The Starting Line

Chapter 22

S8 EP21

Eleanora takes a deep breath, hopping from foot to foot as she stands on the ambulance dock, the other residents of her class saying goodbye or boarding the bus that will take them to the airport.

"You'll be fine." Max told his sister, holding her bag for her while she had her little nervous breakdown. "You did the same thing right before your SAT, and after your MCAT. You're a real genius, Ella. You can do it."

"I can do it." Ella responded, nodding her head. She then looked at her little brother and proceeded to freak out. "Oh God, I can't do this!"

Max's eyes widened as Eleanora clung to her little brother, holding onto him tightly. He patted her back, wide eyes darting around him.

They landed on Mark, who was approaching with Avery at his side, hovering like a worried father.

"Mark!" Max hissed, getting the man's attention. "Grab your wife before she cuts off my air supply!"

"Okay, okay." Mark exhaled, turning to Jackson one last time. "Now, have salmon for dinner. And tell room service to make sure it's not frozen. You lose Omega-3 if it's frozen. Avery, I have a wife to comfort too, are you listening?"

"I'm trying not to." he tells Mark, sending him a smile. Mark sighs, pulling a wad of bills out of his pocket.

"Alright, how are you for cash? I figured you needed some." Jackson raises his eyebrows and takes it, nodding as he heads to the bus.

Mark then addresses his wife directly, pulling her away from Max. "Nora, look at me."

"What if I fail, Mark?! I can't... I can't fail! It's terrible for me to fail, and I would lose all the credibility I have and... and..."

"Breathe." Mark tells her softly, urging her to breathe deeply in and out. After a few moments, he caresses her cheeks, making her look at him.

"You are the smartest woman I know, and you are one of the best residents this hospital has ever seen. You have your cards, the five rounds, you have a textbook, you have money, and you have your brain. That's all you need, doll."

"That's all I need." She exhaled, nodding her head. "All I need are my cards."

After a moment, her eyes open again, her voice panicked. "And my pin?! Oh God, I don't have George!"

"I packed it for you." He told her calmly, Eleanora calmed down knowing that. "It's in the bag with your makeup. You got this, Eleanora Amedeo-Sloan. Now, give me a kiss and go kick some ass."

Eleanora stands on tiptoe to press a kiss to her husband's lips. She pulls away and nods, holding him tightly for a few moments before turning to Max.

He hands over her bag and gives her another hug, whispering to her. "You got this, Ella."

"I got this." She exhaled. She turned to Mark, breathing deeply again. "Make sure Elijah and Luca don't stay up too late."

"I know."

"And make sure you keep Elijah moving, because if he realizes I'm gone, he'll go crazy. And make sure Luca has his elephant stuffed animal that Lexie gave him, because if he doesn't, he'll start crying and then will realize I'm not there and then he will cry even more."

"I got it, doll. I got them, you got this." Mark assured her. They shared one last kiss before she boarded the bus. She dropped into the seat next to Cristina, breathing deeply and heavily.

And then, she started crying profusely.

Cristina sighed, putting her hand on her friend's back and rubbing in circles, flipping through her cards.