THE SEVEN MINUTE RULE
FADE IN
MEREDITH (V.O.)
I love being on vacation…and I think you'd have a hard time finding anyone who disagrees. Taking off to someplace far away is such a great way to unwind…to get away from the stress of your day to day obligations and relax…putting everything completely out of your mind. You can sleep half the day away…soak up the sun…be lazy…and eat rich, exotic foods. But there is a point…about three days in…when I can't wait to get back home. Then comes day four…and it's all I can think about. Regardless of where I am or who I'm with…it never fails. There's something to be said about sleeping in your own bed…about knowing where everything is and more importantly…where it's been. There are things in this world that you can count on…and for me…that feeling is one of them. It's as predictable as the seven minute rule…a phenomenon that can more appropriately be used to describe Cristina and Jackson disappearing several times throughout the day and reappearing…like clockwork seven minutes later…flushed and out of breath.
Meredith is relaxing in the cabana and Izzie is sitting on her towel in the sand reading Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. Cristina and Jackson have been gone for about four and a half minutes.
"What are you reading Iz?"
"Shutter Island…it's about this guy who's hired to solve the mystery of this missing woman at a mental institution. Seriously one of the best books ever…I've read it like four times."
"I never understood reading the same book over and over again. Plus…why aren't you reading a romance or a love story?"
Izzie shrugs her shoulders and Cristina reappears. Meredith checks her watch and laughs.
"Hey" Cristina says out of breath and rearranging her bikini to make sure everything is covered. "What's everyone doing?"
She laughs as Jackson grabs her around the waist from behind and carries her down to the beach…tossing her in the water.
"Cristina's having fun."
"Cristina's having sex…and lots of it." Izzie says.
"Which begs the question…why aren't you having sex…and lots of it? You're on vacation and there are a ton of cute local guys checking you out. I mean…it's the best kind of one night stand...and you'll never have to worry about running into them in the grocery store a year from now."
"I don't know Mer…I love going on vacation but I'm only good for about three days and then all I want to do is just go home…you know?"
"Yes…yes I do." Meredith says as she looks back toward the beach at Cristina and Jackson who are now chest deep in the water making out.
INT – SGH ICU – MORNING
Derek is standing at the foot of the bed holding the patients feet gently in his hands. "Come on…you can make it through this…you are tough…and a fighter."
Alex walks in. "How is she doing today?"
"Well…she made it through the night so…there's some hope…although she's still not out of the woods."
Alex walks over to the bed and examines her stitches while Derek stands watch.
"She can't die."
Alex pulls her blankets back up around her shoulders. "I know."
INT – SGH CHIEF'S OFFICE – MID-MORNING
Richard is sitting behind his desk and Catherine walks in. "Hey handsome…how about lunch today? I know this cute, little out of the way restaurant that has the most delectable vegetarian dishes decorated with edible flowers and..." She continues naming foods that Richard has never heard of...and most of them are in French.
Richard looks up at her over his glasses. Before him stands this beautiful, fancy woman who in some ways reminds him of Adele. "Edible flowers? There are edible flowers? I didn't know you could eat flowers."
"There is an entire world out there I'd like to introduce you to but you seem…what's the word…reluctant."
"I'm not reluctant…I'm just busy. With Owen gone and some of our staff members on vacation…I need to be here in case something happens."
"Oh…what's going to happen? The world will not come to an end if you don't come to work one day or walk in a couple of hours late. Imagine flying to Paris for the weekend or eating in the best restaurants as we travel across Italy. All of that's possible…you just have to say yes."
Richard watches while she talks and it continues to remind him of conversations he's had with Adele…not necessarily flying to Paris for the weekend but doing anything but being at the hospital. He wonders if its time to leave Seattle Grace…to take some time to enjoy the life he's created and deserves. After all…he's not getting any younger.
"You're right" he says. "Were any of those dishes you mentioned French for meat and potatoes?"
She laughs as they walk out the door. "Oh Richard."
INT – SGH OR – EARLY AFTERNOON
George and Bailey are scrubbing in for surgery. The room is silent and George keeps stealing glances at Bailey…looking for an opportunity to break the ice.
"So…"
"Don't" she says.
"But…"
"I mean it."
George is adamant. "You know what? No! No to you and all of your bossiness. You need to listen to me because I have something important to say and you're going to do it without interrupting me or…threatening my life."
Bailey has turned to face him and from her expression is a mixture of irritated and shocked. George waits to see if there are any immediate repercussions.
"Well?" she says.
"Ok…I heard this from a reliable source that the Chief allowed Cristina, Mer, and Izzie to go on vacation so he would have an excuse not to spend time alone with Catherine."
"Pfftth!" Bailey scoffs at him turning back toward the faucet.
"Pfftth? That's huge. That means he doesn't feel…you know…that way about her."
"The reason I said pfftth…is because if he wasn't interested in spending time with her then why did I see them leaving for lunch an hour ago…and they're still not back. So…I don't know who your source was but they are unreliable…and you better not be talking to anyone about what you heard in that back hallway or you'll find out just how threatening I can be."
"Number one…you don't scare me" George says timidly…again waiting for repercussions. "And number two…I actually over-heard it…from the Chief."
He turns to walk away but faces her just before entering the door to the OR and opens it by leaning on it with his back.
"Well ok then. That would be a reliable source but it doesn't mean what you think it does."
George smiles and walks into the OR.
EXT – SGH PARKING LOT – AFTERNOON
Meredith pulls up in the parking lot having grabbed an earlier flight home from the Bahamas along with Izzie…leaving Cristina alone with Jackson. As it turns out he had the suite right next to theirs.
Meredith is anxious to see Derek and wanted to surprise him. Izzie said she's anxious just to get back to work.
INT – SGH ICU – AFTERNOON
Derek is holding vigil in the patient's room when the sound coming from heart monitor changes. He had actually dosed off a bit but when he heard that sound he jumped up immediately. "Code blue…code blue."
Within seconds the room was full of people pulling, prodding, and injecting. Derek's hands were shaking as he held onto the paddles. Alex offered to do it for him.
"NO!" Derek yells catching everyone off guard and bringing the activity in the room to an abrupt halt. Derek is standing over the patient with the paddles. "Move!" he yells.
The room scurries back into action and Derek shocks her heart…and then again…and again. He pushes the nurse out of the way and begins chest compressions watching the monitor for heart activity but she doesn't respond. Alex walks up next to Derek. "Dr. Shepherd…she's gone."
"NO!" he yells back as the staff once again stops and one by one begin to leave the room.
"Where…where are you going? Help me…help me save her. She can't die." He says in between compressions.
"Dr. Shepherd…Derek…let her go."
Exhausted…Derek discontinues the compressions and the last nurse to leave the room turns off the monitor. The silence in the room is broken when Derek starts sobbing into his hands. Alex calls it. "Time of death…4:22pm."
INT – SGH LOCKER ROOM – AFTERNOON
Meredith and Izzie have both changed into their scrubs and Meredith leaves the room to look for Derek stopping at the nurse's station where she is directed to the ICU.
Alex walks into the locker room and finds Izzie.
"You're back. Good…I can go home now."
"You're leaving…in the middle of a shift? You can't leave in the middle of a shift." she says.
"You are kidding right?" he says as he tosses his stethoscope into his locker. "I've been working almost two days straight to cover for you so you could slack off in the Bahamas. I'm exhausted…and I'm…"
Izzie walks up to him and kisses him. Alex stops fighting her long enough to kiss her back. When she finally pulls away…she turns to walk out of the room and up to the nurse's station to review the admission charts.
"I have a patient I'd like you to look at."
"I thought you were going home" she says without looking up.
INT – SGH ICU – AFTERNOON
Meredith walks quietly down the hall of the ICU so she can surprise Derek and nearly runs into a gurney as a deceased patient is being pulled out of a room. "Oh…I'm sorry. Have you seen Dr. Shepherd?" The nurse gestures behind him. Meredith is confused as it's the same room the patient was just wheeled out of. She looks inside to find Derek sitting in a chair in the corner with his face in his hands still sobbing. She turns around and looks at the patient. "Just a second."
She picks the chart up off the gurney and looks at the name. "No" she says quietly. She walks back into the room and up to Derek…bending down in front of him. When he sees her they grab a hold of each other. "Derek…where's Josh."
"ICU."
And the question Meredith doesn't want to know the answer to. "And his Dad."
Derek shakes his head.
MEREDITH (V.O.)
You see…the seven minute rule can also be used to describe the amount of time it seems that Derek and I spend being happy…and before everything ends once again.