Shadows

Drowning on Dry Land

I was still suturing patients when my phone rang. I grabbed it and held it to my ear.

Chris: Dakota, get Addie on the phone. I'm at the ferry crash and there's a pregnant girl here. She's not looking good.

D: Okay I'm on it.

I ran into trauma room two where Alex's Jane doe patient was. Burke, Chief Webber and Addison were looking at X-rays and scans.

"What is it Montgomery?" Dr Burke asked.

"Chris is at the ferry crash with a pregnant girl. He needs help," I said. Addison took the phone from me. I walked back out to treat patients.

Timeskip

Alex had swapped me out for 5 minutes so I could get something to eat and drink but before I got to the canteen Mark stopped me.

"Little red, we need your brain," Mark lead me to Chief Webber who was on the phone. "Chief I got something better than Boardman's Neurosurgery,"

"Montgomery?" Chief Webber asked.

"Just trust me chief," Mark said. "Burr holes, Little Red I'm sure you and Derek talked about them. You know the theory behind doing them?"

"I'm 90% sure I can," I said.

"Okay," Chief Webber said. "Stevens listen to me," Chief Webber looked at me. 

Timeskip

We moved to one of the scan viewing room.

"Now remember Stevens that drill just isn't going to stop like a neurosurgical drill. So, as soon as you feel the release in pressure, stop the drill or you'll pierce his brain," Chief Webber said.

"Even if I don't see blood?" Izzie asked.

"Trust your instincts, Stevens, trust the feel of it," Mark said.

"I'm ready. No, wait, I need to clean the drill off, one more time," Izzie said.

"You've cleaned it a dozen times Stevens, it's as clean as it's gonna get. You ready?" Chief Webber asked.

"Yes," Izzie said.

"Ok, place three fingers above the ear and two or three fingers in front of that on the side where the first pupil blew," I said.

"Got it," Izzie said.

"All right, now use the scalpel to make a vertical scalp incision down to the skull," I said.

"I see a lot of blood, a lot," Izzie said.

"Superficial bleeders, nothing to worry about," Mark said.

"Are you at the skull?" Chief Webber asked.

"Yes," Izzie said.

"Drill a hole in the middle of the incision," I said. Izzie could be heard yelling at her patient's friends.

"Ok, I'm ready," Izzie said.

"The temporal bones only gonna be a couple millimeters thick," Mark said.

"Ok, I'm in. But the dura looks fine," Izzie said.

"You're gonna have to go in again," I said.

"Frontal lobe, right?" Izzie asked.

"Just behind the hairline, a few centimetres off the midline," I said. "This bone will be thicker, about five times as thick as the temporal bone,"

"Ok, got it. Second hole down," Izzie said.

"What do you see?" Mark asked.

"I think I see...blood. I see blood," Izzie said.

"Ok, now this is important. Drill around the hole to expand the opening. You have to try and relieve the pressure," Chief Webber said.

"Ok. Ok. The hole is about 2 centimetres around now. I see blood, I definitely see blood," Izzie said.

"Try to evacuate as much of the clot as you can," Chief Webber said.

"With what? I don't have suction," Izzie asked.

"Use your finger, gauze, anything," Mark said.

"I see clotted blood," Izzie said.

"No arterial?" Chief Webber asked.

"No," Izzie said.

"Good, now how does the dura look? Is it bulging or does it look lax?" I asked.

"Looks like it's pulsating regularly with the heartbeat. That's another good, right?" Izzie asked.

"That's great, Stevens. If it's pulsating that means blood and oxygen are entering the brain. Now, pack it with gauze so you can minimize the bleeding," Chief Webber said. "Nicely done, Stevens,"

Timeskip

I walked up to the floor where the NICU was. Addison was at the nurses' station.

"Hey," Addison said. "You okay?"

"Yeah just came to see what Chris wanted?" I asked. "Is he okay?"

"By the sounds of it, he's fine. He just needed help with a lady who'd gone into labour," Addison said handing me my phone.

"I'm gonna go back downstairs," I said.

"Okay," Addison said. I walked back downstairs. I stood at the Ambulance bay next to Bailey. An ambulance rolled in with Derek doing CPR.

"What do we got?" Bailey asked.

"Jane Doe, hypothermic, drowning," An EMT began.

"She's not Jane Doe, it's Meredith Grey. It's Meredith," Derek said.

"Derek! Derek, Derek, how long she been down?" Bailey asked.

"I don't know. She's alive, she's alive," Derek said.

"Derek!" Bailey said.

"She's alive," Derek said continuing to do CPR.

"Ok, look. I need you to help me get her inside," Bailey said. "Clear a trauma bay, stat! Move it!" Bailey yelled.  Before I went to follow them Dr Bailey stopped me. "No, go help patients in the pit,"

Timeskip

Chris had arrived with the lady who was pregnant. The lady didn't make it. Addison was dealing with the lady's baby while I was cleaning a cut on his head and stitching it back up. Alex walked in.

"Any update on Jane Doe?" Alex asked. He'd pulled a patient out of the rubble at the crash.

"She's holding steady for now. Anybody claim her yet?" Addison asked.

"No, she's still a Jane Doe," Alex said before he paused. "I'd notice,"

"What?" Addison asked.

"If you went missing, I'd notice," Alex said before he turned to leave. Chris and I looked at each other before looking at Addison.

"You know we're not the most clued-together people but we'd notice too," Chris said. My pager went off. I ran off. Cristina and I ran into each other.

"You got the page too?" I asked. 

"Yeah," Cristina said. We walked down to the ER. Alex, George and Izzie were standing at the door. George looked close to tears.

"It's Meredith?" Cristina asked.

"Yeah," Alex said.

"Are you sure? Did you see her? Because it could be..." I began.

"It's Meredith," Alex said grabbing my arm.

"She will come through this," Izzie said.

"You don't know that," George said.

"She will come through this," Izzie said.

"People die," George said.

"I know people die. People die in front of us everyday. But I believe Meredith will survive this. I believe...I believe...I...I believe in the good. I believe that it's been a hell of a year and in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we will all be ok. I believe a lot of things. I believe that...I believe that Denny is always with me. And I believe that if I eat a tub of butter and no one sees me the calories don't count. And I believe that surgeons who prefer staples over stitches are just lazy," Izzie turned to George. "And I believe that you are a man who made a terrible mistake marrying Callie. And I believe that because I am your best friend I can tell you this and we will be ok. I believe even though you made this mistake you will be ok. I believe we survive, George. I believe that believing we survive is what makes us survive," Izzie said. "She's gonna be ok,"

"I can't stand here," I muttered to Alex. He nodded as I walked away.