𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 ━ jackson avery

035. ━ softball chaos

season eight // episodes six and seven
[ softball chaos ]

"SLOAN!" ELLIE TURNED around at the sound of the voice and saw Richard walking toward her. "Why are you not in the mouse lab with Bailey?"

"Um—"

"You're a big part of that trial," he continued, cutting her off and she pressed her lips together. "Shouldn't you be helping her?"

"I quit," Ellie said and he looked at her. "I gave my spot to April."

"Wh—Why?"

She sighed. "I just don't have the time," she replied with a shrug. "If I balance the trial along with my chief resident duties and my specialties, I won't sleep. I already don't sleep. And I'm grateful that you thought of me, sir—really—but I had to go. For my own mental sake."

Richard nodded. "Those are all fair points," he said, letting out a breath. "You have been doing well as chief resident, though, Sloan. Hunt made the right choice."

"Thank you, sir, that means a lot." Ellie hugged the chart to her chest. "Uh, I better go before I'm late for Dr. Hunt's speech."

"Oh, of course."

She smiled at him before hurrying to the resident's lounge. When she walked in, she sat down next to Jackson, nudging him on the shoulder. "You look tired."

"Hm, thanks."

"Fifth year is the hardest year of your residency," Owen was saying, bringing the residents' attention back to him. "Every surgery you do will go on your record—the wins and the losses. In just a few months, you will..."

Meredith slipped inside the room and sat down beside Ellie. "What'd I miss?"

Ellie glanced at her. "Pink scrubs?" she asked.

"You're OB now?" Jackson added with a frown. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, huh?"

"She misses Zola," Alex said from behind them and Ellie glanced at him. "Her uterus hurts."

She rolled her eyes and Cristina shook her head. "Oh, leave her alone, dirtbag," she told him before turning to Meredith. "You are embarrassing me."

"I'm getting to deliver babies," Meredith said to them. "I'm making life, you know?"

Ellie tilted her head. "That's one way to look at it."

"You know what? You're making me gag," Cristina told Meredith. "Okay, slumming it in OB for a few weeks is okay, whatever. Wearing the vagina squad scrubs in public? It's—ugh. We have standards, Meredith!"

Ellie chuckled and turned her attention back to Owen who was still talking to the room full of residents.

"It is extremely important that you rack up as many good outcomes as possible for your boards," he explained to them. "I am implementing a system. I will receive an email if any of you exceed more than ten bad outcomes in your OR. Ten—any more is unacceptable." April hurried in and he looked at her. "Welcome, Dr. Kepner."