Patient Room During Rounds
Addison: Hi Alexandra, I am Dr. Sheppard. How are you feeling this morning?
Alexandra: Okay, better if you call me Xand
Alexandra: Okay Xand and Mrs. Walsh. This is Dr. Yang she'll be working with us
today.
Mrs. Walsh: Alexandra is still uncomfortable. Is there anything that you can give her for
the pain. She's responded very well in the past to morphine, dilaudid.
Yang raises her eyebrow.
Addison: Well I'd like to get the test results back before we start medicating her.
Mrs. Walsh: She's supposed to compete in L.A. on Saturday. Do you see any problem
with that?
Alexandra: Mom! Let Dr. Sheppard be the doctor.
Cristina: Compete?
Alexandra: I…
Mrs. Walsh: Alexandra is a gymnast. She is on track to make the 2008 Olympic team.
Cristina: Oh
Addison: Xand's tests have all come back negative so far. Are you still having the abdominal pain?
Xand: Yes
Addison: Well, if the last test comes back inconclusive we could schedule an exploratory procedure to see if we can isolate the pain.
Mrs. Walsh: Surgery? That would mean she would miss the next competition. How long before she'd be able to compete again?
Xand: Mom, if that's what they need to do to make sure I am okay then that's what they need to do. There will be other competitions.
Cristina looks at Xand with strangely.
Mrs. Walsh: There are only 2 competitions left before the Olympic trials.
Addison: Well we can wait to decide until the last test result comes back which will be the end of the day. Until then just try to relax.
Addison and Cristina walk out of Xand's room.
Cristina: Alexandra's lying. There's nothing wrong with her.
Addison: What?
Cristina: Athletes who no longer want to compete will go to great lengths to end their
careers without saying the words I want to stop.
Addison: She's 17 she should be able to say she wants to stop.
Cristina: I had a mother who prepaid four years at Juiliard so confident that I would be a prima ballerina. I was so desperate to get out that I faked injuries, danced with untreated injuries until finally I screwed up my ankle so bad that I needed 3 surgeries, 6 months of physical therapy and was told I would never dance again. Still my mother was convinced that she had a star so she took my passion for horseback riding and turned it into an Olympic dream. In 4 years I was a national champion and on my way to the Olympics. Do you know how hard it is to get injured on a horse without breaking your neck?
Addison: Not very easy I would imagine.
Cristina: No and after two concussions I decided that it was safer to just bide my time until I was 18 and could decide on my own. I secretly applied to colleges and when I was 18 I walked away from the training…from the Olympics. It was not an easy walk and to this day my mother tells me that it was the dumbest decision I have ever made next to becoming a doctor.
Addison: So you're saying that she is making up ailments to get out of competing?
Cristina: Yes
Addison: Interesting theory. I guess you will need to talk to her about that later.
They stop in the hallway and Addison catches a glimpse of Cristina's bloodshot eyes.
Addison: Cristina you're exhausted why don't you go to sleep for a little bit in the on-
call room? You did a great job with Alexandra's case and we've got a lite
schedule today.
Cristina: No I'm fine…I
Addison: You're not fine. You probably didn't even sleep last night. Go to sleep before
you make a mistake. You're not seeing the inside of an OR until you do and I
am confident you'll make up the time at the end of the day.
Addison walks away leaving Cristina by herself in the hallway.
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Meredith and Burke at the nurse's station
Meredith: Dr. Burke would you mind if I spoke to you as a non-intern for a few minutes.
Burke sighs.
Burke: Is this non-intern going to be my girlfriend's best friend?
Meredith: Yes.
Burke: Ok. Can we at least have this conversation over coffee?
Meredith smiles and the two walk towards the cafeteria.
Cuts to Meredith and Burke in the cafeteria drinking coffee. Alex, George and Izzy are also in the cafeteria eating lunch.
Meredith: You know it's just because she can't take the pressure.
Burke: Cristina thrives on pressure.
Meredith: You're right she's great under pressure except when it relates to telling the
man she loves that she needs him and is scared to death that he will leave her
so she's keeping an apartment that she doesn't live at so when he leaves her
she can feel like she didn't give up all of her independence to be with him.
Burke looks at Meredith … stunned.
Burke: Cristina could have talked to me. She didn't have to lie.
Meredith: She's scared. She's changed a lot. You have to give Cristina credit for that.
Burke just stares at Meredith
Meredith: Last night, Cristina called me for help then she cried. Cristina. It mattered to
her that much. You matter to her that much.
Burke leans back in his chair and takes a sip of his coffee.
George: So what do you think they're talking about?
Alex: I'm sure Grey's sticking her nose somewhere it doesn't belong
Izzy: Where is Cristina anyway?
Alex: Sheppard told her she wouldn't get into the OR until she got some sleep.
Izzy: Meredith said she didn't sleep at all last night. It's weird to see Cristina be the
worried girlfriend.
