flatline [m.s]

lxiv.

- - -
it's impossible to describe the panic that comes over you when you're a surgeon and your pager goes off in the middle of the night. your heart starts to race. your mind freezes. your fingers go numb. you're invested. there's someone's mom, someone's dad, someone's kid. and now, it's on you because that someone's life is in your hands.
- - -

alex and jackson are sat at the kitchen island, eating cereal when april walks in, holding her laundry basket.

"okay, i get that you like to put your dirty clothes in my laundry because, frankly, if you didn't, you'd never have any clean clothes. fine. i will wash your dirty underpants. but you know what? i am not okay with washing your skank of the week's dirty underpants," april rants to alex, using a pencil to pick up a thong and hold it in front of him, earning a chuckle off jackson

"uh, actually those are... lia's," jackson says, following alex's silence, as he takes the underwear off the pencil. "thank you."

"oh," april stammers in surprise. "she wh-"

"oh, yeah," jackson cuts her off with a smirk.

"okay. never mind," april dismisses, before exiting the kitchen.

"not lia's," jackson says, tossing the underwear to alex once april is out of sight.

"nope," alex agrees. "lauren, third floor radiology."

"oh. nice," jackson nods, as they high five using their elbows.

■ ■ ■

"you're looking awfully sexy today," jackson smirks from behind lia as he approaches her whilst she's updating the o.r board.

she finishes writing, and then puts the pen down before turning round to face him with a smile.

"i'm wearing my scrubs," lia laughs. "i look the same as i always do."

"how about i take you out tonight?" he continues to smirk, as he leans into her slightly, and begins to rub her arm gently.

"mm," she hums, chewing the inside of her lip as she leans towards him.

"we could go to that thai place you like, and then-" he cuts himself of when he looks over lia to see his mother stood, looking around. he uses the hand that he was using to rub lia's arm to gently push her to the side, causing her to stumble. "mom?"

"there's my baby," catherine beams, walking over to him with open arms, engulfing him in a hug. lia regains her balance whilst scowling at jackson from behind catherine. when catherine turns around to greet her, she quickly replaces her scowl with a smile. "and you must be alivia."

"it's great to finally meet you, dr. avery," lia smiles, as catherine hugs her and jackson furrows his brow in confusion.

"and you, dear. it would've been sooner if this one hadn't been determined to hide you under a rock," she laughs, gesturing to jackson. "and please, call me catherine."

"w- what are you, uh, doing here, mom?" jackson asks, with his brow still furrowed.

"now is that any way to greet your mother?" catherine raises her eyebrow.