With My Last Breath

By Greyeyedgirl (aka Ruthi. You can email me at 3.

A/n: Thanks for all the feedback! You can read my writer's blog for parts 1&2 at 14

INT. SGH HALLWAY. Burke is walking down the hall when Izzie runs up behind him.

IZZIE: (yelling) Dr. Burke!
Burke turns.

BURKE: Yes?

IZZIE: (Catching up to him, very excited) Denny's heart is here.

BURKE: (turning away, continuing down the hall) Oh, excellent. Get him prepped, will you?

IZZIE: (grinning) Yeah. Do you want me to schedule it for you on the board?

BURKE: I already did. OR 3 at 1.

IZZIE: (very happy, going to leave) Great. I'll see you there, then.

(Burke has been continuing walking, even though Izzie stops. At these words, Burke stops and turns.)

BURKE: Stevens.

Izzie has turned to rush back to Denny's room.

IZZIE: Yes, Preston?

BURKE: (suddenly slightly uncomfortable at her calling him that, but looks firm) You're not scrubbing in.

IZZIE: What?

BURKE: I'm asking O'Malley.

IZZIE: ... But ... Why? (looks horrified and sad, takes a few steps towards him in the deserted hallway)

BURKE: (voice slightly softer and gentler) Izzie. (pauses) You are too close to this patient. You are making a mistake. And I can't let you scrub in.

(Izzie stares at him, first in horror, then looks angry. Without saying another word, she turns and runs off in the opposite direction. Burke watches her for a second, looking sad and tired, then turns and continues down the hall.)

Scene 15

INT. Hospital room with a young brown-haired girl laying in the bed with a rectangle-shaped bruise on her face, it's also sort of pinkish as if the brick has scraped off some skin. Meredith is there

PATIENT: Yeah. It was the weirdest thing, I was just getting out of my study hour, I was in the library studying for my finals, and I walked out and just...Boom.

(Meredith watches in slight fascination, nods)

PATIENT: None of my friends died, that I know of. It struck in the hall where most of the junior and AP sophomore classes are, so most of my friends weren't anywhere near that. The second one, though...It was big.

(Meredith looks at her, concerned)

MEREDITH: It's a big thing to go through. We have the psych interns coming down, they'll be talking to you and the rest of the kids later. You're probably still in shock."

PATIENT: (shrugs) "Not really. There was shootings all the time back in Chicago, where I used to live. Not really by where I was, since it was a private school, but still. You get used to violence. You get used to the idea of people you love getting hurt.

(Meredith looks at her, still fascinated, looks a little sick)

PATIENT: My dad's on a plane ride here. He was in Santa Fe, talking at a medical convention. He's a surgeon. Maybe you've heard of him? He's the Chief of Surgery at Mercy West.

MEREDITH: (suddenly more interested) Oh really? Wow. What's his specialty?

PATIENT: Cardio-thoracic. Jesse O'Brian. Like me? Only mine's spelled like Jessy, and it's short for Jessica.

MEREDITH: (smiling) Right. Actually I've heard of your father. He's very talented. Wasn't he up for the Harper Avery last year?

JESSY: Uh huh. He's actually already won it, though, about...Five years ago? He helped pave the way for bovine heart valve replacements. It was pretty big.

MEREDITH: Right.

JESSY: I'm rambling. Sorry.

(Meredith quickly makes "no, no" gestures, seems genuinely interested)

MEREDITH: What about your mom?

JESSY: She died when I was little. Leukemia.

MEREDITH: Oh...I'm so sorry.

JESSY: What about yours?

(Meredith jumps)

MEREDITH: (uncomfortable) Hmm?

JESSY: What do your parents do?

MEREDITH: Umm my mother was a surgeon. Ellis Grey. She...retired. My father does research. He works at UW.

JESSY: Huh. (shrugs)

MEREDITH: (very uncomfortable, words slur a bit) I'm going to see what's keeping Dr. Shepherd. I'll be back later. I'll get someone to come up to up your morphine in a couple hours, okay?

JESSY: (slightly confused) Okay.

(Meredith rushes out)

Scene 16

Burke is walking down the hallway and sees George. Walks quickly to keep up.

BURKE: (pleasantly) O'Malley.

GEORGE: (happy) Oh Dr. Burke hi!

BURKE: Got any good cases?

GEORGE: Uh I was on a MOF case but the boy has stabilized. I was just going to head to the pit and see if I could help with anything.

BURKE: (grins) Want in on a transplant?

GEORGE: Uh yes sir? (grins)

BURKE: Be in OR 3 in 15 minutes. I'll see you there. (gives George a brotherly pat on the back and walks off towards an elevator)

Cut to George talking to Izzie in a little room, maybe by a nurse's station?

IZZIE: Tell Burke you can't scrub in.

GEORGE: (grins like she's kidding, sort of laughs her off) I can't!

IZZIE: (pleading) George I'm serious. Meredith, Cristina, and Alex all have cases. I'm all that's left. He'll have to ask me.

GEORGE: (looks at her like she's crazy) What am I supposed to tell him?

IZZIE: Anything! Say Bailey assigned you to a new case. Tell him your multi-organ failure guy crashed and you have to operate. Tell him...Tell him you have an emergency, anything! You're his buddy, he won't get mad, he-

(George cuts her off.)

GEORGE: Izzie. You can watch from the Viewing Room. Why would you even want to be in that room? I wouldn't be able to, I'd freeze, anyone would who truly loved the person-

IZZIE: (suddenly angry) Don't you dare say I don't love him George!

(gets up and is right in his face. George looks scared for a second then takes a step back, grinning, thinks she's kidding.)

GEORGE: (laughing) Izzie...

IZZIE: (whisper crescendos to a yell) Don't Say I DON'T LOVE HIM! (voice gets soft again, George looks terrified) George, please...

GEORGE: Izzie, I can't. I can't lie to Burke.

(Izzie looks at him, pissed.)

IZZIE: (mutters under her breath as she turns away) Some friend.

GEORGE: What's that?

IZZIE: (angry) Don't pretend you didn't hear me! Ever since Meredith broke your heart, ever since that cow got you into her clutches-

GEORGE: (angry) What did you call her?

IZZIE: What's the matter with you! We're supposed to be best friends!

(George stares at her in complete shock, then seems to realize something, possibly that she's crazy. Stands up.)

GEORGE: (softly) Izzie I've gotta go. I'm scrubbing in.

(Izzie stares at him angrily as he brushes past her out of the small room.)

Scene 17

INT. SGH Hallway. Burke is about to enter the scrub room where doctors wash up before surgeries. Cristina appears and grabs his arm lightly, making him turn and look at her. Cristina looks pissed.

CRISTINA: You asked George to scrub in?

BURKE: (looks at her, confused, is distracted) What?
CRISTINA: I asked first! You wouldn't let me scrub in, but you let George?

(Burke starts takes her shoulders in his hands and moves her slightly so he can push past her, slightly annoyed.)

CRISTINA: He has a multi-organ failure guy!

BURKE: That patient's been stabilized.

CRISTINA: MY patient's been stabilized! I asked first.

(Burke looks tired, turns on the faucet and starts scrubbing up.)

BURKE: Cristina, I don't have time for this. I have a surgery.

(Cristina looks at him, angry and maybe heartbroken?)

CRISTINA: Why?

BURKE: (tired) Why what?

CRISTINA: (shakes her head, goes to leave) I can't believe you.

(Burke is left staring at her as a scrub nurse comes in and starts tying the back of his gown.)

BURKE: Cristina!

(Burke shakes head, leaving scrub room to go into OR, where Denny is laying on the table about to be cut open)