A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey

The Celebration

Somehow, Charlie actually won.

Dr. Banerji made a miraculous recovery and sung Charlie's praises to the board, tipping the scale in her favor. She was unanimously cleared of the charges and reinstated. Even though she watched it all unfold, she still couldn't believe it really happened.

She really won... She defended herself and proved that she was a competent, dedicated doctor who cared for her patients. She secured her spot as a resident at Edenbrook and could finish her training. The terrifying trial had turned into a light at the end of the tunnel. In her wildest dreams, Charlie couldn't have come up with this, and even if she had, she couldn't have anticipated the celebration that ensued.

Donahue's had never been so crowded. It was as if all of Edenbrook had emptied out into the old bar, claiming every square inch for their own revelry. It wasn't every day that a plucky young resident beat the system and won a career-altering ethics trial, and nobody wanted to miss the celebration. Even Landry made it to the occasion, though he kept to himself in the only quiet booth in the entire bar.

Charlie couldn't take a breath without someone raising a toast and cheering her name with the offer of a new tequila shot. As tempted as she was to knock back every free drink and join the party, something stopped her.

Her eyes scanned the party as if in desperate search, silently greeting each face with disappointment.

He's not here.

"Looking for someone?" Sienna asked, watching her friend's eyes flit to each corner of the room.

"Hmm?" Charlie hummed absently, chewing on the straw of her half-finished drink.

"Maybe a missing attending?" Sienna prodded, still waiting for Charlie to meet her knowing gaze. Charlie resisted letting her eyes meet those of her dear friend because she knew that honesty would follow, and Charlie didn't want to be honest.

She didn't want to admit that she'd been watching the door the entire party, wishing that every well-meaning friend could have been someone else. She wanted to lie and say that she was more satisfied by the presence of her closest colleagues and friends. She wanted to shrug off the deep need inside of her to see his face. She wished that she didn't want to celebrate with him and only him.

So, instead, she ignored Sienna's accusation, "What do you mean?"

He's not here, the words echoed in the back of her mind, and Charlie took a long sip of her mixed drink to drown them out.

"Maybe Dr. Ramsey?" Sienna's eyebrows grew closer together, concern slowly etching across her face. Why was Charlie being so nonchalant? Why wouldn't she look at her?

Sienna opened her mouth to directly confront Charlie and force the truth from her lips, but before she could, a surgical resident interjected.

"Dr. Ramsey?" the resident slurred, grabbing her round of shots from the bartender and leaning across Charlie's chair to loudly whisper, "A nurse on duty told me that he's in the Chief's office right now. Apparently, he's signing paperwork to go back to his old job."

Charlie's blood ran cold.

"His old job?" Charlie repeated.

"Can you believe it? I mean, he's hot but such an asshole! I can't believe they hired him back," the resident held up a shot, "We should get as fucked up as we possibly can before he's back!"

"Yeah," Charlie's forced laughter was enough to convince the surgical resident to offer her a shot, and this time, Charlie accepted. Weakly holding it up in a toast, she knocked back the shot and waited for the cheap tequila's burn to drown out her thoughts.