𝙇𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙣𝙖

3.11

Bailey and her interns are walking through the hall. "So, how's Burke doing?" Evi asks Cristina.

"I don't know." She answers simply.

George displays a look of disbelief. "She doesn't know."

"He just had surgery yesterday and you don't know how he's doing?" Alex asks.

"They're not speaking." Meredith informs them.

"I thought they made up." Izzie says.

"They did, sort of."

"But... she's still not speaking to him?" Evi says confused.

"He's not speaking to me." Cristina clarifies.

"They're not speaking to each other."

"O-kay." Evi says still slightly confused.

"Did you ask Derek about Burke's hand?" Cristina asks Meredith.

"I don't want to get in the middle of it. Derek and I are happy. Can we just keep it that way for a while?" Meredith responds.

"You know, you could always just swallow your pride and ask him yourself." Izzie says.

"Her gut's not big enough for that." Alex says.

They walk into Mr. O'Malley's room where a party is going on with the O'Malley extended family. "O'Malley!" They all yell.

"Quiet down." Harold tells them.

"Morning everybody." Louise says.

"Good morning. Who's presenting?" Richard asks.

"Yeah George!" The O'Malley's exclaim.

"Harold O'Malley 63. Status-post aortic valve replacement. Morning chest x-rays showed no atalectasis after aggressive CPT for the last two days. Scheduled for a transhiatal esophagectomy tomorrow at 9." George presents.

Everyone looks at him. "That's it." The crowd cheers.

"For the next few minutes I think it would be best if the extended family wait in the waiting room." Bailey says.

"Just a few minutes guys and then you can come back." Harold says.

"How are you feeling Mr. O'Malley?" Bailey asks once the family leaves.

"He's feeling great. "Better than ever" he says. Which is why we had everyone come out today. We figured that after today he maybe won't be feelingOK for a while." Louise asks.

"After the surgery, then do we start chemo and stuff?" Harold asks.

"That protocol depends on what we find when we open you up Harold." Richard says.

"What do you mean, what you find?" Harold asks.

"Um—Grey."

"There's only so much they can tell from labs and scans, so they really need to get a look inside to see if the cancer has spread." Meredith says.

"And if the cancer has spread, that changes how much chemo he needs?" Louise asks.

"That changes a lot of things." Richard says.

"Like what?" Harold asks.

"I'll let the oncologist explain that later today Harold. Dr. Grey will be taking you through a final battery of pre-operative tests before we go." Richard tells Harold.

"So it would be best if the party went home." Bailey continues.

•.•

"Preston Burke. Post-op day one from an I and D of a compressive hematoma to the brachoplexus. He is afebrile and vital signs are stable over night. His incisions are clean with no signs of infection. Last morphine was given at 2 this morning." Alex presents Burke's case.