𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 & 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 [𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧]

a change is gonna come

a change is gonna come

Grace Poulsen had been at Seattle Grace Hospital for five years now, and nobody knew who she was. Well, the nurses knew of course, but to doctors, to doctors she was just "Nurse". Okay, maybe not all the time, but there were a few doctors, male doctors, who referred to her as "Nurse." Not that she hadn't been equally responsible for the savior of a patient's life or anything. She also pretty much gets zero recognition for it. She (nurses) is the one who does most of the work nobody wants to do. Interns were placed higher than nurses for crying out loud.

Now on a day filled with new interns, she wasn't going to be silent. Allow doctors to call her Nurse, but of course, that doesn't happen because Grace will forever be that little shy girl who refuses to raise her hand in class, more so the girl that hides in the corner. Ruth tells her she's gotta stick up for herself, but she's still scared. So, when she hears Dr. Shepherd call out, "Here, Nurse" and hand her a chart, her little schoolgirl part of herself tells itself to shut up and take it, but it comes peeping out and she grabs the sort and files it away. She spots Ruth giving her a shake of disapproval. God, it's like her mother giving her the disappointment talk. She needs to change.

_

"You need to stand up for herself, girl," Ruth demands.

Grace shakes her blonde strands of hair out of her face, "I know, I know." Her hands speak, moving up and down quickly. "I just, I can't."

Ruth shakes her head at Grace, "Gra, I swear, are you just gonna let them walk all over you for the rest of your career." Grace rolls her eyes, trying not to laugh. "I'm serious."

"I know. I know you are." She places her elbows on top of the Nurses' Station counter. "And don't call me Gra." She laces her fingers together as she rests her head on top of them.

"Then woman up. Right now." Ruth insists, pointing her finger down on the counter before turning around to check on a patient. She quickly shouted back, "Don't let them walk all over you, Grace."

_

One of the perks of being a nurse is gossip. All the gossip. When you practically live at the Nurses' Station, you overhear all the drama going on in doctors' lives. Today's special: Meredith's long lost half-sister, Lexie. The sides: the new residents not taking Callie seriously, Meredith and Derek severely on the rocks, and Derek's need to have drinks with every, except Mark. He is also being a real jerk and Grace is in refusal to stand up to anyone, especially Mark Sloan, someone a lot of the nurse wouldn't have a problem with her messing with him, on the other hand, a lot would too. The man was notorious for sleeping with all the nurses and apparently he's really good in bed from what she's heard. She's also stuck with one of his patients today who he is reattaching their arm. 

Grace overhears him talk for about 10 minutes about all this crap about how good he is and everything, cocky much. Grace keeps silent though, well until the patient heads into labor, oh yeah, the patient is pregnant too. George, the intern who's repeating his intern year again, delivers the baby boy. Grace keeps quiet for the rest though. Silent. In the background. Just handing instruments in silence, just like always.

_

"Nurse."

This is Grace's opportunity. Ruth is staring her down, waiting for her to fight back. Mark Sloan just called her Nurse, and she needs to stand up for herself. She takes a deep breath. She needs to stand up for herself. Before she can even stop herself it slips out, "I have a name, you know." She says it quiet, just above a whisper, clearly loud enough though.

He turns around, raising an eyebrow, "And that is?"

Grace's face freezes and she can't say a single thing, frozen, and he's just staring at her. Ruth walks by and gives her a nudge, pushing the words out of her, "Uh, uh, Gra, um,—Grace!"

He nods slowly, "Okay...nice to meet you."

—

a/n: really proud of this plot, so I'm hoping you'll enjoy it :) also, like totally in love with Dianna Agron, like come on...