𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘, greys anatomy

p r o l o g u e

wildfire . . .

     A SLAM OF FILE FOLDERS startled Thomas Matthews as he stood at the first floor nurses' station of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, sleep deprived eyes sluggish. He snapped out of his daydream, his head turning to where the sound was coming from on his right. Victoria Shepherd was feeling a little bold as she stared at her boyfriend (maybe future ex?) with this red-hot fire in her eyes, the maddest Thomas had ever seen her in their two years of dating. He looked nervous, but put on a smile anyway, with caution. "Hey, sweetheart! What's up?"

Victoria did not return the kind attitude as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Hi, honey. Why did I just hear from the Major General that you are going back to the Army?"

The other Trauma surgeon had enlisted the first time right after he took his oral boards and passed them. He served for five years before receiving honorable discharge, and returned to his home state of Washington to work at the finest hospital that would take him. Spending his first few years as an attending under open fire was...exciting, to say the least.

He let out a noise of annoyance. He wasn't in the mood for this conversation— he didn't know how to have this conversation. The last time he enlisted, he didn't have anyone to worry about his safety. Thomas looked down at her, "Tori...can we just—"

"No." She cut him off, attracting attention from staff around them. Gossip often fueled the wildfire. "I will not let you make this decision without consulting me first. This-This makes it seem like you don't care about leaving the people who care about you, leaving me. Why in the hell would you want to leave without telling me?"

"Can we just—" Thomas cut himself off, realizing everyone in the lobby was staring at them. He swallowed hard, grabbing her hand and dragging her along with him like a rag doll, avoiding everyone's lingering gazes. He opened the door of an empty on-call room, pulling her inside with all the passion and sorrow he had in his soul. He shut the door, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, shitfaced. He continued to speak, "I didn't know how to tell you, okay? You've worked so hard to help me after the shooting, getting me the best psychiatric treatment in the country, and this is how I repay you— I fuck up my mental health by going back to the place that screwed me up in the first place."

"Baby..." Victoria sighed as she stepped closer to him, taking her hands in his. "I love you, and I love how you want to go help our country, but you came back in one piece. Please...stay. You aren't in the right mind right now to do this. Dr Perkins has not cleared you to travel yet—"

"I don't care, Tori." Thomas was a little gruff, raising his voice and cutting his girlfriend off. "I need this, I need to some space. Space to figure out who I am, because I have no idea anymore. Fixing up soldiers under fire was the first place I felt safe and at home, as ironic as it may sound. I just...I need you to lay off for a while, okay? I need my space. I don't...I don't need you."

As soon as that last statement left Thomas' mouth, he regretted it.

"You don't need me?" Victoria swallowed thickly, a large lump in her throat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The man tossed his head back as he let out a whine, his hands on his head. "Tori, I-I didn't mean that. I didn't mean I didn't need you—"

"What did you mean, then?" She scoffed. "Because, honestly, I don't understand you anymore. You go off and you do these reckless things, make big decisions without telling me...it's like I don't matter to you. Is that what it is, Tommy? It's like you're leaving me behind."

Victoria's voice cracked, unable to comprehend that her walls were crumbling yet again.

Thomas couldn't stand seeing her glossy eyes, deciding to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. She fought him off for a few seconds, but eventually melted into his warm embrace. She couldn't help but remember why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"I would never leave you behind, Victoria." He made her look up at him, holding her chin up as he wiped her tears, his own tears forming in his eyes. Their throats were scratchy from the screaming and the crying. "This is what I need to do for me. I will always love you, but...I need space to be me right now, Vic."

Victoria wiggled out of his arms, understanding what he meant. She crossed her arms over her chest, sniffling as she turned around, not wanting him to see her cry any more. "Promise me you'll video chat with Andrew Perkins and have therapy sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week."

"I promise."

"Promise me you won't kill yourself out there."

"I promise."

"Promise me you won't break my heart." And Victoria earned silence, not a word from Thomas. She let out a big breath that she'd been holding in. "That's what I thought." She turned around, grabbing the jacket that was on the back of the door, taking it and putting it on. "Don't call me, don't email me, don't page me."

"Tori..." Thomas pleaded, trying to grab her hands.

"And don't Tori me." The woman snapped, ripping her fingertips out of his large hands. "Goodbye, Thomas. I wish you the best of luck on your...spiritual journey on finding out who you really are. Glad to know I was just a conquest."

Victoria Shepherd didn't know where she was headed, but she left that on-call room faster than the Flash. But she knew this was only the beginning of the WILDFIRE.

author's note     . . .
hi! i got really unmotivated with where this story was going, so here i am, rewriting it! what did you think?? please hype this story up! share it with your friends or anyone who you think would enjoy reading! feel free to leave comments!

          with love,
                 kylie!