𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 - 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙮 (ON HOLD)

ninety - five - "christopher shepherd" - ninety - five

"Talking with a patient's family is a crash course in grace under pressure. One clumsy word, one careless gesture can cause irreparable harm. Ideally, you're dealing with a healthy family where the main focus is on the well-being of their loved one but that is not often the case. But a surgeon is required, above all, to tell the truth. And the truth is messy. Grace under pressure. One clumsy word, one careless gesture can cause irreparable harm. So focus on facts. What happened? What was the problem and what did you do? Don't make it personal. Answers questions directly. This is not your loss. This is not your pain. Never make it about you. And if there's no silver lining, don't make one up. Your job isn't to make the bad news sound better. Even though you're in pain too, even though you don't feel like a doctor, you're just another person, alone, falling into the dark."
-Meredith Grey, S16E7, "Papa Don't Preach"

"When you sign a medical directive or consent to surgery, there's an important question we ask. In the event of a possible fatal complication, do you want us to use extraordinary measures to prolongue your life? If your heart stops, do you want us to begin CPR? Do you want to be violently shocked with 360 joules of electricity? Do you agree to multiple injections of adrenaline into your veins or a tube down your throat? How far will you go to stay alive? Extraordinary measures can have a cost. You may be alive, but life may not be the same as you remember. Your body may not move as easily. Feelings may be gone. And it can take a long time to recover. There's a reason it's a difficult decision. You just have to decide if it's all worth it."
-Meredith Grey, S16E8, "My Shot"

"If there's one thing I hear patients say even more than "save my life," it's this: "I want to go home." It's weird spending all of your time in a place most people hate. But this hospital, in particular, it's where I grew up. It's where my fondest memories happened. It's home. Even if it's a broken home. Home means different things to different people. Sometimes, home is a person. Home can be a feeling. Psychiatrists say, for those of us who come from dysfunctional homes, that feeling is chaos. We think family means drama. So it's no wonder so many of us from broken homes thrive on pain and destruction."
-Meredith Grey, S16E9, "Let's All Go to the Bar"

"You're not in it alone. It's a nice thought, but pretty useless in an OR. The better you are as a surgeon, the more likely it is that no one else can do what you can do. A good outcome, a loss, 100% of that rests solely on your shoulders. It's a ridiculous amount of pressure. And I've seen it shatter the best of us. Knowing you're alone in the OR can make you the best, but that attitude can ruin your personal life. That's why depression, fatigue, and burnout are so common in our profession. But if you're going to make a life of this, you need to learn to rely on others whenever possible. And that if you break, it's okay to let your friends put you back together."
-Meredith Grey, S16E10, "Help Me Through the Night"

The strong breeze made Anna's long, curly hair fly around wildly as she stood beside Colton on the ferryboat, watching the water ripple around them, still astonished that her boyfriend had lived in Seattle longer than her and used this transportation even less than she had since moving here at 13.

Colton wrapped an arm around her back, leaning down closer to her ear so she could hear over the loud wind, "I can see why people like this."

"It's calm, relaxing." Anna smiled up at him, "I remember how much my dad loved it before going to work everyday."

"Even more understandable since he was a neurosurgeon."

The ferryboat ride was over quicker than they wanted. They took a short walk to the parking lot where Colton's car was waiting for them. After getting in the car, and heading into the familiar evening traffic, he drove them to his apartment complex. They sat together on the couch, the tv turned on a random channel, acting as background noise. Anna laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes at the feeling of him playing with the ends of her hair.