Aria let out a long sigh as she sank into the chair beside Alex. It had been a long, exhausting week filled with surgeries, consultations, and trying to juggle the never-ending mountain of responsibilities as Chief Resident. But for now, she could relax for a moment, if only because Alex had decided to drag her to grand rounds.
"Just one more hour of sleep. That's all it is," Alex grumbled as he scrunched up his lab coat and used it as a pillow against the back of the chair.
Aria chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You're always the first one to complain about being tired, and yet you somehow manage to get the best sleep of all of us."
"Hey, I'm a man of luxury," he said with a lazy smile, clearly not interested in the day's rounds.
Aria smiled, her eyes softening as she looked at him, though the conversation around them quickly drew her back into the chaos. It was a constant hum of chatter from the other residents—one of those mornings where everyone had an opinion and, somehow, no one was fully awake.
April sat nearby, practically bouncing in her seat. "Oh, no. It's not gonna be boring. This is Jackson's mother, Catherine Avery!" she said enthusiastically.
"Oh, great," Aria muttered, shooting a sideways glance at Alex. He rolled his eyes in response.
"She's a urologist, right?" Meredith asked Jackson, who nodded but looked like he was trying not to cringe.
"Yeah. I met her when I was an intern at Mercy West. She was amazing," April said, though the look on his face indicated some complicated feelings.
April sneered at him. "She is... a lunatic," Jackson added quickly, clearly anticipating April's next comment.
"No, she's brilliant," April interjected. "She says these things that shock you, but then when you think about them later, they change your whole life." She gave a little shrug, clearly convinced by her own words.
Jackson let out an exasperated sigh. "Or they ruin your whole life. She's toxic. She's a meddler. My mom has no boundaries. Be warned."
Aria and Alex exchanged a glance. They'd heard all about Catherine Avery, Jackson's famous mother, more than enough times, but they never quite knew what to expect when she actually showed up.
"Is your mom ambidextrous? I bet she is. All the best surgeons are," Cristina chimed in, causing Jackson to look up in confusion.
"Wait a second," Jackson said, staring at Cristina. "How often do you talk to my mom?"
April answered simply, "We're Facebook friends."
"You and my mother?" Jackson exclaimed, disbelief clear in his voice. Aria chuckled in the background, and Alex let out a low laugh.
"She's a brilliant surgeon and woman," April insisted. "She's a trailblazer."
"And she's got a stalker," Meredith added dryly, causing the whole group to laugh.
"Hey, you know what? Just meet her," April said, trying to wave off their teasing. "You'll see it."
Before Aria could add anything, the room quieted as the residents prepared for grand rounds. Catherine Avery's booming voice echoed from the front of the room as she addressed everyone.
"Wake up, everybody! I know, I know, it's grand rounds, where we sit and listen to someone talk about how they did something, and here's how they did it, and there's not enough coffee in Brazil for this," she said with exaggerated energy. "Well, not today. Today we are going to do. Today, I'm going to change a life, and maybe make medical history, too. And I can't do it alone, so who wants to step into the future with me?"
YOU ARE READING
Shooting Stars
Fanfiction"But he's Evil Spawn." "Don't you think I know that. I didn't wake up one day and suddenly decide I was going to be in love with Alex Karev." Being the daughter of a world renowned surgeon was never destined to be easy. The first born of the Grey tw...
