Running in Circles - Lexie Grey x OC

You Can Reach For Me

A Few Days Later
Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital
Fifth Floor — Neuro Wing

Christmas had arrived at Seattle Grace Mercy West in pieces.

A wreath hung crookedly beside the elevators.

Someone had wrapped silver garland around the nurses' station.

A plastic Santa had appeared beside the medication cart sometime overnight and was already missing one boot.

The Neuro floor had, so far, escaped relatively intact.

Russ wanted to change that.

"We need lights."

Lauren looked up from the chart she was holding.

"We absolutely need lights."

Arjay continued sorting the morning patient list.

"We absolutely do not need lights."

Russ stared at him.

"It's Christmas."

"I'm aware."

"You don't sound aware."

"I know what month it is."

Lauren brightened.

"We could do the little white ones."

Russ shook his head immediately.

"No. Colored."

"White is prettier."

"White is boring."

"It's elegant."

"It's a hospital."

"Exactly. It needs elegant."

Russ looked offended by the entire concept.

"Christmas is not elegant. Christmas is aggressively festive."

Arjay finally looked up.

"That sounds like a threat."

"It should."

A few feet away, Eric continued reading his chart.

He had been listening to this for approximately four minutes.

He had contributed nothing.

Lauren looked toward the nurses' station.

"We could put garland around the desk."

"No," Arjay said.

"You don't get unilateral veto power."

"I'm not vetoing Christmas. I'm vetoing a fire hazard."

Russ gestured toward the ceiling.

"They're LED."

"That doesn't mean you should hang them from medical equipment."

"I wasn't going to hang them from medical equipment."

Arjay looked at him.

Russ paused.

"I hadn't decided where I was going to hang them."

"Which is worse."

Lauren pointed toward the wall behind Eric.

"There."

Eric turned a page.

Russ considered it.

"Too small."