HI GUYS

So this is set after Callie and Arizona got married, imagining that they didn't have Sofia because they lost her after the car accident. It's before the plane crash and we're going to pretend it never happens, as I do every day of my life okay?

This Chapter is more of an introductory chapter, so it mostly sets up the main character's story. There will be more interactions between Elise and the grey's anatomy characters to come, don't worry.

Trigger warning – This series will contain descriptions of hate crime, and will contain references and description of self-harm and suicide. Please to not read if you feel like you will be triggered by any of this, or just aren't into it.

Please enjoy.

"We've got a Jane Doe, Approximate age 17; victim of battery with possible head trauma; lacerations to the scalp, chest and neck; a broken tibia; 3 broken ribs and a fractured shoulder bone" exclaimed a paramedic with a speed to fast that, in my state of shock, barely made any sense to me. But that didn't matter. I could tell it wasn't good. I could feel it wasn't good, because despite being trained in the art of keeping a stone face, the gravity of my injuries weighed down on her features, causing even her sympathetic smile to wither and rot until all that was left on her lips was pity.

The journey had been a lifetime, with every corner feeling like a never-ending roundabout and every bump feeling like the ambulance was falling into the centre of the earth. More than once the contents of my stomach came up violently as I writhed in pain upon the lightly padded, foam-like bed I had been strapped to. I was not allowed to move, they had said, in case I did any more damage than had already been done. So I had no choice but to stay still. I began to count to 10.

"You can always get to 10. No matter how tired or in pain you are, you can always get to 10. And when you get there, you start all over again.'

I thought back to when Emilia had told me this. A beer in one hand, a cigarette in another and a glorious smile stuck on her face as if she knew that she, and only she, was made of the sun, the moon and the stars all at once. To me, she was. My recollection was fuzzy as I tried to remember the last moments we had spent together but was jolted back to consciousness as a school of eager and restless interns shuffled over to get a good look at the freak show.

"Jesus Christ-"

"She's just a kid-"

My heart began to beat as they talked about me in hushed voices.

"$10 she got beaten by her boyfriend-"

"$20 she got jumped-"

I felt the familiar snake of anxiety start to twist its way from my gut. All I wanted to do was scream at them to stop talking about me like I wasn't there, but somewhere along the way, the words got stuck in my mouth.

"She didn't get jumped dumbass, look at her! She doesn't have anything remotely worth stealing-"

"Well, that's because they stole everything-"

More and more interns joined to give their input until their sentences merged into one, the cacophony of noise booming over me as if I were standing next to the loudspeakers at a heavy metal concert, the beat ringing in my ears and my chest vibrating with panic every time a word was said. The snake began to wrap itself around my windpipes, closing off my only source of oxygen and my breathing became jagged. I gasped for air and began to thrash around on the bed, tears rolling down my cheeks as I realised I was having a panic attack. All the came out of my mouth were whimpers.

"Shut up" A voice boomed over the whole ER, causing everyone the freeze in their place, including me. "Shut up, all of you. We have a patient who is scared and alone right now and all you can do is place bets over how she got here? Have you forgotten who you are? If you don't get your asses out of my sight by the time I finish speaking, yall better hope you're the next Jesus Christ, because you'll be walking on thin ice. ALL INTERNS ARE BANNED FROM THIS CASE UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY SAY OTHERWISE… WHICH I WON'T! Is that understood?"

The blob of interns that had previously been gathered around my bed quickly dispersed with terrified whimpers.

"Grey; page Robbins, Sloan, Shepard and Torrez 911 quickly! We're going to need all hands on deck and we're running out of time."

I felt the bed begin to shudder as it began to move quickly again, this time by the pushing of booming voice lady. As we manoeuvred past the multitude of busy and bustling nurses all trying to get to very important patients, I realised that this woman was the definition of 'small but mighty'. Coming to about 5'4, she was most definitely one of the smallest people in the room but made up for the shortcoming with a voice that mirrored years of experience and a tone that told me she was undoubtedly in charge. The African-American woman's lips were pierced tightly together, in a way that made it obvious she was judging you from the moment you entered the room, and her eyebrows were furrowed into a serious expression.

"My name is Doctor Bailey," She told me gently once we had reached trauma room 1. She talked slowly as if she thought I was brain damaged as well as everything else. I would've laughed if I hadn't been in so much pain. "Can you tell me yours?"

"Elise" I managed to rasp, my voice unrecognisable and wavering as my upper lip started to tremble.

"Good, that's great Elise. Okay, I need you to follow the light with your eyes, can you do that?"

I grimaced at the feeling of sharp pain shooting up my left side but nodded, following with my eyes as Doctor Bailey shined the torch into my left eye first, and then my right, moving in circular motions.

"You could just stay at my place?" Emilia hinted, grinning mockingly at me as she slid her hands around my hips to cup my curves with gentle and loving hands. She knew as well I did that I wasn't allowed.

"You know I can't" I complained, turning away from her before I blushed and beginning to walk towards the bike rack. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back before I could make any progress.

"Stay with me then?"

"Are you crazy? It's like, winter out here Emilia! Are you trying to get us killed?"

Emilia pouted and took my hand in hers, her fingers intertwining with mine and smirking at me when she saw my face soften. She always won.

"Fine" I gave up, a smile spreading across my lips as she squealed in delight. "As long as I'm back before curfew. You know how they get when I miss group therapy"

"Wouldn't want you getting into trouble now would we?" She told me playfully, throwing her arms around my waist and pulling my in closely.

"So, uh, you got any plans? Or are we just going to freeze together, make a political statement about global warming and the effects it has on…."

"Lesbians?" She chuckled, finishing my sentence for me as I struggled to find the right words.

"I was going to say 'care kids'"

"Uh-HUH"

"Seriously though, have you got any plans, I'm freezing?"

"Oh, I've got a few…"

Before I had a chance to react, Emilia had pulled me into her own body and placed a soft but passionate kiss on my lips for the first time. My legs turned to jelly as I reciprocated the act, and I couldn't help but grin from beneath the kiss at the predicament I'd found myself in.

That's when I heard them.