Not Now

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy

The life Crystal was leaving behind in New Orleans was much different than the life she was getting used to in Seattle. In New Orleans, her fellow surgeons would have never been waiting for her return. In Seattle, the people she worked with actually showed that they cared, most of the time at least.

"Thank god you're not lying in a ditch some where nearly dead!" Meredith sighed as she hugged Crystal tightly. Awkwardly Crystal patted Meredith's back until she was released.

Before she could take a few more steps into the room, Crystal was confronted again. "Where the hell have you been? You're never late!" Jackson raged as he advanced toward her to give her a bear hug.

Crystal stood back away from her three friends and fellow surgeons. "What the hell? I'm gone for three days and I come back to find you all a mess." She joked, trying to ignore the fact that she was really late considering how early she normally was and that she hadn't returned anyone's calls or messages. It was only just then that it hit her that they were actually really worried about where she had been.

The reason for her delay in arrival at the hospital though was something that she didn't want to talk about.

"You went MIA!" Alex yelled. He was still yelling, yes. Probably because one of his best friends had been missing for the majority of the day and he was trying to hide the fact that he was actually really worried about her.

Slowly Crystal raised her hands up signaling for the three of them to be quiet. She hated loudness in the scrub room, it made her thoughts run together and that was never a good thing, especially right before operating. "Listen. I had some issues at the airport down south. I had to take a different flight and then a connection into Seattle. It's okay." She told them with her best 'everything will be okay' smile.

The three looked at her, each with varying degrees of suspicion and after a few moments their silence was interrupted by an OR nurse entering. "Dr. Gibbons, are you ready? We're bringing Sarah White down now."

Crystal turned to face the nurse before she grabbed a surgical mask and started to tie it back. "Yes. I'll be ready in a moment." She confirmed.

Turning back to the three after the nurse left Crystal took a deep breath. "Not now, guys. Later. I have a heart to fix, you know."