flatline [m.s]

lxxviii.

- - -
the harder the hit, the more it'll sting. that's usually the case. so we prescribe meds, ice, compression, elevation. things you do to stop the immediate pain.
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"andrew perkins hasn't signed off on her," richard shakes his head, walking from the conference room to the nurses station, as lia and owen follow him. "you disagree with him?"

"no," owen protests. "keeping residents out of the o.r until they're ready is the right approach for them, but not for cristina."

"she won't feel like herself until she's back in surgery again," lia adds. "you know yang."

"i do," richard nods. "and you want to start her on an ex-vivo heart reconstruction? i thought you were smarter than that, alivia."

"this is a once in a lifetime-" lia begins to protest.

"it is a hell of a lot of pressure is what it is," richard cuts her off.

"well, she helped me operate on- i mean, she helped me save derek shepherd with a gun to her head," lia reminds him. "i don't think that pressure is the issue for her."

"we owe her this, richard, and she needs it," owen insists. "put her back in the game."

■ ■ ■

"linda cotler, age fifty one, has been here three times in the last eight years for removal of malignant myxomas from her heart," jackson reads the chart to lia and they stand with cristina in the patient's room.

"but we won't be doing that again," linda adds.

"no, by removing atria, and hopefully all of the cancerous cells, you won't have to keep coming back here," lia reassures her, and she nods.

"hello, dr. yang," linda looks past lia to cristina. "nice to see a familiar face."

"finally, someone we know," mr. cotler sighs in relief.

"mrs. cotler was a patient of dr. burke's," lia explains, turning to cristina. "you assisted on her last myxoma removal."

"of course. of course," cristina nods, stepping forward. "hi."

"nice to see you again," linda tells her.

"well, uh, sit tight, and we'll be back in with some forms for you to sign, and then we'll take you up," lia smiles.

"thanks, dr. webber," linda nods.

■ ■ ■

"i'm sorry," mr. cotler raises his voice slightly, looking over the forms for his wife's surgery. "why is this better than what dr. burke did?"

"dr. burke's approach was conservative and correct for the first few surgeries," lia calmly explains. "this is radical and risky, but-"

"well, it sounds like it's gonna kill her," mr. cotler cuts her off.

"linda's heart wall has grown weaker with every surgery, so there are greater odds of cardiac rupture," lia informs him, maintaining her calm tone. "this may be her last chance."