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It was a slow day at Peds Floor. There was no rush, no desperation. It was past noon, and there was not a single emergency surgery on the board. Too calm to be true.
Monica had just finished her last surgery scheduled for the day, so she was standing at the nurses station, filling the patient’s chart when one of her favorite nurses walked past her.
“Dr. Beltran, you’re being called by Lucy, 5886.” The nurse informed with a sweet smile on her face. “The birthday girl wants to share a piece of her cake with you” Monica smiled wide.
“Urgh! I can’t believe I missed the party!” She pouted and finished her notes on the chart, putting her pen into her coat pocket and handing it to the nurse. “I’ll stop by her room. Thank you!”
“The party was a hit! Lots of balloons, bubbles and party hats.” The woman kept smiling as she organized the paperwork.
“Bubbles?” Monica wrinkled her nose. “I hate those. Always a mess!”
“Definitely. But she asked very nicely and Dr. Schmitt doesn’t know how to say no. So… You know how that turned out!”
“Well… I can imagine.” The pediatrician smiled again and walked towards the room, already seeing the commotion around the place. She could see the pink balloons popping out of the room and some of her patients with big smiles and buttercream all around their faces.
It was always nice when they did something like that for the kids. A lot of them were inside the hospital for long enough to forget how to be children. Lucy was one of her first patients when she started working at Grey Sloan, several months ago. The girl came in with a piece of a monkey bar stuck to her abdomen, they spent hours in the OR trying to save her life.
She came out alive that day, but also on the list for a transplant.
Lucy’s parents decided to keep her in the hospital so she could recover properly and wait for her new beginning. While this day doesn’t come, she’s stuck to that hospital bed. So they were trying to make it as normal as possible.
That was the reason why they had a birthday party that afternoon.
“I heard someone was throwing a party?” Monica entered the room and immediately heard the screams and giggles of the kids. Countless bubbles flew towards her.
“Dr. Beltran! You came!” Lucy greeted, wearing a pink crown with the number nine in it.
“Of course I did! Wouldn’t miss it for anything.” She high-fived the girl, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m a little late because of a surgery. But I'm here for the cake!”
“Thank you, Dr. Beltran.” Jill, the mother, said, handing her a paper plate with a big piece of cake. “She just wouldn’t stop talking about you!”
Monica spent the next half hour eating the cake, playing with the kids and signing different casts. She loved being around them in moments like this, without the tension of a big surgery ahead of them – it was the reason she’d met all of them, after all.
After several rounds of tic-tac-toe, cards and charades, the surgeon was paged to a consult. She hugged Lucy again, thanked her parents and said goodbye to the kids. Everything was fine until she stepped out of the room.
As expected, the soap bubbles were messy, especially when spilled on the smooth hospital floor. In one second Monica was standing in the doorway, in the other she hit the ground with her face.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
🫧
The first thing Monica realized as she opened her eyes was the pounding headache. She groaned in pain and blinked a few times, the hospital neon lights making it worse. When she raised her hand to her forehead, a warm hand stopped her midway.
“Welcome back, Dr. Beltran” She had to blink again, until her eyes could focus and she could recognize where she was. The ER. “Do you remember what happened?”
What the hell happened?
“Dr. Hunt?” Monica furrowed her brows, confused. “What is going on?” She looked around, still dizzy. She was sitting on the last gurney, with an IV line taped onto her hand. The sharp pain on the right side of her head made her flinch and raise her hand again. And just like before, Owen stopped her.
“You slipped and hit your head, you were out for a couple of minutes so we brought you to the ER. Your BP dropped, that’s why we put you on some fluids. How are you feeling?”
“My head hurts.” Monica groaned again.
“That’s because you have a two-inch laceration on your forehead. Dr. Adams will suture for you.” The trauma surgeon explained, tapping something on the tablet. “Adams!” He shouted and the intern almost ran in their direction.
“Oh God. Please don’t scream.” The pediatrician asked, closing her eyes. Lucas was already putting his gloves on, the suture kit on the tray next to them. “I feel like my head is about to explode.”
“I’ll page neuro. Just for a checkup, you hit the head pretty badly.” Hunt said, picking up his phone.
“Page Shepherd.” Monica said, still disoriented. Both men looked at her.
“Do you want me to page the Head of Neuro to look at a head bump?” Owen frowned, still stopped at his tracks. The woman nodded, a loose smile on her lips.
“Of course?” She said it like it was obvious. “I may be dying…”
“You just hit your head.” He debated. Monica narrowed her eyes at him and the man just sighed. “Fine.” Hunt moved to the next patient.
“My ears are ringing…” She mumbled it. Adams prepared the anesthesia and stood up. “It may be a brain bleed.”
“It may be a concussion.” The intern said it back. “You’ll feel a pinch.” Lucas instructed as he inserted the needle into the cut.
“Ouch!” She complained. “Be careful, Adams, my face is too pretty to have a big ass scar in it.”
Lucas was dedicated to making the best suture of all his career while Monica was occupied rambling about something that he couldn’t understand. By his experience, it was just a concussion from the way she hit her head on the ground. The classic symptoms were all there: dizziness, the ears ringing, desorientation and apparently, loss of filters.
“You know what? You should really page Shepherd. I feel something in my heart.” Monica suddenly said.
“We already paged her. And if we needed to check your heart, we would page Dr. Ndugu.” Beltran scrunched her face at the mention of his name.
“No. I want Dr. Shepherd…” She debated. “She’ll know what to do with my heart.” Adams just looked at her, bored.
“Fine, we’ll page her.”
“Thank you very much, Adams” Beltran smiled weakly.
After a couple of minutes — that felt like an eternity to the intern — Monica’s face was already sutured and all the blood wiped out. While Lucas cleaned and throwed the packages away, Amelia emerged from the elevator.
“Hunt, you paged?” The neurosurgeon was wearing her scrubs, the hair in a bun and scrub cap still on her hand. “Sorry I’m late, I was stuck in surgery.” The trauma surgeon just smirked.
“Yes, your girlfriend specifically asked for you.” He grabbed the tablet from the nurse and opened Monica's chart.
“My girlfriend?” Shepherd frowned. “What are you talking about?” Owen gave her the tablet and pointed into the woman’s direction.
“Bed one”
“Oh my god! What happened?” Her eyes drifted through the information on the screen. In seconds she was on Monica’s side. “Hey you…” She crossed her arms, her worry contrasting with the smile on the other woman’s lips.
“Oh! Hey, Dr. Pretty…” Beltran greeted her. Amelia exchanged looks with Lucas, who was trying to hold his laughter.
“What happened to you?”
“She fell”
“I fell”
“I see…” Amelia stepped closer, brushing away strands of hair so she could look at the wound properly. “What are you feeling?” She asked while searching for the light pen inside her pocket.
“My heart is fluttering” Monica’s gaze was fixed on her face, her cheeks flushed. Shepherd had to fight back a smile.
“I meant about your head.”
“Oh.” She blinked a few times, the red on her face became stronger. “I feel like my head is about to explode. And I’m dizzy. But maybe this is just your perfume. Lilies?” Amelia laughed at that.
“Yes, lilies. Can you squeeze my fingers?” She raised her hands and Monica did what she was told. “Great. Touch your nose for me?”
“Lilies are my favorite flowers.” The woman continued, as she touched her nose. “What are your favorite flowers?”
“Tulips. Follow my finger.” The neurosurgeon passed her index in front of her face and she followed with her eyes.
“Yeah, they suit you.” Amelia smiled and shook her head. Carefully, she held Monica’s chin as she lightened the pen, checking her pupils. “Wow”
“What?” From this proximity, she could stare right into those big brown eyes. They were so close, she could feel the warmth of her breath. Too close for a neuro exam and even more for the middle of the ER.
“Your eyes…” Shepherd frowned. “They are so beautiful… I could look at them all day.” The heat flew up to Amelia’s cheeks, turning them pink. “You’re cute, Amelia.” They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. Monica’s stomach twisted and she swore her heart was about to explode.
Lucas cleared his throat, pulling them back to reality.
“Okay…” The woman straightened up and took a step back, establishing some distance between them. “It’s nothing serious, it looks just like a concussion. I’ll ask for a head CT just to confirm it, but Adams will give you some painkillers and you, lady, need to rest! Deal?”
“Deal… Thank you, Dr. Pretty.” Monica smiled wide and tilted her head, making Amelia laugh once more.
“Do you need anything else?” She asked with her voice full of affection. A warm smile taking place at her lips.
“Yes…”
“What can I do for you, Dr. Beltran?” The woman raised her index and asked her to lean closer.
When Shepherd was close enough she said: “Can you bring me some jello?”
“Yes” She managed to say between her laughter. “What flavor?”
“Obviously red!”
“I’ll find it for you.” She squeezed Monica’s hand. “I have a surgery now, but if you need anything… Just ask Adams. And if he doesn’t help you, just page me.”
“I will” She nodded, smiling again.
“Take care, Beltran!”
🫧
Later that night, Amelia was finally done with her shift and ready to go home. While she gathered her things, she texted Lucas, asking for an update on Monica.
She laughed to herself with the memories of earlier. She would definitely tease the woman about her lack of filters.
And maybe, just maybe, they would talk about the elephant in the room.
Amelia couldn’t deny that Monica’s actions had affected her. The way those big brown eyes were looking at her and the thousands of compliments really shifted something inside her.
She sighed. She needed to stop thinking about that woman.
Shepherd smoothed her coat and tossed her bag onto her shoulder, walking out the attending’s lounge.
Just as she walked across the reception, she recognized the woman standing at the nurse station. Monica was wearing a jeans and a sweater, with her coat folded around her forearm.
“Hey you! Going home?” She asked with a warm grin.
“Oh! Hi, Shepherd.” Beltran signed the last page and handed the papers to the nurse. “Yes… You were right, as usual, and CT showed a minor concussion. Hunt just discharged me and the Chief forced me into a leave.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“As she should. You need to rest, those were my orders.” She smiled. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, the meds are really helping with the pain. I’m just a little tired and my mind is kind of foggy” Shepherd could feel the change in her posture. The pediatrician was quiet, with her cheeks slightly red. “I don’t exactly remember everything that happened today, so… I’m sorry”
“For what?” Amelia frowned.
“I… Don’t know, actually.” Monica pressed her lips into a thin line. “I don’t remember exactly what I said to you…”
“Relax, it’s fine.” She dismissed with a flick of her hand. “Is someone picking you up?”
“No. I was thinking about getting an Uber or something”
“What? No! I’ll take you home.”
“No need!”
“Don’t argue with me, I’m your doctor! Let’s go, I’m taking you home.” Amelia took Monica’s bag from the counter and extended her hand. “And by the way, you asked to page me. So, your choices!”
“You are insufferable. Have I told you that?” Monica rolled her eyes, but accepted the offer, holding into her hand.
“That’s not what you called me earlier!” Amelia grinned with the joke.
“Shut up!” Monica bumped her shoulder onto her’s
It was late in the night, the chaos of the hospital was starting to calm down, the only sound around them was the humming of the machines and the small talk between the others. It was almost quiet.
When they entered the elevator, there was no one else, just the two of them. A comfortable silence settled between the women, Amelia had her gaze fixed on Monica’s face, while leaning against the wall. Beltran could feel her staring and her stomach twisting.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked, without matching her eyes. Amelia kept silent, waiting.
Monica finally raised her gaze and when their eyes locked in, electricity ran through their bodies. Like something has shifted between them.
“You are so beautiful, Monica.”
Her heart jumped inside her chest.
That was a beat of silence.
Monica stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Their eyes were still connected, blue onto brown. They were so close to each other that Beltran felt the second when Amelia’s breath hitched. The taller woman leaned in, dragging her lips against hers, without really kissing her.
Amelia’s hand went to Monica’s waist, pulling her body closer. And she could swear she felt everywhere.
The moment their lips touched, it was like everything was falling apart.
All the barriers, the tension, the anticipation. All those months of waiting, of wanting were crashing down.
Amelia’s perfume was all over her, the sweet scent of lilies embracing her as she dived into the woman’s kiss.
Monica literally groaned when she opened her mouth and their tongues brushed against each other. Amelia responded by pressing her fingers against her waist, almost bruising it. It was too much.
When air became a necessity, they broke the kiss.
Still tangled with each other, oblivious of the elevator doors opening and closing, they shared a smile.
“I wanted to do this for so long…” Monica confessed, her voice barely a whisper. Amelia grinned wide, her chest rising and falling.
“Me too.” Her lips were red and swollen. “Especially when you called me Dr. Pretty, this morning.”
“Oh my God!” Monica almost screamed, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “Shut up!” She buried her face on the crook of Amelia’s neck, feeling her body shaking from laughing.
“Just for you know… I thought it was very cute!”
“Don’t do this to me.”
Amelia took her face between her hands and gave her a peck on the lips.
“You look very cute when you’re embarrassed”