March 24 2021
Two weeks. That's how long it had been since AJ's eruption in the OR.
In those fourteen days, Neuro had turned into a graveyard. No one laughed at the nurse's station. No one dared page her unless it was a literal code blue. The interns whispered like guilty children.
Even Jackson—the loudest of them all—kept his voice down, like the mere sound of his name might summon AJ's wrath.
Everyone was walking on eggshells.
---
In the lounge, a cluster of interns sat with a scrub nurse. Coffee cups littered the table.
Nurse 1 -She's unbearable
the nurse muttered.
Nurse 1 -No one can work under her like this. It's like she's made of stone.
Simone sighed.
Simone - She doesn't even blink when families cry. She just... shuts down.
Luca - She's always been tough, but now?
Luca added.
Luca - It's like she has no emotion left.
Gabriel, usually the cocky one, leaned back in his chair.
Gabriel - She's just being a bitch. Sorry, but it's true. She's never experienced loss—how could she? That's why she's like this. Cold. Untouchable.
The words hung in the air.
What none of them realized was that AJ Brewster herself was standing in the doorway.
---
Her voice cut like a blade.
AJ - Is that what you think, Luiz? That I've never experienced loss?
Every head snapped toward her. The interns froze, wide-eyed. Gabriel looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.
AJ stepped in slowly, her gaze sharp, but her voice trembling in a way none of them had heard before.
AJ - You think I don't know grief? That I don't understand what it's like to lose?
She swallowed hard. Her hands shook, but she didn't stop.
AJ - Two weeks ago, I miscarried my child. My second child. I was in this hospital, bleeding and breaking, and none of you knew. Because instead of letting myself grieve, I answered your pages. I fixed your mistakes. I held this department together while I was falling apart.
The room was silent. Shock written across every face.
---
AJ's voice dropped, softer now, but full of steel.
AJ -You don't know what people carry when they walk through these halls. Don't you *ever* assume someone hasn't suffered just because they don't wear it on their sleeve.
Her eyes swept the group—Gabriel paling, Simone teary, Jackson biting his lip, Parker looking like he might cry. Even Luca couldn't meet her gaze.
She drew a long breath.
AJ - I worked through the pain. Through the bleeding. Through the pages that wouldn't stop. Because that's what this job demands. But don't you dare mistake my strength for heartlessness.
With that, she turned and walked out.
The silence she left behind was heavier than any shouting ever could have been.
---
Camilla had been lingering outside AJ's office since the reveal. She had *heard everything*—the confession, the raw grief, the fury that had finally broken through AJ's steel walls.
She knew better than anyone that AJ wasn't the type to openly grieve. But seeing her like that—vulnerable, exhausted, haunted—made Camilla's chest tighten.
She knocked lightly.
Camilla -AJ? Can I come in?
AJ didn't look up from the paperwork she was pretending to read. Her voice was flat.
Aj - I'm fine, Camilla. Really. You don't need to worry.
Camilla stepped closer anyway. She perched on the edge of AJ's desk, careful not to crowd her.
Camilla - Two weeks ago, what happened...
she started, voice soft,
Camilla - I should have known something was wrong. You didn't have to carry it alone.
AJ's eyes flicked up, sharp and unreadable. Then she sighed, rubbing her face with one hand.
AJ - Camilla... I said I'm fine. I don't want pity. I don't want anyone treating me differently. Just... go back to the OR. Keep the interns alive. That's enough for me right now.
Camilla's lips pressed together, holding back the words she wanted to say—the comfort, the support, the reassurance. She knew AJ wasn't ready. Not yet.
Camilla- Alright
she said softly, standing.
Camilla-I'll be here if you need me. But don't push yourself too far.
AJ didn't respond. Her focus returned to the papers in front of her, posture rigid, voice and expression back to stone. She was fine. She had to be.
But Camilla lingered for a moment longer, watching, silently promising herself: *I'll be ready the moment she lets someone in.*
---
This keeps AJ guarded and in control, while Camilla shows care and sets up a long-term emotional safety net.
