#silverskies.

the day had been filled with various activities  —  ranging from apple picking from a close-by orchard and a small, scenic hike where he managed to snap a couple of photos on his phone of eve when she wasn’t looking. a meal had been cooked with both of them moving around the kitchen like they used to, knowing what each other needed prior to them having to ask and the soft touches when moving behind each other to grab hold of a mixing bowl or spice that was close-by. it felt normal, as if no time had past and any memories that attempted to sneak up were shut down immediately in his mind. the wood is rough against his arms as he moves towards the firepit, crouching to begin setting up the pieces of bark properly and adding in some pieces of paper that he had found in his truck. the crackle is what makes something sit into his bones, immediate relaxation as he smiles towards the growing flame. he turns at the sound of footsteps, looking towards eve as he stands up.   “   did you want smores or anything? i got some from the store before we left  —  i also got some beers and cider, if you’d rather.   ”

truth be told,  he was not looking forward to this conversation.  he’d typed endless excuses in their text thread many times only to delete them;  voice in the back of his head telling him how he deserved some sort of apology,  to watch her struggle to find the right words to his face.  elijah prided himself in knowing that he was not a viscous person,  he prided himself on his understanding nature and patience when it came to communication and compromise  —  but when the cut was ripped open at her apology that came late last night,  he felt the anger solidifying itself once again in his gut,  steering his plan of action back onto the route of vengeance.  hair still slightly damp after his post-shift shower,  t-shirt beneath a button up and paired with his favourite pair of jeans,  he makes his way into the bar with a heavy pressure on his shoulders and a heart beating heavily against his chest.  there’s a part of him that’s excited to see her once again,  to actually see her outside of scrubs and back in her natural state,  a small sense of nerves knowing that she was waiting for him  —  but there’s a larger part of him that’s anxious on how the conversation was going to go.  knowing that he was going to sit there and listen to her apologize,  and despite having a soft side for the woman,  he had to remind himself of the way she ripped his heart out and simply left a note behind as a way to mend the hole where it used to be.  ordering a beer,  he can feel her eyes on his back,  but he refuses to look at her right now,  not until he gets two long swings of the bitter liquid in his system.  one more deep breath and he turns towards the booth that her blonde hair is located,  moving to sit down across from her.  internally,  he’s struggling,  seeing her beauty under the dim lights but he keeps his face unmoving and stoic,  watching her carefully as he takes another swing from the bottle.   “   well i’m here.   ”   he comments,  refusing to have small talk with her.

a scolding and lecture had never been at the top of the list of things zoya loved to endure, especially when she was stuck sitting in one of those uncomfortable office chairs and having the eyes of a general and cardio surgeon looking down at her. lips remained sealed, very little said, eyes vacant and features stoic  —  but anyone that knew the neurosurgeon was aware of the internal monologue that was taking place within her mind, the words that were flying around her mind at lightening speed, spewing insults at the two men that were standing there. it was unfair to cooper, which is why she bit her tongue and walked out of the office without looking back, knowing that he had little to do with the meeting that just took place. if she wasn’t so amped up, she probably wouldn’t felt bad for the new head of cardio  —  maybe would’ve been nice enough to seek him out afterwards to tell him  (in her own zoya way)  that she didn’t blame him for what just happened. instead she gets up and walks out of the room and immediately begins jabbing the elevator button as if it were her worst enemy, hands shoving deep into her pockets once cyrus makes himself known next to her.   “   i’m keeping my mouth shut until he’s out of reach, i refuse to give him any other reason to talk to me like i’m a ten year old.   ”   voice is low, but there’s venom behind the tone.

lunch time was probably her favourite time, although it wasn’t a secret to anyone in the hospital that francesca loved anything that included sitting down and enjoying some sort of snack. tray is filled, a girl lunch if one were to put a title to it, and with each step her feet began to ache and prickle from having to stand on them for the six hour surgery she had earlier this morning. the tension in each room  —  operating, nursing stations, even the cafeteria  —  felt heavy on her shoulders no matter how much she attempted to ignore it. fear for her job was slim to none, a confidence that lingered beneath the surface at her abilities but also well aware that she was replaceable if disliked by colleagues and her boss; humble. she flops herself down across from eve with a sigh of relief once the weight was off her feet, looking towards the intern with a small case of exhaustion behind hues.   “   i wore new shoes today, which in theory sounds amazing but in actuality is horrible. i should’ve broken them in first, because right now, they are my worst nightmare.   ”   a bite taken out of a french fry.   “   how are you holding up? i feel like i haven’t seen you in ages.   ”

he tried his best, and he managed to get from the scene to the hospital in one piece and without fully losing his mind. although once in the emergency department, he still wasn’t capable of just stopping and allowing himself to feel the loss. having to basically be screamed at to stop cpr and to let the patient go was enough to rip a piece of his soul from inside of him and throw it into the crash without hesitation, a part of him unable to fully grasp the reality of what was happening with everyone running around. he was moving in slow motion, or at least he felt like it  —  his mind was still capable of answering questions and shouting out orders, and his hands worked quickly to assist. it isn’t until he’s sitting on the bottom bunk in the on-call room when he feels the weight of what happened; it’s the visualization of her slowly closing the door and looking at him with those wide eyes that made the tears sting so hard that he doesn’t know if he can force them back.   “   —  he was fucking seven,   ”   it’s all he can say, voice cracking with each word as he sits there, struggling to come to terms with what just happened, hating that there was no longer a distraction for him to shut it down with.

it’s almost waking hour for most people when she finally exits the hospital, and home wasn’t the first place she was craving. usually, zoya was the type that wanted a quiet glass of red wine, a mystery novel and the warmth of her favourite blanket  —  but right now? she wanted about five shots of tequila lined up for her and maybe some deep fried food that would soak up the exhaustion that lingered within her body. the vibe within the hospital was dark and heavy, and has been for days; people losing patients the moment they arrived to a couple days post-surgery. it felt as though there was never-ending bad luck attached to everyone that walked into a room where a survivor was. memories of all the injuries that she had witnessed over the past few days remain in the back of her mind, constant reminders. she’s silent as she sits down next to ade, waiting for the bartender before ordering herself two shots of tequila, only pausing briefly before nodding towards her company.   “   make it four, we both deserve to numb it all for a minute.   ”

they haven’t spoken or even been in the same vicinity of each other since their on-call room rendezvous that had her mentally panicking for weeks. she wasn’t avoiding him, and she definitely didn’t request to go up to a different floor’s nursing station for her shifts the past week, she was totally calm over the whole ordeal now  —  neither of them had been fired, which was enough for her to realize that they were in the clear. she’s leaning against the nursing station and picking around her little jar of jellybeans (she hated the purple ones) when she heard the noises begin behind her. she barely jumps but she definitely finds herself turning around to see what was happening, eyes landing upon cyrus and more-so, to the rhythmic beating of the vein on his forehead that was beating probably as quick as his heart was right now. handful of jellybeans, franny makes her way over with a raised brow.   “   what’s all the fuss about?   ”   she asks casually, biting down into one of the candies as she waits for his dismissal or overdramatic explanation of why he was so worked up in the hallway.   “   not to add to the bad mood, but i think the vein on your forehead has it’s own heartbeat with how pissed you are right now, maybe take a … breath?   ”   she knew it was the wrong thing to say once it was out in the open, lips turning into an awkward smile.

it’s hot,  and it’s humid,  and the ambulance bay is silent.  but he’s eager,  and he’s new,  and he wants to prove himself as someone that’s more than just the agosto name.  it’s no secret that people around here looked at him and immediately just assumed that he didn’t prove himself worthy enough to be in the program,  believing that he used his name and privilege to get to where he was halfway through the intern year.   but elijah never turned down a challenge,  he actually enjoyed them.  it’s part of the reason why he had asked for the transfer;  dwindling in many specialties back at the other hospital but never finding something that provided him with an adrenaline rush,  always looking for something better and passing on surgeries because he would become bored halfway through a bowel reconstruction or surgical implants.  he liked to be stumped,  loved to sit down in the archives and look through book after book about something in order to find some new way of treating a patient,  he wanted to be known for something that wasn’t just his name  —  he wanted to find something that was one second incurable,  and manage to cure it with his own hands and mind. cyrus isn’t always a welcome presence,  but truthfully,  he would take anyone as company right about now.  especially when said someone has a sweet treat in their hand;  waiting patiently for cyrus to unwrap the chocolate covered ice cream stick,  elijah quickly moves his own hand towards the treat,  snagging it from the others grasp and taking a large bite out of it,  humming in satisfaction as the coldness hit his tongue.  before cyrus can even react,  eli’s shutting him up with his own words:   “   because fuck you,  that’s why.   ”   the hazer can take a beat this time.