A/N: At first: I'm sorry for disappearing on all of you, but this time I have a real excuse. Or rather: I haven't done it on purpose. My laptop died on me a couple of weeks ago and there was no way I could go online, let alone post new chapters of my fanfics… I'm glad I could restore all of my data, but I'm really sorry it took me so long.

My laptop is completely dead and I'm using a "replacement" at the moment – an old one I got from my friend, but it'll has to do until I can afford a new one.

I'm really, really sorry you had to wait so long for the new chapter, but it was not my intention. I do hope you like the new one, though!

Michael Holt POV:

When Michael woke up it was already dawning. A dull light was coming into his bedroom from outside through the curtains and opening his eyes, he let out a yawn, turning to the side to look at the alarm clock.

It was still early, and his alarm would go off in about half an hour, but he knew he couldn't sleep any longer anyways, so he could as well get up, get dressed and maybe get some breakfast before going to the hospital.

Memories of last night started flooding his mind, and when he turned around again, to fumble for Addison, he noticed that her side of the bed, or rather the side of the bed she slept last night, was empty. He was alone.

Sitting up, he turned on the light, blinking a few times until his eyes were used to it, before he got off the bed and stretched.

Had Addison left?

Did she regret spending the night here?

Had she went home?

Before he could think about it any more, he heard sounds from his kitchen. Clearly the coffee maker.

Making his way out he saw Addison standing there, leaning against the counter with nothing on her body but one of his shirts.

"Good morning," she smiled when she saw him, waiting for him to come over, which he did immediately.

"Good morning," he replied, looking down at her and fighting back the strong urge to touch her. To pull her close and kiss her. He had no idea where exactly they were standing right now, even though she had told him she wanted to explore this thing further, but were they a couple because of it?

Were they friends with benefits?

"I hope, I didn't wake you up," Addison apologized, stretching her arms enough, so she could put them around Michael's waist.

His shirt was way too big for her, the long sleeves reached over her fingers, but it looked so absolutely cute on her that Michael couldn't help but smile when she leaned against his chest.

"No, you haven't, don't worry..."

Gently, he grabbed her face, leaning down and capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"My shirt looks good on you..."

Smiling back at him, Addison looked down to her feet before looking back up.

"So... does that mean I can keep it?"

"Sure... why not?" Michael replied. "I just think for hospital, you should probably wear something else..."

"Very funny!" Addison smirked, turning to the coffee machine and taking the cup she obviously had placed underneath it beforehand.

"But about that... can you do me a favour and let me out at my hotel before we go to the hospital? I need to get fresh clothes, or everyone will know I haven't spent the night at my own place."

"So?" Michael grinned, watching her take a sip of the coffee mug, before he grabbed it from her hands and took a sip himself.

"Hey, that's mine!" Addison protested.

"But it's my coffee machine, so technically speaking, it's mine," he disagreed, handing her back the mug.

"Anyways... I need to take a shower now and afterwards we should already be on our way..."

For the first time in quite a while Michael felt almost normal. Like he could finally have the life he always dreamed about. With a woman he really liked and a job he was good at and he loved.

"Okay... What do you say I'll prepare breakfast until you're done, then?" Addison suggested.

"You don't have to do this... really, Addison... it's okay," Michael replied, but couldn't help the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. And the warm feeling that surfaced down there and filled his whole body.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. You have a big day ahead of you, so you should eat something." Addison gave back.

Nodding his head, Michael leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips one more time.

"Thank you."

He turned around, making his way to the bathroom and stepped into the shower once he got rid of his shorts and t-shirt. He was still quite nervous about today, hoping from the bottom of his heart that the surgery would be a success. It just had to be. Jackson had to be okay.

Knowing that he was the one to achieve this goal for him, made him feel good in some way, because finally he could start making up for all the things he had done to Jackson, but it was also a lot of pressure.

He had to believe in himself. He could do this and he would.

Making his way towards the OR alongside Addison and Amelia, Michael felt the nervousness wash over him again. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and his nerves were on edge. Knowing that Catherine Avery would be inside of the OR every step of the way made going in there almost impossible.

"Ready, Dr. Holt?" Amelia asked once they stood in front of the OR, and only a few seconds later Jackson got wheeled in.

"As ready as someone can be," Michael replied, his voice shaking with emotions.

"You can do this," Addison tried to comfort him, grabbing his hands and squeezing them.

"Do your magic... I'm sure Jackson will be just fine..."

"And I'll be here to assist you," Amelia agreed. "Trust me... I know what I'm doing and so do you. It's gonna be okay."

A small smile crossed Michael's lips.

"Yes, it is..."

"I'll be at the gallery watching you," Addison promised, giving him one last smile before turning around.

"Let's get started..." Michael said, turning back to Amelia and opening the door.

They washed their hands in silence, put on their gloves and then they moved into the OR, where Catherine Avery was already standing next to the nurse anaesthetist, watching the monitor with Jackson's vital signs.

"Good morning, Dr. Avery!" Michael greeted her politely, before he took his place at the operation table and Amelia stood next to him.

"Good morning, Dr. Holt. I hope, you're prepared for Jackson's surgery," Catherine said in a very patronizing manner and Michael had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He had to remind himself that the woman was going through a lot, and he really needed to have some sympathy for her.

So he simply said "Of course", before he placed the light in the right direction.

He took a quick glance up to the gallery, noticing, that it was literally full. There were so many people here, some he knew, some he didn't even know, but they were all there for Jackson. To look after him. To make sure he was going to be okay.

It weighted heavy on Michael's shoulders, but he knew he had to do this. He was the only one who could.

His eyes searched for Addison's and when he found them, he felt better immediately, giving her a smile that was only for her. He knew she would know it and having her here to support him meant the world to him.

"Ready, Dr. Holt?" Amelia's voice came to his ear and immediately, Michael nodded.

"Ready!" he confirmed. "Scalpel!"

Steven Avery POV:

Steven Avery's proudest and biggest achievement was his two sons. Despite the many ways in which he failed to prove it he loved both of them wholly and completely.

Not equally, though. It took him a long time to finally admit that to himself, but the truth was something he could no longer run away from.

Lewis was his first born and was the child that ushered Steven into adulthood. Made him realize that his life was more about than just what he wanted. He now had a responsibility; to protect this little person who relied on him for everything.

He had so many plans and so many hopes.

Lewis was learning to walk. One wobbly leg in front of the other he tried to stand only to find himself flat on his butt time after time and sitting crossed legged facing the little boy Steven smiled and held out his hands.

"Come on, champ" he said "come to daddy"

Lewis would stand up once more and after an attempted step he would fall again.

"That's okay" Steven smiled "let's just try again"

Just as the little boy made another attempt Catherine had come walking into the room. She was in her second year as an attending and she spent more times than not at the hospital.

"What's going on?" she asked and upon seeing his mother a wide smile crossed Lewis' face and for the first time ever Lewis began to walk. He had made it four steps towards his mother before the woman yelped in delight and ran over to pick up her son.

"Did you see that, Steven?" she yelped "Our little boy just took his first steps"

Standing up Steven knew better than to show his disappointment. Lewis had taken his first steps and that was a happy day. The fact that it had only been for Catherine shouldn't matter.

The problem was, it did. Most things Lewis did were for his mother. His first smile, his first word, and now even his first steps. So many times Steven could do nothing more than stand in the background as his son and wife formed a bond that he couldn't seem to share.

Just like Catherine, Lewis was somebody who enjoyed diligence and order. Just at the tender age of 3 the boy organized all his toys after he was done with them. He could sit for hours and not make a sound.

Even at 27 Steven loved the constant hum of noise and as more times passed the disconnection between he and his son only grew.

So one night, on he and Catherine's 10th Anniversary, the woman told Steven she was pregnant...again.

He was happy; thrilled even, but the fear that he would watch another kid slowly drift away from him nagged at the back of his mind.

Steven could see his youngest as he was wheeled into the OR surrounded by people he loved and who loved him back. He could feel his son's lifeline fluctuate and knew that the boy could be gone from that world and soon.

He blamed himself for this. He knew the troubles he had left and knew that Jackson was punished for the brunt of it.

Steven was in the hospital room when Catherine gave birth. This one seemed much more taxing than Lewis and the effort on Catherine's part was all over her face. She was sweaty and the pain showed in how tight she gripped his hand.

"Something's wrong, Steven" she told him "it shouldn't be like this"

"It's okay, honey" Steven soothed "just a few more pushes and it's over"

"St-Steven" she said before her eyes rolled in the back of her head and the heart monitor started beeping excessively.

"Catherine!" Steven yelled "Catherine!"

Then there were doctors pushing him out the way as they surrounded her and there was so much blood. More than enough to be normal.

Catherine was right. It had been a difficult birth and in bringing their second child into the world the woman had almost lost her life.

It shook Steven that he could lose Catherine so quickly.

The baby had been delivered healthy, but Catherine would need a blood transfusion.

"Mr. Avery?" A nurse said as he stood in the waiting room "would you like to go and meet your son?"

At first Steven thought she was mistaken. He had a son; Lewis and he had met him the first day he was born.

It was only after he cleared the thoughts of Catherine away that he surmised the woman meant the baby that was just born. He had been alive for 6 hours and no one had gone to visit him. Steven kicked himself mentally for not doing it.

He scrubbed and gowned up before entering the nursery. The boy didn't have a name yet, but such details seemed unimportant right now. Walking over to the baby labelled Avery he leant down and picked him up.

Perfectly brown and so small. Steven smiled down at the kid. Once the baby opened his eyes Steven saw that their eyes were exactly alike. A striking green and for a moment it kind of unnerved him.

It was when the little boy smiled at him. Open mouthed and so full of happiness that Steven knew he lost his heart that very second.

"Hey" Steven smiled "I'm your dad" he put his index at the boy's stomach and the laugh he got in return filled him with so much happiness. When Steven felt his son grab his finger an unexpected tear came to his eye.

In 10 seconds he felt closer to this little boy than he ever had to anyone else.

Steven was able to get everything from Jackson that he wasn't able to get from Lewis. In a life that found him to be a disappointment in most people's eyes he was a hero in Jackson's.

He could never be the surgeon his father wanted him to be, or the husband that Catherine had deserved. Looking down as his son going through a life-saving surgery Steven wondered if it had been a genetic inevitability. A part of him that marked itself onto his youngest son and forced the boy to continue where Steven had given up.

Maybe that was why Lewis never connected. Even as a child he could sense that something was wrong with his father.

Steven had started teaching Jackson how to cook at 5. He'd let the boy stand on a small step ladder in front of the stove while Steven stood behind him.

"Now remember, Little Man, no touching the stove" Steve always warned and turning around Jackson would look up at him and smile.

"I know, Daddy" and turning back around he would wait for instructions.

"The most important thing is putting in just the right amount of spices" then grabbing the salt he put a healthy dose in his hands before throwing it into the pot.

"My turn, my turn" Jackson said eagerly and held out both hands. Putting a small amount into the boy's palm Jackson quickly threw it in.

"Excellent" Steven smiled "I knew you would be a natural at this"

Steven heard Catherine and Lewis walk in the front door and turning around the two walked into the kitchen to greet Steven and Jackson.

At 8 Lewis was already getting the shoulders of Steven's own father. Wide and muscular. He would be a strong, stocky guy where Jackson had taken after Steven in almost every facet.

He had his father's small shoulders and lean physique. The most important thing Lewis had was Catherine's stare. Piercing and at times uncomfortable. It made Steven feel as if he was doing something wrong.

"Steven" Catherine sighed "what have I told you about having Jackson near the stove?"

"I'm watching him" Steven responded "he's my little chef"

"Little chef" Jackson repeated with a grin.

Sitting her purse on the table she went to rub Jackson's head, but Steven saw the moment of hesitation. It was as if, for just a moment, she was afraid he would bite her.

It had been that way since Jackson was born. With Lewis her love came freely. She showed her affection in hugs, kisses, and encouragement.

Jackson on the other hand. She kept an invisible distance between the two. It wasn't that she didn't love Jackson. Steven knew she did, the same way he loved Lewis, but with Jackson everything seemed robotic. She did the things a mother should do, but nothing she ever particularly wanted to do.

Lewis was always her first choice to take with her when she went out, or when she talked about her kids Lewis was always the first one mentioned.

A part of Steven knew that Jackson, even at 5, could pick up on it.

The horrible part, the part that Steven hated himself for, was that he kind of liked it. It made his distance to Lewis normal. If Catherine could feel that way towards Jackson maybe Steven feeling that way towards his oldest son wasn't so unusual.

Of course no family could survive when it was split down the middle.

Eventually, with Catherine excelling in her surgical career and Steven only doing enough to advance, the tension with his father bled over into his marriage and the fights became too common.

Their sons had no choice but to choose sides and by doing so their relationship became strained. After his botched surgery and revocation of his license Steven bolted.

Ran as far away as he could with the only thing that made him happy.

Jackson.

Steven knew now that he should have stayed. Got the help for the depression he was slowly falling into, but he didn't and seeing Jackson's life hanging in the balance convinced him more than anything else.

At 11 Jackson was taken to Georgia with his father and the two tried to build some sort of life. Steven had gotten custody of his son with little resistance and once Steven had moved into a two story townhouse he enlisted Jackson in school and he got a job as a medical adviser for a local hospital.

The first year had been pretty great. During the week Jackson went to school and Steven worked until his son's return back home. They'd cook together and Steven would ask his son about his day.

It felt like Steven could build something there. Without the failures of his past looming over him.

Then the article came.

Medical Today, the largest medical journal in the country, had written an in-depth article about the great Harper Avery. It was supposed to be a puff piece to celebrate the man's surgical history and the creation of the Harper Avery Award. Instead it eviscerated Steven as the failed son of the greatest living surgeon.

Steven Avery had suddenly been a pariah and his father had let him know in no uncertain terms that he blamed Steven for working on a woman who was ill-prepared for a medical procedure and bled out on his table.

Soon after the drinking had started and as the days became weeks and the weeks became months Steven fell into despair that he couldn't seem to get out of.

"Dad" Jackson asked as he came home from school and saw his father, not for the first time that week, passed out on the couch.

"Hey, little man" Steven slurred "come here" and sitting up Steven had felt a rush of pain in his head. Walking over Jackson sat next to his dad and slinging an arm around the boy's neck and pulled him close and kissed the top of his head.

"How was school?"

"Fine" Jackson responded and Steven could hear the disappointment in his son's voice. It broke his heart a little more each time. Unlike with his own dad, or with Catherine, or even the looks he got from Lewis Steven knew Jackson wouldn't judge him.

"I can go start dinner" Jackson said as he stood "does meatloaf sound okay?"

"Sounds great" Steven told him. Jackson had become such a great cook. He had taken up his father's love for food and on these days when Steven could barely get out of bed it was Jackson who helped keeping him going.

Looking down on his son, Jackson was flat lining and Catherine was getting rushed out of the OR. He wanted so much for Jackson, and to see the path he had taken hurt Steven more than he could say.

On the day Steven took his life Jackson finally yelled at him. Steven had promised to chaperon a trip to one of the local zoos and it was something Jackson had been looking forward to.

Yet, Steven had drank the night before and getting up and leaving the house seemed an impossible task.

"You promised dad!" Jackson yelled "come on"

"I can't little man" Steven said "I'm sorry"

"Whatever" Jackson told him as he grabbed his book bag and headed out the door. The past year and a half Steven had forced Jackson to grow up much sooner than he should have. It had been almost a year since either Steven or Jackson had seen any of their family and keeping Jackson away had been a mistake.

Steven hadn't even been aware of what he had been doing as he took the bottle of pills and held tight to one of Jackson's shirts.

Something positive to leave the world with.

It had been a selfish act that had caused a lifetime of damage. Jackson was no longer a child that Catherine knew and the thought of trying to reconnect with him was too much for the woman to deal with and a week after Steven Avery's suicide Jackson was sent off to Paris with two suitcases and a promise to call constantly.

It was another promise broken, however, and for a scared teen who wanted so badly to belong to something he found that in a guy who charmed him and gave him the attention Jackson desired. That led to a lifetime of one bad decision after another.

Now his son was dying and Steven could do nothing but watch and pray that Jackson got the second chance he never did.

He heard the man approach before the voice drifted over to him.

"D-dad, is that you?"

Turning around Steven smiled "Hey there, little man"

Lewis Avery:

Lewis was nervous. More than just nervous and he was sure, everyone in the gallery could tell. He had always been good in hiding his feelings, but today he wasn't able to hide anything.

He wanted Jackson to be okay. Needed Jackson to be okay.

He almost couldn't believe how many people had showed up here for Jackson's surgery, though.

He hadn't known that Jackson had so many friends, and he didn't even know some of the people that were sitting in the rows on the chairs now.

He looked around, noticing Mark's shaking hands.

He was sitting in between Derek Shepherd and another guy Lewis didn't quite know, but it wasn't like he had made many friendships since he arrived here.

Behind him, there were Callie and Arizona, so Mark was surrounded by people he loved and trusted. Derek even had one of his hands on Mark's wrist, whispering soothing words to him.

"It's gonna be okay..." Lewis heard Derek say and god, how he hoped the Neuro Surgeon would be right.

"I still don't trust him, Derek... what if he does something that makes Jackson worse?" Mark replied, and Lewis couldn't blame him for his doubts.

Not that they were justified, but Mark didn't know Michael the way Lewis did. He didn't know what a great guy he was, and he most likely would never. There was no way Mark and Michael would ever be something like friends.

"He won't," Derek assured him. "Because he knows no one would ever forgive him if he did something that harms Jackson. Besides, my little sister will take good care of him. You know she's good and you know without her I couldn't have operated on that woman back then..."

"Yeah, but she died anyways," Mark replied, and Lewis could tell that it was like a punch in the stomach for Derek. It was written all over his face.

"But this had nothing to do with us. Or the fact that the surgery wasn't a success. We did remove the tumour," Derek defended himself. "But it had already spread and there was nothing I or Amy could have done to prevent this."

"Could you please stop talking about people dying now?" Callie bumped in.

"I understand that you're nervous, we all are." Gently, she placed her hands on Mark's shoulders and rubbed them. "But remembering surgeries that didn't work out in the end doesn't help now, does it? Shouldn't we rather be thinking positive?"

"Wow," Arizona blurted out. "And that coming from you." A small smile crossed her lips when she grabbed one of Callie's hands. "But she's right, Mark... just... hope and pray that everything's gonna be alright."

"It will be, or I'm gonna kill this Doctor Holt with my own bare hand. Just watch me," another woman Lewis didn't know quite yet said, causing everyone to look at her.

"What? He's been one of my residents and even though I don't know him as long as Karev or Grey, he's still family." She turned to Alex to look at him.

"How's Kepner, by the way?"

"As good as she can be in her situation," Alex replied, looking pretty sad all of a sudden. "I just went to see her and our little daughter before I came here."

"She still doesn't have a name?" Addison asked with a sigh, looking at Alex. "Don't you think it's time you gave her one if April isn't able to?"

"I can't do that... I've already taken the privileges of being the first one to hold her or feed her away from her. I can't take that, too." Alex replied, and Lewis couldn't help the tightness in his chest. Alex probably had it worse than everyone else in this room with having to worry about two people he loved. Three if you counted his daughter, even though she was out of the woods.

"He's starting the surgery," Richard Webber's voice drew all attention back down to what was happening in the OR and literally the same moment Lewis felt Tyler grab his hand and entwine their fingers.

Leaning against his shoulder, Tyler started whispering in his ear.

"He's gonna make it, baby... You trust Michael, and if you do, I do too... I know he can do this..."

Holding onto his hand tighter, Lewis pulled him as close as he could to his body, just hoping he was right.

He watched every move Michael made, watched every hand movement as closely as he could. Not that he had any idea about neurosurgery, and even if Michael did make a mistake, he probably wouldn't recognize it, but he still needed to be there as close as possible.

Catherine Avery was talking to him, but since they had turned off the loud speaker they couldn't hear what she was saying.

What he could tell was that his mother was unsettling Michael. That she was making him nervous and uneasy. Lewis could see it by the way he was moving, by the way he was looking.

"She shouldn't be in there..." he said louder than he intended to.

"She's not doing any good in there... she's alienating him."

As if on command, the next second, Michael made a too quick move, and then there was blood and then Jackson started coding.

"Oh my god!" Lewis blurted out, feeling his heart break in this moment.

"I can't do this!" Arizona blurted out. "She can't be in there or this surgery won't go the way it should. I need to get down there and get her out of Holt's OR."

"I'm going," the dark skinned doctor bumped in, watching Richard Webber who nodded towards her.

"I know exactly what is going on in there and she might not listen to a stranger, but she will definitely listen to me..."

And before anyone could react, the little woman was already out of the door, while everyone else's attention went back to Michael and Amelia, desperately trying to repair the damage they - or rather Michael - obviously had done and to get Jackson's heart to beat again.

Michael Holt:

Michael couldn't believe he had manoeuvred himself into this situation. With Catherine Avery in his OR literally telling him what to do or not to do without even having all the skills she needed to perform such a surgery herself.

If she had, there was no way in hell she would have let Michael operate on Jackson.

Still, her standing so closely, watching his every move made him feel very uneasy, but as long as she was just watching, he could deal with it.

At least that was what Michael kept telling himself.

It was what helped him be calm enough to make a safe cut and when the sound of the burr came to his ears he knew the main part of the surgery would begin.

He had to drill a hole into Jackson's head and drain the blood from there, but if he drilled to deep, there could be major damage done, so he just needed to be very precautious.

"Careful, Holt, or you destroy his optic nerve and he could go blind," Catherine's voice came to Michael's ear and it took a lot of him not to snap at her.

"I'm aware of that," he calmly said. "This is not the first time I'm doing this procedure and I'm not an intern or anything like that. You can trust my abilities."

Carefully, he guided the burr deeper, trying not to let Catherine Avery get to him.

"You sure, you know what you're doing?" Catherine asked, and Michael took a deep breath, silently counting to three.

"I am. I know what I'm doing," he assured her, knowing when he had reached the point he wanted.

"Done!" he said, pulling back the burr and handing it to Amelia.

"Can I have the telescopic tube now?" he asked and was handed it by Amelia.

"Careful with that thing, don't push it in too fast..." Catherine Avery instructed Michael, and as much as he wanted to stay composed, he felt he was losing his nerves.

"Please... would you stop talking now? I need to concentrate, and I can't do that if you're babbling the whole time..." It was already hard enough to do this surgery on someone he knew. Jackson in particular. Now she added a lot more pressure to it by thinking she could tell him his every movement.

For a couple of seconds it was quiet, really quiet in the OR, and Michael thought she had understood finally. And that he was really able to calm her down enough to trust him. But he was wrong.

The moment he started putting in the tube to drain the blood and the swelling from Jackson's brain, Catherine started talking again.

"Not so fast, you need to do it slow and steady."

And with that it happened. Michael was lacking in concentration for a moment and when he pushed the tube in further, he knew he hit a spot he shouldn't have and then there was blood in the tube when there shouldn't be blood and then Jackson's vitals went down and he was coding.

"What have you done? Are you trying to kill him?" Catherine screamed and now it was Amelia to speak up for him.

"With all due respect, Doctor Avery, but Dr. Holt is trying to save your son's life. Which he can't do as long as you're here distracting him. You should better leave the OR:"

"What?" Catherine stared at her in obvious shock.

"You have no right to talk to me like that."

"And you have no right to even be in here. There is a reason doctors aren't allowed to operate on their families, and being in here is almost as bad as operating yourself." Amelia gave back.

"If I had done the surgery, Jackson wouldn't be coding right now," Catherine shouted and then there was another voice in the mix, and it became more and more impossible to concentrate.

"Stop it!" Miranda Bailey had entered the OR.

"Both of you, just stop it. Jackson is fighting for his life right now and all you do is scream at each other? Really?" She grabbed Catherine's arm.

"You! Out here! Now!"

"NO!" Catherine fought back, trying to get away from her, but she had a very strong grip.

"Yes! I know exactly how you feel; I've been there, even though it wasn't my son on the operation table... But I also thought I had to be there and watch out so no one makes a mistake... It was Jackson in the OR and he made a mistake because I distracted him. And the next thing he did was throwing me out of the OR... which is exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm getting you out of here." Miranda said.

"But I don't wanna go." Catherine declined, trying again to get Bailey to let go, but she had already dragged her towards the door.

"Do you want your son to survive?" she asked.

"Of course" Catherine immediately replied.

"See... then you need to get out here and let Dr. Holt and Dr. Shepherd do their jobs." Miranda replied, and obviously Catherine finally started listening to her.

Michael had tried to stop the bleeding while everything went down, but as soon as Catherine was out of the OR he felt like he was able to breathe again.

Together with Amelia he managed to stop the bleeding, just hoping he hadn't done any irreparable damage to Jackson's brain with the mistake he had made. A mistake that wouldn't have happened had he not let Catherine Avery distract him that way.

"We have a heartbeat again," Nurse Eli, who had tried to reanimate Jackson the whole time, finally said.

"BP is raising either."

"Thank god... Michael replied. "That can't happen again."

"And it won't... Amelia replied, and placed her hands over Michael's, only then noticing that they were slightly shaking. "Let me help you," Amelia softly said and together they slowly pushed in the rest of the tube to get to the swelling that was caused by a blood clot in Jackson's brain.

He could do this, and Michael never thought he would be so thankful to have a Shepherd with him in the OR. The woman was good and he knew together with her he could finish the surgery without further complications.