Chapter 1

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I wake up to my pager going off, the sun shining through though window illuminating the loft. Alex's arm is around my waist, and the golden rays highlight his slight smile.
"Ugh, what time is it?" He says, waking up after my pager goes off for the second time.
"It's early. I've got to go to the hospital, you go back to-" Just then, his pager goes off too. "Never mind."
He presses his body against mine, and he gently caresses my face, kissing down my neck. I arch my back, partially out of pleasure, and partially because I know if I let him keep going, we won't be getting much work done.
"Alex, we can't right now. We have patients!" I say, laughing.
He runs his hand though my hair and gives me his crooked smile, staring into my eyes.
"Are you sure we have to get up? We could call in sick, stay in bed all day..."
"I'm gonna stop you right there before I get too tempted."
He presses one more quick, gentle kiss on my lips. I savor our last moments together knowing we will soon be busy with the mothers, children, husbands, of somebody else. Somebody whose life we will hold in our hands.
It takes all my willpower, but I haul myself out of bed and quickly pull on whatever clothes are left in my drawer from last week, since neither of us have had the time or motivation to do laundry.
As I rush around to brush my teeth and hair and apply a bit of makeup, Alex cooks something in the kitchen and shoves a bite in my mouth in between strokes of mascara. 10 minutes later, we're both fully ready.
We walk down the stairs and open the door, greeted by a cool breeze. As we get in the car, I toss Alex the keys and we start for Grey-Sloan Memorial.
We walk through the entrance of the hospital hand in hand, ready to go our separate ways.
"Where'd you get paged?" He asks.
"ER. Incoming trauma." I reply, not paying much attention.
"Looks like we won't have to say goodbye after all."
"Don't sound so excited. That means it's a kid! I hate it when they get sick."
"Well, it's kind of how I make my living." I roll my eyes, and he leans in and gives me the perfect kiss, lasting just long enough to satisfy me but leaving me wanting more. He has a way of doing that, and it drives me crazy in the best way possible.
"See you in 5," He adds before heading down the hall.
I hit up the attending lounge and grab a fresh pair of scrubs, pulling them over my shirt and leaving my pants and coat in my locker. I pull up my freshly curled hair into a ponytail as I make my way to the pit, just as my pager goes off again.
"I'm coming!" I mumble a little too loudly to no one in particular, getting me a few strange looks from some people at a nearby nurses station.
I go the the ambulance bay to meet the ambulance along with Alex, Maggie and several interns and their resident, who happens to be DeLuca.
"You pages general?" I say.
"Yeah. We don't know what it is. " Pierce says in reply.
The rig pulls up a minute later, and the paramedics unload the gurney.
"Jane Doe, age 7, complained of trouble breathing and chest pain before becoming unconscious in the field, we had to secure an airway."
We rush her into trauma 3, and I order a blood panel and Maggie starts an EKG.
"She's in heart failure. She needs a transplant yesterday." Maggie says.
"DeLuca, assemble a panel, we're gonna need to get this kid on the list," I say, before a woman enters the room.
"Ma'am, we can't have family members in the trauma room. Could you wait outside and answer a few questions?" I say, without looking up from my exam.
"Yes, but I'm not family. Chelsea Avine, I'm the social worker on her case. She's in foster care.
"Ma'am, can you tell us her name please?" Alex chimes in, preparing to move her.
"Sadie. Sadie Wilson."
When I hear her name, I feel like I've been hit by a car.

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