Hello everybody :)
Sorry for taking so long to update, I've been in a vacation for two weeks…London is amazing!
I've fallowed your comments and saw that many of you had a problem with mistakes\spelling\grammer and those things, so I've found a beta and for now on It'll be great- so just hope the story itself is intresting ;)
Thanks Pen Gnots for the Beta!
I hope to publish the next one soon, but I'm starting university, so… I'll trt.
Enjoy!
Episode 3- Fresh new start.
"I need you to count back from ten, Arizona, ok?" Callie told her while the anesthesiologist put the mask on her face. They were in the operating room, 5 hours after they left Portland Gates, and Callie took Arizona into surgery the minute the helicopter landed. She made sure everything was ready while on the way since she didn't want to waste anymore time.
"Ten…Nine…Eight…" Arizona counted slowly and dosed off.
"Ok, let's do it, ten blade." Callie said and Alex Karev handed over the blade. He jumped in the minute the helicopter landed on the roof determined to help. It was supposed to be him on that plane instead of Arizona. He felt responsible like it was his fault she was there. He handed the blade to her and she placed it on the surface of Arizona's leg. Callie was about to cut her wife open. She hesitated and looked in Alex's eyes. They were both scared to mess up.
"Listen, this is not Arizona on the table. This is a young woman named…I don't know, Melissa, and she needs you to fix her leg. And you are going to do this because you are the best orthopedic surgeon I've ever known." Alex ignored his own fear trying to motivate Callie and fill her with confidence.
This is Melissa. Melissa Smith. She is 34 years old and she has 2 kids, Harry and Jacob. She is a teacher. Swim teacher. Her way of life depends on this leg. Callie repeated that in her head, because every time she was thinking about Arizona she began to tremble. Actually, she was surprised with her own imagination, because Melissa Smith liked jazz and horror books. When she was a kid all she wanted was to go to the moon and do the walk, the moon walk. Well, not imaginative enough, because Smith was really common name. She should have picked a name like Frankenstein, or maybe Glorynous. Come on, Callie, she would have been completely tortured with a name like Glorynous, she told herself and snorted at her own imagination. Alex looked at her in wonder, because she was just cutting around the bone to give room to the metal plates, and his look flashed her back to reality.
"Tell me what you see, Karev?" she asked him. It wasn't a question with the purpose of teaching. It wasn't about teaching him, she wanted a second opinion. Because, Callie didn't like what she was seeing. Because she was hoping she was wrong.
"Is that necrosis tissue? Maybe she has a clot." Alex said the words she hoped not to hear. Arizona's leg had started to die. The metal plate wouldn't help her.
"What are you suggesting?" she asked him. This is Melissa Glorynous. Don't panic.
"Blood thinners to dissolve the clot? Heparin?" he asked.
"No. She just had internal bleeding. Blood thinners would make her bleed to death." Callie said looking at him. She Callie knew what she had to do. She had to cut Melissa's leg off. You can't restore necrosis tissue. You can't save dead cells. You can't save a dead leg. And, they were too fucking late!
"Maybe we can restore the blood flow? It's not like all her leg is messed up. We can take veins from the other leg just like in bypass procedure and place them instead of the blocked ones. The cells that are dead, are dead, but she could still use her leg." Alex suggested an 'extremely-long-shot' plan, and she clung to it desperately.
"Ok, so let's do that." She decided. Melissa hasn't done her moon walk yet.
…
Lisa Mason stood outside the building for at least half an hour. She wasn't great with new beginnings, and this one was a huge step forward. It felt like the first day in Portland Gates, when she was just an intern that was completely unsure about how her life was going to look like, but at least then she knew she had a few years of internship in front of her. Right now, she didn't even know how the next few days would look, let alone the next hours. She was standing outside Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, gathering her strength to take the leap, remembering the conversation from last night.
She was walking down the halls of Portland Gates hospital, mad and frustrated from her conversation with the chief. She didn't pay the world around her any attention. All she could think about was her next step. She expected Portland to be her home, and now everything had fallen apart. She didn't know how to move on. She knew she had to do it, but she didn't know how, and she was scared to figure that out. She was so distracted she accidentally bumped into someone. She recognized him.
"Hey, sorry. I'm so sorry ." Lisa apologized and he reassured her.
"Don't worry about it, are you ok?" Owen asked. He noticed she was upset.
"Yes, I'm going to be ok. How are your people?" Lisa asked him. She now noticed they were outside of Mark Sloan's room.
"Everyone will be just fine. I mean, Dr. Shepherd and Cristina will take some time off to recover from their injuries, but in the long term they will be fine." He said and she nodded.
"I'm glad to hear that." Lisa) said. She had no idea who those people were but it didn't really matter.
"I've been meaning to ask you about Dr. Sloan, because he hasn't woken up yet." He asked her and looked at Mark. She looked at him too.
"His operation went well, and he should wake up. I'll talk with his new doctor and if doesn't wake up in the next day we'll run some more tests." She answered.
"His new doctor?" was confused.
"Yes, I don't work here anymore. I just gave my resignation. I'll just make sure my patients get a new doctor and then I'm out of here" She said her frustration being made clear.
"Where are you going next?" Owen asked her, intrigued.
"Honestly, I don't really know." Lisa hated admitting that.
"You resigned before you found a new place to work?" He was surprised.
"Yes, I did. It's a long story. I'll spare you the details." She prayed he wouldn't ask.
"I must be honest, I heard the conversation you had with your chief last night" Oh, there it was. She understood from his nod that night that he heard everything.
"Good, I was too tiered anyway to tell the details even if you insisted." She laughed.
There was a brief silence for a minute, and she noticed Dr. Hunt observing her.
"You know, you saved two of my doctors in one night. I saw you in action. You are pretty good doctor." Owen said. Lisa found his honesty exhausting.
"Well, until Mark Sloan wakes up I won't count it as a save." She admitted her fear- that her decision to wait with his operation may have been a bad idea.
"You did what you had to do, and I believe he will wake up. Maybe he is just not ready" Dr. Hunt said, and she nodded. She didn't have much to say.
"Recently our cardiothoracic surgeon left our hospital. Actually, I was counting on Christina, , to fill her place. But, now she's injured, and it will take some time for her to heal. So, I'm lacking a cardiothoracic sergeant in my crew." It was more of a statement than a question. He didn't plan this, but it didn't seem to be a bad idea.
"You want me to come to Seattle?)" Lisa was surprised. She didn't have much reputation or experience, and it was a big hospital. She expected him to find some old and bold man that had written books and won at least one Harper-Avery.
"You need a job, I need a surgeon. You can give it a shot. If it works out we'll make a long term contract. Seattle Grace Mercy West is a great hospital. You would fit in perfectly." He said.
There it was- her redemption. Take it or leave it. She was scared of changes. She was terrified to death. And it was another hospital, another city, another country, a new start. But, she knew something had to change, and there it was. She had nothing to lose.
"Yes. Why not?" she told him, and he seemed pleased.
"Looking forward working with you, Dr. Mason."
And there she was, outside of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, trying to find the courage to make the next step. She took a deep breath and took a small step for the man, and a giant leap for Lisa Mason.
…
Alex Karev was sitting next to Arizona's bed while she was sleeping. Callie had to help in the E.R with a case of a kid who fell down from the third floor and broke both his legs, and she asked him to stay in case Arizona woke up. She didn't want Arizona to wake up to an empty room, and she hated the fact that she had to leave, but she had no choice. Duty called. Alex agreed, but he secretly hoped Callie would come back faster than anticipated, because he was scared dealing with Arizona after their Hugh fight. He was sure she didn't hear the message he left her on the phone, and he didn't know how to say it again. She was so important to him. She made him who he was, and he wanted to say it to her. He had to say it, and she needed to hear it.
Arizona opened her eyes and looked around.
"Calliope?" She asked with fuzzy voice. When she spoke his heart started racing.
"Hey, it's me, Alex, Callie is in surgery, she'll be here when she is done." He told her while standing up and approaching her. She looked at him.
"Alex?" She whispered, and her lack of words scared him up.
"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" He asked her and she nodded.
"Why are you checking up on me? You are a pediatric doctor. You are a peds doctor in Hopkins." She pushed him away. She knew she was supposed to be mad at him, but ever since the accident nothing mattered anymore. But still, she didn't want to make it easy for him. Her comment stung him a lot, but he tried to ignore it.
"I was worried, so I asked Callie to scrub in on your surgery. Listen, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have been man enough to face you from the beginning. You are my teacher; you taught me everything I know. And you are my friend. And I never meant to hurt you. "He just said everything he thought about during the hours spent sitting next to her bed. He wasn't strong when it came to talking about feelings, and she knew that.
"You are just feeling guilty because you should have been on that plane." Arizona told him and she immediately regretted saying that. She already had forgiven him. Or maybe she didn't? He looked at her and froze. She said exactly what he thought.
"I should've been. You're right." Alex admitted.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." She apologized, and he nodded.
"Yes, you did, if I wasn't such a jerk I would've been on that plane and you would be just fine." He told her.
"No one knew what would happen. It was just bad luck. It was nobody's fault." She said and he didn't respond.
"I just said it because I was mad that you are moving to Hopkins. But, it was the right call. You are going to be great there, Alex." She said and tear dropped from her eye. He looked at her and held her hand.
"I'm not going. I told them I'm staying here." He told her.
"Why? It's Hopkins. You don't give up on Hopkins. Hopkins is your future!" She was surprised.
"Hopkins may be the future, but Seattle is my home. And you are my family." He didn't believe how corny he sounded, but he knew he meant it.).
..
"You're awake!" Callie walked into the room with smile on her face. Arizona smiled back at her and Alex let go of her hand, afraid Callie would see his emotional side.
"Dr. Torres." He nodded to her, "Dr. Robbins." He nodded to her too and left the room. Callie smirked when he did
"What's up with his overly formal gestures?" Callie asked and Arizona laughed.
"He's afraid to let anyone inside his sensitive side. But I've already penetrated his defenses. I'm awesome." She smiled, still excited from Alex's confession, and her smile made Callie happy.
"You're in a good mood." Callie said and sat next to Arizona on the bad, kissing her forehead.
"No pain at all." Arizona said, and Callie looked at her I.V. Her morphine was a high dose.
"Good, so I want to lower your pain meds. If you don't have pain I don't want to overly-sedated you." Callie said and stood up, changing the dosage.
"I kinnda like it this way." Arizona said and Callie smirked again.
"Of course you do, you little stoner." Callie teased her.
"No I'm not! And besides, little rainbows never killed anyone." she laughed, and Callie came back to sitting next to her. She stroked her hair.
"So I guess it means the operation went well?" Arizona asked, "Not that I had any doubts, of course." she rushed to add.
Callie hesitated for a minute. She didn't want to spare her the details of what happened in the O.R. She had to tell her about the complication, because she had to tell her the truth. She never built up new veins across a necrotic- tissue before. She wasn't supposed to do that, and she wasn't sure it would work. She just had to save Arizona's leg, and she hopped that her rushed decision wouldn't cause anymore damage. But Arizona didn't feel any pain, and she was laughing with her like she always used to do. She looked happy, and she looked fine to her. Maybe the long-shot-plan had actually worked, after all.
"Yes, it went well." Callie lied. There was no reason to tell her everything that happened. Not when the ending resolute was good.
"I knew, because you are awesome." Arizona held Callie closer and kissed her.
"No, you're awesome." Callie answered and kissed her back.
…
"Hello, are you Dr. Bailey?" Dr. Mason used the nurses' guidance to realize who she was supposed to approach, and Bailey turned around.
"Yes, I am, and you are?"Bailey looked at the stranger.
"My name is Lisa Mason. Dr. Lisa Mason. Dr. Hunt told me to look for you when I arrive. It's nice to meet you." She said and held her hand out for a shake.
Miranda Bailey observed Lisa Mason from head to toe. Lisa was wearing jeans and all-stars with scribbles on them, and a black t-shirt. Her hair was black, straight and long, and her skin was pale as snow. She seemed like some rock band groupie in Bailey's eyes. A very young rock bank groupie.
"You are Dr. Lisa Mason, the cardiothoracic surgeon from Portland Gates?" Dr. Bailey didn't hide her surprised and didn't hold it back.
"Yup, that's me." Lisa smiled in amusement from the woman's shock. She was used to that response. Most doctors she worked with thought at the beginning that she is a med student, not an intern, and most definitely not an attending.
Oh well, starting medical school when you are only 14 certainly gets a reaction.
"Oh, well, so let's show you around." Dr. Bailey realized she was starring for way too long, and started walking, and Lisa fallowed her around.
…
It was a big hospital, Lisa realized, and it was nothing like Portland Gates. She was certain that if that plane wouldn't have crashed only 4 minutes from her hospital, the 'Seattle Grace people' would have never known such hospital even exists.
Now Portland Gates was definitely on the map, especially after saving their asses. It was now the first time Lisa was glad it all happened. It brought her to Seattle.
Damn, you work here now. Nice!
"Now, this is the board. All the surgeries are signed in here, you can see in what operation room they are at, what surgery it is, who the attending is and who is assisting. Rule number one and most important - no one messes with the board." Bailey used her intimidating threat and eyed her down.
"No one messes with the board, crystal clear." Lisa repeated Bailey's words, while holding herself from laughing. She wasn't sure how serious Bailey was, but she decided acting serious was the way to go. Especially after that when she asked people who to look for, they told her to prepare for the Nazi. Well, Bailey sure didn't look like one, so she assumed it wasn't about her pretty little eyes.
Bailey's pager went off and she started to rush out.
"Rule number two- when I'm going you fallow!" Bailey grunted when Lisa didn't move, and then she started running after her, all the way to the E.R.
…
The E.R was packed and everyone ran in and out. People were screaming and bleeding everywhere, and it seemed like complete chaos.
"Need some help over here!" a paramedic yelled when he walked inside with a young boy on a gurney. Bailey ran to him and Lisa ran after her.
"What happened?" Bailey asked and started treating the boy. He was barely breathing and screamed in pain.
"There was a car accident. Car bumped into a bus full of kids on a field trip. I got this one from the back of the bus, he was completely squashed." The paramedic answered.
"Ok. You!-" bailey told to an intern that jumped immediately, "- I want CT, X-rays, Blood count and I want it now!" He nodded but then the kid lost consciousness.
"His is crashing! Starting compressions!" Bailey said and started CPR on him.
The intern looked around and rushed to bring the crash cart.
"Charging to 50-" He said and approached the kid.
"Clear!" He said and Bailey stood back.
"Wait!" Lisa said and he stopped before shocking the kid.
"What the hell are you doing? Precede!" Bailey grunted and looked at Dr. Mason with surprised.
"Just wait a second. Where is it?" Lisa looked for something in the cart, and found it.
She took a big needle from it and stuck it to the kid's chest. The kid's heart started beating again.
"His lung collapsed, I just inflamed it again. That's why his heart stopped; we need to get him into the OR now!" Lisa said with firm confidence, "So, tell me where the O.R is because I've no idea." she added awkwardly when no one started moving.
"OK, you heard her, prep the O.R!" Bailey told the intern and he started running.
….
"I shouldn't have worn those shoes today, my legs are killing me." Dr. Mason admitted while in the O.R. with her hands deep in the kid's chest.
"Suction." She told the intern to clear her way.
"So why did you wear them?" Bailey asked her.
"I assumed I wouldn't ever wear them to work because they are so uncomfortable after wearing them for hours, but I wanted to show them off. You know, they are pretty cool. I think. Never imagined there would be a huge crash and I would be in the OR for so long. Or that someone would bleed on them. I forgot my bleeding shoes at home. I think I can open a blood bank just from those shoes alone." Lisa told Bailey and even though she had a mask on her face, Lisa could tell Bailey was smiling.
"I think this is the longest story I've ever heard while operating." Bailey said and Lisa was now convinced that she was smiling. She could hear it in Bailey's voice.
"Seriously? So you need to keep up. There's a quiz in the end." Lisa grinned.
The O.R door opened and Callie walked in with a mask on her face.
"I got paged, what's up?" She asked.
"I paged you. The kid from the accident, his legs are crushed." Bailey told her while the nurse showed her the X-rays.
"Yes, definitely, I'm scrubbing in." Callie said and left the room.
"Clamp" Lisa told the intern. She was now stitching around the rib. The rib punctured the lung and it took a long time to fix it.
"You got it?" Bailey asked and Lisa nodded.
"There is bleeding everywhere. I'll fix it but it's going to take time." She answered and Bailey watched over her hands. She saw the perfect little stitches Lisa was making and the precision, and realized Dr. Hunts odd decision wasn't odd after all. The cardio-kid got talent.
Callie walked into the room and joined them at the table.
"What's your estimation, Dr. Torres?" Bailey asked her.
"His lower vertebras are smashed, I need to get inside and try to rebuild them. Hopefully, it would take a long recovery, but he would walk again." Callie said and asked the intern for a blade.
"What- wait, I'm not done with him." Lisa protested and Callie stopped.
"If I don't operate he won't ever walk again. Who are you, by the way?" Callie said defensively to the new surgeon.
"And if I don't operate he would die. I don't need an ortho surgeon in here" Déjà-vu hit Callie and she was again, in the operating room where Arizona was injured.
"Dr. Mason?" Callie asked with surprised.
"Yep, Dr. Mason, I work here now. And, now we've covered that, no way, the patient isn't stable enough. I'll page you the minute you can come in and do your thing." Lisa found herself in the same a hard position. She knew she would have to see Dr. Torres again, but never imagined the similarities to their previous encounter. She didn't like it at all.
"We are not in Portland Gates anymore. In Seattle Grace we can actually do more than one thing at a time, believe it or not!" Callie told her in anger.
"Dr. Torres, my hands are deep in this patient chest, if you continue disturbing me you won't have a patient to operate on. I don't need an ortho surgeon in here. Get out!" Lisa lost her patience but kept her hands from shaking.
"I remember exactly what happened the last time you told me this sentence." Callie lost her patience too.
"I remember too. I saved your wife!" Lisa screamed at her.
"You two need to shut up now! No more ego, we have a kid with open chest on the table!" Bailey interfered chastising them both, and there was silence.
"Dr. Bailey, page me the minute Dr. Mason is done. I don't want this patient waiting hours before someone checks on him." Callie said and stormed out of the O.R.
"Unbelievable, two mature surgeons fighting in the middle of the O.R." Bailey mumbled in disbelief to herself.
"It's a long story. Really long story." Lisa tried to defend herself. It's not her fault. She had made the right decision, to protect her patient, again.
"It's a story I don't want to hear, so don't even joke about quizzing me about it." Bailey told her and Lisa didn't say a word.
Damn, I guess Seattle Grace won't be a new fresh beginning after all.
…