AFTERMATH
AN: Thanks for all the reviews. And if you want a disclaimer, check the prologue.
CHAPTER FOUR
- San Francisco General Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 2016 -
Addison Montgomery-Sloan was everyone's best friend. She was Carol's maid of honour at her and George's wedding, and she also happened to be the best neonatal specialist in the country.
Right now, she was in San Francisco, with George O'Malley, and she was finding out exactly what had happened to Carol's 14 week premature child.
"Doctor Sloan, thank God you're here," came the voice of Doctor Jason DeWilson, San Francisco General's Chief of Surgery.
Addison and George turned around, and walked with DeWilson in the direction of the NICU.
"When Carol O'Malley was brought in two days ago, she was suffering severe internal bleeding, brain haemorrhaging and a fractured skull, and she was also in premature labour…"
Addison put both hands up to silence the babbling man.
"Doctor DeWilson," she said in the same tone of voice that had produced the 'Satan' nickname ten years before, "Why are you telling me things I already know?"
The frustrated man quickly apologised before continuing.
"Anyway, Mrs O'Malley died during emergency surgery, not long after her baby daughter had been delivered via caesarean…"
At the news of his baby's sex, George's head snapped up.
"I have a daughter," he said in disbelief. "I'm a father…"
Addison gave George and encouraging hug before turning back to the surgeon.
"This is Doctor George O'Malley, Carol's husband. He is an accomplished surgeon at Seattle Grace, where I am based, and he will be assisting me with his daughter's case," Addison looked the chief directly in his eye, seeing he was about to protest. "No matter what you say."
Jason DeWilson had to literally step back to avoid 'Satan's Wrath'.
"Can I see my daughter now?" George asked in a small voice. "I want to meet my daughter."
- Seattle Grace Hospital, Surgical Floor, 2007 -
"Carol, what are you doing here?" George asked, as Carol Burton jumped onto his back, kissing the back of his neck passionately.
"Do I need an excuse to drop in and see my boyfriend at his work?" she asked, her babyish voice echoing through George's head.
George giggled as Carol did that thing to his neck, and then turned around to grab her in a loving embrace. They had been dating for almost a year since they first met, that day of the five car pile-up, and now George was ready to take the next step.
"Where are we going?" she asked as George grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the board and down the hallway.
Reaching the indoor balcony, which was, as usual, packed with medical staff, George turned Carol around in front of him. They were standing before the most beautiful view off the balcony, with the other four interns, the Nazi and the attendings only a couple of metres away.
"What are you doing, George?" she asked, as he dropped down onto one knee.
For him, time almost stopped, the only people moving were him, his girlfriend and their friends behind him.
"Carol, ever since the day I met you, I have felt an instant connection. In the year since we have dated, that connection has only grown stronger, as has our bond and love for each other."
Carol gasped, almost knowing what was coming, and the eight people behind them gasped with her.
"George…"
"Carol, I love you, I have loved you ever since I first saw you, and I will continue to love you for the rest of our lives. I cannot imagine life without you, so… wllyoumarryme?"
The last question came out of George's mouth so quickly; even Meredith could not understand him. They had known each other for almost two years, and Meredith had never seen him this nervous.
"George, what did you say?" Carol asked, leaning closer to him.
"Carol, I said…" George took a deep breath before continuing. "I said, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
Not only Carol gasped, but so did Meredith, Alex, Christina, Izzie, Bailey, Burke, Addison and Mark.
"I never thought I would see the day when George proposed," George heard Meredith whisper to Christina.
"I can hear you, Mere," George said, breaking off his celebratory kiss with Carol and placing her engagement ring on its correct finger.
While they were kissing, George flashed back to the time they first met.
Three weeks after Callie had terminated her pregnancy, George pushed her out of the hospital, and she accepted a transfer to County General Hospital in Chicago, under the supervision of Doctor Kerry Weaver.
This particular morning, three months after George had been told Callie was out of his life for good, there was a five-car pile up on the freeway, with multiple injuries.
By fate, chance or luck, the accident happened on the border between two suburbs within Seattle, bringing the most severely injured to Seattle Grace for treatment.
"Yang, O'Malley, Stevens, go to the pit. Help the hopeless interns down there sort out the patients. Send any and all critical ones up here ASAP!" Bailey yelled as soon as she had found out about the pile up. "Grey, Karev, you two get to look after the floor today, covering everyone else. Try not to kill anyone while the rest of us are in surgery!"
Reaching the pit, George, Christina and Izzie immediately grabbed gowns and ran for the trauma doors, ready to receive the critical patients being ambulanced in. On the way, George spied an attractive woman carrying a child, with a pregnant woman next to her crying wildly.
"Hi, I'm Doctor O'Malley," he told the calmer woman. "What's your name?"
"Carol Burton," she replied softly. "This is my nephew, Alex. He was hurt in the pile up. The school bus was hit by debris, and the driver crashed into the guardrail. Alex was the only one hurt, but his head is bleeding and his arm is broken."
Carol looked up into George's friendly eyes and they both instantly felt a connection.
"Can I have a look at him?" he asked gently, ready to run and page Addison Shepherd if he needed her.
The calmer woman nodded, and as George examined the young boy, he decided to take a family history.
"So, how old is Alex?" he asked, genuinely interested in this young boy's mother.
Carol looked into his eyes and gave a muttered reply. "About seven and a half, I think. He's just started the middle of second grade."
O'Malley gently pushed and prodded Alex's head wound, trying not to hurt the young boy. "Are you his mum?" he asked, still looking at the deep gash.
"No, I'm only his aunt," Carol said before gesturing to the hysterical woman next to her. "This is his mother, Noelle."
George looked at Noelle's face before turning back to Carol. "Is her birthday close to Christmas?" he asked.
"Yeah, the day before," Carol replied. "Mine is in early December, and our mother loves Christmassy names."
"Ah, that explains everything," George muttered, a touch of laughter in his voice.
Carol looked into George's eyes, not looking away when she saw the pain hidden within him.
"Why did you page me, Doctor O'Malley?"
The pair looked up as Addison Sloan walked towards them, her low heels clicking against the tiled floors, her swollen belly moving in time with her gait.
"Carol, this is Doctor Montgomery-Sloan, a paediatrics specialist. She will be helping me with Alex's case."
"So you're both looking after Alex?" Carol asked, her eyes not leaving the intern's handsome face.
"Yes, Carol," Addison replied.
"Would you like that?" George asked, still looking into Carol's electric blue eyes.
"Yes, yes I would," Carol simply said, stroking Alex's hair, still staring at O'Malley.
"I love you so much, Carol," George whispered in her ear.
"I love you too, George," she whispered back before kissing him again.
- San Francisco General Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 2016 -
"Code Blue, Neonatal ICU, Code Blue," echoed across the paediatrics floor.
Addison, George and Jason shared a quick look before running into the NICU.
"What happened?" Addison yelled as soon as she reached the crowd of attendants.
They moved far enough, one handing her the child's chart.
The first thing Addison noticed was the child's name, or lack of one.
The line read 'Baby Girl O'Malley'.
Addison turned to George, an apologetic look on her face.
"Heart beat stabilising, she's returning to normal," a NICU nurse exclaimed in a relieved voice.
They all turned to George, who just flopped to the floor, crying. He just cried and cried and cried.
OK, so George loves the daughter he never met. And Carol was just the aunt of a patient when they met. But they loved each other, that's all that matters.
Please please please read and review, and the next chapter is Meredith and Derek's conversation, or should I say, confrontation.