I had gotten accepted into the medical program at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in Seattle, Washington. I had kept a tight lip on where I had been accepted and I planned on telling them all tonight at the dinner we were going to.

"Where will you be doing your internship?" Renee asked as she linked arms with me and we made our way slowly through the crowd to the parking lot.

Alice tripped and fell to the ground dramatically and I gasped when I saw this. Alice never trips. Ever. I rushed over to help her up, seeing she wasn't hurt in the least.

"Jeez, Alice. Are you okay?" I asked as she took my hands and let me help her stand. I caught Emmett's sly smile from the corner of my eye and when I turned my head to look at him, I saw Alice make a face at her brother.

I would never understand those two.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you Bella. These shoes don't fit right." She complained before straightening out her outfit and linking my arm with hers. I glanced back at Charlie who mouthed 'wow' with wide eyes and I nodded. Alice is the most graceful person I have ever met. She sighed heavily as if embarrassed and I chuckled softly when she rolled her eyes at herself. "So where are we going to dinner? My treat."

"No, no, no!" Charlie and Renee both protested. "Our treat. We're the parents."

"Yeah, but she's rich." Emmett joked and Alice stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shut up. I am not. I just want to treat everyone to a fantastic meal. Please?" She asked, as she turned around and started walking backwards so she could give my parents puppy dog eyes. I pulled my arm from hers and walked correctly or I would be the next one on the ground.

Charlie and Renee exchanged a loaded glance and I smiled when my dad's shoulders sank. "Fine. You and I will split the bill. Please." He sort of asked.

Alice's grin was wide. "Sure! We can do that. Where to?" She spun around, easily linking arms with me again and tugging us down the sidewalk of the road that led to Oxford Parking.

My mouth was practically salivating at the possibilities. "That depends. There's Moroccan, Thai, contemporary, French Bistro, Asian…" I listed off as I ticked my fingers.

"Ooh, yes, how does French Bistro sound, everyone?" Alice asked, her eyes alight with happiness.

Pierre Victoire is a relaxed, candlelit bistro with shining wooden furniture, vases of fresh flowers on every table, and fair priced menu options. It was rated almost five stars and I had been there a few times so I knew I would enjoy the food. It was only a five minute drive on a good day, but with traffic from the graduating class, it took a few extra minutes. By the time we were seated and chose our dishes, the place was brimming with people. Most of them spoke French and while I had picked up a few quick phrases and a very slight accent, I was still hard pressed to understand the waiter as he rattled off the specials.

Alice asked us what we wanted as she translated for him and I just gaped at her as the sensual language rolled off her tongue. Emmett cackled at my look and elbowed me in jest.

"She took four years worth of French in the two years she was in middle school. You're not the only Smarty McSmartypants around here, you know."

I smiled at him and nudged him back with my own elbow but rubbed the spot when it felt like I pinched my funny bone. He just grinned wickedly at my pain.

There was pleasant conversation all around as we waited for our food, sipping our preferred beverages and once the waiter brought our dishes to the table and excused himself, my mom leveled me with a look.

"Are you going to keep us in suspense all night, baby girl?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at me from across the table.

I cleared my throat and straightened in my seat, grinning at each person sitting around the table with me, my eyes bright.

"I got accepted to the residency program at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital." I stated proudly.

Mom gasped before I had even finished speaking while Alice clapped and Emmett patted my shoulder. My father was quiet but his eyes were misty and I knew he would be ecstatic to have me so close to Forks for the next four years at least.

I told them all about the program and what it entailed as well as dropping the bomb that Doctor Burke would be leaving before I started my internship. I had been very bummed to learn that but he had taken a bullet to the shoulder and after a rigorous recovery and a botched marriage ceremony to one of his residents, he decided to leave for Switzerland where he was leading their hospital's new innovative program.

Congratulations were passed all around and we finished our meals slowly before ordering dessert.

"It's kind of sad that you won't get to work under your idol." Alice stated.

I shrugged. "I can still learn from the best. I read that Ellis Grey's legacy walks the halls and is doing amazing things for the hospital already. She's only a first year resident."

"Holy crap, how many stars are there in Seattle? Ellis Grey's daughter? Didn't I read about her in the journal at the doctor's office a while back?" Renee asked.

I shrugged again. "Probably. No one knows where her mother is. She just dropped off the face of the earth. I'm shocked she's no longer practicing medicine, honestly."

"Maybe she is," Emmett suggested. "Maybe she's using a pseudonym.

I tilted my head toward my big friend in acknowledgement. "Could be."

We continued the small talk and speculations about Seattle Grace Mercy West as we walked back to the car and piled in to bring me to my loft apartment. I had rented a small walk-up about three blocks from campus. The small brick loft was chilly and only big enough for my bed and a couch, but it was near the Starbucks I worked at and I didn't mind walking to campus every day.

I would really miss this place. The lease ends in a week and I'll be flying back to Washington with Alice and Emmett who insisted on staying with me to help me pack my belongings and ship them back to the States. I wasn't sure where they would sleep. I suppose Alice could share my bed and Emmett could take the couch but they assured me that we'd figure something out. My parents left tearfully with big hugs and promises of more Snapchat videos and I wished them luck on their flights. Mom is heading back to Jacksonville, Florida to be with her new husband, Phil - whom I haven't met yet - and Charlie would be flying back to Forks.

It wasn't long before the hustle and bustle of Seattle, Washington was outside my new apartment window. From my bedroom, I could see the Space Needle and if I pressed my face to the window pane, looking real hard to the right, I could see the western most end of the hospital I started working at tomorrow.

I know, because I've pressed my face to the pane several times in giddy anticipation.

I had gone in previously to get my new scrubs and all of my learning material, even meeting the Chief of Surgery, Doctor Webber. My nerves came back full force as I fidgeted with my fingers and twirled my hair. Cool hands stopped my anxiousness and I glanced down to see Alice's concerned golden gaze looking up at me from where she knelt in front of me.

"You're going to do great. You've got this." She said with so much conviction that I almost believed her. "I'm serious, Bella." She stressed, as if she could read the doubt in my eyes.

I rolled my shoulders and took a deep breath, blowing the air up to my bangs, mostly so I wouldn't blow it in her face.

Nodding once, I agreed with her. "You're right. I've got this."

Her bright smile cemented the feeling of determination inside of me.

However, I learned during my first forty eight hours of internship that I most definitely did not have it. I had nothing. I had no caffeine, I had no will to live, and I had no more feeling on the bottom of my feet. I flopped down onto my unmade bed in my small apartment, face down and fully clothed in my filthy scrubs. I didn't resurface for two whole days.