Sean stepped into the anteroom of the operating theatre, where the physicians usually made themselves ready for the operation and reached for a gown that hung over a chair. Nobody should accuse to him that he entered the OR in inadequate clothes. He had not had time to think about a plan since a move was required right away. Sean hoped imploringly that he didn't come too late yet. When he opened the door of the operating theatre his gaze fell onto Sarah immediately who was lying on the operating table unmoving with her upper body exposed. All the attention was focussed immediately on him.

"Hey, you there! What are you doing in my operating room?" The physician said furiously while he put his scalpel to the side.

"What have you done with her?" Sean didn't let himself get intimidated by the aggressive stance of the physician. He pointed to Sarah, who was obviously completely trashed.

"Nurse Claire, call security!" The physician ordered while he scrutinized Sean further with some look that promised of nothing good.

"Wait a minute, let us speak reasonably with one another!" Sean said and lifted both arms up defensively, "I am neither armed nor I'm intending to attack anybody."

"What do you want then?" The physician slowly became impatient.

"Simply to talk to you," Sean said calmly.

"Talk?" The surgeon looked at him confused, "you storm into my operations room, interrupt a procedure and state, you only want to talk?" He shook his head, "for consultation appointments my secretary is in charge", he said coolly.

Sean cleared his throat nervously. The whole situation appeared to him simply just grotesque. He imagined how he would possibly react, if somebody would step in his OR without being asked to do so and then he would claim he wanted to talk only. A difficult situation, "listen Dr..."

"Garcia," the surgeon introduced himself.

"Dr. Garcia, I'm Sean McNamara, plastic surgeon from Miami and I..." He stopped when he heard a quiet moan coming from the operating table. He ignored Dr. Garcia and leaned over Sarah, "Sarah, can you hear me? It's me Sean," he said urgently.

"Sean..." stammered Sarah. Her eyelids began to flutter, but to open her eyes she was obviously missing the strength.

"Do you know the patient?" Dr. Garcia asked amazed.

Sean nodded, "that's the reason I'm here. She's still a minor. She's here without the consent of her parents."

Dr. Garcia cast an irritated look at nurse Claire, "you didn't check that out beforehand?" He asked reproachfully.

"She filled in the form saying she was sixteen and she doesn't need any consent of her parents," the nurse said.

Sean felt himself starting to shake and that wasn't just because of the warm sticky air in the OR. He knew that law permitted Sarah to use her own signature when she reached 16. He was considering feverishly how he could still prevent the operation. "She lied to you!" He said, "she is only 14. She made herself older, because she wanted these operations at all cost," he cleared his throat again. "I do not need to tell you what it means if you operate on the patient against the wishes of her parents." Sean regarded Dr. Garcia with a knowing look.

Dr. Garcia hesitated for a moment. Undecided he looked from the patient to Sean and back, "end the anaesthesia!" He finally said sighing to nurse Claire and turned then back to Sean again, "why do I have the feeling that you do not do this completely unselfishly? What does it matter to you?"

"I am plastic surgeon, as I already mentioned. And we physicians should stick together, right?" He winked at Dr. Garcia.

Nurse Claire removed the respiration tube and patted Sarah carefully on the cheeks, "can you hear me Miss?"

Quiet moaning was the answer.

"She'll be benumbed for a while yet. We had to deepen the anaesthesia with tranquillisers because she was simply too fidgety on the operations table ", stated nurse Claire.

"Otherwise is she all right?" Sean asked anxiously.

Dr. Garcia nodded, "we were just about to start when you strolled in here."

Sean exhaled relieved, "I'll take her to the control room then," he helped Sarah sit up, but she sagged right away together again. Without hesitating he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the exit.

"I'll bring her clothes shortly", called sister Claire after him.

Sean opened the door of the control room and set Sarah down on one of the couches.

"What's with her?" Kimber hurried straight to Sarah's side and leaned anxiously over her.

"She's in a sort of light sleep ", explained Sean. "no reason for concern. They gave her a tranquilliser to keep her still for the procedure with it."

Christian clenched his fists. "I would gladly state my opinion of these so called surgeons and what I think about their methods" He said furiously.

"Let it lie!" Sean put his hand on Christian's arm benevolently, "it went better, than I thought." He blew some air out slowly, "I really thought at the beginning they'll set security on me. But with diplomacy one gets ahead better than with brute force."

Christian went over to Sarah and stared down at her with his arms crossed in front of his chest, "did they tell you what they gave her and how long will it be till she wakes up again?"

Sean shook his head, "you know yourself how long it takes till the patient comes round completely after the anaesthesia," she shrugged, "one of two hours perhaps."

Christian rubbed his forehead sighing, "then we can prepare ourselves for a joyous morning. Let's make sure the beer's cold!" He said ironically.

Sean grinned, "I saw a kiosk around the entrance area. I do not believe however that they sell beer there."

"I'll see if they have Coca Cola," Kimber went to the door, "when Sarah wakes up she'll maybe be thirsty."

"Or she'll immediately be sick on our feet," Christian noted dryly.

Kimber cast him an irritated glance before she left the room.

Sean looked at Christian contemptuously, "do me a favour", he asked him, "don't shout at her and don't criticise her right after she wakes up. She went through enough and will surely need a while to work through what happened to her."

"She should be tied together at the knees and that tied to her back!" It burst out from Christian, "how can she do such crap! Did she think only for one moment about her family?"

"Did you always think of your family when you merged yourself deep in shit?" Sean argued back."

"I do not have a family", answered Christian curtly.

Sean looked at him uncomprehending, "and what's with Kimber, your baby, us..." He paused, "that you can't accept Gail and Sarah as family I even understand. But what's with Julia and me, Annie, Matt...? We are not your family? We always thought, we would be it."

"Shit!" Christian groaned and hid his face behind his hands, "I'm sorry Sean! I am not disposed for deep discussions for the moment," he lifted his head and looked into Sean's eyes, "of course you are my family! Without you I would not be what I am. I owe you so much. And who knows, where I would be today if you had not always saved me in difficult situations."

Sean smiled, "that applies however to you exactly the same as well."

"Then we would be even." Christian smiled broadly.

They both looked up startled when the door opened and Kimber stepped into the room, "you'll probably not believe me, but I got it!"

"What?" The two men asked at the same time.

"Beer!" She held the two bottles up smiling.

Sean looked at Christian helplessly.

"And who's driving now? Do we toss a coin?"

"I'll drive!" Kimber said gallantly and smiled.

"Well then..." Christian grabbed a bottle and lifted it up towards Sean, "to family!"