Choices

I pull open the door to my locker and the thirteen letter word for change races through my mind. Metamorphosis. I eventually resulted in googling the word for change in order to finish the crossword puzzle that's been laying on my desk for two weeks. The though of my mother enters my mind and her wise words on change. "Change is good Madison, it shows us that we are growing up and growing up isn't so bad." I used to hate it when she said growing up, because growing up means leaving the things you love the most behind and I'm not one for forgetting.

If she were here now I can almost see the smile on her face knowing that I left my home in California after twenty six years to come live halfway across the world. She would still give me the change speech but at least she would be here and around me. I throw my lab coat into my locker and reach for my duffel back as I push aside all thoughts on my mother and the word metamorphosis. As I slam my locker door shut I hear footsteps running down the hall and just as I am about to ignore it, a body throws itself against the door.

James Lawson stands there with wide eyes and heavy breathing. "Emergency in the Pit, Peterson is looking for you." He heaves out and a look of worry crosses his face. I've been a resident at St Anne's Hospital for a month now and James Lawson is in the same residency program as me, in those short thirty days of working with James I have not once seen worry in his eyes. He comes from a long line of surgeons. His grandfather was a Cardio God and his father is a Plastics legend who reconstructed a new face for a woman on my first day on the job. It's safe to say that James Lawson doesn't worry, he asses the situation and finds a solution. It's in his blood to not worry but remain calm and collected as he figures out a solution to problems.

He's already down the hall before I can grab my coat from my locker. Running down the hall and trying to throw on a lab coat isn't easy, especially when someone's life is on the line. I race into the Pit to find Lawson escape behind a closed curtain at bed seven. My eyes meet the floor for a second and I follow the trail of blood from the double doors to bed seven. I pull open the curtain as I step inside, Peterson is hovering over a body laying on the hospital bed and he's doing a poor job of keeping the person down. His piercing blue eyes meet mine and I see the relief flood through them. "Evans, get over here and hold him down." I race over to him and take his place over the body that is fighting against Peterson's hold.

My hands lay across broad shoulders and my eyes drift from the persons bleeding abdomen to their face. The stench of blood fills the room and it only tells the doctor that the person has lost a tremendous amount of blood. My eyes meet a pair of compelling hazel brown eyes, the most magnificent pair of eyes I have ever met. A mix of brown and green with specks of yellow and dark, thick, long lashes surround them. The male below me uses all the force he has to try and push me off him but years of Med school has prepared me for this moment. I use as much force as possible, without hurting him, to hold him down. His eyes hold a hint of shock, my strength surprises him but something tells me that if he wasn't bleeding out on a hospital bed he would have won this battle.

"What do we have here Lawson?" Peterson asks as he takes a step back and gives Lawson an opportunity to asses the man's wounds. I take a peak from where I stand and it's evident that the hole on his lower abdomen is a bullet hole.

"A bullet hole. He's been shot." Lawson answers and pauses for a second. "Twice. The second one is a graze." He points towards the man's side and I stand on the tips of my toes to see the graze against his side.

"We need to sedate him then prep him for surgery." Peterson's eyes tell me that he's worked a long nine hour shift today, that look is replaced with determination. He is going to push an extra few hours in order to save a man's life and that to me is what being a doctor is all about. Putting other people's needs before your own, even if it means putting in a few more hours.

"Evans, you're scrubbing in?" Peterson asks as I let go of the man's shoulders and watch the sedative take over as his eyes flutter and he drifts off.

"I'm pulling a twelve hour tomorrow with Coleman in Peds." I pray he gets the message that I am sending. Sleep is what I need, not a two hour surgery.

"Swapping out brain surgery to deliver babies I see. We're not good enough for her anymore Lawson." He teases and I roll my eyes.

"I'm a first year resident, some of us haven't figured out our surgical choice as yet and want to try new things." I advert my eyes to Lawson and he holds his hands up in defence.

"I'm just messing with you Evans. Go get some rest." Peterson says with a smile and I shake my head as I walk out the Pit. The truth is that I haven't figured out my surgical preference, I would like to get the chance to explore each and every one of them before I have to make a choice. Something tells me the more I explore each of them and fall in love with the different techniques the harder it will be later on when I have to choose.

I push open the door to my apartment that I share with Drake and Brooke Harper. Both twins who I have known since elementary school back in California, who both moved up to London after senior year. Brooke declined college and spent her time working with her father at his company. Drake went on to become a pilot and spent his time in the air. Their mother still lives in California and her and I spent a great deal of time together when Brooke and Drake left to go live with their father in London.

I walk into the kitchen before throwing my bag onto the couch and removing my sneakers. It feels good to get out of the hospital scrubs at the end of the day and put on comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. Nicolas from next door is sitting at the counter drinking a beer as Drake rummages through the fridge in search of food. His scavenger hunt reminds me that I have yet to do the shopping for this month, each month the three of us are scheduled to take turns to do grocery shopping and even though it's my first month here the Harper twins saw it fit that I should go first.

"Looking for something?" I ask from the doorway and Nicolas meets my gaze first. His ocean blue eyes meet mine and he offers me a charming smile, I know better than to fall under the spell of Nicolas Walsh. He's a good looking guy with his strawberry blonde hair and stinking blue eyes, but his reputation with women is a real turn off. If I had a dollar for everytime I saw a women walk out his apartment in tears, I would be able to pay off all my student loans and never have to work another day in my life. That should tell me enough about Nicolas because I've only been here for a month.

"Will you be going shopping anytime soon Madison?" Drake's almond brown eyes meet mine.

"Tomorrow, I'm working from twelve until twelve so I should be able to make a run in the morning." I give him a smile as he hands me a beer from the fridge and grabs one for himself.

"You work too much." Drake announces like it's the most absurd thing in the world to make a living and provide for yourself. "When's Chris coming through with the pizza and beer?" His question is directed to Nicolas.

"Boys night in is tonight?" I let out a groan as I place my bottle onto the marble counter top.

"I told you about it last week and there is a note on the fridge. Even Brooke made a plan to not be here tonight." Brooke had the right idea but she's definently going to hear it from me for not giving me the heads up. Boys night in usually results in the guys watching football, drinking beer, eating pizza and playing poker but can often at times get rowdy. I make a point to pick up extra shifts when Drake's boys come over because I know how loud things can get with just him and Nicolas arguing over football.

"Speaking of Brooke." Nicolas pauses and Drake gives him the eye. If he's about to say something about Brooke that Drake won't like then it's best he keeps it to himself. "Daniel is an intern at the law firm down on Maynard and he says that Brooke and Ethan Rodgers are getting close." I have no idea who he is talking about but that would explain why Brooke has been spending so many nights out and coming home later and later every night.

"Dad said that she brought him over for dinner once but didn't say anything about them being together." As old as Drake is it's clear that he hates talking about his sister being involved with guys. "But you know how Brooke is. She's always got a different guy on her arm every now and again." He shrugs and Nicolas agrees with a nod.

"Pizza and beer have arrived." A masculine voice announces from the livingroom. Do people just walk into this apartment when I'm not around?

"In the kitchen." Drake calls out and rushes over to the door to hold it open for the person to walk in.

The man walks in with six boxes of Domino's pizza boxes in his hands and a smile on his face. He has striking green eyes which match mine and a charming smile. His chestnut brown hair is straight and sticks out in random places on his head, he's by far one of the most good looking guys I've seen in my thirty days here. "Where's Zak?" Drake questions as he peaks out the kitchen door with a frown.

"He went to drop off dinner for Bethany and Hunter." Drake nods as he shuts the door behind him and Chris places the boxes onto the counter beside me.

"You must be Madison. Christopher Parker. I have heard many great things about you." He thrusts his hand in my direction and I give him a smile as we shake hands.

"Don't listen to anything Drake says about me." I tease and Drake rolls his eyes. "Nice to meet you."

"So you're joining us for boy's night in?" He asks as Nicolas hands him a beer from the fridge.

"Unfortunately, I have sleep to catch up on and I'm not really a fan of sitting around watching football and yelling at each other about who's team is better." I offer him a sweet smile and he let's out a laugh.

"Woah, boys we have ourselves a feisty one here." Chris says as his laughter dies down. "Zak is going to love her." Nicolas nods at his words and Drake is already busy looking though the different choices of pizzas on the counter.

"Speaking of Zak, is Luke coming through?" Drake asks as he pinches off a piece of pineapple from the pizza in front of him.

"He's been working all day. I haven't had a chance to get through to him since this morning." Chris steals a piece of mushroom off Drake's pizza and pops it into his mouth.

"Anybody home?" Another voice announces from the living room and I am surprised by how many people can just walk in through the front door without us knowing, it's quite terrifying.

"Kitchen." Nicolas calls out and the door is pushed open as a man enters the kitchen with two boxes of four packs of six packs of beers in each one.

He places the boxes onto the counter as Chris clears the space for him and even though I haven't got a clear look at him there's something familiar about his profile. Once his hands are free his hazel brown eyes meet mine as he turns his head in my direction. I freeze when I see the brown and green mixture looking right at me and he offers me a smile. I stand to my feet and the legs on the barstool scratch against the hardwood floor boards. All four pairs of eyes are on me and the man in front of me stares at me with wide eyes.

"You're here." I whisper to myself as the other three pairs of eyes look at me with questioning eyes.