flatline [m.s]

cxxxii.

- - -
every patient who gets bad news wants to be the exception. the one in a million. the miracle. but surgeons don't believe in miracles.
- - -

derek is stood going over some charts when arizona skips over to him, holding a chart of her own to her chest.

"hey, have you seen lia? i have this huge peds case that i wanted her to weigh in on," arizona smiles as she gestures to the file she's holding.

"nope, not today," derek shakes his head. "i think she has the day off. but, maybe check with mark?"

"okay, thanks," arizona nods before turning and walking away, leaving derek to go back to the charts sat in front of him.

"derek," lia's voice sounds out, causing him to look up from his charts to see her walking into the e.r with her arms guiding a staggering richard. "hey, his neighbour said that he wasn't getting his mail."

"der- derek," richard slurs.

"i don't know what's wrong with him," lia shakes her head in a fluster.

"did you pick him up of the floor of a bar, lia? that might be a clue," derek scoffs.

"derek, no, i'm not... i haven't been drinking. i swear," richard tells him, but is cut off from speaking further when he begins to vomit blood.

- - -
we have to make them happen. miracles aren't always huge. the fever breaks, the stitch holds, the bone heals.
- - -

"okay, make sure his fluids are running wide open. let's get that blood hung," bailey orders as she holds a bowl in front of richard as he continues to vomit.

"got f.f.p here," meredith tells her.

"what- what about factor vii?" lia asks. "did you check his i.n.r?"

"okay, hang fifty mics of octreotide," bailey ignores lia's questions.

"dr. bailey, shouldn't we check for renal failure?" lia continues to badger her.

"there are way too many people in here. grey, get the orogastric tube in. the rest of you, out," bailey ushers the other doctors away from richard's gurney before pulling the curtain shut, leaving lia and derek on the other side.

"he made amends. he's not drunk," lia turns to derek who raises his brow, suggesting he doesn't believe her before walking away.

■ ■ ■

bailey, meredith, lia, maggie, and derek how are all stood around richard's bed that he has been moved to in the icu of the hospital.

"you've got end-stage cirrhosis," bailey tells him softly. "we can treat the symptoms, but the only thing that can save your life is a transplant."

"how did it happen so fast?" lia furrows her brow.

"he bathed it in gin," derek retorts.

"derek," meredith scolds.

"no, derek's right. except for the gin. i was a vodka man," richard weakly chuckles. "what's- what's the next step here? because the transplant board has a rule that an alcoholic has to be sober for at least a year to qualify, and i'm only thirty days."