Journey- A Chicago Med Fanifc Sequel!

Chapter 5

AUTHOR NOTE: This just went through some minor editing- nothing much was changed it's still the original. 

I take a deep breath, before walking into Molly's. I changed my clothes, into a simple pair of black jeans and a shirt that Connor once told me that he loved. 

Not that he'll remember it now, though. 

I see everyone immediately. I'm the last to arrive. They're all sitting at the usual table. I smile, seeing that it hasn't changed since I left. 

"Hi," I say, walking up to the table. Everyone turns around to look at me, smiling. Connor has his arm around Ava's waist.

"Fashionably late, as always," Maggie jokes. This earns a laugh from the others. "Sit down, Tessa," she tells me, patting the seat next to her. 

I sit down, and as I do, Connor speaks. "You look great," he says, smiling. "Really, you do." 

I look over at Ava, who doesn't seem bothered at all. Maybe I'm overthinking it and he was just being friendly. 

Maybe I want it to be something more than that. 

"So, how was your second day?" Will asks me. "Does it feel amazing to be back in Chicago after an entire year of being away? Did you miss it?" 

"More than anything," I reply, nodding. "I'm so happy to finally be back, where I belong. I love it here. There's no other hospital like Med." 

"We're very happy to hear that," Natalie says, smiling at me. "Hey, did you have another little group of friends at the New York hospital?" she asks. 

"Yes, but also no," I tell her. "Because of my job, I was kind of like their superior, so they never quite saw me on the same level. I had friends, but they were nowhere near as close to me as you all are." 

Will smiles, and I notice that Connor does, too. His arm is still around Ava, but that's how it is now. They're dating. They. Are. Dating. 

And I can't do anything about it.

"So, Tessa," Ava says. She has an accusatory tone underlying her voice, but nobody else seems to notice, or react to it. Perhaps it's only me, again.

"Yes?" I say, trying my best to be polite, even though the little rivalry between Ava and I may have just been restarted. 

"What did you get up to when you were out in New York?" she asks, smugly. "Any...romance? Any boyfriends that you left back there?" 

I'm almost certain that was a dig at me for what happened between me and Connor. 

I didn't realise that he told her about that. 

"No," I say, but then I remember my earlier lie to Connor. I told him that I'd had someone in New York. "Well, actually, yes," I lie. "There was just one person, but we ended things. It was a mutual breakup, something that we both wanted." 

"Ah, I see," she says, smiling, although it seems strange. She isn't really interested, she's just trying to catch me out. "Well, excuse me. I'll be right back, I'm just going to the bathroom." 

She stands up and edges past Connor, walking out into the middle of the bar. She begins to walk, when a tall bartender, not looking where he was going, walks right into her, almost pushing her against the barstool. I see it go right into her side. 

"I'm so sorry," he says, quickly, putting the drinks down to help her up. "I didn't see you there. Are you okay, miss?" 

"Yes," Ava says, wincing. It's quite obvious that she actually isn't okay, and as a doctor, I can tell that it will bruise in the morning, but the bartender still walks away, carrying the drinks to a table nearby. 

"Ava," Connor says, getting up immediately and rushing over to her. "Are you okay? That looked like it hurt a lot." 

"I'm fine," she says, sighing. "Seriously, I'm all good." I study her face closely. When she sees me looking at her, she suddenly changes her emotions. "Oh, God," she says, in a higher pitch. "It really hurts." 

"Sit down," Connor says, helping her back to the table. "Come on, that's it. Sit down. There you go. I can't believe that the bartender just walked into you like that." 

"No," Ava says. She's definitely milking the situation, because she can see that it's annoying me. "No, it's my fault. I should have seen him coming and moved out of the way." 

"No," Connor says, softly. "It's not your fault. Where does it hurt? Show me?" 

I have to physically look away for this, which I'm sure is exactly what Ava wanted. If I hadn't taken the job, that could have been me, being cared for by Connor. 

When I look back at them, Ava is pointing to her side, the one that slammed into the corner of the barstool. "It hurts so much," she says, wincing. I roll my eyes. 

"Okay," Connor says, leaning down to kiss it. "There," he whispers, smiling. He then stands up to kiss her, right in front of everyone. "Did that help?" he asks, gently. 

"Yeah," Ava whispers, her wide eyes looking into his. "It did." 

I want to turn away again. That could have been me. It should have been me. 

I wish it was me. 

Part of me almost wants to get up and body-slam myself into a barstool just so it can be me, but I know that's stupid. 

"You'll be okay," Connor is telling her, rubbing her back. "Seriously, tomorrow, you won't even be able to feel it." He holds out his arm, and Ava relaxes into it, resting her head on his chest. 

That's it. That's enough for me. 

I don't want to watch this anymore.