#dr lahela x mc

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

*Naveen Seeing Chandini and Bryce flirting*: They're cute, I want to put them on a boat

Ethan: ...

Sienna: You mean...you ship them?

[alj4890]

Mixed Signals

(Dr. Tobias Carrick x F!MC *Chris Valentine) (Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC*Chris Valentine) (Dr. Bryce Lahela x F!MC*Chris Valentine) in an Open Heart Fan fiction.

A/N I've written only a few drabbles for Open Heart, but after the disappointment of Book 3 and no book 4 to fix everything, the idea for this series has been in my mind ever since the attack in Book 2 began.

Masterlist

Song Inspiration for this series: Sparks by Coldplay

Prologue

Mass Kenmore Hospital...

"Dr. Valentine?" Tobias said in surprise. "What brings you deep into enemy territory?"

Chris took a hesitant step forward. Her fingers twisted the material of her wool skirt as she faced the man partly responsible for saving her life.

What did one say to the very person that she had insulted, labeled the enemy, and fought so hard to beat?

After all that she had done, Dr. Tobias Carrick had dropped everything and rushed to Edenbrook on the day of the attack to find a way to save her life.

Licking her lips, she lifted her eyes to his. "If you're not busy, Dr. Carrick, I was wondering if I could speak to you," she looked about at the nurses and doctors rushing past on the fifth floor of Mass Kenmore, "alone?"

His smug smirk peeked out. Stepping to the side, he waved her down the hall. "Fourth door on the left is my office."

With shaky legs, she walked toward the direction he pointed.

He opened the door for her and followed her inside.

Smoothing her damp hands down her skirt, she once more faced him.

Tobias sat down on the edge of his desk, his smirk slowly disappearing. "You okay, Chris?"

She nodded and took a deep breath to try and keep her tears at bay.

He reached for her hand. "Hey. It's okay. Take your time."

She bit down on her lip. That gentle bedside manner of his touched her heart. He had used it when he swooped in to see if he could find a cure for the poison she had inhaled. Hearing it once again made her feel...well, feel for the first time in a long time.

"I just...I just wanted to stop by and thank you--"

"You already thanked me." He told her, smiling again.

"I know." She swallowed once more. "This is my first day out of the hospital and I wanted to thank you again when I'm not..."

When I'm not what? Out of my head? Weak from nearly dying? Heartbroken over losing Danny and Bobby? Worried about Rafel? Wondering why neither of the two men I work with and have feelings for won't say what we are?

"Chris?"

"Sorry." She sniffed and reached for a tissue on his desk. The movement made her move directly between his legs.

She heard the light intake of breath and looked up. Their faces were close to one another's, so much so that she could smell both the peppermints he preferred and the light splash of cologne he had on.

He was completely still yet tense with his body poised for whatever she was going to do next.

Without any thought or plan for where this might go, she kissed his cheek and hugged him.

His arms lifted to hold her when he felt her stray warm tears against his neck.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly, gently squeezing her close.

"Not really." She admitted. "Everyone keeps telling me to give myself time and all." She eased back. "I wish they would leave me alone."

He kept his hands on her waist while studying her. "Then tell them."

"Ha. You've met them." She snorted. "They don't take orders like that well."

"True." He replied. "You want me to do it?" His smirk brought a grin to her face. "Ethan already considers me a pain in his ass. What's one more mark against me?"

She laughed, while dabbing at her eyes and nose. "After what you did for me? No way am I letting you continue to be the bad guy."

"Aww shucks, Valentine." Tobias teased. "You're going to give me a big head."

"As if it wasn't already big enough." She teased back. Tilting her head, she pretended to study him. "How do you lift it?"

"I work out." He winked then stood up. "I'm glad you came by."

"Me too." She held her hand out.

He shook his head. "You already hugged me. I figure that could be our thing."

"Our thing?"

Tobias pulled her back into his embrace.

"Yeah." He hugged her close. "Now that you won't let me be the big bad guy, I think this means you want us to be friends."

"Whoa. I'm merely a girl coming to thank a guy for saving her life." She teased. "Don't go thinking this means more than that."

"Sorry. Thought is already there." He countered, letting her go. "You're stuck with me now Chris whether you like it or not."

"Ugh, fine." She playfully grumbled. "I already deal with so many ego maniacs. What's one more?"

He opened his office door for her. "I knew you would agree."

"Just because you won this round doesn't mean you'll win them all, Dr. Carrick." Chris warned, completely unable to keep from grinning at him.

"Allow me to let you in on a little secret, Dr. Valentine," he leaned down close to whisper. "I win all the rounds that are important to me." Swiping up the folder he had previously been studying, he saluted her. "See you soon."

*****************

A couple of weeks later...

"Baz and I will go talk to the patient." June offered.

"Good, I'll..." Ethan's eyes widened when the door of the diagnostics office opened.

Chris calmly walked in and flashed a brief smile. "Good morning. Sorry I'm late. My landlord needed some help being admitted."

"Chris?" Ethan's brow furrowed. "We didn't expect you back so soon."

Baz bounded over to wrap her in a hug while June questioned her about any lingering side effects.

"A little tired still and occasionally breathless, but other than that I feel mostly back to normal."

"Fascinating." June's smile formed. "I'd love to sit down and discuss with you--"

"Kerri Monroe's diagnosis." Ethan bit out. "That's what you need to focus on now."

"On it." Baz whispered how happy he was to have Chris back as he followed June out the door.

"Anything I can do?" Chris walked over and picked up the medical file. "Should I order some labs for Mrs. Monroe or--"

"Sit down." Ethan ordered. "You shouldn't have come back so soon, Rookie."

"Why?" Chris looked up at him, surprised he called her that particular nickname again. "There are things to do here. People need my help more than I need to sit on a couch all day."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You don't need to exert yourself. We don't know if--"

"You weren't worried about me exerting myself after the funeral." She muttered.

His cheeks flushed at the reminder of what had happened in his car on that stormy night. "Chris, I'm still your superior. I don't know--"

She quickly waved her hand dismissing his same reason of why he wouldn't fully commit to her. "I get it. No need to tell me again."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"If," she coughed to cover her embarrassment, "if you don't need me right now, I'll uh, I'll go make my rounds."

"Go ahead." Ethan said softly. His eyes drifted over her face before he forced them elsewhere.

"Just page me if you need another set of eyes." She tried to sound like her old self, yet it held a shrill edge at the end.

"Will do."

She tried to keep her steps from rushing out the door.

"Chris?"

Taking a steadying breath she turned back toward him.

"Don't overdo it." He ordered.

With a quick nod, she walked out the door.

******************

A few hours later...

"...and then Robin flips over the bad guy and..."

Chris couldn't stop smiling at her seven hear old patient telling her his favorite stories of Batman and Robin. Throughout examining him, he had shown her his toys and comic books that his parents had brought into his room.

"How's you're tummy feel?" She asked when he paused for breath.

His little face dimmed of happiness. "Still hurts some."

"I promise it will feel better soon." She then addressed his parents about the afternoon's surgery.

A knock had them all turning to see Bryce walking in, wearing a Robin mask.

"I heard that a hero needs some..." His eyes widened. "Chris! What are you doing back at work?"

She shrugged while helping them move the patient to the gurney. "It felt like it was time."

His brow furrowed much like Ethan's had when seeing her.

"Walk with me?" He asked as soon as they began to wheel towards surgery. "And wait until I drop him off."

"You're not performing the surgery?" She asked.

"Not today. I have one in about an hour scheduled that Dr. Tanaka wants me for."

A few minutes later, Bryce motioned for her to follow him to the cafeteria. It was for the most part empty, save for a couple of doctors grabbing a late lunch.

"You want anything?" He asked.

"No thanks." She sat down at a table while he went to get a snack.

He grinned as he sat down across from her. "Here." He pushed a bag of peanuts toward her. "You should eat something."

Her nose wrinkled. "I really haven't gotten my appetite back yet."

She noticed the concern in his eyes so like her roommates' and knew she would have to force down some of the peanuts just to make it stop.

"So?" She tried not to gag on what once was her favorite goto snack. "How have you been?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He bit into a burger. "I mean," he said between bites, "of the two of us, you've been the patient."

"Yeah." She slumped some in her seat. "I wasn't too sick to talk on the phone though." Her eyes narrowed somewhat on his. "Or have visitors."

Bryce winced. "Sorry about that, Chris. I guess I didn't know what to say or do?"

"Really?" Her eyes narrowed more.

How often had she stressed to him within the past year that he was important to her, that she wanted to be with him. Then when he wouldn't say he wanted that too and reverted back to calling her a friend, she gave in to trying something with Ethan.

Only for both men to keep her on a yoyo string to pull back and forth whenever they needed her.

What do I see in them to keep swallowing my pride and allowing them to basically use me for sex whenever they want?

Chris was fed up. The longer Bryce stammered about his busy schedule and not wanting to disturb her rest, the more she wanted to chunk the peanuts at his stupid, much too handsome face.

She didn't even want the damn things. Might as well use them as a quick release to her frustration.

Her fingers curled around the bag. Her bicep tightened in preparation to throw them, when Sienna walked up.

Her friend's excited hug and squeals of seeing her at work again were what saved Bryce's overly confident face.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?!" Sienna sat down next to her. "I would have made celebration pancakes this morning!"

Chris couldn't stop from smiling. She could always depend on Sienna's sweetness to boost her mood.

"I didn't really decide until you had left for work. Then Farley came by to check on me and he wasn't feeling too good..."

She continued to tell her about his diagnosis of lime disease.

"Hate to break this up, but I have to get ready for surgery." Bryce smiled at them both. "Take it easy, Valentine. I don't want to have to operate on you next."

Chris bit back a bitter retort that he better hope she needed surgery. It would be his only chance to catch her naked again.

"Meet us at Donahue's later!" Sienna shouted. "We will celebrate Chris being back."

"There's no need." Chris began.

"Yes, there is!" Sienna squeezed another hug out of her. "My best friend is back with us and I'm over the moon about it!"

Bryce smirked at her. "She's right. We have to celebrate our friend's return."

Our friend. Chris despised the word, friend. Why did she keep placing her hope on him seeing her as something more than a mere friend?

And to make things worse, Ethan walked past.

"Dr. Ramsey!" Sienna called out before Chris could stop her. "Come have a drink with us tonight in honor of Chris's return!"

Ethan hesitated. That action nearly earned him peanuts in his handsome face too.

Gawd, I hate that look. The sad, yearning eyes. The slight frown. Man up and either say you want to date me or leave me alone for good! This back and forth is killing me worse than the poison did.

"Where at?" Ethan finally asked.

"Donahue's." Sienna beamed when he said he would try and stop by on his way home.

Chris mumbled a goodbye as Bryce left and Ethan headed off to find something to eat.

"Who else should we invite? I know Rafe is still too sick to get out." Sienna tapped her fingers on the table while scrolling through her contacts. "We can invite the rest of the diagnostic team and Ines and--"

"I'll send an invite to Tobias." Chris decided.

"Tobias? Who's...oh!" Sienna's eyes widened. "Dr. Carrick, right?"

"Yeah." Chris sent a text to him before she could think too much about it. "He did rush over with Aurora to try and save my life."

"I thought he was the enemy?" Sienna whispered while her eyes cut to Ethan. "Don't they have bad blood between them?"

"Something like that." Chris grumbled. "They can get over it."

Her phone vibrated with Tobias's response.

You want me to come deep into Edenbrook territory for a drink?

She snorted while answering.

Too scared, huh? And here I was longing for your company.

Well hell, Chris. I've never been able to refuse someone longing for my company. I'll be there. Just make sure no one sticks a scalpel in my back.

Don't worry. I'll protect you.

My hero.

Sienna leaned over, her eyes growing larger with each of their responses.

"Oh my gosh! You like Tobias!"

Chris's smile disappeared. "I don't hate him. But like like him? No."

"You're flirting in your texts!" Sienna giggled. "That is so cute. I haven't see you like this since our first year with--" she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Uh huh." Chris pushed her chair back. "Anyway, I'll see you after work." She patted her friend's shoulder as she walked away. "Don't worry, I'm not upset with you over the name you almost said."

"Yeah, but." Sienna chased after her. "There is also another person who is interested in you."

"If you mean the one I think, then no. He made it perfectly clear this morning that we can't."

"No!" Sienna wrapped a comforting arm around Chris. "Why not?"

"He's still my boss." Chris mumbled. "And he won't abuse that. No matter how often he gives in to temptation."

"I think he's in love with you." Sienna whispered.

"Not enough to be with me." Chris grumbled.

[jamespotterthefirst]

Dress (Ethan x F!MC)

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey and MC (Lilac Allende)

Word Count: 1.5K

Rating/Warning: T/ Some Language

Summary: Loosely based on the events in Book 1, Chapter 9. After dinner with her roommates, she runs into Dr. Ramsey at the bar.

Note: Because Ethan never saw my MC in that hot dress. Inspired by Dress by Taylor Swift. Longer note at the end (meep).

The dimly lit bar thrummed with excitement, the energy as palpable as the plethora of glasses leaving the bar. All around, overworked medical staff in various degrees of inebriation laughed and talked over the loud music, making the most of the rare moments of freedom at their disposal. It was undoubtedly karaoke night—and if the neon sign flashing from above the small stage didn’t clue him in, the awful singing, the ruckus laughter, and the smell of fried bar food definitely would. Still, the tension pinching Ethan’s muscles knew only one remedy.  

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Reggie exclaimed with exaggeration at the sight of Ethan. “Hell must’ve frozen over if you’re here for karaoke night. What song should I queue up for you?”

“Very funny,” Ethan replied dryly, taking his usual seat at the bar. “No song, but I will take the usual.”

The bartender laughed his characteristic guffaw, one that he reserved for whenever he taunted Ethan. “Must’ve been one hell of a day if you need a drink badly enough to put up with all this.”

He nodded toward the stage where a group of interns belted the notes of some 90s song Ethan couldn’t place. They huddled around one microphone, swaying under the effects of half-priced pitchers of the night. One of the interns broke off in laughter, signaling at someone in the crowd to join them. 

“Hell of a week,” Ethan began to reply, but his attention lingered on the group. 

The more he watched them, the more recognition dawned on him. The one grinning broadly at the center, shorter than the rest, was Sienna Trinh. Beside her, Elijah Greene rapped the verse of the song expertly. On his right was a tall, lanky intern Ethan could not name if his life depended on it. 

If they were here, then so must—

“Lilac!” Trinh hissed into the mic, beckoning wildly from stage. “Get up here, now!” 

Jeers erupted as the crowd parted, revealing a laughing Lilac Allende. She shook her head enigmatically, but Trinh refused to give up. At long last, a pair of strong arms engulfed Lilac and easily picked her up. That arrogant surgeon that strutted through the halls of the hospital carried her on stage. 

Ethan looked away, annoyed. Lucky for him, Reggie had long since placed the glass of amber liquid in front of him. He took a swig, refusing to give in to the urge of glancing her way. 

It was no use, though. 

The last few months had proven that Lilac Allende was impossible to ignore. She had confidently taken reign of his senses from the moment her green eyes met his. Defeated, he glanced at the stage. The stage lights had brightened, matching the rhythmic Spanish song blaring from the speakers. One glance at the screens surrounding the small room told him it was a song by Selena Quintanilla.

“Anything for Selenas!” Lahela screeched through cupped hands. 

Lilac, meanwhile, made no use of the screens with the flashing lyrics. She sang the words confidently into the microphone, swaying and dancing, letting the music take over. Each sway of her hips commanded the space around her, all but hypnotizing anyone who watched. She was aware of how badly her voice sounded as she tried to hit the high notes, but the peal of laughter that rang out made Ethan’s chest feel weightless. 

At last, during a pause in the song, she shrugged off her long coat to the wild cheers of the crowd. 

“Get it, bitch!” Sienna cheered as she caught Lilac’s discarded coat. 

There was nothing particularly special about the dress Lilac wore. It was a shade of dark green Ethan could not specifically name if pressed. It could have even been modest or plain on anyone else, with long sleeves and a skirt that reached the floor. But on Lilac Allende the dress was nothing short of sinful. It caught the light as she danced and swayed to the music, captivating many in the room. The fabric hugged every curve and dip, flowing in a tantalizing rhythm as she danced. 

Ethan watched, clinging to his glass with unnecessary force. 

For one wild moment, he allowed himself to fantasize what it would be like to run his fingers along the leg slit. His lips would find her exposed shoulder, moving up her neck, and whispering in her ear, “Let’s get out of here.”

The song ended with a roar of applause. 

As though sensing his gaze on her, her green eyes found his from across the room, paralyzing him. 

Piercing blue eyes pinned her in place, making her body hum more than cheap alcohol ever could. Ethan Ramsey was watching her from his usual place at the bar, his expression unreadable but intense. Every instinct told her to stay away from him, her senses recognizing what grew heavy between them with each passing day.

Before she could think better of it, Lilac hopped off the stage and made her way to the bar, giving her friends some pretense about needing a drink badly. As she approached, Ethan’s posture stiffened, his attention on his glass of scotch. Though he stared at the amber liquid intently, it was nothing compared to the way he had watched her from across the room. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Doctor Ramsey,” she said by way of greeting. “It’s karaoke night.”

He looked up at last, though his posture still appeared tense. Lilac noticed his fingers flexed around his glass. 

“I’m aware,” he responded. “It looked like you were having fun.”

Lilac gave him a little shrug, sliding onto the barstool next to him. “Just blowing off some steam after a difficult day.”

Ethan’s shoulders stiffened slightly. She knew he was thinking about their earlier conversation regarding Mr. Platt. He opened his mouth, impassioned, as though ready to go toe-to-toe with her like before. Then, he seemed to think better of it. 

“Did you figure it out yet?” he asked instead. 

“Why you assigned him to me? No.”

“His diagnosis, Rookie.”

“Also no. That’s eluding me as much as your reasoning behind this.” 

She knew he was pushing him a little too hard. He could very well angrily shut down like he had done earlier, leaving her even more irritated and confused. Instead, he set his glass down on the bar top, sighing heavily. 

“I thought you could handle it.”

The inadequacy of this response made Lilac’s annoyance flare up.

“I must’ve miscalculated,” he added. 

“I can handle anything you give me,” she returned scathingly. 

“Surely not if this simple assignment is throwing you off.” “It’s not the assignment or the patient. It’s the reason why you did it.”

“The reason is simple. I'm your mentor. It's my job to push you.”

The busy bar around them continued to buzz with excitement. No one around them paid them any mind, and if they did, the look on Ethan's face alone was enough to make anyone glance anywhere else. Lilac, however, was not afraid of the icy glare fixed on her. Instead, she straightened her spine, her body imperceptibly closer to his. 

“I don't believe you,” she informed him. 

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You're not letting this go, are you?” 

“You already know the answer to that, Dr. Ramsey.”

Lilac watched him take a long swig of his drink. Truth be told, she was shocked he was still sitting there, humoring her. Any other time, he would have stormed off. 

Tonight was different. 

“If you're so sure there's some grand explanation, then enlighten me, Rookie.”

Lately, everything was different with him, as though the Earth shifted on its axis without their knowledge, leaving them swaying for balance. 

“I think…” she said, her voice quiet. She trailed off, entranced by his blue eyes on hers. Without her knowledge, she had leaned closer to him, their arms and thighs so close that she could feel the warmth of his body. For a breath, she allowed herself to imagine what that warmth would feel like pressed against her body, roaming every inch of her… The warmth of his hands on her skin, as he tugged her dress, pulled it, ripped it...

“I think…” she tried again, willing herself out of her haze. 

“Yes?” 

“You're deflecting.”

Ethan reeled back. “Deflecting? Deflecting what exactly?” 

How did she explain that she burned for him and a part of her believed he longed for her too? She couldn't bring herself to explain her deluded reasoning: that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. That there was something tangible between them that neither of them could ignore. That the reason Ethan assigned her an impossible patient was to prove that he didn't feel the same as Lilac— that she was just another intern. Saying the words out loud felt like giving up too much of herself. 

“There you are, Lilac!” Trinh exclaimed as she appeared by her side. “We need you. Landry and Elijah want to sing ‘Non-Stop’ but I have to sing ‘My Shot’. I have to or I will cry.”

Sienna's eyes fell on Ethan and she froze. “Sorry—Am I interrupting?” 

“Not at all,” Lilac assured her, hopping off the barstool. “Dr. Ramsey and I were done talking.” 

Ethan, on the other hand, looked as though he wanted to reach out to stop her. Lilac's body thrilled at the thought. 

“Enjoy your night, Dr. Ramsey.” 

“You, too, Dr. Allende.” 

Note: Hi. Hello. It's me. I'm the absolute problem, it's me.

There's so much to say. I always forget everything I want to say when I type these.

First, if anyone is still out there, and read this-- Thank you!

Second, to everyone reading and liking my old work while I was away, also thank you! You made my day when I would log on and see!

Third, I am working on a huge Open Heart project. As I re-read ch. 9 inspiration struck. Writing after all this time felt like rusty gears slowly starting to turn. It felt good, though. I hope I can do more of it!

I will definitely post old fics I wrote once upon a time but never posted.

Love you all. Missed you!

-Bree

[jerzwriter]

Second Thoughts If it were cannon... AU

A million years ago, someone asked me if I'd write a series that mimicked canon but with Tobias Carrick as head of the Edenbrook Diagnostic Team. While I don't have the bandwidth to take on a series at this point, as I'm doing my Open Heart re-read, I will rewrite select scenes that I think could be interesting.

Part one was the first night at Donahue's when there was a serious connection building between Dr. Tobias Carick and new intern, Dr. Casey MacTavish. But now, they've had a chance to sleep on it, do things look different in the morning light? Lack of sleep, misunderstandings, and a dash of fear lead Casey to make a choice. Will it be one she comes to regret?

Book: Open Heart Book 1 / Chapter 3 Pairing: Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey) Featuring: Bryce Lahela, Jackie Varma, Landry Olsen Rating: Teen Words: 2,200 Series: If it were canon... AU Summary: See above

A/N: A quick thank you to @angelasscribbles for helping me come up with a new nickname lol I was at a loss. And thank you to @alj4890 - because of you I'm inspired to continue with this!

Series Masterlist Tobias x Casey Masterlist My Masterlist

The second day of her internship was not going as planned. Casey hardly managed to get any sleep in the miniature closet she called her room. At least the stairs above her came in handy today. She accidentally set her alarm for 5:00 PM instead of 5:00 AM, and if not for someone stomping down those steps, she would have overslept and likely decided to return to Philadelphia in shame. Now, with barely 30 minutes before her shift began, she threw on a ratty old Henly that paired perfectly with the wrinkled pair of jeans at the foot of her bed. Hair and make-up? Not today. A messy bun and brushed teeth would have to suffice. Somehow, she managed to arrive at Edenbrook with ten minutes to spare; when she saw a group of surgical interns playing basketball outside. Bryce Lahela was amongst them, and suddenly she wished she had spruced up just a little bit more.

“Up top! I’m open!” A shirtless Bryce barely got those words out before he flew by her, catching a pass and dribbling confidently toward the hoop. He dunked the ball, then screamed out in celebration. “Ha! Who’s the king now?”

“King?” Casey laughed, “You nearly killed me getting to that ball! I think the king should at least get a traffic infraction."

“Damn! I didn't realize. I would  have gladly given up two points for a chance to collide with you.”

Casey laughed as the other interns whooped and hollered when she saw the ball suddenly flying in her direction and caught it with both hands.

“Well, come on then, MacTavish!" Bryce goaded. "You gonna play, or you gonna send that back over?”

With a determined smirk, Casey slowly dribbled the ball, taunting him. “Come see if you can get it from me." Bryce sauntered toward her with what she’d come to know as his signature grin firmly in place.

“You’re making me look good,” he whispered upon approach. “I really am the king.”

“King of the surgical interns,” she laughed. “I guess that’s something, but....” without another word, she dribbled the ball around him, rushing toward the hoop with Bryce at her heels.

“Gonna make it tough on me, huh?” he laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist and spinning her around, but not before she shot the ball right into the hoop.

“That’s gotta be a foul, Ref,” she hollered, giggling in Bryes’s arms.

“It’s not a foul if you’re on my team,” Bryce defended. “And you are definitely on my team.”

Casey caught her breath as he put her on his feet, crossing her arms defiantly. “Says who?”

 “Says me!” He replied with a playful shrug. “But seriously, you want to join in?”

“Nah, my shift starts in five, and I’d really like to make myself look decent before it starts.”  

“You’re already looking good, MacTavish. Don’t go too crazy; I don’t want competition for hottest intern.”

“Ha!” she laughed, reaching up and flirtatiously pinching his cheeks. “I’ve already got that in the bag, Lahela!”

"Quite possibly," she beamed. "Hey, lunch later?"

"Sounds like a plan."

He smiled as he watched her run to the hospital entrance, pushing her way through a group of staff who had stopped to watch the game and assess the new talent.

“Excuse me. Pardon me,” she pushed through.

“You looked really good out there,” a pretty nurse winked.

“Thanks,” Casey smiled. Completely unaware that her handsome attending was quietly sipping his coffee nearby.

“She was impressive, wasn’t she, Dr. Carrick?” The nurse asked.

“Yep," he nodded. "She sure was.”

After a quick change, sprucing up her hair, and even applying a dab of lip gloss, Casey was the last of the interns to enter the atrium, but still on time. She was eager to meet her senior resident, and when Dr. Ines Delarosa called her name, Casey gently pumped her fist. “Yes!”

“Why are you so excited?” Jackie asked.

“I met her yesterday, she’s amazing! Bubblegum and rainbows incarnate!”

“Gross!” Jackie grimaced. “I’d rather take my chance with the grumpy ass I've got. I’ll catch you on the other side!”

Ines clapped her hands with joy to gather her charges. “All right, young ones! You’ve got your assignments! Go forth and shine bright!”

And Ines greeted her interns with the same enthusiasm when they returned a few hours later. “I hope you’re all excited! We’re about to begin rounds!”

“Woo-hoo!” Casey yelled as Ines gave a thumbs up with approval.

“That’s the attitude I want to see! You’ll be even more excited when I tell you we have a very special guest! Dr. Tobias Carrick will be joining us for rounds today!”

Casey turned to see Tobias leaning against a wall, looking up from his clipboard at the mention of his name. He curtly nodded at the interns, and Casey’s mouth went dry. Why did he have to be so beautiful? One glance made her knees go weak, and when his ice-blue eyes locked with hers, she could feel her cheeks begin to flush. She had been fueled by liquid courage when she approached him at Donahue's last night. What kind of intern flirts mercilessly with her attending on her very first day? But with his eyes still on her, she felt the heat rising. Yeah, she thought, that’s why I did. But when he turned away without acknowledging her, she began to question her judgment again.

“Let’s do this,” Dr. Carrick said gruffly.

“We’re doing rounds with Dr. Carrick? This is amazing! Also, I’m going to puke!” Landry whispered softly but loud enough to hear.

Tobias stopped short and looked over his shoulder, catching Landry chatting with Casey. “Less chatting and more moving!” He scowled. “Or do you think you’ve learned enough to keep your patients alive with just one day on the job?”

Casey’s brow furrowed. He didn’t seem at all like the man she met yesterday: the one who patiently guided her through an emergency procedure before her shift even began, one whose jovial attitude kept the interns energized throughout the day, or with whom she flirted shamelessly last night, perhaps that last one was the problem. Still, she shook her head and whispered to Landry.

“He was so cool yesterday. Why is he acting like such a jerk today?”

Dr. Carrick screeched to a halt again, causing several interns to trip over themselves to avoid toppling on top of him.

“Something to say, Dr. MacTavish?”

Her wide-eyed peers whispered amongst themselves. How did he already know her name? Dr. Carrick didn’t expect an answer, but Casey was giving him one all the same.  

“Yes, actually. I was wondering why you were so irritable today. I liked the Dr. Carrick I met yesterday much better.”

Tobias crossed his arms, biting his cheek to stifle a laugh, and Ines looked nervously between them. “Ha-ha!” She laughed. “Dr. MacTavish is so funny... haha! That will help make you a good doctor, but why don’t we get on with our rounds.”

“Wait,” Tobias held up a hand. “Dr. MacTavish, what role do you think attendings will play in your residency? Do you they – myself in particular -  are here to amuse and appease you?”

“Nope," she replied, not backing down. "Not at all.”

“Good. Because all of us will be putting in long hours, sometimes you won’t sleep for days on end. You’ll be dealing with life-or-death issues, and sometimes, the losses will nearly destroy you. No one is going to be rainbows and sunshine all the time. So I suggest you learn to deal with irritable colleagues and patients alike. It’s as much a part of this job as anything else.” He looked directly at Casey, and even as he was admonishing her, his gaze still made her melt. “Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” she grinned as Tobias forced himself to look away. Casey was completely unaware, she had the exact same effect on him. b

“Good. So why don’t we start rounds with your patient then?”

Landry wanted to question Casey as they walked away. He wasn’t sure if she was his hero, if she was out of her mind, or a combination of both, but he didn’t dare speak after that exchange.  

Casey and Landry went on to present. Or better said, Casey did. Landry was so starstruck by Dr. Carrick’s presence that he couldn’t bring himself to utter a word. Casey eyed him nervously, but when it was clear he was stalled, she jumped in to bail the duo out. Calmly and succinctly explaining that their patient had been in an accident and had internal bleeding as a result. She offered their prognosis and defended their treatment plan, even reassuring the patient when he expressed concerns about the length of his stay. Tobias was impressed with her, and halfway through her presentation, he couldn’t help but wonder why he was being so grumpy after all. It wasn’t like him at all.

“... so we have to get you healthy, Mike,” Casey said sweetly. “There are people counting on you.”

“Excellent, Dr. MacTavish,” Tobias approved, looking pointedly at Landry.

They proceeded to watch Elijah, Sienna, Jackie, Aurora, and other interns present.

“Congratulations!” Ines chirped. “You survived your first morning rounds! That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Depends on who you ask,” Landry droned.

“Landry,” Casey frowned. “Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance to...,” but Tobias began speaking and drowned her out.

“All right, doctors! Your patients are all alive... let’s make sure they’re still that way when I see you tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”

Casey turned and walked away with the other interns, but she didn’t get far when Tobias called her back.

“Not you, Newbie. You have one more patient to see.”

“I... I do?” she stammered.

“And do I?” Landry asked.

“Did I say you?” Tobias glared.

“Nope,” Landry gulped, turning to Casey. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

Casey walked toward Tobias; while some interns gossiped, not even attempting to hide.

“What’s with them? One asked “Nothing! She just made a good a good impression on him.” “Yeah,” Another sneered. “A good impression on him at the bar last night!” “Well, I guess that’s one way to get ahead.”

Tobias didn’t hear, but Casey did, and she couldn’t conceal a frown as she walked his way. Seeing her distressed, he hoped his attitude had nothing to do with it. He greeted her with a warm smile.

“Hey there, Newb. Why so glum? You doing OK?”  

“I’m good,” she sighed. “Very sleepy, but good. Hey, I want to apologize; I’m sorry if I was a jerk back there...”

“Nah,” he replied, and she realized his graveled voice had the same effect on her as his damn eyes. This would not be easy. “I was the one being the jerk. That’s why I wanted to talk to you...”

“Wait,” she crossed her arms with narrowed eyes. “Are you telling me there’s no patient? You just wanted to talk to me?”

“Two things can be true at once, grasshopper,” he smiled. “That’s good to remember in medicine. But I am sorry for being grouchy. It’s not like me; I guess we all have bad days.”

“And we're all entitled to them every so often,” she winked. “Just don’t let it happen again.”

She wasn’t your standard intern, and he couldn’t help but laugh when he caught a nurse looking at them intently. She scattered away when he met her stare, refusing to shift his gaze. Casey followed his eyes and understood at once. She lowered her eyes as he returned his attention to her, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “Listen, about our talk last night..”

Casey felt herself becoming sick, and she didn't think skipping breakfast was the culprit. Her cheeks turned red, and her breath quickened. What would all the gossips say about the two of them standing this close? She was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks in Philly, worked her ass off to get here despite all those who said it was just a dream. She wasn’t going to have anyone saying her success was a result of flirting with her attending. But, God, she wanted to pursue him. She hadn't felt a connection like this in so long, and he had said they could find a workaround. Then she felt her blood go cold. Listen, about our talk last night...

Oh, God! She thought. I made a total ass out of myself, didn’t I? I’m an intern, for God’s sake. He’s Dr. Tobias Carrick; he likely has his choice of any person in this hospital. Any person in Boston! What the hell was I thinking? Convinced he was about to tell her he wasn’t interested. Her blatant flirtation was about to make her look like nothing short of a desperate fool, and Casey never wanted to be a desperate fool.

“It’s alright!” she interrupted, though right now, nothing felt alright. “We both had a few drinks, and it was late... it’s not surprising that we both said some things we didn’t mean.”

“Oh,” Tobias said, clearly taken aback. “I didn’t realize that...”

“Hey, Casey,” Bryce smiled, walking past with his team. “See you at lunch!”

“Oh,” Tobias repeated, images of the two of them kissing and their flirtatious game on the hospital court rushing to his mind. He recovered quickly this time. “It’s fine. I’m glad we’re on the same page then; this way, we don’t have to be awkward. We’re cool?”

“We’re cool,” she faked a smile, not understanding why his apparent dismissal brought the sting of bitter tears to the back of her eyes.

“Good! So, I do have a patient for you,” he said, nodding in the direction they were about to walk. “Her name is Kyra Santana, and her doctor thought a golf outing was more important than being here today. But, his loss is your and Ms. Santana’s gain...”

Casey took notes as he spoke. She never needed notes; she remembered almost everything, but she'd find any excuse to avoid looking into those eyes.

 “Hey, Dr. Carrick,” a beautiful nurse winked. Casey looked up momentarily but rushed her eyes back to the pad in her hand.

Thank God she quickly covered, she thought, her cheeks flushing with a mix of relief and embarrassment. He was Tobias Carrick. As if he’d have any real interest in her. It was bad enough that she had it this bad for her attending—the last thing she needed was for him to find out. That would be no way to start this phase of her life.

Tobias stood before the door, and, damn it, he smiled again. "You ready, Dr. MacTavish?"

"I like to think I am," she smiled as she walked through the door.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Open Heart F/AtoW: Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2024

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱 = Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA+

BRYCE LAHELA

Blue Lagoon 📱 | Bryce Lahela x F!OC - @peonierose

Operation with Drs. Lahelas 🎨 | Bryce Lahela x F!MC - @robboyu C: @storyofmychoices

ETHAN RAMSEY

Halloween Lights ✒️Ⓜ️ | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @jamespotterthefirst

Mad About Matching ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @cariantha

New Rooms ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @potionsprefect

The Proposition ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey, Tobias Carrick - @jerzwriter

Trick or Treat ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @liaromancewriter

RAFAEL AVEIRO

Home is Where You Are ✒️🏳‍🌈 | Rafael Aveiro x M!MC - @silver-rings-and-rabbits

Love In Every Heartbeat (Series) ✒️ | Rafael Aveiro x F!MC - @rafasgirl23415 Chapter 1: Fancy Seeing You Here  Chapter 2: First Date Butterflies 

Our Miracle Baby (Series) ✒️ | Rafael Aveiro x F!MC - @rafasgirl23415 Part 20 Part 21

SIENNA TRINH

Counter Proposal 📱 | Sienna Trinh x M!OC - @liaromancewriter

TOBIAS CARRICK

A Little Obsessed ✒️ | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @jerzwriter

Peter, Peter 🎨✒️ | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @callmebeem C: @jerzwriter

The Proposition ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey, Tobias Carrick - @jerzwriter

Treat for Two ✒️ | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @alj4890

Main F/AtoW List: Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2024

[choicesaugustchallenge]

WELCOME || RULES || PROMPTS || HOST MASTERLIST

In alphabetical order by prompt. Will add more each week.

Beach Date

Lilah Rose - CoP Art by @lilyoffandoms

Only Her (Thomas Hunt x OC) - RCD/HWU Fic by @theartoflovingthomashunt

"Being in love is like a rollercoaster and a stroll on the beach rolled into one."

A Little Jealous (Tobias Carrick x MC) - OPH Fic by @jerzwriter

Eternal Summer

Bryce x Luna - OPH Art (Bryce Lahela x OC) by @lilyoffandoms

Fireworks

When Sparks Fly - OPH Fic by @liaromancewriter

Late Night Talking Inder the Stars

Bonds of Sea and Fire Part 2 - Blades Fic (Tyril x MC) by @missameliep

Mono~poly Chapter 4: Moving On - OPH Fic (Tobias Carrick x MC) by @jerzwriter

Laying on their chest while watching the sunrise

Detention VII.V: A Brush of Magic - TE Fic (Beckett x MC) by @storyofmychoices

Outdoor Movie Night

Classic Cinephiles - OPH Moodboard by @choicesfanaf

Pool Party

Ajay x MC - HSS:CA Art by @mydemonsdrivealimo commissioned by @peonyblossom

Road Trip

Snugglin’ Inn - OPH Fic (Ethan x MC, Bryce x OC, Tobias x MC) by @jerzwriter

Skinning Dipping

Trystan Thorne - CoP Art by @lilyoffandoms

Summer Heat

Something New - WtD Fic (Eli Sipes x MC) by @jerzwriter

Summer Holiday

Summer Getaway - OPH Edit (Sienna Trinh x OC) by @liaromancewriter

Summer Romance

Jun x Emilia - TDG Art (Jun Seong x MC) by @weetlebeetle commissioned by @storyofmychoices

Summer Wedding

I Thee Wed - OPH Edit & Fic (Ethan Ramsey x MC) by @liaromancewriter

Mono~poly Chapter 5: Beautiful Days - OPH Fic (Tobias Carrick x MC)

Turning The Page Chapter 14: Make You Mine - TRR Fic (Liam Rys x MC) by @tessa-liam

Sundress

Lincoln x Vax - ILW Edit/Gif by @kilvalir

The Garden Part - OPH Edit (Tobias Carrick x MC) by @jerzwriter

Sunshine

First Day - OPH Fic & Edit by @liaromancewriter

Dr. Sienna Trinh - OPH Art by @lilyoffandoms

Swimsuit

Luna Auclair - OPH Art by @lilyoffandoms

Multiple Pairings - Multiple Books Edits by @cadybear420

Tanlines

Daenarya x Maiele - Blades Art by @lilyoffandoms

Thunderstorms

Through the Pain - TDG Fic (Jun Seong x MC) by @storyofmychoices

Too Hot To Handle

Angelina: The Girlfriend - TDG Art by @storyofmychoices

Crystal: The Skinfluencer - TDG Art by @storyofmychoices

Farah Sabri - TDG Art by @storyofmychoices

Medhani: The Doctor - TDG Art by @storyofmychoices

Ripley Reese - ID Art by @lilyoffandoms

She’s Hot (Ade) - BB Edit by @aesthetic-aag

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Mar 30 - April 5, 2024  

🎭 Angst  |  🦚 Angsty Fluff  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

Bryce x F!MC

Las hijas de Luna - @peonierose ☁

It’s time for Luna and Bryce to welcome their twins into the world. Will there be any complications? Or will the birth go without a hitch? [Pregnancy]

Yellow Hibiscus in Bloom - @aallotarenunelma ☁

This is Doctor's Day. How will Bryce and Kaisa will celebrate it?

Ethan x F!MC

A Chance Encounter - @cariantha 📚

[mini: wip] Ten years prior to meeting at Edenbrook, Ethan and Sawyer have a chance encounter during spring break. [Young Ethan]

Part 2: The Hook-up

Baby(moon) Planning - @genevievemd 📱

Gen and Ethan plan a trip before the baby arrives.

Stand By Me - @liaromancewriter 🦚

Cassie experiences the downside of having Ethan Ramsey as a mentor.

When life has other plans - @coffeeheartaddict2 📚🛸

[extended: wip] A competition has commenced for the interns at Edenbrook hospital. A horrid first day leads to an unexpected test of a new machine but what is Dr. Ethan Ramsey hiding?

CH 15: DéJà Vu

Ethan x Reader

Picnic - @stanathanxoox ☁

Planning a picnic and making them food even if you’re an amateur cook, in hopes you’ll impress them more.

Sienna x M!OC

Unlikely Adventures - @liaromancewriter 📱

There's only one person who can convince Sienna to take a chance on a life of adventure.

Rafael x F!MC

Moving In - @rafasgirl23415 📚​

[extended: wip] Follow up to We Belong Together. Set a few years into the future. Feat. Sienna Trinh x M!OC

CH 29: What Could Have Been - Part 1 [TW: PTSD]

CH 29: What Could Have Been - Part 2 [TW: PTSD]

CH 30: The Back To Work Blues

Tobias x F!MC

Whenever… whatever ✋🏽 - @jerzwriter 📱

After Shakira's freaking ridiculous comments about Barbie, Tobias was not going to be having it, and steps would have to be taken.

With Warning - @jerzwriter 📚

[mini:wip] As the friendship and bond between Casey and Tobias developed, each of her friends had a few things to say to Dr. Carrick.

Part 5: Captain Lahela & a Serving of Common Sense

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[foreverjosie]

Open Heart Masterlist

Meet My MC: Dr Josie Kingsley

Meet My OCs: Marcus Ramsey | Amelia Kingsley | Cassie Kingsley

Ethan & Josie At A Glance

More About Ethan & Josie

Meet The Ramsey Family

Open Heart Spotify Playlists

The Newlyweds Game

MC Monday

All You Had To Do Was Stay | Ethan and Josie talk for the first time after he arrives back from the Amazon

One Last Kiss | The last time Ethan sees Josie before he leaves for the Amazon

Time Hasn't Changed A Thing | Ethan and Josie reunite at Harper's wedding, years after their breakup

Stay, Stay, Stay | Josie receives a fellowship offer from a cross the country. From 101 ways to say I love you prompt

Risk and Reward (NSFW) | After Ethan's initial rejection in Miami, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands

Under The Mistletoe | The gang make a bet to kiss Ethan under the mistletoe

The Comfort of You | Ethan helps calm Josie's nerves

And Baby Makes Three | Josie has an unexpected pregnancy [complete]

1. Everything Has Changed

2. Small Bump

Broken | Ethan learns the truth behind his mother’s disappearance [ongoing]

The Way I Loved You | Ethan returns from the Amazon, only to find Josie has moved on with someone else. [ongoing]

Jealousy, Jealousy | A patient is flirting with Josie and Ethan does not approve

Bryce & Cassie | Josie's reaction to their relationship

Requests & Gifts From Friends

Ethan x Josie cover art

Today Was A Fairlytale | Ethan x Josie wedding moodboard

Ethan & Josie Manip

The Kingsley Sisters | Josie, Amelia & Cassie manip

Keep This Love In A Photograph | Josie's camera roll video edit

Miami Magic | Josie makes some pictagram posts in Miami

The Great Christmas Bake Off | The gang spend Christmas together with their children

Warnings: Strong language & sexual content. Reader discretion is advised!

Spicy Newlyweds Questions

NSFW Stats

Risk and Reward | After Ethan's initial rejection in Miami, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

Bryce x Cassie At A Glance

Bryce & Cassie (headcanons) | Josie's reaction to their relationship

Meet The Kingsley-Lahela Family

[storyofmychoices]

Choices Masterlists: (alphabetical by LI's first name)

💙 Beckett Harrington x Emma Carlyle [The Elementalists] 💜 Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley(OC) [Open Heart] 💙 Ethan Ramsey x Ellie Shepherd [Open Heart] 💜 John Somerset x Christie Hayes [The Unexpected Heiress] 💙 Jun Seong x Emilia Charles [The Deadliest Game] 💜 Justin Mercado x Mari Bishop [Save the Date] 💙 Levi Schuler x Laura Day [Mother of the Year] 💜 Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light & Shadow] + Mal's Orphanage Series + Blades 2 AU 💙 Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [Red Carpet Diaries/Hollywood U] 💜 Troy Hassan x Astraea Callen [Wake the Dead] 💙 Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose [Crimes of Passion] 💜 Assorted Characters (EmoDrake, ROE Bartender, Thomas Mendez, Kate O'Malley) 💖 Geometric Art 💖 My Personal Favorite Fics

✨Recent Posts ✨

Bitten By Love (Vampire AU): Vampire!Daenarya feeds on her favorite human. [Art]

I Dream of [Thomas and] Alex / Second Art

Operations with Drs Lahela (Halloween Art)

Happy Birthday, Bryce (Picta Posts)

Of Leaves and Laughter (Orphanage Series): Mal and the boys are cleaning up around the orphanage when Mal has an idea to make things more interesting.

Autumn's Embrace: Bryce and Olivia find magic in the small moments of autumn.

A Date to Remember: Bryce has a very important question for Olivia. (iykyk)

A Brush of Magic: Emma tracks down a particularly mischievous book, while Beckett gets caught in their path.

Through the Pain: Emilia takes Jun up on his offer to try the punching bag. (A more emotional rewrite of Jun's Chapter 6 diamond scene)

Only Her: Thomas and Alex enjoy a quiet sunset at the beach.

A Late Night Picnic: Mal surprises Daenarya with a late night picnic, but it doesn't go as planned. [with Rayden & Lydo]

Neon Glow: Bryce and Olivia enjoy some fun during laser tag with their friends. 🖊️🎨

Love & Scotch: dx: Friendship & New Beginnings: Hunt and Ethan share a drink before Hunt's wedding. 🖊️

Daenarya and her trophy husband 🎨

Character Profiles: (alphabetically by first name)

💜 Alex Hunt (RCD/HWU F!MC / OC)

💖 Callista Rossi (VoS MC)

💜 Daenarya (Blades F!MC / OC)

💖 Ellie Shepherd (OH F!MC)

💜 Emilia Charles (TDG F!MC)

💖 Guinevere Áine of Carmelide (F!MC)

💜 Iliana Maria Volari (Blades F!OC)

💖 Keiki Lahela

💜 Laura Day (MotY F!MC)

💖 Lilah Rose (CoP F!MC)

💜 Makoa Lahela (OH M!OC)

💖 Mal Volari (coming soon)

Alessia Volari (Mal's sister) < needs to be rewritten with Wren

💜 Nyx Selenastra (Blades NB!OC)

💖 Malia Lahela (OH F!OC)

💜 Olivia Hadley (OH F!OC)

💖 Rayden + Lydo (Blades OCs) (coming soon)

💜 Trystan Thorne

💚 Character Birthday Chart

Reblog Game Masterlists (alphabetically)

💙 MC Monday: Olivia Hadley 💖 Summer Character Challenge : Olivia Hadley 💙 Summer Character Challenge: Lilah Rose 💖 Top 3 Thursday

Yearly Summary Posts

2023

[deb-1106]

Choices Flash Fic week 31

Hey all!!  ❤️ 

Because we've both been out of the game so long, and have really missed writing, my good friend (she was actually my very FIRST friend on this hellsite 😋❤️) @walkerismychoice and I have decided to motivate each other by writing together using our LI's and MC's from different choices books.  I'll be using Drake Walker and my MC, Ava Matheson from TRR, and Maggie will be using Bryce Lahela and her MC, Charlie Hawkins from Open Heart.  

This story will hopefully be the first of a weekly series of one-shots using @choicesflashfics prompts.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! ❤️

Prompt 3  — “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Book: TRR/OPH

Pairings: Drake x Ava, Bryce x Charlie

Rating: M

TW: Gun Violence

“Little Blossom?”

Ava’s eyes flew open.  

She was momentarily disoriented, caught somewhere between a memory and a nightmare. But as her eyes focused and she took in the institutional green walls and naugahyde seating of a hospital waiting room, the crushing reality of the evening’s events came flooding back.

***

Ava! Get down!”

Drake’s warning was the last thing she heard before his body slammed into hers, knocking her to the ground.  She screamed as a bomb exploded nearby, raining chunks of rubble down all around them as the acrid smell of gunfire burned her nostrils.

“Drake?” She cried, “Drake, we have to get out of here!

He didn’t move.

“Drake!“  Ava began to panic as she felt the warm, sticky dampness of his blood seep into her ballgown. She reached out to press her hand to his cheek and his eyelids fluttered open for just a moment.  He gave her a small smile. 

“I love you, Matheson.” He mumbled faintly as his eyes closed once again.

“NO!  Drake, wake up!  Please, baby.  I need you to wake up!”  She tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but the weight of his body was too much for her.

HELP!” She screamed, praying that her cries were loud enough to be heard over the chaos around them,  “PLEASE! … SOMEBODY HELP US!”

After what felt like an eternity, she felt Drake’s weight lifted from her body.  She immediately scrambled to her knees crawling on all fours to where he lay prone on the ballroom floor, his suit soaked with blood.

“Oh my God!” She gasped, “Drake!”

Bastien was kneeling over him, both hands pressed over a wound in Drake's shoulder as he barked out orders. “I NEED A MEDIC AND AN UNMARKED CAR…NOW!”

“Bastien! What’s going on?”  Tears streamed down Ava’s face as she grabbed Drake’s hand, alarmed by how cold it felt.

“Terrorist attack.  Drake took a bullet.”

Ava looked to Bastien for reassurance, “But…he’s going to be okay, right?”  

He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Bastien! Tell me he’s going to be okay.” She begged, “Please!”

He finally looked up, and the expression on his face made Ava’s blood run cold.

“The wound is close to his heart and he’s lost a lot of blood.” Bastien’s voice was somber, “If we can get him to the hospital quickly, he might have a chance.”

“Might?” Ava pressed a hand over her mouth and felt her stomach lurch. 

No!  This can’t be happening.  We were finally going to start our lives together. I can’t lose him now.

***

Maxwell knelt down beside the chair Ava had finally collapsed into after pacing the hospital corridors for hours.  He placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently.  “There’s a nurse here who wants to talk to you.” 

Heart hammering in her chest, Ava jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain of her own injuries as she anxiously faced the young nurse standing in the doorway.

“Is he okay?” She asked, “Is he out of surgery?  Can I see him?”

The nurse smiled kindly, the rapid-fire questions not phasing her in the least.

“Mr. Walker is still in surgery…” 

When Ava’s face crumpled, the nurse crossed the room to place a comforting hand on her arm, “But he has one of our top surgeons working on him, so rest assured, he’s in the best possible hands.”  She smiled warmly, “In fact, Dr. Lehela wanted me to let you know that Mr. Walker is out of the woods.  The bullet has been removed and they’re just cleaning out the remaining debris.  There was some concern about bone fragments splintering off and causing damage to the surrounding heart tissue, but that doesn't appear to have been the case.”

Ava felt her legs go weak with relief.

“Oh, Thank God.”

She felt Maxwell’s arms encircle her and sank wearily into his comforting embrace.

“See, Blossom.” He said, encouragingly, “I told you he was going to be okay. It’ll take more than a tiny little bullet to take him out.”

Ava nodded and squeezed Max’s hand without breaking eye contact with the nurse.

“How much longer do you think it’ll be before I can see him?”

“Once he’s out of surgery, he’ll go to recovery." She replied with a comforting smile.  "It’s hard to say how long he’ll be there, as everyone comes out of anesthesia differently, but a conservative estimate would be another hour or two.  Then he’ll be settled into a room and can receive visitors.”

Ava nodded and swiped at the tears which were once again sliding down her cheeks.  But this time, they were tears of relief.

“Thank you.”

The nurse smiled.  “Of course.  I’ll come get you when I have his room assignment.”  

Ava thanked her again.

Drake was going to be okay.  Liam had been unharmed in the attack and Bastien and Kiara came away with only minor injuries.  Somehow they’d all survived.

Suddenly Ava’s stomach growled…LOUDLY.

Maxwell laughed.  “Okay, now that we know Drake is okay…it’s time to take care of YOU.”

Ava began to protest but Maxwell was already propelling her toward the door. “No more excuses!  You need food, or at the very least some coffee, or you’ll find yourself in a hospital bed of your own.  Now MOVE!” 

Maxwell was wearing his stubborn expression, so Ava knew resistance was futile.

She let him lead her down to the Cafeteria. “I’ll go back up to the waiting room and let you know immediately if I hear anything from the doctors.”

“Thank you.” Ava replied weekly before walking through the cafeteria doors and meandering aimlessly towards the various food offerings.

—--

Charlie checked the time on her Apple watch. Wow, a whole 30 minutes for lunch today, she thought. Typically she was lucky to get half of that. Nobody ever told her the life of a hospital internist would be glamorous, but she still hadn’t been prepared for how tired and hungry she’d be so much of the time. Although they bill residency as a training program for your selected specialty, Charlie swore it was also meant to be a boot camp that only the strong survived. Only one more year and she’d have some semblance of a normal schedule as an attending physician.

“Coffee. Must have coffee first.” Charlie mumbled to herself, taking in the aroma of freshly brewed beans as she marched towards the machines only to be stopped in her tracks by someone hovering in front of them. Charlie went left, but then the woman went left. Then she tried to go right, but the woman shuffled to the right. Her patience running thin, Charlie spoke up. “Excuse me, could I sneak in here?”

“I’m sorry.” The woman spun to face her, and Charlie’s irritation melted away. The woman looked sad and tired for sure, but that was not an uncommon sight for visitors of the hospital cafeteria. There was something about her that drew Charlie in and made her want to comfort the woman. Maybe it was the fact that Charlie could see a little bit of herself in her - definitely not the flawless deep olive skin tone and dark hair, wildly contrasting with Charlie’s strawberry blonde locks and accompanying creamy white skin, but they appeared about the same age, and there was just something there that made them alike. Although Charlie was not prone to striking up friendships with hospital visitors, something told Charlie this was a connection she should make.

“Let me buy you a coffee.” Charlie offered.

The woman looked Charlie up and down, seemingly noting Charlie’s white coat and ID badge. “No, that’s okay. You can just go first. I have no idea what I want.”

“Please, I insist. Free coffee is one of the few perks I get for devoting my life to this place.” They both laughed and Charlie saw the first little spark of life return to the woman’s eyes.

Charlie grabbed two prepackaged sandwiches to go with the coffees and brought them over to the woman who had already seated herself at a cafeteria table.

"Thank you so much…" she glanced at the ID badge again, "....Dr. Hawkins. "I was too much of a wreck to even pick out something to eat. I'm sure you're busy, but would you care to join me?" 

Again, it wasn't typical of Charlie to hang out with random hospital guests, but she knew this woman needed a friend right now, and maybe that feeling was mutual. "Sure, I still have about 20 more minutes." Charlie sat down. "But you can call me Charlie."

"Well thank you again, Charlie, I'm Ava."

"Nice to meet you, Ava." Charlie hesitated for a moment before asking, "If it's not too forward, do you want to talk about your loved one here that's got you so worried?... Only if you want to talk about it."

Ava's facial expression grew somber once again. She took a deep breath before letting everything spill out - getting invited to Cordonia on a whim to compete for the future King's heart, fate stepping in when she fell for his best friend Drake instead, and all the political drama and everything leading up to the events that brought her to this particular hospital cafeteria. Despite the tears streaming down Ava’s face, the air about her felt a little bit lighter.

"I'm sorry." Charlie squeezed Ava’s hand from across the table. "This must be so scary for you, but Edenbrook is a great hospital. I'm sure Drake is in great hands. Do you know who his surgeon is? I probably know them or at least know of them.”

Ava pursed her lips in concentration. “Dr, La-....hala? I think it’s something like that.”

Charlie smirked. “Young, kind of surfer boy-esque, and cocky as all hell because he knows how good-looking he is?”

Ava laughed nervously. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Please tell me he’s also a good surgeon.”

“Dr. Lahela can be kind of cocky bastard at times, but I love him. And yes, he’s a great surgeon, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.”

“Wait…” Ava seemed to be putting the pieces together. “You like love, love him? Are you two-”

“Yes, Bryce is my boyfriend. I might not have been so complimentary about his other characteristics otherwise.”

They both devolved into laughter until Ava spoke up again. “I like your sense of humor. Sounds like you need it to put up with him, just like me with my….Drake.” Ava quiets for a moment and then asks, “So I take it you two met here at Edenbrook?”

“Well, that’s a funny story.” Charlie wondered if she really wanted to get into this with a relative stranger, but Ava had already shared so much and could probably use the distraction anyway. “We actually met at a strip club, and believe it or not, Bryce was a stripper.”

Ava’s eyes opened wide. “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Charlie inhaled deeply. “Okay, I don’t have a ton of time left on my break, so I’ll give you the condensed version. My med school friends dragged me out to a strip club to celebrate after we graduated. I was in a funk because I’d been recently dumped by the douchebag I thought I was going to marry and to top it off, I was set to be in my awful cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza and was in no mood to be questioned about the whereabouts of my plus one. Said friends paid for a private lap dance for me. In my drunken state, I got the bright idea to hire the stripper to be my fake boyfriend for the wedding. Somewhere along the way, fake boyfriend turned into real love interest. I learned he wasn’t just a stripper but had worked his way through med school and was about to hang up his banana hammocks to start his residency. As fate would have it, we’d both matched at Edenbrook and two years later, here we are.”

“Woah. And I thought mine and Drake’s relationship had an unconventional start.” Ava peeked down at her phone on the table. “I’m definitely going to need the feature-length presentation of this story another time, but my friend Maxwell just texted that Drake’s out of surgery!”

“That’s great news!” Charlie got up with Ava and walked out to the elevators with her. “I’ll walk you back up there since I’m headed that way.

Little did either of them know that this chance meeting would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Taglist: @ao719 @burnsoslow @sincerelyella @charlotteg234 @choiceswreckedme @walkerismychoice @txemrn @twinkleallnight @imashybish @blackcatkita @katedrakeohd @boneandfur @sfb123 @queenrileyrose @foreverethereal123 @kingliam2019 @nestledonthaveone @bebepac @petiteboheme @yukinagato2012 @princess-geek

**As always, if you want on or off my Tag List, let me know. **

[choicespride]

Valentine's Day 2024 Masterlist

Blades of Light and Shadow

Hades Nightbloom Valentine's Day Edits - m!elf!MC (Hades Nightbloom) - @peonyblossom

Iris of Riverbend Valentine's Day Edits - f!human!MC (Iris of Riverbend) - @peonyblossom

Bloodbound

By Any Other Name - Kamilah Sayeed x f!MC (Lucy West) - @thosehallowedhalls

High School Story

Jamie Baxter Valentine's Day Edits - nb!MC (Jamie Baxter) - @peonyblossom

Hollywood U

Cafe Whispers and Scone Kisses - Addison Sinclair x f!MC (Alex Spencer), Thomas Hunt x f!MC (Alex Spencer) (mentioned) - @theartoflovingthomashunt

Jackie Winters Valentine's Day Edits - nb!MC (Jackie Winters) - @peonyblossom

Thomas x Jackie Date Night - Thomas Hunt x nb!MC (Jackie Winters) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @peonyblossom

It Lives Anthology

Harry Spear Valentine's Day Edits - ILITW m!MC (Harry Spear) - @peonyblossom

Ollie Bridgers Valentine's Day Edits - ILW nb!MC (Ollie Bridgers) - @peonyblossom

Laws of Attraction

Date Night - Gabe Ricci x m!MC (Fiona Lightwood) - @choicesmc

Murder At Homecoming

Let Me Be Your Valentine, Saint Valentine - Donovan Navarro x/& nb!MC (Edelmina Stone) - @aallotarenunelma

Open Heart

Dr. Sydney Valentine Valentine's Day Edits - m!MC (Sydney Valentine) - @peonyblossom

Two Types of People - Bryce Lahela x m!MC (Jensen Valentine) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @mydemonsdrivealimo

when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love - Bryce Lahela x m!MC (Jensen Valentine) - @mydemonsdrivealimo

Perfect Match

Beach Love: "Glasses and Missy" at Komodo Island - Sloane Washington x Alana Kusuma - @lizzybeth1986

Wishful Thinking

Art Request - Anna Koishi x f!MC (Nyx) - art by @lilyoffandoms, requested by @noesapphic

[alj4890]

Mixed Signals

(Dr. Tobias Carrick x F!MC *Chris Valentine) (Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC*Chris Valentine) (Dr. Bryce Lahela x F!MC*Chris Valentine) in an Open Heart Fan fiction.

Masterlist

A/N Sorry for taking so long to post. My health decided to do some wild things since the last post on top of the writer's block just having a field day with this storyline 😑 Anyway, we'll pick up where the last chapter left off.

Chapter 2

Chris slowly came awake. Though she knew in an instant that she wasn't in her own bedroom, the massive hangover she was currently under caused her to not really care where she was. Pulling what had to be some of the softest sheets she'd ever felt up over her face, she began to try and remember what happened the night before.

Flashes of her celebration at Donahue's flickered through her mind. Groaning over not only her actions with drinking way too much, she remembered what happened with Ethan.

Her eyes shot open.

Oh no. Did I go home with Ethan?

Peeking out from under the covers, she tried to discern the furniture around her.

Unless Ethan had done a major renovation since the last time she'd been in his apartment and had moved to a lower floor, she knew she wasn't in his place.

Chris clutched her head.

I know I'm not at Bryce's either. He wouldn't have brought me to his place with Kikei there.

She softly gasped.

Don't tell me I went home with a stranger!

Chris kicked the covers back and breathed easier to see she was still fully dressed. There was no indication that anyone had slept beside her. She did a quick examination of her body and knew she hadn't had sex.

Where am I?

She yanked the covers up when the bedroom door opened.

Tobias grinned at her.

"You're awake."

Chris gaped at him. "I went home with you!?"

He chuckled as he walked into the room.

"You demanded that I bring you to my place."

"Oh lord." Chris buried her head in her hands. Smoothing back her tousled hair, she looked up at him. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged it off as not a big deal and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"I didn't..." Chris took a deep breath. "I didn't push myself on you, did I?"

Before he could respond, she shook her head.

"Of course I bloody well did. Why else would I be in your home?" She rubbed her hands over her face in an attempt to clear the cobwebs. "You should have given me back to my roommates. Then you wouldn't--"

"Hey!" He chuckled once more. "Easy there, Valentine. Normally, a woman in your condition would not be in my home." He patted her leg. "But, um, you were adamant that your doctor take you to his home."

"My doctor?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the events of the previous night.

He laughed at her confused expression.

"Yeah, Ethan was not too thrilled when you declared I was not only your doctor but also the only doctor you trusted."

Her eyes widened.

What else did I do last night?

"You also told your roommates that you needed me to take you home since you had some medical concerns."

She vaguely remembered talking to Sienna.

"Anyway, I was going to actually take you back to your apartment after your friends left." He explained. "When I checked your wallet for a driver's license--"

"You saw that I still had my I.D. from Inverness." She finished with a groan.

"As much as I wanted to get you safely home, I wasn't quite up for the journey to Scotland." He teased.

Chris flopped back on the pillows with her arm draped over her eyes. This was quite possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life.

She then remembered she should be at work.

"What time is it?!" She sat up too quickly and immediately regretted such a rash action.

"Half past two." Tobias told her.

"Half past--" She scrambled out of bed.

"Whoa!" Tobias stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm late!" She searched in vain for her shoes. "My shift at the hospital started hours ago!"

"Chris." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I called Ethan this morning and told him you weren't coming in."

"You did what?" Chris gaped at him. "Why?"

"As your physician," he winked at her, "I realized that I never gave you the all clear to return to work. Plus given how many drinks you had last night, I knew you wouldn't be in any condition to help your patients."

"Oh." She sank back down on the bed.

Tobias sat down next to her. He studied her worried profile in silence for a few seconds.

"Hey?" He nudged her with his shoulder. "Why don't you take a shower while I see about lunch?" He nudged her again. "Or breakfast for you?"

Chris snorted back a laugh. "Yes, please feed me after I forced my drunk self into your home."

Tobias grinned at her. "You can force yourself on me anytime."

She burst out laughing then gave him a playful shove.

He got to his feet to open a nearby closet.

"My sisters-in law leave clothes here so they don't have to pack so much when they come for a visit." He explained. "See if there's something of theirs that might do for now."

"I appreciate it," Chris began "but I shouldn't impose on you any--"

"You're not." He went into the guest bathroom to start the shower. "Plus, I insist you stay until I know you're okay."

With a smile that made her heart flip, he left her alone.

Twenty minutes later, Chris found herself clean, dressed in leggings that were too short and in what was supposed to be an oversized sweater, yet just barely went past her waist. She'd finally found a pair of wooly socks to keep her always cold feet warm and began to make her way downstairs, admiring Tobias's townhome along the way.

She paused in the hallway to discern just where her host was.

Tobias called out from a room farther to her left.

"I'm in here, Chris!"

She followed the sound of his voice, pausing at how inviting his kitchen was. Though modern, the warm colors he'd chosen for the walls, decor, and cushions somehow worked. It should have clashed, yet she found herself thinking of her grandparents' home. They had been given all new appliances a couple of years ago. The silver, sleek look met the older bread box, flower towels, and ruffled cushions and soon settled into a hodgepodge that they all ended up loving.

It made her homesick to sit down at Tobias's table.

"Coffee?" He asked from behind the counter.

"Please." Chris rubbed her forehead in an effort to clear the fog she was still slightly under.

"How do you take it?" He poured her a cup.

"Lots of cream and lots of sugar." She mumbled.

"How much is a lot?"

"More than true coffee aficionados can tolerate." She responded.

"This I have to see." Tobias teased.

He brought over the pot of coffee along with cream and sugar.

Chris blushed under his attention as she prepared her cup. Once she was finished, the rich black was replaced with a light beige color.

Tobias chuckled. "I bet you've gotten more speeches on your coffee from Ethan than you have medicine."

"You'd win that bet." Chris took a long sip, sighing in pleasure. "Don't tell me you're a coffee snob too?"

"I'm a to each their own coffee drinker." He teased. "Who am I to judge when I'll drink it any way someone prepares it? Though I will admit, I like mine with a little less cream than you do."

Chris rolled her eyes. "What about the sugar?"

Tobias leaned closer to her. "Who doesn't love something sweet?"

Having him close enough where she could see the flecks of gold in those amazing hazel eyes of his caused Chris to become momentarily tongue-tied.

His cocky smile creeped up at seeing her like this.

His attention next drifted over her face, taking in the strawberries and cream complexion he found rather cute. Her nose had a slight tilt that more than hinted at a stubbornness he'd been witnessed to on previous occasions. Her eyes held such emotion. Those gray eyes of hers could make a man hesitate for fear of wounding her.

How does Ethan keep it professional, he wondered. I don't know what I would do if the positions were reversed and she worked closely with me.

"So?" He cleared his throat and settled back in his chair. "Want to talk about last night?"

Chris's nose wrinkled at the very mention of it.

Tobias eyed her over the rim of his coffee cup. "You don't strike me as the kind of person who regularly gets drunk."

"Because I don't." She took another sip of coffee. "It was stupid of me to drink that much."

"What happened?" He prodded. "One minute, you seemed happy then the next you were downing drinks like you'd seen a ghost or something."

She snorted. If he only knew how right he was. There was nothing worse than a visit from the Ghost of Relationships Past.

Chris tried to avoid his question by focusing on her fork picking at the scrambled eggs on her plate.

Tobias wasn't going to let this go. If Chris really did consider him her doctor then he was going to make sure she was not only physically well after the attack but also emotionally. They were becoming friends after all. Weren't friends supposed to share problems?

He placed his hand on hers, causing the fork to slip from her grasp and clatter onto the plate.

Chris swallowed a tad hard before lifting her eyes back to his.

Tobias searched her steady, vulnerable gaze and gentled his tone.

"What's wrong, Chris?"

Unshed tears began to fill her eyes.

"I--I don't..." she sucked in a deep breath before burying her face in her hands.

Tobias got up and knelt by her chair. He gently brushed back her damp hair. As much as he wanted to demand she talk to him, he knew he could only wait and let it be her decision.

"I'm sorry." She lowered her hands.

"No need to apologize." He tucked her hair behind her ear. "If you don't want to talk about it, we--"

"I don't but I know I should." She took another deep breath. "It's a long story."

"Good thing it's my day off of work." He teased in the hopes of seeing her smile again.

Her lips curved briefly before falling once more. "I guess I should start at the beginning."

Tobias returned to his chair. He remained silent as Chris poured out everything that occurred since she first arrived at Edenbrook. There were many times he wanted to question her and express shock as she told him about her odd relationships with Ethan and Bryce.

Ethan hadn't been able to resist her after all, he thought to himself.

"And then Ethan pulled me away last night and it all began again." She explained. "After he kissed me and wouldn't say what we were, I just needed an escape. Not from him, but I needed to get away from myself."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"How can I go on in life in the same, exact, frustrating manner after being given a second chance?" She looked up at Tobias. "I should be making sure that nothing is wasted with this time I've been given, right?"

Tobias slowly nodded. "I think you shouldn't waste your time on anyone who doesn't give you what you deserve."

"Exactly!" Her breath hitched. "If I'm willing to give everything to someone, I should expect he give the same to me."

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"I know some say you should love without expecting anything in return." Her eyes searched his for understanding. "But I tried that and ended up miserable. I can't be that person again. I won't! It takes so much out of me and gives me nothing but mere crumbs to live on."

Tobias opened his mouth to reassure her again, only to fall silent when she continued.

"But what if I miss out? What if Ethan or Bryce is the one? What if I ruin what could be the relationship that will eventually give me what my heart needs? Am I suppose to fall back into what they want in case--"

"Whoa." He took her hands in his. "Easy there, Valentine. You're going down a rabbit hole of what if's."

"I know." She admitted. "That's all I do. I start off saying I won't put myself through this over and over and yet turn around and doubt my decision. I always end up here, questioning whether or not I should change anything."

Chris propped her chin on her fist while staring out of the kitchen's bay window.

"I am drowning in doubt." She admitted. "I am certain in everything I do in life except for love." She refocused on Tobias. "I don't know how to fix this."

Tobias didn't either. If she was suffering from the attack either physically or mentally, he'd have known exactly what to do. When it came to matters of the heart, he knew he was the last person who should give advice.

"The only thing I can recommend," he began a bit hesitantly, "is to only accept what makes you happy."

He took her hand once more. "As a friend of yours, I don't believe you should settle for anything less than what you want."

"That's what Sienna's been telling me for a while now." Chris mumbled.

"See? How can you ignore the advice coming from two different people?" He prodded.

Chris's lips quirked into a brief smile. "You and Sienna couldn't be any more different."

"It's a sign that it's the right thing to do." He argued. "You should tell Ethan and Bryce."

"Tell them?" Chris murmured. "You mean--"

"Tell them exactly what you want, what you expect, and see if they can step up and be that for you." Tobias told her. "Keeping it to yourself is only making you miserable. Plus, if they honestly don't know what you're wanting, how can they give it to you?"

Chris slowly nodded. She had tried to hint and kinda explain what she wanted each time with Ethan, but she'd never talked to him seriously about it. With Bryce, she kept things light and fun. Perhaps she was more responsible for her unhappiness than she originally thought.

"You know what you need?" He relaxed back in his chair. "You need a night out."

Chris blinked. "Isn't that what I did last night?"

"No, that was a celebration. You need a night out with no expectations, no questionable relationships, and no drunken escapes."

Tobias grinned at her. "You took me to your hangout. It's only fair you visit mine."

She began to laugh. "You sure you trust me to see where you love to go?"

"I guess I do." He murmured, grinning even more. "How bout it, Chris?"

"I really should get some sleep." She argued halfheartedly. "I have work in the morning."

"No, you don't." He reminded her. "Remember, I haven't given you the all clear yet."

Chris rolled her eyes over that.

"We both know I'm fine to go back to work."

"I don't." He laced his fingers behind his head to stretch. "You'll have to schedule an appointment with me for a final checkup." He winked at her. "Nice try, but there's no getting out of tonight."

Chris motioned to herself. "I don't have anything to wear."

"I'll take you by your place to change on the way." Tobias got up to clear their plates. "What do you say?"

Seeing no way out of this and was a little curious over where he went to unwind, she decided to give in. Chris admitted to herself that having a drink somewhere without Ethan or Bryce to distract her might be just the change she needed.

Plus, it might help her get the courage up to talk to them.

"If my doctor insists, -" Chris mumbled.

"I do." Tobias interrupted

"Then, I'd love to."

[jerzwriter]

Positivity Chain!

Please recommend 3 favorite fanfics by other creators and 1 of your own.

Then tag 5 other creators to do the same.

Nonny, the way my brain shuts down when I see "3" or "1" or "favorite." Like... panic... shut down. I put way too much thought into it, get very stressed out and you know what, it's not good for me. lol

Still, I'm going to do this! Here are three of my favorites (of course there are many, many more, this is just some of them!)

Almost is Never Enough (OH/ Tobias Carrick x F!MC by @choiceskatie (NSFW 18+) Katie may not be active anymore, but this is still where my mind goes the moment someone says "favorite." Look, I was already a Tobias whore when I entered the fandom. I already thought we were robbed that he wasn't an LI... but when I read this, I went into overdrive. lol I'm picky with smut because I want a story with it, and I want the story to be good. Then, I want the sex to be electric, and I want to walk away from the fic like, damn... I'm the one who needs a cigarette. This fic delivers, delivers, delivers, and delivers. Katie's Tobias is just chef's 😘 and, God, I wish we had more of it.

Safe (Series) (WTD/ Troy Hassan x F!MC) by @missameliep Simply put? This series was brilliant! It gave such a detailed, beautiful backstory to our beloved Troy Hassan and showed how his relationship with Malia developed. It's written so well and with such emotion; it's very painful at parts, but so worth it! I've read this twice, and I'm sure I'll read it again. It's wonderful, and you should check it out.

Open Heart Drabble (OH/ Ethan Ramsey x Merida (F!MC), Bryce Lahela x Olivia (F!OC), Tobias Carrick x Casey (F!MC2 lol) by @lilyoffandoms One day Lily surprised me and @storyofmychoices with this little drabble that brought our three Open Heart pairings together. It was delightful, it was fun and I know I loved it. What I didn't know is that it would usher in a whole little world where our three MCs and their guys are besties (well, five of them are besties, and Ethan has to tolerate them lol) So this wasn't just enjoyable, it started something wonderful. I also want to give honorable mentions to @dr-colossal-pita's No More I Love Yous (OH/Ethan x MC) which just gutted me, and @alwaysmychoices A Weekend With Dr. Ramsey which is in a class unto itself.

Now for mine? I'm going to preface by saying this is "one of" my favorites, I cannot pick a favorite. Sorry, can't. But I did love...

Friends* (Series) (OH/Tobias x Casey AU) Summary: Tobias Carrick and Casey are the best of friends.  The lunch every day at work, tell each other everything, and truly care about each other kind of  friends.  They always knew better than to let that get “messy” by fooling around with each other, until that night…. Now.  What do they do?  Look I will forever be a sucker for friends to lovers, and this story is just a favorite of mine. :)

I think I sort of already tagged a bunch of people above, so I'll just say anyone who wants to join in... join in :)

[dalishessence]

From the Nest to Flying Free

Book: Open Heart

Main Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Dr. Samantha Shepard)

Summary:

"Would you have asked me to the mall if we'd met when we were her age?" "In a heartbeat. Would you have said yes?" "Of course! I would have had a major crush on you." "It would have been mutual." In another life, Bryce Lahela met Samantha Shepard when he was nothing more than a "surfer who got good grades without trying", and Samantha was nothing more than the Lahela's live-in staff's daughter.

Rating: Teen (might change later in the story).

Tags: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends to Lovers, First Love, First Relationship, Alternate Timelines, Flashbacks included, Dual POV.

Also available on AO3 here.

Chapter 1: Hatchling in the Nest

“Clear blue water

High tide came and brought you in

And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will…” ~ Taylor Swift

Bryce

2019 ~  26 years old

Bryce hit the gas, his car speeding up despite the 20 mph speed limit sign. He was itching to get to one of the last, if not the last parking spot of Edenbrook Hospital, and he noticed another driver eyeing the spot. He blew past the car, nearly hitting another car, a luxury sedan, in the process – whose driver looked mildly annoyed – before sliding into the parking space and shutting off the engine. 

The driver of the first car looked at him furiously, before driving deeper into the parking lot in  search of another empty space. Meanwhile, the luxury sedan pulled up into a reserved parking spot that read Dr. Ethan Ramsey.

Shit, Bryce thought, but couldn’t help but chuckle. I almost hit an attending… Almost. He grinned, raising a hand in apology to the attending.

Dr. Ramsey narrowed his eyes, rolled them and shook his head slightly, before locking his car and going inside.

Bryce chuckled, and pulled his phone from its car holder. It was 5:45 a.m. and in the span of the last half hour, his phone had blown up with messages. There was a message from Alex, his best friend, wishing him good luck today. He smiled a genuine smile before texting Alex back.

There were also almost fifty messages in the “Edenbrook Surgical Interns” group that he’d joined a few days ago. Of course, none of them had actually ever met before – they’d all meet today – but he’d found the link to the whatsapp group on the Facebook group that someone had created for the 2019 generation of surgical interns in Edenbrook Hospital. So far, he’d talked to several people, and most seemed pretty nice. Bryce still knew they were his competition, but hey, it couldn’t hurt to be friendly. Anyhow, right now, several people were asking for directions, a couple others were already at the hospital and asking if anyone wanted to meet up so as to not go in alone… Bryce grinned and shook his head, wondering if anyone who was scared to go in alone was actually cut out to be a surgeon… before reminding himself not to judge and keep it friendly. Those who’d make the cut will make the cut, and those who won’t… It wasn’t his business. He’d make the cut and he knew it. 

Bryce grinned and answered a couple of texts, before going to meet up with a couple of the interns who were by the basketball court. He got out of his car, shooting a grin at a couple nurses who were outside having a smoke and looking at him curiously – or at least, he thought they were nurses by the color of their scrubs. One of them rolled her eyes good naturedly, and the other grinned at him back.

He chuckled before making his way to the basketball court, and found a small group of seven or eight surgical interns chatting. He stepped up, introduced himself and shook hands with a couple of them. He immediately memorized a couple of names and faces. There was Rosa, who looked pretty serious and professional in her white blouse and blue-green blazer, and was one the few that shook his hand hard. As far as first impressions go, he thought she would probably be his biggest competition. There was also Thomas, who looked pretty friendly, clapping Bryce’s before adjusting his glasses that had slipped down his nose.  The others didn’t make much of an impression.

They talked for a while, before someone suggested a friendly game of ball to get rid of the first day jitters. Bryce looked at his phone and since they still had time before orientation he agreed to a game. Thomas also joined, and two other interns whose names Bryce had already forgotten. Oh well, I’ll learn them during the year anyway, he guessed. Anyhow, between the four of them, they had enough players for a friendly game of two on two.  

Bryce paired up with Thomas and the other two interns paired up, and the game began. One of the other interns had the ball and passed it to his teammate, but Bryce swooped in and took it. He feinted a pass to Thomas, and the other rushed at Thomas in an attempt to block him. In that moment, Bryce seamlessly turned, ran closer to the hoop and scored. 

“Whoo!” He raised his arms, and Thomas ran to clap him high five.

A few of the other surgical interns watching cheered or clapped.

“1-0!” Thomas yelled.

The other interns laughed good naturedly, and the friendly game continued until Rosa yelled from the sidelines, “Guys! It’s 6:30! We’re going inside to register, get out I.D.’s and change!”

“Cool! Cool, cool, cool!” Thomas yelled.

“Raincheck?” One of the other interns asked.

They all nodded. 

“Yeah, let’s go with them. Don’t wanna be late.” Bryce yelled. 

Once inside, they were greeted by a tall, blond and blue eyed senior resident. “Fresh meat!” She chuckled. “I mean, interns! Welcome to the party. I won’t ask your names, or bother to learn them, because most of you probably won’t be here by the end of the year. My name’s Dr. Constance Davenport and I’m in charge of babysitting you this year. Now, come on, this way. I’ll take you to get your I.D.’s then show you to the locker room.” 

Bryce grinned, not at all offended by her attitude. Some of his fellow interns were already grumbling or rolling their eyes at her, but Bryce knew that in this field, in this hospital, in this program, that level of confidence had to be backed up by talent. So the fact that she was that cocky meant she was probably that good, and she’d fricking earned it.

Anyhow, he followed his resident, got his picture taken and told her his name.

“Lahela… Hawaiian?” Dr. Davenport asked.

“Yep. Born and raised.”

Davenport nodded. “Huh… Let’s hope you make it, Lahela.” She tossed him his I.D. with a challenging grin. Then she looked back and saw that the line of interns had somehow gotten longer and sighed. Then she looked back to the group of interns who’d already had their I.D.’s and were waiting off to the side, and sighed. “Okay, I’m not going to have time to get you all your I.D.’s and show you around and stuff, so you…” She pointed to Bryce, Rosa, Thomas and their group. “The locker rooms are from this hall, through that waiting room, then you take a left, a right, another left and you’ll see it. Go.”

The surgical interns looked at each other and went on their way. Thomas, who claimed he had a good sense of direction, led the way. He actually did and soon they were in the locker room. Bryce pulled out his phone to check his Notes app, where he had written his locker number. He also took a clean towel from a towel rack nearby and went to his locker, which was right next to a cute Indian girl’s locker, mercilessly shoving a vintage leather jacket into her locker. As she saw him approaching, she looked him up and down critically.

He gestured to his locker and shot her a charming grin. “Hey. Looks like we’re neighbors. Bryce Lahela. Surgical intern.”

She merely looked at his hand. “A scalpel jockey, huh?” The corners of her lips twitched, and Bryce knew this was friendly banter. “Jackie Varma. Internal medicine.”

“You’re one of those, huh?” Bryce smiled teasingly.

“One of the actual intelligent doctors? Damn right.” She grinned right back.

Bryce immediately liked her.

Jackie sniffed the air. “You should shower before orientation, scalpel jockey.”

“Do you want me to take my shirt off? I mean, since we’re locker neighbors, you’ll have plenty of time to admire all this.” He gestured to himself.

Jackie did not seem amused as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, joy, all of my dreams have come true.” She said in a bored, monotone voice.

Bryce laughed, before grabbing his towel and heading in for a quick shower. He’d worked up a sweat during their brief basketball game. 

After a quick scrub, he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back to his locker, where he saw Jackie was already terrorizing someone else: a tall woman, clearly another intern, with long black hair that was dyed red at the ends.

“... How’d you make it through med school without ever seeing a bra before?”

“I’m sorry!” Bryce heard this other intern say as he approached them. “I just wasn’t expecting–”

The woman turned, bumping into his chest. Bryce chuckled, steading her by placing his hands on her shoulders. “Go easy on her, Jackie. It’s the first day for all of us.”

For some reason, Bryce felt the woman tense immediately, and he briefly thought that maybe she didn’t like to be touched. But then she looked up, and he saw a very, very familiar face staring back at him, sending his heart into overdrive.

“Sam?!”

************************************************************************

1999 ~ 6 years old

"Bryce! Get down here, please!" His mother, Anita, yelled from downstairs. "Come meet Luna!"

Bryce looked up from his pull-back car -- or rather, his pull-back car parts. He hadn’t broken it. Not exactly. It’d just stopped working, and Bryce had wanted to figure out why. And what better way to do that than take it apart? But so far, he’d been on it for most of the morning, and he still couldn’t really figure out why. When he’d taken it apart, he was excited to find all these little gears inside, all different colors and connected to each other, and this metallic spring inside that he still wasn't sure what it did exactly…

“Bryce!”

The little boy got up with a sigh, and stood up. He’d come back and fix his toy car later. Better go see what Mom wanted now. She got annoyed when she had to repeat herself. And so he made his way down the stairs, only to find his mother sitting down on the couch next to a woman he’d never seen before. The woman was small, with long blond hair tied back in a braid, but what Bryce liked most were her eyes. She had pretty green eyes...

“Bryce! There you are! Didn’t you hear me calling?” His mom stood, the lady following her lead.

“Sorry.” Bryce mumbled.

“It’s okay, hon. Come meet Luna.” Anita smiled and gestured to the woman… Luna.

Luna smiled at him and knelt down to his eye level. “Hello, Bryce. I’m Luna.”

Bryce smiled back at her, his “megawatt smile” as Mom would say, before stepping up. “Hi, Luna. Who are you?”

Luna looked up to his mom, chuckling.

“Luna is our new housekeeper,” Anita told him. “She’s going to be helping me with the house, the cooking, the cleaning…”

“But Mom, you don’t do any of those things.” Bryce said.

Both women laughed for some reason he didn’t really understand -- he’d said nothing but the truth -- but he smiled, anyway. Maybe he was just funny.

“Well… he’s got a point there.” Anita smiled at him and ran a hand through his hair.

“Children. Mine also just blurt out whatever goes through their heads.” Luna agreed, laughing brightly, before turning back to Bryce. “How old are you, Bryce?”

He raised his whole hand with his five fingers outstretched, like the big boy he was. “Five.” He said proudly.

Luna’s eyes widened excitedly. “Five?! No!”

“Yep!” He nodded eagerly.

“Guess what?! I have two kids and my kids are five, too!” Luna told him, dropping her jaw.

“Hear that, Bryce? You’ll have two new friends!” Anita told him, and he nodded eagerly. She lowered her voice, but Bryce heard her anyway. “I’m so happy we found you and your husband. Not just because of the jobs, but when you told us you had twins the same age as him… He gets so lonely here in this big house. He doesn’t really have many chances to socialize with other children his age, other than the occasional playdate.”

Luna laughed, and gently patted Anita’s arm. “Oh, well. My twins are a handful but I’m sure they’re going to get along just fine.” She turned back to Bryce. “Bryce, would you like to meet Sam and Alex?”

“Okay!” Bryce nodded, reaching for Luna's outstretched hand. 

He took Luna’s hand with one of his and his mother’s hand in the other, and let both women lead him to the smaller house that was behind his. This house wasn’t really that small, it was just that his house was so big. It had a big backyard for him to play in, and a pool, and farther away it even had stables where the horses slept in. 

Sometimes Bryce got lonely in his house, though. It was really big and had a lot of fun places inside and outside, but he always had to play alone because his mom and dad were always working, and Lucy had… Returned? Retried? Bryce couldn’t remember what his mother had said. Anyway, she had gotten older and she had to stop working in his house. That had made Bryce a bit sad, since Lucy always played with him when she wasn’t busy.

But now, his mom had found Luna, and Luna had two kids he would be able to play with! Bryce was really excited. He always wanted a brother, but his mom always said no. Maybe he could ask Luna’s kids to be his brothers. And instead of only one, he would have two now!

“Bryce,” Luna told him, squeezing his hand slightly when they came upon the small house. 

There was a car and a truck parked outside, and a big man with black hair was carrying a giant box down from the truck like it weighed nothing. He set it down when he saw them, and walked towards them, nodding at his mom. "Mrs. Lahela."

"Jack." His mom nodded back.

Up close, he looked even bigger! He was bigger than his dad! Bryce was pretty sure this was the biggest man he'd ever seen. He hoped he would grow up to be as big when he got older. 

The man, Jack, caught him staring and smiled. Like Luna, he knelt down to Bryce's eye level. "And who is this?"

"I'm Bryce!" 

"It's nice to meet you, Bryce." 

The man offered Bryce his giant hand, but Bryce wasn't scared and he shook it like he'd seen his dad do. The man's palm engulfed his hand, but he still shook it as hard as he could.

"I'm Jack."

"Jack is my husband, and the twins' father. He’s going to be your family’s driver too." Luna added.

Bryce nodded. "Hi, Jack. Are you going to drive me to school?"

Jack laughed. “Yes, Bryce, I am.”

"Honey, where are the kids? I wanted them to meet Bryce." Luna told him.

Jack smiled one last time at Bryce, before standing back up. "They're upstairs. Want me to go get them?"

"Please. Thanks, love." Luna nodded with a gentle smile.

Jack nodded and winked at Bryce, before going inside. Bryce watched him walk away -- he looked so cool! -- and tried to wink, too. He closed both eyes, scrunching them up a couple of times, before finally getting the wink right. He hoped he looked as cool as Jack did.

A few moments later, Jack finally came out, holding out a boy's hand… and a girl's. The boy had blond hair just like Luna, while the little girl had long black hair like Jack.

Bryce raised his eyebrows, confused. Sam and Alex were boys' names… 

"Bryce… this is Sam," Jack raised his hand, dangling the little girl's arms as she looked shyly at Bryce. "And this is Alex." Jack repeated the motion with his son.

Alex waved excitedly with his other hand.

"But Sam's a boy's name." Bryce blurted out.

"No, it's not!" The girl, Sam, glared at him, her shyness forgotten at the insult. "It's short for Samantha! Samantha Keilani Shepard!"

All the grown ups laughed, while Samantha glared at him, pouting.

Samantha. 

Bryce had never heard of that name. It was a big name. It was too big for such a little girl. No wonder they'd shortened it to Sam.

"Heh. Easy, Sammy. Bryce probably didn't know that." Jack squeezed her hand softly, smiling down at him.

"Sorry, Samantha." Bryce mumbled. His mom squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Sam let out a sigh, before her gaze softened. "It's okay… You can call me Sam, if you want.”

Bryce smiled at that. He liked Sam. Samantha was too long for her. “Okay, Sam.”

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Bryce.”

“Bryce…” Sam repeated. 

“I like it. Sounds cool.” The boy, Alex, said. 

“Do you want to be friends, Bryce?” Sam asked softly, looking a bit shy again.

Bryce brightened up instantly. "Sure!"

"Cool! Wanna see my room?! It’s upstairs." Alex asked.

"Okay!"

"You can see mine next!" Sam added.

"Mom, can I invite them to our house so they can see my room too?" Bryce asked, looking up at his mother hopefully.

She chuckled, before nodding. "Of course, baby."

"Thanks, mom! Do you guys wanna come to my house after? You can see my room, and then the pool…"

"You have a pool?!" Alex asked, his jaw dropping.

"Yeah! A big pool!"

"Come on, let's go!" Sam took Bryce's hand. Alex took her other hand, and she began leading them both inside.

Bryce followed them, very happy with his new friends. Even if one of them had turned out to be a girl instead of a boy, Bryce still had a feeling they'd all get along just fine.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

Doctor Date

Book: Open Heart                     

Pairing/Characters:  Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Chandini Ramakrishnan), feat. Dr. Aaliyah Hadid (F!OC; AKA Biggest Chandyce Shipper after me and Bryce ofc)

Rating: Teen     

Warnings: mention of a homicidal case                 

Category: Fluff                

Format: "Edit"/Drabble

Summary: Chandini meets up with a close friend who is quick to tease her about a certain scalpel jockey

A/N: I know Liya is literally in all of my fics now but I don't care 😭 I can write whatever I want. Read more about their friendship here. I need to write Chandyce more they are and always will be my sweeties <3

Tagging: @choicesficwriterscreations, @openheartfanfics, @peonierose(?)

"It's him, isn't it?" Aaliyah teases her, sipping her coffee. Chandini sets her phone down on the wooden table at the coffee shop, looking everywhere but her friend's eyes. This doesn't deter her. "The surgeon from Edenbrook who wouldn't stop talking to you?"

"It's actually my colleague Sienna," Chandini emphasized. Aaliyah's eyes widened and smirked. She leaned closer to Chandini, as if they were children and whispering secrets past their bedtime. A few dark brown curls grazed Liya's shoulder and she whispered.

"You're a horrid liar. I always assumed people who went to medical school would be more intelligent, darling."

She mimicked Chandini's British accent and natural flourishes perfectly. The young doctor rolled her eyes and sipped her tea, glancing at her now buzzing phone.

"I don't talk like that, Doctor," she rolled her eyes. Aaliyah laughed.

"Sure you don't, Doctor," she paused as the phone continued to buzz with text messages. Aaliyah pointed to the phone. "Well, aren't you going to answer? You don't want to keep your beau waiting."

"'Beau' is a strong word, at most he's a nuisance," Chandini furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. "It's a miracle that he's lasted this long."

"An attractive nuisance," Aaliyah joked, noting her friend's sudden change in posture. Now, it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Nini, come on. I was just joking! Sheesh, and I thought my job was stressful."

The waiter came by and handed the two women their biscottis for their drinks. Chandini sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just-he always gets on my nerves!"

Aaliyah raised an eyebrow. "And what does he do to make you this upset? Flirt with you every once in a while?"

Chandini groaned, waving her hands around. "He does it when I'm trying to do my job and because he knows it will make me mad. I-I'm telling you, he's an instigator!"

"And I'm telling you that he's an extremely talented surgeon! He was super helpful with our homicide case, even more helpful than the senior residents. Not to mention, really charming..."

The doctor barely hid a scowl, and Aaliyah chuckled. "Aww, looks like Nini's jealous." She rubbed Chandini's shoulders for a few moments before she waved her friend's hands away. "I'm not jealous, I think it's ironic that you're commenting on my supposed work crush yet we haven't talked about yours..."

Aaliyah blushed. "Nuh uh! Don't try to change the subject. My best friend is in love and refuses to tell me, even if she doesn't know it yet. My entire job is about analyzing behavior you can't lie to me."

She was interrupted by Chandini's phone buzzing again, prompting Nini to snatch the phone from her best friend. She quickly turned the phone to Chandini to unlock the phone and read through the messages from her Insta.

"You literally posted this photo ten minutes ago and he's left a ridiculous amount of comments and DMed you ten more times... I think I need to revise my hypothesis," she said, her jaw practically dropping to the floor.

Chandini gasped, and took the phone back from her best friend before asking, "And what would that be?"

Aaliyah smiled, her finger grazing the rim of her almost empty cup. "That you're both two idiots in love. "

[choiceschallenge-may2023]

Week 3

OPEN HEART

A Different Fate (Series) | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC | fanfic | ex-love, love - @jerzwriter Part 4: Glass Door

A Forever Love | Sienna Trinh x M!OC | moodboard | falling in love - @liaromancewriter

Dr. Olivia Hadley | Bryce Lahela x MC | fanart | dream job - @storyofmychoices

Greetings from Hawaii | Ethan Ramsey x MC | fanart | postcards - @potionsprefect

The Starting Line | Ethan Ramsey x MC - @cariantha

Totally Tobias Tuesday - Text Fics | Tobias Carrick x MC | text fics | photographs, promises, love - @jerzwriter

We're Having a Baby: Part 2 - Here She Is | Tobias Carrick x MC | fanfic | baby, holding hands, love - @jerzwriter

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Anytime, Anywhere | fanfic | love, engagement, finally putting self first, lust - @alj4890

Just Try | Liam Rys x Madleine | fanfic | lies, first heartbreak - @alj4890

The Rotten Apple (Series) | fanfic | engagement - @bebepac The Last Part

Sometimes Not | fanfic | old friend/love, first love, ex-crush/love | - @ao719