"Gerry, it took you long enough," Fitz said with a smile.
Gerry practically ran over and hugged onto Fitz tightly.
They stayed there, quiet for a moment then Gerry let go.
"I love you dad, I'm really glad you're okay."
"I love you too buddy."
"Dad I'm 15, quit calling me buddy, it was cute when I was younger but I'm a teenager now."
Fitz chuckled.
"Just wanted to see if you were the same Gerry I remember."
Olivia walked in, she had her eyes on her clipboard.
"Okay Mr. President, the nurse called your family, they should be here shortly."
She looked up and saw Gerry.
"Hey Olivia," Gerry said boyishly.
"Hey Gerry, what's up?"
"Nothing just glad my dad's awake. Two weeks just like you said."
Olivia smiled.
"So dad, how do you feel?"
"I feel good, ready to get out of here any day now," he said with a smile.
"Not so fast, I still have a few more cognitive tests to run."
"Of course," Fitz replied.
A nurse ran into the room.
"Dr. Pope, we need you."
"I'm with a patient, can I have a few minutes."
"A 5 year old just came into the er with a compound skull fracture, his pupils aren't responding to light and he has blood discharge from his eyes and nose and he is seizing. Dr. McCall wants to operate but with your guidance," the nurse said quickly.
"We need to perform an emergency decompressive craniectomy…"
Olivia said as she sprinted out of the room, dropping her clipboard.
"She's always so busy," Gerry whined.
Even though she had long disappeared, Fitz looked on in admiration.
Olivia ran as fast as she could until she reached the er room. She looked down at the little boy.
"He has minutes, get him oxygen now."
"But she's breathing on his own?" the nurse questioned.
"Not for long. Do it now."
The nurse ran and grabbed the nearest oxygen tank and hooked him up as she was told.
Back in Fitz's room, he and Gerry had barely gotten time to themselves before Cyrus, Mellie and big Gerry walked in.
"Fitz, honey."
Mellie ran over in such a dramatic fashion that Gerry laughed.
She hugged Fitz and shot Gerry a glare.
"I'm sorry Mellie, that's just really unnecessary," Gerry said still unable to stop laughing.
Mellie hated when he called her that, especially in front of strangers but since it was just family in the room, she decided to let it go.
"Fitz how do you feel?"
"Great."
"Perfect because Sally Langston is trying to take your office, we need you to get out of here and show her that you're back."
"You are not serious Mellie?" Gerry said angrily from across the room.
"I am your mother, show some respect."
"I'll show some respect when you start acting like one, I might even call you mom."
"Alright that's enough Gerry," Big Gerry said from across the room.
He walked over to Fitz.
"My boy, we have to stop Sally, is there anyway you can get out of here?"
"I woke up 2 hours ago, I don't even know if I can walk. Dr. Pope is still running test and I'm not your boy, I'm a grown man, don't call me that."
Big Gerry chuckled.
"Just wanted to see if you were the same Fitz I remember."
"Where is Dr. Pope? Maybe we can talk to her," Cyrus asked.
"They called her down to the er almost about 25 minutes ago."
Cyrus sighed.
"They only reason I got her to stay here was so she could take care of you, why the hell is she down in the er and not here."
When Cyrus said that Fitz remembered what Olivia told him about her patient earlier.
"How exactly did you get Dr. Pope to stay here?" Fitz asked.
"I asked her nicely," Cyrus said wide eyed.
"Really? So if I bring Tom in here is that what he's gonna tell me?"
"It was necessary."
"I don't want to have to remind you again that you have no power to do what you did. A child lost her life because Dr. Pope wasn't able to operate on her. If I ever find out that you did anything like that again, I will fire you."
"Yes sir."
They all sat quietly in the room, feeling awkward that it had gotten so tense.
"So dad, how did it feel to get shot?" Gerry asked randomly.
"Gerry!" Mellie scolded.
"Calm down Mellie," Fitz turned to Gerry, "it hurt like hell, especially the chest wound. Imagine having the worst headache of your life along with feeling like there was fire in your lungs," Fitz said in a joking tone.
"Ouch," Gerry said with a chuckle.
After a while, Cyrus went back to the White House. Gerry got one of the agents to buy takeout and both him and Fitz sat eating. Big Gerry was busy making calls about Fitz, and Mellie sat quietly as Fitz and Gerry joked and laughed about mundane things that happened in the two weeks Fitz was in a coma.
Time flew, Fitz fell asleep and so did Gerry, Cyrus came back from the White House and after a few more hours, Olivia came back.
Immediately when Olivia saw Cyrus, her defense came up, she couldn't stand him
"Hello Dr. Pope," Cyrus greeted.
She didn't reply, instead she grabbed her clipboard that she dropped in the room earlier that had been placed on the table beside Fitz's bed. Fitz must've felt her presence in his sleep because as soon as she went near him, he shifted and woke up. Big Gerry walked in simultaneously.
"Dr. Pope, just the person I wanted to see."
"Mr. Grant?"
"So do you have a timeframe on when we can get him out of here, preferably tomorrow morning."
Olivia leaned her head to the side, a habit of hers for when she was confused and astonished at the same time.
"He will be here for at least another 3 days depending on how well he responds to the tests."
"That won't work, he has a country to run, we need him out of here sooner than that," Cyrus interjected.
"Cyrus!" Fitz scolded from across the room, Cyrus backed off.
"Unless you want the country to be run to the ground then I'm sure you can wait 3 days," Olivia snapped.
"Dr. Pope I'm sure you can release him a couple days early, what's your price." Mellie asked.
"There is none, you can take him - you could, but then I'm sure the press would want to know the state of his condition and want to be assured that he is in tip top shape and I wouldn't do it."
"Excuse me?" Mellie asked.
"You heard right. I would tell them that they have a president that just got shot in the region of the brain that controls decision making, impulse control and emotional stability and since I wasn't given the chance to assess his brain and gauge the damage done by the bullet, he is unfit to lead. I would tell them that unless they want a mentally impaired man running the country and capable of launching nuclear weapons on a whim, they should move to impeach him immediately and hand over the presidency to Sally Langston, as crazy as she is."
Gerry, Mellie and Cyrus stood with their eyes fixed on Olivia.
"You wouldn't dare," Big Gerry challenged.
"Try me, he'd be impeached by the weekend," Olivia challenged back.
Fitz chuckled breaking the stare down between them.
"Well I guess you guys have your answer. I'll be out of here in 3 days."
"What about Sally?" Mellie asked.
"What about her?" Fitz asked.
"You're being passive."
"I just got shot in the head Mellie because I went to a gala that you forced me to attend, sue me for actually trying to get out of here better than I came in. Sally is my problem, not yours, when I am discharged from here, I will take care of her, you are First Lady and this should be of no concern to you and that goes for you too dad," he directed towards big Gerry.
"Now, it's been a long day and Dr. Pope wants to finish running tests without you three questioning her methods so if you'll excuse us," Fitz dismissed them all.
"What about Gerry?" Mellie asked.
"When he wakes, I'll have an agent take him home."
With that, they all made their exit.
Olivia watched them leave and then turned to face Fitz.
"Sorry, I wouldn't actually tell the country to impeach you, I just needed to get my point across."
Fitz smiled.
"No, you're fine."
She pulled a chair to the side of his bed and took a seat.
"Is your patient okay?" he asked.
"Which one?"
"The 5 year old with the uhm - compound fracture."
"He is okay, right now he's in a coma but I was able to preserve brain function by cutting out a portion of his skull, apart from horrible scarring, the after effects will be minimal."
"What happened?"
"Horrible car crash, his mother and sister didn't make it but at least he has his father and his life."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," she responded.
"If you don't work here, well not usually, what do they do with cases like this when you are not here?"
"They operate, they don't have a choice but I suppose since I'm here, they take advantage of my uhm talents, I guess," she said with a chuckle as if she was laughing at herself.
"What is that you do? You operated on my brain and that patient had a skull fracture but you aren't just a trauma surgeon, are you?"
"I'm a neurosurgeon."
"You look too young to be a neurosurgeon, you look too young to be any kind of doctor."
"I've never heard that before," she teased.
He was about to ask another question but she cut him off.
"Enough about me. I'm going to ask you some questions and I need honest answers. If you can't answer, just tell me and I'm like a human lie detector so I'll know if you are forging answers."
"I won't lie, scouts honor."
"What time did you wake up today?"
"Uhm I didn't see the time when I got up but when the nurse came in after you left I asked her and she said 11:47."
"What size shoe do you wear?"
Fitz wrinkled his nose, he was trying to figure out why she was asking such random questions. She saw his hesitation.
"I'm the neurosurgeon remember? They are random, I know, but necessary."
"I'm a size 11."
"How tall are you?"
Fitz pondered for a second.
"6'3"
"Favorite song?"
Fitz pondered.
"That's a hard one, there are just so many."
"You only get one."
"Okay it would have to be 'The boys are back in town' by Thin Lizzy."
Olivia's eyes lit up.
"Guess who just got back today?
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven't changed, haven't much to say
But man, I still think them cats are great
They were asking if you were around
How you was, where you could be found
I told them you were living downtown
Driving all the old men crazy
The boys are back in town"
Olivia sang the first couple verses of the song and Fitz joined in halfway with the widest grin on his face.
"That was a good choice," Olivia joked, "the whitest song ever but there's no denying it's a great song," she added.
"You are without flaw aren't you?" Fitz asked incredulously.
"Trust me there are many."
Olivia decided to bring the conversation back to the subject at hand.
"When is your birthday?"
"July 27th."
"When is Gerry's birthday ?"
"January 19th."
"What day was yesterday?"
"Tuesday."
"What day is tomorrow?"
"Thursday."
"What year was last year?"
"2009."
"How old are?"
"45."
"In the line of presidents, what number do you fall?"
"44th."
"What is 17 plus 107 minus 7?"
Fitz did that math in his head.
"117."
"Show me your left hand."
He raised his left hand.
"What do you remember about the night of the shooting?"
"Hmm - well I remember the limo ride up to the venue. I was bickering with Mellie about the gala, I didn't want to go. When we pulled up to gala and I opened the door, I remember waving to the crowd then I heard the first shot. I felt it, it is was in my chest, the second one was in my head, I think. I remember Tom shoving me back into the limo and that's it. Everything after that was blank."
"That's good, that's a very vivid recollection of what happened?"
She paused.
"What is the first distinct memory you have?"
Fitz pondered for a moment.
"I remember it was my 5th birthday, my mother threw me a party in my kindergarten class, there was cake and ice cream and dancing. My teacher's name was Ms. Paton."
Fitz became somber.
"Good, that was good, your memory seems to be mostly intact but I'll ask you these same questions tomorrow and compare answers to see if they are consistent. I'll also do a personality test on you tomorrow as well as give you a CT scan and an MRI to see what's going on in that body of yours."
Olivia was about to get up but Fitz stopped her.
"Thank you again, Dr. Pope," Fitz said as he held on to her hands.
She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand before heading out.
The next morning, Cyrus arrived early to find Fitz awake.
"Morning Fitz," he brought him breakfast and the file on Olivia Fitz had asked him to compose.
He handed him both, then sat in the chair next to his bed.
Fitz sat up in the bed.
"Whoa are you sure you can do that?" Cyrus asked.
"Yea, I feel fine and last night I actually walked to the bathroom."
"Really?"
"Granted it's only 9 feet away but that's progress, I was dizzy and out of breath when I came back but it's better than nothing."
Cyrus chuckled.
"Just be careful so Dr. uptight doesn't find out."
"What's the thing with you and her, why don't you like her?"
"It's not that I don't like her, I think in another life we might have been friends but right now she isn't be agreeable and that's an issue for me."
"You mean she's not rolling over and letting you walk over her so you feel threatened."
"Essentially," Cyrus admitted.
Fitz read though the first page of Olivia's file but stopped before he could finish.
"Cyrus where did you find her?" He asked astonished.
"We didn't, she was here and luckily you got here before she left."
"Gold medal at the physics Olympiad, MIT, she wrote her dissertation on the theory of using a particle accelerator to energize stem cells and implant them into the body to self regenerate, what does that even mean? How have I not heard of her, I'm the president for god sake?" Fitz asked incredulously.
"Read further because she actually did it. It's called the 'Pope technique,'. She's done it 11 times and was successful all 11 times. She's really picky about who she does it on though ."
"What's the Pope technique?"
"Apparently it's a procedure she created where she takes the patient's stem cells and accelerates them and then implants it into the brain or spine, uses laser therapy to speed up healing while they are in a coma and once they wake up, voilá, healed, of course they'll need more therapy to fully function but essentially they are healed. She made a man with a severe spinal fracture walk again with that procedure and also brought back a girl who had been in a vegetative state, that kid is now in middle school."
"That's impossible," Fitz said skeptically.
"It was until she did it."
"She's only 30, how did she manage to accomplish all this?"
"Not sure, apparently she's some kind of genius," Cyrus said dismissively.
Olivia walked into the room a few moments later.
She eyed Cyrus.
"You two are conversing, I'll just come back later."
"No, Cyrus was just leaving," Fitz said quickly.
"I was?" Cyrus asked.
"Yes, you were."
"At the back of that file is a briefing packet, everything you'll need to know before you get back. Happy reading," Cyrus said as he walked out.
"He is shameless," Olivia said as she took a seat.
"He wouldn't be Cyrus if he wasn't."
"How did you sleep last night, any nightmares or ptsd symptoms."
"I was in the navy, I'm used to getting shot at."
"Excuse me, navy man," she teased.
"You don't have to read that briefing he gave you, I'd actually prefer if you didn't."
"Actually it's not just a briefing packet, it's also a file on you."
"On me?"
"Yes, I asked Cyrus to compile one so I could find out about you but I would much rather just have you tell me."
"What do you want to know?"
She was slightly annoyed that he was digging into her past for info but also flattered so she let it go.
"How are you so smart, being an accomplished neurosurgeon at 30 isn't easy, not even for someone with above average intelligence."
"I don't have above average intelligence," she responded.
"What's your IQ?"
"215."
"That's impossible."
"No, I'm serious."
She kinda liked how every time she told him something, he acted as if it was the best thing he'd ever heard.
"That's brings us back to my original question, how are you so smart?"
"My father raised me as an experiment, to prove that geniuses are created not born. Turns out he didn't know what he was talking about because that's actually not the case."
"When you say experiment, what do you mean?"
"I mean, he began trying to teach me to read at 4 months old."
"That's a little extreme."
"Yep."
"So if he wasn't the one who made you smart, what did?"
"Well he did make me smart, sort of, he trained me I guess, I had the best schools, the best teachers and so, but umm... I was actually born a savant."
"You're a savant," Fitz said with wide eyes.
"Yea."
"Don't 'born savants' usually have a disability like autism?"
"Usually but I was lucky in that regard?"
"What does your savant syndrome allow you to do?"
"I remember everything?"
"What do you mean everything?" Fitz asked skeptically.
"I mean everything I've ever seen, heard, read, smelled, said…"
"You remember all of that?"
"Yep and I also have the ability to calculate large numbers in my head, I can measure distances in my head, I process information rather quickly."
"Give me your phone."
"Why?"
"Calculator."
She rolled her eyes and handed him her phone. He went to the calculator and began asking her questions.
"45 times 17?"
"765," she answered almost instantly.
"206 times 26?"
"5,356."
"186.2 times 184?"
"34,260.8. We can go all day, you know, I've been through this more times than I'd like to recall " she teased.
"Give me an example of how you can process information faster?" Fitz teased.
Olivia chuckled.
"I can read two pages at once and I remember everything I've read when done and I can do it in seconds."
"No way, absolutely impossible!"
She laughed loudly this time.
"No, I'm serious, I really can."
"Tell me more."
"What more could you possibly want to know? It's all very boring."
"Nothing about you is boring Livie."
She froze at the word 'Livie'.
"I'm sorry I mean Dr. Pope," Fitz said hoping that he didn't upset her.
"Why did you call me that?"
"I'm sorry, did I upset you?"
"No, no one's ever called me that, not since my mom."
"I really am sorry."
"No it's okay, you can call me Livie if you want to, I actually like it," she smiled.
Fitz was hesitant but decided to go for it.
"Okay Livie, tell me more. When did you first start talking.?
"It actually took me a while to talk, I was content to observe everything around me, I didn't talk until my first birthday, I said a whole sentence. I learned to read and do math at by 18 months, I knew about 5 different languages at 3. My father never gave me a break. I became a test subject and student at John Hopkins program for specially talented youngsters at 5. I spent two years there, then I went to about 5 different boarding schools across Europe. When I was 10 , I took the SATs and got a 2400 then I went to Harvard med and did my bachelor's and Medical degree at the same time. At 14, I got my master of medical science, my master of surgery, Phd; specializing in the brain and spine. At 18, I spent a year at MIT turning my stem cell theory into a tangible procedure and I perfected it while I did my residency. After my residency I was based in New York at Columbia hospital but I often travelled to my patient to perform whatever procedure they needed. After a while, I actually began doing doctors without borders, spent some time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, the Congo, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, India and in a few months, I'll be spending about 2 months working in Angola, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia and Iran. I'm very excited."
"Wow," was all Fitz could say.
"Yep."
"And they still haven't figured out how you became a savant."
"When I was a John Hopkins, some scientists thought that a mutation that allowed parts of my brain like the entorhinal cortex which controls memory to be further developed than a normal person, others think I was injured while in the womb and that's how I became a savant."
"It seems like in life, you got a good deal," he teased.
"I wouldn't say that, it's not all good. I had dyslexia, well, have."
"You do?"
"Yea, but that doesn't affect me, I wouldn't say I'm cured but I can't detect it anymore. I also suffer from extremely painful migraines."
"Migraines?"
"Yep, they are random but when I get them I pass out, I vomit, I get dizzy, I'm sensitive to light and sound, like if hear anything even a whisper, it feels like someone is stabbing me in my ear with a knife. I can't tell you how many concussions I've had from falling on my head during a headache, well I can...but you get it," she chuckled.
"Is there medication that you take for it?"
"I tried everything, neuro relaxers, nerve pain medication but it doesn't help."
"I know it's random but is it frequent?" he asked.
"Yep, sometimes it can be three times a day, sometimes three times a week."
"How long have you been getting them?"
"Since I was born."
"Wow, what does your mom and dad think about your headaches?"
"My mom is dead and my dad thinks that I should suck it up because greatness comes with a price."
She paused.
"I actually became a neurosurgeon to try and figure out a way to stop it. I have been to 42 different doctors since I was born to try and figure out why I get them but no one knows so I thought if I knew everything there was to know about the brain, surely I could figure it out, after all I figured out how to heal a spine, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out how to stop my headaches, but it is. I can't stop it, I can't slow it down, I can't make them less painful, I'm powerless and I'm afraid of my own body."
"You are not powerless, you are the most amazing woman I've ever laid eyes on. Dare I say the most amazing woman in history. These headaches, if you can't stop it then embrace it. It's a part of you, it's what makes you, you - How long does it last?"
She blushed at the fact that he called her amazing.
"Anywhere from 5-30 minutes."
"Whoa, that's a really long time."
"Yes, it's very fun."
"I bet you spend the whole day agonizing over when it's coming don't you?"
"Well yea. It's really painful," she chuckled.
Fitz pushed the sheet off his legs and and hopped off the side of the bed and stood in front of her.
"You shouldn't be standing."
"I know."
"You have about 1 minute before you get dizzy and have short of breath."
Fitz shushed her.
"Don't think about it. When the headaches come you welcome it, you fight through it and when it's over you go on living your life, that's the only way it'll get easier. Alright Livie."
"Okay wise one," she teased.
"Oh shut up - hold on, here comes the dizziness."
"Told you," she said nonchalantly.
"Show off."
The nurse walked in.
"Dr. Pope, the MRI room is prepped for the president."
"Thanks Bina, we'll be there shortly."
"Please don't tell me you are bringing me to the MRI room in a stretcher," he asked as he sat back in bed.
"Yes, we are."
Later in the afternoon, after the MRI and the CT scan were complete Olivia went back to Fitz's room to give him his personality and temperament test.
"Where is your family?"
"Mellie's busy concerning herself with my Vice President, so is Cyrus and my father. Gerry has a football game, we spoke on the phone."
"Okay well then let's begin."
She took her usual seat beside his bed.
"When you walk into a room, were to you feel comfortable most, in the middle or towards a wall?"
"Middle."
"Do you often wander off mentally and seem to others as distant and reticent."
"Not when I'm working, I have been told that by family though even though."
"Are your dreams fantasy filled or are they based in reality?"
"They are mostly what I would want my reality to be."
"Would you rather go to a social event or read a book?"
"Read a book."
"When you have to speak publicly, do you get anxious?"
"No."
"Are you sympathetic towards others feelings?"
"Only people I love."
"Do you plan or are you an improviser?"
"Improvise."
"Do you make decisions based on facts or feelings?"
"Feelings, if it doesn't feel right, I probably won't do it even though I have to take facts into consideration."
Olivia stood up.
"The MRI and CT results are positive, you are healing nicely and there aren't any unforeseen complications. Tomorrow we'll work on your breathing and walking."
She was about to walk out when he grabbed her hand.
"Why are you leaving so soon?"
"Let me guess you want to perform another round of interrogation on me?"
"So perceptive you are, Dr. Pope."
He let go or her hand, confident she wouldn't leave.
"Have a seat Livie."
She hadn't given any thought to what exactly was going on between them, she knew if she started thinking she would end up overthinking and turn it into a mess. She tried not to think about the fact that he was married and just enjoy their bantering sessions. She also knew that one of the reasons he might be so flirty is because his impulse control function was temporarily impaired. He seemed to be doing fine with everything else, he showed no sign of any impairment of any kind so she knew she was just making excuses, his impulses were fine for now. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was enjoying it but she couldn't blame him because so was she.
She sat in the chair and waited for him to start grilling her.
"Have you had any headaches since yesterday?"
"Uhm no."
"Great, I was worried about that."
"You worry about me?" she teased.
Fitz ignored her comment.
"What is your favorite movie?"
"Really?" Olivia chuckled.
"Just answer the question."
Olivia shrugged.
"Every Harry Potter movie ever made, every Star Trek or Star Wars movie ever made, I'm also a huge comic book live action movie fan, every Robert Downey Jr. Movie, he is just amazing as iron man. He's my celebrity crush."
Fitz pouted.
"Why can't I be your celebrity?" He whined.
"You're a republican."
"Here we go, let me guess, you're a democrat?"
"No, I'm a-political but I've read enough history and know about the rise and fall of enough civilizations to absolutely hate politics. All it causes is a chasm between civilians."
"That's actually a fair point."
"What is your favorite thing to eat?"
"I'm addicted to food, I have no favorite thing because I eat everything."
"Favorite band."
"That's easy, the strokes."
"Favorite song?"
"Fight the power by public enemy."
"Of course."
Olivia laughed.
"What shoes size do you wear?"
"I feel like you're just asking me the questions that I've been asking you."
"Just answer," Fitz said playfully.
"I'm a size 7."
"Favorite country you visited?"
"France."
"Did you always want to be a neurosurgeon?"
"No, I wanted to be a human rights lawyer."
"What absolutely scares you?"
"Not being able to save a patient."
"What did you eat for lunch today?"
"Grilled chicken salad."
"Are you single?"
"Why do you want to know?" she asked curiously.
"It doesn't matter to me either way but I'm curious to see if you can maintain a relationship with a job like this?"
"I am single. I've actually never had a boyfriend, never had time."
"I'm really happy to hear that but I'm curious, if you've never had a boyfriend how do you get your freak on?"
She slapped his leg, she felt as if she was talking with her best friend, only she was attracted to him.
"Hey, I don't need a relationship to do that and I thought you said it didn't matter to you either way."
"Maybe I lied."
"You know I might have to keep you here an extra day to get your impulse control back in check, I'm sure pre-head injury you would be ashamed of the obvious flirt you are being right now."
"Don't be so sure."
The nurse entered.
"Dr. Pope, we need you."
She got up from her chair, a little disappointed that their conversation had to be cut short.
"Duty calls Mr. President."