Speculation: Season 7 Premiere

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

SUMMARY: An idea for the opening scene of the Season 7 Premiere.

RATING: PG

"Mark, have you seen my research notes?" Elizabeth called over her shoulder as she walked out of the bedroom.

"What notes?" he wondered as he followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"They're for this symposium we're hosting on laparoscopic aortic aneurysm repair. Romano put me in charge of it. We're having a meeting this morning at ten. I forgot all about it, and now I need to find my notes. They were in my desk in my apartment, but I haven't seen them since we moved in here," she explained distractedly.

"Have you checked the boxes that we haven't unpacked?" he suggested as he poured himself a second cup of coffee.

"Not yet," she said with a sigh. "I was hoping to avoid that."

"Sorry," he laughed.

She walked into the den, which was temporarily being used as a storage area, and started rummaging through the boxes. A few moments later, she cried out, "Owww! Damn it!"

"Elizabeth? Are you okay? What happened?" Mark questioned as he ran into the den.

She was sitting in the middle of the floor holding her ankle, a pained expression on her face. Grimacing, she said, "I tripped over a box. I think I twisted my ankle."

Kneeling beside her, he said, "Let me take a look."

"Ouch!" she winced as he gently probed her ankle, which was already beginning to swell.

"Elizabeth, you didn't twist your ankle," he said somewhat hesitantly.

"Damn it, Mark. It hurts like hell! I know I did something to it," she said in an exasperated tone.

"You did do something to it," he assured her. "You broke it."

"What?" she questioned sharply. "No, I did NOT break it. I've never had a broken bone in my life. I'm not about to start now."

He tried to hide a grin as he said, "I've been an ER doc for over ten years. I don't need an X-ray to tell me that this is broken."

"Oh, bloody hell," she swore. Glaring in his direction, "And you can wipe that smirk off your face right now."

"Yes, ma'am," he laughed. "Stay here, let me get an ice pack"

When he returned a few moments later, he noticed that the color had drained from her face and her breaths were tight. "You okay?" he questioned in a concerned tone.

"It just hurts," she said through clenched teeth.

"We'll get you something for the pain when we get to the ER," he assured her gently as he placed the ice on her ankle.

"You are NOT putting me in a wheelchair," Elizabeth said adamantly as they reached the hospital.

"Why much you make everything difficult?" Mark asked in exasperation as he got out of the driver's side.

While he opened the passenger door, she had to laugh. "You know you love the challenge."

"Well you certainly are a handful," he teased as he helped her out of the car. He put one arm around her waist and let her lean on him as they walked through the garage to the elevator.

Randi looked up as they approached the admit desk. "Dr. Greene? Dr. Corday? What's going on?"

"Looks like I broke my ankle," Elizabeth explained, slightly sheepishly.

"Randi, what's open?" Mark wondered.

"Uh, Exam One," she replied.

"Okay, thanks," Mark said. "Can you get someone who's free to bring in a portable X-ray?"

"Sure Dr. Greene," Randi nodded.

"You should go home, take the rest of the day off," Mark suggested half an hour later as he was wrapping the plaster cast on her ankle.

"I've got too much work to do," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, I hope you realize you're not going to be in the OR anytime soon," he pointed out.

"What?" she questioned.

"There's no way you can stand for hours in an OR on that ankle," he reminded her, "and somehow, I think your crutches would cause problems in a sterile environment."

She rested her head back against the gurney and sighed. "Great," she muttered, "I suppose this means that I'll be stuck in my office doing paperwork all day."

"Sorry," he said sympathetically.

With a pointed look, she said, "We really need to get those boxes unpacked. It's been over a month since we moved in."

"I know," he smiled. "This weekend, I promise. I'll even do all of the work, and let you give the orders."

"Hmmm..." she grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"I thought you might," he laughed as he started applying another layer of plaster.

She was quiet for several moments as she watched him work, but then asked, "How long do you think it'll be before I can get back in the OR?"

"Depending on how things go, you might be able to get a walking cast in a few weeks," he replied. "But you still shouldn't be standing for prolonged periods."

She sighed. "How could I do this?" she asked rhetorically. "I feel so stupid."

"You're not stupid. It happens to the best of us," he assured her with a smile.

"Thanks," she said with a weak laugh.

"How are you feeling?" he wondered. "Any pain?"

She thought for a moment. "You know, now that you mention it, I'm not feeling much of anything right now."

"You gotta love the Fentanyl," he laughed. "It should wear off in another thirty minutes or so, then you should be fine with ibuprofen."

"I know," she nodded.

"I know you know," he smiled.

"Good morning, all," Robert Romano said with his usual fake sincerity as he walked through the emergency room.

"'Morning, Robert," Kerry Weaver replied with a sigh. "What brings you down here this morning?"

"Just making sure all is well in the trenches," he said as he walked behind the desk and took a look around. Glancing at the dry erase board that tracked patients, his brow creased. "What's going on in Exam One?" he demanded.

"What do you mean, Robert?" Kerry asked, desperately trying to hide a grin.

"What's Greene doing with Lizzie in Exam One?" he asked again.

"Well, according to the board, she has an ankle fracture. Therefore, I'd assume he's doing a cast," Kerry replied, as if it should be completely obvious to anyone.

Without another word, Romano stormed off in the direction of Exam One. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded as he pushed open the door.

Mark and Elizabeth looked up as he entered the room. "I'm applying a cast," Mark replied simply.

"What were you expecting?" Elizabeth asked with a knowing look in Mark's direction. They both knew that Romano had assumed he would find them in a compromising position.

"What the hell happened?" Romano questioned.

"I tripped over a box and fractured my ankle," Elizabeth explained. Grinning, she said, "But don't worry, I've got the best doctor in the hospital taking care of me."

Romano grimaced, then asked, "Will you be at the symposium meeting this morning?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I was actually hoping we could postpone that. I don't think I'll be feeling up to it, and I'd like a little more time to go over my notes." She groaned inwardly. She hated asking him for a favor like this, because she knew he wouldn't let her forget it.

"Fine," he huffed. "And I suppose you won't be on the surgical schedule today?"

"Probably not for the next few weeks," she admitted. Forcing a politeness she didn't feel, she said, "But look on the bright side, it'll give me a chance to catch up on all the OR's paperwork."

"So, we'll see you upstairs this morning?" Romano questioned.

"Yes," she nodded reluctantly.

"Fine," he said curtly before walking out the door.

"Don't say it!" Elizabeth warned Mark as soon as Romano left.

"Don't say what?" he questioned innocently.

"That I'm getting what I deserve for agreeing to work for Romano," she said dejectedly.

"I wasn't going to say that," he replied.

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment. "But you were thinking it, weren't you?"

He grinned, "Well..."

Please seed all feedback to: SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

[Return to Mark & Elizabeth Gap-Fillers] [Return to Mark & Elizabeth Stories] [Return to Main Page]

August 13, 2000