THAT NIGHT AT Joe's bar wasn't anything too special, but it felt like the perfect night. It wasn't too crowded but there were just enough people to make it seem like you didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Music was playing in the background, but Skylar didn't pay any attention to it as she was gazing at her boyfriend—boyfriend, that's something she still hadn't gotten used to. The two of them were sitting at a table along with Meredith. Miranda Bailey was eating some peanuts at the bar, totally ignoring that the interns were there. The owner himself was mixing drinks behind the bar and placed a glass of wine in front of a customer. Not far from the table was Izzie Stevens who was waiting for her drink and sneaking glances at Alex, who was across the room, throwing darts. He noticed her looking and smiled back at her. With a smile on her lips, she grabbed her drink and walked over to the table with George, Skylar, and Meredith who were sitting with their own drinks and snacks.
"I don't know, when I left Cristina said she was okay," George explained, having been the last one to check on the brunette.
"Nobody goes through what she went through and is totally over it by now," Izzie reasoned, making hand gestures as she took a sip of her drink.
"Cristina can," George shrugged.
"She's fine," Meredith stated, playing with the straw of her drink.
"Too fine. She's cold," the blonde said.
"Have you met Cristina?" Skylar sarcastically said, downing the rest of her drink.
"No, she's hard-core. She's got ice in her veins," George said, shelling a peanut. "She does what she has to to get through."
"She lost a baby. She lost a fallopian tube. And she's acting like she doesn't even care," Izzie explained, not understanding Cristina's thought process. Skylar slightly rolled her eyes, sometimes Izzie could be extremely sensitive. She and Cristina were complete opposites, one cared too much and one cared too little. "She's all, 'hello, I'm totally fine' person. I mean, she's my friend, too, but she's acting like she has no emotions or warmth...like she's missing a soul."
"Again, I say, have you met Cristina?" Skylar repeated in the same tone of voice.
George lightly chuckled. "God, she is gonna make a great surgeon," he admired.
"George," Izzie warned.
"It's true," he continued. "You show no weakness, you make it to the top."
"Some people just keep their feelings to themselves," Meredith shortly explained, looking at the blonde. Meredith looked over at the door when she heard it open, the other three not paying any mind to it. She saw a certain neurosurgeon walk through so she leaned forward to hide behind George and avoid him seeing her. Boy, was she in for it tomorrow.
The next morning, Bailey was making rounds with her group of interns. They were walking through the hallways with Bailey upholding a good pace. They didn't know how she did it when she was half their size but still made them speedwalk to catch up with her. Skylar and Alex walked next to each other right behind their resident while George, Meredith, and Izzie followed them. "I heard you and O'Malley are a thing now. Didn't know you had a thing for Bambi," Alex said but before he could tease Skylar more he was interrupted by Bailey.
"I want everyone focused today. With Cristina out we're short an intern and I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those days. And Karev, see the chief by the end of the day."
"What for?"
"Do I look psychic to you? He is the chief. He asked. You go." That put a damper on Alex's mood and he shut the redhead out, not saying anything anymore.
"What did he do now?" Meredith asked in a whisper.
"Maybe he gave the chief syphilis," George joked, causing Alex and Skylar to look back at him. They had very different facial expressions, Alex glared while Skylar just gave him a reprimanding expression but George could tell by her smile that she thought it was hilarious.
The interns and resident quickly arrived at one of the patient's rooms which was overcrowded with other interns, doctors, and nurses listening to the patient's story about the jungle.
"So we were in the middle of the Belizean jungle and this Jaguar jumps out and bites on of the guys. They all look at me, they're yelling, you're a doctor, help him. This was the time a Phd does no good," the woman told the crowd as everyone laughed.
"I'm sorry did I miss the bell for social hour?" Bailey stopped the story with her eyebrows raised as she glanced around at the crowd of people. Everyone glanced at each other and quickly left the hospital room to go back to saving lives.
"Tales of missionary life," the patient explained with a smile. Izzie, who was on her case, walked up to her and stood by her bedside.
"You're a missionary?"
"No, my parents. We traveled a lot. They still do."
"Oh, wow. This stuff looks great," Izzie said in amazement while looking at the artifacts that were displayed on the patient's bed. Bailey looked annoyed at her intern which made her lay back the artifact that she had just picked up. "Um, this is Dr. Burke's patient, Kalpana Vera."
"Kull-punnah," she corrected. "Named by villagers in Nepal."
"She presents with multiple syncopal episodes and ventricular arrhythmias."
"So you've been passing out?" Bailey asked Kalpana.
"Yeah, and having palpitations."
"Past medical history of rheumatic heart disease with mitral valve stenosis," Izzie continued while her fellow interns took notes.
"They had to ship me from Zambia to the States for three months of treatment when I was eight. Rheumatic fever almost killed me," Kalpana clarified.
"Dr. Stevens, what are the primary causes of ventricular arrhythmias?" Bailey questioned.
Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them that made Skylar jump slightly. "Valvular disease, mitral valve prolapse, stimulants, drugs, and metabolic abnormalities," Cristina yelled from behind them, dressed in a hospital gown. At everyone's looks, she asked, "What?" She was still attached to her IV stand and she looked pleased with herself since she knew the correct answer. Skylar couldn't help but smile at Cristina's stubbornness.
"Out!" Bailey immediately ordered.
"I'm fine."
"Out! You better be in your room by the time we round on you."
"And when will that be?"
"In 15 seconds. 14...13...12...11..." Bailey started counting down and with a sigh, Cristina started walking away. As soon as she turned around, her pink underwear was visible through the slip at the back of the gown. None of the interns could hold in their laughter and Alex couldn't stop himself from commenting, like usual.
"Nice panties, Yang." Cristina's head immediately turned toward the origin of the voice and she glared at him. She pulled the back of her gown closed with her hand.
"In your dreams, evil spawn," Cristina hissed before finally going back to her room.
They finished everything up with Kalpana and moved on to the next patient, which was Cristina. She was lying in her bed again, while her mother was sitting on a couch beside a window sewing something.
"Cristina Yang, post-op day three from a unilateral salpingectomy," Skylar presented the next day during rounds, trying not to laugh at the dirty look Cristina was sending her mother.
"And ready to get back to work," Cristina cut in.
"Is she?" Cristina's mother piped up.
Skylar looked at Bailey. "She's taking solids and her pain is controlled with oral meds."
"See? I'm ready," Cristina insisted.
"Didn't the nurse say this morning you had a fever?" Her mom asked her.
"Mother," Cristina snapped, glaring at her mother.
"Cristina, did you have a fever?" Bailey questioned her intern with a look on her face that said I will know if you're lying. Cristina debated telling her or not, but in the end, she told the truth.
"Temp spiked to 101 last night. Big deal."
"She worked two shifts last month with a 102 degree flu," George revealed to his resident, helping Cristina.
"Yes, exactly, George. Thank you," Cristina thanked him, a smile gracing her lips.
"And we appreciate your dedication, but you're staying in bed until it normalizes," Bailey objected to Cristina's idea of working again.
Her mother sighed, "I keep telling her there's more to life than surgery and career."
"Mother, go upholster something," Cristina retorted, causing Skylar to laugh under her breath.
"Look, I need you to relax. Shut up and Get better. You're a patient this week, so you can be a doctor next week. Understand?" Bailey exited the room with her group behind her.
Before Skylar and Meredith could leave, Cristina held onto their arms. "Mer, Red, you cannot leave me alone with her. I'm flying over the cuckoo's nest here. You have to save me," she begged.
"You need time to heal," Meredith sighed.
"I'm healed," Cristina called after her as Meredith walked out of the room. "I'm healed!"
Seeing the hopeful look on her face, Skylar sent her an apologetic one of her own. "I'll bring you some jello."
"Fine," she huffed. "But not the green. The green sucks."
The next patient they were rounding on was Ellis Grey. Meredith didn't look forward to it and hesitated before going inside. Ellis was lying in her bed in a dark pink robe with her arms crossed over her chest. "Okay, Dr. O'Malley, you're presenting," Bailey said and signaled George to begin. Skylar already felt pity for the boy who Ellis thought was Thatcher.
"Okay, Dr. Grey is post-op day three from a tumor resection."
"Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong," Ellis interrupted him, thinking that they were going to perform surgery. George tried to start over, but Ellis wouldn't let him. "He's got it all wrong. It's not asthma, it's gerd. He needs a nissen fundoplication." A sigh left everyone's lips in the room. Her eyes then landed on her daughter. "I don't want her in the room."
"Mom!"
"She's a child, and I won't have her on my team."
"We'll meet you outside, Dr. Grey," Bailey said to her intern and signaled for her to leave the room. She walked out of her mother's room, stunned and angry at her mother. It was embarrassing that she had been kicked out of a patient's room, her mother's nonetheless.
Skylar was assigned to a case with Alex that day. They had to look through the files of people in the waiting room and care for each one. But, they were looking for the best one—the surgical one. "Found a good one, Alex?" She asked as she stood behind him.
"I'm looking," he replied. His main focus was on the files. His muttering suddenly stopped and his head shot up. With a confused look on his face, he showed her the file.
She raised her eyebrows. "Is this a joke? This can't be real," she disbelievingly said.
"A gunshot wound to the head? How is that freaking possible?" He looked around but saw no one that had been shot in the head. "Where the hell is the gunshot wound to the head? Why wasn't the trauma team called? Hello, are you people insane?"
A nurse came up to the duo with answers. "There's your gunshot wound." She gestured to the waiting room where a middle-aged brunette guy was sitting reading a magazine, looking perfectly okay—except for the slight reddish bump on his forehead.
"Are you serious? That guy was shot in the head?" Skylar asked again, her eyes on the man. She couldn't believe it. The nurse nodded and helped the two interns bring the patient to one of the rooms. Skylar was still dumbfounded that the man was walking and talking and not in any pain after being shot in the forehead. Alex was doing a physical and simple neuro exam as Skylar wrote things down on the clipboard, listening to Alex talk in the meantime. There seemed to be no exit wound, only a burn on his forehead.
"I'm telling you, I shot myself. Pulled the trigger when I was cleaning my .22. I thought the clip was out. If you're thinking suicide, don't. People make mistakes. I made a mistake," the man sounded resigned. "And now I'm paying for it." He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "But I did shoot myself." The two interns looked at him, not believing a single word he said. There was no way this was, in way, shape, or form, possible.
"Yeah, right, and I have a bullet in my knee," Skylar muttered to herself. Alex had heard her and turned around with his signature smirk on his face, holding in his laughter.
As Meredith, Skylar, and Cristina sat in the tunnels, the latter was skimming through charts, that she wasn't supposed to have since she was, technically, still a patient. Skylar and Meredith sat side by side, facing the brunette.
"Addison gave Derek divorce papers, which is good," Meredith shared.
"So, is she leaving?" Skylar asked. When Meredith heard the slight disappointment in her voice, she clarified, "I mean, I like working with her. I know you don't like her very much. And besides, if it weren't for the whole McDreamy thing I think you'd like her."
Meredith absentmindedly nodded her head. "You know, it's fine to me that you work with her, you shouldn't hurt your career just because I dated your husband," she said, making the redhead give her an appreciative smile. "I mean, she's still here...being Addison but it's not like I'm jealous or anything."
"It's okay if you are though, you know that. Derek put both of you in an uncomfortable position," she explained.
"That's odd..." Cristina muttered as she examined the chart in her hand.
"It's odd that I'm not jealous?" Meredith questioned.
"No, you have every right to be jealous," Cristina said, finally looking up from the chart. "It's your territory and she's peeing all over it. What's odd is Burke's patient. She's been in four hospitals this year..."
"You seem awfully interested in Burke's patient..." Meredith pointed out.
"This has nothing to do with Burke..."
"Cristina, you lost a fallopian tube, a baby, and a boyfriend all in one day, you don't have to be okay," Skylar explained.
"Yeah, you have a right to be upset," the blonde added.
"And you're losing McDreamy to his perfect wife, you have a right to be jealous," Cristina deadpanned.
"I did not lose McDreamy. There's divorce papers, remember. I'm not jealous."
"And I'm not upset."
"Oh, come on, are you really just gonna keep fooling yourselves?" Skylar pleaded. "Besides, you should be in your room, Cristina."
"Okay, if the situation was reversed, would you want to spend time with your mother in a confined room with one window?" Skylar thought it over. She and her mother didn't have the best relationship, but it was nowhere near Cristina and her mom's, or even Meredith and her's. But she could understand if it were for multiple days on end. At the lack of response, Cristina backtracked. "Forget it, you must have a healthy family relationship, Red...Meredith?"
"Do you think we're like them? Our mothers?"
Skylar and Alex were in an exam room standing next to Derek as they looked at Samuel, their patient, and his wife. They had confirmed earlier that he did have a bullet in his head. While they had been waiting for the scan, they had been interrupted twice, once by the patient's wife and the other time by Meredith's mother. She had managed to slip past George and ended up in the viewing room. Skylar just shook her head at her poor boyfriend who was stuck babysitting for the day.
"You understand that we'll need to do a psych evaluation," the neurosurgeon told the married couple.
"How many times do we have to tell you? He wasn't trying to kill himself. It was an accident," the wife repeated, not too happy with the question, while her husband didn't really mind.
"They're just trying to do their job, hon," Samuel tried to calm her down.
"Well...no, their job is to make you better."
"Where were you when the gun went off?" Shepherd asked the woman while walking around the bed and closer to the patient.
"I was in the next room, and I heard the shot and it was awful," she immediately said.
"Why didn't you call 911?" Alex asked. Skylar couldn't help but nod in agreement. She had been thinking the same question. Why hadn't she called an ambulance or the police? That was a normal response after hearing a gunshot. The redhead crossed her arms like Alex did and stared at the wife.
"'Cause he was only unconscious for a moment and then...then he was—he was walking and talking and—" The patient's wife stuttered, hoping that her explanation had convinced the group of doctors.
"You're going to have to give a report to the police," Derek interrupted the woman's explanation and crossed his arms too.
"Police?"
"What—What do we need to talk to the police about?"
"We have to report any gunshot wounds to the police. It's the law," Skylar clarified. She then followed the attending and her fellow intern away from the couple. Mrs. Linden stroked her husband's cheek and mouthed that it would be okay, but her husband turned his head away from her. Looks like there was some trouble in paradise.
While Derek, Alex, and Skylar were performing surgery on Samuel, Mrs. Linden was being interrogated by the police. The three of them had overheard a fight they had and discovered that Samuel's wife had shot the man after finding out that he had cheated on her. All of them agreed that they hadn't seen that one coming. Alex was standing next to Skylar just looking, while Skylar took the lead. "This is one sick bastard. We should flip him over and give him a spine," Alex commented as he looked at the unconscious patient.
"Hold back on that retractor, Dr. Kepner," Derek said to the redhead before speaking to a woman who stood next to Alex. "Little suction, Bokhee."
"Covering for his wife after she shot him."
"He did cheat on her."
"But that doesn't mean that she has the right to shoot him in the head. I get that she was furious, but shooting him? That's just a little bit too much, don't you think?" Skylar joined in but kept her eyes down on the patient in front of her.
"Relationships are built on sacrifice."
"Not that kind of sacrifice."
"Hmm, I don't know. Sometimes a bullet's worth it." The two interns shared a look before their eyes landed on the neurosurgeon again. She wanted to say one last thing but kept it to herself. From time to time, someone spoke up during surgery, starting a short conversation, but overall it was silent in O.R. 2. Hours later, the surgery was successfully finished and Samuel was brought to the post-recovery ward. He woke up a little later and had questions about his wife.
"What did she tell them?"
"That you cheated on her. That she was drunk. You were cleaning your guns in the kitchen," Derek answered the question as he was writing something down in the man's chart.
"I'm not gonna press charges."
"That doesn't matter. She confessed and that meanest assault on the first degree," Skylar replied as she looked at the patient, who looked sad.
"They arrested her?"
"Man, you should be grateful," Alex joined the conversation.
"You know what I am? I'm stupid. Nothing will make you feel more stupid than cheating on the woman you love. You don't know what you're missing." The two guys pondered this while both thinking of the woman they loved. Izzie was outside the room, putting away a chart at the nurses' station. Alex made eye contact with her and she smiled back at him before walking away.
After Derek had left, Skylar turned to face Alex. "Hey, good luck with the Chief and your date with Izzie. Don't be an ass, please, because I bet I will hear about it even if you don't let me know." She patted his shoulder before walking away.
Skylar entered Cristina's room later that day and was greeted by a terrifying sight. The ever-stoic Cristina was sobbing loudly on her bed, surrounded by piles of tissues. Izzie, George, Meredith, and her mother were simply watching the shit show play out.
"What the hell is happening?" Skylar yelled, panicked.
"I can't stop—I can't—I can't stop," Cristina sobbed, tears running down her face
"Crying. She can't stop crying," Izzie clarified.
"I can see that. What on earth did you guys do to her?"
"Nothing!" They shouted in unison, looking at her like a zoo animal that was going to attack at any second.
"She's going to dehydrate," George said. "Cristina, do you want some water?"
Cristina violently shook her head. Meredith moved in to hug her, but George and Izzie stopped her by shouting, "No!"
"I already tried that. It just made it worse," Izzie sighed.
"I knew she'd break sooner or later. Just a matter of time," her mother said with faux pity.
"I will kill her!" Cristina yelled between sobs.
Meredith escorted her out of the room even as the woman protested, "I am her mother."
"We don't do well with mothers here. Why don't you leave and come back later."
"Cristina?" Skylar asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Make—make it stop. Make it stop!" She continued to sob.
"Okay," Skylar cringed, helplessly looking around the room. "Uh, okay, Cristina, try to breathe for me—"
"Somebody sedate me!"
"Okay, Cristina, enough of being nice," Skylar got closer and yelled at her friend. "You are Cristina Yang, first of her class at Stanford!" The crying girl's sobs grew quieter. "If you want to cry, you get to cry. But if you don't stop I'm going to slap you pretty hard, so I'd advise that you get your shit together!"
With one last sob, Cristina finally stopped crying. "It stopped!" She cheered, dramatically throwing her fists in the air. "Thank you, Red."
"She's a miracle worker," Izzie whispered, staring at Skylar in awe.
"That's my girlfriend," George smiled, looking at the redhead with loving eyes. He missed the look that Izzie sent him. Neither of them knew just how much the blonde girl hated them being together, Izzie might not have even known it.
At the end of the day, Skylar and George arrived at their house together and flopped down on the couch. "You know, I kind of liked seeing that side of you with Cristina today..." George complimented as she smiled at her.
"Really?" She couldn't help but put her lips on his, kissing him deeply.
"Yeah, uh, it was...it was kind of hot."
"Really?" She asked once more, her tone now changing from sweet to slightly provocative as she raised one brow.
"Really." He kissed her deeper as their tongues came into play. Once it became a deep and passionate make-out session, he scooted her backward and laid her down on the couch underneath him. They were just glad that Izzie and Meredith didn't come home during that hour so they could have the house to themselves for a while.
Words: 4115
I love that iconic Cristina scene so much! Also, George and Skylar took their relationship to the next step...
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