Aria sat outside the hotel, the weight of the board exams still pressing on her shoulders. Her friends surrounded her, their faces marked by exhaustion and frustration. The day had been a blur of uncertainty and pressure, and now, hours later, their results still wouldn't come through till midnight. The time seemed to crawl by, but no matter how many times Aria checked her phone, there was nothing—no email, no text, no call. She felt restless, fidgeting with her hands as the others discussed their own experiences, though their words didn't seem to sink in.
Meredith, sitting beside Cristina, was the first to break the silence. "That was hell. Actual physical hell," she muttered, rubbing her forehead as if still processing the intensity of the exam. Her voice carried the exhaustion everyone felt.
Aria nodded, her own mind still replaying the questions and the pressure. "It was brutal," she added quietly.
Cristina sighed dramatically, tossing her phone aside. "I think I went a tad overboard. A lot overboard," she confessed, shaking her head as though still in disbelief over how the exam had gone. "I mean, who asked questions like that?"
Meredith shot Cristina a knowing look. "They took something from me," she said, the words carrying a mix of frustration and disbelief.
"Yeah, that wasn't an exam. That was an interrogation," Jackson muttered, his voice laced with irritation. He paced a few steps away, clearly trying to release some of the tension that had built up. "Like, way overboard," Cristina added, her tone still sharp as she folded her arms across her chest.
"The mind games. Trick questions," April added, shaking her head in disbelief. They had all been through so much, and yet the emotional toll seemed even harder to bear.
Aria leaned back slightly, her thoughts still swirling around the day. She wanted to think about something else, something that would bring her comfort, but she couldn't stop thinking about the results—the answers that hadn't come yet.
"Anyone know how Alex did?" Meredith asked quietly, glancing around at the group. She had been so focused on her own exam that she hadn't checked in with him in hours.
Aria shot a questioning glance at her. "Anyone know if Alex made it?" she asked, clearly thinking of the same thing.
Cristina and Meredith exchanged a confused look. "Made it? What do you mean, made it?" Meredith asked, looking between Aria,April and Jackson. The question seemed to hang in the air for a moment, unanswered.
6 Hours Earlier..
The room was sterile. White walls, harsh fluorescent lights overhead, and the unmistakable scent of antiseptic in the air. Aria sat at the small desk, her hands folded tightly in her lap. The examiner sat across from her, a calm but expectant look on his face. The sound of the ticking clock echoed in her ears, each second making the room feel more suffocating.
She could feel her pulse pounding in her temples as the first scenario flashed up on the screen.
"Let's begin," the examiner said, his voice cool and professional.
"A 34-year-old man arrives in the emergency department after a motor vehicle collision. He is hypotensive with a blood pressure of 80/50, tachycardic at 130, and complaining of severe abdominal pain. His abdomen is distended and tender. What is your initial management?"
Aria took a breath, immediately slipping into the rhythm of trauma protocol.
"First, I would follow ATLS protocol and assess airway, breathing, and circulation. If his airway is stable and he is breathing adequately, I would focus on circulation given his hypotension and tachycardia."
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...
