What Will It Take? Part IX
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 VIII

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

PART IX

Carol carefully stepped into the lounge the next morning. "Mark?" she said quietly.

"Yeah?" he said as he turned around from the desk where he was reviewing charts.

She hesitated. "Rollins' jury is back. They're going to announce the sentence in about five minutes. It's all over the TV."

He sighed. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Sure," she nodded before she left.

He reached for the phone on the desk and dialed the familiar extension.

"Elizabeth Corday."

"Hey, it' me."

"What's up?" she wondered.

"The jury's back. They're announcing the sentence in a few minutes," he explained.

"Are they going to have it on in chairs in the ER?" she asked.

"I think so," he nodded.

She debated with herself for a few moments, then finally said, "Okay. I'll be down in a minute."

"I'll be here," he assured her.

He met her as she stepped off the elevator. In a concerned tone, he asked, "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah," she nodded as he gently placed his arm across her lower back and they started walking towards the waiting area.

"What's going on?" Mark asked Carol.

"The jury's just coming back into the courtroom," Carol answered.

Elizabeth moved so that she was standing in front of Mark, leaning back slightly against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her hand held her close. They watched the court proceedings unfold on the television screen.

"Have you reached a unanimous sentence for the defendant in this matter?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor, we have," the jury forewoman answered.

"Will the defendant please rise?" the judge said.

Mark could feel Elizabeth tense as the camera switched to a shot of Rollins and his attorney.

"And will the jury please read its sentence," the judge added.

The forewoman took a deep breath, then said, "We sentence the defendant to death by lethal injection."

Elizabeth didn't hear anything after that. She couldn't describe what she felt at that moment. It was a strange mixture of shock and relief. If Mark's arms hadn't been securely around her, she wasn't sure she would have been able to stand on her own.

Gently rubbing her upper arm, he quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

She turned around to face him. She drew in a deep breath and offered a shaky smile. "Yeah, I think I am."

"He will never be able to hurt you again," he assured her softly.

"I know," she nodded as she slipped her arms around him, pulled him closer and rested her head on his shoulder. "Just hold me," she whispered.

"Always," he promised.

"It's over," she said, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that it was true. "I mean, I know I'll still be dealing with it, but at least this part is over."

"You're going to make it," he said with a smile.

"We're going to make it," she corrected with a grin.

The crowd slowly started to break up. Carol turned to them an quietly asked, "Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?" Elizabeth said, as she took a small step back from Mark.

"Are you okay?" Carol wondered.

Elizabeth laughed. "Someone else has only been asking me that every ten minutes, but yeah, I'm good."

"Hey!" Mark said in his defense. "I just worry about you."

"I know," she smiled as she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"You look relieved," Carol commented with a smile.

Elizabeth considered this for a moment, then admitted, "Yeah. Now, I know I can move on with my life and not have to worry about him coming back."

"I'm really happy for you," Carol said sincerely.

"Thank you," Elizabeth smiled.

"I've, um, got to get back to a patient, but I'll see you later?" Carol asked.

"Sure," Elizabeth nodded. She glanced at her watch, then looked up at Mark. "It's almost twelve-thirty. Think they could manage without you long enough for us to sneak away and get lunch?"

"I think so," he nodded with a grin. "Just let me tell the desk I'm leaving."

"Okay," she smiled.

They were walking out through the ambulance bay five minutes later.

"Want to go to Doc's?" he wondered.

"I was thinking we could just grab a sandwich and go down by the water," she suggested.

"Sure," he nodded as he slipped his arm around her lower back, "that sounds nice."

A short while later, they sat down at a picnic table and began unwrapping their sandwiches. After a moment, she remarked, "I saw Dr. Garcia this morning."

"So that's why you were gone before I woke up," he commented with a grin.

She smiled guiltily, "Sorry. I was supposed to see her Tuesday, but I got stuck with a gastric bypass. I called yesterday, and she said she could fit me in before her first patient this morning. I just forgot to mention it."

"That's okay," he assured her. "How'd it go?"

"Pretty well," she said with a smile as she took a sip of her drink. "I told her about last weekend, the trial, everything that's been going on."

"Our engagement?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she nodded. Somewhat sheepishly, she said, "Nothing I've ever done felt as right as saying yes when you asked me to marry you, but I guess there was a little part of me wanted to hear someone else say that I was doing the right thing."

"That's okay," he nodded understandingly. "What did she say?"

She laughed. "Well, I've discovered that psychiatrists never answer questions, they just ask ones of their own. So, she asked me how I felt about getting engaged."

"And what did you say?" he wondered with a smile.

"I said it felt right. It feels right because I know you love me, you couldn't have stayed with me through all of this if you didn't. There's no way I could have gotten through the last few months without you, so I am convinced that we can face anything as long as we're together. I want to marry you, Mark," she said softly.

"And I want to marry you," he smiled.

"Are you ready to tell everyone?" she asked.

"If you are," he nodded.

"I was thinking that maybe we could invite everyone over to Doc's tonight, and announce it then," she suggested.

"That sounds great," he agreed with a smile.

She laughed. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," he nodded.

"I love you," she smiled.

"I love you, too."

"Looks like everyone's having a good time," Mark commented as he and Elizabeth leaned against the bar at Doc Magoo's while they waited for their drinks.

"Yeah, it does," she smiled.

"We could have had our engagement party somewhere nicer," he suggested.

She looked around, then shook her head. "No, this is fine. All of our friends are here. Besides, between this and the hospital, we spend most of our time here, anyway."

"You're happy?" he questioned.

"Yes," she smiled.

"Then that's all I need to know," he said simply.

"You know that after we announce this, it's going to be a lot harder for you to back out, right?" she teased with a grin.

"That's the last thing I'd want to do," he said seriously.

"I know," she nodded with a smile. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yes," he smiled. "Do you want to make the announcement?"

"Yeah," she grinned.

Mark stood up and loudly said, "Everyone, can I have your attention please?" He waited for everyone to quiet down. "Elizabeth has something she like to say."

Elizabeth stood up next to him and reached for his hand. "Well, you're all probably wondering why we invited you here tonight. I suppose the simplest answer is that I have a lot to be happy about right now, and I want to share that with you. I'd be lying if I said the last few months had been easy, but with Rollins' conviction and sentence this week, I feel like I'm finally ready to close that chapter and move on with my life. You all have been great, and I appreciate it more than you will probably every know. Thank you."

Mark couldn't help but smile as he watched her. He could still remember giving a similar speech of his own not too long ago. He was proud of her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, turned to Mark and smiled, then turned back to everyone else. "But expressing my appreciation isn't the only reason we asked you here tonight. We'd also like to ask you to keep April 28 open next year, because Mark and I are getting married."

A shocked silence fell over the room for a few moments, then everyone seemed to be talking at once. Carol was one of the first to come up and congratulate Mark and Elizabeth.

After giving each of them a hug, she asked, "When did all of this happen?"

"Last Saturday," Elizabeth explained, "while we were in Michigan."

"You didn't tell me about that part!" Carol chastised.

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm sorry. It's just that we didn't want anyone to know right away. Could I make it up to you by asking you to be my maid of honor?"

"Maybe," Carol replied, trying to hide a grin.

"Would you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course!" Carol assured her as they shared another hug. "Now, you have to come over here and tell us all about the proposal."

"Okay," Elizabeth laughed. Before Carol dragged her off to a table were Haleh, Lydia, Kerry, Lucy, Abby, Cleo, Jing-Mei and several of the other female staff members were gathered, Elizabeth turned back to Mark. "I'll be back."

"I'm holding you to that," he grinned. He smiled as he watched her. She really seemed to be enjoying herself. He reached for his drink and took a sip.

Carter came up to him, extended his right hand and said, "Congratulations, Dr. Greene."

"Thank you," Mark said as they shook hands. "And Carter, you've been here six years, you're now Chief Resident and we're not in the hospital. Call me Mark."

"Okay," Carter laughed. After a moment, he commented, "You look happy."

"I am," Mark nodded with a smile. His gaze drifted back to Elizabeth as he said, "We both are."

"You deserve this," Carter assured him.

"Thanks," Mark replied.

"Well, I suppose I should congratulate you," Robert Romano said as he walked up to Mark and Carter.

Mark folded his arms across his chest and stared at Romano for a moment. "That is what would be generally accepted," he commented.

"It's just that I'm not sure I could agree to marry a woman, knowing she did it with another man while we were together," he said maliciously.

Mark clinched his hand into a fist by his side. His immediate desire was to throw a punch. He stopped himself, knowing that hitting the Chief of Staff wouldn't exactly help his career. But most importantly, he didn't want to ruin this night for Elizabeth. He turned to look in her direction, and was a little surprised to find her watching him, a questioning look in her eyes. He gave her a tight, reassuring smile.

Turning back to Romano, he dryly said, "If that's really what you believe, then I'm not surprised that you're going home ALONE tonight. This party is for Elizabeth and me, for our friends and for everything that it's taken for us to get here. If you can't be happy for us, then I think it would be best if you left."

"Fine," Romano huffed as he turned and walked out the door.

"What's his problem?" Carter wondered.

"He's breathing," Mark replied.

Elizabeth was still watching Mark. The concerned look remained on her face as she watched Romano storm out. She momentarily considered going over to Mark to see what was wrong.

"So, what happened after dinner?" Carol prompted Elizabeth with a grin.

Elizabeth turned her attention back to the table and smiled. "We were still sitting at the table, we'd just finished dessert, and I commented on how wonderful dinner was. He told me that wasn't the only surprise he had, then he got up, walked over to me and bent down on one knee. He took the ring out of his pocket, told me that he loved me and he wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together, then he asked me to marry him."

"I was shocked," she admitted. "It was the last thing I was expecting. I told him that I loved him, but with everything that had happened, I wasn't sure it was the best time. He told me he wasn't saying that we should get married right away. He just wanted me to know that he loved me, that he would always be here for me and that he was determined that he would marry me one day." She laughed softly. "I asked him how I could say no after a speech like that. He asked if that was a yes, and I told him it was."

She laughed at herself. "I can't stop smiling right now. Anyway, after I said yes, he turned on the stereo and we danced on the patio until he said he had another surprise for me. I told him it would be pretty hard to top his last one. We stretched out on one of the chaises, and a few minutes later, the fireworks started. He'd arranged a fireworks show, just for me! After the fireworks ended, we just stayed there in each other's arms. We saw a shooting star, and we both made a wish. It was the best night of my life." She couldn't help but blush slightly as she remembered just how wonderful the rest of that night had been.

"Well, you certainly look happy," Lydia grinned.

"I am," Elizabeth confirmed. "He's absolutely wonderful. I know I couldn't have gotten through this without him."

"You had no idea that he was going to propose?" Jing-Mei asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I really had no idea what to expect for the weekend. I thought it was just going to be a chance for us to get away from everything here and relax."

Haleh reached for Elizabeth's left hand, whistled softly, then asked, "Did he pick this out himself?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth nodded with a grin. "On the way back Sunday, he told me that the only people who knew he was going to ask were the jeweler and Rachel. He wanted to make sure she was okay with the idea first."

"And 'the demon child' didn't have a problem with it?" Carol grinned.

"Carol!" Elizabeth admonished.

"What?" Carol countered. "I remember when you came up to see me and the girls on Thanksgiving night. You couldn't believe how much of a terror she was."

"And now you're going to be her step-mother," Lydia laughed.

Elizabeth's face turned crimson as she said, "Thanks for all of your support."

"You'll be fine," Carol assured her. "You've got Mark."

"Yeah," Elizabeth smiled. Standing up, she said, "Speaking of whom, I need to speak to him for a moment. I'll be right back."

"Man, they do have it bad," Haleh laughed. "They're not even married yet and they're already inseparable."

Elizabeth just grinned before she turned and walked over to Mark. Walking up behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Hey," she said softly.

Without turning to look at her, he grinned and said, "You'd better be careful. I'm not sure my fiancée would be too happy to find us like this."

She chuckled. "She wouldn't, huh?"

"I don't think so," he said as he turned and kissed her on the cheek.

"Carter, are you keeping him out of trouble?" she wondered.

Carter laughed. "Considering he's my boss, I think I'm going to stay out of this one."

Mark and Elizabeth both laughed. More seriously, she asked, "What was going on with Romano?"

"It was nothing," he shrugged. "Romano was just being Romano."

She knew he wasn't telling her the whole story. "Mark?"

"It was nothing," he repeated.

She didn't want to create a scene there, but she made a mental note not to let this go so easily.

He sensed her reluctance to accept his explanation. Recognizing the song that just started on the jukebox, he smiled and asked, "May I have this dance?"

She tried to hide a grin. "Like I said, you can have every dance."

He led her to the center of the room and wrapped his arms around her as they started to sway slowly in time to the music.

"It must be something pretty bad, if you'd rather come out here and dance in front of everyone you work with, instead of telling me what happened with Romano," she remarked as she caught his gaze and refused to let go.

He sighed quietly. She knew him entirely too well. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"We'll see," she said as she held his stare a few moments longer, then pulled him closer and rested her chin on his shoulder.

Mark was in bed reading later that night, when Elizabeth came into the room wearing one of his dress shirts. Looking up at her, he grinned, "Very nice."

"You like?" she questioned as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded as he closed his book and placed it on the nightstand.

She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. After the kiss ended, she looked him in the eye, then asked, "So, what was going on with Romano tonight, while we were at Doc's?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You're cruel."

She chuckled. Seriously, she said, "Mark, I want an answer."

"Can't you just let this go?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I know you were upset when you were talking to him tonight, and unless you were discussing Weaver's latest policy change in the ER, I'm pretty sure I was the topic of conversation. I have to work for him. That's a lot easier if know what he's up to."

"I still hate the fact that you have to work with him," he grumbled.

"That's not the point here," she reminded him. When he didn't say anything, she prompted, "Come on, Mark. What happened?"

He sighed heavily. "Elizabeth, please, let this go. You don't need to worry about it."

"You're obviously worried about it," she pointed out.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" he questioned.

"No," she shook her head. "What happened, Mark?"

He sighed again. Knowing she wasn't about to give this up, he reluctantly began to explain. "Carter and I were talking, and Romano came over. He said he supposed he should congratulate us on our engagement. I told him that's what would generally be accepted." He hesitated a moment. "Then, he said he wasn't sure he 'could agree to marry a woman, knowing she did it with another man' while they were together."

He saw her jaw clinch as she drew in a sharp breath. "I told him that tonight was for you and me, for our friends and for everything that it's taken for us to get here. I told him to leave if he couldn't be happy for us, and he did."

She pulled her arms from around his neck and wrapped them across her chest.

"He's wrong, Elizabeth," he reminded her as he reached out and gently brushed away the tear that was falling down her cheek. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to get upset."

She smiled weakly. "You can't protect me from everything, Mark."

"That's not going to stop me from trying," he replied with a smile.

She stared at a spot on the comforter. "In a way, Romano was right. Are you sure you want to marry me?"

He raised her chin so that she was looking at him. "How can you even ask that? Of course I want to marry you. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"But he's right," she persisted. "When it comes right down to it, I haven't been faithful to you since we've been together."

"I don't see it that way," he said seriously. "I know what it feels like to be cheated on, and that's not what this was. You were raped. It wasn't consensual, you didn't ask for it to happen, you didn't want it to happen. I know how hard this has been for you. I have never, not even for a second, thought of any of this as being your fault; and the last thing I would every want to do is make this more difficult for you. Romano was being an insensitive, arrogant ass."

"You really believe that?" she questioned hesitantly.

"Of course I do," he assured her. "It wasn't your fault. There is nothing for you to feel guilty about."

She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. "I've spent hours talking about this with you, with Dr. Garcia, with Carol. I thought I was actually making some progress. Leave it to Romano to come along and turn everything upside down."

"Come here," he said as he pulled back the comforter and made room for her to lay down next to him. As she curled up beside him, he pulled the comforter around them. Kissing her gently, he reminded her, "I think you're doing just fine handling all of this."

"That's because of you," she commented quietly.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're the strongest, most amazing woman I've ever met. I know you could have survived this on your own. But I'm glad you didn't have to, and as long as I have anything to say about it, you'll never have to face anything alone again."

She smiled as she softly whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he smiled.

THE END

Well, that's it for this series. (Don't worry, there are others already in the works). I truly hope you have enjoyed it. 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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