Here's chapter two. I promise the story will start picking up in chapter three. I just wanted to establish a few things in chapter one and chapter two first.
Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy.
"Kadeance, wait up!" Alya called out, causing Kadeance to slow to a stop and turn around to face her friend. Alya was about ten feet behind Kadeance, but was running in order to catch up.
"Hurry up, Alya. We have a small window of opportunity to get down to the cafeteria and grab some snacks." Kadeance said, heading towards the elevator once more but this time at a slower pace.
By the time Kadeance reached the elevator, Alya had caught up and managed to push the elevator button before Kadeance. "Beat you!" Alya said, smiling in triumph.
"Shut up" Kadeance said, gently nudging Alya. They often competed to see who could press the elevator button first, and lately Alya was winning at it. "I just let you win"
"Whatever, Kadeance" Alya said, still smiling. Getting off the elevator at the right level, Alya walked ahead a few feet before turning to face Kadeance while still walking. "What do you think Willow and Nikki like?"
Kadeance shrugged in response. It had been three days since Willow and Nikki had arrived at the hospital. In those three days, the four of them had become fast friends much to Dr. Karev's surprise. Kadeance could still remember the look on his face yesterday when he saw the four of them together. "They'll probably eat anything" Kadeance finally answered.
Entering the cafeteria, Kadeance made her way over to the salad bar to grab some fruit while Alya went to the other side of the cafeteria to grab a few less healthy snacks. After getting what she needed and paying for it, Kadeance headed to the center of the cafeteria to meet up with Alya.
"Kadeance, Alya, what are you two doing down here?" a voice called out just as Kadeance and Alya were leaving the cafeteria. "Does Alex know where you two are?"
Kadeance wasn't too surprised to see Amelia Shepherd standing in front of them. While she had never treated Kadeance, Dr. Shepherd was one of Alya's doctors because of her brain tumor. As a result, Kadeance had met Dr. Shepherd a few times. Kadeance and Alya exchanged looks, before returning their gazes to Dr. Shepherd. "We were hungry, so we grabbed some snacks" Kadeance explained.
"That doesn't answer my question. Does Alex know you two are down here?" Dr. Shepherd asked, giving Kadeance a stern look.
"Probably not. But we're heading back up there now" Alya said, drawing Dr. Shepherd's attention to her.
For a moment, Dr. Shepherd didn't say anything. Finally she sighed and her gaze softened. "Well, how about I escort you two back to pediatrics?" she suggested.
Kadeance quickly shook her head. "That's a nice offer, Dr. Shepherd. But you don't have to come with us. I'm sure you have other patients to treat"
"It's no trouble at all. Besides, I was heading that way anyways to get Alya" Dr. Shepherd responded before looking to Alya. "You're due for another head C.T. I need to see how big the brain tumor is now"
Kadeance lowered her head in defeat, knowing there wasn't anyway they were getting out of this. So much for Dr. Karev not finding out. She thought. Kadeance knew Dr. Shepherd would most likely inform Dr. Karev of their little 'adventure' to the cafeteria.
The trio had just stepped out of the elevator when Dr. Karev rounded the corner. "Amelia!" he called out, rounding the corner. "Have you seen Kadeance and-" he didn't finish his sentence however, as Dr. Karev noticed Kadeance and Alya were standing in front of Amelia.
"As a matter of fact Alex, I have seen them. I found them roaming through the cafeteria" Dr. Shepherd said, causing Dr. Karev to look at Kadeance and Alya. Alya gave him a sheepish grin while Kadeance just gave a small wave.
Dr. Karev looked at them for a few more seconds before returning his gaze to Dr. Shepherd. Kadeance let out a breath that she didn't even know she had been holding in. "Thank you Dr. Shepherd. I take it that you need Alya?"
After a few quick exchanges and Kadeance and Alya promised to meet up later, Dr. Shepherd left with Alya in tow. Sighing, Kadeance looked up at Dr. Karev. "Well, that was fun. I think I'm going to go for a walk now"
Kadeance had only taken a few steps before Dr. Karev called out. "Kadeance, what were you thinking? You can't just wander around the hospital"
"Really? Cause it looks like I did" Kadeance responded sarcastically, turning to face Dr. Karev once more.
"Kadeance," Dr. Karev said with a warning tone. This caused Kadeance to sigh and back down. "The day you came here, I promised your parents I would keep an eye on you. I also understand you don't like to be cooped up which is why I've allowed you to walk around pediatrics, but you can't just leave this floor without letting me know where you're going"
"It was just to the cafeteria, and we were going to come right back!" Kadeance protested, taking a step forward. She knew Dr. Karev was only looking out for her well-being, but she needed some freedom too.
Dr. Karev sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not the point, Kadeance. What if something had happened?" he asked, causing Kadeance to snort.
"I'm in a hospital, Dr. Karev. I'm surrounded by doctors who know what to do if something happens" Kadeance retorted before turning and continuing to walk away before Dr. Karev could continue the conversation.
Alya was right. Kadeance thought, heading to Nikki's room. We really do need a place where we can be kids and not patients.
Kadeance was sitting down in of the chairs in Nikki's hospital room. The two were playing checkers, and Nikki was winning by a long shot. Kadeance was really terrible at checkers. Sitting in the other chair was Willow, who was eating a small bag of Doritos that she got from the vending machine.
"They need to put more chips in these bags" Willow complained, causing Kadeance to smile a little. "I literally paid like a dollar for a bag of air and seven chips"
Kadeance shook her head, finally managing to get a king. "Better get used to it Willow. All the bags of chips are like that"
Willow let out a small cry of protest, causing Kadeance and Nikki to laugh. "It's not right. Bags of chips should be filled with chips, not air"
At this, Nikki's room filled with laughter as all three friends began to laugh hysterically. That was a trait of Willow's that Kadeance was beginning to love. Willow knew how to lighten the mood and the situation by complaining about the little things.
When Kadeance finally managed to calm down and stop laughing, she stood up. "Alright guys, I got to do something. I'll come back later" Kadeance said.
"Where are you going?" Nikki asked. For a moment, Kadeance considered telling them. She decided against it however. Kadeance wanted it to be a surprise.
"It's a surprise. You guys will know soon" Kadeance replied. She then left before the two could ask anymore questions. After all, Kadeance didn't want them to figure out what she was going to do.
Kadeance let out a sigh as she sat against the wall of one of the hallways in pediatrics. She had looked everywhere for a perfect room to use, and so far Kadeance hadn't had any luck. So much for finding a place where we can be kids. She thought bitterly.
Kadeance remained sitting for a few more seconds before finally standing. Alya would probably be back now and Kadeance wanted to go say hello. She just started walking away when something caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, Kadeance noticed that it was a sign for an on-call room.
Maybe, Kadeance thought as she approached the door. She knocked on the door, and when the fifteen year old didn't hear anything, she opened the door. It was narrow inside with a twin bunkbed pushed up against one side of the room. There was also a single window on the back wall and a small table. Stepping further into the room, Kadeance couldn't help but smile. This was it. This was the room. It just needed some touching up.
Kadeance exited the room, removing the 'on-call room' sign and placing it inside the room where they could hang it up later and continued on her way. It was time to get some decorations for the room.
"Kadeance?" Dr. Karev asked, causing Kadeance to turn around and face him. She gave him a smile, hoping he wouldn't question anything.
"What do you need Dr. Karev?" Kadeance asked, continuing to smile. This caused Dr. Karev to raise an eyebrow at her.
"Why do you have the bean bag chairs from the playroom?" Dr. Karev asked. Kadeance only shrugged in response.
"Nikki, Willow, Alya, and I are borrowing them for a bit" Kadeance replied, motioning to the two bean bag chairs she was holding.
Kadeance could tell that Dr. Karev wasn't buying it, however he didn't ask for the truth either. "Just make sure you put them back" he said.
After promising to do so, Kadeance waited until Dr. Karev was out of sight before making a dash to the on-call room. Once in there she set up the bean bag chairs before stepping back and looking at her handiwork. It wasn't much, but it would do. Kadeance could only hope that the others would like it.
"Kadeance, where are we going?" Alya asked from behind her. Alya was pushing Nikki's wheelchair while Willow was walking beside them, using crutches to help.
"You'll see" Kadeance said, smiling a little. Judging by the looks in her friends' eyes, Kadeance knew they were curious and growing impatient.
They walked for a few more minutes before Kadeance stopped in front of an on-call room. "I found this place earlier, and I touched it up some" she began, placing her hand on the door handle.
"You found an on-call room? Kadeance, they're literally all over the hospital. Why do you want us to show something we can literally see everyday?" Willow asked, crossed her arms over her chest.
Kadeance let out a chuckle, shaking her head in amusement. "I think you'll like this one" she said before opening the door and stepping inside.
Behind her, Kadeance could hear a few stunned gasps from her friends. The on-call room wasn't much, but Kadeance had added some to it. She had taken the fairy lights from her hospital room and hung them on the top bunk's railing, providing a nice dim lighting. The bean bag chairs that Kadeance had borrowed were placed beside the window. On the table was a few board games and Kadeance's bluetooth speaker so they could listen to music. The on-call room still looked the same, it just had more of a 'teenager' feel now.
"Kadeance, what is this?" Nikki asked as she looked around the room.
Kadeance looked over at Alya, who nodded at her so Kadeance began. "It was actually Alya's idea in a way. I just made it happen" she explained.
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, sitting down in one of the bean bags.
"The day you two showed up, Alya brought up a point to me. We needed a place to hangout. We needed a place where we could be kids instead of patients." Kadeance answered, motioning around the room.
Alya nodded before sitting down on the bottom bunk and looking up at Kadeance. "Thanks Kadeance" she murmured. Kadeance only nodded, though she didn't understand why Alya was thinking her. It was Alya who came up with the idea.
"Well, if we're going to spend a lot of time here then this place will need a name" Nikki said, speaking up.
The four of them spent the next few minutes tossing name ideas around. Nothing really seemed to suit the place though. They were about to call it quits for the night when an idea popped into Kadeance's mind.
"We can call it The Refuge" Kadeance said, causing her three friends to look over at her. Feeling the need to explain herself, Kadeance continued. "Think about it. In this room, we are not patients. We are kids. In a way, that makes this room like a Refuge for us."
"I like it" Alya said, speaking up first.
Willow looked over at Nikki before nodding in agreement. "It suits this place" She agreed.
"And it's catchy. The Refuge." Nikki added, smiling.
