My first day in the new wing of the hospital begins with me clocking in late. I throw my coffee in the trash and look at my schedule for today—it's pretty empty, but Julie already warned me about that. I'm in the busiest wing of the whole building, my schedule will be over run by the second hour.
I gasp as I walk directly into someone, my eyes lifting to see a timid looking woman with her stethoscope poking out of her scrubs. "I'm so sorry!" she rambles, brushing herself off.
"You should have that around your neck, you know," I tell her with a raised brow. She nods and does what I say, stepping out of the way.
I shake it off and make my way to the first stop on my morning rounds, hearing the patter or feet behind me. I stop and turn around, to see the same woman, along with two others staring directly at me. I furrow my brow and wait for their eyes to peel from me, but they don't.
"Weird..." I mumble. I continue my walk and hear the same patter of feet, with muffled whispers edging closer.
I turn on my heel again and look at them with a confused expression. "Why are you following me around like a litter of lost puppies?" I ask, crossing my arms against my chest.
I watch them exchange a nervous look amongst themselves. "Well?" I shrug.
"Uh... we're... your interns." the one in the middle mumbles, adjusting the glasses on her face.
I look at them with a blank expression, "My what?"
"Your... interns, Doctor Woods." she repeats, clearing her throat.
I stare at the three in front of me, their charts clutched against their chests and a nervous look in their eyes. "Can you, uhm, give me a minute?"
"Yes, of course." she nods.
I page Julie and navigate my way to where she should be at this hour. My interns? My what? Clearly there's some mistake.
"You paged?" Julie's consistently intimidating voice echos from behind.
I enter the room she's standing in, watching her look at me with a disinterested glare. "There are three doe eyed infants in lab coats following me around like ducklings would their mother," I scoff.
She shakes her head, "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess you're referring to your interns, Doctor Woods?" her brow raises.
"I have interns?" I gape. I did not sign up for this. I did not sign up for it.
"Yes, that's part of the job. I assumed you had been made aware of that." she sighs, leaning on the desk to her right.
"No, no I was not aware of that!" I say with panic, "I'm not a good teacher, that's why I didn't become a teacher—because I can't teach!"
She chuckles under her breath, "Woods, just let them watch you; ask them questions, make them help you when necessary and for the love of god don't give them too much responsibility because they are not ready."
I nod my head nervously. Okay, I can do this—right? They can take notes and just watch what I do. Follow me around. "Okay, okay," I continue nodding my head. "Yeah, thats—fine."
I turn on my heel to walk away before stopping and slowly making my way back. "So they just follow me around, like... all day?" I ask.
"Yep."
"Okay, great." I nod, internally screaming.
After a few steps I turn myself back around again. "When this goes wrong just know I told you I'm not a good teacher." I stutter.
"Woods, I watch you yell at Matt every morning you walk into the building, and I watch you yell at him twice as loud when you're leaving. You can yell—you can order, you'll do fine." she shakes her head, not an ounce of worry in her voice.
"But that's Matt!" I exclaim. "Matt pisses me off all the time, he's a friend—I can yell at Matt."
"Then just imagine they're three little versions of Matt—pissing you off and following you around not doing their job correctly," she shrugs, "If they linger and don't do their work, yell. If they do something wrong, yell. If they don't listen to you—yell! You have to be assertive, Woods. Teach them to be as good as you." she explains. Amongst the internal chaos in my head, I can't ignore that she just complimented me.
"Okay." I nod. She's right, sort of. I can yell, and this may be a great way for me to let go of some stress.
"Oh, and Woods?"
"They aren't supposed to like you. If they aren't complaining about you in the on call room, you aren't doing it right." she whispers with a raised brow.
"Got it."
I walk out of the room, closing the door behind me. As soon as I turn around I walk directly into the doe eyed trio. I glare at them as they take a step back. The one in the middle has her blonde hair in a tight bun, adjusting her glasses on her face every few seconds. She seems uptight. The one on the left, he seems disinterested, on his cellphone. Easily distracted. And the one on the right, she seems eager. Very out of place, but eager.
I begin to walk away, but then remember what Julie said. I turn back around and shoot them a warning glare. "Well, don't just stand there," I scoff. "And you, are you planning on learning from that cellphone all day? Is it going to teach you to be a good doctor?"
I watch his eyes snap from his phone and fill with nervousness. "Uhm—no, Doctor Woods. It isn't." he stutters.
"Then I'd advise you put it in your pocket and follow me, yes?" I raise my brow.
"Now!" I snap. I turn on my heel and smirk at the sound of scattering steps following behind me. I think I can handle this just fine.
—————
Elijah's POV:
I tap my fingers on the counter as Jake prepares the diner to be opened. I decided to join him today before I begin my new job at the bank, take my mind off of things a little—hopefully.
"When do you start?" he asks.
"In an hour."
He shifts awkwardly, "So, Amara told you?"
"Yep." I nod.
"What do you think of it all?" he asks, leaning across the counter.
"I don't know, man," I sigh. "I hate that she had to keep the secret—I hate that he did that to her. She tells me it doesn't change anything; am I stupid to believe that?"
"No, you're not," he tells me with a shrug. "But, it's Mason we're talking about. He's never cared about anyone the way he did Amara—so you should be prepared for the fact he isn't going to just drop it."
"Yeah, well he lost the right to do anything but drop it when he left her for two and a half years." I snap with an unexpected bout of anger.
"Damn," Jakes eyes widen.
"Sorry, it's just frustrating." I groan, placing my head in my hands.
"I get it."
"Have you seen him, since he told you guys?" I ask. I can't help but wonder what he's doing.
"He stopped by for some food the other day, I don't even know where he staying," he furrows his brow. "He doesn't know anyone, anymore—he must be pretty lonely."
"Yeah." I shrug.
"You were his best friend," Jake sighs, and I feel my eyes narrow. "I mean, when none of us could tolerate him, you could. You were like brothers, aren't you the least bit glad he isn't... dead?"
I exhale deeply, shaking my head. "Of course I am, Jake. He was my closest friend," I shrug. "But times change, I can be glad that he's okay and mad at him at the same time."
"Tell me about it," he mumbles.
"Amara went to talk to her mom last night, I think she needed someone to talk to. Someone who isn't biased." I add.
"How did it go?"
"I don't know, I don't see her until after her shift today. I want to be the one she confides in about this but I can't be, she can't be open with me about it." I tell him.
"Have you heard from Angel?" I ask.
"Nah, she's still on vacation. I haven't heard a word." he says, his voice trailing off. I try to hold back my expression. I kiss my teeth a little and settle back into my chair.
"I know you guys don't like her, but we're working on it." he tells me, obviously reading my face.
"Alright." I nod. I don't want to pry. Amara and I are very much good cop bad cop when it comes to Jake and Angel. I'm gentle and supportive, and Amara is... well, Amara.
—————
Amara's POV:
I twiddle my fingers as I wait for Elijah to get home. He went out for a meal with his new work friends after his shift, meaning he should be home any minute. I jump onto the counter and perch myself there, tapping my fingers along the edges. I need to talk to him about last night, with my mom—but the words feel like fire in my throat.
The door clicks open and he saunters through, briefcase in hand and a smile on his perfect face. "Hey," he grins as he walks towards me.
"Hi," I try to smile. He places his hands at either side of me on the counter, cocking his head.
"How was your day?" I ask.
"It was good, a little boring but it'll get better. How was yours?" he replies, loosening his tie.
"It was okay," I nod. "I have interns."
"Interns?"
"Yep. I'm supposed to teach them, so they follow me around and I yell at them." I smirk a little as he laughs.
"Sounds exciting," he chuckles.
"What's wrong, Amara?" his hand grazes my cheek.
"When I visited my mom last night, she told me I haven't really dealt with the whole Mason thing yet, and it's going to hang over my head if I don't." I tell him sheepishly, his hand returning to the counter by my side.
"What does that mean?" he asks confusedly.
"Well... she told me to speak to him, to see him and get an explanation," I mumble cautiously before beginning to ramble. "If you don't want me to—if you're uncomfortable I won't do it. I don't have to do it, I'll only do it if you-"
"Amara," he raises his brow.
"Yes," I exhale a shaky breath.
"I think it's a good idea." he smiles.
My eyes nearly pop out of my head, "You do?" I gape.
"I do. I mean sure, you seeing him again makes me nervous but not for me," he chuckles. "I don't want it to be too much for you. Do you think you can do it?"
"I need to, Elijah," I sigh. "It's weighing on me, and even if I don't have feelings for him anymore I need to know why he did it, I'm still hurt."
"Okay," he whispers softly, brushing the hair from my face. "Then do it. But if you get too upset, leave."
I furrow my brow and lean into his kind touch. "You're so understanding, it doesn't make any sense to me."
"It's because I love you." he tells me with meaning. He pulls me into his arms and rests my head on his chest—my arms tightly around his torso. I sit there on the edge of the counter full of gratitude for this man. Why would I ever give this up?
"Amara, I'm going to talk and I don't want you to respond—only listen, okay?" he tells me softly, his chin resting on my head.
"Okay," I nod gingerly. My brow furrowing in confusion.
He takes a small breath, "I know you loved Mason, more than I've ever seen anyone love another before. And I know that because I was on the outside looking in," he begins, my heart sinking as he speaks. "You looked at him, the way I look at you."
I close my eyes and wait for him to continue, unsure which direction this is going in. His words fill me with a form of guilt, even though I know it's not his goal.
"I love you, Amara. So much. But I need you to let yourself feel whatever you need to feel in order to know whether we're going to get through this."
"Eli-"
"Shh, no talking remember," he whispers.
"We're going to go to bed and we aren't going to talk about it, because you don't want to and I don't either. Just remember when you're standing in front of him, that I love you and I always will." he tells me softly, before planting a kiss on my forehead. I fight back any tears that want to let their way out and give him a small smile.
I don't know how to respond. I watch him through the doorway as he changes out of his suit and into a pair of pyjamas and imagine losing him—the feeling makes me nauseous. I find myself wondering how such a perfect person can exist. Despite any faults he may have, he loves me with everything he has; and he just wants me to be happy. My heart aches at his speech, and all I want to do is run and reassure him, tell him we're going to be fine—that I don't want to leave him.
But instead, I do as he says. I climb into bed and encase myself in his arms. I listen to his breathing as he falls asleep, planting a kiss on his cheek. It's not long before he's sound asleep, my head resting on his chest as he snores lightly. But no matter how hard I try, I can't shake his words from my mind.
—————
8:02am—
I pour myself some cereal, laughing to myself at the noise of Elijah fumbling around to find the right suit. It's the same process every day since he started this new job, like his life depends on it. His frustrated groans as he rustles around echos through the apartment.
He clatters through the door and into the kitchen. "You aren't working today?" he asks with a confused look.
"Nope, the glory of my new part time job," I groan. "With my doe eyed children that follow me around and write down everything I say."
He chuckles as he swipes the bowl of cereal from my grasp. "I'm not even exaggerating—literally everything," I shake my head. "I asked one of them if they were listening to me and she wrote it down."
He laughs as he scoops a spoonful of fruit loops into his mouth. "You'll get used to it."
"I know." I groan.
"So, what are you going to do today?" he asks with a raised brow.
"I don't know. Maybe go a walk, watch a movie, get some food—"
"Anything else?" he interrupts.
"Nope."
He cocks his head, "Nothing?"
"I know what you're hinting at, not today." I sigh, leaning against the counter.
"Then when, Amara?" he asks as he places the bowl into the sink.
"I don't know."
"Do you really think you should wait?" he asks.
"Well it's clear that you don't." I snap unintentionally.
"Mar," he sighs, kissing my forehead. "I just know you, and I know you're going to avoid it when you can't afford to anymore. It's better now and on your terms than him showing up at the hospital one day."
"Who knows, maybe we can put on a free show for my band of interns." I scoff.
"Amara," he warns.
"Fine, okay. I'll... text him or something, see if he's free to talk."
He raises his brow with a knowing look.
"Okay, fine." I scoff.
"Thank you." he smiles, kissing me softly before walking out of the door.
I throw myself onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I rack my brain to try and find something to do, I haven't had a free day in a long time—certainly not one alone. Elijah had to go to work; Jess is two hours away, Rebecca is working, as are Matt and Jake. I sit up and smirk to myself, I have an idea.