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CHAPTER SEVEN
"Sorry to break up the party," Bailey said as she went into Izzie's room where Izzie, Hannah and George were playing Monopoly. Izzie and Hannah were still restricted in their movements due to the surgery so George was dominating the board and fighting allegations of cheating at the same time. Bailey had been able to hear their laughter from other end of the hall. "Hannah has to go back to her room and get some rest." Hannah looked disappointed.
"You can play again tomorrow," Bailey said as two orderlies arrived to take Hannah back to her room.
"I'll save our places on the board," George said with a smile as Hannah left. Bailey followed. "She's such a great kid," he said to Izzie.
"I know," Izzie replied. "I feel more whole with her around, you know?" George nodded.
"I've noticed," he said, kissing Izzie on the lips. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," George said. Hannah's adoptive mother entered the room. She smiled a little.
"Hi!" Izzie said with a smile.
"Hello," she replied cordially. "I was wondering if I could have a talk with you."
"Sure," Izzie said. Hannah's mother looked at George.
"Alone," she said.
"Sure, I'll just go for a walk," George said. After he left, Hannah's mother made sure to close the door behind her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked Izzie.
"Really good," Izzie said positively. "Hannah's doing well."
Her mother nodded. "That's one less battle to have to fight in life." She paused. "Look, Izzie. I came to talk to you about… well… I noticed that you and Hannah have been getting very close."
"She's wonderful," Izzie said.
"Yes she is," her mother said. "She's the child we always dreamed of. I just… well… I noticed that you spend more time together and that you gave her a necklace and I don't want you getting any ideas."
"What kind of ideas?" Izzie asked, confused.
"When you gave her up you were this wide eyed little girl who knew nothing about the world beyond the trailer park. Now you're this big time surgeon earning a lot of money and, well, I don't want you to start thinking that you could do a better job than me. I've bought her up to be who she is and it's harder than it looks. I-"
"Whoa! Izzie said, cutting in. "Okay, first of all. I'm not a big time surgeon. I was an intern like five minutes ago. I work eighty hour weeks. I don't have time to sleep. Second of all, I'm not filthy rich. I rent a house with friends. It will be years before I make that kind of money and I'll probably be too busy to spend it. I don't think I could do a better job than you and most of all I'm not trying to take Hannah back from you. I just want to get to know her, okay? I don't want her to love you any less and I'm not trying to replace you at all." Izzie finally took a breath and relaxed.
"That's good," Hannah's mother said. "It probably sounds ridiculous but I've been watching you with her and it's so natural. You two have this whole dynamic going and I don't want her to always compare me to you." Izzie shook her head.
"That won't happen. She thinks the world of you," she said. "If Hannah wants it I would love to be a part of her life from now on. Not as a threat to you. I'd just like to hang out."
"I think she'd like that," her mother said, stiffening.
"What is it?" Izzie asked, knowing that something was being withheld.
"It's not completely decided yet," she said, hesitating. "But a hospital in New York has made us an offer. The transplant saved Hannah's life but she's still sick. They want her to be part of a new trial. If we go there she gets free treatment as well as taking part in a study that may change her life."
"But we just…" Izzie's voice trailed off. She knew that it was a promising offer.
"She's been sick for years," Hannah's mother said. "We've had to mortgage the house. We're both working extra jobs. If she can be treated for free we can start to rebuild our lives again."
"When would you leave?" Izzie asked, staring at the wall.
"As soon as Hannah's discharged and has medical approval to travel."
"Aren't there any studies going on here?" Izzie asked, wiping a stray tear away from her cheek. "This is a teaching hospital… I mean…" her voice trailed off.
"We looked into that. There is nothing that would suit Hannah."
"And there's nothing closer?" Izzie asked. "I mean, New York! We're you so desperate to get her away from me that you had to scout out hospitals in New York?" She could feel herself getting more angry.
"There is no where else," Hannah's mother said helplessly. "This study is very specific, as are all the others around the country. This is the only one that caters to her." Izzie nodded, understanding.
"Would you be able to go?" Izzie asked. "I'm not feeling well."
"Sure," Hannah's mother said. "Would you like me to get a doctor?" Izzie shook her head.
George came back into Izzie's room holding a can of soda and a bottle of water.
"I got some water for your kidney, as per doctors' orders," he said. He had relaxed considerably since Izzie had woken up. Izzie didn't say anything. She lay motionless on her side. "Izzie?" George asked. She'd been in bright spirits when he'd left. He went around to the side of the bed that she was facing. "What's wrong?" he asked. Izzie still didn't reply. She continued to stare at the wall. He checked her temperature with his hand. She didn't have a fever. The doctor in George took over. He picked up the blood pressure cuff and checked her blood pressure. He checked her pulse and studied her chart. Nothing was out of the ordinary for somebody who had just had major surgery. "I'll be back," he said.
George walked through the halls of Seattle Grace hospital. He saw Meredith emerging from a patient's room.
"Meredith!" he called out.
"Hey, George," Meredith said with a smile. "How's Izzie?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," George said. "Have you been in to see her?" Meredith shook her head.
"I saw Hannah this morning," she said. "Bailey saw Izzie I think. Why? Is something wrong?"
"She's different," George said.
"How so?" Meredith asked.
"Well I left her and
she was happy and smiling and when I came back she was all limp and
not talking and just staring at the wall."
"Transplant surgery
takes a lot out of the patient," Meredith said. "It's mid
afternoon. She's probably tired and in need of a rest. If she's
not any better in an hour or so page me." She started to walk away.
"Mer," George said. Meredith turned around and looked at George's puppy dog eyes. She sighed. "Where's her chart?" Meredith asked. George pulled the chart out from behind his back. Meredith smiled wryly at him. She took the chart from George and began writing on it. "I want some blood taken," she said. "The instructions are here. I don't want you doing it though. You're too close. Get a nurse. Page me when the results are in and I'll order a renal ultrasound. Better?" she asked.
"Thank you," George said gratefully.
"Try not to worry," Meredith said. "I'm sure everything's fine."
"Excuse me?" George was approached by the woman whom he recognised as Hannah's adoptive mother. "I'm sorry to bother you. I just couldn't help overhearing what you were taking to that doctor about. I hope that Izzie's alright."
"Me too," George said. "Excuse me," he started to walk away.
"I think I upset her. I'm very sorry," she said.
"How?" George asked. Hannah's mother walked with him through the halls and explained what she had told Izzie. George thanked her for her honestly and she went back to Hannah's room. When she was safely out of sight, George opened the door to Izzie's room. His jaw dropped when he saw that Izzie wasn't there. Her canula which had been pumping her full of medication to prevent infection had been pulled out and was lying on the bed.
"Where the hell is Izzie Stevens?" he shouted angrily in the direction of the nurses' station. Two nurses stared back at him, bewildered.
"She should be in her
room," one replied.
"Well she's not!" George shouted
back. He knew that the nurses were understaffed and worked off their
feet but when his girlfriend was missing on their watch he didn't
feel his usual compassion for them.
"We'll get security onto it," the other nurse said, picking the phone up and dialing.
Hannah, George thought to himself. He jogged down the stairs to pediatrics and stopped at Hannah's room. Hannah was sound asleep in her bed with her parents on either side of her bed. Her mother had fallen asleep and her father was reading a book. George didn't know where to look. He felt helpless.
