"Oh, poor Izzie. Turning away patients. Boohoo," Cristina remarked to Izze as Emma walked in with the cooler as she took George's snack he just bought from the vending machine. "Thanks," she muttered. He just stood there in disbelief.
"So the police can't send a crime-scene guy down for hours, so we have to spend the night with the penis," Emma declared, taking a seat with Meredith following suit. Alex looked like he was about to say something but Meredith interrupted him with her finger in front of him saying "Alex, don't say it,"
"It was too easy," Alex said with a resigned sigh. "Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" George said. Everyone except Alex threw their hands in the air.
Emma observed Alex's confident demeanour, and a smirk played on her lips. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. Alex is the master of everything. No need for him to raise his hand when he knows it all," she retorted with a playful tone, emphasizing the irony. The room erupted in laughter, and even Alex couldn't help but crack a smile at the light-hearted banter.
"I mean, are we supposed to be learning something, because I don't feel like I'm learning anything," he said.
Izzie added her frustration, "Except how not to sleep."
"It's like there's this wall, and the attendings and the residents are over there, being surgeons, and we're over here, being..." Cristina trailed off.
Meredith completed the thought, "Suturing, code running, lab-delivering penis-minders,"
"I hate being an intern," Alex said. Bailey then walked into the corridor and everyone still sat there staring at her until she put her hands out as if saying what the hell are you doing they all heated themselves up and scurried away.
"Interns," Bailey muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she sat down to steal their snacks.
--
Emma ascended to the Nursery, where her concern for the baby lingered. Two parents, captivated by their newborn, caught her attention. Approaching them, she initiated a conversation.
"Yeah, they responded.
"He's adorable," Emma said admiring the baby.
"Thanks," they said looking at her briefly.
A nurse looked up from all the babies in the nursery and saw Emma talking to the parents.
"Oh, please," she said shaking her head.
The parents and Emma shared a moment until the nurse intervened. "You are out of line, doctor," she asserted, prompting them to turn toward her.
"She says the murmur might not be benign," the father said turning around to face the nurse.
Emma, now addressing the mother, suggested, "I think we should do an echo to check."
"This is your career," the nurse said shaking her head and turning back around and paging Arizona.
Emma assured the parents, "There is no reason to get alarmed," trying to alleviate their growing unease.
Arizona, responding to the page, opened the door and was taken aback to find Emma. The parents, now anxious, asserted, "If our baby is sick, we want him treated, now."
Arizona questioned, "Who said your baby was sick?"
"The surgical intern who has no business on our service," the nurse interjected, glaring at Emma.
"Dr. Grey, who authorized you to be here?" Arizona reprimanded Emma with disappointment.
"I was just..." Emma began, but Dr. Burke interjected, "I did."
"Can you excuse us for a second?" Burke requested, steering Emma away.
"Dr. Burke," Arizona exclaimed, fixing her gaze on him.
Burke, adopting a stern expression, addressed Arizona, "Dr. Robbins, are you interfering with my intern?"
Their eyes locked, Arizona's surprise clashed with Burke's firmness. "I wasn't aware, Dr. Burke, that your intern decided to play hero and diagnose patients without proper authorization," Arizona defended, her tone defensive.
Caught in the middle, Emma awkwardly interjected, "I was just concerned about the baby."
Arizona admonished, "You don't get to decide when and how to voice your concerns, Grey," as she stared at Grey over Burke's shoulder.
The nurse chimed in, displeased, "Dr. Burke, this isn't how we operate. You can't just override the established protocols."
Burke, displaying frustration, sighed. "I understand the need for protocols, but if a qualified intern has concerns, we address them. We don't dismiss them outright."
Arizona, crossing her arms, asserted, "This sets a dangerous precedent. We have procedures in place for a reason."
"Let's take a step back and discuss this calmly," Burke suggested, attempting to diffuse the tension. "But for now, let Dr. Grey observe the echo. If there's nothing to worry about, it'll put everyone at ease."
Arizona, still visibly displeased, reluctantly nodded and handed the chart over. "Fine. But this doesn't change the fact that we need to follow proper channels."
Burke turned to Emma. "You get your echo, but you follow the rules. Understood?"
Emma nodded, grateful for the compromise, albeit a tense one. "Understood, Dr. Burke."
As Burke read over the chart, the nurse added, "There's nothing wrong. I checked."
"You're sure? 100% sure?" Burke asked, scrutinizing the chart.
The nurse remained silent.
"How sure are you?" Arizona inquired.
"I don't know. 75%?" the nurse responded.
"Not good enough. He's my patient now. Is that okay with you, Dr. Robbins?" Burke questioned, shifting his attention from the nurse to Arizona.
"It has to be, doesn't it?" Arizona retorted, maintaining her firm stance. Burke walked away, motioning for Emma to follow.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Burke, and this is Dr. Grey," Burke introduced, shaking the parents' hands. "We're going to run some tests and give you an answer within the hour," Burke assured, crossing his arms. "Grey. Excuse me," he continued, placing his hand on Emma's shoulder.
"Yes, Dr. Burke," the parents whispered in acknowledgment.
"I want an EKG, chest x-ray, and an echo. I don't have all day," Burke instructed Emma as they walked away.
"You're a busy man," Emma remarked, referring to their previous conversation.
"I'm a busy man," Burke responded, the tension lingering in the air.
