𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝔻𝕠𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 - (𝓞𝓷𝓮-𝓢𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓼 & 𝓘𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼)

𝓘 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾, 𝓣𝓸𝓸

Request: Can you write an OS where Meledez survived and he and Claire get together"

A/N: Of course! Sorry this took so long, I had multiple drafts for this idea... Keep in mind I know almost nothing about medical emergencies and this is probably all incorrect.

Requested by Ivy_Ethen

~

Claire wasn't ready to say goodbye... After finally getting comfortable enough to talk about her problems to her therapist, this would be a whole other problem. He couldn't leave now, there was too much she wanted to tell him. So much she wanted to do with him.

"I already told you the risks of what could happen to Melendez and that's only if the surgery is a success," Glassman's words shot through her mind for the thousandth time this hour, there has to be a way for him to live.

The numbers were terrible, there was no change to that. Tube-fed, a diabetic with an ostomy bag, and waiting for a liver transplant. But that didn't matter to Claire. All she wanted was to go out with him, have him take the chance to survive. She'd take care of him no matter what.

He agreed to the surgery, and Browne has never been so relieved yet scared at the same time. She couldn't get her hopes up with the Trauma Whipple but she couldn't give up on every and all hope. This was a huge surgery and knowing she was doing it on the love of her life hurt... But she wasn't to give up.

God forbid Claire admit it, but it was a miracle. It truly was.

After some time, it seemed the internal bleeding was starting to go away on its own. Now, Dr. Browne wouldn't be all so surprised if this certain injury wasn't so severe. But it was. So, the fact that Neil survived that 1 in 100 chance surgery and barely any of the risks mentioned by Aaron had affected him, was only pure luck.

Of course, it took months for him to get in such shape in order to leave the hospital -not to mention, the constant protests of Claire, Audrey and Alex whenever he tried to help out with work- and finally get that first, real date with Claire Browne.

The only thing Melendez didn't mind, was Claire's presence between lunch breaks and visiting hours. He could hear Morgan outside in the hall talking about how sappy and sweet it was to bring him food from the cafeteria every day. The disgust in her voice was something Claire complained about once she got Reznick off her back.

~

"You saved me..." Claire snuggled into Neil's side on the hospital bed. Only so much time till he was discharged from the hospital only to come back and help other people. "And you saved me," He looked down to the brunette doctor that abandoned her salad.

After minutes of silence and small sniffles of realization, Claire admitted something she only recently found the courage to say.

"I love you." She looked into his brown eyes, scared of rejection even though she knew full well that he felt the same. He didn't need to tell her, but it was necessary.

"I love you, too."