A/N And Season 13. Again please note this is not supposed to be every call. More notes at the end.
"Life sucks."
"How so?"
"Do you want to hear about Kepner having an un-anaesthetised c-section on my kitchen table…"
"That woman might be weird, but there is no denying that she's hardcore."
"Or perhaps you'd like to hear about my night and morning trying to bail Alex out of jail?"
"Who did he hit?"
"How do you know he hit someone?"
"Please! You say this like you've not personally pulled him off what four, five people over the years? Stitched him up? Look some of the edges may have been polished down and he's not the absolute ass he used to be but he's a brawler."
"That's not fair Cristina, he's worked hard to be a better man. He's better than that guy now."
"I know he's worked hard but the fact is you just bailed him out of jail. I'm sure once he calmed down he'll be fine."
"HE'S NOT GOING TO BE FINE THIS TIME!"
"Okay then maybe you need to be the one to calm down. Tell me what happened."
"He nearly killed one of the interns Cristina. He walked in on this guy, De Luca, over Jo on the bed at the loft and he lost his mind could have blinded him. Jackson's had to operate."
"He did what? He's going to lose his license!"
"You think I don't know that. He's very subdued and saying he's ready for whatever comes and I'm trying to be positive but God..."
"Okay no more cheerleader. That's going to freak him, and everybody out. It's time to be practical. Get him tidied up, smartened up and back at work. He needs to go talk to Bailey. If she can save him she will. Probably push him around a bit first but he'll need that too. She's worked too hard to just flush him now. And you, you need to go sleep. You're no use to anyone running on fumes."
"Thanks Cristina."
"Karev. How's it going?"
"Are things that bad for you to be calling?"
"I call. Now spill it."
"They're pretty bad. I think Jo's finished with me, I'm out of the OR and benched down to the clinic and I'm pretty sure I'm going to prison. And I have to go to therapy."
"At least one of those things doesn't sound so bad. But Alex."
"Not you too please. Mer keeps looking at me with these huge sad eyes like she just wants to make everything better. And she can't and it kills me that I've pulled her into this mess as well. I just, I'm supposed to be better than this now."
"I know. But she's got your back. We both do. You know this."
"I can't talk about this any more."
"Okay then tell me about this Riggs guy."
"He's a jackass. New cardio guy, he's got some kind of history with Hunt who is not a fan, he worked with Kepner when she went to Jordan – huge ego, military lingo at every turn. Pierce is into him."
"Pierce is into him?"
"Yup."
"What about Mer?"
"Oh you heard about that? He's been after her for a while I think. Lots of flirty comments flying around. And looks, the looks are getting really old. I just assumed it was one way but no, apparently she did him in the lot. In her car. The car she drives her children around in. Pierce doesn't know. And I am saying nothing, I've already been thrown out of one home this month."
"You two are a hot mess without me."
"No fight from me. You want to come back and fix it?"
"Night Karev."
"You were right you know?"
"I'm always right. What about?"
"Me. My instincts. Sure I'm not operating but I'm practicing good medicine. My instincts are still good. The clinic it's kept me in the game. You know I caught a case of pancreatic cancer today? From a rash and conversation in the line at the courthouse. And the other week I caught Ehlers-Danlos in this kid, I mean you can practice all your life and never see a case. I'm not a total waste of space."
"Ehlers-Danlos. Amazing. Never seen it."
"Well there you go. Look I need help Yang. I need you to get Meredith used to the idea I'm going away. She's still refusing to talk about it and if I mention she just looks at me with the eyes. She needs to toughen up."
"She'll be fine. It's Meredith, she always fine in the end. Worry about you right now."
"Helpful thanks."
"It's loud there."
"I'll move. It's waffle Sunday."
"It's what?"
"It's waffle Sunday. Alex, me, the kids, Maggie, Amelia. We do waffle Sundays now."
"Do you cook the waffles?"
"Hell no. It's Alex' thing."
"God, times change. It feels like no time at all since you were all stressed about Izzie baking. Now her ex husband is cooking your kids waffles on a weekly basis and you seem fine with it."
"Izzie's obsession and angst about the baking was more annoying than the actual baking. Often the cakes were really very good. This is different. It's Bailey getting excited to beat the mix, and Alex helping Zo pour it into the mould and then someone else cleaning up. This is messy and fun not at all like Izzie and her anguish fuelled baking. Also that was a lifetime ago."
"Did you ever think about telling him he couldn't move back?"
"Who? Alex? No. why?"
"He beat someone up really badly, Mer. Did it never even cross your mind he shouldn't be near your kids?"
"No! He'd never hurt them, or me. He did something stupid, something he regrets hugely but the circumstances were against him and has nothing to do with this right now. He's fine with the kids, they love him. He loves them."
"You should maybe think about that?"
"Sure, sure but now I've got to go. Mine's ready and Maggie is eyeing it's like it's a prize she won."
"He's taking a plea."
"No way, he's not a quitter."
"I'm telling you he's gone there now. Came and gave me a big 'time to face the consequences' spiel. Wouldn't listen to anything I said just kept telling me that I'll be fine."
"You will be. You're Meredith Grey."
"I'll tell you what I told him. This is not about me. It's about him. Every damn step of the way he's fought. Crappy start in life, crappy family. He fought it. Getting a place here. He fought."
"Strictly speaking he lied."
"He fought. After Izzie he could have gone back to being the enormously awful person he was before but he didn't, he fought. He's a good man and he's got there because he fought for it. Now he's throwing it all away for a woman who couldn't be straight with him."
"Who?"
"Wilson. Apparently she's married and afraid because she was called as a witness. He's literally giving up a career and two years of his life for her. He'll never be the same."
"She's married?"
"Three times he's proposed to her. They bought a place, they talked about kids. It never once crossed her mind to say anything?"
"There has to be more to it than that."
"He said he wouldn't hug me because I was already scrubbed in. But I wasn't, I touched my top. But I let him walk out of there anyway."
"Well get off the damn phone to me. Call him and get him back before he destroys himself playing white knight. Maybe there's more to this Wilson thing but we won't know if he throws himself under the bus. Go get him back."
"What happened? You can; just go radio silent on me like that?"
"Karev's an idiot."
"Well yes, but is he an idiot in the slammer?"
"No he's an idiot who's been tucked up in my bed all day whilst I've been worried sick and traipsing around the Washington criminal justice system. My feet hurt, I stink and I'm almost ready to kill him."
"So he's not in prison?"
"No"
"He's not on the run?"
"No"
"He's just in your bed."
"Yes.. oh shut up it's not funny."
"She's gone and got herself suspended."
"Is there no end to your drama? I swear you were better when I was around."
"Er no. There were drownings and bombs and surgery at gunpoint and plane crashes. Life with you was not drama free. There is also a lot less tequila these days."
"What's happened?"
"She's had a run in with Bailey about the woman who's replaced Webber."
"Webber's been sacked?"
"More like demoted."
"What the hell?"
"Stay on point Yang. Meredith. She's been suspended and she's at home talking about socks, and making us packed lunches and dying of boredom."
"Leave her to me. Meredith isn't Meredith if she's not cutting."
"Only one other thing. Last night while we were in bed watching TV…"
"Really you weren't going to lead with that?"
"What? I've not finished. We all got an e-mail. Bailey's promoted Kepner to interim chief."
"It's like the twilight zone. You're sleeping together? Neither of you thought to mention this?"
"What? No! Meredith, Maggie and I were watching TV in her bedroom. Amelia's crashing so the sofa is my bed so now we watch TV upstairs. This is not the thing. The thing is Meredith is going to go nuts at home; may in fact already have gone nuts at home and Kepner has her job."
"Well played Bailey!"
"What?"
"She's playing a long game. I don't know quite what, but it's smart. Make a stand with Mer, make Kepner a scapegoat. I see some of the pieces. Leave this with me."
"So you're back at work? All is as it should be again?"
"I'm swearing off men."
"I've heard that one before."
"Seriously more trouble than it's worth – even if the sex had been pretty good."
"This is Nathan we're talking about? And you're walking away from that because…"
"He's an arrogant ass. He totally undermined Alex on a pedes case today and this was after Alex had been pushing me to go for it with him. He actually put the patient on the list without parental consent and behind Alex' back?"
"What for."
"Heart."
"They found a heart for a newborn that was a match? Do you have any idea how difficult that is? How rare? What was the alternative proposed treatment?"
"A Norwood I think."
"Look, a Norwood would have been a great plan b assuming the child was strong enough but the transplant's the jackpot. I'm not saying Karev made the wrong call, but I am saying the transplant was the best chance for a good long-term outcome."
"I didn't ring for a consult."
"Well if you're planning to give up great sex based on that or the fact that Alex's ego has taken a beating, then a second opinion was exactly what you needed."
"I'm a terrible person and a terrible sister."
"Are you ever going to figure out the time differences? Do you not remember that I like my sleep?"
"I'm serious Cristina. Maggie's lost her mom; her lovely kind mom who was pretty much the perfect mom straight from central casting. Not like my mom, who you know was more the slit your wrists in front of a five year old then ignore her in favour of working like a demon and winning awards type mom. Not even like your mom who's all demanding and can I take your eyebrows. I mean she was amazing. The kind of woman who people just liked you know? She made friends with all the nurses, my kids they loved her, and she cooked lasagne and she didn't think it was weird that we threw my mom's ashes in the scrub room. She was great."
"You seem to be freaking out."
"And then I agreed to go on a date with Nathan anyway."
"Oh."
"See I'm a terrible person."
"Kind of."
"Cristina."
"This better be good I was closing."
"I know but I wanted you to hear this from me."
"What's wrong with her Alex?"
"She's fine. But she was on a plane, they hit some pretty bad turbulence and they've had to make an emergency landing. There were some injuries up there… no not her, I said she's fine. But she and Riggs and some dentist have done some pretty cool stuff and it's going to be all over the news."
"But she's alight?"
"Uninjured. I spoke to her and other than an adrenalin come down she's good. She fixed a brain bleed with a syringe and the drinks trolley."
"She did what? And to think she used be afraid she was just ordinary. Our girl is fearless."
"Yes, yes she is."
"I told her when I left she shouldn't get on any tiny planes that crash. There's an irony there, right?"
"I don't know how the two of you do it. I wasn't even on that plane and I sweat having to go up in one just thinking about it."
"You think I don't? I just, at some point you have to keep going. You know that as well as any of us."
"I guess."
"Did you say she was with Riggs? She didn't tell me they were back together."
"They weren't together to be apart to be able to get back together. Car sex is not together."
"You're starting to sound like her you know?"
"Anyway, sounds like a fluke. They were going to the same conference. Didn't know until they saw each other on the plane."
"Sure. Sure."
"Do you still feel the same way about kids?"
"Meredith's keeping you up all night? You trying to sell them?"
"If Ellis carries on with her wide awake at four AM thing, maybe."
"No. I've always been clear on this. Children deserve parents who want them, who'll love them. That's never going to be me."
"Now, not even with this guy? Sebastian?"
"Especially now. Look for the first time in forever I have the right balance. Seb lives in London, we see each other maybe three times a month maximum and it works. He's intelligent and we talk lots and I find him invigorating. He makes me more than I am. Not less. That works for me."
"Sounds lonely."
"It's really not. I'm on top of my game. I feel good. Now what's this really about? Don't you have enough kids around? You work with tiny babies and ankle biters all day. You're surrounded by them."
"I had this patient. She died. She and her best friend made one of those pacts, to have a kid together if they got to forty and hadn't you know? Settled?"
"Are you propositioning me? I do not want kids Karev. I especially don't want yours."
"NO! I just, you know I thought I'd have the whole package one day and now it just doesn't seem all that likely. In fact, it feels like it was all just a dream. It just made me think that's all. This poor guy he's lost his best friend, who I'm pretty sure he was in love with, and he's taking this tiny baby home with him. They thought they'd have at least 6 months together, then we told them 2 and now he's going home alone."
"You sent him home with his kid Alex. A kid they wanted. As for you, you're basically raising those children."
"I am not."
"Don't kid yourself. You feed them, you read to them. You were doing a school run for God's sake when I spoke to Mer last week. They're your family and you are theirs."
"We all pull together. Me and the sisters."
"Sure you do. Now I want to run something by you."
"Go on."
"I'm presenting at a conference in New Orleans in a few weeks. Do you think you and Mer might want to let the sisters pull together for a few days and come see me sans kids?"
"New Orleans?"
"Come on! You've had a shitty year. She's had several of them. It'd be good to see you both without anyone being dead or in a hospital bed. Some jazz, some hurricanes, a bit of dancing you know it'd be good."
"I'm not dancing."
"Dancing will not be compulsory."
"Hell, if Mer's in and Bailey says yes then I'm in."
"Excellent."
"Did he talk to you about this?"
"What's Karev done now?"
"He's run off to LA to try and find the husband and now he's not answering his phone. I don't know whether to get down there now ready to bail him out or wait to see if he's gone and got himself killed. I swear I can not believe he's doing this to me."
"How did he find him?"
"I think he hired a private eye. I mean seriously. He's not mentioned her for weeks. I thought he was getting over it and in the background he's making out like some kind of film noir hero?"
"Sit tight. I think he's going to be fine."
"Why is your glass half full on this? Did he talk to you about this?"
"No he didn't. But I do think he seems calmer. I think maybe he's testing himself. Give him some credit."
"Testing himself on what?"
"Walking away."
"There was an explosion?"
"How do you know. Surely this is not big news? Everyone's fine"
"I have a google alert – at this point keeping a virtual eye on Grey-Sloan seems wise. Is everyone really okay?"
"Pretty much. I mean Edwards, do you remember Edwards? She's got some burns but she got them saving a kid. She was a hero. Everyone else – we're still standing."
"I do have news though."
"Karev is back alive and well and hasn't killed anyone?"
"Well yes. But that wasn't the news. Nathan's fiancé the one he thought was dead. She's alive."
"Owen's sister?"
"One and the same?"
"How is he?"
"Owen? Shaken, on his way to the hospital to meet her when she flies in."
"Thank you. How about Nathan?"
"I haven't found him to tell him yet."
"Go, then."
"Hey thanks for the call earlier."
"It's fine. How did it go. Did you find Nathan?"
"Yes, I told him, and then I send him down there. He looked…happy. Overwhelmed but happy."
"I'm sorry Meredith."
"She isn't!"
"Is that Karev?"
"Yes it is, and if he doesn't shut it he can go find somewhere else to lie down. And I'm going to say to you what I said to him."
"Which was."
"Alex stop it, I know you're rolling your eyes even if I'm not looking at you. Don't be such a child. I told him it's a relief in a way. Nathan, he wanted to meet the kids and I wasn't ready. I'm not doing that to them until I'm ready and I know for sure. And I'll know sure when it feels like family."
"I can't imagine what that would look like for you"
"Well I'm not exactly looking right now."
"If you say so Mer. If you say so. Tell Alex good night. I'll see you both in two weeks."
A/N If you stuck with me to the end yes New Orleans will be a story in it's own right and coming soon!