This is a continuation of Family of Four Part 2, which you should read first in order to fully understand this story. I do not own any of the characters and make no money from their use. I would like to thank Lori and Jo for their editing and beta reading. Please e-mail me with any questions or comments that you may have.
Summary: This is 2018 and Mark and Elizabeth have been together for about twenty years and are raising Rebecca and Josh, who are 13 and 17, respectively. In the last piece, Mark and Elizabeth had to face some issues with Rebecca, and Josh received notice that he was on his way towards acceptance at the US Military Academy at West Point. This story starts on Monday, March 28, about two weeks after the last piece ended.
Notes: Donna is Elizabeth's secretary. Since Mark has never had a birthday on the show, his birthday is April 2.
Warning for this piece: get some tissues.
Elizabeth was in her office on Monday around 1 PM working on the surgical schedule for the summer when the sound of the phone ringing broke her concentration.
"Elizabeth Corday," she said, reaching for the phone.
"Hello, Darling."
"Hi, Daddy," Elizabeth said, turning her chair to face the window. "How are you?"
"I've been better," Charles admitted. "Is Mark there?"
"No, he's in his office. Why?" "After a moment, she realized something was wrong or else he would have just called her at home and left a message on their voice mail . Elizabeth asked worriedly, "Daddy? What's the matter? Are you OK?".
"I'm, I'm OK" Charles trailed off. "But, I'm not calling about myself."
Elizabeth brought her hand to her mouth in shock, and it took her a few seconds to find her voice again. "Wh..What happened?"
"Isabelle began to experience severe abdominal pain in early this morning. She had a lecture to give, but by 4:30, she knew she could not continue for the evening session. She went to the hospital and"
Charles paused as he could hear Elizabeth struggling to keep her composure and asked, "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"No, but" Elizabeth said, her voice shaking. After a brief pause she said, "G-go ahead. I-I need to know."
"OK," Charles said carefully. "They wanted to do a CT, but she coded on the way to radiology. ThereThere was nothing they could do. She..She died 10 minutes later."
"Triple A?" Elizabeth questioned, already knowing the answer, but needing to hear it anyway.
"Yes."
"Were you there?"
"No. She called me to ask me about the test and I got a cab but" Charles said, unable to finish.
"When did this happen? Just now?"
"They called it at 6:08. I arrived around 6:15. It's just past seven now. I needed to take care of the paperwork and everything."
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, understanding Charles' unspoken wish that he had been there to do something. "Are you alone?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'm in a taxi on the way home from the hospital."
"Will you be OK? I..I need to make some calls; to the airlines and everything."
"I'll be OK. Please get Mark. I don't want you to be alone right now."
"I will. I'll call you back when I get home."
"OK. I should be home in about 25 minutes. I love you, Darling."
"Love you too, Daddy."
Elizabeth hung up the phone and sat back in her chair for a few minutes as the tears made their way down her cheeks unabated. A few moments later she picked up the phone again and dialed Mark's office. When Stephanie answered, Elizabeth asked, "Is Mark around?"
"He's in an important meeting with Dr. Chen right now, they're going over the ER budget. Do you want me to interrupt?"
After thinking for a moment, Elizabeth said, "No, that's OK. Just please ask him to call me as soon as possible."
Stephanie hesitated before pressing the intercom button. "Yes?" Mark answered a moment later.
"Elizabeth just called. She didn't want me to interrupt but she sounded very upset so I thought I should. She said that she wanted you to call her as soon as possible."
"OK, thank you."
Mark turned to Jing-Mei who said, "Go. We can finish this later." As they walked out she added, "Let me know if you need anything."
"I will, thank you."
Mark grew impatient waiting for the elevator and instead sprinted up the three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. He knocked lightly on Elizabeth's office door but when he didn't receive an answer, he tried the doorknob. Walking into the office, Mark saw that Elizabeth's chair was turned around and facing the windows. Crossing the room quickly he knelt in front of her so that he was at eye level. "What's the matter?" he asked, taking her hand. She wasn't crying, but it was obvious that she had been.
She didn't answer immediately. Even though she was looking in Mark's direction, he knew she wasn't looking at him, but through him. He wasn't even sure she realized he was there. "Elizabeth?" he called softly.
Squeezing Mark's hand, Elizabeth finally spoke. "Daddy just called meMother died about an hour ago."
Mark was speechless as he wrapped his arms around Elizabeth. Of course he had questions, but he knew that this was not the time. Elizabeth only let him hold her for a few minutes before pulling away and saying, "I need to call the airlines, and"
"I'll take care of that."
"Would you? That way I can find Donald and ask him about covering"
"Of course. I'll go down to my office and make the calls."
"Use Donna's phone. She's out sick today."
"OK. I'll be right back," Mark said, kissing Elizabeth on the forehead.
After arranging a flight for that evening, Mark glanced at his watch and made another call.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Dad."
"Mark. How are you? You're off today?"
"No, I'm in Elizabeth's office. I have a favor to ask you. Do you have any plans for this week?"
"Nothing much. Just a physical on Wednesday and a lunch date on Friday, why?"
"Elizabeth just received word that Isabelle passed away. She and I have a flight to London this evening. I wondered if you could stay with Rebecca and Josh?"
"I'm so sorry to hear that. Of course I can stay with them. What time do you want me to come over?"
"Our flight leaves at 10 so we have to be at the airport at 8. Is 6:30 or 7 OK?"
"Sure, I'll even come earlier and take care of dinner if you'd like."
"I'd really appreciate that. Thanks."
"Its not a problem at all. I'll see you around 5:00. And please tell Elizabeth that my thoughts are with her."
"I will."
Mark set down the phone and returned to Elizabeth's office where she was seated at her desk with her head in her hands. Mark slipped his arm around her shoulders and asked, "Can I do anything?"
"No, thanks." Elizabeth said, raising her head. "I'm just trying to think of everything I need to tell Donald."
"When is he coming up?"
"Should be here any minute. How did you make out with the airlines?"
"We're on a 10:02 American Airlines flight. We'll get into Heathrow tomorrow around 11 AM, London time. Dad's staying with Josh and Rebecca."
"Thank you. I'm, I'm really glad you're coming with me. I was hoping you could."
"There's no way I wouldn't."
"Can you get your office covered?"
"I think so. Haven't made any arrangements yet, though."
"Why don't you go do that now while I talk to Donald?"
"OK. I'll be back up here as soon as I can. Call me if you need anything."
"I will, thank you. I justFor now I need to get through this so I can go home."
"We'll leave as soon as you are ready. Just come down when your meeting with Donald is done."
"I willThank you."
Donald Anspaugh arrived just a moment or two after Mark left and upon hearing his knock at the door, Elizabeth quickly wiped away the tears. "Come in," she said, trying to steady her voice.
"Hi, Elizabeth. Shirley said you needed to see me as soon as possible?" As he took a seat across from her, he noticed the redness in her eyes and asked, "What's the matter? Are you alright?"
"I just got the news that my mother passed away, and" Elizabeth said, not wanting to think about that at the moment
As she took a deep breath to try and continue, Donald said reassuringly, "Go home. I'll take care of everything here."
"Are you sure you don't mind? I might not be back until early next week."
"I don't mind at all."
"Thank you. I have the schedule for the summer months about 90 done and I'll try to finish it before I leave or else I can do it on the plane and fax or"
"Don't worry about anything here," Donald said. "This is the time for you to take care of yourself and your family. Just leave the holiday requests and other information here with me and I'll take care of it."
"I feel bad. I know there was a reason that you didn't want to work in administration anymore."
"Full time, no, but to help out a friend, I never mind. Everyone here was a great help to me when Scott was sick, I always vowed to help in return."
"Thank you. I'll call you at some point later in the week to see how things are going and let you know when I will be back."
"OK, and don't feel that once you're back to have to handle everything immediately. I can help you for as long as you need. I don't have plans to take any time off anytime soon."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said, gathering several folders from her desk. "These are the holiday requests that I have received so far. Luckily, I didn't have too many scheduled surgeries for the next week or so. I'll see if Shirley can take care of reassigning those."
"I'll take care of it. You just take care of yourself right now and let me know if you need anything."
"I will," Elizabeth promised. "I really appreciate this."
"It's not a problem. Here," Donald said, handing Elizabeth a slip of paper. "Take my home number with you and call me if you need anything."
"OK, thank you."
About 10 minutes later, Elizabeth walked down to Mark's office and sat in the chair across from him as he finished up some phone calls. She let her gaze wander around the room and her eyes fell upon a picture of her, Mark, Rebecca, Josh and Isabelle that had been taken the previous December when Isabelle had come to visit. Thinking back on the trip they had taken down to New Orleans for a few days brought tears to her eyes.
Mark set down the phone and said, "Everything here is taken care of. I just need to call Doug. He and I had tickets to the game tomorrow night and I wanted to give him time to ask someone else."
"He's here, at the hospital," Elizabeth said. "I saw him on my way down here but I didn't stop to talk to him. I'm just not up to it," Elizabeth added by way of explanation as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know I have to tell people but"
"It's OK," Mark said, coming around the desk and sitting next to Elizabeth. "You don't have to tell anyone until you're ready."
"So you'll tell Doug and Carol for me?" Elizabeth questioned.
"Of course, and anyone else you need me to."
"Thank you."
"Do you want to walk with me while I go find Doug or wait here?"
"Can I just meet you at the car?"
"Of course, I'll be there in 10 minutes," Mark said, gently kissing Elizabeth.
Mark walked down to the ER where he found Doug at the Admit Desk, "What brings you here today?"
"I sent a patient here for further testing and I wanted to make sure he came as his mother was hesitant to bring him."
"Did he come?"
"Not yet," Doug said. "I'll give them another hour before I call them. He really needs a CT Scan."
"I hope the mother brings him in. What time did you see him?"
"Around 10:30 so they've had ample time." After a brief pause, Doug added, "A quick change of subject but I wanted to ask if Elizabeth is OK. I saw her a few minutes ago and she seemed really distracted."
"That's what I needed to talk to you about. I need to cancel on the game tomorrow night," Mark said, taking his ticket from his wallet. "Elizabeth just got a call from her father. Isabelle passed away today."
After a shocked silence Doug said, "I'm sorry. Was it sudden?"
"Yes. I don't know the details yet. She just got the news; we're flying to London tonight. She wanted me to let you guys know as she is not really up to talking about it with anyone yet."
"I can understand that," Doug said. "Do you need anything?"
"Not that I can think of right now, thanks. Dad is staying with Rebecca and Josh. I'll talk to you later in the week just to let you know when we're coming back."
"OK, and tell Elizabeth that we're thinking of her."
"I will."
Mark said a quick goodbye to everyone and made his way out to the car.
As they walked into the house 20 minutes later, Elizabeth asked, "Do you have our flight number handy? I want to call Daddy with it."
"Sure," Mark said, pulling a piece of paper from his bag. "American Airlines Flight 702, direct from O'Hare to Heathrow."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said, sitting on the couch with the portable phone. A few seconds later she said, "Daddy? It's me."
"Hi, Darling. How are you doing?"
"OK, I guess," Elizabeth said, carefully. "How about you?"
"About the same. Are you still at work?"
"No, Mark and I just arrived home. I'm about to start packing, I just wanted to let you know our flight information," Elizabeth said, giving Charles the details.
"Thank you," Charles said. "I'll meet you at the airport."
"OK, see you soon. Try to get some sleep."
"You, too. I love you."
"Love you, too, Daddy."
Elizabeth went up to their bedroom where Mark was pulling the suitcase down from a shelf in the closet. "Did you reach your father?" Mark asked, as Elizabeth walked to her closet.
"Yes, he's going to meet us at Heathrow. You could have stayed in the room while I called him."
"I know, but I thought you might want some privacy."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said, taking several outfits from her closet.
About 30 minutes later, Mark walked back into the bedroom after taking care of a few things. Elizabeth was standing at their dresser with her back to him so she didn't hear him enter. Mark quietly walked toward her and as he got closer, he saw a jewelry box in her hands and tears tracing a path down her cheeks.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked softly.
Elizabeth looked up, slightly startled and said, "I was just deciding what jewelry to bring and I came across the earrings mother gave me for our wedding."
Mark nodded and, slipping his arm around Elizabeth's waist said, "Sometimes the little things are the hardest to handle."
"So its not strange to cry over earrings?" Elizabeth asked, placing the small box back in her jewelry box.
"Not at all," Mark reassured her, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and they just stood there for a few moments, neither speaking a word.
When Elizabeth found her voice again she asked, "How did you make out at the dry cleaners?"
"The suit was ready."
"OK," Elizabeth said, still hesitant to leave Mark's arms.
"Rebecca and Josh are home," Mark said gently. "I didn't know if you wanted to tell them or you wanted me to."
"I want to," Elizabeth said, carefully. "Do they know anything is going on?"
"Rebecca was curious as to why we were home, and Josh gave me a bewildered look when he came in but I was on the phone. When I hung up, he was in the shower."
"Is he out now?"
"I think so, I don't hear the water running."
Mark and Elizabeth went down the stairs. "I'm going to get a soda," Mark said, "Do you want anything?"
"Water, please," Elizabeth said as she stopped to knock at Rebecca's door. "I'll meet you in the family room."
"Come in." Rebecca said when she heard the knock.
Elizabeth was pleased to see that Rebecca was working on her homework. "How was school?"
"Eh. The usual," Rebecca said, noncommittally.
"I need you to take about a 20 minute break from your homework and come to the family room."
"But dad said I had to finish the first draft of my report if I wanted to go to the softball meeting and that's at 5:30," Rebecca protested.
"If this break keeps you from finishing on time, you can still go."
"OK," Rebecca said, "But remember, you promised."
"I know," Elizabeth said wearily.
Elizabeth was turning to go to Josh's room when he stuck his head out and asked, "Do you need me in the family room, too?"
"Please," Elizabeth said. "How was school?"
"Not bad," Josh said, throwing his towel and school clothes in the hamper as he followed Elizabeth from the room.
Once in the family room, Josh sat on the couch next to Rebecca and snuck a sip of her soda while she wasn't looking. Unfortunately, Rebecca turned around as he was setting it down, grabbed it from him and snapped, "Get your own soda!"
Mark gave them both a warning look and Elizabeth said, "Please! Not today."
The tone of her voice was enough to make them stop and Josh asked, "Mom? What's the matter?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, "Grandpa called me today at work."
"About his visit?" Rebecca asked.
"N-no," Elizabeth said. "BecauseBecause Grandma died this afternoon," Elizabeth finished, feeling a lump rise to her throat.
Both Josh and Rebecca were silent for a moment as Elizabeth's news sunk in. "What happened?" Rebecca asked, finally, a tear trickling down her cheek.
Mark looked over at Elizabeth to see how she was handling that question. It took her a few moments but finally she said, "There was a problem with her stomach and it caused a lot of bleeding."
"Did you know she was sick?" Josh asked, rising to give Elizabeth a hug. Elizabeth could see through the look on both his and Rebecca's face that this wasn't easy for them, either.
"No," Elizabeth said, hugging Josh, and then Rebecca. "Apparently she wasn't feeling well this morning but she had a lecture to give. Sometime during the day, she felt too ill too continue and went to the hospital but," Elizabeth paused for a moment before finishing. "By then it was too late. They were running some tests and she passed away."
"What kind of test?" Josh asked.
"They were trying to find out what was causing her pain. It turned out that one of the major blood vessels had weakened, causing her to lose too much blood."
"How did Grandpa know that she was sick?" Rebecca asked.
"She called him on her way to the hospital."
"Was he there when"
"No," Elizabeth said. "He arrived a few minutes later."
"Why did she call him?" Rebecca asked. "I thought they didn't get along."
"Because he is a doctor and he has many colleagues at that hospital. She asked him who the best doctor to see would be," Elizabeth explained.
"Oh."
"Dad and I have a flight to London tonight so Grandpa will be here in a little while."
"We're not going?" Rebecca asked.
"We didn't want you to miss that much school."
"When will you be back?" Josh asked.
"I'm not sure," Elizabeth admitted. "Probably in about a week. But we will call you each night from Grandpa's house."
"Do you need us to do anything to help you get ready to leave?" Josh asked.
"I don't think so," Elizabeth said. "But Josh, please write down your practice/game schedule for the week just so Grandpa knows when to expect you home. And Rebecca, once you get the information for softball, please write that down as well."
"OK, I'll do that now," Josh said.
"Thank you."
A few minutes later, Mark and Elizabeth went back up to their bedroom to finish packing. Mark questioned gently, "It was an aneurysm?"
Elizabeth nodded, "Triple A, it gave out on the way to radiology." After a few minutes she said, "I didn't intentionally not tell you it just"
"It's OK," Mark said, knowing what Elizabeth meant. "That's why I didn't ask. I knew you'd talk about it when you could."
Elizabeth had finished packing, so while Mark finished, she lay on the other side of the bed, facing Mark. "Let me know when your dad comes, OK?"
"Sure," Mark said covering her with a blanket and kissing her forehead lightly. "I'll be as quiet as I can."
"Don't worry about that. I'm not planning to sleep, just rest."
About 15 minutes later, Mark returned to their bedroom, speaking softly with the phone cradled between his neck and shoulder. Elizabeth opened her eyes as she heard him come in. "It's Rachel," Mark mouthed.
Elizabeth nodded and a few moments later, Mark handed her the phone. "Hi," she said softly.
"Hi," Rachel said. "I'm sorry to hear about Isabelle."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said.
"Do you need anything?" Rachel questioned. "I offered to drive up but Dad told me Grandpa will stay with Josh and Rebecca."
"We're OK, but I appreciate the offer."
"I was still planning to come up with Steven this weekend for his conference so I can talk to Rebecca as planned. Did you want me to postpone that until you and Dad are back?"
"No, that's OK. She might be more willing to talk if we're not around. We won't be back until the end of the weekend at the earliest, I'd imagine. So if you want to stay here, you are more than welcome."
"Thank you, we may just do that."
Elizabeth and Rachel spoke for a few more minutes before Rachel needed to go. "Thank you for calling," Elizabeth said.
"You're welcome. Let us know if you need anything. We'll come up for another weekend visit when you and Dad are back from England."
"OK, I look forward to that."
Elizabeth just laid in bed for a little while longer before she heard the doorbell ring. Although she knew she had told Mark to let her know when David arrived, she decided to remain in bed for the time being.
She was somewhat lost in thought when she felt Mark sit on the bed ten minutes later. However, before she could open her eyes, he got up again. She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps and saw Mark return with a wet washcloth. From that, Elizabeth knew he'd noticed the paths of the tears that had traced their way down her face. She tried to wipe her eyes, but Mark stopped her. "It's OK," he said. "I got it," he added, wiping the damp cloth across her face. "How are you doing?" he asked gently.
Elizabeth didn't answer at first, but after a few moments said, "Honestly, I don't know."
"That's OK," Mark said, holding her hand.
"Are the kids home?"
"No. Rebecca is at her softball meeting and Josh is tutoring. He wasn't sure if he should cancel but I told him it was all right that he went. He'll be back before we leave," Mark explained.
"Do you think your dad would mind if I didn't come down right away? I just need some time and since the kids aren't home"
"Take all the time you need. I only came up because you asked me to let you know."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said. "I'll be down in a half hour or so."
"Do you need anything?"
"No, thanks."
"OK, I love you," Mark said, kissing Elizabeth's forehead. "Let me know if there is anything I can do."
"I will. Love you, too."
Mark went back down to the kitchen and said to David, "She needs some time to herself. I think it's starting to hit her now."
David nodded in understanding and asked, "Does she need anything?"
"No," Mark said. "She's just lying in bed thinking." After a few moments he added, "I felt bad because I didn't really know what to say."
"There isn't really anything to say," David said. "She knows that you're here for her and that's the most important thing."
"I know, I just wish I could do something."
Around 6:15, Josh and Rebecca were back and sitting at the kitchen table when Elizabeth came down the stairs.
"How did tutoring and softball go?" Elizabeth asked, turning on the burner under the kettle.
"Not bad," Rebecca said. "Tryouts are this week and they announce the rosters on Saturday."
"Tryouts for a Town League?" Elizabeth asked, incredulously.
"Yeah, there aren't enough coaches," Rebecca explained.
"You'll have to keep us posted when we call."
"I will."
"Tutoring went well," Josh commented. "I guess I'll know for certain soon, the test is Friday."
"Do you think Mike is ready?"
"He knows the material so I think he's as ready as he can be."
"That's good."
As Elizabeth poured the water for her tea Josh asked, "Is there enough water for hot chocolate?"
"Sure," Elizabeth said, taking another mug from the cabinet. "Rebecca, do you want some?"
"No, thanks."
Elizabeth sat down at the table and asked, "Is Dad still at the store?"
"Yeah, Grandpa went with him, too."
"Do you guys need us to do anything before we leave? We're probably going to the airport as soon as Dad and Grandpa come back."
"No," Rebecca said.
"I can't think of anything," Josh added. "What do you need us to do while you're gone?"
Elizabeth thought for a moment before saying, "I can't think of anything special. Just do what Grandpa asks and try to keep the house in order."
"OK," Josh said. "Do you think you'll be home in time for the scholarship dinner? I have to turn in the form to let school know how many people will be there."
"When is that?" Elizabeth asked.
"Next Thursday, April 7th."
"Oh, sure. I think we'll be home by Monday or Tuesday, at the latest. Ask Grandpa if he wants to join us too."
A few minutes later, the back door opened and Mark and David walked in, each carrying a bag. "Hello, Elizabeth," David said. After he put down his bag he walked over and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry to hear about Isabelle," he said softly.
"Thank you. And thanks for coming over."
"It's no trouble," David said.
As Elizabeth rose to help Mark and David empty the bags Mark asked softly, "How are you doing?"
"A little better,"
"I'm glad. I called the airport and the plane is on time so far."
"Good," Elizabeth said. "I'm not in the mood for a lot of delays."
"Me either. Dad is going to drive us to the airport so we don't have to worry about parking."
"Good idea."
"Are we all going to the airport?" Josh asked.
"If you want to," Elizabeth said. "There is room in my car as Dad and I only have one suitcase. If you need to get homework done, you can stay here though."
"Are we going to wait for your plane to leave or just drop you off?" Rebecca asked.
"Just drop us off," Elizabeth said. "You don't need to wait for two hours."
"I'll come," Josh said, rising to help Mark with the suitcase.
About an hour and a half later, Mark and Elizabeth said goodbye to Josh, Rebecca and David at O'Hare. "We land at 11 AM, London time so we should be back to Grandpa's apartment by 12:30 or so."
"So you'll call us before we go to school?" Josh asked.
"Yes, provided there are no delays. If there are, we'll call anyway and leave a message."
"OK, Have a safe flight," David said, giving each of them a hug.
Mark and Elizabeth each hugged Josh and Rebecca as well and Elizabeth added, "Have a good week."
"We will. Say hi to Grandpa for us," Rebecca said.
Mark and Elizabeth stood on the sidewalk long enough to wave as the car pulled away before heading to the check in counter.
About an hour and a half later, Mark and Elizabeth were in their seats, while a flight attendant give the safety demonstration. "I swear we've flown so many times, we could give that demonstration," Mark quipped.
"Probably," Elizabeth agreed, yawning.
"Why don't you try to sleep?"
"You don't mind?"
"No, I'll just wake you when I get bored," Mark teased, putting his arm around Elizabeth as she lay her head on his shoulder.
Nearly 5 hours later, Elizabeth had started to wake up when the captain came on and announced, "Presently, we are flying over western Ireland. We made up some time en route and should be landing at Heathrow in about 45 minutes, about ten minutes ahead of schedule. Flight attendants will be coming around to pick up any service items. Thank you for flying American Airlines."
Elizabeth looked out the window and started to think for the first time about the reason behind this trip home
-November 13, 2001
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