Chapter 12: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

At some point you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out; they fence you in. Life is messy, that's how we're made. So you can waste your life drawing lines or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines that are way too dangerous to cross. Here's what I know, If you're willing to take a chance, the view from the other side is spectacular.--Meredith Grey season 1 ep. 2 "The First Cut is the Deepest"

23 Years Later, Crabapple Cove General Hospital

A slender five foot five woman with dark brown eyes, expressive thin face and raven black hair wearing her white jacket walked down the corridors of the hospital. The hospital was a second home to her compared to the first one; a two story building where her mother and her used to retire in.

Dr. Mariah Moon, age 29 walked through the same halls her mother had once walked through. For some odd reason, it felt that where ever she went, her mother was in every inch of this hospital. Not a single room is peaceful, but a reminder of what was and what will always be. Nothing changed, well except the faces and technology for any surgery and many more new patients. That goes without saying. She was like her mother in every aspect and many people looked at her as if she would follow her footsteps one day. What a miracle would it be if two medical geniuses came from the same family especially a mother and a daughter that would define time. A person in the family has already accomplished that, but the daughter wasn't willing. She had no desire.

After the incident when Dr. Jacqueline Moon and the breakup of her love affair, the two family members moved to Boston, Massachusetts and Jackie landed a residence at Boston General coming up with a new method that defined surgery, called the "Moon Effect". There, once again praised for being a woman in charge and coming up with that, it was in magazines for weeks on end. Throughout the move, Mariah never again hear from her father after the bitter divorce. She was unwanted.

She was a shadow of her and people expect her to do the same as her mother; it wasn't going to happen. She's her own woman and she was going to do just as she pleased. She managed to graduate from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire despite the excessive drinking and partying. Of course she had a difficult time keeping a job do to her partying. Jackie pointed the direction of medical school for her daughter but saying to her she wouldn't have what it takes to be a good surgeon. They both argued, which they both did all the time about the ambition in young Mariah's life. Mariah ended up going to Europe for two months with her closest friend.

As she came back her mother was diagnosis with early on-set Alzheimer's disease. This got Mariah into medical school. She completed it, and here she was an intern, as her mother sits in a nursing home responsible for Jackie's affairs. From time to time, she would visit, but the elder woman didn't reconginze her half the time, so there was no point, but since her mother alienated everybody in her life; somebody had to visit. Aside from that; when lucid years back, Jackie made Mariah promise to not tell anyone that she was ill. Mariah has kept that promise.

Of course moving back to Crabapple Cove wasn't the smartest thing in the world. For one, she'll have to face the many people of her mother's past. For another: the ex-lover of Jackie Moon was now head of surgery and the hospital. In other words: he was her boss. That wouldn't work very well with Mariah.

Hawkeye Pierce was the one who broke off her parent's marriage and in the end leaves her for his own wife, Mrs. Margaret Houlihan-Pierce. Once or twice Mariah's seen her, her platinum blond hair and blue eyes along with her attractive face an attitude for anyone that was going to give her a hard time. She'd seen Margaret in her reign of fury and she was good at getting her way. Mariah was sure that Mrs. Pierce knows who she is too, so Mariah tries to avoid her at all costs. She didn't need the fury of an angry wife for an affair that happened a good 20 something years ago.

When Hawkeye found out that Mariah was an intern, he was surprised and yet excited. Surprised that they would come back, excited to see his ex-love affair's daughter taking her mother's footsteps. It has been years since he'd seen her and her mother due to the lack of communication. It didn't surprise him that that happened. But over the many years, Jackie had been on his mind, just the usual; wondering if she was living alright and how she is doing. They would quickly fade away as he remembered what was really important in his life: Margaret. Not many words were spoken between him or of Mariah. There wasn't much to say; she hadn't seen him since she was five years old at the park that day. Mariah never forgot that day; after that day, her mother was cold to her showing no affection no matter how hard she'd tried.

It didn't matter to Mariah; she was used to it. It didn't bother her any. She didn't need sympathy from her comrades and the new friends she was making. She didn't need sympathy from the doctors or the new psychiatrist in the building who happened to be Hawkeye Pierce's old buddy from the Korean War a Dr. Sidney Freedman. He and Margaret had been seeing him lately talking about building their marriage up yet again due to some fight or something like that. Mariah didn't get it, their marriage rebuilt after Jackie and her left, what is there to rebuild? It didn't matter, as long as her name didn't come up, she didn't have a problem. Although, sometimes Hawkeye did sometimes speak alone to Dr. Freedman and the doctor would eye Mariah here and there. It didn't matter to her, after all she didn't do anything wrong. She didn't set up the affair. She had a clear mind, she didn't have any problems, not for the world.

No one was to set sympathy for her; she didn't need it that would be the last thing she needed, a person crying over her as if she didn't have her plate full already.

No matter, she continued walking these halls going to patient to patient checking up on them along with the residents.

"Dr. Moon, might I say that was an excellent thorough check up." Dr. Lincoln Forest complimented. He was a medium height African American with a little goatee growing and a smooth personality. He was the head of neurosurgery and all the girls eyes were on him, but he only eyed one woman: Mariah.

He and Mariah had a one night stand a week ago due to the drunkenness of Mariah on tequila. Mariah is a somewhat alcoholic. And it was her first week on the job. She was late, but her emotions for Lincoln were another. They would make out later when no one was looking, but right now; professional standard.

Showing all her white teeth, she smiled a huge smile bushing a bit. "Thank you, Dr. Forrest."

"I suppose you watched from the best." His smiled started to show. "Your mother, I presume has taught you some techniques or two. She was really a great woman around her, so I heard," His smile was still there remembering the stories he had heard of his girl's mother. He hoped she would feel pleased.

The smile off the woman's face dropped and a mutter of "yes," left her lips. She ignored it in her mind, she didn't like mentioning her mother very much.

The man had to leave, telling Mariah he had a surgery to do. That was fine, she had to do some other things too, so it wasn't all bad, they would see each other in the cafeteria soon enough.

She walked to her next area, walking on the opposite side of the hall was Hawkeye. Her dark eyes just kept ahead, her posture as perfect as can be.

"Hi, Mariah." He greeted looking into what seemed like her mother's eyes. She was definitely a beautiful young woman. She had grown into a wonderful young woman. Hawkeye kept forgetting that she wasn't a little girl anymore; she remembered seeing her once in a while here and there, but not anymore. Mariah Isabella Moon was a woman.

Her head went low, and she also mumbled a hello and went on her way. She didn't have time for chit-chat. She didn't have time for a lot of things anymore. Becoming a surgeon is important; no one can afford to miss a mark or mess up.

Hawkeye watched her go hoping to see great things from her one day. At that moment; he swore to himself that Jacqueline Ann Moon was back.