30. Mass Gen

We're all susceptible to it, the dread and anxiety of not knowing what's coming. It's pointless in the end, because all the worrying and the making of plans for things that could or could not happen, it only makes things worse. So walk your dog or take a nap. Just whatever you do, stop worrying. Because the only cure for paranoia is to be here, just as you are.

-Meredith Grey

"Mr. Avery, it's an honor to meet you." Emily pulled her luggage behind her as Mark held her other hand. They saw the older man waiting for them near her airplane gate. He smiled and held out a hand to shake.

She grasped his hand firmly before drawing back. "Emily Moore, I presume. And Mark Sloan, a pleasant surprise." He nodded to Mark. "I'll assume you've said goodbye to your friends." Mark offered a hand to shake and they shook as well.

"Yes, sir." She nodded back and shared a look with Mark. "Well, this is goodbye."

"Until you come back."

"Yeah. I guess so." She looked at their joined hands and reinforced the bond, holding onto his hand tighter. Pressing their foreheads together, she whispered, "I love you,"

"I love you, too." He kissed her gently. Although it lacked passion it didn't lack emotion and tears beaded at the corner of her eyes when she pulled back. "Stay safe." She nodded and began walking to the gate with Harper Avery. She glanced once over her shoulder and a small bittersweet smile played over her lips before she disappeared. Fear squeezed her heart as she stepped further into the unknown.

.

Emily walked up the tunnel from the airplane feeling awful and terrified. Her heart weighed down in her chest and every step felt like a mile. All she wanted was Mark's arms in bed yet she's the reason she was travelling kilometres away from him. They had arrived in Boston just a few minutes ago and they had to pick up her luggage before going to the hospital. They went to the conveyor belt in silence where the machinery was just beginning to move. The whole plane ride was awkward. Harper Avery asked if she wanted anything but she repeatedly said no and any attempt at conversation faltered from both sides.

"He's a good man. I'm glad you're making it work with him," he suddenly said and Emily started as luggage began sliding out. Glancing at him, she frowned slightly. "Mark Sloan," he clarified, "I knew him when he was working under John Seever. Smart, if a bit cocky but has a good heart."

"Uh, thank you, sir?" She was unsure of her answer when she found the black luggage that belonged to her. Hauling it off the conveyor belt, she turned to Harper Avery. "Let's go."

"Of course." He lead the way and she followed half a step behind "At Mass Gen, it's rather competitive. The tech is more futuristic than many hospitals are equipped with. You'll be having weekly rotations along with sim time."

"Sim time, sir?" Already, it sounded daunting.

"We're the leaders in medicinal simulations and all our residents spend time in the simulations with a variety of situations." They reached the point where the pre-booked drivers were searching for their patrons and they walked past all of them. "Are you interested in research?"

"Not particularly, sir," she admitted with a slight smile. It came easily and the older surgeon smiled as well. "But I heard that - that Mass Gen offers six research fellowships with salary support."

"That's true but not all residents are interested. In fact, many enjoy the fellowship as it means less residents to compete with and more surgery for themselves." They finally found a blond man with bright blue eyes waiting for them. His hands were shoved in his pockets and a big smile made his face light up. Something familiar about him made her narrow her eyes.

"If it isn't Moore the younger in the flesh," he commented and immediately she realized who it was.

"Taylor Jacks, you're out too?"

"What, Noah didn't tell you?" He opened his arms and she hugged him tightly. His chuckle reverberated in his chest and his arms were warm with genuine happiness. The fact that he was something familiar in an unfamiliar environment made her heart beat faster. She hadn't even realized she would miss him when they barely knew each other. "I'm finishing my trauma fellowship at Mass Gen."

"That's fantastic! I - we - I don't know what to say," she confessed and Harper Avery smiled.

"Well, you'll have loads to say once you see the hospital."

.

"So this is your room. I hope you don't mind that it's next to Will and Ollie's." Noah opened the door to reveal an adequate sized guest room. The bed was generously big and a closet and drawers were available for her clothes. There was a nightstand near an electrical outlet beside the bed and a full-length mirror near the door.

"Of course I don't. After that two-hour tour, any bed is heaven." She crawled onto the bed and dropped into the plushness of the mattress as Noah laughed.

"It's going to be nice living with you again, Emi," he said sincerely, bringing her luggage into the room and laying it down. Unzipping it for his younger sister, he opened the flap so it was ready for her to unpack before returning to the door. "Dinner's in a few hours so you can have a nap if you want and if you need me, just call."

"Alright," she mumbled and he closed the door almost the whole way. Letting her eyes close for a few minutes, the brunette relished in the few moments of silence before her phone started ringing. Groaning, she pushed herself up and stumbled in the direction of her carry-on bag, digging through the contents until it bumped into a rectangular metal object that was vibrating. Taking it out, she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Do you have time to Skype?" Mark. She sighed, already missing his voice but nodded, taking out her laptop from its bag and plopping onto the bed. Surrounding herself in pillows, she felt her heart ache lessen.

"Yeah. Get online, I'll call you," she promised and hung up, tossing the phone onto the bed next to her and opening her laptop. Immediately, the screen lit up and she looked at the nightstand for the wifi password. Finding it quickly, she entered it and logged into Skype. Mark's name appeared at the top and his profile picture - one of them together - made her smile. Clicking his name, her finger moved the cursor to the call button and pressed it. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hey, princess." She smiled when she saw him, a bustle of activity behind him. Obviously he was at work, with his scrub cap on. "I'm about to scrub in and I thought you'd wanna watch." His smile made her pains melt away as she sighed.

"Oh, really?" She mused, tucking the blankets up her chest as he nodded. "Maybe. What're you doing?"

"Hypopharynx reconstruction," he said as someone passed him a coffee. "Thanks, Grey."

"No problem, Dr. Sloan," a voice off-screen cheerfully replied. "Oh, are you speaking to Dr. Moore? Can I say hi?"

"Lexie?" Emily asked, amused and Mark tilted the screen so she could see the younger Grey. "How are you?"

"Good! Still banned from the O.R. but doing good." Mark shot her a look and she flushed, "And I have to prep her for surgery, right. See you, Dr. Moore! Miss you!" The brunette darted out of sight and Mark made sure she was gone before he returned to her.

"Of course you do the coolest surgery when I'm not around," she remarked as her door creaked open. Looking up, she saw a toddler push against the door, his brown hair fluffy and hazel eyes wide with joy.

"O'Malley's getting your interns and I'm stuck with Grey's crazy sister for the surgery. Why couldn't I have a properly trained one?" he complained and she chuckled.

"Shush. They're probably scared to death at the thought of you," she teased and he nodded along, laughing.

"Auntie Em!" Will cheered as the door swung completely open. He walked in, helping his more unstable brother, Ollie, by taking him by the hand. Taking the laptop off her lap, she made sure Mark could see as she picked up Ollie and settled him beside her before reaching down and picking up Will.

"Hey, big guy!" she gasped, kissing her nephew on the cheek before turning to his younger brother. He opened his arms for attention and she settled Will between her legs, taking Ollie in her arms.

"You're surrounded by babies," Mark commented and they turned to the sound of his voice. "You're all big and strong. Last time I saw you, you were this small," he joked, using his thumb and index finger to demonstrate.

"No!" Will protested and reached to slap Mark's face. Emily swerved around Ollie to make sure Will didn't damage her laptop, "Never!"

"Must've been mistaken then," he said, pulling his ear and she grinned at her boyfriend's antics. The conversation of having a family didn't go unremembered between the two of them as he looked up. "Listen, Em, I've got surgery and I know you want to watch so…"

"Guys, can you go find your dad and play? Uncle Mark and I have some business to take care of."

"Okay! We play after dinner!" Will said brightly and she set them down on the floor again and waited them to leave before turning to her boyfriend who had a nurse hold onto the laptop as he scrubbed in.

.

"First day, you ready?"

"Yeah." She breathed deeply, adjusting her bag and Noah kissed her temple. "I can do this right?"

"'Course you can. You'll make tons of new friends," he ruffled her hair affectionately as someone ran up to him. "Dr. Jones, you've got the pre-ops ready I presume."

"Yes, sir," the man reported dutifully, "But the Hendersons want to speak to you before you operate."

"Alright, thank you. Can you show my sister where the resident's lounge is?" Then did this 'Dr. Jones' turn his stare towards her and she smiled. Nodding, the man threw a hand in a gesture to follow him. "Thanks again, you can scrub in." Pumping the arm holding a binder in a symbol of farewell, Noah turned away and Emily glanced casually at Dr. Jones.

"I'm Dr. Thomas Jones, second year," he introduced, offering a hand to shake and she took it firmly with a smile. He took her through a maze of turns that she had experienced the day before but still felt loss when finally they reached a room with benches and lockers for the residents. People filed in and out as he pushed open the door and showed her an empty spot. "This is my locker and you've been assigned next to me, no coincidence I believe."

"Emily Moore, by the way. I don't think we've met." She opened the locker and found a set of blue scrubs and her new lab coat. Taking them out, she felt a flash of nostalgia at the familiar pale color. "So, what service am I on?"

"Plastics, from what they've told me although Dr. Avery might switch that around." He seemed friendly enough. His smile was big and genuinely kind as he gave her a pager and a book of page-numbers. Putting them on her stack of clothes, she managed to slip out the pale blue scrubs. Nodding, she began changing into the blue scrubs as Dr. Jones turned around to give her some semblance of privacy.

"Is there anyone else for me to meet?"

"You'll meet them," he assured and she nodded although he couldn't see. When she was finished, she put on the new lab coat, seeing instead of Seattle Grace, Massachusetts General was in its place. "Come on." Smiling at her decidedly new friend, she followed him out after locking her stuff inside her new locker and saw a tall woman with an angular face watch them. They began approaching her and she started stacking binders. "She's the Chief Resident. Dr. Bakely."

"Seems nice?" she offered as some sort of relief and he laughed, grateful. "Dr. Bakely, Dr. Moore."

"I know who you are. You look too much like your brilliant doctor of a brother to be anyone else." Unsure of whether to be flattered or insulted by her tone, she said nothing. "Dr. Avery is waiting for you in the I.C.U. Jones, you're her personal guide for the day. Go." Blinking, she stood still until Thomas grasped her arm and pulled her away.

"She's always like that, don't worry. Come on, I.C.U's this way." Again, he led her to the elevators where they took a short ride before the doors opened to the quietest floor yet. The quiet clicking wasn't strange to her as they walked down the hall, looking for the man. Finally, they saw him standing next to the bed of a woman hooked up machinery while a man cried near her. They knocked gently and he looked up, taking the clipboard away and walking out of the room.

"We've got a transplant on our hands." Already, the day was looking up.

.

After seven days of work, Emily already felt nearly at home. Thomas Jones, or more fondly 'Tom' by her, was proving to be a great companion and he introduced her to his circle of friends. There were three of them. Ella Morgan - his girlfriend, which he stated rather proudly - Davin Olson, and Matthew Kenner. They were all friendly, to a point, and each different yet reminded her of her friends back in Seattle. Ella was interested in neuro, Davin in urology and Matthew in cardio. In a way, Ella reminded her of Derek, open and smart, if a bit arrogant like Mark. She was sure Davin would be fantastic friends with Cristina and Matthew with Meredith and George.

Of course, her first week was amazing. She learned from one of the most famous surgeons in the world and worked with her brother and Taylor. Already, she felt two times better than the surgeon who had first walked through the door. She barely stopped moving, always going to collect labs or talking to patients or in surgery. Soon, she established a position in the ranks of the other residents. Her natural talent for plastics and her fervent interest in ortho put her as one of the top of the top. Emily didn't know why she was so scared in the first place when she realized everyone here was just as normal as she.

Tonight was the first day back at Noah's house after days after days of sleeping in the on-call rooms. Emily hadn't spoken to any of her friends and decided to do that as she walked to her room. It was around five and Theresa was in the kitchen, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good week?" Her sister-in-law guessed, green eyes keen. It was a breezy Saturday when Emily pulled herself into the three-story house. The pediatrician pulled her hair into a knot as Emily nodded. "God, when's the last time you had a decent meal? Go shower and rest, I'll whip something up."

"I love you," she groaned, dragging herself past the kitchen where Theresa disappeared into and up the stairs. Going into her bedroom, she took off her jacket and put her phone on the nightstand, settling her purse near her empty luggage. Sighing, she yawned and began preparing her clothes. She had done so many back-to-back surgeries due to many of the residents on a research fellowship. Her rotations had got her on so many different experiences. General to cardio to neuro to plastics to ortho. She had loved the last two the most. The head of plastics, Dr. Austen had known of her work with her boyfriend and Callie and made sure she scrubbed in on some of the best surgeries, even first-assisting on one or two.

Once she found a full set of pajamas, she went to the shower and turned it on, taking a steamy shower that reminded her achingly of Mark. Being so busy, she barely had time to think of him but now it hit her like a truck. Sighing, she washed up and got out, wrapping herself in fluffy towels and going back to her room to change. She took out her phone and found some voicemails from her friends. Making a mental to-do list in her head, she put on her clothes and wrapped up her hair in a towel before pulling back the covers of her bed and sliding in. She sighed as the weight finally lifted from her feet.

Unlocking her phone, she felt heat in her blood as she looked at the picture of Mark and her as her background. It was ashamedly a selfie of them. His arm wrapped around her shoulders bringing her closer to him and their heads touching as she leaned towards him. The background was grey and their hair was messy after hours in surgery. The memory was fond, it was one of the first times she had first-assisted with him.

Remembering why she had unlocked her phone in the first place, she opened the phone app. Emily read the list of people who had left messages; at least one from each of her resident friends, one from Bailey, Callie, and Derek and three from Mark. Deciding to save the best for last, she clicked Cristina's name and put the receiver near her ear.

"Hey, Em. I hope you know that I'm still angry at you because you work with Harper Avery every day and your brother. Seriously, you're so lucky I could strangle you and you'd turn out fine. Anyway, hope you're having fun or something and aren't kicked out yet. God, I hate you so much right now." Laughing quietly, she smiled at Cristina's tone before clicking on George's name.

"Hi. How's Boston and learning from Harper Avery? Is it fun? Have you made friends? I hope you did. Nothing's really changed here except I think Izzie's been acting weird. I saw her talking to herself earlier and she's not been to the clinic in a while. I tried asking Alex about it but he just snapped at me and she's not saying anything either. I hope she'll tell me soon except she's gonna keep saying she's fine. I expect you're doing well and are staying busy, which is good. We miss you here but everyone's happy for you, except Cristina but that's expected. The Chief said I'll take over your interns except they're really beaten up over you leaving. Michael's been way too quiet. Whatever. Anyways, talk to you soon, George."

"So, Sadie's still here and a prisoner from Death Row came in. He had something stabbed in his spine and Derek's been... Anyway, it's like all his sympathy is gone for him. I get that he's a serial killer but he's behind bars and he's actually kind of funny. Cristina and I are still fighting, if you wanted to know and nothing else really. Mark's been actually not that bad. I can tell he misses you a lot but he doesn't get as snippy as I thought he'd be. I heard from George that this woman with a calcium-leaching tumor and her 'amazing' guy caused Mark to snap at people for the whole day. Says how much he loves you. Anyway, I have to keep this short. Talk to you soon, bye." Meredith's message made her smile at how she had expected her boyfriend would be reduced to a petulant child in her absence. Saving that voicemail, she went onto the next message from Alex.

"I hate myself. I kinda miss you because I really need someone to drink with and you aren't around. Hope you're good or whatever. I got the solo surgery although I bet you do ten a day anyhow and Izzie told me she's seeing Denny. I mean, is that weird? Seeing your dead fiancé? I saw my grandmother after she died but it was all about not playing with the parts. Pretty sure it isn't the same 'cause she literally told me she had sex with him but it's all a good fantasy, right? I don't get you chicks." He sighed audibly and Emily smiled, "Call me back so we can set a meet-up date. Bye."

The next message was from Izzie. Expecting the blonde's cheerful voice and getting a younger voice instead, she started. "Hey. I know you were expecting Izzie but I'm not scrubbing in with her since we're on probation but she asked me to call you," Lexie explained. "So, hi! We miss you a lot here and Dr. Sloan's even meaner than normal so I hope you visit soon and have sex with him so he's less mean." Laughing at Lexie's desperate tone, she stifled them to listen on. "Oh. Here, Dr. Stevens."

"Hi, Em," Izzie greeted cheerfully. "It's been a few days since you've left and Lexie's right. Dr. Sloan's been a pain in the ass. Uhm, nothing's changed around here except that. Alex has been amazing and he baked me a cake for my birthday. But I bet you're all busy with famous surgeons anyway. It's a three hour difference so I don't know if you're either sleeping or in surgery but goodnight for me. Call soon."

"Moore," Bailey's sharp voice penetrated her ears, "make sure you don't get in trouble. I want you returned in one piece when you visit when you have the time. If you visit and miss something important, Lord help me, I will kick your ass back to Boston. I taught you right but you aren't here anymore so make sure you learn right over there. See you soon."

"Oh, god, help me. Meredith's friend is making me all hot and confused and I need you here except you aren't. You are in Boston and Mark is trying to help except he's just as horny as I am and staring at Joe didn't work. Please, tell me you're visiting soon? Call me back!"

"I bet a ton of us have told you that Mark's been a pain. And he has but it isn't anything major," Derek assured and she nodded along, opening up her laptop to find her new schedule. After a whole week of working, she had work from Wednesday to Sunday. Mostly on plastics and ortho so it should be fun and she could take a flight back to visit from tomorrow to Tuesday. "It's been a tough day. My mother's coming into town and Mark's eager for you to meet her. I think he really loves you and it's kind of weird but I'm happy. For once, he's found his place. If you have a few days off, you should visit and we could organize a surprise for him. I don't know, wishful thinking since you're in one of the largest teaching hospitals ever. Anyway, I'll see you. Bye."

Then, it was Mark's. Breathing, she prepared herself to savor his voice. "Hey. Everything reminds me of you. Room's lonely. I love you."

"I really want to go to Denver. There's this girl with a calcium-leaching tumor and she gave up a guy because he was moving to Denver and she didn't want to break her bones. Now, she's going to Denver. And I want to go to Denver too. Because I miss you and it's pathetic. I miss you."

"I found a place across from Callie's. It's nice, spacey and I'm moving in. I took your stuff with me and I texted you the address-" So that's what his mysterious text was about. "-so whenever you visit you'll have a home. I love you and I miss you. Bye." She could imagine his blue eyes and strong jaw and sculpted face in front of her, mouth curved into a smile and hair wet from a shower.

"Em! Food's ready!" Theresa called and she was brought out of her stupor, the image of Mark disappearing as she got off the bed, untangling her hair from the towel and leaving her room but not before looking at the background picture of her and Mark one last time.

A/N: Edited - October 7, 2018

Next: Mrs. Shepherd and Jackson Avery.