Chapter 4! It's here!
A big thanks to everyone who has been reviewing!! You guys are awesome!
Anyway... on with the story...
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Elizabeth was vaguely aware of the sound of two voices as she awakened the next morning. At first she couldn't remember where she was, or how she had gotten there, but slowly memories of last night flooded back to her. She had come to Robert's room after her shift had ended and must have fallen asleep in his room late last night.
The voices brought her back to reality. The first voice was male, and she recognized it immediately as Robert's, but it took her a few minutes to figure out that the second voice, female, belonged to Abby.
Neither of them knew that Elizabeth was awake yet, if you could call it awake. She wasn't completely awake yet. She was somewhere in between sleep and consciousness, where she was aware of what was going on around her, but was not active in it.
"So what's Elizabeth doing here so early, or should I say so late?" Abby asked Romano.
Elizabeth's ears perked up at the mention of her name.
Robert ignored her blatant suggestion and answered, "She must've come in last night when I was asleep. I woke up during the night and found her sleeping here. She's not well, she had a fever in the night."
"Is she okay?"
"Well Shirley and I decided to just let her get some rest and see how she felt in the morning. So I guess we'll see when she wakes up."
Elizabeth chose this moment to make her grand entrance. She opened her eyes and leaned back, her hands reaching out to massage her sore back as she let out a little moan.
"What time is it?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes barely open.
"It's nearly 7:30," Abby replied after glancing at her watch.
"Oh, thank God I'm not working today."
"How are you feeling?" Robert asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "A little better than yesterday, actually."
"Good. I was worried about you last night. You were running quite a fever."
"Well I've got to get to work. I unfortunately am working today," Abby said, addressing both doctors.
"Which are you today, nurse or doctor?" Robert asked.
"For the morning shift you can call me Dr. Lockhart. For the night shift, it's back to nurse Abby."
"A double shift?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yup, I still have to pay the bills."
"Good luck," replied Elizabeth.
"Have a good day you two. Dr. Romano, you take it easy, ok? Doctors orders."
Robert grinned as Abby headed out the door.
Elizabeth stood up and stretched her sore muscles again. "So how are you feeling this morning, Robert?"
"I'm fine," he said, though not very convincingly.
Elizabeth gave him one of her looks. "I know you think you have to pretend you're fine around other people, but you don't have to pretend with me Robert. I wouldn't expect you to be fine the day after surgery. You don't always have to be strong."
"I know." He let out a deep sigh.
"I'm...I'm just...I'm not good at this...," he trailed off.
"At what?"
"At being weak, and helpless. I can't do it."
"Well I don't think you have much of a choice, Robert. Everyone is weak sometimes. You saw me last night, exhausted, collapsed at your bedside, feverish and ill. That's just a part of life, letting people see you at your weakest, lowest point and letting them help you."
"All right, can we just drop this for now. I'm not in the mood for a serious conversation," he grumbled.
"Fine," Elizabeth said, giving up for the time being. She didn't have the energy to fight with him. "I'm going home. I need to take a shower and change my clothes, but I'll be back to see you later, all right?"
"Fair enough."
"Get some rest," she said softly before closing the door behind her.
Robert pulled his blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes. He actually was pretty exhausted. He'd woken up early. Really early. Around 4 AM.
When Abby had knocked lightly on his door at about 7:15, he was wide awake, so now he was feeling the effects of the little amount of rest he had received. Quickly he dozed off into a peaceful sleep.
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He woke up to a strange and uncomfortable feeling of queasiness in the pit of his stomach. He groaned and rolled over onto his side, hoping the sick feeling would go away, but luck was not on his side today.
He sat up and took a few deep breaths which did little to help his stomach either. Just as he was trying to get out of his bed and head into the bathroom, an unfamiliar nurse came into the room.
"Where are you going, Dr. Romano?"
"To the damn bathroom, as if it's any of your business," he remarked nastily as he slowly hobbled towards the bathroom.
He slammed the door behind him and once he was inside the small room he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall, sitting relatively close to the toilet in case he did in fact have to throw up.
His stomach rolled and he kneeled in front of the toilet, ready for the inevitable. Not that there was much in his stomach to throw up. All he had eaten the day before was jello late in the evening after he had been cleared by the doctor to eat solid foods again. Since he didn't think his stomach was up to a full meal yet, he had only requested jello.
The nausea hit him full force this time, and he began to be sick. It didn't take long for him to empty his stomach, and soon he found himself dry heaving, having nothing left on his stomach.
Finally, his stomach settled down and he fell back against the wall, taking in a few ragged, shallow breaths. He wasn't sure how long he sat there on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, but it seemed like forever. He just didn't have the strength to get up.
He was surprised the nurse wasn't knocking down the door. He figured he must have scared her away when he heard a light knock on the door.
"Leave me alone," he called out weakly to the intruder.
"Robert, it's Elizabeth. Are you ok?"
"I thought it was the nurse. You can come in," he said, knowing she eventually would anyway.
She pushed the door open slowly, and a look of horror crossed her face as she saw Robert huddled in the corner of the bathroom, pale and shaking.
She went to him, and kneeled down in front of him, putting a hand to his cheek and lifting his chin to meet his eyes. "Did you get sick?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Why didn't you call the nurse in to help you?"
"I think I scared her off. I kind of yelled at her."
"Do you think you can get up? We should probably get you back in bed."
He nodded weakly and she wasn't quite sure if she really believed him, but they would try nevertheless.
With one hand on his arm, and one around his hip, she pulled him to his feet and they slowly shuffled back to his bed, where he collapsed into his pillows.
"I'm going to go find the nurse and see if we can get your pain medicine adjusted. That's probably what made you sick, especially if you haven't had anything to eat. When was the last time you ate?"
"Last night. I had jello."
"That's it? Well I'll try and find something that will be easy on your stomach, some crackers or something."
"Thank you," he whispered to Elizabeth as she went off in search of the nurse.
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I hope you all are liking the story.
If you are, then tell me.
If you aren't, still tell me.
I love feedback!!!
Thanks!
Danielle
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Elizabeth was vaguely aware of the sound of two voices as she awakened the next morning. At first she couldn't remember where she was, or how she had gotten there, but slowly memories of last night flooded back to her. She had come to Robert's room after her shift had ended and must have fallen asleep in his room late last night.
The voices brought her back to reality. The first voice was male, and she recognized it immediately as Robert's, but it took her a few minutes to figure out that the second voice, female, belonged to Abby.
Neither of them knew that Elizabeth was awake yet, if you could call it awake. She wasn't completely awake yet. She was somewhere in between sleep and consciousness, where she was aware of what was going on around her, but was not active in it.
"So what's Elizabeth doing here so early, or should I say so late?" Abby asked Romano.
Elizabeth's ears perked up at the mention of her name.
Robert ignored her blatant suggestion and answered, "She must've come in last night when I was asleep. I woke up during the night and found her sleeping here. She's not well, she had a fever in the night."
"Is she okay?"
"Well Shirley and I decided to just let her get some rest and see how she felt in the morning. So I guess we'll see when she wakes up."
Elizabeth chose this moment to make her grand entrance. She opened her eyes and leaned back, her hands reaching out to massage her sore back as she let out a little moan.
"What time is it?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes barely open.
"It's nearly 7:30," Abby replied after glancing at her watch.
"Oh, thank God I'm not working today."
"How are you feeling?" Robert asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "A little better than yesterday, actually."
"Good. I was worried about you last night. You were running quite a fever."
"Well I've got to get to work. I unfortunately am working today," Abby said, addressing both doctors.
"Which are you today, nurse or doctor?" Robert asked.
"For the morning shift you can call me Dr. Lockhart. For the night shift, it's back to nurse Abby."
"A double shift?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yup, I still have to pay the bills."
"Good luck," replied Elizabeth.
"Have a good day you two. Dr. Romano, you take it easy, ok? Doctors orders."
Robert grinned as Abby headed out the door.
Elizabeth stood up and stretched her sore muscles again. "So how are you feeling this morning, Robert?"
"I'm fine," he said, though not very convincingly.
Elizabeth gave him one of her looks. "I know you think you have to pretend you're fine around other people, but you don't have to pretend with me Robert. I wouldn't expect you to be fine the day after surgery. You don't always have to be strong."
"I know." He let out a deep sigh.
"I'm...I'm just...I'm not good at this...," he trailed off.
"At what?"
"At being weak, and helpless. I can't do it."
"Well I don't think you have much of a choice, Robert. Everyone is weak sometimes. You saw me last night, exhausted, collapsed at your bedside, feverish and ill. That's just a part of life, letting people see you at your weakest, lowest point and letting them help you."
"All right, can we just drop this for now. I'm not in the mood for a serious conversation," he grumbled.
"Fine," Elizabeth said, giving up for the time being. She didn't have the energy to fight with him. "I'm going home. I need to take a shower and change my clothes, but I'll be back to see you later, all right?"
"Fair enough."
"Get some rest," she said softly before closing the door behind her.
Robert pulled his blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes. He actually was pretty exhausted. He'd woken up early. Really early. Around 4 AM.
When Abby had knocked lightly on his door at about 7:15, he was wide awake, so now he was feeling the effects of the little amount of rest he had received. Quickly he dozed off into a peaceful sleep.
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He woke up to a strange and uncomfortable feeling of queasiness in the pit of his stomach. He groaned and rolled over onto his side, hoping the sick feeling would go away, but luck was not on his side today.
He sat up and took a few deep breaths which did little to help his stomach either. Just as he was trying to get out of his bed and head into the bathroom, an unfamiliar nurse came into the room.
"Where are you going, Dr. Romano?"
"To the damn bathroom, as if it's any of your business," he remarked nastily as he slowly hobbled towards the bathroom.
He slammed the door behind him and once he was inside the small room he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall, sitting relatively close to the toilet in case he did in fact have to throw up.
His stomach rolled and he kneeled in front of the toilet, ready for the inevitable. Not that there was much in his stomach to throw up. All he had eaten the day before was jello late in the evening after he had been cleared by the doctor to eat solid foods again. Since he didn't think his stomach was up to a full meal yet, he had only requested jello.
The nausea hit him full force this time, and he began to be sick. It didn't take long for him to empty his stomach, and soon he found himself dry heaving, having nothing left on his stomach.
Finally, his stomach settled down and he fell back against the wall, taking in a few ragged, shallow breaths. He wasn't sure how long he sat there on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, but it seemed like forever. He just didn't have the strength to get up.
He was surprised the nurse wasn't knocking down the door. He figured he must have scared her away when he heard a light knock on the door.
"Leave me alone," he called out weakly to the intruder.
"Robert, it's Elizabeth. Are you ok?"
"I thought it was the nurse. You can come in," he said, knowing she eventually would anyway.
She pushed the door open slowly, and a look of horror crossed her face as she saw Robert huddled in the corner of the bathroom, pale and shaking.
She went to him, and kneeled down in front of him, putting a hand to his cheek and lifting his chin to meet his eyes. "Did you get sick?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Why didn't you call the nurse in to help you?"
"I think I scared her off. I kind of yelled at her."
"Do you think you can get up? We should probably get you back in bed."
He nodded weakly and she wasn't quite sure if she really believed him, but they would try nevertheless.
With one hand on his arm, and one around his hip, she pulled him to his feet and they slowly shuffled back to his bed, where he collapsed into his pillows.
"I'm going to go find the nurse and see if we can get your pain medicine adjusted. That's probably what made you sick, especially if you haven't had anything to eat. When was the last time you ate?"
"Last night. I had jello."
"That's it? Well I'll try and find something that will be easy on your stomach, some crackers or something."
"Thank you," he whispered to Elizabeth as she went off in search of the nurse.
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I hope you all are liking the story.
If you are, then tell me.
If you aren't, still tell me.
I love feedback!!!
Thanks!
Danielle