It is bad enough to find out upon arriving for your shift in the morning that you are assigned to work with your new boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, Dr. Kelly Hamata, for the day. It is slightly worse to begin the assignment with the paranoid impression that said ex-girlfriend, whom you admittedly like as a person, already knows about your relationship and is trying to hide her jealousy.

Dating Micah isn't really a secret. That would imply you are doing something wrong, which you definitely are NOT. It's just that both of you are trying to keep things especially professional at work given your current Resident and Intern relationship, and with the way news tends to spread at the hospital…well, ultimately the less said, the better.

However, when your best friend Tyra comes to check on you midmorning, sympathizing with your predicament and complimenting you on how well you are handling the way the entire OB/GYN floor is talking about you behind your back, well, THAT'S when the discovery that there are still 6 ½ hours of shift left becomes unbearable.

"Wait a minute. What are they saying, Tyra?"

"Oh Em, you better sit down. And remember, I'm only telling you this because I'm your friend…"

Needless to say, by the time a chance for a break rolls around, "awkward" doesn't even come close to describing the kind of day Emily is having. Kelly is definitely trying too hard, alternating between overly friendly and blatant avoidance. In the meantime, Emily's nerves are shot between trying to ignore the glances and whispers of the nurses and trying so hard to be the perfect intern for the day so Kelly won't have anything to complain about.

There is only one person who can answer all the new and confusing questions racing through her mind after her talk with Tyra, and Emily finally finds him on the roof, relaxing in one of the communal folding chairs. His head is tipped back and his eyes are closed as he basks in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

She barely remembers to make sure they are alone before the most pressing question on her mind bursts out of her mouth.

"Did you break up with Kelly because of me?"

"What?" Micah lifts his head and looks at her, blinking in the sunlight. His face registers surprise, then confusion, and finally suspicion.

"Why?" he asks, eyes narrowing.

"I got assigned to OB today and it's awful! Everyone seems to be staring at me, and Kelly has been trying WAY too hard to be nice, so I was already pretty sure she had heard about us, but then Tyra showed up and said everybody on that floor has been talking about us for days and that the most recent rumor going around is…"

"Unbelievable" mutters Micah, leaning his head back and closing his eyes again, clearly irritated.

Emily stops short. "Unbelievable that I'm worried about what other people think or that I'm asking you about your ex?"

"No, I mean the gossip in this hospital is unbelievable!" exclaims Micah heatedly, sitting up suddenly. "You have every right to ask me about Kelly. The fact that you are asking me because people at work are making up their own stories about our personal lives again genuinely ticks me off!"

When he sees the surprise in her eyes at his outburst, he leans back again in his chair, mollified. "Sorry" he says sincerely, brushing a hand across his forehead. "I think… I'm just….my mom..."

Emily knows. She moves to sit by him, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"So you want to know all the gory details about my break-up with Kelly?" He asks, his voice lighter and a touch playful.

Emily smiles bashfully and nods her head.

"Well, let's see. I guess it kind of started on your birthday. Kelly wouldn't come with me to your party because she thought I had a 'thing' for you."

"That was the day your mom asked if we were dating too" recalls Emily aloud.

"Exactly! So I was already really on edge about the whole thing when I got to your place, and then you played your cello, and I thought it was amazing. And then I started thinking about how many other amazing things there are about you like how good you are with patients, how well you get along with my mom, how smart and funny and beautiful you are, and it suddenly dawned on me that Kelly was right. I did…DO have a 'thing' for you." He finishes, looking at her.

It's a warm look, and the careful way he says "thing" makes Emily blush. Neither of them have been brave enough yet to fully label their feelings for each other, but Emily suddenly has a premonition that someday, when she asks him when he "knew", when they are both more emotionally prepared for the full version of what changed that night, he's going to tell her this story again.

"And that's when you got all distant and professional at work" supplies Emily, interrupting the story. "You were trying to save your relationship with Kelly even though you had feelings for me!" All those weeks of wondering what had changed between them suddenly made sense.

"Hey! A-You're my intern and B-you were still in love with Will at the time!" says Micah, defensively. "I'm surprised you even remember me being at your party with all the googly eyes you were making at him."

"Of course I remember you." Emily says quietly. "I was so glad to see you there and then you didn't stay."

"I don't think I was really ready to face what was happening yet either" admits Micah with a sigh. "And I owed it to Kelly to try a little harder for us. Kelly's a great girl. She and I had a good time together."

"But then you broke up with her."

Micah nods.

"Because of me."

Micah wobbles his head indecisively for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "If you want to put it that way, yes, but if it makes you feel better, I think it would have ended eventually anyway."

"You told me you broke up with Kelly because you both wanted different things" accuses Emily, eyes narrowing.

"We did! She wanted me, and I wanted you," laughs Micah, glancing at his watch. "Come on, we should get back."

As they stand, Micah moves closer, causing Emily's heart to begin racing. "Do you remember what you said to me up here the night after my mom's surgery?" he asks quietly, looking deeply into her eyes.

"That I was over Will? You had already broken up with Kelly by then." says Emily, confused.

Micah shakes his head. "You said you wanted to be someone's first choice." He corrects her.

He pulls her close "You tell all those stupid gossips that I broke up with Kelly because you are MY first choice" he murmurs in her ear before kissing her deeply.

There may still be 3 1/4 hours left to her shift, but for the time being Emily lets all other thoughts and worries go and concentrates solely on melting further into Micah's embrace.