AU starting based on Season 14 Episode 13
"The longest surgery on record lasted for four days straight. A team of surgeons rotated in and out, holding scalpels for sometimes 18 hours at a stretch. Try holding anything in your hand for 18 hours. Now imagine you're also holding a human life. When you hold on to anything for too long, your muscles conform to the position you're holding. That applies to the heart and the mind, as well as the hand. The pain you know is coming is what makes it easier to just keep holding on." — Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy Season 14, Episode 13
Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital
Meredith pulls on her trauma gown and looks at the interns she'd be working with as she ties her gown up and walks out of the ER into the Ambulance Bay. Owen is yelling, "Be ready in 1 minute, 2 rigs on the way in. Helm, Schmitt you are with Dr Grey. Qadri, Parker with me. "
The first ambulance pulls up and previous resident and anesthesiologist, as well as Miranda Bailey's husband, jumps out, Dr Ben Warren, now rookie firefighter. He hands his patient off to Owen reciting the stats of his patient quickly and efficiently before addressing Meredith, "Grey, meet the next rig, he'll need you. Open blast injury to the abdomen, bleeding out, thrown by the explosion. One of our team shoved her hand in there to stop the bleeding."
"Got it, thanks Warren," Meredith says heading over to the approaching rig.
The second ambulance stops and Warren opens the rig door while Meredith's team including her two interns, Levi Schmitt and Taryn Helm run over to get their patient. They are met by Lt Andrea Herrera, or Andy with her hand inside the patient.
"Why is your hand inside him?" asks Levi.
"Because he was bleeding a lot," answers the lieutenant.
"Take it out of him!" Levi continues.
"You look 12. Can you find a grown-up to tell me that?" Andy quickly replies.
"Lt Herrera! You have your hand in my patient. Do not move your hand. Can you feel a pulse?" Meredith says taking charge of the situation. She is impressed by Herrera's confidence in the current situation, knowing most medics wouldn't be as confident with their hand inside a body.
"Yes," she answers cautiously.
"Schmitt, what do you think she's holding?" Meredith asks her intern.
"Ab… Abdominal Aorta," he forces out before realizing exactly what her hand is doing. He quickly adds, "Don't take your hand out!"
"He's a rookie huh?" Andy asks, knowingly looking at Meredith.
"Yes. Herrera, we've got to get him up to the OR and I'm sure you're very clear about this that you cannot move your hand. Can you hold pressure while we bring the gurney down?" Meredith confirms while watching for her answer and reading the body language.
"Ugghh… My hand, arm and shoulder are already numb but I'm going with yes," Andy answers.
"Okay. Careful everybody if she moves her hand even just a little bit he's dead in seconds," Meredith tells the team, thinking of the medics she's worked with, Andy is one of few that can probably pull this off. The gurney is gingerly removed from the ambulance allowing Andy time to step out of the rig without letting pressure go.
"Clear. Jump on the gurney. Now we are going to move slowly to the OR," Meredith directs.
"Umm… This pulse feels weak. Can we move faster? I'm not killing a kid today," Andy adds, updating the surgeons.
"Helm, Schmitt, run and scrub in. We'll meet you there. Careful, careful, around this corner," Meredith says as they move slowly through the hospital.
"Can you talk about something else? To take my mind off this," Andy asks.
"You probably don't want to hear about the time I had my hand on a bomb inside a patient's body?"
"What?"
"Kinda the same situation. An EMT came in with her hand in a patient, we later found out she was also holding a bomb. She got scared waiting for the bomb squad and I was the rookie who stupidly put my hand in as she pulled hers out."
"Careful, careful, around this corner," the orderly adds.
"And to make matters worse we had to change ORs as the one we were in had the oxygen tank under it."
"Crap! Oxygen tanks and explosives don't mix," Andy says.
"Spoken like a firefighter. It mostly worked out in the end," Meredith says.
"Mostly?"
"We lost the bomb squad guy, and blew up part of the hallway. But not the oxygen tanks," Meredith replies.
"So I guess this is easy then, we don't have a bomb," Andy quips back.
"Easy, into the elevator, slowly," Meredith laughs at Andy and the transport team slowly continues as they move the gurney carefully.
Warren jumps into the elevator as the door closes, and is asked by Herrera, "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see if you needed help," Warren says.
"Get your ass back to the station where it belongs," Herrera orders.
"I just wanna make sure that these kids get through this okay," Warren replies.
"Except your job is to get to the station so you can answer other calls for other people who need you to make sure that they are okay," Herrera explains.
"Warren, out of our way!" Meredith says to him as the elevator doors open.
"Rookies, huh," Meredith says looking at Andy.
"Oh yeah," Andy replies.
Once they get into the OR, Meredith foregoes scrubbing in and double gowns and gloves up with the assistance of the OR nurse. The nurses and OR tech wrap Andy in two gowns so she is fully covered without letting go of the patient and add a clean glove to her free hand. As nurses finish adding the PPE over her gear, Andy says, "Never seen this part before."
Meredith says, "I just need to get in here and clamp the aorta. Then you can move your hand." The surgery continues around Andy and her hand as Meredith preps to clamp the aorta. She struggles to get the correct angle, so asks Andy to take the clamp. Meredith instructs, "Herrera take this clamp!"
"No no, I can't do this," Andy says worriedly, her confidence gone.
"You run into fires. You can do this," Meredith replies, not letting Andy back out.
"My father's a fire chief, he taught me how to run a hose when I was seven," Andy explains. Andy has no issues with fires, vertical rescues, ladders, or medical rescues but the idea of applying a clamp to someone's aorta scares her.
"I spent my 7th birthday up there in the gallery, watching my mother do this, I will walk you through this," Meredith replies.
"What if I miss?" Andy questions.
"I would prefer it if you didn't," Meredith says, and using her teaching voice, further explains where the clamp goes.
"I can't do this," Andy worries.
"You've got this. Will you just trust me?" Meredith says as she has Andy place the clamp and remove her hand.
"It's held. Good job," Meredith says and the nurse quickly removes Andy from the OR.
Andy finds Warren wandering the ER and they have a discussion about the front row of the OR, and being kicked out. He takes her to the gallery, while she gives him a hard time for breaking rules.
"You did this incredibly cool thing that probably pays a hell of a lot more than what we do, you did it well, but you walked away from it? Why?" Andy asks Warren as they sit and watch Meredith work.
"To do more. I mean, yes, I used to do that down there, with the patients in the OR where you're trying to fix them, but I... You know I also cut open a guy with a clipboard. I mean, you know the metal part of a clipboard? Yeah, I broke it off and used it as a scalpel. Cracked his chest because we were nowhere near an OR and I did what I had to do. And I saved his life, but I got into trouble. A lot of trouble. You know, but I never felt anything but proud. So now I'm doing a job where I'm the first one on the scene and I get to do whatever it takes to save that life. And that's only a good thing," Warren answers.
"I was just looking for a "because fire" kind of answer, but okay," Andy replies.
"Herrera. You did so great in the OR today. If you ever consider a new line of work, we could really use you around here," Meredith says after signalling to the OR tech to turn on the gallery microphone.
"Quite the experience. I had a good time today," Andy replies. She enjoyed working with Meredith. Meredith was an amazing instructor, and a great surgeon.
"Herrera, Warren, are you off shift tonight?" Meredith asks.
"Off at 7pm," Warren answers.
"Meet us at Joe's after shift?" Meredith says.
"Warren, what are you doing in the gallery?" Dr Richard Webber says peeking into the gallery.
"Well, Herrera saved that kid, and she just wanted to see how he was doing, so…," Warren answers.
"Waiting room is for first responders to wait. You brought that kid out of the fire. You brought him to us. The rest isn't up to you anymore. You made your choice, Warren. It was a tough choice, but you made it. So go back to work. Or wait in the waiting room," Richard replies before turning to Andy. "Lt Herrera, good job today."
"Thanks, sir," she says.
At Emerald City Bar
"Hey, Herrera! Over here," Meredith calls from a table near the back. The group of firefighters from Station 19 make their way over to join Meredith, Jackson, Alex, Amelia and Maggie.
"Jackson, Alex, Amelia, Maggie, this was our star medic today. Lt Andy Herrera," Meredith says, having already told them of the story of Andy arriving with her hand in a patient.
"Better than the last medic with their hand in a body cavity, Mer?" Alex says.
"Definitely, and thankfully no bomb, right Herrera?" Meredith responds.
"Correct, thankfully no bomb," Andy replies. "This is Jack, Vic, Dean, Travis and Maya."
"Where's your rookie?" Meredith asks Andy, expecting Warren to arrive with their team.
"He was stopping at Grey-Sloan for your chief, and he's on the first round because he doesn't follow orders," Andy replies.
"Which ones? Yours? Or Richard Webber's?" Meredith asks.
"He got caught by both of us. Did you overhear Dr Webber in the gallery?" Andy asks.
"Webber got mad at Warren today?" Jackson asks.
"Yes, Warren and Herrera were in my gallery," Meredith adds.
"Hi, everyone," Warren says walking up behind the group with Miranda Bailey.
"This is my wife, Miranda Bailey," he says to his team bringing over a few pitchers of beer, followed by the waiter with some glasses for the table. Miranda quietly places a bottle of sparkling water in front of Amelia.
"Thanks, Warren." "Thanks Bailey." Everyone acknowledged the first round set on the table. The doctors and firefighters chat about today's rescue and after a few beers when the music changes and dancing starts. Meredith, Maggie and Amelia are quickly out on the dance floor along with Vic, Maya and Andy. Miranda pulls Ben out onto the dance floor for a few dancers, and the rest of the guys are reluctantly pulled into the dancing.
Eventually the music switches to latin music and Meredith and Andy start with some solo salsa moves. Realizing they both know salsa, they start dancing together and attract the attention of their group, everyone else stopping to watch.
"Look at them go," says Alex, whistling at the girls.
"Wow!" "Amazing!" "Hot!"
After a couple of numbers, Meredith says, "We need some tequila after that!"
"You are good," Andy says to Meredith.
"Thanks. You've bumped into me in the hospital hallways, today you come into my OR with your hand in my patient. And now you are a great dance partner!" Meredith states handing Andy a shot of tequila.
"Where did you learn to salsa?" Andy asks Meredith.
"College, where else?" Meredith replies.
"She was the state champion in highschool," Maya adds to their conversation.
"I just danced with the state champion! I'm not that good."
"I think you are," Andy says.
"You should try again," Maya adds.
"I'm not sure," Meredith says, really doubting her level of dance. She danced for fun. For exercise. And in college to pick up guys (or a few times, girls).
"Come on, Mer. You love dancing," Alex joins in encouraging his friend.
"Let's get more salsa music on," Jackson yells to the bartender.
Meredith and Andy take to the dance floor, first whispering to one another, planning their approach, then relaxing into the music as it begins and putting on a show for their friends. Their crowd is very appreciative and loudly encouraging as they dance for the next three numbers. As they finish dancing they can feel the emotion of the dance, the pull of attraction, the sensuality. They are slow to separate, still staring at one another, feeling the heat of the dance.
Magically tequila shots for Meredith and a beer for Andy arrive for them as they arrive back at the table. Once again their team members congratulate them on their amazing dances, and suggest they should take the stage at the upcoming Firefighters Ball.
"Oh, come on, not us," Andy protests.
"You'll knock everyone else off the stage," Vic says.
"We aren't that good," Meredith protests.
"You two just blew us away with your dancing. You hadn't danced together before tonight. And neither of you practiced. Just imagine what you can do if you practice," Maya says.
"I'll sponsor your dance team, and get a table for Grey-Sloan senior staff," Jackson says, knowing the Firefighters Ball is a source of funds for the hospital's Burn fund among other amazing community sponsored safety needs. His plastics and reconstructive surgery department benefited greatly from the proceeds of this event.
"I'll buy the table for Station 19 A shift," Miller says knowing he can pull from his trust fund for it.
"So guess you two better find time to practice," Alex says.
"Jackson! Alex! Really, I can't do this. I'm a mom of 3."
"You can do this, Mer. Just because you are a mom doesn't mean you lose your dance moves," Jackson says.
Meredith looks at Andy and shrugs, "Herrera, are you OK with this?"
"Grey, we can do this. You had me clamping an aorta today. I can get us ready for this," Andy says thinking Meredith is pretty good for someone who hasn't danced in a while. She'd look great in a dress, with makeup and her hair styled. Hell, she thought to herself, she looked great tonight in her jeans and sweater, but Andy started imagining what they would look like dressed for the dance competition at the Firefighters Ball. They could both show off some amazing curves with the correct outfits and make their skirts twirl.
"Guess if we are dance partners, you should call me Meredith," Meredith says.
"Andy, or Andrea," Andy says before asking to get Meredith's phone number so they can figure out practice times.
"This morning it was me encouraging you, now you are encouraging me," Meredith says shaking her head before taking her last shot of tequila.
"OK everyone, tomorrow is another workday, we should head home," Maya says. The firefighters groan at their captain. And the doctors figure they might as well leave too, the morning will come early.
