#dr. bryce lahela

[alj4890]

Mixed Signals

(Dr. Tobias Carrick x F!MC *Chris Valentine) (Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC*Chris Valentine) (Dr. Bryce Lahela x F!MC*Chris Valentine) in an Open Heart Fan fiction.

A/N I've written only a few drabbles for Open Heart, but after the disappointment of Book 3 and no book 4 to fix everything, the idea for this series has been in my mind ever since the attack in Book 2 began.

Masterlist

Song Inspiration for this series: Sparks by Coldplay

Prologue

Mass Kenmore Hospital...

"Dr. Valentine?" Tobias said in surprise. "What brings you deep into enemy territory?"

Chris took a hesitant step forward. Her fingers twisted the material of her wool skirt as she faced the man partly responsible for saving her life.

What did one say to the very person that she had insulted, labeled the enemy, and fought so hard to beat?

After all that she had done, Dr. Tobias Carrick had dropped everything and rushed to Edenbrook on the day of the attack to find a way to save her life.

Licking her lips, she lifted her eyes to his. "If you're not busy, Dr. Carrick, I was wondering if I could speak to you," she looked about at the nurses and doctors rushing past on the fifth floor of Mass Kenmore, "alone?"

His smug smirk peeked out. Stepping to the side, he waved her down the hall. "Fourth door on the left is my office."

With shaky legs, she walked toward the direction he pointed.

He opened the door for her and followed her inside.

Smoothing her damp hands down her skirt, she once more faced him.

Tobias sat down on the edge of his desk, his smirk slowly disappearing. "You okay, Chris?"

She nodded and took a deep breath to try and keep her tears at bay.

He reached for her hand. "Hey. It's okay. Take your time."

She bit down on her lip. That gentle bedside manner of his touched her heart. He had used it when he swooped in to see if he could find a cure for the poison she had inhaled. Hearing it once again made her feel...well, feel for the first time in a long time.

"I just...I just wanted to stop by and thank you--"

"You already thanked me." He told her, smiling again.

"I know." She swallowed once more. "This is my first day out of the hospital and I wanted to thank you again when I'm not..."

When I'm not what? Out of my head? Weak from nearly dying? Heartbroken over losing Danny and Bobby? Worried about Rafel? Wondering why neither of the two men I work with and have feelings for won't say what we are?

"Chris?"

"Sorry." She sniffed and reached for a tissue on his desk. The movement made her move directly between his legs.

She heard the light intake of breath and looked up. Their faces were close to one another's, so much so that she could smell both the peppermints he preferred and the light splash of cologne he had on.

He was completely still yet tense with his body poised for whatever she was going to do next.

Without any thought or plan for where this might go, she kissed his cheek and hugged him.

His arms lifted to hold her when he felt her stray warm tears against his neck.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly, gently squeezing her close.

"Not really." She admitted. "Everyone keeps telling me to give myself time and all." She eased back. "I wish they would leave me alone."

He kept his hands on her waist while studying her. "Then tell them."

"Ha. You've met them." She snorted. "They don't take orders like that well."

"True." He replied. "You want me to do it?" His smirk brought a grin to her face. "Ethan already considers me a pain in his ass. What's one more mark against me?"

She laughed, while dabbing at her eyes and nose. "After what you did for me? No way am I letting you continue to be the bad guy."

"Aww shucks, Valentine." Tobias teased. "You're going to give me a big head."

"As if it wasn't already big enough." She teased back. Tilting her head, she pretended to study him. "How do you lift it?"

"I work out." He winked then stood up. "I'm glad you came by."

"Me too." She held her hand out.

He shook his head. "You already hugged me. I figure that could be our thing."

"Our thing?"

Tobias pulled her back into his embrace.

"Yeah." He hugged her close. "Now that you won't let me be the big bad guy, I think this means you want us to be friends."

"Whoa. I'm merely a girl coming to thank a guy for saving her life." She teased. "Don't go thinking this means more than that."

"Sorry. Thought is already there." He countered, letting her go. "You're stuck with me now Chris whether you like it or not."

"Ugh, fine." She playfully grumbled. "I already deal with so many ego maniacs. What's one more?"

He opened his office door for her. "I knew you would agree."

"Just because you won this round doesn't mean you'll win them all, Dr. Carrick." Chris warned, completely unable to keep from grinning at him.

"Allow me to let you in on a little secret, Dr. Valentine," he leaned down close to whisper. "I win all the rounds that are important to me." Swiping up the folder he had previously been studying, he saluted her. "See you soon."

*****************

A couple of weeks later...

"Baz and I will go talk to the patient." June offered.

"Good, I'll..." Ethan's eyes widened when the door of the diagnostics office opened.

Chris calmly walked in and flashed a brief smile. "Good morning. Sorry I'm late. My landlord needed some help being admitted."

"Chris?" Ethan's brow furrowed. "We didn't expect you back so soon."

Baz bounded over to wrap her in a hug while June questioned her about any lingering side effects.

"A little tired still and occasionally breathless, but other than that I feel mostly back to normal."

"Fascinating." June's smile formed. "I'd love to sit down and discuss with you--"

"Kerri Monroe's diagnosis." Ethan bit out. "That's what you need to focus on now."

"On it." Baz whispered how happy he was to have Chris back as he followed June out the door.

"Anything I can do?" Chris walked over and picked up the medical file. "Should I order some labs for Mrs. Monroe or--"

"Sit down." Ethan ordered. "You shouldn't have come back so soon, Rookie."

"Why?" Chris looked up at him, surprised he called her that particular nickname again. "There are things to do here. People need my help more than I need to sit on a couch all day."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You don't need to exert yourself. We don't know if--"

"You weren't worried about me exerting myself after the funeral." She muttered.

His cheeks flushed at the reminder of what had happened in his car on that stormy night. "Chris, I'm still your superior. I don't know--"

She quickly waved her hand dismissing his same reason of why he wouldn't fully commit to her. "I get it. No need to tell me again."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"If," she coughed to cover her embarrassment, "if you don't need me right now, I'll uh, I'll go make my rounds."

"Go ahead." Ethan said softly. His eyes drifted over her face before he forced them elsewhere.

"Just page me if you need another set of eyes." She tried to sound like her old self, yet it held a shrill edge at the end.

"Will do."

She tried to keep her steps from rushing out the door.

"Chris?"

Taking a steadying breath she turned back toward him.

"Don't overdo it." He ordered.

With a quick nod, she walked out the door.

******************

A few hours later...

"...and then Robin flips over the bad guy and..."

Chris couldn't stop smiling at her seven hear old patient telling her his favorite stories of Batman and Robin. Throughout examining him, he had shown her his toys and comic books that his parents had brought into his room.

"How's you're tummy feel?" She asked when he paused for breath.

His little face dimmed of happiness. "Still hurts some."

"I promise it will feel better soon." She then addressed his parents about the afternoon's surgery.

A knock had them all turning to see Bryce walking in, wearing a Robin mask.

"I heard that a hero needs some..." His eyes widened. "Chris! What are you doing back at work?"

She shrugged while helping them move the patient to the gurney. "It felt like it was time."

His brow furrowed much like Ethan's had when seeing her.

"Walk with me?" He asked as soon as they began to wheel towards surgery. "And wait until I drop him off."

"You're not performing the surgery?" She asked.

"Not today. I have one in about an hour scheduled that Dr. Tanaka wants me for."

A few minutes later, Bryce motioned for her to follow him to the cafeteria. It was for the most part empty, save for a couple of doctors grabbing a late lunch.

"You want anything?" He asked.

"No thanks." She sat down at a table while he went to get a snack.

He grinned as he sat down across from her. "Here." He pushed a bag of peanuts toward her. "You should eat something."

Her nose wrinkled. "I really haven't gotten my appetite back yet."

She noticed the concern in his eyes so like her roommates' and knew she would have to force down some of the peanuts just to make it stop.

"So?" She tried not to gag on what once was her favorite goto snack. "How have you been?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He bit into a burger. "I mean," he said between bites, "of the two of us, you've been the patient."

"Yeah." She slumped some in her seat. "I wasn't too sick to talk on the phone though." Her eyes narrowed somewhat on his. "Or have visitors."

Bryce winced. "Sorry about that, Chris. I guess I didn't know what to say or do?"

"Really?" Her eyes narrowed more.

How often had she stressed to him within the past year that he was important to her, that she wanted to be with him. Then when he wouldn't say he wanted that too and reverted back to calling her a friend, she gave in to trying something with Ethan.

Only for both men to keep her on a yoyo string to pull back and forth whenever they needed her.

What do I see in them to keep swallowing my pride and allowing them to basically use me for sex whenever they want?

Chris was fed up. The longer Bryce stammered about his busy schedule and not wanting to disturb her rest, the more she wanted to chunk the peanuts at his stupid, much too handsome face.

She didn't even want the damn things. Might as well use them as a quick release to her frustration.

Her fingers curled around the bag. Her bicep tightened in preparation to throw them, when Sienna walked up.

Her friend's excited hug and squeals of seeing her at work again were what saved Bryce's overly confident face.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?!" Sienna sat down next to her. "I would have made celebration pancakes this morning!"

Chris couldn't stop from smiling. She could always depend on Sienna's sweetness to boost her mood.

"I didn't really decide until you had left for work. Then Farley came by to check on me and he wasn't feeling too good..."

She continued to tell her about his diagnosis of lime disease.

"Hate to break this up, but I have to get ready for surgery." Bryce smiled at them both. "Take it easy, Valentine. I don't want to have to operate on you next."

Chris bit back a bitter retort that he better hope she needed surgery. It would be his only chance to catch her naked again.

"Meet us at Donahue's later!" Sienna shouted. "We will celebrate Chris being back."

"There's no need." Chris began.

"Yes, there is!" Sienna squeezed another hug out of her. "My best friend is back with us and I'm over the moon about it!"

Bryce smirked at her. "She's right. We have to celebrate our friend's return."

Our friend. Chris despised the word, friend. Why did she keep placing her hope on him seeing her as something more than a mere friend?

And to make things worse, Ethan walked past.

"Dr. Ramsey!" Sienna called out before Chris could stop her. "Come have a drink with us tonight in honor of Chris's return!"

Ethan hesitated. That action nearly earned him peanuts in his handsome face too.

Gawd, I hate that look. The sad, yearning eyes. The slight frown. Man up and either say you want to date me or leave me alone for good! This back and forth is killing me worse than the poison did.

"Where at?" Ethan finally asked.

"Donahue's." Sienna beamed when he said he would try and stop by on his way home.

Chris mumbled a goodbye as Bryce left and Ethan headed off to find something to eat.

"Who else should we invite? I know Rafe is still too sick to get out." Sienna tapped her fingers on the table while scrolling through her contacts. "We can invite the rest of the diagnostic team and Ines and--"

"I'll send an invite to Tobias." Chris decided.

"Tobias? Who's...oh!" Sienna's eyes widened. "Dr. Carrick, right?"

"Yeah." Chris sent a text to him before she could think too much about it. "He did rush over with Aurora to try and save my life."

"I thought he was the enemy?" Sienna whispered while her eyes cut to Ethan. "Don't they have bad blood between them?"

"Something like that." Chris grumbled. "They can get over it."

Her phone vibrated with Tobias's response.

You want me to come deep into Edenbrook territory for a drink?

She snorted while answering.

Too scared, huh? And here I was longing for your company.

Well hell, Chris. I've never been able to refuse someone longing for my company. I'll be there. Just make sure no one sticks a scalpel in my back.

Don't worry. I'll protect you.

My hero.

Sienna leaned over, her eyes growing larger with each of their responses.

"Oh my gosh! You like Tobias!"

Chris's smile disappeared. "I don't hate him. But like like him? No."

"You're flirting in your texts!" Sienna giggled. "That is so cute. I haven't see you like this since our first year with--" she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Uh huh." Chris pushed her chair back. "Anyway, I'll see you after work." She patted her friend's shoulder as she walked away. "Don't worry, I'm not upset with you over the name you almost said."

"Yeah, but." Sienna chased after her. "There is also another person who is interested in you."

"If you mean the one I think, then no. He made it perfectly clear this morning that we can't."

"No!" Sienna wrapped a comforting arm around Chris. "Why not?"

"He's still my boss." Chris mumbled. "And he won't abuse that. No matter how often he gives in to temptation."

"I think he's in love with you." Sienna whispered.

"Not enough to be with me." Chris grumbled.

[txemrn]

Ricochet

Part IV: "... This Isn't What I Wanted (or Is It Everything?)"

Need to Catch up?

A New Boss (a prequel of sorts)

Part I: “Like Moths to the Flame”

Part II: “So Far Away, but Still So Near”

Part IIIa: “And I Know It Gets Dark…”

Part IIIb: "...But I Know the Way."

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x F!OC (Tatum Erikson); Tobias Carrick x F!OC (Tatum)

Series Music Inspo: Ricochet by Starset (more of an acoustic fan? Check it here.)

Chapter Music Inspo: "Shapeshifting" by Taylor Acorn

Series Summary: Almost two decades ago, he gave love a chance–and she betrayed him. Now after all of this time, Dr. Ethan Ramsey and Dr. Tatum Erikson realize that their past feelings might not exactly be ancient history–especially now that they are forced to work together.

Chapter Summary: Tatum has called for assistance from the main OR, but will they be any help when several emergencies emerge at the same time? Tatum takes courage and finds her voice when she remembers an awful experience; she meets a new, young surgical resident

Warning: 🔞mature audiences only 🔞 TW: dub-con/non-con 🍋; strong depiction of a medical procedure; strong depiction of a medical emergency involving newborn infant and mother; language (including a slur against woman); angst; discussion of infidelity

Word Count: 4300 (+/-)

A/N: Characters and some plot belong to Pixelberry! Not beta'd, so please excuse my errors. Fair warning: this is not my strongest chapter (I mean, it took my FOREVER to actually finish it and post), but I hope you enjoy the journey regardless.

A/N 2: It really has been forever and day, so here's a recap: *clear throat* Previously in Ricochet... Unable to sleep after his encounter with Casey at Raf and Sienna's wedding, Ethan's heads in to the hospital despite it being his day off; after a challenging talk with Tobias about unspoken intentions with Tatum, the chief heads over to the L&D ORs, where he finds a terrified Tatum in the midst of a rare, very lethal surgery, and her hesitation doesn't go unnoticed by the staff in the observation deck as they ridicule the new chief of OB, Tobias being the ringleader of the hate; Ethan sternly bans them from witnessing the once-in-a-lifetime surgery before turning to encourage Tatum in the most Ethan-way possible: with just a look...

~🖤~

Remaining in her sterile surgical gear, Tatum carefully takes a seat on a metal stool, saving her back for the arduous surgery staring at her on the operating table. She anxiously chews on her lip, her eyes darting across her patient's open abdomen before fixating on her fresh set of steel tools. 

The procedure she knows like the back of her hand: clamp, cut, control bleeding. But, with the placenta growing outside of the uterus and into other organs, into the delicate vasculature of the pelvis, it's like going into this surgery blindfolded.

The uterus has to come out–and the patient is well aware of this and prepared. But, this isn't like any other hysterectomy. Will it cost the patient her ovaries? Her bowels and bladder? Her life?

Tatum urgently stands back up, staring at the clock on the wall.  It had been over twenty minutes, and her STAT page was yet to be answered by surgery. Too slow for L&D standards; way too slow for her own standards. And at this rate, the patient’s spinal anesthesia is going to dissipate before they even start. 

Damnit… think, Tatum, think…

She could always page Ramsey.

No.

Tatum refuses to resort to that. Well, not that calling on him for assistance would be the worst thing in the world.  

She had a brief moment of weakness–more like a moment of uncertainty, actually–when she discovered her patient’s unknown lethal condition, and Ethan clearly recognized the fear etched on her face from the gallery; truth be told, the accreta scared him, too.

However, Tatum is a highly skilled physician; her reputation for excellence precedes her. If she needs help, she will ask for it–and she has. 

She's embarrassed that she even needed Ethan's reassurance earlier, even if it was just for that moment, that simple nod of 'I believe in you.'  Sure, it was supportive, and it gave her that extra push she needed to power forward. 

But that look, that damn crystal gaze…

Damnit, why did she have to freeze? It was only for an instant, a very brief second.  Tatum Erikson doesn't need a vote of confidence. Not from anyone, not even from the famous Dr. Ethan Ramsey. She is independently strong, independently capable.

But now, Tatum feels as if she's accidentally exposed a secret side to herself, like her own Achilles' heel; it's quite possible now he knows he still has an effect on her.

Worse, now she knows he still has an effect on her.

She turns to Wanda the charge nurse, who shrugs her shoulders to the physician's unspoken question. 

Tatum takes a deep cleansing breath, trying her best to stay calm.  "Can someone please tell me where the hell is my backup ?"

"Right here, Doctor…"

Hearing the monotoned boredom of an unfamiliar male voice, Tatum spins around to find two gentlemen moseying into her operating room, drying off their hands with blue sterile towels. The tension raking her nerves is instantly relieved, seeing her help arrive.

The older of the men continues. "I'm Dr. Aaron Tanaka, chief of surgery," he nods his head towards the taller gentleman. "And this is one of my fourth-years–"

"Sup?" The young surgical resident smoothly winks at Tatum, popping gum under his mask.

Oh great, a kindergartner… Tatum rolls her eyes as the healthcare team assists the men into their protective gowns. As the physicians roll their gloves over the cuffs of their sleeves, Tatum escorts them over to her patient, catching them up to speed on what has happened so far. Together, Dr. Tanaka and Dr. Erikson develop several plans of how to overcome the patient's lethal risk of hemorrhaging.

"Whoa…" the younger surgeon exclaims, "I have never seen anything like that–"

Tatum clears her throat, glaring at the amateur physician.

"Should I start charging admission?" The patient jokes on the other side of the blue drape, causing the room to snicker loudly. 

Tatum leans toward the young doctor, her tone low and syrupy. And quite sarcastic. “Try not to say everything that pops into that feeble little brain of yours–”  He pops his chewing gum, winking with a finger gun.  Fucking residents…

As the room quiets down, the patient softly whistles to get her surgeon's attention. "Dr. Erikson?" Tatum tucks in her hands, carefully wiggling her body closer to the head of the table to hear the patient clearer. 

"Yes ma'am? You ready?"

The patient lowers her voice. "He's not, eh, doing the surgery, is he?" referring to the surgical resident who was shocked by the scene.

The blonde guffaws. "No, ma'am," she glances back to the young doctor who is now talking cooly with her staff, the nurses dow-eyed and eagerly laughing at everything he says. But suddenly, he fixes his flirty, soft copper eyes on Tatum. His intense gaze fools her into inadvertently staring too long as she begins to take note of his tall, trim physique. He begins to smolder, causing her to turn her attention back to her patient. "H–He's here for… my entertainment."  

“Is he hot? He sounds hot.”  Tatum gives a dramatic wink while her patient shoots a knowing look in return, clicking her tongue and giggling.

“Erikson?” The anesthesthetist breaks her from her reverie, confirming the case status. “We’re ready.”

"Perfect.” Tatum takes her place on a metal step stool, matching her height with her assists. She’s above average height for a woman at five-foot-nine-inches, but still, the men tower over her. She looks around the room with a commanding stance. “Are we set then?" 

"Ready when you are, Doc," Dr. Tanaka affirms, others nodding in agreement.

Tatum cracks her neck, taking a big deep breath. "Okay, then," she exhales, surveying her staff, "now who's ready to have a birthday party?" 

After a few shared chuckles, the patient was safely intubated and given the proper amount of anesthesia. Seeing that she was safely asleep under the appropriate gasses, Dr. Erikson quickly proceeds with her cesarean surgery, and in record time, she delivers a beautiful six-pound, thirteen-ounce baby girl. 

The OB takes the tiny infant in her arms, making cooing noises to welcome the tiny one into the world as she suctions out the mouth and nose with a green bulb syringe.  

But as the birthday cheers begin to quiet down around the room, the situation abruptly becomes dire: the baby is limp, her skin becoming dusky gray at the cut of her cord. Tatum continues to stimulate the baby to breathe with no avail.

"C'mon, baby girl," Tatum's words become gruffly matter-of-fact. She wrestles with her legs, flicking her feet  vigorously with her fingers, but her tiny frame lays flaccid in the physician's hands like a limp fish.

Lifeless.

No cry.

"Nurse?" Tatum urgently calls out, quickly handing off the stunned baby to the waiting NICU staff. "Keep me updated–" she orders as the team hooks the baby up to specialized  monitors, performing the necessary interventions to resuscitate.

Tatum briefly closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before she focuses on the surgery. Opening her eyes, she nods assuredly to Tanaka before continuing. “Pickups.” The surgical tech hands the obstetrician a pair of tissue forceps and a cauterizing tool to continue with her surgery. "I need an update, ladies," Tatum shouts. Her tone is assertive and controlled, commanding and clear. Inwardly she is panicked, but she remains calm, a testament to her leadership skills and her quick thinking.

"We're just past a minute of life. Pulse is 52. Starting compressions… draw up epi… let's get an umbilical line…"

Fuck. Tatum's nerves tangle as she listens to the baby's team of professionals administer medications and physical maneuvers to make her spontaneously breathe on her own. Still, the OB continues steadily and carefully with her surgery, glancing over at the baby every few seconds.

C'mon, baby girl. Cmon. Mama needs you–

Suddenly, a trill of alarms begin to blare rapidly, stealing everyone's attention. Before realizing what had happened, warm, crimson fluid spatters across the surgical field, saturating Tatum's arms, gloves and gown; her mask and shield are covered with blood.

"Erikson!" Shouts the anesthetist, "BP 67/23… heart rate now in the 150s…"

"That vessel on the lateral portion of the accreta blew.  She's bleeding out, Erikson–" Tanaka quickly suctions the field of the pooling blood. "She's getting shocky… and fast. How should we proceed?"

Fuck. Tatum grabs a stack of lap pads and tosses them to the young resident. "We need to find the source of this bleeding." He nods and instantly begins soaking up the copious amounts of fluid with the large, thick pieces of gauze as Tatum explores the body cavity with Tanaka.

"BPs dropping," anesthesia hollers.

"Give me a second–"

"Erikson! She doesn't have a second–"

"Bolus her and mass transfuse four units–" Feeling their stares, Tatum looks up at her concerned anesthesia team. "Now!" She growls, her eyebrows furrowing as she returns to the carnage. "Then cross and match four more units… and buy me a goddamn second!"

Taking a deep breath, Tatum flickers her attention to her assistants, both of them giving her an approving nod.

"Damnit! Dr. Erikson! I can't get this intubation on the baby. We need you–"

"Dr. Erikson! Vitals not improving–"

“Dr. Erikson–!”

“Dr. Erikson–!”

Tatum glances around the room, her paralyzing fear slowing down time. All she can hear is the thunder of her own heart racing, the rasp of her breathing echoing in her head. She sees the concerned faces; she hears the whispers of doubt and concern from her colleagues

She’s losing them. The possibility of losing either of them never crossed her mind, but both? A mother and child? This wasn’t the plan; this was never part of the fucking plan.

The sting of tears pricks at Tatum’s reddening eyes. 

What do I do?... what have I done?

------

The torrential downpour hushes to a dull tapping of raindrops as hollow roars of thunder rumble in the distance; but, the storm was just beginning for Tatum as she lays frozen in her bed, her sanctuary that she shared only with the love of her life.

And now, his best friend.

The room suddenly feels so different, so strange and unknown. It seems so ordinary, no longer special. The warmth of home has melted away, leaving a peculiar chill of unfamiliarity. 

There's a handsome smell, a spicy musk that hangs in the air. But, it’s not Ethan.

There’s a pair of distressed jeans tossed carelessly on the carpet, but the body heat that lingers isn’t from him either.

There’s a set of arms possessively wrapped around her naked body. The skin feels … different. The hair? Different. The actual grip and weight on top of her: it’s different.

It’s not Ethan. 

What have I done? Tatum’s eyes pain with the threat of tears, her chest beginning to rise and fall in search of fresh air, in search of clarity. But with each gasp of a new breath, she quietly whimpers in agony for the ache in her heart. 

She had broken the most precious thing she owned.  That she will ever own.

"You awake?" Tobias croons in her ear as his large hand massages the soft, flat planes of her belly. He tenderly works his way down, his fingers intimately petting her sore, swollen lips between her thighs.

She winces, her toes curling as her body grows rigid from his unwanted touch. She consciously holds her breath, hoping he won't notice her terrified nerves.

"What’s wrong, baby girl?" he whispers, pressing his full lips against her neck, biting at the sensitive area. “Are you needing more already?”

Tatum can feel his heavy erection against her hip, his intentions painfully aware. He slowly rocks himself against her body as if to charm her like a serpent, hypnotizing her to give him exactly what he wants. Another rendezvous; another fuck; another sin.

Desperate for a gentle hand, she foolishly lost herself in Tobias’s caress earlier that evening.  She was vulnerable, inebriated, and lonely.  In her altered mind, even for just a small moment, being in his arms made sense–well, being in someone's arms made sense. She needed Ethan. She was broken and hurt, and she despairingly needed her boyfriend’s love and comfort. 

But, Tobias was there. His words, the look on his face, the heat in his touch: it was exactly what she needed to sooth her wounds. For the moment.

And now, he wants to claim her once more.

Shit, can a woman deny a man if she’s already given in once? Does he have a claim over her, a right, an expectation? The conversation played out in her head: 'You said, ‘yes’ earlier, you tease. You whore…'

Oh God,  would he turn on her? Shame her publicly? Worse, would he tell Ethan before she could… that is if she decided to actually tell her boyfriend–no, she had to, right?  But if Tobias told Ethan before her, would he be honest about what happened? Or would she become another victim of slut-shaming? 'She couldn't be faithful; what else is she lying about?' 

It was one time; it was one mistake. Does that unravel three years of trust? Three years of commitment? Three years of love?

Tatum already knew the answer, and the taste of bile grazes the back of her throat.

She needed to stop this from happening again. But how can she while still protecting herself?

This was a grave mistake…

Tobias gently rolls her over, kissing hungrily against her pout. His tongue swipes across her plump lips, his large hand roaming down the outside of her thigh. But then he stops, sensing her awkwardness. “You okay?” His voice is haunting, dark, his gray eyes piercing her vacant stare.

No. “Uh-huh,” she lies with a nod. The corners of her mouth begin to curl as his hand grips behind her knee, hitching her leg around his waist.  Goosebumps ignite across her skin in betrayal as he pushes himself against her throbbing clit.

Stop, her brain screams.

“Relax, Tate,” he growls before reclaiming her lips, nipping and bruising them. "Let me make you feel good."

Tell him to stop.

“Is this okay?”

No. She reluctantly shakes her head 'yes' in agreement.

He aligns his girth with her entrance, fisting the sheets next to her head as he hovers above her docile form.

Say something! Do anything! she screams to herself, but she is paralyzed by fear. It's more than just the fear of the consequences of what's happening. Tatum is terrified of herself.

Then again, maybe she believes she deserves this. It wasn't going to be pleasurable for her, rather an act of attrition. Maybe that's why her body allowed his advances. Maybe she needed to feel the discomfort as a form of punishment for what she had done against Ethan. Maybe this was a last ditch effort to settle the score, to make things even.

Feeling Tobias's weight begin to push into her, she turns her head to her phone laying on the bedside table, praying for Ethan to call her, text her, anything to interrupt this.

But nothing comes through.

And suddenly, she sobs out a painful moan.

------

“Dr. Erikson—!”  

Say something… Do anything…

Tatum subtly shakes her head, the horrid memory fleeing her thoughts.  The frantic voices of the NICU team pull her attention to the struggling infant. 

“Please, doc, we need this intubation. We don’t have time to wait for our back-up–”

Tatum watches the mother’s abdomen pool with blood before turning a pleading stare to her colleague. “Tanaka–?”

“I’m on it.” He elbows his wide-eyed resident, “Suction.” 

Say something… Do anything…

Seeing the men take over, Tatum instantly rips off her dirty gown and gloves and positions herself at the head of the baby’s bed.  

“Would you like for us to call our back-up?”  The neonatal practitioner urgently interrupts.

Tatum remains silent, seemingly ignoring her. She slides a metal apparatus into the infant’s mouth before guiding a clear plastic tube inside the throat and past the vocal cords. Attaching an ambu bag to the special tube to assist with the baby’s breathing, she watches the tiny chest rise and fall in coordination with the squeezing of the ventilation. Tatum steals a stethoscope from a nearby nurse’s neck and listens closely to the lungs.

“Breath sounds…” she moves the flat, round bell to the other side of the tiny torso, “equal and bilateral.”  Tatum smirks as on-lookers silently praise her with sighs of relief. “Now,” she continues, “get this kid some epi. Oh! And ma’am?” She turns to the practitioner while handing the stethoscope back to the nurse. “I don’t need back-up.”

Slipping back into her sterile apparel, Tatum rejoins Tanaka and his resident, but quickly notices that he still hasn’t been able to find the source of the bleeding. She looks to anesthesia, “Where are we on our blood?”

“The first unit is pouring into her, but–”

“--she’s bleeding it back out–shit!”  Tatum stares at the flood of viscous crimson.

“How would you like to proceed?” Dr. Tanaka questions. “Maybe order some more blood?” 

Tatum thinks in silence, racking her brain for a solution.

“Should we call someone? Maybe someone who knows?” Anesthesia sardonically suggests, earning him a hateful side-eye.

“Maybe you should just plug the hole up with your finger,” the resident chuckles, his attending suddenly glaring in disapproval.  Tatum glances at him, her eyes squinting into a glower as her eyebrows furrow. 

These idiots–

But then she stops. She slowly cocks her head with curiosity as she suddenly considers his words.

Actually… 

"My apologies, Dr. Erikson,” Tanaka interjects. “Perhaps we should–"

“--plug the hole up,” Tatum interrupts the seasoned surgeon, echoing the resident's poor joke, only this time, there is a certainty in her voice. "I’m going in." She instantly sticks her gloved hand into the open abdominal cavity, gently feeling her way around the thick, warm fluid.  

“Dr. Erikson,” Dr. Tanaka chides, “this… is… highly unusual–”

“Just keep suctioning,” she orders, her hands tenderly brushing against the fragile uterus and the delicate vessels.  

Tanaka scoffs, giving a knowing look to a worried anesthesia provider. The tall, young resident looks to his mentor, unsure of what to do… or if there was anything to do.  He nervously looks back to Dr. Erikson, but suddenly his jaw falls open. 

Her eyes are closed.

"Erikson–?" the anesthesiologist attempts to get her attention.

"Give me a sec," she carefully feels her way through the body.

His voice grows frantic. "Her vitals are–"

"Got it!" She instantly peers up at her staff with relief before turning to her tech. Her hand remains deep inside the patient, her arm twisted at an odd angle. "Get me a 3-O vicryl suture on an SH. Now please." 

Tatum works quickly in silence as she temporarily fixes the weak, broken vessel. It wasn't a long-term answer, but this would buy them time to thoroughly clear the area of the accreta while cauterizing the necessary vessels before they performed the hysterectomy.  

"Okay, so–"  She flashes an innocent gaze to anesthesia, batting her eyelashes. "What were you saying about those vitals, doctor?" She's grateful she's wearing a mask to hide her smirk, but she knows her eyes are giving her away.

"Stabilizing, ma'am, uh. Doctor."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dr. Tanaka suctions to clear the field–and it stays that way.

"How did you know that would work?" The resident questions, his warm gaze fixating on the blonde OB.

Tatum stops, thoughts racing through her mind as she considers her words. She then subtly shakes her head, returning to the operation. "I didn't… but sometimes even when you don't know what the answer is, you just have to do something. It’s way better than nothing."

------

Impressive. That's the word men use when a lady doctor kicks ass. The anesthesia team along with Dr. Tanaka couldn't stop talking about Tatum's heroic move of plugging up the ruptured vessel with her finger–and doing so only by her sense of touch, completely blind. If she were a man, they would've given her a cigar; but to be described as impressive? She knows her battles; she'll take it.

As they transfer the patient to recovery, Tatum takes a moment to herself to bask in the relief of saving a life. Of saving two. She slips back into the sink area to be alone in silence. 

Taking in a deep cleansing breath, she allows her nerves to relax for the first time in several hours. She tightly clenches her watering eyes shut, taking pleasure in the subtle sting of warmth after being in the frigid sterile air.

She grips firmly to the edge of the sink as she wiggles and contorts her body, feeling the sudden release of tension as her joints crack and pop.

She's grateful; she knows the success of the surgery was not by her doing alone. She would never be foolish enough to be that cocky, to truly think that something like this was completely in her control. There's only so much in her power, so much that science and her skills can fix.  But when lives are left to chance, she’s grateful that the gamble fell into her favor.

"Am I interrupting anything?" 

Instantly recognizing the familiar lax vocal timbre, Tatum looks up from the large steel sinks to find the tall, surgical resident, leaning against the doorway outside the operating room.  She smiles appreciatively at him as he takes off his blue mask.

He's young– maybe in his late twenties–and handsome with a natural caramel glow to his skin. The lines of his face are cut sharp, chiseled into perfect angles. He’s slender, but well-toned; his green scrub top pulls snug around the musculature of his biceps. Although his hibiscus-laden scrub cap covers his head, his sun-kissed brunette tresses are pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Most of the hairs, however, have already worked their way out of the elastic, resting on the nape of his neck.

"No," Tatum shakes her head, "not at all."

He steps into the room, casually sliding his hands into his pockets. “Can I just say… that was incredible.”

Tatum stifles a bright smile, feigning nonchalance as she picks at her nails. "I mean–" She glances back up at him, but seeing the glint of excitement reciprocated, she instantly forgets whatever smart-ass comment she was about to make and squeals. “God, that was fucking cool, wasn’t it?”

"The fucking coolest!  One of the most interesting cases I've seen in a while," he sucks in his bottom lip, his dimpled grin plastered wide across his face. "You just…” he snickers under his breath, “wow, I don't see myself forgetting this anytime soon."

Their playfulness quickly vanishes as Tatum catches a hint of something in his tone. Is he flirting? Becoming hyper-aware of his proximity, an err of awkwardness falls between them.  Feeling heat bloom on her cheeks, Tatum quickly attempts to rectify the situation by clearing her throat, rolling back her shoulders to straighten out her back. “By the way, thank you," she starts, "for your help in there with the, uh… with the, um–" Unable to find the right words, she begins holding up her pointer finger, spinning it around in the air. "Um… You know? The whole fingering thing–I mean–"

He chuckles, coyly looking down at the ground before meeting her gaze again, flashing his pearly whites. "Dr. Erikson, are you accusing me of 'fingering' in your OR?"

Tatum's eyes widen. She purses her lips together to stifle her laughter. Oh, so you're a bad kindergartner… "That… that's not what I meant, uh… doctor… um–"

"Bryce," he holds out his hand to take hers. "Bryce Lahela."

Speechless, Tatum mindlessly places her hand in his palm. She clears her throat again as she shakes his hand sternly in a poor attempt of being professional. "Nice to officially meet you--" she states matter-of-factly, "--Bryce. I'm–"

"--going to Donahue's," he interrupts.

 "What?"

He snickers. "You're going to Donahue's for a drink."

"Oh, am I now?"

"You are," he takes a step closer, the front of his Crocs kissing the toes of her tennis shoes. "With me. Those are the rules."

"Rules?"

"Mhmm," he hums as he lifts up her hand. Tatum didn't realize that he was still holding on even after their professional handshake. He points to the small tattoo on her wrist that she normally covers with her watch. "See this right here?"

"My tattoo?" She giggles sardonically to herself, curious as to what line he's about to feed her.

"You're a Virgo," he flashes a smirk, "which means we need to satisfy that impulsive side of yours by grabbing drinks together. In celebration of your badassery today, of course."

"Oh, of course," Tatum jests, pulling her hand away from him. "Too bad I'm not a Virgo," she turns to walk away, but stops herself, glancing back to him. "Also… you suck at astrology," she giggles before walking away from the sink area.

Bryce chuckles under his breath before jogging to catch up with her. "What’s with the Virgo ink then?"

Tatum rolls her eyes, glancing briefly at the collection of connected stars. "Long story–"

"--which… you can tell me… over drinks at Donahue's!" They both fall into laughter as Tatum comes to a stop in the hallway.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Hey, I wasn't lying about the rules. We have to celebrate."

Tatum looks up and down the empty corridor before crossing her arms, considering his proposition. God, is this what she is resorting to these days? Last night, Tobias and tonight, a resident? Who really is this guy anyway? 

Tatum wasn't sure if he was messy or complicated; but he was gorgeous, and he was available. Maybe. And he wasn't Ethan Ramsey. 

"One drink. As colleagues. That's it."

~🖤~

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------

Thank you so much for your support! Every like, comment and reblog means the world to me! 🖤

[headoverheelsforramsey]

Foodie Valentine

Submission for @choices-february2023 Day 27 : Strawberry

Alone on Valentine's Day? Celebrate love through food and drinks with our Open Heart Gang. Set in Book 1.

A/N : Is it too late for Valentine's Day post? Maybe. Will that stop me from posting? No. Shoutout to @peonierose for the lovely picture prompt used in Sienna's post. ❤️

Tags Below Break

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

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

[moonsbijoutoo]

bryce lahela x casey valentine

“For the first time in your career, your scalpel hand shakes.”

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

*Naveen Seeing Chandini and Bryce flirting*: They're cute, I want to put them on a boat

Ethan: ...

Sienna: You mean...you ship them?

[mydemonsdrivealimo]

jensen and bryce road trip. oh what a disaster it would be

[ladydelilah]

Open Heart Head Cannons

(My MC’s name is Dr. Lars Valentine btw)

Ethan would unintentionally be a sad beige dad. He’s just so used to things looking plain, clean, and sterile he forgets that colors and patterns exist. He would later realize he was accidentally depriving his children of color in their lives and fix his mistake. (Yes being a sad beige parent is a mistake.)

Bryce definitely listens to the most cringey SoundCloud-ish music and emo rap (semi-ironically). He’s also really great at dancing. Especially the goofy shit like the worm or the robot. He has a skill for breakdancing too.

Sienna always bakes cookies shaped like different cartoon characters for the kids in the pediatric ward. They usually look kinda janky but the kids still enjoy them anyway.

Lars’ favorite food is nachos. That mofo will eat three trays of nachos a day like it’s nothing. (So much for setting a good example for patients)

Jackie has a slight online shopping addiction. The other roommates will know when Jackie was bored when they open the front door to a mountain of packages.

Elijah definitely goes all out it the fandoms he’s in. And is just a total geek in general. Im talking conventions, cosplaying, D&D, LARPING. When he cosplays he decorates his chair to fit his cosplay. (He probably has OCD and/or ADHD and maybe Autism.)

Baz loves twerking at the most random or inappropriate times. He was definitely a class clown when he was in school. He’s even funnier in contrast to Zaid’s seriousness.

Ines has such a broad music taste but she specifically loves 90’s and 2000’s pop.

[gryffindordaughterofathena]

(1) Meet Cute? I'd Rather Die

Book : Open Heart

Pairing : Bryce Lahela x Valerie Thomas

Word Count : 1090 words

Rating : General

Category : Fluff but we'll get to it in time

Trope : None Applicable

Warning : None

Series Summary : Bryce Lahela charms everyone he meets and Valerie Thomas smiles only at three people and none of them are Bryce. But as stories usually do some things are supposed to make you fall in love right? Right?

A/N : Hi! I have been missing since I posted a fic back in February, there were two reasons for that 1. I had exams and 2. I simply couldn't write. But yesterday some of the dialogue here simply came to me unprompted, so here we are. This is going to be five chapters which will span around three years of my timeline of the Oph universe.

❥︎ The Story Of Us Series Masterlist

HER POV

It was never Valerie's intention to spend her first day at Bloom Edenbrook arguing with her extremely frustrating, head-ache-inducing colleague, whom she met about twenty minutes ago, but as fate would have it, that was exactly what she spent her first day doing.

"That was an extremely risky procedure and you know it, Doctor Lahela."

"But it did pay off", came his reply, accompanied by a cocky green.

"Pay off?", she could hear her own voice rising, "This could have killed the patient and I think you are not so dumb to not realize that you could have lost your licence for that."

"I would have not done anything to endanger a life." for a second his grin gives way to something genuine, something that makes her think Diana was right, maybe he isn't so insufferable after all.

"But are you worried for me Thomas?"

Nope. Insufferable. Irritating. Typical example of a man trying to charm everything that breathes.

"I can't believe how—", she cuts herself off from completing the sentence with "Diana could be friends with you.", with how loyal her best friend was it would not be the sign of a good friend to bring her in this conversation.

"Can't believe what Thomas?"

"It's none of your business, stop following me and go wherever you go to fix your impeccable hair in between surgeries."

Completely missing her sarcasm Bryce lights up, "so you think my hair is—"

She doesn't hear the rest of the sentence, taking the nearest exit on her left.

This is going to be a long day.

She needed to take a break, the previous surgery had rattled her, Bryce taking unnecessary risks doing nothing to lessen her first day nerves.

She had always been used to people looking up at her for ideas on what to do back at AIMMC. But no one knew her here. No one listened to her advice here. The interns all looked at Bryce and his risk taking ways for advice.

She was a nobody.

Valerie Thomas is not used to anonymity.

She needed Diana. Her unbridled optimism balancing out Valerie's subdued realism.

Maybe she can ask a nurse for directions to the Diagnostic Team Office.

Bloom Edenbrook was fucking big. Some kind of non-magical Hogwarts. Even with directions she was pretty sure she was lost.

Taking what must have been her fifth turn on the seventh floor, she almost ran into someone carrying a stack of files, stopping herself right on time because of the warning from the other woman's heels clicking on the linoleum.

"Oh, I am sorry" the woman called out, "I didn't see you"

Wait. I know that voice.

"Doctor Emery I- it's alright."

From when do you stutter?

"Oh wait you are Doctor Thomas isn't it? Good job on both your surgeries today, I will only be expecting this performance from you moving forward."

Talk you idiot. Say something. Don't just stare like a creep.

"Thanks Doctor Emery."

That's something at least.

"Well since I already found you here, I have some news for you. I have been selecting a few third and fourth year residents to take up some of my cases while I get settled in the Diagnostic Team. I am selecting you"

What the fuck what the fuck what the-

"— there are a few difficult cases, so residents will need to pair up."

not him not him not him-

"And Dr. Tanaka suggested pairing you up with Lahela, he said you two make a great team."

shit

"We will make a formal announcement tomorrow. But do inform Lahela."

like hell I will

"And Thomas? I expect the best from you."

well there's no better way to say this but– fuck

She needed a drink or preferably five.

"I can't believe you aren't talking more about how Harper praised you, you Valerie I-want-to-be-Harper-Emery-When-I-Grow-Up Thomas."

"Were you screaming like this when you met Ethan on your first day here?"

"No, but he had insulted me and assigned me a deadline within three hours of meeting me."

"I believe I bought you a drink at this very place, Rookie.", her boyfriend commented wryly.

"That's beside the point. I want to know why she's not more excited. Harper selected her to take up a few of her own cases her first day here. She should be happy."

"Owlet, she assigned me a partner for the cases."

"So what?"

"I don't get along well with him."

"You don't even know the people here Valie."

"It's Bryce, Diana. Your friend Bryce. Do you really want me to argue with him all the time? Do you really want to take sides when he inevitably fucks up because of his recklessness?" her patience was running thin.

"Valerie—" she began.

"No, don't tell me he won't do that. I know him for twenty minutes and he already did that once."

"Val, his methods are risky but they work and he would never endanger someone's life."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I know him just as well as I know you, Val." Her eyes take that glint it gets whenever she is passionate about something.

"You are level headed enough for the two of you. I have worked with Bryce on a surgery two years back, I know he will listen to your inputs. You are both amazing, don't let simple differences get in the way of that."

There she did it. Exactly what she had known Di would do. Simplified things that aren't simple with her optimism.

And now she would have to keep her frustrations about Bryce Lahela to herself, no one likes the look of disappointment on Diana Ramirez's face.

"What are you doing here?"

Sitting. Drinking. Regretting Life. The Usual.

"Hey, Bryce! Where are the others?"

of course he'd be here, when has life ever been easy?

"Running late but what's she doing here?"

"Bryce—"

"Thomas. You are Valerie aren't you?"

so he didn't know who I am

"Took you long to catch up."

"Why didn't you say so when we met this morning?"

"Probably because that's work and I found it irrelevant"

"Val—" Di began.

But perhaps because she was a little drunk. Or perhaps because she liked tormenting people she found herself saying, "Start reading up on safer surgical processes because Dr. Emery teamed us up and from tomorrow we are focusing on not killing people." and each other.

Well this is gonna be fun.

A/N : If you've read this far, thank you ❤ I hope you will love Val as much as I love her with this series, she's such a different character from Diana or Dan that I was kinda nervous to write her. A few things, about her, she is Diana's best friend from when she was seventeen, a surgical resident at AIMMC who then transferred to Bloom Edenbrook because of all the extra resources here, all of the Boston gang knows about her from Social Media but only Sienna, Jackie and Ethan met her back when she visited after the 2.11 attack.

Tags :

@openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

Perma :

@a-crepusculo | @choicesfanaf | @coffeeheartaddict2 | @crazy-loca-blog | @genevievemd | @headoverheelsforramsey | @jamespotterthefirst | @jerzwriter | @maurine07 | @mm2305 | @natureblooms24 | @potionsprefect | @quixoticdreamer16 | @rookiemartin | @rosebudde | @schnitzelbutterfingers | @shreyasrivathsa | @sincerelyscarring | @sweetheartdetectivex | @terrm9 | @zahrachoices

[storyofmychoices]

Shining Through The Shadows

[Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley Masterlist] 

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley (F!OC) Book: Open Heart, present day Word Count: ~1,200 Rating/Warnings: general, no warnings

Synopsis: Olivia prepares a special eclipse viewing party for her patients.

"Where should I put this?" Bryce questioned as he carried a plastic foldable table beneath his arm into the hospital's healing garden. 

"I was thinking right over here," Olivia gestured. "Near the entrance."

Within seconds, he had it open and set up. 

"Thanks!" Olivia rocked up on her tiptoes, placing a kiss on his cheek, before turning back to the task at hand. 

"Anything else I can help with?" 

"Bring me that bag over there?" She motioned her head toward one of the blankets she had set up as she placed a yellow tablecloth over the table. "Grab that basket too, please." 

"Is this all just glasses?" Bryce dug through the bag. "How many do you have here?"

"100... give or take some more," she offered casually while organizing a display of Capri Sun, Sun Chips, and Moon Pies on the table. 

"I thought you only had 31 kids that could come out?"

"And the nurses and the doctors," Olivia defended. 

"But more than 100? Did you leave any for the other departments?" he teased. 

"Yes!" She stuck her tongue out playfully toward him. "Besides, the children need at least 2 each."

"Dare I ask why?" He handed Olivia the basket, which she placed on the table beside the snacks.

"For their stuffed animals and dolls," she answered as though it were common knowledge. Carefully, she placed the glasses in the basket, smiling as she continued, "Of course, they need protection, too."

"I'm not sure that's true," he laughed. 

"Will you be the one telling them their stuffed friend isn't real so they don't need protection?" 

"Not a chance. Ramsey might, though—we'll have to keep him away," Bryce decided with a chuckle. 

"Woah," the ten-year-old Christopher marveled at how the healing garden had transitioned into a picnic area with snacks and art stations. 

The effervescent seven-year-old Savannah bounced with excitement, pulling on her mom's hand. "There's clay! And paint! And crayons! And snacks! This is the best day ever!"

Her mother smiled down at her. Despite all the medical challenges her daughter had faced, she never let it dull her spirit. "Looks like you had a lot of choices, my little Picasso. Where'd you like to start?

One by one, the children entered the garden with their parents. Nurses and doctors mingled throughout, guiding them through the art choices, each station allowing them to explore the eclipse with different art mediums.

As 2:00 approached, Olivia called all the children back together to start their viewing party. 

"We are very lucky to be able to come out here today and see something really special," Olivia began, her eyes wide with excitement as she spoke with the children. 

"Who has seen a shadow before?"

All of the children raised their hands.

"What is the biggest shadow you've ever seen?"

"My dad's really tall so he has a really long shadow," one child called out.

"The shadow of the playground by my house is big in the afternoon," another shared. 

"You have a shadow right there, Dr. Olivia!" Savannah pointed eagerly to the ground beside her. 

"That's right! We all make shadows. Most things leave behind a shadow," Olivia explained. "My shadow is created because I block sunlight from getting to this area. Did you know there is something that looks kind of small but is actually really big and can make day look like night?" 

The kids looked around, whispering to their parents in surprise. 

"That's what's going to happen today. During a Solar Eclipse, the moon moves in front of the sun and blocks sunlight from reaching Earth." She held up a model to help demonstrate. "When the moon is in front of the sun, its shadow will make some places get really dark. Dark enough to see stars."

"I don't like the dark," Noah whimpered, holding his stuffed Koala a little tighter. 

"You don't have to worry," she gently reassured him. "Just like my shadow only makes part of the area dark, it's the same with the moon,"

"So we won't see stars?" Savannah frowned.

"Not until it's actually nighttime. Sorry, Sav! Where we are, we will only see part of the eclipse." Olivia held up an Oreo, twisting the top off to expose the frosting. "In just a few minutes, the moon—" she held up the half without the frosting, "—and the sun—," she held up the half with the icing, "—are going to cross paths." She moved the "moon" half slowly in front of the "sun" half. "As the moon moves, it covers up more and more sunlight. With our special glasses to help protect our eyes, we will get to see the sun seem to disappear until it's just a sliver. It'll still look bright outside, but if we put on special glasses we can see that it'll really look like this."

The kids marveled in excitement and curiosity, eagerly discussing the event with their parents. 

"Me, nurse Laura, nurse Tim, and Dr. Bryce will be around to give you glasses. You must wear them anytime you look up at the sun, okay? Can you give me a big thumbs up if you can do that for me?" The kids did as requested. "Great!" 

The doctors and nurses moved through the group, passing out glasses to each group.

"Here you go." Bryce knelt near Savannah, offering her a pair of glasses. 

The young girl looked around her blanket, raising one finger at a time as she counted. She held her hand toward him. "We need four, please."

"Four?" Bryce looked around, his brow raising curiously.

"Dr. Olivia said everyone needs glasses," she nodded to agree with her previous statement. "Me, Mommy, Teddy, and my American Girl doll."

"You are absolutely right; that is four!" Bryce shook his head with a smile. "How could I have counted wrong?"

"Maybe you were distracted by Dr. Olivia," she smiled. "She's so nice and pretty."

"She really is, isn't she?" His gaze flickered to Olivia, who was showing another patient how to wear the glasses.

"You should go hold her hand. She would like that," Savannah whispered with a giggle.

"You think?" His eyes widened in consideration.

Savannah nodded excitedly. 

"I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the tip," Bryce winked as he continued on his way.

As the eclipse began and all the children were busy watching in amazement, Bryce slipped his hand into Olivia's as she watched over them. "You are incredible, absolutely incredible." 

"It's nothing." She shook her head, trying to dismiss him. 

"Liv, look at them! All of this, this is you! None of this would be possible without you."

"Anyone could have organized this."

"Maybe, but they didn't. You did!" He took her other hand in his, turning into her. "You made sure these kids got to experience something they wouldn't have without you. You made understanding the science relatable for them. This is something they're never going to forget. You gave them something special to remember."

Her face warmed under his compliments. Her gaze shifted toward the children engaged in viewing the once-in-a-lifetime experience, their parents beside them sharing in the moment. "They deserve this and so much more. They're so strong and so brave." Her eyes threatened to tear up, knowing that for some, they wouldn't have many other big days ahead of them.

"They're so lucky to have you, Liv, and so am I." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "There's no one else I'd want to share this with."

"I feel the same about you," Olivia smiled, wrapping her arms around him. After a moment, the pair turned their attention to the heavens and the celestial event growing in front of them, their hands laced together between them.

A/N: I know I'm late with this. This week has been crazy busy. It's taken all week to finish this. It is not proofread or edited! So please forgive any mistakes.

[jerzwriter]

Know it All

Thank you to @mydemonsdrivealimo for this ask. By now we know that me and 100-words can't go in the same sentence, but it's still short for me :)

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 timeline) Characters: Bryce Lahela, Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 921 Summary: Casey needs the scoop on someone, and she knows exactly who to go to. A/N: Participating in @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 25, Secret

Being a resident was tough. The hours were grueling, and making a mistake didn’t merely get you into trouble or cost you a promotion; it was the definition of life or death. The stress could be overwhelming, but luckily, Casey heeded Dr. Delarosa's advice and built strong friendships with her fellow residents. It made perfect sense; seeing people outside of work was almost impossible. She was learning that the hard way since she met an intriguing doctor from Mass Kenmore a few weeks before. An intriguing doctor whose schedule never matched up with hers. 

Fortunately, Bryce's schedule did, and she was meeting him in the cafeteria for lunch. While her stomach was grumbling, if she had to choose between nourishment or feeding her curiosity, the latter would win today. She needed the lowdown, and who better to go to than her best buddy, Bryce.

"Boo!" Bryce smiled as he attempted to frighten her from behind.

"Nice try, Lahela."

Bryce tossed a protein bar her way and watched Casey’s face fall.

"Is this what you meant when you said you were treating me to lunch today?"

"Nope," he said, biting into his bar. "But have you seen the line for the registers? We can either have these delightfully chalky fake chocolate bars and conversation, or we can spend our entire break on that line and not talk at all."

"You know, this doesn't taste so bad," she smiled.   

"That’s the right answer!” Bryce grinned. “Given the choice of a quality meal or my company, I believe my company is always the way to go.”

“Well, it works today,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Because I need to use you.”

“Casey,” he sighed dramatically. “I understand the longing, I do... but you know damn well we decided not to let our relationship go there.”

She shook her head without expression. “You know, you are such an ass! I’m not interested in ‘going there’ with you... but there is someone else that I might be....”

Bryce eagerly leaned over the table, his attention piqued. “Who? Who is it? Do I know them? Is it the hot new nurse in the ICU? Because I have it on good counsel that she has the hots for you.”

“Really? Well, that might be a good backup plan,” Casey giggled. “But that’s not who I’m talking about.”

She turned around to survey the room. Once confident no one was in earshot, she leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“What do you know about Tobias Carrick from Kenmore.”

Bryce leaned back in his chair, a look bordering on disappointment registered on his face. “Carrick?” he said, a bit too loud as Casey shushed him.

“Yes, what do you know about him.”

“All right, first, thank you for recognizing that my knowledge base extends to all hospitals in this city, not just Edenbrook.”

“Can we stick to the point?”

“Sorry,” he grinned. “I guess my question is... how do you intend to utilize him? Because if you’re looking for a couple of memorable nights that you’ll be bragging about into your nursing home years, Carrick’s your man. But if you’re looking for more than that, and you usually end up wanting more than that... well, in that case, I’d be happy to introduce you to Amira in ICU.”   

He could tell at once that wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear.

“Is he that bad?” She asked. “I mean, I’ve heard he’s not exactly Mr. Commitment...”

“Understatement of the millennium,” Bryce interrupted.

“... BUT... Oh, Bryce, the man is super hot, and I really like him. He’s been nothing but attentive and sweet to me since we met.”

“Have you slept with him yet?”

“No....”

Bryce raised his hands in triumph. “I rest my case. Look, anyone who's not a straight man will tell you he is hot, and if you want to have fun, have fun. But I watched you go through entirely too much after the shit with he-who-we-will-not-name-while-at-work went down... and I don’t want to see you hurt like that again.”

They both looked at Casey’s phone as it vibrated on the table and now it was Bryce's turn to roll his eyes. Once he saw the stupid grin on his friend’s face, he knew two things:  the text was from Carrick, and Casey was already in much deeper than she was willing to admit.

“That him?” he asked for effect.

Casey pocketed her phone with a smirk. “Shut up.”

“Look,” he replied sincerely. “I haven’t heard that he’s a bad guy, just that he’s only interested in one thing. But a few of my buddies from the volleyball team know him well. I can weasel some information out of them if you like.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Oh!” he clapped his hands in excitement. “Better yet! I know his housekeeper's daughter! Jackpot! Who better to get dirt from,” he winked. “I’ll put in a call today.”

“How the hell do you know his housekeeper’s daughter?”

“She’s my florist.”

Casey closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

“And how do you know that your florist’s mother is Tobias’s housekeeper?”

“Casey,” he smiled smugly. “I know everything.”

His pager went off, and he jumped up from his chair.

“That’s Tanaka. Look, I’ve gotta run, but I’ll have a dossier about the guy ready for you by the end of tomorrow.”

“If surgery doesn’t work out for you, you might have a future in espionage.”

“The Hawaaiin James Bond,” he grinned. “I like it.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Other tags on reblog.

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Mar 30 - April 5, 2024  

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

Bryce x F!MC

Las hijas de Luna - @peonierose ☁

It’s time for Luna and Bryce to welcome their twins into the world. Will there be any complications? Or will the birth go without a hitch? [Pregnancy]

Yellow Hibiscus in Bloom - @aallotarenunelma ☁

This is Doctor's Day. How will Bryce and Kaisa will celebrate it?

Ethan x F!MC

A Chance Encounter - @cariantha 📚

[mini: wip] Ten years prior to meeting at Edenbrook, Ethan and Sawyer have a chance encounter during spring break. [Young Ethan]

Part 2: The Hook-up

Baby(moon) Planning - @genevievemd 📱

Gen and Ethan plan a trip before the baby arrives.

Stand By Me - @liaromancewriter 🦚

Cassie experiences the downside of having Ethan Ramsey as a mentor.

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 15: DéJà Vu

Ethan x Reader

Picnic - @stanathanxoox ☁

Planning a picnic and making them food even if you’re an amateur cook, in hopes you’ll impress them more.

Sienna x M!OC

Unlikely Adventures - @liaromancewriter 📱

There's only one person who can convince Sienna to take a chance on a life of adventure.

Rafael x F!MC

Moving In - @rafasgirl23415 📚​

[extended: wip] Follow up to We Belong Together. Set a few years into the future. Feat. Sienna Trinh x M!OC

CH 29: What Could Have Been - Part 1 [TW: PTSD]

CH 29: What Could Have Been - Part 2 [TW: PTSD]

CH 30: The Back To Work Blues

Tobias x F!MC

Whenever… whatever ✋🏽 - @jerzwriter 📱

After Shakira's freaking ridiculous comments about Barbie, Tobias was not going to be having it, and steps would have to be taken.

With Warning - @jerzwriter 📚

[mini:wip] As the friendship and bond between Casey and Tobias developed, each of her friends had a few things to say to Dr. Carrick.

Part 5: Captain Lahela & a Serving of Common Sense

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[alj4890]

Mixed Signals

(Dr. Tobias Carrick x F!MC *Chris Valentine) (Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC*Chris Valentine) (Dr. Bryce Lahela x F!MC*Chris Valentine) in an Open Heart Fan fiction.

Masterlist

A/N Sorry for taking so long to post. My health decided to do some wild things since the last post on top of the writer's block just having a field day with this storyline 😑 Anyway, we'll pick up where the last chapter left off.

Chapter 2

Chris slowly came awake. Though she knew in an instant that she wasn't in her own bedroom, the massive hangover she was currently under caused her to not really care where she was. Pulling what had to be some of the softest sheets she'd ever felt up over her face, she began to try and remember what happened the night before.

Flashes of her celebration at Donahue's flickered through her mind. Groaning over not only her actions with drinking way too much, she remembered what happened with Ethan.

Her eyes shot open.

Oh no. Did I go home with Ethan?

Peeking out from under the covers, she tried to discern the furniture around her.

Unless Ethan had done a major renovation since the last time she'd been in his apartment and had moved to a lower floor, she knew she wasn't in his place.

Chris clutched her head.

I know I'm not at Bryce's either. He wouldn't have brought me to his place with Kikei there.

She softly gasped.

Don't tell me I went home with a stranger!

Chris kicked the covers back and breathed easier to see she was still fully dressed. There was no indication that anyone had slept beside her. She did a quick examination of her body and knew she hadn't had sex.

Where am I?

She yanked the covers up when the bedroom door opened.

Tobias grinned at her.

"You're awake."

Chris gaped at him. "I went home with you!?"

He chuckled as he walked into the room.

"You demanded that I bring you to my place."

"Oh lord." Chris buried her head in her hands. Smoothing back her tousled hair, she looked up at him. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged it off as not a big deal and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"I didn't..." Chris took a deep breath. "I didn't push myself on you, did I?"

Before he could respond, she shook her head.

"Of course I bloody well did. Why else would I be in your home?" She rubbed her hands over her face in an attempt to clear the cobwebs. "You should have given me back to my roommates. Then you wouldn't--"

"Hey!" He chuckled once more. "Easy there, Valentine. Normally, a woman in your condition would not be in my home." He patted her leg. "But, um, you were adamant that your doctor take you to his home."

"My doctor?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the events of the previous night.

He laughed at her confused expression.

"Yeah, Ethan was not too thrilled when you declared I was not only your doctor but also the only doctor you trusted."

Her eyes widened.

What else did I do last night?

"You also told your roommates that you needed me to take you home since you had some medical concerns."

She vaguely remembered talking to Sienna.

"Anyway, I was going to actually take you back to your apartment after your friends left." He explained. "When I checked your wallet for a driver's license--"

"You saw that I still had my I.D. from Inverness." She finished with a groan.

"As much as I wanted to get you safely home, I wasn't quite up for the journey to Scotland." He teased.

Chris flopped back on the pillows with her arm draped over her eyes. This was quite possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life.

She then remembered she should be at work.

"What time is it?!" She sat up too quickly and immediately regretted such a rash action.

"Half past two." Tobias told her.

"Half past--" She scrambled out of bed.

"Whoa!" Tobias stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm late!" She searched in vain for her shoes. "My shift at the hospital started hours ago!"

"Chris." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I called Ethan this morning and told him you weren't coming in."

"You did what?" Chris gaped at him. "Why?"

"As your physician," he winked at her, "I realized that I never gave you the all clear to return to work. Plus given how many drinks you had last night, I knew you wouldn't be in any condition to help your patients."

"Oh." She sank back down on the bed.

Tobias sat down next to her. He studied her worried profile in silence for a few seconds.

"Hey?" He nudged her with his shoulder. "Why don't you take a shower while I see about lunch?" He nudged her again. "Or breakfast for you?"

Chris snorted back a laugh. "Yes, please feed me after I forced my drunk self into your home."

Tobias grinned at her. "You can force yourself on me anytime."

She burst out laughing then gave him a playful shove.

He got to his feet to open a nearby closet.

"My sisters-in law leave clothes here so they don't have to pack so much when they come for a visit." He explained. "See if there's something of theirs that might do for now."

"I appreciate it," Chris began "but I shouldn't impose on you any--"

"You're not." He went into the guest bathroom to start the shower. "Plus, I insist you stay until I know you're okay."

With a smile that made her heart flip, he left her alone.

Twenty minutes later, Chris found herself clean, dressed in leggings that were too short and in what was supposed to be an oversized sweater, yet just barely went past her waist. She'd finally found a pair of wooly socks to keep her always cold feet warm and began to make her way downstairs, admiring Tobias's townhome along the way.

She paused in the hallway to discern just where her host was.

Tobias called out from a room farther to her left.

"I'm in here, Chris!"

She followed the sound of his voice, pausing at how inviting his kitchen was. Though modern, the warm colors he'd chosen for the walls, decor, and cushions somehow worked. It should have clashed, yet she found herself thinking of her grandparents' home. They had been given all new appliances a couple of years ago. The silver, sleek look met the older bread box, flower towels, and ruffled cushions and soon settled into a hodgepodge that they all ended up loving.

It made her homesick to sit down at Tobias's table.

"Coffee?" He asked from behind the counter.

"Please." Chris rubbed her forehead in an effort to clear the fog she was still slightly under.

"How do you take it?" He poured her a cup.

"Lots of cream and lots of sugar." She mumbled.

"How much is a lot?"

"More than true coffee aficionados can tolerate." She responded.

"This I have to see." Tobias teased.

He brought over the pot of coffee along with cream and sugar.

Chris blushed under his attention as she prepared her cup. Once she was finished, the rich black was replaced with a light beige color.

Tobias chuckled. "I bet you've gotten more speeches on your coffee from Ethan than you have medicine."

"You'd win that bet." Chris took a long sip, sighing in pleasure. "Don't tell me you're a coffee snob too?"

"I'm a to each their own coffee drinker." He teased. "Who am I to judge when I'll drink it any way someone prepares it? Though I will admit, I like mine with a little less cream than you do."

Chris rolled her eyes. "What about the sugar?"

Tobias leaned closer to her. "Who doesn't love something sweet?"

Having him close enough where she could see the flecks of gold in those amazing hazel eyes of his caused Chris to become momentarily tongue-tied.

His cocky smile creeped up at seeing her like this.

His attention next drifted over her face, taking in the strawberries and cream complexion he found rather cute. Her nose had a slight tilt that more than hinted at a stubbornness he'd been witnessed to on previous occasions. Her eyes held such emotion. Those gray eyes of hers could make a man hesitate for fear of wounding her.

How does Ethan keep it professional, he wondered. I don't know what I would do if the positions were reversed and she worked closely with me.

"So?" He cleared his throat and settled back in his chair. "Want to talk about last night?"

Chris's nose wrinkled at the very mention of it.

Tobias eyed her over the rim of his coffee cup. "You don't strike me as the kind of person who regularly gets drunk."

"Because I don't." She took another sip of coffee. "It was stupid of me to drink that much."

"What happened?" He prodded. "One minute, you seemed happy then the next you were downing drinks like you'd seen a ghost or something."

She snorted. If he only knew how right he was. There was nothing worse than a visit from the Ghost of Relationships Past.

Chris tried to avoid his question by focusing on her fork picking at the scrambled eggs on her plate.

Tobias wasn't going to let this go. If Chris really did consider him her doctor then he was going to make sure she was not only physically well after the attack but also emotionally. They were becoming friends after all. Weren't friends supposed to share problems?

He placed his hand on hers, causing the fork to slip from her grasp and clatter onto the plate.

Chris swallowed a tad hard before lifting her eyes back to his.

Tobias searched her steady, vulnerable gaze and gentled his tone.

"What's wrong, Chris?"

Unshed tears began to fill her eyes.

"I--I don't..." she sucked in a deep breath before burying her face in her hands.

Tobias got up and knelt by her chair. He gently brushed back her damp hair. As much as he wanted to demand she talk to him, he knew he could only wait and let it be her decision.

"I'm sorry." She lowered her hands.

"No need to apologize." He tucked her hair behind her ear. "If you don't want to talk about it, we--"

"I don't but I know I should." She took another deep breath. "It's a long story."

"Good thing it's my day off of work." He teased in the hopes of seeing her smile again.

Her lips curved briefly before falling once more. "I guess I should start at the beginning."

Tobias returned to his chair. He remained silent as Chris poured out everything that occurred since she first arrived at Edenbrook. There were many times he wanted to question her and express shock as she told him about her odd relationships with Ethan and Bryce.

Ethan hadn't been able to resist her after all, he thought to himself.

"And then Ethan pulled me away last night and it all began again." She explained. "After he kissed me and wouldn't say what we were, I just needed an escape. Not from him, but I needed to get away from myself."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"How can I go on in life in the same, exact, frustrating manner after being given a second chance?" She looked up at Tobias. "I should be making sure that nothing is wasted with this time I've been given, right?"

Tobias slowly nodded. "I think you shouldn't waste your time on anyone who doesn't give you what you deserve."

"Exactly!" Her breath hitched. "If I'm willing to give everything to someone, I should expect he give the same to me."

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"I know some say you should love without expecting anything in return." Her eyes searched his for understanding. "But I tried that and ended up miserable. I can't be that person again. I won't! It takes so much out of me and gives me nothing but mere crumbs to live on."

Tobias opened his mouth to reassure her again, only to fall silent when she continued.

"But what if I miss out? What if Ethan or Bryce is the one? What if I ruin what could be the relationship that will eventually give me what my heart needs? Am I suppose to fall back into what they want in case--"

"Whoa." He took her hands in his. "Easy there, Valentine. You're going down a rabbit hole of what if's."

"I know." She admitted. "That's all I do. I start off saying I won't put myself through this over and over and yet turn around and doubt my decision. I always end up here, questioning whether or not I should change anything."

Chris propped her chin on her fist while staring out of the kitchen's bay window.

"I am drowning in doubt." She admitted. "I am certain in everything I do in life except for love." She refocused on Tobias. "I don't know how to fix this."

Tobias didn't either. If she was suffering from the attack either physically or mentally, he'd have known exactly what to do. When it came to matters of the heart, he knew he was the last person who should give advice.

"The only thing I can recommend," he began a bit hesitantly, "is to only accept what makes you happy."

He took her hand once more. "As a friend of yours, I don't believe you should settle for anything less than what you want."

"That's what Sienna's been telling me for a while now." Chris mumbled.

"See? How can you ignore the advice coming from two different people?" He prodded.

Chris's lips quirked into a brief smile. "You and Sienna couldn't be any more different."

"It's a sign that it's the right thing to do." He argued. "You should tell Ethan and Bryce."

"Tell them?" Chris murmured. "You mean--"

"Tell them exactly what you want, what you expect, and see if they can step up and be that for you." Tobias told her. "Keeping it to yourself is only making you miserable. Plus, if they honestly don't know what you're wanting, how can they give it to you?"

Chris slowly nodded. She had tried to hint and kinda explain what she wanted each time with Ethan, but she'd never talked to him seriously about it. With Bryce, she kept things light and fun. Perhaps she was more responsible for her unhappiness than she originally thought.

"You know what you need?" He relaxed back in his chair. "You need a night out."

Chris blinked. "Isn't that what I did last night?"

"No, that was a celebration. You need a night out with no expectations, no questionable relationships, and no drunken escapes."

Tobias grinned at her. "You took me to your hangout. It's only fair you visit mine."

She began to laugh. "You sure you trust me to see where you love to go?"

"I guess I do." He murmured, grinning even more. "How bout it, Chris?"

"I really should get some sleep." She argued halfheartedly. "I have work in the morning."

"No, you don't." He reminded her. "Remember, I haven't given you the all clear yet."

Chris rolled her eyes over that.

"We both know I'm fine to go back to work."

"I don't." He laced his fingers behind his head to stretch. "You'll have to schedule an appointment with me for a final checkup." He winked at her. "Nice try, but there's no getting out of tonight."

Chris motioned to herself. "I don't have anything to wear."

"I'll take you by your place to change on the way." Tobias got up to clear their plates. "What do you say?"

Seeing no way out of this and was a little curious over where he went to unwind, she decided to give in. Chris admitted to herself that having a drink somewhere without Ethan or Bryce to distract her might be just the change she needed.

Plus, it might help her get the courage up to talk to them.

"If my doctor insists, -" Chris mumbled.

"I do." Tobias interrupted

"Then, I'd love to."

[txemrn]

Is there a trait Baby Ramsey share with their parents, that makes people say “yeap, that’s you right there”?

Hey, Anon! This was such a cute Ask. Thank you so much for sending it my direction! I'm sure my answer is very similar to what others have shared, but ever since I pictured this baby, he/she has this trait (and you might be able to guess it just from knowing his/her parents. Here's a small little fic. I hope you enjoy! 💜

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!OC (Tatum Erikson)

Synopsis: While celebrating his/her first birthday, a few colleagues make note that Baby Ramsey looks and acts just like Tatum. Well, for the most part.

Word Count: ~1180

Warning/Rating: mature; language; brief mention of possible sexual misconduct

A/N: Some of these characters belong to our friends at Pixelberry; Julian Santiago is an ENT that went to med school with Ethan and Tobias; Bryce is married to Erin Winters (a beautiful OC of @kat-tia801); also, if you are new, I have not released the name or gender of baby Ramsey on purpose--I want it to be revealed in his or her own story. Also, this is not preread! Please forgive my errors!

~🖤~

"Dr. Santiago!"

The tall, broad-shouldered man turns towards the lax voice, chirping his name. And he smiles.

"Ah, Bryce Lahela," he chuckles, giving the young surgeon a firm handshake. "Good to see you, and please, just Julian." The men raise their cups of punch in salutations before they survey the brightly decorated room. “Where’s your wife?”

“Probably with your wife,” Bryce suggests as he continues to nod hello to other people in the room. As if on a cue, a group of women squeal exuberantly from across the room. Bryce winces before offering a crooked smile at the sudden, ear-piercing screams. “Oh yeah–”

“Yep," Julian jovially gives an approving nod, "there they are.” He takes a sip of his drink, but is accidentally bumped into by another party-goer. "God,” he scoots out of their way, “can you believe this place?"

Bryce raises his eyebrows, observing the overly crowded room of joyful smiles. "Who's watching the patients?" He snickers. "I swear at least half of Edenbrook is here."

"No doubt," Julian grins. "The guest list was clearly Tate's doing. If it were up to Ethan, there probably wouldn't even be a party. Hell, he doesn't even tolerate this many people." They fall into knowing titters, taking another pull of their drinks. Suddenly, another man sneaks up between them, slapping their backs, causing each man to nearly spill their beverages.

"Fuck,” Julian mutters, instantly recognizing the obnoxious intruder. "They really did invite everyone– more like anyone..."

Bryce hides his curling lips. "Hi, Dr. Carrick–"

Tobias throws his arms around his colleagues' necks, pulling them conspiratorially close. "Please tell me there are booze at this thing."

"Dude, it’s 11:30 AM… on a Sunday… at a one-year-old's birthday party," Bryce enunciates as he raises an eyebrow.

"Clearly you've never been in the same room as two women you've slept with–"

“Pssh, because you’re the only man in the world that has game? Please,” Julian rolls his eyes.

Tobias clears his throat. “To clarify: two women… Same night." He shifts his guilty gray eyes to both men. "Last night.”

“Ha!" Julian snorts, "Oh yeah, there he is. There’s our angel Tobias,” Julian snickers, shaking his head. "You're fucked, bruh–"

"--in more ways than one," Bryce interjects, causing him and Julian to fall into belly laughs.

“Ha ha, laugh it up, fuckers–”

"It sounds like some of our favorite uncles are having a good time," Tatum giggles, twirling around with three chilled bottles of beer in her hand with a chunky blond twelve-month-old on her hip.  She hands the three men a beverage as she switches the baby to her other side. “Tobe–” she lowers her voice, “--we don’t say words like that here,” she snickers, the other men laughing along with her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Julian places a friendly peck on Tatum's forehead. "Shit, I can't believe Ramsey 2.0 is already a year old," Julian gently cups his hand around the baby's soft head.

Tatum playfully stares deadpan at her good friend. "You're telling me," she turns to look at her first born who is holding out their hand to an expressive Bryce.

“Time for another one,” Bryce sing-songs.

“And turn out like you and Erin? Three for the price of two pregnancies?” She covers her child’s ears again as she whispers, “Hell. No.”

"My God, Tate," Bryce starts, all three men clearly thinking the same thing as they admire the toddler. "This little one is like your mini-me. Same eyes, hair, nose," Bryce kindly smiles as tiny fingers grip tightly around his finger.  Tatum beams with joy as she takes in the moment.

“This is Ethan’s baby, right?” Tobias jokes as Tatum slaps his shoulder.

“Asshole,” Tatum sardonically grimaces. Tobias’s face grows serious as he quietly holds up a finger to his lips and points to the baby, causing the group of doctors to fall into quiet laughter.  “Anyway, we really appreciate you guys coming,” she kindly grins. “And seriously, help yourselves to anything.”  As the men give chaste kisses to Tatum’s cheek, they each wave goodbye to the little one who eagerly returns the sentiments by blowing slobbery kisses.

“Such a social butterfly,” Bryce mentions.

“Just like Tate,” Julian appreciatively nods his head before taking a sip of his beer.  “Thank fuck, can you imagine a baby like Ramsey?” He shudders.  Tobias titters, clinking the neck of his beer with his old colleague before taking a swig.

“Ethan’s not that bad,” Bryce defends.

Tobias nearly chokes on his beer as Julian wipes away his smile. “Look, Lahela. You know… Tatum’ed Ethan. We?” He motions his hand in between his body and Tobias. “We know the prick that is Ethan Ramsey–”

“Hey, I dealt with his wrath when I was an intern–”

“No, no. He was worse before he ever met Tatum.”

“Ah hell, really?” Bryce takes a sip of his beer. “He was that much worse?”

“Shit, this one time–”

“If I can have everyone’s attention please!” Tatum calls out in a booming, cheerful voice.  The three men along with the other guests turn towards her to listen.  She takes a moment to graciously and tearfully thank everyone for celebrating the special day with them, baby Ramsey cheesing in her arms the entire time.

“I think someone is ready for some cake,” she chuckles. “Rams?”

As if on cue, Ethan walks out with a small, single tier cake with a candle that matches the larger cake next to the snacks on the refreshment table. Tatum gently tucks her little one into the decorated high chair while Ethan lights the wick.  The little one’s blue eyes grow wide at the flame, eliciting a few awes and giggles from the gathered crowd. 

“Are we ready?” Tatum smiles as Ethan snakes an arm around her waist. “On the count of the three, we’ll all start singing ‘Happy Birthday’.” Her watery eyes find her husband’s icy blues as he gives her a reassuring squeeze.  She takes a deep breath as she looks back to her one-year-old baby. “One, two… three!”

All at once, everyone starts proudly singing ‘Happy Birthday’.

Except for Julian and Tobias.

Both men have their hands over their mouths, stifling their obnoxious laughs.  Bryce continues to sing, but glares at his colleagues.

“I can’t,” Tobias finishes his beer, walking away into the kitchen as Julian dabs the tears from his watering eyes.

“What is so funny?” Bryce whispers, grateful that the singing is much louder than their snickers.

“Look," Julian chuckles, "look at that kid right now.”

Bryce cranes his neck between party guests, finally catching a good view of Baby Ramsey. And his face falls while the corners of his mouth turn up. 

Damn, if looks could kill…

There, slumped in a high chair, was the angriest-looking baby anyone had ever seen, complete with deep furrowed brows, a frown, and a deep glare. 

“Holy geeze, that kid is mean-muggin’ everyone–and during ‘Happy Birthday’!” Bryce chokes out before falling into quiet titters.

Julian finally is able to control himself as he finishes his beer. “Oh yeah, there he is. There’s our Ethan.”

~🖤~

Tags (updated 9/26; please contact me if you wish to be added/removed)

PERMA

@21-wishes @alj4890 @ao719 @charlotteg234 @issabees @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nikirennie87 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

ALL OPH

@alyshak92 @annfg8 @bisexualdisasteracd @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @lsvdw-blog @mvalentine @ofmischiefandmedicine @rookiemartin @starrystarrytrouble @youlookappropriate

[deb-1106]

Choices Flash Fic week 31

Hey all!!  ❤️ 

Because we've both been out of the game so long, and have really missed writing, my good friend (she was actually my very FIRST friend on this hellsite 😋❤️) @walkerismychoice and I have decided to motivate each other by writing together using our LI's and MC's from different choices books.  I'll be using Drake Walker and my MC, Ava Matheson from TRR, and Maggie will be using Bryce Lahela and her MC, Charlie Hawkins from Open Heart.  

This story will hopefully be the first of a weekly series of one-shots using @choicesflashfics prompts.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! ❤️

Prompt 3  — “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Book: TRR/OPH

Pairings: Drake x Ava, Bryce x Charlie

Rating: M

TW: Gun Violence

“Little Blossom?”

Ava’s eyes flew open.  

She was momentarily disoriented, caught somewhere between a memory and a nightmare. But as her eyes focused and she took in the institutional green walls and naugahyde seating of a hospital waiting room, the crushing reality of the evening’s events came flooding back.

***

Ava! Get down!”

Drake’s warning was the last thing she heard before his body slammed into hers, knocking her to the ground.  She screamed as a bomb exploded nearby, raining chunks of rubble down all around them as the acrid smell of gunfire burned her nostrils.

“Drake?” She cried, “Drake, we have to get out of here!

He didn’t move.

“Drake!“  Ava began to panic as she felt the warm, sticky dampness of his blood seep into her ballgown. She reached out to press her hand to his cheek and his eyelids fluttered open for just a moment.  He gave her a small smile. 

“I love you, Matheson.” He mumbled faintly as his eyes closed once again.

“NO!  Drake, wake up!  Please, baby.  I need you to wake up!”  She tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but the weight of his body was too much for her.

HELP!” She screamed, praying that her cries were loud enough to be heard over the chaos around them,  “PLEASE! … SOMEBODY HELP US!”

After what felt like an eternity, she felt Drake’s weight lifted from her body.  She immediately scrambled to her knees crawling on all fours to where he lay prone on the ballroom floor, his suit soaked with blood.

“Oh my God!” She gasped, “Drake!”

Bastien was kneeling over him, both hands pressed over a wound in Drake's shoulder as he barked out orders. “I NEED A MEDIC AND AN UNMARKED CAR…NOW!”

“Bastien! What’s going on?”  Tears streamed down Ava’s face as she grabbed Drake’s hand, alarmed by how cold it felt.

“Terrorist attack.  Drake took a bullet.”

Ava looked to Bastien for reassurance, “But…he’s going to be okay, right?”  

He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Bastien! Tell me he’s going to be okay.” She begged, “Please!”

He finally looked up, and the expression on his face made Ava’s blood run cold.

“The wound is close to his heart and he’s lost a lot of blood.” Bastien’s voice was somber, “If we can get him to the hospital quickly, he might have a chance.”

“Might?” Ava pressed a hand over her mouth and felt her stomach lurch. 

No!  This can’t be happening.  We were finally going to start our lives together. I can’t lose him now.

***

Maxwell knelt down beside the chair Ava had finally collapsed into after pacing the hospital corridors for hours.  He placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently.  “There’s a nurse here who wants to talk to you.” 

Heart hammering in her chest, Ava jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain of her own injuries as she anxiously faced the young nurse standing in the doorway.

“Is he okay?” She asked, “Is he out of surgery?  Can I see him?”

The nurse smiled kindly, the rapid-fire questions not phasing her in the least.

“Mr. Walker is still in surgery…” 

When Ava’s face crumpled, the nurse crossed the room to place a comforting hand on her arm, “But he has one of our top surgeons working on him, so rest assured, he’s in the best possible hands.”  She smiled warmly, “In fact, Dr. Lehela wanted me to let you know that Mr. Walker is out of the woods.  The bullet has been removed and they’re just cleaning out the remaining debris.  There was some concern about bone fragments splintering off and causing damage to the surrounding heart tissue, but that doesn't appear to have been the case.”

Ava felt her legs go weak with relief.

“Oh, Thank God.”

She felt Maxwell’s arms encircle her and sank wearily into his comforting embrace.

“See, Blossom.” He said, encouragingly, “I told you he was going to be okay. It’ll take more than a tiny little bullet to take him out.”

Ava nodded and squeezed Max’s hand without breaking eye contact with the nurse.

“How much longer do you think it’ll be before I can see him?”

“Once he’s out of surgery, he’ll go to recovery." She replied with a comforting smile.  "It’s hard to say how long he’ll be there, as everyone comes out of anesthesia differently, but a conservative estimate would be another hour or two.  Then he’ll be settled into a room and can receive visitors.”

Ava nodded and swiped at the tears which were once again sliding down her cheeks.  But this time, they were tears of relief.

“Thank you.”

The nurse smiled.  “Of course.  I’ll come get you when I have his room assignment.”  

Ava thanked her again.

Drake was going to be okay.  Liam had been unharmed in the attack and Bastien and Kiara came away with only minor injuries.  Somehow they’d all survived.

Suddenly Ava’s stomach growled…LOUDLY.

Maxwell laughed.  “Okay, now that we know Drake is okay…it’s time to take care of YOU.”

Ava began to protest but Maxwell was already propelling her toward the door. “No more excuses!  You need food, or at the very least some coffee, or you’ll find yourself in a hospital bed of your own.  Now MOVE!” 

Maxwell was wearing his stubborn expression, so Ava knew resistance was futile.

She let him lead her down to the Cafeteria. “I’ll go back up to the waiting room and let you know immediately if I hear anything from the doctors.”

“Thank you.” Ava replied weekly before walking through the cafeteria doors and meandering aimlessly towards the various food offerings.

—--

Charlie checked the time on her Apple watch. Wow, a whole 30 minutes for lunch today, she thought. Typically she was lucky to get half of that. Nobody ever told her the life of a hospital internist would be glamorous, but she still hadn’t been prepared for how tired and hungry she’d be so much of the time. Although they bill residency as a training program for your selected specialty, Charlie swore it was also meant to be a boot camp that only the strong survived. Only one more year and she’d have some semblance of a normal schedule as an attending physician.

“Coffee. Must have coffee first.” Charlie mumbled to herself, taking in the aroma of freshly brewed beans as she marched towards the machines only to be stopped in her tracks by someone hovering in front of them. Charlie went left, but then the woman went left. Then she tried to go right, but the woman shuffled to the right. Her patience running thin, Charlie spoke up. “Excuse me, could I sneak in here?”

“I’m sorry.” The woman spun to face her, and Charlie’s irritation melted away. The woman looked sad and tired for sure, but that was not an uncommon sight for visitors of the hospital cafeteria. There was something about her that drew Charlie in and made her want to comfort the woman. Maybe it was the fact that Charlie could see a little bit of herself in her - definitely not the flawless deep olive skin tone and dark hair, wildly contrasting with Charlie’s strawberry blonde locks and accompanying creamy white skin, but they appeared about the same age, and there was just something there that made them alike. Although Charlie was not prone to striking up friendships with hospital visitors, something told Charlie this was a connection she should make.

“Let me buy you a coffee.” Charlie offered.

The woman looked Charlie up and down, seemingly noting Charlie’s white coat and ID badge. “No, that’s okay. You can just go first. I have no idea what I want.”

“Please, I insist. Free coffee is one of the few perks I get for devoting my life to this place.” They both laughed and Charlie saw the first little spark of life return to the woman’s eyes.

Charlie grabbed two prepackaged sandwiches to go with the coffees and brought them over to the woman who had already seated herself at a cafeteria table.

"Thank you so much…" she glanced at the ID badge again, "....Dr. Hawkins. "I was too much of a wreck to even pick out something to eat. I'm sure you're busy, but would you care to join me?" 

Again, it wasn't typical of Charlie to hang out with random hospital guests, but she knew this woman needed a friend right now, and maybe that feeling was mutual. "Sure, I still have about 20 more minutes." Charlie sat down. "But you can call me Charlie."

"Well thank you again, Charlie, I'm Ava."

"Nice to meet you, Ava." Charlie hesitated for a moment before asking, "If it's not too forward, do you want to talk about your loved one here that's got you so worried?... Only if you want to talk about it."

Ava's facial expression grew somber once again. She took a deep breath before letting everything spill out - getting invited to Cordonia on a whim to compete for the future King's heart, fate stepping in when she fell for his best friend Drake instead, and all the political drama and everything leading up to the events that brought her to this particular hospital cafeteria. Despite the tears streaming down Ava’s face, the air about her felt a little bit lighter.

"I'm sorry." Charlie squeezed Ava’s hand from across the table. "This must be so scary for you, but Edenbrook is a great hospital. I'm sure Drake is in great hands. Do you know who his surgeon is? I probably know them or at least know of them.”

Ava pursed her lips in concentration. “Dr, La-....hala? I think it’s something like that.”

Charlie smirked. “Young, kind of surfer boy-esque, and cocky as all hell because he knows how good-looking he is?”

Ava laughed nervously. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Please tell me he’s also a good surgeon.”

“Dr. Lahela can be kind of cocky bastard at times, but I love him. And yes, he’s a great surgeon, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.”

“Wait…” Ava seemed to be putting the pieces together. “You like love, love him? Are you two-”

“Yes, Bryce is my boyfriend. I might not have been so complimentary about his other characteristics otherwise.”

They both devolved into laughter until Ava spoke up again. “I like your sense of humor. Sounds like you need it to put up with him, just like me with my….Drake.” Ava quiets for a moment and then asks, “So I take it you two met here at Edenbrook?”

“Well, that’s a funny story.” Charlie wondered if she really wanted to get into this with a relative stranger, but Ava had already shared so much and could probably use the distraction anyway. “We actually met at a strip club, and believe it or not, Bryce was a stripper.”

Ava’s eyes opened wide. “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Charlie inhaled deeply. “Okay, I don’t have a ton of time left on my break, so I’ll give you the condensed version. My med school friends dragged me out to a strip club to celebrate after we graduated. I was in a funk because I’d been recently dumped by the douchebag I thought I was going to marry and to top it off, I was set to be in my awful cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza and was in no mood to be questioned about the whereabouts of my plus one. Said friends paid for a private lap dance for me. In my drunken state, I got the bright idea to hire the stripper to be my fake boyfriend for the wedding. Somewhere along the way, fake boyfriend turned into real love interest. I learned he wasn’t just a stripper but had worked his way through med school and was about to hang up his banana hammocks to start his residency. As fate would have it, we’d both matched at Edenbrook and two years later, here we are.”

“Woah. And I thought mine and Drake’s relationship had an unconventional start.” Ava peeked down at her phone on the table. “I’m definitely going to need the feature-length presentation of this story another time, but my friend Maxwell just texted that Drake’s out of surgery!”

“That’s great news!” Charlie got up with Ava and walked out to the elevators with her. “I’ll walk you back up there since I’m headed that way.

Little did either of them know that this chance meeting would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Taglist: @ao719 @burnsoslow @sincerelyella @charlotteg234 @choiceswreckedme @walkerismychoice @txemrn @twinkleallnight @imashybish @blackcatkita @katedrakeohd @boneandfur @sfb123 @queenrileyrose @foreverethereal123 @kingliam2019 @nestledonthaveone @bebepac @petiteboheme @yukinagato2012 @princess-geek

**As always, if you want on or off my Tag List, let me know. **

[choicespride]

Valentine's Day 2024 Masterlist

Blades of Light and Shadow

Hades Nightbloom Valentine's Day Edits - m!elf!MC (Hades Nightbloom) - @peonyblossom

Iris of Riverbend Valentine's Day Edits - f!human!MC (Iris of Riverbend) - @peonyblossom

Bloodbound

By Any Other Name - Kamilah Sayeed x f!MC (Lucy West) - @thosehallowedhalls

High School Story

Jamie Baxter Valentine's Day Edits - nb!MC (Jamie Baxter) - @peonyblossom

Hollywood U

Cafe Whispers and Scone Kisses - Addison Sinclair x f!MC (Alex Spencer), Thomas Hunt x f!MC (Alex Spencer) (mentioned) - @theartoflovingthomashunt

Jackie Winters Valentine's Day Edits - nb!MC (Jackie Winters) - @peonyblossom

Thomas x Jackie Date Night - Thomas Hunt x nb!MC (Jackie Winters) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @peonyblossom

It Lives Anthology

Harry Spear Valentine's Day Edits - ILITW m!MC (Harry Spear) - @peonyblossom

Ollie Bridgers Valentine's Day Edits - ILW nb!MC (Ollie Bridgers) - @peonyblossom

Laws of Attraction

Date Night - Gabe Ricci x m!MC (Fiona Lightwood) - @choicesmc

Murder At Homecoming

Let Me Be Your Valentine, Saint Valentine - Donovan Navarro x/& nb!MC (Edelmina Stone) - @aallotarenunelma

Open Heart

Dr. Sydney Valentine Valentine's Day Edits - m!MC (Sydney Valentine) - @peonyblossom

Two Types of People - Bryce Lahela x m!MC (Jensen Valentine) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @mydemonsdrivealimo

when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love - Bryce Lahela x m!MC (Jensen Valentine) - @mydemonsdrivealimo

Perfect Match

Beach Love: "Glasses and Missy" at Komodo Island - Sloane Washington x Alana Kusuma - @lizzybeth1986

Wishful Thinking

Art Request - Anna Koishi x f!MC (Nyx) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @noesapphic

[peonierose]

Top 10 Funny Moments 🩷 For @choicesfandomappreciation

I actually saw @aallotarenunelma post this and I thought this is genius, and so I’m going to share some funny moments from my stories 🤣

Summers Kiss

”I’m pretty sure there’s no magic involved in sex. It was pretty much watching my ovulation, waiting and peeing on test stripes to see the words pregnant. But if it makes you feel better B let’s call it the magic of our bed.“

”It was our bodies who created the magic, the bed was just a side piece.“

Cake by the Ocean

”What? I’m just saying. I can’t even say that I knew there was something going on? Way harsh dude,“ he says

Soraya gives him a pointed look

”I‘m not your dude,“ she says.

Aunt Joe clears her throat and they both shut up.

Bittersweet Symphony

”You’re my date, you shouldn’t have to do that.“ I say and lean on the kitchen counter next to her.

She snorts.

”Did you get stuck in the 18th century Sinclair?“ She teases me and I have to laugh at that.

Nightbound vs. Hänsel and Gretel - Chapter 2: Strange Encounters

“Pie-boy is getting roasted. I knew something was missing,“ Nik says grinning.

Hänsel cracks his knuckles.

“Bite me blondie,“ Hänsel says.

Niks grin widens and he just smiles at my brother.

“I’m afraid you’re not my type,“ he winks.

Neon Lights

”Get a room,“ Ethan and Aubrey say at the same time.

Bryce and I grin and share a smile.

”Is it just me? Or does anyone else think this is creepy?“ Elijah asks and I add.

”Me too. They’re almost the same person. Though Ethan is a bit grumpier, which makes him adorable,“ I say and Sienna nods in my direction.

”I thought I was the only one who thought so,“ she says and we fist-bump each other.

Ethan sighs deeply.

”Can we please just play? I don’t want to have front-row seats for Lahela's make-out session. I’m getting annoyed by this banter and about the fact that you’re trying to make it about me,“ he says his tone getting grumpy.

Bryce can’t resist adding.

”Oh come on man you’d learn a thing or two,“ B adds.

Ethan just sighs.

”If you’re talking about tips on how to make out? I’ll pass. Thanks though,“ Ethan replies.

Peppermint Kisses

“Buddy you picked the wrong nonna to pickpocket.“ I say and pull out my phone to dial Mafalda’s number.

“What’s a nonna dude? It’s not some weird fetish you guys have, is it? Because I don’t want any part of that.“ Zac stated.

“Nonna is the Italian word for grandmother you genius.“ I replied.

“Have you no manners? First, you steal and now you’re being a little punk?“ Trystan asks but Zac just rolls his eyes.

Girls Night Out - Chapter 3 - Streaking past your neighbors house

“I wish I had such good-looking strippers at my bachelorette party,“ Addi chimes in.

Both officers exchange looks, then turn to us again.

“You’re married ma’am?“ Officer Clarke asks, he looks more closely at Addi now.

“Well it’s complicated,“ Addi sighs

“I’m sure it is,“ Officer Clarke says his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“If we can’t have a lap dance, would you like one? So we can all forget about this little incident?“ I ask moving closer, but Sofia stops me with a hand on my arm.

“You are going to get us into trouble,“ Sofia mutters under her breath.

“And you are?“ Officer Kane turns to Sofia all mirth gone, replaced by a serious look on his face.

“Just an innocent bystander Sir. I was trying to help,“ Sofia stutters.

Home is where the heart is

”How’s the pregnancy going? Any weird food cravings that drive Bryce up the wall?“ he jokes and laughs.

”Does Bryce count as a food craving?“ I ask.

I am trying to act serious but I have to laugh at Ethan’s expression. He looks as if he bit into a lemon.

”I shouldn’t have asked,“ he mumbles.

Go Blonder

”Oh for fucks sake. Why in three hells are you only in your underwear Dr. Varma?“

Ethan’s voice. And he sounds super annoyed.

”I didn’t have any clean clothes,“ she says not wanting to admit she lost a bet.

He sighs

”You could’ve worn anything else. Please get something else to wear. This is just inappropriate,“ he says

”I can’t do that,“ she says.

He squints his eyes at her. Realizing there might be more to it.

”Clothes Varma. Now. And no that wasn’t a request,“ he says

Jackie laughs

”Aye aye sir,“ Jackie salutes and goes to get on some clothes.

You can see Ethan pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

”What kind of madhouse am I working at? I need a vacation,“ he mutters to himself. That’s when the video ends.

Go with the Flow

”Alright let’s go, before you turn into a popsicle,“ I laugh.

She just gives me the finger.

Which makes me laugh even harder and I have to stop and hold my stomach.

“So feisty today I like that side of yours,“ I kiss her fingers, which are ice cold.