⇢ CHAPTER 7

supply closet, Holly looked inside as she saw Lexie grabbing a bunch of supplies.

"Lexie." Holly called out, looking at the supplies in her hand, "What's the trauma?"

"There's no trauma." Lexie shook her head, "I'm..." She exhaled, "stealing things for my apartment with George-- he calls it a crapartment and I'm trying to make it homey."

"It can't be that bad." Holly assured, grabbing a spare pillow and giving it to Lexie, "Here."

"Thanks."

"You kleptomaniac." Holly laughed.

Lexie gasped and grabbed the bedpan, "Fruit bowl!"

Holly made a face of disgust, "Please, don't tell me you're considering making an object people  as a " Lexie sighed, placing the bedpan away and Holly eyed the pillows, "My sister moved out and stole practically all the furniture back."

Lexie didn't turn her head to face Holly as she commented, "What a bitch."

"I mean," Holly shrugged, "it is furniture. I just moved in."

Lexie turned her head, "You should let George and I move in!" 

Holly frowned her eyebrows, "I thought you guys bought the crapart--apartment already."

Lexie shook her head furiously, "Not yet. We're just looking around at the moment."

Holly nodded slowly, "I don't know..."

"Come on," Lexie did puppy eyes, "please."

Holly chuckled, "I'll stop by your apartment later to see how bad it actually is."

✧

After trying to stop Lexie from stealing paintings from the hospital, Holly walked by the E.R. trolling for cases before she caught sight of George with a patient performing sutures. 

"Hey," Holly greeted, "did you know Lexie's stealing from the hospital for your apartment?"

"Well," George chuckled as he started the sutures, "unless she's planning to steal roach traps, we're still stuck with the unwanted pets."

"Ew." Holly scrunched up her nose as she thought about multiple roaches in an apartment, "I didn't know about the roaches."

"Yeah." George nodded, keeping his eyes on the open wound, "And the place is rusting and-- you should come over to see what we're going to move into."

Holly nodded, grabbing a stool nearby to sit with him and the patient, who had her head facing the opposite direction for George to do the sutures on her head, "I am. I'm going over tonight."

"Oh." George muttered something Holly didn't catch before he looked at her.

"What?"

"Do you want to do the sutures? They're complex and great intern training." George suggested, trying to pass her the suture instruments.

"Oh." Holly shook her head, "I haven't done anything like that--"

"It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it." George waved a hand, performing two more sutures to show Holly, "See?"

Holly's eyes stayed on George before nodding, grabbing the instruments and beginning a suture, "L-Like this...?"

"Perfect." George smiled.

✧

If Holly ever had a chance to ask God a single question, it would probably be 'Why am I always stuck in the elevator with Sloan and Shepherd?'

"I don't like her." Mark spoke up, referring to Rose as they descended down the floors in the elevator. Holly and Mark were both leaning against the back of the elevator as Derek stood in the front, "I'm sorry, but as your friend, it's my job to say it. I don't like Rose."

"Why?" Derek asked, not minding much business as he texted on his phone.

"You're not even sleeping with her."

"You don't like her because she's not sleeping with me?" Derek questioned, turning his head back to face him, "That's a little weird."

"It's not weird." Mark defended, turning his head to Holly, "Red, is it weird?"

"It's a little weird." Holly nodded.

"Hey," Mark tried to defend himself again as he spoke to Derek, "if you were sleeping with Rose, I could understand why you're spending time with her, but you're not. And it's-- it's just, uh, I thought that, uh," He took a step forward to meet Derek and Holly took one too, intrigued at what he would say, "you know..." he whispered, as if Holly wouldn't be able to hear him, "I thought it was just gonna be you and me."

Derek leaned back to look at Mark, "Having sex?"

Holly began to crack up as Mark shook his head, "." He corrected, "After Addison, after Meredith. I have been patient."

"Mm."

"I'm starting to love these elevator rides." Holly spoke, chuckling as her laughter began to leave.

"I have waited while you partnered up with these chicks," Mark admitted, "but now they're over, and it's supposed to be just us, you and me, two guys on the prowl, on the hunt."

"In the bed." Holly added, laughing at her own joke.

"You're having trouble getting laid," Derek commented, "and you need my help."

"I can get laid." Mark defended.

"Mm-hmm."

"I can get laid whenever I want."

"Uh-huh."

"I get laid whenever I want."

"Uh-huh."

"I do." Mark nodded, turning his head to Holly, "Red, you wanna--"

"No, thanks." Holly shook her head furiously and Derek laughed.

"That's the point." Mark continued, "Women are everywhere." His voice went soft, "I only have one person I can talk to."

Derek and Holly awed, "That's sweet."