Disclaimer: I do not own the characters on "ER." They are the property of NBC, Warner Brothers, Michael Crichton, and some other very important folks.

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Rachel was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. Elizabeth had left early today, when Rachel was still asleep. Robert too.

The phone started to ring. She hesitated about if she should pick it up. She had given a few of her Chicago friends the phone number, but they usually called her on her cell phone. She decided to just let Elizabeth's machine pick it up. After Elizabeth's outgoing message and the beep of the machine, a voice began talking, unmistakably Elizabeth's. "Rachel? Hello, are you there? Rachel?"

Rachel picked up. "Hi Elizabeth."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're there. Kris, the nanny, took Ella to her house today, she had a repairman coming and needs to stay there for a couple of hours. They'll be home later. Listen, I need to ask you an enormous favor. I left my wallet at home and I absolutely need my credit card."

"Uh huh."

"Could you bring the card to the hospital?" Elizabeth said. "I'm sorry to ask, but I really do need it, and I can't possibly get away."

"Sure," Rachel said. "It's no problem."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "You know how to go, it's fairly quick on the El. I took the train today actually and just brought my small totebag. My larger handbag is in the laundry room and has the plastic holders with my credit cards; if you could just lift the American Express card out of it. That would be great. Put it in an envelope, why don't you, and then maybe inside a small shopping bag."

"Okay," Rachel said.

"Thanks." Elizabeth said. "It's the stupidest thing, really; I left all my cash in this bag, the one I brought with me, and the other bag has just a $10 and the charge cards. Anyway, thanks for doing this, Rachel. When you get to the hospital, just ask someone if they can find me for you. If I'm in surgery, then you can just leave the bag with one of the nurses, or at the front desk with Randi or whoever's there. As long as it's someone you recognize or someone who definitely knows me. I'll let them know you'll be coming by."

"Okay."

"Thanks so much," Elizabeth said cheerily. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye," said Rachel, hanging up. She finished getting ready, and got ready to leave for the hospital. She wondered why Elizabeth needed her credit card so urgently. What would she need to charge, especially if she was so swamped at the hospital? Maybe she was going out to buy something on her lunch hour, if she took one, or after work. Something expensive. New lingerie from one of the boutiques? Or maybe a present for Robert? "Yuck," Rachel said out loud. She didn't even want to think about it. She got the stuff she needed to go out and left.

She walked into the hospital and headed towards the ER. When she approached the admit desk, the clerk at the desk looked very busy, talking on the phone, asking someone on the other end questions. It looked like it might take a while. Rachel decided she would find someone else to ask. First though, she needed to use the bathroom.

As she was sitting in one of the stalls, she heard the voices of a couple of other women, nurses probably, entering the ladies room, laughing and gossiping. She could glimpse them vaguely through the stall door, standing near the sinks as they talked.

"I don't know! he was just all over me." one of them said, giggling.

"Girl, don't knock it," the other one said. "You need some sex! How long was I going to have to hear your whining? 'I never get any, Haleh, it's been so long since I've had any!' Boo hoo hoo. I am soo sad!"

"Yeah, well it had been before this Joey guy!" the other said. "I was having a dry spell."

"What about Kovac," Haleh drawled. "How come you gave him the heave-ho?"

"That was trouble," the other nurse said. "That was just once, and it was a mistake for both of us. It's over, we're over it now."

"Okay," Haleh said, "Well you give ol' Joey a chance, Chuny. There's not that many guys left in Chicago!"

"Shut up," Chuny said, giggling.

"What are you girls gossiping about? I want in on it," said another woman who had just entered. Susan! Rachel thought. She recognized Susan's deep voice instantly. She had been about to get up, but now she felt too weird. She stayed put.

"Talking about Chuny needing to find a sex life again," Haleh said.

"Hey, join the club," Susan said. She went into a stall and closed the door. "I'm in the same boat as you are, Chuny. How do you think I feel, hearing Abby talk about Carter all the time? Or seeing Jing-Mei and Pratt making eyes at each other."

"She's such a quiet one!" Chuny said. "Why doesn't she ever tell us what's going on."

"I don't know," Susan sighed. She came out of the stall and went over to use the sink. "It's like, she thinks no one will know about them if she doesn't talk about it."

"Like Corday and Romano," Chuny said. "Remember when she was trying to act like nothing was going on?"

"They both were," Haleh said. "For about a month."

"They must have been doing it even then though," Chuny said. "In his office, maybe. Remember that one day she came out of there looking all red- faced?"

"I don't think so," Susan said. "Then again, Elizabeth is quiet sometimes. She doesn't really confide much."

"Well, he finally wore her down," Chuny said. "After, what, five years?"

"More that that," Haleh said. "Huh. What would Dr. Greene say, I wonder?"

"Oh, I think he'd be happy for her," Susan said. "She seems really happy."

"Girl, you'd better believe she's happy," Haleh said. "'Cause she is getting it regularly."

"Haleh!" Susan said and laughed.

"It's true," Chuny said. "She's got that glow. Great for the skin."

"Better than getting a facial," Susan said. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"You think they're in love?" Chuny said.

Sure seems like it," Susan said. "I think it was hard for Elizabeth to take that plunge. But now she's in it for the long haul."

"We'd better get back," Chuny said. They all started to walk out. "Hey, you think they'll get married?"

"Corday and Romano?" Haleh said. "Yeah, no doubt we'll hear about their engagement soon. Wouldn't be surprised." The doors closed.

Rachel flushed the toilet and came out of the stall. She washed her hands, then splashed her face with some cold water. She walked out of the bathroom and looked for a water fountain. She found one and leaned over to drink.

"Rachel?"

Rachel looked up. A pretty Asian doctor was smiling at her. "Hi!"

"Hello," Rachel said.

"I'm Jing-Mei," the woman said. "Do you remember me? We met once."

"Oh yeah, I think so," Rachel said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, it's nice to see you after so long!" Jing-Mei said. "I didn't

know you were back in Chicago."

"Um, just for a few days," Rachel said. "I'm staying with Elizabeth. Uh, could you give her this, actually?" She held out the small Gap bag that had an envelope inside. Elizabeth left something at home that she needed, she asked me to bring it."

"Sure," Jing-Mei said. "But if you'd rather give it to Elizabeth personally, I could find her for you. I don't think she's in surgery yet."

"It's okay," Rachel said. "She said I could give it to someone else, as long as it was someone that we knew. I have to - I have to go, actually. My friend Stacy just called me - she's really upset - her boyfriend was cheating on her."

"Oh, no!" Jing-Mei said. She reached out for the bag. "I'll get this to Elizabeth. You go be with your friend."

"Thanks," Rachel said. "I appreciate it. Bye!" she raced toward the door.

"Take care!" Jing-Mei said.