Chapter 11: Unexpected
A few days turned to weeks and by then everyone in the hospital was calling her Dr. Montgomery. News of her divorce and Derek's new relationship had been the main topic in the gossip mill for a week. People's eyes were glued to her as she strolled the halls. Sometimes she got self conscious about it but most times she just did not care and time moved forward. Soon the whispers died out a little.
Richard had beamed when she had told him she would stay, though her contract had not been finalized yet. Bailey also showed her satisfaction with a nod and her "approval" smirk. Aelwyne, like Richard and Bailey, was happy as one could be. The rest of the interns were somewhat happy, they wanted to be supportive of their friend but they also wanted to learn from her. Meredith, of course, shifted nervously everytime they were together. Derek had taken her decision surprisingly good as if he knew it was going to happen either way.
The divorce had been finalized already. Derek and her had had to go over the assets to decide who got what. The meeting with the lawyers had been the Thursday after her drunken adventure. Thankfully they also did not need to leave the hospital as Richard had offered the small conference room in the lobby.
Addison roamed the halls after her two emergent surgeries today, which had been a success. She had Alex assigned as her intern, which she didn't mind but she could tell it bugged him. Because it bugged him and she did not want to deal with him for a while she had sent him to the pit, so she roamed alone for a while.
As she turned a corner she ran into Cristina, who was carrying a few charts. Charts flew to the ground as they ran into each other. Cristina was ready to yell at her when she noticed it was Addison.
"WHAT-" Cristina began and cut herself off as she looked at Addison.
"You were saying?" Addison looked at her with a raised brow as if daring her to yell.
"Uh nothing. I'm sorry I should've been paying attention. But damn Burke has me running up and down as if I'm his mule or something. Like what the hell. I mean I get it. I'm an intern. And yeah it's probably my fault the baby thing died. I mean I was going to get an abortion. He probably knows. That's why he's punishing me. As if I don't punish myself enough. I am a failure. Haha I couldn't even get pregnant right or get an abortion right. I almost died. I'm just awesome." Cristina rambled on as her eyes watered up.
"Stop it." Addison said as she placed her hand on Cristina's shoulder and squeezed in reassurance.
"I'm sorry. I kinda forgot. Don't worry about me. Everything is fine." Cristina said almost allowing her tears to flow and collecting the charts.
"Stop that. It is fine." Addison started but Cristina crouched down and started moving quicker to get the charts.
"It's fine. Cristina. Hey. Cristina, look at me." Addison said crouching down herself and taking the charts away from her.
"I need to-" Cristina started reaching.
"No!" Addison said.
A nurse was walking past them and Addison stopped her and gave her the charts. She asked the nurse to take them back to the station and that should anyone ask for Dr. Yang tell them she had requested her.
"Come on. Let's go to my office." Addison said turning to Cristina.
"I have to go finish those charts." Cristina tried refusing.
"I'm an attending. When I tell you to do something you don't question." Addison said with her commanding attending's voice, the one she used flawlessly in the O.R..
With that Addison turned and began to walk away she turned slightly to make sure that Cristina was walking with her. Cristina quietly followed, her gaze on the ground. When they arrived at Addison's office she invited the intern to take a seat as she shut the door and blinds.
"None of you know me very well yet, even after all this time. I might even say you hate me. Right now that doesn't matter. Right now you need to let out what you're keeping in. All of it. Just stay here. Let go and I'll be right outside." She said to Cristina as she walked over to the tissues.
"You're not going to say anything? You don't have like... an opinion? You deliver babies. I just told you I was going to abort it." Cristina said, not looking at her.
"I do deliver babies. I perform surgeries to keep them alive. And I also terminate pregnancies. Pregnancies like mine." Addison said as her own eyes threatened to let out tears.
Cristina looked at her then. Addison had no idea why she had told her. Not sure why she trusted her with that information. But somehow she knew that information would not be part of the gossip mill.
"Could you stay? I'm trying to be ok. I don't want my friends to see. Aelwyne and Meredith can tell something is wrong but I don't want them to see. But I also don't want to be alone. So could you?" Cristina begged and then she let go of her tears before Addison could reply.
Addison went to the door and clicked the lock. then she went back and sat with Cristina as she cried and let out all the pain that seemed to plague her.
"It's OK. I'm right here. It's OK. Just let go." Addison soothed as she rubbed the young intern's back.
She had a wish she had had that when she decided to abort. She had been so alone. So she knew, she knew how this girl felt. She understood the weight of that decision. She herself had made it. But she had not made it lightly. It was not the time. And she knew for Cristina it wasn't the time either.
Cristina sobbed for a while. Then slowly her sobs subsided until all that was left were sniffles here and there. Addison sat there close to her, thankful neither of their pagers had gone off.
"Thank you." Cristina said softly.
"You know it wasn't your fault right?" Addison said with a bit of concern.
"I guess I know in my head. Ael and Mer have been drilling that over and over. But I can't help the feeling that it was." Cristina responded.
"It'll take you a bit to get over that. And to get over having made the decision to terminate. But you're strong. You'll get there." Addison said as reassuring as possible.
"I don't hate you. We told you that already. I think what you're doing is admirable. I think you're strong too." Cristina said with a weak smile.
"Thank you." Addison replied mirroring the smile.
"Did it help? Even a little?" Addison asked after a long pause.
"I think it did. I feel a little lighter." Cristina said.
"Good." Addison said happily.
"There's a washroom through there if you want to wash your face. I don't want to rush you but if you don't want to have to explain we should get going." Addison said after another long pause.
"Right." Cristina said getting up.
Addison sat there and waited for the intern to finish up. When Cristina came out her demeanor did seem lighter, which made her happy. She liked the fact that she had helped even if a little. Helping was the reason she had become a surgeon, so yes, she felt happy.
"I can see why Aelwyne likes you so much." Cristina blurted out as she came out of the washroom.
"Excuse me?" Addison said as she had been lost in thought.
"Aelwyne." Cristina began but thought better of it. "Oh nothing. Should we go now?"
"Umm yeah let-" but as she began to speak both of their pagers went off.
-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-
"911. MVC. We really gotta go now." Cristina said running for the door and Addison followed.
"Multiple victims coming in, people! Let's get ready! Interns to your attendings. If you're not assigned to an attending then go where needed."
Richard bellowed as they all assembled with their trauma gowns at the ambulance bay. Meredith to Derek, Cristina to Burke, Izzie to Bailey, George to Richard, and Alex to Addison, which left Aelwyne to roam between teams.
They heard the sirens nearing and Addison could see how all the interns' eyes lit up at the prospect of incoming surgeries. All interns aside from Aelwyne, she looked alert and ready as the others but a certain sadness shone slightly through her eyes. Addison felt the need to hold her but she did not she just went closer to the intern and gave her a small nudge.
"You'll be good Neirhem." Addison tried to cheer her up, to wash the sadness away.
"Right." Aelwyne replied softly with a weak smile.
"Here they come! Pay attention." Richard shouted over the sirens.
The paramedics shouted the injuries and vitals of each patient. One had a flail chest and had also gone through the windshield of their car. For that one Richard assigned Burke. Another had been pinned with the steering wheel and there was bruising on his abdomen. He had also hit the window with such force that the front left side of his head seemed to be dented. That one was Bailey's and Derek's along with their respective interns. Next patient had their leg entirely crushed and mangled. That one was Richard's. Last patient coming in was a young woman the same age as the rest of the interns with abdominal pain and shards of glass embedded to her forearm and head. She was Addison's.
"It was upside down. I was upside down. It hurts. It hurts!" Addison's patient screamed as she was wheeled in.
"Ma'am we're here to help you ok. We just want to help." Addison said as she and Alex began their work up.
Aside from the glass shards she could see a large hematoma beginning to form in the right lower quadrant.
"BP is 144/91. 64 Bpm." Alex called as he took the vitals.
"Let's clear her c-spine and then run the labs." She said to him. "Get me the ultrasound now!" She shouted at no one in particular.
"Dr. Montgomery right behind you." Aelwyne's familiar voice came from behind her.
"Thank you." She replied as Aelwyne wheeled the machine next to her.
Just as quickly as Aelwyne had appeared she disappeared. 'Woah she's quick under pressure' Addison admired for a moment. Then she had the probe on the patient's abdomen and an image came up.
"Dammit there's too much free fluid. We'll need to go in and take a better look. For now do the labs and get her 10 fentanyl. Page me as soon as the labs are in Karev. Meanwhile get plastics to come in and take out the glass." Addison directed.
"Yes Doctor." Alex replied pushing the gurney along with some nurses.
Addison had about 2 seconds to collect her thoughts because soon after Aelwyne had come back.
"Dr. Montgomery we need you. Now. The patient who went through the windshield is pregnant." Aelwyne said grabbing a hold of the ultrasound machine.
"She's choking Dr. Burke!" Cristina exclaimed as the patient began gasping and moving erratically.
"Get a chest tube in now! I'll intubate." He commanded as Addison and Aelwyne walked in.
"She said she was pregnant and passed out, Montgomery. We need you to take a look." Burke explained.
Addison noticed the baby bump and as she palpated she noticed the patient was having contractions. Aelwyne had prepped the site already and handed her the probe. Meanwhile Cristina had successfully gotten the chest tube in Burke had moved next to her as Addison and Aelwyne worked on the other side.
"She is pregnant and having contractions seems to be about 27 weeks along. Fetus also shows tachycardia." Addison informed.
"Doctor she's bleeding." Aelwyne called as blood pooled underneath the patient.
"Not good. Burke, we need to go to the O.R. now. Her uterus may have ruptured. She's bleeding out. Also the fetus is in distress. We'll need to deliver it if there's any chance to save her as well." Addison said with urgency.
Richard walked in. "Aelwyne scrub in with Addison." He commanded and after a nod they began transport to the O.R. Burke would go in to monitor since it was too soon for corrective surgery.
The surgery was specially complicated. Addison managed to deliver the baby and get it to breathe. The baby was sent away to the NICU while she continued with the mom. Her insides were a mess. Addison would fix one bleeder and another would appear. By now Burke had moved to help her with the repairs.
"More suction! I need a clearer field of vision." Addison commanded and Aelwyne moved swiftly.
"Hang more blood!" She continued as she repaired.
Both Burke's and Cristina's pagers went off. Another patient had arrived so they had to go.
"Page me if anything changes with her lungs. Also Montgomery we don't have much time. She's been under too long she needs to recuperate." Burke said as he and Cristina walked out.
"Does he think I don't know that?" She fumed as she continued to work. "Dammit!" Yet another bleeder showed up.
"Doctor Montgomery. I know not my place but wouldn't it be better to just take it out? Her uterus I mean." Aelwyne said, still suctioning.
"It may be what we'll have to do. But even for an emergency hysterectomy it'd be good to get consent." Addison explained. "Does anyone know if her family is here?"
"I'll go find out." Aelwyne said moving to give the suction to a nurse.
"No I need you here. There's no other surgeon but me." Addison told her.
She made eye contact with a nurse who nodded and was off. A few minutes later the nurse came back telling her the patient's husband was outside.
"Ok. Sarah come here and take over suction." She motioned for a nurse to take over.
"Aelwyne,give me your hands." She asked and Aelwyne did. "Hold here. Apply pressure to the uterus."
After that she ran out taking off the gown, mask, and gloves. It took her almost no time to explain what was happening. The patient's husband was horrified as she did but after some reasoning he agreed to the hysterectomy.
"Alright begin prepping for the hysterectomy!" Addison said as she stepped back in.
"God job there Aelwyne." She said as she moved behind the intern. Aelwyne looked up at her with smiley eyes.
Once the uterus was out the bleeding stopped and the patient's vitals started to normalize. They closed quickly and sent her up to recovery. It had been a long surgery but at least it had turned out ok.
Addison sat down quietly on a bed that was out in the hallway, lost in thought.
"Ooo, thinking face." Aelwyne said playfully as she too sat next to her.
"More like 'wanting' face. I wanna lay down." She responded with a whine. Aelwyne and her had become close after the whole drunken ordeal.
"You can. Go for it, I will keep watch. Though you have a pager so it'll wake you up if you are needed." Aelwyne said as she gently tapped the bed.
"Can't I'm waiting for Karev to tell me about the labs." She responded.
"I think Alex got pulled for a surgery with Burke and Cristina." Aelwyne informed her.
"But the labs. I've been sitting here for nothing." She said, beginning to get up.
"No stay. I'll get them and bring them to you." Aelwyne said hoping off and walking away.
Addison leaned back against the wall following the intern with her eyes until she was out of sight.
"Hey Addie." She did not turn to look because she knew who it was already.
"Hey Derek. Need something?" She said, finally turning to look at him.
"Heard you had a tough surgery. So I came to check up on you." He said sheepishly.
"Yeah well it turned out ok so it's all good." She noticed the light bruising on his neck.
"Hey Derek. You may want to tell her to be careful where she marks you." Addison said tapping the place on her neck where the slight bruise was on his.
"I'm sorry Addison." He said quickly and brought his hand to cover the mark.
"I don't want to be rude but can you leave." She said looking away from him.
"Right." He said then added. "I'm sorry." And with that he walked away.
"I have the results. They don't look very good Addison." Aelwyne came back a few minutes after Derek had left.
"Let me see." She said pushing away the little sadness that had creeped in.
She was jealous. Not of Meredith having Derek. Or of Derek moving on with Meredith. But of them having someone. She wanted someone. She did not like being alone. But now she pushed all that away and focused on the test results.
"Aelwyne page Bailey or Richard we need a general surgeon. I'm pretty sure she's bleeding into her abdomen and the liver is also compromised. Book an O.R. too." Addison said hoping off the bed quickly and going to prep the patient.
"Right away." Aelwyne called.
They were in the O.R. A few minutes after. Addison, Miranda, Izzie, and Aelwyne. After doing the exploratory laparotomy they found the liver had been compromised and somehow the force of the impact had ruptured the right ovary. After a couple of hours the surgery was done. Addison had removed the ovary and helped Bailey repair the liver.
"Good job you two idiots." Bailey said turning to both Izzie and Aelwyne who looked ready to drop any second. "You have two hours to nap. But y'all better be ready for rounds after." She called.
"Yes Dr. Bailey." Both Izzie and Aelwyne said.
"I think I'm going to rest as well. I'll see you all in rounds. Oh and Bailey can I keep Aelwyne today. She assisted with both of my patients." Addison asked knowing all too well she could not take her without permission. Permission especially from Bailey.
"That's fine I guess I'll switch over Karev." Bailey said waving the approval.
Izzie had already disappeared and Aelwyne remained.
"Hey Addison." Aelwyne called.
"Hmm?" Addison said turning to her.
"Come on, let's find you a good on-call room for you. You deserve it. I'll go take a nap in the beds out in the hallway." Aelwyne said, taking her hand.
"My office is on this floor. I think I'm going to go there. I have a futon." She responded.
"Oh ok then." Aelwyne went to let go of her hand but Addison held her tighter.
"Come on it's big enough for the both of us." She said, pulling the intern.
They walked a few steps before a young man called for Aelwyne. They both turned slightly annoyed. Then, Aelwyne tensed and some semblance of recognition crossed her eyes.
"Ethan…" Aelwyne breathed out.
"Ael?" Addison tried but the man was on them, quickly pulling Aelwyne into a hug and away from her reach.
"Aely. I can't believe you're here. My brother-in-law got into an accident. So I'm here. Who's your friend there?" He asked looking at Addison, who did not like at all that stupid nickname he had used.
"Ethan." Aelwyne said in a clearer tone than before. "This is my attending. Dr. Montgomery."
"Nice to meet you. Ethan Bridges." He said as he shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you. How do you know each other?" Addison couldn't help her curiosity.
"He's… well he was…" Aelwyne tried.
"I'm her ex-fiancé. But I'm hoping she'll let me be it again. Now that I found her." He said smiling at Aelwyne who had gone white as a sheet of paper.
'What in the hell? A fiancé?' Addison's mind ran wild.
"I'll let you two catch up." She said with a bit more bite than she intended.
Aelwyne turned to her with pleading eyes but she was so angry she did not understand what was happening. Before she knew it she was storming away.
She slammed the door of her office and sunk into the couch.
'A fiancé! Dammit! First Derek and his hickey and now Aelwyne. Why am I so angry? Why does it hurt to think about it? Dammit Aelwyne. Why didn't you tell me? Why?!'
"WHY?! DAMMIT!" Addison had stood up and paced around her office.
Someone was standing outside her office. Knocking softly on the door. She could hear sniffling through it so she went over to unlock it.
As she opened the door the tear streaked face of her intern appeared. The tears did not surprise Addison as much as the pink finger marks that now adorned her neck and the split lip accompanied by another pink mark on her cheek.
"Pl- please." Was all Aelwyne said.
Hi guys. And then there were 11. Aside from the ending of course writing the medical stuff was fun. I'm a premed student so yeah lol. Anyway don't quote what I say because I could be completely wrong ok. Hope you enjoyed this one. Now that we start getting into Aelwyne's life really let me know what you think in the reviews. Y'all have a good one. ;)