His wife had left.
Addison left, Mark left.
Derek and Preston were in damage control.
He didn't want some black scrub-wearing stranger coming in and tweaking HIS hospital.
Damm fools, what was a man to do.
Miranda was five years off being ready, and then their was her children, she had said not until her youngest was in school, then patted her belly. So he supposed she was pregnant again.
So he did what knew well, a trait he wished he didn't have, but had demonstrated over and over in his personal life and career. He went back on his word, un-tendered his resignation to the board.
He'd wait see if one of his boys could get it together, overcome this year. Maybe Derek and Meredith would be tougher than he gave them credit for. Maybe Preston would learn from his mistake and learn some humility and openness as a leader. Mind you it would be a bit of a pain if they both pull it off, then he'd have to bloody chose again. If neither of them could, well maybe he'd have to lean on Miranda a bit, he could do five, but not ten years.
Joint Chiefs of Surgery – Derek Shepherd, Preston Burke Sept 2008 – March 2010
Compromise, cooperation.
Well who would have thought.
But it worked, well for a while.
It was their idea. Well maybe those women of theirs suggested it. But they mulled over it, formulated the plan, convinced the Chief and took it to the board.
Two attendings, married to two residents. Which everyone could swallow better than two attendings screwing two interns, it was also a lot more palatable when marriages were only between them and the days of mistressing behind them.
Two highly regarded, amazingly skilled surgeons. In the end they got everyone to focus on that angle. On their competency and skills, on their natural leadership ability. Which, ok they could agree had temporality gone missing in that crazy year of THE interns. Stability in their private lives had returned them to their rightful place as those to be looked up to. Even Bailey was re-inspired, not that she was ever letting on to them, they could be too damn arroganty and "leany" for her liking anyway.
Anyway, once the messy private lives and lapses in judgement were forgiven and forgotten. Once their hoops were jumped. They seemed naturals for the role again. But both men had come to acknowledge the high price that may be paid for the role. The impact on their personal lives, the reduction in the thrilling adrenal pumpoing surgery time, the additional paperwork. None of that was appealing. But the power, ah the power, they could smell it.
So they were conundrummed . Should they, shouldn't they.
So they got a little shove, from four itsy tiny, but highly skilled little hands. Share, cooperate, jointly where whispered in their ears, softly and subtly.
But how, how would it work, who would do what? Once they were focussed on the mechanics, those women of their's stepped back, their work was done. They were highly intelligent men, they had it from here.
And so the plan was hatched, the job was shared. It was a win for all. The hospital retained the bulk of their time for income generating surgeries. They about halved the paperwork and administration between them. Residents and surgeons had unprecedented access to the Chiefs time.
And just like they say a parents love is multiplied by each child, not divided, such was the power shared.
Chief of surgery – Derek Shepherd, April 2010 – August 2010
In a bang Preston and Cristina's marriage imploded. No one saw it coming, well maybe Meredith had inklings, but like most things in their life, their disolvement was conducted privately, behind closed doors. The reasons not revealed. "no reason given"
Meredith found out sitting on her favourite stool at Joe's after her fourth Tequila and Cris's sixth wine. "was it the kids thing" Cris just shrugged, "the joint chief thing" shrug again "do you want me to pry", shrug again. Silence. "you know I just got sick of being changed, little by little, I think he did to". "Oh, ok" Meredith leans in and puts her head on Cris's shoulder. Their version of a hug. She will sympathise with her friend, but empathy fails her, for she loves the changes her relationship have wrought in her.
Derek found out as he stood in front of the OR board, hands behind his back, rocking on his heels as his joint-chief stood beside him. This was the closest to friendship he felt with the man. He had tried, their wives had tried, he even thinks Preston tried, and they were friendly, but somehow friendship eluded them. "we are getting a divorce, I have decided to leave Seattle Grace" Derek stopped rocking and turned in surprise to look at him, "I have written to the board to tender my resignation and suggest they appoint you sole chief" for once the normally loquacious floppy haired one was silent, unsure of what to say first, or next, or at all. Eventually he settled for all at once "I'm sorry, why, are you sure, when?", Preston smiled at him and his confusion and chose to answer only the last one "next week".
Derek's own letter of resignation was written a mere four months later. He had to ask his secretary to type it as his laptop had been smashed in a calculated sweep of the contents of his chief's desk a few weeks ago.
Maybe he could have had it all and made it work, he just didn't want it anymore. He was getting more than he'd ever hope for.
Chief of surgery – Monica Hahn July 2010 – Feb 2014
Competent. That's how her reign would be remembered. She enjoyed the job, but it's all it ever was. She tried to fit in, but it was hard. Even though Shepherd never really overstepped the boundaries, never forgot it was no longer his role. Still they all looked up to him and gravitated towards him. So while she enjoyed the job, she didn't love it. He had a lot of the best parts, a natural power, a natural prestige. She could have tried to dislike him, make his life hard, in the past she would have.
But despite her cold clinical exterior she too was a little secretly enamoured of the fairytale that was the Shepherd-Grey family.
Anwyay, it had been made clear to her on accepting the role, she has in it for a limited tenure. They were grooming a successor, had promised the ongoing role elsewhere.
Chief of Surgery – Miranda Bailey, Dec 2014 –
"Your late suck-ups"
"Chief you cant call us that anymore, we're either attendings or in our last year of residency"
"O'Malley did I say speak?"
"No"
"Right, I didn't think so"
"Yes Bailey"
Glare
"I mean yes Chief"
"Better"
Grey, Yang, Karev, Karev and O'Malley all look at each other and raise their eyebrows… they thought she had mellowed to them over the years, but the Nazi was back, and in charge!!
"Right now, I am looking for volunteers for the "Interns Regulation Committee" I am founding"
There was a muttering of "umm's" and "ahhs's and "busies"
"I said looking, not asking, I've looked and I've found. You lot are my Committee"
Years of ingrained training not to question her lead all of them to sit back in their chairs and simply nod.
"Right now, this is my first "tweak" as Chief, and you lot are my tweakers, understand"
Nods all around.
"Good, right you will review the current highly insufficient Intern and Residency Regulations. You will pay specific attention to the part that say "may not indulge in inappropriate behaviour""
""Inappropriate Behaviour" my foot, what a lame arse excuse of a clause, we need detail, we need rules, and we need specifics. You sorry lot are the poster children of inappropriate behaviour, so you are excellent choices to make sure we make these regulations water tight, right?"
"yes", "right", "sure thing chief", "giggle"
"Grey?"
"sorry chief, it's just you know, if you tighten it up too much you may lose excellent prospective surgeons and Dr's like us"
"exactly.. good to see you understand"
"giggle"
"GREY!"
"sorry"
"Right, now I want you to hold some workshops and brainstorm this, maybe a survey or something"
"Ok, survey, we can survey"
"Thank you Karev, but as a starting point ensure you cover: sleeping with an attending, sleeping with married members of staff , sex in on call rooms, linen closets, patients rooms, stairwells, OR's, yes Grey I do know everything, Interfering with patients equipment, relationships with patients, getting engaged to patients, giving patients names, hiding fellow surgeons injuries, keeping your baby in your husbands office instead of the daycare, appropriating banana bags for personal recovery… are you taking notes"
"um", "no", "sorry"
"well what are you sitting here staring at me for. Go Dr. And bring me the updated, detailed regulations in a week. Go"
"O'malley let go of my, what are you hugging me for"
"The Nazi's back!"