love on the brain [Jackson Avery]

5: friends

7x06

Third person POV

Today was the day where they were filming a documentary about the hospital and the shooting. There were cameras everywhere and that made Cora uncomfortable since she actually wasn't even at Seattle the day of she shooting.

But she new it was going to be a good day when Derek called her to tell they found a guy for an arms transplant.

-We got our guy?- she asked running towards them with a big smile but instantly backed up when she saw the cameras- oh, hi.

-We do, Dr Shepherd- Owen confirmed with a grin.

-You picked a good night to start filming- Mark smirked at the camera- it's gonna be fun.

...

-Derek and I?- Mark answered the question of the interviewer- we go back together. Same, with his sister, who's like my sister, Cora Shepherd. We grew up together, we went to med school together. They're... they're kinda like the best part of me. Not the better-looking part, mind you- he joked- so when I heard he got shot...- he had to stop- every day we give bad news to patients. We tell them their loved ones are hurt, or dying or dead. And for the first time in my life I understood what that feels like- he took another moment- feels like shit.

...

-My relationship with my brother?- Cora looked up from where she was standing next to the nurse station still feeling uncomfortable with a camera pointing at her- well, our father died when I was like 3, so he pretty much became my father, my brother, my friend and even my mother at a very young age. He basically raised me up but a couple of years we got distant because of a fight we had. And then he got shot- she smiled nervously- and I moved here to be with him.

-Why?- the interviewer asked.

-Him and Mark... they were always my best friends. My brothers. My persons...- she sighed staring at the man- we hold on to grudges or knowingly make a lesser effort for people despite how much we care for them because being honest about how we feel can be difficult, you know?- Cora took a moment- we don't always mend our broken hearts because we assume that there's plenty of time to do all that. And that's where we're wrong. Accidents happen! Shootings happen! And people die. If anything, the longer you don't repair the tangled parts of your life, the greater is the regret when you realize that you're out of time. One day, you might wake up to find that your opportunity to apologize for your mistakes, reach out to the people you love, or forgive someone has passed. It takes a los to come to peace with. It breaks you, knowing that there were so many occasions when you could've changed things for yourself, but each time, you chose not to. Don't do that. If you love someone you tell them. You speak your mind even if your voice shakes.

The interview was over and Cora stood there trying to pull herself together before going into surgery, not realizing that Jackson was close to her hearing every word she said.