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[neilmelendez-md]

Specialty: Love. (Part Two).

On Monday, you were at St. Bonaventure Hospital precisely at 8:30 am. You’ve decided to arrive a little early so you could pay Dr. Aaron Glassman a visit before your meeting with him and Dr. Melendez. You knock on his door and open it up as soon as you hear him yell for you to come in.

— Hey, Glassy! — You exclaim playfully.

— Oh, no, you too with that stupid nickname? — He laughs, getting up of his presidential chair to hug you.

— I like it better than Glaaron Assman, if I’m allowed to say so, — you answer with a loud laugh.

— Well, me too, — he says, also with a laugh. — How’s my favorite neurosurgeon?

— Former neurosurgeon, — you correct him. — I’m doing fine, how about you? And please don’t ask me to reconsider my decision. It’s final.

A knock on the door interrupts your chit chat before Dr. Glassman got the chance to answer you.

— Dr. Melendez is ready for you both in the meeting room, — Dr. Glassman’s secretary announce.

— Thank you, we’ll be there in a minute, — he answers and the secretary leaves, leaving the door open.

— What’s his deal? — You ask Glassman while observing Dr. Melendez typing on his phone inside the meeting room. You’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about him as a doctor, but also a lot of crappy things about him as a person.

— Neil can be a little arrogant and cocky sometimes, but that’s only because he knows he is the absolute best. Just like someone I know, — he answers you with a cynical smile.

— Well, I hope you’re not talking about me! — you say, taking your hand to your chest and playing offended. — At least when it comes to the arrogant part, because we both know you got it right when you said I’m the absolute best.

You give him a playful smile and he rolls his eyes at you, laughing.

— Let’s go, we don’t want to keep your new boss waiting!

— You might wanna hold your horses for a little while because I haven’t been officially hired yet, Glassy, — you remember him.

— Oh, please (Y/N)! He’ll love you. Now come on! — Dr. Glassman says, pointing the door for you.

— Okay, let’s do this, — you answer, starting to feel a little nervous.

***

— Neil! — Dr. Glassman says, causing Dr. Melendez to look away from his phone.

— Aaron, Dr. (L/N), — he says, getting up and offering you his hand.

— Dr. Melendez, — you answer, shaking his hand and smiling.

Dr. Melendez nods to you, as professionally and serious as he could get. He did look arrogant even when he wasn’t saying anything or doing any facial expressions. “Great, a jackass boss,” you think, suppressing the urge to roll your eyes at him.

The three of you take your seats and Dr. Melendez observes you for a while.

— You’ve got yourself a pretty good resume, Dr. (L/N), I’m impressed, — he says to you.

— Thanks, Dr. Melendez, — you answer, knowing what he was gonna ask next.

— You were the head of your department and a worldwide famous doctor. Why did you choose to leave Grey Sloan and quit your career as a neurosurgeon? — He asks, looking genuinely intrigued.

— I was only filling in for Dr. Shepherd during her maternity leave. And as for why I quit neuro, the answer is I wanna reinvent myself as a doctor. I used to have several doubts between cardio and neuro before choosing my first fellow specialty, and ended up choosing neurosurgery. But now it just feels... wrong, — you answer him, truthfully and confidently.

— Still, the fact that you were filling in for somebody else doesn’t make the fact that you were the head of your department at age 26 any less impressive, — he says, lifting his brows.

— I suppose it doesn’t, — you answer with a cocky smile.

Neil smiles back at you for a second, and you two stare at each other in a sort of cold battle for power.

— I do have one more question though, — he says after a few moments.

— Go ahead, — you encourage him.

— If you work under me, you’ll be working under my rules. This means no questioning my authority, no overruling my orders nor going over my head. I understand that you used to be an attending doctor which means you had full independency and this could difficult those things for you, but here you’ll be one of my students and I’ll be your teacher, and you’ll have to respect that. Can you do that? — He asks, looking straight into your eyes.

“God, this guy smells like pure arrogance,” you think, tightening your eyes a bit.

— Yes, I can, — you answer, holding the intense eye contact.

— Good. Welcome to the team, Dr. (L/N). See you tomorrow, — he nods at you with a victorious smile knowing he won your little power battle, leaving the room without waiting for your response.

— He’s a jackass, — you say to Dr. Glassman, who had been quiet this entire time, while lifting both of your eyebrows.

— He’s just a little competitive, — Glassman answers you, laughing. — But he’s a good person. And an extraordinary cardiothoracic surgeon.

— Let’s see about that once I complete my fellow specialty and become a thousand times better than him, — you say with a challenging expression.

— Just don’t forget you’ll need him to accomplish this (Y/N), — Glassman says, wisely. — Wanna grab a bite? I know a certain person who’d be thrilled to see you.

— Sure! — You answer him with a bright smile.

***

You pressed your body against the wall while waiting for Dr. Melendez and his three fellow students to leave a patient’s room, using this precious time to study Dr. Melendez’s actions and body language in order to know what you were dealing with.

— You’re analyzing him, aren’t you? — Dr. Glassman asks, knowing you too well.

— What can I say? You know me way too well, — you answer.

In this moment, a skinny guy with vivid green eyes and a brown messy hair leaves the room followed by Dr. Melendez and two other doctors. He doesn’t notice your presence at first, stopping suddenly after a few seconds.

— This perfume... (Y/N) is here! — He exclaims excitedly, lifting his hands and turning around to face you and Dr. Glassman.

— Hello, Smurf! — You say to him with a bright and genuine smile.

— Hello, (Y/N)! — He answers, running to you and hugging you awkwardly.

Everyone — except for Dr. Glassman — were surprised when you hugged him back and he hugged you even tighter for a short while.

— You two know each other? — Dr. Melendez asked with a confused expression.

— Yes! Yes we do! (Y/N) is my friend! She’s almost as smart as I am, — Shaun Murphy answers to him.

— Good to know that, Murphy, since she’s going to be working with us, — Dr. Melendez says.

— Is she? Are you? — Shaun asks to both you and Dr. Melendez.

— Yes! I didn’t wanna tell you until I was sure about it. How does that sound? We’re finally working together! — You tell him excitedly.

— I like that very much, — Shaun answers, looking at the wall behind you, a smile in his face.

— Excuse me, aren’t you Dr. (L/N)? — A curly haired girl with a kind face and a warm smile asks.

— Yes, but you can call me (Y/N), — you answer, offering her your hand and smiling back at her.

— Nice to meet you (Y/N)! I’m Dr. Claire Browne, and I’m a huge fan of your work, — she says, shaking your hand excitedly.

— She’s your new colleague Dr. Browne, not a celebrity, — Dr. Melendez says sarcastically to Claire as he walked into the elevator behind her.

— Is he always this obnoxious? — You ask no one in particular once the elevator doors closed.

— Pretty much. But it gets better, eventually. Just don’t let him get to you. Hi, I’m Dr. Kalu. Jared. — A tall British guy with a captivating smile answered you, offering his hand.

— I’ll try. Nice to meet you, by the way, — you tell him after shaking his hand, adding to the small group: — Would you guys like to grab a bite? I’m starving.

After an excited confirmation from the three doctors you leave with them and Dr. Glassman to the cafeteria. Your lunch was fun and pleasant and allowed you to get to know your new coworkers better. By the end of the meal, all of you looked like old friends. Claire and Jared were nice and friendly, and seemed like really good people. You were happy to see how good they treated Shaun and that he had made such nice friends.

— Crap, we gotta go! Our patient went in cardiac arrest! — Claire shout suddenly at Shaun and Jared after checking her phone, and soon they were running away through the hallway, leaving you alone with Dr. Glassman.

— So, how are you feeling about starting a new specialty at a new hospital from tomorrow? Must be pretty hard to let neuro, Grey Sloan and all of your friends behind, — Dr. Glassman says casually.

— Do we really have to talk about it? It’s not like I don’t have any friends here, I mean, I’ve got you and Shaun, — you answer him with a shrug.

— (Y/N), sooner or later you’ll have to talk about this. Might not be with me, might not be with Shaun, nor Meredith, nor Maggie, nor Amelia, but you’ll have to talk to someone, — he tells you concerned.

— You know what they say, better late than never. Anyway, gotta go. See you tomorrow, Glassy! — You say, leaving before he could answer so you were able to avoid the topic he was really trying to approach.

On your way out of the hospital, you’re intercepted by a male voice.

— Dr. (L/N), wait!

When you turn around, you see Dr. Melendez facing you. As much as you try, you can’t read his expression.

— Yeah?! — You finally answer him.

— Can we talk? In private, — he says.

— Sure... — you answer, a little suspicious.

He opens the door of the room on his left and holds it open for you to enter. You stare at him a little while before entering, followed by him.

— An On-Call Room, huh? Classy, — you tease him, trying to break the ice.

— Don’t get your hopes up, I’m about to disappoint you, — he surprisingly teases you back, lifting a brow and giving you a side smirk. You suddenly don’t know how to react.

— I—I... Hmm... — you stutter.

He gives you a victorious smile, full of presumption while you blush, not sure if it were embarrassment or anger.

— I believe you wanted to talk to me?! — You say coldly.

— I need to know why you left neuro and your old job, — he answers you bluntly.

— I’m sorry, but I don’t see how it’s any of your business, — you tell him.

— And I don’t see how it’s not, — he says. — I need to know, did you leave your old job because you screwed up? Did you do anything medically wrong? Or criminally wrong?

You couldn’t believe his audacity. You felt your blood boil inside your veins. How dare him?

— Well, why don’t you give Grey Sloan a call to find out? Chief Miranda Bailey would be thrilled to answer your questions. See you tomorrow, — you tell him harshly before storming out of the room. It would be a long year.

[neilmelendez-md]

Hey, guys, so I’m starting this reader x Neil Melendez story. Not sure of how long it’s gonna be, but let’s enjoy it while it lasts, shall we? Hope you like it!

Specialty: Love. (Part One).

Plot: (Y/N) used to be an attending neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital but she decided to switch specialties and become a cardiothoracic surgeon at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, working under Dr. Neil Melendez as a fellowship student.

Medicine was your passion. You dreamt of being a doctor since you can remember, contradicting your parents — who were both SSAs at the FBI —, but pleasing your grandparents who were both respected doctors. You fought for your dream with such passion and hard work through med school, internship, and residency to finally become a respected — and a very good one — neurosurgeon. Brains were your thing, there was no surgery you couldn’t do, and your mortality taxes were the lowest in the entire country. People would come from all over the world to have you operating on their brains. You were a rockstar, never made mistakes. You were born for it. Then why the hell did neurosurgery suddenly lost its enchantment? Why were you feeling as if you were apathetic?

— Are you sure you wanna do this? — Meredith asked with a concerned look at you.

— Yes, I am. — You answer her without breaking eye contact with your phone screen to avoid looking her in the eyes.

— You can’t even look me in the eyes. You’re not sure. I know you (Y/N). — She sighs.

— Mer, look... — you start, finally looking at her, not sure what you’re gonna say. — I have to do this. I’m bored, I’m frustrated. I’m feeling as if I made all the wrong career choices and now I’m convicted to live with it for the rest of my life. Being a neurosurgeon is just not what I want anymore.

You’ve just poured your heart out for the first time since you started having doubts about your specialty. It was the first time you said those things out loud. The first time you’ve even admitted it to yourself.

— (Y/N), you’ve graduated from med school at 18, a year before me, and just became the head of your department at the young age of 26 years old. You can’t just throw that away like if it was nothing, — says Maggie, who have been unusually quiet.

— Maggie, I’m just filling in for Amelia during her maternity leave. — You remembered her while lifting a brow.

— Still, that’s pretty impressive. — She insists.

— You’re not gonna change your mind, are you? — Meredith asks, already knowing your answer.

— You know I won’t.

— Then why go all the way down to California? You could easily stay here and learn from me, — Maggie shoots at you.

You knew you were hurting her by wanting to move states so you could learn from another cardiothoracic surgeon that wasn’t her.

— Mags, I don’t mean to upset you or anything, but this is something I need to do on my own. What if I end up making a terrible cardiothoracic student? You’d all be condescending to me because we have history. You guys are my family. This hospital is my home. Eventually we have to put those things behind us in order to grow up. — You shoot right back at her, a little harder than you’ve planned.

Maggie sighs deeply, getting up of the couch inside the Head Department’s Lounge and hugging you tight.

— We’ll support you. Always. No matter what. — She says, tightening the hug.

— If you hold me any tighter you’ll end up suffocating me, — you joke, adding: — I know. Thank you. I love you.

— And we love you. If anything goes wrong, you can always come back here, — Meredith says, joining the hug.

— I know, — you answer with a weak voice, your eyes tearing up.

— Are you about to cry? Now that’s news for me! — Amelia exclaims, storming into the room and also joining the hug.

— Shut up! — You answer, rolling your eyes at her and laughing.

— I spoke with Aaron, he was trying to call you. Anyway, he set up a meeting with you and Dr. Melendez for the next Monday, — Amelia says.

— Already? — You ask, surprised.

— Having second thoughts? — Maggie asked, full of hope.

— Nope. Just bummed to have so little time to get used to the idea of leaving you guys, this hospital, and Seattle behind, — you sigh.

The rest of the day went by in a blink of an eye. And so did the rest of the week. Soon it was Friday, your last day at Grey Sloan, and in Seattle. It was an emotional whirlwind, full of goodbyes and hugs and beautiful words from everyone. Except one person.

— Thought I might find you here, — you say to Jackson while entering the rooftop. — I’ve looked for you the entire day.

He stares down to the street, not answering you or even looking at you.

— Really? You’re just going to ignore me on my last day? — You ask, a sudden anger coming to you.

— Well, excuse me if I’m not thrilled with your stupid idea of leaving, — he finally answers you, equally angry, still not looking at you.

— Jackson, I really don’t feel like going away being at odds with you, so I’m just gonna go, — you say, turning on your feet in the direction of the exit.

— (Y/N), wait... — He held your arms gently, twisting you around so you could face each other, leaning his forehead against yours and resting his hands on your waist. — Please, don’t leave me.

His eyes looked lost, and his face saddened. Your heart shattered in a million pieces seeing him like that.

— I can’t stay, Jackson. You know that. I’m sorry.

— I’ll miss you like crazy, you know that, right? You’ll always be the best thing that has ever happened to me, — he says softly, unable to look you directly in the eye.

— I know. I’ll miss you too, — you answer. You were never really good with words nor expressing your feelings, but Jackson already knew that. As he knew you felt just like him.

The two of you hugged for a very long moment, without saying a word.

— I need to give you something back, — you say, finally breaking the silence. You took your hand to the pocket of your medical coat and grabbed the diamond ring you stored there this morning.

— No, babe. I want you to have it, — Jackson said when you handed it over to him.

— I can’t and you know it. We’re not together anymore, Jackson. Keep this so you can give it to the right girl whenever the time comes, — you said, depositing the ring in his hands.

— Yeah, I’ll give it back to you when the time comes, — he answers with a sad smile.

You smile sadly at him and press your lips with passion against his. He kisses you back, deepening what felt like your last kiss, causing your heart to ache.

— Goodbye, Jackson, — you say tearfully.

— See you soon (Y/N). I love you, — he answers, tears rolling down his face.

You give him a sad side smirk and leave without saying another word.