Missing piece

~ settling back in or getting ready to leave again? ~

Luna woke up that morning with an overwhelming feeling of dread. She knew she had to speak to Hunt today about returning and she would have to see everyone again. She was anxious. Her anxiety had taken over since last night, maybe it was the fact she'd have to work with Jackson and Lexie again.

The whole morning leading up to her shift she'd spent staring at the wall in her room. Then the drive into work with Meredith was filled with them all talking about cases they were working on and Luna zoning out.

It was like she was floating.

She was standing outside Hunt's office for a few minutes before she finally knocked on the door.

"Come in" She heard Hunt say from inside. Luna took one more deep breath before she walked in.

She hadn't yet changed into scrubs or even gone to her old locker.

"Hi," Luna said awkwardly when she walked in.

"Hello Shepherd, come in and take a seat" Hunt said looking up from his computer for a split second.

Luna sat down in the seat and was looking around noticing how it was the same office and nothing had changed.

"I'm happy to have you back, and Dr Montgomery sent over the forms and evidence of your OR time from the last six months. But I do have to ask, are you planning on staying for the remainder of your residency or will you leave again?" Hunt said very respectfully which Luna appreciated. He was being professional.

"I'm not planning on leaving again, unless of course for my fellowship" Luna admitted, not knowing if that was the truth but it was the truth she was deciding to tell.

"Then all you've got to do is sign the transfer and get back to work. I have paired you with Dr Altman today" Owen said sliding over the papers. Luna furrowed her eyebrows at the statement because she thought she'd be in Neuro or Peds, not Cardio.

"Thank you Dr Hunt" Luna smiles signing the papers and heading straight to the Resident's lounge.

It didn't take long for Luna to change into scrubs find Dr Altman and be with a patient.

Dr Altman had set her up checking post-ops and pre-ops, and as much as Luna wanted to get into an OR she was happy she could ease into being back. 

"I have done your pre-ops and post-op, and I have scheduled and booked the ORs you requested" Luna said approaching Dr Altman at the nurse's station. 

"Great, I have surgery in an hour. If it's not too much on your first day you can assist" Altman smiled, Luna was caught off guard by the kindness. She always assumed that she would be rude or mean about her coming back. 

"Yeah, what's the surgery?" Luna asked smiling. She had a wave of excitement wash over her. She could study for surgery and she was more than overjoyed by it.  

"Coronary artery bypass or a CABG. Yang knows my methods if you want to catch up with her" Altman said before heading into the lift and towards the ER. Luna headed towards the Residents Lounge to find Yang. 

The next hour went quickly, Yang didn't even manage to explain half of the way Altman likes things before she was paged away to the ER. Luna was anxious to be back in the OR, but even more so as she didn't want to let down Altman. 

"Suction please" Altman asked, the surgery had been going well. Luna had been a bit out of it but the moment she put her gloves on she was like her old self again. 

"How did you know you wanted to go into Cardio? Like was there a moment?" Luna asked breaking the silence. 

"I don't know, I guess there comes a time where you just a make a decision. I always loved operating on hearts and then I was made up. Have you decided on a speciality?" Dr Altman asked, Luna sighed knowing she hadn't made up a decision. She was clueless. 

"I guess I love Neuro but my heart is pulling me to Peds, I'm just confused" Luna smiled through her mask. 

"Well whatever one makes you feel like you're on cloud nine, pick that one" Altman said finishing off the surgery. 

"You can close if you'd like" Altman offered. 

"Yeah, I'd love to" Luna said getting into position to suture. 

The rest of the day after surgery couldn't get any better. She sat and ate lunch with April and Lexie which was weird but nice. Then she ended the day finishing charts. 

"Luna, have you got a shirt yet?" April said walking up to her. Luna confusingly shook her head. 

"No?" Luna answered. April and a man with brunette hair approached her. 

"We are playing baseball, here's a shirt" April said offering her the shirt. 

"I haven't played baseball since I don't know when" Luna laughed placing the shirt on the desk. 

"Dr Shepherd wants you in the Lab as well" April said before walking away with the man. Luna shook her head confused before heading to the labs. 

When she got upstairs she stood outside watching Lexie and Derek fiddle with a pole before she realised they were doing it wrong. 

"Have you tried changing the position of the patient and not just the probe? The angle might be off" Luna said not realising this would solve their issues. 

"We need to change the angle off her head" Derek said smiling. He and Lexie started to sort all the angles out. 

"What did you need me for?" Luna asked, she wanted so badly to operate on a brain. 

"You can help us" Derek said inviting her in. And for the first time, Lexie and Derek had a successful probe simulation. Luna would've happily stayed and worked with Lexie and Derek the whole evening if it wasn't for her getting paged to the OR to scrub in with Altman again. 

They were operating on a child, and Robbins and Karev were scrubbed in. 

"One thing I hate about Seattle is the rain," Altman said unamused. 

"I love it, the air and the water wakes me up after a long shift" Luna smiled. 

"Well you did just have a long vacation in LA where it barely rains" Karev said smugly. 

"Ha funny" Luna teased. 

The surgery went well and they ended up needing to scrub in for another surgery shortly after so Luna's shift ran long. 

It wasn't until Luna had sat down opposite her locker her tiredness hit her. 

"Shepherd you're coming for dinner at mine" Mark said for the doorway and snapped Luna out of her daze. 

"Sloan I want to go to sleep" Luna turned around to say before she saw little Sofia in his arms. 

"You gotta come for your first meal with your goddaughter" Mark smiled looking at his kid.

"Okay fine" Luna smiled grabbing her bag. 

That evening she forgot about Jackson, and being back in Seattle and focussed on the realest thing in her life...family.