trauma [m.s]

xxxii.

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when you're little, night time is scary because there are monsters hiding right under the bed. when you get older, the monsters are different.
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"somebody, uh, paged me?" mark's voice is low as he leans on the e.r nurses station in front of chloe who has her eyes focused on the computer screen ahead of her.

"yeah, that was me," chloe nods, lifting her head, her breath hitching slightly as they lock eyes. "uh, bed seven."

mark nods his head, but doesn't speak or make any effort to move away from chloe, their eyes firmly locked together. after realising she's been looking at mark for far too long, chloe clears her throat as her forehead creases and she moves her attention back to the computer.

once she has looked away, mark can't help the smirk that creeps onto his face as he pushes himself off the counter and turns to head over to his patient. as he walks away, chloe's eyes subtly glance up from the computer to watch him.

"where do you need me now?" joe asks as he walks up to the nurses station, but she's so busy looking at mark that she doesn't acknowledge him. "dr. altman?"

"sorry," chloe shakes her head in attempt to clear it before she turns towards joe. "did you say something?"

"i asked where you need me now," joe reiterates with a lighthearted chuckle.

"oh, um..." chloe's brow furrows as she looks up at the e.r board. "could you run some labs, please, on dr. sloan's patient in bed seven?"

"sure," joe nods and chloe smiles at him before she reverts back to her work on the computer but he doesn't move. "so you and dr. sloan, uh... you're together?"

"uh..." chloe lifts her head back up, her eyes slightly widened. "uh, mark and i are, um, just friends," she tells him, not really knowing what her and mark were right now. "he's... mark sloan and i'm knitting a sweater. and, uh, well, i guess i'm rambling, which i tend to do a lot of lately, and i wish somebody would just tell me to shut up. but my point is, yeah, we're- we're, uh, he's mark and i am knitting a sweater."

"so you're single?" joe's brow raises, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"single?" chloe repeats, her voice raising an octave.

"i ask because i was wondering if you'd like to go out with me," joe explains.

"out, with you?" chloe slowly repeats.

"on a date, tonight?" joe elaborates.

"date, tonight?" chloe forces an awkward smile, her head nodding up and down.

"and you're repeating everything i say so that you can buy yourself some time and figure out an easy way to let me down," joe shrugs his shoulders. "it's okay. i get it," he nods, turning to walk away.

"no, no, no. i- i- i, uh..." chloe stammers, pushing herself to her feet and he spins back around. "you know, you're very... it's just that, if i were, you would..." chloe screws her eyes shut, momentarily, as she feels herself beginning to ramble again. "not dating."

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self doubt, loneliness, regret. and though you may be older and wiser, you still find yourself scared of the dark.
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