Chapter 9
Present time
Meredith wakes up after 3 hours and decides to round on her post-op patients before checking on new ones. All her patients are doing as expected. Two can be moved to their rooms and one to the ICU. She searches for the families and gives them the update. A mother starts crying and Meredith takes her time to comfort her.
Derek is walking by the waiting area when he hears the crying and Meredith's soothing voice. She is good at the family contact. It is easy to see that she cares. She rises and tells the family once again the room numbers and starts to leave the waiting area. She sees that Derek is looking at her and she hesitates but with a deep breath she continues walking towards him. He has been watching parts of every surgery she has been performing during the night and now he is hovering.
"I am a qualified neurosurgeon. You don't need to watch my every step."
"Sorry but you amaze me."
They walk towards the elevator together in silence. When the door opens and they wait for the passengers to disembark neither one notice that Rose is one of the passengers. Rose pushes forward to reach them but they get on the elevator and the door closes before Rose has a chance to say anything.
They are alone in the elevator and it feels uncomfortable. Derek is staring into her green eyes and she stares back into his blue ones. The car stops with a ding and in walks Mark and starts laughing.
"Old times, old memories, just like old times."
They break eye contact and stares at him instead.
"What old times?" Derek asks with flushed cheeks.
"You and Grey in the elevator. That is just like the old times."
The elevator stops in the lobby and the three doctors all embark and turns towards the pit. Derek and Mark's pager goes off at the same time and both start running towards the pit.
"Are you coming Grey?"
She follows them quickly.
"ETA 7 minutes, the shooter, fell through a window after shooting himself in the head. Five more victims with different wounds ETA 8 to 10 minutes. These are the last ones." The trauma nurse reports. Derek has been on his phone the whole time but hangs up and looks around.
"Shooter will be escorted by the police at all time, keep him separated from the victims."
Meredith scrubs in to be able to asses the new patients as they arrive. Owen walks by and pulls her into a tight hug.
"Are you OK?" he asks and looks into her eyes.
"Yeah, I just had three hours of sleep."
He studies her face a little longer and can see that she is tired but not too tired. She is OK. He gives her another hug, a peck on her cheek and a smile. Derek is looking at them jealously. He envies Dr Hunt for his relationship with Meredith and wonders how close friends they are. He thought that Cristina was Owen's girlfriend. But he wasn't sure now when he saw the intimacy between Meredith and Owen and the look Owen gave Meredith.
"Where is Cristina?" Meredith asks.
"OR with Dr O'Malley, Dr Bailey and a camera team."
"Nice, she must love all the attention."
The first ambulance arrives and Owen leaps into action.
"Trauma 1, close the blinds" he orders and follows the gurney into the room.
The next ambulance is coming and he calls.
"Grey this is for you and Dr Shepherd, both spine and head. The rest follow me."
Meredith and Derek enters the room side by side. Derek does a neuro exam while Meredith listens to the paramedics and starts to evaluate the patient. X-rays are taken and CT is ordered. They can't use the MRI since the bullet is still in the neck of the patient. A large piece of glass is sticking out of his abdomen and they can't take it out without causing severe bleeding.
"OR, ASAP" Derek orders. "Are you in?"
"Yeah, the spine is probably hurt as well."
The patient is brought to the CT and Derek and Meredith grabs some coffee and a sandwich on their way to OR2. It will be a long surgery. They are both scrubbing in as the patient is transferred to the table. Both walks to the screens to evaluate the scans and make a plan of action.
"I'll start with the neck" Derek says "and then I move back along the track of the bullet to stop the bleeding.
"I'll start by pulling the piece of glass out and he will probably loose his spleen and a kidney. I'll have to start with him on his back and when I have done what is possible we turn him and you can start with the neck and I'll do the spine."