Drawn Lines
"In any event... the battle lines have been drawn now. For better or for worse."
________________________________________
Still in Leland Bloom's office, Blue and Jackie stared at each other as they found out that Suzette's participation in the billionaire's study was not going to be beneficial for her at all. In fact, it could do more harm than good.
"I need to tell Ethan about this right away..." Blue responded, a frustrated glare making its way up her features. "He was right... we both were. This whole trial will be a waste of time for Suzette... and she doesn't even know it." With that, she snapped a quick picture of the file, and Jackie nodded affirmatively.
"Let's get the hell out while the getting's good!" Jackie alerted her friend. The both of them stepped out of Leland's office, ensuring that everything was back in their place and that the lights were switched off and door closed. They met up with Esme, who was dutifully standing outside to keep watch just in case Leland decided to return early.
"So? Find anything good?" the second-year resident asked her seniors.
"Not good, exactly, but definitely useful." Blue sighed softly before giving Jackie and Esme a light smile. "Thanks for helping me out with this. It could change everything for Suzette."
"Any time... especially if you promise I get to play spy again." Jackie grinned.
Chuckling, Blue waved goodbye to the both of them and hurried off down the hall to share what she had just figured out with Ethan and Harper, especially the former.
》》》
As she entered the diagnotics team's office, Blue found Ethan poring over several patient files, a frown furrowing his sharp brows, while Harper looked on.
"Not this one." Ethan was telling the Head of Neuro as he closed a file and picked up another. "No, not this one either."
"What, none of them sound interesting?" Blue spoke up as she walked further into the room. Ethan and Harper looked up from the files they were looking at when they noticed the youngest in their team entering. Ethan's troubled aquamarines seemed to ease a little at the sight of her, though neither one of the women noticed it at that moment.
"Most of them have sounded interesting to me." Harper replied, using her eyes to communicate to Blue that Ethan was the one who seemed to be having a problem with the cases to be chosen.
"But we have to be careful." Ethan said with a sigh as he watched Blue take her seat at the conference table next to him. "Now that we know Bloom might go behind our backs and manipulate patients at any point in the process... We can't risk him giving false hope to more patients, or using them to further his own ends. I need to find a case where he can't do damage."
"Sounds to me like... we should be cautious." Blue replied as she took in Ethan's reaction to their whole circumstance. Leland was seriously not giving them any room for transition and forcing his own ideologies and principles on a team that Ethan was trying his very best to run smoothly, even with one man down. "Bloom knows that anybody we discharge could be vulnerable. It'll be easy for him to silde in and talk them into his trials."
"Exactly." Ethan agreed, clenching his fist in resolution. "I won't be complicit in his preying on vulnerable, desperate people."
"Vulnerable or not, patients have the right to choose how they proceed with their treatment. Even when we don't agree with their choice." Harper countered her team members' points. "Besides, refusing to take on patients because of what Bloom might do just means that more people won't get the help they need." she added, a point that neither Blue nor Ethan could rebut for they agreed with that statement. Their main priority was always the patients.
"You're not wrong... but there are more patients here than we can ever hope to treat. For now, we should proceed with caution." Ethan told her with a light sigh before turning to Blue with a slightly more hopeful gaze. "Moving on, Blue did you learn anything from Baz?" he asked her and she nodded in response.
"Apparently, Bloom is fast-tracking any research projects focusing on harmful compounds, reactions, or immunoresponses." Blue answered. She watched as her boyfriend's frown deepened into a harsh glare.
"You mean anything that might have a chance of curing him and his wife." he gritted through his teeth and Blue nodded with a frown as well.
"Still... anything he uncovers will help with the treatment of those conditions in general. And they don't get enough attention." Harper replied, her mindset towards this issue of sorts, completely varying to the other two.
"That's not all, though." Blue backed up her point. "Apparently, Baz didn't decide to go into research on his own. Bloom strongly encouraged him to make the switch." she informed them, locking eyes with Ethan in a knowing gaze which signified that they were right in guessing that Leland was the reason for Baz's withdrawal. On the other hand, Harper did not seem to have expected that piece of information probably due to the fact that she was not fully privy to the the billionaire's capabilities and motives like Blue and Ethan were.
"So Bloom poached Baz from the team? Does Baz know why?" Harper asked Blue.
"What does it matter?" Ethan answered instead, his features clearly trouble once again. "We're all just pawns to our new leader. Especially the patients. While you two were doing your rounds, I spent more time digging into the preliminary data on this compound." He turned the screen of his tablet to show what he had researched to the two ladies. "It's not even intended to bind to amyloid proteins. They're only including patients like Suzette on the off-chance it acts in the way they hadn't anticipated."
"So you're saying." Blue trailed as she averted her gaze from Ethan's tablet to his aquamatines that seemed to hold a combination of frustration and helplessness.
"The chance that it does anything for her are slim to none." he finished the sentence for her. Blue pursed her lips for her second, wondering if she should tell the two senior doctors what she had found out in Leland's office, half afraid that she would be reprimanded for spying in the literal hospital owner's office. Nonetheless, she felt that they deserved to know.
"Actually... it's even worse than that. I was able to get a look at the patient files." Blue told them. "Suzette's been put in the placebo group."
"Oh no..." Harper let out, finally being able to realize the downside to this circumstance.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Ethan confirmed again with her, not wanting to jump into conclusions all to soon, in case any of them were to make a rash decision that would only make the team's standing with the biilionaire any worse. Blue nodded mournfully in response. Pinching his eyes closed for a long moment, Ethan got up to his feet, pacing back and forth the conference table and his desk with a deep frown. "So she'll be delaying regular treatment, getting her hopes up, and there's no chance whatsoever this can help her. In six months time, she'll be back to the starting line, dispirited and behind on her disease management."
The three of them stayed silent for a prolonged moment, letting the whole reality settle on them for a second, before Ethan spoke up again.
"I knew Bloom couldn't be trusted. I have to get our patient out of that trial. I have to do something." he said with determination, eager not to let Leland's selfish actions affect any of his patients.
"Ethan... I don't think there's anything we can do." Harper told him. "Suzette has made her choice, and we have to respect that. I don't like this any more than you do, but I like the idea of antagonizing Bloom even less. He's got too much power."
"So we just let him win?" Ethan asked trying his best to control his anger that was directed more towards Leland than Harper actually.
"No. We pick our battles." Harper replied calmly, though it was obvious that she did not really want Ethan to let his anger get the best of him. "If we let Bloom have this one... then we'll be in a better position to fight for the next patient when it counts." Ethan shook his head, face contorted with so much frustration that Blue had to restrain herself from reaching out to him as Harper was still there. Harper sighed at Ethan's reaction, getting up to leave as she had to prep for a surgery soon. She placed a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder as she passed him. "Let it go, Ethan. There are other patients to help." She gave Blue a look that almost screamed like 'Please convince him' before slipping out of the office.
The couple sat together in silence for a brief moment after Harper exited before finally, Ethan shook his head.
"Harper's wrong." he said, looking up to meet Blue's questioning gaze with a determined one. "I can still talk to Suzette and convince her to drop out of the study."
"You mean, go behind Bloom's back?" Blue asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise that Ethan of all people, was suggesting going behind authority.
"Turnabout's fair play." Ethan replied, the casualness in his tone indicating that he was more than done with Leland meddling in the team's business, and that he had decided to give tit-for-tat. "Besides, as Harper said, it's Suzette's decision." His aquamarines softened as he rolled his chair towards Blue a little. "Would you join me? You're always so thoughtful of patients' needs... I'm sure you'd help her realize we have her best interests at heart."
Blue thought about it for a long moment. While she did not really want to risk it out with Leland, and making rash, impulsive decisions had never always given her the best outcomes in the past two years, if successful, Suzette would be able to benefit greatly from having this additional information. After giving her the bad news, and having taken the trouble to cheer her up by dressing up as superheroes for the kids in PEDs ward for her, Blue felt a sense of responsibility for Suzette's well-being even after she had been discharged. She also knew that Ethan would not have made such a risky decision without thinking through it in proper.
"I'll join you." she accepted his request, and Ethan's demeanour immediately relaxed, a small relieved smile etched on his face.
"Thank you. I don't know if I'd be able to manage this on my own without you, but I'm absolutely convinced it's the best option." he told her. Blue smiled at him in response, as the both of them stood up to leave for Suzette's room after checking that their schedule for lunch was clear.
Together, they arrived in Suzette's room that she was readmitted to by Leland. They found her staring thoughtfully out of the window at the summer view of Boston. Noticing them, a warm smile spread across her face, the same smile she had when Blue first met her.
"Dr. Hunter! Good to see you again. Turns out you hadn't seen the last of me after all!" Suzette greeted Blue excitedly.
"Actually, that's sort of why we're here." Blue smiled as she and Ethan came to a stop next to the patient's bed. She gestured a palm towards Ethan. "I'm sure you remember Dr. Ramsey."
"Of course, how can I forget Captain America who saved the kids day?" Suzette chuckled, making Ethan smile at that. The patient's smile deterred a little and was replaced with slight confusion. "But... what's made me the belle of the diagnostics ball?" she asked.
"We wanted to talk with you about the research trial you've enrolled in." Ethan cut straight to the chase.
"Must be my lucky day!" Suzette grinned. "I had some questions I wanted to ask about it myself." Blue and Ethan exchanged a glance, with the former giving the latter a nod of assurance.
"Would you want to discuss it over lunch?" Ethan asked Suzette. "You're free to come and go from the hospital as you please." A small smile made its way up his face as he snuck another look at Blue. "It would be my treat, of course." he added, making Blue chuckle. Suzette looked between the two doctors with an intrigued smile, clearly sensing chemistry between them even though they were extremely good at hiding it. The main giveaway for her was the ever so stoic Dr. Ramsey being the one to make jovial Dr. Hunter laugh.
"Free lunch, good company, and a chance to stretch my legs? Sounds like a win-win!" Suzette agreed to the doctors' invitation to lunch. "Any recommendations?"
"I know a great place for Morrocon. It's called, Baraka." Blue suggested, remembering the good food she had once with Raf and Aurora in that restaurant.
"Oooh, that sounds delicious!" Suzette responded, getting out of her bed as swiftly as she was able to. "Let me just get changed, then you can lead the way!"
》》》
Blue, Ethan and Suzette took a short walk to Baraka, a Moroccon restaurant near Edenbrook.
The restaurant was shaped with intricate carvings, arched doorways and colourful fabrics. The tables and seats were all set low to the ground, and featured metalwork and ornate wood carvings. Stunning Moroccon lanterns were hung in clusters over each booth. The area was also peppered with indoor plants that gave the restaurant an authentic Moroccon vibe.
The three of them slipped into a booth, Blue and Ethan sitting next to each other with Suzette on the opposite side of them. They thumbed through the menu while a waiter approached and poured mint Cherbet for them.
"Welcome to Baraka! What can I get for you today?" the waiter asked after pouring cherbet for them, leaving the jug on the table for them to refill if they wanted to.
"Mmm, I think I'll try the beef kefta." Suzette ordered first, pointing to the dish she wanted on the menu, clearly excited to eat something that was not hospital food.
"The chicken pastilla, please." Ethan ordered next.
"The house specialty tangine for me, please. Thank you." Blue ordered for herself as well.
While they waited for their food to arrive, Blue kept the atmosphere between them light, catching up on details of Suzette's life outside of the hospital.
"...And then she said 'but Aunt Suzette always sleeps in the closet. She told me so'." Suzette narrated an incident with her niece to the two doctors.
"Oh man. Your niece sounds absolutely precious, Suzette." Blue chuckled, ever amused with the antics of kids in general.
"See, I would have said she sounds like a handful, but I guess that's what kids are." Suzette laughed, a woeful smile settling on her face. "I don't have the ability to have them, so I see her as my own." Blue and Ethan gave her an empathetic smile at that, but Suzette's smile remained. "But I'm certain that you two would be great parents in the future considering how amazing you were with them the other day when we visit the kids ward." she told the two doctors.
"We... erm..." Blue stammered out as she shared a weary glance with Ethan, the both of them wondering if they had been way too obvious in front of their patient.
"No, I meant with your respective current or future partners!" Suzette explained quickly as she noticed their reaction, though a spark of suspicion ignited in her at the way the both of their ears flushed red. "Unless... I don't want to assume but..." she trailed with uncertainty.
"We would say your assumption is well... correct." Ethan admitted, not really seeing the point in hiding it from Suzette and making it bigger than it should be. After all, she was not their direct patient anymore. He looked to Blue for assurance if she was okay with it, and she simply smiled in response. "We've just been keeping professional at work."
"Your secret's safe with me, don't worry." Suzette told them sincerely, a wide smile still on her face. "I don't know you two personally, but from what I see, you make each other extremely happy. Hope you remain this way always." she wished them geniunely.
Blue and Ethan gave her grateful smiles, their hands intertwining under the table instinctively, a touch of reassurance between them. The three of them conversed a little more, straying the conversation away from their relationship to more of Suzette's charity works. Only once their food had arrived, and they had all taken their first delicious bites, did Blue and Ethan get down to business.
"So Suzette, how have you been feeling lately? Physically, I mean." Blue asked her as she took a bite of her lamb tangine.
"Pretty good, all things considered!" Suzette replied all too positively.
"Really?" Ethan asked, almost expecting a catch. True to his doubts, Suzette's smile dimmed slightly.
"Well, mostly." she sighed in response. "My treatment's been going well, and I'm looking forward to the trial, but... To be honest, there are some things about it that have me worried." Blue and Ethan shared a meaningful look at each other, knowing that it was a good opening to thread on the topic.
"What's bothering you about it, Suzette?" Blue questioned.
"It's not one big thing, more like... a lot of little things." Suzette answered honestly, uncertainty etched on her features. "For one, I couldn't find any information about the trial anywhere..."
"Other than the package Bloom gave you, I assume?" Ethan asked with one brow raised.
"Exactly. And even that raised some questions!" Suzette responded with her hands outstretched. "They're researching so many diseases, and most of them are nothing like amyloidosis. But beyond that... I don't know. There was a vibe from Mr. Bloom... it felt more like a salesman than a scientist, if that makes sense?" she elaborated.
"Suzette..." Blue let out a light sigh before telling her, "Bloom is just using you."
"What do you mean?" Suzette reeled back a little in surprise.
"Bloom's not aiming to cure amyloidosis. He's focused on a different disease, and he figures this study can help him cure that." Blue explained.
"But then why am I in the study at all?" Suzette could not help but question, taking a sip of her cherbet to ground her confused state of mind.
"Because the disease he's interested in also deals with the buildup of proteins in the body." Blue put it simply for her. "But I'd bet anything the treatment is meant to target those specific proteins."
"Beyond that, this isn't an official, government-regulated study." Ethan added as he finished up the last bite of his food. "Trials like this usually take years of careful research, double-blind testing, strict adherence to rules..."
"But Bloom isn't doing any of that. He's just calling it 'exploratory' so he can do whatever he likes, letting things break until he finds what he wants." Blue told her.
"But... I'm one of the things he's messing with to get what he wants!" Suzette exclaimed, her expression changing from one of disbelief to anger, directed at Leland. "I knew it! I knew something was off. I can't believe he'd try to trick me that way!" The doctors let the information settle on Suzette for a short while before a relieved and grateful smile etched on her face as she looked at them again. "Thank goodness I have you two in my corner. I had so many questions, but I didn't know who to turn to for real answers."
"We're happy to help." Ethan smiled geniunely, relieved himself that they were able to convince Suzette. "Giving you the information to make your own decisions is part of being a doctor."
"Well, thanks to your info, my decision is to pull out of that stupid study and get back to my regular treatment!" Suzette replied.
Beneath the table, Ethan slid his hand over Blue's again, squeezing it once. When she turned, he was looking at her already, his aquamarines filled with a mix of tenderness and gratitude. Blue returned his smile, squeezing his hand as well, relishing the warmth of it. Their hands remained in each others as they turned back to Suzette.
"How's your treatment going, by the way?" Blue asked her.
"Really well, actually!" Suzette answered as she took a sip of her drink. "I'd lined up a long-term care plan, and it's already making me feel a lot better. I actually had second thoughts about stopping the treatment... But I figured it was worth the risk to try and cure it for good."
"So your primary physician is satisfied with your progress?" Ethan checked with her.
"Super satisfied!" Suzette grinned in response. "He says my response to the treatment has been excellent, and that the disease hasn't actually progressed that far! With careful management, he thinks I could live a long, full life. When I think about Bloom putting that in danger without warning me about the risks..." She shuddered at the thought. Ethan frowned, his hand tightening his grip on Blue's hand, clearly troubled by the same idea. Blue rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand soothingly as she smiled positively at Suzette.
"So it sounds like watching your niece graduate could be in the cards after all!" she told Suzette with a wide grin.
"Speaking of that, I meant to tell you... my sister brought the kids to visit me the other day, and you know what they did?" Suzette asked, her eyes welling with tears slightly. "My niece dressed up in a cap and gown and said she was going to graduate right now so I could see. It was so sweet, I was about to cry... Until her brother announced he wants to 'grad-did-date' too, then took her cap and flung it down the hall like a frisbee!" she laughed between happy tears.
"I'll bet that was a hit with the nurses." Ethan joked. Blue rolled her eyes with a laugh while Suzette burst out into a geniune string of laughter. The tense and somber mood dissolved eventually, and before long, they had finished a pleasant meal.
"I should get going." Suzette as she checked the time on her watch. "I need to tell the study administrator that I'm dropping out." She looked at the two doctors with the utmost sincerity in her brown eyes and clasped both their hands with heartfelt thanks. "Thank you again, so much."
She bid her goodbyes to the both of them, promising to keep in touch even after withdrawing from the study. Once she had left the restaurant, Ethan let the sigh of relief he was holding in finally as he turned to Blue. He brought their intertwined hands to his lips, kissing the back of hers softly.
"Thank you, Rookie." he told her, making her smile at his heartfelt use of her nickname. "You were a huge help."
"Oh, I'm sure you would have managed fine without me." Blue chuckled, curling into her boyfriend's side as he released their hands to wrap his arm around her instead.
"I don't think so." Ethan shook his head in disagreement. "I was so angry about Bloom's behaviour that I would have had a hard time keeping my cool." He rubbed her side gently over her medical coat. "But being near you always makes me feel calmer... and more hopeful."
"Because I'm such an amazing diagnostician, you mean?" Blue teased, tilting her head up to nuzzle her nose against his jaw playfully, making him chuckle.
"You are..." he replied, leaning down to kiss her nose. "But I actually meant the emotional effect you have on me. You were exactly as supportive and convincing as I hoped. You helped Suzette see for herself the right way forward without giving away the whole placebo information which would be confidential even if the whole trial is unauthorized."
"Well, you can thank me with a kiss." Blue said cheekily, missing the way they had both been able to be with each other in the closed doors of his apartment and the supply closet just the other day. They had no idea how long more they had to keep themselves a secret in the hospital, but with Leland not making it any easier for them, it was certainly proving to be difficult. Nonetheless, they just to make the most out of the moments they did have away from the hospital.
"Hm... you drive a hard bargain." Ethan said teasingly, as his hand smoothened the length of her hair before a handsome grin made its way up his face. "Luckily, it's one I'm very, very happy to accept."
Ethan's fingers trailed down Blue's cheek to her lips, outlining the shape of her mouth. He bent down, his lips grazing her cheek, causing shivers to run through her body despite the warm lighting of their secluded booth. He brushed his mouth against the hollow of her temple then traced her jawline, clearly prolonging the moment as much as he could to tease her.
The aching anticipation for his kiss was suddenly too much, and Blue reached up to pull his face towards hers. Ethan chuckled lightly at her impatience, finally giving in and kissing her gently. Blue knotted her fists into his medical coat, pulling him closer to her. Ethan groaned softly against her lips, large hands encircling her against him.
Ethan fumbled a little as he pushed her caramel locks behind her shoulders to kiss her ear, whispering softly, "I love you." Blue pulled back slightly with a soft smile, her heart settling amidst the mess back in Edenbrook.
"I love you too." she responded, tracing the line of his sculpted cheekbone with her fingertip, a dreamlike intensity in her emerald gaze. "I am glad that we at least get moments like these to escape the shitshow that happens back at the hospital sometimes." she said, making Ethan chuckle in agreement.
"Agreed." he replied, one hand sliding into her coat and fiddling with her cream blouse absently. "We both get off work a little early today. Do you want to stay over at mine tonight?"
"I would love to." Blue answered, and he immediately took her lips in his again, his breath hot against her skin as she hummed softly against him. They were starting to lose themselves in each other when...
"Can I... Oh!" The couple pulled away from each other to see the waiter that was serving them looking at them with surprise and embarrassment. "Erm... I'll just come back." he said hurriedly as he rushed away from the booth, making Blue and Ethan chuckle sheepishly out of embarrassment.
"I think that's our cue to get the check." Blue told him, adjusting her clothes and hair before standing up from the booth.
"I suppose we should be getting back." Ethan chuckled, fixing his own clothes before leaning down to kiss her lips one more time. "But you should know... I intend to come back for seconds very soon." His charming smile, thrilled Blue and she blushed as he waved the waiter over to settle their bill.
"Think we should tip him for scarring his poor eyes with our less than appropriate PDA?" Blue joked, giggling as Ethan rolled his eyes, lips threatening to curl up into a smile.
"Shut up, Rookie."
》》》
Back at the diagnostics team's office, back in their professional setting, Ethan made a quick call while Blue sat at the conference table, going through some of the patients' file...
Soon, Ethan was finished with his call, and he moved to stand behind Blue's seat as she tilted her head to look up at him for any updates.
"It's confirmed." he squeezed her shoulder gently before taking a seat on his usual chair. "Suzette's pulled herself out of the study. Bloom will be livid when he finds out."
"Do you think he would take it out on the team?" Blue asked, a little worried now that she thought about it.
"He might." Ethan nodded, leaning forward towards her as he placed a hand on her knee. "Which is why I want you to act like you're completely in the dark if he mentions this to you. Getting Suzette to abandon the trial was my decision. I don't want you to take any responsibility for it."
"Ethan, you should address it head on." Blue told him, holding onto his hand firmly. "Tell Bloom what you've done and why. He's going to figure it out sooner or later."
"I hear you..." Ethan sighed, fiddling slightly with her fingers. "But confronting him directly could put the entire team in jeapardy. He has already been doing so many things without any retaliation. But now that we have, I can only imagine what extent he would be willing to go to."
Blue exhaled softly, being able to understand where he was coming from as well. She watched as Ethan shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, a look of grim determination on his face when he straightened up in his seat again.
"In any event... the battle lines have been drawn now. For better or for worse." Ethan told Blue, with the latter nodding in agreement.
The drawn lines were sure to have an impending consequence in time to come, but with Ethan's hand in hers, Blue had the confidence that they would find the strength to face it together.
...
Author's Note
•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•
The drama with Bloom is slowly evolving, and Huntsey have made their first move against Bloom.😯
What would this mean for the team and would Bloom get his payback for this?🤔
Huntsey as always coming in with the fluff🥰, and while they had a bit of tension in the recent chaps, they are still wholesome as ever0, although that may change real soon as well😅😪. However, we also see Blue being a great support for Ethan in this time of unpredictable and frustrating changes and vice-versa.💖
The next chapter is gonna have little to zero Ethan, BUT it's another important chapter for the development of the main plot, so do look forward to it as there is gonna be a lot of mysteries and clues🧐, so time for you guys to sharpen your theories on what exactly Leland Bloom is up to.🤯
If you guys liked this chap, please do vote and comment what you thought of it. Stay safe, healthy and happy always!❤
♡ Kiara