Knocks Me off My Feet
In the morning, Miranda and Ben enjoyed their breakfast, laughing and talking—she imagined that this is how it would be if they ever moved in together. The thought made Miranda's heart drop into her stomach. They wouldn't be officially living together for a while and it made her sick thinking about it. "Miranda, what are you thinking about?"
She waved him off. "Nothing, my love." She smiled to deter him and it seemed to work. She looked up and saw the desk attendant, Monica, eating and reading alone in the corner two tables. Each woman lifted her respective orange juice in a silent toast.
Their flight had been delayed, but they didn't know that until they arrived at the airport. Ben put his head on Miranda's shoulder and fell asleep. She checked her missed messages and social media while listening for their plane to be called. A distorted message from Scotty made her pity her friend's cell carrier. Miranda's ears perked up when she heard their gate called and she turned her phone off. On the plane, Miranda felt jumpy. Her stomach was queasy. She squeezed Ben's hand. "You're okay?"
"I think that breakfast is trying to come back up," she told him.
"It's just the slight turbulence with the plane." She nodded. "Plus, we're almost home."
He picked up her hand and brushed it against his lips. He kissed her wrist. "Are you getting another day's rest before you go back to the hospital? Or are you jumping right back into it?" She gave him a knowing look. "Or did I just ask a question I already know the answer to?" The two of them chuckled lowly as the plane rumbled.
"I'm doing an overnight shift tonight. I miss cutting folks," she said while closing her eyes. Miranda laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. When she woke up, there were only two other people left on the play and they were gathering their things. Miranda rubbed her eyes. "So I guess no one was going to wake us up?" She asked out loud.
Ben chuckled and pulled down their carry-on bags. "Right. We probably would have ended up in Tennessee somewhere."
She laughed and gestured for him to hand over her bag. He ignored her and they strolled toward the exit. "Got two more sleepers," a flight attendant called out when she saw them.
Miranda shook her head. Dragging their feet, the couple made their way to the parking lot. Back at her house, Miranda sat in an arm chair with her legs underneath her, looking around. A pair of Ben's shoes sat near the steps. One of his jackets hung on the coat rack. He laid on her sofa, stretched out, his finger tips almost touching the ground, his ankles crossed. The sight was so gratifying.
"Doctor Bailey?"
"Yes," she said.
"What are you thinking?"
"You first," she said diverting the attention away from her and her thoughts.
"Well, you asked me what I was thinking about before we left and I told you that I'd tell you later." She straightened her spine and swiveled the chair a little so that she could face him. He put his head back and smiled up at her. Then he sat up. "Come and sit next to me." She shook her head. "Fine, I'll come and sit next to you."
She laughed. "There's no room for you over here."
"I could just slide between your l—"
"Benjamin Warren!" Miranda blushed. "You always have to go there." He chuckled loudly and watched her move in his direction. She sat next to him, leaving a small space between them. Ben put his arm on the back of the chair. "So what were you thinking about?"
"I don't want to leave."
"I know you don't."
"But when I was in surgery before we left and even before I went into those surgeries, I was feeling so…" He ran his hand over his mouth, stroking his beard a little. "Unsatisfied? Yeah, that sounds right. I was unsatisfied."
"You wanted more," she added.
He nodded. "I practically had to drag myself into the OR," he smirked.
"I know that feeling."
"You do?" He asked, shocked.
Miranda twisted her lips to the side. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't feel the need to ask me that." Ben's free hand landed on her thigh. He looked at her, his brown eyes penetrating her soul. "Before I decided to leave General, I sometimes felt like maybe the path that I was choosing wasn't the right one or challenging enough. Sound familiar?"
He nodded knowingly. "Yes."
"Do you want to have that conversation now?"
Ben sighed. "No, not really," he answered with a laughter that shook the sofa. Miranda joined in, entranced by the sound of their joy.
"Well…" She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Tell me."
"Not yet."
"Then I'll keep kissing you until you tell me." She skimmed her lips against his skin. When her lips found his, he smiled into her mouth.
"Then I'm never going to tell you." She pulled away. "Fine!" She smiled and inched closer to him, throwing her legs over his lap. "I love you."
"I know," she said quickly. Her heart was pounding, vibrating in her ears. She tried to concentrate, but she could only hear the large muscle crashing inside of her. She was so nervous. What was he about to say?
"I just feel like…" He stopped talking and held her tighter.
"Just spit it out."
"I don't have any claim over you."
"Huh?"
"Or your future."
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"Just what I said."
"And yet I'm still confused," Miranda said sassily. She squinted her eyes.
"You have such a bright future. And Tuck, my God, he is so amazing. And I want to be there for you two, but you don't owe me the burden of waiting." She opened her mouth to remind him that she wanted to be with him whether they were in the same city or not. But, he lifted his hands, pausing her. "I know we said we wanted to try and I will. But I don't want you to have to put your love life—your happy ending or beginning on hold, for… for me."
Miranda licked her lips. She gritted her teeth to stop a smirk from leaving her lips. His vulnerability and humbleness were two things that made her fall for him every day. He stared at her waiting for her to speak. She just searched his eyes, trying to find the right words that would put him at ease. To put her at ease. "I don't want anyone if they're not you." She touched his chest. "Don't you have faith in us?"
"Of course I do."
"Then where is all of this coming from, Ben?"
He scoffed. "I just want you to be happy. I want to make you happy."
"I am. You do. As long as you don't hurt me, I'm yours."
"Good." Ben exhaled, satisfied. "But there is one thing."
"Okay, shoot." There was the pounding again. He moved closer to her and pushed her back on the sofa. He climbed on top of her, pushing their bodies together. "It's like that?" She asked.
He nodded and kissed her quickly. "So since we were out of town, Karev had to reschedule our game."
"Okay?"
"It's today."
"Benjamin!" He made a shocked face. She wasn't buying it. "What time?"
"In an hour."
"You jerk!" She hit his chest.
"Ow!"
"'Ow' my ass." Ben kissed her neck, turning her on. "Stop," she whined. "F-okay."
"Okay?"
"I already said it once."
"Have I told you lately that I love you?
"Mmmhmm." Miranda put her lips to his. The kiss started off soft and sweet. Just as she was about to deepen it, his phone rang on the table. He reached over to pick it up and she touched his face to keep him there. He smiled as she lifted her head off of the chair and kissed him passionately. They kissed a little longer, as the phone buzzed loudly. Miranda felt her body thumping.
He rolled off of her and picked up his phone. "What?!" Ben said into the phone. "Bruh, I thought the text said seven!" Ben looked at his phone as Miranda looked at her watch; it was just about to hit six o'clock. "Damn, we're on our way." He dismissed the call and got off of the bed. He turned to look at Miranda who was on her way up the stairs. Ben followed her and headed to the bathroom. In her room, Miranda got undressed and pulled out some clothes. She grabbed a pair of mid-thigh black shorts and a black short-sleeved compression shirt that she found in the mall. She wasn't really in the mood for playing yet, but she knew the feeling would come back the moment she saw the court. Her boyfriend came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of black shorts. "You're ready?"
"Sure."
In the car, Miranda commented that she was a little hungry. "Baby, we're already late."
"My stomach is rebelling."
"I have some granola bars in my bag."
"I'm not an owl," she said cracking up.
Ben groaned and shook his head, joining in. "Please, just eat the bars and we will have something delicious tonight."
"Tonight?"
"Yes."
"You promise?
"You have my word."
As they ran to the first court, butterflies double-dutched in her stomach. She was so nervous. "It's about time you two got here!" Alex yelled. Ben and Miranda apologized, slipping into their jerseys with "Code Blue" plastered on the front. "That douchebag was trying to get us to forfeit. Tell him you were in surgery."
"We were in surgery, chill," Ben said.
"If surgery was you on top of me," Miranda said out of the corner of her mouth for only her boyfriend to hear.
"You're so fresh," Ben gasped. They stretched quickly and hurried onto the court. "Where's Ross?"
"He's on his way," Alex said. The game started. Miranda, Ben and Alex took the floor as another game continued on the other side. Miranda finally got a good look at the other team and noticed that they were much different from the first team they'd played. They were younger and way more athletic. She read their shirts, "Trauma Drama". She rolled her eyes; this team already had on their game faces while Miranda was still struggling from the plane ride. The ball was tossed into the air and Ben tipped it to her. She held it on her hip, daring someone from the other team to get near her. One guy about the same height as Ben took a few steps in her direction still leaving quite a bit of space between them.
"What are you doing?" He asked. His black curly hair kind of reminded her of Tuck's only longer.
"Come over here and find out," she egged. The guy chuckled and inched forward in his defensive stance. One of his teammates laughed, too. He turned around to join in and as soon as he did, Miranda put the ball on the floor, dribbling past him. His laughing teammate, a guy with the short brown hair and a huge nose, tried to help. She passed the ball to a cutting Alex and he scored easily. With the score at 8-6, Miranda stood at the top of the key with the ball on her hip. Curly was back in front of her. He was a light-skinned young man with big ears and a beard that rivaled his hair. He was standing a foot away, his long arms waving, daring her to pass or to move so that he could strip the ball from her. She jabbed her foot to the right giving herself some space to dribble. She made like she was going to the basket while she waited, Alex came over and set a pick on Curly, temporarily immobilizing him. She drove to the basket and put up a shot. It slipped through the net, extending their lead to 10-6. On defense, she dropped back a little giving him some room. She was smarter, but he'd proven to be faster. She watched him calculate the distance between them. He took a few dribbles and picked up the ball. She jumped in front of him as he went to shoot and tapped the ball away.
"Damn it!" His voice carried across the court. She laughed and passed the ball to Ben who gave his man a head-fake and laid the ball off of the backboard. "Shit!" Curly yelled.
"Language," Miranda said. Curly gave her face. She smiled.
"Good move, Dr. Bailey!" Ross called out from the sideline. Curly touched the ball up with her and she passed back. He took one quick dribble and pulled up for a three-pointer. It went through the net smoothly.
"Shit!" She said balling up her fists.
"Language," Curly reminded her. She gave him a look as she glanced around the court. What she saw were five men, all professional and very attractive, but her eyes landed on the one that made her heart skip and her stomach dance. She looked into his eyes and he winked. In a trance, Curly slapped the ball out of her hands and it bounced out of bounds, breaking their intimate moment. Damn, she thought. Ross went to the table and subbed in for Ben. Miranda caught the ball from Ross and wiped off her shoes. She rocked back and forth with the ball, pushing it from her right hand to her left.
"C'mon, lady, are you going to do this all daggone game?" Curly's question snapped her out of her daydream.
"Why? You haven't managed to stop her yet," Alex called. She watched her opponent hesitate before deciding not to turn around. Both Shane and Alex came up and set picks on both sides of her defender. Another defender picked her up, but she was already one step ahead and driving to the basket. She could feel a guy on her back and bounced the ball back to Alex, or maybe it was Shane, who was cutting behind her. She got out of the way and turned around to see Shane contorting his body for a reverse layup. Ben jumped up and down on the sideline. They would both be so sore and so tired later. Miranda almost wanted to call out so that she would have time to ice her body. She laughed to herself. The game went on a little bit longer. And with her team up by almost ten and the clock reading forty-five seconds, Alex inbounded the ball to Shane and she waited on the wing.
"Gonna try to get a shot up over me?" Curly asked.
"As soon as I get an inch or two," she chuckled.
As the clock wound down, Miranda ran from one side of the court to the other. Shane passed her the ball and she shot the ball before Curly could get in good position. But the shot was too hard and bounced off the side of the basket. She roared underneath her breath. "Ahh! Sub!" She waved Ben back into the game.
"That's it?" Curly said.
"You know as well as I do, that y'all don't really stand a chance of coming back," she answered over her shoulder going out of the game. She bumped into Ben, glowering at him for a second before she broke into a wide smile.
"Nice game, sweetheart," he said and ran into the game, high-fiving her. After the game, they shook hands with the other team.
"Great game," Curly said shaking his head in disbelief. Miranda cracked up. She walked slowly to the parking lot, limping noticeably. She groaned.
"You could just call out. Grey would pick up the shift for you," Ben urged.
"No," Miranda said wincing. "I'm all good."
He nodded, unconvinced. "Right."
He held the door open as she took her time sliding into the car. As he walked around she called out softly: "Ahh!"
She put a fake smile on as he got into the car next to her. "How much time until your shift?" He asked pulling out of the park and into traffic.
"I have some time to kill before I, uh, have to go in."
"I know what that means," he said reaching over to touch her shoulder. She winced again. "I knew it," he said laughing. "We're so sore, Miranda. Let's go home." He lowered his voice. "Take a hot bath, have that dinner I promised you. Relax."
She pretended to think about it for a second. "That sounds good, but…"
"I get it." At a red light, he bit his bottom lip. "At least we have a little bit of time."
She slapped at his hand. "Get a hold of yourself, man."
"I'm trying to get a hold of you," he smirked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Well then, why don't you put your mouth where my mouth is?" She challenged him. Her question was more than suggestive, borderline blunt. Ben looked in his rearview mirror and pulled over. She gasped loudly. "Not now!"
"No time like the present," he told her putting the car in park and turning off the engine. He turned to her and put his hands on her cheeks. "I'm going to kiss you now." He leaned in slowly, so slowly that Miranda felt time tick unhurriedly. She licked her lips waiting—trying to be patient, but failing every second. "Miranda, I love you so much."
His words were so real, his admission so sweet it made her skin tingle. Even more than her sore bones were. Her arms and legs quivered. "I love you,—"
Her head jerked forward, narrowly missing the dashboard. She rocked back and hit her head on the headrest. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Beside her, Ben yelled, his voice filled with fear and anguish the likes of which she never wanted to hear again. Before she closed her eyes, she glanced over at him lying on the deployed airbags, his body still.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see where lights. Red and blue lights. All she could see were lights. And sirens? Were those sirens? And why were they so loud and so damn close? "Ma'am?! Sir?!"
"Yeah," Miranda said holding her head. It was throbbing and she could feel it in every part of her body.
"Can you hear me?" Someone asked.
"You're yelling. Why wouldn't I be able to hear you?" She snapped. "Ben?"
"Stop… ugh, being so… sassy, woman," Ben groaned. Miranda exhaled and her head pounded more.
"What happened?" He asked.
"You two were in a car accident—side-swiped," the voice answered. "We're gonna put collars on you two to stabilize your necks."
"We're fine, really. We're doctors." The paramedic said something else. "And it's more my head than anything else." As she spoke, tears fell from her eyes.
"We're still going to do this." She and Ben were pulled out of the car and onto gurneys. He was close enough for her to reach over and take his hand. His fingers stroked her knuckles, trying to soothe her. She closed her eyes for a second and when she opened them, she saw Ben struggle to take deep breaths. She yelled out for the help that was already being provided as the gurneys were moved in different directions. In the ambulance, Miranda wasn't able to stay calm. One the paramedics noticed and started to talk to her. "So, um, you said you were a doctor?"
"Surgeon," she commented softly. "Ahhh!"
"Just relax, ma'am, we're on our way to Seattle Pres."
"No, we have to go to Grey Sloan."
"Are you sure?"
"It's where we work," she insisted trying to sit up.
The medic held her shoulder gently, but with force. "Just stay put, ma'am."
"What did our car look like?"
"Wasn't the worst I've ever seen," they admitted. "Got hit pretty good though."
Miranda felt a curdling in her gut. "I'm going to be sick." The paramedic handed her a bag and she leaned over and threw up. When she was finished, she took a deep breath. "Uh, name?" Miranda said clenching her fists.
"Yours?"
"No, yours."
"Oh, Lorena," the paramedic said. Miranda was grateful to finally put a name to the person who'd been keeping her company on the longest trip to Grey Sloan that she'd ever taken in her life. Getting to the hospital, familiar voices hit her ears and both anxiety and relief spread like wildfire through her body. She'd only been on the table a couple of times in her life; when she'd gotten her appendix taken out when she was eight and when she'd given birth to Tuck. Here she was again, on a table in her hospital and not able to help herself.
"It's Bailey! Warren's right behind her!" Miranda recognized the voice of Trauma surgeon, Owen Hunt, yelling. Lorena moved away as Hunt took over rolling her into an exam room. He moved an inch and the bright lights hit her eyes, she winced. Hunt's thick voice called to her: "Are you alright?"
"The lights."
"No lights, Bailey. Miranda, stay away from the lights," someone else said. She knew that voice: Callie. Miranda smiled. She was in such good hands.
"No, you crazy girl, the lights are too bright."
"How's the pain?" Callie asked.
"We're managing it," Hunt answered.
"They've kicked in. I feel them." Callie laughed. "Ya'll give good drugs here," Miranda jumped in. She heard laughter and soon she stopped listening for voices and could only hear the white noise of the doctors working on and around her. She closed her eyes, sinking into a deep sleep. What seemed like only a few minutes later, her eyes opened and she moved, yelling, she was in so much pain. He back was aching. She looked around the room.
"Miranda? You okay?" A deep voice responded.
"Ben?"
"No, baby girl, it's Tucker."
She watched him stir in the darkness. "What are you doing here?
"I'm still your emergency contact."
She visualized him smirking. "Right." He touched her hand. And turned on the light, dimming the room. "Where's Ben? How is he?" Miranda looked through the glass on the door. "And Tuck?"
"Tuck is with Jaida."
"And Ben?"
Tucker licked his lips and dragged his chair closer to her bed. The look on his face made her heart drop. She knew that look. Immediately her mind went to the worst possible thing. How did she and Ben go from a romantic weekend and an impromptu make out session to lying in the hospital? "Okay, look, I need you not to try to get up and I need you not to panic."
"Just tell me."
"Y'all were in an accident."
"I know that."
"You're going to be okay."
"I didn't ask about me. I know how I feel. But get my chart. I want to see what they're saying."
"Sure." Tucker started to get up.
Miranda touched his arm, "Not before you tell me about Ben."
"Okay, um, Pierce, the cute one from the park…" Miranda nodded, making the pain worse. "She said that Ben was having a lot of chest and stomach pain."
She groaned. "He was having problems breathing." The door to her room opened and Maggie walked in.
"Oh, good, Doc, I don't know what I'm talking about—save me," Tucker said holding out his hands.
"What does she know?" Maggie asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"I'm right here. And something about Ben having a pain in his chest." Maggie took a step toward the bed. "Is there more?" She didn't answer. "There's more, isn't there?"
The cardio surgeon nodded, her curls bouncing, distracting Miranda for a quick second. "Warren came in with amplified chest and stomach pain."
Miranda inhaled, "From the crash, right?"
Maggie nodded. "Miranda…"
"Let me see him."
"I don't think that's a good idea right now," Maggie said. Miranda sat up and pushed the covers off of her body. Maggie touched her hand and Miranda pulled away.
Tucker jumped in: "Yeah, Mandy, but they need to make sure you're okay first."
"I'm fine." She arched her left eyebrow. "Take me now or I will get up on my own."
Miranda observed Tucker shaking his head and shrugging. He knew that she would do it and he relaxed his shoulders about to concede. "No, you won't," a baritone voice said. "Lay down, Miranda." She looked to the door to see Richard standing in the threshold with his hands on his hips, his power pose. They stared at each other, neither backing down. Richard stepped into the room. "You can go later."
"I will go later," she said fiercely.
"Fine."
"Now, just tell me how he's doing," Miranda demanded.
"He'll be fine. You both will be fine." She licked her lips and sunk her head into her pillow. "His liver should still be viable for the resection. But we'll run tests to be sure of course."
"What?" Miranda asked.
"To be given to his sister. Oh gosh, what's her name?" Richard shook his head.
"Which sister?" She inquired.
" Um, she's older with the daughter,"
"What?" Miranda said again. Now her head wasn't just ringing from the accident. "Angela?"
"Angela! Right! So, the transplant will most likely happen as planned."
"I don't…"
"Angela. Liver cancer. Warren's a match." Miranda didn't respond. "Was amnesia in her chart?" Richard asked.
"No," Maggie said. Miranda watched the faces of the three other people in the room. "There was nausea, but no amnesia."
"Maybe it's an aftereffect of her concussion," he said as if Miranda wasn't right there. "Run some more tests. Do some blood work."
"It's all a part of her full workup," Maggie answered.
Miranda was still stunned. And was only hearing every other word. Her head was throbbing ceaselessly. Angela was in the early stages of liver cancer? And Ben knew? And not only did he know and was keeping it from her, but he was about to have major surgery? Nothing was making sense anymore. Someone called her name. "Yeah?" She said absentminded.
"Miranda, do you know who I am?" Maggie asked.
"Yes," she sighed. "You're my mentor's biological daughter." Miranda watched Richard blush.
"What about me?" Tucker asked with a slight smirk.
"Even if I had full on amnesia, I'd know who you were," she answered. "But I don't have amnesia. I…"
"You just didn't know," Tucker finished. "He didn't tell you."
She shook her head and a tear rolled down her face. She wiped it away quickly. "I'm tired. I think I'm just going to go to sleep. Get some rest." Tucker, Richard and Maggie agreed. "Please, please let me know if anything changes with Ben."
Maggie started to object, such a stickler for rules. She had a lot to learn about the workings of Grey Sloan Memorial. "Of course," her mentor said cutting her off. The other two doctors left the room.
Tucker pulled a chair to the side of her bed. "I will be back in the morning. Tuck and I." She nodded again. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"I really am."
"Thank you, Dump Tuck. And call my parents please. Tell them I'm okay, but that they don't have to come."
"Already done." Her ex-husband stood up, waved goodbye and was gone.
Miranda was in such pain. She woke up and looked up at the clock above the door. Four o'clock. She buzzed her nurse and asked for her intern. Samantha Cameron trotted into the room. "I need to go and see Warren. Now. Please." Cameron didn't say anything. She left the room silently. When she came back, she was pushing a wheelchair. In his room, Ben was up watching TV.
"There's my girl!" He said turning off the show he'd been watching. His smile was wide and she could tell that it was genuine. "I'm so glad to see you, baby. How are you? Ange and Jaz just left." A chill ran up her spine at the mention of his sister. "…asking and asking about you, but they wouldn't tell me much of anything. And I get it. I do. But I was so worried about you."
"I'm fine," she murmured.
"That crash was nothing minor. Are you even supposed to be moving about? They told me that I had to stay in bed."
She ignored his question. "You're having surgery?"
Cameron left quietly, sliding out of the door. "No, I'm all good." She twisted her lips to the side and listened to see if he'd spill the beans about what she already knew. "...a few bumps and bruises, plus a nice gash on the forehead. Oh! And a concussion and some chest pain." She wanted to laugh as he listed his ailments. "…that's about it. Cakewalk."
"I think you missed something." A lump in her throat appeared.
"What?" He said gesturing for her to get closer. She shook her head, her body aching with each movement. "Uh, what did they say? Pierce wouldn't tell me anything."
"Nothing. Just a concussion." He nodded. "And they think I have amnesia because I don't know or 'remember' anything about a damn liver resection and cancer!" The lump cracked and a tear fell from her eye. "Does Angela have liver cancer?" Ben licked his lips a little and dropped his chin, not breaking their eye contact. His silence said everything. "I thought so."
"I was going to…"
"What?" He opened his mouth and stopped. "Let me guess! You were going to tell me?" She scoffed.
"Yes, of course."
"When, Ben?" He cracked his knuckles. "When Knox put you under or when Grey was about to cut you open? Or, hmmm, when I had to come and visit you at the hospital for your weeklong stay?" Miranda played with the belt of her robe.
"You're right."
"I know I am. I just don't want to be."
Ben didn't speak and neither did she. He waved her over again. Miranda sighed and rolled over to him, allowing him to take her hand. His touch made her jump. He pulled her closer and winced. "Sorry, sorry, baby." He kissed her hand. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to, but the words just wouldn't come."
"You somehow managed to tell Tucker."
"He's my best friend. I couldn't keep it from him."
"But you could lie to me?!" No answer. "How… how am I supposed to trust you again?"
"Because you know me, Miranda."
She swallowed hard. "Apparently not."
"Don't."
"I can't believe you, Ben! We said we wouldn't keep any more secrets and you keep one probably the size of Angela's tumor." Miranda was so exhausted and so mad. She almost laughed, but only more tears fell. She felt like she was going insane. "These aren't for you. These are from… from… exhaustion," she said before he could tell her not to cry.
"I know."
They were quiet for a long time. An uncomfortable silence that they were unfamiliar with lingered in the room. "You know, you said you wouldn't hurt me."
"I won't."
"This hurts."
"Miranda, it's not—"
"Don't you dare say that it's not a big deal or I will rip that IV from your hand." She closed her eyes and heard Ben exhale. "I need to go. My stomach is in knots. I need to get some sleep or eat or get some more Tylenol or something."
"Miranda." Ben's voice was soft. It tugged at her heart and made her want to forgive him and maybe she should have, but she was beyond pissed. This wasn't about him not calling or forgetting to come over. There had been more than a few opportunities to tell her and he'd failed.
"No, you don't get to call my name like that." Miranda watched a smirk flicker on his face and disappear as quickly as it'd come.
"Miranda."
"What?"
"How many times do I need to say that I'm sorry?"
"Until I feel like you didn't betray me."
"Can I come and see you in the morning?"
Miranda glared at him, her face unchanging. "Tucker will be there."
"Don't do that. Don't try to make me jealous."
"I'm not," she told him, unsure if she was telling the truth or not.
"So?"
"I… I just don't know."
A knock on the door revealed two interns. "Doctor Bailey, we were instructed to take you back to your room. And Doctor Warren, it's time for your medicine."
"Holy hell, they give good meds here."
"I said that!" She exclaimed. She smiled and then pulled in her bottom lip to erase it.
"I love you," Ben said.
She loved him, too. She loved him so much that she didn't even want to leave his room, much less the side. But she was so furious with him—and it had nothing to do with the crash. The accident was just the catalyst for the sudden shift in their relationship. Could she really trust him again? If the roles were reversed, would she have told him? She hadn't told him immediately when she thought she was pregnant, but this seemed different. Wasn't it different? "I know." Cameron wheeled her to the door. Maggie and Richard both came inside the room. "I'm going. I'm going."
"No, no, lovebirds, we're not here to kick you out," Richard said with a smile. "Yet."
"We have your results." Maggie waved some papers around.
"Both of ours?" Ben asked. "Are they good?"
"Yes. Sure." She turned to Ben. "Do you mind if your…"
"My what?" He said quickly.
"What's with the theatrics?" Miranda asked impatiently. Maggie scratched the back of her left leg with her right foot. "Oh! She wants to know if you mind if I hear your results. Privacy and whatnot."
"You're so mad at me, I feel like it's probably best for me to say 'yes'." Everyone in the room laughed except for Miranda. "I don't mind."
Richard crossed his arms. "And what about you, Bailey?"
"Fine. Fine."
"So," Maggie started. "The accident didn't seem to do too much damage to you two. You're very blessed. Both of you are emerging relatively unscathed." They nodded. "Warren, everything looks good. The gash will heal. And the chest pain should resolve itself with minimal medication. And there was, um, n-no major damage to your liver. So, the, uh, resection will still go on as, uh, planned."
Miranda made a noise. "The surgery everyone knew about except for me."
"I said I was sorry."
"Sorry that I found out?"
The two interns, Richard and Maggie watched them argue. "Sorry that you found out the way you did and that I wasn't the one to tell you."
The only response that she could come up with was: "Whatever."
"Alright, that's enough," Richard said interrupting the couple.
"What about Miranda? How is everything with my lady?" Ben asked. She cut her eyes at him and he raised his eyebrows.
Maggie nodded. "Oh! Everything looks good. No amnesia."
"I said that," Miranda added.
"Amnesia?" Ben said, confused. Richard shook his head not wanting to start his mentee up again.
"We're managing your concussion; Shepherd has checked your scans. And since Warren was on the side that got swiped, once your concussion symptoms subside, you'll be back to normal."
"Whatever that is," Ben said under his breath. The interns chuckled. Miranda shot them a look that made them hold their breaths until she no longer held them captive with her eyes.
She sighed. "I'm tired and ready to go back to my room. Is there anything else?" She stared at Maggie. "I'm fine, right? No other damages—kidney, my liver, spleen, heart…"
Maggie looked through the documents. "Yeah, yeah. Seems you're all good." She flipped the papers some more. "And so is the baby."