flatline [m.s]

xvi.

- - -
it's just you. the one you can count on, and lean on, and depend on.
- - -

"i need a trauma," lia claps her hands together as she and callie wait in the ambulance bay wearing yellow trauma gowns. "i need a big, big cardiac trauma."

"have you spoke to sloan yet?" callie asks.

"nope," she says, popping the 'p', then going back to attempting to distract herself. "big, big trauma."

"have you even seen him?" she continues to interrogate her best friend.

"nope," she repeats. "don't want to. don't need to. i just need a cardiac trauma to keep my mind occupied."

"you're gonna have to face him," callie reminds her.

"big, big trauma," lia smiles, rushing over to the ambulance that's just pulled into the bay. callie chuckles and shakes her head before running over to join her. "what have we got?"

"otis sharon, sixty one year old male found unconscious on the street corner with a swollen ankle," the paramedic informs them, rolling the gurney out of the vehicle.

"i don't even know what happened," otis admits.

"initial b.p. was ninety over palp," the paramedic continues. "vitals stable after a bolus of n.s."

"so it's just a broken ankle?" lia frowns.

"big, big cardiac trauma," callie teases with a giggle.

■ ■ ■

"hey, i've not seen you in a while," alex greets, placing a tray of food on the table where lia is sat alone in the cafeteria. "where's torres? you two are practically joined at the hip."

"i know, she's in surgery," she explains, eating a mouthful of pasta.

"speaking of surgery, that awake open-heart surgery you performed the other day was pretty awesome," he congratulates her.

"thanks, karev," she smiles, playfully nudging his arm with her own.

"so, are you free to-" he begins to ask, but he is cut off by mark walking over to their table.

"dr. webber, can i speak to you for a moment?" her now secret ex-boyfriend asks.

"is it about a patient?" she asks, looking him directly in the eyes.

"no..." he frowns.

"then no," she informs him, earning a snigger from alex. she's expecting him to walk away, but he just stands there. "goodbye, dr. sloan."

"karev, can you leave a minute?" mark asks, turning to the resident who's sat far too close and comfortably to lia for his liking.

"alex, stay," lia says, still not breaking eye contact with mark.

"karev?" mark raises his voice.

"look, he's not leaving," lia insists.

"then neither am i," mark raises his eyebrows and takes a seat across from lia.

"i don't know what's going on here, but i've got to prep for a surgery later, so i'll leave you guys to it," alex shrugs, standing up. "i'll catch you later, lia."

once alex exits the cafeteria, lia grabs her tray about to stand up and leave too, but mark places his hand on her arm.

"you've not been answering my calls. please, just let me talk," he practically begs, his voice much softer than usual. "please?"

"fine," she groans, slamming the tray back on the table.

"i don't understand what happened," he admits. "one minute i'm comforting you about yang, and the next you're storming out of my hotel room. it all happened so fast."

"i didn't 'storm' out," she protests. "i left because i said i love you, and you don't love me. it's fine, it happens, but it's too painful for me to go through."

"i didn't say i didn't love you," he reminds her.

"do you love me?" she asks raising her brow, but again, he remains silent. she then stands up holding her tray. "that's what i thought."

■ ■ ■

"i need a bigger distraction," lia tells callie who's busy treating joan, her patient, whilst lia stands talking to her. "i'm thinking of starting a new specialty."

"you're what?" callie exclaims. "why?"

"to distract me," she reiterates to callie, saying it slowly as if she's stupid. she then checks her pager that keeps going off. "he's paging me again."

"taking on a whole new specialty is a lot of work," callie points out. "it's a big commitment."

"that's why it's the perfect distraction," lia nods. "you knew me in med school. did i ever worry about guys in med school? no. it's the obvious solution."

"you're insane," callie chuckles, as mark enters the room. when he does, both girls go silent, and mark doesn't take his eyes off lia.

"dr. webber, i need a consult, please," he requests. "i tried paging, but... but you weren't answering."

"i'll be there when i'm finished here, dr. sloan," she sternly informs him, despite not actually needing to tend to joan. she just didn't want to have to walk to the patient with mark. he doesn't answer, he just nods and leaves.

"i take it, it's doctor hottie you need distracting from?" joan raises a brow, and both girls chuckle in response.

- - -
it has to be you.
- - -

"look, lia," callie says as lia is about to leave. "i know you really like mark, and that you're hurting. but you're both doctors in this hospital, and you need to be able to work together. you should try being friends."

"friends?" lia's raises her brow.

"yeah," callie smiles. "just because he couldn't say he loves you, doesn't mean he doesn't care about you."

- - -
and once you figure that out, that's when being alone becomes a choice.
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