Ethan x Casey Fiction - Short Stories & One Shots

Not In The Same Way

Word Count: 2995

The air was cool and crisp as a tall man stepped out of Edenbrook Hospital, walking along the sidewalk towards the nearby bar for a few drinks to finish off his night. He enters the bar and sits at the last empty spot next to a wide-eyed intern. "A scotch please. Large. Neat." He spoke sternly, "Of course.... Here you go Ethan." The bar owner, Manny says as he slides Ethan his drink. He takes it and gulps half of it in less than a second. "Rough shift?" Manny asks as he cleans down behind the bar, Ethan shakes his head. "This'll shock you. But I'm having girl trouble." He sighs as he finishes the drink as his friend, the bar owner, looks at him in disbelief. "Yes Manny, the great Ethan Ramsey has girl trouble. Shocking." he commented in a dead tone. "So... who's the girl?" Manny asked wiggling his eyebrows as he polished a glass. "Dr. Valentine, although I call her rookie." Etan stated as he finished his scotch. Manny's eyes went wide as he turned back to Ethan from putting the glass back on the shelf. "Quite short? Blonde hair? Pretty sassy and has an awesome bunch of roommates?" He asked, Ethan nodding his head, curiosity peeking inside him, "You know her?" he asks. "Oh yeah, she's a regular here, comes almost every night with her roommates. They usually play pool on that table right over there. You missed her tonight though. And just a word of advice, I'd try to forget about her. She has a boyfriend." Manny explains as he, multi-tasks serving another customer. Ethan turned rigid in his seat, "B-Boyfriend?" he stutters and Manny nods, "They seem very in love" he comments with a smile, putting cash in the register from just serving another customer. Suddenly Ethan felt ill. Not like he had a cold or anything but a different kind of ill. "Excuse me Manny." He said quickly placing a $10 bill on the bar before rushing outside to his car as calmly as he could. He muttered to himself as he approached his car about how it didn't make sense, Casey was always so friendly to him and seemed like she was returning the interest he had in her back to him. Why didn't she tell him she had a boyfriend? Why didn't she introduce him to everyone at work yet? Are they a new thing? Have they been together for a while? Why was he asking himself these questions? She didn't owe him an explanation for anything going on in her personal life as he never asked her or shared much about his personal life with her. "Ethan, stop doing this to yourself you're going to drive yourself crazy." He continued to mutter to himself as he drove through Boston, not registering where he was taking himself until a very annoyed Sienna stared back at him from behind the door he had just been knocking on very loudly. "Dr. Ramsey." She said bluntly, not hiding how annoyed she was as her eye mask sat on top of her head like a pair of sunglasses. "Hi.. I uh.. Is Casey home?" Ethan asked sheepishly. "Yes and she's sleeping, like we all were until you turned up here almost breaking down our door.. we have work in a few hours so sleep is vital." Sienna snapped back from behind a yawn, "Uh right.. Of course. Work in a few hours. I'll um... just show myself out..." he said with his face bright red as he backed up towards the elevator, Sienna death glaring him the whole way until he was out of sight. He stepped into the elevator, "Note to self. NEVER make Dr. Trinh angry..." he mumbled as the elevator took him back down to the ground level, and he headed home for the night to get some sleep feeling utterly embarrassed with himself.

The next morning Ethan parked in Edenbrook's parking lot , grabbing his leather briefcase from the trunk of his car, and walked into work. He greeted a colleagues and discharged patients he'd worked with before spotting Casey waiting by the elevator. Before he knew what he was doing he picked up a light jog in that direction, "Dr. Valentine!" he called out, Casey turning and facing him with the same bright smile she always wore, he came to a stop next to her, giving her a good morning hug, which was out of character for him, "Morning Dr. Ramsey" she beamed in greeting as the elevator dinged and they both stepped inside punching the button for their floor. "So are we closing any cases today do you think?" Casey asked Ethan, "uhhhh, yes." he answered as he shook himself out of a daze. "Dr. Ramsey are you okay? You seem awfully spaced out today." Casey said with her brow creased in concern. "hm?" he asked as the elevator dinged, opening on their floor and they stepped out heading towards the diagnostics room. "I said, are you okay? You don't seem your usual self. Do you want to talk about it before Baz and June get here? Because I'm all ears" she said placing her bag on the cushioned bench by the window and taking out her binder and a thick text book. Ethan watched her every move. To him she was beautiful, she done everything with grace. He wanted nothing more than to take her on a date but now he knew that he couldn't, she's not single yet he still found himself crushing on her. "Ethan?" her voice echoed as he came out of another daze. "hm?" he asked again. "Did you sleep well last night?" she asked, trying a different approach on getting him to talk. He just raised a single brow before sitting behind his desk, booting his computer up and getting some papers out of his briefcase. He wanted to answer that but he didn't, but he knew if he told her that it would snowball and soon he'd be telling her he likes her and facing rejection which he didn't want. If he could keep the fantasy that they are a thing in his head and live it out in there that would have to be good enough for now. Taking the hint Casey shrugged and sat at the table in the middle of the room getting some study in as they waited for Baz and June to arrive. Soon after Baz arrived and after receiving notification that June is off sick the team started their day, but Ethan didn't ever seem focused. Throughout the day he kept making mistakes that he has never made before, not even as an intern did he make these mistakes. He had never hidden in a supply closet out of shame and embarrassment before but midafternoon that's where he found himself. Mistake after mistake, disappointed look after disappointed look. By the end of his shift Ethan felt defeated, unhappy, and just wanted to go home and... cry? He never cried unless it was at a movie where an incredibly cute dog died being the hero of the moment. Even then, if he was in company he'd say that it was his dust allergies playing up. He clocked out of his shift and headed to his car as quickly as possible, once inside he started the engine driving home as quickly but safely as possible. Once he was inside his apartment, his chest was heaving uncontrollably as his breaths got shorter and shorter, he wasn't feeling well at all. But he panicked even more as he remembered his last severe panic attack and how he nearly ended up in the hospital as a patient. He didn't notice he had tears streaming down his cheeks until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror by his front door as he stood on his feet, trying to get to the kitchen so he could grab a bottle of water from the fridge. He reached the kitchen and shakily pulled out a stool, sitting down and opening his water, he took a few sips before screwing the lid on and pushing it to the floor out of frustration, getting up he made his way to his bedroom and stripped off his clothes, climbing under the covers and sobbed into his pillow all night until he fell asleep.