Moments Like This, Part VII
By: Lori (SixteenOzs)

DISCLAIMER: "ER," the characters, and situations depicted within are the property of Warner Brothers Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant c Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. The story presented here is written solely for entertainment purposes and the author is not making a profit.

Please do not post or redistribute without the disclaimer above, or without the consent of the author.

Feedback is always welcome. I'd love to know what you think. Please send any questions, comments, or criticisms to SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Follows Moments Like This, Part VI

Stories in this series

1. Long Way Back
2. Working Together
3. Moments Like This

PART VII

"I never would have thought that you were an early riser," Mark said in an amused tone as he walked into the living room the next morning.

Susan looked up and managed a weak smile, "Normally, I'm not."

"Feeling better?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah," she nodded.

He waited a moment. "Nervous?"

She glanced sideways at him, smiling slightly at just how well he knew her. "Terrified."

"I wish I could make this easier for you," he said sympathetically.

"You are," she replied.

A few moments passed before he asked, "So, what were you thinking about?"

She stared at the table before responding. "Do you remember the stages of grief they taught us about in those psych classes in med school?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"I think I've finally hit acceptance," she said softly as she felt the tears gathering. "Damn it. I promised myself no more tears."

"It's okay," he told her as he wrapped his arm around her and gently pulled her back against his chest. He wanted to tell her that everything would work out fine, that this might not be cancer, but they both knew better.

"I was sitting here thinking about how I'm going to deal with all of this. What I'm going to tell everyone at work. How I'm going to manage treatments and my schedule at the hospital," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

"You're going to keep working?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I know I'll probably have to cut back on my hours, though. I guess it'll really depend on what kind of treatments I'm getting. Radiation shouldn't be too bad, but chemo would take more out of me."

"If you wanted to take some time off, it wouldn't be a problem. We could cover the ER," he assured her.

"I am not going to stop living my life just because this disease is trying to kill me," she said resolutely. "I've got too much left to do."

He smiled proudly, "Have I ever told you that you are a truly incredible woman?"

She turned slightly so she could look at him. Smiling, she said, "I don't think so."

"Well, you are," he said with certainty.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome."

She stood up and began to walk around the room. "One thing's for sure," she commented.

"What's that?" he questioned.

"I've gained a new sense of sympathy for our patients this week. This sitting around waiting for results is driving me nuts." She glanced at the clock and sighed. "And it'll be at least another couple of hours before I hear anything."

"I know what you mean," he commented. "After the attack, when I still thought it was a disgruntled patient or family member, I sort of made it my mission to get people in and out of the ER as quickly as possible. When you think about it, it really is kind of ridiculous how long they have to stick around and wait for lab work, or X-rays, or just for us to get around to discharging them."

"Whatever happened to your ideas?" she wondered.

He smiled guilty, "After I found out it was probably just something random, I sort of abandoned it. I figured, what was the point?"

She considered this for a moment. "Actually, I think you may have been on to something there."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Most of the time, we probably do keep patients longer than we need to. I know I've heard enough complaints about it. Maybe there are some ways we could get them out faster," she said. With a laugh, she added, "And if it improved the ER's efficiency, you know Weaver would love it."

He laughed. "You want to brainstorm on some ideas now?"

"Sure," she nodded, "especially if it'll get my mind off waiting for that phone to ring."

He gathered some pens and legal pads from his desk, and they both sat down at the dining room table.

Two and a half hours later, they were still discussing and critiquing each others ideas when the phone rang. Susan froze as she looked at Mark.

"You want to answer it?" he asked.

Drawing a deep breath, she nodded before getting up to answer the phone. "Hello? Yes, he's here. Hold on just a second."

Turning to Mark, she said, "It's for you."

"Who is it?" he asked with a curious look as he stood up.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Jen," she said as she walked towards him with the phone.

He groaned, "Just who I didn't want to deal with this morning."

Taking the phone, he said, "Hello?"

"'Morning, Mark."

"Hi, Jen. How are you?" he replied.

"Fine," she said curtly. "So, who was that answering the phone?"

He nodded, almost as if he'd expected this. "Jen, the last time I checked, the divorce was final over a year ago. It's really none of your business, but if you must know, Susan Lewis."

"I should have known," she said bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"When I first moved to Milwaukee, I asked if you were having an affair with her," she pointed out.

"And I told you the truth," he reminded her. "I wasn't."

"Sure, Mark," she huffed. "You made me feel so guilty, and all the while, you were doing the same thing."

He clinched his free hand into a fist by his side and took a deep breath. This wasn't worth getting angry over. "Jen, you can believe whatever you want. I really don't care. But the truth is, Susan and I didn't even start DATING until four WEEKS ago."

"You expect me to buy that?" she asked incredulously.

He shook his head. "You a lawyer, Jen. Apply a little logic here. If Susan and I have been having this 'torrid' affair since you and I were married, why did she move to Phoenix last year?"

Jennifer didn't have a response. The line was silent until Mark finally said, "Somehow, I don't think you called to discuss my relationship with Susan. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Rachel has a camping trip this weekend. Would it be a problem if she spent next weekend with you instead?" she asked brusquely.

"That's fine," he said with a sigh. He wasn't even that surprised by the last minute notice. "Is Rachel getting back on Sunday?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell her I love her, and I'll call her then?" he asked.

"Sure," she nodded.

"Thanks. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Fine. I'll see you next weekend. Bye, Jen," he said with a sigh has he hung up. He took his glasses off and wearily rubbed his eyes. Replacing his glasses, he looked up at Susan. "Jen's convinced that you and I were having an affair while I was still married to her," he explained.

She'd figured as much, listening to his side of the conversation. In an attempt to make him feel better, she walked over to him and said, "You're never going to let me forget that 'torrid' affair comment, are you?"

"Probably not," he grinned.

"Just remember, I've got some dirt on you, too," she reminded him.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" he asked.

"Let's see," she said as she pretended to think of something. "I seem to recall an incident with you and a call button in the ER a few years back. I'm sure Maggie and Anna haven't heard that story yet. Then again, neither has Weaver or Anspaugh," she said with a grin.

His face reddened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" she teased. "What are you going to do to stop me?"

"Well," he smiled slowly, "I seem to recall you telling me once that you were extremely ticklish."

"Mark, no," she said with a smile as she slowly started to back away from him.

He just grinned as he took a step towards her. Catching up to her, he began to tickle her mercilessly.

"Mark, please," she said through the laughter.

"Please, what?" he teased.

"Please stop," she laughed. Trying to get away from him, she tripped and fell onto the sofa, but not before she pulled him down with her.

She was laying on her back on the sofa, and he was on top of her. He continued to tickle her. Finally, she relented. Breathlessly she said, "Okay, okay. You win. I won't tell anyone."

Their faces inches from each other. He stared into her eyes as they both caught their breath. Something in his expression made her ask, "What?"

He smiled self-consciously. "I was just thinking that, for a minute there, you looked really happy."

She gave a bittersweet smile. "I guess you haven't seen that much this week, huh?"

"Not nearly enough," he answered softly.

They continued to stare at each other for a moment before he lowered his lips to hers. It began as a soft, gentle kiss. Slowly, almost tentatively, he began to deepen the kiss, waiting for her reaction. She closed her eyes as she slipped her arms around him and pulled him closer. He heard her moan softly as he ran his hand along the side of her bare thigh.

The phone rang, stopping things before they could go any further.

"We should probably answer that, huh?" he asked, breaking their kiss.

Not trusting her voice, she just nodded.

He untangled himself from her and got off the sofa to answer the phone. As she sat up, she tried to catch her breath. She also tried to stop her stomach from twisting into knots. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to him.

"Hi, Emily," he was saying into the phone. "Yeah, she's right here. Hold on."

He handed her the phone with a nervous smile. She took the phone in one hand, and reached out for his with the other.

"Hello? ...I'm doing better, the Compazine really helped. Thanks... Okay."

There was a long pause as her grip on his hand tightened. He carefully studied her face, but he couldn't tell what the news was.

"You're sure? ...Okay, I understand. Thank you... Yeah, that sounds fine. I'll see you Tuesday. Bye."

She hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. All of the color had drained from her face, but her grip on his hand remained strong. He waited, but she didn't say anything.

Cautiously, he said, "Susan?"

She finally raised her eyes to meet his. "It's benign," she whispered.

"What?" he asked in astonishment.

"It's benign," she repeated, almost as if she was still trying to convince herself. A smile slowly spread across her face. "I don't have cancer."

"You're sure?" he asked with a huge smile.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Just to double check, she ran the tests on sections from two separate parts of the tumor. Both came back negative. She said it was a fibroadenoma. I never even thought of that. It's a tumor, a solid mass that's non-cancerous."

"This is incredible," he whispered as he caressed her face.

"I know," she nodded. "I'm almost afraid to believe this is true. Right now, my heart's pounding and I can't stop smiling," she admitted.

"I love you," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, too," she said simply.

He picked her up and started to spin her around in circles. Her laughter filled the room. After a few moments, she said, "Mark, put me down!"

He did as she asked and as she tried to catch her breath, she said, "After that, I think I'm going to need more Compazine."

"How about a kiss?" he grinned.

"That could work, too," she replied with a smile as she caressed the back of his neck and pulled him closer.

He continued to hold her in his arms. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "What was that about seeing Emily on Tuesday?" he asked.

She smiled, "We're having lunch. She said she's got some really great stories about you in med school."

"Should I be worried?" he grinned.

"We'll see," she grinned back.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I guess I was expecting to spend the afternoon crying on your shoulder."

"I wouldn't have minded, but I'm glad we won't have to do that," he said softly.

"So am I," she smiled.

"Weren't you supposed to teach me how to rollerblade?" he asked with a grin.

"We'll get around to that eventually. But for now, I like having you one piece," she said with a laugh.

He laughed with her before saying, "Actually, I've got an idea."

"Okay, what is it?"

"How does a nice romantic dinner at Marcelli's tonight sound, followed by a walk along the lake?" he suggested.

She sighed, "That sounds perfect." She thought for a moment, "Could you give a ride back to Carol's? I'd like to go shopping this afternoon. I figure you could also use the break."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"Mark, we've spent practically every minute of the last two and a half days together. You have to be sick of me by now," she said with a good-natured smile.

"That'll never happen," he said, gently running his fingers through her hair. "But I can give you a ride back to Carol's, if you want."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I'll go get my things."

"And I'll call Marcelli's for reservations."

She went into the bedroom, but stuck her head back out a moment later. "Mind if I leave a few things here? You know, just in case I spend the night again." she asked with a grin.

He smiled at her for a moment. "I don't mind."

TO BE CONTINUED...

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