You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

81┃boards exam

S8 EP22

"ANYONE WANTS A TRIP up to the rooftop so that we could throw ourselves down the hotel?" Norah asked as she dropped down next to the other residents at the side of the street; four arms shot in the air.

"That might not be a good idea. You have a son," April reminded.

"That was hell," Meredith ranted stressfully, "Actual physical hell."

"I think I went a tad overboard," Cristina voiced out. She furrowed her brows as she recalled her session before widening he eyes. "A lot overboard."

"They took something from me," Meredith resumed.

"Yeah, that wasn't an exam," Jackson snapped in distress, "That was an interrogation."

"Like, way, way overboard."

"The mind games!"

"Trick questions," April added in horror.

"It felt like Al Qaeda in there!" Jackson ranted, his hand clenching into a fist.

Norah let out a light scoff before feeling her palms sweating. "Well, I can do you guys one better," she spoke up grimly, "I met my mother."

The four of them turn their heads to her confusingly. "What?" April cocked a brow at her, "Y-You died and went to heaven and came back?"

"No, my birth mother," Norah deadpanned, her face flushed pale, "who apparently, is a brain surgeon, who apparently, is judging me for my boards, who apparently, is gonna fail me-so fucking badly!"

The residents blinked at her, unable to process her words, but only knew that from the way her words surged out, it was not a pleasant experience. "Did you... freak out?" Cristina asked hesitantly and received a glare from the brunette.

"I did not have my antidepressants with me!" Norah screeched, "I'm allowed to freak out!" She ran a hand through her hair and let out a dry chuckle. "Hell, I should've gone for plastics instead of Neuro-what the hell was I even thinking?!"

Jackson shook his head furiously. "Hell no. Trust me-no."

She threw her arms in the air; the five of them stared blankly at the road in front of them. They were feeling as though their lives were coming to an end. The terror on their faces only showed part of what they were going through on the inside.

"Next test is June," Meredith gulped, breaking their tensed silence.

"June's not bad," Cristina pointed out in a somewhat relieved tone.

"2013."

"Oh." Her face quickly drained of colour.

"I feel like I've used up all of my 'neutral-ness' and confidence in those three sessions," Norah breathed out, tapping her feet nervously while her hands rubbed against each other. "Now, I'm a machine, drained, w-with a squeaking wire or two."

Jackson shook his head with a sigh. "What's done is done," he exhaled, "Let's just not even talk about it anymore."

All five of them exhaled heavily, trying their best to calm their heads. "Anyone know how Alex did?" Meredith queried.

"Anyone know if Alex made it?"

❦ ❦ ❦

6 HOURS EARLIER

- SESSION ONE -

NORAH SAT DOWN IN THE room opposite Dr Chapman and another examiner, Dr Rhodes. She placed her already-sweating hands on her lap and straightened her posture, trying her best to press down whatever expression of shock or horror she was feeling, knowing that one of her examiners was her birth mother.