What Will It Take? Part VIII
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 What Will It Take? Part VII

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: As always, I'd like to thank Trigg for her input and assistance. Thank you!

PART VIII

Mark smiled as he watched Elizabeth sleeping the next morning. Her head rested on his shoulder, and he gently stroked her hair back from her face. When he'd arranged for them to go away for the weekend, all he'd really hope to do was help her relax and get away from everything for a few days. It had been much more successful than he'd ever imagined.

The truth was that he'd been terrified before he proposed Saturday night. He knew he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he never doubted that. What he'd been afraid of was that she wasn't ready, that it was too much too quickly. But all of those doubts had been erased when he saw the smile that lit up her face as she accepted.

Her eyes fluttered open a few moments later, and she smiled as she saw him. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking," he replied as he kissed her gently.

"About what?" she wondered.

"We were off for two days. We've got to go back to work today, but this is the first morning that we woke up together," he said with a smile.

She chuckled softly.

"Are you ready to go back to work?" he asked carefully.

"Not that I really have much choice, but I think so," she nodded. Seeing the concerned expression on his face, she grinned and assured him, "I'll be fine as long as I know I get to come home to my fiancé tonight."

"Are you going to tell anyone today?" he wondered.

She considered this. "I don't think so. I kind of like the idea of keeping this between us for a while. Do you mind?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "That's fine with me."

After a moment, she asked, "What time is it?"

He looked over his shoulder to check the clock. "Quarter 'til six," he replied.

With a small yawn, she commented, "We still have some time before we have to get ready. Want to try and get a little more sleep?"

"Sure," he nodded.

She snuggled a little closer to him and reached for his hand before drifting back off to sleep.

Carol was in the lounge when Mark and Elizabeth entered later that morning. Looking up, she said, "Hi, guys! How was your weekend?"

"Wonderful," Elizabeth replied without hesitation. Mark just smiled.

Carol looked them over carefully. Then, to Elizabeth, she grinned and said, "You and I are going to have to have a nice long talk later."

"Sure," Elizabeth laughed.

"So, what did you think of the news?" Carol asked.

"What news?" Mark asked with a confused expression.

"Oh, that's right," Carol realized. "You left early Friday afternoon, you probably haven't heard."

"Heard what?" Elizabeth wondered.

"The jury in Rolling's case came back," she explained. "They found him guilty on all counts, four counts of rape, three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. I think the sentencing hearing is sometime this week."

Elizabeth stood there in shock for a moment.

Mark carefully placed a hand on her back and asked, "Elizabeth, are you okay?"

She drew in a shaky breath, then looked at him and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I think I am. With everything else, I guess I'd just sort of forgotten about Rollins."

"Which isn't necessarily a bad thing," Mark pointed out.

She laughed softly, "Not at all."

"So what do you think will happen next?" Carol asked.

"I don't know," Elizabeth shrugged. "The ADA mentioned that they might want me to give a statement to the jury before sentencing."

"Are you going to do it?" Mark wondered.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

Lydia stuck her head in the door of the lounge. "Hey, guys. We've got an incoming MVA. Weaver wants to know if you can help out."

"Sure," Mark nodded, "we'll be right there."

"Hey," Mark called as he entered the apartment Wednesday night.

"Hi," she said as she looked up from the sofa. She was sitting with her feet propped up on the coffee table, the computer balanced on her lap.

"What are you up to?" he wondered as he sat his bag by the door.

"Watching 'Law & Order.' I'm hoping it will give me some inspiration for what I should say tomorrow," she said heavily.

"Any luck?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the sofa next to her.

She turned the computer so he could see the screen. The word processing program was open, but the page was blank. "What do you think?" she asked.

"You don't have to do this," he reminded her carefully. "You testified, and he was convicted. It's up to the jury to decide the sentence."

"I need to do this, for me," she said quietly.

"They're going for the death penalty, aren't they?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"How do you feel about that?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I had four chances to kill him myself, or at least four chances to let him die, and I couldn't do it."

He looked at her curiously.

"I could have let him bleed to death when I got to the accident scene. His heart stopped when we were in the OR the first time. He had that infection in his leg, that I convinced him to let us treat. Then, he said he'd tell me where he left Jenny Cordova's body if I'd kill him. I got the morphine, put about 100 cc's in a syringe and started to inject it. I gave him enough so he felt like he was starting to go under. He told me where the body was, and I stopped," she explained. "I had four chances to end his life, but I couldn't. Now, the State of Illinois wants to do it. And I'm not sure how I feel about that." She paused, and after a moment, asked, "What do you think?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly," she nodded.

"After what he's done to you, after what he's put you through, I think I'd be willing to give the injection myself," he said seriously.

She smiled faintly as she saw just how much he cared about her, and she knew he'd do anything he could to protect her. Her smile faded as she said, "I can't help thinking that if he gets out, he'll come back to finish what he started. I just want to know that he will never be able to hurt me, or anyone I care about, again."

"So what are you going to do?" he asked carefully.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Will you just hold me for awhile?"

"Of course," he said as he sat back on the sofa.

She closed the computer and leaned against him. "Have you had dinner?" she wondered.

"Yeah," he nodded as he wrapped his arm around her. "It slowed down a little after seven and I was able to get to the cafeteria and get a sandwich."

"You ate in the cafeteria?" she questioned. "I suppose I should be glad you made it home, that they didn't have to admit you."

He laughed. Gesturing towards the television, he said, "They're on a commercial, so why don't you bring me up to speed?"

"'Bring you up to speed?'" she groaned. "It sounds like we're back at work."

"Sorry," he said with a laugh.

"I'll forgive you this time," she smiled as they settled back to watch the show.

As the ten o'clock news came on half an hour later, he commented, "Quite the unexpected ending."

"Yeah," she nodded in agreement. Turning to look at him, she remarked, "You look tired."

"Long day," he replied.

"You should go to bed," she recommended.

"You coming?" he asked.

"Not right now. I think I'll stay up for a while and work on this," she said, gesturing towards the computer.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I just need a little time to think, organize my thoughts."

"Promise you'll wake me up if you want to talk," he said seriously.

"I promise," she assured him.

Mark turned over and hit the snooze button as the alarm went off the next morning. Elizabeth was sleeping so soundly, she didn't even wake up. Turning back to her, he brushed her hair back from her face and gently kissed her forehead. "Wake up," he whispered.

"Mmm? Mark?" she murmured as her eyes fluttered open.

"Yeah, it's me," he said softly. "What time did you finally get to sleep last night?"

"This morning," she corrected, "around two-thirty."

"You were up that late?" he questioned in a concerned tone.

"Yeah," she nodded, "but I finally came up with a statement for the jury."

"You're sure you want to do this?" he asked again.

She chuckled softly. "Yes, I'm sure." Sighing, she added, "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I want to end this thing once and for all. With any luck, after today, I'll never have to see Dean Rollins again."

"I just want to make sure you know I'm here for you," he said seriously.

"I know," she assured him. "You've been wonderful, ever since this whole thing started. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled as he kissed her tenderly.

"I could get used to waking up like this," she commented with a smile.

"Good," he said simply as he caressed her cheek, "because I plan to wake up like this every morning for the rest of our lives."

"I really like that idea," she whispered before initiating another kiss.

"Then I guess it's a good think you said yes," he teased.

"A very good thing," she confirmed. Sighing softly, she glanced over him to look at the clock. "We should really get ready. The hearing starts at nine, and the ADA asked that I get there at eight-thirty."

"Okay," he nodded. "Want me to fix breakfast while you take a shower?"

"Yeah, that's sounds great. Thanks," she smiled.

"No problem," he assured her.

As Elizabeth sat in the gallery of the courtroom, she folded her hands in her lap to stop then from shaking. Finally, the prosecutor stood up and began to introduce her to the jury. Mark reached over and picked up her hand, giving it a gentle, encouraging squeeze.

She looked to him and smiled. Sensing someone's eyes on her, she turned and found Rollins staring at them. She drew in a deep breath, refusing to be rattled. She reached for the sheets of paper containing her statement, stood up, smoothed her jacket and skirt, squared her shoulders then walked through the gates and stepped up to the podium facing the jury.

She drew in another deep breath as she made eye contact with each of the jurors. She'd lost count of the number of speeches and presentations she'd given over the years, but she had to admit that, at that moment, standing in that courtroom, she was nervous.

"I would like to begin today by expressing my appreciation for your verdict last Friday. Thank you. I also feel the need to confess that I don't envy your position at this moment. It will be up to you to decide the fate of Dean Rollins, a fate which could include death by lethal injection. As the only one of his victims who is still alive, I know that I'm here to offer my opinion as to what punishment should be imposed. I have given this a great deal of consideration, and the truth is, I don't know what I would do if I was in your position."

"As a doctor, I took an oath to save and protect lives. Does the character or the action of another person change that duty? As much as I may like to think so, I know it doesn't. But I'm not sure that is completely analogous to the situation here. My duty relates to a physician's obligation to treat a patient. I treated Dean Rollins while he was a patient in our hospital to the best of my abilities. A month and a half after he was released, he raped me in the hospital's parking garage. A week after that, he broke into my apartment and tried to kill me. Now, he's in the custody of the State, and as I understand the law, the State may put him to death for those actions."

"I honestly don't know what I feel would be best here. What I can tell you is that it's been over four months since he was in my apartment. I've lost count of the number of nights I've woken up in cold sweat after another nightmare, reliving what happened. I won't walk to my car alone anymore. I jump whenever I hear the slightest noise, or when the doorknob turns. I tell myself that I'm just overreacting, but sometimes I'm not sure."

"Out of all of this, I suppose what I really want is to know that Dean Rollins will never be able to hurt me again. I have no doubt that if I hadn't gotten away from him that day in my apartment, he would have killed me. There's also no doubt in my mind that if he ever gets out of prison, he will come back to finish what he started."

"It's been a long road, and I know that I'm no where near the end of it, but I feel like I am making progress, that I am moving on with my life. I want to get married, have a family and I want to know that they'll be safe. All I really want is to know that Dean Rollins will never be able to hurt me, or anyone I care about, again."

"I apologize if I haven't been able to give you the guidance you hoped for in making your decision today. I trust you will do the right thing. Thank you for this opportunity to speak, and I wish you luck in your deliberations."

She turned around and stared at Rollins with a look of disgust for a moment before returning to her seat.

As she sat down, Mark smiled as he reached for her hand. "You did great."

She offered a shaky smile as she gently squeezed his hand. They stayed in the courtroom for another half hour, until the judge called for a fifteen minute recess. They walked into the hallway, and she asked, "Ready to get out of here?"

"You don't want to stay for the rest of the hearing?" he questioned.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I did what I came here to do."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. Softly caressing her cheek, he said, "I've worked with you dozens of traumas, I've even seen you do a heart-lung bypass in the ER, but I don't think you've ever amazed me as much as you did today."

"All I did was give a speech," she said with an embarrassed smile.

"You stood up to Rollins. That took a lot of courage, and for what it's worth, I'm proud of you," he said seriously.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled. "Want to go get some lunch?"

"We just ate breakfast," she pointed out.

"Actually, I ate breakfast. You pushed your food around on the plate," he corrected with a grin.

"It's going to be easier to just shut up and let you feed me, than to argue, isn't it?" she laughed.

"Pretty much, yeah," he nodded.

She smiled. "Okay."

"What do you want to do after lunch?" he wondered.

"I was thinking about going in, working the rest of the day," she replied.

"You sure?" he questioned.

"Yes," she nodded firmly. "I moving on with my life. I'm ready to leave this behind me."

"Okay," he smiled.

That afternoon, Mark walked out of Exam Two. He stopped as he heard Elizabeth's voice coming from the television. Turning towards the desk, he sharply asked, "Jerry, what's on the TV in chairs?"

Jerry looked confused for a moment, then replied, "It's CourtTV's coverage of Rollins' trial."

"Turn it off. Now!" Mark said firmly.

"But everyone wants to see how it turns out," Jerry tried to argue.

"That bastard raped Elizabeth here at the hospital, then tried to kill her in her apartment. She relived that last week when she testified against him, and again today when she spoke to the jury. I REFUSE to put her through that again when she comes to the ER for a consult. If you want to know what happens, read the damn newspaper," he said curtly before going into the lounge.

"Jerry, just change the channel to one of the local networks," Kerry suggested. "They'll break in when the jury comes back with the sentence."

"Okay, Dr. Weaver," Jerry shrugged.

Kerry sighed then followed Mark into the lounge. He was standing at the window with his arms folded across his chest. Carefully, she said, "Mark, I know this hasn't been easy on you, or on Elizabeth, but don't you think you overreacted just a bit out there?"

He turned and stared at her in disbelief for a moment. "Kerry, you don't know a damn thing about what this has been like," he said bitterly. "You don't know what it's like when she wakes up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat because she had another nightmare where he was coming after her again. You haven't held her until she stopped trembling, knowing that was the ONLY thing you could do for her. You haven't seen her jump when you open the door to come into the apartment, or flinch when you put a hand on her shoulder. You have no idea what this has been like." He walked to the door, but before he left, he turned back to her and said, "So, DON'T tell me how I should be reacting."

An hour later, Elizabeth stepped onto the roof of the hospital. Walking closer to him, she commented, "Kerry said I might find you up here."

He turned to her and offered a weak smile. "Just needed to get away for a little while."

"Rough day?" she questioned.

Instead of answering, he asked a question of his own. "What else did Kerry tell you?"

"Are you asking if I know about your little blow-up earlier?" she wondered, trying to hide a smile.

"Which one?" he asked with a guilty laugh.

"Both," she grinned. Stepping even closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked in confusion.

"You didn't have to do that. If I'd seen it, I would have most likely brushed it off, but I'm glad I didn't have to see it," she said softly.

"How are you holding up?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I'll be glad when they come back with the sentence," she admitted. "I walk through the halls, and it's like I have the plague, or something. Everyone stops talking, and they just stare at me. I haven't been able to figure out what they're expecting me to do, maybe they're waiting for me to break down in tears or run and hide in my office."

"It'll all be over soon," he reminded her.

"I'm starting to wonder," she said wryly.

"Want to go out to dinner tonight?" he wondered.

"Someplace nice, quite, where it's just the two of us?" she questioned.

"I was also thinking dark and candlelit," he added with a smile.

"Perfect," she sighed softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you weren't very comfortable in the dark," he teased.

"I lied," she laughed. "You should know that by now."

It was his turn to laugh. "Yeah, you have been pretty inventive in the dark."

"You're not too bad yourself," she chuckled. "and if you show me a good time tonight, I just might get a little more inventive."

He laughed and shook his head as he checked it watch. "It's almost five-thirty now. What time do you want to leave?"

"I was thinking seven?" she suggested.

"Sure," he nodded. "I'll call for reservations when I get back to the ER."

"Okay," she agreed. "I don't know about you, but I really don't need to go home. I can just leave from here."

"Fine by me. I've still got my suit from this morning," he said.

"Sounds great," she smiled. "Want to come by my office when you're ready to leave?"

"Sure," he said as they started to walk towards the door leading into the hospital. "Okay if I walk you back there now?"

"Of course," she grinned.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked as he stepped up to their table.

Elizabeth looked over the menu one last time, then said, "I'd like the Shrimp and Scallop Scampi over Fettuccini, please."

"And you, sir?"

"I'd like the Stuffed Lobster Tail with Wild Rice," Mark replied as he closed his menu.

The waiter took both their menus and said, "We'll have that right out for you. Just let me know if there's anything you need."

"Thank you," Mark nodded as the waiter left.

"You're going to have to let me try that," Elizabeth commented.

"Really?" he questioned with a grin. "I thought I was going to have to share it with you."

"Keep that up, and you just might," she teased back before taking a sip of her wine. Sitting the glass down, she reached across the table and laced her fingers with his. Looking around the restaurant, she remarked, "Nice, quiet, dark, candlelit, just the two of us. Not bad."

"Just what you asked for," he smiled. After a moment, he commented, "You're wearing the ring."

"Yeah," she smiled softly. "Want to set a date?"

"If you're ready," he nodded.

"I figure I'd better lock you in, so you don't have a chance to back out," she joked.

"That'll never happen," he said seriously.

"I know," she smiled.

"Do you have any time in mind?" he wondered.

"I was thinking in the spring," she suggested, "maybe April?"

"That sounds good," he agreed.

She thought for a moment, then a huge smile spread across her face. "Do you remember what we did last April?"

He looked confused, then asked, "What?"

"The Trauma Physicians' Conference," she grinned.

"Our first date," he remarked with a laugh.

"Yeah," she nodded. "That was on a Wednesday last year, right?"

He thought back. "I think so. Why?"

"Since this year was a leap year, it was on Friday; so next year, it'll be on a Saturday," she explained.

He smiled. "So, all we need to do is find out the exact date, then we're set."

"That was easy enough."

He laughed, then said, "Let's just hope the wedding goes as smoothly."

"As long as you're with me," she smiled. After a moment, she asked, "Do you remember what we talked about Friday night?"

"We talked about a lot Friday night," he commented.

She laughed. "I meant moving in together."

"I still think we should," he said.

"So do I," she nodded, "I was just wondering if maybe we should look into a house, now that we're getting married."

"Any particular reason," he asked with a grin.

She smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Well, Rachel could have her own room, and if we have children of our own..."

"I think that's a great idea," he agreed with a smile. "You're not working on Sunday, are you?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Why?"

"Breakfast in bed, followed up by pouring over the classifieds?" he suggested.

"That sounds wonderful," she smiled.

He watched her, a small smile on his face.

"What?" she questioned.

"The sparkle in your eyes, the way your face lights up when you speak. That was missing for a while," he said softly. "I'm glad it's back."

"Me, too," she whispered. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I'll always be here."

TO BE CONTINUED...

As always, thank you for reading. I'd love to know what you think. Please e-mail me at SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

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