They ran to the ER to find the aftermath of an atrocious car crash. All of the doctors were scrambling around. When they all got there, Bailey was giving orders.
"Hunt. Shepherd. Room 1. There's a man with possible head injuries and he has glass stuck in his rib cage. He was drunk. He hit the other car. Pierce, Koracick, and Wilson you're on bed 2. Mom. Flew out the window and is barely holding on. She better stay alive. Grey and Hayes. Room 3. There was a young girl in the car. She got lucky. Has a small head lac that might need stitches and paramedics said her abdomen was tender," Bailey walked everyone through their assignments, and they all dispersed.
Meredith and Hayes walked into the room, and there was an adorable 7-year-old girl clutching a doll as tight as she could. She looked terrified. Hayes walked up to her and sat on her side, facing her.
"Hey sweetheart. My name is Dr. Hayes, and this is Dr. Grey," he said, gesturing towards Meredith. He used the softest voice she'd ever heard from him. She waved and smiled at the little girl in an attempt to soothe her.
"Hello Dr. Hayes. My name is Nala," she responded very quietly.
"Nala. That's a beautiful name," Meredith said with a soft smile toward the young girl.
"Thank you. My dad named me," Nala spoke with pride. Meredith could tell she loved her name.
"Well, your dad has great taste in names. Do you mind if Dr. Grey and I do a quick exam on you?" Hayes asked.
Nala agreed, and they started examining her. They found that her stomach was much more tender than they thought, and they feared it was something more serious. Hayes ordered her a CT, and all they could do was wait.
When they got to the room, it had been a struggle to get Nala to let go of her doll. They practically had to wrestle it out of her hands. She only gave it up when Meredith agreed to watch the baby like it was her own. They left Nala in the CT machine and went to the monitors.
"She really loves that doll, yeah?" Hayes said.
"Of course. This isn't just a doll. This is a vintage Cabbage Patch doll. I always wanted one of these things growing up. It was always on my Christmas list. I can't believe I'm holding one," Meredith replied having a flashback to a moment when she was a young girl.
"I wanted the one that looked like me," she said as she turned towards him with a smile.
"They were so cool because they came with birth certificates. If you registered the doll, they would get sent a birthday card every year. It's so cool," she explained.
She looked at the doll in her hands and admired it. Hayes couldn't help but notice the youth that came across her as she held the doll. He felt like he was looking at her younger self. It was adorable the way she lit up thinking about her dream gift as a child. It made his stomach tie up in knots. He smiled to himself while watching her. He found himself doing that a lot lately.
"Careful Grey. You look like you're getting ready to steal that thing from Nala. I may have to watch you," he joked.
"Oh, shut up Hayes," she said back. They laughed for a moment and then the scans popped up.
"Is that…" Meredith couldn't even finish her question.
"Can't be…" he responded in shock.
"Her liver is destroyed," Meredith said.
They both knew what that meant. They weren't going home any time soon. They decided right then and there that they were going to save that little girls life no questions asked. Her mother was also in surgery, and no one would accept an outcome other than one hundred percent survival.
The surgery was very complicated. It was 10 hours of repairing a very damaged liver. They spent the first half of the surgery in silence because it required all of their focus. By the time they finished, they had talked about everything from what toothpaste they used, to their relationships with their parents.
Meredith learned that Hayes and his mother were extremely close. She lived in Ireland and they had a routine. Hayes texted her every day, and she called him and the boys every Sunday. It was sweet. She enjoyed that he was a very homey person. It's what kept him so well rounded, and if the man Hayes had come to be was any indication, Meredith could tell his mother was an excellent woman.
"I can't believe we just pulled that off," Meredith said in a quiet voice as they were closing.
"I can," Hayes said back as he looked at her over the OR table. It was a very simple sentence, but it made Meredith's heart skip a beat.
They were scrubbing out, both exhausted, when Schmitt came in with an update on her mother.
"Dr. Grey. Dr. Hayes. Her mother is fine. She pulled through surgery. With many, many complications. It's like everything that could've gone wrong went wrong and more... anyway she's here and fine. And asleep still of course," he said. Schmitt was always a rambler.
"Thanks Schmitt," Hayes said. Schmitt left them and Hayes spoke.
"We should put her cabbage patch doll in bed with her when she gets to the ICU. If she can't be with her mom yet, she should have some form of comfort," Hayes mentioned.
Meredith loved how good he was with kids. He was always so attentive and thoughtful. It was impressive to say the least.
"Well, I guess I have to give her back. You know, since you won't let me steal her," Meredith half joked.
"Stealing from children? And here I thought you were a saint."
"That's easy for you to say, Mr 'my mom loved me and got me everything I wanted for Christmas every year.' We aren't all that lucky."
"Wow, so I'm a terrible person for loving my mother."
"Absolutely," Meredith quipped back. They both laughed for quite a while as they dried their hands and left the scrub room.
"So, you really love that doll," Hayes half asked, and half stated, while they walked down the hallway.
"It's like a childhood dream of mine that never got fulfilled. You know how when some people were kids, they always wanted a game system or a new rocket ship toy? Mine was a cabbage patch doll," Meredith said.
"Why haven't you just bought yourself one now?" He asked while chuckling at her enthusiasm.
"Because I wanted one made in 1984 that looked like me. They're practically impossible to find now. Also, I don't think I could bring myself to buy a toy doll for anyone other than the children around me," she said.
"Well, that's unfortunate... I'm gonna go hit the showers and head home. Today was fun. Gift wrapping and an amazing surgery. You should be proud Grey," he said, his voice raised slightly as he walked away.
"Thank you. For everything. And you too," she called back to him before turning in the opposite direction and heading to the lounge to grab her things.