Chapter 4 – Too Short

Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all.

George entered Carlie's room with Dr. Burke and her MRI and CAT scan results. As Dr. Burke explained the operation she would undergo to remove the tumor, Carlie's eyes kept jumping over to George, seeking reassurance. And he delivered, with just a small smile and the kindness that was perpetually present in his eyes.

George followed Dr. Burke into the hall.

"We've got an OR in a few hours. Keep her company until then, O'Malley."

"But, Dr. Burke, she's stable."

"No, she's not. She's terrified. Keep her calm and relaxed. No more anesthesia until the surgery. She'll need something to keep her mind off the pain until she starts prepping. She likes you, O'Malley, just sit with her."

George sighed as Dr. Burke walked away down the busy hall. It wouldn't be so bad, he reasoned. Carlie was gorgeous and funny, why wouldn't he want to sit with her for a few hours? Because no matter how much he told himself he should avoid her, George wanted to find Meredith.

"Sorry you're stuck with me." Carlie apologized when he reentered the room.

"I'm not stuck with you."

"Sure you are. I know you'd rather be with Dr. Grey."

"Why are patients so insightful lately?" He asked, almost exasperated, and Carlie laughed.

"C'mere, George, I wanna tell you something." She beckoned to him with her fingers, and he sat next to her. Carlie reached out to him, and he leaned closer so she could run a hand over his messy hair, messing it even further. "I like you, George." She stated, running her hand down to his face. "I'm a sucker for dorks, no offense."

"None taken." He grinned.

"I can just tell you're a really great guy, and cute as all hell."

George took her hand from his face and held it in his under his chin. Her eyes filled with tears again, so he pressed her hand to his lips, as unprofessional as it was. George just couldn't stop himself. Carlie seemed so innocent, so beautiful. It would've been easy for him to love her, except for the part where he was in love with Meredith. God, why couldn't George just have fallen for Carlie, instead! It would've been so much easier on him, far less painful. But, he supposed, all things worthwhile are difficult. Except when they're impossible.

"Tell you what, Carlie, when you get out of the hospital, we'll go get dinner. Somewhere real fancy, then we'll go ice skating. How's that sound?"

She laughed through her tears, and nodded, "That sounds wonderful."

Meredith was scrubbing in on the surgery for her old vegetable patient, Mr. Trenk. He was getting a blood clot removed from his brain.

Dr. Shepherd, Derek, that is, entered and washed his hands next to her. Meredith was lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

"How long do you think it'll take to find the clot?"

"Not very long. The scans showed us the general area. The clot's pretty big and it'll be pronounced by tissue swelling."

Meredith tied on her scrubs and face mask, as did Derek. Before they entered the OR, Derek spoke hurriedly,

"How've you been, Mer? I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you."

Meredith turned to look at him, her back leaned gently against the swinging doors. "I've been alright." She shrugged. "Come on Dr. Shepherd, Mr. Trenk's waiting."

With that, they began their surgery. At one point, Meredith looked up at Derek across the old man's open skull. His gaze was concentrated down into the microscope, his hands working deftly with the delicate tissue. Meredith smiled as she remembered how they were together. How wonderful it seemed, how complete she felt. She gave herself one more moment to grieve over the loss of a beautiful love, then it was done.

As they stitched their patient back up, Meredith felt relieved. Maybe it was because she'd just had her hands in a man's brain, or maybe it was because her own wounds were healing, like Mr. Trenk's.

"Of course, Mr. Miles. And thank you." George hung up the phone and rushed up the stairs as Meredith was meandering down them.

"Hey, George." She smiled.

"Hey Mer, I gotta go prep Carlie for surgery." He rushed, trying to escape from her stare.

"Carlie? You mean Carlotta Miles."

"Yeah."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I was surprised when I saw her. She belongs on the cover of Vogue."

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"You guess? Come on, she's gorgeous."

"She's…yeah, she is." George shifted nervously, not having the time nor will to wonder why Meredith was looking at him so suspiciously, or why she was asking him these questions. "How was your brain surgery?"

"Perfect." She answered, and mumbled a goodbye. George continued rushing up the stairs as Meredith continued meandering down them.

"Okay, Carlie, you ready?" George smiled warmly as he entered her room.

"Not really, but I suppose…"

"Hey, don't even worry, you're in good hands."

"Yours, right?" She shifted her eyes from the cieling to his to chance a grin.

"Yeah. And just think, once you get out, we're going to buy you a new pair of walking shoes, and enter ourselves in a marathon."

Carlie rolled her eyes. "I thought we were going ice skating."

"Yeah, after the marathon." He started wheeling her bed from the room, chattering with her the entire way. George left her in the OR with the nurses and went to find Dr. Burke. Along the way, he ran into Jack Miles, Carlie's brother.

"Dr. O'Malley?" He asked.

"Yes, Mr.Miles, so good to see you. She's just about to go into surgery, it'll take a few hours. If you'd like to wait in the lobby you can see her when she wakes up."

"N-No, I'd like to see her now if I could, please, sir." Jack seemed jittery and skittish.

"Mr. Miles is anything wrong?"

"My sister she's…she's going into surgery. I just…want to see her now, please?" The man's face was twisted with anguish, and George led the way. He wasn't sterile, so he was reduced to seeing her through the glass that separated the wash room from the OR. Jack Miles let out a breath of joyful relief upon seeing his sister, but tears still ran down his face upon seeing the IV and the tools laid out around her.

The nurse just pushed the sedative into her IV when Carlie turned her head. Her brother approached the glass and set his fingertips on it. Carlie grinned and winked at him. Jack suppressed a sob and blew her a kiss.

"Mr. Miles, we're about to start her surgery, you have to go wait in the lobby."

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much." Jack shook George's hand enthusiastically and sent another look to Carlie before leaving. George washed his hands and tied on his mask.

Dr. Burke was a moment behind him, and more anesthesia was ordered to knock her out completely. George thought he saw her smile up at him before she fell unconscious.

The surgery was almost a complete success. George assisted in removing the tumor, and Dr. Burke had just cut out another piece of the tumor that had expanded when she flat lined. George quickly responded with Dr. Burke's urgings and tried jolting her heart back to life, but to no avail. Carlie was gone.

When he'd washed up, Dr. Burke approached him. "Notify her brother." He said wearily, but as he walked away George yelled after him.

"I don't know if I can, sir."

"What?" Burke turned on his heel back to him.

"They hadn't spoken for two years. He wouldn't have even known she was here, but I called him. He'd just gotten her back, and now she's gone. How can I tell him that?"

Burke walked back to him, "The same way you've seen me do it so many times. This isn't any different."

When he'd gone, George muttered, "Yes it is."

George didn't really remember telling Jack that his sister was dead. He can't remember the sound of his sobs, or the way he fell back in his chair, but he can remember walking away thinking how unfair life can be. Carlie was in the prime of her life. She'd told him she had just gotten the job she'd always wanted, and how she dreamt of visiting Europe someday.

George sat on the stairwell when Meredith approached him slowly and sat next to him. After a moment of silence she leaned against him and put her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, George."

He sighed, "So am I. There was nothing wrong, besides the tumor, I mean. She was perfectly healthy. Why did this happen?"

"Sometimes people just die. There's no good reason for it. But, at least you got her brother back for her."

"We would've been friends."

"I know. When's your shift over?"

George glanced at his watch. "Another few minutes."

"Mine, too. Let's go do something."

"I don't think so, Mer. I just want to go home and sleep." George replied dejectedly, wanting not only to grieve quietly, but also to escape Meredith and her neverending charm.

"Nu-uh. We're going ice skating."

Sorry 'bout the delay in updates..I've been hella busy! OMG who uses that word anyway? Hella...jeez, shoot me now. Okay, this chapter may not be as good but it's all I could squeeze out of my overtired brain.

Aleks