Stitches of Life

Break on Through

Chapter Twenty: Break on Through

"Fair hours! Fair wages! Fair hours! Fair wages!" The nurses chanted as they crowded around the hospitals entrance, many of them carrying signs. I stood a few feet away, watching the striking nurses with Izzie and George.

"Can't...can't cross the picket line." George shook his head as he eyed everyone. "I can't."

"I don't like it either, George, but what choice do we have?" Izzie told him. "Okay, you took an oath to heal. You're a healer."

"My dad's a truck driver. Mom's a teacher." George informed us. "The evening news shows me crossing a picket line, they'll outlive me just to pee on my grave."

"George, be realistic." I rolled my eyes.

"Has there been any blood yet?" Cristina asked as she ran up behind us, wrapping her arms over George and Izzie's shoulders. "I hear they brought in scab nurses."

"I think the nurses know that we are on their side." Izzie said. "Don't they?"

"We're doctors. We have sick patients inside." Cristina reminded her. "I mean, we have surgeries."

"Okay." Izzie nodded. "Then you go first."

"Fine." I agreed as Cristina nodded.

"Screw it." Cristina said as she began to walk forward with me right behind her. As we walked balls of paper and food were thrown at us by the angry nurses. I just did my best to ignore it, keeping my head forward as I walked. "Yeah, doing our job. Doing our job. Ha, ha."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"That's him, that's him." Cristina slapped my arm after an older doctor walked past us as she, Izzie, Alex, and I stood at the nurse's station, looking through charts.

"Enough hitting." I warned her.

"He's published twice, and he's flawless." Cristina didn't even seem to register my words as she looked between Izzie and I.

"Oh, I don't want that guy." Izzie shook her head. "That guy's a freak. He doesn't let you speak in the OR."

"Yeah, but he's flawless." Cristina sighed.

"I think it's him. What's his name again?" Alex asked.

"Oh, yeah." Cristina nodded. "Mouth breather guy. But he'll let you do a procedure on your own if he likes you."

"What are we doing?" Meredith asked as she joined us.

"They're all trying to figure out Bailey's replacement." I informed her.

"Yang, Stevens, Watley, Grey, O'Malley, Karev!" We all looked over to the stairs to find a very energetic looking woman hurrying down them, a smile on her face. "Here you are. I was looking for you guys in the locker room, but you weren't there. And then I thought, well, maybe my interns are looking for me too. And then I come out here, and here you are. Yeah, you guys look like a great group, which is awesome. Because my horoscope said it was gonna be a very challenging day, and I was a little worried, but, no. You guys...yeah. You look like a good group. Which is great, 'cause we're gonna have so much fun. Hi! Hi. First of all, hi."

"Ow!" Cristina's eyes widened as the chipper woman pulled her into a hug.

"Sorry. Am I hurting you?" The woman jumped back.

"Uh, no, you're touching me." Cristina shook her head.

"I'm Sydney Heron, fourth year, and, uh, my philosophy, uh, just so you know, is, um, is heal with love." She introduced herself to us. "Okay. So, wonderful. So Alex, Izzie, Meredith, Bethany, Cristina- and our little group is just missing-"