My Heart Beats For You
Written to celebrate Brittany Snow's March 9 birthday. As many of you know from previous postings, my favorite Bella is Chloe Beale. [See A/N at the end for the full prompt].
Beca Mitchell laid on her side with her head in her hand, staring down at her sleeping wife. She was in constant awe that Chloe Beale had agreed to marry her, and four years later, she was more in love with her than ever.
Chloe stirred, and Beca gently reached over and pushed a strand of hair off Chloe's face. Chloe scrunched her nose and swatted at Beca's hand, causing her to laugh.
"Good morning, beautiful," Beca said softly. "Happy Birthday."
"Mmmm," Chloe responded, stretching before opening her eyes and looking up at her wife. "Good morning."
Chloe rolled over and put her arms around Beca, pressing a kiss to her lips. Beca fell into the kiss and rolled the two of them over so Chloe was lying on her back.
"I would love to continue this," Beca said, giving Chloe a quick peck. "But I have to get to the studio."
"But, it's my birthday," Chloe whined, wrapping her arms and legs around Beca to hold in her place.
Beca laughed. "I know, and I promise I'll be home early so we can celebrate."
"Fine," Chloe said, moving her legs but continuing to keep her arms around Beca's back. "But, you owe me some over the top birthday sex later."
"Noted," Beca said. "I'd better get dressed and out of here, so I can come back and fulfill your every birthday wish."
"Lucky me," Chloe said, pulling Beca down to kiss her again. "I think I'll be lazy and stay in bed for a while."
"You deserve it," Beca said, reluctantly moving off Chloe to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'll text you when I know what time I'll be home. Maybe it will be early enough for a late lunch."
"Sounds good," Chloe said, snuggling back under the covers.
Beca stood and kissed Chloe on the forehead. "I'm going to shower."
Beca took her shower and quietly moved about the bedroom as she got dressed. Chloe had fallen back to sleep, and she didn't want to wake her. Beca kissed her wife's forehead and left the bedroom.
Beca made her way to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. She grabbed an apple from the counter and bit into it while she waited for her coffee. Once the cup was ready, she fixed it to her liking and poured it into her insulated cup. She grabbed her keys, laptop bag, and wallet and went to the garage.
Beca left the garage and started the forty-minute drive to work.
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Beca had been gone just over two hours when Chloe woke to the sound of her work phone. She squinted at the clock and groaned as she sat up.
Chloe picked up the phone and read the text from the hospital's notification center. She immediately called her best friend, Aubrey, who was on duty today.
"Chloe," Aubrey answered. "I'm guessing you saw the notification."
"Yeah," Chloe said. "I'm off today, can't Dr. Maxwell handle things?"
"Unfortunately, no," Aubrey responded. "This is an all hands on deck situation. There was a multi-car crash on the freeway, and we're expecting an influx of injured. So far, we know there are three severe cases with life-threatening injuries. A female that was speared in the chest by a pipe that flew off the back of a truck is the most critical. She was still trapped as of ten minutes ago. They hope to have her out of the car and transported here in an hour or so. Chloe, the pipe entered her chest close to the heart, but the medics on the scene can't tell how bad it is because they have to move slowly to extricate her. The pipe is currently keeping the bleeding to a minimum. We have no idea what we'll find once she gets here. You're the best around, and we need you."
Chloe let out a sigh. "Okay. I'll be there in an hour."
"Thanks, Chloe," Aubrey said. "Be careful."
Chloe ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed. She made her way to the shower.
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Dr. Stacie Conrad stood outside the emergency room doors waiting with other doctors and nurses for the first wave of patients from the accident.
"Do we know anything about how many patients we can expect?" Stacie asked Dr. Morgan.
"No," Dr. Morgan responded. "This first wave will be those with minor, non-life-threatening injuries. We have three that are said to be very serious. Dr. Beale is on her way to handle what we believe to be the most critical patient; she's got a pipe lodged in her chest close to her heart. The other two will be seen by myself and Dr. Swanson. Dr. Conrad, I'll need you to manage the ER as victims come in. Keep the trauma rooms open for the three most critical. And put ORs one, two, and three, on standby for them."
"Yes, sir," Stacie said.
"What did I miss?" Aubrey asked as she rushed out and stood next to Stacie.
Stacie filled Aubrey in as the first ambulance arrived. Things got busy fast as one ambulance dropped off patients and quickly restocked and left to return to the scene.
"What do we have?" Stacie asked as the EMTs brought in a patient.
The EMT spit off vitals and known injuries.
"Okay," Stacie said. "Bed 2. Dr. Nixon, this one's yours."
Dr. Nixon followed the gurney to Bed 2 and proceeded to oversee the patient being moved to the bed. The EMT's quickly removed the stretcher and rushed out.
The emergency room was orderly chaos as doctors and nurses rushed to take care of every patient that came through the doors. Stacie checked the board and looked around.
All patients, except for the one that sounded the most critical, had been received at the hospital.
"So far, so good," she thought.
"Dr. Conrad," a nurse called out. "Dr. Beale's patient is on her way. ETA is five minutes."
"Got it," Stacie said. "Brey!"
"Yeah," Aubrey called out.
"Chloe's patient should be here in five minutes."
"Okay," Aubrey said. "I'll take her until Chloe gets here."
"I'm putting her in Trauma 1," Stacie said.
"Got it," Aubrey said and ran to change her gown as she called out, "Jessica! Ashley! You're with me."
The two interns, as well as two nurses, followed quickly behind Aubrey as Aubrey spit off instruction.
"Jessica, find a portable x-ray machine and bring it here. Watch over it with your life and have it at the ready when I call for it."
"Yes, Dr. Posen," Jessica said, running to do as Aubrey ordered.
"Ashley, make sure there's an ultrasound machine available. I'm sure Dr. Beale will want it."
"On it, Dr. Posen," Ashley called out as she ran out of the trauma room.
The nurses began setting up trays and turning on the equipment. Aubrey watched over them and helped set things up.
"Brey," Stacie said from the door of the trauma room. "She's here."
"Showtime, ladies," Aubrey said as the gurney was wheeled in.
Aubrey quickly assessed the patient and knew they would have to manage somehow to move her from the gurney to the table.
The woman was on her right side with part of the pipe still sticking out of her chest. The pipe was tied and taped down to reduce any jarring. The pipe had been cut down so that only an inch was sticking out of her back. The front had about three inches showing.
Her body was strapped down to keep her from moving. Her head was propped up to relieve some of the pressure on her back and chest.
She had a bandage covering the left side of her face and her hair was matted with blood.
"I have the portable x-ray," Jessica said from the other door to the trauma room.
"I need all hands here to move her to the table," Aubrey said, looking at the EMTs. "You, too, Jessica."
The EMTs moved the gurney as close to the bed as they could. Jessica and Aubrey stood on one side and reached across the exam table to grab the sheet under the patient.
The two EMTs stood on the other side, ready to help lift and get the patient on the table.
"On my three count," Aubrey said, causing everyone to tense at the ready. "One. Two. Three."
Everyone moved slowly and in sync. The EMTs immediately removed the gurney.
The nurses helped remove the tape from around the pole. One of them removed the patient's shirt, and Aubrey began checking the patient's back. She sighed and shook her head.
"This is bad," Aubrey muttered. They needed Chloe.
"Stacie, call Chloe and tell her the patient is here," Aubrey shouted out. "Ask her how far out she is."
"Got it," Stacie said and ran to a phone in the emergency room.
"Hello," Chloe's voice came over the phone.
"Chloe, it's Stacie," Stacie said. "The patient Brey told you about is here. She's taking the lead until you get here. She also wants to know how much longer you'll be."
"I'm stuck in some traffic but should be there in about twenty minutes," Chloe responded. "What do we know so far?"
"Brey's checking her out, but it looks bad Chloe," Stacie said. "They had to cut the pipe to get her out of the car. There's no telling what additional damage that may have caused."
"The pipe is still in her?" Chloe asked.
"Yes," Stacie responded. "It was keeping the bleeding down, and they figured we would want some control over things when the pipe was removed. She also has a laceration on her left cheek. We can take care of that by the time you get here."
"Okay," Chloe said. "Um, tell Brey to get chest x-rays and also have the ultrasound ready when I get there. I'll want to check her heart so I can assess how bad the bleeding is."
"Got it," Stacie said. "See you in a few."
Stacie ended the call and ran to tell Aubrey what Chloe had said.
"Jessica, bring in the portable x-ray," Aubrey said. "Ashley? Is Ashley-"
"Right here, doctor," Ashley called out.
"Which OR is open?" Aubrey asked.
"OR 1," Ashley responded.
"Please go make sure it's ready for us," Aubrey instructed.
"Yes, doctor," Ashley said and rushed out of the room.
"Her vitals are weak but steady," Stacie said, checking the monitors. "Do you need me on this?"
"No, we're good," Aubrey said. "But stay close."
Stacie nodded and left the trauma room.
Jessica walked in with the portable x-ray, and Aubrey directed her to get pics from both the front and back. Jessica did as instructed and moved the machine to x-ray the chest first. She pushed the patient's hair from her face and furrowed her brow. She gently moved the woman's head to get a better look at her.
"Dr. Posen?" Jessica said, her face ashen.
"What?" Aubrey snapped.
"This is Dr. Beale's wife," Jessica said.
Everyone in the room froze.
"What?" Aubrey cried out and rushed around to look at the patient. She felt as if her heart had stopped when she saw that the woman on the table was indeed Beca Mitchell. "Oh, my God! Stacie! Stacie, get in here!"
Stacie came running back into the room. "What is it?"
Aubrey motioned Stacie over to where she stood. "It's Beca."
"Oh, fuck," Stacie said, looking down into Beca's face. "We have to tell Chloe."
Jessica gently laid Beca's head back on the pillow.
"No!" Aubrey yelled. "We can't. Not yet. Chloe is the only one who can help Beca. We have to figure out a way to have Chloe operate without letting her know it's Beca."
"Brey, we can't do that," Stacie said. "We have to tell her."
"I have an idea," Aubrey said. "Get Dr. Morgan in her stat."
Stacie ran out of the room as Aubrey turned to order Jessica to get the x-rays done.
Jessica did as ordered. The x-rays were completed as Dr. Morgan came into the room.
Aubrey quickly filled him in on what was going on. "If we can get Beca prepped and into the operating room, we can have Chloe do what needs to be done without her knowing it's Beca."
"This is highly unusual," Dr. Morgan stated.
"I know, it's not ideal," Aubrey said. "But we don't have time to find another heart/trauma surgeon. Chloe is the best at what she does and is the only chance Beca has of surviving this. I believe it's the only way."
Dr. Morgan looked torn. He let out a heavy sigh and said, "Do it."
Aubrey went into hyper-drive and told Jessica to have Beca wheeled to OR 1. She told Stacie to intercept Chloe and let her know that her patient was being prepped. She also told her to give Chloe an update on what they had done so far to provide them with a few extra minutes to get everything ready.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Stacie said.
"So do I," Aubrey muttered as she rushed off to get everything ready in the operating room.
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Aubrey started barking orders to the OR team. Beca was placed facing away from the scrub area so that Chloe would approach Beca from the back. Beca's hair was bunched up and tucked under a surgical cap.
Aubrey quickly scrubbed in and rushed into the OR. A nurse helped Aubrey with her gown and gloves.
Aubrey looked all around the table Beca was laid out on. She went to her head and asked Jessica to clean and stitch the laceration.
It took a few minutes, and when Jessica was done, Aubrey had her put a large gauze bandage over it to cover most of Beca's face.
Aubrey and a nurse set up the bypass machine. Once everything was in place, Aubrey noticed Chloe scrubbing in.
"I think we're okay," Aubrey said to no one in particular.
"I need to see the x-rays," Chloe said as soon as she entered the OR.
A nurse quickly helped with Chloe's gown and gloves. Another nurse stuck the x-rays onto the viewing light, and Chloe examined them carefully.
"Is she completely under?" Chloe asked.
"Yes," Aubrey responded.
"Where's the ultrasound?"
"Here, doctor," Ashley said, her voice quivering a bit.
Aubrey gave her a harsh glare.
"Do we have someone who can help with getting that pipe out of her chest?"
"We have two of the interns standing by," Aubrey said. "They're just waiting for your instructions."
"Okay," Chloe said, positioning herself at the table behind Beca's back. "Let's do this. Ashley, can you guide the wand over and around the pipe from your side?"
"Yes, doctor," Ashley said.
Ashley slowly worked the wand around the pipe, and Chloe kept her eyes on the machine.
"Stop," Chloe said, and Ashley immediately complied. "Shit."
"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked.
"The heart looks stable, but it looks like the pipe nicked an artery in her chest," Chloe said. "There's a large pocket of blood around her heart. We need to move fast, or we're going to lose her. Get those interns in here. The first thing we need to do is get that pipe out. It's going to take perfect timing, and we'll have to work quickly to control the bleeding."
Two interns came through the door and stood on the opposite side of the operating table from Chloe.
Chloe took a deep breath. "I'm going to need you to pull on this pipe slowly and stop as soon as I tell you. You'll have to hold onto the pipe while I work on her from behind. Understood?"
"Yes, doctor," the interns say together.
"I'll stay here and help keep an eye on things from this side," Aubrey said.
"Thanks, Brey," Chloe said. "Okay. You ready, Jessica?"
"Ready," Jessica said.
"Ashley?"
"Ready, Dr. Beale."
"The next few minutes are going to be crucial," Chloe said, looking around at everyone in the room. "My orders are going to need to be followed immediately. Does everyone understand?"
There were nods and "yes, doctor."
"Here we go," Chloe said and looked at the interns. "You two start pulling straight toward you until I say stop."
The interns both held onto the pipe and slowly pulled. Chloe bent over and watched as the pipe started moving back into Beca's body.
"Stop," Chloe said. "Lap bandages."
The OR nurse started handing Chloe the bandages. Chloe wiped the blood from around the wound.
"How are her vitals?" Chloe called out.
The anesthesiologist rattled off Beca's vitals.
"Good, good," Chloe mumbled. "Start pulling again."
Chloe would have the interns stop pulling so she could wipe the blood from around the wound. The pipe had been pulled enough to have the end no longer visible.
Chloe placed a surgical bandage over the wound on Beca's back to keep the bleeding to a minimum.
Removing the pipe was painstakingly slow, but Chloe didn't want to risk tearing the heart or causing any more unwanted bleeding.
Aubrey took over, cleaning the blood from the wound on the chest as the pipe was removed. Chloe wanted to move to assist, but there was no more room on the other side of the table. She stood rigid as she looked over the patient's side to watch as the last of the pipe was pulled free.
"It's free," Aubrey finally called out.
Chloe placed several bandages on the wound and applied pressure.
"Turn her over so I can open her chest," Chloe said.
Aubrey and one of the interns slowly turned Beca onto her back, as Chloe continued to apply pressure to the wound.
Once Beca was lying on her back, Chloe removed the bandages and held out her hand, calling out, "Scalpel."
The surgery had begun. Chloe was deep into Beca's chest, checking to ensure there weren't any other injuries to the heart. The nicked artery was close to the heart and was going to take some time to repair.
"Let's get the bypass machine going," Chloe ordered.
Chloe and Aubrey worked together to get the bypass machine connected and working.
"How am I so privileged to have the great Dr. Posen assisting today?" Chloe asked while they waited for the machine to fully take over the work of keeping Beca's heart alive.
"Just lucky, I guess," Aubrey responded.
Chloe smiled from behind her surgical mask. "How are we doing?"
Aubrey checked the monitors and said, "You're good to go."
Chloe nodded and asked for clean gloves. Once they were on, she started working on repairing the nick near Beca's heart. It took longer than Chloe would have liked, but she was able to repair the tear.
"Dr. Smith," Chloe said. "There appears to be some blood coming from somewhere around the heart. How do we find where it's coming from."
"Um," Jessica said. "We need to use our fingers to feel for any anomalies around the heart."
"Very good," Chloe said as she did what Jessica had told her. "I found it."
Chloe was able to close off the bleed. She and Aubrey both looked to make sure there was no more bleeding.
"How long has she been on bypass?" Chloe asked.
"Seventy-eight minutes," the nurse responded.
"Let's turn off the bypass," Chloe said.
The nurse did as instructed, and all eyes were on Beca's heart; watching to see signs it was able to beat on its own. Suddenly, the monitors were beeping, and everyone started moving.
Chloe reached into Beca's chest and put her hand around Beca's heart.
"Starting pulmonary compressions," Chloe said. "Get the paddles ready."
Chloe gently squeezed the heart.
"Come on, come on," Chloe muttered. "Beat, dammit!"
Aubrey stood, watching as Chloe tried to get Beca's heart beating. Knowing it was Beca on the table brought tears to Aubrey's eyes. She immediately blinked them away. She couldn't break down in front of Chloe. Not yet.
The heart monitor beeped once. Chloe continued to massage the heart gently. The monitor beeped again, then straight-lined.
"Paddles," Chloe called out.
The nurse handed Chloe the heart paddles, and Chloe placed them inside Beca's chest, one on each side of the heart. Chloe pressed the button, and the heart jumped.
"Still nothing," was called out.
"Shit," Chloe said, placing the paddles once again inside Beca's chest. She pressed the button, and the monitor beeped.
Chloe waited and watched the monitor. The beeping was very slow. Chloe handed the paddles back to the nurse and put her hand inside Beca's chest and began to massage her heart again gently.
After a few squeezes, the heart monitor returned to a slow, steady rhythm. Chloe let out a sigh and removed her hand from Beca's chest.
"She's back," Aubrey said with a smile. "The heart is doing its job. Nice going, Dr. Beale."
"Yeah," Chloe said. "Let's finish her up."
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Chloe gave final instructions to have the patient moved to the cardiac ICU. She and Aubrey walked out of the ER, exhausted.
Chloe pulled her surgical gown and mask and tossed them in the bin. She then took off her cap, using the cap to wipe the sweat around her hairline before tossing it in the bin as well.
"I need to call Beca," Chloe said. "She was supposed to come home early so we could celebrate my birthday.
"I need to tell you something," Aubrey said as she watched Chloe open her locker and pull out her phone.
"What is it?" Chloe asked as she looked down at her phone with her brows furrowed. "Huh, no messages from Beca. That's weird."
"Beca was involved in the accident this morning," Aubrey said quickly.
"What?" Chloe asked, standing rigid as she looked at Aubrey. "Is she here in the hospital?"
"Yes, she is. She's, uh, she was the woman you just worked on," Aubrey replied.
The blood drained from Chloe's face, and her breath hitched.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, Chloe. You were the only one who could help her. It was my idea not to tell you, so if you want to yell at someone, yell at me."
Chloe couldn't breathe. "Oh, my God," she whispered, trying to take a breath.
Aubrey pulled Chloe into her arms. "Take a deep breath, Chloe. Let it out."
Chloe did as Aubrey instructed, and Aubrey watched her closely.
"I need to get to Beca," Chloe said and pushed Aubrey away.
Aubrey grabbed Chloe again. "Not until you calm down."
"I am calm," Chloe said, her eyes wide and a bit panicked. "Don't I look calm to you?"
"No, you don't," Aubrey said. She sighed and added, "Please, Chloe. Beca still needs Dr. Beale. You can be Mrs. Mitchell once we check on her, and we know she's out of the woods."
Chloe took in a deep breath and let it out. She stood there for a minute and got herself under control.
"You're right," Chloe said, looking more like the no-nonsense Dr. Beale everyone was used to seeing. "I'm fine now, and I'm going to go check on her."
"Is it alright if I come with you?" Aubrey asked with tears in her eyes.
Chloe smiled at her. "Of course. But don't think I'm not done yelling at you yet."
"Duly noted," Aubrey said, smiling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Shall we go, Dr. Beale?"
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Three days later, Chloe was sitting at Beca's bedside.
"You should go home," Stacie said from the doorway. "Dr. Maxwell is taking good care of Beca."
"I know," Chloe said. "I've been reading her chart."
"Of course, you have," Stacie said with a laugh. "You should still go home. Take a shower, change your clothes, eat something that isn't from the hospital cafeteria, but mainly get some rest. It's been three days, and you haven't left her side. We get it; you love her."
Stacie gave Chloe a cheeky smile and wink.
Chloe smiled. "I do, I really do."
"Brey and I are both on duty tonight," Stacie said. "If anything happens, we'll call you immediately."
Chloe sat up in her chair and stretched her back. She reached over and gently stroked Beca's cheek.
"I can't leave her," Chloe said.
"Chloe," Stacie said, walking over to stand next to Chloe. "Beca would tell you the same thing. Go home. If you want, Brey or I will get someone to cover for us and go with you."
Chloe looked at Beca and then at Stacie. She let out a breath.
"Please, Chloe," Stacie said. "We're starting to worry about you. Seriously. Just go home for a few hours, and then you can come back."
"Maybe you're right," Chloe said. "Do you think Brey can find someone to cover for her? I'm not done yelling at her, and it would be much easier to do at home."
Stacie laughed and said, "I'll make sure she can leave with you."
"Okay," Chloe said. "Tell Brey she has an hour or else I'm staying."
"Yes, ma'am," Stacie said and left the room.
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
Two hours later, Chloe and Aubrey were sitting on Chloe's couch.
"I do understand why you did it, Brey," Chloe said. "And, I'm not mad about it anymore. I promise."
"I'm glad," Aubrey said. "And, for the record, I would do it again without thinking twice about it. I knew there was only one person who could pull off what you did."
"Thanks, Brey," Chloe said, yawning. "I'm glad I didn't know Beca was hurt. If someone else had come in with her injuries, I would have been worried about Beca instead of concentrating on what I had to do for them."
Chloe yawned again, and Aubrey smiled.
"Go get some sleep," Aubrey said. "Stacie is supposed to call if anything changes with Beca."
"Thanks, Brey," Chloe said as she slowly stood and stretched. "And thanks for dinner."
"Good night, Chloe," Aubrey said.
Chloe made her way to her bedroom and fell into bed. She pulled Beca's pillow to her and held it tight against her chest. She was asleep in seconds.
Chloe woke the next morning in the same position she had fallen asleep. She stretched and checked the time.
Chloe sat straight up in bed when she heard someone coming down the hall outside her room.
"Beca?" Chloe called out.
"Sorry," Aubrey said, standing in the doorway, holding up a cup. "I was making you some tea. Why don't you shower and get dressed? We can go to the hospital when you're ready."
"Right," Chloe said, wiping her hands down her face.
An hour later, Chloe and Aubrey were making their way into the hospital when Aubrey's phone rang.
"Hey, Stacie," Aubrey answered. "Chloe and I are on our way up to Beca's room."
"Hurry up," Stacie said excitedly. "Beca is starting to come around."
"We'll be right there," Aubrey said, ending the call. She grabbed Chloe's wrist and started speed walking to the elevators. "Beca's waking up."
Chloe rushed into Beca's room to find Dr. Maxwell chuckling.
"She's a little loopy from the pain medicine," Stacie whispered to Chloe.
"Oh," Chloe said. "May I talk to her, Dr. Maxwell?"
"Please," Dr. Maxwell.
"Miss Mitchell," Chloe said, causing Beca to turn her head toward her. "I'm Dr. Beale, and I'm the one who operated on you. Do you recall what happened?"
"Dr. Beale?" Beca mumbled. "You're hot."
"Thank you," Chloe said, smiling.
"I'm, uh, I," Beca said, frowning. "I hurt. My chest."
"Adjust her morphine," Dr. Maxwell told the nurse standing next to him.
The nurse did, and Chloe started talking to Beca.
"You're going to be sore for a while," Chloe said. "I need you to listen to me so I can tell you about your injury."
Chloe sat in the chair next to Beca's bed. She slowly told Beca everything that had happened three days before. Chloe was sure that Beca wasn't taking in anything she was telling her, but she felt she needed to tell Beca everything anyway.
Beca's eyes were drooping, and she kept nodding off but waking back up a few seconds later. Chloe knew she needed to rest, so she held Beca's hand.
"I love you," Chloe whispered as she brushed Beca's hair back from her forehead.
"I love-" Beca started to say and fell asleep.
"This is good," Dr. Maxwell said. "She needs to rest so she can heal. We'll slowly take her off the morphine, and you can try and talk to her again when she's more aware."
"Thank you, Dr. Maxwell," Chloe said.
Dr. Maxwell left, and Aubrey and Stacie stood by Beca's bed.
"I have another hour on shift, and then I'll be back to see how Beca's doing," Stacie said, kissing Aubrey before she left.
"She's got a long road ahead of her," Aubrey said
"I know," Chloe said and sighed. "I'm just glad she's still here."
"Me, too," Aubrey said.
~ My Heart Beats For You ~
One year later, Beca woke to Chloe gently placing soft kisses down the scar on her chest.
"Good morning," Beca mumbled, causing Chloe to look up at her.
"Good morning," Chloe said, smiling as she laid her head on Beca's chest.
"I love you," Beca said.
"I love you, too," Chloe repeated back.
"It's your birthday, so what do you want to do today?" Beca asked.
"Can we just lay here for a while?" Chloe asked. "I just want to hold you."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Beca said, pulling Chloe closer to her.
Chloe snuggled her forehead into Beca's neck and retraced Beca's scar.
"Why do you do that?" Beca asked, looking down to watch Chloe's fingers. "It's not very attractive."
"I think it's beautiful," Chloe said. "It's a reminder that you're still here."
Beca pulled back to look down at Chloe. "I love you, too."
"Do you know what my favorite sound in the world is?"
"Me telling you I love you?" Beca asked, running her hand down Chloe's back.
"I like hearing that a lot," Chloe said. Beca could feel Chloe smiling against her chest. "But it's not my favorite sound."
"Okay, so what is your favorite sound in the world?"
"The sound of your heart beating," Chloe said softly. "And I thank God every day that I still get to hear it."
"You know my heart only beats for you," Beca said.
"That was cheesy, Mrs. Mitchell," Chloe said, pulling back to look at Beca.
"Maybe it was, Mrs. Mitchell," Beca said. "It doesn't make it any less true."
"I love you, you cheeseball," Chloe said, leaning up as Beca leaned down to kiss her.
A/N: This prompt was originally submitted for Valentine's Day 2020, but I already had all that I needed and said that I would instead use it for my annual Brittany Snow birthday BeChloe story. It's late, but I hope you enjoy it.
Full prompt from Tumblr User Anonymous: It's Valentines Day (changed to Chloe's birthday), Dr. Chloe Beale should be holding flowers and heart-shaped chocolates to celebrate the occasion. Instead, she finds herself literally holding her wife's heart in her hands, willing it to beat again as she performs the only surgery of her career that her whole world depends on. Beca Mitchell never thought she would ever end up on her wife's operating table. Guess the universe had other plans.
A/N: I am not a doctor or a surgeon. I did some research on heart surgery and used some of what I learned, interspersed with things that sounded good, to write the surgery portion of the story.