Chapter 2
AN: Yet again I own nothing. . . except my hot tub.
The cold light of morning washed over the PICU, and Elizabeth yawned as she stood from the rocking chair. She had stayed through the night with not a sign of Mark. Stretching, she looked at her watch; it was seven am, and rounds started at eight. Plenty of time to change into fresh clothes and grab a cup of tea. The sound of Ella's cries set her to motion, all thoughts of freshening up gone. Ella's appetite had been slow to return, but it was finally making an appearance. Picking her daughter up, she moved back to the rocking chair with minimal protests from her back. Elizabeth didn't think she had ever missed caffeine as much as she did at that moment as she nursed her daughter.
When the ward door opened a short while later, Elizabeth didn't give it a second thought until a most delightful smell hit her nostrils. Looking up, she found Robert holding a large takeout bag as he turned away from her slightly.
"Do I need to give you some privacy and come back later?"
"No, she's about finished, and if that's food in that bag, you're definitely not going anywhere."
Rearranging her shirt, Elizabeth moved her daughter back to the crib before turning towards Robert.
"Give." Hand extended and wiggling her fingers at the bag, Robert shook his head and passed it to her.
"Why don't you take that up to your office and eat like a civilized person and do whatever you need to feel human. I can sit with Ella again if you'd like."
Halfway through inhaling a rasher of bacon from the bag, Elizabeth looked up at him. There was no trademark Romano snark or motive behind his words, just genuine concern.
"Actually, that would be great. They've got rounds at eight, and I'm hoping she can be discharged then. Thanks." Licking her fingers clean and then a quick glance at Ella, Elizabeth took off to scarf down the breakfast.
The fifteen minutes of peace she allowed herself in the privacy of her office was all Elizabeth would get that morning. Upon arriving back to the PICU, Elizabeth was greeted by Adele Newman from social services. It was a lengthy conversation that had carried on well past rounds. Adele had been pleased to hear from the Attending that Ella had been cleared to go home, which triggered the conversation about the safety of the home. Particularly drugs in the home and just who brought them in.
From Adele's perspective, a home with two parents who potentially worked six days a week with long hours, with no childcare help on weekends, and a teenager who was doing drugs and leaving them for a baby, was no place for an infant. Social services had scheduled a home visit in conjunction with the police to search the home for more drugs and determine if one or both children needed to be removed from the home.
"Adele, I've already told the police, I've booked a hotel indefinitely, and I've got bags for Ella and myself in my car. I told Mark I wasn't bringing Ella home with Rachel there."
"And you've got childcare for any weekend shifts you might have?"
"I've got to speak to the nanny. I'm taking the next few days off, and I'll finalize those arrangements then."
"You realize we're still going to be consisting a formal investigation into this? Removing Ella from the house is only a temporary solution."
"Good. I plan to file for sole custody." Elizabeth could see that she had shocked Adele, and the poor woman could have been knocked over with a feather. "Ella and I aren't first in Mark's life, and for the first time, I feel like I'm not drowning from that lack of care. I'm filing for divorce, and hopefully, by the end of the month, I'll have found a suitable flat. For now, a suite in an extended stay will have to work. You're welcome to stop by one I actually get unpacked if you're worried about its suitability." Elizabeth had been hoping that by being upfront, Adele would allow her, and only her, to leave with Ella later that morning.
"Right. I don't think that I'll be necessary, but I appreciate it and will make a note about your cooperation. For now, take your daughter to the hotel, not your house, and get some rest. God knows you could use it. If you could leave me your contact info for the hotel, I'll make a note in the file that it's the only approved residence until til further notice."
A sigh of relief escaped Elizabeth, who had been fearful that the work relation Adele and Mark had would cloud the social worker's judgment where he was concerned. "And Mark? If he wants to see Ella?"
"I'm not going to say he can't see her since we haven't interviewed him yet, but the fact that he's not here doesn't look good for my investigation. Right now, it's his daughter from a previous relationship that's the issue, and from what we've gathered so far, it seems as if he's protecting her. Rachel definitely can't be around Ella, and because she could have died, there will probably be legal consequences for Rachel." Adele looked away and shook her head. "I can't believe I even have to have this conversation. Are there any more issues in the home we should know about?"
"Rachell's behavior at school is an issue." Elizabeth couldn't help the nasty tone that came out at Rachel's name, nor could she help but twist the knife a little deeper for the girl. At least that's what she told herself.
"Such as?"
"She was suspended for threatening to stab another girl."
"What?!"
"I told the police this yesterday. Mark grounded her but never really enforced it. She gave him some sob story about the girl trying to steal her boyfriend."
"Right. Take your baby to the hotel. I'm going to need to have a long conversation with Mark, and I want you to try to get some rest. I'll follow up in a few days."
While rest was what Elizabeth had needed, rest was not what she got. That Monday afternoon was spent calling the nanny to rework the schedule, contacting the divorce lawyer to arrange an appointment to go over her options, calling her immigration lawyer to make sure separating and possibly divorcing her husband didn't jeopardize her green card, and then finally a long shower followed by room service. At some point, Elizabeth had to turn her pager off from all the pages she was getting from most likely Mark. She just couldn't be arsed to check.
Tuesday was equally long, with a lunch meeting scheduled at the hotel restaurant with the lawyer, Maxwell Anderson, who, upon hearing the circumstances of the call, graciously offered to come to her. Although knowing he was a recommendation from Romano of all people, Elizabeth supposed Robert could have called ahead with a suggestion of be nice or else. Whatever the reason, Elizabeth was thankful that she didn't need to arrange a nanny or trek halfway across town. Also, any excuse to eat at an actual restaurant was a welcome one.
The meeting had gone over as well as could be expected, considering the circumstances. Upon being told the full tale, Max suggested they preemptively file for temporary sole custody in conjunction with the social services investigation, which could be amended depending on Rachel's presence in the house. That was something he could file for tomorrow morning. The next issue was more complicated; the divorce. Max's suggestion was to give it a few weeks so that Elizabeth could get her feet back under her and find an apartment. It would make pursuing full custody permanently easier if they could show a judge that no decision had been made in haste.
The meeting had left Elizabeth feeling drained, and when she got back to her room, the light on her phone was flashing. Adele Newman had called to say Social Services had determined that at the moment, Rachel would not be removed from the house, but criminal charges could be pressed at her desire. Mark had declined to press them.
Thursday came far too soon for her. Back to work for a short day, Elizabeth walked the halls as if she were a zombie. Her inbox was piled high, and somehow she was on call to the ER, decidedly not what she needed. Max had filed for emergency custody, and combined with the social services investigation; it was granted almost instantaneously. Social services had agreed with the petition for custody, and Elizabeth had gotten the call Wednesday afternoon. And that was her first conversation with Mark in days.
In the ER for a consult, Elizabeth had tried to keep her face neutral as she walked into Trauma Two to deal with a burn victim.
"How's his PO2?"
"89 on 10 liters."
"That's pretty borderline.":
"I don't want to tube him yet."
"Why the hell not? He's hypoxic; he needs intubation. Then I can assess him for escharotomy."
Malik entered the trauma, telling Mark that the patient's wife had arrived. Mark walked off with a smug look to speak with the wife, and Elizabeth stubbornly continued her assessment. Choosing not to wait for Mark to return, Elizabeth left the trauma room, leaving instructions with Haleh as she left. To her displeasure, Mark caught up with her.
"Elizabeth." Not a good tone of voice, but she wasn't shocked. Instead, she kept walking
"How is he?"
"In need of intubation." She emphases intubation with a sneer; it was seemingly going to be one of those days.
"I brought the things you asked me to bring. Are we going to talk about this? The investigation with Social Services? They took away my custody of her, did you know that? I miss you and Ella; I need you to come home."
Hitting the elevator call button, she crossed her arms. Naturally, the place he chose to talk was the middle of an ER hallway.
"I can't. And yes, I knew. You weren't going to deal with Rachel, so I filled to keep Ella out of the house, which meant taking temporary full custody. "
"You have every right to be angry with me, but staying in a hotel isn't going to solve anything. Being home and working on this together will."
"Mark, I'm not trying to punish you. I'm just trying to do what's best for Ella and I... I just don't think you can do that when Rachel's involved in the issue." The elevator thankfully opened, giving Elizabeth her escape up to surgery.
"Don't you think what's best for her is to be with her mother and father?"
"Yes, I do." She left out the only if the father has adult supervision and hit the button that would take her up to surgery.
"So when are you coming home?"
Never. "I don't know." She had never been more thrilled for the doors to close on an elevator before. Taking a deep breath Elizabeth closed her eyes, trying to hold herself together until she could escape to her office. Mark hadn't fought for her.
It wasn't that she thought he could say or do anything to change her mind, but a tiny part of her had hoped that he would suggest couples counseling or hell, even family counseling with Rachel. Any sort of gesture to show that he wasn't already resigned to letting her go. But that wasn't to be. He didn't even seem angry with her overtaking custody of Ella.
Stepping out of the elevator, she wandered down the hall, attempting to avoid anyone that might be too nosy and ask questions. The gossip mill at County was horrible, and some of the worst were the OR Nurses.
"Hey, where have you been." The unseen voice was instantly recognizable.
Luck was not on Elizabeth's side, and as understanding as Robert had been lately, he was still Robert. Prone to ask the uncomfortable questions just for the hell of it.
"Elizabeth!" she finally stopped at the sound of her name. Always Lizzie with him, so the times where he uttered her full name, she knew to pay attention.
"I was down in the ER.
Ah, let me guess, rule out appy on a course?"
"No."
"Well, you're lucky. I'm beginning to think ER stands for Everyone's Retarded." Walking beside her, she noticed Robert sneaking a quick glance to see if she would laugh. The corners of her mouth did, in fact, twitch, and Elizabeth knew that was the reaction Robert was going for. "It's a wonder they all find their way to work every day."
"Excuse me, Dr. Corday?" A nurse handed her note. "Your nanny called, said she's just leaving the hotel now."
Robert watched her carefully, the slight nod and the sagging of shoulders.
"Everything alright, Elizabeth?" Her eyes met his, and he knew the answer. Of course, everything wasn't alright.
"Ella's got a follow-up this afternoon. If everything looks good, then we're probably out of the woods for the foreseeable future."
"That's great news. Are you getting enough help from the nanny?"
"She's been glad to have more hours, but frankly, I think if I hadn't grown up in boarding school, I ah, wouldn't be doing so well with hotel life. The room service isn't bad, though, and there's a couch. Look, it's all bit overwhelming still; I don't really want to talk about it."
The cracks in her armor were beginning to show, and it was apparent to Robert that she needed help. Helping Elizabeth was always tricky, though, and while he had an idea forming in his head, he wasn't sure if she would go for it.
"Elizabeth, I…look…why don't…"
"Are you sure you don't work in the ER, Robert? You didn't use to have issues with forming complete sentences. Or intelligible thought." She was smirking and teasing, and while it was at his expense, Robert was happy to see that side of her.
"Ha Ha. If you're going to be mean to me, then fine, I won't try and be nice to you. Which was what I was trying to do."
"Oh?" The teasing had left her voice to be replaced with the weariness she had been battling recently. Robert knew he had to get to his point before she got tired of waiting on him and walked off. Something that he wouldn't put past her.
"Look, Elizabeth. . . I'm not good at big grand gestures or making sure I keep my foot out of my mouth around you – " Robert glared as a snort of laughter escaped her, "but I am good about paying attention to when you need a little extra help. I've been worried before all of this that you were running yourself ragged." Her bristling posture told Robert he was quickly running out of what little patience she had lately. "Why don't you take a break from the hotel life this weekend?"
"And ah, where precisely should I go? Back to the crack house? Or how about to see my parents? Wait, they live in another country."
"No. I. . . I've got a kitchen that would make a chef pant, a very nice guest room, no drugs, and conveniently the place is relatively childproof."
Dumbstruck, Elizabeth just stood there. Normally Robert would enjoy the look of shock on her face as her mouth slowly fell open, but in this instance, he didn't think she believed him or just couldn't process what he was saying.
"Come over for a night, have a real meal, relax with adult conversation, and not stare at the four walls of your hotel room." Still no response. "Or eat all my food, and then take a bottle of wine to the hot tub and leave Ella with me for a bit."
Nope. No response. Robert was beginning to fear he had finally broken Lizzie.
"You can cook?"
"Elizabeth, does it really look like I live on take-out or ramen?" Her eyes flickered over him, and he was pleased to see a slight blush. She must have really gotten a good look when he ran into her in his speedo.
"No. Robert, I. . .are you sure?"
"Yeah. I figure you could use a friend to vent to, and I'm taking a wild guess that a good majority of them work in the ER. . .which I get the feeling you'd like to avoid for a while."
"I um.. most of Ella's things are back at. . . I'm. I'm having to use a hotel crib, I don't-"
"My godson is about two now, so I've still got a pack-and-go crib thing in the spare room. Max and Jo keep saying they're gonna have more kids, so I haven't done anything with it."
Robert watched her for what felt like forever; too tired to hid her thought process, he could practically see her mind at work as she mulled over his suggestion.
"You really should have lead with free baby sitter and hot tub, you know."
"Riiggghht, you're a sucker for anything remotely close to a spa day. So is that a yes?"
"Yes."
"Great. Tomorrow then? That gives me a chance to plan dinner and vacuum up any stray dog hair." He could see her start-up again, and he cut her off. "Gretel is great with kids, so don't worry. My godson tried to ride her like a pony once, and all she did was lick him to death for it."
Her pager started to go off, and Robert remembered the real reason he had stopped her in the first place, Benton's delinquent operative reports. Following her down the hall, Robert could see the exasperation creep back into her face as he rather ungracefully handed off the work of tracking Benton down. Clearly, whatever he made for dinner was going to have to be very nice to make up for the side-eye she was giving him. As she disappeared into the elevator, Robert took off towards his office with the intent of placing phone calls to arrange everything for tomorrow.
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, Friday evening could not come soon enough. She had been in a foul mood that had settled over her like the plague since Thursday afternoon when Marked missed Ella's follow-up appointment. He had no excuse that was worth listening to. The gossip about where he was, was hard to ignore, though. He had left work. With Susan Lewis. They had strolled across the street to Doc Magoo's for a bite to eat, and it was only after Elizabeth had gone looking for him in the ER and subsequently left that Mark remembered their appointment. Wanker.
Having to deal with Peter and his cooperative reports had been mildly irritating; she knew how much he liked to cause trouble for Romano, and yet she was often the one bearing the brunt of that backlash. Still, it had been nice to hear from someone else with a small child that she wasn't crazy for refusing to bring Ella back to the house. It felt as if he was the only person she had in her corner, except for Robert.
Sat in her car in his driveway Elizabeth took a moment to contemplate if going in was really a good idea. True Robert had been very supportive and considerate of late, but Elizabeth was keenly aware that Robert always had an agenda. She just couldn't see what it was this time. The more she thought about it, the more torn she was, but Elizabeth couldn't ignore the niggling voice in her head suggesting this was one of those moments where Robert was genuinely concerned, and it had nothing to do with ulterior motives. It didn't matter anymore, the front door was opening, and Robert was stepping outside. He must have heard her car pull up. Sighing, she opened the car door and got out to greet him as he walked over to her car.
"Hey, I didn't think you were getting out there for a minute."
Elizabeth had hoped she hadn't been that obvious, but Robert had always been able to hit a little too close to home in his observations of her.
"Frankly, it's hard to drag myself out of the car these days, be it at work or the hotel. I just sit there and start questioning what am I even doing there."
Leaning against her car, Elizabeth got her first real glance at a relaxed Robert Romano. Still in his suit pants and shirt with loud suspenders, but the tie was gone, and the top few buttons had been undone. His posture was more relaxed as well, and Elizabeth suspected it had something to do with the luxurious slippers he was sporting.
"You need a hand with anything?"
"Actually, if you could get my bags whilst I get Ella, that would be a huge help." Dealing with an infant and a car seat in a two-door car was something that frustrated Elizabeth to no end, but up until now, she hadn't had the need to trade out cars for something more practical.
Leading the way, Robert let them into the house, and Elizabeth was struck with a memory of Lucy Knight describing the Christmas Eve she went to pound on Robert's door. The young med student had been struck by how elegant the foyer was, and Elizabeth realized she hadn't been exaggerating. Elizabeth had little time to contemplate the home she had just entered when Gretel came round the corner and demanded attention from Robert. A quick head rub and Gretel had moved on to Elizabeth and Ella, very gently nosing the carrier Ella was in.
"Gretel, sit. Sorry, Lizzie, she likes to greet everyone, but I promise all she'll do is give Ella a sniff and lay down next to her."
The Bouvier stayed still, looking back and forth between Robert and Ella giving Elizabeth time to follow Robert into the lounge. True to his world, there were the promised items for Ella, and Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Robert dropped her bags by the couch, keeping an eye on Gretel, who had followed them through the lounge, before disappearing into what Elizabeth presumed was the kitchen. By the time she had freed Ella of her carrier, Robert had returned with a bottle of sparkling water for her.
"May I?" he asked, motioning to Ella.
Elizabeth supposed it was the true test of his hospitality; would he actually do well interacting with Ella. Sighing, she passed her daughter to Robert, knowing full well that he was betting on her murdering him if anything happened to Ella under his care.
To Elizabeth's astonishment, the fussiness Ella had been starting to display disappeared almost the moment Robert gently started bouncing her in his arms. Cooing and making adoring faces at her, Robert was a natural, and the picture he presented made Elizabeth's mouth fall open. To her embarrassment, he noticed.
He made a face at her in response.
"Oh, ye of little faith, Elizabeth. I've got a niece, nephew, and godson. I've had plenty of practice with kids. They even -gasp- like me!"
Elizabeth was still too stunned to respond when he picked up Ella's bag and headed to the kitchen. Finally finding her feet, Elizabeth followed, her mouth-watering from the smells the closer she got. Robert had truly outdone himself, Ella was in a high chair, and Robert was tending to the stove.
Elizabeth stood in the doorway, watching. She could count on one hand the number of times she had initiated a hug with Robert that had nothing to do with breaking down in tears and crying on the closest shoulder. The answer was none. He had rather awkwardly hugged her many years ago during the internship from hell, but she just stood there, counting the seconds until it was over. Walking up behind him, she opted to change that, sliding her arms around his waist as he tended to their meal. She felt him stiffen at her touch and pause.
"Thank you for being my friend Robert. I'm truly grateful."
"Da nada."
Pulling away, Elizabeth took a swig of her water, eyeing the kitchen with a modicum of jealously; she couldn't even put away the milk from Ella's bag to distract herself. Robert had already done that.
"So, the salmon should be ready in about ten minutes. The real question is do you want a glass of white with it, or are you still abstaining?"
He was holding out a bottle of white wine, procured from his built-in wine cooler, taunting her with what was sure to be a delightful Chablis. Meeting his eyes momentarily, Elizabeth could practically hear him taunting one glass won't hurt. Thinking of the bottles of milk she had pumped and packed, she snatched the Chablis from his hands and pulled down a glass from the rack to pour, passing the rather full glass to Robert when she was done. Then she drank straight from the bottle, savoring her first taste of alcohol since she found out she was pregnant.
Vaguely aware of Robert's laughter at her antics, Elizabeth set the now significantly lighter bottle of wine down and turned to look at him.
"Mmm. Good year. Excellent choice, Robert."
His laughter continued.
"Save some for dinner, Lizzie. You're probably a lightweight at this point, and that I didn't sign up for. Cheers."
Raising his glass, Elizabeth picked the bottle back up, smiling as she met his eyes.
"Cheers."
Dinner had been salivating, baked salmon with potatoes and asparagus, white wine, and then chocolate mousse for dessert. They sat at a table that was properly set and had adult conversations; the tv wasn't on in the background, and best of all, no Rachel. Robert had taken care of everything, including getting a bottle and feeding Ella when the time came.
Leaning back against the headrest and closing her eyes, Elizabeth sighed as she sank a little further down into the hot tub. Sucker for a spa day indeed. The heated water and jets were almost doing more good for her than a full night's rest. Well, that and the glass of wine she had brought out with her. Time had seemed irrelevant the moment she had turned on the jets, leaving Robert to happily watch Ella for a while. The delightful oasis of bubbles was almost too relaxing though, the wet nose of Gretel unexpectedly found her ear, and Elizabeth almost slid down into the water fully from surprise, something that would have been horrible with her hair.
Looking over at the happy dog, Elizabeth smiled before letting her eyes wandered to the French doors that were ajar, thankful for the dim lighting as Robert stepped outside with the almost empty bottle of wine in one hand and his own glass in another.
"Decent enough for me to top off your glass Lizzie?" He was staying a safe distance away, something she was thankful for.
Decent was a very loose term when you're enjoying a dip in just your bra and knickers. Switching the jets to high, Elizabeth figured she would be safe enough.
"For a top off yes, I might need you to turn your back when I finally get out, though."
Topping off her glass, Robert barely gave her a look. "I'm sure Gretel will be very helpful when you decide to get out."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. She ran off with my clothes one time. Very proud of herself she was."
It was easy to laugh at the picture of Robert having to chase a dog bigger than him for his clothes.
"Where's Ella?"
"I put the crib upstairs, it's got a bassinet attachment, and she went down like a light." Noticing her hesitance glance, Robert returned it with a patented Romano, 'what are you stupid look.' Out of his back pocket, he produced a baby monitor. "This isn't my first scrub in Lizzie; I know better than to leave her alone."
He moved away from her and sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs, enjoying the evening and sipping on his wine.
"Sorry, I'm just-"
"Used to people not as smart and clever as you. I know." Although his face was hidden in shadow, Elizabeth could hear the teasing in his voice that was always waiting to catch her out.
Relaxing back into the hot tub, Elizabeth allowed the serenity of the evening to wash over her. It had been a glorious break from the chaos and fear that had entered her life, and she couldn't help but wish her own home life had been this idyllic. Supportive. Wine and hot tub filled. She knew she'd have to steal a house key at some point and let herself in to make use of what she was sure was a very neglected hot tub. Men just didn't understand.
Neither felt the need for words. After so many years working closely together, their silence was a comfortable one. Instead, they soaked up the remainder of the evening, losing track of time until their glasses were empty.