Ugh, lots of commentary in this nearly script-less Chapter. I hate writing this stuff. Dialogue promised in the next chapter.
Thanks to everyone who is still reading this fiction. And a special thanks to my new beta (who will start next week, so errors in this are still my fault,) Kayla a.k.a. Notthisoneidiot. You rock!
Prior to Elizabeth unexpected visit; Romano was busying himself with boxing up some of the specialized tools that he was working with in the basement. He and Gallant had been unexpectedly successful over the past couple of weeks. Romano was ready to take his show on the road. Arrangements had been made to set up some of his equipment in a recovery room at County General.
Romano had been quite surprised to see Weaver so open to letting him back into surgery. He had simply made a phone call and invited her over to his home for her to be interested enough in his work to allow him back into the hospital. They had arranged for him to set up with the chance of serving patients who would agree to this alternative process of surgery. The true selling point for Romano was that she also agreed to keep their work under wraps. With the exception of Gallant, who proved to be a very capable assist, and the OR Nurse Shirley, who was able to arrange the schedule and contact perspective patients, no one else in the hospital need know that Romano was practicing.
It was the exact situation that Romano had been waiting for since a month after the helicopter debacle. Everything had certainly been falling into place for him… but three knocks, and a 45 second altercation at his door and Romano knew that he wouldn't be able to get any more work done tonight.
Romano was nursing a cup of tea trying to piece together why Elizabeth had left and perhaps more importantly why she had come over in the first place. "Shit," he cursed to himself. Romano had showed a different side of himself when they had gone out to dinner and she hadn't run away from him. He had tested her that night.
Thinking back to that evening, he recalled how honest he had been. As much as he had reanalyzed his decision to not go in that night, he knew he had done the right thing. With Elizabeth he wanted to be, above all things, sincere. And that night, whether it was nerves or gentlemanly decency, he was glad he didn't follow her inside.
But tonight was another case all together. Elizabeth wasn't pushing anything, and still he chased her away. Granted he didn't know why Elizabeth had come over. But once he saw her face, he felt an instant guilt for keeping his distance. She was nothing short of gorgeous. Her face was flushed with, he assumed, the cool Chicago air. She stood tall, and composed. And what had he done? Blasted her questioningly with her reason for being there. It hadn't gone under his radar that she had put herself out there for him time and time again. She deserved so much more than him.
And it was that last thought that motivated Romano to pick up the phone and call Elizabeth. She did deserve more. But Romano didn't want to give her the chance to realize that for herself. He needed to apologize for chasing her off. He needed to do a little chasing of his own. He dialed her number from memory and waited for her to pick up…
She never did pick up the phone. Elizabeth had taken the long way home. Perhaps figuratively as much as literally. Rather then hail a cab she had walked the two miles to the closest El station from Romano's home. On the ride Elizabeth was able to process all of her emotions into one word…stupid. It was the work she had repeated to herself in cadence through most of her walk. She was embarrassed by just about every move she made tonight. From the vicious tongue lashing at his closed door to her abrupt exit less than a minute later she felt the fool.
What had Romano done? Kindly told her he didn't want to go out with her. Asked for time before they went out. And her response was to blindside him by showing up in his home. Granted he had been civil… more than civil he had been accommodating and charming. He made his point clearly as he declined coming inside despite her revealing that she was without Ella that night. But what had she done? Shown up three weeks later like some lunatic, yelling at his doorstep.
Robert was clearly getting along just fine. He answered the door with a warm, near-giddy smile on his face. He looked… dare she say, sexy. And her shrewish response was to jump through the door knocking him on his arse. Did she recover? Did she act the part of the concerned friend? No, she ignored his obviously rapid recovery with his new prosthetic arm, and left him. What had he done to deserve any of her recent behavior? Be honorable. Be respectful. Why couldn't she just get past these romantic feelings she was having for him, and be the comforting friend he had been for her through her marriage with Mark?
Sitting there on the subway she realized she could. She could be the person that he needed right now. She could ignore her idealized imagine of dating Romano and just be his friend. It was the least she could do for him, actually. She would call him up as ask him straightforwardly about his rehabilitation with his prosthetic as soon as she got home.
But Elizabeth never got the chance to make that phone call. While fishing through her purse for her keys, she failed to recognize a person sitting patiently at the end of her deck.
Approaching quickly from the shadows he spoke, "Elizabeth?"