Here we go, part 2
...
Owen and Derek exchanged a quick look and they both stood, fixing their appearance. Shepherd felt his friend's hand brush his shoulder on his way to the conference room. He didn't stop, his eyes trained on his lawyer. He knew her well enough to know she was nervous, tensed. They had spent a lot of time together preparing Clark's lawsuit, the trial, this mess. He got to know Lauren's cold manners and blood, her professionalism and crises control methods. He felt she wanted to say something but she couldn't, the door was open and he spotted people inside.
There was no time for last minutes messages and he walked in, his eyes immediately meeting Mr. Long, a man he didn't know, Amelia Fane and what he assumed could be Greg Roberts.
Greg… there was no trace of the traitor Greg Brad at least.
"Good morning" he greeted the people in the room, moving to a chair on the left of the table.
Mr. Long and the other person were sitting on the right so he assumed that was their part.
He stretched his hand over the table, giving Amelia Fane a small smile she reciprocated.
"Short time no see, dr. Shepherd" she mocked, shaking his hand. "This is doctor Greg Roberts, I guess you know him" she offered, introducing the two men. Derek felt his scrutinizing gaze on him. It was like the older doctor was weighting him, assessing him. He gave him a small smile and stretched his hand.
"It's an honour to meet you" he said, nervous when the auditor made no move to shake his offered hand "I wished it wasn't under these circumstances though" he said, never breaking eye contact.
After what seemed like hours and when Derek was ready to retrieve his hand, dr. Roberts gave him an indulgent smile and finally grabbed his hand.
"This is my job unfortunately, dr. Shepherd. Surgeons need to be in trouble to know me" he joked, getting serious when mr. Long stood and cleared his throat. Derek turned to him and his colleague and stretched his hand again. The insurance agent looked down to his fingers and then locked eyes with him.
"We are ready to start if you are" he said, shifting his gaze to the auditors and ignoring Derek's act of courtesy.
"I guess we all are" Owen cut in, joining Derek and eyeing the counterpart strictly. "No need to be disrespectful" he said curtly.
"We are not here to become friends" Long spat back.
"That's quite sure" Owen muttered, sitting with all the others.
"Gentlemen…" Lauren cut in, feeling testosterone run high in the room. She met eyes with Amanda Fane and let her room to speak.
"Thanks Lauren…" the FDA auditor smiled adjusting her papers "we are here for the appeal Seattle Grace moved against ZEO's file" she said putting glasses on her nose "I briefed dr. Roberts on the case so I will do a short recap to check if everything is covered correctly" she ended, waiting for eventual disagreements. Everybody stayed silent and she continued. "Harris Dowson is 16 years old and was diagnosed with a very rare and complicated spinal cord tumour six months ago. His problems were first listed as growth problems but his mother insisted until dr. Johnson discovered the grand mal but refused to operate. She got the same answer from other seven surgeons and hospitals, including Mayo, Sinai, Mass Gen and Cedars" she quickly raised her eyes and met Derek's gaze, steadily on her. Even Roberts was pointedly staring at Derek, trying to read eventual reactions "she finally contacted dr. Shepherd and he gave his availability to give a consult. After running tests and exams, dr. Shepherd proposed a plan of intervention but Dowson's insurance appealed, raising many doubts on his focus and expertise. Mr. Long, ZEO's deputy here, contacted the FDA and the hospital asking for an immediate intervention and drastic measures" she finished, taking off her glasses and sharing a quick look with her boss.
"Is this all correct?" the man asked, his voice demanding and firm.
"It is" both Lauren and Long said at the same time.
"Ok… let's just go through this then" he grabbed the papers from Amelia and read some note. When he lifted his eyes they were blank and scrutinizing "Mr. Long…" he started "how long has your company been assisting the family?"
"Almost fifteen years, sir" he answered "Harris' father worked for one of our oldest partners and got his family under our protection when Harris was just born" he finished, waiting for other questions. Derek realized in that moment that his counterpart was very used to this situation. He was prepared, efficient and did not lose time in useless words. Very different from the attitude he had shown in their private meetings and previous encounters.
"So you were already following them when he died?" Roberts asked, not lifting his eyes from the dossier he was flipping through.
"That's correct, sir. Jason passed following an accident four years ago"
"Work accident?" he inquired.
"Yes… he fell at the site he was working as construction manager, after removing the scaffolding" he explained "he died on impact"
"His own responsibility?" Roberts asked, making Derek shiver. Lawyers and auditors had a total detachment from emotions and feelings.
"Unfortunately yes" Long answered flatly.
"I see Harris' problems started almost a year ago" Roberts said, taking off his glasses and setting them on the papers. "Give us a background of the situation, please"
"Sure…" the man smiled in a way Derek found sneaky to say it mild "Harris was a vibrant boy turning into a young man at the time" Owen squeezed Derek's thigh hearing Shepherd's deep intake of air. He had understood the past tense had irritated him "He was growing up very fast, he gained more than one foot of height along summer so when he started complaining about back ache the doctors thought of growth issues… ligament tenderness, muscle tension, the stuff of teenagers" he added, opening his folder "unfortunately Michelle's attitude did not help to keep the doctors' focus on her kid" he breathed out, straightening up.
"What do you mean?" Amelia Fane enquired, giving him a strict look.
"She brought her son to the ER several times, most times Harris was not agreeing with her. Soon in their hometown she became the over apprehensive mother showing up every other day"
"It was clear she was not so over apprehensive after all" Lauren intervened, drawing attention on her person for a moment.
"We are all good in retrospect, mrs. Smile" Long snapped at her "I was trying to give a draw of the situation"
"Of course" she answered politely, making clear the insurance agent didn't like to be contradicted.
"Go on" Roberts said curtly, eyeing them both strictly.
"Harris was admitted in the ER twenty four times in less than three months" Long cleared, his finger pointing to the dossier he was reading. "Each time he was subjected to blood tests, scans, sometimes MRI" he paused, letting time to the present to assess how all these tests had affected the insurance finances and how they had never backed down. "Nothing showed up" he stopped sensing Derek shifting in his chair "so mrs. Dowson brought him to another hospital, and another, and another again, each time getting the same answer" he took a deep breath, letting his words linger in the air. "It was just at Sloan Kettering that something came up and the diagnoses was made"
Roberts lifted a hand and stopped him.
"Are we all on the same page until here?" he asked peering at Lauren and Derek.
Mrs. Smile looked at Derek and he took a deep breath.
"I don't agree that during these twenty four visits to the ER nothing came out" Derek said, locking eyes with the fellow doctor.
"I'm sorry?" Long snorted, an incredulous look on his face. Derek ignored him and picked a disk from his dossier.
"On the second MRI, dated April 16th, the tech reported a blurry spot at the base of his spine. That should have rung a bell but the doctor turned it down as a sloppy result" Shepherd said professionally.
"How did it now show before and after then?" Roberts asked, tapping his pen on the table.
"Harris' tumour is for 92% of the cases nested in the spine" he explained "my guess is that when he kept complaining for excruciating pain in his back and legs the tumour was pressing on his coccyx and the tech got a sight of that moment" he finished, his fingers playing in his lap.
"So are we suing Boston's doctors for incompetence now?" Long asked in disbelief, opening his arms.
"I'm just saying that the MRI showed something and his labs showed highly decreased white blood cells. If the doctors hadn't labelled Michelle as an over apprehensive mother, they should have diagnosed Harris two months before" he stated, keeping his voice steady.
"Would that have changed something?" Amelia Fane asked him.
"I don't know" Derek answered sincerely "we don't know much about this tumour as we usually discover it when it's already at stage 3 or forward. They could have tried chemo or other treatments but there is no evidence this would have changed something" he finished honestly. Mrs. Smile gave him a quick look and Derek got he had scored a point. He could read it also on the auditor's faces and Long had to read it too.
"I don't see the point in underlining this mistake if it was pointless" the insurance deputy pressed.
"I think that the point is Dr. Shepherd is a very careful doctor and he would have noticed signs his colleagues missed, just as he may have found a surgical plan his colleagues ignore" mrs. Smile offered, sending Long a strict glare.
"So Seattle Grace would have diagnosed Harris better… this is where we are going here?" Long chuckled, eyeing the present with disbelief.
"That diagnose was very difficult to make" Derek said curtly, locking eyes with him "but the doctor who dismissed this was not the head of the department. He was just a resident in the middle of a night shift dealing with a worried mother. He should have called his attending" Derek finished, his eyes flashing.
"Yep… there I agree…" Long said and Derek sensed a sharp blow coming his way before the man uttered his next sentence "there are reasons we have attendings and residents in hospitals. Looks like a lesson you fully got very recently dr. Shepherd" he ended, diverting his eyes. Derek licked his lower lip and shut up, eyeing Hunt shaking his head in the corner of his eye. He focused back on the auditors, trying to read their faces.
"Go on" Roberts said, sighing, not giving a hint of his current thoughts.
"Dr. Johnson at Sloan Kettering diagnosed the tumour and offered mrs. Dowson palliative care for her son, making clear from the very beginning surgery was not an option" Long lowered his eyes on the folder while Derek's and Roberts' eyes locked "Michelle did not accept the answer and sent her son's file to six of the 10 top neurosurgeons in the country. They all gave the same answer. Everybody" he paused, letting silence sink in. "Every surgeon said the same thing. Everyone" he repeated "until dr. Shepherd here" he said, closing his folder like that was the last thing he wanted to say.
"Is dr. Shepherd in your list of the 10 best neurosurgeons in the country?" mrs. Smile asked pointedly, asking the question that was begging to be asked.
"I would have answered a big yes until a year ago" he retorted immediately. "If mrs. Dowson had called my office then to tell me dr. Shepherd was available to operate, I wouldn't have argued at all" he said firmly and Derek had to fight the urge to roll his eyes or react in any way. It hurt to hear those things, it really hurt. It was a blow and it was not even dirty. He knew many had the same feeling and it was only his fault. He kept his temper in check and his eyes in the same place they had been all over the last minutes.
"But things have changed radically. Harris is dying and Michelle Dowson is desperate to find an option. I don't want them to be taken advantage from a doctor who has lost his ethics"
"That's a pretty heavy accusation from you, mr. Long" mrs. Smile said seriously.
"This is a pretty big problem from how I see it" he retorted.
"We are bordering slander here" Lauren reinforced her message.
"I am just stating the facts…besides both the FDA and Seattle Grace have drastically downgraded dr. Shepherd and his role. I don't see why we shouldn't be worried" he ended, locking eyes with Roberts and Amelia Fane. Derek was doing the same, trying to understand where this was going. Up to now the insurance had played their cards very well. They had attacked, but not head down. They had thrown in doubts and innuendos but as Long has said they had just stating facts.
"You have strengthened your hand in the report, mr. Long" Roberts eyed him sternly. "More than that I don't appreciate the leaks I read on the press in the last two days"
"I'm sorry about that" he said flatly "but as you know claims are public"
"And you advised someone to go looking" Derek said silently.
"Which are your concerns?" Greg asked, taking all the present by surprise.
"Excuse me?" Long asked surprised.
"Which are your concerns?" the auditor repeated. The deputy took a deep breath and opened his folder again. Derek felt his stomach churn in anticipation.
"Our concerns are very extensive" he said, sending a furtive glance to Derek "dr. Shepherd was involved in many situations that might have affected his focus, balance and objectivity" he annotated.
"We are here to discuss that and I think dr. Shepherd is ready to answer all your doubts, the same way you will be eager to listen to the medical basis of his theory" Roberts said firmly, making very clear he was taking into consideration both parts.
"With all due respect, dr. Roberts" mrs. Smile started, feeling nervous when his strict look fell on her "we should start by the medical premises of dr. Shepherd's surgical plan"
"Why so?" he asked, almost bored. Derek started to understand what Peter had meant about living power highs. For the first time he felt the lawyer stammering on her words.
"This issue is about medicine and I feel ZEO is going to break dr. Shepherd's privacy digging up very personal stuff" she said, but Derek had to admit her argument had sounded very weak.
"This is a disciplinary committee, lawyer" Roberts reproached her "we are here as FDA deputies as well as the national surgeon association" he pointed out leaning on the desk "we deal with medical malpractices as well as conducts that can dishonour the profession. If you and the hospital do not recognize this authority and want to hide behind privacy bullshit, I'm not sure you should be here" he ended, pressing his lips into a firm line. Derek's insides gave an unpleasant jolt, he could almost feel Long's excitement. "Are we clear?" the auditor asked the lawyer, but Derek got the question was for him too.
"Crystal" Lauren said defeated.
"Go ahead" Greg addressed the insurance, his eyes trained on the neurosurgeon.
"As I was saying there are multiple concerns and one of those is the escalation… the number of episodes that involved dr. Shepherd in such a short time. His career has been skyrocketing for years, brilliant and almost spotless, then his name kept popping up in unsavory circumstances that I feel sorry to bring up, but I wouldn't do my clients a service if I just ignored them"
Owen eyed Derek carefully, surprised of how calm and in control he looked.
He would have punched this ass already.
"Dr. Shepherd was involved in a blurry change of leadership at this hospital to begin with" Long started and Derek took a deep breath. He hadn't expected this. "One day dr. Webber was the chief and the following he wasn't anymore. Dr. Shepherd took the lead and it was common feeling he was not ready to manage the position" he paused, bringing all the attention on the neurosurgeon "this was the first hint that maybe his ego was misleading him. His questionable leading qualities got him many troubles, many reported lack of attention to his employees suggestions and needs, negligence towards patients, lack of bedside manners and lack of ability to inform the families about important and vital facts on their loved ones" he paused again and Derek felt another blow coming to him "A man…" Long's eyes lowered to the papers, as he was unable to hint loudly to Gary Clark. Derek had to give it to him, the guy had a high sense of drama.
"Dr. Shepherd was a victim, not an offender" Laurent came in help, her tone outraged, sensing where the man was heading.
"A victim who saved his almost murderer many years of jail" Long snapped, Derek felt his eyes on him. He was feeling everybody's eyes on him and he could not master to stop peering at his lap. "That does speak volumes on what happened"
"It just speaks about dr. Shepherd's generosity and sensibility" Lauren argued.
"Is this supposed to prove anything?" Owen asked in disbelief, opening his arms. "I don't understand the point of this discussion" he said straightening on his chair.
"Hunt…" Derek interjected, shaking his head.
"No…" the current Chief insisted "are we really interpreting forgiveness as an act of admission of guilt?" he chuckled humourless.
"How should we see it knowing what was first?" Long asked rhetorically, pressing the subject. "And if that was not enough victims of violence develop huge psychological disorders: paranoia, panic attacks, black outs. There are studies that proof how doctors who have suffered traumatic experiences lose their ability to choose the proper treatments and therapies as they project themselves into their patients"
"Dr. Shepherd was cleared by a therapist to resume his role and position. This is totally out of line" Lauren Smile almost yelled, reminding to Derek how she used to jump on her feet to serve an objection at court.
A thick silence fell in the room and Derek felt very self-conscious. He lifted his gaze and met two inquiring pair of eyes. It was his time to speak.
"I don't really know what I'm supposed to say" he started, fighting the knot in his throat. "Sometimes in hospitals there are things that need to stay put. There were issues and I had to step up, many didn't know… just like you don't… and fought the change. A huge responsibility fell on my shoulders and I tried to make my best. I don't think I'm the one to say if I was a good chief or not. For sure now I can say I didn't like the job and I didn't want it back. But during those months I respected my employees, I tried to make them work with efficiency and harmony. I was called to be the ultimate authority and I tried to honour that position. What happened with Gary Clark…" he swallowed, closing his eyes for a second and then blinking them open "I became a doctor to save lives, I took an oath… I don't know if my arrogance brought this on me. I just needed to understand, to come to terms with it and once I did I just felt to let it go" he breathed out, his voice low and a bit shaking. There was a bottle of water on the table and Derek poured himself a glass, drinking. When his eyes met Amelia Fane's he read something between sympathy and pity. He almost flinched, he didn't want the second.
"Do you want to take a break, dr. Shepherd?" she asked softly.
"No" he said firmly, putting the glass down "I respect your role and I understand your need to tear off fake barricades made of bullshit privacy policies, my psychologist will be more than willing to give you all the reassurances you need on my mental wellbeing" he finished, taking a deep breath "is there something else you'd like to know?" he prodded Long, his voice sounding calm and in control.
"I don't really know what I'm supposed to say besides that's quite convenient" the insurance deputy slurred, mocking his previous answer and looking back to his notes "For the moment I'll skip the part of the resident obsessed with you and maybe I'll ask later when the draw is complete" he said flipping through his pages.
"Mr. Long…" Roberts snorted, making clear his leniency had a limit.
"This brief period as chief brought many shadows on dr. Shepherd's reliability as surgeon" he stated, resuming his attack "he resigned right after the forgiveness and left the job. He returned after receiving an important award as supervisor, not operating, after brutally aggressing a colleague in the parking lot"
"That's bullshit" Hunt snapped, gripping the armrests of his chair. Derek had to fight the urge to laugh.
"You're surely a different kind of chief, dr. Hunt" Roberts said arching his brows, clearly amused.
"I didn't expect anything different since he took part to the aggression" Long said patronizing.
"Unfortunately I could not deliver" he snapped "but I broke a patient's jaw six months ago if you want to talk about that later" he said furious.
"I might…" Long hissed "if you are the ultimate authority of the hospital supporting him, the draw is even more compromised" he implied.
"Ok… that's it" Roberts snapped, silencing them all. "I don't have time to waste with this" he put his glasses down on the table "we're discussing serious things here and let's get straight on track" he eyed everyone strictly. "Dr. Hunt…" he started, pointing a finger at Hunt "I don't accept irreverence and this kind of intemperance in my room"
"I'm sorry" Owen muttered, taking a deep breath.
"And Mr. Long… the ice you're on is very thin" he warned.
"Dr. Roberts…" he started just to be cut off.
"I've not finished" he raised his voice "I give you five minutes to raise the rest of your concerns, not one more" he said, putting his glasses back on.
"Yes, sir" he lowered his head.
"Now… please" the older doctor prodded him.
"As the FDA is really aware of, dr. Shepherd was granted an authorization to lead a trial. The whole project lasted one month and was shut down when a bad violation occurred. Dr. Shepherd's wife tempered with it and was covered by her husband. He was suspended for five years from research and a permanent note is on his file. I read a lot of press and discussions on the opportunity he could keep exercising. Doctors have a huge social responsibility, they have rules to respect in order to protect lives and give us all the certainty of a free and equal standard of care. Besides their amazing skills, they should not be allowed to break protocols and walk away with it. Even Seattle Grace board could not close an eye this time and retired his promotion. Dr. Shepherd has been a golden child since the beginning of his career. He has been used to praises, flattery, admiration. Everything he wanted, he got. Something altered this: he overstepped, started to want things too soon and over his capabilities, he did not admit his limits and people paid the price, he did pay the price. But this didn't stop him. He built himself another goal and destroyed it with his own hands. And now he is trying to jump back on the saddle, get attention back using the desperate need of my client to save her son. We can't condone this kind of behaviour, we can't allow this surgical fury to prove something. ZEO can't accept this ego maniacal attitude" he finished, closing his folder and backing against the backrest.
It was not a question, it was a statement. Derek felt eyes on him again and lifted his gaze.
"Dr. Shepherd?" Roberts prodded him.
"Again… I'm not so sure what I'm supposed to say" he admitted quietly "the end of my trial is public knowledge and I know it put disgrace on myself and the hospital. The whole project was my responsibility and the blame was on me, I don't run away from my mistakes. I didn't do it with you and I didn't do it with the board. Again, things were more complicated than this but at the end of the day each one decided for the best option. I didn't want to be chief and the hospital could not allow me to be chief. They found better solutions and we moved on" he trailed off, rubbing his eyes tiredly. " But this" he started again and everyone could feel a new energy burning in his voice and lightening his gaze "this has nothing to do with me and my supposed need to draw attention. Honestly I don't care if my name was abused in the last months. I'm too self-absorbed and arrogant to feel bothered by this. There is a chance to save this kid and I wouldn't be a surgeon and a doctor if I didn't follow it to the very end" he finished, his eyes locked with Roberts'.
"I had some neurosurgeon evaluate your plan" the auditor said straight to his face. He took in Derek's reaction, the lack of reaction, the calm with whom he was holding his gaze. "It is something never done before" he added, trying to elicit a reaction.
"I know" Shepherd admitted simply, waiting to see all his cards.
"I have never seen someone so surprised by a report as the doctor who looked it through" Greg said, his fingers playing lazily with the pen on the table. He sent a furtive glance to Long and then focused back on Derek. "Don't you want to know what I was told?" he challenged.
"Of course I do" Shepherd said quietly, feeling his stomach tied in a knot.
"How about you?" he shifted his gaze to the insurance deputies, scrutinizing Long's associate who hadn't uttered a word since the meeting had started "What was your role again?" he asked the man, who almost jumped on the chair.
"Mr. Simmons is my stenographer" Long offered. The man squirmed under the auditor's gaze.
"Did you read dr. Shepherd's report?" Greg repeated, letting them off the hook for the moment.
"I did" Long said, even if Derek doubted he really had.
"Besides what you have discussed up to now, do you have concerns on this medical plan?" he asked, piercing him with another strict look.
"Besides sounding pioneering and very hardly achievable, you mean?" Long raised his brows, sounding confident and very determined.
"I'd let doctors decide what is pioneering or not, mr. Long" he blew the smile from his face. "Anything else before we dismiss dr. Shepherd, mrs. Smile?" he asked, biting his lower lip.
"I'd like to know from mr. Long if ZEO is willing to revisit its position on Harris' insurance" she shot deadpanned, surprising Derek.
"I don't understand the point" mr. Long retorted in a clipped tone.
"Will you renew Harris' policy in ten days?" she clarified looking at him.
"It's not an information I have right now" he answered, clearly trying to buy time.
"When do you think you're gonna have it?" she asked relentless "you should have settled papers if you wanted to go on" she suggested, trying to call his bluff.
"We will examine the situation in a few days" Long said, his voice charged with annoyance.
"Will you examine it along the mortgage notification?" she insisted, gloating when his eyes narrowed.
"I don't do all the job by myself, mrs. Smile. I have colleagues and I am not in the real estate department" he answered, trying to get out of the hole she had dig him.
"Of course" she let go, feeling she had made her point very clear.
"Alright" Roberts sighed, feeling tired. "Dr. Shepherd can go… we have some more things I'd like to discuss with you before voting" he poured himself a glass of water and Derek got it was time to leave.
"Ok…" he said standing, adjusting his jacket and tie "I'll be out if you need something else" he nodded to Hunt and his lawyer and left the room. He closed his eyes right after the threshold, pinching his nose. He felt drained and nauseous and had no idea what to expect.
"Is there a chance ZEO and the hospital can find a last minute agreement?" Roberts pressed, his eyes moving on the parts.
"We did offer the hospital an agreement but they did not listen" Long said flatly. "It's not our habit but I'm willing to offer the same thing all over again. We have many clients and Seattle Grace has always been a huge reference for many" he finished, taking a paper from his folder. Owen shifted in his chair uncomfortably.
"What is this agreement about?" Amelia Fane asked, taking a copy of the document and reading it.
"We are ready to retire the lawsuit against the hospital and the mortgage notification, we will pay all Harris expenses, even after the expiry of the policy and until his death. In this way Michelle Dowson will benefit of the clause at page 63 of her contract and get insurance money" he finished. Roberts looked to Lauren.
"If I don't go wrong, you also represent Michelle Dowson personally…" he asked softly.
"I do, this agreement is not an option for Michelle" she said curtly "and not even for Seattle Grace"
"You're pushing that woman to bankrupt" Long snapped.
"That woman is not interested in trading money for her son's death" she cut him off, locking eyes with Roberts. "We went through this weeks ago and no threat from your side could change that" she ended.
"Dr. Hunt?" Roberts addressed him.
"Seattle Grace followed Harris' case from the beginning and we were always briefed on his situation. Dr. Shepherd's plan was examined by the board and got a full go. We have total confidence in our neurosurgeon"
"Are you not worried on the consequences of this situation in terms of relationships of your two companies?" Roberts pressed.
"I might be at some level" he admitted, nodding. "I haven't been chief for a long time but I understand insurances and hospitals collaboration is essential for the tightness of our system. It does not happen every day to manage this kind of situation. But as I said, we have total faith in dr. Shepherd's judgment, Harris Dowson still has an insurance and we can't let one part overdo the other" he finished, making very clear it was his last word. Roberts backed against his chair, eyeing everyone with a mixture of superiority, reproach, irritation.
"Would this be different if dr. Shepherd wasn't the surgeon to operate?" he fired to Long, taking him by surprise.
"It would be different if any other living doctor had given a chance to this kid" he spat back, annoyed.
"Dr. Shepherd has already operated on patients everybody had given up on. He also saved some. These people owe him a life and you are ruling this out for a 16 year old" Hunt said slowly, uttering every word with decision.
"Dr. Shepherd has also made huge mistakes and this is not the first lawsuit he faces" Long said curtly.
"Everybody does mistakes" Owen said angrily to him "if Shepherd does many it's because he takes impossible cases, because he sees chances where others see lawsuits and possible failures. All his published surgeries started as impossible challenges and he never backed off, he has methods named after him for a reason. But more than that, he is a meticulous physician, he is a great doctor. Harris Dowson would have never been pegged as a winy patient under his care. Kids are not supposed to suffer to grow up, they are supposed to blossom and Derek would have turned him upside down like a glove to find a solution" he argued with passion and decision.
"I get your point, dr. Hunt" Roberts said curtly "but I can't deny I get where all this is coming from" he added, eyeing Amelia Fane.
Hunt deflated on his chair and he saw Long perking up in his instead.
The woman cleared her throat before speaking.
"Great responsibilities come from what we do" she said simply, eyeing Hunt. "You probably know that from your past experiences…" she trailed off, locking eyes with him "we have more than fifty thousand surgeons in the country. Awful surgeons, honest surgeons, great surgeons. We have to keep an eye on everything and our lines are carved in stone: dedication, professionalism, ethics. It should be a natural requirement for people who choose to become doctors but it's not always like this. Many get into the job for power, money, to feed their ego. It becomes a knock out competition and it's always very painful when we need to intervene. We'd like hospitals to manage their own doctors on their own and insurances not to pull the association into this" she said sternly. Hunt took a deep breath, he perfectly got their embarrassment and the difficult position they were fulfilling. "Then comes the FDA and here the problem gets even bigger. We do not only manage drugs, new products, we also keep an eye on technics, procedures, surgeries, trials. The future of medicine is in the hands of the people who dare to change it, who work every day to change it. But there are rules… strict rules"
"Dr. Shepherd's career was very close to be terminated when he broke his own trial's protocol" Roberts said peremptorily, his words weighting heavily on the people still in the room.
"Why didn't you take him down?" Long prompted, making clear they wouldn't be here if they did.
"Amanda said clearly why not" he shut him off immediately.
"The situation was complicated but it was clear it was not dr. Shepherd's dishonesty to destroy the project" she raised a hand, stopping everything Long was going to say "he reported his own wife, got the full blow from both sides. I don't know what kind of people you work with usually, mr. Long, but many surgeons are willing to sell their own mothers to save themselves. This was not the case and I personally fought a lot to save a great loss to the medical world" she ended, quickly locking eyes with Hunt. She read a surge of gratitude on his face. "Besides… the day I came here to collect evidence I saw dr. Shepherd engaged in something I had never seen before"
"I feel like we are going down a blind alley" Long blurted out, sensing defeat.
"This is everything but blind" Roberts' voice thundered in the room. "You reported your concerns and I let you do that. You sent some vicious blow to Shepherd and I let you do that. But if you are questioning our capability to run the agency and association you're going to face a lawsuit yourself" he ended in an imperative tone.
"It was not my intention to criticize you, sir" the insurance deputy said lowering his eyes.
"Good to hear" Roberts said putting his glasses back on place. "Now I read the insurance covering this kid is expiring in ten days. What will be after that?" he asked curtly. Long was going to speak when the auditor spoke again "Let's skip the part where you don't know yet"
"I think my company will remit the warrant" he admitted, lowering his eyes.
"So… to go straight to the point… if your recipient dies because of his cancer after accepting the agreement, you will pay. He dies in surgery, you will sue his mother and surgeon. What if he survives?"
"Excuse me?" Long asked, slightly confused.
"What happens if dr. Shepherd completes a successful surgery and Harris gets to live? I guess the recovery will be pretty long, we are looking to weeks if not months" he insisted.
"Our policies cover the recipient for surgeries until the last day and we are bound to extend the warranty until the hospital closes their files" he said quietly, shifting on his seat.
"After this debate and hearing you all out, I want to hear your final requests" he shot to both parts.
"I ask you to take into deep consideration dr. Shepherd's roster and stop this madness"
Roberts' eyes moved to Lauren Smile.
"I ask you to let dr. Shepherd try to do his job"
"I think we have everything we need to decide" Roberts stood and all the others did too. "Just stay in the hospital, we will get you when we are ready" the lawyers started to ruffle their papers, closing the files and putting everything into their briefcases. "I invite you all to keep your tempers in check. I've heard of enough cow boy behaviours in the last two hours" he eyed them all strictly.
Owen was the first to leave the room, his eyes immediately falling on Derek, sank in a chair. Lauren Smile immediately joined them while Long and the other insurance deputy marched away, busy in an agitated conversation.
"How did it go?" Shepherd asked, rubbing his sweated palms on his pants.
"We just have to wait now" Owen smiled down to him, sinking both hands in his pockets "but if you ask me, my guts say it went fine" he gave Derek a small smile and sent a furtive glance to the lawyer.
"Let's wait for their decision" she said cautiously "but you did well, dr. Shepherd"
"Well?" Owen chuckled "he was a lord. I don't know how you could master such a cold blood"
Derek chuckled standing and patted his shoulder.
"I almost burst out laughing when you snapped about Brad"
"It just…" Owen trailed off, grimacing and raking a hand in his hair.
"That was quite entertaining" Lauren smiled. She noticed Derek's gaze moving behind her back and she peered towards the end of the corridor.
"Excuse me" Shepherd breathed out, waking towards Meredith, Michael and Peter.
"Hey" he gave her a radiant smile, kissing her lips softly.
"How did it go?" she asked, caressing his cheek.
"Hard… they are deciding and we are waiting" he finished, his eyes meeting Peter's for a quick moment. "How is my buddy?" he cooed, lifting Michael from the walker and kissing his cheek tenderly.
"He is fine" Meredith giggled. "He just regurgitated on him" she gestured to Peter and Derek actually spotted a dark stain on his mentor's shirt.
"Good job" Derek smirked, his hand behind his son's nape, his soft curls tickling his palm. His lips going to the top of his head out of habit.
"Let's go grab a coffee" Peter suggested, circling Meredith's shoulders. She eyed Derek quickly and he nodded, sending a quick look Hunt and his lawyer.
"I don't know how much we have…" he trailed off "let's be quick" he breathed out, inhaling Michael's scent. "Let's go to the cafeteria" he addressed to the other two and they approached the family.
"What a beautiful baby" Lauren smiled "congrats to both parents"
"Thanks" Derek said brightly.
"I think your wife gets more credit" Peter chuckled, rolling his eyes "she did all the hard work"
"I had to do some pretty hard work too" he smirked, amused when Meredith's eyes narrowed and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Lauren had lowered her eyes too while Hunt was giving him an amused look. "Let's go for that coffee" he breathed out, trying a reparatory kiss to his wife.
"I'll never understand why women find your charm irresistible" Peter joked, watching Derek put his son back in the walker.
"I'm not covered in puke to begin with" he joked, raising his brows "I'm glad you had not to appear in that room" he chuckled. "I think Roberts would have definitively lost his patience"
"I have the feeling the two of you pulled his strings quite a bit" he eyed Derek and Owen sternly. A noise caught Fletcher's attention and, for a moment, he locked eyes with his former colleague who was closing the blinds in the conference room.
It was almost two hours later that mrs. Smile got the call they had been waiting and fearing.
They made it back to the conference room in silence.
If Derek had checked his temper before, now his nerves were in shreds.
He sat down in front of the auditors, passing his sweated palms on his thighs.
Roberts was sporting a very serious scowl, not giving anything away.
He waited patiently until everybody was sitting and still, he then opened his folder and put his glasses on.
"Dr. Shepherd can proceed with surgery" he said simply, eyeing mr. Long with a challenging look.
Both Owen and Lauren turned to Derek smiling and Hunt patted his shoulder smiling.
"Is this your last word?" the insurance deputy asked, a veil of anger clear in his voice.
"Our decisions are always last words" the auditor said strictly. "If your boss and board have concerns, just give them my card" he said, sliding a card on the desk. "Terence and I played golf together, I'm sure we can solve this issue over a nice tee"
Amelia Fane pushed papers towards Long.
"This is the record you all should sign" she said handling him a pen. He scribbled his name in silence and dropped the pen on the desk.
"Are we done here?" he asked standing up, making clear he didn't want to stay more than necessary.
"Yes, we are" Roberts waved at him "have a nice day and see you soon". He snorted and shook his head when the man left without greeting anybody else, slamming the door behind his back. "When have you scheduled your surgery?" he asked Derek, locking eyes with him.
"I haven't yet but… it's going to be the day after tomorrow" Shepherd answered firmly.
"You're looking at a 20 hour surgery…" he trailed off.
"If everything goes as I hope, we might reach thirty" he finished, grabbing the pen Lauren had handled him and signing the papers. "Did you really show my plan to someone?" he asked, unable to stop himself. Derek sank in his chair and Roberts eyed him from over his glasses.
"Of course I did…" he said matter of fact "we have a committee for this kind of things" Derek opened his mouth to speak and then closed it "Did you think I'd decide on my own?" he arched his brows.
"I honestly did not know" Derek admitted, feeling a bit ashamed of himself.
"I was sure Peter would brief you on this" he pressed, playing with his thumbs.
"Until yesterday I did not know he had been an auditor" Shepherd told him honestly. Roberts smirked and shook his head slightly.
"We have a committee of five surgeons taking care of this, revising malpractice cases we are called to judge" he explained. "I sent them your plan in anonymous form so they could give me an opinion" he chuckled, shaking his head and leaving Derek stunned in his seat. "George…"
"Aniston?" Derek blurted out.
"From Hopkins, yes" Robbins nodded "he recognized the case and your doing. He told me everything you wrote was making perfectly sense, he felt ashamed he had never thought of that and finished adding that if there was one son of a bitch who could try this craziness, that was you" he collected his stuff and stood, his eyes trained on Derek. "You have this gift to knock down impossible and make it look like at least approachable" he sent Derek a deadly serious stare "people like you scare the shit out of the system" he stated leaning over the table "everybody says you are damn arrogant guy to colleagues but one hell of a doctor with patients" he shook his head snorting, his face painting with amusement "a part of me thinks my committee supported you not to have you jump the fence too soon"
"Excuse me?" Derek asked confused, frowning when Amanda laughed.
"The medical world would crumble down if you were to become an auditor" he smirked, lifting his briefcase and stretching his hand over the table. Lauren and Hunt stood, shaking it and Derek took the last moment to collect himself before doing the same. "I'll wait for an update on the surgery. I wish your patient the best, dr. Shepherd" he smiled before walking to the door, leaving it open for her younger colleague.
They marched out and Derek saw Greg winking at Peter and patting his back, both auditors stopping to chat amiably.
"I hope I'll never see the day you become an auditor…" Owen laughed patting his back, distracting him from the scene displaying outside. "You're an unbearable pain in the ass as you are" he muttered, blushing in front of the lawyer "I'm sorry…"
"It's ok" she smiled, lowering her eyes.
"I think there are many people waiting for news" Owen breathed out, pointing to the door.
Derek took a deep breath spotting Michelle Dowson standing outside the room. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. The sleepless night had caught up with him and Long's blows had reopened old wounds.
But he was sure what he felt was nothing to the stress that woman was experiencing.
He walked outside, stopping in front of her. Their eyes locked and he nodded.
It was enough to push her over the brink.
She started to cry, covering her mouth with both hands.
"It's ok, mrs. Dowson" he breathed out taking her hands "I will schedule Harris' surgery for Wednesday morning" he gave a gentle squeeze while the woman melt down. Her whole body was shaken by sobs and every time she opened her mouth to speak she had to give up.
"Harris…" she hiccuped, wiping her eyes furiously.
"I will talk to him tomorrow morning first thing" Derek said gently, giving Meredith a small smile. "I will be in his room in a bit to arrange all the tests and preops"
"Thanks" the woman squeezed his hands back, wrapping the sweater around her chest and walking away.
Shepherd raked a hand in his hair and tried to wipe tiredness from his eyes.
He took a deep breath and blinked them open, smiling seeing Meredith in front of him.
Silence stretched between the two of them and the world ceased to exist.
Suddenly there were just Derek and Meredith, in front of each other, the hospital and the surrounding people forgotten.
"I wish you could be with me in that OR" he said softly, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.
He felt their son moving between their chests and looked down smiling. He leaned down to kiss his cheek.
"Is that your son, dr. Shepherd?" mrs. Fane asked smiling, still standing close to Peter and Roberts.
"Yes" he smiled proudly "and this is wife, dr. Meredith Grey" he added circling Meredith's shoulders, feeling her tensing beside him.
"Nice to meet you" she grimaced, wondering if the woman remembered her and assuming she considered her a total moron.
"Grey as related to Ellis Grey?" Roberts asked, quirking a brow.
"Yes" Meredith whispered, nodding. Derek strengthened his grip, pulling her even closer.
"Derek hit the jackpot with this lady" Peter smiled, eyeing them both "she's really an amazing doctor and surgeon"
"She is" Derek smiled, kissing her temple.
"She was the one behind the Shepherd method" Fletcher told both Roberts and Amelia Fane, crossing both arms across his chest.
"I hadn't put the pieces together" mrs. Fane said, her gaze becoming more inquisitor by the second.
Derek felt Meredith squirm beside him, he dropped his hand to the small of her back, trying to calm her. The gesture became useless when he realized the three doctors were approaching them.
"I met your mother once a long time ago" Roberts said smiling.
"One time was enough to scare him for a lifetime" Peter chuckled, hitting his former colleague jokingly.
"Totally" Roberts laughed and it was the first time since his arrival "Terrifying woman" he smiled and Meredith could feel he was reminiscing that encounter.
"Your mother was an amazing surgeon, dr. Grey" he said honestly, approaching her. "But as all great surgeons, she was too damned full of herself and stumbled sometimes before becoming what we all admired" he said eyeing both Derek and Meredith "What is in the past is gone and you all survived. Learn from it and next time I see you it needs to be for another award or some kick ass surgery" he arched his brow looking to Amanda. "I'm jealous she gets the cool stuff and I always get to be the strict principle" they all laughed and he got a glimpse of his watch "I need to go or I will miss my flight back to New York. Are we on the same plane?" he asked to Peter.
"Nope" he laughed "I heard there is a kick ass surgery performed by my very undisciplined former student and I might stick around" he smirked.
"Shepherd – Fletcher?" Roberts whistled "if it was not for the rain and a possible claim of favoritism I'd stay too"
"You should" Peter patted his shoulder "thirty hours in the OR call for gossip. We'd get Webber in and we would feed you bad doctors to fire" he winked at Derek.
"I'll think about it. Now I go…" he smiled and passed his briefcase in the other hand "I'll see you back at work, Amanda. My best, people" he said walking away. Shepherd moved his eyes to Peter, amused.
"Will you really scrub yourself in my surgery?" he asked, arching his brow.
"You bet I will… you need help" he said, gesturing to Meredith to let him hold the baby.
She rolled her eyes and Derek shook his head, shrugging.
"Last time I performed a 30 hour surgery I had more interesting people with me" he smirked, sniffling Meredith's hair.
"We all see the results of that" Peter chuckled, lulling the baby.
"Okay" Meredith snapped, narrowing her eyes at them both "this innuendo needs to stop right now" she argued, clearly annoyed.
"Mummy is pissed" Peter mocked, making Derek roll his eyes. A burp broke the pregnant silence and Michael regurgitated some milk on Peter's shoulder, eliciting both Owen's and mrs. Fane's amusement.
"My same feelings, buddy" Derek smirked, kissing Meredith's temple, his eyes sparkling.
...
Thoughts?