Open Heart One Shots (Choices)

Playing to Win

Summary: Cassie and Ethan disagreeabout the direction of the Diagnostics Team and their personal relationshipbecomes collateral damage. Can they compromise enough to get it back on track? Set in Book 2, chapter 6.

He was being unreasonable, thought Cassie with a scowl as she lounged in bed on her day off, contemplating the changing light on the ceiling. She had done what was right for the patient, but he was too stubborn to see that.

A week ago, she and Ethan had gotten into a disagreement about their treatment of Gwyneth Monro. Cassie had reached out to the social media influencer after being moved by recent posts about her illness and being dismissed because of her fame.

The fact that the Board had latched onto the idea of having the Diagnostics Team shift its focus to rich patients as a way to offset costs for its pro bono work had been a by product of that decision.

It was also a decision that Ethan had disagreed with fundamentally and vehemently. It was the first time in their personal relationship that they had been at such odds. But Cassie couldn't see what was wrong with the Board's direction.

If the team became financial sustainable then it could help more patients that couldn't afford healthcare. She saw it as a win-win. Ethan saw it as a betrayal of everything Naveen had built.

Cassie couldn't tell if he blamed her, but it had been two weeks since they'd spent a night together or done anything else. Their interactions had been limited to the hospital and the Diagnostics Team cases.

She missed him. She missed the way he wrapped his arm around her as she nestled into him on the nights she spent in his apartment. She missed the way he carded his fingers through her hair as they cuddled on the couch and watched TV or read medical journals. She missed his dry humor, his scent, and the way he felt like home.

In the normal scheme of things, she would have been in Ethan's apartment today. They had gotten into the habit of spending nights together when they were both off the next day.

They would sleep in, go for a run together and then he'd make her breakfast. Waffles because he sucked at pancakes or sometimes French Toast because he knew how much she liked them.

More often than not they would putter around the apartment or go for a walk, enjoying the sights and sounds of Boston. They were happy just being together, in each other's company.

And now they were apart, and she was miserable. Was he miserable too? Did he miss her or was he content to have his old life back?

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Ethan admitted to being nervous as he watched the numbers on the elevator as it ascended to Cassie's floor. He knew he had been an ass these last few days. It wasn't Cassie's fault that the Board had seen an opportunity and taken it.

She had done what she did to help a patient that others had dismissed. Exactly what the team's mission was. Her generous heart is what made her the doctor she was.

He shouldn't have taken his frustrations out on her. It was unfair to both of them and went against everything they had promised each other when they started this relationship.

He missed her. His apartment felt empty and colorless. He saw her wherever he turned, in their bed, on the couch, in the kitchen when he prepared his morning coffee. He couldn't have an espresso Romano without thinking of her. She always requested he make that for her on the mornings they spent together.

He knew he was to blame for their current situation, and it was up to him to make it right.

He crossed the short hallway past the kitchen after one of her roommates let him in, waving him through in the direction of her room. It saved any awkward conversations about how he already knew where to go in the first place.