By Melissa Larkin
Chapter Four
Disclaimer: I do not own ER. The characters of Sara Lewis and Melanie Malucci are my creation.
Sara was sound asleep, dreaming that she and Robert were dancing in a garden. Moonlight shone from the sky above them and the stars lit up the sky. A phone began to ring in Sara's dream. Or was it in reality?
Sara groaned and looked at the clock. Seven a.m. Who on earth was calling her now? Robert knew she didn't have to be in work until eleven, and he wouldn't think of waking her up. The phone rang again and Sara groggily reached for the receiver.
"Hello?" she muttered as she rested her head on the pillow.
"Sara? It's Melanie. I have the most exciting news!" Sara's cousin and best friend, Melanie, exclaimed.
"And you had to call me at seven a.m. to share it?" Sara frowned.
"Yes. I'm pregnant!" Melanie cheered.
Sara sat straight up in bed. "You are?!"
"Yeah, I just took a pregnancy test and it was positive!" Melanie sat on her bed. "I can't believe it! Dave and I have talked about starting a family, and now I'm pregnant."
"You should go to the doctor just to make sure," Sara reasoned. "Those pregnancy tests aren't always 100 percent accurate."
"I took three of them," Melanie admitted. "Two yesterday and one just before I called you. Trust me, I'm pregnant."
"Wow," Sara said. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and pulled her messy ponytail out of its elastic holder. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Melanie replied. "And I know it's early, but will you be my baby's godmother?"
"Mel, of course! I'd be honored to!" Sara rested against her headboard. "Are you and Dave telling many people right now?"
"Just our parents, Callie, you, and Susan and Mark," Melanie said. "And you can tell Robert, too."
"Okay," Sara said as a smile grew on her face. "I'm going to meet him for a late lunch at 2."
"Yeah, like you'll eat anything. You'll be too busy kissing!" Melanie teased.
"Oh, there will be plenty of kissing going on, trust me," Sara responded. "I really care about him."
"And Dave said Robert's a completely different person since he's met you," Melanie began. "He's in a much better mood."
"Susan said the same thing to me," Sara said.
"I'm going to let you get back to sleep. I'm sure you were dreaming about Robert," Melanie joked.
"Okay. Congratulations again, and I love you!"
"Love you too! Bye!" Melanie and Sara hung up, and Sara snuggled under the covers and hoped to return to the wonderful dream she'd just been having.
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That afternoon, at County General, Sara walked down the hall to Robert's office. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.
Robert opened the door, smiled at Sara, then grabbed her and kissed her. Sara wrapped her arms around Robert and returned the kiss. She began to pull away to tell Robert her news about Melanie, but Robert tugged her back towards him and continued to kiss his girlfriend.
"Mm, stop kissing me," Sara said with a giggle.
Robert, stunned, looked at Sara. "Why? Don't you like my kisses?"
"Oh, sweetie, I love them, trust me," Sara confessed. "But I have really fantastic news!"
"Then sit down and tell me," Robert instructed. He took Sara's hand and led her to the sofa. He closed his office door and gave Sara his full attention.
"Okay, before I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone," Sara began.
"I promise," Robert said, crossing his heart.
"Melanie's pregnant! She and Dave are going to have a baby!" Sara exclaimed.
Robert's face broke out into a smile. "Hey, that is fantastic news!"
"She and Dave are only telling their parents, Callie, and Susan and Mark," Sara said. "And obviously me, too," she finished with a laugh. "And Melanie wants me to be the baby's godmother!"
"Lucky baby," Robert remarked.
"I was so happy that I didn't mind her calling and interrupting the dream I was having," Sara stated.
"And what was this dream about?" Robert asked.
Sara sat on his lap and leaned in. "You and me, dancing in the moonlight."
"Well, we're going to have to do that sometime and make your dream come true." Robert kissed Sara, then pulled away. "Wait, two questions first."
"Shoot," Sara replied.
"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? I thought I'd make pasta for us," Robert offered.
"Definitely!" Sara grinned. "And what was the second question?"
"Can we start kissing again?"
Sara looked at the expression on Robert's face - it was both serious and hopeful - and stifled a laugh. "Of course," she said, and Robert kissed her.
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Sara searched through Robert's DVD collection after dinner. The couple had just finished drying the dishes and were going to relax and watch a movie.
"You have a great movie selection here," Sara said. "A lot of classics."
"Pick whatever you want," Robert offered.
Sara paused in her search and smiled. "You don't!" She turned to Robert and held up a movie. "You do! You have 'Chocolat' in your collection!"
Robert smiled. "It's a terrific movie," he replied.
"It's my favorite!" Sara stood up and popped the DVD into the player. She and Robert stretched out on the sofa together and were soon swept up into Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp's love story in 1950s France.
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A few hours later, Robert awoke to find Sara asleep in his arms. He watched her sleep for a moment, then tugged on a blanket that rested across the back of the sofa. After covering Sara with it, Robert reached for the remote and turned off the television. He closed his eyes and returned to sleep.
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The sunlight shone through the living room windows as Sara slowly woke. After a second to recognize her surroundings, she turned and watched Robert sleep. A tender smile crossed her face and she stroked his cheek. Robert opened his eyes and beamed at Sara. He looked into her mesmerizing green eyes and knew that no better moment would be at hand.
"I love you," he said quietly.
Sara gazed into Robert's gentle, caring blue eyes and knew she felt the same way. "I love you, too," she replied. Their declaration of love was sealed with a tender, romantic kiss.