trauma [m.s]

xliii.

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surgeons aren't known for being warm and cuddly. they're arrogant, impatient, mean as often as not. you'd think they wouldn't have friends, 'cause who could stand them?
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"chief, i need to ask you about-" bailey begins as she approaches her superior at the o.r board. but when he turns around, instead of addressing her, he looks past her to mark, who is stood at the nurses station.

"uh, sloan," richard calls over to him. "have you heard from derek?"

"no," mark shakes his head, picking up his charts and walking away.

"oh, i'm sorry. uh, you were saying-" richard looks back to a clearly irritated bailey, but is once again distracted when meredith arrives at the nurses station. "oh, meredith."

"no, i don't know how he is. i have heard nothing. nothing today, nothing yesterday and nothing the day before that," she informs him before he even gets the opportunity to ask the question. "and no, i will not go back out there."

meredith forces a smile before she too walks away from the nurses station, leaving a frowning richard behind. richard had already asked meredith to bring derek back from where he was currently hiding out in his trailer. armed her with the knowledge of the neurosurgeon's pending proposal. however, instead of proposing, he used a baseball bat to hit the ring into the woods.

"hey," callie's brow creases as she approaches and examines the o.r board. "who moved my surgery?" she looks to richard, who sighs as he turns and walks away. "chief? chief?"

"don't. just don't. he's a wreck. he's disintegrating before our very eyes," bailey scoffs, shaking her head. "that's why men die earlier than women."

"yeah. well, the board's a mess," callie points out as the two of them turn back to the o.r board.

"he can't lose shepherd," bailey exhales deeply. "i mean, i'd go talk some sense into him, but i just got too much on my plate."

"have you tried calling him?" callie queries.

"about a hundred times," bailey reveals.

"hmm," callie hums, thoughtfully, before realising bailey is staring at her, harshly, and expectantly. "no. n- oh, you... you want me to go to the woods?" her voice raises an octave, but bailey simply nods. "no. i- i don't do woods. the woods are dirty and there are many, many bugs."

bailey continues to stare at the ortho resident with a raised brow, and pursed lips, clearly not giving up on this.

"what am i gonna say to the guy? i barely know him," callie asks, somewhat giving in to bailey's persistent stare.

"you don't have to know him. you're both surgeons. you've been through the same war," bailey argues. "look, just remind him- we've all been there, we all came back."

"you're kind of a bully, you know that?" callie frowns, but a small smile plays on her lips.

"i wouldn't do it if it didn't work so well," bailey smugly mumbles under her breath as she walks away.

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but surgeons are like a bad cold. nasty, but persistent. surgeons: nasty, aggressive, unstoppable, just the kind of people you want on your side when you're really screwed.
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