ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ ᴛᴡᴏ; ᴏssɪғʏ

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ossify 

(verb)

to make or become hardened and opposed to change 


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COMPROMISES AREN'T worth it. That's how Everett sees it anyway, especially when it comes to something like surgery, or coffee, or who's paying for the next pizza. There's no point compromising because somebody is always going to come out of it worse off, so they should just argue it out until the exhaustion takes over and someone wins.

Sometimes nobody wins.

Sitting in the conference room of the hospital, watching the stars twinkle in the distance, drinking a coffee that tastes more like water than it does caffeine, Everett Ramos does not feel like a winner.

"Derek Shepherd – multiple hand fractures with a median nerve injury." Their representative, Megan Calloway, walks around the table, listing their injuries to the airline representative who's drinking the watered down coffee like it's the only thing keeping him awake. Everett's hands sit interlocked on the table. "Arizona Robbins – open femur fracture with resultant above-knee amputation. Lexie Grey – deceased." From across the table, Meredith flinches. "Mark Sloan – deceased. This doesn't include extreme trauma."

Everett stops listening. She hasn't listened during most of this meeting. She hardly listens in any of the meetings, she just sits there and drinks coffee and watches the clock tick slowly by until somebody excuses her and she can go home. Every day, she trudges through life drinking coffee and watching the clock. And every day it gets harder.

"How is the investigation going?" Derek interrupts the airline representative.

"Have they found what caused the crash?"

"The investigation could take years." Everett looks up from her interlocked fingers. Her turtleneck feels too hot now that Hunt's cracked up the heating, clinging suffocatingly around her neck, drawing sweat down her nape that sticks uncomfortably to her hair. "That's why we want to help you put this tragedy behind you."

"I think you mean your clients would like to put it behind them," Calloway cuts in, frowning deeply at the airline representative she's been butting heads with to get them some sort of retribution. All Everett wants is to go home.

"So. I am authorised at this time to propose a one time settlement. Bayview Aeronautics takes your loss seriously." He slides the proposed settlement over to Derek first. All of them watch as Derek unfolds the paper with one hand. His eyes widen only slightly at the number written on the paper. "Now the settlement agreement must be unanimous and it releases Bayview Aeronautics from any and all other claims, known or unknown." Derek slides the paper over to Meredith, who's mouth falls open, causing Callie to lean over and try to take it from her. Both of them look severely shocked by how much is being proposed. "But most importantly it will allow you to put this painful time behind you and move on with your lives."

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