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hospital was as amazing as Eleanora had remembered. She readjusted the bag on her shoulder, a large and bright smile on her face as she followed the other interns as they were led through the hospital.

She remembered her way around from the last time she visited. She didn't get the full tour, and she assumed she was now just being told the places they didn't show her first tour.

"And in here is where you will put your things. There's too many of you, so you just get one locker. The showers and bathrooms are open to everyone, just please make sure you lock the stall doors while you're using it." The Doctor leading them around stated, throwing open the doors to the locker room.

Eleanora has a slightly hard time looking over some of the others shoulders, biting the inside of her cheek as she peered around a tall blonde woman.

A tap to her arm caused her to move her eyesight from the locker room to beside her. A fellow intern with curly brown hair that was a little too long in the front gave her a small smile. "You know, I can move so you can get a better view. I mean, we'll be seeing it every day for the next year so it isn't that exciting, but still."

Eleanora let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Oh no, it's fine. I can just look at it later. Thank you, though." She said softly, moving her eyes to the front. The Doctor leading them around had been harsh and unforgiving of people talking over her, and Eleanora didn't really want to be yelled at before her first day had even really begun.

The man nodded, looking at her for a moment longer than what was really necessary before focusing back on the front. His voice was now a low whisper as he leaned closer to her. "George O'Malley, by the way."

Eleanora looked over at him with a slight turn of her head. She stuck her hand out for him to shake, giving him a dazzling smile. "Eleanora Amedeo. It's great to meet you, George."

____

   group of interns was a fairly large one. Realistically, Eleanora knew that it would be harder to make her way to the top with so many people. But, it also meant more people to know in the new and foreign city she had just moved to.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a woman falling in place on her other side. She looked over at her, giving her a warm smile.

Smiles were the one thing Eleanora knew she could always do. No matter how she felt, she could always make herself smile. Whether it was to comfort someone else, cheer them up, help herself out of a dark moment, or even to lie and just get through a horrible situation, she always counted on her smile to get her through the day.

The woman - another intern, Eleanora guessed - gave her a half hearted one in return. Eleanora hadn't seen the woman before, and from the flushed complexion and slightly panicked expression on her face, she could just tell that she was running late.

Eleanora felt pity hit her slightly and she leaned towards the woman, her voice low as they walked through the halls. "You didn't really miss much. Just a tour and a few of the overly cocky guys in the front being yelled at."

"Now that I wish I didn't miss." The woman joked, and Eleanora let out a small giggle. She soon turned her attention back to the front as the group was led into a room that she could only assume was an OR.

It was empty, but beautiful and as breathtaking as Eleanora could have hoped. She'd seen only two OR's before in her life, but neither of them compared to this one.

The group scattered around the room, Eleanora walking slowly to the operating table. She didn't touch it, too afraid she'd be yelled at for touching something in the sterile environment.

She felt butterflies explode in her stomach as she looked down at the table. Her entire life had led up to this moment. She was a Doctor now, a surgical intern at one of the best hospitals in the country. And soon, she'd be helping with operations and being assigned cases.

She was going to get to help people.

"Each of you comes here today hopeful, wanting in on the game." A voice boomed. Eleanora took her eyes off of the operation table to find the owner of the voice, her eyes landing on Richard Webber. She knew who he was, hell, everyone in this room should, and if they didn't they were already behind.

The Chief of Surgery looked around at the interns in the OR, his eyes calculating as he took in every single one of them and how they reacted to being in this room.

"A month ago you were in Med school, being taught by Doctors. Today, you are the Doctors. The seven years you spend here as a surgical resident will be the best and worst of your life. You will be pushed to the breaking point. Look around you."

Eleanora took her eyes off of the Chief, letting them dance around the room. Her eyes passed over all the people in the room, remembering a few. Her eyes landed on the woman from just a few minutes ago, and then her eyes locked with George's. They shared a quick moment, and then they both moved on, not knowing that they had just locked eyes with someone who would be so important to them and their life.

Eleanora's eyes landed on a woman with curly brown hair and a face set in stone. She looked intense, scary even. Eleanora has a feeling that she didn't just look the part.

"Say hello to your competition. Eight of you will switch to an easier speciality. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave."

Eleanora tore her eyes away from her fellow interns and focused back on the Chief. His eyes were on her, and she felt chills rise on her skin. "This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play? That's up to you."

Eleanora looked back down at the table, and she felt the worry and slight dread the Chiefs last few sentences left in her leave her body. Her face relaxed, her shoulders dropping. She could already imagine the feel of the cold, unforgiving stainless steel of the instruments in her hand.

Eleanora had finally made it to the big leagues. And she was going to kick some ass.

_____

had been right. The locker room was in no way exciting.

Eleanora straightened out her baby pink, long sleeved henley before grabbing her scrub top. She shoved her bag into the small locker, biting her lip as she struggled to make it fit. She had probably overpacked, per usual, but she also knew she was working a 48-hour long shift and was still living in a hotel room. So maybe, she was right in overpacking.