Chapter 14
AN: To the guest reviewer that went back to chapter one to review and ask where this week's chapter was, my work trip got pushed up a week and all hell broke loose at home because of that. I spent most of my day in airports and running on a coffee deficit. I'm now ensconced in my hotel room with a very delicious burger and plenty of wine.
It has also been pointed out to me on several occasions now by Rocketlover, that I habitually type Mead School, instead of Med School. I find this absolutely hysterical and I think I was drinking mead when it was pointed out. I love mead and my grammar editor doesn't pick up on it. Probably thinks Mead School is a thing with how much my friends and I talk about drinking it. Let's be honest it should be. Mead School is a thing now, I'm just going to embrace it. If you see me type med school again, you'll know I've been replaced by an impostor.
Some quotes are from Season 6, Episode 2. The song at the end is "Mellow" by Elton John.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Cordano fix.
It was the monthly departmental meeting, and somehow when talking about the surgical department's clinical competence, Robert's voice went from smooth and silky to dull and droning. Elizabeth felt like she was back at Uni, sitting in the back of a lecture hall with Andrew talking about their plans for the week instead of paying attention. Probably bad form considering she was now Associate Chief and that it was her boyfriend doing the droning.
To make matters worse, Peter encouraged her lack of attention by asking her to cover for him that morning. Peter had sought her out the day after her promotion and offered to buy her lunch that day. Elizabeth was happy for the opportunity to make peace with him after the weeks of going at each other's throats over the Trauma Fellowship. He had been shocked to hear Anspaugh promoted her, and she filled him in on the extra work she had taken on in the past few months. The paperwork, the scheduling, and the occasional end of day conversation that dealt with juggling a surgical career and being an involved father to a little girl. Elizabeth's experience of growing up in a surgical family had always been something Peter appreciated as he struggled to find a balance with Reese. It wasn't hard for him to imagine Anspaugh handing off his work to someone competent like Elizabeth, who would sympathize with his need to spend time with family.
Robert chose that moment to call them out. And by them, Peter, by name at least. Whilst Robert was busy drawing attention to Peter; he had been sending Elizabeth a rather pointed look. She needed to pay attention and knew it. To remind her of this, Robert gleefully explained to the surgical department her role as Associate Chief. He dumped everything on her that he didn't want to deal with himself. Elizabeth knew at least three surgeons would be in her office before lunch to complain about their schedule and who got to be in charge of the music in the OR. Lovely.
"Lizzy, twenty minutes. It took you twenty minutes to come and see me. I'm shocked. I thought it'd be five, ten tops." Robert was grumpy with her, the newly appointed Associate Chief, and she zoned put during his first departmental meeting, to talk to Benton no less.
"What?"
"What no 'sorry for zoning out, I didn't mean to ignore you completely' ?"
"I wasn't trying to ignore you."
"Walk with me. I have to hit the head." Robert stood up and left his office, leaving Elizabeth with no choice but to follow as she rolled her eyes at his comment.
"How eloquent of you, Robert, you really know how to keep the mystery and romance alive."
"Well, with kind of attention you give a man, it's no wonder that I'm bereft of more delicate words."
"Honestly, Robert, you'd doodle rockets on your charts when Anspaugh was giving those meetings."
"Well, Lizzy, this is different. And seeing as you're Associate Chief, I feel that you should give department meeting your full attention."
"You mean you think I shouldn't sit next to Peter Benton."
They stopped short of the men's room, and Robert turned to face her.
"Well, Elizabeth, those are your words, not mine. But perhaps in the future, you shouldn't sit next to someone you find so distracting." he turned and walked through the bathroom door, still peeved that his girlfriend and Associate Chief would pay so little attention to him in the meeting.
Robert had been irritated at best to find out that Benton had managed to get back on Elizabeth's good side with one well-placed apology. He knew she hadn't initiated the conversation during the meeting, but couldn't help being annoyed that she hadn't shut Benton down when he did.
Elizabeth ducked into the elevator the first chance she got. Dating Robert hadn't stopped them from butting heads on occasion, but it had taught her that he often just needed a little time and an acknowledgment of his feeling on her part. It also didn't make things easier when they had disagreements about work. Being caught paying attention to her ex-boyfriend, during her current boyfriend's first department meeting was not the best way to start their day off. The elevator dinged, and Elizabeth stepped out into the ER, determined to find something to do to keep her busy whilst Robert cooled off enough to speak in a more civilized manner.
She wandered the halls, hoping for a consult or trauma and stuck her nose into one of the trauma rooms. Mark Greene was there, back from his mother's funeral, and looked up at her.
"Hey, Elizabeth."
She hadn't spoken to him since before her promotion. Enough time had passed since she had engaged Shirley's gossip services that Elizabeth knew Mark had to have heard the rumors.
"I heard a rumor about you."
"Really? Which one?" Elizabeth observed him as he got up to throw out his gloves, carefully moving around her to give her space.
"That I might have made you...uncomfortable. I never meant to. You just always seemed stressed and overworked. I thought you'd enjoy getting out and having fun. I didn't realize just how overworked you really were. We're you really doing Anspaugh's paperwork all that time?"
"Since February. It started as a favor here and there to help get him home at a decent hour, and the next thing I know, I'm going home with a stack of paperwork every week. I was in his daughter's shoes once, so I didn't mind."
"That's right, surgeon's daughter."
She let the silence fill the room and could tell it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't going to say it though, what made her uncomfortable, and Elizabeth wanted to clear the air. She was staying at County, and Mark was Carol's friend; at some point, she needed to not tiptoe around him.
"You don't understand what it's like, being a third-generation surgeon in a country that doesn't believe women belong in the OR unless they are a nurse. I had to work harder than all of my peers in London because I'm a woman and then had to double that effort because my father was Chief of Surgery and my Grandfather Chief of Staff when I started my surgical career. Coming to America was a godsend. It gave me a fighting chance. I still had to work hard, but there was never once the speculation that I only made it to the OR because of my family. But the ambitious and cutthroat part of me that I needed to survive in London still very much exists, and can't stand the idea of getting a vote for a job because the person voting was biased. I don't want any job offered to me where even one vote was cast in that manner. It offends me, and it's an insult to everything I've worked for by starting over."
Mark had been avoiding her gaze the entire time she spoke, shifting around from foot to foot. When he finally met her eyes, he found himself face to face with a woman he had not seen before. Gone was the ambitious but charming Elizabeth Corday he had known, and in her place was the cutthroat daughter of Isabelle Corday, determined to rise up above all the men who had ever told her she had no place in surgery, men who belittled her intellect and refused to see more than a pretty face. She got her work ethic from her mother, after all. Mark took a step back and sighed before nodding his head in understanding. There was no room for any other response.
"I have to get back to work," Elizabeth said. "There's probably five surgeons lined up outside my office wanting scheduling requesting and music privileges for the OR. I'll see you around."
He had his favorite scrub cap on, the one with the colorful rockets swirling around. Wearing it into surgery always lifted his mood, and today would be no different for the most part. He was still cross with Elizabeth, even though he knew that Peter had been the one talking during the meeting. Elizabeth had been far too happy to be back on friendly terms with him to silence him, though, and it left a sour taste in his mouth as he walked down the hall of the surgical floor. The bitter taste turned sour as Robert saw Elizabeth and Benton wheeling a gurney down the hall towards OR One, a patient prepped for surgery. Perhaps he had found a way to take out his morning's frustration. Be the Rocket.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Robert pointed at Benton, making him stop in his tracks as the rest of the team moved towards OR one without him, Elizabeth hanging off to the side to see what the issue was.
"Shirley cleared OR One."
"Yeah, well, thanks for buffing him up, Peter, but Lizzy can take it from here." Elizabeth took a step towards him at the mention of her name, confused as to where this was going.
"Yeah, but he's a trauma patient." Robert was going to savor the next part as he listened to Benton, try, and explain.
"Indeed, he is, and this Trauma Fellowship of yours is through the ER, correct?" Robert barely let Benton answer before cutting him off, "so, that's an OR. That's for surgeons." Robert tuned out Benton's response. He didn't care that he had been operating for the past few weeks as a trauma fellow; Robert just wanted to take the easy dig at Benton for the lack of respect that morning.
"As Chief of Staff, I have to be concerned with credentials." Robert was savoring the look of shock on Benton's face. He knew this little hindrance was only temporary, but he was enjoying it none the less. "You chose this, not me. Elizabeth, I leave it up to you. Under no circumstances is that man to go into that operating room. Call security if you have to and enjoy your first solo surgery." Robert started to leave at his last words, but not before patting Elizabeth on the back a little lower than he probably should have considering they were at work. Her shock at the solo surgery comment made it all the more better, and he walked off his surgical coat swishing as he left Elizabeth to deal with her pal Benton.
Robert avoided her for the rest of the day. They had a fundraiser to go to that evening, and he didn't want to push Elizabeth to the point where she was actually peeved with him. they needed to present a united from to help get County some well-needed grant money, and being charming to strangers was Lizzy's forte, not his.
Dressed in his tux at the end of the day, he was ready to leave with no Lizzy insight. Her office was locked, and when pressed, Shirley said she believed her to be downstairs in the ER. Great. Robert was sure she was elbow deep in some kind of trauma, not being able to resist. Thankful that the elevator was empty, he made faces while mimicking Shirley's comment of 'she's in the ER.'
Be The Rocket.
He stepped out of the elevator, a confidence in his step that was only somewhat faked. It was working. A woman he didn't know stopped to watch him, and his confident gait turned into a strut as he looked for Eliza-
She wasn't stuck in a trauma, and neither was she taking a consult. She was standing at admin talking to Carol, already dressed for the evening in a long black dress. Her hair was down, and Robert couldn't see her face, but what he could see made him stop and stare. The back of her dress was cut low, and two long sashes of something silky hung from her shoulders, almost as if they were a cape. What's more, he wasn't the only one staring at her. The only downside he could note as he walked up behind her was her choice in shoes. As delectable as her legs looked in them, they left Robert having to look up at his girlfriend for the evening. A power move or not he really didn't care.
"Hey, Elizabeth, I hear you laid up today in the OR." She turned to face him, and he lost the upper hand. If the back of her dress was stunning than the front was even more so. A beautiful biased cut silk gown rendered him speechless, and Elizabeth smirked at him.
"Laid up?" He took a moment to respond, and he could tell by the small smile on her face that she was enjoying his reaction.
"Yeah. Golf term- played it safe. Lived to cut another day. That's not a criticism; we all get more conservative when we're in the driver's seat. Welcome to the big leagues."
"Listen, Robert, about Peter"
"Peter, Peter, Peter. Don't you ever get tired of that subject?"
"Yes. But he-"
"I'm just messing with him."
"So you'll let him operate?"
"Mmm, for you, Lizzy, anything. But only on trauma, not elective cases, and no general surgery. Now can we go already? I hired a car for the evening, and they're waiting."
Robert offered his arm, and when she took it and leaned into to him, he smiled, not caring who saw. They swanned out of the ER, ready to take on the world as a team.
It was such a nice dream. She was all silk and velvety beneath him, hands roaming over his body as he enveloped her with his touch. He tasted every inch of her before making her scream his name in ecstasy, and Robert couldn't get enough. His Lizzy. He refused to open his eyes as Gretel nudged him gently on his left; Robert knew she just wanted a cuddle and could wait another five minutes as he savored the dream.
His left. He didn't sleep on the left side of his bed, though- Elizabeth. Curled up in the middle of his bed, she lay wrapped around his left side. Nuzzling into him as she slept, it was her soft curls he felt as he woke, mistaking them for Gretel's early morning wake-ups. He glanced over to his right briefly and spotted the massive hound still asleep in her bed. So it wasn't a dream. The silkiness of his dream was Lizzy pressed around him, one arm flung across his chest and a leg entwined with his. Robert placed a soft kiss upon her forehead as the memories from the previous night came rushing back. The flirting at the fundraiser. His hand on her bare back. Asking her where he could drop her off at and Elizabeth's response of 'with you.' He had never waited for a woman longer, and yet Robert knew he never wanted another woman again. They had fit perfectly together that night, and hearing Lizzy call him 'my love' when she came had nearly made him come out of his skin. His Lizzy. Her Love.
Robert Romano was the happiest man, and nothing could spoil that. Not even the wet nose of Gretel in his ear. Maybe her tongue, though.
A very determined Gretel knew he was awake and was demanding his attention, oblivious to the fact that Robert had no desire to get out of bed. He tried to turn away from the massive hound and, in the process, disturbed Lizzy.
"Hey."
"Good morning, beautiful."
Still half asleep, a smile appeared on her face that Robert would know anywhere. It was the one reserved just for him. Robert pulled her closer and kissed her, his lips linger on hers as she snuggled in closer. Gretel huffed audibly at them, not used to Robert ignoring her in the mornings.
"I think she wants her breakfast, Robert." He rolled back over and looked at his alarm, nine am. Gretel usually ate around eight, and he was thankful she gave him the extra hour this morning. Robert typically took her for a morning run on Saturday's but the idea of leaving Lizzy behind this morning, even for an hour, seemed unbearable.
"How about I get up and get Gretel her breakfast and then make us something while you doze a little longer? We can have a lazy morning and then take her to the d - o - g p - a - r - k later this afternoon." peppered her face with soft kisses after every letter, enjoying the serene look on her face as she closed her eyes.
"In a long gown?"
"We'll swing by your place so you can change. Maybe get another set of clothes, and I can make you dinner tonight?" Elizabeth pulled him in for a kiss, and that was all the response he needed.
Almost an hour later, Robert found himself in the kitchen, working on brunch. Gretel had been fed, and while she was staring longingly towards the front hall, she had resigned herself to curl up close to Robert in the kitchen. There could be dropped food for her to snack on after all.
Coffee consumed, Robert had been too focused on the stove to notice that Lizzy had come downstairs. It was only Gretel stirring to greet her that made him turn around. Elizabeth had once again made herself comfortable in a pair of silk pajama pants and a 'Rocket' scrub top. She sank down to the floor and spent a few minutes there, loving on the Bouvier, who was thrilled with the attention. Gretel's Saturday morning routine had been disrupted, but having affection from a second person was going a long way to making it up to her.
"The Doctor."
"What?" Robert had no idea what Elizabeth was talking about.
"I named my corgi The Doctor. I wanted a Great Pyrenees, and my parents, rightly so, didn't want to get a dog that large when I was away from school half the year. So they got me a corgi. Small, intelligent, and approved of by The Queen. I loved Doctor Who, so I named him The Doctor. Andrew and I would take him on walks through the neighborhood, pretending we're were time travelers. My mum even knit an absurdly long scarf when Tom Baker took over."
"Lizzy, that's-"
"Don't laugh! I was seven! Doctor Who was the only thing we could all agree on to watch at school."
He was laughing, though. He knew Elizabeth's father treated his daughter like a princess, and the thought of Charles Corday getting his little princess a corgi like Queen Elizabeth was just too much.
"Elizabeth, we're you named after The Queen by any chance?" She glared at him before refocusing her attention on Gretel.
"No. Both my grandmothers had Elizabeth as a middle name, and my parents liked the acknowledgment it gave them." another glare, daring him to continue laughing.
"It's a beautiful name, honey." He received his smile for that as Elizabeth stood up and walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning in for a kiss that he happily gave. The tender moment didn't last long, as they were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
"What." an annoyed Robert answered.
"Baby Brother! It's been too long; I was starting to think, oh, I don't know that you were avoiding me."
"Oh, God, not you!"
"Is that any way to greet your favorite sister?"
"I don't think you get to be the favorite when I have no other options to pick from Gwen." Robert held a finger to his lips, trying to silence Elizabeth, who was threatening to break out in laughter.
"Rob, you wound me deeply."
"Look, what do you want? I'm in the middle of making breakfast." Wrong choice of words. Gwen went silent for a moment, a choice no doubt for dramatic effect.
"Rob, do you have somebody there? That's the only reason, you'd be starting your Saturday this late." Robert paused too long, his silence all his sister needed as information
"You do! Is it Elizabeth!? Ahhhh!"
Robert hung up the phone right as Gwen started screaming, 'Robert got laid' to his brother-in-law, and Elizabeth was outright laughing now.
The phone rang again. Robert was tempted to disconnect it, knowing it was more than likely Gwen calling back. Instead, he let the machine pick up, only to decide that it was worse.
"YES, BABY BROTHER! Finally. I'd been so worried you'd be a lonely workaholic who went his entire life without getting any. Anyways, I got sidetracked being happy for you. The reason I called was to say we booked tickets to come to Chicago for Thanksgiving. You can host this year since Mom informed me you're the boss now. Love you, Rob, and remember to use protection!"
"I'm going to kill her." Robert looked over to where Elizabeth had been standing only to find her on the floor laughing, with Gretelnlicking her face.
"Gwen and Andrew-" Elizabeth managed between laughs, "can never meet."
The rest of the morning was uneventful. They had breakfast and then loaded up the Jag to head to Elizabeth's flat. Robert waited on the car with Gretel whilst Elizabeth went up to get changed and was delighted when she returned with a small overnight bag. Gretel was excited to see a shiny new tube of tennis balls in her hand.
The tennis balls made for a successful afternoon, Gretel slobbered over every one of them. They stayed for hours, taking turns throwing balls for Gretel to chase or sitting on a bench watching her play with the other dogs. By the time they left the park, all three were hungry, and Gretel had taken to nosing Robert's ear as he drove as her way to complaining to management. Mercifully, it was a short drive home, or Robert feared she might have taken to eating the leather interior. Once in the house, Elizabeth opened a bottle of wine whilst Robert fed the massive hound, who was doing a sort of jumping dance around him as he made her meal. The message was clear; work faster, dad. Lizzy passed him a glass of red wine with the most pressing issue over, and he started to pull out the makings of their own dinner, which he had not yet planned. Having Lizzy stay one night, let alone two was not something he had anticipated this weekend. A quick cross of the fingers as he rummaged in the fridge, and Robert had an idea for a meal, Steak au Poivre. Easy enough to make, and he had stopped off at his favorite butcher Thursday evening with a hankering for something juicy.
Normally working with Elizabeth was like operating a well-oiled machine in the OR; Robert could not say the same for the kitchen. Not used to sharing that space, he eventually shooed her out of the room with the advice to keep Gretel company until dinner was ready and not to drink all the red wine. He had been far too focused on making a nice dinner to realize that he had yet to give Lizzy a tour of the house and essentially sent her off to explore his home unsupervised. Robert was about to flambé the cognac when he heard the distant sounds of the piano coming from the den. He paused to listen, and while he could tell she wasn't half bad, he did not know what she was playing. Robert finished off the sauce and then sought her out, leaving the steak to rest, nervous about just what she had gotten into other than the piano.
The den was a small room towards the back of the house and stuffed full between all of his books and the piano. A couch ran along the wall under the window and his desk was in a corner with the piano taking the center place of the room, where Elizabeth was currently seated.
"What are you playing?" He stood leaning against the doorway, watching her.
"I'm trying to play "Sunshine on Leith," although very poorly."
"I'm not familiar with it."
"Andrew and I got very, very, intoxicated listening to it my last night in London. I think I sobered up in time to go through immigration."
She was homesick, and with her godbrother coming to visit, it was only natural. Sitting down on the bench next to her, Robert brushed a stray curl away from her face when she looked at him.
"Lizzy, he's not going to try to drag you back to London, is he? I'd be compelled to fight him over that."
"Don't worry; I don't want to go back. I've got everything I need right here." She leaned in to kiss him, giving Robert his smile again as she did so. Elizabeth pulled back ever so slightly and said the words that Robert had been dying to hear from her, "I love you, Robert."
Sometime later, Robert managed to remember that he had made dinner for the two of them. The steaks had gone cold in his distraction and he couldn't care less. He didn't bother to attempt to reheat them, the sauce and cut of meat being delightful enough, and the red wine bountiful. They returned to the den after dinner, where Elizabeth was determined to have him play for her. In the past, if Robert had had a woman over, the den was strictly an out of bounds area, and thus he had never played for one in his home before. It was an intimate moment sitting on the bench with her, and he felt as if he was sharing part of his soul.
As he played the opening notes, he focused on the keys, unable to turn to look at Elizabeth least he falter under her gaze. It had been years since he had sung for anyone new in his life.
"Cool grass blowing up the pass
Don't you know I'm feeling mellow
Oh I love your Roman nose, the way you curl your toes baby
Make me feel so mellow
It's the same old feeling I get when you're stealing
Back into my bed again
With the curtains closed and the window froze
By the rhythm of the rain
Oo you make me mellow, oh you make me mellow
Rocking smooth and slow
Mellow's the feeling that we get
Watching the coal fire glow
Oh you make me mellow, oh I make you mellow
Wrecking the sheets real fine
Heaven knows what you sent me Lord
But God this is a mellow time. "
Robert didn't make it through the song before Elizabeth was kissing him. "Heaven knows what you sent me Lord, but God this is a mellow time."
