"Toilet's free for use."

The cold sensation of the tiled floor sends chills up my legs as I lean against one of the walls for support. Meredith lies down on the floor itself, and her best friend Cristina Yang sits in the shower.

"It's not us. It's them." Meredith growls in frustration. "Them and their stupid boy. . .penises. They didn't tell me they'd just leave after a night of fun. They gave absolutely no warning that they were going to leave me to clean up the mess."

A slick sliding sound comes from the shower.

"It's not that Burke broke up with me." Cristina grumbles loudly. "It's how he broke up with me — like it was business. Like it was a business — like he's the boss of me."

I catch my bottom lip between my teeth. "Technically, he is the boss of you."

"And what's worse is that I care."

My hand reaches for the half-empty bottle of vodka, but I give up halfway. Of course, Meredith's next round of vomiting ruins the mood and worsens the effects of our hangovers.

"The problem is estrogen."

"No, the problem is tequila and vodka."

The young doctor in the shower shakes her head. "I used to be all business. And then he goes and gets me pregnant."

"With his stupid boy penis." Meredith chants like a mantra.

"Thanks again for inviting me." I press a damp towel against my forehead. "I really needed this after the year I've had."

"You still haven't contributed to the discussion." Meredith prepares to hunch over the toilet once again. "Which stupid boy penis ruined your life?"

I look at her through squinted eyes. "His name's Lennox. Worst man in the entire universe."

"I'll challenge you on that."

One car ride later, and we reach the hospital. With the same interning schedule, our shifts match up exactly.

"So this Lennox guy." Meredith cocks her right brow. "Is he something special?"

"He's something, alright."

I step through the sliding doors right beside Meredith. From the corner, Dr. Shepherd — Derek — appears from around the corner.

"Good morning, Dr. Phoenix." He greets me, side-eyeing Meredith not so discreetly.

"Good isn't something I'd use to describe this morning."

Meredith and I quicken our pace to reach the elevator. Just before he can enter, the doors close, leaving the two of us alone.

"You know, I still don't understand why you had sex with him." My finger presses against the number to our floor. "He seems to be a bit stalkerish."

"When you tell me about Lennox, I'll tell you about Derek."

"Sounds like a plan."

Bailey assigns the six of us to the E.R. for the shift, splitting us up between the victims of a major car crash. George takes the first victim. Meredith takes the father. Isobel Stevens takes the second victim, Alex Karev with the son. That leaves me and Cristina with the mother.

"My husband Bob's a really good driver. Safe, you know?" Lea Sibert stares up at the lights overhead. "I think he saw something in the middle of the road and swerved to avoid it."

As she talks about the events prior to the accident, the two of us conduct routine checkups to make sure her injuries are just superficial.

"The crash. It just-It just came out of nowhere. One second, everything's fine. The next, it. . ."

I notice a yellowing bruise at the edge of her hip. When Cristina questions her, she simply passes it off as another injury from the accident.

Alex, Cristina, and I report to Dr. Bailey on our victims, giving her a brief overview of the injuries they suffered.

"Wait, Judy dolls?" I stare down at the x-ray film in disbelief. "Your patient swallowed the heads of ten Judy dolls?"

Dr. Burke stops by Lea's room to discuss her husband's condition, specifically the bad liver stopping him from surviving.

"You know what she's going through, don't you?" Cristina glances over at me.

I shake my head. "It couldn't be any more clearer. Her husband's been abusing her for God knows how long."

"And if you were the surgeon in the operating room, what would you do?"

Her elbows leans against the counter, her gaze focused on me.

"Try to save his life." I shrug my shoulders, to which she raises a brow. "Only so the bastard could suffer in prison."

"Thank you." She claps her hands together. "I mean, does it take a genius to realize someone like that isn't worth saving?"

"Well, as the chief —"

"Interim chief."

"Right. As the interim chief, Burke's got a lot on his plate." My fingers tap against the edge of my chin. "Besides, he seems like a rather emotionless guy."

She chuckles under her breath. "Yeah, he pretty much is."

Cristina and I meet with Meredith, Izzie, and George to share a table for lunch.

"The father's an alcoholic wife beater. It shouldn't even be a question." Cristina practically throws her food tray onto the table.

Izzie places hers down in a more calm fashion. "Yeah, but if you could save someone and didn't, wouldn't you feel like you were committing murder?"

"Oh, yeah. Like the guy did when he crashed into George's D.O.A.? He's the killer, not the son." She bites down on a roll. "Leven here agrees with me, don't you?"

"I'm the new girl. I have to kiss up to you guys so you like me." I pick at the dried gravy overtop the fried chicken. "But don't you think it's better if the guy lives and rots in a cell than getting the easy way out with a bad liver?"

"She's got a point, you know." Meredith points her fork in my direction.

My lips curve up in a grin. "Of course I do." And we return to eating.

It takes all six interns plus Dr. Bailey to remove the ten Judy dolls stuck through the patient's intestines. But the number of doctors dwindles down when Burke requests George, Alex, and Cristina for the car crash case as well as an organ donor.

On the way out of the O.R., I catch Dr. Shepherd's glance towards Meredith as we cross paths.

"He's not even that cute." I flip through a few of the case files.

Meredith looks towards them. "Who? George?"

"No. Shepherd." I glance back at him once again. "I bet that hair is just full of product. Mousse, gel, you name it."

Her elbow digs into my side teasingly, a short laugh following. "Like I said. We were both really drunk."

"Tequila can make you do crazy things."

Scotty, the son from the abusive household, agrees to donate part of his liver to his dying father. But he convinces his mom to tell the police the truth of what's going on behind closed doors.

Once I sign out, my first two weeks in a new hospital come to an end. A bittersweet end where I've made new friends but remember the old.

"You really think he isn't that cute?" Meredith and I get into my car, the two of us being the only ones finished with our shift. "I mean, really?"

The seatbelt tightens across my chest and lap. "Sure. He's attractive."

"And you don't think you'd ever want to sleep with him?" She questions as I back out of the parking spot.

"What do you want me to say?" I chuckle in amusement. "Yes, I'd like to date him?"

"No, that's not what I mean." Her head rests back against the seat.

"Then, what is it, Meredith?"

"I just want someone to justify that a one-night stand with your boss is okay."

"Well, it's okay. As a one-time thing."

"Not even two?"

"Meredith!"