*** This part is a little short. It more of an explaintion of everthing- a bridge fic
thing-o. ***

Part 4

Mark and Elizabeth sat on a bench near the water. Elizabeth played nervously
with the
engagement ring that sat sparkling on her right hand.
"After I tell you this you would probably want to end it and I don't blame
you." she
said looking at Mark's deep brown eye's.
"End what?" asked Mark. He knew what she was trying to say but deep inside
he
hoped that it would never even be suggested.
"Our relationship." whispered Elizabeth.
"You know I wouldn't leave you especially now."
"But after this... Mark I should have just told you from the beginning. I'll
tell you now
and you can make your decision." said Elizabeth looking out over the water.
From the
corner of her eye she saw Mark nod encouragingly and she proceeded as best
as she
could.
"When I was about twenty, I was walking down a street in London with my best
friend....

***Flashback***

"Hey Elizabeth!" called a girl in a distinctly British voice. The girl might
as well have
been Elizabeth but instead of the rich bronze curls that Elizabeth had, she
had chestnut
ones and her eye's were a piercing blue colour.
"Natalie?" called another girl. But this time there was no mistake. This was
Elizabeth
herself quiet a few years younger and a much stronger accent than the one
she had
now.
"Yes it's me you dofus. I've been looking for you everywhere. Tom said he's
got a
few friends that want to meet you on Court Street tonight." said Natalie
suggestively.
"I don't know what you mean." said Elizabeth innocently as the two walked
down a
quiet and dark street. There was the occasional car passing by but the
street lamps had
poor lighting and the sky was over cast with clouds.
"Oh don't you put that on! I know you have the hot's for him. Come on
Elizabeth own
up there's more to life than university."
"Yeah, well I've got Jeremy."
"He doesn't treat you right girl. Trust me Tom's friends are exactly what
you ne-"
"Natalie?" asked Elizabeth reaching out towards her left to see where her
friend was.
She gasped as a strong hand grabbed her from behind and a sharp blade was
put to her
neck. "Move once centimeter and I'll cut your head off you understand?"
whispered
the male voice behind her ear.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Ok. On the floor. Get on the floor ya little whore!" yelled the attacker.
Elizabeth fell
to her knees straight away but not before questioning the man.
"Where's my friend?"
"Shut up and in a bit I'll tell you." he growled back. "Ok off with your
coat and
everything else you got on." Elizabeth hesitated. Little did she know that
it was a bad
move. "All right. Fine. Don't take your clothes off. I'll take them off for
you....

***End flashback***

"He, he was so rough. My mouth was gagged and my friend gone. I couldn't see
anything, but I felt everything. His touch made me feel as though he was
drowning me.
I couldn't breathe properly and every move he made hurt. After that I don't
really
know what happened." said Elizabeth. There were no tears on her face and she
wasn't
even wavering. But her face was stone cold.
"He raped you?" asked Mark incrediously.
"No. Almost, though. Thank God he didn't. The next morning I woke up in a
hospital
bed, my father by my side. Jeremy had left me. After all we'd been through
he'd
thrown it all away." Elizabeth took a deep breath and paused to give Mark
some time
to digest all that she had told him. "If, if you want to you know, leave I
under-"
"Elizabeth, what makes you think that I would just walk away from it all. We
have so
much going for us now- there's the baby and Charlotte..." said Mark, taking
Elizabeth's hand in his. "I forgive you, but next time you shouldn't keep
secrets from
me."
Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You really mean that?" she
whispered back.
"Yes I do. Elizabeth I love you and I would do anything for you. I was just
hurt
because you wouldn't let me help you." explained Mark further. "I still want
to know
why you didn't just tell me in the first place."
"I had already been through all the shrinks and sorry looks, I came to
America to
escape it all. I suppose I just thought that I would never really have to
explain it again
because it was in the past."
"Well, as long as you know that I will love you no matter what you have to
tell me and
next time don't wait so long to let me know, ok?"
Elizabeth didn't answer, instead she reached over and wrapped Mark in a huge
hug.
They stayed like that for a long time as Elizabeth began to sob, Mark gently
rubbing
her back and rocking her backwards and forwards over and over again.

~*~*~*~

"Cathy?" called Elizabeth as she came up to the floor that Charlotte was
staying. Mrs
Garrison was sitting patiently outside in a few chairs waiting for
Elizabeth.
"Dr Corday." said Cathy getting up.
"Have you found someone?" asked Elizabeth quickly.
"Unfortunately, no." said Cathy. "But the department has extended our
deadline to one
more day."
"I think you've already found a home for her." said Elizabeth. Cathy looked
at her
suspiciously but allowed Elizabeth to lead her to an empty room.

"Mark and I are thinking of fostering possibly adopting Charlotte."
"Are you dead serious?" questioned Cathy cautiously.
"Yes." said Elizabeth cofindently.
"Well, in that case we'll have to do a full investigation. Another case
worker will be
calling you soon to see when you will be available to talk to someone. Forms
and etc.
will be given at that home visit. You do understand that this might require
a day in
court?" explained Cathy, making sure that Elizabeth wouldn't back down.
"Yeah. I'm currently taking a few day's off on the order that I can't have
more than
five months of un-used sick days."
"Great! Well, in that case I better get everything set up. You shouldn't
tell Charlotte
anything because if this doesn't go through...."
"Yeah." answered Elizabeth. "I know. But I'm curios. What happened to her
mother?"
"Murdered. Police found Frank and her in their apartment two days ago."
answered
Cathy as if she had seen it everyday.
"Does Charlotte know?" asked Elizabeth, worriedly.
"I was hoping you'd tell her." said Cathy, shrugging her shoulders.
Elizabeth knew now that she was the only person that Charlotte had left in
the world.

~*~*~*~

"So, I get to finally meet Charlotte?" asked Mark as him and Elizabeth
turned a corner
to face the elevators. "I was begining to think that she didn't exist."
Elizabeth didn't say anything and instead puched Mark lightly in the arm.
"What's wrong? Your unusually quiet."
"I'm fine. I've just got to break the news to Char." said Elizabeth worridly
as they
boarded the elevator.
"About her mother?" confirmed Mark.
"Umhum." said Elizabeth folding her arms and leaning against Mark's chest as
the
elevators went up on it's way to the wards.

"Here we go." whispered Elizabeth in Marks ear as the two entered the room.
It seemed as though Charlotte was resting but as soon as she saw Elizabeth,
she
disgarded the puzzle she was completing under the blanket and sat up. "Hey!
You
came to visit. I was getting so bored."
"Yes, I came and I bought a visitor. Charlotte this is Mark, Mark,
Charlotte." said
Elizabeth making the introductions.
"Hi Charlotte, I've heard a lot about you." said Mark.
"Hi. I've heard a lot about you too. Do you think Elizabeth is the best
person in the
world?" asked Charlotte seriously.
"I sure do." answered Mark just as seriously.
"And when are you getting married?"
"A couple of months, maybe earlier."
Charlotte looked up at Elizabeth and smiled. "He's just as special as you
said he was."
she proclaimed.
"I told you that he was my special man and that you were my special girl."
said
Elizabeth proudly as she gave Charlotte a bit of a tickle.
"Well, if only everybody thought of me like that." said Mark with a chuckle.
Elizabeth looked up at him and silently signaled with her eye's that she had
to let
Charlotte know her fate.
"Charlotte, it was great to meet you but I've got to be going now." said
Mark.
"But you'll be back to visit with Elizabeth- right?" asked Charlotte
happily.
"You bet I'll be back." he promised before leaving the room.

Mark did not go far. In fact he stayed within the corridor and watched as
Elizabeth took Charlotte's pink hands and looked in her vibrant eyes.
Crossing his
arms across his chest, he watched as the inevitable happened before putting
his head
down in wonder of how so much could just happen to such a young girl in just
a week.
Mark looked up just in time to see tears fall down Charlottes face and
Elizabeth pull
her into a tight hug.

~*~*~*~

Elizabeth watched as the attending that was on give Charlotte a cheak-up and
ask the
usual questions. This had been her third visit that day to the ped's ward
and it was
getting harder and harder every minuet. Cathy said that the answer would
come today-
that the fate of Charlotte would be decided for the meantime.
"Thought I might find you here." said Mark gently weaving his hands around
Elizabeth's growing waist.
"Surgery's been quiet this morning." Elizabeth answered, wrapping Mark's arm
around her tighter.
"Want to get some lunch?" suggested Mark as they boarded the elevator
"Yeah, but I'm not really hungry." said Elizabeth softly.

"Something wrong?" asked Mark, conserned as they arrived on the floor of
the
cafeteria.
"No." sighed Elizabeth. "Just no appetite. Oh God..." a dull throb had
settled in her
lower abdomen and she began to rub it.
"Elizabeth?" asked Mark alarmed.
"I'm... fine. Just another small cramp that I've been getting lately. It's
almost gone
already." said Elizabeth, still rubbing the sore spot.
"Maybe you should make an appointment with Mc Lucas."
"I alredy have for next week." said Elizabeth as they entered the cafertia.
"Can I come?"  asked Mark.
"Of course you can." she answered with a smile. The beeper on her lab coat
suddenly
started beeping. Un-clipping it, she saw the number she had been waiting
for.
"Who is it?"
"Cathy." answered Elizabeth nervously as the two left County's cafeteria
after just
entering it.

~*~*~*~

"Well I should congratulate you." said Cathy happily, a huge smile on her
face.
"Are we getting foster care?" asked Mark anxiously, Elizabeth frozen on the
spot.
"You sure are. You are the soul care takers of Charlotte until she is fully
adopted."
said Cathy leading them to the front of Charlotte's room.
Elizabeth finally defrosted and wanted more information. "So when can home
with
us?"
"As soon as she's ready." declared Cathy. "I think a little someone needs
some good
news."
Indeed she did. Charlotte had been a little depressed when she heard about
her mothers
death and had been talking to Kim Legaspi quite a few times in the past few
days.
Elizabeth and Mark peeked into the room and saw Charlotte on her stomach
looking
out the low window that was just beside her bed.

"Charlotte." whispered Elizabeth softly, Mark holding onto her hand
squeezing
it tightly. Elizabeth squeezed it back.
"Hi Elizabeth." whispered back Charlotte, not as vibrant as she had been a
few days
ago. She sat up and noticed that Mark was standing behind her. "Mark, did
your plans
work out?"
"What plans?" questioned Elizabeth, her eye brows furrowed as she looked
suspiciously at Mark who was looking pretty nervous.
"You'll find out later." he promised, nodding his head. "I just had to talk
to Charlotte
for some, you know, information."
Elizabeth looked at him for a minuet and then turned away, the 'plan' almost
forgotten
for the moment.
"We've found out where you'll be going once you get out of hospital." said
Elizabeth a
smile on her face that was as big as the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
"Where?" asked Charlotte, finally interested in the conversation.
"To Mark's and my house."
"Really? I get to stay at YOUR house?" asked Charlotte, eye's as large and
round as
plates.
"Yes, you do." said Elizabeth sitting on Charlottes bed, her smile growing
from the
Sydney Harbor Bridge to Uluru.
"And do I get to stay there for how long?" asked Charlotte, half of herself
out of the
thin sheets, hair much 'fuller' and her looking a little chubbier.
"I don't know. Maybe forever." answered Mark sitting down behind Elizabeth.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!" yelled Charlotte leaning in and giving both
Elizabeth and
Mark as big a bear hug as she possibly could.

Cathy watched from her window into Charlotte's room and smiled to herself.
Her job was done- for the time being.

~*~*~*~