December 12 2019
10:06 a.m. – Hospital Locker Room
Ben, April, Parker, and Jackson huddled near the scrub dispensers like they were prepping for trial.
Jackson - She stayed the night at Dr. Sanchez's house
Jackson said, eyes wide.
Jackson - You think she's alive?
April whispered- She's not just. She came back *smiling*.
Ben's voice cracked- smiling ?After freezing in trauma? We're doomed. *We're all doomed.*"
Parker - Medusa doesn't *do* smiling
Parker muttered, pulling on his scrub cap.
Parker - She turns people into stone.
Ben groaned- She's gonna flay us.
April added- Or just throw a scalpel at our feet like a warning
They all turned as AJ walked into the OR corridor.
Calm. Composed. Coffee in hand.
They braced.
She stopped.
Raised an eyebrow.
AJ - Is this a panic circle or an exorcism?
---
Scene: 10:08 a.m. – OR Hallway
The interns stumbled over each other, talking at once.
Ben - She froze but we handled it—
April- I think we should've called you earlier—
Parker - I tried to run suction—
April - She didn't quit—
AJ held up a hand. Silence.
She sipped her coffee, then looked directly at Lexie, who was standing just behind them, quiet but steady.
AJ asked her -You okay?
Lexie nodded- I am now.
AJ looked back at the others.
AJ - Then so am I.
They blinked.
That was... it?
Jackson -No yelling?
Jackson asked, confused.
Parker - No clipboard-throwing?
Parker added.
AJ's mouth twitched.
AJ - I've got a kid now. I save my clipboard rage for people who spill formula on the charts.
A pause. Then her voice shifted — low and purposeful.
AJ -But let's get one thing straight: when someone freezes, your job isn't to panic. It's to stabilize the room. *Someone takes vitals. Someone talks. Someone steps up.* You don't get to choose if you're scared. You choose what you do with it.
They all stood straighter.
AJ -Understood?
she asked.
All five nodded like their lives depended on it.
AJ -Good, now go scrub in. It's a burr hole and decompression. And yes, I *will* be quizzing.
As she walked off, Parker whispered,
Parker - That was scarier than yelling.
April grinned- That was... actually kind of incredible.
Ben muttered- Did she just teach us a leadership lesson disguised as doom?
Lexie smiled faintly- That's why they call her Medusa.
