𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗 ━━ 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝

thirty eight | evening

"Only 54 days until Christmas."

"God, she's turned into Izzie."

Meredith lays across the foot of the bed while Cristina situates herself by the headboard. I organize white lights across the windowsill.

"Now that I have better relationships with the men in my life. . .I can finally enjoy the holidays."

"Having sex with your ex isn't a good relationship, you know."

"Well, we do. . .other things."

"Oral?"

"Anal?"

"Shut up."

At the beginning of the shift, three victims arrive through the ambulance bay: two women fighting over a wedding dress and a man who fell 12,000 feet and survived.

Mark approaches behind me as I check Rick Jacobs' limbs for further injury.

"Leven, when you hear the words gentlemen's evening, what do you think?"

"Mark —"

"My dad already told me about the chief's plans." I glance back at them. "Make sure you take a shit ton of ones."

The plastics surgeon lets out an obnoxious laugh in Derek's direction. "What did I tell you, huh? It's strippers."

"I heard we have a skydiver who fell 12,000 feet." Chief Webber enters the cramped exam room.

"That'd be me." Rick breathes out. "Hi."

He nods slowly. "Uh. . .hello." And he leans down to Bailey's level. "He's talking?"

"Clearly, he's in shock. Can't feel the extent of his injuries." The resident snatches a glance towards the patient.

"Let's get him down for a C.T.." Derek raises the side rails of the gurney.

Derek, Webber, Bailey, and I take him up to the empty C.T. room. The two attendings argue over which will get the chance to perform surgery first.

"If his intestines look like what I think they will, that's gonna take first priority."

"He could have delayed paralysis."

"This is not a contest, gentlemen." Bailey interrupts their quarrel with her own opinion. "But since a perfed bowel could kill the guy whether or not his spine's in working order, my money's on the chief going first."

The scan slowly appears on the screen.

"Well, you're all wrong." My finger points to the computer. "Looks like it's his appendix."

"We're saying this guy fell 12,000 feet, and the only thing he needs is an appendectomy?"

"Seems like it."

After returning Rick to his room, Bailey takes me in there to relay the positive — and rather surprising — news.

"You've got no lung injuries, no spinal injuries, no broken bones. You're just a lucky man."

His voice waivers in shock. "H-Holy crap."

"The only thing we found was a little bleeding in your lower abdomen. Which means we have to remove your appendix." She continues.

"How's that even possible?"

"Uh, the body's an amazing thing, you know. Sometimes, these things. . .they just happen."

Bailey hands me the chart before walking out, leaving me with the lucky survivor and his distraught skydiving instructor.

"If you had died. . .God." She visibly shakes.