flatline [m.s]

lxxxiv.

- - -
i have to believe there's a way. there has to be a way to step off the carousel. start again. start fresh.
- - -

"there are fifteen ambulances on the way," owen announces to the team of surgeons as they stand in the ambulance bay, all wearing yellow trauma gowns. "maybe more to come. first one is three minutes out."

"people..." richard addresses his staff. "people... our own trauma is fresh, and we are going to have feelings today, and there is no shame in that. what i want to say is, what we went through six months ago, they are going through right now, which makes them our brothers and sisters... which makes them fellow travellers, which makes them our own. so to the very best of our ability, we are gonna do our work first. and you're gonna have your feelings later."

lia is stood with her arms folded fidgeting and twitching throughout her father's speech. she sniffs slightly to prevent herself from welling up.

"lia," owen says quietly, as he turns around to look at her.

"i'm fine," lia assures him. "i'm fine."

"go to the pit, make sure we're stocked," mark tells her as he turns his head to the side to look at her. "call the blood bank-"

"i'm fine," she snaps, much harsher than she did when she spoke to owen. she then walks away so that she's no longer stood by mark, as the ambulances begin pulling into the bay.

"jason swork, twenty years old, single entrance wound to the fifth intercostal space," one of the paramedics informs lia and owen, handing them the chart as they approach one of the ambulances. "no exit wound. lost vitals in front of us. this is the emergency thoracotomy we called in about."

"you did a thoracotomy in the field?" lia raises her brow at the paramedic in shock.

"no, i didn't," the paramedic shakes his head as the ambulance doors open behind him to reveal cristina with her hands in the patient's chest.

"i had to crack his chest," cristina explains to lia and owen as they look at her with their eyes wide.

■ ■ ■

"cristina-" owen begins, quietly, as they are wheeling the patient's gurney through the e.r.

"can you feel the lesion?" lia cuts him off.

"yes, he's got a big hole is his right ventricle, but as long as a keep my hand here, i can feel a good heartbeat," cristina informs her.

"cristina," owen repeats.

"what? what?" cristina turns to him.

"you're going to the o.r?" he raises his brow at her.

"she's got her hand on the hole, owen," lia reminds him.

"i'll be fine," cristina assures him. "i'll be okay."

owen then stops walking with them as lia, cristina and the paramedics continue wheeling the gurney into the elevator.

■ ■ ■

"you paged me?" jackson asks, entering lia's o.r as she is prepping for her surgery. he soon notices cristina is scrubbed in. "yang?"