Salvation ► GREY'S ANATOMY [2]

SIXTEEN

COURTNEY SAT CROSSED-LEGGED ON HER BED. She couldn't sleep. The moment she had closed her eyes, she had felt wide awake. Being stubborn, she had tried to close her eyes and hoped that she would eventually fall asleep. A complete fail. She had tossed and turned for hours on end, until she had decided that she just couldn't sleep. Her goal at the moment was to tire herself out. Courtney hoped that the longer she stayed up the more tired she would feel. Maybe her body would take the hint and finally let her get some rest.

"Mmmh, yeah, sorry, someone came into the room and needed my help with something," Paisley's cheerful voice explained through the phone. Courtney let out a quiet laugh. It had been a while since she had last heard Paisley Suen's bright voice. With life getting in the way and them being states apart, it proved to be a challenge to find a suitable time to talk. "So, how are things going?"

Courtney smiled, looking at the person beside her, "Better than expected. I feel like I'm living an ordinary life? Nothing too crazy is happening, which is nice. I wake up every morning, go to work and try to rest whenever I can. It's really nice. When I'm home, it's also quiet which I never appreciated as much as now," She laughed. When she lived with her sister and their bunch of roommates, there was never a moment of peace. Someone was always moving around and making noise. Not that it was a bad thing! Courtney had simply learned to love the quietness of living on your own. It was a nice change of pace. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm doing really well if I can say so myself. I no longer feel like an outsider? I finally feel like I've earned my place here. I don't feel as lonely as before anymore since I managed to make some friends too. We go out for drinks after work sometimes. I'm sure that you would've liked them, Court," Paisley played around with the pen in her hand. She let out a sigh as she stared out in the distance. "Can't deny it though that a part of me regrets transferring. I miss it; Seattle Grace, you, even Karev's annoying ass. I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun. Don't take this the wrong way, but talking with you always heightens that feeling."

"I get it in a way. It's a bit similar to what I feel. I just miss you a lot. I miss our late nights talking about everything and nothing. There was a time where you literally knew everything that happened in my day. And now — " Courtney sighed. "Sometimes I feel guilty for not calling you as much? I can't help but feel like a bad friend for not reaching out as much. There's a part of me that wants you to come back, but I don't want to hold you back."

"Why do we sound like long lost lovers?" Paisley couldn't help but laugh a little bit. It lifted the mood in the meantime. "But really, Court, you don't have to feel guilty. I could've called you more as well. We're both busy, but still we're both trying to do our best to reach out. That's all that matters, no? Anyway, how are things going with Mark? I assume that there's progress? Well, I hope so. If you self-sabotaged this, Court, I swear I—"

Beside Courtney, Mark stirred in his sleep. He turned on his side, so his face was now facing towards her. The blonde cocked her head to the side, looking at him. A small smile crept up on her lips. "Hey, I didn't mess this up. We're actually dating. It's been a bit over a month I think. I never thought I would reach this point you know? Being in a happy relationship."