DINNER & DIATRIBES. . . JACKSON AVERY!

chapter thirty-one: free falling/she's gone

Meredith gets temporary custody of Zola the night that Alex moves out. Briar learns that over the hotel's continental breakfast the next morning, gaping at Alex as he explains that he helped make it happen, being Zola's doctor.

"Ugh, and the new interns come today." Briar sighs, honestly done. "I don't have anything to do with this bunch yet, but Webber said he might have some shadow me a bit later on this month."

"You like the interns." Alex points out with a disgusted look. "You get all excited about teaching."

"Sure, but I'm running on no sleep and I can't do it today. Oh shit, don't we have that breakfast this morning, at the hospital? Move, move, move! And brush your damn teeth, you stink!" Briar shoves him out of his booth and into the elevator, not wanting them to miss out on breakfast. Anything the hospital wants to pay for, Briar will take advantage of.

When they arrive, Jackson is quick to wave her over, and Briar perks up when she sees that he already got her a plate of her favorite foods.

"You are my favorite person, I swear." Briar tells him, dropping down in the seat he saved for her next to him. "Also, how many waffles did you eat this morning?"

Jackson pouts at the question, stealing a slice of her bacon and making her shove his shoulder.

"None of your business. How's Alex?"

"Depressed as hell." Briar says bluntly, taking a bite of the sausage and cheese muffin he made her, relieved that there aren't eggs on it. She only likes scrambled eggs, and fried egg whites: egg yolks make her feel sick. It's cute that he remembered her rant about that from months ago. "He thinks it's his fault, when it's not. I mean, what was Meredith thinking? She gets away with a lot, sure, but tampering with a clinical trial? Absolutely insane."

"Hmm, yeah. It's all really shitty." Jackson says, nodding along before smiling. "But, hey! We're fifth years. Only one more year of residency and then we're the attendings."

"Assuming we pass our boards." Briar says, still feeling miserable, before shaking her head. "No. You know what? You're right. This is going to be a great year."

"That's the spirit." Jackson tells her, high-fiving her before faltering. "Shit. I still don't know what to specialize in."

"General is always an option." Briar reminds him, taking a sip of her smoothie. A second later he drops a pack of Lactaid in-front of her plate, and she pulls him into a quick kiss for the thought. He totally just saved her from a world of pain later. "Ooh, or you can try and get on Sloan's service again."

"Maybe." Jackson says slowly, looking lost in thought. Briar takes the opportunity to steal a strawberry from him, grinning to herself at how different her life has become in a year.

✦

The call is both Briar's dream, as someone specializing in trauma and orthopedics, and her worst nightmare: she's never performed an amputation in the field before, and she has no idea what she's walking into. She never would've expected there to be a sinkhole in Seattle.

"We're going to the scene of an onsite amputation." Owen explains when they reach the ambulance bay, where Bailey, April, Cristina, Alex, Jackson, and Lexie are waiting for patients to arrive. April moves forward, holding her clipboard, and Briar gives her a small smile as she unloads her bags. "Woman's trapped under her car. You guys are gonna get swamped with bodies. Kepner, you're in charge 'til I get back."

"You've got this." Briar tells her, silently hoping that she's right and April will find her authority.

"Yes, sir. Have fun!" April answers Owen, making Briar wince as she hops in the ambulance, closely followed by Callie.