CHAPTER TEN

"Doctor Hahn," Richard shouted angrily as Erica stormed through the surgical halls of Seattle Grace hospital. Erica ignored Richard and continued to walk straight ahead. No body dared to get in her way. "Doctor Hahn!" Richard shouted again. Erica finally stopped and turned to face Richard angrily with her hands on her hips.

"Do not walk away from me while I am instructing you," Richard said angrily, not caring that people were starting to stare. "I told you the treatment plan for Meredith Grey and my orders will be obeyed. Do I make myself clear?" Erica's face turned a shade of red from the embarrassment of being reprimanded so publicly.

"Fine," she muttered with quiet anger. "I will work with Doctor Burke on this surgery. I will give it one hundred percent and then I'm done.

"Excuse me?" Richard asked.

"You heard me," Erica replied. "I'm done. I don't want to work for people who don't have confidence in me as a surgeon. You can tell Doctor Burke that if he wants to be back here so bad, the job's his. I'm done."

"Doctor Hahn," Richard started, in a more calm voice as he tried to reason with Erica. "I never-" but his words fell on deaf ears as Erica disappeared from sight. "Get back to work," Richard told the crowd that had gathered for their showdown.

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"Hey, Mer!" Izzie said with a smile as she went back into Meredith's room. Meredith looked up at Izzie and didn't respond. Izzie wasn't sure whether she was simply exhausted from the days events or whether her mood had continued to deteriorate. "I bought you some DVDs!"

"Thanks," Meredith said softly. She didn't seem interested in finding out what they were. Izzie looked at the comedies that she had selected and chose what she thought would be the funnier movie.

"Iz, I just want some quiet time," Meredith said weakly in protest as Izzie put the DVD in the player. "I'm really not in the mood."

"I know," Izzie said. "I've been watching you and I don't think it's healthy for you to go into surgery in such a negative frame of mind."

"Iz, given the circumstances I think even you would be forgiven for not being enthusiastic about being the surgical patient."

"I understand that," Izzie said. "But you seem to think that you won't survive the surgery." Meredith accusingly looked at Derek, who was sitting on a chair beside the bed.

"I thought she should know," Derek said, defensively. "She's your doctor."

"You should be more confident," Izzie said. "It's not every day that a cardio patient gets two of the greats operating on her."

"Huh?" Meredith asked, confused.

"Oh haven't you heard?" Izzie asked, apologetically. "Sorry, Burke's here and Richard wants him and Hahn to do the surgery together so you should be extra confident."

"Hahn's gotta be loving that," Meredith said.

"Oh she is," Izzie replied with a mischievous smile. "It's all happening out there… but none of that should concern you because you're going into surgery in just under four hours." Izzie took the remote control and pushed play before handing it to Derek. "Now, Meredith, you will watch the movie, you will laugh and have fun and think happy things okay?"

"Finding Nemo?" Meredith asked cynically as the movie started. "I'm really not into cartoons, Iz."

"Just watch it," Izzie said. "I'm trying to help you here but I need you to help yourself. I believe that going into surgery in a positive state of mind can make all the difference. I believe that you believe you'll live, you will. So try to believe for me okay?" Meredith nodded as Izzie left the room.

"She's trying to help you, Mer," Derek said as he noticed the despondent look return to Meredith's face.

"Somehow I don't think a cartoon will help me," Meredith replied. "Can you stop it?"

"But I love finding Nemo," Derek argued. "Come on, let's just watch it."

"Fine," Meredith sighed as she put the remote control down.

Derek stood up, went over to Meredith and gently moved her over in the hospital bed a little. Then he took his shoes off and carefully climbed into the bed next to her and put a protective arm around her. Meredith snuggled close to Derek, listening to the constant sound of his strong heart beating. This seemed to relax her. It always did. After a while Meredith began to surprise herself as she took in Finding Nemo, even laughing at some parts.

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"How's Meredith?" Alex asked George as he caught up with him in one of the surgical halls.

"I know as much as you do," George replied.

"What are the interns doing?" Alex asked George as they noticed a group of interns behaving curiously at the end of the hall. One was holding a fist full of money.

"Come and get your tickets for the best show on earth," they overheard him say as they got closer. "It's the showdown for the year, Doctor Hahn versus Doctor Burke as they fight over the heart of Doctor Meredith Grey."

"Hey!" Alex called out angrily. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I see we have a taker," another intern who was keeping a log book said. Alex snatched the logbook out of his hand as well as the money from the other intern.

"Don't tell me you never did this kinda thing," a nearby female intern asked?

"No," Alex replied angrily. "Never have I ever compromised the privacy of a member of staff. We're not operating on some random stranger. Meredith is one of us and she's sick. While she's lying in a bed somewhere preparing for surgery you low life bastards are trying to make money of it. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"You're not gonna tell the chief are you?" one of the interns asked, fearfully.

"You bet your ass I am," Alex said as he started to walk away. "You can kiss surgery goodbye for a long time." As Alex left the interns looked pleadingly at George.

"Not cool guys," George said as he shook his head, ashamed at them, and walked away.

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"What are you doing?" George asked Cristina as he caught her peeking into a surgical preparation room.

"Kissing my cardio career goodbye," Cristina replied. That was exactly how she felt at that moment as she watched Burke and Erica fighting over who was going to do what in Meredith's surgery. Izzie stood back, not knowing where to look and seeming like she didn't want to be there.

"You're giving me all the easy parts of the surgery!" Erica said accusingly to Burke, her patience wearing thin.

"Fine, I'll open then," Burke said as he started on the practice model.

"So you're giving yourself even more surgical time?" Erica asked.

"I can't work under this kind of pressure!" Burke replied, angrily.

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before-"

"Okay both of you just SHUT UP!" Izzie shouted. She could hardly even believe that she said it. Erica and Burke both immediately turned their attention towards her. "Have either of you even been to see Meredith since your little fight with the chief?" Izzie asked. "No, didn't think so. While you've been carrying on like a couple of five year olds I've been to see the patient numerous times. If you'd bothered to do your jobs and check on her you would know that she's scared out of her mind right now and is in desperate need of some reassurance by her surgeons who have yet to see her. Now shut up and do your goddamn jobs like the professionals that you claim to be!"