#dr valentine x dr ramsey

[hopelessromantic1352]

(Un)Professionalism

This one shot shows Casey is learning to deal with the history between Ethan and Harper. But, it’s not as easy as she thought it would be.

This came to my mind when I was replaying OH 3. I couldn’t believe how Harper and Ethan were acting around MC. I also couldn’t believe how they don’t really expand on that storyline unless you do the extra scene with Harper at the MRI machine. Then again, book three was just a little crazy overall 😂

Warnings: slight sexual actions

Ethan Tags: @perriewinklenerdie @shelivesinthewoods @silversparrow1112 @miss-indecisive-says @alj4890 @naffeesaa @hija-del-universo @usuallyamazinglyaverage @heyabby102 @lilyoffandoms @cordoniaqueensworld @carreraleigh @ethanplaysfavorites @amillionmoonsred @drcaseyvalentineramsey @claudevonstrukesblog @princess-geek @lapisreviewsstuff @aworldoffandoms @paisleylovergirl @llamasgrl @blainehellyes @flyawayboo @timmagicktoad-blog @sparklinglilac @whenyourheartskipsabeat @desmaranj @triple-shadow0 @tessa-liam please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the tags!

“Remember when Dr. Collins bet you wouldn’t chug that bottle of champagne?”

Casey watches as Ethan cringes at the thought, but Harper laughs and rests a hand on his forearm. Feeling her gut churn in jealousy, the redhead looks back to the file of their patient, wishing Baz was still a part of the team. At least he would acknowledge that she still exists.

“He swore I had the liquid escaping through my ears, which is anatomically impossible.”

Both of them laugh, Ethan looking as carefree as he has been for awhile.

“Look, if you two want to walk down memory lane, why don’t I go do my job.” She slaps the file down onto the table and forcefully pushes her chair back.

Without another look at either doctor, Casey strides out the doors. Before they shut behind her, she can just barely hear Ethan excuse himself and his footsteps hurrying behind her.

“Casey!” The loud whisper isn’t enough for her to even look back, but she picks up her pace, knowing his long strides will catch her easily. “Rookie, please.”

Confused anger clouds his raised tone, causing her to stop. Even though she doesn’t turn back around, she can hear his steps slow down and he takes in a deep breath before he steps in front of her. Her brown eyes focus on the tile spreading down the hall, her body tense with shame and her gut still filled with jealousy.

“Casey, what on earth is the matter?” Ethan’s large hand gently slips under her chin and lifts her face up.

He notices the guilt swimming in her eyes and everything clicks into place. “I apologize. Harper and I were being quite unprofessional.”

Silently, she closes her eyes and nuzzles into his hand before she shakes her head. “That’s not what bothered me.”

Not saying anything, he leads them into an empty patient room, shutting the door behind them. He watches her closely, analyzing her movements before she leans against the bed in the middle of the room. She crosses her arms and doesn’t look at him as her finger taps against her bicep.

“It’s your whole relationship, Ethan. We don’t have that and honestly, I don’t know if we ever will.”

Still utterly confused, he walks to her and lifts her chin again, trying to read her thoughts. “I don’t understand. What you and I have is nothing like the friendship I have with Harper. No offense intended, but I rather like it that way.”

Her eyes bore into his, the ice blue eyes hold their normal warmth she’s become accustomed to. His gentle touch is comforting her, not someone else. Right?

“But you two have history and that spark is still there, I can tell and I think Harper still feels it.” Rambling, she pushes off the bed and steps away from him, needing space to think and calm her racing thoughts.

Understanding dawns on him once again, this time he realizes exactly what is bothering her. He felt the same way during her intern year, seeing her with all those young, bright eyed men surrounding her at various times. The surgeon. The paramedic. Hell, he had even seen other attendings eye her. It was torture on him due to his own selfishness of not allowing them to become an item publicly.

“Casey, you and I are figuring this relationship out, but I can assure you, there is nothing between Harper and I.”

She settles in front of the window overlooking the parking lot, her eyes bouncing from the people to the cars peppering the asphalt.

When she doesn’t say anything, he continues, “She and I may have history, but that is all it is. I think of her as a colleague and a friend, nothing more. I know for a fact she feels the same way but I understand what you are feeling.” Slowly, he approaches her from behind, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. “If you remember correctly, I had a bout of jealousy that earned you a punishment in one of the vacant halls.”

Below his hands, the tense muscles loosen as she laughs quietly. “How did you take care of yourself after that anyway?”

Chuckling, Ethan turns her around and picks her up, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist. Stepping towards the wall, he presses her back against it, pinning her between it and his firm body. She can feel his hardness begin to grow as he presses his groin against hers. Both of them experience deja vu.

“You didn’t give me an opportunity to, so I suppose I had to imagine you as I took care of it myself.” His lips travel across her neck, his stubble tickling her soft skin deliciously. “Perhaps this time, we can take care of each other.”

Casey playfully grinds against the hard member straining against his slacks, tossing her head back against the wall at the sensation pooling in her core.

“Mmm, I think I’d like that.”

He breaks away from her neck and cups her cheek, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. “Know that I have not been with anyone besides you since Miami.”

“Then why did it take so long for you to give in?” Her big eyes burn with curiosity.

Sighing, he looks down, “Because I could not bring myself to risk your career. At least that is what I told myself. Now, I know I told you and myself that so I could realize that taking a risk on you was not a risk at all.”

Ethan raises his eyes to meet hers again, cupping her face with both hands. “You are it for me, Casey.”

Their lips meet in an electric kiss, her hands delve into his thick curls and her legs tighten around his fit waist. A moan escapes her as his lips reach any skin he can find and as his hands reach under her scrubs, caressing her breasts through the sports bra.

“Ethan, mmm, I love you.”

He pulls away to meet her eyes and gives her a blinding smile, his hands holding her face. “I love you too, Dr. Valentine.”

This kiss they share is soft and gentle, exuding the love coursing between them. But the gasp at the door breaks the trance. The couple breaks apart, Ethan sets Casey down gently as she blushes furiously.

“Do you need something, Harper?” Ethan’s voice is steady, but his lips tremble with suppressed laughter at the shock on their colleague’s face.

Casey steps behind Ethan, hiding the silent laughter at her own embarrassment and Harper’s.

“I—uh—“ Without a coherent sentence, she turns and slams the door behind her, leaving the couple to dissolve into a mess of laughter.

As Ethan turns, he gathers the giggling redhead into his arms, holding in a tight hug. He allows himself to relax, resting his chin atop her head. “I suppose I should do some damage control.”

“Probably. At least this time you don’t have to do your own damage control.”

He releases her at that and smirks, “I would have suggested you take care of that.”

Casey leans forwards and kisses him softly, “Maybe we can arrange for some of that damage control tonight.”

[peonyblossom]

Hey, ya know that trend with people showing their pets things they've never seen?

Does Sydney (or Ethan) do that with the cats? What do they get shown?

omg yes that trend is so funny

Sydney would definitely do that and would rope Ethan into it too because "we have two cats and you need to hold one of them". Sydney would show them fun stuff like a BLACKPINK fancam and Sabrina Carpenter music videos. He'd also show them medical textbooks including Ethan's ofc. Ethan would insist on showing them "practical" stuff. "Show them how to do our taxes" okay, Ethan

[txemrn]

Until You Love Me

Chapter 1: We Are the Crowd...

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Casey Valentine); f!MC (Casey Valentine) x f!OC (Tatum Erikson)

Series Summary: Constantly worried about Ethan's faithfulness, Casey Valentine's paranoia reaches an all-time high when she meets a blast from his past.

Chapter Summary: A celebratory night at Donahue's takes a turn when Casey meets a girl that has caught Ethan's eye

Music Inspo: "Paparazzi" - Kim Dracula

Word Count: ~2500

Rating/Warnings: 🔞 Mature Audiences Only🔞 This miniseries will contain NSFW material (🍋), infidelity, language, discussion and/or depiction of medical situations, gaslighting, mental abuse & illness, suicide, violence, criminal activity; alcohol use

A/N: I am SUPER pumped to be participating in week 1 of @choicesflashfics prompt challenge! I chose prompt #1: “You getting so flustered is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.” The prompt will be in bold.

A/N2: This is very much an AU; our main characters will be written OOC; most of these characters and some plot points belong to our friends at Pixelberry. Special thanks to my sweet friends that helped me brainstorm and pre-read various parts of this. This is not beta'd, so please forgive my errors.

~🖤~

Donahue's. The vibrant, neon sign to the well-known dive bar illuminates the otherwise quiet street. The establishment itself rests comfortably in a residential neighborhood a few blocks north of the medical district. A small parking lot was added years ago--not that anyone abides by the yellow fluorescent lines. But even with Donahue's attempting to appear more official, more business-like, everyone reveres it like a second home. A place to relax. A place where people know your name.

He lowkey loves it here; that's the only reason he dared to venture out tonight. If Ethan Ramsey had it his way, he would much rather stay in on a Sunday evening, enjoying a finger of scotch with the Patriots on mute and his nose in a historical prose.

But lucky for me, not tonight. 

Tonight is Midnight Madness, a rite of passage among med school graduates and residents where we celebrate a turning of the page, so-to-speak, as we all take the next big step in our medical careers. For my Edenbrook friends and I, gone are the days of being the scut of the hospital, the runts, the bottom of the healthcare food chain. Residency is over, and Monday morning brings private practice, fellowships, and new research. It’s one last time for celebration.

So, of course, I naturally want Ethan here with me. 

As I step out of the car, he walks ahead of me. He's due for a haircut, but I secretly love watching his dark waves gently bounce on the collar of his shirt. He's wearing one of my favorites: a pinstripe Hilfiger button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, the musculature of his defined forearms on display. His pressed khaki chinos accentuate his well-rounded, well-toned backside, and I must admit: my eyes fail to look away from the beautiful spectacle.

Well, that is until I nearly collided with the front door to the sports bar. 

He didn't hold it open for me. 

And my heart sinks.

As I slip inside, Reggie, the bar owner, nods my direction, giving me a kind, sympathetic smile. 

Did he see that, too? 

He fixes my favorite drink – a cherry vodka sour – and slides the glass tumbler in front of my usual stool at the bar. I slink into my seat. Sipping through a straw, I casually glance around the large, open-concept room, looking for my Ethan. 

Where did he go?

The room is dark with warm ambient lighting from stage lights, disco balls and multicolored lamps. There's a subtle haze of smoke as bar patrons sway to the heavy pulse of the music.

The bass is hypnotic, and I feel the energy thrumming in my veins as I sip on my cocktail, surveying the room.

There he is; there's my handsome man. 

But I feel the joy drain out of my face instantly. 

He's talking to a tall, curvy blonde at a bar-top table near the jukebox. Who is she? She's wearing a silk, black camisole that lays perfectly across her full assets along with a snug pair of perfectly-tailored skinny jeans that show off her long legs and obviously plump rear.

She's beautiful. Actually… she's stunning. 

Does Ethan even know her? 

Oh God. He just made her laugh. She tosses back her head, her platinum tresses bouncing over her shoulders as she coyly covers her nose and mouth. 

It couldn't have been that funny.

Ethan takes a sip of his own amber drink, no doubt a top shelf. But his eyes remain trained on her.

What the hell is going on right now?

"Would you like another?" Reggie pulls me from the scene unfolding in front of me–and it's a good thing, too. I feel my jealousy building in the pit of my stomach. 

I always worried about other women making moves on my man. But… I never thought I'd have to worry about him reciprocating flirtation.

He wouldn't. I know he wouldn't do that to me. To us.

No. I'm sure there is a logical explanation to Ethan's exchange with this woman. More than likely, this is purely innocent, and I'm just perceiving this all completely wrong.

Although reality is perception…

Shit.

I cordially smile at the bartender, nodding my head. "Better make it a double."

—---

It's been over an hour, and Ethan has barely spoken to me. I already sense the odd looks in my direction as if everyone can sense the awkwardness between us. Damnit, I hate people giving me that look, as if they pity me. What they don’t know is that Ethan and I have a mutual understanding; he’s not into public displays of affection.

Does he have to act like such a prick?

Okay, that’s not fair. I know that’s how I’m perceiving him. He’s not a prick, but I would think he’d at least talk with me. If I had known he was going to be this cold, I would've stayed home.

Being with this man is maddening.

I finish another drink, raising up my finger in Reggie’s direction to order another one. I nonchalantly glance around the room. I can see Ethan lounging outside on a brick patio next to a firepit, sharing cigars with Tobias and Victor, two of his longtime friends and colleagues. He’s smiling, which always makes for a good night for us.

Suddenly I remember the blonde, and my eyes naturally shift to where she was sitting. But, she’s gone.

Did she leave already?

I shrug, turning back to my freshly served beverage.  Keeping my hands in my lap, I lean over the polished bar, capturing the wayward straw first with my tongue, then my mouth.

“So that’s the kind of night you’re aiming for.”

I abruptly twirl around on my stool, following the seductive giggle, and I am met face-to-face with the blonde bombshell Ethan was talking to earlier.

Only now, I am up close and personal, and I swear I am staring at a goddess.  Her skin is like a blanket of sun-kissed velvet. Her golden hair sits like a crown on her head, and her rosy, heart-shaped lips frame her pearly white teeth.

Damnit, she's gorgeous. No wonder Ethan was staring at her…

“Is this seat taken, doll?” She gracefully gestures to the stool next to me, the simple movement seductively mesmerizing. I lock my attention on her, swimming deep in the ocean of her blue eyes. 

I pretend to sip my drink as I motion for her to sit. As she makes herself comfortable, I look around the bar, noticing at least eight other open seats she could've taken.

But she chose to sit next to me…

I bite my lip as she continues talking. "God," she sets her clutch on the bar, crossing her legs. "Espadrilles are supposed to be comfortable, right?" She chuckles. "My toes keep going numb, and I swear my arches are bleeding." As she bends over to adjust her shoe, I'm given the perfect view straight down her slinky shirt.

No bra… Damnit! She saw me looking…

She snickers deviously, a mischievous Cheshire grin stretching across her face as if to pretend she didn't just catch me staring at her tits. "I'm Tatum," she holds out her hand to shake mine. "What's your name, doll?"

"Casey," I say softly.

"Wait," she grabs my arm as a look of surprise etches across her face. "Casey? As in Ethan Ramsey's Casey?"

I curiously look at Tatum, taken aback by her words, and I can feel a smile curling on my lips. "Yeah… yeah, that's me. How… how did you–?"

"I met him earlier! Girl…" she grows conspiratorially quiet, "he's quite the looker." She titters, "you need to keep him on a tighter leash!"

I let out a cordial laugh. Reggie passes by us, raising his eyebrows at me. I grin, nodding that everything is fine.

"But listen," Tatum grabs my hand endearingly. "Before I could even try hitting on him, he told me he was here with the most beautiful woman in the world–"

"Pssh," I hiss. I look down at our hands, lowering my voice. "He did not."

"Did too!" She begins to trace circles across my skin with her thumb. "He said you were waiting up here at the bar for him, and your name was Casey." 

I can feel my cheeks warm. He might be cold towards me tonight, but Ethan Ramsey truly does love me.

"Oh, Tatum," I throw my arms around her shoulders, "I know we just met, but you have managed to make my night a million times better."

She pats my back. "Were you having a bad night?"

I pull back and give her a guilty-look. "No?" I sigh heavily. "Yes? I don't know" I lay my head in my hands.

"What's wrong, doll?" She combs my strawberry-blonde hair behind my ears as her voice turns into a whisper. "Is this about Ethan?"

I timidly nod my head.

"Oh gosh, Casey!" She puts a finger under my chin, lifting my gaze back to hers. "I don't know what has happened with you two in the past, but that gorgeous man loves you." She pauses, watching me. "Is he having trouble showing that to you?"

Is it that obvious?  I nod.

She exhales dramatically as her long eyelashes flutter across her high cheekbones. "Men," she mumbles, shaking her head which causes me to giggle. She catches my gaze… and it feels like–I don't know… she continues. "How's the sex?"

I begin to choke on my drink, covering my shocked expression with my fingers. "Wh–what?"

"The sex?" She wiggles her eyebrows. "Oh c'mon," she snickers, "I bet he's hot in the sack."

I feel a swirl of heat invade my neck and face as I take a long pull from my vodka drink. 

Why would she ask that?

“I see,” she exhales. “Well,” she tilts her head to meet my gaze before taking my hand and settling it into her lap. "Maybe you need to… spice things up." 

She begins to gently caress my hand in hers.  I feel goosebumps ignite across my body, a sudden ache forming deep in my belly as I stare at her full lips.

Wait… no. 

I shake my head as I stand up.

What's happening here?

"I–I'm sorry, Tatum, but I think I gave you the wrong impression. I'm not like that," I grab my purse.

“Casey,” Tatum slips out of her chair, “don’t go. I’ll leave.”  She leans over her barstool, collecting her clutch. As she stands up straight, she brushes her body against mine, her lips a breath away from the shell of my ear. “But if you do want to spice things up,” she whispers, “come find me.”

The rush of my own air escapes my lungs. My toes contort as electricity ignites through my nerves. 

God, she’s so sexy…

This is insane; I just met her! And yet, she... and my body...

What the fuck? 

If I wanted to 'spice things up'… What does that even mean? Does she mean my sex life with Ethan? Or specifically my own personal life?

What has me more curious: how would she spice things up?

I pay my tab, wishing Reggie a good evening.  Ethan is still outside, and I see a table with my old friends, deep in jubilant celebration of Midnight Madness.  I don’t want to interrupt, so sneak past the crowd, quickly retreating to the bathroom.

There she is. 

She’s casually bent over the sink, finger-combing her hair.  As the door shuts behind me, she turns to look at me before raising an eyebrow.

I can feel beads of sweat collecting on my back  My pulse turns into a gallop as I watch Tatum take a step towards me.

And then another.

She slinks past me, reaching for the door to lock the deadbolt.

The silence is driving me crazy; the unspoken anticipation feeds into my arousal. Should it be?  I mean, that’s what this is, right?  Something sexual? I clear my throat.

“So, um… about spicing things up?”  With the clacking of her heels, Tatum slowly approaches me, towering over my petite frame.

God, she–she's just so…

I swallow thickly when she doesn’t respond. “How does this… I mean, how will, um–?”

Tatum begins to laugh, gently cupping my cheek in her hand. “You getting so flustered is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.” With her other hand, she rakes her nails through my hair.  

My eyes flutter close, relishing her intimate touch. 

God, it’s been so long.

“Just relax, doll,” she purrs.  

And without warning, she captures my hungry lips, but in a way my body isn’t used to.  It feels soft, sweet… even somewhat innocent, caring, as if she doesn’t want to hurt me.  But the pull of her mouth teases me, coaxing my lips apart as the flick of her tongue sweeps inside to tickle my own.

Oh, this. This is so…

A quiet moan escapes from me as Tatum grabs my hips.  She giggles against my supple pout, continuing to kiss me with fervor. Harder. Faster.

She walks me backwards, pushing my body against the cool brick.  Pulling out of our kiss, she stares into my eyes. There’s an intensity there I’ve never seen, never experienced before in my life. And I’m terrified. And thrilled. And…

Just touch me again…

She gently strokes my flushed cheek with the back of her fingers before caressing my neck.

Then my breasts.

“Are you sure you want to spice things up, doll?” She pants.

I feel my chest rising and falling in pace with her breathing. I’ve never felt so intune with someone in all my life–let alone, a woman. 

My eyes flicker to her beautiful, feral mouth. God, I need it on me…

And with the nod of my head, she unbuttons my jeans before dropping to her knees.

—-----

It's just past 9AM Monday morning, and I'm already on my third cup of coffee. No doubt I'll have jitters later, but after being exhausted in the most heavenly way possible, it's so worth it.

Ethan didn't say anything last night. Or this morning. 

Oh God, was that cheating? 

Shit. I didn't think this through…

But it was with a woman. And I'm not… well, at least I don't think I am…

It doesn't count, right?

But, damn, it was good.

I round through the department, checking on my fresh batch of interns, mulling around, glued to their pocket diagnostics guides.

Oh, to be young again…

As I turn the corner to enter the charting station, I suddenly freeze, recognizing a familiar tall blonde. 

In a white coat.

What the…? Tatum? 

Even under the fluorescent lights, her platinum highlights perfectly shine, her waves bouncing effortless on her shoulders. Her scarlet wrap dress hugs her curves beautifully, and her patent-leather nude pumps show off her toned calves, those thick thighs, and–

Tatum clears her throat.

Shit.

As Tatum goes back to looking at her charts, I slowly saunter up bedside her.

What do I even say? Just be cool…

“Morning, Tatum,” I smile.

She squints her eyes, giving me a cordial smile.

“Uh, hi,” she stutters, her face contorting. “Do I know you?”

~🖤~

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[liaromancewriter]

I Thee Wed…

Premise: Ethan and Cassie are ready to say, ‘I do,’ but they forget one important step.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,560

A/N: So, I first did Ethan and Cassie's wedding in June 2021. In all that time, I've never written their wedding vows. Maxenna's vows were easier to write. Well, I finally cracked this nut! Yay, me 🎉

Submission for @choicesaugustchallenge prompt "summer wedding"

Cassie Valentine updated the patient chart and mentally crossed off another item from her seemingly endless to-do list. In just nine days, she would stand in the garden of her family home and marry her soulmate.

She couldn’t contain a small, excited scream, a dreamy smile spreading across her face as she imagined Ethan’s awestruck expression when she glided toward him at the floral-decked altar. But, she thought with a smirk, she couldn’t wait to knock him over on their wedding night with what she had on beneath the layers of tulle.

All in good time, Cassie reasoned, turning her attention back to work.

“Marlene?” she called to one of the regular nurses on her floor, handing over the tablet with the patient record. “Keep an eye on potassium levels for Mr. Dubois in 504. Page me if there’s any change in his condition.”

“Will do, Dr. Valentine,” Marlene nodded, scanning the chart quickly to confirm the orders.

She flashed Cassie a friendly smile. “Are you excited about the wedding? You and Dr. Ramsey make such a beautiful couple.”

“I’m counting the minutes,” Cassie grinned. “I have a final fitting for the dress next week, but otherwise, we’re all set.”

“Summer weddings are the best,” another nurse piped in. “Flowers are my favorite part.”

“I love hearing the couple’s vows,” Marlene said. “Are you and Dr. Ramsey writing your own?”

Cassie nodded in response, keeping her expression smooth even as alarm bells blared inside her head. Crap, crap, crap!

Between work, packing up her things at the apartment for the move to Ethan’s and coordinating with Sienna and her mom on the wedding, she had forgotten entirely about the vows.

She and Ethan had negotiated a hybrid ceremony, honoring her Episcopalian beliefs and his agnostic ones. He had agreed to have a priest officiate and receive a spiritual blessing in exchange for non-religious but personal vows, no Communion, hymns or readings.

Writing their own vows had sounded so simple before. A few words of promise, a declaration of their love, exchange rings and you-may-kiss-the-bride. End scene.

But now she realized it was anything but easy. Worse, she had no idea what she would say on the most important day of her life!

The pen dug into the paper, leaving dark, jagged lines on the legal pad as Ethan scratched out yet another sentence. His handwriting, usually neat and precise despite the doctor-like scrawl, had turned into a chaotic mess of crossed-out words and half-formed thoughts. Frustration simmered in his chest, his mind spinning as he tried to wrestle his emotions into something coherent.

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temple. Sitting through a room full of demanding board members was a walk in the park compared to this. How was he supposed to find the words powerful enough to capture the depth of what he felt for Cassie?

Each attempt felt clumsy and inadequate, the words slipping away from him no matter how hard he tried. Irritated with himself, he muttered a curse under his breath, tearing the paper from the pad and crumpling it into a tight ball. It joined the other pieces of crumpled paper balls scattered around him.

Why had he insisted on their own vows? Should’ve just taken a template and been done with it.

He had been working on them all week and was no closer to the finish line. He had tried writing at home, in his office with the door closed and on a bench in the serenity garden at Edenbrook. Eventually, he retreated to Derry’s Coffee Shop in the hope that a place special to them both would inspire him.

The wedding was a week away, and he did not relish the idea of standing at the altar with nothing more to say than “I do” while Cassie no doubt recited something meaningful about him being her soulmate.

“Tough case?”

Startled, Ethan looked up to find Cassie standing above him.

He had been so absorbed in his frustrated scribbling that he hadn’t even noticed her enter the coffee shop, place her order and walk over to him.

“You could say that,” he hedged, hoping she wouldn’t press for more.

“Maybe I can help,” she suggested, sliding into the seat across from him.

Before he could stop her, she reached for the pad, and he blurted out, “No!” even as she read the words out loud.

“Cassie, my love for you is like an unspecified virus that I couldn’t shake….”

Ethan saw the look of shock on Cassie’s face. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. For a moment, they just stared at each other in stunned silence.

“Wait, are these your wedding vows? And did you just compare me to a virus?”

Ethan quickly tried to recover, realizing how the words sounded when said aloud. “I—I didn’t mean it like that. What I’m trying to say is that my love for you is something I never expected, something that took hold of me and changed everything.”

Cassie blinked, and then, to his relief, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Babe, I appreciate the on-brand medical analogy, especially since I diagnosed Naveen’s bacteriophage, but maybe we can find a less…clinical way to describe it? This is our wedding, after all, not a keynote at the AMA annual symposium.”

“A keynote at the AMA would be easier than these damn vows,” Ethan muttered, running an exasperated hand through his hair.

He picked up his coffee and looked at her over the rim. “I suppose you’ve already written a masterpiece?”

To his surprise, Cassie blushed and looked away. “Not exactly. If you must know, I kind of forgot about them.”

She waved one hand dismissively. “Anyway, this isn’t about me. If you’re struggling, just focus on us, our relationship—what makes me the one for you? How you see our life together. Things like that.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “That’s some solid advice.” He reached for his phone, unlocking the screen. “In fact, it’s almost identical to the advice I got from another Valentine just a couple of hours ago. Ah, here it is.” He turned the screen to show her the text from Max.

Cassie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That cheat!” She snatched the phone from Ethan’s hand, scrolling up to check the time stamp. It was from earlier in the day before she’d texted her brother. “He totally copy-pasted his response to me!”

Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Looks like great minds think alike…or at least steal from each other. When did you speak to him?”

Cassie gave him a sheepish look. “Maybe half an hour ago. ”

“Isn’t it the middle of the night where he is?”

She rolled her eyes and made a face. “I know. Max wasn’t thrilled, which is probably why I ended up with recycled advice.”

She straightened in her chair, a hint of frustration in her voice. “I can’t seem to find the right words for our vows. At least you managed to compare me to a virus—I’ve got a completely blank page.”

Ethan chuckled softly, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand gently. “How about we work on them together? We always did our best work figuring out diagnostic differentials as a team. Why should wedding vows be any different?”

Cassie’s smile widened. “Just promise you won’t tell my mother this is how we wrote our vows, or I’ll have to call you a big, fat liar!”

“Deal.”

Nine days later…

Ethan faced Cassie, a deep contentment settling over him, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. As he held her hands in his, the words that once eluded him now flowed as naturally as breathing.

“Cassie, when I first met you, I had no idea we’d end up here, but from that moment on, you’ve captivated me in ways I never imagined. You’ve challenged me, frustrated me and inspired me to be a better person. And I've fallen in love with you again and again, even though I didn’t believe love or family were in the cards for me. You opened my heart to more. I promise to support and encourage you, embrace the unexpected with you, and always work on being the best version of myself for you. I vow to hold your hand and cherish your heart, loving you always and forever.”

Cassie flashed a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she held Ethan’s gaze, recalling the day they wrote these vows. Her voice was light and playful as she began, making it clear she was savoring every moment.

“Ethan, from the moment you walked into my life—full of arrogance, calling me an amateur—everything changed in ways I never could have predicted. I told you then I was your biggest fan, but that barely scratched the surface of my feelings for you. I can’t imagine a single day without you, and I hope I never do. I promise to stand by your side, to love you fiercely—even when you’re driving me a little crazy—and to choose you every day, no matter what. You are my partner, my soulmate and my greatest adventure. I vow to cherish your heart with all that I am, always and forever.”

And then they lived happily ever after…

------------

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @jerzwriter @lady-calypso

@mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16

@justyourusualash @tessa-liam @liaficreplies @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @cariantha @custaroonie @youlookappropriate

[alj4890]

Comfort

(Ethan Ramsey x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart One Shot

As requested by

@hopelessromantic1352 with the prompt "You can't keep doing this."

A/N Here you go my sweet friend. Thank you for sending these requests to me to help with inspiration. I know you specifically wanted this one with both Ethan and Chris, so I'm going back to book 1 for you so that Tobias won't steal her away 😉

I was also inspired by the Dr. Who gifs below for this one. For those who don't know, Karen Gillian is my FC for Chris Valentine. Don't worry, I'm not making Matt Smith my FC for Ethan 😂 This interaction though reminded me of something Ethan and Chris would have done and it fit my idea for the above prompt.

Masterlist

It was too much. All of it was more than Chris could take. Tears blurred her vision as she finally had a chance to react to the mayhem she'd just finished being a part of.

Ripping off the surgical scrubs covered in Rafael's blood, she dashed blindly down the corridor. Her breaths hitched as sobs threatened to spill out. All she could think of was running away from the absolute hell of the subway accident. She needed to get as far as she could before losing her strained hold on her emotions.

Ignoring the alarm of the exhausted nurses and doctors, she ran past them without saying a word.

She stumbled out of one of the side doors of the hospital and barreled into a familiar solid form.

Ethan grunted on impact. He grasped her arms once he recognized her.

"Chris?" He leaned down closer to see her more clearly in the darkness. "What happened?"

Tears began to spill down her cheeks. Of all the people in the world she could possibly bump into at this moment, it would be him.

"I have to go." She choked out, wrenching herself from his grasp.

He grabbed her once more to stop her escape.

"Are you all right?" He demanded in a harsh voice while giving her a slight shake.

There were few things in this world he could not tolerate and seeing Chris in this emotional state topped that list.

"No!" She cried out, her voice echoing across the parking lot.

In a jumble or words and sobs, she managed to tell him about the rush of patients they had in the emergency room.

Once her ability to speak became impossible, he gripped her hand and took her back into the hospital.

"No. I don't want to go back inside!" she struggled against his hold.

She stilled as he led her up the emergency stairwell towards the roof.

He chose a spot overlooking Boston and sat down.

Ethan glanced up and saw she was immobile once again with tears falling in steady streams down her cheeks. Taking her hand, he tugged her down.

She collapsed beside him and buried her head against her knees, her body wracked with silent cries.

He'd seen her like this before. When Delores died, she'd been unable to stop her tears. He'd found her alone in the locker room, silently crying at the unfairness of it all.

Setting his hand on her shoulder, he gently pulled her closer to his side.

"You can't keep doing this, Chris." He told her. "If you keep taking death to heart like this, then being a doctor will destroy you."

She wiped her eyes, and settled her chin on her knees.

"I know that." She said in a voice cracking with emotion. "But it was so much, Ethan. Everywhere I turned there was someone in the midst of dying or who was screaming in pain. I wanted to fix it all but I couldn't."

"Did you help them?" He asked.

"If you can call it that." She said bitterly. "I assessed, tagged, and moved on like Zaid told me to."

He squeezed her in a side hug. "I never doubted for a moment that you did the right thing."

His comforting touch and praise tore at her heart.

"Don't." She pleaded. "Don't be nice to me right now."

Chris could feel the tears rising once more. After all they felt for one another, his quitting, and now showing up when she needed him most; she thought she would truly break if he was kind to her.

She rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling close to him once his arm dropped. "Please sit here with me, but don't be nice."

Ethan leaned his head against hers and snorted. "Everyone complains when I'm not nice and yet here you are demanding the opposite."

Chris bit back a tearful smile. "I think this is one request of mine you're willing to give in."

"I think we both know I always give in to what you want."

"If that were true, you wouldn't have left Edenbrook." She mumbled. "And you wouldn't have left me."

He cursed. "Chris, you know why I left Edenbrook. And as for you..."

He trailed off.

She looked up at him.

"As for me?"

He met her red rimmed eyes and felt his will falter. He'd once had such plans to protect and guide her career forward. He was going to not only show her how to be a doctor but watch as she became a great one. He'd ended up doing nothing but letting her down in the end. He'd failed to keep his unexpected feelings for her in check and he'd failed her as a mentor.

Seeing the quiet anguish he was under, she nestled her head back on his shoulder, leaving the issue alone for once.

He swallowed the words that were demanding to come out. He wanted to tell her he'd never leave her. He would always want her.

He loved her.

I'm not worthy to tell her anything like that, he thought to himself. Not now, possibly not ever.

"What are you doing here?" She asked after a long stretch of silence.

"Marlene left me a message saying that the hospital needed all the help they could get." He answered, grateful she wasn't pushing him into revealing more of what he wasn't ready for.

"What took you so long?" She playfully nudged him with her elbow.

A hint of smile appeared on her face when she heard his exasperated groan.

"I was out of town, Rookie." He grumbled.

"Having a good time?" She asked.

"I wouldn't say that." He muttered. "I went to see my dad and then I went on to--"

He bit his tongue. He couldn't get her hopes up that his visits to Mrs. Martinez's family would come to any good.

"To where?" She asked.

"Nowhere in particular." He lied. "I needed to drive and clear my head."

"I think I need a vacation like that." She mumbled. "I wish I could forget and leave everything behind for a while."

He wrapped his arm around her once more. "It's a pipe dream. There's no way you can fully leave everything behind, no matter how badly you want to."

"How badly did you want to?"

"More than anything."

She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

He held her, taking every bit of comfort she was willing to give him. It's ironic, he thought. He'd brought her up here to comfort her. He had no intentions of letting her know his own struggles.

Ethan should have known that out of everyone he knew, Chris would know what he was feeling. Not only that, she would also give him exactly what he needed from her in this moment.

Neither was sure how long they sat there, holding one another. The soothing hum of the city below them and the stars above were all they needed as they sat together in companionable silence.

When the first blush of dawn began to light the sky, Ethan whispered that he'd take her home.

He got up first and offered his hand to Chris.

She lifted her tear stained face up to smile softly at him.

Taking his hand, she stood up and was pulled into his embrace. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead when she slipped her arms around him again.

"You're going to be okay." He said, lips brushing hers with each word.

She nodded, her eyes meeting his after one last sweet kiss.

"We both will." She vowed.

Together, hand in hand, they went off to face another day.

[jamespotterthefirst]

Date Night

Ethan Ramsey x Lilac Allende-Ramsey (MC)

In which Dr. I Don't Do Selfies will always give in to his wife.

The beautiful @genevievemd asked me what Ethan and Lilac were doing their first Valentine's Day as a married couple. They have a date night planned a week later because work has been busy. But upon seeing how good his wife looks, Ethan has other ideas 😏

Once again, thank you to the talented Ainna on IG for creating this for me! She out did herself because goddamn... They look so HOT. I cannot stop staring 😍

[coffeeheartaddict2]

When Life has other plans 13/16

Begin Again

Book: Open Heart (AU)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC Casey Valentine

Category: angsty fluff with a side of smut

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Language, sexual content, mentions of bio attack and mental illness

Word count: 3511

Summary: The fallout from the attack. Ethan and Casey start exploring what could be, funeral for Bobby and Danny. Ethan and Tobias open a dialogue and both have hopes of reconciliation. June starts to evaluate her position at Edenbrook and the team.

Disclaimer: characters belong to Pixelberry

Authors note: We are post attack now, there is still some angsty moments but nowhere near as intense as the attack. And that also means a strong smell of the happy ending.

🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

It was the day after the attack. The hospital was slowly coming back to normal function after being shut down after the attack. It all looked normal but there was an air of sadness, shock and anguish that could not be ignored. Those directly involved with the discovery of the cure and the staff who provided support to Danny and Raf whilst they were in the coma were encouraged to have the day off and were offered counselling to work through any grief and any mental anguish that they have endured. This would also be offered to the hospital as a whole but the priority was those who were exposed the most.

Ethan knew he should not have been there. He went home and fell into a deep and exhausted sleep but he awoke with a nightmare of Casey dying in his arms. He could not get back to sleep so he went and sat in her room, watching her to reaffirm to himself that she did make it. Casey woke up and was surprised to see Ethan. He breathed a sigh of relief when she woke up. He asked how she slept and informed her that Rafael was improving.

He moved closer to her and squeezed her hand. Casey smiled weakly.

“Did you sleep well?”

“No, yes, I did fall into a sleep as I was exhausted from then I had a nightmare…” he takes another breath before continuing. “After that I ha hi d to come and see you, to see for myself that you did make it.”

“I made it Ethan, I am alive, yes it was traumatic, but I am here.” Adamantly stated Casey. Ethan leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

“As much as I am liking the visit, head home, rest, I am not going anywhere.” Ethan reluctantly left. He knew Casey was right but he could not help but worry. He stopped off at Derry’s to buy a coffee and went home. He emailed Naveen. Even though he and Casey had not discussed being in the open and how that would look but he felt it imperative that he get the ball rolling.

To Naveen,

I am emailing you to advise that I am in a relationship with Dr Casey Valentine. I have made her aware of my intent of being open about this and we will of course discuss in due course but I wanted to let you know so that we can get the ball rolling.

Regards

Dr Ethan Ramsey.

When Naveen had read the email he could not help but feel happy for his mentee. He knew that both him and Casey were more than capable of working well together, no matter what their relationship circumstances happened to be so he was happy if reporting lines stayed the same but at the end of the day he knew that call would be made by HR but he was hopeful that there would be a solution.

Casey’s physical condition improved over the following week. Her discharge day was the day of the funeral for Bobby and Danny. It was bittersweet. Casey was thankful that a cure was found and that she survived but there was the questions of why me, how is it fair? Going around in her head. Medical leave from work was approved and any counselling she knew would be taken care of however a part of her wanted to seek some type of normalcy. She went to the funeral, hoping it would give closure. In a way it did but she was unable to feel. She felt numb, cut off, the feeling was disconcerting. She felt so disconnected that she barely noticed that the wake was nearly over. Ethan came over to Casey and gave her a hug. “Come on, let’s go.”

He walked her to his car and they drove off.

“How does the weather know?”

“How does the weather know what Casey?”

“How did it know that today was a day of grey and misery?”

Ethan did not know what to say. He had intended to drive her home but at this point changed his mind, he was going to bring her to his.

It was not until they pulled up at Ethan’s building that she realized. They made their way to his apartment. He poured himself a glass of scotch and offered one to Casey which she accepted.

“I know that you must be going through so much. You seem, almost distant..”

“I am numb, numb and disconnected. I thought the funeral would give me a sense of closure, but I have felt so disconnected from anything…”

He kisses her, it was emotion charged. It caught Casey off guard but she returned the kiss. The kisses got more emotionally charged and heated. Ethan pulled away slightly, he rubbed his thumb along her jawbone.

“We don’t need to go any further tonight”

“I know Ethan, but I want to.”

She kisses him. Hungrily. He ran his hands down her side, reacquainting himself with her curves. He unzips her dress and discards it. He looks at her underwear. He kisses her gently on the lips before kissing the column of her neck. He tweaks her hardened nipples through her bra, eliciting a moan from Casey. He unhooks her bra and lavishes attention on her breasts. Casey feels even more aroused. She knew she was drenched. His hand made its way between her legs. He could feel how wet she was. He let out a groan and laid waist to her underwear. He ran a finger around her clit. Casey moaned as she bucked her hips. As much as Ethan wanted to fuck her pain away, he also wanted to savour this night. He positioned himself between her legs. He kissed the inside of her thigh, slowly. Casey quivered in anticipation and he ran his tongue around her clit. Again she moaned and bucked her hips. Ethan then ran his tongue through her folds before entering. He continued to eat her out, being guided by her moans and screams. He worked his way back up to her clit and inserted two fingers.

“Fuck…” she screamed, as he hit that spot from the get go. He moved his other hand up to her breast and massaged it. Casey could not recall when she last felt so much sensory overload. She was fast hurtling towards the precipice of what felt like an intense orgasm. She clenched his fingers and he knew she was close. He pumped her harder and sucked a little harder. Casey fell, screaming. He helped her ride it out. Casey felt like she was floating. He kissed her, the taste of her in his mouth was intoxicating. He got up and picked her up, he took her to his bedroom. He placed her down and she kissed him again, this time removing his clothing. She ran her hands along his hardened cock. He hissed. She then walked backwards towards his bed. They kiss again and Casey moves so that she is straddling him. He leans over to his top drawer and grabs a condom. He puts it on and then Casey slowly works her way down. It did not take long for her body to readjust to his size. Once he was fully sheathed she started to rock her hips. He thrust up causing her to moan. She rode him, harder than what she would have liked to have started with but the intensity of the previous orgasm is what she was chasing. Ethan kept pace, enjoying being fully inside her for real and not just in his lust fueled thoughts. He sucked her nipples which caused her to yell “fuck”. Before long Casey could feel she was getting close. Ethan could feel it too and with his thumb, massaged her clit. The sensation had Casey hurtling to again another intense orgasm. She fell and her climax triggered Ethan’s. After a few minutes she eased herself off and cuddled into Ethan. Casey then started to cry. She had wanted to all day, all week even but she could not, no matter how hard she tried. Ethan let her cry, assuring her that she was ok, and to let it all out. She cried herself to sleep. Ethan fell asleep not long after. He was relieved that Casey was able to let her emotions out and that she was in his arms.

Ethan awoke first the next morning. He tried to gently get out of bed but Casey started to stir.

“I did not mean to wake you” he said gently.

“I was waking up, it’s fine, I had no nightmare last night, plus with our activities, I actually feel rested.

Ethan smiled.

“I have a late start today but did you want to stay here, however long you feel you need?”

Casey stretched whilst she thought about it. Either staying here or at her apartment would mean long hours alone but decided here. After last night she knew she would not be treated like a fragile object and that is what she needed.

“I would like to stay here, but I will need some clothes.”

Ethan squeezed her hand.

“I can drop you to yours on my way to work.” He leaves the room and comes back with a key ring. This is so you can get back into the apartment and come and go as needed.”

Casey smiled. “Thank you Ethan.”

Ethan went to make breakfast while Casey had a shower. She joined Ethan for breakfast and he dropped her at her apartment. She made her way to her room and got changed first. She then packed a bag of clothes to take with her. She then went back to Ethan’s. She used the time alone to research the therapists she had the details of and booked one and had her first appointment a few days later.

She had a nap and woke with a start. It took her awhile to gain her bearings as to where she was. Just then there was a sound of a door opening. Casey got scared until she heard Ethan call out. She made her way to the living area. He could see she was scared.

“I had a nap and I woke with a start and I had only just got my bearings when you came back.”

He gave her a hug and kissed the top of his head.

“Everything is ok, Casey” he whispered. She went to pour them both some drinks whilst Ethan cooked dinner.

They enjoyed their meal and sat on the couch after dinner.

Casey told him how she was going to start therapy. Ethan was relieved she was going to seek professional help. He wanted to start a discussion around what a relationship would look like when she returned to work but he also wanted to savour this time also. Casey was relieved that she knew where she stood in relation to Ethan but she did not want to think too much on it right now. If she was being honest, she wanted to be fucked into oblivion again. The pleasant memories of last night came flooding back and she felt the familiar sensation at her core. She kissed Ethan, gently at first then more passionately. She then moved his hand to her centre.

“I know there are better coping mechanisms but I need you to fuck me.” She whispered in his ear. As much as Casey was right, there were more healthier ways to cope, he could not help but feel aroused so he obliged, as in a way he felt it would help make up for lost time.

They went several intense rounds, Casey fell into a blissful sleep and Ethan followed not long after. For nearly a fortnight it was a pattern that would be followed, work, dinner and mind blowing sex. After a couple of therapy sessions, Casey was given some more coping strategies which helped her not needing to use sex as a crutch. Casey was also starting to miss her friends also. Ethan understood but told Casey she was welcome to come over any time.

After nearly three weeks Casey returned to her apartment. She was used to the alone time whilst she was at Ethan’s but here it felt eerie. She knew that anyone on the night shift would be sleeping and that she was not alone but it was disconcerting.

Meanwhile back at Edenbrook Ethan was missing Casey, not only personally but professionally. He hoped she would be back at work soon, even if it was only part time. He was making his way back to the office when a familiar voice called out.

“Ethan, wait up” called out Tobias.

Ethan looked at his former friend perplexed.

“What are you doing here?”

“Meeting with the board, we will be doing research into the cure for the toxin and publishing it.”

“Congratulations” said Ethan. “Maybe even other toxins could be treated with this cure too.”

“Yeah? Maybe, hey listen, did you want to grab a coffee and catch up?”

Ethan looked at his watch, he had nothing on so he agreed. He suggested Derry Roasters.” Tobias agreed. They had coffee there before, a long time ago, an olive branch had been offered but it was declined and the memories of that haunted Tobias still but they were both older now and he hoped that they could put away the ghosts of their past.

They ordered their coffees and snacks and sat down. Tobias enquired as to how Casey and Raf were going, the team, and how Ethan was going with everything. Ethan was surprised when Tobias was not surprised when he stated that he was seeing Casey.

“You had been the talk of the post hospital grapevine, June for awhile was possessed on finding out the deal with you both but there was some interactions and dare I say an over protective posture that I had never seen from you that made me question the more scandalous rumours but seeing you with Casey that night solidified that any feelings were genuine.” Said Tobias.

“Well there’s truth to the rumours in that we did sleep together whilst she was in her intern year but it had nothing to do with the competition.”

“I figured that much, you have never been one for sexual favours, let alone entering into a relationship easily so she must be someone special.”

“She is, she helped me with Naveen, hell, she even did not give up on him when I did, we have had a rough patch but I feel we have come out the other side.”

Tobias was happy to hear this. He saw first hand how a reluctance in romantic relationships not only affected what was a good relationship but also his and Ethan’s friendship. Tobias wanted to chat further but he had to get back to work and so did Ethan.

“Well it was good to catch up bu…I mean Ethan. We must do so again.”

“I would very much like that, Tobias.”

Tobias could not believe how easy it was to slip back at calling Ethan buddy like he did for nearly three quarters of medical school and he was hopeful they could reconcile. Ethan too was optimistic, he had missed Tobias’s friendship a lot over the past 13 or so years and he hoped they could be friends again now.

A few days later Casey was again home alone, therapy had been going well and she was now eager to go back to work but the memories of what happened and who the hospital lost was haunting her. She had not even brought herself to meet Ethan at the hospital but little did she know that she was going to push herself out of her comfort zone. There was a knock at the door. It was Farley, their landlord. He had come with a sweet smelling bunch of flowers. She was mid thanking him when she noticed a mark on his wrist that he kept scratching. She asked him what was up, he said not much, the mark had been there for a bit but he was over his eyes seeing his gaming screen too bright. When questioned as to why he had not seen anyone about it, he stated that the deductible was too low. Casey stated that she worked as apart of a team that could do it pro bono. Farley was intrigued and she said “go get a coat, I will take you to the free clinic at Edenbrook and go from there.” Casey was now terrified but she knew that if she did nothing, neither would Farley. She found her new pink and grey sweater dress that Ethan had purchased and her leggings and met Farley. They made their way to Edenbrook and the free clinic.

“So far so good” Casey thinks to herself. They are met by Jackie and she takes them both in and immediately she notices Farley’s reaction to the light. Casey shows Jackie the rash and they agree he needs to be admitted. Casey took over from there stating that she would put him under the team.

Casey and Farley made their way to the team office. She was nervous for multiple reasons but ensuring something was done to get Farley healthy again was helping her keep it together.

They came to the office. Ethan looks up and is surprised to see Casey. He recognised the outfit he bought for her, and it looked better on her than what he thought. He decided to stay seated while acassy told him about what was going on. Ethan agreed to take Farley on and he paiged Sarah to take him to the patient room.

“Thanks Ethan, if I did not bring him he would have done nothing.”

He noted the fear in her voice.

“And how are you Casey, this is the first time you have been here since the attack.”

Casey took a breath. “I am keeping it together, ensuring Farley got some care has helped me keep it together. I am grateful for the push.”

Ethan nodded. They had not yet spoken how their relationship would look like at work so he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Casey smiled weakly and could see the conflicted desire swirling in Ethan’s eyes.

“I’ll come over later” she said and Ethan stated

“Don’t you dare change that outfit.”

Casey blushed and took her leave.

Meanwhile, June was having her session with a therapist. Ever since the attack she had questioned if her thirst for knowledge had impacted on her missing the red flags that lead to the attack. Even before the attack she could see that Casey was a good doctor who kept on improving, her contributions were always more than token and yet she still had the desire to only care about how her relationship with Ethan affected the team, for which she clearly saw that it did not. She had always wanted to know what made people tick and would use whatever means necessary to do so but this obsession killed two people needlessly. It was difficult to come to terms with, even the team as a whole missed the flags, explaining it away as over concern but Travis’s actions was text book revenge and she missed it. Today June decided that she needed a new work challenge. Sure Edenbrook had the best diagnostics team that she had enjoyed working on but maybe a change is what she needed. She knew Ethan was not going anywhere anytime soon and if she was been honest with herself, she could see Casey running the team one day. She needed to plan and would submit her resignation further down the line. It was scary starting somewhere new but she felt she needed to.

Later that day Casey was still at the hospital. The more she was there, the easier being there was. She also wanted to keep informed of what was happening with Farley. She bumped into Ethan and continued with him towards the emergency department. They arrived just as an ambulance pulled up and opened the doors. Ethan took charge and they paramedic went through the particulars.

Female, mid 50’s, found on the street, collapsed and in and out of consciousness. The gurney was brought in and Ethan froze. The woman that the paramedic was describing was Louise Ramsey. Casey looked at the arms and noted the needle marks.

“Ethan, this woman has overdosed, she needs naloxone.”

Ethan jolted back to reality and got the drug and administered it. The nurses took over from there.

Casey wanted to talk to Ethan about it.

“I know you want to talk but I need to be alone for a little bit. I’m sorry” he says, with a pained expression before walking off to an on call room.

He is awash with all sorts of emotion and he kicks a bin.

He lets out a groan of frustration and ponders what to do next.

—-

Authors note: and I will end it there. The next chapter will deal with Louise, and some more Tobias and Ethan reconciliation action and chapter 15 will be the last of the angstish moments with 16 being the happy ending. Thank you all for ending this far

Tagging: @jerzwriter @genevievemd @messrprongs @cariantha @tessa-liam @zealouscanonindeer @alj4890 @potionsprefect @liaromancewriter @youlookappropriate @trappedinfanfiction @a-crepusculo @bex-la-get @crazy-loca-blog @schnitzelbutterfingers @lucy-268

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @binny1985

[cariantha]

Accidental Valentine

Book: Open Heart, Book 1

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

Rating: Teen

Warning: A little bit of sexual innuendo

Category: Fluff

Word count: 4K

Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day and Ethan and Sawyer get “stuck” spending the evening together.

A/N: This takes place after Miami but before the opera. Inspiration drawn from an episode of Grey's Anatomy, 🎶I Wanna Remember, 🎶My Body, and 🎶If Our Love is Wrong.

February 14, 2023

4:30 p.m.

Ethan guided Sawyer through the dimly lit maze of construction materials in the new wing. Instinctively, his hand hovered just inches from her lower back. In the eerily quiet section of the hospital their pagers buzzed simultaneously. The unexpected noise startled Sawyer causing her to stumble as she stepped over a bundle of cables.

“Whoops!” 

“Are you–”

She felt the warmth of his palm as she found her footing and awkwardly laughed off the mishap. “I’m good.” 

Checking his pager, Ethan read the new notification and groaned. “And so it begins.”  

For the past two days, the National Weather Service warned of severe blizzard conditions. Local news stations ran stories showing empty grocery store shelves as Boston residents took precautions to shelter in place. Chief Emery reviewed emergency protocols and prepared hospital staff for the influx in the emergency department.

Offering his hand to help her step over the next hazard, Ethan cautioned, “Careful… watch your step. The page was for more doctors in the E.R., not patients.”

Sawyer took his hand but not before giving him a gentle side-punch for his jab about her clumsiness.  

Minutes later they waited for the elevator to arrive, and ever the gentleman, Ethan gestured for Sawyer to enter first as the steel doors slowly slid open. “After you.”

Once Ethan was safely across the threshold, Sawyer pushed the button for the first floor. Rolling back and forth on her heels, she waited for the digital number above the door to change. 

Ethan stood against the side wall, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he admired her profile. 

“What?” she asked, feeling the burn of his gaze as she watched the floor number change from five to four.

“Nothing,” he answered, shifting his eyes to where her attention was still focused. 

Before the number changed to three, the elevator jerked violently coming to a sudden stop. The jolt caused them both to stumble backward a step or two. 

“Whoa!” Sawyer yelped, trying to keep her balance.

Ethan tried to reach for her but lost sight in the now pitch black box. “Are you alright?” he called out.

“Yeah. You?”

“Fine.”

Sawyer pulled out her phone to illuminate the small space helping Ethan locate the emergency call button.  

“It’s not working. The storm must have knocked out the power. The generators should kick on shortly. Do you have any service?” he asked, pulling out his own phone to check.

“No, I don’t have any bars.”

The emergency light above them finally buzzed to life, the soft glow just enough for them to make out each other’s faces. 

Ethan backed up to the wall and supported himself on the handrail. “I guess there’s not much else to do but wait it out.” 

5:30 p.m.

They had talked easily, not realizing how much time passed until Sawyer checked her phone.

“Ethan, it’s been an hour. Shouldn’t the generators have kicked on by now?”

“Yeah, they should have.”

Concern etched across his face as he thought about the patients who might be in danger, particularly Naveen. But before he could share those concerns, they were interrupted by some banging and a distant muffled voice.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me? Anyone there?”

“We can hear you!” Ethan responded with his deep booming voice. 

“This is Richard from Maintenance. Are you okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

“Ethan? Ethan, is that you? It’s Harper. Who else is with you?”

“Yes. Dr. Brooks is here also. Why haven’t the generators kicked on yet?” he shouted back.

“They have. But the computer system controlling the elevators crashed. We haven’t been able to reboot it. We’ve called for a technician but the storm is making travel impossible right now,” Harper explained. 

Ethan shared a look with Sawyer.

“Make yourselves comfortable. It’s gonna be a while,” Richard hollered down. 

Sawyer sighed as she moved to sit on the floor, “Well, you heard him.”   

6:00 p.m.

Ethan had finally joined her on the floor, propped up against the opposite wall. 

“Okay, lightning round.”

Scrunching his face in confusion, “Pardon?” 

“I’m going to ask you five random questions and you can’t think. Just answer with the first thing that comes to mind. Are you ready?”

“Uh…”

“I said no thinking!” she pointed and laughed.

“Fine, go ahead,” he reluctantly consented. “Hopefully these will be better than the ones you asked when we tested the fMRI.”

“Let’s find out. First celebrity crush?”

Without missing a beat, “Jennifer Love Hewitt.”

Sawyer nodded in quiet approval. “And if you had the chance to hook up with her tonight, would you?”

Ethan squinted looking into her eyes. “No,” he stated confidently.

“Okay, hmm… What’s your favorite carb: bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes?”

“Pasta.” 

“When people stand up for a standing ovation, are you usually one of the earlier people to stand up or one of the later?”

“I rarely stand at all.”

“Yeah, that’s on brand,” she laughed thinking of what to ask next. “Say something cool.”

“That’s not a question.”

Sawyer rolled her eyes then her hand to encourage him to answer anyway.

“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.”

Shaking her head with a giggle, “You’re such a nerd.”

Ethan shrugged. “Is it my turn now?”

“That was only four questions. I get one more.” 

“It was five… celebrity crush… if I’d hook up–”

“The hook-up question was merely a follow-up. It wasn’t an official question,” she argued with a smile. “Last one. Favorite type of muffin?”

He tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrow with a questioning glare.

“What’s that look for?” she genuinely wondered until it suddenly dawned on her. “Oh my god! Stop! I wasn’t trying to bait you. It was an innocent question. When I stopped at Derry’s the other day, I thought it would be a nice treat for you and Naveen, but I didn’t know what flavors you liked.”

“Riiiiight.”

“It’s true!” she insisted, kicking his foot. “And given how quick your mind went there, I guess I have my answer.”

As their laughter died down, Ethan jutted out his chin to start his line of questioning. “If you had to choose another specialty, what would it be?” 

“Borrrrring,” she faked a yawn. “Is that really the best you’ve got?”

“What? It will tell me a lot about you. Especially if you say something absurd like ‘surgery.’”

“Emergency medicine.”

He pursed his lips together and nodded. “I can see that. Okay, um…what book are you reading at the moment?”

“Yours.” 

Ethan rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious. After the Platt case I wanted to read the Rethinking Symptoms chapter again. Remember that case? The horrible PITA you assigned me a while back.”

“I remember,” he quietly acknowledged, a twinge of guilt knotting his stomach. His only intention was to challenge her. Had he known just how abusive Platt had been to her and the nursing staff, he would have intervened much earlier. 

Sensing he got lost in thought, Sawyer urged him on. “Next question?”

“Hrm… What’s the most reckless thing you’ve ever done?” 

She looked down for a moment and bit her lower lip before hesitantly reconnecting with his curious eyes. “I made out with my boss on a work trip.” 

It was a half-truth. She couldn’t speak the whole truth. Because the truth was, allowing herself to fall for him was the most reckless thing she’d ever done.

And if Ethan was asked the same question, it wouldn’t be a prank from medical school, or a drunken one night stand, or even Patient X. It would be that he fell for his intern.

As the air thickened in the confined space, Ethan decided it was best to put an end to the game.

“Alright, I think that’s enough speed dating fun,” he concluded trying to keep his tone light.

“Wait, if that was speed dating, then I have to know… would you have wanted to see me again?”

“Probably not.”

Offended Sawyer threw her hands into the air, “WHAT?! Why not?” 

“Because my first impression of you would have been an ass-kissing, E.R. adrenaline junkie, with questionable morals. Need I say more?” he teased with a rare full smile. 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I would have wanted to see you again.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You would have had me at ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.’ That was hot,” she winked.

7:00 p.m.

GRRRRRRRRRR.

“Hungry?” he asked.

Embarrassed, Sawyer clutched her stomach with her hands, “You have no idea what I’d give for a cheeseburger and fries right now.” 

“When was the last time you ate today?”

“I shared a late breakfast with Naveen.”

Ethan shook his head silently admonishing her as he shoved his hand into his coat pocket. He could hardly lecture her though. He was about to hand her the silver-wrapped candy bar that he purchased from the vending machine in lieu of taking his own lunch break earlier. “Here,” he politely offered.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, she moved to sit at his side, thanking him for the sugary sustenance. As she started to peel back the wrapper there was another rumbling sound. But this time it didn’t come from Sawyer’s stomach. Snapping the candy bar down the middle, she offered Ethan the other half. “Here, we'll share.”

With a shake of his head, “It’s fine, Rookie. You go ahead.”

“I insist,” holding it in front of him until he finally took it from her. 

Sawyer took a big bite from the corner of her mouth. She moaned softly, leaning her head back against the wall as she savored the chocolate-coated pillowy goodness. “Mmm.”

It was a sweet, familiar and arousing sound that transported Ethan to a night not that long ago. A night when conversation flowed as easily as the gentle sea breeze. When mouths not only tasted the salt in the air, but the salt on each other’s skin. And when her hips rolled against his, like waves lapping the shore.

Noticing he was lost in a daze, Sawyer gently steered him back to the present. “Hey, everything okay?” she asked softly. 

“Hmm?” Registering her voice, he shook the fog from his head, “Uh, yeah. Just remembering something.”

8:00 p.m.

Ethan checked the time on his watch and sighed.

Curiosity got the best of her, wondering if he was late for something. “Did you have any plans tonight?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” he confessed. “A quiet night in with takeout, a movie, and the promise of interesting conversation.” It was subtle but he caught how she lowered her head to pick lint from her pants, masking what seemed like disappointment. 

“I feel sorry for your date…” she muttered.

The insult caught him off guard. “Excuse me?”

She slapped her hand over her mouth and then clarified, “Oh god, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant that they are getting stood up on Valentine’s Day. That sucks. I think the only thing worse than that is getting left at the altar.”

“I’m not worried about it. When Naveen finds out I spent the evening with you instead, I think he’ll be quick to forgive me,” he winked. It wasn’t a secret that Naveen picked up on their chemistry and attempted to play matchmaker often, much to Ethan’s chagrin. 

This time as punishment for his teasing Sawyer shoulder-bumped him while mentally breathing a sigh of relief.  

“What about you? Surely you had plans tonight.” Ethan was well aware of the fact that Sawyer had many admirers at work. There was a high probability that one of them would have extended an invitation to her for the evening, especially the cocksure Dr. Lahela. Ethan noticed how the Malibu Ken doll hung to her every word, and even worse, held on with his self-proclaimed “magic” hands. It appeared to Ethan that the scalpel jockey was incapable of having a conversation without having an arm around her waist, fingers massaging her neck, or hands rubbing her shoulders. And in the last couple weeks, it irked him more and more.  

“Nothing concrete. I was keeping my options open.” With a slight blush pinking up her cheeks, “I know it’s silly but I was really hoping this cute boy from work was going to ask me to be his valentine today.”

Ethan met her eyes in a challenge. “Is that so?” 

Not backing down she looked him dead in the eye. “Yeah, but I don’t think he will. Even though he likes me too.”

“Maybe it’s just bad timing,” Ethan regretfully looked down at his hands. 

“That’s a possibility. But one of the nurses did tell me that Justin also likes Miley, the peds transfer from MK. Apparently he can’t make up his mind which of us he likes more and doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.” Sawyer laughed and tapped his foot with hers to lighten the mood, as a small smile formed on his lips. “I mean, Miley’s really cute, but c’mon,” she lifted her hand up and down gesturing to herself, “I’m the full package.” 

“No argument there,” he agreed, tapping his foot to hers this time.  

8:30 p.m.

Bored, Sawyer stood and stretched in front of the bulletin board. She scanned the flyers advertising rooms for rent and used cars for sale, as well as outdated posters promoting health and wellness. She snorted when she lifted a couple layers to find the “What to do in case of emergency” instructions buried underneath it all. Removing a few of the flyers, she returned to her spot on the floor.

“What are you doing?” he inquired.

“Arts and crafts. Want to join me?” she chuckled expecting him to pass.   

“Sure. Hand me a couple of those flyers.”

“Really?”

“I’ll have you know I’m pretty good at origami.”

“Of course you are,” she rolled her eyes. 

As Ethan got to work folding and twisting a piece of paper, Sawyer carefully creased a couple lines into hers. Having torn off one of the edges to make a perfect square, she continued folding and creasing, then folded each corner toward the center of the page, repeating the process until she had achieved the right shape and size. 

She leaned across Ethan snagging the pen from his chest pocket, “Can I steal this?”

In that split second, Ethan’s senses were overwhelmed. Her hand on his thigh as she reached across with the other. The hints of coconut and tropical flowers that tickled his nose. The closeness of her body against his. He cleared his throat, “It appears that you already have.” 

Already back to work on her project, Sawyer wrote numbers on one side and colors on the other. After carefully pinching the paper to change its shape, she pulled four flaps up and wrote a random phrase on each one. Finished, she excitedly showcased her final product, “Ta-da!” 

“What is it?” he glanced up momentarily from his own craft.  

“A paper fortune teller.” She positioned her fingers to push and pull the points of her device and asked the first question. “Will we ever get out of this elevator?”

Her fingers moved the paper contraption back and forth as she spelled and counted out loud. “B-L-U-E. One… two… three… four.” Peeling back the tab over the number four, she read the fortune. “‘Outlook not good.’ Grrrrrreat.” 

“Geez, I didn’t realize being in my company was so horrible,” he inserted, still concentrating hard on his art project.  

“It’s the worst,” she said, dramatically rolling her eyes and feigning annoyance. “Ask a question. You can keep it to yourself if you want.” 

“Uhhh…” he thought for a moment, working on the final touches of his origami. “Did I make the right decision in Miami?” he asked himself. “Okay, I’ve got one.”

“Pick a color,” she instructed, showing him the options. 

“Green.” For the color of her eyes he decided.

“G-R-E-E-N. Now pick a number between one and eight.”

“One.” Because she was the number one intern, his number one pick for the program, and the first person he thought of when he woke up these last few weeks. 

Sawyer peeled back the tab. “Reply hazy. Try again later.” She heard Ethan’s unsatisfied snort. “Not the answer you were hoping for?” 

“Not quite.”

Sawyer assumed his question was about finding a cure for Naveen and offered him a sympathetic smile. Noticing that his hands were now still in his lap, she pointed to them. “Let’s see your masterpiece.”

Ethan presented a nearly perfect paper rose complete with stem and leaves. “For you.”

Surprised and flattered, Sawyer accepted the sweet gesture. “Wow,” admiring the level of detail as she twirled the delicate flower in her hand. Then looking into his waiting eyes, she held the paper blossom to her chin, “Thank you.” 

9:30 p.m. 

Ethan circled his ankle and bent his knee up and down a few times trying to improve the circulation in his leg.  

“Leg falling asleep?”

“Yes.”

An idea forming in her head, Sawyer unlocked her phone and opened her music app. Scrolling through her favorite playlist, she found a befitting tune and pressed play. Rising to her feet, she extended her hand to Ethan. “May I have this dance?”

Ethan stared at her hand considering, then met her eyes. 

“C’mon,” she reached down to take both his hands and helped pull him to his feet. “We need to stretch our legs. And honestly if I don’t move around I might pee my pants.”

“Well, we don’t want that.” Still holding her hands, he raised his left hand and folded his fingers around hers. He guided her other hand to his shoulder and placed his right hand on her waist.

They began to sway back and forth making circles in the small space of the elevator car. At first they avoided eye contact. But as the words of the song sunk in, their eyes met more frequently until they were finally locked on one another.  

I wanna memorize you, wanna stay here forever 'Cause I-I-I, I-I-I I take a picture in my mind so we're always together 'Cause I-I-I, I-I-I wanna remember

When the song ended, Sawyer was the one who broke the trance. She was just about to pull away when Ethan spoke. 

“One more?”

The corners of her lips lifted into a radiant smile. “Okay. Let me find another song.”

“I rather liked the last one.”

After hitting the replay button and returning the phone to her pocket, Ethan took her hand again. As the intro music played, he slid his other hand around to her back pulling her body close until there was no space between them. Her arm wrapped around his waist. The side of her face rested in the crook of his neck.

This feels like One of those moments moving by so fast You wanna do something just to make it last You wanna do something to remember Breathe it in The feel of your body on my fingertips The moonlight on fire and the clothes we're in We gotta do something to remember We don't wanna forget it

As they rocked side to side in each other’s arms, Sawyer could see their reflection in the stainless steel walls. His chin rested on the top of her head literally breathing her in as the lyrics suggested. 

The song ended and Ethan placed a quick peck on the top of Sawyer’s head. Ever-so-soft, she wouldn’t have even noticed had she not still been looking at their reflection. When they finally pulled away, Ethan brought her hand to his lips. “Thank you for the dance.”

11:00 p.m.

Tired and cold, Sawyer sat by Ethan’s side using his shoulder as a pillow. He encouraged her to try and get some sleep, but the cold steel against her back and dropping temperature in the elevator made it difficult. 

When she hugged herself to help control the shivers, Ethan nudged her to sit up and removed his lab coat. “Come here,” he patted the floor in front of him. 

She did as she was told, nestling herself in between his legs as Ethan draped his coat over her like a blanket. Pulling it up just barely over her mouth, Sawyer breathed in the familiar and intoxicating scent.

With a hand on her shoulder, Ethan guided her back against his chest. Framing her sides with his bent knees, he transferred his warmth and Sawyer melted into him.

Ethan leaned his head against the wall and took long slow breaths. His mind and body were engaged in conflict. He summoned all his strength to resist temptation and tamp down the twitch in his pants. As his head said “no,” his body urged him to lean down and nibble her earlobe. Massage her pulse point with his tongue. Slip his hand down her shirt to know whether her heart still beats as it did in Miami.  

As they laid there quietly for a few minutes, an occasional shiver still coursed through Sawyer even though the cold no longer affected her. She felt Ethan take a deep breath, her own body moving with the rise and fall of his chest. “What are you thinking about?” she asked softly.

He wanted to tell her. He wanted to give her the honesty she asked for that day in the lab. He took a moment to think of how he wanted to phrase it, and when he was ready, he leaned down and half-whispered next to her ear. 

“Stavo pensando che mi fai sentire qualcosa che non ho mai provato prima. So di aver detto che questa cosa tra noi è sbagliata e non dovremmo. E per la prima volta nella mia vita... non voglio avere ragione. Perché voglio che tu sia mio.” 

Sawyer didn’t understand anything he said, but she felt the meaning deep in her bones. Turning her head and shifting her body, she looked him in the eyes. There was longing and desire, and she watched how they slowly drifted down to her lips. She leaned in ever so slightly and Ethan pushed forward the rest of the way capturing her mouth. His hands held the sides of her head as he kissed her over and over. As her lips parted, he lightly introduced the tip of his tongue, moving deeper as she opened to him further. They continued to take each other’s breath away until at last the need for air had him closing the kiss with a soft peck. 

Needing to slow the pace before things went too far, Ethan rested his forehead against hers and begged, “Tell me something. Anything.” 

Sawyer caressed his face as a beautiful smile spread across hers. “This has been the best Valentine’s date ever.”

He leaned back a bit, raising his eyebrow in disbelief. 

“I mean it. Great conversation and lots of fun. You gave me chocolate and flowers. We danced. You spoke sweet nothings in Italian. At least that’s what I heard… you could have said I had amateur scalpel technique for all I know… but it was still romantic. And that kiss,” she sighed softly. “I’ve never been one for traditional Valentine’s Day gestures, but you may have convinced me otherwise, because tonight was perfect.”

Ethan was just about to say something when the elevator jerked back to life. 

They both stood dusting off their backsides and straightening their clothes when Ethan tried to speak again. “Sawyer?”

She already knew how this was going to end. “You don’t have to say it, Ethan. I know where things stand when these doors open.”

He nodded sadly. “Right. But I was also going to say, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’”

“Oh,” she said, surprised. 

The chime indicated the elevator finally reached the first floor. “Ethan?” Sawyer stepped out into the hall and turned around to face him. Smiling affectionately, she held the paper rose close to her heart, “Thank you for a lovely time tonight.”

A/N: Here’s what Ethan said in Italian: “I was thinking that you make me feel something I never have before. I know I’ve said this thing between us is wrong and we shouldn’t. And for the first time in my life… I don’t want to be right. Because I want you to be mine.”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @potionsprefect @jamespotterthefirst @annfg8 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @jerzwriter @quixoticdreamer16 @mysticalgalaxysstuff @inlocusmads @txemrn @trappedinfanfiction @mvalentine @takemyopenheart @ofmischiefandmedicine @openheartforeverinmyheart @doriopenheart @coffeeheartaddict2 @genevievemd @starrystarrytrouble @hopelessromantic1352 @kyra75

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Feb 17 - 23, 2024  

🎭 Angst  |  🦚 Angsty Fluff  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

Bryce x F!MC

A Dinomite Find - @storyofmychoices 📱

Bryce discovers dinosaur chicken nugget pillows and they are a must!

From the Nest to Flying Free - @dalishessence 📚🛸

[extended: wip] In another life, Bryce Lahela met Samantha Shepard and their relationship went from friends to lovers.

CH 1: Hatchling in the Nest

Untitled Fic - @sunshine-gumdrop ☁

Bryce shows he earned the Golden Retriever nickname.

Ethan x F!MC

Beach Cleanup Date - @liaromancewriter 📷

Cassie brings Ethan along for her annual beach cleanup volunteer gig.

Birthday As A Mom - @potionsprefect 📷

Victoria celebrates her first birthday as a mother.

When life has other plans - @coffeeheartaddict2 📚🛸

[extended: wip] A competition has commenced for the interns at Edenbrook hospital. A horrid first day leads to an unexpected test of a new machine but what is Dr. Ethan Ramsey hiding?

CH 11: Let’s Play Ball

Open Heart MC

Green-Eyed Girl - @liaromancewriter 📱

Random convo between Cassie and Max about family traits.

Rafael x F!MC

Moving In - @rafasgirl23415 📚​

[extended: wip] Follow up to We Belong Together. Set a few years into the future.

CH 20: Daddy's Special Girl

CH 21: Sienna’s Dream Wedding  Feat. Sienna x M!OC

Tobias x F!MC

Happy 40th Tobias! - @jerzwriter 📷

Tobias turns 40 today, and his wife and bestie are there to make it Insta-official.

Part 1

Part 2

Love in the Afternoon - @storyofmychoices ☁

Tobias and Casey enjoy an afternoon dance.

Not So Fast - @jerzwriter ☁💘

It's their fourth third Valentine's Day together, and it looks a little different than the rest. Still, all is going well until Tobias drops a little bombshell.

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[jerzwriter]

No One Else... Part 1 of 2

Book:                   Open Heart (Book 3 Timeline)

Pairing:                Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey)

Featuring: Ethan Ramsey, Sienna Trinh, etc.

Rating:                 Teen +

Category:            Fluffish

Warnings: Maybe some cursing

Summary:   Misunderstandings, changes in plans, a blast from the past, and secret admirers threaten to turn Tobias & Caseye's first second Valentine's Day upside down.

Part One: An unexpected message disrupts Tobias & Casey's blissful morning together. But just when Tobias assumes all is well, there's another surprise... and then another.

Words: 2,092

A/N: I'm not sure where this came from - but it did. It seems angsty at first, but it really won't be, it's going to erupt into chaos - but that can be comical. lol Part one centers mostly around Tobias & Casey, but others (namely Ethan and Sienna) will be getting pulled in toward the end and will show up more in Part 2. I hope you enjoy this! @choices-february2023 - Day 14 - Valentine's Day / @choicesficwriterscreations Valentine Event / @choicesmonthlychallenge To Be... Trust Me" "I'm Yrs Or... Call me Not to Be... Not Happening - @choicesholidays Prompt #1 This isn't what I imagined a relationship would be...

Tobias & Casey Masterlist My Full Masterlist

Tobias hurried into his office, quickly shutting the door behind him. Alone at last, he wasn’t giving anyone the opportunity to sneak in. Collapsing into his soft leather chair, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This had not been the morning he ordered.

He and his beautiful in every way girlfriend had been official for nearly a year now, and, to the amazement of everyone who knew him before, the man had never been happier. But this morning, their normally unflappable relationship was… well… not “flapped”… but experiencing more tension than they were accustomed to.

The day started well, nothing out of the ordinary. Tobias groggily hit snooze when his alarm went off. But instead of cursing it like he used to, he rolled over with a satisfied smile. Waking up to Casey was something he never took for granted. So even when the alarm went off the second time, he didn't fret. After kissing her on the forehead he shuffled into the bathroom.

A stretch and a long yawn got his system stirring, then his morning routine began. Ever the multitasker, he hit play on his voicemail before brushing his teeth in the bathroom mirror. Message number one:

….Hello, Dr. Tanaka here. I was hoping we could move our 2 PM consult on Alex Porter up a bit in light of his test results. Let me know when you arrive at the hospital, and we’ll take it from there…

That’s when he caught a glimpse of Casey creeping toward him in the mirror. Her eyes still half-shut, she lovingly wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her sleepy head on his shoulder. He rinsed quickly, eager to properly kiss her good morning. Their lips were just inches away when the next message began to play.

…Tobias Carrick?....

Just two words were all it took. Casey felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and Tobias wasn't far behind.

 …It is so good to hear your voice! Even if it’s just your message. It’s Beverly, love, it’s been so long you have probably forgotten what I sound like….

The voice had a playful, seductive quality that was impossible to miss.  Casey, who typically required at least two hours and twice that amount of coffee to be fully conscious, woke up in a flash.

… It was so hard to track you down! When I think of you and hard in the same sentence, it's not usually about finding your phone number...

As Beverly giggled, Casey reached over to shut off the phone, but Tobias grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“No,” he insisted. “I am not hiding anything from you; so let's listen together.”

… I’m offended that you didn’t give your new number to me! Luckily, I can think of a dozen things you can do to make it up to me. I’m going to the convention at the Cleveland Clinic, and I'm hoping you'll be there this year, too. If so, I have a luxury suite… hot tub, an enormous bed, and a beautiful view… you can certainly bunk up with me and help me put them to good use. I miss you, Tobias. Call me!...

Casey stared quietly at the floor when the message ended, and Tobias reached over to shut off his phone.

“Casey, I didn’t reach out to her," he started, his voice both calming and filled with concern. "I’m only going to contact her to let her know I’m happily off the market…”

“I know,” she mumbled, still looking away. Tobias gently lifted her chin to face him again.

“I don’t know how she got my new number….”

“I know,” Casey muttered. “I know… and I’m not… I’m not mad at you.”

Tobias knew her too well; she may not be mad… but she was something, and he hated being part of anything that brought her even the smallest bit of worry.

“Talk to me, baby. What are you feeling?"

“It’s just…” she let out a deep sigh. “It’s been a while since we’ve had something like this happen. Your Boston following knows you're with me now, so it's leveled off. But your national… or is it international?”

“Casey….” he trailed.

“Who was she? You’ve told me about a lot of your former dalliances, but  I don’t recall a Beverly….”

“Because she wasn’t significant. We met at a conference… a long time ago, and… on occasion,” he stumbled. “If we found ourselves in the same place, at the same time….”

Casey held up her hand, signaling for him to stop. “I get it… and you don’t owe me an explanation. Look,” She said, taking his face in her hands, “No one enjoys hearing a partner's former lover attempting to seduce them. But, T… we’re both adults, and we have histories."

“You’re not upset?” he asked. “I know in the past, things like this bothered you...."

“Mmm-hmm,” she interrupted. “In the past. I know what we are, and I trust you. Just take care of letting her know you'll be in Boston... and you're all mine!"

“And then I’m blocking her number,” he smiled.

“Good…” Casey half-smiled. “I’m not going to let this ruin our first Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s our second!” He insisted.

“No, it’s not,” she grinned. “It'll be fine, but baby... I hope there are no more calls!”

“If there are, I’ll toss my phone into the fireplace.”

“That might be a bit extreme,” she chuckeled, placing a peck on his cheek. Then she was off to get ready for work.

~~~~~

Everything was fine. That's what Tobias told himself as they drove to work. At least it seemed fine. He didn’t let go of her hand the entire trip, which wasn’t uncommon, but the lingering silence was. His mind raced back to the early days of their relationship. Back then, Casey was coping with a lot. Her insecurities and dealing with his … rep… weren't the easiest things for her to deal with. But they moved beyond that, and now,  they were titanium. Right? That wouldn’t happen again. So why was his heart racing a little faster?

It didn’t matter, he convinced himself. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day, their second… though she insisted it was their first. Whatever the number, he already planned on making his girl feel extra special, but now? Now he was really going to go all out.

He parked in his spot and proceeded to stare out the windshield.  

“Tobias?” Casey asked waving her hand in front of his face “We’re here.”

He startled a bit, breaking out of the fog he was lost in. 

“Sorry, I was a little….”

“You were driving me to work in this condition?” She laughed.

“I knew exactly what I was doing. Come on,” he said, taking her hand, “Let’s get to our meeting before Ramsey has our heads.”

~~~~~

Like the morning, the meeting started off well. Harper brought coffee… good coffee, even better than that stuff Ethan liked to brag about so much. And Ethan was in a good mood, much better than usual. Tobias made a mental note to get an answer about why out of him after when they were alone. Cases were discussed, and they were about to leave when…

“Just one more item before we adjourn,” Ethan stated. “Tobias, I’m going to need you to fill in for me at the conference in Cleveland.”

“OK, boss,” he started, then a realization struck him, and he furrowed his brow. “Wait.. the Cleveland conference? Aren't you presenting on the Alton research?”

“Yes,” Ethan smiled, almost smugly. “But no need to tailspin, Carrick. You’re up to the task or I wouldn’t have asked you.”

Tobias sneered in his friend's direction. “I can handle it with my eyes closed, wiseass! But it's tomorrow!”

“I know it’s last minute, but it can’t be avoided. The Board is holding an emergency meeting, and I’ve been told my presence is not optional. It’s only three days, Tobias, you can manage….”

“But it’s Valentine’s Day,” Tobias blurted, earning a little snort from Harper.

“I’m sorry,” she said, clearing her throat. “It’s just Tobias Carrick caring about Valentine’s Day? I never thought I’d live to see the day!”

“He has had a personal growth metamorphosis within the past few years,” Ethan teased.

Tobias looked across the way at Casey. She smiled supportively, but once again, her eyes didn’t mirror that smile. Then he heard Beverly’s voice in his head:

I’m going to the convention at the Cleveland Clinic, and I was wondering if you’d be there this year?

Aw, fuck! He thought, in fact, he may have said it out loud; he wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was he was on Ethan the second Harper and Casey left the room. He spent the next fifteen minutes unsuccessfully attempting to convince Ethan to send Harper in his stead.

“Harper wasn’t involved in the Alton case!” Ethan reiterated, his voice now bordering on shouting. “What’s with you? In the past, you would have been salivating at the chance to take this opportunity away from me. Now, you’re letting a Hallmark holiday do this to you?”

“I know,” Tobias rolled his eyes, “It’s just that it’s our first, and….”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, “According to Casey, it’s your first. According to you, it’s your second.”

Tobias didn’t appreciate the cocky look on his friend's face, even though he knew he was right. 

“Come on, Tobias. Casey is a grown woman and a professional. I’m sure she’ll be fine pushing your celebration off a few days.”

“You’re right,” Tobias sighed, walking toward the door. “Oh, and Ethan?”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to kick ass in that presentation. You’ll never be invited to speak there again!”

“Keep dreaming, Carrick," Ethan yelled as Tobias made his way down the hall.

~~~~~

Feeling a bit better, the familiar smile on his face and spring in his step were back. They were present as he greeted every passerby as he made his way to his office. But they weren't there for long. Passing a patient's room, he heard Casey and Sienna’s voices.

“I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything,” Sienna fretted. “Don’t let your mind wander.”

“I know that, Sienna,” Casey replied. “It’s just… after all the progress, I don’t want to go back to….”

“And, chances are you won’t,” Sienna assured. “You just need to be patient… let this play out.”

“I know….” Casey bemoaned. “But if it happens again, I just don’t think could take it. I'd have to move on from this."

“Look!” Sienna ordered. “You’re putting the cart before the horse. I know how much this means to you, but… so far, there is no indication that you have anything to worry about. Don’t break your heart if you don’t have to, Case. OK?”

Tobias’s blood went cold. Heartbreak? Can’t do this anymore? Was she this upset? And if so, why was she withholding this from him?

“Damn it!” He muttered, making haste to get to his office. What could he do to convince Casey that she had nothing to worry about? She was the love of his life and his heart sank at the thought of her going through this again. He thought they were past this. He thought she was secure in their love, and if she wasn’t… after all this time…. where did this leave them?

He slammed the door behind him, then sunk into his chair. It had been a hell of a morning, and he was taking a moment to relish the solitude and calm.

He would have to talk to her… to make her understand. But his mind was also on the holiday that he'd now be missing. He thought of ways to shower her with gifts, even if he wasn't there. He'd leave her notes… everywhere… text her all day… FaceTime at night… he'd make sure it was still special… as long as no more bullshit occurred.

That’s when it caught his eye. It looked benign enough, a little red envelope with a heart on his desk. A smile tugged at his lips. She must have dropped it off after their meeting; they had been together until then. Maybe he was blowing this out of proportion; perhaps this was all in his mind. If she was dropping off an early Valentine, things couldn't be that bad. He slid his fingers under the envelope flap and removed the note inside.

 “Roses are red, violets are blue, and on Valentine’s Day, the only thing I’m going to do … is you.”

A puff of air escaped his nose, and his hands fell to his side. Adorable. Cute. Sexy. At least it would have been… if it was Casey’s handwriting, but it wasn't.

A loud knock on the door startled him.

“Hey, Tobias, open up. I need to talk to you.”

His eyes screwed shut. The day had to get better.

Perma tags: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @genevievemd @gryffindordaughterofathena @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

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[headoverheelsforramsey]

Death Stare

Book : Open Heart (set in Book 3 timeline)

Pairing : Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Meera Bose)

Category : Fluff

Summary : A friendly staring contest turns into a heated competition. Who will emerge as the winner? Ethan or Meera?

Warnings : None

Rating : General

Word Count : 1356

Trope : Valentine's Day, Donahue's, Friends Intervene

A/N : I received this ask quite some time back and have been meaning to write something for it forever. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, hope you like this, and also Happy Reading. ❤️

Submission to @choicesficwriterscreations Valentine's Day event, @choices-february2023 Day 14 : Valentine's Day and @choicesmonthlychallenge : To Be or Not to Be (prompts used : hell no, not happening & never which will appear in bold)

Ethan Ramsey put down his pen to pick up his phone. The name on the screen instantly bringing a smile to his face.

She is right, he thought. Typing in a quick reply he grabbed his coat and left his office.

He walked into Donahue’s, scanning the crowd for Meera, but instead he was greeted with the unfamiliar red and pink decorations and the cheering and hollering of a crowd. He pinched the bridge of his nose suddenly recalling that the upcoming consumerist trap of a holiday was just round the corner. He was reevaluating whether leaving his silent office was a wise decision when his eyes landed on Meera. Ethan pushed through the crowd to reach the booth she was seated at with her friends.

“There you are!” Meera pulled him in for a kiss.

“This place is packed,” he commented taking a seat.

“Yeah, why not? Reggie is giving out free drinks,” Elijah informed.

“Really?” Ethan said in disbelief.

“Not just like that, you have to earn it,” Aurora added.

“Earn it?”

“You have to beat your partner in a staring contest!” Bryce said. Ethan’s face showed that it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

“It’s for Valentine’s Day!” Sienna exclaimed, “also, we think you and Meera should totally put your names down!”

A wave of excited murmur went around the group.

“Hell no!” Ethan protested, “ is this why you brought me here?” he asked Meera.

“I mean, not exactly,” Meera paused, “but free dinks never hurt anybody.”

“Yes!”

“Amen!” Her friends shouted in support.

Ethan shook his head, “Meera, you are still working, you can’t even drink!”

“We can!” Jackie stated the obvious. “And trust me, broke residents like us could really use a free round of drinks.”

“If that is so I can happily buy all of you a round,” Ethan offered desperte to get out of this situation.

“But you know there is absolutely nothing like free drinks!” Bryce explained earning another round of supportive cheers from the group.

“So it’s settled then you guys are entering the competition!” Sienna shouted in a sing-song manner.

“Not happening,” Ethan repeated.

“Do it. DO IT. DO IT!” as the younger doctors started cheering Ethan looked helplessly at Meera, who was enjoying his misery a little too much.

She lowered her voice, so that only he can hear, “What? Afraid of a little friendly competition, Ramsey.”

He locked eyes with her, the mischief glinting in the pair of brown orbs.

“Fine!” he finally declared, earning claps and wolf whistles from the group.

Bryce does the honour of putting their names on the list and while everyone patiently wait for their turn, Ethan slides upto Meera, “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“Well you better start believing, because you are going down Ramsey.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Could be,” Meera shrugs.

As the last couple break their stare, Reggie goes upto the makeshift stage. “Well, next on the list we have Meera Bose and…,” he gives a long pause, his eyes falling on Ethan, expression a mixture of amusement and confusion. “Well I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Ethan Ramsey!”

As the people in the bar cheer, their friends being the loudest, Ethan and Meera take their respective positions at the ends of a table.

“Ready to lose?” Meera smirked.

“Never,” Ethan replied.

“All right your time starts now!” Reggie announces.

They locked eyes, the chaos of the bar fade away, focusing on each other only. None knew how much time had passed but they refused to give up. As more and more time passed, the enthusiasm and excitement of the crowd died down.

“I gotta admit this is getting kinda boring,” Aurora remarked.

“Well atleast they are lasting much longer than the other couples,” Bryce said.

“Guys come on!” Jackie had reached the end of her patience, “we’ll be the ones getting the free drinks, it dosen’t matter which one of you win, just break it off already!”

“I have a feeling pitting these two against each other wasn’t a good idea,” Sienna sighed.

“God, I hope there is a miracle,” Elijah could hardly finish when two pagers went off together.

Ethan and Meera’s brows knitted as realization dawned upon them.

“Sometimes I hate my job,” Meera said still not breaking eye contact.

“It’s okay we can pick this up again sometime later,” Ethan reassured.

“Okay guys, it’s finally happening!” Jackie said, ecstatic.

As if on mutual understanding the couple broke eye contact answering their respective pagers.

“It’s done, Reggie, give us our alcohol,” Jackie demanded.

“It was a tie,” Reggie announced earning a groan from the group.

“Oh come on! You know the drinks would be ours irrespective of either of them winning,” Bryce reasoned.

“Sorry, against the rules,” Reggie replied.

As the group continued arguing Ethan turned to Meera, “we need to go.” She mouthed a sorry to her enraged group of friends walking out of the bar. The last thing she could hear was Aurora going, “that is so unfair.”

“Well you’ll have to buy them drinks sometime,” Meera said to Ethan as they were making their way back to the hospital.

“No way, I offered them at the beginning, they declined and I had to go through all this, no way I am offering them again.”

“So you are saying you didn’t enjoy staring into my eyes at all.”

“I did, but next time, I’d prefer not being surrounded by drunk strangers.”

Much later, the team leaves the diagnostic office after Ethan dismisses them. He comes upto Meera who is packing up her belongings. “Great solve on that one, I’ll admit it was a little tricky.”

“Thanks!” Meera grinned, “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from the very best.”

Ethan smiles proudly, pecking his girlfriend’s cheek. “Anyways you go home, I’ll stay back a little longer. I want to monitor Mr. Huxley for a couple of hours. I am a little worried about his BP, we will have to change the NSAIDS dosage if it plummets.”

Meera nodded silently, going over the patient chart once again. “Why don’t I stay back and you go home?”

“No it’s fine, you have had a long shift.”

“So have you. Look, I am the junior member of the team, it’s my job. You promised you won’t go easy on me just because I’m your girlfriend.”

“You are right,” Ethan wrapped his arms around her, “I can’t risk playing favourites and have HR breathing down my neck.”

“Imagine! What a dreadful allegation,” Meera laughed.

“Fine, you stay, but run by me before you make any changes to the dosage.”

“Yes sir!”

“And come back to my apartment, you still have a staring contest to lose, rookie.”

“We will see about that.”

Meera entered the condo, putting her keys down on the countertop.

“Babe! I’m home!” she called out, only to be returned with silence. She started searching the rooms until finally going into the bedroom. The door to the bathroom was slightly ajar and she could hear the water running, “so there you are.”

Ethan walked out, in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, “sorry I couldn't hear you from inside.”

Meera’s breath got stuck and god knows how many beats her heart skipped. Her eyes moving down from his collar bones, perfect abs and lower.

“Like what you see?” Ethan’s voice breaking her haze. “I believe we have a little game to continue.”

“This is so not fair,” Meera protested.

“Everything is fair in love and war, my dear.”

Ethan moved closer, leaving an almost non existent gap between them. They lock eyes. Ethan smirking on getting the upper hand, while Meera fighting her human instincts to close the gap between them and throw the towel away. A few seconds later she blinks.

“You lose, I win,” Ethan looks at Meera hungrily, “now I get to claim my price.”

He tilts her face and their lips fit like perfect puzzle pieces. As Meera melts into the kiss she makes quick work of the towel thinking how it was a win-win situation for her.

Thank you so much if you have read till here, it means the world to me. Hope to see you go on other different adventures with me, Ethan and Meera, till then sending love and hugs your way! ❤️

Perma : @starrystarrytrouble @quixoticdreamer16 @coffeeheartaddict2 @liaromancewriter @tessa-liam @gryffindordaughterofathena @crazy-loca-blog @zahrachoices @bex-la-get @potionsprefect @schnitzelbutterfingers @a-crepusculo @custaroonie @aishwarya26 @jamespotterthefirst

Ethan x Meera : @jerzwriter @wanderingamongthewildflowers @takemyopenheart @mvalentine

+ @choicesficwriterscreations , @choicesmonthlychallenge , @choices-february2023 , @openheartfanfics

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed. 💜

[hopelessromantic1352]

Hi! So since the year is almost over, I decided to make you a quick and small edit of Ethan and Casey! I hope you've had a good year and I hope that you'll have a great year next year!

You are so sweet!!!! And…

I LOVE THIS!!!!! You’re helping me get inspired to write more 🤣

I appreciate this and I hope you have an amazing New Year!!! ❤️😍

[peonyblossom]

Whatever You Want

Book: Open Heart (post-series) Pairing(s): Ethan Ramsey x m!MC (Sydney Valentine) Other characters: Burrito Ramsey-Valentine; Caramel Ramsey-Valentine Words: 993 Category: fluff Rating: general AO3 link here Summary: When Ethan tries to work on his day off, someone tries to distract him instead. A/N: Based on a request from @dr-colossal-pita for the @choicesflashfics prompt from February (I'm so sorry it's literally been like six months) “I would love nothing more than to spoil you with attention, but it’s going to have to wait until later.” (prompt appears in bold)

Sydney would kill Ethan if he knew he was working on his day off, but he had a deadline and he didn’t want to leave this to the last minute. So, Ethan was sitting at the desk in his home office, writing. He was almost done with the first draft of his second book. He was on the last chapter and really just wanted to power through. He was in the zone, the words flowing on the page.

He barely even noticed when Burrito jumped onto the desk. He would’ve ignored the cat, except Burrito walked across the keyboard, typing a string of random letters and special characters into Ethan’s document.

“What are you doing?” Ethan asked, causing Burrito to turn and face him. Burrito stepped towards Ethan, pressing more keys. He rubbed his head against Ethan’s chest and Ethan instinctively reached out to pet the top of Burrito’s head. “I would love nothing more than to spoil you with attention, but it’s going to have to wait until later.”

Ignoring Ethan’s comment, Burrito simply jumped onto Ethan’s lap and curled up, purring. Ethan sighed and scratched Burrito’s head. “Well at least you aren’t on my keyboard anymore.” Ethan deleted the string of gibberish Burrito had typed and continued working on his manuscript. 

It took a while, but Ethan eventually got back in the zone, just writing, paying no attention to how much time had passed. He had no idea how long he’d been writing for nor how long Burrito had been laying on his lap. 

Ethan had been surprised when they got their first cat, Caramel, at how much she liked him and how much he liked her. He had never been big on pets, especially as an adult. He just felt he didn’t have the time to take care of one. Nevertheless, Sydney had managed to convince him to adopt her. Getting a pet together was one of their first big relationship milestones. Ethan had never thought they would get a second cat, but Sydney said Caramel needed a friend and Ethan begrudgingly agreed, so they adopted Burrito as a celebration for their first wedding anniversary. Once again he was shocked by how much the kitten liked him. Despite the cats being Sydney’s idea, they had both taken a liking to Ethan instead. They loved Sydney too of course, but Ethan was their favorite. Sydney said it was because Ethan was softer and therefore more comfortable, but Ethan didn’t care what the reason was, he didn’t understand why they chose him when Sydney was the one who really wanted them. But even then, Ethan had grown to love them. 

Sydney referred to the cats as “their children,” since they weren’t planning to have any. At first Ethan thought it was ridiculous, but over time he realized just how similar the cats were to human babies. They would scream for all the same reasons babies cry – hunger, attention, just generally needing help. Although he wasn’t confident in his abilities in the beginning, Ethan now loved taking care of them and was actually pretty good at it.

It only took Ethan another hour to finish his manuscript draft, but by the time he finished, Burrito was still curled up on his lap. He sighed, but was thankful he had a book to read right on his desk so he didn’t have to get up and disturb Burrito. Ethan leaned back in his chair, carefully putting his feet on the desk so as to disturb Burrito as little as possible while still getting into a more comfortable reading position. Thankfully, Burrito just cuddled against Ethan in this new position, still asleep. Ethan smiled to himself and opened his book.

A while later, Sydney finally got home from his shift at the hospital and was surprised to only see Caramel lounging on the cat tree when he walked in the door. Usually, Ethan would be in the living room reading or watching a documentary.

“Babe?” Sydney called out.

“In here!” Ethan instinctively called back from the study. 

Sydney followed his voice into the study and found Ethan sitting back in his desk chair. “Were you working on your day off?”

“Yes, but I finished my first draft.” Ethan smiled. He knew Sydney wouldn’t stay mad at him. 

“Oh yay!” Sydney ran behind the desk to hug Ethan. “I’m still mad at you for working when you should be resting, but I’m also super proud of you. Oh! And I see Burrito is proud of you too!” Sydney reached down to pet Burrito in Ethan’s lap.

“I think he’s taking after you. He stepped on my keyboard and stood in front of the computer so I couldn’t work.”

“Aw, that’s my boy!” Sydney smiled, then said to Ethan, “Now let’s get you out of this office and go celebrate! Ooh, we can walk over to that new Mexican place!” 

“Of course you want to celebrate with food.” Ethan laughed.

Sydney pouted and responded, “I just got off a fourteen hour shift, okay? I’m hungry.”

“Okay, okay, but what are we going to do with this little burrito?” Ethan gestured to the cat still in his lap.

“I’ll take care of him.” Sydney dramatically swooped Burrito up and out of Ethan’s lap. “It’s my turn with Daddy now, okay?” Sydney said to the cat, carrying him out of the room. Ethan followed him and watched as he placed Burrito on the couch. Sydney turned to Ethan and said, “Let’s go!” 

Before they reached the door, Burrito, who had jumped off the couch and ran ahead, did. He looked back at them as they approached and once Ethan was close enough, rubbed his head against his leg. Ethan chuckled and reached down to pick up Burrito. He hugged him to his chest and looked at Sydney. “Maybe we should just order takeout tonight.” 

Sydney laughed and said, “Okay, babe, whatever you want. Or whatever Burrito wants, I suppose.” 

[txemrn]

Until You Love Me

Chapter 3: I'm-a Make You Fall...

🖤 Catch up here!

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Casey Valentine); f!MC (Casey Valentine) x f!OC (Tatum Erikson)

Series Summary: Constantly worried about Ethan’s faithfulness, Casey Valentine’s paranoia reaches an all-time high when she meets a blast from his past.

Chapter Summary: A grave mistake happens under Tatum's care during her first day at Edenbrook, but was it an accident? Casey overhears a heartbreaking conversation which makes her seek advice from Tatum.

Music Inspo: “Paparazzi” - Kim Dracula

Word Count: 2499 (I am so proud of this number)

Rating/Warnings: 🔞 Mature Audiences Only🔞 This miniseries will contain NSFW material (🍋), infidelity, language, discussion and/or depiction of medical situations (this chapter: depiction of stressful labor), gaslighting, mental abuse & illness, suicide, violence, criminal activity; alcohol use

A/N: I am participating in week 6 of @choicesflashfics prompt challenge! I chose prompt #2: “Look at me and tell me I'm wrong.” The prompt will be in bold.

A/N2: This is very much an AU; our main characters will be written OOC; most of these characters and some plot points belong to our friends at Pixelberry. Special thanks to @ao719 and @neotericthemis for helping me work through some kinks and graciously pre-read various parts of this. This is not beta’d, so please forgive my errors.

~🖤~

Tucking the last blonde strand into her surgical cap, Tatum takes a step back from the mirror, soaking in her overall appearance.  She inhales slowly before exhaling a large, cleansing breath.

This was it; she was finally hitting the labor and delivery floor at Edenbrook for the first time. Despite her impressive resumé, her twelve years of experience in maternal medicine and nearly three-thousand deliveries to date, she’s nervous. New hospital, new staff, new clientele–not to mention, it’s already been a peculiar introduction to Boston.

She was hired as the Chief of Obstetrics by Dr. Naveen Banerji, the former Chief of Medicine. His vision for the future of the hospital beckoned to her heart to join the team–that and the competitive salary and pension plan.

There was, however, a small snag in this wonderful plan: Ethan Ramsey, her former colleague from Johns Hopkins. And her first love.

But, the end of Ethan and Tatum was close to fifteen years ago; the wounds were old, most of them have even healed. Accidentally running into him wouldn’t be a problem; besides, his department of diagnostics and her unit approach medicine differently. L&D uses its own doctors in specialized maternal-fetal medicine rather than calling for outside help. So although they worked at the same hospital, there really wouldn’t be much reason for Tatum to interact with Ethan.

Imagine her surprise when she attended new employee orientation last week, and Ethan was introduced as the newly appointed Chief of Medicine. Her boss. Tatum tried avoiding him, but the next morning, he brought her coffee. The following day, he insisted on giving her a private tour of her unit. Tatum isn’t exactly looking for a relationship right now, but it is flattering to receive special attention from Ethan.

On her way to the parking lot, she ran into another old colleague from medical school, Dr. Tobias Carrick. After exchanging pleasantries, the tall, smooth-talking diagnostician became serious, lowering his voice. 

“Is there something going on between you and Ramsey?”

“No,” she chuckles, slightly taken aback, "I mean,” she sighs looking around the row of cars before focusing back on her old friend. “We’ve been catching up. That's it.”

“Uh-huh.” He rubs his fingers over his mouth before continuing. “Just… please be careful, Erikson, okay?”

He proceeded to inform Tatum about Ethan’s three-year relationship with Casey Valentine. 

"She's quite protective of him. Sometimes… she takes things too far–"

"'Too far'?" Tatum interrupts, an eyebrow arching with worry.

"Yeah," Tobias looks over his shoulder before stepping closer to Tatum. "The law has even had to get involved–" he holds a finger over his mouth as Tatum's eyes grow wide in shock. "Ethan has had to intervene a few times, but there's only so much he can do, especially when she perceives other women as a threat."

Little did Tatum know, she would not only meet her, but she would also experience more of Casey Valentine than she ever expected. Based on first impressions alone, Casey was friendly and kind; she easily gravitated and opened herself to Tatum.

But, remembering Tobias's warning, Tatum decided to swing by Ethan's office, informing him of her interaction with Casey. He was caught off guard and even slightly disturbed that the women had become so acquainted, but he was appreciative of the information.

A roar of laughter breaks Tatum of her thoughts as a group of nurses break from the early morning huddle. 

Let’s roll.

After being introduced to the staff and receiving patient reports, Tatum makes her own game plan as the attending-on-duty. She carefully watches an over-sized screen that displays every fetal monitor in use, finally zeroing on one.

"Who's the nurse for 501?"

A timid, young woman with ebony hair steps forward.

"Kendra?" Tatum reads her name badge. "I'm Dr. Erikson," she grins, extending her arm for a gentle handshake from the nurse. "So tell me about our patient, Kendra."

Tatum could tell right off the bat Kendra was nervous to be working with a new attending. She's a younger nurse, possibly in her mid-twenties who provides quick answers in the form of a question; but just in their short interaction, the new chief can tell this nurse is intelligent. She just needs an opportunity to learn confidence.

"So," Tatum crosses her arms, "if the patient's induction started yesterday morning, why is she still pregnant today?"

Kendra stumbles as she pulls out her report cheat sheet.  "Um… I think… well, I–"

"Kendra," Tatum smiles. "Take a breath. Start from the beginning." The nurse nods as she wipes her palms against her scrubs. "How are we inducing her?"

"Oxytocin. Using the low-dose protocol."

Tatum nods. "When was the last time that was adjusted?”

The nurse sighs. “Early yesterday evening.”

The attending raises an inquisitive eyebrow. “And she’s dilated to…?”

“Two.”

“Two centimeters,” Tatum repeats dryly. "Is she in labor?"

"Uh… I mean," Kendra looks to her report sheet, "I know she’s uncomfortable–"

Tatum waves her hand to dismiss the answer. "That's not what I asked. I want to know … is she in labor?"

The nurse hangs her head as a blush crawls across her face. "I–I don't think so, Dr. Erikson."

Tatum pushes her tongue into her cheek as she stares at the nurse. "So,  we have wasted a day, making a woman hurt, but have failed to put her into labor"

The nurse stares at the floor, picking at her nails.  "I–I'm sorry," an audible lump forms in her throat, robbing her of her next words.

"Kendra," Tatum whispers kindly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "This is far from your fault, and even so, I’m not looking to blame someone.  You and I? We just re-evaluated this patient’s care. And we’ve discovered… it didn’t work.  What we’ve been doing for the past day is not going to deliver her. So… I’ll ask again: why is she still pregnant?”

With more assuredness in her stance, Kendra speaks up. “Because we never even got her into labor.”

Tatum nods her head, pleased to hear the nurse putting the puzzle pieces together. “And now, you and I need to figure out the next step. Normally at this point, I would recommend a cesarean. Do you think she needs surgery?”

“No, ma’am. I think she needs to be given an actual opportunity to labor.”

“Okay, then. What should we do next?”

Kendra thinks for a moment. “Check dilation, consider breaking her water… maybe even place internal monitors?” She shrugs. “Oh! And change her position.”

Nodding her head, Tatum offers Kendra a mischievous grin.  She steals the nurse’s original report sheet and rips it up. “C’mon,” she snickers, “let’s go deliver your patient.” 

------

A few hours and a couple of deliveries later, Tatum went to check on her laboring patient that was assigned to Kendra.  Before going into the room, she notices that the fetus was starting to show signs of distress. 

Tatum enters the room, relieved to see the nurse was already at the bedside. "We just got an epidural," Kendra reports, "and she's six centimeters."

"That's excellent!" Tatum celebrates, "this baby was just waiting for his Aunt Kendra and Aunt Tatum." Everyone falls into titters as the nurse and provider reposition the somewhat-comfortable patient onto her side.

Glancing around the room, Tatum notices a near-empty IV bag, and with the fetus still having occasional issues, she is concerned with a very common side effect of anesthesia: low blood pressure. "Kendra?" She inquires, "when did you hang this bag?"

Concern etches across Kendra's face. "Before the epidural placement."

"Grab another bag, and let's give her a bolus. I think we might be hypotensive."  

"Yes, ma'am," Kendra steps outside to grab the extra bag of hydration fluid, and returns in record timing.

"Wow," Tatum snickers. "You are on it today. That was fast!"

"Oh, I ran into someone that saw I was in a hurry, so they gave me their bag," she smiles. "You wanted a bolus, right?"

"Yes, let it flow as fast as it can for 500," Tatum agrees, but her eyebrows furrow curiously. Someone gave her that bag? "Wait… and that's Lactated Ringers, right?"

Kendra nods, holding the fluid up for the physician to read the name clearly on the plastic.

"Perfect."

The nurse programs everything into the pumps before pressing 'start infusion'. The attending reviews the game plan with the family and encourages the moms to nap. Shutting off the lights, Tatum escorts Kendra out of the room. 

But before she pulls the door closed, Tatum notices the patient suddenly stir in bed which quickly leads to a couple of abrupt moans.  The seasoned OB glances at the fetal monitor just in time to watch the heart rate plummet into the 50s.

And stay there.

"Talk to me, Mama, what are you feeling?" Tatum flips on the lights, and together with Kendra, they begin performing resuscitation measures, including giving the mom oxygen and repositioning her body in the bed.

Despite having an epidural, she is paralyzed by agonizing pain, clenching tightly to her abdomen. Tatum snakes her hands to rest on the woman's gravid belly. And it's just what she expected: hard as a rock. Her uterus was completely clamped down, in a continuous contraction, squeezing on the baby and the cord continuously without rest.

Damnit…

"Turn off that IV fluid now!" Tatum commands over the commotion as more staff join the room to help. "I need Brethine and a new bag of LR. Let's move, people!"

The nurses continue to reposition the patient while others administer the drug that will hopefully relax the uterus. A new IV fluid bag is hung. 

But unfortunately after seven minutes, the baby's heartbeat remains slow.

And the brand new chief's own heart drops. She glances around the room, matching the worried stares of everyone working with her. She looks back to the monitor, shaking her head.

Damnit…

"STAT C-Section!"

------

[Casey's POV]

This morning was absolutely incredible.  Tatum had to hurry to her floor for rounds, but damn… I can still feel her tender touch on my body, her languid tongue stroking deep inside me. I can feel her nails digging into my hips as she demands to drink my desire. Each slurp and swallow echoes in my memory, my swollen lips fluttering for more.

I reapply my lipgloss before I step out of the telemetry supply closet. After I check on my interns in the pit, I mosey through the hallways until I decide to check on my hard-working boyfriend. I never got to see him earlier because he was…

The anger hits me again, my jaw clenching. I can feel my blood start to boil when I picture him… and her…

…laughing at each other’s jokes…

… touching each other…

Slow down, Casey.  

She's a new hire, so it only makes sense that he would take a moment to welcome her. Sure, that’s all he was doing. Afterall, Ethan is the new Chief.

God, Chief of Medicine… 

I am so proud of him.

We agreed that I wouldn't bother him at work although I know he secretly loves it when I stop by with lunch or coffee. But, I can see where it can be distracting. He has a lot more responsibilities with his new position, and a simple interruption can break his concentration.

Approaching his ajar, office door, I quickly discover Ethan isn't alone.  In fact, I recognize the other melodic soulful voice in the room: Tobias Carrick.

I inch closer to listen.

"...just like old times, eh?" .

"Jesus, Carrick…it’s not like that,” Ethan scoffs into a snicker.  “It’s…well… she's new, and my job as her boss is to help her smoothly transition."

"It looks like you're about to make a smooth transition into her, if ya know what I'm sayin'." Tobias laughs, sticking his tongue out as he claps his old friend's back.

Are they talking about Tatum?

"C'mon, Ramsey," Tobias grows stern. "The moment Tatum walked through those doors, your tail has been wagging like a damn puppy. You're actually smiling again."

With a deep ruddy blush swirling up his neck, Ethan lets out a hefty sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Just admit it," Tobias steps closer.  "Look at me and tell me I'm wrong."

Go ahead and tell him, baby. Tell him you’re happy with me…

The corners of Ethan's lips curl as he glances back to his colleague.  "Tatum and I, we just… we’ve always clicked."

"You click!" He playfully smacks Ethan's chest with the back of his hand.

'We've always had this… spark–"

"You spark!" Tobias hits him again causing Ethan to grimace. 

"But…" Ethan stutters, "what about Casey–?"

"Seriously?" Tobias raises his eyebrows, chuckling in disbelief.  "Things with Valentine… I’m gonna be honest with you. You need to think what’s best for you…"

What?

Ethan sighs. "Our history… it complicates things…" 

What the hell? I see red, stepping back from Ethan's office.  A sudden heaviness infiltrates my lungs as I struggle for air.

No. none of that is true… right?

A familiar sting prods at my eyes. The anxiety creeps up the back of my throat as I clench tightly to my uneasy stomach. 

I need answers. 

But not now.

Nothing is accomplished when I'm angry.  When I approach Ethan with my concerns, he gives me a look. That look. Not of empathy or kindness, but of sympathy, like he feels sorry for me. It’s patronizing.

I can't do this. Not right now. Not today.

I just need reassurance. I need to be held, and reminded that everything is okay, that we’re okay.

And then it hits me.

Tatum.

The mention of her name alone brings a tingle to my lips, making my heart skip a beat. I know we've known each other for less than 24 hours. But I feel like she would understand my emotions right now, that could help me calm down.

I should find her. Surely she can clear this up for me.

Yeah. That's what I'll do.

As I reach her floor, I am quickly reminded that it's a locked-down unit with privacy badge access.  I stare at the door for a moment, wondering how I can sneak in to see Tatum. I was hoping to sort of… surprise her.

"Excuse me."  A woman in scrubs pushes past me, holding several clear bags of IV fluid. “Do you mind?” She chuckles. “I can’t reach my badge to swipe.”.

Perfect timing.

“Sure,” I smile as I swipe her tethered ID card. The door softly buzzes, granting access as it slowly opens.

She gives me an appreciative smile. “Thank you,” she blows away a long exhale. “We’ve been so busy in the pharmacy, running out of supplies. Shoot, we actually ran out of ‘Pitocin’ stickers for these premixed bags of LR with oxytocin. So, I have to label them up here.”

Suddenly, she drops an IV bag. 

Poor thing…  She seems frazzled.

“Here,” I grab the fluid before holding the door open, “let me help you.”

~🖤~

Tags (updated 9/26; please let me know if you'd like to be added, removed):

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[liaromancewriter]

Mine

Premise: Cassie can’t help feeling jealous of Ethan’s admirer.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,315

A/N: Submission for @julychallenge prompt "bold." This is for an anon request from the Kisses prompts: kiss of jealousy. The story is set during their secret dating phase in Lia Land.

If the busty redhead touched his arm one more time, she would not be responsible for what happened next.

Cassie Valentine huffed at the sight of her boyfriend getting hit on at the bar. Not that anyone besides them knew he was hers. Still, it was the principle of the matter.

Ethan Ramsey knew he was taken, but did he tell the other woman off? No! He just chuckled inanely like the selfish jerk that he was.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely accurate. He was a jerk but never selfish.

Didn’t he always make sure she came first when they made love, sometimes more than twice, before he let go himself?

“Hey, Valentine, hit the ball or forfeit the game.”

Cassie stopped staring at Ethan and his admirer long enough to throw Jackie an annoyed look. They were at Donahue’s decompressing after a long shift over beers and pool. But right now, her mind was on anything but the game.

Eyes snapping with green fire, she bent over the pool table, took aim with her cue stick, and struck the cue ball with such force that the other balls scattered loudly in every direction. She got lucky, pocketing two solids before her streak ended.

Just as well. Focusing on the game meant she couldn’t see Busty Red make moves on her man.

Cassie was used to Ethan getting hit on by nurses, doctors and even patients at Edenbrook. It usually didn’t bother her. Most of the time, he was oblivious, wearing a cloak of indifference as comfortably as his white coat.

But tonight was different. He was actually laughing with the other woman.

The bastard!

She took a violent swig of her beer, disappointed to find the bottle empty.

Time for a refill, she grinned wickedly at the idea of interrupting the Great Flirtation.

“Hey, Si?” She called out to her bestie, who was watching from the sidelines. When Sienna walked over, Cassie handed her the cue stick. “Take my turn, would you? I’m parched and could use another drink.”

She walked off before Sienna could say anything.

Muscling her way through the crowd on the minuscule dance floor, Cassie slowed her pace as she neared the bar. There was an empty spot a few stools down from Ethan, but she deliberately eased her body into the tiny space beside him. Her arm brushed against his, and feeling him stiffen gave her immense satisfaction.

She leaned her elbows on the bar, arching her back slightly and pushing her hips out seductively. Her jeans hugged her curves perfectly while her silky off-shoulder top shimmered in the light. She looked damn good tonight, and she knew it.

Reggie, the bartender, gave her a hold-on sign as he served another patron, but Cassie wasn’t concerned, ear cocked to the conversation occurring beside her.

“You must tell him I said hello,” Busty Red gushed, leaning closer, practically hugging Ethan.

Cassie was not a jealous person by nature, but she had her limits. Unable to take it anymore, she pretended to stumble, crashing into Ethan and causing him to spill his drink.

“Crap,” he cursed and jumped off the stool as the whiskey dripped down his shirt and stained his pants.

“Oops,” she gasped with faux sincerity. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Ramsey. Here.” She grabbed some napkins off the bar and started dabbing at the wet stain on his shirt.

Cassie smiled nastily as the woman stepped back from Ethan and wiped the triumphant look from her face before anyone noticed—not quickly enough. He caught her smug expression, and his blue eyes narrowed in suspicion and annoyance.

“Forgot how to walk, Rookie?” he grumbled, snatching the napkins from her hand to swipe at the front of his pants.

“It was an accident, doctor,” Cassie said, trying for remorse but failing miserably as a light giggle escaped. “Uh, maybe you should retreat to the men’s room. That stain is spreading.”

Ethan turned back to the other woman. “I’m sorry, Dee. I better take care of this.” He pulled the wet shirt away from his chest.

He glared at Cassie, then turned on his heel and marched towards the restroom.

Cassie stared briefly at the other woman, who was now watching her with a bewildered look, and walked away, shrugging her shoulder in apology.

Instead of heading to the pool tables and her friends, she made a beeline for the restrooms in the back. She stopped outside the men’s room door, took a bracing breath and pushed the door open to peek inside.

Sighing in relief at the sight of Ethan alone by the sinks, she hurried inside, letting the door swing behind her. He met her eyes in the mirror.

“Happy with yourself?” he asked, lips curled in a sneer. He whirled around to face her. “You did that on purpose!”

Cassie stalked toward him; her eyes were on fire as she stepped on her toes, tugged his head down and pressed her lips against his.

A mix of anger and jealousy fueled the intensity of the kiss. His initial surprise gave way, and he responded, his hands instinctively gripping her waist. The kiss was fierce, almost desperate as if she was trying to claim him, to make a statement that he was hers and no one else’s.

Cassie broke the kiss just as abruptly as she had initiated it, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.

"Maybe I did," she shot back, her voice trembling with defiance and desire. "But you’re mine, and no Busty Redhead gets to put her hands on you. Is that clear?"

Ethan stared at her, eyes widening as her words hit home. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Instead, he reached for her again, pulling her closer. “Were you seriously jealous of Dee?”

“Yes. She was all over you, Ethan.” Cassie snapped in exasperation. “I know our relationship is secret, but that doesn’t mean I will stand by and watch other women paw at you. Not right in front of me.”

“So, just in private?” he said, amused.

“I don’t find this funny,” she retorted.

He started to respond when they heard voices outside, and Cassie’s eyes widened in panic. The last thing she could risk was getting caught with Ethan in a restroom at Donahue’s. Her reputation could survive an ethics trial but not this.

“Quick, get in there.” Ethan shoved her into a stall just as the outside door swung open.

So, Cassie hid in the stall, rolling her eyes at her predicament, and waited for Ethan to let her know when the coast was clear. This was why she never let herself get jealous.

Five minutes later, Ethan knocked, and she unlocked the stall door and stepped outside. He grabbed her hand and dragged her behind him, briefly popping his head through the door to check the hallway.

“All clear.”

They stepped into the hallway and stood facing each other, a respectable distance between them.

Ethan folded his arms across his chest and stared down his nose at her, as he used to when he joined them on morning rounds. The way his biceps rippled under the sleeves of his shirt made her feel hot under the collar.

“We will discuss this in detail later, Cassie,” he said sternly. “But, for the record, Dee is an old family friend. She’s visiting Boston with her family and could only meet for a drink tonight. There’s nothing for you to worry about.” He looked over her head at the main bar area beyond. “Now, go before our luck runs out.”

Cassie nodded and walked away before she did something reckless again. Like drag him outside and order him to take her up against the wall.

One stupid act was enough for today. She’d worrying about eating humble pie tomorrow. Tonight, she needed a cold shower.

---------------

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @jerzwriter @lady-calypso

@mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16

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Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @cariantha @custaroonie @youlookappropriate

[alj4890]

Rough Start

(Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart One Shot

Rewriting Chapter three of Book One if Tobias was there instead of Ethan Ramsey

A/N @jerzwriter what have you done to me? Making me rethink everything 😂 Keep it up 😉

Masterlist

"It doesn't feel like I got any sleep at all last night." Sienna whispered. "I was too excited about finding us a place."

"Me too." Chris whispered back. "I can't wait to check out that place you found. If it has a bedroom and an actual full bath, I might break down and cry and then offer you my first born for finding it."

The two drew stares from their fellow interns when they began to giggle. They quickly sobered when Zaid glared at them and patiently waited for a late Dr. Carrick to join the group.

"Here he is!" Ines exclaimed with a little relief. "Good morning, Dr. Carrick."

"Dr. Delarosa." He grunted in greeting. "Dr. Mirani."

He leveled his furious gaze upon the interns.

Chris was shocked that this was the same man she'd met the day before. There was no encouraging smile, no humor, nothing but an irritated aura of anger radiating off of him.

"Are these the ones I have to listen to?" He grumbled.

Ines's jaw dropped. She quickly recovered when he cocked an impatient eyebrow at her.

"Yes." She stammered. "These are the new interns."

"A friendly reminder." He said to the group. "Everyone you're about to tell me about was alive when they came in. Think about that before you decide on any type of treatment."

"That's encouraging." Chris drily remarked to Sienna.

"Something you want to say, Valentine?" Tobias narrowed his eyes at her.

Chris could feel her temper snap. Biting back a scathing retort, she forced herself to speak calmly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Ines gasped and shook her head no at Chris from behind Tobias's shoulder. Even though it was rare to see, she knew to give Dr. Carrick a wide path when he was in a bad mood.

Chris ignored the warning. "I think it's unfair of you to try and shake our confidence before we've even had a chance to present our patients."

Her gaze never wavered from his.

"Shouldn't we at least have an opportunity to prove how good we are?"

Tobias folded his arms. He allowed the silence to stretch making everyone squirm, except Chris.

"Okay." He jerked his head towards the east wing. "Since you're so eager to prove yourself, Dr. Valentine, let's start with your patient."

Head held high, Chris walked past him and led the way to her patient's room.

Refusing to show anything other than her best professional manner, she presented her case. She didn't wince once as he barked out questions about the internal bleeding and the way she and Landry were treating it without surgery.

Tobias's irritation seemed to double the more he listened to Landry stutter on about needless information.

Without a word of praise, he left to hear all the others.

Chris sagged against the wall outside of her patient's room when he left with the other interns.

"What the hell is his problem?" She mumbled.

Marlene paused on her way in to check on another patient. "He probably didn't get laid."

The nurse snickered, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure he was nowhere near to overhear anything she was about to say.

A startled laugh escaped Chris.

"Really?"

"That's my guess. Danny also saw him covered in coffee when he first came in. I think he's had a rough start to his day."

Her eyes twinkled with humor. "No sex and no coffee can make Dr. Carrick a very angry little boy."

Chris struggled to keep from laughing as she hurried to rejoin the others. It was difficult to do during the rest of the rounds, especially since every biting remark made her believe what Marlene said.

The no sex scenario seemed likely. After all, she saw him leave by himself last night. It was a shame he'd insisted she think about what kind of relationship she could handle. They'd both probably be in more relaxed frame of mind.

When he glanced at Chris, she smiled at him. He blinked, momentarily forgetting what he was going to ask Elijah about his patient.

Shaking his head to clear it, he dismissed the group.

"Not you, Valentine." He called out. "You have one more patient."

"Is it you?" She couldn't resist teasing.

"Excuse me?" Tobias knew he shouldn't be surprised by anything she said, but it still made him almost trip mid step.

"Is it you?" She repeated. "Are you my patient."

"No." He was unable to think of a witty response.

"That's a shame." Chris followed him down the hall. "You look like you could use a doctor."

Tobias spun on his heel to face her. "I know I'm going to regret this, but why do I look like I could use a doctor?"

"I don't think just any doctor will do in this situation." She tapped her chin as if seriously considering the problem before her.

Tobias found himself lost in her humor filled eyes.

"Maybe you need one who can prescribe you the right medicine." She added.

His eyebrow lifted. Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall to wait on her to elaborate. A part of him knew where this was going and he was dying to see just how far she dared to go.

"So? What sort of medicine do I need?" He asked. "I'm perfectly healthy at the moment."

Her eyes darted down his body. "No argument here."

He snorted, unable to keep his smile from appearing. "Then I think we agree I don't need any medicine."

He led her into another patient's room and introduced her. After a quick consult, the pair walked down the hall together once more.

"You do need something." She argued. "It isn't something I would prescribe to just anyone, but you definitely could use a dose or two."

"And that is?" He prodded.

"Coffee." Her smile grew when he groaned.

"No thanks." He responded with a slight shudder. "Coffee and I had a major falling out this morning."

"I heard." Chris clucked her tongue in sympathy. "How bad was it?"

"It went everywhere." Tobias replied. "All over me and the interior of my car. I could have handled it all over me, but I'd gotten the car detailed yesterday."

"That is awful." She tilted her head, studying his profile. "But coffee is not the only thing I'd prescribe for you."

Here we go, he thought with anticipation.

"I'll bite." He said with his typical smirk.

"I bet you would." Chris whispered.

He cleared his throat and looked pointedly at her. "What else would you prescribe me?"

"A time machine." She promptly answered.

"What?" He stopped in his tracks.

"A time machine." She repeated. "To go back to," she glanced at her watch, "about ten and half hours ago."

"Ten and a half hours?" He mumbled.

"See, there was this moment when you could have had a dose last night of your needed medicine." Her smile turned flirty. "Probably a few doses."

She stepped closer and tapped her clipboard against his chest. "If you'd have given in to what was before you, you probably wouldn't have snapped at everyone you encountered today."

She walked off, casting a final wink at him over her shoulder.

"Might want to consider that the next time you're offered the right kind of medicine, Dr. Carrick."

A slow smile formed as he watched her walk away.

"I'll consider it." He said mostly to himself.