Chapter 8
Coffee units consumed 2 1/2
Cigars: 1 Arturo fuente
Alcohol: None yet, I've got a site survey. Perrier all day.
And now back to our regularly scheduled chapter.
It was another cold February morning in Chicago, and the forecast for the day was bleak. Freezing rain turning into heavy snow with 6"-10" predicted by evening. A blizzard was on the horizon, conditions that would stop most in their tracks, but not Rocket Romano. Dressed in one of his favorite suits, he felt as if he could take on the blizzard. He sure as hell wasn't going to let a little bit of snow stop him from enjoying what was sure to be the highlight of his day, having drinks with Lizzy. Robert would have to make it through his first day of work as Acting Chief of the ER first, though. Something to lord over Weaver.
Robert thought it was a sign of how good the day would be when he saw the surgery schedule for the morning. Romano/Corday in bold letters on the board. Sure, he was ignoring the name Benton that was up there with them; he just hoped Lizzie would as well.
Stepping into the scrub room, Lizzie was already in conversation with Benton, absolutely appalled at the amount of student loan debt Benton had. Robert joined the tête-à-tête, asking how the public health system was supposed to pay for freeloaders If the residence didn't live in poverty. Wrong choice of words. He could practically taste his foot as Elizabeth described the people who couldn't pay for healthcare, she had a point though, and Robert needed to remove the foot from his mouth quickly, Gretel had chewed on it this morning after all.
"Well, Lizzy, you'll have to forgive me for not choosing my words more wisely, my Weaver exposure started early this morning, and it might have lowered my IQ by a few points. Residents get abused here so that we can help those in need."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow and looked at him in disbelief. She had not expected him to back down on the freeloaders remark. Peter even looked shocked at the exchange.
"Well, I didn't have to live in debt-stricken poverty to complete my medical training back home." Elizabeth was willing to have some fun with the conversation and see just how far his magnanimous mood would go.
"You also had the NHS paying for everything. I think your education system is cheaper, as well."
Elizabeth couldn't argue Robert's point, and she wanted to wipe the smug look off his face. There was no way in hell she would admit that her university education was practically free with Madam Corday being a Senior Lecturer there.
"I can't help it that the colonies have been making poor financial decisions ever since they threw the tea in the harbor." Elizabeth was quickly exiting the scrub room, back first against the door. She hoped her face hadn't betrayed her enjoyment of the conversation with Robert, explaining that to Peter was not something she cared to do.
The scrub room conversation with Elizabeth was the only good part of Roberts's day. Chaos was wreaking havoc on the ER in the form of Doug Ross. Usually, Robert didn't have an issue with the pediatric attending being a maverick; anyone with that kind of dedication to helping sick children was alright by him, but this time a child was dead, and the cops were swarming. Euthanasia. Robert believed in death with dignity, and the idea of a child needlessly suffering made him sick, but Ross dropped the ball on this. Leaving the mother to do it alone, no wonder she ratted Ross out when her husband showed up.
Elizabeth's evening had gone to hell right along with Romano's. Rumors of Doug Ross's antics had made its way up to surgery, along with the news that Carol's clinic was involved. There wasn't time to check in with her friend, though, a mass trauma had taken over the ER, children a flipped school bus. A long night was ahead of her, but hopefully not too long.
Somewhere around eleven, things had finally calmed down. Elizabeth was desperate to leave, and she wasn't sure if it was to go home and sleep or find somewhere close by and have drinks with Robert. A small part of her was insistent that she not cancel drinks all over a little bit of snow because she was looking forward to spending time with Him. The louder and more vocals part of her was insisting that she wanted to go for drinks purely to establish a pax with the man. Being at odds wasn't beneficial to either of them, and she was happy to develop better relationships with her colleagues.
She found him in the Surgeons' Lounge, nursing a cup of coffee whilst making notes on a chart. Robert looked tired, and Elizabeth wondered if he would still be up for drinks.
"What a day." Elizabeth sat down next to him, and he set aside the chart.
"Nothing like an evening snowstorm to make a mess of things. I'm guessing you got your patient transferred to Mercy since you aren't stuck in the OR."
"Yes, I know you wanted it as a teaching case-"
"You made the right call Lizzy. We were slammed and wouldn't have gotten around to it in time to save the hand."
"Yes. Looks like you're still busy, though. Just charts, or are you already buried deep in ER admin?" Elizabeth was hoping it was just charts, now that she was off her feet the idea of grabbing drinks and talking to someone after a long day seemed ideal.
"The last of my notes. I delegated the worst of the admin to Weaver and Greene, much to their displeasure." Robert was obviously pleased with himself for that, giving her a cheeky smile.
"Does that mean you're still up for a drink or has the snow pushed this off too late?"
An unreadable expression was on his face, and Elizabeth was concerned she had come across as too eager. She tried to keep a neutral tone and look, but was beginning to think she had failed. Robert looked at his watch and then let out a sigh.
"Well, it is later than I had hoped for, but I suppose I've still got time for one drink before Gretel starts to get worried. "
Gretel? Elizabeth was definitely confused. While Robert was naturally a private man, she thought she would have heard something about a live-in girlfriend. This revelation had thrown her off balance, and she scrambled to recover.
"It takes a very understanding person to live with a surgeon. I remember one week where my father worked so late every night that my mother had the locks on the house changed. She left him outside, shouting and ringing the bell for a good ten minutes before feigning shock at finding him at the door. Told him, 'Why Charles, I thought you had moved out.' Consequently, he was home on time for the rest of the summer. "
That got a laugh out of Robert, who was vastly enjoying picturing an irate Charles Corday being put in his place with such a passive-aggressive move.
"Thankfully, Gretel hasn't thought of changing the locks on me. The worst she's done is greet me with a very wet kiss, right after she washed her trash can dinner down with toilet water. "
"You've got a dog." She felt foolish and gave him a look. Robert seemed far too satisfied with himself for her liking.
"Yes, Lizzy, I've got a dog. Don't tell me you were jealous."
"That you've got a dog? Absolutely. Although I can live without the toilet water kisses. That should stay between man and man's best friend."
Point Corday. They were back on even footing. Robert stood up, taking his charts with him.
"Look, if you're going to be mean to me, then you can buy Gretel a doggy bag while we're out. It's that, or I have her send you some toilet water. I'm going to go change into street clothes; I'll meet you out front in about fifteen minutes."
Elizabeth watched him walk out of the lounge. It took her a full minute to realize that she, too, was still in scrubs and needed to change.
About thirty minutes and a short walk later, Robert was sitting next to Elizabeth at the bar, watching her pursue the menu for something to nibble on. He wished she would nibble on him, but one step at a time. Robert was thrilled she had still wanted to brave the elements with him after the shift they had had, the fact that she sought him out about stilling having drinks was just icing on the cake, and Robert had an insatiable sweet tooth. He had briefly thought she was jealous when he intentionally implied he had someone to go home to, but she could have simply been surprised. Elizabeth knew very little about him outside of work, and Robert was keen to change that.
The bartender put their drinks in front of them, red wine for Robert and mead for Elizabeth. Robert raised his glass to hers with a 'cheers' while she said 'Slainte' and glared daggers at him.
"Robert, you have to make eye contact, or it's seven years of bad sex." She scoffed.
He choked on his drink and looked at her quickly. Robert had been to many bars in many places but never had he heard that before. Seven years of bad sex, no thank you.
"Lizzy, what kind of horrible drinking culture are you from?" Elizabeth was laughing at him. "No, stop laughing and make eye contact. Then explain. Seven years of bad sex, my ass." Robert glared at her until she stopped laughing and made eye contact. He took another sip of his drink just to be safe.
"It's something I picked up at Uni. I'm uh, not sure what culture it's actually from."
"Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy," he said while shaking his head at her, "I'm really getting the feeling I shouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you when drinking is involved. First, you drink a bunch of scotch and are mean to me, and now you drink mead and threaten me with seven years of bad sex. And bad sex for whom?"
Her response of wouldn't you like to know was accompanied by a musical laugh and a delicately raised eyebrow. Wouldn't he like to know indeed. It was the start of a relaxed evening between two people intent on becoming friends. Their conversations ranged from drinking stories from their allegedly misspent youths (brewing mead under her dorm room bed in boarding school and his older sister getting him a keg to celebrate his first year of college), to comparisons between growing up in the States vs. the UK, to what books they were currently reading (Silence of the Lambs and Trunk Music).
Robert shared about his first day as Acting ER Chief, including his threat to form a "Bullet-Headed Committee." The petty side of Elizabeth loved it, and she proposed that henceforth all after-work drinking sessions be known as a meeting of the Bullet-Headed Committee. Robert was thrilled enough by the fact that she wanted to spend more time with him to allow the name to slide, and besides, he couldn't wait to see the look on Weaver's face when he inevitably brought up attending a meeting of the Bullet-Headed Committee.
Shortly before one, the bartender announced last call, and Elizabeth ordered their nightcaps.
"So, it's the last call, and you told me I'd have to order Gretel a doggy bag. What exactly does she like, single malt, bacon, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers?" Elizabeth was leaning towards him ever so slightly, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Robert mimicked her stance and leaned in as well; he had an idea.
"Well, as much as Gretel would love a bacon cheeseburger, I've learned the hard way not to give her one." More laughter from Lizzy "She will, however, accept a huge bone as penance for your mean words." He was hoping she would take the bait.
"Ah, a true connoisseur. I'm afraid I don't have bones for her, though."
"I suggest you fix that then. And to make up for your abysmal manners, I'll let you take Gretel to her favorite dog park next weekend. You'll have to put in a good effort, of course, and bring all her favorite snacks, but she might forgive you."
Elizabeth was smiling at him, something that was quickly becoming Robert's favorite thing, and then - "I'd like that, Robert." And she raised her glass.
"To new friendships."
"To new friendships." He said, matching her smile.
The following week was strange for Robert, he had done something his sister had only teased him about, and that was to use his dog to pick up a woman. Technically, Saturday was not a date, but Robert was still excited to spend time with Elizabeth none the less. The bonus to it all was that she seemed to genuinely be a dog person if her eager questions were anything to go by. What kind of dog was Gretel, how old was she, when did you get her, does she prefer to chew on your slippers or her toys? Robert had been pestering her with questions equally, and the only response he had managed to get was that she did have a dog growing up. Elizabeth would blush and shake her head when he tried to find out more and firmly told him she refused to answer those questions at work, least he start teasing her. A blushing Lizzy was always a sight to behold. The piece de resistance for Robert, though, was the fact that Elizabeth had agreed to his suggestion of picking her up instead of meeting him at the park.
Saturday came, and Robert found himself driving through the streets of Chicago with Gretel in the back seat. He had the leather seats covered for her, but the larger she got, the more he questioned if the back seat of a Jag was the best place for a dog of her size. Gretel might need something more utilitarian if she kept growing, but for now, she fit and thankfully wasn't chewing on the leather. She was, however, being a backseat driver, always nosing Robert's ear determined to let him know this was not the way to the dog park. They had arrived outside of Elizabeth's apartment building, and Gretel was impatient as was Robert. He had been waiting five minutes already, and that was with him running late and still no sign of Lizzy. Robert had almost given up on waiting when he saw a flash of red hair exit the building.
"Sorry I'm late," Elizabeth said while getting into the car. "my godmother called, and I had a hard time ending the call without getting twenty questions from her about my plans."
It was at this point that Gretel made herself known by licking Elizabeth's ear.
"Oh, hello, aren't you a beautiful girl." She cooed while scrubbing Gretel's ears, an act that earned her another kiss.
Robert smiled as he maneuvered the car away from the curb and guided them towards the park. It was a short drive punctuated only with Gretel's excited whines as she slowly recognized where they were going. It was everything Robert could do to keep her contained long enough to leash her when they finally arrived. The morning was still young and cold enough that the snow-covered park had yet to be disturbed by other winter-loving k-9's and formed a picture that took Robert's breath away. Elizabeth was bundled up against the cold and engaging in a game of tug-o-war with Gretel. Her musical laughter drifted across the park, and Robert couldn't help but look on in adoration.
They had been at the park close to an hour when another couple showed up with a dog in tow, a large Newfoundland that was thrilled to find a playmate in Gretel. Elizabeth snuck off to the car while Robert pestered the new people with questions about their dog. She had slowly been getting cold and decided it was time to retrieve the thermos of hot chocolate she had put in her bag that morning. By the time she had made it back into the dog run, Robert had been searching for her with a worried look.
"There you are, I was concerned that you got too cold and left."
"I was getting cold and decided it was time for hot chocolate. Always good for spending the morning out in the snow." Elizabeth shivered as she unscrewed the thermos and poured some of the steaming cocoa for them to share. Seeing her visibly shivering, Robert stepped closer to rub her arms with the intent of warming her up when Elizabeth leaned into him, wrapping one arm around his waist in an attempt to stay warm. She stood there, sipping the hot chocolate and watching Gretel play, oblivious to the fact that Robert was frozen in place from her touch.
"Would you like some?" Elizabeth had startled him with the question; his brain still trying to catch up with what was going on.
"Hm?" She tilted her head in response as if to ask if he had suddenly become thick. "Oh, hot chocolate. Yeah. It is getting cold out." He took the cup from her with one hand and pulled her in closer with the other. Elizabeth snuggled in closer, still shivering from the cold and appreciating the warmth that Robert was giving off. She lost track of time, passing the hot chocolate back and forth between them until she felt snow starting to come down around them, a companionable silence only broken by the playful barking of dogs.
