Title: In From the Cold
Author: little_miss_writer
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing unfortunately. Elizabeth Corday, Robert "Rocket" Romano (Warner Bros, Michael Crichton and a variety of other lucky, lucky people. I wish I did own them, but I don't. This is a work of fiction so nobody get upset ok?
Notes: A few things to know. In this story Elizabeth is not involved with Mark, so no marriage and no Ella. Takes place sometime before "Lockdown". It's just a nice little piece about Romano and Corday's friendship. I have read the season nine spoilers (I wish I hadn't!), but nothing is given away here at all, so its entirely safe. Also I'm British and so is my spelling, you have been warned!
Thank you so much for your reviews, they've all been so positive, especially from my fellow Robbie fans, you're all very much appreciated. Keep the reviews coming in, send any feed back to little_miss_writer@hotmail.com, or r/r!
Chapter 5
Silence. A silence that was so loud it was deafening, save for the unsteady rhythm of her heart. But it wasn't only her heart beat, she could feel his own pulse, feel it through her clothes where his hand rested lightly on her shoulder. She could feel his warmth, the way his racing pulse mirrored her own. Desire, excitement, anxiety, all conspiring to send their heart rates soaring. She could see the emotions in his eyes as he held her gaze, she could see the desire, the excitement and the anxiety, he was waiting for an answer, an answer to a question that would alter their lives, in a way she had never thought possible.
But how could she answer him, when she didn't know the answer herself? She hated this, this feeling of uncertainty. Not knowing what she wanted, or what was going to happen. She was used to being in control, well, if not in control, at least having a vague idea of where the relationship would lead. But how could she expect to predict the future and try to control it, if she didn't know what was going to happen in the present, if she didn't know what she wanted? Was it simply sex? One wild night, to finally act on the obvious sexual tension between them? Just get it out of the way and then forget about it? Maybe do it again if he was as good with his hands out of the operating theatre as he was in it? Or friendship? Did she want a friend to be there for her, to listen to her problems, to make her feel loved and appreciated, but with out the complications of a romantic relationship, purely platonic love. Or real love? The kind that you read about in fairy tales. Pure, romantic, passionate love. Somebody to make love to, somebody to be there for her no mater what happened, who could tell what she was thinking just by a glance, who would wake up each day, glad to be with her.
What did she want from him? Could he give her all of those things, some would say that he wasn't capable of any of them. She had never been in a relationship where all three had been present, they just didn't seem to meld together. Her partner would be sweet and loving, but frankly they were rather boring. Or she got involved with men who loved to talk, but rarely found time to listen. Or the sexual side of the relationship would be great but it would just be sex, with nothing more meaningful.
Well one could never accuse Robert of being boring. Indeed, County never seemed to be quiet with him around. He was always stirring up trouble somehow. She was sure he got some kind of perverse pleasure in annoying others, when he addressed Mallucci as Matalucci, or deliberately wound up the scrub nurses and med students. She was well aware of his uneasy working relationship with Weaver and Benton. Many times she had heard Kerry threatening to lodge complaint against him, and she had seen Peter coming out of the OR on the verge of flattening the senior surgeon. And while she rarely agreed with his way of handling the staff, she knew that if he ever left County she would miss him, and no matter how much they denied it, others would miss his presence too. And recently, in the past three days, she had learned more about him in nearly four years. He cooked, he sang, he read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He could be funny without being sarcastic, something she had never thought possible, he could be kind and caring, and not just towards his dog. Who knew what else she would learn about his character, about his hopes and dreams, about the person he really was, underneath the shield he surrounded himself with. Occasionally she was allowed tiny glimpses, when his eyes betrayed his feelings, when they showed pain, joy, amusement or desire. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, something Elizabeth had never believed until the past few days spent with Robert. They were also held the secrets of the past, and Elizabeth knew that they held secrets of events that had greatly affected Robert, secrets that he still carried with him, that influenced his every day life. She knew without asking, that life had not been kind to him, that he was a far more complex man than she had ever thought possible.
And despite what many thought, he did listen. As Kerry said "That's what's so damn infuriating. He does listen, he may not agree with you, and he'll hardly ever change his mind, but you just can't blame him for not listening. It would be easier if you could." Even though many of the staff complained that he didn't listen to their requests and suggestions, he did, Elizabeth knew that, and she knew that he did fight valiantly for the hospital. He was an intelligent man, with strong views on a varied range of subjects. But Elizabeth had learned that shortly after one of their first times in the OR together. The topic of conversation had started out as her, Robert has quizzed her about her time at med school, it had then moved on to travelling around Europe, Robert himself having visited several European countries, then they had debated, rather heatedly, several hospital policies, after several more erratic jumps, they had closed up discussing the men's and women's Wimbledon final, and why the Brits would never have a home grown champion. All the while they had worked flawlessly on a man with six bullets in his chest.
The purely physical attraction was definitely there, she could feel it between them, a sparkle of electricity whenever they were together, when their eyes met across a room, or across the operating table, or when there was any physical contact between them, when their arms brushed or their hands touched while performing surgery. And the kisses that they had shared, they were unlike anything she had ever experienced before. So strong, so intense and passionate. A kiss that left her breathless for more, one that kept her awake at night when the memories refused to leave her, reliving his touch, his taste, his scent. But she knew that there was more than just that between them, something deeper, more powerful, more meaningful. She could see it in his eyes, felt it in his touch, and heard it when he spoke. The longing looks when he thought she wasn't looking, his gentle touch, warm and comforting. The way he had sang for her, letting her into a deeply private place, one which he never shared with anyone else. Robert had let her see so much, let her see aspects of himself that she had never even guessed existed. He had made all the first moves, he had taken all the risks, the risk of humiliation or rejection, yet she still didn't know how to respond. No, that wasn't true. She did know how she felt, she knew what she wanted to say, but the feeling of fear, the terrible feeling of uncertainty gnawed at her, made her doubt herself.
His eyes left her, the chocolate brown pools suddenly looked defeated, the hope gone from them. "I'm sorry Elizabeth." His voice was low, little more than a whisper, as the warm touch on her shoulder left, as he backed away, shoulders slumped. He suddenly seemed incredibly vulnerable, the hope and excitement previously in his eyes replaced with a look that she couldn't quite identify, a cross between disappointment and despair.
She couldn't do this. She could not just throw away a chance of happiness because of fear, because she was uncertain. Her mother's voice suddenly came to her "If it is not worth a risk then it is not worth having Elizabeth." Well, she thought wryly, if there was any time for Mother to be right, I suppose now is as good a time as any. If he was willing to take a risk for her, she had to be willing to do the same for him.
"No, Robert, I do want this."
And it struck her suddenly: she did love him. She loved him. It was that simple. She loved this deeply passionate, intelligent, funny, caring, argumentative, and stubborn man. He was unique, unlike anybody else she had ever encountered. She wanted to learn about him, learn everything about him, learn about his past, and be a part of his future. She wanted to make him smile, make him laugh, to be there for him when he cried. And she knew that he would do the same for her, that he would always be there for her. Her heart soared when he turned back to her, the disbelief slowly turning to a look of pure joy, a smile lighting up his features. But this was not his usual kind of smile, not the simple twisting of his lips that looked more like a smirk, when the lips moved but the eyes remained dead. This was an honest smile, a smile where his eyes sparkled, filled with joy.
He stepped forward, holding her head in his hands, leaned up and gently brushed his lips against hers.
"Thank you."
tbc
Hey. Well guys and girls, what do you think? I am planning to finish it off in two more chapters but I don't want to spoil it by making it too long, so please let me know what you think, specially all you Robbie fans! It's nice to see more and more Robbie fic appearing now….we're taking over!! Well I'm going to be away on holiday for a week, after the trauma of having my modem fried! So when I get back I want to come on fanfiction.net and have plenty of kind, supportive reviews (remember I'm a delicate soul) and have an inbox on the point of over loading! Remember it's little_miss_writer@hotmail.com. Please, please, please r/r! (Oh and I've been reading the spoilers and ep reviews for season nine, since we won't get it over here till god knows when, somebody please, please stop me! I will never forgive the writers, ever! How could they?!?)
Remember r/r!
lmw