He was spiraling into an abyss of darkness and Nora could only watch, paralysed, as he continued to fall into the bottomless pits, torment utterly consuming him. In the span of a few months, Ethan had gone down a path from which he could never return, and no one except her was the wiser.
The world briefly mourned the loss of one of its best diagnosticians. Naveen Banerji had been an incredibly talented physician and saved many lives during his time on the field. At his funeral, several doctors paid their homage to the great man and watched as his coffin was lowered into the ground. Among those, only one was truly affected by the desolation of Naveen’s absence.
Ethan focused on work, tackling case after case, each more complex and difficult than the last. His office remained tidy to the outside world, all the empty bottles of whiskey hidden away in the drawers of his desk. The couch became his bed, the hospital his home, after he nearly destroyed his entire apartment in a fit of rage. Nora had visited once and been horrified at the chaos inside. Broken glass littered the living room, the previously framed photographs torn to shreds. The splintered wood from his trophy case had scratched the already cracked TV screen, his awards thrown carelessly around. Ethan had been sat against the far wall, bloodied and bruised, as he cried for Naveen, shouting about the unfairness of the universe.
Nora tended to his wounds, kissing each one in the hopes of soothing his pain. His usually striking blue irises had been as broken as the shards that tore his skin, misery dulling the vivid colour. Nora cradled him in her arms, uncontrollable sobs wrecking his body. Ethan’s fragility and vulnerability had brought tears to her own eyes. He fell asleep in her embrace, pacified by her comforting presence.
They barely saw each other following that night. Nora understood Ethan needed his space, but she made sure he knew he was not alone. When she was not busy, she would stop by his office to check up on him and grab a cup of coffee. Sometimes, Nora sat down with him while they worked on their own files. Other times, Ethan was having one of his good days and took her to Derry Roasters. He always insisted on paying for her coffee, so Nora relented after a while. She contented herself with the fact that Ethan seemed to be dealing with the suffering a bit better every day.
Naveen had been underground for a little over two months. Nora still smiled whenever they passed by each other in the hallway. However, there was an improvement on Ethan’s part: the acknowledging nod had become a small spark in his eyes at the sight of her.
He often worked cases with her now, careful not to show any favouritism to the other interns vying for the diagnostics position. If Nora were to be completely honest with herself, she had completely forgotten about the competition. Her sole focus was helping Ethan cope with the loss of Dr. Banerji.
She noticed a change in their relationship. She was the only one Ethan allowed inside his walls, which resulted in a proximity between them neither were completely aware of. Instead of consulting at his desk, they’d moved to the couch. A cup of coffee always awaited her at the end of every shift. Nora had begun to stay up late with Ethan. Most nights, she waited until he fell asleep to go home. He was slowly starting to return to his apartment, though. Nora would accompany him and help him tidy it up to the immaculate state it had once been in. The nights he would sleep at his place where the nights he drove her home.
Around Christmas, their friendship strengthened to the point Nora spent the day at his apartment. Her roommates had organized a house party and her place was packed, so no one noticed her absence. He wasn’t one to celebrate, what with no one to share the day with. Still, it might have been one of the best Christmas Nora ever had.
Ethan made an impromptu trip to the supermarket and came back with bags full of snacks for them to eat while watching the usual holiday movies.
He tossed popcorn at the screen when a corny scene came on, laughing when Nora protested. It quickly turned into a small fight, in which Ethan overpowered her and pinned her down to the sofa. His playful smile tricked her into thinking he would kiss her, only to be sorely disappointed when he found her weak point and tickled her to the point she couldn’t breathe anymore.
Nora hid under the covers when he had the brilliant idea of changing the channel to a horror movie. Ethan rubbed soothing circles on her back, chuckling and kissing the top of her head every time a scream scared her.
The next morning, they woke up in a tangled heap on the floor, Nora on top of him. Ethan prepared them breakfast while she cleaned up the living room. He told her she could change into one of his shirts, which resulted in Nora finding a hidden mistletoe in his bedroom.
He laughed in disbelief when he saw Nora standing on her tiptoes behind him, hanging the small plant over their heads. Ethan caught her by surprise, suddenly lifting her onto the kitchen island, and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss that left them both wanting more. The ringing of her phone interrupted any further activity.
As the weeks went by, their relationship progressed from innocent little touches to lustful stares and stolen kisses in his office. Nora blamed Emery’s suspicions on Ethan, because he couldn’t stop himself from touching her in public. Light arm squeezes here and there combined with not-so-subtle smiles were enough to make anyone suspicious, and yet only the Chief of Medicine noticed.
By the time the competition came to a finish, Ethan had his decision made. No one was really surprised to see Nora win the position, though Harper confronted him about it, upset that her niece had failed to meet Ethan’s expectations. Aurora also confronted Nora, accusing her of sleeping with the physician to gain an advantage. Nora had simply rolled her eyes and walked away.
Working on the same team meant spending more time together. Their cases were the same, after all. Ethan became stricter at the hospital, knowing Nora had the potential to be a great doctor. At home, though, he was the caring, kind, playful man she was beginning to fall in love with.
Every weekend, Ethan and Nora visited the cemetery and the former shared stories of his late mentor as they sat in front of his grave. Nora held his hand, showing her support. He kissed their joined knuckles when sadness took over, relieved to have her by his side.
Ethan was smiling again, laughing again. Nora was the one who made him happy and kept his walls down. The hospital staff didn’t understand the lighter change in his behaviour, but no one dared comment on it, afraid they would jinx Ethan’s newfound patience and pleasant mood.
The fear that kept her body in place released her. Nora reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to her and away from the abyss. His arms wrapped securely around her smaller frame, his love for her stronger than the darkness that threatened to pull him under.
Silence fell over the crowd as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Sophia bowed her head, unable to watch the procedure unfolding before her. Her warm browns were bright with unshed tears, a pounding in her head as she attempted to contain them. The entire event had been a test to her emotions. She had been on edge for most of the day, memories of Naveen flooding her mind. Sophia could feel herself closer to falling apart with each passing second.
A shaky exhale drew her attention to the man next to her, posture tense and arms crossed over his chest. Ethan’s icy blues were rimmed with red, hair mussed and beard rough from several sleepless nights. He had returned to Boston shortly after Naveen’s body had been transferred to the morgue to be prepared for the funeral. They hadn’t seen each other since his sudden resignation, their contact strictly limited to phone calls once a week for her to check on Naveen.
She had never seen him so defeated.
Sophia gently touched his shoulder. He startled, deep in thought, and turned to meet her gaze, his eyes distraught.
“I’m here, Ethan.”
He nodded, swallowing. “I know,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I want to help in any way that I can.”
Ethan stared into her eyes, his own intense and vulnerable. His body gradually relaxed under her touch, his façade crumbling when the tears dropped from his lashes, streaming down his cheeks. Her heart broke for him, his pain becoming hers.
“Could you— Could you hold my hand?” Ethan asked, a blush colouring his face at the request. Sophia sensed his embarrassment and offered him a reassuring smile.
“I’m here,” she reiterated her earlier words, and reached for his hand when his arms fell back to his sides.
Ethan met her concerned browns once more and pulled her closer by their intertwined fingers. He draped his arm around her shoulders, their hands resting on her collarbone as she nestled into his chest. Ethan buried his face into her chestnut locks, inhaling the comforting scent of honey. He couldn’t care less about their audience. He had lost his father in everything but blood and Sophia was his only reason to live at the moment.
I’m absolutely in love with this drawing, I couldn’t stop imagining how MC felt in Ethan’s arms❤️❤️. Took me six hours to be done but it’s totally worth it.
