ROLLING IN THE DEEP ━ grey's anatomy

001. invasion

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄
-ˏˋ Invasion ˊˎ

An invasion. That's what they were. An orange infestation reeking havoc on the halls of Seattle Grace Hospital. They weaved through the halls, like a host, infecting everywhere they touched, hard stares following their every moves from the hostiles dressed in periwinkle. Sneers echoed in the ears of these parasites, causing a dent to appear in the stoic exterior of a certain doctor from Mercy West Hospital.

Lillian Knightly walked through the doors with her head held high, a frown edged in her brow, hand in hand with her beloved, fellow parasite, Jackson Avery. This reaction was expected of course, they were taking over everything, prepared to make it their own. Jackson noticed his girlfriends crumbling demeanour, the already ever present hatred becoming quite overwhelming, and squeezed her hand softly; an act so minor in itself, but providing enough warmth to comfort her for just a millisecond. She smiled softly up at him, a show of appreciation on this short death march to the residents lounge.

The residents lounge was a battleground; orange on one side, blue on the other. No one daring to cross the sacred land in between. It was as if working together to save patients was a myth, something a greater force made up to con people into visiting places of medicine. Everyone was on edge, the ever present taunt of loosing their jobs hanging overhead like a knife and nobody was willing to accept the bait, all except one.

Reed Adamson.

From the minute she waltzed in through the front doors, she'd acted like she owned the place. She was a mousy little doctor with an ego double the size of her small stature and a voice that made Lillian just want to die on the spot. God, was she infuriating. Even now, she made her way across no mans land with a certain strut in her stride, one that Lillian knew perfectly well meant that she was about to cause trouble. She'd chosen a desolate cubby in the middle of the sea of periwinkle, and started getting ready as if it was nothing.

Evidently, it was not nothing. A blonde doctor with a pixie cut appeared maddened by Reeds actions and made her way over, with what could only be seen as murder on her mind.

"You can't put that in there." she said, irritation definite in her tone. Lillian groaned, causing Jackson to let out a breathy laugh beside her. It was only 9 o'clock in the morning and conflict already seemed to be brewing.

"They told us to grab a cubby." Reed replied in an innocent voice, one that told everyone she knew exactly what she was doing; starting up her usual bullshit. Lillian just rolled her eyes, turning back around to finish getting ready, wrapping a stethoscope around her neck and pressing a brief kiss to Jacksons cheek before making her way off the battlefield back into the trenches, only staying long enough to hear Reed laugh, "Great, I get the crazy one next to me." The knife seemed to jeer a little further forward, causing a pin to drop, leaving everything to shatter, a fight starting out as she left the room. Lillian sighed;

Lord, was this day going to be a long one.

***

Mercy West Hospital
july 2005

Lillian Knightly could only describe the start of her surgical residency as one thing; a double edged sword. On the one hand, it was a glowing ember, the spark of the rest of her career, her life. A spark that could either make or break her, a massive gamble that she was, for once, willing to take. On the other hand, it meant the beginning of 5 years as a puppet. Where an attending would be pulling her strings, moving her to and fro, being an ever present shadow made to break her, watch her crack under the pressure.