still got the blues.

years after leaving New York behind, a celebrated pediatric/neonatal surgeon collides with the one person she never stopped loving. Addison Montgomery was never supposed to be part of the plan again, but some wounds don't heal just because you walk away.

you don't outrun love. you just put oceans, time zones, and operating rooms between yourself and its echo. some loves don't end. they hibernate. and when they wake up, they might heal just as much as they hurt.

angst, slow burn, mutual pining, unresolved romantic tension, emotional hurt ᐟ comfort, friends to lovers, domestic abuse ﹠ abortion ﹙referenced﹚canon character reinterpretation, suggestive dialogue and flirting. no use of y/n.

please mind the tags. some difficult topics are referenced, including past abuse and infidelity, though nothing graphic is depicted. this is a slow, emotionally heavy burn and feelings are very much the point. that said, there is tenderness here. soft moments, hands held in hospital corridors. love spoken too late, and maybe not late at all.