Santana didn't realize just how stressful it would be to go back to work while she had three kids at home. The first month is total hell for her, as she juggles having almost zero sleep with performing some of the most intense surgeries of her career. She still hasn't had the opportunity to tell both Shelby and Holly that she plans of working on a second certification, and she thinks that she really has to wait until everything calms down in her head before she can make that kind of commitment. As much as she wants to do it, she has to watch out for her mental health, and when she tells Brittany that, she is, as always, completely supportive of her choice.

After a particularly bad night of sleep, Santana manages to catch an hour nap in one of the on-call rooms before she does an appendectomy, and the surgery is luckily a breeze for her. She's feeling pretty good about things, when she rounds a corner and sees Puckerman, Lynn and Hudson deep in conversation. They don't notice her there, and she's just about to announce her presence when she realizes that she is the topic of their conversation.

"I'm telling you, can you imagine being one of those kids? It'd be like sliding through the gates of hell, coming out of that woman." Puckerman laughs bitterly. "I survived the great water slide! Oh, shit, that's my mother?"

"She's not that bad." Lynn tries half-heartedly.

"Are you kidding me? She's like, the biggest bitch in the whole hospital. I know she's in peds, or whatever, but I can't even fathom that she'd have a single nurturing bone in her body. Pierce probably has to apologize to the kids every single day that Lopez is their mother. Damn, I want to apologize to Pierce that Lopez is her wife. I don't know which I feel more confused about, that such a fine piece of ass like Lopez has such a shit personality, or that a fine piece of ass like Piece is married to her."

"Puckerman." Santana's tone is low, angry, utterly devastated, if she's telling the truth.

"Uh…." He puts his hand behind his head and looks between Hudson and Lynn. "Hey Dr. Lopez."

"Lynn, Hudson, why don't the two of you go do some actual work, rather than gossiping in the corridor like a couple of schoolgirls?" She snaps, and they move quickly, while Puckerman attempts to follow. "Not you, Puckerman."

"Aw, c'mon, I've got a surgery in twenty."

"I don't give a shit what you have. Who's your attending?"

"Jones, and she's gonna kill me if I'm late."

"You doing surgery is a privilege in this hospital, and one you've done very little to earn. I'm walking you down to Jones, I'm going to let Heyward do the surgery that you're supposed to do, and then after you and I talk in my office, you'll be doing scut for the rest of the day."

"You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever the hell I want. Since I'm like, the biggest bitch in the whole hospital, you shouldn't be surprised by that."

"You weren't supposed to hear that, why are you sneaking around anyway?"

"You have absolutely no accountability for your actions. That is the reason you're not doing this surgery. If you don't start taking responsibility, you're going to be a shit doctor."

"Like you don't gossip?"

"You seem to think you know everything about me, but you have no idea." Santana starts walking toward Mercedes' office, and she turns her head back to make sure Puckerman is following her.

When she gets to the office, Mercedes is just finishing up whatever she was working on to get down to surgery. Her eyes widen when she sees Santana standing there with Puckerman, but Santana gives her a subtle shake of the head. She's so glad Mercedes is his attending this week, because she might have a much harder time getting someone else to have her back. Mercedes stands up and puts her hands on her hips, looking between the two of them.

"Dr. Jones, tell Lopez I can do the surgery with you! I've been waiting all week for this."

"First of all, it's Dr. Lopez, and second, shut up and let her talk."

"Rather than prepare for this surgery that seems to be so important to him, Puckerman, Lynn and Hudson thought the best way to spend their time would be to rhapsodize about my marriage and my children. And considering Puckerman wanted to talk about what a fine piece of ass I am, he should consider himself lucky that the worst he's getting is a missed surgery and a bunch of photocopies."

"What the hell made you think that was appropriate?"

"It was just guy talk." Puckerman defends.

"Guy talk doesn't fly around here."

"Nor does this so-called guy talk include talking about my sons coming down a water slide and lamenting the fact that I'm their mother."

"Let me have him." Mercedes tells Santana, very low, and knowing how much those words must have hurt her best friend. "I have plenty of grunt work with my patients that needs to be done, and I think it's better he keep away from you."

"He's your intern." Santana nods.

"One more time, Puckerman, and I'll personally report you to Chief Sylvester. You're a disgrace to the damn program with your mouth, and we're all sick and tired of it. Go, room 702, Mr. Tybalt needs his catheter changed."

Puckerman scurries out of the room, and Santana sinks down into one of the chairs at Mercedes' desk. She puts her head in her hands and takes deep breaths. There's never been an intern that she has hated with a passion the way she hates Puckerman. He just has this way about him that makes her deepest insecurities come out, and she wishes he was at any hospital in the world but this one. She knows she can go to Sylvester and get him permanently banned from her service, but she's been desperately trying to avoid making waves. And really, it doesn't seem to matter if he's on her service or not, he seems to be incapable of keeping her name out of his mouth.

"You okay, Santana?" Mercedes asks, sitting down next to her.

"I'm fine, I'm being dramatic."

"He's such a dick."

"I don't even know how he graduated medical school, he's so much more concerned with getting girls, or whatever, then actually doing his work. And for some goddamn reason, he's obsessed with me and my business."

"Because he knows he couldn't get a girl like either you or Brittany on his best day. And he hates that you're gorgeous and also absolutely incredible at your job." Mercedes pats Santana's arm, and Santana sighs.

"He actually had the nerve to say that I don't have a single nurturing bone in my body. I'm a fucking pediatric surgeon, and I have three kids. I don't even think I'm that big of a bitch."

"Because he doesn't know you at all. Look, Santana, I know you've been struggling to balance work and home, and as much as Sam wants to have a kid, I don't think I could even come close to doing what you're doing. Don't let him and his goddamn mouth upset you. He's completely clueless, and borderline incompetent at his job while he's at it. I know I'm waiting as much as you are for him to fail his intern exam."

"I've never wished an intern would fail so much. He's the worst intern in the program, and he's not even the kind of intern you feel bad about them sucking."

"Do you want to report him to Sylvester for this?"

"What's the point? What would I even say? Puckerman had a lot of shit to say about me and my marriage? It just seems like I should be beyond caring about that."

"I don't think anyone should be beyond that. He has no right to talk about a higher up like that, and since he was talking about pieces of ass, you have a leg to stand on with sexual harassment."

"I'm not going to report it. I'm just trying to get through my job, you know? I've got three surgeries this afternoon, and I want to get home to my kids. The last thing I want to do is sit in Sylvester's office and fill out paperwork for an hour."

"You know this is why guys like him get away with this, right?"

"I know." Santana looks down at the desk, and takes a deep breath. "If he does it again…"

"Promise me that, Santana. Because if you don't, I will."

"I promise, 'Cedes."

"Thank you. Look, I've gotta get down there for this bypass. I don't need an intern, so keep yours. I was pretty much planning on doing everything myself anyway, since I don't trust Puckerman's instincts. Are we still on for Friday night?"

"As long as you don't care that our house is a fucking disaster, we're definitely still on."

"Santana, your house was a disaster long before you had kids. We're still on."

Santana really wants to go down to Brittany's office and vent about what happened, but she knows Brittany is in the middle of a six-hour surgery, and she has her own work to get to. Her patient files are piling up on her desk, and she needs to get through three discharges before her tonsillectomy in an hour. So, she does what she does best, and she goes back to work. By the time the day is done, she's still seething, and as she's packing up, Brittany meets her in her office.

"Hey, babe." Brittany smiles, and comes up to her, rubbing her arms. "I ran into Mercedes outside of the OR. Are you okay?"

"I'm more pissed than upset now. That little fucker, I swear to God."

"He's wrong about everything, you know."

"I know he is. He's a fucking idiot and has no idea what happens in our house. Still though, I hate the fact that people sit there and talk about me like that. I try so hard to be a good wife and mother, when it really doesn't come naturally to me."

"Are you sure it doesn't? Because honestly, Santana, it seems to me like it does. You're so good with the boys, and you're really good to me."

"I don't know, Britt. I spent most of my life single with no kids, and I know I'm good at my career, but I second guess myself at home all the time. I dealt with all of that postpartum bullshit, and I just couldn't wait to get back to work where I'm a natural at things. I struggle to talk to you about how I'm feeling, because I don't want to fuck things up. I just…I wonder who else here talks about me."

"No one with any kind of brain. You need Puckerman banned from your service, and I really think you need to report him to Sylvester."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because if he's going to walk around talking about how attending physicians are nice pieces of ass, then she needs to be made aware of it. It's a toxic work environment for you, and you don't need that."

"I really don't feel like sitting up in her office for God knows how long to fill out a report. I want to get home to the boys and eat dinner."

"Look, Santana, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I really don't like the idea of you being made to feel like this. You're too good for that."

"Ugh. You really think I should?"

"I do." Brittany nods. "I'll go up there with you if you want me to."

"Well he was talking about you too. He was trying to figure out both how such a fine piece of ass had such a shit personality and why such a fine piece of ass was married to her."

"You're making it really hard for me not to personally kill him, just so you know. If my entire career didn't ride on my professionalism, you'd find me out in the parking lot with him right now."

"I fight that battle every time I see him. If I was really the bitch he claims I am, I'd probably have slapped him by now."

"You're not a bitch, Santana." Brittany soothes, gently kissing her lips. "You're assertive, and it makes you damn good at what you do. I know that sometimes peds surgeons get a rep as being big softies, but you prove how damn strong you have to be to be successful in a field like yours."

"I guess I'll go talk to Sue. Can you just call my mom and tell her we'll be late? I think it's just…better if I do it alone."

"Whatever you need, Santana. I'll go back to my office and get some work done while you do that."

Taking a deep breath, Santana goes up to Sue Sylvester's office. There's always something terrifying about going there, like she's a kid in high school getting in trouble. But this time, she's certain she's done nothing wrong. She just really hopes Sue doesn't think she's overreacting, and she hopes that this whole thing doesn't get blown totally out of proportion. As much as she hates Puckerman, she sort of has a softness about her that makes her not want to ruin someone's life. She thinks maybe that's part of being a woman, constantly feeling concerned that your own discomfort isn't valid enough. The whole thought of it makes her sick, and furrowing her brow, she knocks on Sue's door.

"Lopez." Sue opens it. "Did we have an appointment?"

"We…didn't. Do you need me to come back?"

"I have a few minutes." She steps back, and Santana is surprised that she's in such an uncharacteristically good mood. "Come in, sit down."

"Okay…" Santana sits across from Sue's desk, and waits for her to be seated. "I'm here about an intern."

"Should I bother to guess which one?"

"Noah Puckerman. I've been trying with him since he's been here, Sue, but he consistently crosses the line, even as we all move it for him. Today, I walked in on him talking about what fine pieces of ass Dr. Pierce and I both are, as he simultaneously disparaged my ability to mother my children."

"And who was he speaking to about this?"

"Uh…" Santana realizes she has to be honest about this, yet she's a little concerned about messing up the careers of Hudson and Lynn, who she didn't actually hear say anything about her. "Ryder Lynn and Finn Hudson."

"And what did they have to say?" Sue puts her glasses on and takes out a pen.

"Nothing that I heard, so I don't want to assume anything."

"And you confronted him?"

"I did." She nods. "And I brought him to his attending. Dr. Jones took him off the surgery he was scheduled to perform, and sent him to change catheters."

"Is this your first experience with him being inappropriate?"

"Um…" Santana shifts in her seat, wringing her hands. "In this specific way, yes. But I've reprimanded him about his behavior regarding patients before."

"So, then it's time for me to talk to him."

"Uh huh, I think so. I want to fill out a formal complaint against him."

"I'll get the paperwork for you, and then I'll deal with it from here. I'll need to bring you into my office with him to discuss this."

"That's fine." Santana nods, still incredibly uncomfortable.

She fills out the paperwork for Sue, and she feels a little nauseous as she does. She's spent her career trying not to make waves, and the whole idea that she's going to have to have a meeting with Sue Sylvester and an intern makes her incredibly nervous. She may come off like she's tough, but underneath, she feels like a scared little girl sometimes, and this is just…a lot for her. When she finishes, she thanks Sue, and she goes back down to Brittany's office. She just nods and doesn't say anything, and Brittany gets that, as they drive home in silence. They pick up Chinese food on the way so they don't have to deal with dinner, and by the time Santana gets in the door to the house, her breasts are incredibly sore from having waited too long since her last pumping to feed the twins.

"Mama! Mama! Mommy Noodle! Mommy Noodle!" Liam dances in the doorway as they walk in. "I have been waiting forever and ever and ever for you to get home!"

"I know, Sir." Santana lifts him up and squeezes him close, so glad for his smiling face in her life. "We had to work a little late today. But guess what? We brought you lo mein!"

"My favoritest noodles!" He cheers, nuzzling Santana's neck. "And I'm so, so, so hungry!"

"So is this guy." Maribel carries over Oliver, who squirms in her arms. "I held off on feeding him, because I figured you'd need to nurse."

"Thanks for that, Mom. I really do." She sets Liam down and takes Oliver.

"Here, Li, how about I get you some dinner while Mommy feeds Ollie?" Brittany offers. "Maribel, do you want to stay?"

"Oh, no. I have a roast in the slow cooker that I want to get home to. But you enjoy. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Ma, seriously, I don't know how you're keeping up with this." Santana pulls down her top and lets Oliver nurse. "There's no way we could do this without you."

"This is the best way I could imagine spending my retirement. I think I'll be sad when Liam starts school."

"School! School! School!" Liam cheers, and Santana smiles, so glad he's already excited about it. "I'm gonna make you so many pictures Gramma Maribel!"

"Well look at that." Maribel ruffles his hair. "Now there's no way I can be sad about that."

Maribel leaves, and Santana sits with Oliver, and then Max, when he wakes up. She needs the solace of a few minutes with her infant sons, and she's grateful that Brittany is dealing with dinner while she does that. If anyone in the world understands her, it's her wife, and when she comes in with a plate of twice cooked pork and an egg roll, Santana is even more certain of the reason why she married her. It's such a good balance, she thinks, and Brittany cares for her in a way she sometimes doesn't believe she deserves to be cared for.

"Have I told you that you're the best wife ever?" Santana asks, stroking Max's little head.

"I think you have." Brittany spears a piece of pork and holds it to Santana's lips, knowing that she can't eat with her hands full of babies. "But the competition is stiff. Look at you, feeding our sons and stuff."

"Eh, I do what I can."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm…just reminding myself that I can be good at more than one thing. I just like, feel frustrated by the fact that it got this far. Sue asked me if there had been other incidents, and I feel like since he started, it's just been one incident after another. But this was the first time that it really directly impacted me. Maybe if I'd reported him after one of the dozen ways he talked about patients, it wouldn't have gotten here."

"You've tried, even with him, to give the benefit of the doubt. And the blame isn't on you, if it was, it would be on every single one of us, because we've all let him get away with saying things he has no right to say to avoid the paperwork. We're run ragged, and he's been slipping through the cracks of a system."

"I'm going to have to meet with him and Sue, and all I can picture is him doing that aw c'mon thing that he does, like everything is just one big joke to him. But…I just can't let him get away with this and treat other people like this if he becomes an attending. I'd constantly feel sick about the interns he'll have to work with."

"He doesn't belong in any position of authority, that's for sure." Brittany shakes her head, and gives Santana another piece of pork.

"Is Liam okay?"

"He's actually sleeping with his head on the table." She laughs. "I'm going to bring him up to bed, but I wanted to check on you first."

"I'm pretty bummed we got like no time with him tonight. I feel like…we just need to do something as a family, I don't know. Do you think we could stack our days and take a long weekend soon? I feel terrible doing that after we were both out for so long."

"As long as we're working our usual zillion hours a week, I don't think it'll be a problem. Did you want to just stay here, or go away?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm totally insane saying I want to go away with a four-year-old and two infants, but maybe I'll just be nice to get out of here…Even if we just went to Boston."

"As much as I love my parents, I think if we go away, we should go away. We've been complaining about how cold it is, what if we did a quick trip somewhere warm?"

"I could really use that. Somewhere with a balcony where I could drink a margarita with you after the boys are in bed. It's been a long time since I've had margaritas."

"Probably since you go so sick our wedding weekend." Brittany laughs. "But leave this up to me, just get your schedule fixed with Shelby, and I'll make the rest happen. Let me go put Li to bed, and then we'll eat the rest of our dinner together?"

"These guys are out, so I think that's totally possible."

While Brittany puts Liam to bed, Santana changes the twins into their pajamas and puts them up in their crib. When she gets back downstairs, she pours two glasses of wine, and she brings Brittany's plate into the living room. The house really is a disaster, and she knows they should attempt to clean it up tonight—since they've made it clear that they don't expect Maribel to be a maid—but neither of them are really up to it after the day they've had, and when Brittany comes down, she sinks onto the couch, puts her feet up, and puts her plate on her lap.

"Wine was a really good idea, Santana. This day feels like it was ten years long."

"Was yours bad too?"

"Not bad." Brittany shakes her head. "Just exhausting. My arms hurt from that facial reconstruction, it was just like…non-stop, and then there was a bleed. We fixed it, but you know how exhausted you get when you think a patient is going to bleed out on your table."

"Don't I though. Mine was all routine surgeries today, the only good thing about the day, not worrying that I was going to kill anybody."

"I'm sorry that you had to deal with running into hearing something like that today, Santana. But I hope you know how much I love you, and how much our boys love you. Also, I don't understand how you're the bitch in the hospital…you give those interns more chances than anyone else in the world."

"It's my personality…I've spent my life with everyone believing I'm a bitch. It's just…whatever."

"I don't like that though. I mean, look, I've firsthand seen you at your worst, but there's so much more depth to you than that."

"I'm not exactly showing Puckerman and the interns my depth though, Britt. It took me how long to show it to you?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'd just like to see you show them how brutal you could be toward them if you wanted to. Half of them deserve a lot more crap than you give them."

"Well, I guess now Puckerman'll hate me even more, but…at least I did what I had to do."

"I'm really glad you did, Santana."

"I know. And honestly, even after all of my reservations, I'm really glad I did too."