Robert Romano walked to the admit desk and looked at the board. "Hey Jerry,
where's Lizzie, I got a patient who needs a surgical consult."
"She left." Jerry replied.
"Left, what do you mean left?" he said, with a trace of shock and a trace of anger in his voice.
"She left, probably for good."
"For good?" Now a trace of panic invaded his voice.
"Yeah, some guy from the INS stopped by and wanted to talk to her. Said she was an illegal alien. She hasn't come back yet." He nodded, and started to walk away. "Where are you going?" Jerry called after him, as he made it to the ambulance bay doors.
"To see what's happened." He walked out and got in his car, heading towards her house, wondering what had happened. If they had found out that she was illegal, what had taken them so long to come and deport her? she was the best surgeon that the hospital had, since he lost his arm, and since Benton left. The hospital couldn't afford to loose her, they'd be left with no one to perform a halfway decent surgery, and a whole bunch of hacked up people with a stack of malpractice suits a mile high.
He pulled up in front of her house, and parked his car along the curb. He paused for a minute before getting out, and he spent another just staring at the front door before taking a deep breath and walking up the walk. He hid the doorbell and found her answering the door. "What do you want?" she asked as she saw who it was. There was a faint redness in her eyes, and she looked fairly disheveled. She had changed from what she was wearing earlier that day into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt, obvious comfort clothes.
"Hello to you too. I wanted to see how you were doing." He was being truthful when he said it. he did want to make sure that she was alright.
"Great, so now everybody knows." She stepped back from the door, allowing him to step inside before she closed the door behind him.
"What happened?" Elizabeth walked into the kitchen and handed him the envelope she had been given. He read it over and his face fell. "They're giving you four days to either marry someone or leave?" she nodded grimly. "Well that should be easy for you." she glared at him.
"Where am I supposed to find a man to marry in such a short period of time?" he neglected the one thing that he wanted to say, and instead came up with a glib comment.
"Find some gigilo and marry him for name only. It worked on TV." She glared at him again with a look that he envied, an evil glare that he wished he could copy.
"I will not do that. I've I'm going to marry someone I at least want to know them."
"Well now, that leaves every single unattached man in the hospital. Take your pick. Carter's in the congo, don't think you'd want him though, Luka's not a US citizen, but that still leaves Pratt, Anspaugh's widowed, you can have him, or what about the med students?" she smiled slightly, something she hadn't done all day, and retreated into the living room with him following.
"You want something to drink?"
"I can get it myself, you sit down, what do you want?" she thought for a moment. She wanted a cup of tea, but she wasn't sure if he'd be up to making it, if it wasn't for a cup of tea, he would have been able to wait longer before getting his arm amputated.
"A cup of tea would be nice." He hesitated for a moment before smiling. The same thoughts were running through his mind that had been running through hers, but he didn't care, it was alright, she was about to be kicked out of the county, he could handle a stove. He found the kettle with little trouble and filled it, making sure to keep far away from the stove after turning it on.
"What about that Dorsett fellow. There's quite a few rumors going around about the two of you." There was a light air to his voice, despite how much the rumors had hurt him. Just when he thought he had a chance with her someone else waltzed into her life.
"I just found out he's otherwise attached, to a wife." The kettle gave it's tell-tale whistle and he brought out two cups with the tea bags steeping in each one.
"that's never a good thing." She smiled again. "What about that one Morris." A look of disgust crossed her face. "Oh wait, he's probably not going to last more than two years with his life threatening disease-his stupidity." She laughed.
"Tell me, why are you here?" she asked, her voice becoming more somber again.
"I came to make sure you were alright. I heard what happened."
"I didn't realize you had a heart." He smiled. She still had her sarcastic side to her, which was always a good sign.
"I just didn't want the hospital to loose the only surgeon that has any clue what to do." she smiled.
"Yes, well as things stand now, I think you're going to." She leaned back against the couch and they lapsed into a comforting silence.
"She left." Jerry replied.
"Left, what do you mean left?" he said, with a trace of shock and a trace of anger in his voice.
"She left, probably for good."
"For good?" Now a trace of panic invaded his voice.
"Yeah, some guy from the INS stopped by and wanted to talk to her. Said she was an illegal alien. She hasn't come back yet." He nodded, and started to walk away. "Where are you going?" Jerry called after him, as he made it to the ambulance bay doors.
"To see what's happened." He walked out and got in his car, heading towards her house, wondering what had happened. If they had found out that she was illegal, what had taken them so long to come and deport her? she was the best surgeon that the hospital had, since he lost his arm, and since Benton left. The hospital couldn't afford to loose her, they'd be left with no one to perform a halfway decent surgery, and a whole bunch of hacked up people with a stack of malpractice suits a mile high.
He pulled up in front of her house, and parked his car along the curb. He paused for a minute before getting out, and he spent another just staring at the front door before taking a deep breath and walking up the walk. He hid the doorbell and found her answering the door. "What do you want?" she asked as she saw who it was. There was a faint redness in her eyes, and she looked fairly disheveled. She had changed from what she was wearing earlier that day into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt, obvious comfort clothes.
"Hello to you too. I wanted to see how you were doing." He was being truthful when he said it. he did want to make sure that she was alright.
"Great, so now everybody knows." She stepped back from the door, allowing him to step inside before she closed the door behind him.
"What happened?" Elizabeth walked into the kitchen and handed him the envelope she had been given. He read it over and his face fell. "They're giving you four days to either marry someone or leave?" she nodded grimly. "Well that should be easy for you." she glared at him.
"Where am I supposed to find a man to marry in such a short period of time?" he neglected the one thing that he wanted to say, and instead came up with a glib comment.
"Find some gigilo and marry him for name only. It worked on TV." She glared at him again with a look that he envied, an evil glare that he wished he could copy.
"I will not do that. I've I'm going to marry someone I at least want to know them."
"Well now, that leaves every single unattached man in the hospital. Take your pick. Carter's in the congo, don't think you'd want him though, Luka's not a US citizen, but that still leaves Pratt, Anspaugh's widowed, you can have him, or what about the med students?" she smiled slightly, something she hadn't done all day, and retreated into the living room with him following.
"You want something to drink?"
"I can get it myself, you sit down, what do you want?" she thought for a moment. She wanted a cup of tea, but she wasn't sure if he'd be up to making it, if it wasn't for a cup of tea, he would have been able to wait longer before getting his arm amputated.
"A cup of tea would be nice." He hesitated for a moment before smiling. The same thoughts were running through his mind that had been running through hers, but he didn't care, it was alright, she was about to be kicked out of the county, he could handle a stove. He found the kettle with little trouble and filled it, making sure to keep far away from the stove after turning it on.
"What about that Dorsett fellow. There's quite a few rumors going around about the two of you." There was a light air to his voice, despite how much the rumors had hurt him. Just when he thought he had a chance with her someone else waltzed into her life.
"I just found out he's otherwise attached, to a wife." The kettle gave it's tell-tale whistle and he brought out two cups with the tea bags steeping in each one.
"that's never a good thing." She smiled again. "What about that one Morris." A look of disgust crossed her face. "Oh wait, he's probably not going to last more than two years with his life threatening disease-his stupidity." She laughed.
"Tell me, why are you here?" she asked, her voice becoming more somber again.
"I came to make sure you were alright. I heard what happened."
"I didn't realize you had a heart." He smiled. She still had her sarcastic side to her, which was always a good sign.
"I just didn't want the hospital to loose the only surgeon that has any clue what to do." she smiled.
"Yes, well as things stand now, I think you're going to." She leaned back against the couch and they lapsed into a comforting silence.