The Shepherd Legacy

A Miracle for Addison

This is based on Season 5, Episode 15 of Grey's Anatomy.

On this particular morning, the routine chaos of the hospital was punctured by the arrival of an ambulance. Derek, Mary, and the Chief of Surgery, Richard Webber, awaited its arrival, having received a call from an old friend. The doors burst open, revealing Addison Montgomery, previously Shepherd, a renowned neonatal surgeon, and her colleague Naomi Bennett.

Addison's arrival opened a bunch of doors from the past. She embraced Richard warmly before turning to Derek and Mary. As she shared a hug with the siblings, Archer, Addison's brother, was wheeled out from the ambulance, his condition critical post-seizure. Addison looked at Derek, tired. "He's fine now, but he seized again on the way." Her voice was void of the usual confidence that seemed to surround her. Mary nodded, squeezing Addison's shoulder in compassion, the group following Archer into an examination room.

Derek and Mary assessed Archer's condition, their minds working in tandem. Mary had spent the last few years under Derek's tutelage, and it paid off - the siblings worked together perfectly, Mary able to anticipate Derek's requests and thoughts before he had time to voice them. Various tests and films were ordered, and the group gathered around them, consulting each other. Naomi and Addison, anxious and fraught, explained Archer's situation. He had neurocytosis, a parasite in his brain, and his reaction to the medication prescribed was aggressive. That was why he seized, but the medication was also supposed to prevent him from seizing.

"Derek, we need to take him off the drip," Mary said urgently, studying the monitors. "We can't help him if we don't get this stuff out of him."

Derek nodded, his expression grim. "I agree. I don't think there's a different way."

"If he seizes again, there's a risk of permanent brain damage," Addison interjected, her voice laced with fear. "This medication is the only thing preventing him from seizing, and you want to take him off of it?"

"We have to hope it doesn't come to that," Derek replied, his tone steady yet tinged with gentleness. "If he is reacting to it with a seizure, it's not working. I'll have Mary administer Encelzepam, but we need to ween him off everything else."

"I don't like this, Derek. This is chance." Addison said, even as she let Mary take Archer off the drip. Her eyes followed Mary's hands as the resident pushed the syringe into the IV.

Derek looked at her, compassion evident in his eyes. "Neither do I, Addie, but we don't have another option."

Every eye in the room focused on Archer, awaiting his reaction to Encelzepam. The tension in the room was palpable: Addison, usually composed, kept fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her eyes glued to her brother's unconscious body.

Suddenly, the cardiac monitor sounded an alarm, showing Archer's heart rate plummeting. Mary was the first to react, pressing the 'Code Blue' button before immediately beginning compressions. Derek's eyes remained on the monitor, analyzing the rhythm.

"Okay, he's in v-fib, I need a crash cart." Derek's voice resonated throughout the room, his orders immediately fulfilled. He watched the nurse prep Archer as he warmed the pads. "Charge to 200. Clear!"

Mary's hands immediately moved away, every breath in the room suspended as the shock was administered. Her eyes darted to the monitor, an exhale escaping her lips. "Sinus tach, he's back."

Addison cried out in relief, leaning against the wall. Mary smiled lightly in compassion, moving towards the neonatal surgeon to embrace her. Addison accepted the hug, burying her face in her own hands.

--

In the aftermath, Derek checked on Archer, his mind racing with possibilities. He had stayed in the room, instructing Maryam to get Naomi and Addison out and stay with them, no matter what. Mary complied, and the three were now huddled around the nurse's station. There, Addison introduced Mary to Naomi for the first time - Mary had only been nine when Addison and Derek divorced shortly after Carolyn's death. Derek could not handle being in a relationship, doing his residency, and being a parent to his sister. Addison was understanding, and the two remained close, with Addison often checking up on both Mary and Mark.