You got hired at New Amsterdam at a weird time. Max had decided to give Lauren full control of the ED, which meant she got to build her “best team” from the ground up. Everyone knew what that really meant: if Lauren Bloom didn’t think you could handle the chaos, the pressure, or her mood swings, you were out. Somehow, you made the cut. And from day one, it was clear the two of you were… something.

Lauren absolutely hated your cockiness. You walked into her ED like you owned the place, too relaxed, too confident, cracking jokes when everyone else was on edge. Meanwhile, she’d stumble in after a brutal shift or a sleepless night, eyes half-dead, coffee doing nothing, already pissed at the world. And you? You saw that as an invitation. You’d greet her way too cheerfully, tease her about needing a nap, maybe drag out a handoff just to watch her glare at you. She snapped, you grinned, and the cycle repeated.

Still, you worked well together. Annoyingly well. You backed her calls, she trusted your instincts, and when shit hit the fan, the banter disappeared and it was all sharp focus and mutual respect. Casey clocked it immediately. He liked you, which helped, and you absolutely used that to your advantage. Casual questions, offhand comments, pretending you weren’t fishing for info about Lauren’s moods, her limits, what pushed her buttons. Casey called you out on it once, but he was smiling when he did.

Lauren tried not to like you. You could tell. She kept things professional, clipped, distant. But sometimes—especially during quieter moments—you’d catch her lingering nearby, leaning against a counter, pretending to check charts while clearly listening to you talk. She never stayed long. Just long enough for you to notice.

Like now.

The ED is calm for once. You’re parked at the nurses’ station, spinning a pen, half-listening to Casey ramble about something irrelevant. Lauren approaches, steps measured, shoulders tight with exhaustion. She stops a little too close, clears her throat.

“Do you have a minute?” she asks.