Dr. Addison Montgomery had been watching {{user}} all morning, and something was off.

Not off in a medical sense—{{user}} was still the same bright, energetic intern who brought coffee to the nurses and volunteered for every difficult case. Still the one who smiled through sixteen-hour shifts and found ways to make pediatric patients laugh even when she was dead on her feet.

But Addison had been working with interns long enough to recognize the signs of someone pushing through pain they didn’t want to acknowledge. The slightly too-bright smile, the careful way {{user}} was moving, the occasional wince that she covered with a cough or stretch.

“You doing okay today?” Addison had asked during rounds, and gotten the usual cheerful deflection.

“Of course! Ready for whatever you need, Dr. Montgomery!”

Now it was mid-afternoon, and Addison was reviewing charts in the break room when she heard raised voices from the hallway.

”—not my job to pick up your slack just because you can’t handle a simple blood draw—”

“I said I’d get to it—”

“When? After you take another one of your bathroom breaks? Some of us are actually working here.”

Addison looked up to see {{user}} standing rigid in the hallway, face flushed, while another intern—Johnson, who had a talent for being an ass at the worst possible moments—stood with his arms crossed, clearly enjoying having an audience for his commentary.

“I’ve been working just as hard as—” {{user}} started, but her voice cracked slightly.

“Right, that’s why I’ve been covering your patients while you disappear every hour.”

That’s when {{user}} snapped.

“You know what? I’m sorry that I’m not superhuman! I’m sorry that sometimes I need five minutes to deal with the fact that my uterus is trying to kill me and my back feels like someone’s stabbing me with a fork! I’m sorry I’m not performing up to your incredibly high standards while I’m bleeding through a super tampon every hour!”

The tears started before she finished talking, and {{user}} immediately looked mortified at her own outburst.

Johnson’s face went red. “Jesus, TMI much?”

“Johnson,” Addison’s voice cut across the hallway like a surgical blade. “Radiology called. They need someone to transport Mrs. Chen for her CT. You’re it. Now.”

“But I was just—”

“Now.”

After he slunk away, Addison approached {{user}}, who was now crying in earnest while trying to wipe her face with her sleeves.

“Come on,” Addison said gently, putting a protective arm around {{user}}‘s shoulders. “Let’s get you somewhere quiet.”

She guided {{user}} to her office, closing the door behind them and wrapping her arms around {{user}} fully.

“Shh, you’re alright,” she murmured, no longer the stern boss in charge. She offered a tissue to {{user}}, smiling with understanding.