Author's note: Hey there! I thought it was time for another chapter. We're
getting down to the wire, just a few more left!
You'll notice that I'm making Robert's arm recovery a lot more optimistic than TPTB have been doing lately on the show. That's because I just don't like the way this storyline has been going this season, and how they keep putting him through the ringer. So in my story, although it might seem unrealistic, a lot of the function in his arm has been restored. Take that, PTB!
Robert and Elizabeth came home from the restaurant. They said hello to Kris and talked briefly with her.
"Did you have fun?" Kris said.
"Oh yeah," Robert said. "We had a good time. I ruined one of Elizabeth's friendships, but it wasn't that great to begin with, right, Lizzie?"
"What?" Kris said smiling, turning to Elizabeth. "I'm confused."
"Nothing," Elizabeth said good-naturedly. "You know Robert's tendency to exaggerate. We simply ran into some old friends, that's all."
"Ran into him like a Mack truck," Robert said.
"Robert, come on," Elizabeth said, but she smiled. "It wasn't that bad. I'm going to call Peter tomorrow and get this straightened out."
"Yeah, well, good luck with that," Robert said. "Why don't you invite him to dinner here? That would be fun."
Elizabeth grinned and shook her head, then turned to Kris. "How was everything here?" Elizabeth said.
"Fine," Kris said, smiling. "Rachel really loves being with Ella."
"Where is Rachel?"
"Sitting out on your steps in the back. She seems to like it out there."
Elizabeth and Robert said goodnight to Kris and she left. "I am exhausted," Elizabeth said, yawning. "I'm going to stop in and see Ella and then I'm falling into bed. Tell Rachel I said goodnight, will you?" He nodded and she kissed him. "Good night."
"Good night."
Robert opened up the door that led out on the steps toward the back entrance to the house. Rachel looked up.
"Hi," he said.
"Oh, hey," she said. "Did you guys have fun?"
"We did," he said. He sat down next to her. "You?"
"Yeah," she said, and smiled a little. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled some money out. "Thanks for that pizza money. I did get one, but there's a lot of money left over-"
"You can keep it," he said. "I know it doesn't go far at Abercrombie, but maybe you can get something."
She looked at him, surprised. "How do you know about that?"
"What?" he said, and shrugged. "It's a store."
"Yeah," she said, "but my mom has no idea stores like that even exist."
"I have a niece around your age," he said.
"Oh," she said.
They sat in silence on the steps.
"I'm sorry again for the way I acted the other day," she said.
"Don't worry about it."
"You said that before," she mused.
"And I still mean it."
"It's just - well my father died, it's been a little over a year. Fourteen months."
"Not a lot of time," he said.
"No," she said. "It doesn't seem like it." She took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. "Elizabeth doesn't know I smoke," she admitted.
"I won't say anything."
"I just smoke sometimes," she said. "Alone, or around friends who don't mind it."
"I don't mind," he said. "As long as you don't blow it in my face."
She laughed, and lit a cigarette. "You're not so hard to get along with, I guess."
"Imagine that," he said.
"No, really."
"Others may disagree with you," he said.
"Oh, I know they would."
"Oh, really?" he said, and she laughed again. "What do you know?"
"I know some stuff," she said.
"Huh."
"You didn't really break your arm skiing, did you?"
"Nope."
"I knew it," she said, and smiled. "You're not a very good liar."
"Well, you know, it's not such a good quality to have."
"So, how did you hurt your arm?" she said.
"It got severed by a helicopter's rotor when I was on the roof of the hospital," he said. Rachel's mouth opened in disbelief. "Yeah, it was kind of a mess. They re-attached it though, as you can see." He wriggled it a little as it to show it off.
"Geez," Rachel said.
"Yeah," Robert said, and smiled. "That's the short version. I just didn't think you needed to hear all that, so that's why I made up a different story. Teenage girls being so delicate and all."
"Right," she said dryly. Then, softening a little, she added, "So you're okay now?"
"Pretty much," he said, and shrugged. She looked at him, and he added, "I still don't have all the function back, but I go to physical therapy, and they say I'm still healing and I'm supposed to be patient. I guess I'm about three-quarters okay, but I want the other quarter."
"You think you'll get it?" she said.
"Oh yeah," he said, and smiled. "Never settle." She smiled back.
"You really like Elizabeth, huh?" she said.
Robert looked up, then down, then at Rachel. "Yeah," he said, blushing a little. He smiled and looked down at the ground. "She's well-she's pretty amazing. Yeah, I like her. 'Like' isn't really the right word for it, but yeah. A lot."
"Okay, okay," Rachel said, amused. She stubbed out her cigarette. "That's good. She seems happy."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." They both were quiet for a few moments. "You really care about Ella too, don't you?"
"Of course," he said, looking at her seriously. "She's great. She means the world to Elizabeth."
"I know," Rachel said quietly, almost whispering. "I almost killed her, you know."
"Not on purpose."
"No, of course not," she said. "Still. It's horrible."
"It's in the past," he said.
Rachel looked down at the ground. "I caused a lot of problems for Elizabeth and my dad. I didn't mean to, but I did." She looked up at him and he nodded. "Are you and Elizabeth going to get married?"
"Oh, Rachel, I don't know," Robert said. He felt embarrassed by her question and caught off-guard. "Neither of us is thinking about that right now. It's too soon, and I don't think Elizabeth is ready for all that again."
"But if she was, you would want to?"
"Yes, but you don't have to worry-"
"I think you should," Rachel said. "Because you know, it would be good. Ella needs a father. I mean, you know, not a father, but a stepfather, or something. Someone."
"You have one, right?" Robert said awkwardly.
"A stepfather?" Rachel said. "Yeah, my mother's husband, but he's a jerk. You'd be an improvement over him."
"I thought you said I was a jerk," he said, smiling.
"No, I didn't! I never said that," she said, blushing.
He laughed. "Come on, who's the bad liar now?"
"Okay, well, maybe you're a jerk to the people at your hospital," she said. "But not to everyone. Anyway, I already have a stepfather, even though Kevin's a jerk, besides, I don't need anyone anyway, I'm, I'm almost grown. Ella, she needs you, and you're good with her." She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly.
"Good, because Ella might need you - she needs someone. A father, or somebody. She's just a baby." She started to cry and he put his arm around her shoulder. He gently pulled her close to him. She leaned against him and sobbed. After a couple of minutes, she said, "I'm sorry. I just miss my dad so much."
He stroked her hair. "I know you do."
"You're pretty nice, Robert," she said. He laughed. "No, seriously." He smiled and shook his head.
She wiped some tears away with her hand. "Can I sit close to you a little longer?"
"Of course," he said. She leaned her head against his chest and he put his arms around her. Neither said a word, and they just sat there for a few minutes until they were ready to go inside.
You'll notice that I'm making Robert's arm recovery a lot more optimistic than TPTB have been doing lately on the show. That's because I just don't like the way this storyline has been going this season, and how they keep putting him through the ringer. So in my story, although it might seem unrealistic, a lot of the function in his arm has been restored. Take that, PTB!
Robert and Elizabeth came home from the restaurant. They said hello to Kris and talked briefly with her.
"Did you have fun?" Kris said.
"Oh yeah," Robert said. "We had a good time. I ruined one of Elizabeth's friendships, but it wasn't that great to begin with, right, Lizzie?"
"What?" Kris said smiling, turning to Elizabeth. "I'm confused."
"Nothing," Elizabeth said good-naturedly. "You know Robert's tendency to exaggerate. We simply ran into some old friends, that's all."
"Ran into him like a Mack truck," Robert said.
"Robert, come on," Elizabeth said, but she smiled. "It wasn't that bad. I'm going to call Peter tomorrow and get this straightened out."
"Yeah, well, good luck with that," Robert said. "Why don't you invite him to dinner here? That would be fun."
Elizabeth grinned and shook her head, then turned to Kris. "How was everything here?" Elizabeth said.
"Fine," Kris said, smiling. "Rachel really loves being with Ella."
"Where is Rachel?"
"Sitting out on your steps in the back. She seems to like it out there."
Elizabeth and Robert said goodnight to Kris and she left. "I am exhausted," Elizabeth said, yawning. "I'm going to stop in and see Ella and then I'm falling into bed. Tell Rachel I said goodnight, will you?" He nodded and she kissed him. "Good night."
"Good night."
Robert opened up the door that led out on the steps toward the back entrance to the house. Rachel looked up.
"Hi," he said.
"Oh, hey," she said. "Did you guys have fun?"
"We did," he said. He sat down next to her. "You?"
"Yeah," she said, and smiled a little. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled some money out. "Thanks for that pizza money. I did get one, but there's a lot of money left over-"
"You can keep it," he said. "I know it doesn't go far at Abercrombie, but maybe you can get something."
She looked at him, surprised. "How do you know about that?"
"What?" he said, and shrugged. "It's a store."
"Yeah," she said, "but my mom has no idea stores like that even exist."
"I have a niece around your age," he said.
"Oh," she said.
They sat in silence on the steps.
"I'm sorry again for the way I acted the other day," she said.
"Don't worry about it."
"You said that before," she mused.
"And I still mean it."
"It's just - well my father died, it's been a little over a year. Fourteen months."
"Not a lot of time," he said.
"No," she said. "It doesn't seem like it." She took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. "Elizabeth doesn't know I smoke," she admitted.
"I won't say anything."
"I just smoke sometimes," she said. "Alone, or around friends who don't mind it."
"I don't mind," he said. "As long as you don't blow it in my face."
She laughed, and lit a cigarette. "You're not so hard to get along with, I guess."
"Imagine that," he said.
"No, really."
"Others may disagree with you," he said.
"Oh, I know they would."
"Oh, really?" he said, and she laughed again. "What do you know?"
"I know some stuff," she said.
"Huh."
"You didn't really break your arm skiing, did you?"
"Nope."
"I knew it," she said, and smiled. "You're not a very good liar."
"Well, you know, it's not such a good quality to have."
"So, how did you hurt your arm?" she said.
"It got severed by a helicopter's rotor when I was on the roof of the hospital," he said. Rachel's mouth opened in disbelief. "Yeah, it was kind of a mess. They re-attached it though, as you can see." He wriggled it a little as it to show it off.
"Geez," Rachel said.
"Yeah," Robert said, and smiled. "That's the short version. I just didn't think you needed to hear all that, so that's why I made up a different story. Teenage girls being so delicate and all."
"Right," she said dryly. Then, softening a little, she added, "So you're okay now?"
"Pretty much," he said, and shrugged. She looked at him, and he added, "I still don't have all the function back, but I go to physical therapy, and they say I'm still healing and I'm supposed to be patient. I guess I'm about three-quarters okay, but I want the other quarter."
"You think you'll get it?" she said.
"Oh yeah," he said, and smiled. "Never settle." She smiled back.
"You really like Elizabeth, huh?" she said.
Robert looked up, then down, then at Rachel. "Yeah," he said, blushing a little. He smiled and looked down at the ground. "She's well-she's pretty amazing. Yeah, I like her. 'Like' isn't really the right word for it, but yeah. A lot."
"Okay, okay," Rachel said, amused. She stubbed out her cigarette. "That's good. She seems happy."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." They both were quiet for a few moments. "You really care about Ella too, don't you?"
"Of course," he said, looking at her seriously. "She's great. She means the world to Elizabeth."
"I know," Rachel said quietly, almost whispering. "I almost killed her, you know."
"Not on purpose."
"No, of course not," she said. "Still. It's horrible."
"It's in the past," he said.
Rachel looked down at the ground. "I caused a lot of problems for Elizabeth and my dad. I didn't mean to, but I did." She looked up at him and he nodded. "Are you and Elizabeth going to get married?"
"Oh, Rachel, I don't know," Robert said. He felt embarrassed by her question and caught off-guard. "Neither of us is thinking about that right now. It's too soon, and I don't think Elizabeth is ready for all that again."
"But if she was, you would want to?"
"Yes, but you don't have to worry-"
"I think you should," Rachel said. "Because you know, it would be good. Ella needs a father. I mean, you know, not a father, but a stepfather, or something. Someone."
"You have one, right?" Robert said awkwardly.
"A stepfather?" Rachel said. "Yeah, my mother's husband, but he's a jerk. You'd be an improvement over him."
"I thought you said I was a jerk," he said, smiling.
"No, I didn't! I never said that," she said, blushing.
He laughed. "Come on, who's the bad liar now?"
"Okay, well, maybe you're a jerk to the people at your hospital," she said. "But not to everyone. Anyway, I already have a stepfather, even though Kevin's a jerk, besides, I don't need anyone anyway, I'm, I'm almost grown. Ella, she needs you, and you're good with her." She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly.
"Good, because Ella might need you - she needs someone. A father, or somebody. She's just a baby." She started to cry and he put his arm around her shoulder. He gently pulled her close to him. She leaned against him and sobbed. After a couple of minutes, she said, "I'm sorry. I just miss my dad so much."
He stroked her hair. "I know you do."
"You're pretty nice, Robert," she said. He laughed. "No, seriously." He smiled and shook his head.
She wiped some tears away with her hand. "Can I sit close to you a little longer?"
"Of course," he said. She leaned her head against his chest and he put his arms around her. Neither said a word, and they just sat there for a few minutes until they were ready to go inside.