Chapter Text
Early June, 2005
Sirius’ mother never once told him that she loved him. She did, however, drill into him the importance of punctuality. He could hear her voice now as he bolted through the front doors of Seattle Grace Hospital; ‘If you’re not fifteen minutes early, you’re late!’
If that was the case, then Sirius was very very late. He meant to arrive at 4:45 AM, but his watch now read 5:02 AM. He had underestimated his commute. He thought about how he’d have to move if he was going to make it through this grueling year. The only problem with that is that he did not want to get rid of his new trailer.
Sirius tried to quietly open the door to the OR they were meant to report when they arrived, but it was too silent to go unnoticed. He could hear who he knew to be Chief Dumbledore addressing the group of young adults who stood before him. The room was full with the buzz of anticipatory nerves.
Chief Dumbledore was tall with a silver head of hair and a beard short enough to fit under a surgical mask. His sharp blue eyes met Sirius’ momentarily.
Sirius met Dumbledore during his final interview and then again at the intern mixer. They knew of each other, especially seeing as both Dumbeldore and Sirius’ mother, Walburga Black, were important and well known published surgeons.
Dumbledore had spoken highly of Dr. Walburga Black. Sirius decided then and there that he was skeptical of his future Chief of Surgery. If it weren’t for everyone else he met the day of his interview he most likely would’ve accepted an offer elsewhere.
“A month ago,” Dumbledore picked up where he must’ve left off, “you were in Med School being taught by doctors. Today,” he scanned the room, "you are the doctors.”
The short man next to Sirius shuffled his weight. He radiated nervous energy. He was blonde and his hair was neatly combed. His face was pinched and rodent-like. Sirius vaguely recalled him from the intern mixer. He was the one hanging around James Potter.
Sirius perked up, remembering James was also in this room. James Potter was the son of Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, the current heads of the well-known Potter Foundation. The Potter Foundation owned around fifteen percent of the hospitals in the country and even helmed its own prestigious award in surgical advancement. The Potter Award. An award Sirius’ mother had won twice. She probably would have won a third if not for her current circumstances.
He had taken a liking to James. He quickly searched the group around him, but James wasn’t difficult to find. His mop of black hair couldn’t be missed. James’ head turned to Sirius, seemingly sensing his gaze. He gave Sirius a friendly smile, one that reached his hazel eyes. Sirius smiled back.
“The five years you spend here as a surgical resident will be the best and worst of your life.” Sirius’ attention snapped back to Dumbeldore.
“You will be pushed to the breaking point. Look around you,” Dumbledore gestured towards the crowd of interns, “say hello to your competition. Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave.”
Who works this hard for this long and then screws up enough to get asked to leave? Sirius wondered. What a waste.
“This is your starting line,” Dumbledore’s gaze narrowed, “this is your arena. How well you play… That’s up to you.”
For the first time, the gravity of it all was settling into Sirius. This was it. The real thing. No more cadavers or actors. He was going to be treating real live people. The thought nauseated him just a little.
“Now,” Dumbledore opened the door to leave, “outside are your residents. They will take it from here.”
As the group began to file out through the door, Sirius heard a whisper in his ear. “God, that was encouraging.” He turned to see James.
“Such a warm welcome,” Sirius smiled, meeting James' sarcasm with his own.
He was happy to know he had James. He had been unsure the acquaintance he’d made the night of the mixer had reciprocated his fondness, but now it seemed he didn’t have to worry. Sirius never struggled to make friends. He easily breezed through high school, his undergraduate degree, and medical school surrounded socially; but he grew more nervous about it the closer becoming a resident crept.
Being a resident was different than being a student. Dumbledore had spelled it out clear as day — they were in competition with one another. The way Walburga talked about it made it seem as if it was the only way.
James was proving to Sirius why he had chosen Seattle Grace in the first place. This did not seem like that kind of teaching hospital. Though Dumbledore’s speech was intense, the day Sirius shadowed here proved otherwise.
Of course, they were still surgeons. The competitive edge was easily recognizable. It wasn’t harsh though. It was a friendly competition. Everyone had to push themselves to do better because everyone was incredibly talented. That was why Sirius was so unsure of Dumbledore. How could someone cultivate an environment like this, but sing the praises of Dr. Walburga Black, who would surely scoff at these teaching methods?
The cluster of interns finally made it to the locker rooms, where everyone immediately scrambled to change into their scrubs. Sirius was thrilled to find his locker right next to James, which meant they must be in the same group. James’ blond companion joined them as well, opening his locker which held a white coat that read Dr. Peter Pettigrew, MD. Sirius looked down at his own, feeling his whole body swell with pride as he saw Dr. Sirius Black, MD printed on his own white coat.
Sirius was so mesmerized by seeing it in official print that he didn’t even notice the tall, tawny-haired man who had arrived at the locker to his left. Sirius’ trance was broken as the man let out a playful chuckle.
“Eight years of grueling work for two little letters.” He shook his head. Sirius caught a glimpse of the white coat that read Dr Remus Lupin, MD.
“You were born for a job like this with a name like that,” Sirius smiled, then, embarrassed, realized he’d revealed his snooping habit.
Remus stole a glance at Sirius’ coat as he put it on over his scrubs. “Come on, you were literally named after a star,” Remus extended a hand. “I’d offer my name, but you already know.”
Sirius met his grasp which was firm and warm. He felt a blush creep up his face. “My family isn’t one for subtlety.”
As their grip broke off, Sirius couldn’t help but note his scarred up hands. What are those from?
Sirius watched Remus as he introduced himself to James and Peter. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the man's face. The bridge of Remus’ nose was dappled with the most perfectly placed freckles Sirius had ever seen, as if some higher power had taken a paint brush and dotted each one onto his skin intentionally. His eyes were a rich honey color. His lips were full and home to yet another scar.
“You all better be okay with boobs because I am not moving to change everyday." The voice came from a woman behind them. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter whipped around to see four girls standing behind them. All four were familiar, and Sirius figured he must’ve crossed paths with them at the mixer. The voice had seemingly come from the East Asian girl with the dyed blonde wolf cut that she was now tying up. Her lab coat read Dr Marlene McKinnon, MD.
“Hey!” James exclaimed suddenly, "you three are the ones who moved in next to Petey and I a few days ago.”
“Oh my god.” A red-headed girl with glimmering green eyes brought her palm to her forehead. She was beautiful in that girl-next-door sort of way. Her coat read Dr Lily Evans, MD. “This is nightmarish. We will never see the end of each other.”
“Fine by me,” James smiled.
The woman who was not a part of the group that moved in together caught Sirius’ attention. She seemed very distracted by something, her eyes slowly taking in the room. Her skin was dark. She had long braids that were tied up in a high bun. Her lab coat read Dr Dorcas Meadowes, MD.
“I keep looking around and thinking about who will be gone by the end of residency…” she muttered under her breath. The woman beside her turned to face her. Her coat read Dr Mary Macdonald, MD. She was rubbing her lips together as if she’d just finished applying lipgloss.
“God, hopefully not me,” Mary answered, as quiet as Dorcas had been. Mary was drop dead gorgeous. Her skin was warm and dark and she had the longest legs Sirius had ever seen. She could’ve been a runway model. She looked so familiar she might’ve been.
A booming voice at the door broke the ripples of small talk that filled the room. “I’m about to list off your groups and who your assigned residents are. Listen closely I will not repeat myself.” The man the voice had come from was holding a clipboard.
Sirius listened closely for his name. Then, “Potter, Black, McKinnon, Macdonald you’re with Longbottom, A. Pettigrew, Lupin, Meadowes and Evans, you’re with Longbottom, F.”
What an unfortunate last name to have in a career where it’s used more than your first, Sirius thought to himself. Apparently, Peter had the same thought because a tiny chuckle escaped him. They split into their groups of four and headed outside to meet their respective residents.
The Longbottoms weren’t difficult to spot, mostly because they were the only two residents standing together. The groups conglomerated in front of their residents.
“First and foremost,” the short woman with a round face and dark hair cut short began, “we have decided to combine our groups this year. You each still have your respective resident, but don’t be afraid to speak to either of us. Likewise, all eight of you should be supporting each other.”
“This is for your benefit,” the man said. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was skinny, tall, and curly-haired. He had a kind look to him. “If this becomes a problem we will start splitting you up, but we have confirmed with the Director of the Residency Program, Dr Minerva McGonagall, that we can swap you as we see fit.”
The group of eight remained silent, too nervous to speak. Sirius, who was now wedged behind Remus and James, stood on his tippy-toes trying to read the names on each of their coats.
“What are you doing?” James turned around to look at him with a whisper.
“Trying to catch their names,” Sirius whispered back.
“Frank and Alice,” Remus responded next to him quietly, without looking down.
“We, generally, have five rules,” Alice spoke as she and Frank began to walk.
“The first,” Frank turned around to address them, now walking backwards, “don't play the suck up game. That is just not how you earn respect around here. Be on time, be informed on all your cases, don’t complain about assignments and that is how you will get in our good graces.”
“You will be paged all day, everyday,” Alice informed them as they climbed the stairs and rounded the corner onto a catwalk outlined by glass fences. The long stretch of hallway opened up to reveal the whole front of the hospital. Sirius looked over and down, spotting the front entryway. On the other side, what looked to be a floor down, was the cafeteria. Windows containing offices of all kinds lined the walls of the floor they were on. It was weird to be able to see the entire floor.
“Make sure your pagers always have working batteries. You must answer them every time, no ifs ands or buts,” Alice continued as they made their way across the catwalk. “Not only that, but we expect you answer them at a run—a run!” she reiterated.
Sirius instinctively reached down to double-check he had clipped his pager to his scrub-pant pocket. Everyone around him seemed to be doing the same.
They had reached the other side of the walkway. Alice pushed forward through a set of double doors. They were now in a busy hallway, home to what looked like the desk of a discharge station.
“Your first shift starts now and lasts forty-eight hours,” Frank said. Marlene, who was walking next to Sirius, began to rub her eyes. “You are interns, grunts, nobodies, you are the bottom of the surgical food chain for a reason."
“This means,” Alice continued for him, “you run labs, write orders, and work every second night until you drop.”
They had rounded into a stairwell they were now ascending. Sirius smiled to himself when he noticed Remus skipping steps on his way up. Tall people. He looked up and realized Remus was quickly writing something down on a little notepad. Sirius nudged him with his elbow and he turned around, revealing his freckled face.
“Are you writing this down?” Sirius chuckled, squeezing in so he was sandwiched between Remus and James. Being pressed up against Remus caused his whole body to heat up. Dammit.
“What?” Remus looked down, caught off guard. “Oh,” he looked back to his notepad. “No, no, I’m trying to map the hospital. The ones they gave us at orientation are outdated.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” James' voice came from Sirius’ other side. They were now exiting the stairwell onto, what seemed to be, the third floor.
The group passed a crowded desk labeled ‘Nurses' Station.’ Alice and Frank led them past it to a row of unassuming doors. Alice opened one.
Inside the room, a couch was pressed against the back wall with a nightstand of sorts on either side. On the front and right walls were bunk beds.
“On-call rooms,” Frank answered the question that surely popped into everyone's head.
“Sleep whenever you have free time. I’m not kidding. Don’t skip out, you’ll need it,” Alice spoke firmly. “Along with that, if one of us is sleeping,” she waved her pointer finger between her and Frank. “Don’t wake us. Unless your patient is literally dying.”
“Keep them alive until we get there,” Frank added. His tone was light. Sirius almost laughed a little, but it seemed like a terrible time to do so.
“Um…” The tentative voice came from Lily, who raised a shy hand. Everyone turned to look at her. “You… you said five rules. I only caught four.” Her face went red with embarrassment once she realized everyone was looking at her.
As if on cue, Sirius felt a buzz against his side and a chorus of beeps arose from the group. Frank and Alice both looked at their pagers, immediately starting to break into a jog.
“Yeah, that fifth one,” Frank looked back at the interns who had followed them without question, “when we move, so do you.”
They followed their residents like a stampede as they ascended the staircase. They kept on running and didn’t stop until they reached the top, where there was an exit door that looked different from all the ones they passed on their way up. Frank pushed the door open revealing a rooftop floor where a helicopter was currently trying to land on a helipad.
“We need to split up now, there’s too many of us,” Alice said, turning to her group to motion for them to follow. Sirius rolled his eyes. Of course the other group is getting the case so emergent it requires a helicopter.
It was like Remus blinked and suddenly Peter, Dorcas, Lily and himself were in a hospital room. He could feel the blood rushing through his ears, squinting to listen to Alice as if that would help him hear better.
“Step one is?” Frank asked. Lily immediately rolled the seizing patient over onto her side.
“Lupin, ten milligrams Diazepam IM,” Frank ordered.
Remus, without needing to think, walked over to the medicine cart and frantically started opening drawers.
“No, stop, Meadowes, the white lead is on the right. Righty, wighty — smoke over fire,” Frank instructed as Remus finally laid eyes on the medication he was looking for. Needle in hand, he drew from the syringe and steadied his hands as he injected the girl with the Diazepam. Her seizing ceased.
Remus couldn’t catch his breath. It didn’t matter to him how many times he’d seen it, doing it was a whole different experience. He stepped back as someone swept in behind them. A thin man with dark hair, pale skin, and a terribly sour look on his face, landed next to Frank. His lab coat read Dr Severus Snape, FACS.
“And the plan is to…?” The man asked, looking at Frank.
“I was thinking about a shotgun,” Frank replied matter-of-factly.
Growing up 'the sick kid,' Remus knew what that meant all too well, longer than any of his peers had. Every test in the book. That made sense. The patient's chart indicated that the seizures were new, only a week old recurrence in this girl's life.
“Sounds good,” the thin man was gone before he heard Frank's reply. “Meadowes,” Frank turned back to the interns. “You’re on labs. Pettigrew and Evans, patient work ups with Dr Snape. Lupin, stay with Katie.
Remus looked down at the sedated patient, feeling a heavy weight of responsibility settle onto his shoulders.
Well shit.