Christmas In London, Part X - February 14
By: Lori (SixteenOzs)

DISCLAIMER: "ER," the characters and situations depicted within are the property of Warner Bros. 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 making no profit.

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

Feedback is welcome. Please send all questions, comments or criticisms to SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Follows Christmas In London, Part IX.

RATING: PG-13

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trigg for ALL of her help with information on London. I could NOT have done this without her. Thank you so much for putting up with my endless barrage of questions! I would also like to thank Jen for constantly giving me feedback on the scenes as I write them. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH!

PART X - Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Elizabeth stepped off the elevator and walked through the ER. Not seeing the familiar form of her fiancé, she approached the admit desk. "Randi, have you seen Mark?"

"Maybe he's in the lounge," the desk clerk shrugged absently as she popped her chewing gum.

"Thanks," Elizabeth replied as she crossed the hall and pushed open the door to the lounge. Seeing Mark standing at his locker, his back to the door, she quietly crept up behind him, slipped her arms around his waist and softly said, "Hi."

He turned around to face her. "Hi," he said as he kissed her gently. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was almost one o'clock. "Ready for lunch?"

"Actually, I came down to cancel," she said apologetically. "I have to assist Romano on a triple-A in about twenty minutes."

"Want me to wait until you're done?" he wondered.

"That's okay," she said, shaking her head. "It may be a couple hours."

"So, you're standing me up for Romano," he teased. "Should I be worried?"

"Never!" she assured him with a laugh. Smiling softly, she said, "But I am looking forward to tonight."

"So am I," he smiled. After a moment, he added, "But there's been a slight change of plans."

She stepped back from him and gave him a suspicious stare. "What?"

"I talked to your father this morning," he said.

Her brow creased. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he smiled. "He was actually calling from somewhere over the Atlantic. He tried to reach you upstairs first, but you were in surgery, so he asked to be transferred down here. He's attending a conference in San Francisco on Friday, but decided to stop here tonight."

"He's going to be here, in Chicago?" she questioned with a huge smile.

"Yeah," he nodded.

Her expression suddenly fell. "But we've already got plans for the ballet tonight."

"That's taken care of," he said with a grin.

"Mark?" she questioned skeptically. "What are you up to?"

"We're still going to dinner and the ballet, your parents are just joining us," he explained.

She stared at him for a moment. "My parents? Are you insane?"

He considered this for a moment, then grinned, "Possibly."

"How did this happen?" she lamented.

"Your mother is here lecturing, and she already decided to come with us. And since your father is only here tonight, I knew you'd want to spend some time with him, too," he answered simply.

"Once, just once, I'd like to be able to spend Valentine's Day with you, and you alone," she said with a sigh.

"There's always next year," he smiled.

"First, I just need to make sure Mother will not be in Chicago on February fourteenth," she said with a slight smile.

"Look on the bright side," he suggested.

She stared at him. "What bright side?"

He grinned mischievously. "If last year's any indication, the worst that will happen is that your parents will end up in bed together."

"Mark! Please!" she exclaimed. "There are some things that I do NOT want to think about!"

He just laughed as she shot a frosty glare in his direction. "I need to get upstairs and scrub for surgery," she said curtly.

"Don't forget, we're all meeting here at six-twenty. Dinner reservations are at seven," he reminded her with a chuckle as she left the lounge.

Carter entered the lounge a moment later. "Everything okay?" he wondered. "Dr. Corday didn't look too happy just now."

Mark laughed. "She just doesn't appreciate my sense of humor."

Carter smiled as he crossed the room to his locker.

Mark removed his coat then closed his locker. "Have you had lunch yet?" he wondered.

"No," Carter shook his head. "I was getting ready to go now."

"I'm heading over to Doc's. Want to join me?" Mark offered.

"Sure," Carter nodded as he picked up his coat.

Ten minutes later they were sitting a table in the crowded diner, waiting for their orders to arrive. Mark took a sip of his coffee, then commented, "Ugh! I didn't think it was possible, but the coffee here is actually getting worse."

Carter laughed. "At least the food's as good as always."

"Yeah," Mark scoffed. "So, how's your day going?"

"Fine, just fine," Carter replied curtly.

"Carter, relax!" Mark said, holding up his hands. "I was just asking how your day was going. Good in that you've managed to see some patients and send them on the way and you've picked up on something that you would have missed on any other day. Or, bad in that you've had to fight with the other departments to get each of your patients admitted and you've been puked on by half a dozen kids who decided to start OD'ing on candy early."

Carter gave an apologetic look. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little on edge today."

"That's fine," Mark assured him. "Don't worry about it."

"I guess I'm doing okay," Carter shrugged. "I'll just be glad when this day is over."

The waitress set their orders on the table a moment later.

Carter stared at his food, but didn't take a bite. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Mark nodded as he poured some ketchup on his French fries.

"Do you still think about what happened to you in the men's room?" he asked hesitantly.

Mark smiled slightly. "Not as much as I did at first. For the first year or so, I probably thought about it almost every day. Now, it might be weeks before something triggers that memory."

"So, that means it will get easier?" Carter asked wryly.

"Yeah, it will," Mark nodded.

"Do you ever worry about something like that happening again?" Carter wondered.

"Yeah, sometimes," Mark said quietly. "But now, I don't worry so much about what could happen to me. I worry about what could happen to Elizabeth."

"I hadn't thought about that," Carter commented as he finally started to eat. "That must be pretty hard."

"I love working with her. She's one of most talented doctors I've ever seen. I came to terms with the risks involved with working in the ER, but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."

"You really love her, don't you?" Carter questioned.

"Yeah, I do," Mark nodded with a smile. He laughed. "I'm even looking forward to going to the ballet tonight with her parents."

"That is bad," Carter laughed.

"You know the wedding's June tenth, right?" Mark wondered.

"Yeah," Carter nodded.

"Elizabeth and I were talking, and I wanted to ask if you'd be in the wedding party," Mark explained.

Carter stared at him for a moment in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "I asked Doug to be my best man, but I'd like it if you'd be a groomsman. Carol's going to be Elizabeth's maid of honor, and Rachel's going to be a bridesmaid."

"I'm honored you'd ask," Carter said quietly. "I'd love to be in the wedding party."

"Great," Mark smiled.

"So, Boss, what'd you do to end up in the doghouse?" Dave Malucci asked as he entered the lounge that evening.

"What are you talking about?" Mark questioned as he pulled on his tuxedo jacket.

"You did something to end up in the doghouse, and the penguin suit is the only way out, right?" Malucci concluded.

Mark had to laugh. As he adjusted his tie, he explained, "Actually, we're going to the ballet with Elizabeth's parents. And I'm looking forward to it."

"Ohh, the in-laws, too?" Malucci questioned. "You must have really screwed up."

Realizing that getting his tie straight was hopeless, he gave up. He knew Elizabeth would fix it anyway. Turning to the younger doctor, he asked, "Malucci, have you ever wondered why you end up spending most of your nights alone, yet I'm going home tonight with my fiancée?"

"Because she's got you whipped, Boss," Malucci concluded.

Mark laughed. Too bad Elizabeth hadn't been around to hear that one. "There's nothing wrong with doing something she enjoys, if it means I to spend an evening with the woman I love."

"Just keep telling yourself that," Malucci said with a laugh as he searched through the refrigerator.

Elizabeth smiled slightly as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Not bad, Corday," she said to herself. "Not bad at all."

Glancing at the clock on the wall of the women's locker room, she was a bit surprised to see that it was only a few minutes after six o'clock. She'd just gotten out of surgery about thirty minutes ago, and had been worried that she wouldn't have enough time to get ready for the ballet. But as it turned out, she was even able to take a quick shower.

She smoothed her hands over her hair, which she was wearing up and off her neck, then carefully pulled down a few tendrils so they gently framed her face. She stepped over to her locker, and carefully withdrew two velvet boxes. From the first, she removed the gold and diamond knot earrings her father had given her for Christmas. She then pulled on the long white gloves that came up over her elbows. From the second box, she took the diamond bangle she received from Mark and carefully slid it over her gloved right wrist.

She gave her reflection one last look, and she liked what she saw. The black dress, with a deep "V" in the back, accentuated her figure perfectly.

Chuckling softly as she closed the locker and picked up her evening bag, she thought, "This should knock his socks off."

She left the locker room and walked to the surgical nurses' station. "Shirley, is there anything else you need from me tonight?"

"No, Dr. Corday, I think everything's taken care of," Shirley replied as she looked up. "Wow! You look great."

"Thank you," Elizabeth smiled.

"Hot date tonight?" Romano asked sarcastically as he walked up to the desk.

Elizabeth grinned. "As a matter of fact, I have a VERY hot date tonight with my fiancé. And before you say anything, Robert, Peter has agreed to cover for me, so he's on-call for the evening."

"How quaint," Romano commented. "You've got the ex-boyfriend covering so you can go out with the current one."

Elizabeth clenched her jaw and drew in a deep breath. "Peter and I are friends. Anything more than that ended over two years ago. We've both moved on. I suggest you do the same." Turning back to Shirley, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, she walked towards the elevator and didn't look back.

She stepped off the elevator and into the ER a few moments later. She smiled inwardly as she felt the admiring stares of the staff on her, but there was only one person's reaction that she wanted to see.

Mark stood on the outside of the admit desk, his back to the ambulance bay, as he made a few final notations then signed off on his charts for the day.

Kerry came out of Curtain Three and approached him. "Getting ready to leave?" she wondered.

"Yeah," Mark nodded as he looked up from the charts. "Everything's been taken care of, except for the drunk and disorderly in Curtain One and waiting on CCU for the possible MI in Exam Two."

"Did you run the board with Kovac?" she questioned.

"Yeah, and we did power rounds with Malucci and Chen," he replied absently as he looked over Kerry's shoulder.

Turning to see what he was looking at, Kerry smiled as she saw Elizabeth coming down the hall.

"Wow!" Mark whispered as Elizabeth approached them. She was beautiful, and she'd agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. It simply took his breath away. "You look absolutely amazing."

"Thank you," she grinned, as she got the exact reaction she'd been expecting from him. "You're not looking too bad yourself."

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"You both look great," Kerry said with a smile. "Have a good time tonight."

"Thanks," Elizabeth smiled.

"You're on-call, right?" Mark asked

"Yeah," Kerry- nodded. "And you're covering for me Friday and Saturday?"

"Sure," he replied. "Thanks, Kerry."

"No problem. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight," she said before turning to walk away.

"'Night," Mark called after her.

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, a slight smile on her face. Finally, she said, "Your tie is crooked."

"I know," he nodded, "but that's what I've got you for."

"Is that all you want me for?" she grinned as she started to adjust his tie.

"You know it's not," he said softly.

After a few moments, she announced, "There, much better."

"Thank you," he said as he kissed her gently.

"You're welcome," she smiled.

Dave Malucci whistled as he walked passed them. "Looking good, Dr. Corday."

"Watch it, Malucci!" Mark and Elizabeth replied simultaneously.

"Geeze, Boss!" Malucci exclaimed. "I was just trying to pay the lady a compliment."

"Dave, you don't even understand why I'm looking forward to tonight," Mark reminded him.

"Well, have a good time," Dave shrugged.

"Thanks," Elizabeth chuckled. Turning to Mark, she wondered, "What was that about?"

"Dave said I was only going tonight because you had me whipped," he explained with a chuckle.

"Hmm…" she grinned. "Interesting idea, but I'm not really into that sort of thing."

"Very funny," he laughed.

"Any word from my parents?" she wondered as her smile faded.

"No," he shook his head, "but they should be here shortly."

She drew in a heavy breath.

Without saying a word, he gently reached out and ran his hand over the silky skin of her back, which was exposed by the dress she was wearing. "It's going to be okay," he reminded her. "I'll be right there with you. Besides, we're going to the ballet. They'll have to be quiet during the performance."

She looked at him, smiled slightly, then shook her head. "How do you do that?"

"What?" he questioned.

"Know exactly what I need to hear?" she wondered.

"Because I know you," he answered softly.

She just smiled.

"You're beautiful," he commented after a moment.

"You're biased."

"Your point?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm not really sure I had one," she chuckled as she slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer until their lips met.

He continued to hold her near as the kiss ended. "Happy Valentine's Day," he whispered.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered back.

"Charles, why in the world did you bring an umbrella tonight?" a distinctly British voice said from the direction of the ambulance bay doors. "There's absolutely no sign of rain."

"Isabelle, what exactly is wrong with being prepared?"

Elizabeth sighed and rested her cheek against Mark's jacket. "Please tell me that is some other British couple named Charles and Isabelle."

He gently massaged her back. "Afraid not."

She drew in a deep breath as she raised her head and looked at him.

"I know," he nodded. "If this is a disaster, it's all my fault."

She smiled in spite of herself. "Exactly."

"Charles, Isabelle, hello," Mark said as they turned to face her parents.

"Hello," Isabelle smiled.

"Good evening," Charles replied, kissing his daughter on the cheek. "How are you? You look wonderful."

"Hi, Daddy," Elizabeth smiled. "We're fine. How are you? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to stop here in Chicago until late last night, so I thought I'd just surprise you," he replied.

"Well, I'm very happy you're here," she said softly.

"So am I," Charles smiled. Looking around, he said, "So, this is what your American emergency room looks like? I don't think I saw this the last time I was here in Chicago."

"Charles, don't you ever think of anything other than your work?" Isabelle wondered with a sigh.

"You're one to talk," he retorted.

Mark glanced at his watch. "We've got a few minutes before we need to leave for the restaurant. Charles, how would you like a quick tour?"

"That would be great," Charles smiled. Turning to glare at his former wife, he sneered, "Care to join us, Isabelle?"

"I think I'll pass," she replied snidely.

Elizabeth watched Mark walk around the corner, showing her father the admit desk, before she turned to her mother. "PLEASE, at least TRY to be civil to Daddy tonight. For me," she implored.

"Elizabeth, I'm always civil," Isabelle reminded her daughter.

Elizabeth regarded her mother warily. Glancing down the hall, she saw Romano approaching them, dressed in a tuxedo and carrying his coat over his arm. "Great," she muttered. "This evening just keeps getting better and better."

"What are you talking about?" Isabelle questioned.

Elizabeth nodded in Romano's direction, "That's Robert Romano, our Chief of Staff and perpetual thorn in my side."

"He's the pompous little man I met last year with the dog, the one who thought I should spend my time here shopping, isn't he?" Isabelle inquired.

"Yes, that's him," Elizabeth confirmed.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Romano asked as he approached them. "You ladies look lovely this evening. Where are you off to?"

"We're about to leave for dinner and the ballet," Isabelle replied.

"I do hope you're not going alone." Turning to Elizabeth, he wondered, "Greene didn't get tied up in the ER, now, did he?"

"Actually, Mark was just giving Charles a quick tour of the emergency department before we left," Isabelle explained.

"Daddy gave Mark a tour of the Accident and Emergency department at his hospital while we were in London over Christmas," Elizabeth added. "Actually, Daddy spent an entire day showing Mark around his offices and the hospital while I visited mother. Mark just wanted to return the favor."

Romano was taken aback for a moment. He knew Elizabeth's father had a strong dislike for him. "Lizzie, I didn't know your father was here in Chicago."

"I didn't know either until this afternoon. Daddy spoke with Mark this morning, and Mark was able to make arrangements for all of us to spend the evening together," Elizabeth explained with a smile, satisfied at knowing she'd taken Romano by surprise.

"Well, I must be going. Hope to see you at the ballet later this evening," Romano said as he started to put on his coat.

"You're going to the ballet?" Elizabeth choked out.

"'Lilac Garden?'" he questioned. "Of course. I promised I'd take Mother for Valentine's Day. She just loves the show."

"Then perhaps we will see you there," Isabelle nodded.

"Until then," Romano said as he turned and walked out the ambulance bay doors.

"Elizabeth, don't slouch," Isabelle chided.

Elizabeth clenched her jaw as she glanced at her mother. Looking around the ER, she wondered where Mark was, because he was definitely going to owe her for this evening.

Mark slipped his arm around Elizabeth's waist as they stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to their apartment. After unlocking the door, he held it open for her.

"I have a question for you," she commented.

"What's that?" he wondered as he took off his coat.

"Next year, we'll be in the house for Valentine's Day, right?" she questioned while hanging her coat next to his.

He looked at her curiously for a moment, trying to figure out where she was going, then he finally said, "Since we're closing at the end of this month, I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption."

"Good," she said softly as she stepped closer to him and slipped her arms around his waist.

"Do you have something planned?" he questioned, gently brushing a lock of hair back from her face.

"Yeah," she whispered. "We pick up dinner, go home, lock all the doors, unplug the phone, turn off the pagers, spread a blanket in front of the fireplace and light a few candles. Then, after dinner, we could make use of that huge tub in the master bathroom."

"Mmm," he grinned, "I like that idea."

She chuckled. "I thought you might."

"But tonight wasn't that bad, was it?" he wondered.

She regarded him warily for a moment. "Only if you don't count my parents bickering throughout dinner and Romano at the ballet."

"Your parents weren't bickering," he pointed out, "they just didn't agree on much."

"That's definitely looking at the glass as half-full," she laughed.

"As for Romano, we only had to see him at intermission and after the show. He even seemed to be on his best behavior. Somehow, I got the impression he was afraid of your father," he commented.

"I think he is," she agreed with a laugh. "I can also tell that he just hates the fact that Daddy adores you."

"How do you know that?" he asked curiously.

"Just from his reaction when I told him Daddy gave you a tour of the hospital while we were in London, and you were returning the favor tonight with a tour of the ER," she explained.

He laughed. "So, Romano's jealous, huh?"

"Romano's been jealous of you ever since we started dating," she pointed out.

"Guess that means it'll get even worse after the wedding," he suggested.

"Most likely," she agreed. She sighed a moment later.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"I just keep thinking my parents are going to cause this huge scene and ruin the entire wedding," she admitted.

He gently caressed her cheek. "First, your parents know how much this means to you. They also know how much it would hurt you if they caused a scene. Second, this day is for us. The only thing that matters is that everyone knows how much I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Nothing and no one can ruin that," he assured her.

She looked at him for a moment. "I hope you're right."

"I am," he promised as he lightly kissed the top of her head. "Have I mentioned just how incredibly wonderful you look tonight?"

She smiled softly. "I think you may have mentioned that once or twice."

"Well, you are," he confirmed.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You're looking pretty good yourself. You're not on until ten tomorrow, right?" she wondered.

"Right," he nodded, "and you're meeting your father for breakfast, then taking him to the airport by noon."

She nodded. "You know what that means, don't you?" she wondered with a mischievous smile.

"What?" he questioned curiously.

"We have the entire night ahead of us," she concluded with a grin.

"And I'm guessing you have a few ideas in mind as to how we could pass the time?" he grinned.

"Possibly," she replied coyly.

"Care to let me in on what you're thinking?" he wondered.

"Well, I think it would be best if I showed you," she said seductively as she took his hand in hers and began walking backwards, leading him towards the bedroom.

THE END

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think: SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com LLP

October 16, 2000

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