chapter forty ━ valentine's day
( season eight, episode fourteen )

❝I might need therapy, but
she's fine.❞

ELLIE SAT ON the floor of Derek and Meredith's house beside Lexie, sipping on her iced coffee, when the new parents came down, neither noticing their younger sisters. They shared a smirk before the blonde cleared her throat.

"Well, good morning, brother of mine," she said.

Derek looked up and groaned when he locked eyes with her. "Oh, my God."

"Well, that hurts," she replied with a frown, turning back to the television screen.

"We're watching a pyeloplasty," Lexie told them as they sat upright on the couch. "I can rewind it to the beginning if you'd like."

Derek shook his head. "No, let's go," he said to Meredith before pausing. "Ellie, don't you have your own apartment?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "But April decided to deep clean the apartment before work today and told us to go get out, so... here I am. Feeling so welcomed."

Derek rolled his eyes at her. "Just listen for the baby."

"What?"

"Twenty minutes!" he called back, closing the front door behind him and Meredith. Ellie wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"Okay..." Suddenly, Zola started to cry and Ellie chuckled to herself. "Oh, how I love that baby and her perfectly timed cries. I got her, Lex." With a groan—and Lexie laughing at her—she got off the floor and up the stairs toward her niece's room.

"Well, hi there, big girl," she said, picking up the girl from her crib and Zola looked up at her. "Do you want your mommy and daddy? Let's go find them." She walked down the stairs and out of the house toward the car that the new parents currently sat in—well, not exactly sitting. Her eyes widened as she approached the vehicle and immediately covered Zola's eyes. "Look away, Zola. We don't need to mentally scar you yet..." She knocked on the car's window and Derek looked up, sighing when he locked eyes with her. "I'm sorry, but she woke up and she wants her parents, not her super-cool aunts. But don't worry, she didn't see anything. I mean, I might need therapy, but she's fine."

Derek rolled his eyes as they got out of the car and Meredith took her daughter from the blonde. Derek wrapped an arm around her as they walked back toward the house. "So... you got any plans for tonight?" he asked her.

"You know I don't," she replied, her tone deadpan.

"Hmm," Derek hummed thoughtfully. "Do you want to babysit Zola?"

"I think I'm the first choice for Sofia," she said, shaking her head. "Besides, I thought Lexie already offered? But tell her to stop by, she and Sofia can hang out. Anyway, I'm gonna be late." She kissed his cheek and began walking toward her car. "Enjoy your alone time tonight."

He sighed. "You're not gonna let that go, are you?"

She smiled at him. "Not until I'm dead."

☀️

ELLIE WAS STANDING in the ER, holding her head in her hand while charting, listening to April. "We're gonna get a zillion valen-traumas," she said making the blonde quirk an eyebrow upward. "I bet a few of them will be good surgeries for our boards."

"I'm sorry..." Ellie chuckled and April looked at her. "Valen-traumas? That's the best you could come up with?"

April shrugged. "I tried."

Alex sighed. "Well, it's not St. Patty's Day. Those are good traumas—car crashes, bar brawls. Yeah, Valentine's Day is all swallowed engagement rings and guys who threw out their back getting laid."

April glanced at her best friend while Ellie looked up at him. "I got engaged on Valentine's Day..."

"Oh." He cleared his throat. "Well..."

"You're just bitter 'cause you don't have a date," April said, changing the subject and Alex frowned at her.

"First of all, Valentine's Day isn't for having a date with some chick," Alex told her as Jackson walked up to the trio. "No, it's for meeting the chicks who don't have dates. Besides, I have to study for my boards."

Jackson looked up at him. "You studying already?"

"You aren't?" Ellie asked him.

"No..." He cleared his throat and nodded. "I—I am."

"Well, good," she said with a smile. "You know, there's always something to learn about... all around you."

Alex frowned. "Says the genius with a photographic memory," he said and she looked back at him. "You look at a book and remember it."

She shrugged just as Owen walked into the ER, looking around at all of the Valentine's Day decorations. "Who put up all this?"

"I did," April replied in a perky tone. "Well, research shows that a cheerful environment reduces stress and helps patients feel more—"

Owen crumpled a paper bear in his first and threw it on the desk before walking away.

Ellie stared down at it, sadly. "Aw. That was a cute bear..." She shrugged to herself and started for the door out of the ER when she was suddenly pulled into a trauma room. "Hey!" She looked up and found Jackson pacing back and forth making her incredibly confused. "Um... Jackson?"

He paused. "Yeah?"

"Well, you—you pulled me into a trauma room," she said, gesturing around them. "Was—Was there a... a reason why?"

"Oh. Well... Y—" Ellie raised her eyebrows. "No." She pressed her lips together and let out a breath. "You see, the—No."

"Um..." She cleared her throat. "Well, okay then. Then I'm just gonna go... if—if there's nothing else. There is nothing else... right?"

"Ri—Right!" he exclaimed with a nod and she opened her mouth. "Right. Nothing else. Uh—sorry for dragging you in here."

Before she could say anything, Jackson walked out of the room and her heart sank; why was her heart sinking? She shook her head. "Okay..."

☀️

ELLIE WAS EXAMINING a young girl who was covered in a rash. The woman she was with, Karla, looked at the resident. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

"Well, she's wheezing, but we'll treat that," Ellie replied, removing her stethoscope from around her neck. "You're going to be just fine, uh—"

"Clementine," Karla answered and she nodded. "Uh—I think the kids call her 'Clem'."

Ellie glanced up at her. "You... think? You're not her mother?"

She shook her head. "She's on her way," she replied and Ellie nodded. "She was at the gym. I'm just the moron that bought the box of peanut clusters for the kid who's allergic to nuts. My son wanted to give her a Valentine. She took a bite, and this happened."

The blonde looked down at the young girl. "Okay," she said, smiling softly at her. "Well, Clem, I'm gonna start you on a breathing treatment. And then I'm gonna give you an IV with medicine to treat the rash, okay?"

"Okay."

Ellie nodded. "Alright."

She began prepping the arm and the young boy, Nico, switched places with his mother. "Here," he said, holding out his hand. "If it hurts, you can squeeze my hand as hard as you want."

Ellie smiled softly at the interaction before taking out the needle. "Okay, Clem, here we go. You ready?" The girl nodded. "Okay. And... one... two... three." She pierced the skin with the needle and nodded. "Excellent. Good job, Clem. Okay, so we're going to start this IV and let the meds kick in. And once her mom gets here, a nurse will page me."

"Thank you," Karla said gratefully and Ellie smiled softly.

"It was very sweet of you to get her chocolate," she told Nico, crouching down to his level. "But maybe next time... ask if she has any allergies first." She sent him a small wink before leaving them alone. Once she had exited the ER, she found herself wandering the halls, eventually finding Jackson at a nurse's station. "Hey."

He jumped at the sound of her voice, effectively spilling his coffee in the process. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Uh—h—hi."

"Hi?" she replied, though it sounded more like a question. "Are you okay? You seem a bit—I don't know—jumpy."

"Me? Jumpy?" he repeated, shaking his head. "I'm not jumpy, you're the one who's jumpy."

Ellie looked around. "I'm standing still."

"Oh." Jackson nodded. "Then I am the one who's jumpy."

She tilted her head. "What is going on with you?" she asked him and he bit the inside of his cheek. "You don't seem like... yourself."

"I—"

"Ellie, Avery!" Mark called out to them and Jackson sighed as she looked over at her brother. "Come with me."

She frowned. "Why? Where are we going?"

"To play Rock, Paper, Scissors against Robbins," he replied and Ellie looked at him in confusion. They paused in a hallway and she leaned against the wall in boredom.

Arizona walked over to them. "You paged me for this?" she asked him. "Why would I do this?"

"Because it's fair," Mark said while Ellie looked between the two. "Because the three of us are equal parents to Sofia and this is the fair way to decide who stays in with her. Unless you'd rather raise her with no sense of fairness or decency... in anarchy and chaos." Ellie tilted her head. "Your call."

Arizona shrugged. "Okay. Fine."

"Best two out of three?"

"Best two out of three."

Ellie leaned over towards Jackson. "They do know that they have a free babysitter who is always up for babysitting her niece, right?" she asked him and he shrugged.

Mark and Arizona faced each other. "Rock, paper, scissors." Tie. "Rock, paper, scissors."

"Ha!" Arizona smiled in victoria. "My rock crushes your scissors."

Mark sighed. "Rock—hold on." Ellie and Arizona looked at each other. "Hold on. Time out."

"Time out?" they repeated in unison before the resident crossed her arms. "Since when are there time-outs in rock, paper, scissors?"

"Jackson, Ellie, huddle up."

The younger Sloan frowned. "No," she said, turning away from the pair. "Listen up, Arizona."

Mark looked at his sister, a sense of betrayal written across his face. "You're taking her side?" he asked and she glanced back at him. "I'm your brother!"

"And you dragged me over here for no reason," she replied with a shrug. "And besides... if I team up with her, I can beat you. You know I like to do that." He rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "Okay, I've known how to beat Mark since I could walk," she said, turning back to Arizona. "He always goes for scissors. Every time. Do rock. You'll win."

She glanced between the siblings. "Really?"

"Are you doubting my memory?" Ellie asked her and she shook her head. "Good. Do rock..."

Arizona nodded and Ellie stood behind her as they returned to their face-off. "Alright." Mark rolled his neck and his sister rolled her eyes. "Here we go. Rock, paper, scissors."

Rock.

Scissors.

Ellie smiled in victory. "Yes!"

"No!"

"I'm getting lucky tonight," Arizona said with a smile, giving Ellie a high-five. "Happy babysitting. Thank you, Ellie."

"Anytime!" She patted Mark on the shoulder. "You know, there was an easy solution to all of this. Ask your sister who loves her niece." Before Mark could reply, Ellie's pager went off and she looked down at it. "Crap." She took off running down the hallway and the two plastic surgeons looked at each other. She hurried into the ER and found Clementine struggling to breathe. "Alright, Clem, point where it hurts." She pointed at her throat and Ellie began examining her. "She's having a severe reaction. I'm sorry, Clem. It looks like we're gonna have to give you a shot."

"Okay."

Nico held out his hand once more. "Hand?"

"Yes, please."

Just then, a woman ran over to the bed. "Oh, Clem," she said, taking Nico's spot. "Oh, honey, you poor thing."

"Hi, Mom."

"She's gonna be fine," Karla told her, gesturing to Ellie. "The doctor's gonna give her a shot. She's on top of it."

"Well, I'm glad someone is."

"Look, I didn't know."

"The school sends home notes all the time," Clem's mother, Terri, said and Ellie glanced between them. "It's in every newsletter. She can't even be near peanut butter."

"I have a job, Terri, okay?" Nico's mother replied, mildly disgruntled. "And three kids. Excuse me if I don't read every note the school sends home."

Ellie cleared her throat, interrupting the two mothers. "I gave her a shot of epinephrine," Ellie told Terri. "It should do the trick." She smiled at Clementine. "And you'll feel better soon."

☀️

"WHY ARE YOU still here?" Terri asked Karla. "You can go."

"I'd love to," Karla said, letting out a sigh. "I'd love nothing more." Ellie glanced over from her seat at the ER desk. "But Nico won't leave until he knows that Clem's gonna be okay."

Terri frowned. "He's ten. Who's the parent here? You let that kid run wild."

"At least I don't hover over him, afraid to let him out of my sight," Karla retorted and Ellie let out a breath, holding her head in her hand.

"Well, maybe I need to hover because you and your son won't leave us alone," Terri replied. "What were you thinking, dropping him at my house today when I wasn't home?"

"He wasn't gonna stay," Karla told her in annoyance. "He just wanted to give your spoiled daughter a box of freakin' chocolates!"

"Well, stop giving us things! We barely survived the head lice he gave her."

"You have no way of knowing who gave who the head lice."

"Okay," Ellie said, walking over to the bickering mothers. "I'm sorry. But you guys can't be arguing in the middle of my ER. And... they're ten. They're in love and it's cute. Let them be cute. Because in about three years, they'll be teenagers and you'll be begging for them to be cute again."

"Excuse me, doctor?" Ellie looked at Nico. "Something's wrong with Clem. She's breathing funny."

She walked over to the bed. "Get me a size six E.T. tube!" she called out to a nurse.

"What's happening?" Terri asked her, following her to the bed.

"Her airway is shutting down," Ellie replied, removing her stethoscope and leaning Clementine back on the bed. "I'm gonna have to intubate."

"Oh, my God."

"Here you go, doctor."

Ellie took the tube from the nurse and glanced up at Nico. "He might not want to watch," she said and his mother turned him around despite his protests. "Give me some crike pressure." She angled the tube down her throat and looked up at the monitors. "Alright, there's good color change. SATs are coming up."

Terri looked at her. "What happened?" she asked.

"Anaphylactic shock," she answered, wrapping her stethoscope around her neck once more and letting out a breath. "We're going to have to keep her overnight and see how she responds."

"But—But she'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

Terri sighed and looked at Karla. "Now will you go? Please."

☀️

"NO, NO, NO!"

Ellie followed the sound of the shouts that led her out to the waiting room and saw Nico fighting against his mother's grip.

"Honey, we're leaving now," Karla told her son.

"No, I'm not!" he exclaimed, looking at her. "I promised Clem I'd stay with her!"

"Nico, don't make me pick you up. You're too big for this."

"Your mom's right, little man," Ellie said and he looked at her. "This is a little embarrassing. I'm getting embarrassed for you, kid."

"I don't care," he replied making her and his mother glance at each other. "What's Clem gonna think if she wakes up and I'm gone? She'll think that I don't love her."

Ellie pressed her lips together. "Uh... okay, how about this?" she asked, crouching in front of him. "I'll be there when she wakes up. And you're gonna tell me exactly what you want her to know. It's the next best thing."

"Promise?"

She nodded. "I promise."

"You're gonna need a pen and a pad of paper," he said and Ellie stared back at him while his mother smiled in amusement.

"Right." She pulled out a small notebook she kept in her pocket. "Lay it on me, kid." A short time later, Ellie walked into Clementine's room just as she was stirring awake. "Hey, there. How are you feeling?"

"Okay," she replied before looking around the room. "W—Where's Nico?"

Ellie smiled and sat down on the chair beside the bed. "Well, he wanted to stay, but—you know—how mom made him go."

"Figures."

"Yeah..." She nodded and pulled out the notebook. "But he did tell me a few things that he wanted you to know. So... here we go." She cleared her throat and began reading. "'Dear Clementine. I'm really sorry you're sick. But I'm not sorry you're my girlfriend.'" Ellie paused and tilted her head. "He moves fast, doesn't he? 'It's the worst, being alone on Valentine's Day... but I'm thinking about you right now. I'm thinking about holding hands with you and jumping on the trampoline together. I love you.' Wow. 'And p.s., I don't care who gave who lice. I'm just glad we both had it together. Love, Nico.'" Ellie looked up at the young girl. "You have a keeper, kid. Don't let him go. Those ones are hard to find."

"Do you have a someone in your life?" Clementine asked her and she shrugged, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, I have many someones."

"Someone romantic?"

"Romantic, huh?" Ellie tilted her head and clicked her tongue. "I can't say that I do. I did, but he's gone now. So, it's just me."

Clementine pointed at her. "You're turning red."

"I am not," Ellie contradicted with a playful frown. "You're red. There's a difference." Clementine laughed and the blonde smiled. "Dr. Karev is the doctor on-call tonight, so if you need anything, he'll be here, okay?"

Clementine nodded. "Okay. Dr. Sloan?"

"Yeah, kid?" she asked, turning back from the doorway.

"I hope you find your someone."

She smiled lightly. "Thanks, kid."

☀️

ELLIE KNOCKED ON Mark's door and it soon opened, showing him on the other side with Sofia in his arms. "Give me your daughter," she said and he raised his eyebrows. "Give me your daughter and go on your date with Julia, because no one should be alone on Valentine's Day."

"She's in surgery."

Ellie paused. "Oh. Well, then give me my niece because I want my Sofia snuggles." She walked into his apartment and looked around. "Are you cooking?"

"Well—"

"Is that Julia?" came Jackson's voice and Ellie looked over. "Because I can—" He paused when he saw Ellie. "Oh. Hi."

"Hi," she replied with a smile. "I didn't know that you were gonna be here." She glanced between him and her brother. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, well—" Jackson let out a breath. "He's helping me study for my boards because I haven't actually started yet..."

Ellie nodded and tilted her head. "Is that why you were acting all weird today?" she asked him, taking off her coat. "Because that's not going to stop you. Here—" She passed Sofia off to her brother once more and took the flashcards out of Jackson's hands, walking into the kitchen. "—make me a medium-rare steak and I'll quiz you. And maybe I'll make a salad, too."

"Really?"

"Duh," she replied, sitting on the counter. "I want to see you pass your boards. And I'm hungry. Plus, you make a really good steak."

Ellie looked over when she heard a knock at the door. "Why is everybody coming over here?" Mark asked, walking over to open it, and saw Lexie on the other side.

"Hey," she said as soon as the door opened. "I thought maybe the—uh—the girls could have a playdate. And—um—we could—uh—to talk—you know—about stuff 'cause there's some stuff that I've been wanting to say."

Ellie jumped off the counter and dragged Jackson with her. "We'll take the girls," she told them, taking Sofia in her arms and motioning for Jackson to take Zola. "And you two talk while we teach them how to cook. Well, Jackson teaches them. You know, I can't cook."

"I remember well," Mark replied and she stuck out her tongue at him.

She followed Jackson back into the kitchen. "You weren't just nervous today because you haven't studied, right?" she asked him and he looked at her as he set Zola down on the counter.

"W—What?"

"I know when you're lying, Jackson," she said, pulling Zola close to her and Sofia. "I don't think you'd do well at poker. You don't have a resting face. Anything I should be worried about?"

Jackson glanced down at the little girls who were snuggled up against their aunt and she hugged them tightly.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Nothing to worry about."

Ellie smiled, looking up at him. "Good. Then get to chopping, mister. There's a hungry group of people here now."

"Yes, ma'am." Jackson spared one more glance at Ellie as she made a funny face at the two girls making them laugh and he smiled softly at the sight. Nothing to be worried about at all...

☀️

━ author's note:

that man is in love... everyone knows it but them

anyway... three more chapters until jallie is officially official :)

I've literally been waiting for this day since I've started republishing chapters after the book was taken down. they mean so much to me and we can finally get to annoyingly-adorable jallie!