SHE | alex karev

chapter one

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CHAPTER ONE
a hard day's night.
episode one, season one.

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SEATTLE GRACE HOSPITAL
NORTH ENTRANCE

Billie felt the anxiety and excitement brewing together in the deepest coffins of her stomach as she read the sign perched at the front entrance of the hospital she was supposed to spend the next seven years in. A simple statement depicted in bright red letters in uppercase that seemed far too bright for her mushy brain at five thirty in the morning, and that made her body tingle due to the meaning they conveyed. Hastily, praying to all the gods above that she was in the right place, Billie stopped her motorbike on the first free spot she found, kicked out the lever and jumped to the ground as she took off the black matte helmet. A gust of wind seeped its way under her hair, to the nape of her neck, making her hairs stand on end and her skin bristle in anticipation. Trembling, Billie tucked her helmet under her arm.

In front of her, the hospital seemed huge, and inside, she knew the place held a world's worth of new challenges that she'd soon have to face, whether she wanted or not. She had thought it over and over before accepting the residency offer at Seattle Grace Hospital, but in the end, it had all come down to simply wanting to escape. The inexhaustible necessity to get as far away as possible from New York had led her to randomly pick out one e-mail out of the bunch of them, and the chosen one had turned out to be Richard Webber's personal letter to her mailbox. Not the best, but one of them. For now, it would do.

But... first days were clearly not her forte.

Billie took the short stroll down the sidewalk and finally arrived at the doors. It took her a hot second to get used to the idea of walking into what would now be her workspace. This was not college or med school, let alone high school. This was not New York. This was Seattle and it was grown people's business, because she was now an adult and she was now a surgeon, so she had to take things seriously. She had to behave and put on a good show for her superiors if she wanted to achieve her goal, which was receiving a board certification in neurosurgery. Just like her mom.

With a recomposing sigh, Billie pushed open the glass doors that led her into the main lobby of the hospital. Wide place, staircases, a tall ceiling, and those fancy ceramic floors every hospital seems to have. Even a landing strip a few meters above. She walked in and soon spotted what she assumed was the on-growing multitude of newbies, interns, that were here on their first day, just like her. And even though she hated people who were too eager to make a good first impression, she couldn't help but fix her hair as she picked her spot at the very back of the group of interns, by a tall guy with a relaxed expression.

The man wore a loose beige jacket, a gray t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants, and did not take long to notice her presence by his side. Immediately, he roughed-out a lopsided smirk and tended his hand for her.

"Hey. I'm Alex," he introduced himself calmly.

Billie smiled and stretched his hand comfortably. Maybe making new friends would not be as hard as she thought it would.

"Hi. Billie. Nice to meet you," she greeted.

Soon, she was able to make out the voice of a man who gave out a speech at the very front. She let go of Alex's hand and tried to spot the source of that voice through, the many heads, but it was impossible. After a second, her curiosity faded and she stopped trying; her focus immediately went to the nurses station for no reason in particular. The deep, solemn voice kept speaking his wise words, although now Billie wasn't really paying attention. When the mass of interns started moving down the hallway, she followed without much care. Up a staircase and finally, into an operating room.