Episode 3
"A famine and an outbreak" Meredith said stunned, they had heard nothing about either on the news. Not that she followed it strictly, especially on another continent, the most that was covered on US news was Europe.
"It's going to get bad" Owen forewarns, 12 deaths from a disease in the first few days didn't bode well, the fact the locals were already digging mass graves said it all.
"Arizona is strong, a leader" Richard adds trying to be positive as Cristina presses play.
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In tonight's episode: Dr Robbins and her team fight famine, disease and lifesaving surgeries with limited supplies, we get an update on Doctor Joseph's progress and how will the clinic cope when Dr Robbins becomes unwell…
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"Arizona" Callie whispers, heartbroken, her eyes fixed to the screen, next to her Teddy squeezes her hand hoping to offer comfort, while fearful for her friend.
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"Dr Robbins can you hear me" Brenda shouts shaking a limp Arizona on the floor, to no response. "Arizona" she shouts again.
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"It could be anything" Teddy reassured everyone including herself, "It could be a faint,"
"Arizona doesn't faint, I mean she never has before. What if she has cholera? What if it's not Cholera maybe it's something worse" Callie frets. "I need to go, I need to fly out"
"I'll come with you" Cristina offers, it would be the perfect excuse. She got out her phone to search for flights but Owen stopped her,
"This was filmed weeks ago, why don't we just watch" he requests calmly. Cristina sighs but does as he said and puts the phone down.
…..
"We now have no IV fluids, and no food, we have clean water and enough oil for the generator for another day. The solar panels can power the lights indefinitely." Mary reports, Arizona nods sitting at her desk,
"Okay, let's add all the extra sugar we have to the water, prioritize the weakest," Arizona decided, "we need to try and save as many as we can, we won't be able to save them all".
"I understand," Mary says solemnly.
They enter the office; Joseph is sitting up the white dressing contrasting against his dark skin.
"Joseph, how are you feeling?" Arizona asks, taking his pulse,
"Better, Arizona, have the supplies come?" he asked, Arizona shook her head,
"Not yet, but they will, so don't worry" she says smiling, "everything is going to be fine, so just focus on getting yourself healed" Arizona lies.
She leaves her office walking to the ward, for the first time they see how bad the problem has become. There are people everywhere, 3 children to a cot, adults lying on plastic sheets then blankets piled on the floor. Around the room a few empty IV bags hang,
"What are you going to do?" Lucy asks from behind the camera, Arizona hesitates to put on her PPE, a black bin bag, blue gloves and a cheap surgical mask,
"As much as I can with sugar water until the supply truck comes" Arizona says feeling powerless. The sound of crying children, groaning adults and the prayers of desperate people begging for a miracle was overwhelming,
"Arizona, we need a TOD here" Brenda called, Arizona went over, tensing, she hated calling time of deaths, especially on children, and especially on children who wouldn't have died in America, or if the supplies had come through, or the extra doctors and nurses she had been promised had shown up. Checking the small child, he looked to be about 3 but reading his notes he was born 5 years prior.
"I'm so sorry but Chiyembekezo has died" she says to his grieving mother, who lets out heart wrenching sobs, Arizona stands stiffly, walking down the ward to call another child who has died.
The camera pans out to the mass graves outside, and behind more people arriving, carrying weak limp children and their elderly. Before going back to Arizona, she looks drained, her smile gone her eyes hollow and watery, she knows without supplies all these people are dead. As the head of the hospital, she feels the pressure, she knows everyone is looking to her to stay calm, to stay positive but she has just declared 7 more children dead, and without supplies oral sugar water can only do so much, the sugar will run out soon, then they will have nothing.
Suddenly Alinfe runs in,
"Arizona there are lorries" she cries, "the supplies, they have arrived,"
A cheer goes up, Arizona nearly collapses with relief,
"I need all able adults to go and unload the supplies, Andy, cannula's, Mary bring me fluids, Precious can you get some people together and start cooking, I need everyone to have a meal. Brenda tell the truck driver to drive to the nearest phone as soon as we have unloaded, ring the government offices, and tell them we have a code red. We need aid, and hands and quick" she orders. Getting to work, as everyone rushes into action.
Quickly the two doctors begin to prioritize the children as Mary and Brenda follow putting up bag after bag of life saving fluids, then the community follows with the food. Arizona knows they only have three truck loads and that she should ration it. but right now she doesn't care. She can do her job as a doctor, using medicine to save lives.
"Arizona" Alinfe calls, "she is in pain" a young woman is there crying out, doubled over in pain, Arizona immediately knows she is septic, from her abdomen which is distended.
"We need to go to the OR now" she decides. Looking around she spots one of the new doctors,
"Patrick with me" she orders, the young doctor runs over eagerly.
They run to the OR, Mary with them "Patrick, I need you to intubate, Mary prep her stomach," Arizona ordered running to scrub,
Opening up blood spills out, Arizona swears, she needed to find the source and stop it quickly,
"Spleen" she mutters pulling back intestine, to reveal a baby's face, "Woah".
"What?" Lucy asks the camera steps forward, "it's not in the womb, its tangled in the intestine, is that even possible?" she asks.
"It's incredibly rare, Patrick get a towel ready, this baby needs to come out now" Arizona orders, quickly untangling the baby from the intestines cutting the cord, and passing it to Patrick. "I need to hear that baby cry Patrick" she shouts, "Mary suction, we have to remove as much placenta as we can and try to stop this bleeding" she directs, her voice louder, than normal with the stress she is working under,
"I can't hear any crying Patrick" Arizona says worriedly, wondering if she needs to give up on mum to save the baby, on order a cry sounds out.
"I got him Dr Arizona" the whole theatre lets out a sigh of relief.
"Good job, Patrick," Arizona praises, "Take him to the non-infectious area, and see if there is any more family to stay with him" Patrick and the baby leave the camera crew following.
A young girl was sat on the floor,
"My sister" she cries,
"She is still being operated on, but she has a baby, a boy" Patrick says kneeling down, she starts to cry,
"How can we feed a baby? We have no money, no crops" she sobs, Patrick pats her shoulder,
"I will get him milk" he offers,
"Will my sister be okay?" she asks, Patrick hesitates really wanting to lie,
"I don't know, but Doctor Arizona is the best" he promises,
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In Seattle everyone is silent, the running commentary has stopped, everyone is glued to the screen, having never seen a baby born outside the womb, and waiting for Arizona to collapse. It feels like a dark cloud hovering over what would be a promising improvement.
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"Abena" Arizona appears on screen, "Your sister Lebo is going to be okay, she came through the surgery well, you can sit with her now" she says, helping Abena to her feet, as she straightens up Abena gasps holding her stomach, Arizona quickly takes the baby handing him to Brenda who was passing,
"Abena are you okay?" she asked worriedly feeling her pulse, it was racing, Abena was sweaty, clammy.
"Yes" Abena lied, wanting to sit with her sister, Arizona ignores her gently palpitating her stomach feeling a large lump, she lifts the top, finding a huge lump protruding,
"Abena I need to examine your stomach" Arizona orders, Abena nods.
The camera cuts to Arizona once again in the OR, this time Alfine and another one of the new doctors is with her.
"What did you find?" Lucy asks from behind the camera,
"Abena has a large mass, in America I'd get a CT, MRI, Ultrasound, but here I'm going in blind. I've just excised around it, and it appears to be a large cyst, which is good, if we keep it intact, it will reduce the chances of infection. Both Abena and Lebo are sickle cell, so we need to make sure we discharge them with the tablets to help and test Lebo's baby" she lifted up the cyst, it measured nearly 20cm round which in an 8-year-old was huge.
"Okay Janet, can you close" Arizona requested, staggering back slightly,
"Arizona are you okay?" Alfine asked,
"Yeah, I need some air" Arizona said stepping out of the OR, the film crew following. Mary was in the corridor,
"Arizona, we need you" she begs, Arizona nods wiping her face, her hand shaking slightly, she took 3 steps before collapsing,
"Arizona" Mary runs over, "help, I need help" she begs, the camera stays focused on Arizona who is lying on the floor unresponsive. Lucy can be seen running off, and returns followed by Andy.
"Let's get her onto a cot" he orders, bending down and lifting his bosses limp figure and carrying her into her office which was opposite, Joseph was lying on one bed, he woke at the commotion, Andy placed her on the sofa.
"What happened?" he asked Mary,
"I don't know, she was in the corridor, I asked her for help, and she just fell", Mary explained, taking her breathing rate, as Andy took her pulse and blood pressure.
"Blood pressure is low and her heart rate fast, when did she last eat?" he asks, Mary shrugged trying to remember, she knew they'd cut staff rations trying to give the patients more food, of their dwindling food, and since the delivery had come in, she'd been in the OR for the last 10 hours.
"I do not think she has eaten today, and maybe not yesterday" Mary said slowly, "I don't think she has slept for a long time either".
"Get me the glucose solution" Andy orders, hoping the new doctors are managing the ward without him for a few moments, the 8 new members of staff couldn't have come at a better time with Joseph out and now Arizona. Mary leaves returning seconds later, squeezing sugar into Arizona's mouth.
"Arizona, open your eyes" Andy insists. Arizona groans rubbing her head,
"What happened?"
"You collapsed, you need to eat and sleep, I will be back later to check. Mary make sure she eats then I need you out here, I can send in one of the new nurses," he requests wanting the senior experienced nurse out with him.
"Send is Ester, she might be new, but she is stubborn, even more so than Arizona" Mary requests. Arizona glares, trying to sit up,
"I'm okay" she insists, as Mary pushes her down gently,
"When was the last time you ate?" Mary questions, Arizona frowns,
"What day is it?" she asks confused with everything that has gone on she feels like she hasn't gone outside for weeks, or even seen a window for days, having actively avoided looking outside to not see the mass grave, the proof of her failure.
"It is Thursday," Mary replies, Arizona nodded, that didn't really help as she didn't really know which Thursday it was or what time. In Malawi time didn't seem as important, she slept when she was tired, ate when she was hungry and worked the rest of the time.
"I don't know, before we ran out of food, but I've been cutting back," Arizona confessed. "I knew we were going to run out and well I'm probably the most nourished person here".
"Most stubborn more like" Mary replied. "People they come here for the Doctor, they come here for you. We are already one doctor down, we cannot lose another." Mary rants. "You lie I will go and get you food, then you will sleep, we have more staff now, you don't have to do it all, let us help" she ordered. Arizona frowned, tears in her eyes. "Lucy, go get her food" Mary ordered the director, allowing Clive to continue filming.
"I can't rest, when I rest, I think of her" Arizona whispered distraught, Mary sat on the bed hugging her,
"Why don't you go to her?" Mary questions gently, Arizona sighs wiping her tears,
"I can't, when Konda asked me why I didn't try to fix my broken heart I tried, but if I leave so does my funding, the new hospital won't be built, there won't be an x-ray machine, CT, MRI, ultrasound for 200 miles, no vaccination clinic, no maternal care. If I leave that all goes." Arizona rants. "I may never be happy again, but here I can save hundreds of lives; I must be a good man in a storm, the needs of many outweigh my happiness. Callie is amazing, she has moved on, and even if that doesn't work out, anyone would be lucky to have her, by now she'll be with someone amazing, and I'll be a distant memory." Arizona suddenly swayed slightly. Mary helped her rest back as Lucy returned, with Ester. Lucy handed Arizona a tray of food with a litre bottle of water.
"Right, Arizona rest, Esther make sure she eats and drinks all of that, Joseph you rest too" Mary ordered. Arizona put on her bravest smile. There was a reason Mary had sent Esther.
"Esther, you don't have a sister, or a cousin called Miranda Bailey, do you?" Arizona asked as the small nurse with a big attitude glared at her.
"No, and you're not eating, I didn't get pulled from my workload to babysit someone who should know better. Damn stubborn doctors"" Ester ranted. Arizona winced but obediently lifted the spoon as the camera cut to black.
Dr Robbins and her team of 22 medical staff dealt with over 8,756 cholera cases in just 3 months.
This episode is dedicated to the 906 lives that couldn't be saved. Most of them children.
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"She really is your twin" Alex joked to Bailey who had muttered damn stubborn under her breath several times. In response Miranda just glared at him as everyone laughed, glad of a little light relief.
"Scut Karev, a week" Bailey ordered. Alex groaned.
"I miss Robbins" he moans,
"We all miss Robbins, Karev," Bailey says, glaring at him, "And someone press play I want to see the next episode." Next to him he can feel Callie is tense. Robbins looks awful like she has lost weight which she can ill afford to lose, despite being in a sunny climate she is pale and has huge bags. It's clear Africa is taking its toll on the young surgeon.
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Arizona is having a really bad time, will it get better or worse? When will she reunite with Callie?