Title: Hypocrisy Oath: A Paragon of Medicine
Rating: T
Author: zenparadox
Disclaimer: I own nothing, I want nothing, it all belongs to people more important than me.
Summary: Arizona senses something is amiss when an unlikely hero appears at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Note: Sequel to:A Demon, a Goddess, and a Muse/The Hubris Incident/The Kepner Method. Takes place immediately following the events in The Kepner Method.
Note 2: I forgot to mention, knowledge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer helpful.
Hypocrisy Oath 4
After leaving the pit, Izzie returned to her office and quickly shut the door behind her. She leaned back against the office door and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for several seconds before she moved over to her desk. After she sat down, she pulled the up the sleeve of her blouse and ran her fingers across the small scar on her wrist. She reached over and picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, we need to talk," Izzie said into the phone receiver. "No, this isn't a conversation we can have over the phone…. No, it's about Omega… NO… just get here!"
Arizona stood at the sink in the ladies room and washed her hands. She looked up into the mirror and was started by a man's reflection. She immediately turned around and took in his appearance, he was wearing casual grey sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry sir, but this is the ladies room."
"I'm here for Izzie."
"Well," Arizona looks around the empty bathroom, "she's clearly not here and neither should you be."
"You don't understand. I'm here for Izzie," He said.
"Right. Like I said, Izzie isn't here… Mr.?"
"Denny. My name is Denny and I'm here for Izzie."
"And. I. Still. Don't. Know. What. That. Means." Arizona said, slowly and with considerable sarcasm.
"Wow. When Mark said you were pig-headed, he wasn't kidding."
"Hey, listen here." Arizona said. "I happen to think I have a very pleasant head. His is the one that is kind of swine shaped. And… and… wait a minute… Mark's dead."
"Yes," Denny said. "As am I."
"You're a ghost?" She reached out and moved her arm back and forth through his body. "How? How am I seeing you?"
"It's this bathroom, I've been following you around waiting for you to come in here, it's on a diagonal collocation with the hellmouth, which amplifies the conductivity of spectral projection."
"Wha?"
"It's like a giant ghost battery that allows you to see me." Denny said. "But, only here, and only the receptive. Like you."
"So now I'm receptive, I thought I was stubborn?"
"He said pig-headed."
"Who are you, again?"
"I'm Denny Duquette, and I'm here for Izzie."
"Yeah… you keep saying that, and yet, I still don't know what that means."
"I don't really know either, I was hoping you would," Denny said. "All I know is, things aren't what they seem and Izzie shouldn't be here."
"OH! Denny!" Arizona exclaimed as she suddenly realized who he was. "You were they guy she hallucinated when she had the brain tumor."
"Yeah, she wasn't actually hallucinating…" Denny confessed. "Her tumor allowed her to see me. I was… kind of… haunting her."
"You aren't trying to tell me I have a tumor are you? Because after everything I've been through the past couple years that would be a major… bummer."
"No. No tumors. I'm not exactly sure why you can see me… But, I think it probably has something to do with the fact that you've created and destroyed an alternate reality. And, you had Mark Sloan inside you."
"Please say 'possessed', please say 'Mark Sloan possessed you,' not… not that other thing." Arizona shuddered. "Because if everyone that Mark Sloan had been in could see ghosts…"
He smiled at her, "Ok. Either way, you're open to the supernatural now. You'll be more aware than the average person."
"So, you are 'here' for Izzie, but you don't know what that means, am I right?"
"Exactly." He replied.
"Is her tumor back?" She asked simply.
"I don't know."
"Are you sure it said for us to meet her in the bathroom and not just you?" Meredith asked Callie as they walked back toward the cafeteria.
They had been waiting at the coffee cart for Arizona when Callie received a text with the change of plans. Before they left, Callie asked the barista to get word to Anya that they wanted to talk to her.
"Read the text yourself," Callie held up her phone for Meredith to see, it said 'Grab Meredith and Cristina and meet me in the ladies room- the one behind the cafeteria that no one uses because it smells like rotting cantaloupe.'
"You are lucky Izzie cancelled our surgery this afternoon, or you wouldn't be graced with my presence. I really hate the rotting cantaloupe bathroom." Cristina added. "I'm not so sure I even believe all of this Izzie stuff."
"Cristina, Arizona made some valid points after you left, you should definitely hear her out." Meredith said.
As they walked past the cafeteria on route to the out-of-way restroom a pair of eyes tracked their path. When they turned the corner and moved out of view, the figure stepped out of the shadows and stealthily followed behind them, making sure to stay far enough back to remain unnoticed.
Callie, Meredith, and Cristina paused outside the rotting cantaloupe bathroom as they could hear Arizona having, what sounded like, a one-sided conversation.
"I think we may need to have an intervention for your wife Torres," Cristina said. "Maybe the hellmouth has made her crazy."
"Shut it, Yang, my wife is fine," Callie said as she pushed through the door. They all filed through the opening to find Arizona having an animated discussion with thin air. "Ok, maybe she's cracked a little…," Callie conceded.
Arizona looked over and noticed them all staring at her, "Hey, great! You guys made it," She exclaimed. "There is definitely something fishy going on around here."
"We can see that," Meredith said. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Arizona, honey, what's going on?" Callie asked.
"Denny and I were just discussing the possibilities of…"
"Wait. Stop. Back up."
"Did you say… Denny? As in, the Denny that's dead… As in Izzie cut the LVAD Denny?"
"Yes. Dead Denny is standing right here and I can see him, but only in the rotting cantaloupe bathroom, because of some crazy techno babble, that I'm pretty sure he made up, about ghost batteries and hellmouth juxtapositions and Mark possessing me and that Wishverse I created, but either way it doesn't matter, because I can see him…"
"Arizona, you need to stop and take a breath," Callie said. "Reorganize your thoughts, line them up in order, and then start over."
"Right sorry," Arizona took a breath and continued. "Denny is here and is a ghost and I can see him, because of details that aren't important. The reason he is here though, is important. You guys following me?"
At three affirmative nods, Arizona continued.
"He's not sure why or how, but he does know that Izzie shouldn't be here. He doesn't know anything about the weird Omega illness or if it's even connected. But I think it is."
"Wow." Callie said.
"Yeah, wow is my thought too." Meredith agreed.
"So you are saying, what…? Izzie has changed… How we see her? She made us all love her, like a love spell or something," Cristina asked. "Not that I've looked into those for Owen or anything… "
"Cristina! What have you done?" Arizona scolded.
"Nothing… yet," She replied, "Let's get back to Izzie and the horrible things she's done."
"It wasn't a love spell," Came an unfamiliar voice from the doorway of the bathroom, the accent distinctly British. Still hidden by shadows the figure continued. "It was some sort of augmentation spell, I believe."
The four surgeons jumped at the sound of the new voice. Callie stepped in front of Arizona, as if to protect her. "Who are you and… and, how do you know this?" She asked.
"I know this, because I'm a bit of a witch, and…"She paused, "I've been here for years, acting as an agent of the Watcher's Council. I've been keeping an eye on the forming hellmouth." The figure stepped into the light.
Their eyes all widened with shock, except for Arizona who couldn't see because of Callie's protective stance.
"Oh my god!" Callie said.
"What? Who is it? Callie, move. Move over…" Arizona pushed Callie aside. "Wow."
"Bokhee?" Meredith exclaimed.
"You're British?" Cristina exclaimed.
"And a witch?" Arizona asked. "Like… a… witch, witch?"
"Black hat, rides a broom, witch?" Callie said. "Did we know that those exist?" She looks to Arizona for confirmation. Arizona just shrugged.
"Look, we haven't time for this discussion now," Bokhee said, "But once we've cleared this mess up, I'll fill you all in. It's time you've all been made aware anyway."
"So, how are you…? I mean, how do you know? Are you… immune?" Arizona asked.
"Not at all," Bokhee replied. "I'm actually quite smitten with Dr. Stevens at the moment. My coven in Devon contacted me, they detected the shift. They knew something had been changed, but not what… Actually it was you, Dr. Robbins, that narrowed my search to Isobel Stevens."
Callie smiled proudly and rubbed her hand across her back, as Arizona blushed brightly.
"I can't believe Robbins was right." Cristina said.
"My wife is brilliant, Cristina," Callie said. "No magic required."
"So what exactly is an augmentation spell?" Arizona asked.
"Yeah, what, uh… did she have, uh… you know? Augmented." Callie asked. "Other than the obvious."
Four sets of eyes all looked her way.
"What? I mean her huge… accomplishments." Callie said. "What did you guys think I was talking about?" Cristina and Meredith laughed, and Arizona just rolled her eyes.
"Back on point," Bokhee said. "She augmented herself and how we see her. These types of spells turn the recipient into a sort of paragon, the best of everything, everyone's ideal."
"But, do we really believe that Izzie is not only capable of, but powerful enough to change all of our perceptions?" Meredith asked.
"Well my perception of Izzie is that she's perfect- she can do anything, nothing gets in her way, therefore she's both capable of, and powerful enough… Whoa. So… that's like… a paradox, right? The only reason I think she can do it, is because she's already done it?" Callie said. "Mind blown."
"It is quite the stumper. But, with these types of spells, there's always a drawback."
"The Omega illness," Arizona said.
"I believe so, yes," Bokhee agreed. "Which may help us track down which spell she used. And in turn, we learn how to break it."
"So we're saying she did a spell just to make us think she was cool?" Callie asked.
"Yes," Bokhee replied. "Essentially."
"That is so cool!" Callie realized what she said, "Ok, clearly someone needs to smack me."
"Don't fret over it, my dear, it's a very powerful spell." Bokhee consoled Callie. "Denny, you go follow Izzie, see if you can learn anything."
"I forgot Dead Denny was here." Cristina said. "Wait… you can see him too?"
"I can see him everywhere, he's quite the thorn in my side." Bokhee answered.
"Well, honestly, he's not very helpful," Arizona said. "He just kept saying 'I'm here for Izzie' over and over. And I think he was trying to charm me with his crinkly sparkling eyes."
"He was barking up the wrong tree." Callie laughed.
"Yeah, and calling me pig-headed didn't help."
"What should we do, Bokhee?" Meredith asked.
"There is a room in the basement, barely used, though I do believe you used to spend quite a bit of time there, Dr. Torres." Bokhee said. She winked at Callie then continued, "I keep all of my research materials in a small hidden chamber behind your former abode… we should go see what we can find on augmentation spells and this Omega illness."
"My old stomping grounds- I used to dance in my underwear there… until Chief Webber caught me." At Arizona's look she said, "But that's not really relevant. Let's go do some research."
"Yes, let's leave this loo…" Bokhee scrunched her face. "It smells like rotting cantaloupe."
April Kepner stood at the desk in the pit, her stylus moved across the screen of her tablet, as she updated various patient statuses.
Izzie walked up behind her and discreetly asked, "Dr. Kepner, may I have a word with you?"
"Of course," April nervously responded. "What can I do for you Chief?"
"I want you to run some tests on me," Izzie said. "The works, even run me through the Lodox machine. But I want it on the down low. Think you can handle that?"
"Yes, of… of course" April answered nervously. "Are we looking for anything in particular?"
"No, just… start up a chart for a Jane Doe and meet me in exam room 8." Izzie said as she looked around nervously. "Make it quick, I'm expecting someone soon, and I'd like to be finished. Put a rush on the blood work, too." Izzie walked off in the direction of exam room 8.
April just shook her head and immediately started making a chart for Jane Doe.
"Kepner," Alex yelled as he came into the pit. "I need your help, I want to ask you a few questions about the mayor's kid."
"What exactly do you need to know?" She asked.
"How was his initial trauma work-up?
"We did basic damage control stuff, he was in bad shape when he came in, but things went pretty smoothly, especially once Dr. Stevens started helping."
"He's still in a coma?"
"Yeah, he had a pretty serious brain bleed."
"But Shepherd got it under control pretty quickly, and his ICP is normal. He should be waking up."
"Ok, you know I don't really do much follow up once they are moved to ICU, so, what do you need from me?"
"Was he ever conscious? Did he say anything strange? Like how things weren't real?"
"No, he was unconscious the whole time," April replied. "Why? What are you thinking?"
"We've had some unusual cases the past couple days, teens with hallucinations and a strange scar on their wrists. Shaped like a horseshoe or the Greek letter Omega. We've kind of been calling it the Omega virus… unofficially, of course. We don't know that it's even a virus." Alex explained. "Then, when I was doing the mayor's kid's post-op check-up, I noticed he had the same scar on his wrist. If he was hallucinating because of this 'illness', it could explain the accident."
"I'm sorry I can't help you more, but he was non-responsive when he arrived." April said. "So I have no idea if he was hallucinating, or if he had the scar on his wrist. He was pretty scraped up…"
"Nah, it's fine, whatever." Alex said. "Have you seen Robbins anywhere, though?"
"I haven't, sorry." April said. "Look, I really need to go… I have a very important, uh… Jane Doe waiting…"
"Go. I'll find Robbins myself." Alex walked off to have Arizona paged.
Izzie flinched a little as April inserted the needle to draw her blood. "I'm sorry, did that hurt?"
"No, it's fine Dr. Kepner." Izzie said.
"You never answered… are we looking for anything in particular?" April questioned. "Are you having symptoms?"
"Not really, it's just a… feeling, you know?" Izzie confided. "Something feels off, I haven't felt myself for days."
As April put the cotton swab on the blood draw sight she noticed the horseshoe shaped scar on the blonde's wrist. She grabbed Izzie's arm to examine it closer. "Dr. Stevens?" April asked. "How long have you had this mark on your wrist?"
Izzie sighed and then asked. "Can I trust you, April? To keep this between us?"
"Of course."
"I don't know. I... I first noticed it 3 days ago…" Izzie said. "I have no idea where it came from. Or if…"
"If it's connected to the teens?"
"Exactly, what if I start hallucinating?" Izzie questioned. "This can't get out."
"We'll figure this out Dr. Stevens, I promise." April said. "I'm going to take these down to the lab myself, I'll be right back and we can do the Lodox. You can… get into a gown while I'm gone?"
"Sure," Izzie sighed.
April left and Izzie started to undress.
"I should probably turn around." Denny said. "Or close my eyes."
"What the fu…" Izzie yelled. "Who's there?" She held her blouse up to her chest as she looked around the room. There in the corner stood Denny Duquette, their eyes made contact.
"Does this mean you see me?" Denny asked.
"Yep." Izzie sighed.
"Well, crap."
"My thoughts exactly."
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