Cordano twist on season seven episode 'The Visit' and 'Rescue Me'...

Chapter Twelve -

Elizabeth put a fresh cup of coffee down in front of him and brushed her lips against his cheek. "Don't forget you promised me the weekend off."

He smiled and looked up from his newspaper. "How can I forget? You've only mentioned it every day of the week, for the last two weeks."

"Yeah. Sorry," she giggled. "I'm just super excited. I haven't seen Stacy for years. We're going to have such a scream together."

"When is she getting here?"

"Thursday. It's still okay if she stays here, right?"

"Mi casa es su casa, Lizzie."

"Thank you, sweetie."

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Robert got home later than he'd intended Thursday evening, after his meeting overran.

He followed the sound of girlish giggling into the lounge and immediately spotted two empty bottles of wine; a third bottle, already half empty, sat on the coffee table. He cursed when he saw the labels; he'd been saving that particular vintage for a special occasion. The leggy lushetta sprawled on the couch next to Elizabeth, did not strike him as someone capable of fine wine appreciation.

"Ladies," he said. "Having a good time?"

The two women looked up at the sound of his voice, and helped each other stand, supporting each other on wobbly legs. Robert looked up at the leggy blonde, standing even taller than his Lizzie and thought, great, just what he didn't need. His neck would end up in traction at this rate.

"Heeey," Elizabeth drawled. "Thought, you'd never get in. Robert this is Stacy, Stacy this my beloved Robert."

He offered her his hand and she limply accepted it. He hated limp handshakes. "Pleased to meet you, Stacy."

"And you. Thanks for having me."

"So I see you started without me, Lizzie" he said looking pointedly at the empty bottles of wine.

"Sorry," she giggled, and smiled, disarming him as she always did.

"Please tell me you two had the sense to line your stomachs, before you raided the wine cellar?"

More giggling confirmed what he suspected. They were both three sheets to the wind and happy sailors. He shook his head bemused, and turned to leave.

"Where're you goin?"

"I'm going to fix you ladies something to soak up all of the expensive Merlot you've quaffed."

"Ohh, thank you Robert. Isn't he a sweetie? I told you he was a sweetie!"

"He's a very short sweetie."

More giggling ensued and Robert groaned. By the time he returned with a tray of bread, cheese and charcuterie, he was alarmed to see they'd polished off the third bottle.

"Jeezus, I'm cutting you two off. You have to work tomorrow Lizzie!"

"Do I though?" she tried seductively. She stood up and plopped her arms around his neck pulling him into her, and began nibbling on his ear lobe, a place she knew to be particularly sensitive. "Can't you just let me have it off?"

"Mmmmm," he moaned. "Let me, ahhh... take a moment to think about that, Lizzie," he said and could feel her mouth turning into a triumphant smile.

"No."

"Wh-what?"

He extracted himself from her, and grinned. "I said, no."

"Hah! Thought you said he couldn't say no to you! You're losing your touch Elizabeth!" Stacy laughed, and Elizabeth shot the pair of them a scowl.

He went back to the kitchen and returned with two bottles of water and tossed them at the pair. Neither managed to catch, and the two dissolved into a fit of hysterics as they watched the bottles bounce off them and land, rolling on the floor. Gretel who'd been keeping close by in the hope of dropped scraps of food, left the room for somewhere quieter. Robert watched her go and wished he could leave too. But he sat there and listened to what he hoped, were exaggerated tales of youthful debauchery that got louder and louder, as they recanted tales of names and places he'd never heard off.

Eventually, Elizabeth let a loud yawn escape, and it was music to his ears. "I think maybe, we should call it a night," he said.

"Nooo," she protested. "The night is still young! We used to go all night, didn't we, Stace?"

Stacy hiccuped and closed her eyes, clearly done.

"Yeah, well neither of you are exactly spring chickens any-more."

"Hey, don't be rude, that's no way to talk to ladies!" Elizabeth said and punched him in the arm.

He looked down at his arm and rubbed it. "If there were ladies present right now I'd agree, but I don't think I need to worry."

She tried to punch at him again, but he easily dodged it and stood up.

"Stacy, did Lizzie give you the grand tour before she plied you with booze? You know where the spare room is?"

"Yes, a'hm good." He wasn't convinced he wouldn't find her crashed on the couch in the morning, but there was no way he was manhandling two Amazonians. Lizzie was enough of a dead weight when drunk.

"Great. C'mon slugger, let me take you to bed."

"But I don't want you to take me to bed!"

"No, please Lizzie, stroke my ego some more for me, why don't you?"

"No, I mean I want another glass of wine."

"Tough." He pulled her up off the couch and put his arm around her waist, then propelled her in the direction of the stairs.

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Robert slung an arm over his tired eyes and let out another frustrated groan at the sound of Elizabeth's wine fuelled snoring. He shoved her again, and again it had zero effect. She let out another snort and he just decided to give up. Throwing off the covers, he thought he may as well go for an early morning run, and climbed out of bed. Making no effort to keep the noise down, he went to the dresser and yanked the drawer open, taking out his running shorts and a Tee-shirt. Grabbing some socks and his sneakers, he banged out off the bedroom, but then re-entered with an evil smile on his face. Picking up the alarm clock, he set it to go off in thirty minutes, and placed it next to her head. Feeling pleased with himself he left, and as he passed the guest room he heard Stacy throwing out the same pneumatic drill noises as Lizzie. "The gentler sex, my ass," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

He did his usual five mile trail down to, and around the park, and felt awake and revitalised by the time he got back. The smell of freshly brewed coffee greeted him as soon as he opened the front door, and he allowed himself a self-satisfied smirk. He kicked off his sneakers and walked into the kitchen, where he found her stood wrapped up in her bathrobe, staring vacantly into a cupboard.

"Good morning gorgeous. How's the head?" he said over-cheerfully, walking towards the coffee pot.

"You're an evil bastard," she said not even bothering to turn around.

He walked over and put his hands around her waist, hugging her to him. "Awww c'mon now, don't be a mean drunk, Lizzie."

'Urgh, get off of me Robert, you're all sweaty! Go and shower."

"Want to join me?"

"I want you to go away!"

He planted a sneaky kiss on her cheek and ducked out off the way as she tried to swat at him, then collected his coffee and headed upstairs, whistling loudly. By the time he reappeared, he was showered, shaved, suited and booted. He found her this time, seated at the kitchen island reading the paper while nursing a cup of coffee.

"Does this get me a decent kiss?"

She looked up from reading the paper and smiled tiredly. Sliding off the stool she held out her arms and he walked into them and gave her a lingering kiss.

"How're you feeling?"

"Bloody awful. I have a splitting headache and feel like a bear shat in my mouth."

"You could've told me that before you let me kiss you. Here," he said holding out his hand. "Present for you. I'm guessing these are what you were looking for earlier?" He handed over a bottle of Tylenol. She smiled gratefully, opened it and threw two in her mouth, chasing them down with a glug of coffee.

"You are far too well rehearsed in that manoeuvre, you know?"

"What can I say? Your mother taught you to play piano, mine taught me how to deal with a hangover."

He poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the island. "I've got to be out of here in ten minutes...I've a breakfast meeting with the board. Have you checked on your drinking buddy?"

"She's fine. Took her a cup of tea up earlier. You don't like her do you?"

He looked up at her, somewhat taken aback by the blunt question. "I don't not like her Lizzie, I'm just thinking I haven't seen her at her best?" he offered diplomatically. "Did the two of you manage to figure what you're going to do with the weekend, before you started last nights party?"

"Actually, yes we did!" she said, suddenly looking more awake.

"And?"

"We are going to…..Las Vegas!" she announced and he spat his coffee out.

"What?!" he squeaked.

"Yes, I've never been before, but Stacey says its a real hoot!" she carried on excitedly.

"You're going to Vegas? AKA Sin City?"

"They call it Sin City?"

"Yeah, that and a few other things!"

"Ooo, I didn't know that! But anyhow, yes...we arranged it all yesterday. It's not going to be a problem, is it?"

"Gee now, let me think? Yes, its a problem!"

"Why?"

"Lizzie, if I told you I was off to Vegas for a dirty weekend, are you seriously going to stand there and say you'd be okay with it?"

"Its not a dirty weekend, Robert! It's two old pals catching up."

"In Vegas?" he said sceptically.

"Oh, look we haven't seen each other in ages and we just want to go and have some fun," she said reaching for his hand. "Please don't be miffed at me. You trust me don't you?"

He forced himself to smile up at her. "Of course I trust you, Lizzie. It's the one with the legs that stretch to infinity and beyond I've no reason to trust. That plus, some of the tales you told last night...I always thought you were.."

"What?" she asked bemused. "A virgin?"

He recognised a trap when he saw one, and chose to keep his mouth shut.

"Look do you not want me to go or something? If you really don't want me to, I won't."

And never hear the end of it, he thought. "No, go have fun...just...just, don't come back with a tattoo or something. What time are you leaving, then?"

"I need to leave work for six to make the flight."

"Look, I've gotta run," he said looking at his watch. "I'll see you later. You're on at nine?"

"Yes, Robert I'll be there," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe we can get lunch?" He stood up, finished his coffee and gave her a quick kiss before dashing off.

He'd just got behind the wheel of his car when his pager went off. Reaching inside his jacket for his cellphone, he cursed when he didn't find it. Closing his eyes he visualised it sat on the counter in the kitchen, and climbed back out of the car and headed back.

He'd just let himself back in the house when he heard them talking, and paused listening.

"He's not what I expected."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Well, from the way you talk about him, some hot stud doctor, who is most definitely taller, and has more hair?"

"Well, he is a hot stud doctor," Elizabeth laughed.

"If you say so."

"I do say so, actually."

"He's just...well, he's not your usual type, Elizabeth."

"Well then I would say, my usual type obviously wasn't working for me. Don't be a cow, Stacy...I love him."

Robert smiled to himself and made plenty of noise to announce his entry to the kitchen.

"Sorry, forgot my phone," he said. "Good morning Stacy, sleep okay?"

"Yes thanks," she said.

He gave Elizabeth a lingering kiss. "I'll see you later. Stacy, pleasure to meet you."

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Elizabeth sneaked into the surgeons lounge for another cup of coffee and with luck, a catnap. She of course, just wasn't that lucky, so no sooner had she sat down than her pager went off. She cursed when saw it was the ER. As soon as she got off the elevator Abby grabbed her and took her along to where her consult, a fifty year old man complaining of back ache, waited.

"How would you describe the pain, Miser Patterson?"

"Call me Al, please," he said charmingly.

She smiled. "Is the pain sharp or dull, Al?"

"It's a bit of a bastard, really. It's like a burning down my right leg."

"Any numbness?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"What were you doing when you heard the pop?"

"Surfing. I know I'm a bit old for it, but I've been surfing all my life."

"Is this tender?"

"Oww, yes very. It's hard to give it up. Have you ever paddled out yourself?"

"Can't say I have," she said sharing a smirk with Abby at the mental image that created in both of their heads.

"You were surfing Lake Michigan?" Abby asked surprised.

"No. Kauai. That's where I live. I'm in town for the sportswear convention. Plane trip nearly killed me with this back."

"Will you get me a safety pin, Abby?"

"That's London, is it? Just trying to pick up the accent."

"Sussex. I went to London for university. Yours?"

"Zambia. Born and raised. My father was a doctor."

"Okay, you're gonna feel a couple of pinpricks. Tell me if they feel the same."

Once she'd ran a few more tests she said, "Al, I'm afraid you've herniated a disk."

"That doesn't sound too good."

"With the weakness in your foot, you'll need surgery to eliminate the pressure on your nerve."

"Can it wait until I get home?"

"I wouldn't suggest it."

"I don't want back surgery."

"Then I'd recommend an outpatient procedure. Endoscopic surgery."

"How long will that take?"

"An hour. I'd insert a small endoscope into your spinal column and remove fragments of the disk. Couple of stitches and a Band-Aid."

Suddenly, Malik burst into the room. "Sorry, Doctor Corday, we need you now...GSW to the chest!"

"Okay," she said, rising from the stool she was seated on.

"Will I be able to surf again?"

"I don't see why not. If you'll excuse me….Malik, can you call the O.R. and book a room for an endoscopic discectomy."

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Peter burst through the trauma room doors. "What the hell are you doing?" he yelled.

"Found a hole in the right ventricle," Malucci said to Elizabeth.

"Let's cross-clamp the aorta," she said.

"Thank God for bangers, huh? Better than a good war."

Peter shoved him out of the way. "Get out of my way!"

"Hey! Hey, that's my patient!"

"Peter, we've got it," Elizabeth said, startled at his behaviour.

"I'll oversaw it. It's 2-0 silk. Move!" Peter shouted, ignoring her and taking charge.

"Peter, Doctor Malucci's assisting," Mark said, trying to regain some order.

"The guy's not even gonna make it!" Malucci spewed.

"It's his nephew," Cleo announced to the shocked room.

"What?!"

"It's Jackie's son, Jesse."

Everyone in the room looked at Peter in shock, then went back to work redoubling their efforts.

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Robert came out of surgery and glanced up at the board. He grabbed the patients file in question and quickly reviewed it. Shaking his head he looked back at the board and his watch.

"Why is Doctor Corday not in surgery?"

Jacy shrugged. "Sorry Doctor Romano, I don't know."

"I think she got paged to the ER," Shirley offered.

He went looking for her and found her hands deep in a trauma with Greene and Benton.

"Lizzie, you ordered a percutaneous discectomy on a fifty year old patient?"

"Robert I'm busy!" she snapped, not even looking up at him.

"Seems to me Doctors Greene and Benton have this covered. Why don't you step out please?" he said, his tone leaving it clear it was no request.

She looked up and locked eyes with him and recognised he was in no mood for argument. She withdrew and met him outside.

"That's Peter's nephew in there," she said sombrely and he turned to look. Of course it is, he thought. It always comes back to Benton! "Whoa...and you've opened up both sides of his chest, huh?" Didn't look good, he thought. He turned his head back to her. "Well, anyway..you've left your patient waiting in pre-op for close to two hours now, giving me plenty of time to review his chart. He looks to me, like a perfect candidate for open lumbar disk surgery Lizzie, so I'm left wondering..."

"Endoscopic surgery's the best course of treatment in this case," she said still watching the unfolding trauma.

"And its faster too," he said watching her closely.

"Yes, it is. No dramatic muscle dissection, no bone removal."

"And you can still ditch out of here in time for your Vegas trip."

"What the hell are you insinuating?!" she said, her eyes finally focussing on him. "That I'd choose an inappropriate course of surgery to accommodate my weekend plans?"

"You said it, not me. Not only have you kept your patient waiting, you're holding up an an OR too! Stop playing ER doc and go upstairs and take care of your patient, Lizzie... and do the open lumbar surgery, got it?"

"I've got to get back," she said furiously and pushed past him, back into the trauma room and shouted for gloves.

He watched her through the glass for a moment, his eyes darkening with anger and left.

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Nearly finished with the procedure, Elizabeth asked. "So where's the best surfing spot for a beginner like me?"

"Waikiki. But you've got to get there early."

"Damn. It's bleeding," she cursed and called. "Cautery."

"It's ten to six, Doctor Corday" Shirley said.

"I know."

"Pressures dropping, one hundred over eighty," Babcock said.

"Okay, let's run in another litre. I can see the disk. Can't get a good hold of it...no, wait...there we go, got it!" she said triumphantly.

"We got some leaking fluid," Babcock said.

"No, it's just irrigation solution," she said. "It's looking good. Let's get ready with four, O Vicryl. We're almost there, Mister Patterson. You'll be hanging ten again before you know it."

"Hanging ten. So you do know something about surfing."

"Only what I've picked up watching old Frankie Avalon movies!"

"So Vegas, huh?" Shirley said wiggling her eyebrows above her surgical mask. "Practice hen night?"

"Could be," Elizabeth said and wiggled her eyebrows back.

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Robert got out of surgery late and changed into his civvies. He headed straight to his car just wanting to go home. He was in a bad mood, courtesy of the woman he loved, whom, naively he thought might have at least given him a wave goodbye through the observation window before she left, but figured she was sulking at him for calling her out.

He'd all but reached his car when his pager went off. "Son of a Bitch!" he shouted and heard his voice echoing loud in the car park. He made his way back in and marched into post-op, clearly annoyed. "What is it? I was half way to my damned car!" he snapped.

"Patient's complaining of backache and severe headache," the nurse said.

"What patient?"

"Patterson, lumbar discectomy."

"Elizabeth Corday's case?" he asked trying to contain his rising anger that she'd gone ahead with the different procedure. "Perfect, she signed him out to me, great!"

He walked over to the patients bed. "Mister Patterson, I understand you're having a bit of a headache. You want a couple of Tylenol?"

"My back...its killing me," Patterson grimaced obviously in a great deal of pain.

Robert could spot fakers and time wasters in his sleep, and this man was clearly not faking. Instantly forgetting his annoyance, he switched back into doctor mode. "Okay, roll over on your side," Robert said concerned, and watched with a sense of foreboding as the man struggled and failed to roll over.

"I can't move my legs," he gasped.

"Can you feel this?" Robert asked pinching Patterson's leg.

"No!" he cried.

"You, help me roll him!" Robert called to another nurse, and between the three of them they rolled him over, confirming Robert's worst suspicion when he saw the discoloured bandage.

"Okay, Mister Patterson, you're leaking spinal fluid. It's probably a cord compression. Let's get him to the O.R, stat….and someone get a hold of Elizabeth Corday!"

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Robert was furious. He stood behind his desk trying to contain his anger with her, but he was failing. "No good deed goes unpunished. I step in and clean up your mess and end up named in your lawsuit!" He threw the file at Elizabeth, who caught it, from where she sat in the chair, wishing it would swallow her whole.

"I'm so sorry, Robert."

"Yeah? Well sorry isn't going to save your ass or mine!"

"I take full responsibility for what happened," she squirmed.

"HOW noble of you! The guy's a gimp, Lizzie! He walks in here with a little bit of a back ache, and he's going to be wheeled out in a wheelchair. You have any idea how that's going to play before a jury?"

She took in a deep breath, trying to remain calm under his verbal barrage. "Not well."

He shook his head in amazement. Did she really just say that?! "Not well? When his lawyers get through with you, you'll be lucky if you're slinging fish and chips back in England."

"Robert, I thought the procedure had gone smoothly."

"Oh, well it was a screaming success if your desired outcome was paralysis!" he said getting even angrier.

"I'll talk to risk management, I'll make certain you're not implicated!"

"Is that what you think I'm worried about?!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Do not talk to risk management! Do not discuss this case with anyone! Am I clear?"

"Yes."

"A surfer. Couldn't be just some fat ass couch potato! If you'd just listened to me in the first place then you, we, wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Yes, because you know best about everything, right? Fine! I messed up Robert, but would it be too much to think that you could actually show me some understanding and be supportive?

"Understanding? How can I show you understanding, when I don't understand it myself, Lizzie?! I don't understand any of it it! All I know is that, that man would not be paralysed if you'd actually done as I told you to do. I distinctly remember telling you to get your ass into the OR and do the open procedure...but no! You just chose to waste more time with Benton's lost cause AND then ignore my instructions and did the endoscopy instead. So no! I don't understand, and I certainly can't support that behaviour! "

"There's no point talking to you when you're like this!" she spat angrily.

"When I'm like, what? Pissed because I'm doing my job? Pissed because you don't, or won't listen to me?! Pissed because, once again, you did an end run on my orders and now a man is paralysed, because you wanted to go on a girlie weekend, more than take your job seriously?! If it were anyone else, I would have fired your ass already!"

"Well, then fire me Robert, because I've certainly never demanded any special treatment from you!"

"No? You don't remember nearly chewing my ear off trying to get me to give you the Friday in question off!"

She stood up to leave. "I don't have to listen to this!"

"Did I say we were through, Lizzie? We may be involved, but like it or not I'm still your boss so sit your ass back down and actually try listening for once!" he shouted, quickly moving around the desk to stand over her.

"How dare you speak to me like that!"

"And, how dare you take advantage of our relationship. Do you have any idea how much of a compromising position you've put me in?!"

"What, you think I did this on purpose?" she hissed.

"You don't want to know what I think right now!"

"Actually, yes! Yes I do. Tell me, Robert in all your omnipotence tell me, what do you think!?"

"I think you purposefully ignored my instructions so you could run off for your big girlie weekend. I think you compromised your patient, yourself, the hospital and me, all so you could go get pissed with your old pal!"

Her hand came up before she even knew it, and slapped him so hard across the face, she could see the red imprint of her anger staring back at her.

He stared back at her in shock, his hand instinctively going to touch his smarting cheek. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Right now, you are what is wrong with me!"

He waved a finger at her. "Oh no, you don't get to dump this on me, this is your fuck up and yours alone! Why do you have to complicate everything? This isn't about me or us! It all comes down to one thing and one thing only….YOU! You fucked up, and you can't admit it!"

"I did my job to the best of my ability."

"Well, then your best isn't good enough!"

"I hate you sometimes."

"What, you think I'm enjoying this? You think I slept any last night, instead of racking my brain trying to figure out how to get you out of this mess?!"

"I can get myself out of it, I don't need you!"

"Yeah, well, you're doing a stand up job, so far. It's just another headache for me sort out!"

"Oh, so I'm a headache now, am I?! Well then, let me simplify your life for you Robert," she hissed walking towards the door. She removed her engagement ring and threw it, watching as it hit him square in the chest before bouncing off, landing somewhere on the floor at his feet. He looked down at it, then at her, his expression and eyes dark. "Get out," he said coldly, and she slammed the door shut as she left. He kicked the chair she'd been sat in, sending it flying across the room.

TBC