flatline [m.s]

cxcv.

- - -
your kids. your keys. your family photo album. it's the list you repeat in your head before you fall asleep.
- - -

"little more suction," lia requests as she's operating on one of her patients. "perfect. there it is."

"i just went to prep lizzie hagans for her biopsy, and it was already done," alex informs her as he steps into the o.r, holding a scrub mask up to his mouth. "by you. at five a.m?"

"you're welcome," lia nods.

"i thought you were going to la," alex points out.

"i was until mrs. st. james got septic from baby's tumour," lia gestures to the pregnant woman lying on her o.r table. "mark can wait. mrs. st. james can't."

"okay," alex sighs.

"why is your girlfriend stalking me?" lia looks up to the gallery where jo is sat, watching intently, and alex follows her gaze before he walks out.

"so apparently, webber starts morning pre-rounds in the middle of the night now," deluca groans as he slumps into the seat beside jo in the gallery. "i've been here for hours."

"shh," jo dismisses him.

"what are we looking at?" deluca furrows his brow.

"i don't know. i'll know when i see it," jo tells him as she hands him a notebook.

"okay, now what am i looking at?" deluca flips through the notebook.

"all of webber's surgeries since march," jo informs him. "at first, i thought it was just a fluke."

"oh, my god," deluca's eyes widen. "is this right?"

"mm-hmm," jo nods.

"she hasn't lost a single patient- not one bad outcome- since march?" deluca looks amazed. "how is that possible?"

"she's on a streak," jo smiles as alex enters the gallery.

"it's time for rounds. let's go," alex nods his head towards the door.

"dude, webber is pitching a no-hitter," deluca stands from his seat and walks over to alex, passing him the notebook. "she hasn't lost a single patient since march."

"what?" alex's brow creases, as the room starts to rumble and shake.

"whoa," deluca attempts to steady himself.

lia looks around the o.r as the lights begin flickering off, and the surgical equipment starts to shake and clatter to the ground.

her immediate instinct is to just lean over the woman that is lying open in front of her, using her body to shield her and her baby.

"whoa! watch the cabinet!" a nurse shouts as glass begins to shatter.

the rumbling, and the crashing continues for several minutes before it eventually ceases and lia stands back upright.

"you're okay?" lia looks to her surgical team.

"we're okay," one of them calls to her.