Hey guys,

Thanks for all the nice reviews. I'm really glad that you all enjoy the story. This chapter is a bit longer because I didn't really know where to cut it.

Kisses and enjoy the reading


Chapter 11

A few days later, Helena woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night after she once again had a nightmare. Since she came back from her mission in Iraq, she had awful nightmares bringing her back on the battlefield but instead of treating soldiers or natives like she used to, her patients took the appearance of her friends, her family. In those bad dreams she felt like she didn't possess the ability to save them, she saw them die on the table. This time, she was desperately trying to operate her brother, only that she was standing in front of his open skull case no knowing what to do. She was getting fed up with these dreams of the army. Maybe she had PTSD like so many others before her. She should probably go to a shrink.

Shaking her head making her bad thoughts vanish, she stood up and got down the stairs. The kitchen was enlightening. She obviously wasn't the only one who struggled to find some sleep. Izzie and Alex were sitting at the table carving some pumpkins. Meredith was currently filling some weird stuff from a strange urn in a plastic baggie.

"What is that?" she asked.

The three turned to her.

"Couldn't sleep?" Izzie asked.

Helena nodded sitting down next to the blonde.

"So, what's in the bag?" the dark-haired pursue.

"My mother," Meredith said emotionless.

The three others turned to her with weird looks.

"Happy freakin Halloween!" Alex declared.


Later in the morning, all the residents were sitting in their locker room watching Meredith looking for a place for her mother's aches. Suddenly, Cristina came in.

"What are we looking at?" she tossed to Helena.

"Meredith put her mom in a baggie and brought her to work," Izzie said thoughtfully.

"I had to get her out of my closet. She was haunting me," Meredith justified herself.

"And now she is haunting us all," Alex chuckled.

"I'm putting her to rest," Grey added.

"Meredith is cleansing," Sydney Heron declared. "In tribal culture when one wants to cleanse the past, one cuts of all of one's hair and buries it in the earth. You might try that too."

Helena shook her head. This girl was definitely cuckoo. Callie came in, closely followed by Bailey.

"Ok, listen up," the ortho surgeon started. "Today is a holiday, which means the pit will be overrun. You've got the usual drunken stupidity.

"And then you've got Seattle's annual chainsaw pumpkin carving contest," Bailey added joyfully.

"I love this city," Alex tossed to Helena.

"Stay on your toes," Callie continued. "Stay on top of your interns, ok?"

"So we should round before the pit?" Izzie asked.

"Direct your questions to Dr. Bailey, Stevens," Callie remarked coldly.

"Oh, we're directing our questions to Dr. Bailey," Cristina questioned surprised.

"Oh no, not you," Callie said. "No, just Stevens."

"Why should Stevens be directing her questions to me?" Bailey asked.

"Because she's been sleeping with my husband," the ortho surgeon retorted.

Everybody looked surprised to the blond who was looking as innocent as possible.

"Alright, then. Have a good day," the ortho surgeon said leaving the room.

As soon as the door was closed, all the resident's turned to Izzie who let out a nervous chuckle before leaving the room hastily.

"This is even more disturbing than your bag full of mommy," Cristina sighed to her best friend.

"What does everyone found on O'Malley?" Helena asked Alex.

The young man shrugs his shoulders before heading out of the room too.


After her round, Helena stopped at the information desk to fill up her files. She was still intrigued by the encounter with the men of the eve. He looked nice, it may be a good idea to see him again.

"May I ask you a question?" she asked a nurse who was sitting at the computer. "Do you have a young woman in coma for months in your files?"

The nurse looked up at her.

"Do you have any name Dr. Shepherd?" she asked.

"Only her last name," Helena answered. "The name's Ford. And I think that my brother treated her."

"I have a Kate Ford in the intensive care neurology unit," the young woman declared after a few clicks. "She's in coma for 8 months by now and she's staying in room 456."

"Thanks."

"It was a pleasure to help, Dr. Shepherd," the young nurse said turning back to her work.

Helena was diving back in her file as Mark arrived at the desk.

"Good Morning!" he said cheerfully with his bright white smile to the red-haired nurse who was sitting there, reaching her a file.

The young woman, Helena remembered her calling Olivia, throw him a black glare.

"Don't do that," she said. "Don't smile at me."

"Don't smile at her. Don't smile at me either," the nurse Helena was talking to came to help.

"We're on to you," Olivia pursue.

"We compared notes," the other one added.

"Compared notes. Really?" Mark raised surprised.

"Mm-hmm. Compared notes, compared pick-up lines, compared techniques," Olivia listed up.

"Techniques?" the plastic surgeon inquired.

"Identical!" both replied.

"Identical?"

"We formed a club, Nurses United Against Mark Sloan," the red-haired continued.

"Are there any, uh…. club activities?" the man asked leaning above the desk.

The two nurses looked at each other before turning away. From where she was, Helena hush up a laughter.

"That's not funny," he protests.

"Actually it is," the Shepherd girl chuckled. "By the way you handle with women…"

Mark put on an insulted face.

"Me? No, I'm a real gentleman," he said with a fake serious voice.

Helena shook her head. It's true Mark wasn't the perfect man, he was flirty and not very faithful, but she, however, liked him how he was. The surgeon turned around as he saw Derek arriving.

"Oh, man. You wouldn't believe what just happen to me," he said to his friend.

"There's a … kid looking for you," Helena's brother announced.

"What?"

A young boy appeared from behind Derek's back. He stared at Mark.

"Daddy?!" he asked surprised.

Mark stretched his eyelids in surprise.

"What?!"

This time Helena burst out in laughter not caring about everybody looking at her. The kid then throws a complicit look to Derek who put out a banknote out of his coat laughing.

"Nicely done," he chuckled at the boy.

"I'll be getting you back for that," the plastic surgeon warned.

"Looking forward to it," Derek aid chuckling away.


Helena was heading down to the pit looking for her next case. A nurse indicted her a bed surrounded by curtains where she was needed. The Shepherd girl put the curtain by side to see Alex taking care of unbuttoning the shirt of a young nice looking woman. Helena immediately draws the curtain back in place.

"Sorry wrong curtain," she said embarrassed.

This hospital looked more and more like a charming hotel. Shaking the head she looked over to her next patient. It was a young man with amputated fingers.

"It was awesome," he was saying. "It was the sickest pumpkin head you ever saw."

"So, you were cutting a pumpkin with a chainsaw when you cut your finger?" the dark-haired girl asked cleaning the wound.

"Yes, but then, the next thing you know it's like, blood gushing and it totally stained my pumpkin head," he explained amazed.

"You don't say," Helena remarques.

"Made it even sicker, though," the young man added smirking.

"The best Halloween prank I ever made was to do like my head was cut off by a fake guillotine when I was 12 or so. My mother nearly had a heart attack," the Shepherd girl reminded herself. "My brother spread fake blood everywhere, that was amazing."

The guy pursue.

"I bought it in, the digit I mean."

"Oh, you have the finger?"

"Yeah," he said proudly. "But it's like lodged in the chainsaw."

He leaned to the side of the bed.

"Wait! It was right here, who took my saw?" he asked. "Does anyone has seen my chainsaw?"

They started to look around for it when there suddenly was a loud chainsaw sputtering.

"Stay here," Helena ordered her patient pulling off her gloves.

She runs in the direction of the noise.

"What is that?" Cristina questioned crossing her way.

"I have no idea," the old intern who was following her added.

They reached the place of the noise. Bailey arrived and draw the curtain of a bed. There was a man sitting on the bed trying to cut off his foot with chainsaw. There was flood flooding everywhere and splashing everybody.

"Dude, sick," Helena muttered receiving a black glance from Bailey.


The guy had been transported to a trauma room where Torres and Sloan were trying to find a way to handle.

"The tibial nerve is shot. There's nothing salvageable here," the plastic surgeon muttered.

"Completely mangled," Torres confirmed. "Can't believe he held that saw to his leg long enough."

"Was he high?" Helena asked. "Who's patient was it by the way?"

"Mine," Bailey answered. "And no, I gave him some morphine for the pain, but the tox screen was clear before that."

"Unbelievable," the Shepherd girl sighed."

"Alright, I'll finish the job," the ortho girl added. "Yang! Go ahead and prep him for a complete amputation."

"Thank you, thank you so much," the patient on the bed said weakly.

Standing on the side with Callie, Helena took off her coat.

"I heard about your marriage," she said to the ortho surgeon. "I'm really sorry."

"Oh, you are?" Callie asked raising her brows. "Aren't you friend with Izzie?"

"Because I'm hanging out with her doesn't mean that I particularly appreciate her," the Shepherd girl remarked.

"Get it," Torres nodded smiling. "You seem nice. Maybe we can go and get drink together one day."

Helena smiled back.

"In the case, there's anything you need me to do to cheer you up, I'm around," Mark said as he walked behind them. "Day or night. Night in particular."

Helena chuckled.

"He said that because he is in need because the nurses made rebellion against him," she cleared.

Torres nodded smiling.

"I'll call if I need you, Dr. Sloan," she said walking away.

Mark looked her back, checking her up. Helena shook her head.

"You're impossible," she said.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Can't you imagine have a discussion with a woman without having the intention to sleep with her?" she asked.

He looked like he was thinking for a moment.

"No!" he then said throwing his coat in the bin and leaving.

Helena sighed desperately.


The Shepherd girl had stopped at her locker room to change in new scrubs because hers were drenched in the "men who cut his feet of" 's blood. She was changing as the door opens. She instinctively grabbed a piece of cloth to hide. But it was just Alex.

"Hey, you," she greeted him dressing up.

He let himself fall down on the wooden bench in the middle of the room.

"Is everything fine?" she asked.

He moaned loudly wishing his face with his hands.

"I have a strange relationship with that girl, one day she tells me she wants to be with me, then she tells me about how beautiful her baby is. But she's married and I can't help but feel bad for the poor man who is waiting for her coming home every evening," he said.

"Understand," Helena said not really knowing what to say.

"Father or husband?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" the black haired girl stunned.

"The marks," Alex pursue. "Don't even try to deny, I have the same."

He pulled up his shirt, revealing his muscular torso interspersed by thin white scars.

"How did you…?" the girl started.

"My father was an alcoholic and I always put myself between him and my younger siblings."

"Sorry Alex, I didn't know," she said clutching a hand to her mouth. "It was my boyfriend," she said. "We were together for awhile and it just went worse and worse until I left for Iraq."

Alex was listening attentively.

"We are much more similar than I could have thought McArmy," he said with a small smirk.

Helena smiled weakly at him up.

"Everything is gonna be fine with Ava I hope," she said. "Friends?" she asked holding out her hand.

"Sure", he said with a bright smile.


Later that day, Meredith was standing in the elevator with the pro-bono-surgery kid, watching Derek talk to Sydney Heron. The resident was giggling like an in love teenager.

"Think she's pretty?" Meredith asked the kid raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I like cheerful people" the boy nodded.

"I can be cheerful," the brown-haired girl protests.

"I think the ashes thing makes that kind of unlikely," he remarked.

"I think he's right," Helena said walking right behind them.

The elevators arrived and all three get in.

"I'm Dr. Shepherd," Helena said stretching out her hand to the kid. "I'm the sister of the guy Meredith was idolizing."

Meredith punched her in the shoulder and the kid chuckled.

"How far are you with the pro-bono-surgery?" the black-haired girl asked her friend.

"Sloan is in, the Chief gave his approval so we have an OR and now I just need some nurses, Grey checked on her board.

"You should ask Bailey, she'll help, I'm sure," Helena suggested.

Meredith nodded.

"And try not to worry too much about Derek," the other girl assured her. "He will get past it, I know him."

And she got out of the lift.

"What does she mean?" the kid asked.

"Long story," Meredith sighed as the door closed.


Helena was heading to the cafeteria to have a lunch when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," she hasty said leaning forward to pick up the files that had fallen down.

When she looked up, she recognized the man she met the day before.

"Mr. Ford, what a surprise!" she said with a smile.

He seems to recognize her to because a wide smile was drawn on his face.

"Ms. Shepherd, I'm glad to see you again!" he said cheerfully.

"I was heading for a coffee, care to join me?" the woman asked.

"I'm really sorry but I have an appointment," he said smiling sadly. "But what about a dinner in the next days?"

Helena was gladly surprised.

"Yes sure," she nodded.

"Call me," he said reaching her his card and disappearing into the lift.

Helena stood there with a stupid smile on her face. Was it really a good idea to go to have dinner with that guy. She barely knows him. And was it even ethical? He was married and his wife was in coma. But he suggested the meeting to her. So why not give it a chance?

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone questioned her from behind. Derek was walking in her direction.

"Are you often flirting with my patients dear sister?" he asked reaching her a cup of coffee.

"I wasn't flirting," his sister said falsely offended drinking a sip. "And theoretically he isn't your patient. He just invites me to dinner."

"It's good, he is finally considering to see other women," Derek said.

"What do you mean?" Helena questioned.

"His wife is in coma since months now, with very few chances to survive and in that time he never date anybody else."

"What would you do if the woman you love finds herself in coma for awhile and you don't know if she's gonna wake up?" the black-haired girl asked.

Derek thought about it. The woman he loves. He instinctively thought about Meredith. She was the one he could imagine getting old with.

His thoughts went disturbed by her sister's moan.

"Oh, not her," she was sighing quietly.

Sydney Heron was walking by.

"Dr. Shepherd, were there actual Shepherds in your lineage?" the resident asked Derek completely ignoring the Shepherd sister.

"I'm sorry what?" Derek asked.

"Shepherds, you know, the ones who watch over sheeps. I'm into genealogy. My name for example, not actually after the bird," Sydney explained.

Helena hardly tried to not laugh.

"I'm sorry, would you excuse me?" Derek asked.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

The two Shepherds quickly walked over to Mark. Helena burst up into laughter.

"OMg, she's so into you!" she said wiping tears away.

Mark laughed.

"You did this," Derek accused.

"Payback is a bitch," the plastic surgeon replied.

"What the hell did you tell her?" Helena asked chuckling.

"Put the word out that you were lookin'," Mark chuckled.

"That I'm looking?" the chief of neuro questioned more seriously.

"Lookin' sounds way dirtier without the G."

"And you still wonder why the nurses formed a club?" the girl smirked.

Her pager biped.

"You heard about that?" Mark asked.

"Yep," Helena answered walking away.


Mark and Meredith were getting prepped for the intervention on the child with no ears. Meredith had managed to gather together an anesthesiologist, a general surgeon, a plastic surgeon, and three nurses to complete the operation.

"You know, I'm impressed," Mark was saying. "I didn't think you'd pull this off."

"I'm actually pretty surprised myself considering this was my first-time trick or treating," the resident added.

"Your first time?" the plastic surgeon questioned.

"Yeah, my mom never made it home to take me. Never got it together to make me a costume. Plus she said it was rude to knock on people's door and beg for food."

"You should have seen Mrs. Shepherd at that time, she always made the best costumes for her kids. I remember one time, Helena showed up in a fantastic Wonder Woman costume, she looked so sweet, that was amazing," he said getting into the OR.

Meredith stood there for a moment. What would it have been to grow up in a normal family, like the Shepherds?


The Shepherd girl was heading out of the building at the end of the day to take a breath. It was dark and the sky was sprinkled with stars. She saw Dr. Bailey standing in the middle of the yard speaking on the phone.

"Look, Tucker,... I said I'm sorry…..No I didn't…..No, I….. Tucker….."

He probably had hung up because she shoved her phone back in her pocket. She looked up to the sky before turning back.

"I'm sorry Dr. Bailey, I didn't mean to listen but…" she tried to justify herself as the woman saw her.

"It's ok Shepherd," the small woman cut her on her way back inside.

"Are you alright?" the Shepherd girl asked.

"Yes, it's just….," she sighed deeply taking a seat on a bench. "It's hard to deal with my husband who probably thinks I'm a bad mother. But I mean…. I mean, I'm here late at night, Halloween, helping an earless boy to get ears and my husband wants me to do things the way he wants. I mean I missed my son's first Halloween. And my heart is aching inside of my chest, but you know, that doesn't mean anything. That doesn't count."

She sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry you missed your son's first Halloween", Helena said pulling a hand on the woman shoulder.

"Shepherd, I warn you, I swear if you tell anyone that you saw me like this…"

"I promise Dr. Bailey," Helena chuckled.

The black- haired girl watched the woman disappear the night. Bailey was an incredible person and if her husband doesn't get that, he was really a fool. She was a wonderful woman, an outstanding teacher and from what she heard, an amazing mother. Her husband probably doesn't get right what it means to be a doctor moreover a surgeon. But who was she to judge? The only durable relationship she ever had ended up with her at the hospital.

But now she had her friends, her family and a new guy to date. Nothing will more happen to her.