Take a Break
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine.
Pairing- Ethan x MC
Summary- Meredith is stumped by a case and Ethan offers a distraction.
Rating- PG
Meredith stared at the results for the dozenth time in the last hour. There was something she was missing, she knew it. Something didn’t add up, she just could not figure it out.
What was she missing?
“You have been staring at those results for an hour.”
Meredith jumped slightly. “That is because they don’t make sense.”
“Or do they not make sense because you have been staring at them?” Ethan countered, “you can’t always find the answers immediately, you should know that by now, Dr. Pierce.”
“I can’t believe you of all people are telling me to take a break,” she grumbled, “who are you and what have you done with Ethan Ramsey?”
“I believe a stubborn intern taught me I couldn’t do everything myself and that sometimes you have to take a break,” he told her and then his voice softened, “Meredith, you are exhausted, at least come have a cup of coffee with me.”
“As boss and resident?” She asked, unable to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice, though his use of her name had affected her more than she would have liked.
“As…. friends,” Ethan corrected, hesitating over the second word.
Two months. Two months since she had started working on the diagnostic team. Two months of purely professional interactions between her and Ethan, even if those interactions were laced with charged moments and hidden meanings.
Even this invitation could be accepted at face value, a resident and her mentor, but Meredith knew the offer went beyond that. He cared about her. She knew it and he knew it.
It was why she should say no. Because it was dangerous. Because they both knew it was more than just colleagues grabbing coffee and they couldn’t go there and she was so tired, not just from this case and all the other ones like it, but from two months of pretending not to feel, not to care and this… This would just make it worse.
Despite that, she found herself saying, “coffee would be great. I’ll just go return these to the nurses station and then we can go.”
Because she wasn’t smart. Not when it came to him. And it would probably lead to heartbreak but she couldn’t bring herself to care, not when he was looking at her like that, warmth and concern in his eyes.
Besides, it was only coffee.
- End
