow, and pulled the blankets up over himself.
"Would some coffee help wake you up?" she asked.
He groaned again. "Do I have to get up?" he whined.
"Yes, you'll be late for work. Give me a second to put some clothes on and I'll go make some coffee."
She picked up her clothes that had been tossed on the floor last night and went to put them on. She would have to go home to change clothes before she went to work. It would be a little suspicious showing up in the same clothes she wore yesterday.
As Elizabeth went downstairs to make the coffee, Robert dragged himself out of bed and into the shower.
Ten minutes later, he joined Elizabeth in the kitchen, who was getting Ella some juice to drink. Sitting down at the counter, he could already feel the beginnings of a headache. He hoped it wouldn't turn into one of the recurring migraines that he frequently suffered from.
Grabbing a mug off the counter, he filled it with coffee and took a sip.
"I need to go home and change. I have to be at work in less than an hour," she said, looking at her watch.
Gathering all the things that she had left in various places turned out to be quite a task. Her scarf was in the kitchen, her coat and purse in the hall, and Ella's stuff was in the living room.
"Okay, I think I've got all of my stuff. Ella's still got some things in the bedroom, but I'll come back for those after work. I have to go, okay?"
"Sure," he said, sounding a little irritated.
"I'll see you at work," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
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Robert was slow at getting ready and ended up being late to work.
"You're late," Jerry told him when he finally entered the ER.
"Really, I had no idea," he said sarcastically. "Get back to work!" he yelled.
The pain in his skull was worsening with the noise from the bustling ER. He was sure that in the next few hours of work it would turn into a full blown migraine, which he really didn't have time for.
Everyone seemed to be getting on Robert's nerves this morning, even more than usual. He knew he was just being grouchy because his head hurt, but he couldn't help it.
"Can anyone here do anything right?" he grumbled to himself after a long trauma in which the med students had screwed everything up. The one guy, whose name Robert couldn't even remember, was having difficulty starting an IV.
"Dr. Romano, multiple MVA's coming in. ETA three minutes," Susan said, running past him.
Wonderful, he thought to himself.
"Okay let's move him on my count!" Gallant shouted. "One, two, three."
Robert grabbed his stethoscope and began to listen to the patients chest and belly.
Feeling around his stomach for any tenderness, the patient cried out in pain.
"Belly is tender, there's rebounding on the right. Page surgery right away, this guy needs an ex-lap."
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Fifteen minutes later, a surgical consult had still not arrived yet.
"Where the hell are they? Do I have to take this guy up myself?" he yelled. "Page Dr. Corday again," he told the nurse, slightly more calm than before.
"Dr. Romano, all the surgeons are busy. They said they'll send someone as soon as they can," one of the nurses told him, cautiously.
"Well, we don't have time to wait," he raged, the pounding in his head threatening to overwhelm him. He decided to calm down a little, only for the sake of his headache. He needed to take something, anything, even Tylenol, but there was no time. The more time that passed without taking any medication, the worse his migraine would get, he knew that from experience.
After another ten minutes waiting for the consult, Elizabeth finally pushed through the doors of trauma one.
"What've we got?"
"MVA. This guy needs an ex-lap right away. Someone should have been here thirty minutes ago to take him up," he complained.
"I'm sorry. I was stuck in the OR, along with every other surgeon," she told him, a little annoyed with the tone he was taking with her.
Deciding that she didn't want to get into a full blown argument with Robert, she didn't say any more to him about it. She proceeded to transport the patient up to surgery.
As she left, Romano stormed out of the trauma room, heading over to the admit desk to see how backed up the board was. He was surprised to find that it really wasn't too bad.
Since there was a break in the madness, he stepped into the lounge to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading to the rack of charts and picking up three new patients.
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Finally Robert looked down at his watch to see that it was the end of his shift. It was a little after seven when he retreated into the lounge and fell onto the couch, sinking into the cushions. It felt good to finally be sitting in a dark, quiet room. That's all he had wanted all day. Maybe now he could finally get rid of the terrible migraine.
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Elizabeth exited the OR at exactly seven that night, grateful that her shift was over.
She went to change out of her scrubs before heading back to her office to collect her coat and purse.
Knowing that Robert was off at the same time, she decided to go downstairs and try to find him, thinking they could go back to his place and order something in. Hopefully he would be in a better mood than he had been earlier today.
"Frank, have you seen Robert?" she asked as she entered the ER, approaching the admit desk.
"I think I saw him go into the lounge a few minutes ago. He's off now."
"I know, thanks." She made her way down the hall and cautiously entered the dim lounge.
"Robert?" she said quietly into the darkness.
"What do you want?" came the reply.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was able to see that he was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.
"What's wrong?"
"I just want to be left alone, ok?"
"Fine," she muttered. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to flee from the room.
"Wait." She almost didn't hear him, he had spoken so quietly. Her hand was on the door, but she let it fall to her side and turned to face him.
"I'm sorry. I've been acting like a jerk today."
"Yes, you have," she said, blinking her tears away.
He looked up at her, and then rubbed his eyes.
"I'm not mad at you or anything, I'm just in a bad mood. I have a terrible migraine. It's….it's just been a bad day. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I guess I'll forgive you this time," she said, taking a seat next to him on the couch.
"When did your migraine start?" she asked.
"This morning, and it's gotten worse as the day went on," he told her, sighing and leaning back against the couch as he rubbed his forehead.
"Have you taken anything?"
"No, I didn't get a chance to. It's been a busy day."
"Let me get you some Imitrex, and then I'll take you home. We'll order something in. How about Chinese?"
"Ok."
"Wait here. I'll be right back," she said, heading out the door.
She returned seconds later with the pills and a cup of water, and Robert gratefully accepted them.
"Is is all right if we stop at my house and pick up Ella first? That will give me a chance to get a change of clothes too," she said, hinting at the fact that she wanted to spend the night.
"What makes you think I was going to let you spend the night again?" he asked, smirking.
"You owe me, I just gave you your drugs."
"All right, I guess I do owe you one."
"Come on, let's go." She pulled him off the couch.
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After picking up Ella, getting some clothes and other essentials, and picking up some Chinese food, they finally arrived at Robert's.
Ella had already eaten with Chris, so Elizabeth went to put her to bed in the guest bedroom. She settled Ella in with her blanket and teddy bear and kissed her goodnight.
Robert set the food down on the coffee table in the living room, and waited for Elizabeth to come back downstairs.
They ate quickly, both of them tired after the long day.
While Elizabeth cleaned up the Chinese, Robert went upstairs to lie down, and when she finally made it upstairs, he was sound asleep still dressed in his work clothes; slacks, long-sleeved shirt, and tie. He had managed to take his shoes off and leave them in the middle of the floor.
She laughed at him and went to get ready for bed.
Thank you to all who have been reviewing!!
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
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Elizabeth woke the next morning to the sun streaming in through a crack in the curtains. She glanced next to her and saw that Robert was facing the opposite way lying on his side, snoring lightly.
Sleepily climbing out of bed, Elizabeth decided to take a shower before Ella woke up. She stopped to look in the mirror before she made it to the shower, taking in her wild curls, and tired eyes. Continuing on to the shower, she stripped off the pajamas, and got in, relaxing under the warm water.
Robert rolled over in his bed and noticed the other side was empty. It was then that he heard his shower running, and relief flooded through him. She didn't leave, hadn't changed her mind about staying and left sometime during the night. She was still here, in his shower.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom wrapped only in a towel.
Realizing that he was awake she said, "Good morning," leaning against the door frame.
He moaned. "Morning," he replied back grumpily.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," she teased.
"Sorry. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not a morning person." He buried his head under a pillow, and pulled the blankets up over himself.
"Would some coffee help wake you up?" she asked.
He groaned again. "Do I have to get up?" he whined.
"Yes, you'll be late for work. Give me a second to put some clothes on and I'll go make some coffee."
She picked up her clothes that had been tossed on the floor last night and went to put them on. She would have to go home to change clothes before she went to work. It would be a little suspicious showing up in the same clothes she wore yesterday.
As Elizabeth went downstairs to make the coffee, Robert dragged himself out of bed and into the shower.
Ten minutes later, he joined Elizabeth in the kitchen, who was getting Ella some juice to drink. Sitting down at the counter, he could already feel the beginnings of a headache. He hoped it wouldn't turn into one of the recurring migraines that he frequently suffered from.
Grabbing a mug off the counter, he filled it with coffee and took a sip.
"I need to go home and change. I have to be at work in less than an hour," she said, looking at her watch.
Gathering all the things that she had left in various places turned out to be quite a task. Her scarf was in the kitchen, her coat and purse in the hall, and Ella's stuff was in the living room.
"Okay, I think I've got all of my stuff. Ella's still got some things in the bedroom, but I'll come back for those after work. I have to go, okay?"
"Sure," he said, sounding a little irritated.
"I'll see you at work," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
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Robert was slow at getting ready and ended up being late to work.
"You're late," Jerry told him when he finally entered the ER.
"Really, I had no idea," he said sarcastically. "Get back to work!" he yelled.
The pain in his skull was worsening with the noise from the bustling ER. He was sure that in the next few hours of work it would turn into a full blown migraine, which he really didn't have time for.
Everyone seemed to be getting on Robert's nerves this morning, even more than usual. He knew he was just being grouchy because his head hurt, but he couldn't help it.
"Can anyone here do anything right?" he grumbled to himself after a long trauma in which the med students had screwed everything up. The one guy, whose name Robert couldn't even remember, was having difficulty starting an IV.
"Dr. Romano, multiple MVA's coming in. ETA three minutes," Susan said, running past him.
Wonderful, he thought to himself.
"Okay let's move him on my count!" Gallant shouted. "One, two, three."
Robert grabbed his stethoscope and began to listen to the patients chest and belly.
Feeling around his stomach for any tenderness, the patient cried out in pain.
"Belly is tender, there's rebounding on the right. Page surgery right away, this guy needs an ex-lap."
**************************************************************
Fifteen minutes later, a surgical consult had still not arrived yet.
"Where the hell are they? Do I have to take this guy up myself?" he yelled. "Page Dr. Corday again," he told the nurse, slightly more calm than before.
"Dr. Romano, all the surgeons are busy. They said they'll send someone as soon as they can," one of the nurses told him, cautiously.
"Well, we don't have time to wait," he raged, the pounding in his head threatening to overwhelm him. He decided to calm down a little, only for the sake of his headache. He needed to take something, anything, even Tylenol, but there was no time. The more time that passed without taking any medication, the worse his migraine would get, he knew that from experience.
After another ten minutes waiting for the consult, Elizabeth finally pushed through the doors of trauma one.
"What've we got?"
"MVA. This guy needs an ex-lap right away. Someone should have been here thirty minutes ago to take him up," he complained.
"I'm sorry. I was stuck in the OR, along with every other surgeon," she told him, a little annoyed with the tone he was taking with her.
Deciding that she didn't want to get into a full blown argument with Robert, she didn't say any more to him about it. She proceeded to transport the patient up to surgery.
As she left, Romano stormed out of the trauma room, heading over to the admit desk to see how backed up the board was. He was surprised to find that it really wasn't too bad.
Since there was a break in the madness, he stepped into the lounge to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading to the rack of charts and picking up three new patients.
**************************************************************
Finally Robert looked down at his watch to see that it was the end of his shift. It was a little after seven when he retreated into the lounge and fell onto the couch, sinking into the cushions. It felt good to finally be sitting in a dark, quiet room. That's all he had wanted all day. Maybe now he could finally get rid of the terrible migraine.
**************************************************************
Elizabeth exited the OR at exactly seven that night, grateful that her shift was over.
She went to change out of her scrubs before heading back to her office to collect her coat and purse.
Knowing that Robert was off at the same time, she decided to go downstairs and try to find him, thinking they could go back to his place and order something in. Hopefully he would be in a better mood than he had been earlier today.
"Frank, have you seen Robert?" she asked as she entered the ER, approaching the admit desk.
"I think I saw him go into the lounge a few minutes ago. He's off now."
"I know, thanks." She made her way down the hall and cautiously entered the dim lounge.
"Robert?" she said quietly into the darkness.
"What do you want?" came the reply.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was able to see that he was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.
"What's wrong?"
"I just want to be left alone, ok?"
"Fine," she muttered. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to flee from the room.
"Wait." She almost didn't hear him, he had spoken so quietly. Her hand was on the door, but she let it fall to her side and turned to face him.
"I'm sorry. I've been acting like a jerk today."
"Yes, you have," she said, blinking her tears away.
He looked up at her, and then rubbed his eyes.
"I'm not mad at you or anything, I'm just in a bad mood. I have a terrible migraine. It's….it's just been a bad day. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I guess I'll forgive you this time," she said, taking a seat next to him on the couch.
"When did your migraine start?" she asked.
"This morning, and it's gotten worse as the day went on," he told her, sighing and leaning back against the couch as he rubbed his forehead.
"Have you taken anything?"
"No, I didn't get a chance to. It's been a busy day."
"Let me get you some Imitrex, and then I'll take you home. We'll order something in. How about Chinese?"
"Ok."
"Wait here. I'll be right back," she said, heading out the door.
She returned seconds later with the pills and a cup of water, and Robert gratefully accepted them.
"Is is all right if we stop at my house and pick up Ella first? That will give me a chance to get a change of clothes too," she said, hinting at the fact that she wanted to spend the night.
"What makes you think I was going to let you spend the night again?" he asked, smirking.
"You owe me, I just gave you your drugs."
"All right, I guess I do owe you one."
"Come on, let's go." She pulled him off the couch.
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After picking up Ella, getting some clothes and other essentials, and picking up some Chinese food, they finally arrived at Robert's.
Ella had already eaten with Chris, so Elizabeth went to put her to bed in the guest bedroom. She settled Ella in with her blanket and teddy bear and kissed her goodnight.
Robert set the food down on the coffee table in the living room, and waited for Elizabeth to come back downstairs.
They ate quickly, both of them tired after the long day.
While Elizabeth cleaned up the Chinese, Robert went upstairs to lie down, and when she finally made it upstairs, he was sound asleep still dressed in his work clothes; slacks, long-sleeved shirt, and tie. He had managed to take his shoes off and leave them in the middle of the floor.
She laughed at him and went to get ready for bed.
