Sutures // Grey's Anatomy

xii

     Hadley Andrews has always loved running and working out. Physical education was the only class—other than science, of course— that she enjoyed, so it wasn't difficult for the girl to get through basic training.

     At first, Hadley was terrified. After discovering that her boyfriend was a cheater and being kicked out, she had nowhere to go. Phillip had convinced her to sell her empty shell of an apartment. After losing her job, her friends, her boyfriend and her home all in the same day was a devastating blow. She didn't dare tell the elderly woman who paid her way to medical school and Seattle that she had failed. Instead, Hadley joined the military.

     The decision came easily for the girl. She saw it as a slap to Phillip who was forced to retire with an injury. She had the ability to serve her country while the Jackson man was busy sleeping around with STD ridden strippers. To Hadley, joining the military gave her a feeling of accomplishment. She was actually doing something positive for the country, not weighing it down with her wasted time and energy.

Now, riding through a hot, desolate terrain in a large truck with other medical team recruits, Hadley can't help but feel excited. She wears camouflage cargo pants tucked into her boots and a tan, tight fitting T-shirt. Her scar is on show, but Hadley no longer minds. Many of her brothers and sisters have scars of their own. They don't ask questions. They don't let their eyes burn into the affected skin. The scar simply just is. Hadley is thankful for that.

"We've got victims of a car bomb detonation in the next camp. We will go assist in any way possible. You think you know what you're doing. I know you do. You've been trained for trauma, but you have not been trained for this what is to come. Your focus is on stabilizing your patient as quickly as possible, and then you move on," a high ranked soldier commands as the truck is pulled to a stop.

Hadley takes a deep breath, her throat tight with the extreme heat. She is quick to hop out of the truck with the other medics, who are in fact men. She is at the front of the group as she jogs through the tented facility, the metallic smell of blood rushing toward her. Many people in olive clothing rush around and she is overwhelmed. Hadley, though, doesn't let that bother her. She jumps into action, finding a soldier with a large cut in his stomach. He is unconscious, blood spewing out of his stomach like a fountain. Several hands cover the bleeding, but nothing seems to stop it.

"Do we have bandages?" Hadley questions, her voice stern and demanding. The answer isn't something she wants to hear.

"Alright then," she says to her fellow recruit, "Give me that and some tape."

The stubborn young man looks to her in confusion, tracing her glance to a clean rag. He raises an eyebrow, grabbing it. Hadley takes it aggressively and presses it against the bleeding.

"Tape this around his body as tight as you can," she orders the woman on the opposite side of her. She does it without second thought, obviously not having a second option. The man's breathing steadies and he is stable.

     "Nice work," a red headed man states, coming over to Hadley.

     "Thanks you, sir."

     "I'm Major Owen Hunt," he man informs Hadley, holding out his hand before seeing Hadley's blood covered one. He drops his hand back to his side slowly.

     "Hadley Andrews," the girl says with a smile.

     All of a sudden, the now calm space turns frantic. Word of a sandstorm become the main focus. Hadley and Owen turn to a woman near them. She is busy stabilizing a man with a gun shot wound. Soon, the patient is stable, but everyone is quickly wandering around. Before she knows it, Hadley is in an armored vehicle with Hunt and a couple other medics. The gun shot victim lies unconscious in the middle of the closed space.

Little did Hadley know, her first day on the job would be her last.

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Was anyone expecting that?

Do you think anything will become of Hadley and Owen?

Do you guys miss the relationship between Hadley and Phillip?

Hadley and Alex?

Hadley and George?

I look forward to the next chapter! What about you??

Thanks for reading!
Ask me questions!

Love y'all!
maddy