⸻
The hospital didn't feel like a trap anymore.
Not today.
The halls weren't dark. The lights didn't flicker. The vents didn't hum like a warning. The air wasn't thick with fear.
It felt... normal.
For the first time in years, Melinda Sage woke up not wondering if she'd survive the day—
but wondering what kind of coffee she wanted.
She sat in bed with her knees tucked to her chest, wearing a set of deep blue surgical scrubs Webber had ordered personally. Her new hospital badge rested lightly on her collar—fresh plastic, laminated, and real.
Melinda Sage, Trauma-Neuro Research Fellow.
Alex appeared in the doorway with two coffees in hand and the most obvious "I'm totally not in love with this girl" expression you've ever seen on a man.
He tossed her the drink with a smirk.
"No decaf. I like my coffee the same way I like my trauma cases—unnecessarily intense."
Melinda snorted. "And bitter?"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That's how you treat the guy who spoon-fed you Jell-O and chased your nurse away so you could sleep?"
"I only chase you away," she said, sipping. "And you don't go."
He smiled. "Told you I'm not leaving."
⸻
Later that morning...
Cristina Yang stood at the nurse's station like she ran the building—and, in many ways, she did.
She didn't look up when Melinda approached, Alex at her side like an unshakable shadow.
"You're late," Cristina said.
"I wasn't told a time," Melinda answered.
"Exactly. You're already behind." Cristina shoved a tablet into her hands. "Let's see if the girl who dissected her own trauma reports can observe a central line placement without flinching."
Melinda smiled slightly. "You know I can."
"Don't get cocky," Cristina snapped, but Melinda caught the faint twitch of amusement in her mouth before she turned.
Alex leaned over and whispered, "She likes you."
"I know."
"...I'm scared for both of us."
⸻
Two hours later — Observation Bay
Melinda stood next to Meredith Grey as Cristina worked on the patient, cool and focused, tossing over commands like she was conducting an orchestra made of scalpels.
"You don't look nervous," Meredith said quietly, watching her.
"I'm not," Melinda replied.
"You've already seen the worst people can do."
Melinda nodded. "And I'm not scared of bodies anymore."
Meredith looked over at her and smiled softly.
"You're gonna change this place."
Melinda blinked. "Why?"
"Because people like you don't walk in with degrees. They walk in with purpose."
⸻
That evening — rooftop, post-shift
Melinda sat cross-legged on the bench, watching the city lights shimmer in the glass windows across the street.
Alex dropped down next to her with two grilled cheese sandwiches wrapped in foil.
"I love that we eat like interns even though technically you're more important than half of them," he said.
"I'm not important," Melinda murmured.
Alex didn't correct her.
He just leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. Light. Warm. Safe.
Melinda froze—but didn't pull away.
And when she looked at him, really looked, something inside her softened.
"I could get used to this," she whispered.
"You already have."
⸻
ESTÁS LEYENDO
Code A++
FanfictionShe came in unconscious with a cracked skull and a past that read like a case file. Melinda Sage wasn't supposed to survive the trauma buried in her bones. But she did. What she didn't expect was Alex Karev. The surgeon who didn't ask stupid questio...
