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.
Please read & review. I appreciate your feedback. (No flames, please!) Thanks for reading!
It was late afternoon. Rachel had been visiting some friends and was walking from the El station to Elizabeth's house. No one else would be home yet, as far as she knew, except Ella and the nanny. Which was kind of nice. She liked having the time alone.
Rachel opened the door to the house with the spare key Elizabeth had lent her. "Hello?" she called out. She didn't hear anything. Probably Kris was upstairs with Ella. Rachel walked up the stairs.
"Kris?" she said, as she walked toward the nursery. She looked in and to her surprise Robert was there, giving Ella a bottle. He looked up at her. "Oh, hi," Rachel said.
"Hi."
"I thought Kris was here," Rachel said.
"She was," he said. "I had to come back here to get some papers for a meeting I have outside the hospital. I told Kris she could go. Elizabeth will be here in a little while, so I thought I'd stay with Ella."
"Oh," Rachel said. "Well, you know, I could stay with her, if you have to go to your meeting."
"That's all right," he said. "I don't have to leave quite yet. I'm not in that big a hurry to see any of those people." he smiled.
"Okay," Rachel said. "Well, I'm uh, going in there." She shrugged and indicated the other room. He nodded.
She went in and opened up her AOL mail on the computer and checked her messages. After a few minutes, she heard Ella crying. She went into the nursery room again.
Robert was rocking Ella gently in his arms. "There, there, Ella, it's okay."
"Why is she spitting up like that?" Rachel said, alarmed. "That shouldn't happen."
"It's called gastroesophegeal reflux," Robert said. "It happens sometimes. Don't worry, she'll grow out of it."
Rachel leaned over to Ella. "I never saw her doing that before."
"Maybe you weren't living here then," Robert said.
"No, I was," Rachel said. "I'd remember it."
"It's happened off and on since she was born, Elizabeth said. It's nothing to worry about."
"I don't know," Rachel said. "She doesn't look good. I think she should go to the hospital."
"Rachel, I'm a doctor," he said patiently. Ella continued to cry and spit up. "I know about these things. Elizabeth knows about this too. We both-"
"Just get away from her!" Rachel said.
Robert looked at her, startled. "What?"
"Just leave Ella alone," she said.
"Rachel-"
"You're not her father!" she said.
"I know," he said.
"My dad was her father," Rachel said, her lip trembling a little. "Not you."
"I know," Robert said gently. He looked at her.
"If he knew you were here, he'd probably be rolling in his grave."
"He probably would be," Robert said.
"So, why don't you leave?" Rachel said, in tears.
Elizabeth walked in the room. "What is going on?" she said. Rachel and Robert both looked at her. They hadn't even heard her come into the house.
"Uh," Robert started to say.
"What in the world is going on here?" Elizabeth said. Ella had started to quiet down and Robert put her back down in the crib. "Rachel, why were you yelling like that?"
Rachel looked at Elizabeth, then at Robert. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm - I'm sorry." she ran down the stairs.
"Rachel?" Elizabeth said. She walked over to the steps. "Rachel!" Rachel grabbed her coat hurriedly, and left the house. Elizabeth looked at Robert in bewilderment. "Robert, what happened?"
Robert rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "She misses her father, Elizabeth," he said. "The girl misses her father. Did you think it would be any different?"
"Robert, no one's blaming you," she said.
He let out a short laugh. "All evidence to the contrary." He went into the bedroom. Elizabeth followed and watched as he opened some drawers and took some of his clothes out.
"What are you doing?" she said quietly.
"I'm going to my house for tonight," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Where? At the hospital?"
"Yeah," he said.
"And then you'll come back here?"
"Yeah," he said and sighed. "I'll come back here."
"She's leaving on Monday, you know," Elizabeth said. "It's only a few days away."
"Good," he said. He gathered up a few things from the bathroom. "I mean, it's fine. I'm sure it'll work out. Look, I gotta go. I almost forgot about that meeting downtown. I should go."
"Okay," she said uneasily. They kissed. "Will you call me later?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said distracted. "If I can."
"If you can?"
"Lizzie, of course I'll call you," he said, heading down the stairs and grabbing his coat. "Look, I have to go. I'm going to be late."
"All right, I'll talk to you later," she said.
"Okay."
Please read & review. I appreciate your feedback. (No flames, please!) Thanks for reading!
It was late afternoon. Rachel had been visiting some friends and was walking from the El station to Elizabeth's house. No one else would be home yet, as far as she knew, except Ella and the nanny. Which was kind of nice. She liked having the time alone.
Rachel opened the door to the house with the spare key Elizabeth had lent her. "Hello?" she called out. She didn't hear anything. Probably Kris was upstairs with Ella. Rachel walked up the stairs.
"Kris?" she said, as she walked toward the nursery. She looked in and to her surprise Robert was there, giving Ella a bottle. He looked up at her. "Oh, hi," Rachel said.
"Hi."
"I thought Kris was here," Rachel said.
"She was," he said. "I had to come back here to get some papers for a meeting I have outside the hospital. I told Kris she could go. Elizabeth will be here in a little while, so I thought I'd stay with Ella."
"Oh," Rachel said. "Well, you know, I could stay with her, if you have to go to your meeting."
"That's all right," he said. "I don't have to leave quite yet. I'm not in that big a hurry to see any of those people." he smiled.
"Okay," Rachel said. "Well, I'm uh, going in there." She shrugged and indicated the other room. He nodded.
She went in and opened up her AOL mail on the computer and checked her messages. After a few minutes, she heard Ella crying. She went into the nursery room again.
Robert was rocking Ella gently in his arms. "There, there, Ella, it's okay."
"Why is she spitting up like that?" Rachel said, alarmed. "That shouldn't happen."
"It's called gastroesophegeal reflux," Robert said. "It happens sometimes. Don't worry, she'll grow out of it."
Rachel leaned over to Ella. "I never saw her doing that before."
"Maybe you weren't living here then," Robert said.
"No, I was," Rachel said. "I'd remember it."
"It's happened off and on since she was born, Elizabeth said. It's nothing to worry about."
"I don't know," Rachel said. "She doesn't look good. I think she should go to the hospital."
"Rachel, I'm a doctor," he said patiently. Ella continued to cry and spit up. "I know about these things. Elizabeth knows about this too. We both-"
"Just get away from her!" Rachel said.
Robert looked at her, startled. "What?"
"Just leave Ella alone," she said.
"Rachel-"
"You're not her father!" she said.
"I know," he said.
"My dad was her father," Rachel said, her lip trembling a little. "Not you."
"I know," Robert said gently. He looked at her.
"If he knew you were here, he'd probably be rolling in his grave."
"He probably would be," Robert said.
"So, why don't you leave?" Rachel said, in tears.
Elizabeth walked in the room. "What is going on?" she said. Rachel and Robert both looked at her. They hadn't even heard her come into the house.
"Uh," Robert started to say.
"What in the world is going on here?" Elizabeth said. Ella had started to quiet down and Robert put her back down in the crib. "Rachel, why were you yelling like that?"
Rachel looked at Elizabeth, then at Robert. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm - I'm sorry." she ran down the stairs.
"Rachel?" Elizabeth said. She walked over to the steps. "Rachel!" Rachel grabbed her coat hurriedly, and left the house. Elizabeth looked at Robert in bewilderment. "Robert, what happened?"
Robert rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "She misses her father, Elizabeth," he said. "The girl misses her father. Did you think it would be any different?"
"Robert, no one's blaming you," she said.
He let out a short laugh. "All evidence to the contrary." He went into the bedroom. Elizabeth followed and watched as he opened some drawers and took some of his clothes out.
"What are you doing?" she said quietly.
"I'm going to my house for tonight," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Where? At the hospital?"
"Yeah," he said.
"And then you'll come back here?"
"Yeah," he said and sighed. "I'll come back here."
"She's leaving on Monday, you know," Elizabeth said. "It's only a few days away."
"Good," he said. He gathered up a few things from the bathroom. "I mean, it's fine. I'm sure it'll work out. Look, I gotta go. I almost forgot about that meeting downtown. I should go."
"Okay," she said uneasily. They kissed. "Will you call me later?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said distracted. "If I can."
"If you can?"
"Lizzie, of course I'll call you," he said, heading down the stairs and grabbing his coat. "Look, I have to go. I'm going to be late."
"All right, I'll talk to you later," she said.
"Okay."