October 11 2019
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Location: OR Lounge, 2:17 AM
Lexie sat on the floor in the dark lounge, her back pressed to the cabinets, eyes rimmed red. She still had her scrub cap on, though her hair was slipping out in messy strands.
Her hands were shaking.
The day had been a disaster. She'd misread a cranial bleed on a scan, reported it as stable, and by the time Dr. Sanchez rechecked it, the patient was coding.
AJ had saved the patient. But not before turning to Lexie in the trauma bay and saying,
You don't get to be wrong in Neuro. Not when seconds kill
It wasn't even anger—it was disappointment. That hurt more.
Now, alone in the dark, Lexie let the tears fall.
She pulled out her phone and typed a resignation email. Just a draft. But her thumb hovered over *send*.
She didn't even notice Camilla step in with a fresh coffee, pausing when she saw her.
Camilla -Lexie?
Camilla asked gently.
Lexie wiped her eyes fast.
Lexie- I—I'm fine. Just tired.
Camilla walked over and sat on the floor beside her.
Camilla -You know AJ wasn't born perfect, right?
Lexie laughed bitterly.
Lexie -She'd sure have you believe it.
Camilla smiled.
Camilla-Nah. She just got good at hiding the cracks. But I've seen them. You think she made no mistakes on her way to that corner office and god-tier brain surgery?
Lexie didn't reply.
Camilla bumped her shoulder.
Camilla -You cracked today. But that's okay. Just don't break.
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Location: Attending Meeting, Next Morning
AJ sat at the long table with coffee in hand, flipping through the post-op reports. Dr. Morgan, an older vascular attending, leaned over.
Dr Morgan -You letting that intern—what's her name, Lexie—handle post-op rounds after yesterday's scan mess?"
AJ didn't look up.
AJ -Yes.
Dr. Morgan scoffed.
Dr Morgan-Brave. Or foolish. One mistake like that in my department and they'd be benched for a week.
AJ finally looked up, sharp and cold.
AJ -One mistake is how people learn. Ten is when I worry. She's at one.
Another attending added,
Attending -I heard she cracked in the OR lounge. Maybe she's not cut out for Neuro.
AJ's voice dropped, but it was deadly clear.
AJ -You ever cracked, Ed?
Ed-Excuse me?
AJ- Because if you haven't, maybe you've never taken enough responsibility to feel the weight.
The room went silent.
AJ closed the file and stood.
AJ-Lexie smith-grey made a mistake. She'll make more. But she'll also save lives, if someone teaches her how. And that? That's still my job
She left the room without waiting for a reply.
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**Final Beat:**
That afternoon, Lexie found a sticky note on her locker.
It was in AJ's tight, clean handwriting:
"You cracked. Good. That means you care. Let's move forward."
-Sanchez
Lexie stared at it for a long time, then smiled—just a little.
She folded the note and slipped it into her pocket like armor.
