𝙎𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙎; 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙣

|| 69 ||

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Natalie was just sitting in the chair in front of her desk, trying to process everything. She tried to make a plan. Her next moves. All the things she could right and make this work. But then the hospital needed her. And she dropped everything one last time. One last case, she told herself.

The patients name was Holly and she was airlifted to the hospital after being found in the woods. They believed she was a hiker who got lost, but Meredith saw that she had marks around her wrists and ankles and deduced that she'd been held captive.

"She was abused. It's all over the X-rays." Natalie said. She was in the OR with half of the hospital's staff. 

"Okay, we have to call the police." Meredith stated. 

"Just stay calm." Natalie said, for a moment forgetting everything that she had found out about. Because there was a girl, at her daughter's age that needed her help. "We don't know anything for sure until she talks."

"Turner, she has a temporal bone fracture. I'm gonna have to do a middle fossa approach." Derek said.

"Okay, there's an aneurysm in her celiac artery. I'll need to put a graft in." Bailey added, showing the exact spot in the X-rays.

"She's ready to be put under, chief." The anaesthesiologist said. 

"Wait." Meredith spoke and walked up to the girl. "You were running from someone, right? Is that how you fell?" She asked her softly and Holly looked at her like she trusted her. "No one's gonna hurt you. We just need to know your name."

"He-he called me Susan. But I-I think it's Holly." The girl said and Natalie closed her eyes, and kept wondering why her last case had to be the toughest one in the entire hospital. Because seeing a girl that could be her daughter in that situation, thinking about Amber getting hurt like that, it caused her more pain than the cancer in her body.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

The surgeons were in the OR, Lexie with her photographic memory remembered the case of a child's abduction 10 years ago. Her name was Holly Wheeler. It was the summer of 2000. She was 6, and she was with her mother outside. Her mom bumped into a friend, started talking about the block party they were having that weekend. That's how long it took for her to realize that her child wasn't there anymore.

"Bailey, Shepherd, can you stop for a moment?" Natalie walked into the OR after speaking to the police.

"What is it?" Derek asked her as they stopped the surgery. He looked at her wondering if she was okay. His first instinct was to go and tell Mark but he didn't want to betray her.

"The police want us to check for a birthmark under her arm." They lifted her arm but they couldn't see anything. "The other side, further up."

And it was her.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

After the surgery Derek was doing a neuro exam. "Okay. Can you wiggle your toes?" He asked and the girl did so. "Painful?"

"Yeah." Holly whispered.

"You hit your head pretty hard when you fell. But you're doing great, okay?" Natalie told the girl, trying to give her some courage. 

"Holly, I'm Dr. Fincher. I'm a therapist who works for the hospital." A woman entered the room and Natalie knew that she was in trouble. Because first mistake she did was not call psych first. "Is it okay if the police ask you a few questions? Only if you feel up to it." She asked her and Holly looked at Meredith for reassurance.