Okay, so in this chapter... character breaks a little. But, of course it
does, because Romano, contrary to popular belief is human (errr... was, I
suppose). So please forgive me for not writing him as an arrogant ass
during this chapter.... I took literary license, and decided to make Romano
pour his heart out... But things shouldn't be too gushy.
Enjoy... Please. (and if you'd like... tell me what you think... but, be nice.)
Dr. Robert Romano took a deep breath. It was a deep breath that always calmed him, made him sane again. In fact, he took several deep breaths, trying his hardest to prepare for what he was about to tell Elizabeth. The woman with whom he was in love. One of the most beautiful women he had ever come into contact with, and he was about to lower the wall he had carefully built around his heart.
"Elizabeth..." He began "... There's something I want to tell you." He paused, unsure of how to go on.
"That much, I have gathered Robert." She stated clearly not amused.
"I, uh, I want to tell you.... Why I am... who I am..." he started, still unsure.
"What do you mean Robert, 'why you are who you are'?" she inquired.
"I mean... why I am the way that I am." He stopped.
She was confused, no doubt, but she felt as though it was important for her to listen "Go ahead." She spoke in a cautionary tone.
'just like a band-aid' he thought 'rip it off very quickly, and there will be less pain.' Of course, even as he thought this to himself, he knew that it was bull. Everyone knows that even if you rip a band-aid off at the speed of light, it still hurts like hell. Faster is DEFINITELY more painful. When you do it slowly, you can gauge the pain, and decide how much you're willing to take... but when it's fast, all hell breaks loose. You have absolutely no control over what happens, no control over the pain. And Robert Romano was not the type of man that enjoyed losing control; in fact, it was what he hated most. But judging by the look on Elizabeth's face, he didn't have time to slowly rip off the band-aid... it was going to be fast...
"Well, I don't quite know what to say..." he stopped again.
"I have noticed, Robert." 'get on with it' she thought.
"Huh... kind of like a band-aid..." He began, before realizing, by her utterly confused look that she had absolutely no idea to what he was referring.
"Right..." She said.
No other way, Romano thought to himself. Just lay it all out on the table.
And with another deep breath he said the words that he had wanted to say to someone, anyone, for a very long time.
"Elizabeth, no one really understands me. I mean, they do... but they don't. Everything you said in the lounge today was the absolute truth; I'm not ignorant enough to think that you were the least bit mistaken. But, at the same time, there IS a reason why I am the way I am. Why I am the arrogant ass that sits before you today."
He inhaled deeply, trying to gauge her reaction; there was none.
"... When I was 12 years old my parents, my sister, and I all went out to dinner. My little sister, she was 9 at the time, I believe, had just had her very first dance recital, and we were on our way to celebrate. I was angry because she got to pick the restaurant, and I hated Italian food, her favorite. I was being an ass, and I told my sister that I hated her, and that I wished she would die. So I was staring out the window, snubbing the rest of my family..."
'Now comes the hard part' he thought to himself.
"We were almost there" he continued "nine, maybe ten blocks away. We were waiting to turn left, in the middle of an intersection, when some asshole drunk driver ran the red light; he was on the wrong side of the street. My dad, he was driving, never even saw him coming." He paused. He didn't know if he could do this.
He looked at Elizabeth, expecting to see cold, hard eyes staring back at him... but her beautiful blue eyes were full of nothing but compassion.
"Oh my God" she exhaled.
'like a band-aid' he thought "We were rushed to the Hospital, I don't even remember which one" his eyes were glistening with tears, but he didn't want to cry. Not Rocket Romano. "All I remember was blood. A lot of blood. It was everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. I was in the trauma room next to my sister, and I could here this constant beep, never wavering in its sound. I didn't know what that meant, not at the time. And I kept calling out to her, saying that she would be all right, telling her not to be scared, that she would be fine, that everything would work out." The tears got stronger, and more lucid in his eyes, but still, he held them back. "She flat lined. They tried for 30 minutes to bring her back. But they couldn't, she died, and the last thing I ever said to her was that I hated her." He stopped once again...
He was expecting hurt, but not this much. It had been over 25 years; he thought he was over it. He had never spoken these words to another soul, and he didn't expect the pain he felt so deep in his heart.
Elizabeth sat there with tears glistening in her eyes as well; she couldn't believe this man sitting before her. The resident asshole of County General was sitting before her with tears in his eyes explaining a horrid past that no one else knew about. She was overcome with emotion, and that didn't happen to Elizabeth Corday much.
"Oh my God, Robert. I'm so sorry." She said, still in partial shock.
He swiped a runaway tear with the back of his hand. "It's all right." He lied.
"No Robert, it's not" she said as she took his hand.
This comforting gesture allowed Romano to continue...
"I told her that I wished she would die. Those were my last words to my baby sister." He said as he swiped at another tear rolling down his cheek.
"It's not your fault Robert. You didn't control what happened."
He had heard it from the social workers before. "I know" he said coldly.
"No, I don't think you do Robert. You can't blame yourself for what happened. You're NOT responsible." She stated as she tightened her grip on his hand.
"There's more."
How's that for a cliffhanger?
Well, let me know what you think. Sorry for humanizing Romano....
And don't be angry that I made stuff up! (
Please respond and let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it!
~Natalie~
Enjoy... Please. (and if you'd like... tell me what you think... but, be nice.)
Dr. Robert Romano took a deep breath. It was a deep breath that always calmed him, made him sane again. In fact, he took several deep breaths, trying his hardest to prepare for what he was about to tell Elizabeth. The woman with whom he was in love. One of the most beautiful women he had ever come into contact with, and he was about to lower the wall he had carefully built around his heart.
"Elizabeth..." He began "... There's something I want to tell you." He paused, unsure of how to go on.
"That much, I have gathered Robert." She stated clearly not amused.
"I, uh, I want to tell you.... Why I am... who I am..." he started, still unsure.
"What do you mean Robert, 'why you are who you are'?" she inquired.
"I mean... why I am the way that I am." He stopped.
She was confused, no doubt, but she felt as though it was important for her to listen "Go ahead." She spoke in a cautionary tone.
'just like a band-aid' he thought 'rip it off very quickly, and there will be less pain.' Of course, even as he thought this to himself, he knew that it was bull. Everyone knows that even if you rip a band-aid off at the speed of light, it still hurts like hell. Faster is DEFINITELY more painful. When you do it slowly, you can gauge the pain, and decide how much you're willing to take... but when it's fast, all hell breaks loose. You have absolutely no control over what happens, no control over the pain. And Robert Romano was not the type of man that enjoyed losing control; in fact, it was what he hated most. But judging by the look on Elizabeth's face, he didn't have time to slowly rip off the band-aid... it was going to be fast...
"Well, I don't quite know what to say..." he stopped again.
"I have noticed, Robert." 'get on with it' she thought.
"Huh... kind of like a band-aid..." He began, before realizing, by her utterly confused look that she had absolutely no idea to what he was referring.
"Right..." She said.
No other way, Romano thought to himself. Just lay it all out on the table.
And with another deep breath he said the words that he had wanted to say to someone, anyone, for a very long time.
"Elizabeth, no one really understands me. I mean, they do... but they don't. Everything you said in the lounge today was the absolute truth; I'm not ignorant enough to think that you were the least bit mistaken. But, at the same time, there IS a reason why I am the way I am. Why I am the arrogant ass that sits before you today."
He inhaled deeply, trying to gauge her reaction; there was none.
"... When I was 12 years old my parents, my sister, and I all went out to dinner. My little sister, she was 9 at the time, I believe, had just had her very first dance recital, and we were on our way to celebrate. I was angry because she got to pick the restaurant, and I hated Italian food, her favorite. I was being an ass, and I told my sister that I hated her, and that I wished she would die. So I was staring out the window, snubbing the rest of my family..."
'Now comes the hard part' he thought to himself.
"We were almost there" he continued "nine, maybe ten blocks away. We were waiting to turn left, in the middle of an intersection, when some asshole drunk driver ran the red light; he was on the wrong side of the street. My dad, he was driving, never even saw him coming." He paused. He didn't know if he could do this.
He looked at Elizabeth, expecting to see cold, hard eyes staring back at him... but her beautiful blue eyes were full of nothing but compassion.
"Oh my God" she exhaled.
'like a band-aid' he thought "We were rushed to the Hospital, I don't even remember which one" his eyes were glistening with tears, but he didn't want to cry. Not Rocket Romano. "All I remember was blood. A lot of blood. It was everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. I was in the trauma room next to my sister, and I could here this constant beep, never wavering in its sound. I didn't know what that meant, not at the time. And I kept calling out to her, saying that she would be all right, telling her not to be scared, that she would be fine, that everything would work out." The tears got stronger, and more lucid in his eyes, but still, he held them back. "She flat lined. They tried for 30 minutes to bring her back. But they couldn't, she died, and the last thing I ever said to her was that I hated her." He stopped once again...
He was expecting hurt, but not this much. It had been over 25 years; he thought he was over it. He had never spoken these words to another soul, and he didn't expect the pain he felt so deep in his heart.
Elizabeth sat there with tears glistening in her eyes as well; she couldn't believe this man sitting before her. The resident asshole of County General was sitting before her with tears in his eyes explaining a horrid past that no one else knew about. She was overcome with emotion, and that didn't happen to Elizabeth Corday much.
"Oh my God, Robert. I'm so sorry." She said, still in partial shock.
He swiped a runaway tear with the back of his hand. "It's all right." He lied.
"No Robert, it's not" she said as she took his hand.
This comforting gesture allowed Romano to continue...
"I told her that I wished she would die. Those were my last words to my baby sister." He said as he swiped at another tear rolling down his cheek.
"It's not your fault Robert. You didn't control what happened."
He had heard it from the social workers before. "I know" he said coldly.
"No, I don't think you do Robert. You can't blame yourself for what happened. You're NOT responsible." She stated as she tightened her grip on his hand.
"There's more."
How's that for a cliffhanger?
Well, let me know what you think. Sorry for humanizing Romano....
And don't be angry that I made stuff up! (
Please respond and let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it!
~Natalie~