When Your Eyes Speak - Jackson Avery

nine

season six episode fourteen "valentine's day massacre"

"The surgical scalpel is made of sterilized, carbonized stainless steel. This is a vast improvement over the first scalpel, which was pretty much a sharp stick. Medicine is constantly reinventing itself, that means surgeons have to keep reinventing themselves too. There's constant pressure to adapt to changes. It can be a painful process. But without it, you'll find yourself moving backwards instead of forwards."

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Valentine's Day wasn't a holiday that Adeline considered to be important. Sure, she loved romance and the idea it held but she believed that if you were in a relationship with someone they would find other days throughout the year to be romantic and display their love for you, not just some overly commercialised holiday. Yet here she was, dressed up to the nines on a date she wanted no part in.

Lexie and Mark had been broken up for almost two weeks now and Adeline had to hear each person's story more than she would have liked. It didn't concern her and if someone was to ask her who she sided with, she'd say no one. She did argue, however, that Lexie had a valid point and Mark didn't seem to like that very much. She had a week-long falling out with Mark and the only way to make it up to him was to go on a date with a man of his choosing. So here she was, sitting in a fancy restaurant with a man on an awkward first date. She couldn't even remember his name.

"I'm sorry, what?" Adeline didn't even realise she had zoned out until her date pointed it out.

"Your bag, it's beeping." Adeline's cheeks flushed in embarrassment thinking it was her phone before she sighed. It was her pager and apparently it was a pretty big one if she was being called in on her night off.

"I'm so sorry. I have to go, they need me at the hospital." Adeline was happy she had an excuse to leave. Talking to him was like talking to a brick wall.

"No, that's okay. I totally understand." The man stood as Adeline got out of her seat, gathering her belongings. "I can take you, if you'd like?"

"No, no, no. That's okay." Adeline opened her purse, grabbing her wallet and pulling out a couple of bills. "Here, thank you for tonight! Talk soon, Ethan!" Adeline was up in her heels heading towards the exit before the man could correct her.

"Eddie, it's Eddie!" Adeline hailed down a cab fairly quickly, telling him the location as she sat in the back patiently.

"Here we go." The man pulled up at the front of the hospital and turned in his seat, telling Adeline the amount. She grabbed the money out of her purse and smiled sweetly at him before bidding him goodbye.

Walking into the front lobby, she walked straight past Lexie and Mark at the front desk to get to the elevators, rushing so she could get to the residents lounge and change into her scrubs and sneakers. God knows the dress and heels she was wearing would cause her more grief in the ER. Adeline walked into the elevator as soon as it opened, groaning when she saw Mark step in after her.

"Lexie's blonde." He almost sounded disgusted. Adeline had helped her dye her hair the previous weekend and to be honest it was a drunk decision. "And I hit on her. I've never been more horrified in my life." Mark pressed the button for the floor he was going to which just also happens to be the same as the resident's locker room. "You look lovely, by the way Darling. How was the date?" Adeline turned and glared at him. "Not another dud?"

"Yes, another dud, Mark. You have the worst taste in men." They both exited the elevator, heading down the same corridor before it split off.

"Hm, debatable. We'll find the one." Mark turned left as Adeline turned right, running into the locker room and to her locker. This was one of those times where it was handy that she always packed extra clothing. Alex would always laugh about it, saying it was useless.