"You really need to try the sandwich," Gray said to Wes as she walked inside Maxwell Hospital. They'd been arguing over their favorite restaurants in California. "Jack's restaurant is amazing and you should really try it out. I can't believe it, you stay in California but you'd never heard of Jack's restaurant, uh..you're missing out, Wes."

"How in the world do you know about this restaurant when you barely stayed here?" Wes, the head of security asked as he followed Gray inside the hospital.

Gray smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I lived here for years, babe. I just moved out for few years and now I'm back again," Gray replied, her heart clenching slightly when she thinks about the reason of her moving back to California.

"Jesus, woman, you better do something before anything happens to my girlfriend." The growling voice came from her left.

Wes' eyes widened.

Gray's spine snapped straight, and she turned to look at the ER. Gray's eyes moved towards the man who just shouted and then towards the female doctor who looks like she might faint any second from now. There's another doctor and few nurses standing beside them but they don't look they can handle the man.

The guy had blonde hair, average height, brown eyes and looked decent enough but his behavior wasn't something Gray approved. Being a doctor herself she faced fair amount of asshole patients and bystanders but, though she understood their emotions, she never liked it.

The guy scowled at the female doctor. "You should know what to do. Yo-"

"Sir, step back," Gray snapped stepping towards them, Wes behind her.

"Who the he-"

"Is the patient your girlfriend?" I ask, nodding at the unconscious woman as I use the sanitizer.

"Yes but who ar-"

Gray turned towards the female doctor who stared at her with wide brown eyes. "Are you a resident?"

"Intern," she whispered. Ahh! That explains the nervousness.

"What's your name?" Gray asked as she stepped towards the unconscious patient.

"Hannah," she replied on the verge of tears.

 Gray turned towards the other doctor. "I'm Dr. Collins, second year ER resident."

"Hmm. So Hannah, could you please start an IV while I check the patient?" Gray asked but there was a tone of order in it.

"Bu-" Dr. Collins started but stopped when another voice interrupted her.

"Dr. Gray, it's good to see you again," Nurse Clarissa Lydia said and Gray smiled wide. Nurse Clarissa Lydia was in her early fifties and close friend of her Aunt Flora.

"Nurse Lydia, it's been a while."

"Yeah," she replied and then turned to Hannah. "Do as she says."

"Okay," Hannah muttered as she started with the IV. Gray thought as she checked the patient.

"What happened?" Gray asked the guy who looked like he's loosing his mind.

"We were shopping for grocery and suddenly she fainted. She has been throwing up since Wednesday but we thought it was just a flu," he replied, his voice breaking.

"Hmm." Gray smiled when the woman opened her eyes. She continued asking the patient questions as she checked her vitals.

Gray turned to Dr. Collins who looked at her in suspicion. "Did you check her blood tests?" 

She shook her head. "It just came in," she muttered. 

Gray took the file from her and checked the reports. She turned to the man. "Nothing to worry. Her blood pressure dropped and that's why she fainted among other reasons."

"Other reasons?" The man asked, furrowing his brows.

"I'm not confirming anything but I would suggest you to check with an obstetrician. You're positive for hCG and I think you might be pregnant, ma'am." Their eyes widened for a second before they smiled at each other.

She turned to Nurse Lydia. "Is Danielle or Dr. Evans in today ?"

"Yeah, Danielle is seeing patients today but Dr. Evans is not," Nurse Lydia. Gray nodded before towards the patient. "They'll set up an appointment with Dr. Danielle Maxwell. She's an obstetrician and she can give you more details."

"Thank you, doctor," the patient whispered, tears in her eyes.

I smiled at her before turning towards the man. "Mister?"

"Colt. Caleb Colt."

"So Mr. Colt, next time you enter I would suggest you to have control over yourself. We try our best to save the patient whether you yell at us or not but remember; you yelling can only cause harm than benefit. I get your concern but yelling is only going to delay things. They'll handle it, they know what they're doing," Gray finished, her voice loud and clear. The guy looked embarrassed by his behavior and he apologized to Gray and then to Hannah and the others.

Gray gave instructions to Dr. Collins. "Thank you, Dr. Gray," Dr. Collins said, her face calm and relaxed. "We are used to such things, still sometimes it's never easy and it's Hannah's first day in the ER department."

"Where's Dr. Wilde?"

Dr. Collins eyes widened. "You know her?" Gray nodded her head. "She's taking off to take care of Dr. Gary Wilde, her husband. He met with an accident last week. Which department are you from? I never saw seen you before."

Gray just smiled without answering before she moved towards the exit around with Wes. She turned around when she heard footsteps only to find Hannah rushing behind her. "Thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without yo-"

"You could have," Gray said, interrupting Hannah's sentence. "If you believed in yourself then you could have done something. You know the standard procedures, start with that and then try your best to find a doctor who can carry on from there. People shout and cause scene, it's normal. They're concerned about the people they love, they've nothing against you. So next time you treat a patient, do it with your brain and heart instead of your fear. You have the skills, all you need is to believe that you can do it."

Hannah stared at Gray with wide eyes as she absorbed her words. "I..I will."

Gray nodded, satisfied with the reply. "You're going to be a doctor, if you don't accept it then nobody else will."

With that sentence, Gray walked out of the center along with Wes without giving another glance at the young doctor who stood there grinning brightly.

---------------------------

"You look..." Uncle Ben, her first uncle trailed off as he stared at her. "..nice?"

Gray rolled her eyes as she stepped inside her father's huge office. "I know I lost some weight. Arizona was hectic."

"It's always hectic, doesn't mean you don't take care of yourself," Benjamin Maxwell replied, frowning at her.

"So, why did you ask me to come here all of a sudden? I'm sure there's a reason," Gray said, deciding to change the subject as she settled on the couch. She looked at Mark Maxwell, her dad's youngest brother who called her yesterday- ordering for her presence in the hospital.

Mark gave her his charming smile which told her that she's not going to like what he's going to say. She turned her gaze towards her Uncle Ben.

"You know the chief of surgery met with an acc-" I was right.

"You want me to work as the chief of surgery?"

She turned her head to look at Henry Maxwell, her father who is already staring at her. Her father is a hard man to read, always careful with keeping a straight face but right now she could see the concern filled in his blue-gray eyes. Not for the hospital or the problems around it but for Gray, his daughter who just had a tough time in another state, away from him. She smiled at him and his body relaxed immediately. The concern replaced with warmth and love.

Jesus! They're really tensed about me. Gray thought. She should have done a better job in convincing her dad and uncles that she's perfectly fine.

"You already knew?" Uncle Mark asked, frowning at her.

Gray winked at him. "I try to keep myself up to date." She grabbed the cup of coffee placed in front of her. "There are many who are much more qualified than me. It's very unconventional to choose someone my age, especially considering that I have never worked here before."

"I know," Benjamin muttered. "But we want some trust-worthy right now and who knows this hospital much better than you."

"Something going on?"

Her father nodded. "Some miscalculations in imports and something is not right. The management part is not very smooth. Anyway, I did offer Margaret the position but she doesn't want it and in the absence of Dr. Wilde, it's a mess."

Gray nodded her head. "I'll take the job."

Mark grinned while Ben raised his brows. "But?"

She clasped her hands together. "Only until Dr. Wilde comes back. I don't like being the chief of surgery and I'm not really interested in the management part, at least not yet. I'm still young."

Henry Maxwell chuckled. "It's temporary, don't worry. We're not going to push you for more. We didn't focus much on the hospital and now it's going out of our hands. We need a fresh start and change in the management. Just five months and then you can get back to being just the cardio-thoracic surgeon. I'm just a bit disappointed that it has come down to this."

"It's going to be fine, Papa. I'll help you." Henry smiled. "What's the deal with Dr. Matthew Evans? Heard some rumors."

Benjamin nodded his head. "Dr. Matthew Evans, excellent general surgeon and one we trust but it's been hard on him."

Gray raised her brows.

Mark continued. "He was in a relationship with one of the residents from cardiology. They broke up and things went wrong. One of the investor, Mr. Flores is her father and he has some connections inside the hospital. We don't have the details but he has made it hard for Matthew. The break up and the rumors have been tough on him. He should be the head of GS but it's someone with less experience who got the position."

"You let it happen?"

Mark shook his head. "Dr. Perez is the medical director and he's the one who decides it. Apparently he's a friend of Mr. Flores and by the time the news reached me, it was too late."

"I heard the new head of GS quit," Gray replied.

"Yeah, but Dr. Perez is planning on appointing someone other than Matthew. I'm planning on talking to him about it. There's something fishy about him but I just can't find out a way to kick him out. I can't do it without a proper reason," Benjamin muttered.

"Leave it to me, I'll see what I can find," Gray replied. "Okay then, I'm appointing myself."

Henry chuckled as he stood up and others followed his move. They moved towards the conference where she meets the head of almost every department and few doctors which she assumed are the attendings. All of them were already seated. There was rustling of bodies in their seats as they walked in. Her dad moved to the podium along with her uncles, giving a nod of his head to Dr. Michael King, Chief of Medicine, the best friend of her father and uncles who is sitting on the end in the first row.

Gray drew a deep breathe as she entered the room. Gasps and muttering filled the room when her cousins and brothers caught the sight of her. She did a quick scan to notice Danielle and Alex in the second row staring at her with wide eyes. Xavier was in the first row smiling brightly at her. Alex raised his brows at her in question. She just smiled at him in return.

Her father has never been one for pomp, sugar coating, or long segues. He cuts right to the chase. "I know you all have heard about the accident of Dr. Wilde, Chief of Surgery. So as of today, we're appointing Dr. Gray as the chief of surgery. Everything is the same just as earlier except the fact that Dr. Gray is in charge."

No one utters a word. Not a sound is made. This tells her that indeed, everyone has already either heard the news or scared to interrupt her father.

Her father continues on, making firm and clear statements about her qualifications. At thirty four, Gray is proud of everything she had achieved in her professional life. She is a surgeon who is listed in the top ten surgeons of the country and she earned it with her hard work. Not a second in her life was wasted.

She brushed off her thoughts not wanting to think about anything else right now. As she half listened to her father talk with pride about her achievements and success rates she let her eyes roam over the group. The two front rows are composed of the head of each department whom she knew very well. Few of them smiled at her and she could sense their excitement in seeing her here. Most of them were friends or acquaintances who like her more than she can imagine.

She always had a job here in her dad's hospital but she didn't want an easy access here so she decided to work somewhere her family had no control over her job. Her eyes pass over the next row only to find a pair of blue eyes that are settled on her. He's not watching her father but rather her, and she find herself unwillingly sucked into those dark-blue eyes.

She didn't immediately move her gaze on, but rather took an unfettered moment to appreciate his bold handsomeness. He's a doctor for sure but she didn't see him before. He looks like a huge wall, dark hair, liquid blue eyes, and a beard of what looks like no more than three days' growth. When she met his gaze again, she could sense anger and some judgment in those eyes. She can see it in his eyes, the tilt of his chin, the set to his shoulders. He has something to prove and that's fine by her unless he crosses a line.

Her dad steps away from the podium and gives her a wink. He sweeps a hand out, indicating that she now have the floor. She shakes her head at him, not wanting to do the speech part. He nodded his head as he pulls her for a hug, surprising Gray.

Normally, Henry Maxwell would have gone with a handshake even for his daughter because he respected her enough to value her and not take everything into his hands but right now he couldn't do that. He needed to give an assurance to his daughter that he's with her when she needs him after everything his baby girl has gone through.

___________________

Hey!

Matt is here finally!!! Hope you all enjoyed it.

Don't forget to comment, vote and share my story. Waiting for your valuable feedback.

Allison