The Starting Line

Chapter 22

Swinging her leg up and down, Eleanora looked to her side to look at an aggravated Alex. All the residents on duty were sitting in the hallway outside a conference room, the air thick with anxiety and tension.

"Someone is being fired." Reed spoke, making Eleanora look up. She frowned but remained silent, watching as her friend, April, hissed at her.

"Stop."

"She wasn't even my patient." This time, he was Mercy West's oldest resident. He was a tall, muscular guy named Charles. The bandage on his head had some signs of blood, but his tone was what caught everyone's attention.

"What?" Cristina snapped, looking at him. Eleanora sighed, shaking her head.

"Everyone should calm down." She said quietly, looking to see how Mark was doing. He seemed annoyed, probably tired of having to stand and wait for the Chief.

Alex finally spoke, his own leg bouncing up and down. Except he was obviously upset and angry, while Eleanora's was anxious. "How long is this going to take?"

Jackson smiled, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Alex. "Why, do you need to make a phone call?"

Charles snorts and Eleanora feels Alex tense. Her eyes widen a little, as she sits up a little straighter. "Alex-"

Alex darts across the hallway, grabbing onto Jackson's scrub top and throwing him against the wall. Everyone else stands up, Eleanora shoots herself to try to get Alex off of Jackson. The Attendings react, placing themselves between the two morons. Everyone else is screaming, Eleanora helps Derek keep Alex away from Jackson with wide eyes.

The Chief runs out of the conference room, anger showing on his face as he watches his employees act like children. "That's enough!"

When no one listens, he raises his voice even louder, making Eleanora cringe a little. "I said enough!"

Derek practically pushes Alex into a chair, Eleanora moving to stand between them, her chest rising and falling a little faster. She puts her hands on her hips, looking over her shoulder to see Mark roughly thrusting into Jackson like Derek.

Once everyone was calmer, the Chief continued, his narrowed eyes moving to each resident and attendant. "What happened here tonight, what happened to that patient, was unforgivable! And we will be here until I find out who is responsible. So, until then, you will sit down, shut up and wait to be called."

Everyone besides the attendings moves to sit down. Eleanora sits next to Alex again, but she looks up as Mark moves to stand next to her with his arms crossed. He looks at her curiously. She simply shrugs, stating that she didn't know what happened to Alex and why he did it, before turning to look at her friend again and squeezing his arm reassuringly.

"Hunt." The Chief called, content that everyone looked a little fearful and remained silent. Webber returns to the conference room, followed by Hunt.

Eleanora sighs, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes.

Tonight was a horror show.

"Where were you? During the entire event." The Chief asked her.

Eleanora shifted a little in her seat, looking nervously between Mr. Jennings and the lawyer. She cleared her throat before speaking, concentrating on the Chief.

"I was helping Dr. Shepherd with one of the hotel staff, and then when we were done, I went and helped him with one of the firefighters." Eleanora told them, nodding her head.