CH 1 Imposed events
Richard Webber looked at the open file in front of him and sighed.
He knew there was no way this was going to go without a hitch. He wasn't really sure what had happened, he had barely been aware of it before she had left and it had been over, but there had been something. Most people, him included, had reasoned that it couldn't have been serious, but a man wasn't that destroyed if it wasn't real.
Richard took one last look at the top page of the file. Had he no other choice? Not really. And he knew her, or had known her mother well enough to know that she wouldn't be doing this if she had the choice: It seemed avoidance was a genetic trait.
He pushed the call button to his secretary.
"Yes Dr. Webber?"
" Page Dr Shepherd for me please, ASAP, if he's in surgery put Nelson on it"
"Right away sir." Richard sighed again. He knew it couldn't possibly go without a glitch, but he could try and limit the damage.
One week previously
"Lieutenant, I have already told you, this is not up for discussion. This is a direct order. You did your duty; you saved thirteen American lives as well as three Iraquee refugees. You got shot, and you're well enough to be off bed rest but I'll be damned if your going back to the front now. Is that clear?"
She bit her tongue to stop her retort short. He was her commanding officer after all.
"Yes Colonel, I understand"
"You don't like it though, do you?"
"Permission to speak freely sir?"
He smiled slightly at the young woman he considered his little sister. "Granted Lieutenant"
"With all due respect sir, it's my job to save lives. It's why I became a doctor. I'll be more use on the front. It's why I joined the army", she added as an afterthought.
Colonel Michael Rivers looked at his Lieutenant sternly, "We both know that's not true G." he said looking deep into her eyes, but unable to make her break his gaze: after all he had taught her well.
"Besides, you will be saving lives, just not on the front. You're on imposed leave, at the hospital from which you transferred."
Meredith Grey winced. It had been over five years, and she had accomplished a lot in them; but she didn't want to go back. It would bring the past back.
"Yes sir" she replied.
"G, as your friend, I believe you can do this, and you need to recover. As your commanding officer, you have no choice, and you're of no use to me in any other way right now. You leave in three weeks"
Present day
Seattle Grace Mercy West's Head of neurosurgery headed to the door of his boss and mentor's office grudgingly. He had a busy day, a really busy day, and 911 pages to the chief's office were rarely actual 911 pages; they just meant if you ignored them you were in trouble. Which meant that Nelson had taken his surgery, and that he wasn't going to cut anytime soon. Added to the personal crap he had at the moment...but now wasn't the time to worry about Addie, he knew it'd be alright in the end. Shaking thoughts of his ex-wife out of his head, he knocked on Richard Webber's door.
"Come in."
"Chief, you paged?"
"Yes Derek sit down, I need to talk to you about your department."
"My department?"
"Yes. I've been asked to take on a Doctor temporarily and..."
Derek groaned "With all due respect Richard, you know I hate referrals, I like to pick my team"
"...and usually I agree with you" his boss cut in "But here, even I did not get much choice in the matter, but that's not the main issue here, not for you anyway."
"What is of my concern then?" asked Derek warily already annoyed and not liking where this conversation was heading
"The doctor in question won't be completely under your authority" Richard steeled himself for his employee's reaction, and sure enough...
"You impose a doctor on me without my say and then you tell me he'll be independent?" cried Derek outraged "you're being ridiculous Richard."
Richard's tone became a bit sterner. "Dr Shepherd, calm down. The surgeon in question is perfectly qualified, I assure you...
"Attending at least?"
"Yes, second year double board certified Neuro and Trauma surgeon, which is why contact with you will be limited."
Derek opened his mouth to protest again, but was cut by Patricia announcing a visitor. "A Colonel Michael Rivers says you're expecting him sir"
"Ah yes let him in", he turned to Derek who seemed confused.
"Colonel rivers will know how to explain better than I will" he said smiling satisfactorily at the fact he wouldn't have to deal with his head of neuro's outcries of rage and pointed questions...at least not right away...let Rivers deal with them in the mean time.
"That I will" came a rough deep voice from the door, and Derek couldn't help but feel intimidated. The man in front of him as well as being rather tall was rather stock with large toned muscles highlighted by the tightening of his short sleeve military uniform around his biceps. The military cut and the gun holster on his side only completed the effect. He held out his hand to Richard, before turning to Derek.
"Dr. Webber, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Dr. Shepherd; also a pleasure." He turned back to Richard "I take it you told him about the transfer?"
"Wait" said Derek; looking searchingly between the two men "...its you?... We're getting an army transfer? Richard I must..." But yet again he was cut off, albeit this time by Rivers.
"Hell no, I would never have stuck through med school." he said making a face "wouldn't have had the patience. Though to answer your first enquiry, Dr. Shepherd the transfer will indeed be one of our doctors."
"A military doctor? Derek asked flatly again looking back to Richard...
"I can assure you the lieutenant is good at what she does. True I wouldn't be the best judge of that having no medical degree myself, but G's saved a lot of lives, a very valuable asset to our troops."
"Then why is he being imposed on me?"
"Dr. Shepherd, that's enough!" cried Richard.
"I apologise Dr. Webber, and to you Colonel, if that seemed rude, but I would like to know why a milit is being shoved on us if he screwed up in the army"
Rivers tensed slightly. He hated army critics, but he had gotten past that. But no one put Meredith Grey in question. "I can assure you that no one of my team is known to screw up, Dr Shepherd and the officer in question least of all. The leave being imposed to her (he stressed the her, for some reason frustrated at Derek's assumption that the doctor in question was male) is for her own recovery, and not a punishment."
"Recovery?"
"She was gravely wounded in a recent insurgent attack. Her status is now well enough to practice again, or so the army clinic where she was at have informed me, but it won't be quite a few months until she'll be well enough to serve on the front. Despite her impatience and assurances that she is ready to return." He smiled at Derek, "Believe me Dr. Shepherd, my officer was as loathe to be transferred here as you to receive her"
"Then why can't she stay at that clinic?"
"She'd go mad with boredom" Rivers stated smoothly. "I don't have much experience with doctors, Dr. Shepherd, but my understanding from the few surgeons I know is that you're a breed born to cut. The clinic itself is more of a recovery location. Not to mention your technology being more qualified for her mandatory scans to follow the progress of her recovery."
With that he turned to Webber, before Derek could interrupt again "I'll keep in touch Dr. Webber, G should report to you in two weeks time. Good day." And with that he left.
"Mandatory scans?" cried Derek exasperated, "are we transferring a doctor or a patient?"
"In this case, both" answered Richard "and I appreciate your lack of enthusiasm, but this is really what's best"
"For who, her or the hospital Richard?"
"Honestly, for both, she is a fully qualified trauma surgeon after all; it could help stimulate the rankings..."
"So this is a publicity strategy" Derek grumbled» still trying to raise points since the loss of popularity preceding the merger"
"Derek!» cried out Richard warningly, the two had already made their differing opinions on the merger clear and agreed not to talk about it in future.
Derek sighed "I'm sorry Richard, you just...you know how I feel when it comes to my department, I like to control things."
"I understand Derek, but you need to support me in this, please" he searched his former student and old friend's face pleadingly, finally receiving a curt albeit reluctant nod. "And why the sudden block on army doctors?"
"I have nothing against the army Richard, they lay down there lives to save others, military doctors in particular but you know as well as I do, no army officer is going to bow down to civilian orders"
Richard sighed. "Be that as it may Derek, officers are generally instructed to obey orders, and whether reluctantly or not, above her head will be the heads of the US army ordering her to go along with it, so don't you worry about that"
"How long a week will she be on my service?"
"With the exception of major ER overflows probably three days a week, and I'll have the general staff briefed next Friday with the details, but for now I just need your internal workings to include another doctor's schedule, whether or not she'll only be under you part time" Richard inwardly winced at his accidentally ambiguous remark, but he was reassured to see Derek hadn't picked up on it, before realising he was paranoid, and Derek had no was of knowing YET that the transfer in question was his ex-...something or other.
"Office?" Derek knew attendings; himself included, generally liked to have some sort of personal workspace, but did not see how he was going to find a spare room for this transfer in his department, especially if it was temporary.
"The janitor is liberating the ER office. We don't have a trauma department per say, but as it's a particular situation, and Neurosurgery isn't the sole department concerned, it'll be fine"
Derek nodded grudgingly. "Okay Richard, but I want to shadow her myself until I'm confident she can function up to my standards, no slack. Army badges don't win boy scout points with me." And with that he headed out.
Richard smiled nervously, what had he gotten himself into?