Disclaimer: They aren't mine no matter how hard I wish it. I am so not
worth suing, trust me. :-)
Author: Catgurl83
Title: Burning Memories
Feedback: Please, please, please. My e-mail address is [email protected] Feedback keeps me motivated to write quickly.
Summary: This is a story about Robert Romano. I guess you could say that it is sort of AU.
Author's notes: I am in the process of editing and re-posting the first several chapters of this story.
This story goes back and forth from present day to flashbacks. Flashbacks are marked; everything else is present day.
Thanks to Alex for beta reading this for me.
*********
"What?" he snapped as he pressed the intercom button to find out what his assistant was bothering him about now. This hospital was in serious need of more competent employees.
Leah was careful to keep her voice professional and somewhat curt. She had found that that was the only way to deal with Dr. Robert Romano. "You have a phone call Dr. Romano."
"Tell them to call back later," Robert ordered. He was not in the mood to talk to some whining department manager. Of course, he never was.
"The caller says that it is urgent," Leah informed him in a neutral tone. She really didn't care if he took the call or not but it was her job to relate messages.
"Who is it?" Robert demanded as he flipped through some papers on his desk.
"He says he is Dylan Gardener," she answered.
Robert's hands froze. "Put him through," he ordered sharply. Seconds later a familiar voice came on the line.
"We found something," Dylan had never been one to beat around the bush. That was one of the reasons that he was actually able to get along with Robert.
He had been waiting for years to hear that one sentence. "What?" he demanded.
Dylan hesitated. "Can you meet me in a half-hour?"
Robert yanked open his planner. "Where?" he asked as an agreement.
Dylan named a small out of the way diner.
Robert hung up the phone and rose. "I'm leaving," he told his perplexed assistant as he walked past her.
"When will you be back?" she called after him.
He ignored her.
************
Robert climbed into his car and started the engine. As he pulled out of the hospital parking lot, his mind was filling with images; memories that had long been confined to the deepest recesses of his mind.
He tried to block the intrusive memories. He did not want to see these images. He did not want the painful reminders.
He savagely pushed the memories away, but as he stopped at a red light, he lost his battle.
********
Flashback
Twenty years ago
********
Robert finished bandaging the badly stubbed toe. This was the part of his job that he hated. The mundane injuries that interns invariably have to tend to in the ER. He could not wait for his term in the ER to be over.
He stepped out of the curtained cubical and headed toward the admit desk. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the screaming. It sounded like a child. A very loud and very angry child. He turned and ran toward the sound, as did several others.
Sitting in the waiting area was a young woman with a little boy on her lap. Her head was tilted toward the boy and she was whispering softly to him, trying to calm him down.
Robert slowed his steps and walked up to her. He knelt down next to the chair to look the child in the face. "Hi."
The little boy turned to look Robert in the eyes. He continued to howl.
"I'm Dr. Romano. Can you tell me your name?"
The child did not stop wailing to answer.
Robert pulled a sucker out of his pocket. "You know what? I got this sucker a little while ago but I got the wrong flavor. I don't like orange. What about you?"
The screams lowered a decibel before completely stopping. The child held out his hand.
Robert pulled the sucker back a little. "Do you like orange?"
He nodded.
Robert gave him a rare smile. "Good." He handed him the candy. "What is your name?"
"Caleb."
"How old are you Caleb?"
Caleb held up two fingers.
As he continued to speak to the boy, he studied him for injures. "What happened Caleb? Are you sick?"
Caleb just stared at him. The sucker protruded from his mouth.
"He fell down and cut his leg. I think he might need stitches."
Robert looked up in surprise at the soft, melodious voice. He had forgotten about the woman. He met her soft caramel colored eyes. Her long, light brown hair was hanging down her shoulder in a braid. "Which leg?"
"The left."
Robert looked down at the gash on the child's leg. A piece of cloth was wrapped around it loosely. He stood up. "Come with me and I'll have a look at it." As he turned to lead them to a curtained cubical, he realized that most of his colleagues had dispersed when they saw that he had it under control. A few nurses had stayed to stare at him though. He scowled and they immediately departed.
She sat down with Caleb on her lap and Robert unwrapped the leg. "It needs a few stitches." He stated after a moment. He could not believe that the child had screamed that loudly because of this injury.
"Stitches?" Caleb repeated in a toddler voice. His eyes filled with fear at the unfamiliar word.
"Stitches will make it feel better," Robert assured him.
Caleb studied the doctor skeptically for a moment before nodding. "Kay."
Robert stitched up the gash quickly before turning to the young woman. He hadn't really noticed how young she was at first; she couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen. "I put four stitches in."
She nodded. "Thank you."
Robert smiled. "No problem. Does he always scream like that?" he couldn't help but ask.
She smiled. "My brother says that he is very demanding."
"Sometimes that is a good thing." He looked at Caleb. "It sure got him treated faster than he would have been otherwise."
"True," she admitted softly.
Robert knew he probably shouldn't do this but he was going to anyway. He couldn't remember the last time he had done something on a whim. "I was just about to take a break. Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me? We can get Caleb some ice cream as a reward for being so good while I stitched him up."
She looked like she was going to refuse but then she nodded. "Okay Dr.?"
"Dr. Romano. You can call me Robert."
She smiled again and Robert realized what a beautiful smile she had. "I'm Natalie by the way. Everyone calls me Nattie though."
Minutes later they were seated at a small table in the cafeteria. They were both sipping sodas and Caleb was eating a vanilla cone. More of the cone was getting on him than in him though.
"How long have you worked in the ER?"
"Only for a few weeks," he answered.
She caught the tone. "You don't like it?" she asked curiously.
Robert shrugged. "I'm more interested in surgery. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What do you do?" he clarified.
She tossed her long braid over her shoulder. It swung against her leg. "My family owns several pet shops. I run one of them."
Robert raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You run your own business?"
Natalie shrugged. "It isn't a big deal. My parents have been training me for this for years. I can't remember a time when I didn't go to the shops several times a week."
"Your husband must help you a lot with Caleb."
She laughed. Could he be any more obvious? "I'm not married." She waited a few seconds. "And Caleb isn't my son. He is my nephew. My older brother and his wife are out of town for a couple of weeks so I'm watching Caleb."
Robert nodded. Not wanting to analyze why he felt so relieved. It shouldn't matter to him. He just met Natalie and she was too young for him. He was 27. He doubted that she was even 20.
*********
Robert shook his head as he pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. Who would have thought that one meeting would change so much? He had not wanted a relationship with Natalie. It had just happened somehow.
When he went inside Dylan was already sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Robert silently sat down across from him.
Dylan observed Robert. This was not the same man that he had met years before. The Robert he had met had been devastated and openly grieving. In the last few years he had seen Robert intermittently and he had become gruff and hard. Dylan supposed that he had had to in order to survive. God knew that most men in this situation would have reacted the same way.
Robert took a sip of the steaming coffee that a waitress had sat in front of him. "So?" he finally demanded, impatient to know.
Dylan met Robert's eyes. "We have lead." He saw the renewed pain flare in the other man's eyes. Robert had hoped for this day, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Robert had wanted this. Had waited years to hear it. And yet part of him didn't want it said aloud. Part of him wished it could all stay buried. He didn't need this bringing it all back and he knew that it would.
********
Author: Catgurl83
Title: Burning Memories
Feedback: Please, please, please. My e-mail address is [email protected] Feedback keeps me motivated to write quickly.
Summary: This is a story about Robert Romano. I guess you could say that it is sort of AU.
Author's notes: I am in the process of editing and re-posting the first several chapters of this story.
This story goes back and forth from present day to flashbacks. Flashbacks are marked; everything else is present day.
Thanks to Alex for beta reading this for me.
*********
"What?" he snapped as he pressed the intercom button to find out what his assistant was bothering him about now. This hospital was in serious need of more competent employees.
Leah was careful to keep her voice professional and somewhat curt. She had found that that was the only way to deal with Dr. Robert Romano. "You have a phone call Dr. Romano."
"Tell them to call back later," Robert ordered. He was not in the mood to talk to some whining department manager. Of course, he never was.
"The caller says that it is urgent," Leah informed him in a neutral tone. She really didn't care if he took the call or not but it was her job to relate messages.
"Who is it?" Robert demanded as he flipped through some papers on his desk.
"He says he is Dylan Gardener," she answered.
Robert's hands froze. "Put him through," he ordered sharply. Seconds later a familiar voice came on the line.
"We found something," Dylan had never been one to beat around the bush. That was one of the reasons that he was actually able to get along with Robert.
He had been waiting for years to hear that one sentence. "What?" he demanded.
Dylan hesitated. "Can you meet me in a half-hour?"
Robert yanked open his planner. "Where?" he asked as an agreement.
Dylan named a small out of the way diner.
Robert hung up the phone and rose. "I'm leaving," he told his perplexed assistant as he walked past her.
"When will you be back?" she called after him.
He ignored her.
************
Robert climbed into his car and started the engine. As he pulled out of the hospital parking lot, his mind was filling with images; memories that had long been confined to the deepest recesses of his mind.
He tried to block the intrusive memories. He did not want to see these images. He did not want the painful reminders.
He savagely pushed the memories away, but as he stopped at a red light, he lost his battle.
********
Flashback
Twenty years ago
********
Robert finished bandaging the badly stubbed toe. This was the part of his job that he hated. The mundane injuries that interns invariably have to tend to in the ER. He could not wait for his term in the ER to be over.
He stepped out of the curtained cubical and headed toward the admit desk. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the screaming. It sounded like a child. A very loud and very angry child. He turned and ran toward the sound, as did several others.
Sitting in the waiting area was a young woman with a little boy on her lap. Her head was tilted toward the boy and she was whispering softly to him, trying to calm him down.
Robert slowed his steps and walked up to her. He knelt down next to the chair to look the child in the face. "Hi."
The little boy turned to look Robert in the eyes. He continued to howl.
"I'm Dr. Romano. Can you tell me your name?"
The child did not stop wailing to answer.
Robert pulled a sucker out of his pocket. "You know what? I got this sucker a little while ago but I got the wrong flavor. I don't like orange. What about you?"
The screams lowered a decibel before completely stopping. The child held out his hand.
Robert pulled the sucker back a little. "Do you like orange?"
He nodded.
Robert gave him a rare smile. "Good." He handed him the candy. "What is your name?"
"Caleb."
"How old are you Caleb?"
Caleb held up two fingers.
As he continued to speak to the boy, he studied him for injures. "What happened Caleb? Are you sick?"
Caleb just stared at him. The sucker protruded from his mouth.
"He fell down and cut his leg. I think he might need stitches."
Robert looked up in surprise at the soft, melodious voice. He had forgotten about the woman. He met her soft caramel colored eyes. Her long, light brown hair was hanging down her shoulder in a braid. "Which leg?"
"The left."
Robert looked down at the gash on the child's leg. A piece of cloth was wrapped around it loosely. He stood up. "Come with me and I'll have a look at it." As he turned to lead them to a curtained cubical, he realized that most of his colleagues had dispersed when they saw that he had it under control. A few nurses had stayed to stare at him though. He scowled and they immediately departed.
She sat down with Caleb on her lap and Robert unwrapped the leg. "It needs a few stitches." He stated after a moment. He could not believe that the child had screamed that loudly because of this injury.
"Stitches?" Caleb repeated in a toddler voice. His eyes filled with fear at the unfamiliar word.
"Stitches will make it feel better," Robert assured him.
Caleb studied the doctor skeptically for a moment before nodding. "Kay."
Robert stitched up the gash quickly before turning to the young woman. He hadn't really noticed how young she was at first; she couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen. "I put four stitches in."
She nodded. "Thank you."
Robert smiled. "No problem. Does he always scream like that?" he couldn't help but ask.
She smiled. "My brother says that he is very demanding."
"Sometimes that is a good thing." He looked at Caleb. "It sure got him treated faster than he would have been otherwise."
"True," she admitted softly.
Robert knew he probably shouldn't do this but he was going to anyway. He couldn't remember the last time he had done something on a whim. "I was just about to take a break. Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me? We can get Caleb some ice cream as a reward for being so good while I stitched him up."
She looked like she was going to refuse but then she nodded. "Okay Dr.?"
"Dr. Romano. You can call me Robert."
She smiled again and Robert realized what a beautiful smile she had. "I'm Natalie by the way. Everyone calls me Nattie though."
Minutes later they were seated at a small table in the cafeteria. They were both sipping sodas and Caleb was eating a vanilla cone. More of the cone was getting on him than in him though.
"How long have you worked in the ER?"
"Only for a few weeks," he answered.
She caught the tone. "You don't like it?" she asked curiously.
Robert shrugged. "I'm more interested in surgery. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What do you do?" he clarified.
She tossed her long braid over her shoulder. It swung against her leg. "My family owns several pet shops. I run one of them."
Robert raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You run your own business?"
Natalie shrugged. "It isn't a big deal. My parents have been training me for this for years. I can't remember a time when I didn't go to the shops several times a week."
"Your husband must help you a lot with Caleb."
She laughed. Could he be any more obvious? "I'm not married." She waited a few seconds. "And Caleb isn't my son. He is my nephew. My older brother and his wife are out of town for a couple of weeks so I'm watching Caleb."
Robert nodded. Not wanting to analyze why he felt so relieved. It shouldn't matter to him. He just met Natalie and she was too young for him. He was 27. He doubted that she was even 20.
*********
Robert shook his head as he pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. Who would have thought that one meeting would change so much? He had not wanted a relationship with Natalie. It had just happened somehow.
When he went inside Dylan was already sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Robert silently sat down across from him.
Dylan observed Robert. This was not the same man that he had met years before. The Robert he had met had been devastated and openly grieving. In the last few years he had seen Robert intermittently and he had become gruff and hard. Dylan supposed that he had had to in order to survive. God knew that most men in this situation would have reacted the same way.
Robert took a sip of the steaming coffee that a waitress had sat in front of him. "So?" he finally demanded, impatient to know.
Dylan met Robert's eyes. "We have lead." He saw the renewed pain flare in the other man's eyes. Robert had hoped for this day, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Robert had wanted this. Had waited years to hear it. And yet part of him didn't want it said aloud. Part of him wished it could all stay buried. He didn't need this bringing it all back and he knew that it would.
********