Asystole ✷ Mark Sloan

𝟬𝟰𝟳 the 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 fiancé

𝙓𝙇𝙑𝙄𝙄.
THE DEAD FIANCÉ

──────

NEW YORK

I couldn't remember when it was that I started picking up extra shifts at surrounding hospitals, but I think it was around the beginning of the millennium.

It was the first New Years Eve that I'd worked, the first New Years Eve that I'd missed completely. Addison had been completely distraught, even more distraught when she realised that Mark would still be attending. 

I'd told him to go for the both of us and he'd just shrugged, not ever one to pass up on the free drinks. Honestly, I wasn't too bummed about missing out. In fact, I'd been dragged into one of the biggest surgeries of my career to date and managed to count down into 2000 with a human chest cracked in front of me, a human heart thrumming through the room.

Then, once I'd scrubbed out, I went up onto the roof with a handful of medical staff and watched the fireworks as they continued past midnight and into the morning.

It was a pretty fucking incredible view. A panoramic glimpse at the New York skyline. The hospital, being pretty central to Manhattan, was the perfect place to just sit and people watch— plus, when the helicopter wasn't docked, the whole place was completely silent. I'd taken to coming upstairs just before the start of the day and grabbing some overpriced pastry from one of the bake sales they liked to do in the front lobby. 

I'd grab a book and just sit and stare across all of the buildings, over towards Central Park. It'd be my one moment of peace in the day before some asshole decided to crash their car or break their leg.

"You guys hear about Manhattan Gen?"

Liam appeared in the doorway with a pizza he'd ordered and joined us as we sat beside the side of the roof, holding our mugs of coffee as we all struggled to keep our eyes open. It was the four of us: Faith, Isaac, Liam and I. Ashely had been gone before we'd even decided to start the tumultuous climb to the top of the building. 

We were all sat uncomfortably on the gravel, pagers in front of us and eyes stuck on the skyline. At the sound of his voice, we all looked over.

"They're handing out part time placements in their open clinic," Liam said, "I think I'm going to apply and try and get my hours up... get some bulk on my resume."

"Isn't that against protocol?" The scepticism came from Faith as she very sleepily leant against the wall. She pulled her jacket around her, crossing her ankles, clearly too tired to shoot Liam a mystified and cutting look. "This is a marathon— don't make it a sprint."

"I heard that a few of the residents did it... helped one of the third year residents get a fellowship at John Hopkins." Liam shrugged as if it was just a thought, but we both knew that it was something he'd put a lot of time and effort into researching. "It's not often that these clinical places are open... let alone to first year interns—"

"Cabrini and Beth Israel are recruiting too."

Liam looked surprised that I'd been keeping up with the postings around the city. I had to say, it was interesting to see that people were beginning to have the same thoughts as I was. I'd been working in the clinic for six months now and I'd been seriously considering doing some extra work on top of it for a very long time. 

I loved my job, loved learning and being outside of a hospital was beginning to feel... well, counterproductive. 

I met Liam eye as I tore myself a slice of pizza, burrowing into my coat for warmth.