On Call | Grey's Anatomy // Book 3 // COMPLETED

13 | A Future of Unknown

You know how people say, "who knows? I could get hit by a bus tomorrow"? That seems pretty farfetched... until you have a friend who gets hit by a bus. The point is, we never know what kind of day is coming.

I never liked change. Maybe it's because my life has been nothing but change ever since I started working at this cursed hospital, but never the less, I hate it. I hate it, but it always happens to me.

Everyone was moving on. I know, I thought that was happening a while ago, but then there was a plane crash and everyone stayed, well, grounded for a while. But now it was actually happening.

Derek's brain mapping project was taking off, so he and Meredith were moving to D.C. to be closer to the President. Cristina was leaving for Zurich that day and Alex had already started working at the private practice. Jackson and April were married and about to have a kid and I was still living alone in a big empty house; single for what seemed like forever.

It could be worse, though. I could have gotten kicked from the hospital like Leah Murphy. I guess Webber just didn't see that 'surgeon sparkle' in her or something.


Walking through the hospital, I was ready to get to work when I saw Owen and April staring at the television in the E.R.

"If you're just joining us, we have breaking news of an enormous explosion." the reporter said, "It happened only minutes ago at Seattle's Mall of the Woods. We are getting reports of massive fatalities and scores of people injured. Officials have not yet determined-"

"Page all available surgeons." Owen turned to the staff as the three of us started barking orders.

"Discharge all patients who can be." I turned to a nurse.

Owen sighed, "Cancel all elective surgeries. I want a security lockdown on this floor. Call blood services. I want all the O-Neg they have."

"The concern right now, and what we're all wondering is, is this an act of terrorism?" the reporter went on.

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"So it's chemical?" a reporter asked as Owen stood at a podium, a hoard of news stations surrounding him.

"I'm not saying that." Owen shook his head, "Some patients are presenting with blisters and rashes, but the cause is not yet known. This could be nothing, but we are taking proper decontamination precautions. The main message here is that we are fully equipped to treat the injured. If you're coming to the hospital to look for a loved one, if, uh if you've, uh, if you've lost someone, then please stay clear of the emergency entrance. Come straight to the main entrance. Thank you."

The hospital had been completely changed in a period of a few hours. Decontamination stations had been set up, surrounded by large red tarps. People were screaming in pain as they came in and others were bawling their eyes out looking for loved ones.

"Forrest, how are we?" Owen approached me.

I took a deep breath, "Good. We've taken in over thirty injured. More on the way. Triage areas are laid out reds here, yellows here, greens in the hallway."

"And upstairs?" Owen questioned.

"We've started rotating O.R.s, one surgeon in each, with steady turnover."

Calling April over, Owen directed her to some men in suits. " Okay. Talk to these men. Help them find who they're looking for. And, Kepner, get a mask on."

April glanced down at her stomach, "Oh, God. Yes, sir."

Everywhere I looked there were more people coming in. The hallways were packed and it took forever to get anywhere with the crowds of people.

Walking down the hallway after consulting on a good fifteen people, I spotted Meredith and Cristina. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a big meeting." I asked Cristina.

"They blew up Seattle." Cristina answered, "I can't leave."

"You should. No one has a beef with Switzerland." Meredith told her, "So, we're going to D.C. Um, we sign papers on the townhouse tonight. It's nice. It's gonna be good."

"God, I am going to miss you guys so much." I sighed.

Smiling, Cristina threw her arm around Meredith. "What are you doing?" Meredith asked.

"I'm happy for you. People do this." Cristina replied.

"Are you? Happy for me?" Meredith questioned.

"I gotta go to the O.R." Cristina said as she started to take off, " Alex gave a kid an emergency thoracotomy."

A little later in the day, we found out that the rashes on people were caused by dry-cleaning fluid. The explosion had been caused by a gas-main and when the explosion had happened, it had affected a large dry cleaning shop in the mall so people were lying in puddles in the fluid.

It was a relief to know that it wasn't a terrorist attack or even a bomb, but it didn't change our situation. There were still injured people who needed to be saved.

Minutes later I was pulled into a surgery with Owen and Ben. After a while, you get used to the long surgeries and soon a two-hour procedure feels like twenty minutes. Once my part of the surgery was done, I scrubbed out and left Owen and Ben to do their thing.

Just as I stepped out of the O.R., I saw Meredith and Cristina walk by. Cristina was out of her scrubs with her suitcases in hand. "Cristina!" I called after her.

Stopping, she turned and walked over. "Goodbye." I pulled her in for a hug, "You were the first person here that I actually talked to and worked with. I'm going to miss you more than you know, and I know that because you already left once and I hated it."

Following the two of them, we approached Bailey and Webber as we got to the top of the stirs. "Dr. Bailey, um, Dr. Webber, I-I just wanted to-" Cristina started.

"She doesn't have time for long goodbyes." Meredith cut in, "She had a plane to catch."

"Well, you should go then," Webber said.

Bailey nodded, "Yeah, don't stand around here talking. Go, be a surgeon. That's what we trained you for."

"Can I come with you?" Shane came out of nowhere.

"Shane, not now." Meredith shook her head.

"I'm not kidding." Shane pushed on, "Take me to Switzerland. I can help you."

Webber scoffed, "You're in the middle of your residency."

"And my teacher is leaving, the one I want to learn from, to go do the work I want to be a part of." Shane looked to Cristina, "I want to be in charge of my education, and I choose you. You can say no, but I will badger you until you say yes."

Cristina smiled, "Yes."

"I quit." Shane laughed, "Respectfully. And thank you for everything. Really."

Sighing, Webber shook Shane's hand. Shane smiled wide before he rushed off to pack. "Want to grab anything else on the way out?" Bailey asked, "C.T. machine?"

"Thank you." Cristina hugged Bailey, catching her off guard.

"Proud of you." Webber hugged her next, "Go."

Meredith grabbed Cristina's bags, "Okay, now. Come on. Let's go. We have to go."

"Wait, wait. Wait here." Cristina told us before taking off.

"Cristina!" I called after her, "You're gonna miss your flight!"

Meredith and I waited a few minutes before Cristina finally came running back. Grabbing her bags, Meredith and I walked her out. "Let's go." Meredith told her, "Now, or you never will."

"Wait." Cristina caught up with our fast pace as the yellow car pulled up, "You-you already called me a cab?"

"No," Meredith told her.

Just then, a man got out carrying an organ cooler. "Wait, is that for Link McNeil?" Cristina asked him.

"Yeah." he nodded, "I need to find Dr. Yang."

"I'm Dr. Yang."

"No. You need to find Dr. Pierce." Meredith stepped up and told him about the new Cardio Head, "You can go to the nurses' station and they will direct you."

The man nodded and headed for the entrance. "Meredith, no! I-I can't just leave them." Cristina complained.

"Yes, you can. They are in good hands." Meredith threw Cristina's coat into the cab, "Pierce is gonna do it, and Sabine knows she's gonna do it. She consented. Owen is here, I am here, Ellie is here, and we're gonna follow up with Link post-op, okay? Get to the airport as fast as you can."

"Wait, Meredith." Cristina rolled down the window as I closed the door after she got in.

"What? What do you need, an "I love you" or something?" Meredith snapped, trying not to get emotional, "I love you. Call me when you get there."

As the car drove off, I could tell that Meredith was fighting back tears. She was losing her best friend. After heading back into the hospital, Meredith and I started talking to Derek's sister, Amelia. A few minutes later, someone grabbed Meredith and me and started dragging us.

"What the heck?" I turned to see Cristina, "Cristina, what are you doing here?"

"I can't go." Cristina pushed us into an on-call room and shut the door behind us.

"Yes, you can!" Meredith yelled.

"We have to finish." Cristina told us, " We have to dance it out. That's how we finish."

Sighing, Meredith pulled her phone out. "What are you doing?" Cristina asked, "What, you gonna call someone to make me leave or what-"

"I'm finding a song." Meredith told her as she picked something and put the phone down, "Okay, ready?"

"Wait." Cristina stopped her before she pressed play, "We'll call each other at least twice a month, and-and we'll text all the time."

I rolled my eyes, "You hate texting."

"Text me." Cristina insisted, "And don't let Owen get all dark and twisty. Take care of him. And Alex, take care of Alex. He needs to be mocked at least once a day, or he'll be insufferable. Don't get on any little, tiny planes that can crash or stick your hand in a body cavity that has a bomb in it or offer your life to a gunman! Don't do that. Don't be a hero. You're my people. I need you alive. Okay. Now we dance it out."

Taking a deep breath, Meredith pressed play. I instantly recognized the song as 'Where Does the Good Go?' by Tegan and Sara. "You love this song!" Cristina squealed as we started jumping around like crazy people in the on-call room.

We danced for a while before we just stopped and stared at each other, breathing heavily and smiling. "I got to go." Cristina spoke, "You stay here, okay?"

"Okay." Meredith and I nodded.

Heading for the door, Cristina grabbed her bag before turning around one last time and looking to Meredith. " You are a gifted surgeon with an extraordinary mind. Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy. But he is not the sun. You are."

Whenever we think we know the future...even for a second...it changes. Sometimes the future changes quickly...and completely and we're left only with the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it...to stand there, trembling not moving...assuming the worst that can happen. Or we step forward...into the unknown...and assume it will be brilliant.