Beginning, Section II

(Editor's Note: The chapter numbering is off, and there is no Chapter 7)

Chapter 8

Posted on Thursday, 27-Aug-98

ane and Charles' rehearsal dinner was upon the hardworking doctors of Pride Hospital in no time at all. Georgianna and Kitty were on edge because they had not yet been placed, but Elizabeth had the sneaking suspicion that they'd be working at Sense Hospital. Pride did not have a budget big enough to pick up every doctor that applied, and since Sense was newer, they had more resources.

The wedding was set for the holiday weekend of July 4th, which was also quickly arriving. A week prior, the wedding party sat in the reception hall of the Meryton Hotel after the rehearsal in the church, listening to Mrs. Bennet argue with Jane about the placement of food tables, the dance floor, and the band. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Let Jane do it. It's her wedding, isn't it?

"Let Jane do it, it's her wedding, isn't it?" Elizabeth's thoughts were echoed by Kitty, who was shot a grateful look by Jane and a look to kill a snake from Mrs. Bennet.

"Thank you Kit!" Jane was relieved that her sister had said anything.

"Who asked you, Katherine?" Mrs. Bennet glared at Kitty, who looked at Rick and made a face.

The wedding coordinator turned bright red from the exertion of trying to get the party to listen to him. "AHEM! The best man over here, please?"

William snapped back to reality, busy musing about having to go buy sparklers for the reception and wondering how many to get, Elizabeth in her bridesmaid dress, and whether he should turn his beeper louder. "That's me, I'm sorry," he said, and stood where the coordinator was.

"You give your little speech here, followed by the maid of honor, that would be you?" He addressed Elizabeth, and then waved her off with his hand. "Who is the matron of honor here? I know we were having problems with that..."

"I am," Charlotte Lucas-Collins spoke up, raising her hand, "It was settled yesterday."

Apparently, Jane had not wanted Lydia to be her matron of honor. She had chosen Charlotte, but there had been such an uproar from Mrs. Bennet and Lydia that Jane was afraid to announce who it was. Almost seven months pregnant, Lydia was moody, angry, whiny, and generally not pleasant to be around. She did not come to the rehearsal dinner siting back pains as the reason, but she was most likely pouting over being spurned. Kitty, Elizabeth, Jenny Gardiner, Mary, and Caroline were her bridesmaids with Elizabeth as the maid of honor.

Other than that, the rehearsal was going fairly well. The week itself passed quickly, even though a very harried William had to get his tux altered five times because the length was always too short, his legs never fit comfortably into any pair of pants and he hated dressmakers. He never told Elizabeth the real reason he never liked to wear scrubs. It wasn't because he thought they were below him, it was because they didn't fit properly and when he did wear them, people always asked where the flood was.

Elizabeth wasn't having an easy time herself, having more curves than her sisters did. The dresses Jane had picked out were gorgeous, a sea green satin in a style that reminded Elizabeth of Regency fashions. As the fourth of July loomed closer, last minute preparations were made for the decorations in the reception hall, no easy task because Caroline Bingley insisted on having sparklers for her brother's wedding. Elizabeth thought that some sparklers outside would be okay, but Caroline wanted them on all the tables' centerpieces. Every time Caroline ordered another sparkler, Elizabeth made sure there was an accessible route to the nearest fire extinguisher.

Lydia continued her whining, threatened numerous times to completely skip the wedding, explained that she was extremely pregnant and about to pop, and maintained that George would be extremely busy at work, being almost like a doctor and all. Mrs. Bennet was not happy with her daughter, but whatever Lydia said was good enough for her.

All too soon it was Saturday morning, the morning of Jane and Charles' wedding. The Bennet house was alive with activity, because Mrs. Bennet had insisted that all the bridesmaids and the bride would get ready there. Lydia's theatrical whining could be heard all over the house, and Elizabeth contemplated finding a good ear, nose, and throat specialist to remove her vocal chords.

The ceremony was in less than an hour, and the only person completely calm was Jane. She simply waited for her bridesmaids to help her with her gown, and she smiled constantly. Not for the first time, Elizabeth wished she had Jane's temper and grace.

"Lizzy!" Elizabeth spun when she heard Mary call her name, and when she noticed what Mary was pointing at, she flushed guiltily. She took her beeper off of the bow of the sea green maid of honor dress she was wearing.

"Sorry," she said, sheepishly, "it's a habit of sorts."

"Hmph," Mary said, and went in search of a phone. When she reached somebody at Pemberley, where the men dressed, she barked a simple order.

"Make sure that William Darcy removes his beeper for today's ceremony. Thank you."

The wedding party reached the church on time, by some miracle. Everybody scurried to their places, and Elizabeth felt a warm flush over her face when she looked at William in his tuxedo. Oh yeah. I can deal with weddings.

William's thoughts were not as coherent, for all his Yale degree was worth. Dress. Green. Ooooh, low cut. He frowned momentarily, remembering that he was a doctor, and an intelligent, well-versed man. Throwing that all out the window, he continued gawking at his girlfriend.

She could almost read his thoughts, and she blushed again, wondering for the millionth time if the neckline was too low. Elizabeth fought the almost overpowering urge to fix it. Kitty giggled and patted her sister's nervous hand.

"Don't worry. He likes it, I can tell." Her own eyes searched for Rick, but she didn't see him. Besides, her dress wasn't cut with a square neck, rather with a scoop neck that didn't dip quite so low. Kitty wasn't exactly built like Elizabeth to begin with, and it would have only been more apparent if the square neck had been for everybody. Mary had wanted the dress to button up to the neck, but everybody else had agreed that it would have been ridiculous to do that.

The ceremony began and everybody began walking down the aisle before Jane in pairs that the coordinator had set up. Unfortunately, there was an uneven number of men and women, so Mary ended up escorting Lydia, who was indeed very pregnant.

Halfway through the sermon, the minister mentioned the word 'fornication', which struck Lydia as being funny. An audible snort escaped her lips, and four pairs of horrified eyes turned to stare at her. Being Lydia, she shrugged it off and continued rubbing her back, trying to soothe the constant pain of the baby. George had not bothered to show up at the wedding, and it still upset Lydia that not only did he stay home, her family seemed happy that he did.

After the ceremony had finished, and Jane and Charles had said "I do," kissed, and walked down the aisle in a sea of rice, Lydia commented bitterly to Mary.

"You know, I was the first one married here, and I didn't have photographers, rice, or even a dress, let alone a carriage to take me to the reception! Hell, I didn't even have a reception. Mama must have paid so much money for this, but I couldn't even get a proper minister."

"Lydia, did you even want a proper minister?"

"Well, no."

Lydia burst into a fit of giggles and Mary wrinkled her nose in distaste. Sometimes Lydia was so vulgar it hurt. Jane and Charles left in their horse drawn carriage, perhaps a little extravagant in Mary's opinion, but they did look regal. Even Elizabeth had shed a tear when Jane said her vows.

Chapter 9

Posted on Thursday, 27-Aug-98

Elizabeth dashed out of the church as soon as Charles and Jane had left to stand guard for the reception. She was terrified that Caroline would arrive early and light every sparkler before anybody got there and burn the place down. Originally, she had wanted William and Rick to stall Caroline, but William was afraid of her.

He had, secretly, also planned a pyrotechnics show, but it was a far cry from Caroline's sparklers in the reception hall. William had hired some of the firemen that covered Pride Hospital's EMT and ambulance route to manage a fireworks show scheduled for later that night. Paul Bennet and Ed Gardiner helped him plan it, but he insisted on paying for it. Elizabeth would have been horrified to know that this was to happen, and she would have fainted to know the cost of the whole ordeal. But William insisted on making it special, and with the help of the photographer, Rick, Paul, and Ed, it was to happen at around ten o'clock that night.

It was just before seven thirty. Guests had been trickling in, but still no sight of Caroline. Visions of welding torches igniting hundreds of sparklers danced in Elizabeth's eyes, so she found Kitty, Mary, Georgianna, and Jenny to help her replace all the sparklers with red, white, and blue carnations. It was festive, but somehow the decorations managed not to look gaudy.

The band had set up and began warming up. Jane had picked a band that played all types of music, and from what Elizabeth had heard, they were pretty good. William toyed nervously with the cuffs of his tux. What if my speech isn't funny? His stomach turned over sloppily and he thought better than to go get a drink at the bar. I'll probably stand up and vomit. I hate making speeches.

When Elizabeth scurried past him again, he caught her wrist. She turned at looked at him, amused. "You're really nervous, aren't you."

He rolled his eyes and nodded reluctantly. "I've always hated making speeches, Lizzy, and you know how I hate even talking on the phone..."

She punched him lightly on the arm. "Oh, come on, you big baby... I read it last night, it's fine."

He wiped his hands on a napkin. William could not remember his palms being this sweaty, not even when he had first asked Elizabeth out on a date. "Lizzy, did I mention that I stutter in front of large audiences?"

"You stutter doing other things, too," Elizabeth replied, wickedly, "So it's not going to be a big surprise to me." With all her might, she managed to keep a straight face when William blushed and looked away.

"I think I should follow Rick's example and get smashed," William whined, pushing his hair off his forehead, "Because if I don't, I'll be like this all night."

"Rick isn't getting smashed," Elizabeth said, a hint of worry creeping into her voice, "because if he does, Kitty will, and then we'll have a mess later."

William pointed over to the bar and shrugged. "Caroline isn't even here yet, and from what I've heard from Charles, she begged to have a speech too. She said it was only fair because she's the sister of the groom, but forgive me, I've never heard of the groom's sister making speeches. I don't exactly blame them for wanting to drink."

Shaking her head slowly, Elizabeth looked to the bar and frowned. "Let me see your speech again, if you're really that worried." She held her hand out to him, knowing that he wouldn't let her see it again, and she believed him to be more confident than he made himself out to be.

"No!" William looked at her, horrified, "you'll tear it apart and insist on correcting it!"

Smiling, Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek. "You'll be fine. If it was really that bad, you'd give it to me to fix." Straightening her dress, she raised her eyebrow at him. "Good luck, okay? Join us at the table when you feel fit to be in the company of things other than empty dishes and bread."

She disappeared off into the crowd to talk to one of her relatives, and left William alone to nervously await his speech, knowing what a bad public speaker he was. While he was worrying, Caroline prepared to make her entrance. She was so angry that Jane had chosen pale green for the dresses, which all bridesmaids were required to wear. So to make up for it, Caroline had bought a matching purse, hat, and gloves, just so she would at least be more accessorized than any of Jane's sisters or cousin.

"Where are my sparklers?" Her puzzled question was muffled by the din, but it was still loud enough for people to hear. Again surrounded by slight laughter, her puzzlement gave way to indignation. People always laugh when I walk into a room, she thought, confused, My clothes are great, there are no trails of toilet paper hanging from my shoe, and my makeup is perfect as well.

She scanned the room with her William-radar and detected him sitting alone at a table, nervously wringing his hands and appearing to mumble to himself. Look what that tramp has done to him! He'll be in the insane asylum for sure! Caroline felt her blood boil, just thinking about William's ruin all at the hands of Elizabeth Bennet.

With purpose in her step, she strode over to where he sat and immediately broke him from his reverie. "William, she stressed, "your friends are here now. It's okay. You're at Charles' wedding. We all will come visit you, even if you are sick."

William stared at her. "Caroline, I was just going over my speech for Charles in my head. I'm perfectly healthy, what are you talking about? You haven't been drinking already, have you? Please Caroline, for Charles' sake... Why don't you find Louisa? I'm sure she'll take care of you."

"I'm not drunk!" Caroline screeched, clenching her hands, "I was merely showing concern for you, William! Remember, you were my friend before we were anything else, and also before you decided to shop retail instead of designer." With a smug smirk plastered on her face, she spun on her heel and went in search of Louisa Hurst.

Louisa sat calmly with Jenny Gardiner and her fiancé, Steven Banks. She had not seen Caroline's entrance, and was actually enjoying talking with the two of them. Occasionally, Rick and Kitty also joined in the conversation, having abandoned the quest of being utterly intoxicated before nine o'clock that evening. Even Thomas Hurst quit his drinking for the time being, especially since he had been diagnosed with the beginnings of liver failure. It didn't stop him from eating everything available, but at least he did it neatly tonight.

Caroline noticed that William and Elizabeth were also to be sitting at this table, along with Jane and Charles. Her own place card put her at a table to the left, and horrified, she saw Lydia and Mary Bennet sitting there, as well as other single people. With an involuntary shudder, she put her card down, but managed a small smile at all the gentlemen. She returned to the table after getting up again with the first of many champagne glasses.

Time ticked by. Jane and Charles made their entrance, to which everybody ran over to them to issue congratulations. The band began to play, and people began dancing. Caroline wrinkled her nose in distaste as Elizabeth and Charlotte dragged Georgianna out to do some dance, the Electric Slide.

William sat alone still, palms sweaty, curly hair mussed from running his hands through it so many times in exasperation and nervousness. He couldn't believe that Charles still expected him to give a speech. His last speech was his medical report about gall bladder surgery and he had accidentally called it "ball gladder" three times, and that was without the stutter. He frowned as Elizabeth whirled by, laughing, just because he wanted to join her but every time he stood up, he felt like he had to vomit.

With every tick of his watch, he felt more and more ill. Charles had sat down briefly to encourage him, as had Rick, but William didn't feel any better. It would serve them right if I puke during the speech, anyway, he thought, stubbornly. Eyeing the bar longingly, he was about to stand to try and get something carbonated to drink when he noticed Caroline Bingley on what seemed to be her fourth champagne glass of the evening.

From what he recalled, she wasn't a drinker. His stomach turned again. What happens if she professes her undying love to me in the middle of her requested speech? I don't think I could handle that... His reverie was broken by a hand tugging in his wrist. Tilting his head upwards, William met the eyes of Georgianna.

"C'mon, party pooper," Georgianna teased, "You're making it worse sitting here all alone at a wedding!"

"Charles' wedding," William grumbled, "and he knows how much I hate making speeches."

"He'll make one for you at yours," Georgianna said, innocently, quirking an eyebrow.

Blushing, he looked away from his sister. "I wasn't aware I was getting married," he said, straight faced.

Georgianna slugged him in the arm, hard. "Don't pretend I don't know about that box you keep hidden in your car," she growled.

"What box? My box of lollipops for the kids I do consultations for?" His innocent voice was enough to make Georgianna scream. "Seriously, Georgie, I haven't even come up with a way to ask yet."

"Hmm, let's see," Georgianna began slowly, sarcastically, "how about 'Elizabeth, will you marry me?'"

"Wise ass," William said, poking her in the side.

"I try," Georgianna answered, and continued pulling him to his real seating arrangement. He stared off into space and appeared very annoyed and unapproachable. Which, in the long run, was the exact reason why Elizabeth decided to toy with him for a little while.

She plopped herself down in his lap and strung her arms around his neck. "Miss me?"

"Elizabeth! What are you doing?" Broken from his silent contemplation of humiliation, he tried to appear completely shocked and exasperated. However, he couldn't say he didn't like her attention.

"Trying to take your mind off of your speech," she cooed, nuzzling his neck, "nobody's watching..."

His face turned a new shade of red and he shifted underneath her. "Elizabeth, come on, it's your sister's wedding," he said huskily, swallowing convulsively.

"Exactly," she whispered. "And if you think getting up in front of people is going to be difficult, think about getting up in front of people after you've just made a complete spectacle with the bride's sister over here."

He glared at her. "You owe me for that one, Elizabeth."

She kissed him. "We'll see."

Chapter 10

Posted on Thursday, 27-Aug-98

Dinner began shortly after that. The food was good, but William only pushed it around his plate. The minutes before his speech were dwindling faster than ever. People began to stare at him, and at once he realized that there were no more minutes. The time had come. Swallowing with difficulty, he tapped his knife on his water glass.

"Attention," he called weakly, "Attention!"

"SPEEEEECH," Rick howled, mischievously, and everybody laughed.

"Yes, speech," William said, bashfully, staring at his shoes. "You k-k-know, I never really thought this d-d-day would come. Charles never had anything b-b-bad to say about anybody, so every g-g-girl he met I always believed he'd either marry or loan one hundred dollars to." He took a deep breath and tried to remember his stuttering exercises.

He looked up to see more than several people chuckling. It made him feel a bit better. "So when he moved here to Boston and began working at Pride, it didn't surprise me when he began talking about a fellow resident there, a really pretty blonde with a gorgeous smile. When I met her, I couldn't get over how easygoing she was. Just like Charles. I'd known Charles since I was eighteen, you know, and finding a girl that wouldn't walk all over his generosity was virtually impossible. "

"Thanks, Jane, you proved the impossible possible. I couldn't ask for anybody more suited to my best friend. Can I mention that Jane has sisters? Is she not the perfect woman, or what? She's not only beautiful, smart, a doctor, but she's got sisters who follow in her footstep. You guys have to love that."

There were more chuckles from the audience, and finally William cracked a grin. "But you can't have one of them, she's mine. It was a two for one deal, I guess, he got Jane, I got Lizzy. But seriously, guys, we've all seen Charles grow a lot since he was eighteen. He'll continue to grow, and I'm not talking about his waistline or his forehead, and I'm happy to be here, still friends, to see him start this awesome journey in his life. Best wishes to Charles and Jane."

Everybody raised their glasses and shouted "here, here," as William sat down. Elizabeth took his hand.

"It went really well," she said, eyes shiny. "But I think you might have some explaining to do."

He nodded and sighed. "I'm so happy it's over. I think I remembered to bring another shirt in my car for later, though, this one is completely saturated. We'll talk later, I promise."

"We'd better," Elizabeth answered, brows furrowing in puzzlement. Did he just propose?

Paul Bennet stood up. "One more, guys, this is impromptu, but it has to be said. May your lives be filled with happiness, Jane and Charles. Your generosity will allow people to walk all over you, your interns, your fellow residents, and your family, but remember, you'll be able to handle it. Best wishes, kids."

"My turn," announced Caroline, and a groan was audible from more than just a few guests' mouths. "When I first heard Charles was marrying Jane, I was really happy. But then I heard that William Darcy was also planning to marry a Bennet, and I began to wonder exactly what these Bennets had that I..."

Charles had stood up to lead Caroline back to her seat. "Enough," he whispered firmly, "more than enough. Thanks, Caroline."

Loud cheering and clapping followed his action.

William was finally able to eat a bit of food, and when he was done, he went out to his car to get his alternate shirt because he was sweating like a pig in the one before. He sat down to change and popped open the glove compartment with a frustrated frown plastered on his face.

He opened the black velvet box that he had kept in his car ever since he had started sleeping at Elizabeth's apartment more and more often. The diamond was big, but not obnoxious. William just wished he knew how to ask. When he returned to the room, the band was playing again, and it was growing closer to the time for the fireworks.

"Don't be mad," he whispered in Elizabeth's ear during their first slow song together, "promise me you won't..."

"How much did you spend?" A warm feeling grew in the pit of William's stomach because she knew him so well.

"Not that much, but it's a bit extravagant... Your dad and uncle helped."

"Tell me it has nothing to do with fire and I'll forget about it," Elizabeth said, eyes closed. At his silence, she opened them. "William Darcy, tell me there's no fire involved..."

She pulled away. "How much fire?" At his innocent shrug she glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"You've got to be kidding."

She glowered as he led her outside, along with the rest of the guests, to a makeshift clearing behind the reception hall. Earlier in the week, it had been surveyed to make sure it met requirements set by the fire department. The guests to the Bingley wedding turned their gazes to the sky as the first firebursts began to illuminate the sky.

Reds, blues, greens, golds, and purples began bursting through the darkness. They were wonderful fireworks, exploding and shining with all their might shouting out the happy occasion.

A twang of shame ran through Elizabeth's heart, as she knew she'd never be able to do something like this for her sister. She would have liked to, with all of her heart.

William watched as Elizabeth saw the fireworks with a bittersweet smile on her face, and he wondered why they upset her. Sure, they cost money, but didn't she understand that Charles was the closest thing he had to a brother?

"Don't you like them?" His question was full of child-like innocence.

"OF course I do," Elizabeth answered, with a quick smile. "I wish I was able to do something like that for Jane, too."

William quirked his eyebrow. "Just because it cost money doesn't make it better, Lizzy, and I'm sure Jane won't even notice. The finale is coming up."

A large red heart, a purple J and a green C appeared in the air, and the photographer captured it on film. The recently wedded couple embraced underneath it, and again tears welled up in Elizabeth's eyes. Jane was leaving, and while it made her so happy, it also made her sad. The apartment would be very different with Georgianna and Kitty instead of Jane.

It was watching Elizabeth churn with so many different emotions that made William decide that he was going to propose. The wheels in his mind started turning very fast and a slow, hidden smile spread across his face. He would do it the following day, and he had a plan.

The party went on into the night, with dancing, food, and happiness. Jane and Charles each left to change for the plane, and as they left the reception hall, they were pelted with rice. Jane hugged each of her sisters good-bye, even Lydia, who complained bitterly that her husband wasn't there to dance with her.

At a little after midnight, the festivities began breaking up. Elizabeth left at one, William slightly earlier. She crawled into bed and he was already sleeping, which meant they weren't going to have a chance to talk that night. Into the darkness, she frowned as she rolled over and contemplated sleeping in Jane's old room, still unoccupied by Kitty.

Before she could get up, however, she had already fallen asleep.

Chapter 11

Posted on Thursday, 27-Aug-98

William took great pains in waking up early the following morning. He had plans to execute, just because he thought that the traditional proposal would not be adequate for a woman as complex and intriguing as Elizabeth Bennet. Knowing that she wouldn't come within ten feet of coffee that he made, because she insisted that he put too much "garbage" in it, he knew that to make her drink it, there would have to be no alternative.

So, getting every can, packet and container of coffee, coffee beans, and instant was his next challenge. He rummaged through the freezer for the Folgers that she had in there, through the cabinet for the Maxwell House, and again in the freezer for the expensive Italian stuff she had hidden for emergencies. Next, he brewed some really dark coffee, dumped some milk in it, and grinned evilly as he remembered her reaction to the last time she was forced to drink his coffee.

It was true, he supposed, that he did put some unwanted extras into his coffee cups. Last time, he put chocolate covered coffee beans just to give it some extra flavor, as well as some milk, and a bit of cinnamon. Gross? To her it was repulsive, she liked it completely black. William opened his bag, put all the coffee in it, and dropped the ring into the cup he brewed for her. He could hear the shower running and he knew that he'd be gone when she got out of the shower. William smiled nervously at nobody and yelled for her attention. "ELIZABETH! I'M LEAVING, I LEFT YOU COFFEE!"

From the shower, Elizabeth could hear him yell. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. William's coffee was absolutely horrible. The thought of what he could have left in the bottom made her stomach churn. She'd simply pour it out and make herself a new cup. There was certainly enough coffee in the house for her to do that anyway.

Humming to herself, she dried off and wrapped her hair in a huge towel. Elizabeth wrapped herself in the new bathrobe she had bought the week earlier and made her way over to the kitchen. There was the cup on the counter that William had made and when she stirred it around, she confirmed that there was something there in the bottom.

Sticking out her tongue in mock disgust, she went directly to the freezer for the Folgers. It wasn't there.

Oops, maybe I put it in the cabinet, she thought, puzzled. Opening the cabinet doors, she rummaged around, looking for the Maxwell House she knew was there the day before. It wasn't there, either. Darn it! Where the hell is my coffee?

Inspiration struck her and she remembered her expensive Viennese coffee she had put in the freezer. She opened it again, rummaged around, and didn't find it. Frowning again, she rummaged once more and didn't find it that time, either.

"Where the hell is my coffee?" Elizabeth searched every possible place again and made a face. She'd be a mess at work without caffeine, so she made her way slowly to the coffee cup on the counter. Grabbing the spoon again, Elizabeth figured that she'd be able to at least pull out some of the garbage at the bottom of the cup.

When she brought up the first spoonful, it was of melted chocolate and coffee beans. It fell to the sink with a sickening plop. The second spoonful was more of the same, but the third spoonful felt a bit different. The thing the spoon struck was not a bean. She scooped it up and couldn't believe her eyes.

Blinking once, twice, she ran the object under water and stared at it some more. Her thoughts were in a jumble. Elizabeth, in her right hand, held what appeared to be an engagement ring with a diamond the size of a small state. No. No, it couldn't be.

She tried it on her finger, and of course it fit. No way. It isn't. Elizabeth ran to the phone and tried calling William's cell phone, but it was turned off. So she beeped him, left a message at the surgery desk, and called Rick to try to intercept him. She ran to her bedroom and got dressed in record time, threw her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed her car keys. She'd find him somewhere in Pride.

Tires screeching, that'll leave a mark, she thought sheepishly, Elizabeth pulled out of the apartment complex parking lot and onto the freeway to get to Pride. Not surprisingly, there was quite a traffic jam. Frustrated to no end, Elizabeth considered taking the back roads to work just so she could practice her sprints going up to the surgery floor. Jutting out her lip stubbornly, she leaned on the horn because the Blazer in front of her refused to move. Switching on the radio, she cursed as she heard the report that the traffic jam would probably not clear up for another hour. Turning off the car, she prepared to wait and figured closing her eyes for a few minutes would hurt...

The hospital garage loomed in front of her at long last, and she zipped her way through the concrete aisles until she found her normal parking space. She was grateful that somebody had had the decency not to take it. Hopping on the elevator and grabbing a newspaper, she waited until she hit ground floor and ran for the main elevator in the lobby. She pushed the button with the seven on it and impatiently hopped from foot to foot as it climbed to her destination. With a ding, the doors opened and Elizabeth flew out of the elevator, miraculously not tripping.

"Dr. Darcy, please," she said to the temp at the desk.

The temp pointed to the wipe-away board on the wall. "You can check, but he had an early one today, ma'am. Can I give him a message?"

"Yes, of course," Elizabeth said, just a bit flustered, and took out a small piece of paper.

She handed the paper to the temp and smiled sweetly. "Can you make sure he gets that, personally?"

Intrigued, the temp nodded. "Of course."

Elizabeth went back down to her lab, where Rick was waiting impatiently.

"Let me see that rock!" Elizabeth held out her hand, and Rick promptly whistled.

"Your aunt was right, I hate to say," he said teasingly, "Surgeons do make a hell of a lot more money than we do! It didn't look so big the last time I saw it."

"The last time you saw it? You knew about this?"

Rick shrugged. "C'mon, I'll tell you over some samples."

That was probably a stupid move on his part. They went into the lab and began working on some blind samples, some with the HIV virus, some totally clear, and some with a mild form of hepatitis. They were testing new drugs to see what they did to both Hepatitis and HIV.

In her excitement to hear what Rick already knew, Elizabeth neglected to notice when the tiny needle seemingly missed it's target and struck her finger. When she did notice the small pinch of a puncture, she stood up abruptly and ran to the sink.

She poured Clorox all over her hand, and Rick, completely alarmed, followed her.

"Pour some more, Liz," he choked out, in disbelief, unable to think straight.

Elizabeth shook uncontrollably. "Oh, no," she moaned, "What do I tell William? That I have to wait six months in case I have AIDS? I can't have AIDS, Rick. I wanted to cure it, I didn't want to get it."

She fought for control, knowing that she'd hyperventilate if she didn't sit down. Rick grabbed her a chair, thought better of it, and grabbed one for himself. They were both shaking pretty badly by now, Rick's stomach in knots, Elizabeth's heart heavy.

"I don't know what to say," Elizabeth moaned dully. "I don't even know what to do. What do I tell William?"

"Tell me what?" William stood in the doorway, heartbeat tripping in his chest. He looked at the tearstained face of Elizabeth, and Rick's horrified anguish.

"She stuck herself accidentally, William. With one of our blind samples." Rick spoke so quietly William had to strain to hear him. When he did, he rushed to Elizabeth's side and peered at her hand. He couldn't see the puncture mark at all, so she dully pointed it out to him. It was tiny, not very deep, but if it was HIV, it was deep enough.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as he hugged her, "I'm so sorry."

Chapter 12

Posted on Thursday, 27-Aug-98

A loud alarm sounded. Actually, it wasn't an alarm. It was the car behind her, beeping furiously. Elizabeth's heart raced like it never had before. In her foggy mind, she remembered that she was in a traffic jam, not at the hospital. She had never even reached the hospital yet. The dream had been so real!

Her hands were shaking slightly, and she couldn't fight the urge to check her fingers for puncture wounds. Elizabeth realized that this was completely irrational, considering they didn't even use needles while doing the tests. They used eye-droppers.

Traffic started moving again slowly and Elizabeth called the hospital and Rick to inform them she'd be late. William was still in surgery, according to the desk clerk. Elizabeth vaguely wondered if she was a temp. Trying to clear her head and slow her pulse, she chose to think about creative ways of accepting the proposal. Considering the creativity of the actual proposal, she figured a simple 'Yes, I'll marry you' wouldn't cut it.

The question is, what would be the most fun?

When she did reach work that day, Rick did whistle and hold her hand up to anybody who walked by, proclaiming "My cousin is a very rich man," to anybody who stopped. Elizabeth blushed to the tip of her ears every time, knowing that the diamond was slightly on the larger side. Part of her wished he had bought a smaller one, but her inner child was winning out, screaming "Oooh! Sparkly," every time it caught the light.

Elizabeth and Rick had orchestrated a plan for her to accept the proposal. She smiled wickedly as she went through the new batch of marked, separated samples. Knowing that any second would bring William downstairs with a curiosity rivaling any cat, she slowly took off the ring and put it in her pocket. Rick and Elizabeth sat in their lounge, sipping coffee, as soon as the desk clerk from surgery announced his departure.

He ambled into the room and focused his beautiful eyes on her. "More coffee, Elizabeth? Didn't you like the coffee I left for you?"

Pretending to be completely ignorant, Elizabeth laughed. "I didn't drink it, silly! I searched and found a mocha blend I had in the spice drawer. I just poured yours down the drain, please don't be mad, Will."

All the color drained from William's face. "Ah," he stuttered, shifting weight from foot to foot. He held out his hand as if he would say something, but then it went to his chin, and then to the back of his neck.

"You say you, ah, poured it down the drain?" He rolled his neck, and Rick and Elizabeth could hear the cracks. William continued his uneasy shifting of weight intertwined with pacing. He looked like he was either going to burst or cry, Elizabeth couldn't exactly decide what. Rick held his laughter well, hand clenched so tightly on his side that it would hurt if he did.

"Elizabeth, I think I might have something you should know..." William's stomach was in knots and he thought he might vomit. He was trying to appear calm, but he knew the stuttering would begin at any moment.

Elizabeth nonchalantly stuck her hand into her pocket of the pants she had chosen that morning and without his notice, slipped the ring back on her finger. Again, she placed her hands around the coffee cup. "I poured it out after I fished around and found the prize you left for me," she said, willing herself not to burst into a bad case of giggles.

"It was really nice for you to leave a prize for finishing that cup of goo, Will, although don't you find it a bit extravagant for just drinking a cup of coffee?" Elizabeth quirked her eyebrow at him and smirked. "I would think a ring like this would be more along the lines of what one would use to commence engagement. Why don't I just give it back and we'll save it until you do that?"

In his still outstretched palm, she placed the ring back in it and turned around. In William's present stupor, Elizabeth never expected him to react so quickly. As soon as she turned, a rough hand was on her arm, spinning her around and pulling.

She couldn't stutter out a word before an inhumane growl escaped his mouth and his lips were on hers. Emitting a squeak of surprise, neither noticed as Rick escaped, wisely closing the door behind him.

In the lounge, where Rick stood outside the door guarding, William finally let a shocked and completely disheveled Elizabeth go free. After a few seconds she shoved him lightly.

"Well? Are you?"

"You could let me be a little bit romantic, at least," William pouted, inspiration hitting him as he dropped to one knee.

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured, blushing prettily, "if you want to be romantic..."

"Marry me."

"Do you even have to ask?" Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek and let him put the ring on her finger. "Although I do think my father is going to have to be told slowly. Come to dinner tonight and we'll break it to him then."

William looked worriedly at her, "Do you think he'll disapprove?"

"I think he's still getting bills from Jane's wedding, and will continue with that for awhile," Elizabeth replied honestly.

"Don't worry about that now," William said, swinging her hand around, "that's not an issue. Will your dad be happy?"

"I'm sure he will, because I am."

Indeed, Paul Bennet was thrilled for his favorite daughter. He was not thrilled about the second wedding, but he also figured Elizabeth and William were not looking to be quite so extravagant as Jane and Charles. Francine Bennet almost had a coronary upon hearing the news, claiming she'd "go distracted" at the total household income of her second daughter's house.

Catherine DeBourgh made her presence known almost immediately, switching Anne's place of care to Sense Hospital, not understanding that the Pride department was one of the best in the nation, both Elizabeth Bennet and Rick Fitzwilliam also ranked as top doctors in their specialty.

Kitty and Georgianna were both placed in Sense Hospital, where Elizabeth hoped that they would keep her informed on Anne's condition. She hated to see the frail, sweet girl die because of her mother's stubborn attitude. Many letters were sent between the immunological departments of the two hospitals, and Elizabeth tried not to vent her frustration to William. She knew it hurt him to know of his aunt's disdain for his soon to be bride.

The wedding was set for only one month in advance, which was fine for both Elizabeth and William. A simple service was set in a small chapel, and the reception was to be held on Pemberley's grounds. The most difficult part was the fact that Elizabeth and William had decided not to stay together for two weeks before the wedding, partly to let Kitty and Georgianna move in easier.

Caroline Bingley did not take the news well, as was expected. She quickly turned her affections to Rick Fitzwilliam, who was not too thrilled. Secretly, Caroline searched all of William's relations to learn of any other males in the family, finding Rick's older brother David, who was already married. It was a great disappointment. She was invited to the wedding, only because Charles was. She planned on seducing Rick, because she had heard that he was fond of the drink, as well. Regardless of the truth of the statement, it kept her mind off the upcoming wedding.

Lydia Bennet-Wickham gave birth to an almost eleven pound baby boy almost two weeks before Elizabeth's wedding. She complained constantly the entire time about the size of her stomach, stretch marks, labor pains, and hunger. George was never there to help her around the house, so she made it a point to complain to Jane for some help.

The baby's name was Geoffrey, but he was quickly nicknamed Rex by his father. Elizabeth had no doubt that the name would stick. Almost directly after the birth of Lydia's baby, everybody learned that Charlotte Collins was also pregnant, and while happy for her friend, Elizabeth couldn't help but shudder when she thought about the father of the child.

The dresses were picked, bridesmaids in pale blue, bride in white, and tuxes rented. It was four days before the wedding when Elizabeth found herself frantically packing up her apartment, a bittersweet feeling in her heart leaving the home she'd been in since she'd entered medical school. But the feeling was joined by a nervous anticipation, and also excitement at getting married to William, whom she knew she loved with all her heart. It was strange how things turned out, and a chuckle escaped from her lips at the irony of it all. The last person she said she'd ever marry was the one she'd be spending the rest of her life with. Her stomach fluttered again in anticipation.

The object of her musings joined her in her bedroom. William smiled at the sight of Elizabeth, appearing to look busy, her mind a million miles away. He could only see her profile, one smooth cheek, and he almost had to turn around and head for a cold shower. It had been a mutual agreement that until the wedding, they'd try to separate for a little while. It was brutal. It was just as bad for Elizabeth, but she hid it better. She may have seemed like she didn't notice his presence, but she did, and followed him back to the small living room.

"You know, we don't really know everything about each other," she commented, startling William.

"We'll have fun learning," William countered, with a devilish grin.

Elizabeth tossed a miscellaneous throw pillow at him. "I meant some of the little things. What's your favorite color? Music?"

William chuckled. "Let's see. I'm a Sagittarius, I enjoy listening to most jazz and swing music, but I do have an affinity for some classic rock. I tend to look fairly nice in blue, if I do say so myself. As you know, I like my coffee goopy. I've had all my shots, and a haircut last week." He looked at her, matter-of-factly, and nodded.

She stuck her tongue out at him in jest. "Don't you want to know anything about me?"

"Not really, no," William said, appearing completely serious.

It earned him another throw pillow to the head.

Part 13

Posted on Friday, 28-Aug-98

The night before the wedding was upon them in no time at all. William, unfortunately, was called in for an emergency appendectomy and had left the small gathering where they spent the evening at the Bingley's. The party was quiet, Lydia Wickham's absence noted and Mrs. Bennet slept in an attempt to quell her nerves in an upstairs bedroom.

Elizabeth sat, checking her watch, waiting for William to come back. She did it with a slight blush to her cheeks and a laugh whenever anybody asked what she was doing. Elizabeth and her father enjoyed laughing at Ed Gardiner, only because he knew it was his turn as soon as Jenny and Steven set a date.

The missing Fitzwilliam brother David and cousin Andrew were in attendance, David only because he couldn't believe William was actually getting married. Elizabeth had to admit that Rick's younger cousin Andrew was going to cause quite a few hearts to break, if he hadn't already. He had just turned 24 a week before Kitty had. Already Andrew seemed taken with Mariah Lucas, who enjoyed his attentions.

Caroline Bingley was not in attendance.

The ceremony the following morning was just as small as the dinner before. It was reserved solely for family and close friends. Elizabeth was radiant. Her nervous anticipation was quelled the moment William joined her at the altar.

They joined hands and she smiled up at him, stifling a giggle. It seemed he had a small piece of toilet paper still clinging to a shaving cut. Not wanting that in the pictures, not to mention the fact that he'd be absolutely mortified, she very quickly reached up and took it off.

As expected, William blushed a bright red, squeezed her hand, cleared his throat, and the minister proceeded with the ceremony. Kitty could feel a lump in her throat, and Jane was openly weeping in joy. Elizabeth was excited more than she had been ever before and could barely contain herself to blurt out "I do" even though she regretfully admitted that she was being very Lydia-like later.

When the minister said to kiss the bride, William puzzled for a moment just how to 'kiss' the bride. He had asked Charles, and while Charles laughed at him, William had not stayed to find out an answer. When his lips finally met Elizabeth's for the first time as husband and wife, he threw decorum to the wind for the first time in his life and kissed her like he meant it. Luckily for him, she returned the favor with equal fervor.

When it ended, William was pleased to note that it wasn't too vulgar, or too chaste. It was perfect. In fact, everything was perfect except all the rice that Rick decided to pelt him with. He had a feeling that he'd be picking it out of his cuffs, pockets, and hair for days. But no matter. It was his belief that he had found true happiness, and that came from the fact that Elizabeth also believed she had found it as well.

Everybody was happy, Richard was happy, Kitty, Jane, Charles and Mary were happy, Paul Bennet was happy, Andrew and Mariah were quite happy in the corner of the backyard in which they occupied. The only one unhappy was Caroline Bingley, and William almost felt bad for her. Almost. His sorrow for his friend's sister was playing a distant fiddle to his thoughts of honeymooning with Elizabeth.

He checked his watch again seemingly endless times in anticipation for getting away with Elizabeth to Hawaii where they planned to honeymoon. Finally, after an eternity, he and Elizabeth left to change for the plane. They spent the ride, or rather, SHE spent the ride sleeping, he spent it staring at her, wondering if she had anything interesting up her sleeve.

Elizabeth, not one to disappoint, exited the bathroom of the hotel wearing very slinky blue lingerie. "You said you liked yourself in blue. Do you like me in blue?"

William's jaw dropped and coherent thought exited his mind for the upteenth time since he had met her. He did remember thinking about how he liked her in blue a lot better than he liked himself when he finally paused to reflect on the evening.

They sat in the large bathtub, covered in bubbles, facing each other. Lazily, Elizabeth blew the bubbles at him as they talked. William had to admit that he liked bathtime Elizabeth quite a bit, hair messily thrown into a ponytail, eyes sparkling, and laughing. Narrowing his eyes, he pretended to be critical.

"Is that a speck of dirt on you, Mrs. Darcy?"

At first, Elizabeth did not understand him, and she looked at her visible arm. "Where?"

Realizing his point finally, she laughed. "I believe it is, Mr. Darcy. Would you care to assist me, sir?"

He smirked and slowly nodded his head before crossing to her side of the tub.

Needless to say, they were otherwise occupied for some time.