#open heart

[xelipe]

Your Choice

Choose me, loose me. Love me, leave me. Find me, forget me. Build me, break me. Heal me, hurt me.

[liaromancewriter]

Beautiful Mess – Part 1 of ?

Series Premise: Ethan and Cassie are first-year residents at Edenbrook Hospital, competing for the coveted prize of being mentored by Dr. Banerji.

Fandom: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. AU Words: 560

Chapter Premise: It’s halfway through intern year, and there’s only one person standing between Ethan and his goal.

A/N: I was reading one of my old headcanons where I mused about Ethan and Cassie being residents together and likely competing over each diagnosis. And then I started wondering what that would actually look like. I was just going to do a one-shot, but I feel like I need time to explore the concept.

There was something about Cassie Valentine that made Ethan Ramsey revert to his six-year-old self again. If they had been on a school playground, he would have likely pulled her ponytail before running off while secretly hoping she’d chase him to get even.

But they were interns at Boston’s Edenbrook Hospital, one of the premier teaching hospitals in the Northeast. And pulling your fellow resident’s hair was frowned upon.

Not to mention, she was much too proper to chase him around the maze-like hallways they had finally learned to navigate.

Of course, there was nothing stopping him from fantasizing about it or imagining the shock on her face if he actually managed to do that. Cassie wasn’t so nice that she wouldn’t complain to Dr. Banerji.

And that might get him placed on probation or, worse, thrown out of the residency program.

Ethan sipped his coffee as he swiped through the staff entrance, stomping the snow off his boots. Forecasters were calling for a White Christmas, maybe even a Nor’easter on New Year’s Eve.

He didn’t care about any of that. On New Year’s Day, Dr. Banerji would select the top-ranked intern to shadow him for a whole month.

There was only one problem. Ethan and Cassie had been going head to head for the last three months. Unless he stepped up or got extremely lucky, she would edge him out.

“Good morning, Ethan.”

Lost in thought, he didn’t hear the cheerful greeting until Cassie repeated it, a shade louder so that a few heads turned with interest.

Ethan felt his ears turn red with embarrassment.

Not bothering to stop, he threw her an annoyed look over his shoulder. “No need to shout, Valentine.”

Cassie just rolled her eyes and half-jogged up to walk beside him.

“Did you do anything fun last night?” she asked pleasantly. “We missed you at Donahue’s.”

“I was studying,” he said, gaining perverse pleasure when she had to practically run to match his long-legged stride.

With her long blonde hair, sparkling green eyes and soft smile, she looked more like a princess than a doctor. Unless she was advocating for a patient or arguing with him over differentials. Then, she was a pure shark.

It had taken Ethan only one day—the first day of residency when they’d been paired up for a patient—to come to the conclusion that Cassie would be his fiercest rival over the next three years; their shared love of coffee notwithstanding.

On the surface, they should’ve gotten along well.

They had graduated at the top of their classes at medical school. Him at Hopkins, her at Harvard. They believed in understanding the whole patient, not just focusing on the obvious symptoms. And they had both chosen Edenbrook for a chance to work with Dr. Banerji and his diagnostics team.

Therein lay the issue. Dr. Banerji always chose only one intern to mentor. Both Ethan and Cassie were determined to be the one.

“I love Clinic Day!”

Ethan realized that Cassie had been talking to him this whole time while he'd been too busy wondering what it was about her that made him want to grit his teeth one moment and kiss that infuriating grin off her face the next.

He froze as they entered the residents’ locker room.

Christ. What made him even think about kissing her?

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All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @jerzwriter @josiesopenheart @kyra75 @lady-calypso @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @snoopdogcone

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @custaroonie @youlookappropriate

[rafasgirl23415]

@liaromancewriter I hate the scene where you are helping Ethan with diagnosing Gwenth and you need to write something. I never know what to write. Could you give a suggestion? I’m stumped.

[jamespotterthefirst]

This is #2 on the list of hottest things he's ever done.

[jamespotterthefirst]

If zero people are pressing "kiss Ethan" in chapter 10 then I'm dead

[jamespotterthefirst]

This part always FRIES me

Because this is his tall ass in a crowd 😂

[jamespotterthefirst]

Everytime Ethan and MC touch "casually" pre-Miami kiss, I scream

[jamespotterthefirst]

Pixelberry to me everytime I open the Choices app: