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

44 | Silver Flood

"Silver flood." I singsonged as I walked up to the E.R. desk beside Owen, "We haven't had one of these in a long while."

Silver flood was the hospital's code name for a large group of...old people. We called it that because if you ever mentioned the word "old" around these people, they would bite your head off faster than you could blink.

Owen chuckled. "Yeah. It'll be interesting to see how the interns handle it."

"You didn't come home last night." I looked at Owen, "Late night?"

"Complicated trauma." he answered as he placed a kiss on my head, "See you later. Don't forget about the dinner party at Meredith's tonight."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied.

Meredith looked up from her tablet as the elders started literally flooding into the E.R. "Home?" she raised an eyebrow, "You two...live together?"

"Yeah...I mean-" I started, "I think so. He still owns Derek's old trailer, but he just...yeah. I'm not sure...it's been weird. We never talk about stuff. It just kind of happens."

Meredith smiled, "Well, if you're happy. Does Cristina know?"

"I think Owen told her." I shrugged, "But she told us to look out for him. I'm just...taking it really seriously."

Meredith laughed as she walked off. The E.R. was full in a matter of minutes and I soon found myself running around like a mad dog. Elders expected perfect from us, and frankly, it was perfect they got...or else.

"Silver flood." one of the interns, Andrew DeLuca, finally realized the meaning.

Ben chuckled. "Well, what did you think it was?"

"Why do you need a code word for a bunch of old people?" Andrew asked, making a very classic and rookie mistake.

"What?" one woman eyed him, "We're not old people. We're senior citizens."

Another one piped up soon after. "Disrespectful. Calling people old."

"That's why." Ben smirked, "Have fun with that."

Walking over to one of the other patients, I was just about to introduce myself when I heard one of the other interns calling for help. "Excuse me." I smiled at the elder woman.

Running over to the intern, Issac Cross, I saw him doing chest compressions on an old man. "How long has he been down?" I asked as I pushed him out of the way and grabbed the panels.

"Ten minutes." he answered, "I ran through the ACLS v-fib protocol twice."

"Okay, charge to two-hundred." I said, "What happened?"

Issac swallowed hard. "He was having chest pains, so I gave him some nitro. His B.P. bottomed out all at once. I'm worried he was on E.D. meds. We asked him."

"Well, was he?" I asked as I put the panels to the patient's chest, "Clear!"

"What happened?" Jackson walked over.

"He insisted he wasn't." Issac was clearly flustered, "We asked him several times. We told him what could happen."

Jackson sighed, "He probably lied."

"Why would he do that when we told him?" Issac stepped back.

"People can be stubborn." I gave up on trying to revive the man, "Time of death twelve nineteen."

"What do...what do we do now?" Issac questioned.

Jackson huffed, "You notify the morgue."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

As I packed up the panels and covered the man's body up with a sheet, I heard a commotion from the other side of the E.R. Looking over, I saw a man push Issac into a supply cart and knock him over. "Dear, God." I huffed as I ran over and made sure the intern was all right.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Owen approached the upset man, "Sir, sir."

"He said my father was dead, and he won't tell me where he is!" the man started to cry, "He said my dad was a liar."

Owen grabbed a hold of the man, "I am so sorry. Sir, come sit down. I'm gonna tell you everything that happened and I will take you to your dad, okay?"

The man nodded, "Please, please."

"Get him a chair and bring him some water." Owen looked to the security guard.

Grabbing the intern's head, I made sure he wasn't bleeding. "Talk to me, Cross." I grumbled at the shocked man, "Do you hurt anywhere?"

Issac shook his head as Owen walked over. "What did you do?" Owen barked, "What did you say to him?"

"Dr. Hunt, I -" Issac started.

"What the hell did you say?!"

Looking at me, Owen huffed. "Gather up the interns and meet me in one of the break rooms."

Nodding, I did an all call throughout the hospital from all of the interns. Owen wanted to talk them through how to tell a family their loved ones were dead, as obviously, some of them didn't know how.

"There were forty passengers on the bus." Owen explained to the large group of interns, "Eight of them died en route. We've lost six in the E.R. already, and many more are in surgery or in critical care in the I.C.U. All of these peoples' families are on their way to this hospital right now. When they get here, you will be responsible for informing them that their loved ones have died."

"Why us?" someone asked.

"Because after what I've seen today, you clearly need the practice." Owen answered, "Now, there are four steps to this. Location, language, body language, and leave. We think of them as the four L's. The first 'L' location. Bring them to a quiet, comfortable place where they won't be disturbed. Next, language. Don't sugarcoat it. Don't leave anything open to interpretation. You heave to use the word 'died.' Third, body language. Often a comforting touch can help. A hand on the arm or on the shoulder...if it feels appropriate. And finally, leave as soon as you're able. You've done what you came to do, so excuse yourself. Get out."

As soon as Owen was done explaining what to do, he sent the interns to work.

Owen and I monitored the interns all day long, but eventually, Meredith approached us. She wanted us to gather up the interns again because she had something she wanted to say.

"When you walk into a room to tell someone that their loved one has died, it's more than just a list of bullet points you've memorized. Yours is the face they will remember for the rest of their life." Meredith folded her arms, "They were fine before they met you. They picked up their children from school, they made dinner, and they got a call. The police showed up at their door and brought them here with those children to this room so that you can give them the worst news of their entire life. You are changing this person's life forever. You are responsible for this moment. For the instant that person goes from wife to widow is you. All you. Nobody but you. So, this person isn't an inconvenience. They are not a box on a list to be checked off. You are a part of their life now. Your words, your face. So take that seriously and recognize the importance of your role. And respect the fact that that person's pain is the biggest thing in the room. You got it?"

All of the interns nodded before we let them take it easy for the rest of the day. Hours of non-stop bad news like that was hard, there was no doubt about it.

I knew that the speech Meredith gave came one-hundred percent from her feelings when Derek died. I know, because they were the same things I felt when my mother died. 

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"Hey, where's Maggie?" Meredith asked as we helped get the house set up for the dinner party. Owen had to stay late at the hospital so I just got a ride with the girls and offered to help. "She was supposed to be here with the ice and people are already showing up."

"Maggie got held up at work." Amelia said, "She said she's on her way."

"Uh, the dryer finished a little bit early, but the tablecloth's still damp." Stephanie walked out.

Amelia sighed, "It's fine. Just put it on the table. It's fine."

As the doorbell rang, both Meredith and I, unknowingly, headed for the door. When Meredith opened the door, my face fell.

Standing there was Callie and her girlfriend. "Hi, Meredith." Callie smiled, "This is Penny. Honey, this is Meredith and Ellie. I brought some wine."

I instantly recognized Penny the second I saw her. She was a resident from the hospital where Derek died. Even worse, she was the resident who let Derek die.