17

morning!" April called out, the cafeteria busy with surgeons and residents chatting. The new residency year had begun, and April was adamant on having a breakfast for everyone to talk about their specialities. "And, uh, welcome to your final year of Residency!"

Mostly everyone ignored her, and Eleanora sent a sad smile her way before going back to making her breakfast sandwich. She felt Mark knock their hips together and she looked up, brow raised.

"Yes?"

"You planning on asking me about the highs of Plastic Surgery?" He teased, Eleanora shaking her head with a laugh.

"You tell me about the highs of Plastic Surgery almost every night, and somehow I'm still specializing in Neuro. Might want to work on your campaign skills."

Mark winced, putting a hand to his chest playfully. "You wound me, Dr. Sloan."

"And you make it too easy, Dr. Sloan." She replied, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before grabbing more eggs for her plate.

Mark begins to make his as well, and as he reaches for a fourth slice of bacon, Eleanora smacks at his hand. His eyebrows go up and he turns his wounded eyes to her.

"You don't need four slices of bacon, Mark." She told him, raising a brow. He grumbled something, and before Eleanora could ask him to repeat himself, Jackson moved in between them.

"Good morning, Ella." He greeted his friend before turning to the Plastic Surgeon. "Dr. Sloan, I was hoping to talk to you about a mentorship."

"And with that," Eleanora stated, grabbing her plate and heading to leave, "I will make my exit and eat my breakfast sandwich and eggs in peace. Jackson, make sure he doesn't sneak anymore bacon. I would like for my children to have a father who is riddled with heart disease."

Eleanora grinned when Mark let out a small yell of protest, but she continued on. As she neared a table, she noticed Meredith. Both women froze, staring at each other for a moment.

It had been a week since their fight, and although Eleanora did regret what she said and Meredith had still yet to say she regretted her actions, they were both obviously missing each other.

Cristina had kept them updated on the other, and Eleanora knew some from Derek. Eleanora took a deep breath before walking over to the tall blonde woman, sending a small smile.

"Morning, Meredith."

"Morning, Eleanora." Meredith sent her her own smile, picking at the muffin in her hands. Eleanora took a shaky breath, nervousness filling her.

"Um, how's Zola? Everything good with her?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Meredith confirmed, looking back at her. "She's starting to form little tiny words, nothing special, but it's still adorable. How are the twins?"

"They're great." Eleanora replied, her smile widening a bit. "They're starting to sleep through the night, so that's good."

It grew quiet between the two again, and Eleanora looked down at her plate. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the Chief's voice made both Eleanora and Meredith glance over, along with the majority of the room.

"You all know what you're doing. Just...don't kill anyone." Eleanora watched as April's eye twitched at the vague speech, Meredith and her both snorting a bit. "Uh...Meredith! Can I see you in my office?"

Meredith nodded, throwing the rest of her muffin away. Before she followed after the Chief, she turned to Eleanora, giving a tight-lipped smile.

"I have to...."

"Yeah, of course! Go. Um, I'll see you later, then." As Meredith exited the cafeteria, Eleanora took a deep breath before she turned and moved to go sit with some of the other fifth years.

________

   outside of the ER, Eleanora turned her head as Owen and Callie rushed out and towards the ambulance in the bay. Owen was carrying a box of equipment as he spoke to the gaggle of surgeons.

"We're going to the scene of an on-site amputation, woman's trapped under her car. You guys are gonna get swamped with bodies. Kepner, you're in charge 'till I get back."

"Yes sir, have fun." April called back, Eleanora and Alex sharing a '' look.

"At an amputation?" Callie asked her before getting in the back of the ambulance. April winced, sighing as she realized her mistake.

"Um, I-I meant good luck." She huffed before turning and walking towards Jackson and Lexie, everyone just waiting for the first ambulance to arrive.

Eleanora heard footsteps behind her and Cristina and glanced over, seeing Meredith walking out. Something was off about her, though, and Eleanora's brows furrowed.

Cristina doesn't notice Meredith being-off, however, and turns to speak to her. "You know what? There's bound to be piles of head trauma. Derek's gonna have to talk to you."

"Mer?" Eleanora asks, head tilted and brows furrowed. "What's going on?"

Meredith's eyes flicker to Eleanora for a moment before they land on Alex. "I got fired."

The group all stiffen, eyes widening. Eleanora's mouth opens a bit, freezing in fixing her gloves. Eleanora's eyes snap to Alex right away, watching as his face hardens.

"What?!" Lexie asks, turning to face her sister.

"The Chief fired me." She stated again, Alex moving to look forward. Eleanora clears her throat and looks down, torn between emotions.

On one hand, she was freaking out. Meredith was fired, meaning not only would they no longer work together, Meredith may never become a surgeon. On the other hand, what did Meredith expect? She messed with a ground-breaking Clinical Trial. No matter the reasoning behind it, she shouldn't of done it.