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❛ 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 . . . ❜ 007. gold rush by taylor swift ━━━━━━━━━━━
THIS CHAPTER ENTIRELY TAKES PLACE IN MID 1990s NEW YORK
The formula to breaking bad news was like any other.
It wasn't exactly a mathematical equation or a scientific study, but it required steps and concentration. It required a steady hand, usually placed on the shoulder, but back during her surgical internship and work at med-school, Beth had gravitated to the forearm.
A gentle press, the sort that felt both assertive and comforting. They'd been taught to be grounding, to draw the patient's guardian or loved one into the moment, to be succinct with what they said and how they said it:
Avoid miscommunication and most importantly, break the bad news.
That's how this had felt:
"Aren't you a little too old for a college event?"
In this scenario, the formula required a dry remark, drier than the martini in her hand. It called for a dress in a busy room full of surgical hopefuls, making small talk over pamphlets as they shot their bid for placements all across Manhattan.
She was a sudden voice over his shoulder that made him, very visibly, pause.
The bad news was that she, Beth Montgomery, was a final year medical student in a room full of twenty-something's and this man, right here, was a little too old for the demographic.
She crossed an arm over her chest, decided against making any physical content and just watched the man turn on his heel, slowly, to face her.
Beth had known who he was from the back of him, a familiar back-of-head that had stuck out like a sore thumb. She was fairly sure he was wearing the same dress shirt too, but he'd lost the blazer in favour of pamphlets that he now clutched in his hand.
His eyes descended on her and she tilted her head to the side, lifting her cocktail to her lips and giving him a very crooked smile.
"Montgomery."
It was almost an accusation.
He said her last name as if it explained everything about her: the hair, the eyes and the way she wobbled slightly in her heels. She raised her chin higher and stood a little taller.
Chin up, chest out, and fuck 'em all, kid.
Then came the smirk: a long, wide smile that almost made her skin tremble. His voice was smoother than the rest of him, an eyebrow twitching upwards as Beth just hummed lightly.
