Asystole ✷ Mark Sloan

𝟬𝟬𝟵 derek, indisposed

𝙄𝙓.
DEREK, INDISPOSED

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"ARE YOU GOING to drink that?"

I was staring at the glass in front of me, my face emotionless as I ran my fingers softly across the bar-top. I'd been sat here for a while, becoming part of the background in the busy bar. I'd been caught in my own thoughts, silent and wistful, too distracted to register the woman who sat beside me; I didn't notice that I was being spoken to until I noticed her out of the corner of my eye--

I recognised her from the hospital. Dark hair, dark eyes and an eager smile as she leant across the bar and ordered her own drink. Slightly disorientated, I stared at her, watching as she tilted her in anticipation. Her dark, but striking eyes glittered in the moody lighting, striking me back into my place. As quick as a camera shutter, I blinked, turning around almost robotically to look in between the glass and the woman who'd adopted the chair at my side.

"Oh."

I sighed, realising that I'd been sat here, motionless for a while; even the bartender (who I assumed was Joe of Joe's) shot me an odd look as I let out a deep breath. 

Good, I deserved odd looks: I was supposed to be a recovered alcoholic. 

After a few seconds of internal debating and realising that maybe this wasn't how I needed my night to go, I gently slid the glass towards her.

The original plan had been to meet Meredith here for drinks. Her offer had (to my delight) actually progressed through to a plan to come to Joe's and talk about how the world was just being a bitch this week. She was yet to show and, in her absence, I'd nearly relapsed once again.

"Go ahead," I said, but my voice was caught at the back of my throat as the woman shot me an odd side-glance. She looked down at the small shot-glass that had been enough to perplex me into a stoic trance. "It's probably a bad idea anyway..."

"It's not spiked, is it?" She joked with an easy laugh, making me smile (it was strained). She lifted the drink to eye level, as if to search it. "That would really just be great."

My lips twisted into a smile and I watched as she shrugged haphazardly, before taking the shot. It was the lack of hesitation that made my eyebrows raise. 

I had to give it her... she really was approaching things with reckless abandon. I watched as her face contorted and she slammed the glass back down onto the bartop. I almost flinched, expecting the shot glass to shatter.

"Damn, I needed that." She groaned, just as Joe served her another round. My eyes bounced across the array of drinks. "I've had a really long week..."

Same, I wanted to say but I didn't really know whether she needed to hear about the little drama my life was turning out to be. 

Instead, I just smiled at her, a slight shadow of bewilderment as she looked as though she was trying to put a name to my face. I did the same-- I swore that I recognised her from the hospital... maybe from after I'd watched Derek beat the shit out of my ex-boyfriend? I ordered a lemonade and checked my phone.

"I recognise you from somewhere..." She squinted at me as I read a text-message from Charlie. When I looked back up at her, she was frowning deeply. "Do you work at Seattle Grace?"

"Oh no," I shook my head, "I, uh, I'm just visiting a patient." Joe slid my beverage towards me and I gave him a good tip. "Do you work there?"

"Yeah" The stranger said; she didn't look up at me, just concentrated on trying to get as drunk as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time. I tilted my head to the side, stirring my soft drink with a straw. "Orthopedic surgery."