Sutures and Secrets || Mark Sloan

29 | The Bottom of the Food Chain

04x01

Charlie adjusted her white coat, the shiny new badge gleaming against the fabric. Today wasn't just any day - it was the day she officially became a resident. Gone were the days of being the grunt. Now she got to teach the grunts. As much as she wanted to channel confidence and authority, she also knew one truth: She was a Miranda Bailey protégée and Bailey's five rules were practically gospel.

Approaching the nurses' station, Charlie spotted her new interns - wide-eyed, nervous and already huddled together like they'd heard horror stories about their new resident. Which, to be fair, they probably had.

"Alright, listen up!", Charlie said, clapping her hands to silence the murmurs. "I have five rules. Memorize them."

The group stood frozen, eyes darting around as if looking for an escape route. She leaned closer, lowering her voice for dramatic effect.

"Rule number one: Don't bother sucking up. I already hate you. That's not gonna change."

Their collective expressions of panic almost made Charlie crack a smile, but she held firm. Instead, she continued.

"Nurses will page you, and you answer every page at a run."

Without waiting for a response, Charlie spun on her heel and power-walked down the hall, expecting them to follow. It wasn't until she reached the first corner that she realized her new ducklings were still frozen in place.

She turned sharply, eyebrows raised. "You're supposed to follow me."

The interns scrambled like startled chickens, practically crashing into each other as they jogged after her. Charlie resumed her brisk pace, speaking as they hurried to keep up.

"Your first shift starts now and lasts 36 hours. You're grunts, nobodies, the bottom of the surgical food chain. You run labs, write orders and work every second night until you drop. And you do not complain. Got it?"

"Yes, Dr. Shepherd!", they chorused breathlessly, their steps echoing through the hallway.

They reached the on-call room and Charlie swung the door open with a flourish, gesturing for them to look inside.

"On-call rooms.", she said. "Sleep when you can, where you can. But preferably not with anybody. Especially attendings." Her tone left no room for argument, though she let out a small smirk.

Charlie pointed a finger for emphasis. "And if I'm sleeping, do not wake me unless a patient is actually dying."

"Which brings me to rule number four.", she continued without missing a beat. "The patient better not be dead when I get there. Because that means not only did you kill someone, but you also woke me up for no good reason."

A petite intern with short brown hair raised her hand hesitantly. "Um - that was four rules. You said five."

Charlie blinked, as if realizing she'd set up this moment on purpose. Stepping closer, she dropped her voice for dramatic effect.

"Rule number five: When I move, you move."

The group stared at her, waiting for - something. Anything. Charlie stood tall, hands on her hips, waiting for her pager to go off. A beat passed. Then another. The silence grew awkward and one of the interns started to shift uncomfortably.

Charlie sighed, muttering under her breath. "Seriously? This thing always goes off at the wrong time and now it's -" She stopped herself and quickly straightened. "Whatever. Go!"

The interns immediately took off down the hallway like their lives depended on it, leaving Charlie standing alone in the doorway. She rubbed her temples, letting out a long sigh. "Yeah, this is gonna be a long year."