Amber Karev Book 1

Chapter 10: Bad Day for the Cut

THE NEXT MORNING

SCENE: GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL LOBBY

(Alex, Jo, and Amber walk inside the hospital getting ready for the day)

Amber: What do you guys think of watching a movie tonight? Maybe something on Netflix?

Alex: Actually, me and Jo were planning a quiet night in...alone. Maybe you could hang out with your friends at Joe's catch up?

Amber: I don't have any friends here, not anymore thanks to that harpy Roy.

Jo: Sorry Amber. We can cancel tonight and do a movie just the three of us.

Amber: No, I don't want to spoil the romance. I'll do something else, maybe I'll go to the movies...all by myself...alone.

Alex: (Visibly relieved) Sounds great, see you then.

(Amber rolls her eyes and goes to the locker room sliding past the chatting hoard of interns and hears chatter from the other side of her locker)

Intern 1: Can you believe what happened to Amber? I mean I thought she was normal but she's a horror book with blonde hair.

Intern 2: Not even Stephen King would come up with something as horrifying as having your brother go crazy and try to kill you. How did you find out that she was telling the truth?

(Amber blanches when she realizes that the interns know her 'lie' wasn't a lie)

Vik: I heard her brother and Wilson talking. Personally, I feel sorry for her. I mean it's only a matter of time until she goes crazy too. I just hope it's not in an OR, can you imagine?

Intern 1: I would pay big money to see that.

Intern 2: I'll bring the popcorn.

(Amber quickly changes into her scrubs and walks out of the room before anyone notices her, Andrew spots her and tries to talk to her)

Andrew: Hey Amber, I was wondering if we could-

(Amber runs past him trying to get to the peds floor, she arrives and finds the nurses and interns looking at her and whispering as she walks the hall. She finally finds Alex at the nurse's station)

Amber: (Whispering) I need to talk to you.

(Amber walks to a supply closet with Alex following)

Alex: What's wrong? What happened?

Amber: They know.

Alex: Know what?

Amber: They know Alex!

Alex: (Realizing) They know? How do they know?

Amber: Roy told them! He figured it out somehow and she told the rest of the interns. He just told them like it wasn't bad enough he made me look like a liar yesterday now he has to tell them my story. This is bad.

Alex: Calm down, okay.

Amber: Calm down? Everybody is looking at me and whispering in front of me. I am a car crash that people are slowing down to look at. How do I calm down Alex?!

Alex: By doing the opposite of what you're doing. I've been in your shoes before okay; I was the guy with the psych girlfriend and the guy whose wife with cancer left him without a word. All the stares and whispers are gonna pass, give it a day or two. Until then you just keep your head down and do your work, don't give them another reason to gawk at you, okay?

Amber: (Sighs) You better be right. (Voice breaking) I thought I could leave it all behind. I moved halfway across the country because I didn't want to work at a place where people knew. I thought I could start over, but I can't...I can't get away from them.