✿︎
LOVE OF MY LIFE
"𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔
𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕
𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊 𝒄𝒂𝒏."

season two, episode eight.

✿︎

AURORA BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE FINALLY GETTING THROUGH IT, that they were finally on the path to being okay again. But that was all some fantasy she made up in her head. Aurora understood where Isaac's anger came from, sometimes she did things that she shouldn't. She knew they made him angry. But no matter how much she thinks they can work through it without arguing, it always ends with someone yelling.

And this time it ended with Auroras shoulder being smacked against the side of the cupboard. It wasnt like it was easy to ignore or even cover her. Nothing really stopped the pain from coursing through her body, and you could see the bruise slightly escape from underneath her scrubs. Aurora already had eyes on her, she didn't need more people getting involved in her personal life.

Rubbing her shoulder, Aurora winces slightly, closing her eyes momentarily.
"Are you okay?" She hears from beside her. As she glances to the side, she sees Addison with a concerned expression on her face. Aurora forces a smile onto her face as she meets the woman's gaze.

"Oh, hey Addison." Aurora responds, bringing her hand down from her shoulder. But Addison keeps her eyes on it, clearly more worried about it than she was.

"You look like you injured yourself." Addison points out. Aurora shakes her head, trying to steer the conversation.

"Just pulled a muscle." She states, glancing away from the woman. Addison furrows her eyebrows but seemingly believes her.

"You should relax it." Addison tells her and Aurora chuckles underneath her breath.

"It's hard to relax here." Aurora retorts. They were constantly on the move and she always had something that she had to be doing.

"How'd it happen?" The redhead asks, tilting her head as she wondered if it had happened at work.

"Must have just moved funny." Aurora lies as she shrugs. No one would ever understand if they knew Isaac put his hands on her. They wouldn't be able to grasp that it didn't mean he loved her any less. He just got angry and with anger came aggression and sometimes that was physical. Aurora sometimes even hit him back.

"That's too bad." Addison responds, taking her out of her thoughts. "I didn't mean to get you drunk the other night, by the way." She says in a teasing tone, smiling at the blonde.

"Are you sure?" Aurora jokes back, narrowing her eyes while Addison holds her hands up in defence. "It's all good. I never know when to stop myself." She admits, crossing her arms.

"I'll know that for next time." Addison says with a small laugh.

"Oh, I'm even worse at taking orders." Aurora admits, knowing it was both while sober and while drunk. Addison just raises an eyebrow at her.

"I think I've already realized that." She points out, knowing that derek had said something about that. "You should go home, get some rest." Addison says, not wanting her to strain herself. Aurora nods her head, even though she still had a few more hours left.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Aurora says, bidding Addison a goodbye before walking down the hall. She lets out a sigh of relief that she was out of that conversation. Aurora understood why Addison was asking, but she didn't want to explain herself every single time.

Sometimes she wished that she could just focus on work and not deal with anything else. Isaac wouldn't like that but maybe she wouldn't have to deal with him either. She loved him, but she knew he could be overprotective.  Aurora sometimes loved that about him, but most of the time, it was just a burden.

As she walks into the locker room, she sees that Cristina was trying on a dress. Aurora tried to get inside without any acknowledgement but izzie smiled at her as soon as she stepped in. Aurora forced a smile back at her, moving toward her locker.

"Uh, they're both really nice." Izzie tells the woman, tilting her head as she looks at Cristina. Cristina just stares at her for a moment.

"I know. I bought them." Cristina responds bluntly, moving over to the mirror and putting a hanger over her head. "But which ones right?" She asks, a sigh leaving her lips.

"For what. You're gonna look hot in either one." Izzie points out, crossing her arms. Once again, Cristina just turns to her in order to give her a dumbfounded expression.

"Well, clearly. That's not the point." Cristina denies as Meredith and George make their way into the locker room. Aurora just opens her locker, trying to stay out of the conversation. Izzie was glancing over at her a few times but never really said anything.

"Wow, you look hot." Meredith announces as she looks over at Cristina.

"Yeah, Burke and I are gonna talk about how hot I am over dinner." Cristina states as she puts the red dress on, analyzing herself. "This date is such a mistake." She mutters with a groan as she turns to them, pulling the dress back off.

"It's easy to get nervous on dates. It's especially hard if you're out of practice, so you just gotta be mellow, relaxed--"

"I know how to date, George. I'm not you." Cristina cuts him off with a roll of her eyes.

"The purple one." Aurora pipes up, making them all glance over at her. She was exhausted but she managed to form a small smile. "You'd look hot in the purple one." She tells the woman who gestures toward her.

"An actual opinion. Thank you." Cristina responds while Aurora only glances back at her locker. She was waiting for them to leave before changing her shirt because she didn't need them asking questions.

Alex walks inside, his eyes immediately looking to find Aurora. Once they rested on her, he noticed the way she was wincing every two seconds. His jaw clenches as he knew exactly why she was doing that. Maybe he should just beat the shit out of Isaac, maybe then he'd get the point.

Clearing his throat, he just opens up his locker. "Well, I have her scheduled for the mastectomy, and I get to stay while plastics does the transflap reconstruction." He says, talking more directly to izzie than anyone else. Izzie just sighs, shaking her head.

"I couldn't do it." Izzie denies, crossing her arms.

"Do what, make yourself all hot and sexy for your boyfriend like Yang?" Alex asks as he looks over at the woman changing. Cristina just meets his gaze, narrowing her eyes.

"Go wrestle something." Cristina mutters with a scoff. She was slightly taken aback by the way Aurora was silent. Usually she'd be arguing with Alex already. "No sassy comment from you?" She asks, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. Aurora hated how all their eyes turned to her.

"He says these things every day." Aurora points out with a shrug. She just shuts her locker and she could feel Alex's eyes on her.

"I-i couldn't cut off my ovaries and breasts just because I might have cancer." Izzie states, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Think of it like a hand. If someone told you you'd die if you didn't chop off your hand, you'd do it." Cristina explains to them with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Not if I couldn't be a surgeon." Aurora mumbles, shaking her head. If she couldn't be a surgeon, she wouldn't even know what she would do with her life.

"Except when you chop off your hand, you don't kill your sex drive, have silicone breasts, get hot flashes and lose your ability to bear children." Izzie points out with a scoff.

"If it were me, I wouldn't even have the test. I mean, what's the point? We're all gonna die anyway, right?" Meredith points out. Everyone turns their head to look at her, somewhat shocked by her blunt response. "It's the Hello kitty band aid on my forehead. It's freaking me out." She admits with a sigh, rubbing her face.

"I say slice em' and dice em'. Whatever. They're body parts." Alex says as he shrugs his shoulders, closing his locker shut. Aurora wasnt even really paying attention to the conversation anymore, just making her way to the sink on the other side of the room.

"Oh, so you'd cut off your penis?" Izzie asks, raising an eyebrow at him as she narrows her eyes.

"If it kept me from dying." Alex retorts, taking a step toward her. "Besides, I've got plenty to spare." He says with a smirk on his lips. Izzie scrunched up her nose as the man walks past her.

His eyes move over to Aurora who was splashing water in her face. He slightly hesitated to leave, watching as she stood back up slightly. Alex noticed the way she had her head tilted, her hands gripping the side of the sink. He saw the way her body moved up every few seconds and when she moved one of her hands to her mouth, it confirmed his thoughts.

But he could only do so much. She wouldn't even listen to him anymore. And he knew that if he said something to Isaac, it might just end up making it worse for her. She had to come to terms with it on her own. As much as it pained him to see her get hurt and to see that she clearly thought she had to go through it alone.

He was surprised that no one else pointed out the bruise on her shoulder, but most people were blind to it. They ignore a problem until they can't anymore. And most people don't think it's their place to say anything. But alex was the opposite. Because he knew what it was like to be near someone abusive. Sometimes it happened within the blink of an eye.

And unfortunately,  Aurora was only one of many victims.

✿︎

STANDING AT THE NURSES STATION, Aurora lets a hand run through her hair as a sigh leaves her lips. Her hand goes to her shoulder once more, closing her eyes. No matter how many pain medications she took, nothing seemed to help. Even with dulling the pain, it seemed only to get stronger. Aurora loved becoming a surgeon, she did. She just wished she could skip the whole runt work intern part.

Her eyes move to the side, seeing her brother making his way over to her with a coffee cup in his hand. Aurora instantly narrows her eyes, knowing that he never brought her something unless he wanted something in return. She barely let him get to her before she spoke. "You need something." She states, crossing her arms against her chest.

Daniel chuckles as he stops in front of her, holding out the cup. "I'm giving you coffee." He retorts as he waits for her to take it from him. But Aurora was still hesitant, worried that if she takes it, he'll make her do something for him.

"Because you need something." Aurora points out, a bit more blunt this time. Daniel rolls his eyes, a sigh leaving him.

"You read into things too easily." Daniel tells her but she doesn't budge. She was not letting her guard down easily. And why would she when she could easily be placed on scut?

"Mhm." She hums, just staring at the man. Daniel was silent for a moment before he just rubs his face, placing the coffee cup on the counter next to them.

"Okay, fine. I have a friend coming in a few days and thought that you might keep him company if im in surgery." Daniel explains to her. She didn't think he had any friends. Kidding. But not one that he'd invite to Seattle at least.

"What if I have work?" Aurora asks, since he schedule could be pretty hectic as well.

"Well, if you don't." Daniel responds and she just places her hand on her hips.

"Why?"

"Because you're one of the only people I know here." He points out in a teasing tone. Aurora rolls her eyes, laughing underneath her breath.

"What about Derek?' She asks, knowing they were decent friends as well. But Aurora saw the immediate hesitancy on her brothers face.

"Uh, it wouldn't really go well." Daniel denies which makes her confused for a second. Her eyebrows furrow as she tilts her head.

"Who is he?" She asks, wanting to know more now. Especially if it was someone who Derek didn't like.

"Mark."

"Who's mark?"

"Mark Sloan."

"Oh, he's a plastic surgeon right?" Aurora asks him and he just slowly nods his head. It was clear he was holding a very viable detail back.

"Yeah, that's right." Daniel says, clearing his throat a bit. "He's also Derek's best friend." He admits causing auroras eyes to widen. She didn't think that Mark would be that Mark.

"The one that slept with Addison?" Aurora was shocked to say the least. Especially that he was coming to Seattle since he most likely knew that both Derek and Addison were there.

"We've worked together a few times and he's just visiting." Daniel tells her, not really wanting that to be the main topic of conversation for her. But Aurora just stares back at him, wondering why he would even want Mark to come to Seattle.

"Do they know?" Aurora asks curiously. Well, Derek would probably be in a mood and even angrier at Addison if he did know.

"No."

"So, is he coming for you or to get Addison back?" She questions, tilting her head. Half of her wanted to know the drama but half of her wanted to warn Addison as well. Aurora knew if Mark came, it would not be good for their marriage.

"Aurora." Her brother scolds, shaking his head as he clearly wasn't amused by her question.

"What? You asked me to hang out with him." Aurora points out, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Just keep him company and don't ask so many questions." Daniel tells her, pointing his finger at her. Aurora presses her lips together tightly, bringing her hand up to her forehead in a mock salute.

"Whatever you say, boss." Aurora responds, earning an annoyed look from her brother who just shakes his head.

"Come on." Daniel says, nodding his head in front of him. Aurora furrows her eyebrows as she just watches him begin to walk down the hallway.

"Where?"

"You're my intern today." He tells her and she couldn't stop the long groan thar left her lips. She tilts her head back, clenching her jaw.

"Ugh, you couldn't have led with that?" Aurora asks him. It wasn't like she didn't want to work with her brother, she just wasn't that interested in Cardio. Sure, she wanted to be well rounded, but she hoped to get in on a brain surgery this week.

"Then it gives you time to get a new assignment." Daniel teases her with a smirk. Aurora just rolls her eyes as a sigh leaves her lips. "Now, follow me." He tells her, gesturing for the woman to follow him. She reluctantly does, knowing no matter how much she sucked up to Bailey, she would never allow Aurora to switch attendings until the next shift.

✿︎

AURORA SAT ON THE COUCH, her head rested on her hand as she leant back against the cushion. She wasnt really paying attention to what theyve been watching, her mind buzzing from their last argument. She knew he noticed her behaviour since she'd never been so distant before. But Aurora just needed some time to think, especially with the pain in her shoulder still being there and seemingly getting worse.

But Isaac had been glancing over at her a few times and it seemed he was getting irritated that she hadn't really spoken to him. "You've been quiet." He points out, moving over to her a little bit. Aurora could feel his hand rest on her thigh. Aurora bites her bottom lip as her eyes barely even meet his gaze.

"Just tired is all." Aurora says, really just wanting to be left alone. Although now that Isaac started talking to her, it wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"You've been home all day." Isaac points out as he furrows his eyebrows. How could she be tired when she's been doing nothing all day? He's the one that's been at work and yet she never even asked how his day went.

"I guess it's catching up with me." Aurora responds, referencing to how she's been constantly on her feet and walking. Even though she's been 'relaxing' all day, it didn't even help give her body the energy that it needed.

"Do you want to put something on to fall asleep to?" Isaac asks her, pausing the current show that they had been watching. Aurora rubs her face, stifling a yawn.

"Sure." She mumbles with a shrug of her shoulders. Aurora could honestly fall asleep with anything, but she was mainly distant in her thoughts. As she hears a scoff leave Isaac's mouth, she knew it was going to be yet another argument.

"Can you answer like you actually care what I'm asking you?" Isaac questions, his jaw clenched. Aurora bit her tongue, trying to hold back her own anger but at this point, Isaac was pushing it out of her.

"I'm just exhausted. I'm sorry if I'm not giving you the energy you want." Aurora snaps back, not meaning to be so harsh. She saw the way his eyes darken and he just gets up from the couch.

"And yet you probably could speak to Alex all day." He mumbles, almost to himself but she did hear what he said.

"What?" She asks him, furrowing her eyebrows. Her brain was on overdrive and couldn't even process what he was trying to accuse her of.

"Don't think that I don't see what's going on." Isaac sneers as he glares at the woman. Aurora was exhausted, not even just because of work but because it was exhausting having these constant arguments. He never seemed to believe nor trust her enough.

"Nothing is going on." Aurora denies, dropping her face in her hands for a few seconds. Isaac narrows his eyes, taking a step closer to her.

"That's why you two whisper and act like you didn't talk about anything when I walk up?" He questions, he knew what they talked about and he didn't need Alex butting his head into their business.

"It's a private conversation."

"Why are you even talking to him if you don't like him?" Isaac asks, crossing his arms against his chest. Aurora couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Because we work together." She points out bluntly. Did he think Aurora would talk to Alex if she didn't have a choice? She did hate him but it was obvious that he thought the opposite.

"Well, if you moved back to Los Angeles like I asked, you wouldn't be." Isaac points out, still bringing up the same argument. He acts like she forced him to move when she was very happy with a long distance relationship. It wouldn't even be that far.

"It's just a job. Are you going to get mad at Doctor Shepherd for talking to me next? Actually, you already made me not talk to my own brother so probably." Aurora states with a scoff. Isaac snaps, moving to her and grabbing her jaw, slapping her face with his other hand.

"You wanna get smart with me, huh?" Isaac asks her and she just keeps her eyes down. He was seething as he let her go.  "I don't make you do shit." He denies as he leans over her. Aurora kept her eyes on the ground, her fists clenching together.

He always did that. He would always get angry or stop her from talking to someone and then act like he didn't. Isaac would make it seem like he never said anything to her. Aurora couldn't honestly remember now what he had said. Maybe he hadn't, maybe he had. That was what was so frustrating.

"Stop!" She shouts at him as she stands up, shoving him back. Isaac stumbles a bit but it didn't stop his glare from hardening. "Stop making me feel like I'm fucking crazy." Aurora pleads as she brings her hands to grip her hair.

"I'm not making you feel anything, you're making yourself feel like that." Isaac points out as he shakes his head. Aurora felt her breathing get shaky as she just stares at him.

"You keep getting angry over these small things and t-then you act like you didn't say anything at all." Aurora points out, tears in her eyes. She didn't want to show weakness but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to fight with him, she didn't want to be angry with him but he was making it so hard for her.

"God, what are you doing?" He asks with a groan, tilting his head back. Isaac covers his face for a second before looking back at her. "Do you want to be a fucking victim? Is that what we're doing?" Isaac questions, clearly annoyed by her behaviour. Aurora felt the tears stream down her cheeks.

"I want you to stop treating me like I'm crazy!" She screams, hitting his chest again. Isaac grabs her hands, pushing her back against the couch. Aurora moves into herself, her body shaking.

"Oh my God. That's such bullshit and you know it." He snaps, rolling his eyes. Aurora cries to herself, covering her body with her arms. She shakes her head over and over again.

"It's not." Aurora mumbles to herself. She doesn't glance back up at him, keeping her head in her hands. Isaac just stood in front of her, staring down at the woman.

It wasn't that all his anger went away, but as he saw her crying, he knew that he could win her back with the right words. He always could. She was always at her most vulnerable state when she was upset. Bending down, he places her hands on her knees softly.

"Look, I just don't want anybody thinking they can have my girl, okay?" Isaac says, his tone gently as he rubs the her knee. Aurora sniffles as she shakes her head. "Baby, I'm just protective over you, that's it." He admits, moving his hands up to her waist, trying to move her closer to him.

Aurora lifts her head in the slightest, meeting his eyes. He could see her tear stained cheeks and the pain in her eyes.
"

You hurt me." She whispers, feeling his hands move into hers, squeezing them.

"I know." He replies, his voice soft. Aurora glances away from him. "I know, and I'm sorry." Isaac apologized but he could see the way that she still didnt look at him. He brings his hand to her chin, stroking it with his thumb. "You know I'm sorry, baby." He tries again, tilting his head. He could see the way she tried to fight the urge to meet his gaze. "I never mean to be so invasive or angry I just..  I hate when you get comfortable around other people." Isaac explains to her, resting his forehead against hers for a second.

Aurora frowns as she finally meets his eyes, sniffling. "You know I always choose you." She points out. She never strayed from him once and it hurts to know that he thought she would.

"I should trust you more and I'm very sorry." Isaac says, moving his hand to her cheek. Aurora wraps her arms around him, burying her head in his neck. Isaac hugs her back, holding her close against him.

"I love you." She says, her voice squeaking ever so slightly. Isaac smiles, nodding his head.

"I know." He responds, rubbing her back and planting a kiss on the side of her head. "I know you do." Isaac says, feeling her breathing become more stabilized now as she starts to calm down. "You know I love you too." Isaac tells her as he pulls back, allowing their eyes to meet once again.

"You just gotta be more careful with who you speak to, okay?" Isaac asks her, rubbing her cheek and wiping away the tears. Aurora instantly nods her head, not wanting to make him angry again. She knew he just cared about her and loved her, he couldnt help if he got jealous.

She understood jealousy and she understood that sometimes he didn't know how to say things in words. Aurora wouldn't abandon him because of it though, it made her want to keep him close. Because she loved him and she didn't want anybody else.

She loved him.

✿︎

All I could think about while writing this was the lyrics from the grudge by Olivia Rodrigo "I know in my heart, hurt people hurt people and we both drew blood but man those cuts were never equal."