Aria Grey had seen a lot in her years at Seattle Grace Mercy West, but nothing could have prepared her for this.
She was halfway through a cold cup of coffee, leaning against the nurses' station, when she heard the words that made her nearly choke on it.
"Sloan's the interim Chief."
Aria blinked, turning toward April, who had just casually dropped the news like it wasn't the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "I'm sorry—what?"
April nodded, looking equally bewildered. "Dr. Webber stepped down. Owen needed time off, so they put Sloan in charge. Mark Sloan is our interim Chief."
Aria let out a disbelieving laugh. "No. No way."
"Way," April said, handing her a chart like this was any other morning. "He's already throwing his weight around."
As if on cue, the man himself strolled down the hallway, exuding confidence like he was born for this. "Dr. Grey," Mark called out, flashing his signature smirk. "Nice of you to show up to work today."
Aria crossed her arms, trying to keep the grin off her face. "You're really Chief? Who the hell thought that was a good idea?"
"Careful, Grey," he said, winking. "That's insubordination."
She rolled her eyes, shoving her coffee cup into his hands. "Right. Well, since you're Chief now, that means you can go get me a fresh coffee."
Mark chuckled, raising the cup in mock salute. "I like this new power dynamic. You're already sucking up to me."
Aria smirked. "Not sucking up, Sloan. Just testing how far I can push my luck."
Mark grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Try all you want, Grey. But if you step out of line, I will put you on scut."
Aria snorted. "Please. You need me on Arizona's service. You know that."
"True," Mark admitted, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "But it doesn't hurt to remind you that I'm in charge now."
Aria raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while it lasts."
"Don't worry, I will," Mark said, throwing her a wink before walking down the hall, his signature swagger taking over.
Aria shook her head, barely able to contain her laughter. Mark Sloan as Chief? Well, Seattle Grace had officially hit a new level of chaos. At least it wasn't her problem. She had her hands full enough with Arizona and the pediatric patients they were treating today.
She finished her coffee and headed off to scrub in, knowing the real work would soon begin—but she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a lot more interesting around here.
Aria had just stepped into the break room, grabbing a quick bite before heading back to the OR with Arizona when she noticed Alex sitting at the table, surrounded by April and Jackson. Papers were scattered everywhere, and the air felt tense with the weight of boards stress.
"Alright, Alex," April said, holding a page up in front of him. "What's the first-line treatment for a massive pulmonary embolism?"
Alex rubbed his temple, looking thoroughly stressed. "Uh, uh... fibrinolytics?" he guessed, but his tone lacked confidence.
April shook her head almost instantly. "Nope. It's heparin, Alex. You've got to remember the basics."
Alex groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, I knew that," he muttered, clearly frustrated. "I'm just—I'm not on my game today."
Jackson offered a sympathetic shrug. "It's alright, man. You've got a lot on your plate."
Aria, standing in the doorway, smiled softly. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help herself. Alex was usually so calm under pressure, but this board exam stuff was clearly getting to him.
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...
