Robert isn't mine, Elizabeth isn't mine, ER isn't mine. They belong to a bunch of rich people who decided that characters have to either be the "moral center" or their name has to start with "A" to get any real screen time, growth, or family background. There have been several comments about how people want to see them finally open up to each other…so here you go! I tried to keep it from getting too touchy-feely or out of character but they are hard to write dialog for. Please, please leave feedback and thanks for reading :o)
The next day was a lot like the day before, minus the surprise speech from Robert. Hour after hour of boring doctors babbling on and on. The information was interesting, but the speakers were not.
"At least when I talk I keep everyone's attention" commented Robert the next afternoon.
"Yeah, by insulting them" snorted Elizabeth.
"Hey, it works doesn't it?"
Elizabeth just rolled her eyes.
Romano ignored her and kept talking, "It really wasn't fair of me to go on the first day. You really are supposed to let the best go last. Now everyone else has to try to live up to the high standard I set."
"You have way too high an opinion of yourself."
"Well its not very hard when you spend all day surrounded by incompetent idiots, present company excluded of course."
"Excuse me sir, would you mind keeping your comments to yourself. Some of us actually want to listen to this presentation" asked the woman sitting on his other side.
Robert made a face and was about to make another comment to Elizabeth but her glare made him rethink that decision. The rest of the afternoon passed without anymore comments from either one of them.
As they stepped outside a sharp wind hit their faces.
"I thought California was warm," mumbled Elizabeth.
"Not in February. It could be worse though, at least there isn't snow. You could be running from the El to the hospital in driving rain or snow right about now."
"You have a point."
They were silent for a few moments as they headed in the direction of their hotel.
"You were awfully negative in there today," Elizabeth observed.
"I was bored," whined Robert.
"You know you sound like my almost two-year old when you do that? I thought this stuff was interesting to you."
"Yeah, well. I already have the information I need since I've been planning this study for a while. This was mainly so I wouldn't have to explain everything to you."
"Oh, your so generous" said Elizabeth sarcastically.
"Anything for you Lizzie," he snarked back.
By this time they had reached the hotel lobby and started heading up to their rooms.
Robert cleared his throat nervously before changing the subject, "Ah, Lizzie. I don't know about you but I don't really want room service again tonight so you want to go find out if there are any restaurants worth eating at around here. Just somewhere casual."
"Sure, I'm starving. I just need to call Ella, its almost her bedtime Chicago time."
"Ok, I'll go talk to the front desk and you can come down when your ready."
"Great, I'll see you in a few" said Elizabeth as she continued up the stairs and Robert turned back to the lobby.
"Goodnight Ella. I love you, be good for Kris and I'll see you really soon, ok," Elizabeth said into the phone ten minutes later.
When Kris had taken the phone from Ella, Elizabeth said, "I can't thank you enough for staying with her all weekend Kris. Right. The flight gets in Sunday evening at 7:30 Chicago time. Ok, see you then. Thanks again. Goodnight."
Elizabeth was hanging up when there was a knock on her door.
"I wonder who that could be," she thought to herself. She opened the door to see an unhappy Robert standing there.
"Uh oh, what's wrong" she asked anxiously.
"The guy up front reminded me that today is Friday, February 14th, meaning that every decent restaurant is going to be busy. If you want we could probably find a deli or burger place or something."
"Damn, I forgot what day it was. If all we could get is a burger or sandwich I'd rather stay in."
"Oh well, maybe tomorrow then," said Robert as he started to leave, trying to hide his disappointment.
Before Elizabeth really knew what she was doing she called after him, "Uh, Robert. Do you want to eat in here? I mean, we both need to eat anyway right, might as well do it in the same room."
"Uh, sure. Let me change out of these clothes and I'll be back over."
"Ok."
Several minutes later Robert knocked on the door separating their rooms calling, "Can I come back in now?"
"Yeah, be right there," Elizabeth called as she quickly threw on a tank top and jeans. She opened the door to reveal Robert standing in a black t-shirt and faded jeans.
"I went ahead and ordered a steak for myself," he said as he entered the room, leaving the door open so he could hear when his food arrived.
"Alright, let me just figure out what I want…have a seat," she finished gesturing to the chair at the far side of the room.
Robert got settled while Elizabeth went and called down to room service. Before this had seemed like a good idea. Going out somewhere to dinner made sense. They were in a city where they didn't know anyone, at least not anyone they were on speaking terms with, it seemed natural that he would go eat with her. But the restaurant idea hadn't exactly worked out and now he was still having dinner with her, but in her hotel room, on Valentine's Day. It seemed much more intimate. After that disaster in the lounge he'd resolved never to give indication about his true feelings for her unless by some miracle she made an obvious sign that her feelings had shifted, drastically. Robert hoped he'd be able to keep his resolve and not do anything stupid tonight.
After she ordered Elizabeth flopped down on the bed, suddenly at a loss for words. Now what were they supposed to talk about she thought to herself. Their recent conversations hadn't gone very well.
"I ordered a bottle of wine too," she said lightly.
"Great," answered Robert. Ha, that was the last thing he needed. Alcohol plus Lizzie could be a dangerous combination. "I hate this holiday," he mumbled under his breath, not really intending her to hear him.
"Same here," she replied. "Mine haven't exactly gone well these past few years. You remember what happened three years ago right?"
"Yeah, Lucy," he said softly. "She would have been a good doctor someday. Although never a surgeon, not arrogant enough."
"I guess as a group we surgeons are not the most humble people on the planet."
"Now that, is a major understatement," he said grinning.
"So Lucy died three years ago, two years ago I had lost all confidence in my surgical abilities and my fiancé was recovering from brain surgery, then last year my 9 month old daughter was in the hospital after overdosing on ecstasy. I keep waiting for another disaster to strike."
"Well, we are in California, maybe an earthquake will hit while we're here."
"Oh goodie. Just what I've always wanted, to be in California when the big one hit" she replied sarcastically.
"Calm down, its just a suggestion." He paused and leaned back in his chair before asking gently, "How is Ella doing?"
"You mean because of Rachel's ecstasy?" she asked venomously. At his nod she continued, "You know its hard to tell since she's still so young. Although I worry about her a lot. She's a lot less vocal than a lot of the other kids. I mean she can talk but I think less than the normal almost two-year old."
Robert was about to reply but was interrupted by a knock coming from his room. "Hey, my food's here. Be right back."
After getting his meal and returning to Elizabeth's room, Robert continued, "I think you have reason to worry. We don't really know what kind of affect that can have on a kid that young."
"I know, that's what so hard," she sighed. "Guess there's nothing to do but wait and see. Ok, its your turn to share now," she told him, clearly wanting to change to subject.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, half hoping she wouldn't bring up anything too personal and half hoping she would so he could finally open up to her.
"Hmmm, lets see? What do I want to know about the notorious Rocket Romano?" she thought out loud. Robert caught a gleam in her eye and stiffened anxiously. "Why did you want to become a doctor in the first place?"
He was about to answer when there was another knock, this time it was Elizabeth's food. "Hold that thought," she told him as she went to the door. She poured them each a glass of wine then waited for him to continue.
"My father died in a car accident when I was five. Back then I couldn't really understand why they couldn't save him. I mean I was just a little kid, he looked asleep so why couldn't he wake up? At the time I wanted to become a doctor because I thought I would be able to save everybody. Of course I found out later it doesn't work that way and not everyone can be saved, but that's where I initially got it in my head that I wanted to be a doctor." After a brief pause he tried to get the subject off of himself. "Ok, I get to ask you one now."
"What are we doing, playing twenty questions?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes. Come on Lizzie, don't you like games?"
"Isn't twenty questions the one where you think of something and I have to guess what it is by asking you questions?"
"Yeah. This is a different version. I get to ask twenty questions and you get to ask me twenty questions."
"That sound more like the truth part of truth or dare."
"Fine we're playing truth" he said rolling his eyes slightly. "Whatever you call it, I get to ask you something."
"Fine, go."
"Ok, how are you doing? I mean with…" he trailed off, not looking her in the eye.
"You mean Mark?" she finished for him. "You can say his name you know. I'm not going to burst into tears hearing it."
He nodded and she continued.
"I'm doing really well actually. I'm ready to move on with my life. And after everything that happened with Rachel while she stayed with us, I'm not sure we would have stayed together if he had been well."
He nodded again, silently urging her to continue. After a pause she did, "Our personalities just didn't match very well. He always hid and avoided any problems that came up, especially with Rachel. I always had to be the strong one and clean up after everything. I get to ask you one now," she said pouring herself another glass of wine.
"Uh oh."
"Why did you run away when you saw your sister yesterday?"
"I wasn't running," he said indignantly. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Ok, fine. I was hiding" he trailed off.
"Same thing."
"Alright, alright. We don't exactly get along."
"You've mentioned that part already. Why don't you get along?"
"Oops, sorry Lizzie, only one question per turn."
"Hey, that's not fair."
"Who said life is fair?" he asked.
"I don't know, but that was your question. My turn again" she gloated.
He just pouted.
"Ha! So why don't you and your sister get along?" she asked again.
"Fine. She's actually my half sister. My dad died suddenly when I was five like I already told you. I didn't realize it until later but my parents didn't get along well even when he was alive. But they decided to put on a good front for my benefit. Anyway, after my father died, mom got married again within a year. Within another year Emily was born. She's seven years younger than me which is a pretty big age difference between kids so we never really played together, except when my mom and step-father went out and made me watch her. You really want to hear all this?" he asked.
"Yes, keep going."
"Ok. So anyway my step-father was a jerk to me. He was always extra tough on me. Nothing I did was good enough. And to make it even worse, in his eyes Emily could do no wrong. Even though there was a big difference in our ages we were always competing. I would bring home an A on a test and she would bring home a picture she painted and of course he would always frame her pictures and hang them up, then ask me how come I didn't get an A. Even though I was jealous of the attention she got, I didn't resent her for it, at least not back then. I tried to play the role of attentive big brother when she was a teenager and I had already moved out. For a while we were close but she moved out here and we drifted apart. I pursued medicine and she was an artist. How much farther apart can you get?"
While he paused to refill his wine again Elizabeth asked, "So when did things get really bad between you? They way you reacted yesterday is not how I would expect just because you hadn't seen your sister in a long time."
"Hold your horses, I'm getting there. More wine?" he asked her.
"Sure," she said offering her glass.
He poured her a glass and then continued speaking. "For years we saw each other once every few years. We would catch up on the past few years then go back to our own lives. About six years ago mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Until then I'd had a similar relationship with my mother as I had with my sister. I felt guilty about distancing myself from her so I asked her and my step-father to move to Chicago. I couldn't stand him but I wanted to have her closer to me. She convinced him to move from New York where we'd grown up to Chicago. She fought it aggressively and it went into remission. For a while things were really good between all of us, until it came back almost four years ago," he paused and Elizabeth could see unshed tears glistening in his eyes.
"Robert," she spoke hesitantly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He cleared his throat and spoke again, "This time it was worse. She knew it too. It had spread to her lungs and liver. She told us that she didn't want chemo or anything. I hated it but I went along with it. Once her mind was set nothing could convince her to change it."
"Sounds familiar" she said softly.
He gave a small smile, "I guess that's where I get it from. I agreed with her but Emily and my step-father refused to accept it. That's when things went sour. Everyday was a constant battle. My mother and I versus my step-father and sister. She refused to go to the hospital and I backed her up. Emily told me she thought that if I told mom to get treatment she would do it, but I wouldn't. I knew that all it would do is delay the inevitable. Anyway, she lasted about three months. And we all argued every single day that whole time. Emily always blamed me. She thinks mom would be alive today if I'd pushed treatment. It will be four years this September. Right after she died I threw my hat into the ring for Chief of Staff. I figured it would keep me busy and I could just forget about everything else. For a while it worked."
"Robert, it's not your fault. You know that right?"
"I know."
"Have you spoken with Emily lately?" asked Elizabeth even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.
"Not since the funeral. My step-father moved back to New York when mom died and I haven't heard from him since."
"Don't you think Emily might have accepted the outcome by now?"
"Nah. She's like me. Stubborn, arrogant, and thinks she's always right. I get to ask you one now."
"Fine. What is it?"
"Why do you put up with me?"
"Ummm…."
"Come on Lizzie, you have to answer. Those are the rules remember."
"Well, you're my boss and the one to sponsor me so I could come to Chicago."
"But then I dropped your fellowship and made you start all over as an intern."
"Then you made me Associate Chief of Surgery, it helped make up for all the shit you'd done before."
"But I was still a pain in the ass wasn't I?"
"Yes, but, I don't know. I guess I'd figured out how to deal with you."
"So why help me now? I think you're the one person hasn't said that I deserve what's happened to me."
"Robert, that's not true."
"So you think I deserve this too?" he pouted as he moved his arm slightly.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. People haven't been saying that you got what you deserved."
"Why have you been putting up with me so much lately?" he asked again.
"I've noticed that there isn't anyone else around for you to talk to…" she started.
"So you feel like you had to be the good little doctor and help the boss that everyone else hates?" he spat out, not giving her a chance to finish her thoughts.
"That is not what this is about Robert!" she yelled back at him as she stood up to confront him. "How could you think that?"
"Gee, I don't know Elizabeth. You just said that you have been helping me just because nobody else will, what else am I supposed to think when I hear that?" he cried as he stood also.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Listen to me closely Lizzie, I do not need you putting up with me out of pity," his voice dropped as he spoke deliberately his face inches from hers.
"Robert you're not hearing me …"
A part of him wanted to hear her out but he was on a role and words just kept flying out of his mouth without him really thinking about it. "I was the best damn surgeon that hospital has ever seen and I will be again without any help from you or anyone else!"
Before she had a chance to respond, Robert spun on his heel, went to his room and slammed the door so hard the walls shook.