Elaine looked up and her temper flared. She knew that look very well, the one on Aaron's face. She got it all the time during her internship and residency.

It was the look of "how can a pretty face like you be doctor?" Elaine never understood that concept. How did her looks dictate her career? Was it a sin to have brains with good looks? She knew she wasn't bad looking. Her mother had been a beautiful lady and she got her height from her dad because her mom ended short of 5 feet 4 inches. Just because Elaine had a pretty face screwed on a tall and lean body automatically people presumed she was some model, not that anything was wrong with that. Models had it tough when it came to career just as any other person pursuing their career with passion.

Elaine looked at Aaron squarely and raised one of her eyebrows.

"Nothing. Let's go. I will drop you off on my way to the office." Aaron said as he looked away from her scalding gaze. He knew he had pissed her off and he was impressed to see this fiery side of her though last night's events had already revealed that.

He wondered how she must be in bed with her wild auburn hair.

"Get your head out of the gutter" Aaron muttered.

"You said something?" Elaine asked

"No"

"You can say it. I know that look"

"What look?"

"The one you gave me when I told you my job"

"I didn't give you any look."

"You jaw was hanging."

Aaron ignored her and opened his car door for her. She huffed and got in. Aaron stifled a laugh. This woman sure was something.

Aaron got in and decided to pull her leg some more.

"So you get that "look" all the time, I mean from the patients also? Do people say something as well?"

"Nah, even the look gets wiped clean off their faces once they realize I will be the one holding a scalpel over their open skull."

Aaron laughed out loud and his brain halted. He hadn't laughed like this in a long time. Even the past year with Olivia had been stressful because of the increasing demands of her career. He also realized from the past hour or so, being with her, Olivia didn't cross his mind once.

They reached the hospital and Aaron stepped out along with her.

"Thank you once again for everything" Elaine said and then she looked at the hospital and sighed.

Aaron didn't miss the look of utter pain cross her eyes. What was her story? This damn hospital seemed like hell to him. Even he felt the dull ache set in once again.

With one final smile Elaine walked inside, without a backward glance and Aaron suddenly felt cold. The dull ache became more pronounced and all his sorrow came back and drowned him. It was like she was holding his head above the flood of sorrow.

"Stop being sappy Clark" Aaron thought and got back in the car.

Elaine walked towards the doctor's lounge to change into her navy blue scrubs. She smiled as she recalled his deep laugh. She was good with eye contact, it was needed as doctor to make your point clear to the patient, especially the one who had trouble with compliance but with Aaron she couldn't look at him for three seconds straight. First of all the steel grey of his eyes was simply stunning and second the pain that Elaine saw hidden there in plain sight scared her. He did a good job of covering it with his shoulder shrugging and that smirk, oh God that smirk, did things to her body.

She barely knew that man for a day and she felt good in his company. She felt lighter like the storm of sorrows in her life could be tamed with his presence. She felt at ease as if he had calmed her paining heart.

Elaine shook her head and decided not to over think the situation.

"You will probably never see him again" She muttered as she shrugged on her white coat and threw her stethoscope around her neck. She scrubbed her hands a little harder, like she was scrubbing him of her mind.

"Time to save some lives Dr. Sparks!" Riley Mathews, the over enthusiastic first year resident in neurology said as he fell into pace with her. Strike over enthusiastic, that guy was like the Energizer bunny on steroids.

"Always so happy and excited, Dr. Mathews." Elaine chuckled as she took the file from him and flipped through the records of the patient she had operated on yesterday. So far everything seemed good and she sighed with satisfaction.

"It is the only thing that is going to keep me alive around here" Riley shrugged as he took a sip of Gatorade.

"Long night?"

"I don't even remember the last time I slept and I need a shower" Riley wrinkled his nose.

Elaine chuckled at his antiques.

"C'mon shower and sleep can wait, the morning rounds can't" Elaine said as she paged Dr. Watson the cardiologist. One of her patients had shown fluctuating blood pressure yesterday and she wanted Dr. Watson's opinion.

"Right behind you Doc" Riley said as he chucked the empty bottle in the trash.

"Dr. Sparks!"

Elaine turned around to see a nurse walking up to her.

"Dr. Mann would like a word with you whenever it is convenient to you. He would have paged but one of the kids smashed that thing to pieces" The nurse chuckled.

"Okay. I will be right there. Thank you." Elaine said as the nurse nodded and left. Dr. Hartej Mann was the head attending pediatrician at Wentworth East Hospital and William was doing his residency under him.

"Riley, start without me. Take Henderson with you. I will join you in a minute and when Dr. Watson shows up, take him to room 208"

"Got it" Riley said

Elaine reached his office and took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in"

Elaine stepped in and smiled at the elderly doctor.

"Ah good, Dr. Sparks. Just in time. I was about to head out for rounds."

Elaine looked at the solemn expression on his face. Dr. Mann was one of the happiest people Elaine had ever met, with his jolly good nature that put even Santa to shame but right now she couldn't see a trace of that man.

"William gave me this to hand it over to you." Hartej cut straight to the chase and held out a white envelope for Elaine.

Elaine's hands shook as she took it from him. The envelope was plain white with "Ellie" scrawled across it in her brother's handwriting.

"He told me to give it to you after the funeral and other related events were over" Hartej cleared his throat. Even though he handled shrieking and crying kids all the time, he became very uncomfortable in the presence of a crying woman and Elaine looked on the verge of that.

"I am sorry for your loss Elaine."

"Thank You Dr. Mann" Elaine nodded and excused herself.

Elaine slipped into one of the storage rooms in the maintenance area of the hospital and sat down on the a stool. She ripped open the letter with shaking hands, tears already flowing non-stop.

Dear Ellie,

You are the best sister anyone could have ever asked for. You were my best friend. When mom and dad passed away you took over the role of them for me, always guiding me. I always knew you had my back no matter what.

I am sorry for leaving you like this all alone Ellie. I am sorry for not being there to protect you all the time like any brother would. I am sorry for not being there to irritate you beyond limits. Most of all I am sorry I couldn't be there to walk you down the aisle or be the best uncle to your kids. Please do forgive me.

Do not wrap yourself up in grief sis. Your light is brighter than the sun, don't let it go dim. You are stronger then I could have ever been. I have always loved you and always will.

You have a long life ahead of you yet, so make sure you make use of every second you have without holding back because sitting here right now, writing this letter, I have realized how precious time is.

You may not see me, but I am always here, looking out for you and keeping you safe.

Take care of yourself sis.

With lots of love,

Will.

P.S: take care of Sam for me. She's so fragile. Tell her that I would always be happy no matter where she is and with whomever she is.

Elaine folded the letter, now wet with her tears. She tried to breathe but her sobs over took her body and the pain made it hard to breathe. She slipped of the stool and curled into a ball on the floor as she cried out in pain, the pain of losing her entire family.

Aaron kept his face neutral, wiping away any emotion as he followed Dr. Estelle Costello to the accounts section of the hospital. He had sat in the car for 15 minutes after Elaine had walked inside, thinking about whether to go in now and face the music or come back later. He knew he would have to come around eventually and make the dreaded payment.

"Hello Justin" Estelle said to the accountant who had his nose buried in bills and other files.

He looked up and smiled.

"What brings you here to the least exciting place of the hospital?"

"Clearing a bill of a patient." Estelle said as she handed over the documents.

Justin looked through the documents.

"How would you like to pay and medical insurance?" He asked Aaron.

Aaron pulled out his black American Express and kept it on the desk. He wasnt going to discuss medical insurances in relation to abortions.

He didn't say a word as he cleared the blasted bill and walked out of there before he broke anything. His vision was tinged with red. Would he be ever able to put this behind him?

Maybe he was never meant to be loved or have a family. Maybe he was destined to be alone as he has been since his childhood. Nothing had changed, except now he had more money than he could ever possibly spend and fame but he still had nobody in his life that he could call his own and fall back onto whenever he needed. Of course he had Dante and Rose but they had their own life and priorities. Aaron tried to push back the horrid memories of his childhood that tried to creep out of the locked drawer in the back of his head.

He was so busy thinking that he realized he had lost his way and moreover he had come to another part of the hospital with Dr. Costello.

He was about to turn around when he heard someone crying and that sound wrenched his heart. It was so painful. Aaron looked around. He was in an area which looked like maintenance section. There couldn't possibly be a patient around here.

Elaine tried to sit up but she no longer had the willpower. She needed to get out of here. It felt like the hospital walls were closing in on her. This was the place where Will had lost his battle against life. She needed to be out of here.

The door to the store was thrown open and Elaine looked up to see the last person she would have expected. She had come here knowing that no one would disturb her. It was Sunday and only half of the maintenance staff came in two shifts as emergency and trauma was the only department that never slept and concept of weekends didn't exist there.

However she couldn't have been gladder.

Aaron was shocked to see Elaine there and in such a condition. She was half lying, half sitting on the floor of a store room with a letter in hand, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She let out another sob as she looked at him.

He immediately knelt down next to her.

"Hey I got you, okay?" Aaron said gently as he removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her tears.

"Please get me out of here" Elaine croaked as another wave of sobs shook her body.

Aaron simply nodded as he lifted her off the floor and held her close to his body.