DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy and all its characters are property of ABC.
CHALLENGE: Written as part of the 24 Hours Challenge.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
It's Just a Game We Play
By TheAgonyofBlank
"Forceps."
You respond to Addison's request by placing the forceps in your attending's gloved hand, watching as she grasps the patient's tissue with her forceps, and with some gauze dabs at the incision. Blood immediately soaks into the gauze, and once again you're reminded why it's a good thing you don't get queasy at the sight of blood. You can hear the dissatisfied murmuring of your attending, but you know that this is far from an exciting surgery. In fact, aside from the patient bleeding a little more than expected (but even that isn't a cause for too much worry, as everyone responds to surgery differently), it's still a pretty routine surgery.
You've also seen this procedure countless times, and you're simply too nice to say that you want to see something new. Something exciting. Maybe that's why you're glad for Meredith's presence; it's certainly not a new thing, but it adds a bit of excitement to the monotony of your regular surgical procedure. It's always fun to have a friend in there with you – Addison's not quite a friend, and you know that since she's in charge she has to take this a lot more seriously than you do. Not that you're not serious about this, because it's surgery and people could die and really, you can't not be serious about it.
Of course, if you'd thought about it, you would've realized that flirting with your friend when your girlfriend is present isn't actually a good idea. In fact, it's a downright bad idea, especially when your girlfriend is the attending presiding over this current case. But you forget or something, and there's that thing about a game you and your attending girlfriend kind-of-but-not-really agreed to play, and this is just a part of it.
You smile at Meredith in a way that's more than a little friendly. And Meredith, for her part, smiles back at you in a way that's more than a little friendly too. Then sometimes you run your tongue along your bottom lip, and Meredith will try not to giggle in that silly way of hers. Usually that's the time you feel Addison's eyes on you, and you have to look away from Meredith to focus on the task at hand.
"Dr. Stevens."
You glance up at the sound of your name, raising a brow in Addison's direction.
"You've seen me perform this procedure before. Why don't you finish it?"
You can't believe your ears, and you have to wonder if Addison's joking. But when she hands the forceps to you, you can only nod mutely and take over from there. You're not going to turn down an opportunity like this, and as she just said, you've watched her perform it so many times that you could do it in your sleep. Maybe. Besides, it's not as though Addison's leaving you to the sharks or anything like that; she's already done most of the procedure through your giggles and shared glances with Meredith – you just need to finish it up.
Addison moves over to allow you more room to operate, but you can feel her eyes watching you. You glance at Meredith, who looks somewhat taken aback but smiles back in support (although you think there's a touch of playfulness in there). You want to smile back but you hear Addison cough behind you, and you suddenly feel guilty. You ought to get started, anyway. You reach down with the forceps and pull back the tissue covering the organ, now distinctly aware of not one but two sets of eyes watching you with particular intensity.
"Sutures."
Meredith hands you the sutures and you get to work. Just when you're about done, you make the mistake of looking up and catching Meredith's eye. Meredith winks at you and it takes all your strength not to burst into laughter right then and there. (It helps, of course, that you can feel Addison staring daggers and disapproval at your back.) You take a deep breath to steady your hands, and within minutes you're done suturing.
You're finished for the day.
Half an hour later, when you're just leaving the locker rooms before your final rounds, you find yourself pushed back inside by Addison.
"Stevens," Addison says.
"Montgomery," you say right back, only half-teasing.
Addison gives you a look, and you promptly shut up – though it's harder to keep the smirk off your face.
You know what this is about: it's about Meredith, and you, and probably about how you two were giggling throughout the entire surgery. She's going to reprimand you; she's probably already talked to Meredith, and is just now cornering you, too.
She backs you up to the wall, and you look at her, bemused.
"Can you tell me why flirting during surgery is bad for your health?"
You interpret this as why flirting during surgery with anyone other than Addison Forbes Montgomery is bad for your health.
"Because you will kiss me senseless later tonight as punishment?" you try with a smile.
Addison rolls her eyes.
"And too much of a good thing – that would be the kissing – can be a bad thing? For my health?" you press on, resting a hand on her waist.
"You're impossible," Addison sighs and shakes her head, a glimmer of a smile on her features. "And yet so very…" She trails off, but you think you know what she means. She's like that too, to you. She turns so that your arm slips off and she's now leaning on the wall next to you, and she continues, "I take this to mean I'll be seeing you later tonight?"
"Only if you call me 'Izzie,' Addison."
You smile and give her a quick peck on the cheek before you leave to check on your patients.
"Don't be late for dinner!"
Later, when you leave the hospital, you see her talking to Mark. And you know she sees you see her talking to Mark, because she turns to you just so, and acknowledges you with that polite smile she gives her patients.
You're jealous, of course, but you know you have her for tonight.
Mark's for tomorrow.
Because tomorrow, it'll be her turn to make you jealous.
The End