I have an aunt who, whenever she poured anything for you, would say, "Say
when."
Meredith is lying on the bathroom floor holding an empty bottle of tequila
like it was a teddy bear. Eddie was sitting against the bathtub leafing
through a a book. She had brought Meredith and Cristina to the frat house
after they spent some time drinking at the bar, and stayed with them as they
lamented about how evil men were. She was just making sure the two didn't
somehow choke on their own vomit.
Though, baby defiantly didn't like mommy sitting on the ground, and made
it clear with more obvious nudges than gentle rolls. Eddie was just happy
that Izzie had brought her a pillow to rest against.
"It's not us." Meredith told them her theory. "It's them. Them and their
stupid boy penises. They didn't tell me they had a wife. They leave girls
pregnant to raise their baby alone. They gave absolutely no warning that
they were going to break up with you."
Cristina opens the shower door, where she is lying completely dressed and
she had crawled in there sometime in the middle of the night to sleep.
"To be fair. It was a one night stand, and I can't exactly tell him." Eddie said
with a shrug.
"It's not that Burke broke up with me. It's how he broke up with me. Like it
was business. Like it was a business transition like he's the boss of me!"
Cristina commiserated with Meredith.
"He is the boss of you." Meredith reminded her.
"And what's worse is that I care." Cristina admitted.
"I'm gonna throw up again." Meredith announced as she crawled back
towards the toilet.
Cristina closes the shower door while Eddie tries to block out the sound of
throw up by focusing on the medical journal that she was reading in French.
My aunt would say, "Say when," and of course we never did.
Meredith looks like she's going to throw up, but it was a false alarm.
"No. Wait. False alarm." Meredith said as she started to crawl back towards
her two friends and Cristina opens the shower door once again.
"Look, the problem is estrogen." Cristina stated.
"I'll agree." Eddie said, "I cried yesterday when the coffee cake didn't have
any cookies. Pregnancy hormones are the worst."
And, she was also horny all the time. She didn't often talk about her sex life,
except in the very general and vague. Even to Eli and her two persons.
Though, she had admitted last night when Meredith and Cristina was
bashing men when they were very drunk, and she doubted they
remembered. Complaining that no man would want to have sex with a
pregnant woman, unless it was the baby daddy, or had some creepy
pregnancy fetish.
"No," Meredith said with the shake of her head. "The problem is tequila."
"I used to be all business, and then he goes and gets me pregnant." Cristina
complains.
"With the stupid boy penis." Meredith said, getting Ellie to laugh.
"Now, I'm having hormone surges. He ruined me." Cristina cried. "I'm
ruined. He turned me into this fat, stupid, pregnant girl. Who cares! I'm
turning into Ellie! Estrogen!"
"Love you to whore." Eddie said with a laugh, knowing her fellow pregnant
intern didn't mean it. Pregnancy hormones were truly a different beast than
normal menstrual mood swings.
Cristina just slides the shower door shut again with a thud.
"Penises." Meredith muttered, the door opened and Izzie and George
entered. Meredith looked only at Izzie and said, "Penises Izzie."
George tries to ignore the conversation to brush his teeth and Izzie was
carrying a bottle of water for the two women who had more than enough
drinks laster night. The shower door opens again.
"Estrogen George." Cristina complained.
"I am sorry about this again." Eddie apologized to her two friends who also
happened to be Meredith's roommate.
"It's not your fault, Ed." Izzie promised with a smile, the pregnant girl had
tried to stop them numerous times to stop drinking, and when they got
drunk enough she and Izzie had been able to make the switch to water
without them noticing.
Izzie had eventually sent her to sleep in Meredith's bed, because the gross
bathroom floor was not a place for a pregnant woman to sleep. And, Eddie
had taken over when her alarm went off and allowed Izzie to get a bit more
sleep in her own bed.
"Okay." George said confused about Cristina's statement. He looked to Izzie
for an explanation. "What did I miss?"
Izzie pours some water into a glass that Cristina is holding out, to help with
her hangover.
"I came home to full on vomit drama. Apparently she dumped Derek." Izzie
explained as she motioned to Meredith.
"And her? She's been sleeping with Burke!" Izzie said sounding scandalized
at the thought that another friend had been sleeping with an attending.
"I knew that." George admitted.
Izzie sent George a look, shocked that he didn't tell her this particular piece
of news.
"Are you sleeping with an attending?" Izzie asked looking at the pregnant
girl.
"Izzie, I haven't had sex since my one night stand. No one really goes for
pregnant girls." Eddie said with a laugh. "Though, I found out that Henry
Quinn is my father, which makes Conrad, McBadass, my brother."
"Holy shit!" George said, almost choking on his toothbrush.
While Izzie nodded wide eyed. "Wow."
"I know." Eddie said with a nod. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Though,
I did have dinner with them last night. So that is a start."
We don't say "when" because there's something about the possibility of
more.
"So you really broke up with Shepherd?" George asked as he looked at
Meredith who looked lost in her own thoughts.
He continues brushing his teeth when he doesn't get an answer from any of
the girls.
"I feel empty." Meredith said.
"Two hours of vomiting will do that to you." Izzie said, motioning to the
tequila bottle.
Both Izzie and George are now brushing their teeth looking at Meredith.
More tequila. More love. More anything. More is better.
"No, I feel empty." Meredith said to herself, though her friends heard her.
Eddie sighed as she wrapped an arm around Meredith's shoulder and the
older blonde cuddled into her friend, still clutching the tequila bottle.
"You're lucky." Cristina said as she laid back to rest against the tub. "I feel
pissed off."
She slides the door shut with a loud thud.
About an hour and a half later, Eddie's car pulled into the parking spot next
to Meredith's car in the hospital parking lot. She had left the frat house
shortly after coaxing her two persons to leave the bathroom, and she
quickly went home to change and grab some breakfast before making her
way to work.
Eddie groaned when she saw Derek had noticed Meredith pull in and
decided to wait for her. Danger Will Robertson. Danger.
Eddie got out of the car the same time as Meredith slams the door of her
car. While Cristina, George, and Izzie get out slowly after her.
"Stop." Meredith said to Derek as she approached McDreamy.
"What?" Derek asked, hoping that Meredith had slept on what she had
learned and they could talk today.
"You're stalking me. Stop it." Meredith said as he followed after her
towards the hospital, while her friends hung back, watching it, not wanting
to. But, it was like a train wreck or a car accident they couldn't look away
from it.
"Did we not communicate last night?" Derek asked her.
"Yes." Meredith said, it still sounded like a lame excuse the next morning to
her.
"Did you hear what I was saying?" Derek asked,
"Your wife screwed your best friend." Meredith said as she turned away
from him trying to get into the safe haven of the hospital.
"And then from that point on she no longer existed to me anymore." Derek
said, trying to get Meredith to believe him, as he followed her.
"So you had marital amnesia?" Meredith asked somewhat sarcastically,
pointing out that he hadn't told her that he was married.
"No. Come on I bared my soul to you last night." Derek exclaimed, hurt
that Meredith wouldn't hear him out.
He felt like his life he was forming here in Seattle was spiraling out of
control. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was happy. He loved
his job, he loved his trailer and the land that he was still trying to figure out
what he was going to do with it, he loved the friends he was making here,
most of all, he loved the relationship with Meredith he was forming.
If he was truly honest he was the happiest he had ever been with her. And,
he felt like he wanted to die when he looked at her, and she looked like she
was in deep pain.
"It's not enough." Meredith told him.
"How can that be not enough?" Derek asked her.
"When you waited 2 months to tell me and I had to find out by her showing
up, all leggy and fabulous and telling me herself, you pulled the plug. I'm a
sink with an open drain. Anything that you say runs right out. There is no
enough." Meredith said, deeply hurt that Derek hadn't told her. He lied to
her. He used her.
Cheating wife be damned.
He had used her to cheat. Even if that wasn't his intention, that is what he
did. He used her and she felt dirty. Dirty and heartbroken.
Meredith made her way inside the hospital and her roommates and friends
followed her, leaving a hurt McDreamy in their wake.
"She probably could've picked a better metaphor." George muttered to the
two blondes on either side of her.
"I think it was a pretty good one." Eddie said.
"Give her a break. She's got a hangover." Izzie reminded the boy.
As if Derek's day wasn't already bad enough, Preston Burke, with the cocky
swagger of beating his rival coming towards him with a smirk that spelled
trouble.
And, it seemed as if the interns waiting at the elevator noticed it to and they
were watching it with interest. It was the battle of the titans or clash of
whom's ego was bigger.
"Dr. Shepherd." Burke greeted.
"Dr. Burke." Derek greeted back.
"Ah, we have an organ donor coming in this afternoon from Wilkeson
General. We're doing a harvest." Burke informed the neurosurgeon.
"Commendable, but-" Derek started.
"In OR one at four." Burke informed the surgeon on why he was telling
him.
"I'm in OR one at four." Derek said annoyed that Burke decided to kick him
out instead of someone else. It felt personal, like he was showing Derek he
had the power.
"Your surgery is non-critical." Burke said explaining his reasoning.
"You can't bump me!" Derek said.
"you'll be first up tomorrow." Burke informed the annoyed, handsome,
doctor. "As Chief I can."
" Interim chief. " Derek stressed, reminding him that Burke was only going
to be the king of the playground for a few weeks at most. "Bump somebody
else!"
"You're in the OR we need." Burke said, it was one of the biggest OR's and
his was non critical at the moment, the other OR's were also booked, and he
chose Derek's.
"Why don't they do the harvest at Wilkeson?" Derek asked the interim
chief.
"Small facility in the boonies." Burke said, as if it explained it all, which it
did in a way, Wikeson was not equipped and they sent things like this to
bigger hospitals in the surrounding area. "A duck in a box. We have the
location, the airport nearby and the staff. Your surgery is rescheduled."
The elevator opens and the interns get in.
"Mine's bigger than yours." Cristina said to her persons as they entered the
elevator. Eddie started to giggle as Meredith smiled wanly.
Before the elevator closed, Alex entered, hearing Cristina's commented he
couldn't help but say: "Whip it out. I'll measure."
"Shut up, Alex." Eddie said.
After getting ready for the day, Bailey and her interns were called down to
the PIT. They waited outside for the ambulance. There had been a car
accident, and Conrad Quinn, who was the trauma attending today, had
paged them to help out.
"Male, 55, victim of a head-on collision. GCS is 3. Depressed skull
fracture. Multiple internal injuries. ACLS protocol started, but was vein
blew so we've been pushing meds down the tube. PEA on arrival." The
medic informed Bailey.
"How long has he been down?" Bailey asked him.
"We've been doing CPR for about 20 minutes. It took fire 20 minutes to get
him out of the car. He's pretty much gone." The medic replied.
"Uh, he's not gone until we say he's gone. Keep coding." Bailey instructed,
getting a nod from the medic.
"O'Malley, get him into a bay and save him." Bailey told George.
He sent his resident a confused look. Hw was dead. Why continue?
"But he's dead." George said.
Another ambulance approaches, and Alex, Cristina, and Izzie make their
way over to it. And before Eddie could move, Bailey motioned for her to
stay put.
"Did you not hear me? He's not dead until we say he's dead. You know what
to do so do it." Bailey reminded the male inter. George stands there. "Uh,
Sousa, Grey, you're on this too."
The two blondes nodded and started moving.
"Move." Bailey ordered to those who were still standing around.
"Yes ma'am." Eddie said, making her way back into the hospital along with
Meredith, leaving a shocked George behind.
"We've got three more victims from the other car people coming in. Let's
move people!" The medic yelled.
"George. Come on!" Eddie said to the frozen boy. After a moment George
follows the two blondes.
"But he's dead." George said.
In the trauma room, George is preparing to shock the already dead patient.
With Olivia helping prep them.
"Olivia." George said blandly, unsure how to act around the red headed
nurse. Then to other doctors. "Pulseless V-Tach."
"Line's in." Eddie said.
"Okay, charge to 200." George instructed Olivia.
"200." Olivia confirmed.
"Clear." George said as he shocks the body.
"Push 1 of epi. Let's go again. Charge to 300." Eddie said.
"Seriously?" George asked the pregnant intern, shocked. Their patient was
dead.
"I think that's what Dr. Bailey wants you to do, George." Olivia said, before
realizing what she said and bashfully corrected. "Dr. O'Malley."
"It's what she wants, Dr. O'Malley." Meredith reiterated.
"Okay then. Let's charge to 300." George said.
"300."
"Clear." George said as he shocked the body.
In the ambulance bay, the next ambulance pulled in.
"Male, 46, unrestrained driver of the car that jumped lanes. BP 80 over
palp. Tachycardic. Last pulse 1:38. Got two liters of LR running wide open.
Significant abdominal tenderness." The medic informed the group.
"Any history?" Bailey asked.
"Uh, wife says he's got a bad liver. He's one the, ah transplant list." The
medic responded.
"Abdomen's rigid. Okay hand's off. We need to page Burke and Quinn. Prep
this guy for the O.R. Who wants him?" Bailey asked looking for interns.
"I do!" Izzie said, raising her hand.
"I do." Alex said, just as eagerly.
"I do, I do." Cristina said.
"Uh, too late." Bailey said as she quickly chose. "Stevens, take it."
"Yes." Izzie cheered as she joined the medics to prep their patient for the
OR.
"Karev, take the boy." Bailey said as another gurney was entering to the
hospital with the son.
"Yang, you take the mom." Bailey ordered as the next gurney came in.
"I want to be looking at their films in 15 minutes!" Bailey yelled to her
interns.
A doctor nearby hands Bailey a chart.
"We've got one more for you." The doctor informed Bailey who took the
chart.
"What?" Bailey asked as the doctor pointed towards the ER. "In there? Oh,
ok."
When Bailey entered the ER she asked: " What is it?"
"That guy." He points over to a patient on the bed.
"He was in the accident?" Bailey asked, she though all the patients from the
car crash had been accounted for.
"No. Bowel obstruction. He's not telling us what he ingested but the films
look like he's packing." The doctor informed the resident.
"Can't people figure out a better way to move drugs?" Bailey asked, mostly
to herself.
Bailey enters George's trauma room to see him working on the patient.
"Sousa! Grey!" She said as she sees what George is doing she said, "Oh
pericardiocentesis. Good. Any response?"
"Mm mmm." George responded.
"Okay, uh, all right you guys can-" Bailey said as she turned to look at
Eddie and Meredith to follow her.
"Should I call it?" George asked the resident before she could leave.
"What would you do next, O'Malley?" Bailey asked the intern.
"I would call it." George informed his resident.
"To save him." Bailey said.
"Oh, uh, I don't know. A pericardial window." George said, thinking of the
next step in the process.
"Excellent. Do it." Bailey ordered George. She then gestures to Meredith
and Eddie. "Sousa, Grey, you're down here. I've got a bowel obstruction for
you two."
"Fun." Meredith said.
"Well, at least your patient is still alive." George said as the two interns and
Bailey left the trauma room.
In Richard's hospital room. Derek is attempting to make sure the Chief an
exam to discharge him.
"Ok, stop it." Derek said feeling like he was dealing with one of his nieces
or nephews whom refused to take their medicine.
"Okay. Stop. That's it." Webber demanded trying to push Derek away, tired
of being treated as a patient in his own hospital.
"That is not it." Derek said as he continued what he was doing.
"Come on, please, stop it. That's it." Webber said annoyed.
"That is not it Richard. Hold still." Derek informed his former mentor and
resident and now long-time friend.
"How can I hold still when you're poking me?" Webber asked sounding like
a petulant child.
"I have to poke you to discharge you." Derek reminded the chief.
Just then, Richard's wife, Adele, entered the room.
"What makes you think he wants to be discharged?" She asked Derek, and
Richard looks up shocked. He hadn't told his wife so she wouldn't worry
while she was on vacation. And, it was just a simple procedure.
"Derek, don't you know that this hospital will crumble unless Richard's here
holding up the walls?" Adele asked the attending somewhat sarcastically.
"Adele, you're supposed to be in the Virgin Islands." Webber told his wife,
still in shock.
"Oh you are in five kinds of trouble Mr. Man." Adele scolded her husband
as she walks over to his bedside and gives him the kiss on the cheek. "You
had brain surgery and didn't tell me?"
"It was just a small procedure." Webber tried to placate his angry wife.
"It was brain surgery!" Adele exclaimed.
"I didn't want to ruin your vacation." Webber told his wife.
"You don't know what a vacation is." Adele said pointedly. "How would
you know how to ruin it?"
"Well anyway--" Webber stops and gives her a look, just realizing someone
had to tell her. "How did you find..."
Webber stops mid-sentence and then gives Derek a big old glare. But, the
neurosurgeon didn't seem to notice.
"You called my wife?" He accused.
Derek looks up from the chart he was writing in.
"You called mine." Derek replied, somewhat childishly, which left Webber
silent.
"Look having someone home with you is the only way I'm letting you out
of here today."
"Fine." Webber pouted.
"I thought I saw a fabulous looking woman walk by." Addison said as she
leaned against the doorjamb greeting Adele, whom she had grown close to
through her residency and kept in touch with her with Adele and Richard
left New York City for Seattle a few years prior.
"Addison!" Adele said as she walks up and hugs Addison. "Yes see, I told
Richard, I knew you and Derek would get back together."
"Ah, actually, I'm here on a case." Addison said, ruefully, wishing that she
and Derek could be back to normal and forget the lapse of judgement of
sleeping with Nicholas.
She had mad the worst mistake of her life sleeping with him. And, she lost
everything. She lost Derek, she lost most of the Shepherd's, and she lost a
few of her closest friends who sided with Derek, like Mark. While the
others tried to console her and promised she and Derek would get back
together.
"Addison and I are over, Adele." Derek said, with finality, not bothering to
look at his wife.
"It's not like we're divorced." Addison said.
"Practically divorced." Derek said, separated, divorced, it didn't matter.
They were done.
"You've had counseling?" Adele asked, looking between the pair.
"We had adultery. That was enough." Derek informed Adele.
"Hmm."
"I'll call you later, ok?" Addison asked, knowing she was wanted here, and
left.
Adele walked over to Derek, giving him a concerned motherly look.
"You should give her a chance, Derek." Adele said.
"It's good to see you." Derek said as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. Then
to make it light said. "Keep him in line."
Bailey enters Trauma Room 1 to see George still going through the basic
tests she requested him to do.
"Where are you?" Bailey asked.
"I can see his heart. His heart that's not beating." George informed his
resident.
"Okay, ah open the pericardium and aspirate. If the heart is still not beating
close and call it." Bailey said, when she noticed that George looks upset.
"What? You think we're defiling this man's body?" Bailey asked George,
almost challengingly.
"Well, well we're certainly doing more than-" George started.
"Than what?" Bailey asked as George looks resigned. "If they're dead or
dying when they come through those doors you hump and hump hard.
Why?"
"For the experience." George guessed.
"Uh, no what else? There's something more." Bailey prompted George.
George doesn't have an answer. His blank look prompted Bailey to say.
"You think on that. It'll come to you." Bailey said as she leaves the room.
Eddie and Meredith wheel Mr. Hubble, their patient Bailey assigned them
to, to the elevator.
"You know, Mr. Hubble, you might make things easier on yourself if you
just tell us what you've ingested." Eddie said as she looked at the man in the
bed.
"We'll know anyway, once we see your films." Meredith informed the man.
"You both have the most beautiful features. They're delicate. Almost
porcelain." Mr. Hubble said as he looked at the two interns.
"Mr. Hubble, whatever you've ingested could kill you. Are you sure you
don't want to tell me what's got you blocked up inside?" Meredith asked the
man.
"It ah might offend you." Mr. Hubble said, not meeting the two beautiful
women's eyes.
"Is it drugs?" Eddie asked the man.
"It's not drugs." Mr. Hubble denied.
"Mr. Hubble-" Eddie started.
"I promise. It's not drugs." Mr. Hubble cut off the pregnant intern.
The elevator door opened and the two interns knew even if he was carrying
drugs he'd never tell them.
"Okay. Well, Good. I'm glad it's not drugs." Eddie finally said as they rolled
him into the elevator to take him to get the scans.
The two interns received Mr. Hubble's films.
"It's drugs. Looks like at least 10 balloons in his bowel." The radiologist
informed the two waiting interns. Meredith holds up the film in the light so
she and Eddie could see for themselves.
"My guess, cocaine." The radiologist informed the two.
The two interns sighed. They needed to show this to Bailey right away.
Eddie and Meredith walk in with their films of Mr. Hubble, to show Bailey
who was finishing up with Cristina and Alex.
"It's drugs." Meredith informed their resident.
"Stupid." Bailey commented. She takes his x-ray film and puts it up on the
already lit screen. "Stupid, stupid. One burst and he's dead in 5 minutes."
Bailey ranted to her interns.
"Okay what do we do?" Bailey asked her two interns on the case.
"Run his bowel." Meredith answered promptly.
"And what does that mean? Sousa?" Bailey asked her pregnant intern.
"Running the bowel entails removing all thirty-six feet of the intestine from
the body cavity, hand searching for the balloons and then cutting them out."
Eddie explained.
"Grey, Sousa, book an O.R. Yang, Karev you're in. I need all the hands I can
get." Bailey told her interns.
The resident and the three female interns start to leave but Alex continues to
stare at the x-ray. He walks up closer to it, examining it with critical eyes.
"Are you sure they're balloons?" Alex asked the them.
They stop at the door and Bailey walks back to look at the film, trying to
see what Alex was seeing.
"You have reason to believe they're not balloons?" Bailey asked.
Alex points to the screen as Eddie, Meredith, and Cristina walk back in as
well to take a look at the film.
"This one here's has got a face." Alex said pointing the image on the film.
Bailey dims the light on screen a bit. The balloons take on more face like
structures.
"So does that one." Eddie said, "and the one next to it."
They all look dumfounded at the X-Ray. Mr. Hubble seemed to have Judy
dolls in his bowels. None of them wanted to know how those got there.
"They all do." Meredith and Cristina said together as the three female
interns got closer to the screen.
"I'll be damned. They're Judys." Bailey said.
"Judys?" Cristina asked.
"Huh. He swallowed the heads of 10 Judy dolls." Bailey said gobsmacked.
It never ceased to amaze her what people came into the hospital for.
This was a new one, even for her.
"Ew." Cristina said.
Cristina and Eddie were sitting behind the nurse's station. Eddie was
drinking a smooth that Tyler, one of the nurses Eddie had befriend, brought
her because she looked like she needed something surgery. Alex is standing
next to it looking over a chart at the desk while Meredith is putting a file
away.
"My mother used to buy me Judy dolls. Manhattan Judy, Surfer Judy, Disco
Judy." Cristina listed off.
"I had some as well." Eddie said, "my grandma would buy them for me. I
still have them in storage, maybe Peanut would like them if Peanut is a
girl."
"I always wanted one." Meredith said. Her mother had never bought her a
Judy doll, and if her dad did, her memories with him were rather faded and
tainted with years of absence. Though she did get an Anatomy Jane when
she was five for her birthday.
"I dissected them. Cut of their arms, shaved their heads." Cristina informed
them.
"Sounds like there's a sick and twisted story behind this." Alex said,
amused. That sounded like something Cristina would do.
"No they're sexist, distorted devil toys." Cristina informed them as Bailey
comes around the corner. "that create unrealistic image expectations,
carrying to the porn driven minds of men."
"Wow." Eddie said rolling her eyes. "I truly think they're just toys. I think it
perverted to sexualize toys."
"You swallow a bitter pill this morning, Yang?" Bailey asked, startling the
intern as Cristina quickly turns around and then sits up and starts typing on
the laptop in front of her. "They're dolls. Grey, call for a psych
consult.Eddie, see if he has family."
"How fast do we need an OR, they're all booked." Eddie asked.
"Blocked bowels become necrotic bowels. Check with Dr. Burke. See if we
can bump someone. Those Judys' gotta come out today." Bailey told the
pregnant intern.
"Yes ma'am." Eddie said as she pushed herself up. She wasn't too big yet,
but her bump was starting to hinder her balance a bit she noticed.
"Hanging another B neg." The nurse informed Conrad as he worked on his
patient.
"He's going through a lot of blood." Conrad said.
"Noted." The same nurse said.
"What's the word from UNOS?" Burke asked Izzie.
"He's on the list, but they don't have a liver for him." Izzie replied.
"The list won't help him now. We can work all day but this liver won't stop
bleeding. And it won't support his recovery from surgery." Conrad said as
he worked, noticing the blood pooling fast.
"What about the donor from Wilkeson that's coming in?" Izzie asked.
"That liver has already been committed." Burke said sadly, though that may
have answered their problems. "Mr. Seibert's only hope is a family donor."
"We need to figure something out. I can only do so much before it'll be too
late." Conrad said, as he tried to think of something to buy him the most
amount of time.
He had an idea, but it would only work if they got him a liver. Because, it
would all be in vein if he died from blood loss and a bad liver.
"How much work do you have here to complete, Dr. Quinn?" Burke asked
the youngest attending.
Burke liked Conrad. He was a brilliant man and surgeon. And, had instincts
of a surgeon twice his age or more.
"Five, maybe six hours." Conrad said.
"Then that's how much time we have to find him a new liver." Burke said.
"Thank you Chief." Conrad said as he got back to work.
In the skywalk Burke is walking with Patricia, who is filling him in on the
status of the harvest.
"The donor from Wilkeson?" Burke asked.
"Should be here at three. Harvest team's on their way in." Patricia informed
him.
"I also need to touch base with the transplant center about Seibert getting
his son's liver." Burke told her.
Eddie, who had been looking for Burke everywhere sighed in relief when
she found him and made her way to him.
"Dr. Burke?" Eddie called, getting Burke and Patricia's attention a they stop
walking, so that the intern could come to them. "Dr. Bailey needs an OR
and they're all booked."
"For?" Burke asked the young inter.
"An emergent bowel obstruction." Eddie explained as she hands him Mr.
Huble's x-rays.
"Drugs?"
"10 Judy doll heads." Eddie said as Burke held the films up to the light and
took a look at the film.
"Seriously?" Burke asked shocked.
"Yes." Eddie said as Patricia looks at the film as well over Burke's shoulder.
"I can see their little faces." Patricia said and then added with a little voice,
as if she were the dolls and said: "Help. Let me out."
Burke pulls down the x-ray film quickly.
"Bump Warner's hernia in 1. But don't tell him what we're removing."
Burke ordered the young intern as he handed her back the film.
"Thank you." Eddie said as she quickly walked off to make the necessary
changes.
Burke entered Richard's office to find his wife, Adele, there.
"If he can't be here obsessing, he wants stuff to obsess with at home." Adele
explained as she gathered some paperwork that Richard had requested as
Patricia walks in.
"I'll be done and out of your way in a moment." Adele promised the acting
chief.
Patricia hands Burke a piece of paper. "Intern time cards. Sign." Patricia
instructed Burke.
Patricia waves to Adele, who waves back and leaves the office, leaving
Adele and Burke.
"It's always something isn't it? Some emergency surgery, some annoying
administrative problem." Adele asked Burke. Burke looks at her as he signs
the time cards on the round table in the room. "Being chief is a lot like
being an intern. The work never stops."
Burke sits down in Richard's chair.
"You know when I found out Richard had a tumor you know what I felt?
Relieved." Adele admitted to Burke. And, when she notices Burke is
looking at the computer screen not really listening, she said. "I was hoping
he'd finally be forced to retire."
Burke looks up at Adele at this piece of news, intrigued.
"Ah. That has your attention doesn't it? How we both would like that to
happen." Adele said wishfully as she grabs her bag. "I could finally book a
vacation for two."
She chuckles.
"You know you're perfect for this job, Preston. Unattached, obsessive. This
hospital, this job, it's enough for you isn't it?" Adele asked before she left
the room, leaving Burke to his thoughts.
"It has to be today?" Scott asked, his tone almost lifeless.
"He won't make it off the table with his own liver. He's bleeding a lot." Izzie
informed the eighteen years old.
"When you get counseling they tell you not to force it. The decision you
know. One day, one moment you just know the right thing to do. It should
be easy, right? He's my father." Scott said, conflicted. A huge part of him
wanted to let his abusive father died to keep him and his mom safe, or save
him, but there was also the part of him who loved his dad and wanted him
around.
"Well it's a tough operation. It'll be a big change in your life." Alex said,
sensing his patient was warring with himself, and didn't want him to be
forced into anything he didn't want.
"The upside is that the liver is the only organ that regenerates itself." Izzie
pitched, Alex looks annoyed at this, how dare she try to manipulate this boy
when he was at possibly one of the hardest times of his life. "I mean they'll
only take half of yours and it'll be back to normal size in 2 months. You
probably won't be running any marathons any time soon but-"
Alex grabs Izzie's arm and interrupts.
"Dr. Stevens, can I see you outside for a moment?" Alex asked as he all but
drags out Izzie into the hallway.
"What is your problem?" Izzie asked Alex, annoyed that he dragged her into
the hallway like a child.
"You're doing a sales pitch." Alex said, angry. "The recipient is your patient.
You shouldn't even be talking to the donor."
"The recipient is his father who he's going to lose if he doesn't make a
decision." Izzie defended herself.
Alex sent her a hard glare. She had no idea what was going on in that kid's
head. She thought, like most, it would be a no-brainer giving up something
that regrew-like the liver-or even something like bone marrow, or
something else, when it came to family. But, sometimes, family didn't
deserve it. From the outside looking in, it was easy to judge and say what
you should do. But, she didn't seem to grasp the fact that he loved and hated
his father in equal measure.
"And he understands that all right? Believe me he understands that. You
have no idea what is going on in that kid's head! None!" Alex stated angrily,
he walked back into the room leaving Izzie looking perplexed.
George was pushing the chief's wheelchair down the hall, with Adele
walking besides them carrying a box of work for Richard. Richard was
giving him instructions that Adele was countering them with the opposite.
"Call 3 times a day." Webber ordered.
"Do not call 3 times a day." Adele ordered, giving George a look that if he
did call even once he might die by her hands.
"Look and if my wife does not put you through-" Webber said, continuing
as if his he hadn't heard his wife.
"I won't put you through." Adele agreed.
"Keep calling until she does." Webber continued.
"Yes sir." George agreed, as Adele gives George a look. He shakes his head
no at her, but Richard doesn't see.
'Thank you' Adele mouthed, liking this young intern for not being bulldozed
by her husband, who was used to getting his way.
Eddie, Bailey, and Meredith were talking to Raj, one of the doctors who
worked on the psych floo, were having a discussion about Mr. Hubble.
"He's not talking. It could be pica. Doubtful for a man his age. Maybe an
Oedipal complex or an idolization of the doll as his partners." Raj
hypothesized as Bailey gives him a weird look.
"Or it could be that he simply enjoys it." Raj said.
"Now I've seen a lot of strange things in strange places but how does he
enjoy this?" Bailey asked.
"He'd enjoy it when they came out." Raj stated, grossing out the pregnant
resident and intern, while Meredith rejoined them after checking on Mr.
Hubble.
"I didn't need to hear that." Eddie said. "I wonder if they make brain
bleach."
Just then, Addison Montgomery-Shepherd walked past them, and she made
her way over to Meredith.
"Dr. Grey, may I speak with you for a moment?" Addison asked.
Meredith looks at Bailey who moves to sign the chart Raj is holding out.
"Don't look at me for help." Bailey stated as she handed Eddie the chart.
Meredith sighed, and walks up to Addison and they walk down the hallway
together. There was a very obvious, tense and awkward silence between the
two.
"I assumed he told you why he left me." Addison said.
Meredith looks annoyed at this and stops walking in front of Addison, and
looks at her serious.
"Dr. Shepherd with all do respect, this has nothing to do with me." Meredith
said, before walking away, not wanting to discuss it any more.
Didn't she see that this was killing her?
"Really?" Addison asked, looking shocked and impressed that Meredith
didn't let Derek crawl back to her. "So you didn't take him back. Good girl."
"And in the future I'd appreciate it if we could keep our relationship strictly
professional." Meredith informed the older woman.
Addison stops walking, just watching her for a moment as Meredith
continues to walk away.
"Meredith." Addison called, making the blonde intern turned and look at
her.
"Sometimes people do desperate things to get someone's attention."
Addison advised the young intern.
Every story had two sides. And, while she cheated on Derek with Nicholas,
Derek still played his part. They had fallen into a rut. Working long hours,
spending less time with each other, they barely made time for each other.
Hell, they didn't even fight anymore. It was like their passion dimmed.
Meredith makes a face and walks away.
"There are two sides to every story!" Addison called out to the retreating
intern.
At lunch time, Eddie, Cristina, Izzie, Meredith and George were walking in
the outdoor cafe with the trays holding their lunches.
"The father is an alcoholic wife beater. I mean there shouldn't even be a
question." Cristina said as they made their way to their favorite table.
"But if you could save somebody and you didn't, wouldn't you feel like you
were committing murder?" Izzie questioned.
"Like the guy did when crashed into George's DOA. He's the killer not the
son." Cristina said.
Eddie was on the fence about the issue. She could see both sides. Eddie
couldn't help but think if her mother or sisters needed her to donate a liver,
kidney, or bone marrow to save their life, would she do it? She'd hope she'd
be the bigger person and agree to at least get tested. But, there was so much
hurt between them, that if they came demanding her body parts she might
reject them.
She loved her mother and sisters. But, they felt like virtual strangers who
hated her. She was an outcast in her own family, and them coming playing
the family card would make her more angry than hurt. Because she would
be spare parts for them. Not their family.
But part of her, the small little girl inside her, who only wanted her mommy
and sisters to love her as much as she truly loved them. Would want to help
her family if she could.
She couldn't help but feel sad for the young man who had to chose between
saving his abusive father because he loved the man despite all the crap he
put his mother and himself through, and always hoped he'd wake up and
stop treating his mother like a punching bag. Or, allowing him to die and his
death in the end his mother would be safe from her abusive husband who
could no longer hurt her.
It was heavy and a lot.
And Izzie's insistence that family should help family grated Eddie a bit. The
blonde was coming from a good place, but it was happy, rainbow, sunshine
land. This was reality and there might not always be a happily ever after to
a story.
George stops when he sees and at their favorite table with 10 headless Judy
dolls sitting all arranged in a circle.
"Oh! That is sick!" George said.
"Who would do that?" Izzie asked.
"I have a guess." Eddie said as she noticed Alex's smirk.
He noticed her look, and smiled at her and wiggled his fingers at her.
George, Cristina, and Izzie look in the same direction as Eddie and rolled
their eyes when they saw who she was looking at. While Alex had a cat at
the canary smirk.
"Oh." Cristina said as she picks up a Judy doll. "Look! See Judy fly."
Cristina throws the doll at him and he ducks to the side so doesn't hit him.
The four sat at their table, as Olivia, George's syph nurse, walk past them.
"Hey, George." Olivia said.
"Hey."
The interns look at George and Olivia's interaction with interest. Ever since
George found out about her and Alex, he had been hot and cold with the
red-headed nurse.
"What?" George questioned.
"George. She was trying to make up with you. You should go eat with her."
Meredith said.
George picks up a Judy and starts playing with it.
"No. No, I shouldn't." George said.
"She's cute and she likes you. You shouldn't let a little syph get in the way."
Izzie said.
"It's not the syph." George denied, though part of that was true.
"It's so the syph." Cristina said, as Eddie nodded.
"It's not the syph!" George denied once again.
"Then what is it?" Eddie asked George curious.
George doesn't answer and looks down. And, Eddie and Izzie knew exactly
why he was distancing himself from Olivia. Syph may be part of it, but it
was also his major crush on Meredith. Even if he knew deep down
Meredith would never reciprocate those feelings.
"Oh." Izzie and Eddie said.
"What?" Meredith asks, and George just shrugs.
"What is it? Out with it." Meredith said.
"There's this other girl." Izzie broke.
"Izzie!"
"Other girl? You have another girl?!" Cristina asked shocked.
Did Bambi actually have game?
"He hasn't told her yet that he likes her." Izzie continued.
"Izzie! We are not in high school." Eddie said, trying to defend George.
She knew George didn't want anyone else to know. So, Izzie telling their
friends something George told her in confidence, just like he had with
Eddie, felt wrong. Would Izzie like it if her romantic life was spread around
the hospital?
"George has a little crush." Izzie continued to tease.
"I do not have a crush." George denied.
Cristina laughs while Meredith looks at George contemplating who is still
playing with the Judy doll.
"It is a thing. A thing that is very personal." George told the women. "One
day I would like to build on this thing with this other girl. Woman. She's all
woman."
Meredith snatches the Judy doll away from George and slams it onto the
table. Shocking Eddie who sat next to her.
"What are you doing?" Meredith demand.
"I was playing with-" George said, apologetic.
"No George, with Olivia." Meredith interrupted as she picks up the doll and
starts pointing at George with it. "What are you doing with Olivia?"
"Oh. Nothing." George said, if he ignored the problem, hopefully it would
go away.
" You're letting her think you're emotionally available. You're letting her
think she has a chance." Eddie asked, before Meredith could, shocked. She
would have thought George would have at least talked to Olivia about
where they stood.
"And there is nothing worse in the world than thinking you have a chance
when you really don't!" Meredith said, loudly, as she throws the Judy doll
down on the table. Her anger towards Derek was leaking through her tone.
"Eddie and Meredith are right. Tell her there's someone else. Tell her why
George. I mean," Cristina rants as she start to yell. "I mean at least give her
the chance to have some feelings about for god's sake!"
"Why are you yelling at me?" George asked confused.
"Because they hate men right now." Eddie said, "and not to point out the
glaringly obvious. You are a man."
"Because of the estrogen George! Because of all the estrogen!" Cristina said
loudly as she takes a bite of her salad angrily.
Meredith also looks at George angrily.
"Just talk to her Georgie." Eddie said to the male intern who looked taken
aback by the whole situation.
Izzie just tried to smile it off.
"So new subject." Izzie said trying to change the subject to anything but
this.
"It's a mess." Derek informed the interim chief when he saw the very messy
surgical board.
"No it isn't." Burke tried to deny.
" I think I know a mess when I see a mess. You've got the harvest tying up
OR 1. Seibert tying up OR 2. Bowel obstruction in OR 3." Derek listed the
various surgeries that needed to be done today in the OR.
"It's simply a bit crowded." Burke said, though he knew it was a complete
mess, but never show weakness in front of the enemy.
"Well, your "crowded" is my "seriously overbooked." And in my book
seriously overbooked is a mess." Derek said, almost tauntingly, at the
interim chief.
A scrub nurse walks up to Burke and Derek.
"They need to know if there's any word on the Seibert liver." The scrub
nurse informed the acting chief.
"How much time does Conrad have left?" Burke asked
"Couple of hours." The nurse said honestly.
"Tell him I'll be in to see them." Burke said.
The scrub nurse walks off. But, the next problem came with Dr. Warner and
his scrub team walk down the hallway up to Burke.
"You bumped me for a bowel obstruction?" Dr. Warner asked annoyed at
the interim chief.
"Ooh, uneasy lies the head that wears the chief's cap." Derek said as he
walks off, internally enjoying Burke's misery.
Eddie and Meredith have helped prep Mr. Hubble and are about to headed
to his surgery.
"Was it an act of desperation?" Meredith asked Mr. Hubble curious as to
why he would ever do something so dangerous and stupid as this.
Mr. Hubble had been tight lipped, even to the psych doctors, about why he
would even do something like this. And, honestly, Eddie wasn't sure she
wanted to know. The non-answers already conjured up pictures in her mind
she didn't want to see. She didn't need to know the reason.
"Not at all." Mr. Hubble said.
"Something to attract attention?" Meredith pressed.
"Of course not." Mr. Hubble said.
"I'm just trying to understand here, Mr. Hubble. Why 10 doll heads?"
Meredith said.
"Well because 11 would've been too much." Mr. Hubble joked, as the two
interns shared a look over his head.
"I think it's something to do with his mother. Maybe she always wanted a
girl and gave him Judy dolls for his birthday presents." Izzie theorized as
she and her fellow interns were assisting in helping their resident remove
the ten Judy Doll heads.
"Ah, ah I've got another one." Eddie said, glad that Bailey had insisted she
dab some mint under her nose to stop the horrible smell for kick starting her
nausea.
She pops up a Judy doll head in the intestine.
"Uh!" Meredith protested.
"Doyen clamps to Yang. Grey, push the head up to the incision." Bailey
ordered her interns.
Meredith starts squeezing the doll head up through the intestine. It was one
of the grosses thing Eddie had ever had the displeasure of seeing.
"Maybe his mother looked like Judy and he's into voodoo. Instead of
sticking pins in... Heh." Alex started as they see a small black doll head
with an afro pop out of the intestine.
"Yep. Ah." Bailey said she holds up the doll head with a clamp. "Black
Judy. What they gave her long hair back when she had the afro. She came
with 'go go' boots and a leather jacket."
Bailey wasn't lying when she said she loved Judy Dolls. Eddie, who kept
her childhood ones could only remember what they were called thanks to
her eidetic memory. Bailey puts the doll head into a large silver basin.
"Shame it's a real collector's item." Bailey said sadly.
"Collectable dolls with a twist." Alex joked.
"Seriously, you can identify these dolls by their heads?" Cristina asked the
resident.
"You got a problem with that Yang? I like Judy dolls. I own Judy dolls. The
only problem I have with Judy dolls that are in the bowel of this man."
Bailey said as she continued to look for more Judy heads.
Just then, Burke entered the OR, with a mask covering his face, and staying
far enough away where he wouldn't contaminate anything.
"Bailey, I need an intern in the ER to meet the harvest donor." Burke said.
"O'Malley." Bailey said picking the first intern she saw.
"See ya, boo-boo." Cristina said as George leaves the operating table.
"You good here?" Burke asked checking in.
"Couple more heads to go." Bailey informed the interim chief.
"Then Karev, Yang, Stevens scrub out. I need to get an answer from
Seibert's son." Burke called to the interns who were assigned to the possible
liver transplant case.
The three inters left to scrub out, while Eddie and Meredith continued to
help Bailey. Bailey removes another Judy doll head.
"Ah yes. Mod Judy. Came with a yellow vesper." Bailey said.
"I have a Mod Judy. My sister broke the little yellow vesper because I didn't
want her to play with it." Eddie said, remembering how mad she had been
at Amelia who had been five, and Eddie was nine almost ten.
"You know what's strange?" Bailey asked, looking at the two stunning
blondes in front of her.
"We haven't had enough strange?" Meredith asked.
"She looks a little like you two." Bailey said.
Gross. Eddie thought. Bailey dumps the doll head into the silver basin along
with the growing pile of other heads.
"This is the donor from Wilkeson General." The nurse informed George as
the donor was brought in.
"Just put her in here," George said as he gestures to where Olivia is, "until
the ah harvest team comes done. Thanks."
They wheel her into the room.
"Well this, this one's heart is still beating." George muttered to himself, as
the staff quickly hook the donor up and leave George and Olivia alone.
Olivia shuts one of the doors to the room. She and George share a look.
"I think Bailey would want me to ah-" George said, remembering the lesson
Bailey had been trying to teach him this morning, but also a bid to not have
the conversation with Olivia.
George starts checking the patient and Olivia walks to the other side of the
bed and puts on the monitor.
"We finally reached the family members of the dead motorist. Live in
Portland. Should be here in a few hours. Want me to page you when they
get here?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah. Do they know?" George asked.
She walks behind George. "Only that we were still working on him." She
clicks on a switch.
"I think it's always better to hear bad news firsthand." Olivia said as
George gets a look on his face. "I know I'd like to talk to the doctor who
called it."
George nodded. But, he also felt like the family should know and not hold
onto any hope that would be dashed the moment they arrive. But, he
understood Olivia's reasoning.
"Get some answers." She said quietly, before speaking in a normal voice.
"So I could get on with my life."
Now it was back to them. Goody.
"Ah."
"George." Olivia started.
George presses down on the patient's sternum and the patient reflex's her
whole body upwards off the bed.
"Did you? Did you see that?" George asked Olivia clearly shocked. If this
patient was brain dead and about to become a donor, that should not be
possible.
He does it again just to be sure.
"She's decerebrate. Her brain's, her brain's stem is still alive." George said.
The transplant team has come to the room and opens the wide door/wall
Olivia closed. Dr. Orsen, the doc in charge with several other doc's come in.
"Okay, we'll take it from here." Dr. Orsen said.
"But, would you look at this?" George said as he once again pushes down
on the patient who reflex's up again.
"She's decerebrate." Dr. Orsen said, not seeming to care, then to the other
doctors he said, "Okay."
"Yeah but she can't really be declared brain dead." George informed Dr.
Orsen.
They start wheeling the patient out. Ignoring George's protest.
"It's a small reaction. They probably just missed it. The cortex is dead. The
brain stem will follow." Dr. Orsen said as the team start wheeling the patient
down a hallway. "Death is imminent we just have to wait it out."
George looks shocked and confused by this as Dr. Orsen follows the team.
'Yeah, but don't you-" George started, but was rudely interrupted.
"She'll be dead by the time we get to the O.R doctor." Dr. Orsen said.
The team walk off.
"But she's alive now." George said before he rushed off to find Dr.
Shepherd, if that woman wasn't brain dead, they would be killing her.
"What are we doing with this guy Preston? Is this just an exercise? I don't
need the practice." Conrad asked, he had hoped that he would know an
answer before now.
"Transplant committee gave us the green light. Trying to get an answer
from the son." Burke told the younger surgeon.
"Well this guy goes through his liver like there's no tomorrow. And I mean
that literally." Conrad said.
"How much work do you have left now?" Burke asked.
"Maybe an hour and a half. But without a liver I don't think this guy is
going to last that long." Conrad said honestly.
Burke just looks at Mr. Seibert, who is laying on the operating table.
"Dr. Shepherd!" George called.
Derek stops and turns to meet him, holding a snack in his hand.
"Dr. O'Malley." Derek said chewing.
"I was just in the ICU with harvest donor and ah Dr. Bailey, she has us do
exams and procedures on patients even if they're--" George started to
ramble, quickly.
"What did you find?" Derek asked, wanting the intern to get to the point.
"Ah, she's decerebrate. The donor, her brainstem is still alive." George said.
The two doctors practically through the hospital and in minutes Derek and
George walking quickly down the O.R hallway. They come up to the
transplant team with the donor.
"Excuse me, Derek Shepherd. Head of Neurosurgery. Do you mind if I take
a look?" Derek asked Dr. Orsen not caring to get a response as he checks
over the potential donor.
Dr. Orsen looks like he can't believe this is happening. "Ah, okay, yeah
she's ah still fostering. We have every intention of waiting until she's dead.
She's in an irreversible coma."
What did this hospital want, to kill other patients who needed and were
promised her organs from the harvest. The patient was brain dead, and they
were acting like they were going to kill her just to get her parts.
Derek pushes on the patient's sternum who reflex's up again).
"Hines, the neuro at Wilkeson ran the protocol." Dr. Orsen said, this was
wasting precious time they didn't have.
"They missed decerebration. What else did they miss?" Derek asked as he
grabbed the donor's chart and starts flipping through it. "She has a tumor, ah
on her brain stem right? I don't see the M.R.I. Did you do an EEG to
confirm brain dead?"
Dr. Orsen shrugs his shoulder annoyed that this is even happening.
"Yeah, according to Hines." Orsen said, trusting this Dr. Hines a bit to much
for the other two doctor's liking.
"I don't know a Dr. Hines." Derek said.
Meredith and Eddie, who were standing at the nurse's station looks up and
watches the situation from afar.
"We have 6 patients in 3 states waiting for this woman's organs." Dr. Orsen
reminded his tone annoyed and slightly hostile.
"Yeah and I'm sure they'll all be happy to know that the organs that they'll
be receiving are from somebody that's actually brain dead." Derek
commented, a tone cold.
Burke walks out of the Seibert's O.R and notices the heated battle between
the two doctors and makes his way over.
"No one's going to touch her while she's alive. For you to imply otherwise-"
Dr. Orsen said his voice raising.
"Is there a problem here? Dr. Orsen? Dr. Shepherd?" Burke asked,
interupting the two doctors.
"Yeah we have a donor who's still decerebrate." Derek said.
Cristina rounds the corner and also notices the situation and watches the
scene play out much like her two friends down the hall.
"I want to do an EEG and a M.R.I." Derek told Burke, ignoring the cry of
outrage and anger from Dr. Orsen.
"An expensive waste of time." Orsen spat out.
Burke flips through the donor's chart. And, saw the same missing
information that Derek did. And, if a hospital, even them, did not do their
due diligence they could be sued by the family, or investigated by UNOS.
"I insist on it." Derek said, looking at Burke for back up.
Burke gives Shepherd a weird look.
"You insist on it?"
"I do." Derek said.
Cristina, Eddie, and Meredith make eye contact and Meredith raises her
eyebrows to say another pissing contest.
"If my head of neurosurgery says he needs an EEG and an M.R.I," Burke
said, backing his head of neurosurgery, because he knew Derek was serious
that there could have been something missed, and he had to agree. And,
despite their pissing contest, he trusted Derek completely. He hands the
chart over to Derek. "Then he needs an EEG and an M.R.I."
"You realize we have 6 patients waiting?" Orsen stressed, now annoyed
with them both.
"That is not my call Dr. Orsen. Who gets the organs is up to UNOS. Who
donates the organs is up to the families. Hell I've got in the O.R that's
waiting for a liver that may not deserved to be saved and again that's not my
call. But you want to know what my call is? Everything else." Burke told
Dr. Orsen seriously, which caused Orsen to back down, with his tail
between his legs.
He turns to Derek. "The patient is yours Dr. Shepherd." Burke said, as
Derek nods in thanks.
"Thank you Dr. Burke." Derek said.
Dr. Orsen shakes his head and storms off. Most of the transplant team
leaves as well. Shepherd and some other doctors start wheeling the patient
down the hall.
"Dr. O'Malley do you want to assist with this M.R.I?" Derek asked
Meredith's roommate.
George nods and follows Dr. Shepherd.
"Carry this for me. First we'll do an EEG. George, you with me?" Derek
said as he handed another doctor that was with them something.
Izzie rushes outside looking for Alex and Scott, the patient's son, and
notices them. Alex is taking Scott for a walk.
"What if he goes back to hitting her?" Scott asked the doctor who he
trusted.
"You can't make that call. Whatever you do you can't make the decision on
anger." Alex said seriously, remembering the decision he made his anger
towards his old man.
Izzie runs down the pathway behind them.
"Alex!" She calls out.
"So what do you with it? What did you with yours?" Scott asked Alex,
knowing the other doctor lived through something similar and seemed to be
doing well for himself.
"Alex!" Izzie calls out even louder.
Alex pushing the wheelchair and turns around as Izzie runs up to them and
stops a few feet away.
"Hey. You shouldn't be out here. Dr. Burke needs a-" Izzie started annoyed
with the other doctor.
"Can you just back off? Please?" Alex asked, he knew what he was doing.
Izzie sighs and walks to the side. Alex squats down next to Scott.
"My anger had a life of its own. I bulked up, became a wrestler and the next
time he laid a hand on my mother I beat the living crap out of him. When he
got out of the hospital he took off. Just took off and never came back. He
was a cold mean tempered bastard, but he was still my old man you know?"
Alex asked, he hated how much he still loved his father, despite what he
did. Despite all he did to his mom. He still felt the innocent child in him
wanted his father, loved his father. Scott nods.
"But now, now I can't stop wishing that I never laid a hand on him. Wish
somehow that I could've worked it through." Alex said.
Though, he knew in the end, his mother was better off without the loser
who nearly killed her. His little brother and sister didn't deserve to live in
fear in their own home. But, the what-if's hung in Alex's head and
occasionally replayed in his mind at night.
They walk back towards Izzie.
"What is it?" Alex asked Izzie.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you, I-" Izzie starts to explain.
"What? What does Burke want?" Alex asked.
"I'm sorry Scott. He needs a decision now." Izzie said looking at the
teenager who had an almost impossible choice to make.
About eight minutes later in Lea's hospital, the mother and son along with
their doctors were inside talking about what the next steps had to be.
"When would it happen?" Lea asked Burke.
"We would take Scott to pre-op immediately. The transplant surgeon is on
call and waiting. There isn't much time." Burke said as he stepped up to her
bedside.
"Scotty. Scotty." Lea begged her son.
Scott looked pensive in his decision and his heart broke at his mother's
begging.
"Yeah, okay." Scott said, knowing in the end he needed to save his father,
even though he never wanted to see him again. Let him live knowing the
guilt and knowledge he'd never see them again. Mrs. Seibert tilts her head
back in relief. "I want to do it."
"Oh thank you." Lea whispered.
"Let's get him to pre-op. I'll call the sur-" Burke said as he made his way to
the door.
"I have a couple of conditions." Scott said, cutting the room into frozen
shock, but Scott's eyes were on his mother.
"You're gonna tell the cops the truth about what happened in this accident
mom. And as soon as we get back home you and I are moving out. Enough
is enough." Scott told his mother his conditions.
And, if his mother did back out, well, it looked like Scott was going to have
to set it straight himself, and if he lost both parents in the process. Then so
be it.
Burke walks out of the room. Cristina, Izzie and Alex follow slowly one by
one.
George and Derek in the MRI viewing room as the donor patient lies in the
MRI machine. They're looking at images of her brain.
"You see the tumor on her brain stem right here?" Derek said pointing to the
area out to the intern.
"It looks pretty bad." George said as he looked at the nasty tumor on the
patient's brainstem.
"You ever had a crappy day O'Malley? I mean really, really crappy?" Derek
asked.
"I have had many crappy days." George said with a nod.
"This one just got better." Derek informed the intern. Then he turned to Dr.
Orsen in the doorway.
"You might as well go home gentleman. I will be the only one of us
performing surgery here today. My friend here has a viable brain." Derek
said a bit smug.
"Okay." Orsen chokes out before walking off.
"That's it then." One of the doctors on the transplant team said.
"Yep." Another said as the rest of the transplant team head off.
"Do you really think she'll be okay?" George asked Derek once they were
alone.
"With the tumor out she's got a good shot of recovery." Derek said he smiles
at George and gets up and walks to the doorway.
"Look out for her." Derek said.
Both knew that he was not talking about their patient but Meredith.
"Meredith?"
"Yeah." Derek said as he walks away.
Later that day, Derek standing in an empty elevator entering something into
his mobile phone. Addison walks into the elevator dressed to go home.
"Just when the day was improving." Derek complained.
"You told Meredith what happened?" Addison stated.
Derek puts the phone away and walks over to the other side to push an
elevator button.
"I did. What did you tell her?" Derek asked as he gave her a weird look.
The doors to the elevator shut, and Addison looked at her husband with sad
eyes. "That sometimes people do desperate things to attract attention." She
said.
"What? Wow. That's your side of this? That I didn't pay you enough
attention. Is that you were thinking when you got naked with one of my best
friends?" Derek asked shocked.
Addison reaches over and hits an elevator button as well. Mostly to keep
busy.
"No, by that point I wasn't thinking at all Derek. By that point I was just
scratching an itch. We got successful you and me. We got busy and we got
lazy. We didn't even bother to fight any more Derek. And Nick was there
and I missed you. And now I'm sorry." Addison begged. Derek pushes his
floor button again.
"I'm more sorry than you can possibly imagine. But at least I'm talking to
you about it." Addison cried.
Derek wanted to be anywhere but here. Could she not understand how
much she and Nicholas had hurt him? That Mark basically spent two days
before he left for New York, caring for him as he spent the time in a drunk
and hurt stupor? That he had to leave New York because everything he saw
reminded him of her?
Why did she have to play the victim in this?
The doors open and Derek heads out hastily, not wanting to be around her
anymore.
"Derek." Addison cried imploringly.
"I'm a sink with an open drain honey." Derek said, using the same analogy
that Meredith had told him before he all but raced out of the hospital and
Addison stood there confused.
"Did you get them all?" Mr. Hubble asked Eddie and Meredith when he was
in his post-op room.
"Yes. It wasn't easy. Or very pleasant. How do you feel?" Eddie asked the
man with concern.
"Empty. I feel empty now." Mr. Hubble said blankly.
"Yeah. I've been feeling a little bit of that myself lately." Meredith said,
commiserating with her patient, though she would never do what he did.
"I can see that." Mr. Hubble said kindly.
"Mr. Hubble, why does eating doll heads fill you up? What's the
satisfaction?" Meredith asked once again.
"Do you really want to know?" Mr. Hubble asked the two girls, willing to
let them know.
"Would it be too much information?" Eddie asked him.
"Might." He said with a half-shrug.
"Maybe I'm better left in the dark." Meredith said as Eddie nodded in
agreement.
"Good night Mr. Hubble." Eddie said.
Both girls leave Mr. Hubble alone, to be looked after by the nurses. And,
soon, psych would be his doctors.
There's something to be said about a glass half full. About knowing when to
say when.
Burke is in the hallway in front of the OR. board. Conrad Quinn walks by
and gives Burke a pat on the arm. The surgery had been successful for both
father and son. Burke smiles and lets out a breath of air.
He watched him make his way to Eddie Sousa who stood dressed in her
civilian clothes at the nurses station and greeted her, and she handed him a
coffee.
"Hey," Eddie greeted. "I heard a rumor you saved a life, Dr. Quinn."
"The rumor is very true, Dr. Sousa." Conrad said. "Give me ten to change,
and then we can go."
Eddie nodded, Conrad had asked earlier that day if she would like to get
some dinner after their long shift. A brother-sister get-to know you "date"
and Eddie had agreed. Henry was currently in surgery, a long one that had
started hours ago, and neither expected to see until later.
And, it seemed that both of them truly wanted to get to know each other, as
more than boss and subordinate.
And, with her pregnancy she seemed to always be hungry. So, if food was
involved, she was pretty much game for most things within the realm of
reason.
He quirked his eye brow at that as he watched the two young, brilliant
doctors walk down the hallway.
I think it's a floating line. A barometer of need and desire.
Burke watches as a scrubs nurse wipes of some surgeries written on the OR
board and starts writing on new ones.
His first day of interim chief had been a success.
It's entirely up to the individual.
Burke wanted to check on the Siebert's and when he came up to the
doorway of Mrs. Seibert's room. Mrs. Seibert who is actually looking more
bruised and battered than before sits up to talk to the police.
And depends on what's being poured.
Eddie and Conrad found themselves at the same Mexican restaurant as the
night before. The two were laughing at the story Eddie was telling Conrad
about her and her best friend and their antics. There were many, being Eli
Rosenburg-Grant's best friend was often an adventure in and of itself.
Especially when they were younger.
Sometimes all we want is a taste. Other times, there's no such thing as
enough. The glass is bottomless.
The next morning, Derek is operating on the donor transplant patient in an
OR. George stands very close next to him observing.
In the gallery, Dr. Burke is standing watching the procedure. He moves and
leaves the room. As he moves he reveals Meredith standing there watching
as well.
And all we want is more.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Quick question what characters always rubbed you the wrong way.
Mine were always Izzie and Hahn. Izzie because, really, the whole LVAD thing and the double standards she always seemed to have-like
with how she was angry about the fact that George wasn't available
and helped him cheat on Callie, or when she got mad at Meredith for
sleeping with Derek while getting to emotionally involved with Denny
and causing the hospital to possibly get in big trouble or possibly even
shut down to save the one she "loves". I do not like Izzie really, and I
am thinking of Alex not going back to her at all after she leaves him for
good. I have an idea that might be an interesting twist, so you'll just
have to wait and see. While, Hahn, she just seemed so cold and
vindictive. In my opinion she didn't want to teach Cristina because she
possibly heard about Cristina's relationship with Burke and wanted to
punish her for trying to "sleep her way to the top" or maybe just
disliked her for some reason, but to do what she did was annoying, also
she was just...I don't know how to explain it!!!
The next chapter should be up within the next week, hopefully!