Rain

Aria

Nothing about this is okay.

-Derek Shepherd

Emily and the rest of the gang walked into the lobby where the attendings were waiting. No matter how much she loved working, she hated the night shift. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she rubbed her cheek and stretched her facial muscles, still trying to wake up from sleeping eleven hours during the day.

"Did you just yawn? Was that a yawn?" Mark asked when April let out a massive yawn. Blinking hard, Emily stood between Lexie and Meredith as Teddy turned around. Jackson sidled in beside her as she nursed her mug of tea to wake her up without killing her like coffee would at this time of night.

"Don't tell us that you're tired after getting to sleep all day."

"It's not as easy as it sounds," protested the redhead and Bailey turned around, incredulous.

"Not easy? Not e- when I was a resident, I actually worked for a living. I did every other night call for five years."

There were days that I didn't go home for seventy-two hours. I loved it."

"As you trudged through the snow while you whittled your own scalpels." Wrinkling up her nose, she turned to hide her laugh as Jackson snickered.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Karev." Lexie's short-lived laugh faded upon the peds attending's glare as the residents all shared looks before Bailey caught Alex's attention again. As she spoke about fistulas and whatever he had to do on her service, Emily reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace. Twisting off her ring, she slid it onto the silver chain before placing it back around her neck where it belonged. Looking up, she spotted Mark looking at her and smiled, winking. His outfit with the grey button-up and the dark jacket had her wishing she really didn't have to work.

"Avery and Little Grey, Hunt is waiting for you in the pit." Teddy, phone in hand, went to leave. The residents parted for her as Jackson and Lexie went to head down to the pit.

"Kepner, go with them," Taylor added and the redhead nodded, following after them with a little bounce in her step.

"All right. Moore, just round on my post-ops, make sure pre-ops are stable, all that, you know what to do." Callie handed her a clipboard with a sheet upon it. "These are the patients scheduled for tomorrow, so make them your priority." Running the list over, she nodded.

"Of course."

"Try not to screw up our patients." Callie began to leave and Emily sent her housemate a smile. "Good night," she sang, "and good luck." Mark went to follow and as Emily read, she subconsciously tilted her head for him to kiss her cheek. With two kisses to her cheek, he continued walking.

"Try not to need us."

"Page us if you do need us," Taylor added, following after his friends. Emily sighed, feeling a yawn crawling up her throat. Heading up the main staircase, she took one huge swig of her tea.

Time for the night shift.

.

When she was free, she sat by Kayla's bedside, catching up on charts. The kid was sleeping and Emily had her hand on her own abdomen, knowing that whenever her eyes passed over the child, her eyes softened infinitesimally. But it was there.

Emily wondered if Mark would look at their child the way he looked at his wife.

.

At Joe's bar, Mark smirked when Teddy rested her head against the table, voice muffled in her jacket. As she yelled at Derek, the plastics attending peeled a bar nut and popped it into his mouth.