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cariantha · 2 years ago

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Hunger Pains

Book: Open Heart, Post-Series

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks)

Rating: Explicit

Warning: 🔥NSFW, ⛔18+ Only, contains explicit sexual content

Category: Fluff, Smut, Halloween

Word count: 2.6K

Summary: Sawyer is in a bad mood. Ethan helps her calm down.

Prompts:

🫦From Anon: Can I get a fic with Ethan giving MC a love bite or hickey?

☀️From @peonierose: Ethan & Sawyer + “sunshine”

🍬From @jerzwriter: "Actually, I like candy corn!"

Events:

🎃For @choicesoctober event: Costume / Halloween / Vampire / Meme

🥰For @choicesprompts Flufftober 2023 event: I want to take care of you.

“Mr. Cox. An appropriate name for such a dick,” Sawyer thought to herself, blood boiling as she exited Room 513.

The patient being cared for inside could easily steal the title of “Biggest PITA” away from the infamous Nigel Platt. And only making matters worse, her consultation had been interrupted multiple times by a cocky intern eager to show off.

Once the door closed behind her, she spun on Dr. Perkins.

“How many times have we told you not to interrupt when your resident or attending is speaking with a patient? If you do that again, I’ll make sure you are written up.”

Sawyer strode to the nearby nurses’ station to update Mr. Cox’s chart. The obstinate intern followed.

“How am I supposed to learn anything around here if I’m not allowed to ask questions?” he argued.

“You start by shutting the hell up and listening. Had you done that in the first place, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation. If you were really trying to understand something back there, you would have directed your questions to me. Instead, you attempted to conduct a medical history interview on an extremely agitated patient minutes before he went to surgery,” she scolded.

“This is–”

Her patience was wearing thin, and Sawyer spoke over him. “Jaaackie, get Dr. Know-It-All away from me before I go all Ramsey on his ass,” she demanded through gritted teeth.

Having caught the exchange's tail end, Jackie looked up from her tablet.

“I think you just did,” she answered, “and Perkins, the patient in 506, needs a new catheter. Now.”

“But that’s not even my pati-” he complained.

With one harsh look from the Chief Resident, Dr. Perkins finally tucked his tail between his legs and sulked down the hall.

"You're breathing fire today," Jackie quipped as she rounded the desk to leave.

Sawyer ignored her and continued typing furiously on her tablet.

Jackie and Bryce traded places down the hall, getting on and off the elevator.

“Hey, have you seen Brooks? I mean Ramsey. Brooks-Ramsey?” Bryce guessed, unsure what to call his friend since she and Ethan surprised everyone by eloping a couple weeks ago.

Jackie pointed in the direction of the nurses’ desk. “I hope you brought snacks. She’s in a mood again,” she warned as the steel doors closed between them.

A minute later, Bryce slunk next to Sawyer, bumping shoulders to get her attention.

“Finally. What took you so long?” Sawyer rebuked, shoving the tablet towards him. “Here, take this guy away. And while you have his head open, feel free to poke the part of his brain that disables his speech.”

“Well, aren’t you a pocketful of sunshine this morning,” he teased.

“After a few minutes with this asshole and you’ll understand why,” she said, storming off.

“Annnd, Dr. Ramsey, it is,” he decided.

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Shortly thereafter, Sawyer sat in the diagnostics office and stewed silently as the team meeting ran over schedule. Her annoyance grew more intense with each passing minute as Ethan and Harper debated, and Tobias egged them on for his own amusement. No longer able to take it, she interrupted.

“Do you need me? Because, if not, I have patients who do.”

Her three colleagues snapped their heads in her direction, surprised by the bite in her tone. With raised eyebrows, she looked at the team leader and challenged him to respond.

Ethan cleared his throat. “Uh, let’s see how the labs come back and continue this discussion when we have more information.”

Harper and Tobias quickly got out of Dodge as Sawyer stacked her notes and gathered her things. When she stood to follow, Ethan reached for her hand and held her back.

“Hey, what’s wrong? What’s got you so wound up?”

She exhaled deeply, his touch instantly calming her.

“I’m sorry.” Frustrated tears welled in her witch-green eyes. “I'm super cranky. These third-trimester hormones are no joke. My mood the last few days has been…”

A single teardrop fell down her cheek.

“Come here,” he urged, pulling her into his lap. “It’s been, what?”

“It’s either been hangry or hornery or both,” she pouted and sagged her shoulders.

Cracking a smile at her dramatics, “I know what ‘hangry’ is, but ‘hornery?’”

“Horny and ornery.”

With a shake of his head, Ethan caressed her swollen belly. “So, what I hear you saying is you’re irritable because you're either hungry or horny…”

“Right now, it’s both,” she interjected, her fingers seductively dancing up his chest.

“And the cure for this condition is to either feed you or fuck you?”

“Look, I’m not saying food and sex would solve all my problems, but it would sure help me calm the hell down,” she admitted with a coquettish grin.

“Well, as much as I’d like to help you satisfy your hunger pains, all I can offer right now is this.”

Ethan reached for the bowl of Halloween candy on the conference table.

“Boo,” she scowled playfully. Sawyer stood and sifted through the options, “I’ll take the candy corn off your hands and leave the chocolates for you. I know they’re your favorite.”

“Actually, I like candy corn,” he said, ripping a small package open with his teeth and pouring them all into his mouth.

“Seriously?” she asked, surprised.

“My dad loves them. We always had a bowl out during the season. I used to push them up on my canines when I was a kid and pretend I was Dracula.”

“Aw, cute. Well, if that’s true, then I’ll take some of these too,” she reached back into the bowl and stuffed her pockets. “Supposedly, chocolate is a good substitute for sex. Feed two birds with one scone.”

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

A couple hours later, Sawyer was at the lab demanding the results for one of her patients.

“What do you mean it will be another four to six hours? I ordered these tests yesterday!”

Her raised voice began to draw the attention of others, including her indirect supervisor. Ethan was just finishing a consultation with the hospital’s lead hematologist when he heard the uproar.

The lab assistant snapped back. “Look, lady, we’re doing the best we can. The tech will run the test when he returns from lunch.”

“Lady?! Do you see this badge? That’s Dr. Brooks to you.”

Sawyer spewed red-hot anger as she spun on her heels. From several feet away, Ethan could practically feel the heat radiating from her. Her neck and cheeks were crimsoned, and her fists clenched at her sides.

“That’s enough,” he admonished, taking Sawyer by the wrist and swiftly pulling her into a familiar, dark supply closet.

Ethan loomed over her as he backed her into a corner.

“I know… I’m sorry,” she apologized. Sad cat-like eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“This kind of stress isn’t good for you or the baby,” he advised. “This is serious, Sawyer. You leave me no choice but to help you calm down.” The corner of his mouth began to turn up in a sly grin as he ran his hand over her hair.

“Oh, thank god,” she sighed, crashing into his lips.

“We’ll…have to be…quick…and quiet,” he murmured between desperate kisses.

As Sawyer slipped out of her shoes, Ethan lent a hand, sliding her pants and underwear to the ground. As she stepped out of them, Ethan unzipped his pants and pushed them down to expose his rising need. Their white lab coats provided a curtain of privacy if anyone walked in on them.

Lifting her up around his waist, Sawyer tried to wrap her legs around him. With several extra inches around her midsection, she had a hard time locking her swollen ankles behind him and finding a comfortable position.

“Ethan, my belly. This isn’t working,” she squirmed under his hold.

Determined to make this work despite the cramped space, Sawyer slid down. She shrugged off her lab coat, turned her back to him, and placed her hands on the wall.

Ethan took the hint immediately. His hands roamed under her shirt, starting at her sore back. His thumbs applied light pressure as he worked down her spine, earning a few grateful groans. He also spent a few seconds massaging her ass, finishing with a gentle squeeze.

Closing the small gap between them, Ethan reached around and tenderly appreciated her baby bump. Then, slithering his fingers into the cups of her bra, he ghosted around her sensitive nipples.

Sawyer felt his breath next to her ear and turned her head to meet him in a passionate kiss, his erection poking and teasing her backside.

Navigating in the dark, Ethan leaned back to align himself with her entrance. “God, Sawyer,” he gasped, easily gliding between her slick folds. “You are so ready for me.”

She looked over her shoulder with a smile and jokingly reminded him of her libidinous mood swings. “What’d I tell you? Me so horny.”

With an amused shake of his head, he pulled back gently and then began to pump his hips. Slow and soft at first.

“Mmmmm, that feels so good, babe,” Sawyer mewled.

Ethan picked up the pace. He pushed harder and deeper but was careful not to get too rough with his pregnant wife or her precious cargo.

“Ohhhh,” she let slip a little too loud.

“Shhhh, baby,” he breathed heavily, working up a sweat.

As her legs began to tremble, Sawyer kept her hands firmly braced against the wall for support.

“I’m close… cover… my mouth,” she panted.

With a hand on her hip to hold her close and steady, Ethan reached around with his other and gently covered her mouth. He leaned in and pressed his chest against her back, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. “Let go, beautiful,” he mumbled against the feel of her rapid pulse.

After a couple deep pumps, Sawyer’s whole body shuddered. She moaned her satisfaction into Ethan’s hand. The vibrations pulsing through her body and the warm breath against his palm provoked his own release. Clamping his mouth onto her neck, he muted himself.

The euphoria made her forget all her aches and pains. So, when Sawyer tightened her muscles around Ethan’s still bursting length, it hardly registered when he bit down hard on her throat.

They didn't spend much time basking in the afterglow to avoid getting caught. Ethan gave his wife a loving kiss, and when he was certain she could stand unsupported, he pulled up his pants and helped Sawyer step into hers.

With a quick peek into the hallway, Sawyer checked to see if the coast was clear. “Hold on… it’s Wen,” she whispered, holding up a hand to halt him.

When Dr. Wen disappeared around a corner, they exited the supply closet.

“Do you think she heard us?”

“If she did, I’m sure she assumed it was only one of the ghosts that she believes haunts these halls,” Ethan chuckled. “The more important question is, are you feeling better?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“Well, let’s make doubly sure and head up to the cafeteria for some lunch.”

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Later that night, at home and in the shower, Ethan pushed wet hair away from Sawyer's neck and discovered the frightful bruising.

“Oh, Soe, I’m sorry,” he expressed, carefully skimming his fingers over the bite mark. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Sawyer touched the tender spot and moved around him to see her reflection in his shaving mirror.

“Oh my gosh!” she laughed as she traced her fingers over the imprints of his teeth. “I married a freakin’ vampire!”

“I’m sorry. But, hey,” he innocently smiled back in the mirror, “...only a vampire can love you forever.”

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck. “Mwahahaha,” he snarled at her ear before placing a delicate, healing kiss on the love bite.

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

The next day, the newlyweds arrived at work hand in hand and walked toward the attendings’ locker room. Pausing just outside the door, Sawyer turned to face her husband.

“Hey, just a reminder that I volunteered to help in the clinic this morning. Carrick said he would do rounds for me.”

“I remembered,” Ethan said, bending down to give Sawyer a quick but loving kiss on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll see you later,” she returned, reluctantly releasing his hand.

Stepping into the locker room, she spotted a familiar face. Well, sort of.

“Whoa, that looks soooo good, Elijah. Gross, but so realistic,” Sawyer awed.

“Thanks! Those in the research department agreed to dress up like lab experiments gone wrong.”

“Well, mission accomplished. And, Happy Halloween, by the way. I know it’s your favorite day of the year.”

As Elijah excitedly talked about his zombie character - which, of course, was inspired by a new John Carpenter video game - Sawyer tugged on her white coat and checked her reflection in the mirror.

The bruising on her neck was much more prominent the day after and under the hospital's harsh fluorescent lighting. She tried to adjust her hair and fix the collar of her jacket, but it was no use. She dug through her bag, searching for her makeup case, quickly realizing she had left it at home.

“Shit,” she thought to herself.

“Aren’t you dressing up this year?”

Elijah’s question brought her back to the conversation, and an idea popped into her head.

“About that… do you have any more fake blood?”

“Yeah, there’s a tube in my locker. Help yourself,” he offered on his way out.

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Down in the free clinic, Sawyer examined a very inquisitive eight-year-old who noticed the bite mark and the two drips of dried blood on her neck.

“Say ‘ahhhh!’” she instructed, using a tongue depressor to check the back of his throat. “Good, no swelling back there.”

“Doctor! Did you get bit by a vampire?”

“I’m afraid I did,” she admitted, putting on a bit of an act.

“Was it Dracula?”

“That’s still up for debate,” she laughed to herself, picturing little boy Ethan with candy corn fangs.

“Did it hurt?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Did he suck your blood?”

“Justin, for goodness sake,” his mother chided and rolled her eyes.

“It’s fine,” Sawyer waved her off.

“Did he make you into a vampire too?”

“No,” turning her back to the young patient and facing his mother, she muttered, “...he just got me pregnant.” The patient’s mother cackled out loud.

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

That afternoon, Sawyer was on the fifth floor to check on a patient when she spotted Ethan stepping into the hallway with Esme and her intern. When they were safely out of the patient’s earshot, he wheeled around on the intern and launched into a stern, familiar lecture.

“...It doesn’t matter that you’re still learning… Whether this man lives or dies is on you… There is no room for mistakes…”

When he finished his tirade, Ethan marched to the nurses’ station and began tapping away on an iPad.

“Don’t sweat him. He’s all bark and no bite. Isn’t that right, Dr. Brooks?” Esme asked as Sawyer approached the scene.

Mrs. Ramsey shook her head vehemently. “Oh, no,” she spoke loud enough for Ethan to hear, “he bites alright.” When he looked up with a raised eyebrow, she winked and kept walking.

A couple minutes later, Ethan’s phone pinged with a text notification.

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silver-rings-and-rabbits · 1 year ago

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Open Heart - Chapter 16

The Oath

Chief Emery was sat directly facing Matthew but she didn’t look up as she scanned her notes. Matthew’s eyes flicked around and he grimaced when he spotted Declan Nash sitting a few seats away, looking as smug as ever.

“You’re finished, Valentine,” he hissed. “Once you’re booted out of residency, I’ll make sure the state board revokes your licence.”

“I’ll answer to my colleagues, not you,” Matthew growled. Nash sniggered.

“Fun fact, your colleagues are my colleagues too. I’d even call us friends. For example, Dr Cyrus and Dr Wen were having dinner at my penthouse last night and, boy, did we ever talk about you…”

He sat back in his chair with a vindictive glimmer in his eye. Matthew glanced down at the podium. He didn’t want to admit that Nash was getting to him…but he was. He glanced back at his friends, who sat in the third row, and they gave him big smiles. Furthermore, a number of his previous patients were along the front row with their prepared statements.

“Good morning, Dr Valentine,” Harper announced, finally looking up. Her voice carried to the back of the hall. The hum of chatter fell silent as she banged her gavel. “Let us begin.”

Matthew took a deep breath and lifted his chin slightly. He lightly held on to the edges of the podium as the board members looked back at him, expressions ranging from professional neutrality (Dr Tanaka and Chief Emery) to outright disgust (Dr Cyrus and Dr Wen).

Cyrus took over the speech.

“A patient is dead. Teresa Martinez. By your own admission, you stole a sample of a drug and administered it without hospital approval.” He glared at Matthew over the rim of his glasses.

“I had Mrs Martinez’s approval and she understood the risks.” A little too late, Matthew wondered if he should have had Mrs Martinez sign kind of agreement.

“Before we vote on whether to rescind your privileges and terminate your residency,” Tanaka said. “You have the opportunity to defend your actions.”

“I understand you brought witnesses to testify on your behalf, including former patients,” Harper said. She had a long list in front of her, and called them up one by one.

Willow was called up first. She looked much healthier and stronger than when she came in for Hep C treatment, and despite her nerves, she told the panel about how much of a burden had been lifted off her and her brothers shoulders since Matthew had found their insurance loophole. Matthew felt a small rush of pride when she named Matthew as the reason Edenbrook was her favourite hospital. Of course, Cyrus preferred to focus on the insurance loophole, but Rosario’s eyebrows had gone up and he was nodding along with Willow.

Mrs Turner appreciated the justice system within the hospital as she took her place, cheerfully regaling the time Matthew had panicked when she was unconscious.

“A little heart-to-heart was all it took, and when further complications sprung up, he was much better prepared. Dr Valentine’s the reason I’m still breathing.” Then she frowned at the panel. “If anything, it made me think that you lot aren’t doing a very good job at the ‘teaching’ part of this teaching hospital, but fortunately I’m very good at suing for—”

“That won’t be necessary, Mrs Turner, but thank you for your time!”

Matthew pressed his lips together, hiding a smile. Mrs Turner winked at him as she took her seat.

Remy had made the journey from Southern California to Boston to tell the panel that he had a new perspective and appreciated every single minute on the waves. Not even Wen and Cyrus had a response for that. But even better was the PITA himself: Mr Nigel Platt claimed that Matthew was “the only doctor with half a brain” and admitted that he had been a jerk but Matthew still took good care of him. Most of the panel seemed pleased to hear that.

Tommy’s mom, Sharon, also talked about how Matthew had cured Tommy despite the distractions he was dealing with at the time. She was then overshadowed by none other than Jake Sandberg. As soon as he stood up, a stream of excited gasps filled the room. Even Dr Tanaka struggled to stay calm.

“Mr Sandberg! You…you know Dr Valentine?”

Jake grinned.

“He only saved my life. He and some others figured out my medications were interacting after I collapsed in the middle of the game. In fact, without Dr Valentine, we wouldn’t be on track to win the World Series. He’s welcome anytime as honorary captain.”

“Thanks Jake!” Matthew said suddenly. There was some kind of smothered moan from behind him: Elijah was fanboying.

The crowd broke into applause as Jake Sandberg returned to his seat. Harper turned towards Dr Tanaka and said something that sounded like: “Am I supposed to know who this guy is? Is it a sports thing?”

It took a few minutes for the buzz to die down again before Alma – Dolores’s sister – stood up to speak, and Matthew had a pang of sadness as he remembered the long night in the NICU. Alma spoke about it now: she had since adopted her nephew and she still strongly believed that Matthew rescuing the frog toy and keeping vigil that night had kept him alive. The frog still brought the baby so much comfort. Matthew discretely wiped away a tear. Dr Chandra beamed at him.

��That’s remarkable dedication, Dr Valentine,” she said. Even Dr Lozoya looked moved.

On the other hand, Cyrus and Wen were whispering furiously to each other: everything had been far too complimentary for their liking. For the first time in this debacle, Matthew felt like he may just have a chance.

The last person to give testimony was Annie – Matthew’s first patient. She hadn’t realised she was the first patient until now and it seemed exciting to her. She was equally pleased that Matthew had emailed her a few times to check on her recovery, and that she was settling in, which was all well and good until Cyrus jumped in again.

“Dr Valentine administered the antibiotics that nearly killed you. Dr Varma had to rescue you.”

“Hey, keep my name out of your mouth, pal—”

“Jackie, ssh! You’ll make it worse!”

“That may be,” Annie said, firmly to Cyrus, “But I didn’t know I was allergic, and it was still Dr Valentine who realised what was happening and stabilised me. How many of you could have done that on your first day?”

She eyed the panel. Dr Lozoya had to quietly admit that she made a good point.

“Enough of this!” Cyrus cried out. Nash had been making a slashing motion at his neck. “These patients can’t possibly know enough about Dr Valentine to make a decision!”

“Agreed,” Wen said. “The panel should be asking doctors who are familiar with the profession.”

Nash, Cyrus and Wen freaking out had to have been a good sign, and when Matthew sneaked a glance at his friends, they were all grinning.

Calling the doctors forward didn’t seem to have the effect Nash hoped. Dr Mirani didn’t look at Matthew as he was called forward, confirmed Matthew was a colossal pain in the ass, but he wouldn’t hear a bad word about Matthew after the day of the triage. Triaging three dozen desperate, pleading crash victims would have been tough for any doctor, let alone an intern, but Matthew had been stellar and had saved many lives. Even better was Chief Emery’s addition that Matthew had stepped up to assist on an emergency surgery with no training. Nash looked like he might be sick.

They got their revenge by tearing into Ines as soon as she described Matthew as a friend, pointing out that someone going behind her back to deliver an illegal treatment was probably not something a friend would do. Ines didn’t have a good response to that. Matthew felt incredibly guilty. He’d never dream of taking advantage of Ines…but perhaps, despite the best intentions, he had.

The hearing was beginning to wear on him and he suddenly wanted to shout at the panel to hurry up and make a decision. The odds seemed evenly stacked at this point: he’d had good testimony from his patients, but there was still too many negatives for his liking.

He perked up a little when he received glowing testimonies from the senior physicians. Dr Myles gave a strong report on how well Matthew had handled the challenges of his intern year. Dr Yannick confirmed that Matthew had put plenty of research behind the cure, and this mistake shouldn’t be considered statistically significant in a sample size this small. Dr Calais, for some reason, suggested that golf was a good judge of character and Matthew’s swing was very promising. Matthew didn’t understand, but was willing to take whatever he could get.

“Alright,” Harper called. “This hearing will take a short recess and then—”

“Don’t I get to speak?”

Matthew jumped in surprise and turned to see a man walking down the steps. He was looking at Matthew, but Matthew had never seen her before.

“That’s Luis Martinez, the son of the woman you killed,” Nash chortled. “You’re so toast, it’s making me crave breakfast.”

Matthew resisted the urge to push his hair back as he watched Mr Martinez approach. Somehow, facing the panel had been less scary than this. But he didn’t have time to regret any of it now, and was going to stand his ground until the end.

Mr Martinez paused at Matthew’s podium. His expression was troubled.

“You…are you the one who did it?”

Matthew braced himself.

“I am.”

Mr Martinez bit his lip…and then his eyes filled with tears and he hugged Matthew tightly. Sounds of surprise erupted around the room. The panel certainly didn’t know what to say, and Matthew didn’t know what to do except awkwardly pat him on the back as Mr Martinez whispered his thanks.

“But…what in the…” Nash spluttered.

“Mr Martinez, this doctor is the reason your mother is dead!” Cyrus cried. Mr Martinez pulled away from Matthew, wiping his eyes.

“He’s why my mother lived. Don’t get me wrong, I was so upset, furious even, but then someone showed me the photo of her in Paris.” He smiled at Matthew. “I hadn’t seen that look on her face since I was a boy. And I knew why Dr Valentine did it.”

“I’m just glad I could help a patient,” Matthew said, returning Mr Martinez’s smile. A small part of his guilt was dissolving at the validation.

Mr Martinez chuckled. “You helped her in ways that no doctor ever could. That’s why I’m dropping my lawsuit,” he added, and the hall erupted. Matthew could hear his friends voices in particular sounding hopeful…but he wouldn’t let himself get excited. He was in too deep for the panel to just let him off.

Meanwhile, Mr Martinez took his seat…next to Dr Ramsey. His comment about not being out of tricks suddenly made a lot more sense.

“Yes, yes, this is all wonderful but it has no bearing on the matter at hand,” Cyrus barked, shutting the hall up.

“Dr Cyrus is right. As much as this is good news, Dr Valentine still breached hospital ethics,” Harper said. “We will take a short recess, and then Dr Valentine will make one last statement before we vote.”

She banged the gavel and the atmosphere relaxed a tiny bit as spectators started chatting to each other. A number of people were catching up with Jake Sandberg in the hope of getting a selfie. Feeling slightly light-headed, Matthew made for the door. His friends followed.

He couldn’t even relax outside the room. Somehow he felt worse than he had before he went in.

“One last chance to save my skin. What do I even say?!” he gasped, pacing around.

Bryce said he would have voted for him and Jackie said she would tell everyone to kiss her ass, which she knew wouldn’t go over great. Matthew glared at them both.

“Anyone got any real suggestions?”

Elijah quickly rolled forward, making Bryce and Jackie step back. “Stick to your guns and say what you mean.”

Rafael gently touched the small of Matthew’s back. “You confessed so you could have the truth on your side. Let it fight for you.”

It helped Matthew a little bit, and then Aurora’s voice rose up, distracting them.

“Everyone else is watching the hearing, why can’t I?”

“Because, Aurora, this is the perfect chance for you to pick up some extra cases.” Harper had an excited smile, but if she had paused for a second she might have realised she was the only one. “Report to Dr Alondra, then Dr Mirrielees. Tell them I sent you—”

“God, Aunt Harper, would you just STOP?!”

Matthew glanced at his friends, who all looked shocked, but after he had seen Aurora in the supply closet, he wasn’t surprised. However, Harper looked stunned. The argument had drawn the attention of literally everyone in the atrium.

“You don’t listen to me! Ever since I got here, you’ve used me to feel like you’re still practising!” There was something in her fast-paced speech that was eerily similar to how Sienna broke up with Wayne.

“That-that’s not true…”

“No? Then tell me how much you love being chief. Tell me that you don’t miss being a surgeon and that you love paperwork and kissing up to scumbags like Nash. Tell me how much you didn’t care about getting back into the OR the other day!”

Harper spluttered, trying to regain her composure.

“Aurora, you can’t talk to me that way!”

“You know what the hilarious thing is?” Aurora groaned, ignoring her. “Of all people, Valentine is the kind of doctor that you’ve always wanted me to be…and you’re letting Nash railroad him out of a fair hearing.”

Aurora stormed off with the final word, leaving Harper completely shell-shocked. No one had ever seen the Chief of Medicine so lost for words and as such, no one knew how to react. People watching the hearing awkwardly shuffled past to get back into the conference room, people not watching the hearing scurried down the halls.

Aurora was making a beeline for the stairs. Matthew hastily caught up with her and she whipped round to glare at him.

“What?”

“It’s about damn time.” Matthew couldn’t help smiling a little as he wondered how long Aurora had dreamed of saying all that.

Aurora jutted out her chin.

“Yeah. It was.”

She nodded at Matthew, then continued to march up the stairs but rather than going to chase up cases, she entered through the upstairs doors to the conference room.

Matthew returned to his friends who were, of course, asking questions, but the hearing was about to start again; Harper had already gone marching back inside. They didn’t have much more time to do anything more than give encouraging hugs before returning to their seats. Matthew didn’t know what was about to happen. But Aurora Emery had made an argument for him which he wasn’t sure he deserved, Ethan Ramsey had come through and brought Mrs Martinez’s son onto his side, and as much as he was trying not to get too confident, he believed it would all mean something.

And now it was crunch time. He took a deep breath, like Mrs Turner had taught him, as he returned to the podium and stood tall. Dr Wen glared at him. He held her gaze.

“Dr Valentine, you stand accused of not just breaking Edenbrook policies, but the Hippocratic Oath.”

“First, do no harm,” Cyrus quoted. “You broke your vow as a doctor.”

“I don’t believe I did.”

“I see.” Tanaka frowned. “Might I ask what you think it means to be a doctor then?”

Matthew had had ample time to think about this.

“It means fighting the inevitable. They say that, as doctors, we are just buying time. We all die eventually. But time isn’t what we need.” He remembered Mrs Martinez picking up her suitcase, her face alight with joy. “Mrs Martinez would have rather spent ten days doing what she loved than ten years cooped up here. Since we all lose the fight eventually, I’m going to make sure my patients fight on their own terms.”

His statement was met with a burst of applause from behind him. He suddenly felt like he was leading a revolution…maybe, in some small way, he was.

Cyrus and Wen, however shared a panicked look before Cyrus hissed at Harper to do something. It took her a second to bang the gavel; she seemed distracted. And when Dr Chandra asked if he regretted his actions, he didn’t. He regretted the pain caused to the Martinez family, and he regretted the time wasted on the investigation, but what he was able to do for Mrs Martinez was worth everything.

With everything said and done, he gripped the edge of the podium, trying not to shake, as Chief Emery called the vote.

“You weren’t going to start without me, were you?”

Matthew jumped and whipped around to see none other than Dr Banerji, leaning heavily on a walking stick and being assisted down the stairs by Landry. He still looked weak and pale, but very pleased to have turned up for the most pivotal moment of the hearing. He did love the drama, after all.

Landry looked pleased too. “As soon as he woke up, I drove us here as fast as I could,” he explained as Naveen shook hands with Ethan, who suddenly looked the happiest Matthew had ever seen. The panel were all speechless, and the crowd was gawking and murmuring in confusion…except for Matthew’s friends who were exchanging subtle high-fives and fist-bumps.

“I…Naveen, what are you doing here?” Chief Emery stuttered. “You said you were retiring.”

“I should have said I was expiring,” Naveen chuckled, slightly raspy. “Until yesterday, I was on the verge of death by sepsis of unknown origin. Unknown, that is, until Dr Valentine gave up his last day of preparation for this hearing to solve my case.” He winked at Matthew, who smiled warmly. “Now then, I believe that seat still has my name on it.”

Nash made some kind of signal as Naveen made his way to the eighth seat and Cyrus jumped up.

“Uhh, that’s fantastic news, Dr Banerji, but…er…protocol dictates…”

“You were never a good liar, Cyrus,” Dr Banerji said, coldly. His smile returned when he looked back at Matthew. “Now, given the circumstances of my resurrection, I think we all know what I’m about to say. And when it comes to revoking your licence, that’s going to be a ‘nay’ from me.”

“Nay,” Dr Lozoya agreed.

“Nay for me as well,” Dr Tanaka nodded. Dr Chandra also voted ‘nay’ and turned to Chief Emery. Silence suddenly fell. She had the casting vote. Matthew gripped the podium again, his nerves rushing back ten-fold. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and time seemed to stop as Chief Emery gave him a long, measured look. Her eyes flicked once to the back of the room, where Aurora stood.

“Think about this, Harper…” Declan Nash growled.

“Dr Valentine,” Chief Emery said, calmly. “You’ve proven you’re someone who focuses on what a patient wants as much as what their body needs…but we’re not here to save bodies, we’re here to save lives. I vote nay.”

Her voice rang out, clear and decisive, as Matthew’s breath came out in a rush as his knees went weak and he hung onto his podium to keep from collapsing.

“Ohmygod I get to stay!”

Dr Rosario reluctantly voted nay, as did Cyrus and Wen, realising there was no use arguing now, and then the cheers went up.

“Hell yeah! Unanimous MVP!” Bryce cried from somewhere behind him, a scalpel jockey through and through. The crowd continued to applaud as Matthew went down to shake the hands of each of them, even Cyrus and Wen who barely looked at him. Harper politely told him to keep the ethics hearings to a minimum in the future, and Naveen held his hand tightly and said that he should be thanking him.

“This hearing is officially adjourned,” Harper announced with a victorious bang on the gavel.

“Emery!” Nash stormed over and placed both hands on the desk in front of Harper. “This is unacceptable. Valentine will be punished, or my company will—”

“Your company won’t do a damned thing,” Harper snapped. “Or I’ll make my next keynote speech about why you buried research on a cure for Rhodes. Speaking of which, you’d better get that R&D back up and running.”

She swept away as Ethan joined Matthew at the bottom of the stairs.

“Good job, Valentine,” he said, casually. Nash whipped round to glare at them.

“This isn’t over,” he cried, sounding ridiculously comical. “I still have that deal you signed, Ramsey. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me around here.”

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it, Nash. Go home.”

“And if I don’t?” Nash attempted to square up to Ramsey. “What are you gonna do, punch me again?”

“I think you’ve been embarrassed enough for one day,” Matthew said, patting Nash’s cheek condescendingly, as he and Ethan walked towards the exit. Nash was so incensed that he shouted after them that he could take way more embarrassment, and they both started laughing. Jake Sandberg was nearby, taking more selfies with fans under the watchful eye of a bodyguard, and gave Matthew a smile and a wave.

“Ramsey!”

Harper was calling Ethan over, with a steely expression. Ethan sighed.

“Looks like I have some explaining to do.” He was smirking. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Matthew.”

As Ethan strolled over to where Harper was standing, Matthew scanned the atrium and spotted his friends lurking by the corridor. He rushed over to them, barrelling straight into Rafael but pulling back immediately, remembering his injuries. But Rafael pulled him straight back into a hug, laughing joyously, then Bryce was hugging both of them, Sienna’s arms were round Matthew’s waist, and then Kyra joined in, and Elijah joined in, and Jackie stood off to one side, rolling her eyes, and all of them were laughing.

“I can’t believe all of that just happened,” Matthew said, when they broke apart. He was buzzing with adrenaline, and felt so good he could lift a car.

“Never doubted you for a second,” Bryce said, ruffling Matthew’s hair.

Sienna was still squeezing Matthew like she didn’t want to let go. He squeezed her in return.

“Hey, you OK?” he asked her. She smiled at him and nodded, though she was a little teary.

“So, um, not to break up the party,” Elijah said. “But we should probably start work before the attendings come looking.”

“Oh, I guess I should confirm when I start again too,” Matthew remembered.

“Donahue’s tonight?” Bryce eyeballed the rest of the group, including Rafael and Kyra, and was met with a cheer.

Rafael and Matthew got something to eat together at Edenbrook cafeteria where they recounted the trial. Matthew thought he was doomed when the panel asked Annie about the antibiotics she was allergic to, and when Ines had been questioned, but Rafael insisted he never gave up.

“I heard people talking beforehand as well, and they all hoped you would win,” Rafael said. “Guess people weren’t judging you as much as you thought.” He reached for Matthew’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks.” Matthew blushed and squeezed his hand back. “That means a lot…more than you know.” He finished up his coffee. “Will you come with us to Donahue’s later?”

Rafael kissed his hand.

“If you want me there, I’ll be there.”

Matthew caught Chief Emery in the hallway—still looking a little dazed—and she told him to be in the next morning at 8AM and to report to the reception desk first thing for his badge and his charts. Matthew had never been happier at the prospect of waking up early.

He made the most of his remaining afternoon off by lounging in bed, wearing pyjamas, watching Netflix, and having a long call home where Holly screamed in delight that he was keeping his job. She repeated what Chief Emery had told him: keep the ethics hearings to a minimum in the future.

That evening, Matthew arrived at Donahue’s to a deafening cheer. It was even more packed than usual, stuffed with interns, residents and attendings.

“Someone buy that man a drink!” Someone – probably Bryce – shouted.

“Way ahead of you!” Someone – probably Jackie – replied.

“Speeeech!” Someone completely unknown called.

“Oh gosh, er…” Matthew gulped as he realised every eye in the room was on him. He wasn’t keen on the spotlight, and decided to keep it short and sweet.

“Well…I wouldn’t be here without each and every one of you, so genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

This got him an ‘aaaaw’ followed by a loud cheer as the patrons returned to their drinking. Matthew sidled up to Sienna and Jackie.

“Such a sap,” Jackie smirked. “Here.”

She passed Matthew a large, frosty glass of beer, and Matthew downed half of it immediately.

“That’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” he gasped. “Besides Sienna’s cooking, obviously.”

“Right answer,” she giggled. She looked much happier now that the shock of the hearing was wearing off, and she ordered a vodka raspberry from the bartender. “Do you think the rest of our residency will be this crazy?”

“I sincerely hope not. I’m pretty sure I’ve gone prematurely grey.” He leaned a little closer. “Are you sure you’re OK?”

“I’m fine. I was just so worried about what might happen if you lost your job, and then I was so relieved I couldn’t speak!”

Meanwhile, Jackie had been ordering a cosmopolitan from the bartender, and she turned back to the other two with the drink in hand.

“Do you think Banerji will return to work?” She asked. “Ramsey too…maybe there’s still hope for the diagnostics team.”

“All that drama for nothing, huh?” Matthew sighed, though he was still riding a high to be disappointed. If nothing else, the competition had shown who his true friends were.

“For what it’s worth, Matthew, you’d have won the competition…probably,” Jackie said, dragging out the last word. Sienna started laughing again as Matthew put his hands on her shoulders.

“That must have been really painful for you to say,” he teased. There would truly never be another day like this. He couldn’t help feeling smug as Jackie made a face and washed her mouth out with cosmo. Sienna patted Jackie’s back in mock sympathy as Rafael joined them.

“How are you doing?” Matthew asked, hugging him around the waist. “Do you want to sit down?”

“No, I’m fine,” Rafael said, putting his arm around Matthew’s shoulders as Bryce, Kyra and Elijah rolled over.

“Hey, big guy, you’re looking better,” Bryce said, with a mock punch to Rafael’s shoulder.

“I’m feeling better. I actually saw my supervisor this afternoon and asked about returning to work, but she said I should take another month off.”

“You’ve got to enjoy your free time while you can!” Matthew said, as the others laughed. Still, he was relieved that Rafael wasn’t diving straight back into the fray.

“You’re welcome to come hang out with me if you ever need company,” Kyra said to Rafael. “Chemo is super boring.”

“How’s that going, by the way?”

“It absolutely sucks…but I’m not quitting yet!”

Matthew smiled to himself when he heard that, and had to turn away for a few mouthfuls of beer.

“Matthew!”

Ines hurried through the crowd to give him a big hug whilst Zaid rolled his eyes.

“I’m so, so glad you get to stay!” she said, squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breathe. He didn’t even care; he was just glad they were still friends.

“I must admit,” Zaid said. “It would be very sad if you didn’t make it to your second year of residency—”

“Aw, thanks Zaid!”

“—And never had your own interns annoying the crap out of you and finally understanding my pain.”

It was too much to expect a tender moment with Zaid.

“Thanks for believing in me…I suppose we’ll be equals soon.”

“We most certainly will not!”

“I dunno…I’m pretty sure Valentine’s right,” Jackie grinned, as the others stifled giggles.

“You know, as equals, we’ll be able to hang out more often!” Ines said cheerfully, hugely enjoying Zaid’s discomfort. It was the last straw for the interns, who started howling with laughter as Zaid groaned dramatically. Ines winked at them and then pulled Zaid away, saving him from further torment.

The group started peeling off, with the boys going to play pool and Sienna wanting to dance. Matthew was just losing to Elijah when he felt a light touch at his elbow and turned to see Kyra.

“I’m calling it a night,” she said.

“Oh, OK. Are you feeling alright?”

“Just a bit tired and bleh. Probably fine, but best not to push it. And I start treatment again tomorrow, so…”

“See you tomorrow?” Matthew smiled. “As a doctor, not a visitor.”

“Damn straight!”

They laughed and hugged each other tightly before Matthew turned back to the game.

“Another round?” Elijah grinned, but then his face fell. “Scratch that, the traitor just came in and he looked this way.”

Matthew sneaked a glance over his shoulder to see Landry standing awkwardly at the bar, pretending he hadn’t noticed them. Whatever he had to say, Matthew didn’t need to hear it. His trust in Landry had broken beyond repair and, despite working together for Dr Banerji, there were plenty of people who really mattered standing beside him. There was no reason to let Landry back in. He had saved his job without Landry’s help.

“Just keep him away if you can,” he said to Elijah, who nodded.

More interesting than Landry was Aurora, sitting alone in a booth, sipping a beer and scrolling on her phone.

“Hey,” Matthew said, sliding into the booth opposite her. She blinked in surprise, dropping her phone on the table. Matthew spotted apartment listings on the screen.

“You don’t have to check up on me. I’m used to being alone,” she said, a little too casually to be believable. He nodded at the phone on the table.

“Moving?”

“I’ve been living at my aunt’s place since I finished med school but I think it might be good to have some space.”

Matthew sat in thought for a minute.

“You know, we have a room opening up.”

Aurora looked at him sharply, extremely suspicious, and then disbelieving as she read Matthew’s face.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I am,” Matthew said. “I mean, I’d have to ask the rest of my roommates, but we can’t have an empty room. So…think about it?”

A smile was pricking the corners of Aurora’s mouth.

“I will.” Matthew could tell she meant it.

Matthew left her to her thoughts and spotted Sienna, still tearing up the dance floor. She waved him over eagerly and they started dancing together wildly, no cares in the world.

“You seem happy,” Matthew said in her ear. “I mean, compared to, y’know…”

“Than when I wanted to quit?” Sienna supplied. “Yeah, I am. I know it’ll be hard sometimes, but we’ll help each other through it, right?”

“You know I will,” Matthew said, lifting her off her feet and spinning her round to make her squeal.

“You know, I didn’t think I could do it without Wayne!” Sienna gasped when Matthew put her down again. “We’d been together so long, it was almost like he became the default!”

“Look at you now!!”

“I know, right!” Sienna’s eyes darted to one side and then back to Matthew. “It’s quite nice to have a crush again, though.”

Matthew’s eyes followed hers to where Danny was hanging out at the edge of the dance floor, stealing glances at Sienna when he thought she wasn’t looking.

“Ooooh.” Matthew raised his eyebrows. “Should I leave you to it?”

“Only if you want to,” Sienna grinned. “I’m not rushing into anything. I like the idea of some quality time to myself first.”

The two of them moved off the dance floor and rejoined Jackie at the bar.

“The snake was looking for you,” she said to Matthew. “He’s lucky I didn’t knock his brains out.”

“I didn’t want to talk to him,” Matthew shrugged. “What did he want?”

“Said he’s transferring to Mass Kenmore, or whatever. Good riddance.”

“Damn.” Sienna bit her lip, looking slightly disheartened. Maybe she was remembering how they had once been a united group, but before he could ask, Jackie gave a wicked grin.

“What the hell are you still doing here, Matthew? I think if I’d just survived an existential threat to my livelihood, I’ll be going home with the hottest person I could find.”

Sienna brightened instantly as Matthew blushed.

“I’m with Jackie on this one. I hope you’re not sticking around to keep me company.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that…”

Matthew glanced around the bar. Jackie nudged him.

“If you’re looking for Rafael, I think he’s leaving.”

“Wait, what?”

Matthew spotted him, at last. He was pulling on his coat and did indeed look like he was about to leave. Matthew jumped to his feet, told the girls not to wait up, and left them giggling behind him as he made his way through the crowded bar, catching up to Rafael just as he walked through the door.

“Hey, you’re not leaving without saying goodbye?”

“You looked like you were having fun. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Rafael looked extremely pleased that Matthew had stopped him. Matthew smirked and stepped closer, close enough for his breath to tickle Rafael’s lips.

“Maybe I wanted you to interrupt.”

“Oh? And what did you have in mind?”

Ten minutes later, the two of them stumbled through the door of Matthew’s apartment, passionately kissing. Their hands were roaming over their clothes, and their hair was equally messed up where the other had been running their fingers through it.

“Raf…” Matthew gasped, trying to regain an inch of sensibility. “You’re still hurt…you should…mmmm…you should be careful.”

Rafael was thrilled that Matthew had picked up on his nickname. It seemed to turn him on even more as he captured Matthew’s lips with his own.

“I’m tired of being careful, Matthew,” he moaned. “And I know what I want.”

“And what do you want exactly?” Matthew’s eyes were twinkling.

“Right now?” Rafael leaned in to whisper in Matthew’s ear. “I really, really want to see your bedroom.”

For a split second, Matthew looked like all his dreams were coming true before he was kissing Rafael again, and they were stumbling down the hallway together, into his bedroom and collapsing onto the bed.

“Well, here it is, in all it’s glory. What do you think?”

Rafael made a big show of ignoring his surroundings and only looking at Matthew.

“Amazing.”

Matthew’s cheeks warmed as he looked back at Rafael. He was so beautiful, his curly hair ruffled and fluffy, his eyes that were always so warm were eager and full of desire, without losing a touch of their tenderness. It was about time they had sex, and Matthew was sure he was in for a good time. He shivered pleasantly as Rafael peeled off his suit, his hands caressing his bare skin, his lips brushing his neck made Matthew dizzy with anticipation. He felt so loved, it was the perfect medicine for the last several weeks.

His breath caught when he saw Rafael pulling off his own t-shirt. His eyes lingered on his strong arms and washboard abs as he wondered what took them so long to get here.

Matthew traced his fingers along Rafael’s skin, but hesitated when he got to the surgical scar down the middle of his chest. The stitches had been removed but it was still fresh and red.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

“Right now I can’t even feel it.”

That was all Matthew needed to pull Rafael close to him, touching him everywhere he could. Rafael responded in kind, and soon they were both gasping with delight, moaning in pleasure, and when they came, they came together.

They lay intwined, basking in the afterglow, still sweating and breathing hard. Matthew gazed at Rafael, sharing a smile when Rafael caught his eye.

Matthew didn’t have much romantic history. He started having casual dates in college, hooking up occasionally, but he told himself his job was the most important thing in his future which had made him think he shouldn’t be pursuing relationships.

It was different with Rafael. Talking with him had always been so easy, and always left Matthew wanting to know more. Going into work knowing Rafael would be nearby put a spring in his step. If they ran into each other, no matter how briefly, it rejuvenated him when he returned to work. And now he realised – after the best sex he had ever had – lying in Rafael’s arms was his favourite place to be in the whole world.

He propped himself up and smoothed Rafael’s hair off his forehead and kissed him tenderly.

“Do you want a cup of coffee or anything?” he asked.

“Tea would be great if you have it?”

Matthew grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the floor before he went to the kitchen. His roommates weren’t back yet and he enjoyed a rare moment of stillness as he boiled the kettle. He found the teabags hidden at the back of the cupboard and, after a moment’s consideration, decided he would join Raf. He dropped a tea bag into both mugs. It was a drink for relaxation, and he had definitely earned that.

He hummed to himself as he brought the mugs into his room, where Raf was sitting with his back against the pillows, gazing around with interest. Matthew couldn’t help wishing he’d had the foresight to tidy up at some point as he handed Raf his tea.

“Thanks,” Rafael smiled. “By the way, I do really like your room.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s nice to see this side of you.”

Matthew smiled, taking a sip of tea to hide his blush, when Rafael nodded to a photo on the bedside table.

“Is that Casey?”

The small double-photo frame held a photo of his twin on their tenth birthday – before she got sick – on the right side of the frame. The left side was his drawing of her. Matthew’s expression softened as he picked up the frame; he realised he had forgotten that she’d had a dimple. It was captured on her cheek as she laughed at something off-camera, her eyes bright and her curly hair bouncy and strong. That particular genetic coding had bypassed Matthew. He handed the picture to Rafael, who examined it closely.

“I wish you could have met her,” Matthew said. “Although she probably would have tried to embarrass me.” He rested his head against Raf’s shoulder.

“I wish I could have met her too, and that you could have met my uncle and my grandfather.” He leaned into Matthew. “But they definitely would have tried to embarrass me, too.”

They both chuckled at that, washing the room with peace. As Rafael passed the picture back, there was a scratching at the door; Spooky had been dozing in someone’s room, but now she sensed their presence and wanted in.

“Raf, have you ever met a chinchilla?”

“No.”

“Would you like to?”

“Yeah!”

Matthew laughed as he climbed out of bed.

“Just make sure your chest is covered, you don’t want her claws in your scar.”

Rafael covered his chest with the duvet and Matthew opened the door a crack and scooped up the chinchilla. Rafael gasped when he saw her.

“Oh my god…she’s like a fluffy cloud!”

“Right?! OK, I’m gonna put her on the bed. Just let her come to you.”

Matthew placed Spooky on the bed and slipped back in beside Rafael. Spooky enjoyed roaming free, hopping back and fourth several times, before she finally hopped over to his face and gave him a delicate sniff. Rafael laughed as her whiskers tickled him. Matthew’s heart practically exploded with adoration, especially when Spooky decided to nestle in Raf’s shoulder. She liked him, though it wass hardly surprising.

Raf loved her fur. He constantly petted her as he and Matthew finished their tea and fussed over the chinchilla. Raf talked more of his old cat, Coco. Matthew admitted he had never had a pet before, and was now a fully-converted chinchilla lover.

Good things came to an end, and sure enough Matthew’s roommates returned home and Spooky rushed out to greet them. Matthew quietly closed the door after her; just because his roomies knew he had taken Raf home didn’t mean they needed to see.

They cuddled again as soon as he was back in bed. Rafael’s fingers lazily traced patterns along his arm.

“You look tired, Matthew.”

“Cut me some slack. I almost lost my job today.”

“I know. But you don’t have to worry anymore.” He smiled. “So when are they letting you back in the hospital?”

“8AM tomorrow.”

“Just a few hours of freedom left. How do you want to spend it?”

Matthew cuddled closer, feeling safe and warm.

“This. Exactly this.”

Of course, it was exactly what Rafael wanted to hear. He lifted Matthew’s chin just to kiss him.

“It’s so good to see you smiling again.”

Matthew had never dreamed he would meet someone like Rafael, but he had. And so soon after arriving in Boston. It seemed too good to be true that Rafael would like him as much as he liked Raf. He ran a hand over Raf’s chest, making sure he was there. He was…and he was still there when Matthew woke up the next morning.

It was always going to be a good day when you woke up next to someone so beautiful. Rafael smirked as he traced his fingers along Matthew’s cheek.

“Excited to return to work?”

“I am…although I wouldn’t say no to one more day…”

“Maybe your next day off,” Rafael teased as Matthew kissed his fingers.

Matthew grinned and pulled himself out of bed and over to his closet, satisfied at the prospects of more nights like the last one…but he was instantly distracted by the sudden cry of pain as Rafael tried to sit up and fell back against the pillows, rubbing his scar cautiously.

“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked in alarm, rushing to his side. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah.” Rafael let out a slow breath and glanced guiltily at Matthew. “But maybe I pushed a bit too much last night.”

Matthew tried and failed to hide a smile.

“See, as a doctor, I should probably feel bad about that. But as the person who took you to bed, I can’t bring myself to.”

Raf laughed. “Good. Me neither.”

He sat up much more slowly, and dressed cautiously, under Matthew’s wary eye.

“Raf? In all seriousness, please take it easy today.”

“I will.” Raf kissed his cheek. “I’ll go visit my avo later. She won’t let me lift a finger.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Once fully dressed, Matthew took Raf by the hand and led him into the kitchen where some of his roommates were already sitting down for breakfast. They seemed completely unfazed at the sight of Rafael in their living room.

“Hey guys!” Sienna said, cheerfully. “I’m scrambling some eggs if you want some?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Rafael settled carefully into the chair opposite Elijah, who gave him an easy smile. Meanwhile, Matthew helped Sienna dish up the food and put on a pot of coffee. She looked over, questioningly.

“Good night last night?”

“Yep.”

Matthew glanced automatically at Rafael, who was in animated conversation with Elijah, and his expression told Sienna everything she needed to know. She gave him a happy squeeze before they took plates of eggs and sausages to the table.

The four of them ate companionably. When he was done, Raf leaned back and rested an arm on the back of Matthew’s chair in a gesture that felt completely natural and set off fireworks in Matthew’s stomach. He always knew that Rafael would fit in effortlessly.

Jackie came in a few minutes later, her hair still slightly damp from her morning shower. She greeted the other four with a slightly mumbled ‘morning’ before pouring herself a cup of coffee and taking a seat.

“What are we going to do about the fifth bedroom now?” she asked at the next break in conversation.

“Bryce?” Elijah suggested.

“Hard pass.”

“We can put an ad out, I’m sure we’ll be able to find someone willing to take it,” Sienna said, trying to be helpful. Matthew cleared his throat.

“Actually I mentioned it to Aurora last night. She said she would think about it.”

There was a sudden silence as the group took this in. Sienna broke it first.

“You know…that doesn’t sound so bad. It would be great to start again with her,” she said. “I feel really bad that we judged her the way we did.”

“Agreed,” Elijah said. “And she stuck up for Matthew during the hearing.”

“She probably actually did me a major help,” Matthew muttered as Rafael leaned forward.

“I don’t know if this will help, but I’ve spoken to Aurora a few times. She’s quite reserved but she doesn’t strike me as a nasty person. I think she just takes a while to come out of her shell.”

He had ended up being right about Landry. Matthew didn’t need any more convincing. He looked over at Jackie.

“I’ve got nothing against it,” she shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what to say to her though.”

“How about ‘hi, how are you?’” Matthew suggested. Jackie narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’ve gotten real cocky since yesterday, Valentine.”

The atmosphere relaxed again as Jackie finished her coffee and they piled onto the T. Raf seemed completely at ease with his roommates now and agreed to come over again soon when they said goodbye at the hospital, promising Matthew he would text when he got home safely.

As his friends peeled off to the staff entrance, Matthew went straight to the main entrance to retrieve his staff ID. Ines was already behind the desk and she gave him another big, welcoming smile.

“Welcome back, Dr Valentine!”

She dug his badge out of the box and handed it to him proudly. No sooner had Matthew put it on when there was a sudden thud from behind them. They jumped around to see someone had passed out.

“I’ve got this,” Matthew said calmy, as he strode over to the patient.

When he made it to the atrium, fifteen minutes later, Bryce and Jackie were already there, waiting for him with raised eyebrows.

“Are you seriously late on your first day back?”

“Sorry. Had to resuscitate a guy in the waiting room.”

“You get to have all the fun.”

Meanwhile, Harper was marching towards the group. Matthew was surprised to see Ethan several paces behind, keeping up with Naveen who walked with a stick. They were both wearing white coats.

“Thank you for meeting here, interns,” Harper said. “There will be several changes to staff over the next few months for you to be aware of. First of all, though I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chief of Medicine, I will soon be returning to my previous post as head of neurosurgery.”

“I get to do surgeries with Dr Emery all the time now?” Bryce gasped, looking like his dreams were coming true. “I am blessed.” He practically sang the last word. Across the room, Aurora was looking genuinely pleased.

“Following completion of his recovery,” Harper continued. “I will be handing the reins over to none other than our own Dr Banerji.”

“No way,” Matthew gasped, applauding loudly with everyone else. Naveen looked very touched at the interns reaction, but Ethan could barely contain his shock. He hadn’t been completely filled in.

“Thank you all,” Dr Banerji said. “I am eager to recover and get back to work. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering about the diagnostics team, and I will be leaving it in the very capable hands of Dr Ramsey.”

The interns applauded again, sniggering at Ethan’s poorly concealed shock, and then Harper dismissed them to their rounds. Ethan instantly rounded on Naveen.

“Administration, really, Naveen?” he growled. “You hate administrators.”

“No, my friend, you do. But now that I am one, I’m sure you and I could strike a balance.”

“Good luck with that one, Naveen!” Harper called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs.

Matthew was about to leave and start his rounds when Naveen called him over.

“As there will be an empty slot on the diagnostics team after all, I’ve decided who I want to fill it.”

Matthew blinked.

“You mean…me?”

Naveen nodded once, offering a handshake with a smile. Matthew’s heart started beating fast as he took it, trying not to tremble.

“I…wow…thank you, it’s such an honour!”

“It’s not an honour, Dr Valentine, it’s an opportunity. One that I think you’ll shine in, don’t you agree, Dr Ramsey?”

“Of course, but the competition was cancelled…”

“Then it’s a good thing I’ll be top dog and can make new rules!” Naveen declared. “So, Dr Valentine will spend his second year of residency on the diagnostics team under your supervision. Congratulations Matthew,” he added, with a wink as he walked away.

Matthew’s head was spinning and he half-expected to wake up and find the whole morning had been a dream as he looked up at Dr Ramsey.

“Well.” Dr Ramsey scratched the back of his neck, then turned to Matthew resolutely. “Better get to work then, Rookie.”

“Yes, Dr Ramsey.”

Matthew was practically bouncing as he walked towards his first patient of the day. Dr Ramsey working again, Dr Banerji coming back, Dr Emery doing what she did best, Aurora considering their spare room. And now he had the spot on the diagnostics team. Who knew that real life could take such a good turn?

He couldn’t wait to tell Rafael and his friends, even Jackie, who he was sure would take it in good stride. If anything, it would motivate her to work even harder than she did now. Matthew firmly believed that she would soon be recognised as the talented doctor she was. Nothing but good things were ahead of them now. Suddenly he couldn’t wait to start his second year, which was over seven months away.

Matthew approached the patient’s room, fondly remembering the nervous, awkward doctor who had walked through the doors on his first day. If only he had known what was to come. That young man wouldn’t have believed that, in just a few months, he would be strolling down the corridors, holding his head high and greeting everyone he met.

He quickly scanned the details on the patient chart before he opened the door.

“Hi there! I’m Dr Valentine, and I’ll be your doctor for today.”

#playchoices #open heart #rafael aveiro #mc x rafael aveiro

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wankerwatch · 16 days ago

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Commons Vote

On: Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 114

Ayes: 78 (74.4% LD, 5.1% DUP, 5.1% PC, 5.1% RUK, 5.1% Green, 2.6% Ind, 1.3% UUP, 1.3% TUV) Noes: 309 (98.7% Lab, 1.3% Ind) Absent: ~263

Day's business papers: 2025-06-10

Likely Referenced Bill: Local Government (Infrastructure Requirement Plans) Bill

Description: A Bill to require local authorities to assess the infrastructure needed to support future housing and commercial development and to prepare plans for its provision; and for connected purposes.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Commons Bill Stage: 2nd reading

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Liberal Democrat (58 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Andrew George Angus MacDonald Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Brian Mathew Calum Miller Caroline Voaden Charlie Maynard Charlotte Cane Chris Coghlan Claire Young Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers David Chadwick Ed Davey Edward Morello Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Helen Morgan Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jamie Stone Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Munira Wilson Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Richard Foord Sarah Gibson Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Steve Darling Susan Murray Tim Farron Tom Gordon Victoria Collins Vikki Slade Wendy Chamberlain Zöe Franklin

Democratic Unionist Party (4 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Plaid Cymru (4 votes)

Ann Davies Ben Lake Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Reform UK (4 votes)

Lee Anderson Nigel Farage Richard Tice Sarah Pochin

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Independent (2 votes)

Alex Easton Jeremy Corbyn

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

Noes

Labour (301 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Abtisam Mohamed Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Al Carns Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex Norris Alex Sobel Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Amanda Martin Andrew Cooper Andrew Lewin Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy McDonald Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Turley Anneliese Dodds Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Becky Gittins Bell Ribeiro-Addy Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Callum Anderson Cat Eccles Cat Smith Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Webb Christian Wakeford Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Clive Efford Clive Lewis Connor Naismith Damien Egan Dan Carden Dan Jarvis Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Daniel Zeichner Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Taylor David Williams Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Diane Abbott Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Elsie Blundell Emma Foody Euan Stainbank Fabian Hamilton Fleur Anderson Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Fred Thomas Gareth Snell Gen Kitchen Georgia Gould Gill Furniss Gill German Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Gregor Poynton Gurinder Singh Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Ian Byrne Ian Lavery Ian Murray Imogen Walker Imran Hussain Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Naish Jas Athwal Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jon Trickett Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Josh Dean Josh MacAlister Julia Buckley Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Kate Osborne Katie White Katrina Murray Keir Mather Kenneth Stevenson Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Johnson Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Laurence Turner Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Leigh Ingham Lewis Atkinson Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Lorraine Beavers Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Myer Marie Rimmer Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Marsha De Cordova Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Kelly Foy Matt Bishop Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Wheeler Michelle Scrogham Michelle Welsh Mike Kane Mike Reader Mohammad Yasin Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Naushabah Khan Navendu Mishra Naz Shah Neil Coyle Neil Duncan-Jordan Nesil Caliskan Nia Griffith Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Nick Thomas-Symonds Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Patricia Ferguson Paul Davies Paul Foster Paul Waugh Paula Barker Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Phil Brickell Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachael Maskell Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Rebecca Long Bailey Richard Baker Richard Burgon Richard Quigley Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Hall Sarah Owen Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Sarah Smith Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Shabana Mahmood Sharon Hodgson Shaun Davies Simon Opher Siobhain McDonagh Sojan Joseph Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Kinnock Steve Race Steve Witherden Sureena Brackenridge Tahir Ali Taiwo Owatemi Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins

Tom Rutland Tonia Antoniazzi Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Warinder Juss Will Stone

Independent (4 votes)

Andrew Gwynne Dan Norris John McDonnell Oliver Ryan

#uk gov #uk politics #uk parliament #politics #vote #wankerwatch

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openheartconfessions · 5 years ago

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Confession: i lie awake at night thinking about how much i wish nigel (the PITA from chapter 9 book 1) STILL hasn't rubbed his saucy foot fungus into my pores and i'm so DEVASTATED 🤪🤪🥺🥺 PLEASE NIGEL MY ORIFICES ARE READYYYY 🤪🤪🥺🥺🤪🤪

#ns*fw #super ns*fw #nigel the burping pita #nigel platt

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charliesbadchoices · 6 years ago

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Well you sure as hell look qualified to bite mine bitch 🖕

#ew just realised he has the same name as my one trueove bryce lahela #choices stories you play #pixelberry #choices #open heart #nigel platt #veil of secrets #bryce sterling

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magickgirl786 · 3 years ago

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Bridgerton Musical Dream Cast - Other Characters (Younger Ones)

Keke Palmer as Marina Thompson

Lindsay Pearce as Siena Rosso

Emmy Raver-Lampman as Madam Delacroix

Taran Killam as Nigel Berbrooke

Katie Lowes as Prudence Featherington

Kathryn Gallagher as Phillipa Featherington

Becca Tobin as Cressida Cowper

Ben Platt as Prince Friedrich

Leslie Odom Jr. as Will Mondrich

Jennifer Hudson as Alice Mondrich

Corey Cott as Jack Featherington

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lyrasky · 5 years ago

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和訳 Sex Bob-Omb【We Are Sex Bob-Omb】解説 Love's Mystery

和訳 Sex Bob-Omb【We Are Sex Bob-Omb】解説 Love's Mystery愛って不思議LyraのBlogへ #sexbobomb #wearesexbobomb #scottpilgrimvstheworld #スコットピリグリムと邪悪な元カレ軍団 #michaelcera #markwebber #alisonelizabethpill #beckhansen #edgarwright #brianleeomalley #maryelizabethwinwood #garage

もう最近のLyraの頭ん中は、大変〜。

Harley乗り回したドンぱちに、直ぐに恋してやっちゃうのやら、Virus蔓延で家族が崩壊(世界も崩壊)した中、どうやってVampireを倒すか？や、奥さんの元に帰りたいのに奇妙な町に捕まったやらで、しっちゃかめっちゃだ(内容、把握、記憶、我ながらアッパレ)。

でも冷静になってみると、全く違うカテゴリーなのに、根本的なテーマが「如何に愛するものを命がけで守れるか？」だから驚き‼️

ああ私ったら結局、愛にハマってしまうのね…納得。

そう思ったら、一目惚れしたアイツにまっしぐらな、この大好きな映画を思い出してしまった。

全く飄々としてる癖に、一途に熱い奴。

今日は、愛のために戦う男のサウンドトラックを和訳しちゃうぞ！

(more…)

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satrangee-ray · 4 years ago

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On-call

Pairing: Dr. Aurora Emery × F!MC (Dr. Idalia Grace).

Rating: General

Category: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Songfic, 1st person POV.

Summary: Aurora narrates to us the first two times Idalia and she caught each other crying in supply closets. Idalia, in turn, tells us about the third time, when in the midst of confusion, they found comfort in each other...

Warning: A few swear words.

Trope: And they were in a supply closet/on-call room. @openheartfanfics

1st time – POV:Aurora.

I always knew Ramsey was a jerk.

There were days in my teens when I had snuck up on aunt Harper venting to my mom about how mercilessly he broke her heart. Professionally too, I've forever heard stories from my aunt about how he would make interns cry. But today was different – I was about to witness the same, live.

Many would say I had already faced the worst of his wrath, on my very first day when I had abandoned Annie's case, dumping it all on Idalia. Like I had a choice, like Harper would ever stop paging me twenty times a day!

I wouldn't deny, Ramsey did give me a considerably harsh chewing after Idalia alone ended up solving the case, but at that moment it didn't really affect me a lot. I shook it off, and moved on. Little did I know, that it would take him to pressurize the hell out of my rival intern to evoke the deepest repulsive feelings towards him from my side.

I was walking out of Harper Emery's office to the atrium. I still hadn't started out with my first case of the day, which wasn't unusual, considering Harper regularly traps me in her office early morning, to insult me about every point that I might have missed out on in my previous cases, even though I had clearly solved them all. Annoyed already, in a hurry, I was rushing down the halls, when a sniffing sound from behind a closed door made me stop in my tracks.

"Dr. Grace!" I exclaimed softly, on getting closer to the crack in the door, and poking an eye through it. She didn't notice, engrossed in an unknown misery with her back slumped up against the wall, rubbing her eyes to keep tears at bay.

"I wonder why…" I mused to myself, ignoring the brief tug I felt at my heart on stumbling upon that scene.

It was probably her previous case, I thought. But if she would have messed that up, surely I would have gotten to know yesterday itself? And judging by the way she's coming fast at my top spot, aunt too didn't look quite happy about my standing in the competition this morning. So that checks out, she cracked her last case alright. Then it must be an ongoing case that she is not being able to solve. How hardcore is it though, that it's making her cry?

I racked my brain, trying to dig up possibilities. At last, it occurred to me.

"Grace! New admission in room 712. Dr. Ramsey has asked you to handle it. By name."

Dear Lord, it must be Nigel Platt.

I took off to the nurses desk, picking up my new case, as well as searching frantically for the patient assignment file. My eyes scanned the whole room, making sure no one was around; before they dropped to follow my fingers, traveling between rows, searching for that one name. Sure enough, it was the PITA for Idalia. Instantly the meltdown made so much sense to me, but I was not sure what I could do about it.

My legs involuntarily carried me back to the supply closet, to her, against my better judgment.

Shouldn't it be a good thing if my competition was crumbling under pressure? Why then, was I so bothered? I had no idea.

By the time I was nearing the door, I heard a faint melody flow out of it.

Strange. I once more put my ear to the door-crack, and listened intently.

"I can almost see it,

that dream I'm dreaming but,

There's a voice inside my head saying,

you'll never reach it."

Damn, she can sing! Whether the cracks in her voice were an intentional doing, or the end result of a prolonged tear shedding session was something I couldn't make out. Perhaps it was a bit of both. Nevertheless, her tone sounded broken in the most beautiful way.

I pushed the door a little wider, being deliberately slow, so as to not alert her with any additional sound. Unbothered, she went on, her vocals a bit more full-throated now.

"Every step I'm taking,

Every move I make feels,

Lost with no direction.

My faith is shaking.

But I!"

A cry, a helpless plea in her high notes.

"I gotta keep trying!

Gotta keep my head held high."

She belted out the end notes in a firm voice, like a resolution. We both released a breath simultaneously, and she slowly looked up. That, I would say, was her undoing.

Soon enough, she most definitely noticed the glaring blue of my scrubs at her door.

"Who's there?" She called out in fury.

Within seconds I scurried out, praying to lady luck that Idalia wouldn't guess it was me eavesdropping on her the whole time.

I saw Ramsey passing by me in one of the halls.

"Asshole", I muttered to him before I could help myself.

Thankfully, he was minding my own business, too caught up in it to catch what I was saying. Meanwhile, I was busy convincing myself that my sudden rage towards him was due to the reprimanding he had subjected me to on my first day, but deep down, I had a slight hint of what the truth really could be.

2nd time – POV:Aurora.

Exhausted. That's what I was. Utterly tired and completely drained out.

When strangers try to make friends only to use and throw you like a tissue paper, you can still move past it, but when your own family treats you like a freaking machine, it sucks out every ounce of your energy.

That was the predicament I was currently in, and it couldn't be more stressful.

I knew I was being childish, I knew I was being juvenile. Hiding in supply closets to cry was never a part of the plan when I decided to join Edenbrook. I was supposed to be the badass doctor who doesn't need anyone to rise to the top. For months, I even faked that persona oh so successfully, but look at me now! Trapped in confined spaces, searching for some leftover scraps of truth.

Devastated.

Alone.

I'm even worse than Ramsey. He acts like a bitch alright, but I've heard him plead and beg Harper to let him testify for Grace. When a righteous doctor gets close to losing their license, he cares. And I don't, cause here I am being conditioned by my aunt that it's good for me if Idalia loses her license, cause both the spot on the team and her toughest cases can be mine. I'm surprised Harper took me to be so heartless as to offer me this bullshit reason to feel perky about. But again, I myself have spoiled it me so much throughout the intern year, that if you ask any other intern of my batch, they'll unanimously agree I'm just that heartless.

Who is to blame for my state? Is it my aunt, grilling me and working me to burn-out every single day; or my batchmates, accusing me of being 'princess nepotism'? Or is it me, finding reasons to complain about everything and not getting on with life like everybody else?

Too many questions, no answers. Only darkness enveloping the empty walls and full cabinets of the supply closet. Silent sound of my tears as I wept and fell on my knees to the floor.

"Sienna, I swear if that's you again I– Aurora!"

"Grace?"

My mouth hung open, in surprise at the new entrant. I never thought she'd be the one to find me. On the verge of breakdown, when I entered the closet, it didn't once occur to me that I should have properly locked the door.

Recovering from the shock soon, I said in the coldest voice I could muster, despite the croak present in it, "get out."

"Excuse me? The last time I checked, you don't own the hospital, and I usually don't walk out on my peers when I find them crying on the clock in a supply closet."

That hurt.

I don't know if she knows, but I had done exactly that with her in the beginning of the year, when I had caught her crying.

"Fine. Come in then, and just say it."

"Say what, Dr. Emery?"

"Please, spare me the innocence. I'm not that stupid, I know what you and your gang think about me. That I don't deserve my spot, I'm only here because of my family, I'm a spoilt child, blah blah blah."

"So what, you are! Only a spoilt child, the other things are probably not true."

"Oh, and what gave you that impression?

"The fact that you're good to your patients, which makes you an alright doctor, but you're usually a bitch to literally everyone else. Hence, spoilt child."

Well... I guess I deserved to hear it. At any rate, the "alright doctor" part stuck with me. High praise indeed. For a moment I felt I could be honest with her.

I sighed deeply and felt my body sag even more against the blue wall.

"I have my reasons."

"Hmm… I see. Reasons, such as so many people already kiss your ass, why put in the minimum effort to maintain basic human politeness and decency?"

Seriously? Why did I ever think she's going to drop the sarcasm!

I simply glared at her, thinking that would scare her away. She only glared back harder.

A voice in the back of my brain said, "she has always been nice to you, Aurora. You were the one who kept yelling at her."

That's it, this wasn't a fight I was gonna win. I broke her stare at last, and admitted with another sigh, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, for barging in on your alone time. Anyway, if you don't mind telling me, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing much, just the usual."

She seated herself next to me.

"Aunt Harper putting extra workload on me, cause apparently I have a "chance", now that you are under legal trouble", I explained. "And these days all your friends are sneering at me even more, cause for some reason they all think I'm happy that you're being suspended. Like what even?"

"Wait, Chief Emery is the one putting you under pressure? We all thought she's helping you, making things easy for you", she said.

That almost made me crack a laugh.

"You're too pure for this world", I whispered.

"Pardon?"

"I said you're too delusional, Idalia", I corrected myself. "My aunt is the reason why I have to tolerate crap from so many people. First Harper herself, as she hates being an administrator. It feels like she's trying to live through me cause she doesn't get to practice anymore. Setting me up for the most complicated cases, grilling me until I find the answers, I've had enough. And on the other hand, every person in my field who has till date tried to build a so-called friendship with me, only did it to get in with my family. I'm done with this shit man! But of course, why would my fellow interns care? They'll obviously assume that I'm taking advantage of my connections, and assign me derogatory nicknames."

"I see…", Idalia said after a while, in a a small voice. "Like princess-nepotism?"

"Yes", I complied, shooting her a ruffled half-smile. "More like slave-nepotism."

"Hey", she began again. "If you were going through so much, why didn't you talk to any of us about it? It wasn't right for us to assume, but we wouldn't have assumed if you would have told us at all. In fact, every time any of us tried to reach out, you shut us down."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But if giving people the benefit of doubt means hurting yourself in the end, would you ever want to open your heart to anyone?"

She stared at me, her intense gaze roaming over my face, contemplating.

"I wouldn't hurt you Aurora, at least not consciously. Promise to share your problems with me?"

"By all means, if you give your best shot into saving your license. You have to at least remain in the hospital for me to talk to you, right?"

"Gee thanks, made me feel real good about my situation!"

"Truth is the truth, Idalia."

We settled into a companionable silence for the next several minutes. Just her and I, perched beside each other. The quiet didn't feel as suffocating as before.

"Feeling better?" She asked after some time.

"A little", I replied, wiping my tears. "Shit, my face is all wet, I must be looking horrible."

"Never say that", she quipped immediately.

Why, that was quick!

I turned to glance at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey! Don't look so confused. You're kinda hot."

"What?" I gasped.

"Yeah... I mean I'm surprised no one told you that yet."

"How do you know no one told me?"

"Oh so did they?" She bantered back, managing to look a little offended.

"Shut up", I said, and hit her knee with mine, as we both burst into a little laughter. "You're ridiculous."

"Okay, before I go, here are my former cases. I've been suspended, so they're all yours now. Remember, you're their doctor, not your aunt."

Getting up, she dusted her clothes, and walked out, letting the door close on my face.

I took a deep breath, and leaned against the stand of the racks, feeling much lighter than before.

As a last ritual, to seal the deal of confidence before I get back up to work, I decided on doing some self-affirmations. And it reminded me of only one song.

"Ahem, let's try that."

My throat cleared itself, and I began.

"The struggles I'm facing,

The chances I'm taking,

Sometimes might knock me down but,

No, I'm not breaking.

And I, I gotta be strong!

Just keep pushing on."

Slowly opening my eyes, I gathered my files, and left the dark room.

3rd time – POV:Idalia.

If people would tell me I'd work for a whole year, only to start from zero as soon as the next begins, I wouldn't want to do that job. Yet, I chose to be a doctor.

Silly of me to have thought second year would be a ride, to have thought I was ready to work in big leagues. After that first diagnostics team meeting in the morning, I didn’t even know if I belonged here.

I needed a break, so I decided to take one. Spotting a deserted on-call room at the end of the hallway, I entered to catch my breath.

"Fancy seeing you here, ma'am", a voice from behind startled me.

I turned around to see a pair of black eyes shining at me through the light and shadow.

"Aurora, you alright? What are you doing here alone?"

"Let's say I knew you'd hop by and I was waiting to give you company."

"Very believable", I mocked, rolling my eyes, and shutting the door. "Be honest, girl."

"Erm… you know I was thinking of shifting my residence from Edenbrook, because… well aunty issues. I had mailed my resume to a few hospitals around Boston, but unfortunately…"

Shit.

"I'm sorry, they're the ones missing out", I said earnestly.

"Sweet of you to say, Idalia, thank you so much, but… it doesn't really help anything. They're either mailing me saying they don't have any openings, or the seats are already filled."

"Did you try Kenmore?"

"I did! According to the internet they're not open for applications, and sure if I ask Harper she might dig out some inside info, but you know why I wouldn't want to tell her ."

"That's incredibly honest and noble of you, but if you put it this way – the idea of using the same person who your problem is with, to evade that very problem sounds pretty dope to me."

"In theory, yes. Practically, it must be incredibly unfair to the general students, if I pre-apply for a vacancy that might not even have been announced yet, and I'm also beginning to think if…"

She trailed off.

That tone did not sound nice. Concerned, I plopped myself down on the bunk beside her, and put a gentle hand on her back.

"Think what, Rory?"

"Gosh, not that nickname!"

"Why not? When you burnt breakfast this morning, and stood there looking all apologetic, it was so adorable, this nickname was all I could come up with!"

"But do you really have to use it?"

Kinda yes. I found it cute.

"Please?" I stared at her, using my all powerful puppy eyes.

"K whatever", she gave in within two minutes, nudging my arm with her elbow. "Guess that means I should be allowed to have one for you as well"

"Fair enough. You choose?"

"How about Ida?"

"My whole family calls me that, including extended."

She clicked her tongue.

"Eh, clichés, not happening. Maybe then… Lia. The other half of your name?"

"Ooh, the other half you say." I could feel the smirk growing on my lips. "I'll take it."

I nodded, and she flashed all 32 of her whites at me, the dim light of the room making the whole scene look comically like a toothpaste commercial. I couldn't help but chuckle back.

"You still didn't complete your sentence, you know. What are you beginning to think, Aurora?"

"It's… I don't know."

A sigh escaped her, before she spoke again. "Did I really bag my internship at Edenbrook based on my resume?"

"Rory!" I scolded, reaching out on impulse to take her hand. "You know it's not like that."

Her eyes dropped down to look at our joined hands. Did I make her uncomfortable?

"You really think so?" She probed, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I believe so. In my opinion, a hospital which willingly and impartially hires Landry would definitely do the same for you too."

The joke was to lighten the mood. It ended up deepening her forehead-creases instead. Her hand twitched to grab mine tighter at the mention of his name.

"What about you?" She enquired softly. "Why did you willingly enter a deserted on-call room?"

"Actually… first day jitters. The diagnostics team, three great doctors, one newbie. After everything I went through last year, I thought I was getting the hang of residency. How did it come to Ethan calling me a clueless intern all over again?"

A fond, bordering on grateful smile lit up her expression.

"He can be insufferable sometimes."

"I know right!" I agreed. "This is becoming a dangerous trend with me nowadays. Making friends with insufferable people."

It took her quite some time to get the joke, but as soon as she did, she signaled it with a bout of laughter, and I joined in. Our connected hands shook with the impact, but I found neither of us wanting to let go.

"Being a doctor is so hard, dude", she said. "However, for what it's worth, I believe you'll fit right in with the hotshot doctors in your team soon. "

"And I hope you find an opening soon too", I reassured.

My hand gave hers a little squeeze, and she began lightly stroking her thumb on the back of my palm in response.

"Any chance you heard this song, Rory?" I broke the momentary silence.

"Which one? Know what it goes like?"

Straightening my posture, I prepared to sing.

"There's always gonna be another mountain,

I'm always gonna wanna make it move."

"Always gonna be an uphill battle", she crooned along.

"Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose."

We turned our faces to each other, and smiled.

"Watched Hannah Montana?"

"No", she answered. "We should do it together sometime."

"Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side!"

We finished in a climactic chorus –

"It's the climb."

The door opened, bright light streamed in from the halls. And we emerged into it, together.

So that was it, folks! My entry for this week's Open Heart prompt. I'm loving this ship so much I can't even begin to express. Let me know if you loved this fic, and them as much as I do! Love to all.

#choices open heart #open heart fanfiction #oph book club #open heart 1 #open heart 2 #mc × aurora emery #wlw fanfic #aurora emery #songfic #spotify

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burlveneer-music · 3 years ago

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The Superhighway Band - Studio City - just catching up with this one: Shawn Lee and Nichol Thomson’s “smooth jazz trombone album” 😄

In March 2020, both Nichol Thomson and Shawn Lee found themselves at home without a live gig in site. Lee called up Thomson and said: “Now is the perfect time to make our smooth jazz trombone album”! Nichol laughed but Shawn... well, didn’t! The pandemic was prime time to get smooth and jazzy! The two had already been working together the past few years on Shawn Lee and Andy Platts’ Young Gun Silver Fox project. Nichol Thomson’s horn arrangements have become an important element of their sound so a collaboration between the two musicians was both natural and organic. Taking a lyrical reference from the Steely Dan song “Home At Last”, The Superhighway Band was born. Their debut album “Studio City” has become the perfect vehicle for the two multi instrumentalists to flex some collective musical muscle and kick some serious Yacht Jazz ass! Thomson handles the bass, keyboards and trombone while Lee holds down the drums, percussion and guitars. The album features the tightest horn section in show business comprised around the nucleus of Nichol Thomson and trumpeter Tom Walsh. The record features other top flight musical guests Elliot Mason, Matt Cooper, Nigel Hitchcock, Andy Ross, Jim Watson and Sean Freeman all bringing their magic touch to the proceedings. You can hear their mutual love of all things Jazz Funk and West Coast music: George Duke, CTI Records, The Brecker Brothers, Seawind, Quincy Jones’ productions, The Crusaders, they all resonate in the grooves of the Superhighway sound. If you haven’t come across Nichol ‘The Gift’ Thomson before, he has played with some musical heavyweight: The Eagles, Level 42, Chaka Khan, Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Tom Jones to name a select few. Shawn Lee has this to say about his fellow Superhighway man: “Nichol is such a gifted player/writer/arranger. He never ceases to blow me away. Making this music has been deeply satisfying and fun.” Shawn Lee has released nearly fifty albums in his eclectic career so far. The Superhighway Band has returned Shawn to the music of his youth and represents an important piece of his musical puzzle. Nichol says: “Shawn is a walking library of musical knowledge. When you add in his insane left-field sense of humour, you’re in for a seriously gratifying couple of months of record making.”

#The Superhighway Band #shawn lee #nichol thomson #jazz #r&b #uk #london #fusion #2021 #legere recordings

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cariantha · 2 years ago

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Hunger Pains (PG-13 Version)

Book: Open Heart, Post-Series Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: Teen Warning: Language; Pregnancy; Sexual Situation Category: Fluff; Halloween Word count: 2.2K Summary: Sawyer is in a bad mood and Ethan attempts to call her down.

Prompts: 🫦From Anon: Can I get a fic with Ethan giving MC a love bite or hickey? ☀️From @peonierose: Ethan & Sawyer + “sunshine” 🍬From @jerzwriter: "Actually, I like candy corn!"

Events: 🎃For @choicesoctober event: Costume / Halloween / Vampire / Meme 🥰For @choicesprompts Flufftober 2023 event: I want to take care of you.

A/N: The original🔥spicy🔥version of this fic, can be found here.