Vending Machine Confession

Synopsis: Having decided to also leave Edenbrook, Ethan is now racing against Charlie to see who can leave the hospital first. But as they're barreling towards self destruction, they have a chance meeting by the vending machine...

Chapter 40 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 3.0k

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

Ethan hated goodbyes.

He hated drawn out farewells and lingering endings. He’d never been one to hesitate when it was time to go. Ethan hadn’t noticed the change until now – the hesitance in his limbs and the dread in his chest. He wasn’t comfortable on the precipice because he had too much to lose now.

Or maybe he had too much to lose.

Perhaps for the first time since he’d met Charlie, Ethan was free from the shackles of indecision. He knew exactly what he had to do, and as he barreled towards self-destruction, it felt like the only right thing he’d done in a long time.

Naveen told Ethan to give it a few days before acting on his decision to leave Edenbrook. You might regret it, Naveen politely cautioned. Until now, Ethan’s devotion to Edenbrook had been unrelenting, unforgiving, and undying. He sacrificed everything to the altar of his career.

He'd sacrificed Charlie in the name of saving her.

It was a cautionary tale as old as man’s arrogance.

But now it had an ending.

Screaming at a Reflection

Synopsis: After receiving the shocking news that Charlie intends to resign and leave Edenbrook, Ethan searches for a solution -- talking to everyone but the one person that matters.

Chapter 39 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 4.7k

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

Ethan had been awake too long. The exhaustion showed on the creases of his face and the sharp edges of his voice. If desolate Ethan was a nightmare, then sleepless Ethan was something worse.

It had been two weeks.

Two weeks without Charlie in his bed.

And two weeks without a proper night’s sleep.

Not that it mattered, Ethan thought. Sleep was for the weak. Ethan didn’t need sleep as long as he still had his work and a consistent supply of caffeine. She wasn’t coming home, and he would survive. Whether or not he would thrive would was immaterial.

He was never going to “thrive” without her. Of all the ways this story could have ended, thriving was never one of the possibilities. All things considered, Ethan considered himself lucky. Exhaustion and empty nights were bearable; with time, he might even find peace.

But right now, there was no peace. No relief. No respite.

Everything was a fucking marathon, especially sleeping.

Peppermint Lattes

Synopsis: stuck in Boston by herself for Christmas, Charlie is cold and homesick, and she receives a surprising gift from her austere attending...

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 3k

Rating: General Audience

A/N: this was inspired by this ask. Thank you to @choicesaddict5 and @lsvdw-blog for encouraging me to turn this into a fic!

December 23rd, Intern Year

This morning, Boston was particularly cold. It was as if the city had woken up and decided to taunt Charlie.

All morning, she’d watched Boston prepare for Christmas. Apartment windows glittered with Christmas trees. Families packed into sedans for holiday road trips. Children whispered in the streets about their plans to trap Santa, and adults ran between grocery stores searching for their Christmas Eve dinner.

Everyone was having a great Christmas – except for Charlie.

She’d woken up to a near-empty apartment and a deep winter chill, requiring every layer she owned to keep her from shivering on her commute. Just when the morning felt like it couldn’t get any worse, she took the wrong step on black ice and ended up sprawled on the cement, wearing her coffee and a new bruise as a souvenir.

Her bleak morning quickly became an unbearable day.

At the beginning of her 24-hour shift, she was bombarded with hordes of new patients – some angrily demanding resolution before Christmas and others begging her to keep them longer so they could avoid the festivities. Every time she took a break, Charlie spotted a new social media post bragging about holiday traditions and time off.

It was the first time Charlie wouldn’t be home for Christmas, and nothing reminded her of home.

Old Wounds

Synopsis: Weeks of fighting. One year of hiding. A multitude of disappointments, hurts, and betrayals. It all comes down to one epic fight where Charlie asks: are you going to change?

Chapter 36 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 3.4k

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

A/N: I cried while writing this, so good luck 👍

Ethan searched every inch of Edenbrook, but Charlie wasn’t there.

Or, if she was, she skillfully avoided him.

His calls went unanswered. His texts were ignored. His efforts were fruitless.

Charlie disappeared, becoming another ghost in these haunted halls, and Ethan missed the irony. He didn’t appreciate the significance of her disappearance or the message it sent. He didn’t even realize she might be mad at him.

When he didn’t find her after his shift, he called her a dozen times from the car. Then, another two times while waiting for the elevator. And when he arrived at his front door, he’d already decided to spend the rest of the night combing through the streets of Boston until he found her.

But to his surprise, his apartment wasn’t empty.

Instead, he caught a glimpse of familiar blue scrubs and a mess of wild, blonde hair.

Ethan dropped his coat at the door's threshold and felt his heart soar at the sight of her. His darling Charlie.

Overcome with relief, Ethan ran to her, exclaiming, “Charlie! I’ve been looking for you all day. I was so worried.”

Before Charlie could respond, Ethan wrapped his arms around her and held her close. All while assuring her, “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m so glad you’re okay.” He kissed her temples, breathing in the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo and vanilla perfume. She was alright. Everything was okay.

But Charlie was rigid in his embrace.

She was not okay.

And she was furious that he thought she would be.

Tag List: If you want to be added or removed (aka no longer traumatized by my angst), please let me know!

@lion-ess24 @uneravine @padfoot0415 @forallthatitsworth @maurine07 @dulcehernandez @cheaptr1ck @paulfwesley @choicesaddict5 @jessirosebud @aishwarya26 @curiousconch @senseofduties @queenbirbs @queencarb @schnitzelbutterfingers @quixoticdreamer16 @utterlyinevitable @thegreentwin @blossomanarchy @jerzwriter @crazy-loca-blog @dr-addieramsey @mainstreetreader @cariantha @annfg8

@txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

Waiting for You

Synopsis: After weeks of fighting, tensions between Charlie and Ethan rise to the surface.

Chapter 35 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 3.9k

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

No one said anything as Charlie Greene stood at the nurse’s station and stared off at Ethan Ramsey. Even if someone had something to say – and of course, many of them did – they wouldn’t dare say it to her.

Not when she looked at him like that.

Hunched over her charts, fury, disappointment, and frustration flashed in her green eyes with the intensity of a hurricane.

She hadn’t slept, leaving dark circles under her eyes and exhaustion on her face. But how could she sleep? She’d spent her night screaming at Ethan to understand and then cursing him when he didn’t. But only a few hours later, she could hardly remember what had driven them to such rage. It was just one of many disagreements that had plagued the last five weeks.

The fights were always meaningful and potent in the moment. Whatever sparked it couldn’t go untouched, and the possibility of letting it go was too repulsive to entertain. Nothing but a swift solution would do.

Resolve wavered. Rules were broken. Wars were waged.

The entire world was ending, and they needed to express it in some way, even if it meant screaming until their voices were raw.

Because screaming was better than silence.

Tag List: please let me know if you would like to be added or removed (or if I messed up and did not include you)

@lion-ess24 @uneravine @padfoot0415 @forallthatitsworth @maurine07 @dulcehernandez @cheaptr1ck @paulfwesley @choicesaddict5 @jessirosebud @aishwarya26 @curiousconch @senseofduties @queenbirbs @schnitzelbutterfingers @quixoticdreamer16 @queencarb @utterlyinevitable @thegreentwin @blossomanarchy @jerzwriter @crazy-loca-blog @octobereighthfornow @dr-addieramsey @mainstreetreader @cariantha @annfg8

Welcome to the United States of America where if you want to be safe from guns you die if you want to get a safe abortion you die if you're gay you die if you're black you die if you're a woman you die if you're a POC you die and no one will do anything about it because some stupid cuntrags that are two steps away from tripping on a staircase and dying cling to some dipshit beliefs from over 6 decades ago and decide to make it everyone's problem

— Unknown

Tag List Cleanup

Hi everyone!

Open Heart has been over for eight months so I understand if some people aren’t interested in it (or in my writing) anymore. As such, it’s time for a routine tag list clean up!

Taglist:

✔️ If you want to stay, please reblog/comment on this post (or DM me)  

🚫 If you want to be removed, please ignore this post

Thank you everyone for your time and honesty!

Current taglist under the cut

Keep reading

You are never ever getting rid of me as long as you stay in Tumblr. Tag me in anything you create (like honestly you can put me on your grocery list too😁) So don’t you dare remove me from Perma and also add me to the NSFW list💗 (also, if you are tagging people on your MC mondays, I wanna be tagged in that too)

Please add me on perma tag!!

Aww this is so cuteee!!❤️😍. I loved everything in this from little Lori to Ethan and Charlie's playful banter!